On Gear Live: Circuit Breaker: The Tech Newsletter that Elevates Your Gadget Game

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WWDC 2011

Apple has anounced that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will run from June 6 to June 10 in San Francisco, with a focus on iOS and Mac OS.

"At this year's conference we are going to unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said in a statement. "If you are an iOS or Mac OS X software developer, this is the event that you do not want to miss."

Apple promised demonstrations of the new kinds of apps that developers can build using Apple's frameworks and more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers. Mobile app developers can "explore the latest innovations and capabilities of iOS" while Mac developers "will see and learn how to develop world-class Mac OS X Lion applications using its latest technologies and capabilities," Apple said.

Click to continue reading Apple’s WWDC 2011 a lock for June 6-10


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Sprint reject att tmobile merger

Sprint on Monday formally objected to the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, and called on the government to reject the deal because it would harm competition in the wireless space.

"Sprint urges the United States government to block this anti-competitive acquisition," Vonya McCann, senior vice president of government affairs at Sprint, said in a statement. "This transaction will harm consumers and harm competition at a time when this country can least afford it."

AT&T surprised the tech community last Sunday when it announced plans to acquire T-Mobile for $39 billion. AT&T argued that the purchase will help stop the spectrum crunch and spur the companies's deployment of 4G service.

Click to continue reading Sprint requests government to reject AT&T purchase of T-Mobile


iOS 5 delay

Sources have tipped off Techcrunch's MG Siegler that the latest incarnation of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 5, might not hit consumer devices until fall. What's the big deal, you ask? The move is unorthodox for Apple: The typical pattern for the company is to announce a new upgrade to its mobile operating system in spring as a precursor to a summer hardware launch of a new iPhone.

There's been no Apple talk of a new operating system thus far—especially during what would have been the ideal timeframe for the chat, Apple's iPad 2 announcement in early March. This tracks with what Siegler's sources are saying, in that Apple is likely to hold off on iOS 5 until fall. The presumption is that Apple would get to chatting about its new mobile OS during its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), with the official launch of the new OS version hitting during Apple's annual fall music event.

So where does that leave the iPhone 5? Unclear. While Apple typically releases a new version of iOS concurrently with a new iPhone, the delay of iOS doesn't necessarily mean that new Apple hardware is being pushed back until fall this time around. This is all speculation at this point, although FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger has gone on record to indicate that Apple might not have all of its gears in motion to support its annual summer iPhone launch.

Click to continue reading Apple not releasing iOS 5 until fall, according to rumor mill


Latest Gear Live Videos

Liberty Unlimited ArtI have an idea for a great drinking game. Surf the internet and every time you come across a link to Bleeding Cool’s expose of Rob Granito, take a drink. You’ll be Lohan’ed before Monday. In the meantime, I await the Bluewater biography of Mr. Swipey McSwipe-swipe.

Let’s see what else is out there:

Batman: The writer Lance Mannion tries to teach his sons about Batman.

Liberty: Writer Martin Powell gets interviewed at Broken Frontier. Subject: his children’s books and The Halloween Legion and Liberty Unlimited, both of which I’m really looking forward to.

Blood: Mark Wheatley, Marc Hempel and Ricky Shanklin’s graphic novel Blood Of The Innocent is marching toward the big screen. Breck Eisner (The Crazies) is attached to direct and Bill Marsilii (Deja Vu) is writing the screenplay. According to Scoop: “The original comic book series set Dracula against Jack the Ripper and was published by Warp in 1985.”

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Batman, Clint, Shooter, Granito And Rozum!


Postman PratBritish cartoonist Lew Stringer (cartoonist for The Dandy) brings news of a new charity comic book "to help victims of the terrible recent, and ongoing, disasters in New Zealand and Japan."

Contributors already include Si Spencer & Glyn Dillon, Darick Robertson, Nick Abadzis, Peter Hogan & Adrian Bamforth, PJ Holden, Martin Eden, William Simpson, Cornelius Stone, Donna Barr and Lew Stringer.

Click the link for more details.

[Artwork: Postman Prat by Lew Stringer, © DC Thomson]


ChewTony Chu will soon be taking literal bites out of crime... on TV.

Showtime recently purchased a script -- written by Terri Hughes Burton and Ron Milbauer -- based off of John Layman and Rob Guillory's Chew, which chronicles FDA Agent Chu's detective work, primarily performed thanks to the psychic impressions he receives from eating things (which aren't always the most edible).

Circle of Confusion, the company behind fellow Image TV adaptation The Walking Dead, is fueling the project, which Stephen Hopkins is set to direct and executive produce.

While I imagined back-to-back marathons of Chew and The Walking Dead on AMC, I take comfort in the fact that Chew has found its TV home at Showtime, which has seen a show centering on a serial killer continue past five seasons.

The biggest question, of course, is whether or not Ken Leung will be cast as Tony...

Read More | Deadline

Xperia X10 gingerbread

Sony Ericsson announced Friday that its Xperia X10 smartphone will be upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread by the third quarter, though it might not be available to all users.

Sony Ericsson upgraded the X10 to Android 2.1 in November, and had planned to stop there, but customer demand and technology advances prompted the company to consider another upgrade.

"We have listened to our consumers," Sony wrote in a blog post. "In addition, the development of the software for our new 2011 range of Xperia phones gave us a solution that made it possible to deliver Gingerbread on Xperia X10."

Sony Ericsson decided to bypass the Android 2.2 update because it has been focused on Gingerbread for its upcoming line of Xperia phones, including the Xperia Play "PlayStation phone."

The rollout, which will technically be Android 2.3.3, is planned for the end of the second quarter into the third via the company's PC-based upgrade client. At this point, the Xperia X10 is available from carriers and in a version not tied to a specific wireless company, and the Gingerbread update will initially be provided to X10s not tied to a carrier.

Click to continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to get Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgrade


We review the Smart Cover for the iPad 2 in this episode. Apple went back to the drawing board after their original iPad Case was found to not be the best design, and alongside the release of the iPad 2, they've got the Smart Cover. Using magnets to connect itself to the iPad, the Smart Cover is available in polyurethane or leather, and acts as a screen protector cleaner, and stand for the iPad 2. We give you a look at how it works.

You can pick up the iPad 2 from the Apple Store Online.

Big thank you to JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like.

Here's how to get the show:
[Download] - iPod-formatted H.264
[Download] - 720p HD
[Download] - 1080p MP4

iOS 4.3.1

Apple just released iOS 4.3.1 to the world, aiming to fix things like iPod touch display issues, AV-out troubles, problems with enterprise apps, and a few other bugs that were hanging around. If you've been running iOS 4.3 and have been experiencing a few niggles, chances are this'll clear that up. Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to iTunes and grab the update.


Starz Netflix camelot delay

Days after Showtime said it will pull some of its original programming from Netflix's Watch Instantly, Starz has announced some changes to its Netflix lineup, saying it will delay the Netflix debut of "Camelot" for 90 days.

Starz is set to debut its original series, "Camelot," on April 1. As reported by the LA Times, Starz was originally scheduled to debut "Camelot" via Netflix Watch Instantly on April 2, but will now wait 90 days until the show is viewable online.

Starz also plans to delay movies, though a Netflix spokesman said there are "no changes to movies." As the LA Times notes, however, the companies' current contract expires in 2012, so the movie delays could be added to next year's negotiations.

Starz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Click to continue reading Starz delays Netflix debut of Camelot


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