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Amazon's sci-fi drama 'Bliss' to star Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson
What if Elon Musk is right and we're living in a simulation? Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson will star in Bliss, a new sci-drama for Amazon Studios that explores this question further. Written and directed by Mike Cahill (Another Earth), the production started filming this week in Los Angeles and Croatia. Amazon hasn't released too many details on the plot, but the film appears to be a love story that mixes elements of The Matrix and The Good Place.
Bliss confronts emotions on Kickstarter, demo available
Enlightened Games is seeking $150,000 to fund its personally inspired 3D-adventure, Bliss, the game's Kickstarter page revealed last week. Bliss draws inspiration from Lead Designer Eric Blomquist's personal struggle with anxiety. The game follows the protagonist's ascent from rock bottom on a sprawling quest through the landscape of Nexus to heal and live well. Seven statues and their corresponding doors will be scattered across Nexus, each of which will bear a set of challenges related to the statue's crisis. Aiding a statue by overcoming these obstacles will reward players with new abilities like sprinting and manipulating objects. The Bliss Kickstarter campaign ends on September 6 and the game will launch by April 2014 if funded, but a demo is available on the game's Kickstarter page right now for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Windows support will last forever (almost), thank you Microsoft!
Just when you needed one more reason to carry on loving Windows Vista, Microsoft has gone and increased its customer support period. An extension has also been granted to Windows 7, which will get a full ten years of support instead of the usual five. There's been no announcement or fanfare, except for a brief communication from Microsoft Japan that sets out the new end dates. XP's support will stop in 2014, Vista's will shut down in 2017 and Windows 7's will come to a close in post-apocalyptic 2020, at which point call center staff will no doubt throw a party on Europa. [Thanks, Abhishikt] [Happy elderly couple photo via Shutterstock.]
BMW's Active Sound Design is like putting your head under the hood of the new M5
We know EVs of the future will lose their ability to silently kill, but how about replicating engine noise for the enjoyment of bonafide petrolheads? Eagle-eyed readers will note that's a promised feature of the upcoming (but ever-delayed) Fisker Karma, but here beating it to market is BMW's upcoming M5 -- sort of. München's implementation coined "Active Sound Design," won't blast engine machinations on the outside, but instead internally overlays the harmonic soundtrack of the twin turbo V8 over internal speakers as you drive. That audial racket is based on throttle position, engine revs and speed, and gets even louder when the car is set in Sport or Sport+ modes. No word on if you'll be able to customize with other soundtracks (a la Karma), but there's nothing a little enthusiast hackery can't fix...
HTC Runnymede spotted in the wild (updated with backup video)
From leak-town to the wild, HTC's Runnymede's getting a whole lot of pre-release love. This Beats Audio-branded handset's just received the quick and dirty hands-on treatment (or so it appears) on YouTube. If you're looking for details on where the phone came from or what's going on here, you've come to the wrong place, but judging from the Vodafone branding on the home screen, we're fairly certain that this is our first real-life spotting of the 4.7-inch Android phone. A rather off-center video awaits you after the break. [Thanks, Thomas] Update: Unsurprisingly, the original video got pulled, but we've slapped on a backup clip after the break.
HTC Rhyme with Sense 3.5 hands-on (video)
We're here at HTC's swank New York City press event where the mood lighting and floral centerpieces are as unabashedly girly as the Rhyme, its newest handset for lady folk. We just spent a few minutes wrapping our hands around the device, exploring the ports (not that there are many) and poking around the latest version of Sense (v3.5). Do you like purple? Are you a person of style? Sure you are. So what are you waiting for? Meet us after the break where we'll run down our first impressions and see what this thing has to offer beside that cute design. %Gallery-134392%
HTC Rhyme official: 3G, 3.7-inch display, single-core CPU, headed to Verizon for $199 on contract
Well, well. Looks like those leaked press shots (and hands-on photos and video walk-through) were on the money. HTC just officially announced the Rhyme -- that womanly handset otherwise known as the Bliss. As it happens, HTC isn't explicitly marketing this as a lady phone, though it bears all the markers of a device pandering toward those of us with XX chromosomes. Which is to say, it's petite and purple with middling specs. What you're looking at is a handset with a 3.7-inch WVGA display, a single-core 1GHz Qualcomm CPU, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage space, a non-removable battery, microSD expansion slot, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS radios and dual 5MP / VGA cameras. The phone runs Android 2.3 with "next-generation" Sense (that would be version 3.5) layered on top. And, as rumored, you can pair it with an optional "Charm Indicator," a bubble that glows purple when the phone is ringing so that you'll never again miss a call because your phone is buried beneath nail files and fifty tubes of lipstick. Other accessories include a wireless dashboard speaker for the car, a dock and a workout armband. As that tell-tale FCC report revealed, the purple version you see up there will land on Verizon as a 3G device, with a silver version arriving in Asia and Europe next month. HTC has yet to confirm pricing or availability. If leaks are to be believed, though, those of you with small hands and deep murses should be able to pre-order yours any day now. Update: We're told that it'll sell for the typical $199 on a two-year contract (which includes all accessories), with pre-orders starting on the 22nd and availability pegged for September 29th. A bit steep given the specifications, but hey -- you'll pay a premium for style, right? Right? Update 2: As for global aspirations, we heard from an HTC representative that it'll soon be available on an unspecified amount of European carriers, where it'll be hawked as the "Hourglass," tinged in a "sand-like color." All other specifications and accessories will remain the same, though. Update 3: Check out our hands-on (with video!) right here. %Gallery-134387%
HTC Bliss to be called the Rhyme, launching September 20?
The HTC Bliss is a phone we've seen so much of that new press renders don't necessarily show us anything we haven't seen before -- there have been enough hands-on photos, walkthrough videos and leaked Sense 3.5 screenshots that there's really no questioning its future. The image you see above was leaked with a few new pieces of quality information: the Bliss will inevitably become the Rhyme once it hits stores -- which plays right into HTC's infatuation with Beats, though the tech probably won't be incorporated here -- and will likely be announced at the September 20th event (the date on the press image is often a solid indicator). HTCInside is also reporting that the Rhyme will be available in silver / white, pink / yellow and dark blue, so perhaps it isn't completely for the ladies, no?
HTC Runnymede and Bliss details sneak out from leak-town
Naming your flagship handset after a small village in Surrey isn't what we'd do, but then we aren't in the handset business. The first full render of the HTC Runnymede has leaked and as you can see, it's one big heap of telephone. It's the first phone to benefit from the company's partnership with Beats Audio and will come with a pair of Beats-branded cans rather than regular earbuds. If you missed the specs first time around, the 4.7-inch, 9.9mm thick phone gets a beastly 768MB of RAM, 1.5GHZ Qualcomm chip and a serious 8 megapixel camera with f2.2 lens and double LED flash round back. Availability is still up in the air but we know that UK prices are £499 or £530 for the 16 or 32GB versions (roughly $790 and $840, respectively). HTC also apparently thinks that women don't buy enough of its phones, so it's releasing the HTC Bliss, a smartphone that's reportedly designed specifically for women. HTC's belief is that the ladyphone needs to be smaller, gentler and do generally less than its contemporaries -- it gets a much smaller 3.7-inch Super LCD display and a 5 megapixel camera. This is my next has also confirmed that the Bliss comes with an accessory called the Charm Indicator, a light-up bauble that fits to a handbag or bracelet (depending on size) and flashes when your phone requires attention. There's no word on pricing or availability but presumably all will be revealed at the stylish HTC promo event on the 20th.
HTC invites us to 'celebrate in style,' we try to squeeze into our prom tuxedos
Well, we know where we'll be on September 20th -- hanging out with HTC in our classiest threads. The handset manufacturer sent out an invite for an upcoming event in NYC. So, what's on the agenda? The Bliss? The Holiday? The Vigor? The Amaze? Some kind of wind machine for blowing red curtains around? Your guess is as good as ours, but feel free to mark your own calendar -- we'll be bringing you the blow-by-blow as it happens.
Sense 3.5 comes to the HTC Desire HD, unofficially
After seeing the screenshots and the video walkthrough of Sense 3.5, do you feel like you're missing out? Us too. Well, lucky folks in possession of HTC's Desire HD don't have to wait another minute, provided they're comfortable flashing custom ROMs. The crafty folks over at the XDA-Developers forums have taken a leaked version of the software from the upcoming Bliss and ported it over to the Desire HD. As to be expected, there are some bugs with this 2.3.4-based ROM -- Bluetooth doesn't work at all, reportedly -- but that seems like a small price to pay for living on the cutting edge of Android skins. Hit up the source link or fire up ROM Manager to download now. After all, why should some anonymous woman with silver fingernails have all the fun?
HTC Sense 3.5 caught on camera, gets a manicured walkthrough (video)
It was only a matter of time before leaked screen shots of HTC's Sense 3.5 became leaked video footage. Purportedly running on the OEM's unreleased, ladies-only Bliss handset, XDA.cn has a hands-on of the Android-based UI that looks to be more of a refinement, than revolutionary update. So, what can we glimpse from this apparent sneak peek? The ROM, shown to be running atop Android 2.3.4, now sports a more pared-down look, as evinced by the lock screen's sleeker ring. There's still the same seven homescreens on offer, although it now appears you can delete the contents of a selected screen by dragging it to the trash. Gone is the familiar home panel with its curved shape, in favor of two non-intrusive, dedicated app and phone buttons on the left and right sides of the screen. The widgets also look to have taken on a roomier size, and the volume can now be controlled via an on-screen widget. Aside from those minor tweaks, not much else has changed, but you can definitely see an improvement in the UI's fluidity. Could this be HTC's very next upgrade to its popular Android skin, or are we looking at a slickly-produced ROM? You can judge for yourself in the video after the break.
HTC Sense 3.5 beta screenshots leak, bring tears of joy to weather widget lovers
Now that you've seen high-quality images of the HTC Bliss with the screen turned off, are you curious to see what it looks like when it's on? The same folks at XDA.cn who got hands-on time with the Bliss have now come forth with possible screenshots showing the phone is indeed running on a beta version of Sense UI 3.5. What's new here? Even though the lock screen uses the same ring-style unlocking feature as its predecessor, it appears that the new UI will feature two dedicated buttons at the bottom of the home panel -- for the app tray on the left and phone on the right -- and refreshed widgets (including a larger weather panel), among other minor changes. Word also has it that HTC is removing hardware requirements that restricted version 3.0 to the company's highest-end devices, which gives hope to millions of Sense users still on an older, more streamlined UI. More screenshots can be found at the source link.
HTC Bliss gets its clearest photo session yet, shows off front-facing camera
The HTC Bliss is undoubtedly going through the typical pre-launch routine: it's passed through the ranks of the FCC, received its first Blurrycam session, and now we're finally seeing the upcoming device up close and personal. The folks at XDA China got their hands on one and took a few high-quality images for the world to see, which means we're probably not too far away from the phone's forthcoming release. They confirmed that the Bliss will in fact run on HTC Sense 3.5, feature a front-facing camera, and that it will come in a variety of colors. So, will we find this on display at next week's HTC meetup? Or maybe our team will get some hands-on time at IFA? And will this "female-oriented" smartphone find a place with its intended demographic? Hopefully the wait is almost over.
HTC announces September meetup event on Facebook, new phones on the way?
It looks like HTC may have some news in store for us on September 1st, when the company holds one of its public meetups in London. The folks over at Pocket-Lint noticed the event on HTC's Facebook page today, where the manufacturer posted an open invitation for the public to "come party" and "see what's next." At this point, it's hard to tell whether or not HTC will actually unveil anything in the way of new hardware, though there have been rumors swirling around a possible September release date for its Ruby and Bliss handsets, coupled with leaks of its forthcoming Puccini tablet. Plus, as Pocket-Lint observes, HTC's last public meetup came in the wake of the Sensation's release, so recent history suggests there may be something afoot this time, as well. We'll have to wait and see how it all shakes out, but you can hit up the source link for more information on attending the event, which is open on a first-come, first-served basis.
HTC Bliss spotted frolicking in the blurry wild?
We haven't heard much about the HTC Bliss since it popped up on a Verizon roadmap earlier this month, but the folks over at PocketNow have obtained photos of what could be the handset's first public appearance. The so-called "women only" smartphone, which recently passed through the FCC, is rumored to run on a 800MHz single-core processor and will reportedly sport a new version of HTC's Sense UI. It's also expected to run Android 2.3 and to rock a GSM 900MHz radio, though, as you can tell, it's a little difficult to glean any of that from the above blurry images. No word yet on whether it'll launch in September, as expected, or whether it'll look a bit more feminine when it does, but we'll keep you posted.
LG Bliss and Keybo2 fully disclosed thanks to... LG Canada
Bell and Telus probably weren't so hot on the idea of LG blowing the cover on their August releases, but for what it's worth, we're certainly happy that the manufacturer's Canadian site saw fit to unveil a pair of new sets in all their glory. Actually, the Keybo2 is really nothing more than an enV3 (dressed a little warmer for its Canadian excursion, of course) that should be hitting Telus in a few days' time; like its American cousin, it makes off with a 3 megapixel cam, EV-DO, and a pair of displays with QWERTY on the inside. The Bliss for Bell might be the more interesting of the two, a full-touch dumbphone that clocks in at 11.95mm deep with a 2 megapixel camera and that's about it -- not Earth-shattering specs by any means, but a solid sign that manufacturers are aggressively looking to take the full-touch concept downmarket. MobileSyrup says we can expect both of these on the 7th of the month, so if they've got you fired up, you shouldn't have long to wait. [Via MobileSyrup] Read - LG Bliss Read - LG Keybo2
LG "Bliss" coming to Bell next month?
How about a nice little touchscreen LG, Bell customers? MobileSyrup says this little guy -- whatever it is, exactly -- is the "Bliss," ripe for launch on Canada's Bell on August 7 with a 2 megapixel cam, video capture, and microSD expansion for CAD $79.95 (about $72). The site speculates that it could be a localized version of the Versa -- which, if true, would mean that you were looking at some nifty modular add-on accessory crap to go along with it -- but it could just as easily be any other of the one bajillion full touch LGs in the market today. August is coming up mighty quick now, so we'll know soon enough.
