IBLOG SPACE

True Blood  is a show that it's tough to stop watching. Each episode, even the middling ones, usually manages to throw in a cliffhanger that makes it difficult to not want to tune in the next week. For executive producer Alan Ball, though, it might be time to leave  True Blood  behind. Ball, who brought the book series by Charlaine Harris to the screen back in 2008, has served as executive producer for all three seasons and has written eight episodes of the show. There's no doubt he's been a major voice in the creation and direction of the series, but could he be planning to leave soon? The  Six Feet Under  creator is in talks with HBO to return to the show for a fifth season, though he's recently stated that he might not want to come back after next year,  according to  The Hollywood Reporter : "I don’t know if I have any left in me after that. We’ll see." Surely exhaustion and boredom do factor into it, and  True Blood  has consumed several year's of Ba

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, having created some of television's greatest comedies in the past few years, are coming back for another round. The creators of  The Office  and  Extras  are coming back for a third new comedy series titled Life's Too Short . The duo, whose earlier podcasts are featured in  The Ricky Gervais Show  on HBO and who send their friend Karl Pilkington around the world for Science Channel's  An Idiot Abroad , are teaming up with dwarf actor Warwick Davis for  Life's Too Short , which is a mockumentary similar to  The Office  that follows a fictional version of Davis through his life as a dwarf in showbusiness. Along with Davis, Gervais and Merchant have released a trailer for  Life's Too Short  for BBC Two (the series will concurrently run in the U.S. on HBO). The trailer, which features no clips from the show, only features Gervais plugging the show while Merchant and Davis look on. There's a pretty funny bit involving Davis and so

Panasonic’s Toughbook line of products are known for their rugged durability and enterprise security. The Toughbook C1 is the world’s lightest 12.1-inch convertible tablet PC, making it a favorite for portability and working in harsh conditions. Today, the Toughbook C1 gets revamped with Panasonic announcing a major upgrade in specs for the convertible tablet PC. The new Toughbook C1 gets a speed and performance boost with a new Intel Core i5 2520M vPro processor, a 2.5GHz CPU with Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz. Hard drive storage has been bumped up to 320GB, RAM is 2GB and expandable to 8GB, while battery life is now up to 12 hours with the use of an optional second battery. Also, boot up time is now 30 percent faster than before. Other features include Bluetooth 2.1 support, Wi-Fi, and optional 3G connectivity. The new Toughbook C1 weighs only 3.28lbs and has a special triple-hinge design along with a hands-free ergonomic strap and dome cradle. It can withstand drops from 30″ off the grou

The battle never ends between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platforms, but thus far iOS continues to take the lead despite a broad and rapidly growing selection of Android smartphones and tablets. Research firm comScore has just issued a report introducing a new Device Essentials service that measures digital traffic from all devices and once again finds Apple’s iOS to dominate all markets. comScore’s Device Essentials service measures the digital traffic by device, which includes computers, mobile phones, tablets, music players, e-readers, gaming devices, and other devices that connect to the web. The digital traffic will initially be measured based on page view activity with various different reporting dimensions including but not limited to share of smartphone and feature phone usage by OS, carrier share of smartphone traffic, and OS share of carrier traffic. Using Device Essentials to compare specifically the device traffic of Apple’s iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch to their Androi

Later this summer, Vizio will launch an 8-inch tablet that will come with an IR blaster. According to the company, that device will support 95-percent of the consumer electronic devices currently available in the U.S. I’m sure there are many out there that are excited by Vizio’s news. Those folks like the idea of being able to use a single device to surf the Web, check their e-mail, play with applications, and control their televisions. But I can’t agree with them. I can’t stand the idea of using a smartphone or tablet as a remote. And the idea that the Vizio tablet will come with remote functionality doesn’t appeal to me in the least. See, I’ve used portable devices as remotes before. I’ve used my iPhone to control my Apple TV, and I’ve controlled Google TV devices with Android remote controls. And I can say beyond a shadow of doubt that the experience just isn’t for me. Of course, I realize that there are few out there that might agree with me. Supporters of the technology say that i

Along with the unveiling of the new Archos G9 series tablets, the company is also releasing two new Android-based devices for the home. The Archos 35 Home Connect is an Android-based web radio while the Archos 35 Smart Home Phone is an Android DECT phone. With these two new offerings, Archos hopes to bring Android functionality to your everyday home devices. The Archos 35 Home Connect is a portable device for streaming radio or music from anywhere in your home. It is very small and compact but packs in two high-definition speakers designed for enhanced bass and touts a extra long battery life. The touchscreen displays clock, weather, traffic, and news apps and allows for access to other apps such as games. It also has a front-facing webcam to support video calling. The Archos 35 Smart Home Phone is compatible with any ADSL box or phone line that uses standard DECT protocols. But at the same time, brings you an Android interface that lets you sync contacts with your Android smartphone,

Pakistan star Shahid Afridi celebrated his home debut for Hampshire by taking five wickets in a 16-run Friends Life t20 defeat of Gloucestershire at the Rose Bowl. Afridi, freed to play after resolving his dispute with the Pakistan Cricket Board, finished with figures of five for 20 as holders Hampshire went joint top of the South Group with Sussex after recording their sixth win this season. In a rain-affected match, Hampshire made 139 for 7 and Gloucestershire, chasing a revised target of 124 from 17 overs, fell short. In Hampshire's innings, Afridi, whose debut against Essex on Thursday coincided with the defending champions' first t20 loss of the season, managed only 5 before he was caught off Gloucestershire's acting captain, Kane Williamson. But when Gloucestershire began their pursuit of a target of seven runs an over, they were soon in trouble against the pacy spin of Afridi. Gloucestershire had reached 54 for 2 when Afridi struck for the first time, bowling Ian Co

If only to sadly remind us of what might have been, the pilot episode for the rejected FOX series  Locke & Key  is to be shown on July 22 at this year's San Diego Comic-Con . The pilot, which starred such well0-known actors as Miranda Otto ( Lord of the Rings ), Sarah Bolger ( The Spiderwick Chronicles ), and Nick Stahl ( Carnivale ), was gaining quite a lot of hype before FOX shot it down. The pilot episode, which FOX executive Kevin Reilly had admitted was "cool," was not picked up to series because it didn't fit into FOX's schedule as well as other shows. Locke & Key  has reportedly been shopped around to other networks since FOX's announcement in May, but it seems that no other networks are willing to pick it up. It's a shame, really; unlike fellow rejected (but still highly hyped pilot)  Wonder Woman  (which NBC didn't pick up),  Locke & Key had a real chance of being great genre television. At least Comic-Con attendees will get the b

Glen Campbell could have stopped recording music a long time ago. His legacy had been permanently etched in the annals of country music with armloads of awards, countless classic singles, and a distinct influence he's had on new artists since his debut in 1958. However, the 75 year old has continued to release albums (2004's Meet Glen Campbell  being his most recent) and remain in the public eye, mostly to collect his much deserved lifetime achievement awards and recognition of his hall-of-fame career.

Season 4 of  True Blood  premieres on June 26 and a lot of new developments will be set up in the first two episodes alone.  HBO has also released descriptions for all of the July episodes of  True Blood . Episode 4.02 "You Smell Like Dinner" (July 3): Sookie (Anna Paquin) adjusts to Bon Temps’ new realities; Bill (Stephen Moyer) reveals pieces of his past; Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) crashes a witches’ meeting; Jason (Ryan Kwanten) gets his wounds licked; Andy (Chris Bauer) struggles with his addiction; Sam (Sam Trammell) learns of Luna’s (Janina Gavankar) special talents; Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) satisfies her blood cravings; and Arlene (Carrie Preston) witnesses strange behavior from her family.  Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Scott Winant.

Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand captain, has confirmed that he will be taking a break from one-day and Twenty20 cricket in an effort to prolong his Test career. "My reason for taking a break from the shorter forms of the game is primarily so that I can preserve my body and continue to represent New Zealand in Test cricket," Vettori said. "I also believe a break now will give me the best possible chance to take up one-day cricket again in the next couple of years and, if all goes well, make the World Cup team for 2015." Vettori has been battling a knee problem: he hurt his right knee during New Zealand's World Cup league game against Pakistan in March. He missed the rest of his side's league games, before returning to play in the quarter and semi-final matches, and struggled during the IPL with the injury. He said that one of the reasons for the break was injury management. "Part of the break is around injuries," he told the  Weekend Herald

Instead of doing just another interview with Cameron Diaz (he's done several already),  The Daily Show  anchor Jon Stewart decided to do something just a little different: he had Diaz remove his stitches. If you'll remember, Stewart had previously  cut his hand  while performing a sketch lampooning congressman Anthony Weiner. It was unintentional and bled quite a lot, but Stewart hung in there, going to the hospital after the episode was filmed and getting stitches. A few weeks passed until it was time for those stitches to come out, and so he recruited actress Cameron Diaz to remove them. The operation too up the entirety of the episode, with some close-ups of Diaz meticulously tugging the stitches from Stewart's now-scarred hand. Stewart tried to throw in some small talk about her new movie,  Bad Teacher , but that didn't last long; Diaz was so focused on removing the stitches that she could only mumble out some facts about her character and that the movie hit theate

The news for Comic-Con 2011 continues to pour in and Showtime has just confirmed that two of its show,  Dexter  and  Shameless , will be making an appearance in San Diego next month.  Showtime will also be premiering an exclusive trailer of its new series  Homeland , starring Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Morena Baccarin. The two Showtime panels will be held back-to-back in Ballroom 20.  Here are the details: Thursday, July 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m SHAMELESS:  Get the inside scoop on what’s in store for the new season as Mike Schneider ( TV Guide  Los Angeles Bureau Chief) leads an interview and Q&A with series stars William H. Macy (Frank) and Emmy Rossum (Fiona) and many more, along with executive producer John Wells. DEXTER SEASON SIX:  Comic-Con fans will be the first to see the exclusive world premiere of the new   season’s trailer, then moderator Ralph Garman  (KROQ Entertainment Reporter)  will preside over a revealing interview and Q&A session with the stars and

Zimbabwe have named their squads for the limited-overs tri-series against Australian and South African A sides, and for a two-day warm-up match preceding their four-day games against Australia A which will set a benchmark ahead of their Test return. Brendan Taylor, who has just been unveiled as thenew national captain, will lead in the one-day games while batsman Vusi Sibanda has been put in charge of a second-string side to play the warm-up at Kwekwe Sports Club, starting on July 11. A 32-man squad had been in camp since early June, and despite a spate of injuries the team's backroom staff were upbeat ahead of the start of a season in which Zimbabwe's Test readiness will be tested. "I am pleased with the way the players have responded to the training programme," said national coach Alan Butcher. "Of course, there was some grumbling here and there at first but with the passage of time they all got used to it. The mood in the camp right now is very good. There ha

Iain O'Brien, the former New Zealand fast bowler, wants to return to international cricket and could start his comeback by playing for Wellington in the 2011-12 domestic season. "I'm not done yet," O'Brien told the  Dominion Post . "I know what the goal is, it's not just coming back to play for Wellington, but also I want to do it properly and play for New Zealand." O'Brien had retired unexpectedly in December 2009 and moved to England to be with his wife, hoping to qualify as a domestic player for Middlesex. His contract with the county had a clause stipulating he would be retained only if he was classified as a local player, but the ECB refused to recognise him as one in November 2010. Amid increasing uncertainty over his county future, O'Brien's season was also hampered by a hamstring injury. He has since had surgery and contemplated a return to New Zealand from his base in Derbyshire. "It hasn't quite worked out for him over

Back when the Nokia N950 cleared the FCC in mid-May, confidentiality requests meant we couldn’t see the guts of what we now know to be the MeeGo developers version of the Nokia N9. With all those details official, however, the full listing has opened up and revealed the teardown shots of what’s going on inside the N950. Among the entrails, confirmation that the N950′s camera is indeed a 12-megapixel unit, rather than the 8-megapixels in the N9. A beefier camera had been suspected from the start, with Nokia coyly saying that the N950 was “capable of” the same resolution shots as the N9 but leaving wiggle room for something higher-resolution. Other differences include a slightly larger display using an LCD TFT panel rather than the N9′s AMOLED Clear Black display. The N950 obviously has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, too, whereas the N9 is one solid, “pillowy” block of polycarbonate and Gorilla Glass. The non-user-accessible BL-4D battery – confirmed by the teardown shots – is lower capaci

Apple has just posted its second private beta for the upcoming iOS 5. The major update was first unveiled back at WWDC 2011 and promises a slew of much requested new features including a revamped notifications system and tight integration with the new iCloud. The final release of iOS 5 is expected for this fall. The second beta for iOS 5 is available only to registered iOS developers and has been released along with the a second beta for iTunes 10.5. The update iTunes is important for testing the new wireless syncing via the iCloud. There are a total of nine distributions of iOS beta build number 9A5248D, which includes three for the iPad 2 (WiFi-only, GSM, CDMA), one for the original iPad, two for the iPhone 4 (GSM and CDMA), one for the iPhone 3GS, and two for the iPod Touch third and fourth generations. To fully test the new iCloud wireless syncing, developers will need to have the iTunes 10.5 update along with the pre-release version of Lion or the most recently available Mac OS X

Amazon has done it again. They’ve slashed prices generously as only they have been known to do, and this time it’s for the Motorola Atrix 4G, the Samsung Infuse 4G, and the LG Revolution. If you’ve been pining for one of these powerful 4G LTE smartphones, now’s the time take action. Amazon is dropping prices to as low as $0.01! Amazon has dropped pricing to $89.99 for the Samsung Infuse 4G, which currently retails from the AT&T website for $199.99 with a two-year contract. The Infuse is a 4G HSPA+ device introduced for the AT&T network back in May. It’s the largest yet thinnest device on the network sporting a whopping 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1.3-megapixel front camera, 8-megapixel back camera, and a 1.2GHz Hummingbird processor. Make sure to check out our hands-on with the device as well as the full review before you head over to Amazon to scoop it up. Pricing is now $99.99 on Amazon for the LG Revolution, which currently goes for $249.99 with a two-year contract o

It seems like Apple may be pricing itself into a corner, at least with its proprietary AirPlay and Thunderbolttechnologies. Reports today revealed that Apple’s licensing fees for the two technologies are prohibitively expensive. The prices are said to be too high for either technology to see mainstream adoption in the near future. AirPlay is a proprietary Apple wireless streaming technology that can stream audio as well as video content wirelessly between Apple devices. Currently, Apple is only licensing out the audio streaming portion of the technology, which can add as much as $100 to the price of an audio system. The Thunderbolt technology developed in partnership with Intel allows for high-speed bi-directional data transfer rates of up to 10Gbps. It’s said to be 12 times faster than FireWire 800 and 20 times faster than USB 2.0. The price for the required hardware for licensees is said to cost as much as a low-end hard drive. An upcoming Thunderbolt-enabled third-party device is th

The Motorola Droid 3 was previewed earlier this month when a video tutorial leaked revealing its 8-megapixel camera, 1080p HD support, and slide-out QWERTY. But other than that, the handset has remained under the radar with a slew of other Motorola devices recently making their debut, including the Triumph and the Photon. But details on the Droid 3 are surfacing again now that a leaked screenshot reveals a potential release date. DroidAttic obtained a screenshot from Best Buy’s inventory screen that shows the device to be in-stock on July 13. No official announcements have been made yet, but thanks to a leak back in May, we know that the Droid 3 will likely have a 4-inch qHD screen that’s a nice step up from the 3.7-inch screen of its predecessor the Droid 2. It’s not clear yet which processor the Droid 3 will use, but it could be either the NVIDIA Tegra 2 or the Texas Instruments’ OMAP 4430 dual-core processor. Also noted was that the slide-out QWERTY would have a fifth row of dedicat

Microsoft may be getting ready to offer “free-to-play” games on its Xbox platform soon. These are games that are, well, free to play but rely on micro-transactions from in-game purchases of virtual items or premium upgrades. According to several sources familiar with the situation, developers are being contacted by Microsoft to discuss new entries into this type of format. Free-to-play games are gaining in popularity. So much so in Asia that Activision has recently announced a free-to-play version of Call of Duty specifically created for the Chinese market. And more recently, Ghost Recon Online has also gone free-to-play. This comes at a time where the lines between console games and casual social games are beginning to blend. Leading in the free-to-play social games arena is Zynga, which has seen huge success with this method of gaming monetization. And with Microsoft poising Xbox LIVE as their main games and media platform in their ecosystem of phones, PCs, and game consoles, this tr

It’s strange to think that Apple debuted the iPad 2 with a front-facing camera for video calling all the way back in March and we still do not have a Skype app optimized for the tablet. The most current Skype iOS app is compatible but does not take advantage of the larger screen. This may be about to change. If reports of a leaked video this morning are true, then Skype may be on the verge of launching an app specifically for the iPad.

The Motorola TRIUMPH will be the first Android smartphone from Motorola to hit Virgin Mobile. Officially unveiledjust two weeks ago, the TRIUMPH is set to ship starting July 19 and will be released without a contract in tow. Now pre-orders for the handset have kicked off with Best Buy listing the device at $299. The TRIUMPH doesn’t have cutting edge specs, but for the price, it’s a pretty good mid-range Android smartphone. It will have a 4.1-inch 800 x 400 resolution WVGA touchscreen display along with a VGA front-facing camera and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. It supports 720p HD playback and HDMI-out and runs on a 1GHz processor. It will ship with Android 2.2 Froyo, rather than Gingerbread, but it will be an almost vanilla install without the notorious MotoBlur UI. And, it will be the first to have the Virgin Mobile Live 2.0 app that’s essentially the carrier’s own branded music and media streaming service. To pre-order the Motorola TRIUMPH without contract, visit Best Buy. Also,

The HP TouchPad was officially announced back in February to the delight of webOS fans. The 9.7-inch slate would be the company’s first entry into the tablet market and would also bring with it a new webOS 3.0. Pre-orders for the tablet have already begun with a ship date set for July 1, and now a smaller 7-inch version may be taxiing on the runway for an August release. Taiwan Economic News today reported that Inventec Corp., a major Taiwanese subcontractor manufacturer for HP, has received a “big-ticket” order of tablets from HP for both the 9.7-inch model and a 7-inch model. The orders placed are for roughly 400,000 to 450,000 TouchPad tablets per month with the 7-inch model set for an August launch. Inventec is said to begin shipping tablets in June. This report supports prior rumors that a 7-inch HP tablet codenamed Opal would arrive sometime in September. Details on the smaller tablet are unknown except that it will measure 180 x 144 x 13mm and have a 1024 x 768 capacitive touchs

Since even before the iCloud was unveiled at the Apple WWDC 2011, MobileMe users have been concerned about the fate of their current accounts. Now that Apple has made it clear that MobileMe would cease to exist, with its core functions rolled into the iCloud, the other question still lingering is whether users can continue to access these services from the web. Rumors have pointed both directions, some claiming that the iCloud will completely forgo a web interface while others believed the apps will be available through iCloud.com. Well, Apple today released a new MobileMe to iCloud transition FAQ that puts to rest any doubts about web access. Will I be able to access iCloud services on the web? Yes. Web access to iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Find My iPhone will be available at icloud.com this fall. Other things to note from the FAQ include the confirmation that current MobileMe users can retain their accounts up to June 30, 2012, at which point the service will completely ceas