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This is unexpected but completely welcome news. According to HBO, production for season 2 of Game of Thrones will begin on Monday, July 25 in Belfast and other locations. Game of Thrones was given a second season order after the pilot had aired. Since then, the ratings for the show have either stayed steady or increased. Its first season is currently nearing the end. The penultimate episode aired last week (with the death of one of the central characters, which follows the storyline of the books), and the season finale will be airing on June 19 ( view a promo here ). Unfortunately, there's no indication when season 2 of Game of Thrones will actually air, although with filming to occur over the coming months I'm hoping we won't have to wait until next summer to view it. The second season will focus on the second book of the series, "A Clash of Kings". "A Clash of Kings" picks up where the first book ended and focuses on the civil war that's pl

I don't know about you guys, but I am one of those people who absolutely love to have their favorite shows on DVD, so I can watch an episode whenever and wherever I feel like it. It doesn't matter that I have already seen the episodes a million times, if I like a show, I will most likely do my best to get the all the seasons on DVD. And of course, the extras are just the cherry on top. So it really is a no brainer that I will be getting the season 3 of Castle as soon as it comes out. It is no secret that I absolutely love this show, but I only own season 1 so far because the DVDs are not available here in Brazil, which is just plain not cool. This is definitely one of the items I will be picking up while in the US this summer. Castle Season 3 - the best season so far - DVD will have a 5-disc set and will cost $45.99. However, you can get it for $31.99 if you pre order it now. Not a bad deal at all, right? The collection will feature all 24 episodes and a whole lot of extras,

Yesterday we revealed the DVD details for Supernatural season 6, and because we are just as big fans of the another The CW show that has a core relationship between brothers at the heart, we thought we would share the details of The Vampire Diaries season 2 DVD set. The date that was given on our big list of DVD releases ( that can be found here ) of August 30, has been confirmed by those lovely folks at TV Shows On DVD who also have details of what can be found along with the 22 episodes of season 2. Here is what you can expect: Release date: August 30, 2011 Official Description: They're back - and they're not alone. In Season 2, Elena, Stefan, Damon and the other residents of Mystic Falls are joined by a sinister new breed. Released from the tomb, Katherine unleashes her personal brand of evil in a diabolical plot. The Originals - the world's oldest and most dangerous vampires - hunt for Elena, who discovers she has a terrifying connection to their world. And now vampir

N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, has reiterated the board's stance against the DRS, saying it was not convinced the technology used at present was accurate all the time and that the resistance would continue until further improvements were made. "Nothing much has changed since we first opposed it. We welcome technology when it is 100% error-free," Srinivasan told the Indian Express. "In this case it is not, so we would continue to oppose the implementation of the DRS." The BCCI has been consistent in its refusal to use the system - most recently for India's upcoming tour of England - since it was first trialled in the India-Sri Lanka Test series in 2008. Sachin Tendulkar is often named as one of two Indian players (captain MS Dhoni the other) who are resistant to the referral system and therefore tacitly responsible for the BCCI's opposition of the DRS. Tendulkar told ESPNcricinfo that while he was not against the use of technology, the DRS needed th

Chris Gayle continues to be ignored for selection following an unproductive meeting with the WICB management on June 14 and has been left out of the squad for the first Test against India at Sabina Park. The only change to the squad chosen for the St. Kitts Test against Pakistan is Trinidad opener Adrian Barath replacing Barbados opener Kraigg Brathwaite. This meant there was no place for allrounder Dwayne Bravo as well. Bravo had skipped the Test series against Pakistan, after playing the ODIs, to play the IPL. He returned for the one-day series against India and played the first two games before asking to be rested for the remaining three. Bravo had said he wanted to "refocus, reflect" and "rejoin the team for the beginning of the Test series." Apart from Bravo, there was also no place for allrounder Andre Russell, who impressed during the one-dayers against India. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who missed the second Test against Pakistan because of injury and was omitt

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) management will write to Chris Gayle after a meeting of its board of directors on June 17, outlining the way forward in the ongoing discord between the former captain and the administrators. Ahead of that meeting, the two parties involved in the feud released their versions of the meeting on June 14, which ended without a decision on a timeframe and concrete process for Gayle's reinstatement in the West Indies side, or whether he would be reinstated at all. The upshot is that Gayle's future is in limbo, and he won't play the first Test against India at Sabina Park, beginning on June 20. Gayle himself, according to the Aide Memoire  of that June 14 meeting kept by the WIPA and released by Caribbean Sports Media Online (CSMO), "emphasised his concern that the timeframe for his reinstatement to the West Indies team seemed to be indefinite". He also sought clarification on why he was not considered for selection for the limited-ov

Hamish Marshall's Ireland future was in doubt after financial complications emerged following his qualification for the country. Though Marshall, who was born in Auckland, completed the qualification period to play for Ireland in April, he wasn't considered for selection for any of Ireland's forthcoming engagements this summer as he is technically also eligible to play for England. His nominal England qualification releases significant payment to his county, Gloucestershire, from the ECB under regulations that award a stipend for including England-qualified players. Playing for Ireland in the upcoming matches would jeopardise these payments, which Cricket Ireland suggested "would be unreasonable on Gloucestershire within a budgetary cycle". "Since Cricket Ireland, for a similar budgetary reason, is unable to compensate Gloucestershire for their financial loss, Hamish's ability to play for Ireland in the short-term will remain under review," explaine

So you love the idea of your new smartphone being able to have some 3D capabilities — your android smartphone that is, but you don’t know if you’ll actually like it and if you do, you don’t know what one to buy. So far the choices are pretty limited and as of right now the upcoming devices are the HTC EVO 3D or the LG Optimus 3D and lucky for you guys I have both. I’ve done a small video and snapped a few pretty close-up photos to hopefully help a few of you eager readers decide on your next phone.

Early last month, news broke that Microsoft agreed to buy Skype for a whopping $8.5 billion in cash. That sum for a company that’s been losing money quarter over quarter is a huge bet on Microsoft’s part, but it makes sense for the brand and the customer base as Microsoft hopes to strengthen its mobile offerings. Skype is the dominant VOIP internet calling company at the moment with a huge user base and a well recognized name and service. Concerns arose that Microsoft would limit the support of Skype for other platforms in favor of their own, although the company has said that Skype would run as its own separate division. However, the concern isn’t big enough for the FTC to find any anti-trust issues with the deal. Microsoft will need Skype to help it compete against Apple and Google’s video calling offerings. Although Microsoft could technically develop their own service from the ground up, Skype’s large user base and brand recognition will give Microsoft a much needed boost.

If you want to see how your website will look in Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer 9 mobile browser, then you can now do so with a new Mobile Test Drive site. Microsoft has just launched the tool so that developers can make sure their sites mesh with the new browser that’s set to launch with the upcoming Windows Phone 7.1 Mangoupdate. The Mobile Test Drive site will work similar to the Internet Explorer 9 desktop version test drive site where various development samples will be published to highlight features and capabilities. Both the desktop and mobile versions of Internet Explorer 9 use the same core rendering engines and adhere to the concept of “same markup,” but the Microsoft team felt it was important to demonstrate how to optimize content for differences in screen size and device capabilities. Additional samples will be posted to the site over the coming months leading up to the Windows Phone Mango release. But to start things off, the first 15 samples that will be available on

It was revealed today that Apple will be supporting WebGL in iOS 5, but limiting its use for only iAd developers. WebGL is a new rendering standard that lets developers create 3D animations and graphics in websites without the need for a plugin. Being used for iAds could mean lots of really annoying in-your-face ads to come with iOS 5 apps. But, Apple’s restriction of the technology to only iAds has other implications as well. WebGL is still very new and its acceptance isn’t solid yet. Recently, Microsoft announced that it will not be supporting WebGL in Internet Explorer and called the technology “harmful.” WebGL allows websites to take advantage of your system’s hardware for processing and rendering the in-browser graphics, hence, allowing for some pretty awesome effects that could not be achieved before. But, this access could open up new vulnerabilities. Apple has not confirmed whether WebGL will be supported in Safari for desktops and notebooks. And so far, have only revealed that

Earlier this week, Verizon released a new commercial via YouTube to tout the speeds of its LTE network calling itself “the one network powerful enough to set your tablet free.” During the short 30-second spot, there was a brief clip of a woman holding an as of yet unidentified tablet. This, of course, caused a stir of speculation as to what this mystery tablet could be. We previously talked about the commercial suggesting that the device could be a tablet from HTC. But now, new rumors have bubbled up casting the tablet as a Motorola XOOM 4G. The Motorola XOOM came out back in February and hasn’t been the hottest ticket in town. Hence, it’s been rumored that the company is working on a revised version and also one with 4G connectivity. The tablet in the video somewhat resembles the Motorola XOOM, but then again, most all tablets these days look fairly similar. It’s also possible that the tablet is simply a generic model made as a prop for the commercial. And even if it is the Motor

The e-reader competition between the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle has always left the former with a bruised ego. But with the latest “All-New Nook” (also known as the Simple Touch) unveiled earlier this month, things have taken a turn. For the very first time, Consumer Reports has nudged the Nook ahead of the Kindle in its e-reader rankings. We had our hands-on and unboxing of the All-New Nook and definitely liked the more simplified form factor. Gone are the dual screens and distracting features of the first edition Nook for an All-New Nook that provides a more purist reading experience. According to Consumer Reports, the All-New Nook matches or bests the Kindle in almost every aspect of performance, although only modestly. They scored the All-New Nook one point above the Kindle in the 6-to-7-inch category while boosting it 4 to 5 points above other Kindles. As for the battery life claims for the Nook and the Kindle, Consumer Reports gives them equal credit for batter

The HP Pre 3 was first unveiled back in February when we got our hands on it and generally liked what we saw. Most recently, it’s been tipped that the Pre 3 will hit the UK by July 8 and now a new tip suggests that the handset will arrive stateside on Verizon and AT&T around July 21. Beyond just the release date, the tipster also revealed that the Pre 3 will ship with WebOS 2.2 along with full Skype integration that will work with Synergy contacts and messaging applications. The Skype integration will enable video chat with the front-facing camera and will also allow you to make and receive calls using your Skype contacts. No official announcements for the Pre 3 have been made yet, but HP has previously stated a summer release timeframe for the handset. The Pre 3 features a 3.6-inch WVGA (800×400) display along with slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It was the more anticipated WebOS smartphone from HP, when they announced it along with the HP Veer and the HP Touchpad tablet some months ag

Sega confirmed this morning that its Sega Pass network was hacked and has been offline since yesterday as the company investigates the extent of the breach. No hacker group has yet to step forward, and the usual suspect LulzSec has surprisingly denied responsibility for the attack. LulzSec has been responsible for a chain of attacks in recent months following the PlayStation Network breach. The group has been on a rampage against prominent sites including Sony Pictures, PBS, various gaming sites, the U.S. Senate, and even CIA.gov. All this for providing entertainment and to make a statement on the current state of the internet and society in general. Hence, when Sega Pass was brought down, the obvious suspect was LulzSec. However, the group not only denied responsibility for the attack, they even offered to help Sega seek revenge. The group posted the following message to Sega: “We want to help you destroy the hackers that attacked you. We love Dreamcast, these people are going down.”

Apple’s iOS 5 and iCloud have yet to officially launch and frustrations about the new offering are already surfacing. Thanks to developer versions released just after the WWDC 2011 announcement, many users have already gotten their hands-on and are now complaining about an issue with Apple’s policy on multiple Apple IDs. For various reasons, some users have multiple Apple IDs. Some intentionally manage more than one Apple ID, while others may have ended up with more than one due to working in different countries. Others still, have only recently discovered that they have inadvertently created more than one Apple ID in the past. These users are now faced with Apple’s restrictions for automatic downloads and cannot consolidate their Apple ID accounts. It is one of the FAQs on Apple’s website about Apple IDs and the company’s answer is simply “At this time, Apple IDs cannot be consolidated.” This could mean that at some point in the future, this may change. However, at the moment, folks w

Microsoft’s Windows 8 may be nearing beta with new screenshots leaked today from a Milestone 3 copy. The interface was first demoed at the D9 conference by Microsoft Windows chief Steven Sinofsky and even shown running on prototype tablet hardware at Computex 2011 . For developers anxious to get a hold of the beta build of Windows 8, rumors suggest the full leak could be coming soon. The new screenshots published today from MDL via BetaArchive shows a new background and boot screen along with the return of the Microsoft betta fish. The betta fish was used back in Windows 7 beta as a wallpaper and soon turned into a mascot for Microsoft’s beta stages of Windows 7. Its return to build 7989 of Windows 8 suggests the beta may be ready. The Windows 8 release date has been hinted at most recently by Microsoft VP Dan’l Lewin, who said that it’s safe to assume that the new platform would hit the market 12 months after the beta. It’s believed that the beta will be revealed in September at t

The myriad of cyber attacks of recent months in the wake of the PlayStation Network breach continue with the latest victim being Sega. The gaming network called Sega Pass, which includes its gaming forums and press resources websites got hacked yesterday, with the company sending out emails this morning to its Sega Pass users to confirm the network breach. Sega confirmed that the Sega Pass network went offline yesterday due to an attack and that the company has within the last 24 hours identified and isolated the breach. They are still investigating the extent of the breach but thus far know that a subset of Sega Pass members’ emails addresses, dates of birth, and encrypted passwords have been compromised. However, they do stress that the passwords obtained were not stored in plain text. And, they add that no payment information was obtained as they do not store this data on their own servers. Sega Pass members are advised to change their passwords if they use the same ones for other w

Earlier this week, we saw the Vizio tablet in video when NBA star Blake Griffin was hooked up by the Vizio man with a new home theater and a tablet to control the system. I like how the tablet can integrate with the Vizio home theater and work like a universal remote control. I also really liked the cool stereo speaker setup that Vizio used so you get stereo sound in portrait and landscape modes. If you like the tablet, you may have been pumped when the price of $349 was leaked this week for the little tablet. That will make it a bargain offering. The only thing we don’t know is when the tablet will launch. Another leak has surfaced from a kindly Walmart worker that shows a photo of the screen of the inventory system at Walmart. The screen shot shows that Walmart will be launching the Vizio 8-inch tablet at the start of week 26. That puts the launch of the tablet at 6-weeks out. We don’t know if it might show up before then at other sellers or not. I am betting the Vizio tablet sells

In patent rulings, it’s generally pretty clear which side is the winner and which the loser, but both Nokia and German company IPCom seem to think they’ve come out on top in a recent UK IP case covering 3G technologies. Judge Christopher Floyd found in favor of IPCom’s allegations, this week, that two Nokia devices infringed on UMTS patents bought by the company from Bosch in 2007; however, he also dismissed claims that a further twelve device variants fell foul of the same patents. Meanwhile, Nokia argued that, since the two devices in question are no longer current, what the ruling really amounts to is validation that the company can continue selling those handsets Judge Floyd said did not infringe IPCom’s patents. “We can continue selling those products, now with legal certainty” Nokia told SlashGear, going on to describe IPCom’s accusations as “an aggressive tactic to put pressure on Nokia to agree to discriminatory and unrealistic licensing terms.” “Nokia is clearly misleading the

If you though the high megapixel DSLR cameras used by pro photographers were impressive with their resolution, wait until you see the gigantic photo sensor for the OmegaCAM that is operated by the European Southern Observatory. The camera uses 32 different image sensors to reach its 268MP total resolution. It uses that resolution to shoot very impressive space photos. The gigantic sensor weighs a whopping 1,700 pounds. The giant sensor is able to deliver some of the highest resolution images around. This camera sensor will be used inside a terrestrial telescope rather than being launched into space to take its photos like Hubble. Even though it’s on the ground, the camera takes some very impressive photos of the heavens. I really like to see that sort of image too; it’s cool to see so deep into space from our own planet. I wonder how much this sensor cost to build.

I like to see concept products from designers that hint at the things we will see in the future. I think the cool Anderson concept you see here is something that we will likely see in the future. It was designed by Ma Yiwei and Tao Ying specifically to fill the gap between a notebook and a tablet computer. The concept would be about the size of a small tablet with a keyboard module. That keyboard module is hinged so it could be used in portrait or landscape modes. The only downside I see is that the concept keyboard looks to be touchscreen. Then again, since these are renderings it may just look like a touchscreen and actually be intended to show physical keys. The design was developed for a Fujitsu contest to design a future computer. The little concept would measure 165mm square and be 17mm thick. This concept may never become a reality, but it could I see nothing here that is too far out of the realm of reality for tech today.

If you were a child of the 80′s the two things that are most memorable in the audio world for many of us are the yellow Walkman and the massive boombox. Earlier this week JVC showed off the Kaboom boombox with some 80′s flavor and modern touches like an iPod dock. The TDK design there is much more minimalistic that that JVC offering. TDK even put a strap on the box so you can carry it like a purse if you want to. The boombox is called the SP-XA6802 and it has a pair of 10W speakers on the front and an FM radio tuner. The buttons are touch sensitive, though the volume control is an actual knob. The back of the device has a bass reflex port and on the side are inputs for your devices and a pair of RCA jacks. It comes with a cable that hooks to the charge port on your iPhone or iPod and plays via an input on the back of the radio. The thing is gigantic though with dimensions of 508 x 338 x 102mm and weighing in at 6.8kg. The price is about 400 euros too making it rather costly. It’s still

Leaner, tighter-lipped and very much aware of what’s at stake. Nokia may be a lot of things, but naive isn’t one of them. With a share price gutted by dreary financial predictions, and a quarter or two before the first Windows Phone devices are expected to do anything to change that, right now the only headlines tend to be bad ones: redundancies, reductions and generally biding time. SlashGear met with Nokia’s new UK team at what – though they were careful not to bill it as such – was in effect a corporate reboot, to talk lessons learned from Apple, the threat to HTC and why Symbian won’t go quietly into the night.

The legal battle between Apple and Samsung is escalating. Apple has been granted access to Samsung devices that it alleges violate patents held by Apple and in defeat Samsung decided to try the same tactic. Samsung asked the courts for samples of the iPad 3 and iPhone 5, despite the fact that the devices haven’t been announced. Apple has now gone back and amended its patent complaint. Apple has asserted that Samsung is violating more of its patents and expanded the complaint against Samsung. The key new things in the document include a more strongly phrased complaint and more detailed copycat accusation. Apple lists more examples of how and when Samsung copied its products. Apple cites the Samsung F700 as the first act of copying designs by Samsung. Apple expanded the list of Samsung products that it feels copy its own offerings. The original list of products Apple accused of copycat included the Samsung Captivate, Continuum, Vibrant, Galaxy S 4G, Epic 4G, Indulge, Mesmerize, Showcase,

We already know that Nokia has bet the smartphone farm on Windows Phone 7, and some analysts think that is a good bet. Some are predicting that over the next few years Windows Phone 7 will crawl its way to the second most popular OS in the mobile market behind Android, presumably pushing iOS to third. The first Nokia Windows smartphones will run Mango and the latest word from Nokia is that the handsets will hit Europe first. The first of the Nokia WinPo 7 smartphones will hit the Netherlands, France, Germany, England, Spain and Italy. The devices are said to start their roll out in Q4. I wonder if the devices will hit the US in Q4 too or if we won’t see the until 2012 some time. The tip on the launch of the smartphones in Europe first comes from Nokia Europe VP Victor Saeijs. Saeijs also noted that Anna update for Symbian smartphone users will hit the Netherlands in July. The update will come to the Nokia E7, N8, and C7. This is the same version of Symbian that is on the E6 in the Neth

Earlier this week I posted a fairly large list of the release dates for DVDs from all five of the networks ( view it here ). But since I'm a giant Supernatural fan, I wanted to pass along a more comprehensive list of details just for the season 6 DVD. Thanks to TV Shows on DVD , EW and Warner Bros. itself, we know quite a bit. Release date: September 13, 2011 Official description: The prize: ending the Apocalypse. The price: Sam's life. Season 5's horrific finale left Dean alone, as Sam descended into Hell. Now a different man, Dean vows to stop hunting and devote himself to building a family with Lisa and her son Ben. Then, mysteriously, Sam reappears, drawing Dean back into the old life. But Sam's a different man too. He's returned without his soul. How the Winchesters confront this greatest challenge yet to their powerful bond is the troubled heart - and soul - of the profound and thrilling 22-Episode Season 6. As the brothers struggle to reunite, they must

There's some real outrage going on toward HBO's Game of Thrones due to Sunday night's episode. "Baelor," after all, did see the death of Lord Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), the early protagonist of the series. While fans who read the book (and some who didn't) loved the twist, many watchers are calling foul regarding Stark's death. If you're one of those fans, I'm here to reassure you: don't quit the show. What you just saw last night is a turning point for the rest of the show. You can't hit a turning point without making it something drastic; with LOST, it was the flashforward at the end of season three. With Mad Men, it was the sudden disbanding of Sterling-Cooper-Draper and the formation of Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Pryce at the end of season three. And while Game of Thrones' game-changer happens somewhat early, it will set into motion events that will resound for the rest of the series. Ned's death is the beginning of a war. Sure, Rob

Oh, no. It appears that the rumors were true, and we won't be getting a full series of Doctor Who next year. BBC News reporter Lizo Mzimba tweeted the following from the 2011 Church and Media Conference in Britaitn: "No FULL 13 episode series of Dr Who in 2012. So some episodes will still go out in 2012. Remainder in 2013" (sic). That's apparently straight from the horse's mouth of BBC One controller Danny Cohen, just a few short days after it was announced that Matt Smith would be returning for a third series of the British sci-fi drama. Some people behind the series, however, are being less surefooted with answering how exactly the schedule will play out. “Situation stays the same – 14 episodes commissioned, starting in 2012. How they will play out will be revealed at a later date," tweeted BBC One's Head of Communications of fiction, Sam Hodges. Even showrunner Steven Moffat joined into the twitter chatter about the news, though he was much more c

Well, here's some news to lessen the weight of our long wait. Matthew Graham, creator of television shows such as the critically acclaimed Life on Mars (the British original, not the crappy American remake) and Ashes to Ashes is a pretty big name in television, but I didn't know he had his finger in this many pies. Or, rather, a pie this big. Den of Geek is reporting that Graham is one of several writers of the fifty hours of scripts that George Lucas has revealed he has . Graham, who recently wrote the Doctor Who two-parter "The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People," (pictured right) wouldn't say whether or not he'd been involved with the television series, but "on something unbelievably cool" at LucasFilm from 2008 to 2009, though his contract "had come to an end." "I hope one day I'll be able to talk about it," he told Den of Geek. Seems like he's a pretty likely candidate for a writer on the much-anticipated Star Wars li