Blu-ray is the new unified HD standard for Hollywood

The sweeping unification is fast and furious. Merely a day after the ill-fated HD-DVD press conference, Paramount and Universal Studios have separately signaled their new Blu-ray alliance. While the latter has been flamboyant with its new partnership, announced hours after Toshiba's own, Paramount has been definitely more subtle in contrast. This was formalized by an exclusive statement to Website The Hollywood Reporter.

With the above-mentioned heavyweights onboard, Blu-ray has now becomes the de facto platform for HD movie distribution, backed by all six major Hollywood studios. The remaining four which have already signed up are Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. The latest development is a closure of a confusing format war and a new chapter in consumer home entertainment.

That said, the HD crusade is far from over. The studios and hardware vendors will still have to get their act right to promote mass adaptation. It's high time the Blu-ray format settles down with a finalized standard, while its relevant software goes large and affordable worldwide. What're the key considerations to get you onboard? Contribute your opinions via our Talkback function below.

Via Hollywood reporter

Crier, crier. Dell's on fire!

Seems that dance of the flaming laptops is far from over. Act two, scene one involves what looks like a Dell Latitude notebook experiencing an identity crisis, mistaking itself as a pyrotechnic device.

What is really amazing was that it took so long before the fire extinguisher came into play. Either the nearest extinguisher was in the next building, or the other chaps were looking around wondering if they were part of a candid camera gag. In any case, do not be the joker who went in and pulled the laptop away from the fire, barely missing an impressive fireball that would have seared his eyebrows off.

We've sent a love note to Dell for comment. In the meantime, enjoy this video and remember, kids, keep your laptop off your laps.

Via Gizmodo

Be hip. Be square.

For those who love the square picture format, they often have to rely on their imagination when framing the picture before shooting, and crop it afterward on the computer. Well, there is a limit to our imagination, and frankly speaking, I won't want to think too hard when taking a shot.

Recently launched, the Ricoh R8 houses a 10-megapixel sensor and much more. Allowing you to shoot in 1:1 ratio aspect (that's square for you) is just a teaser of what else is available. You can also do in-camera editing like cropping or fine-tuning the brightness and contrast of your image. Sometimes we are not sure if a shot will look better in black-and-white, sepia or normal color. The color bracketing function lets you capture a shot and display it in the three different color modes to choose from.

With a 7.1x optical zoom lens covering from 28-200mm (35mm equivalent), this camera can easily tackle the problem of taking group shots in tight spaces or just to bring the subject closer to you by zooming in. The usual fare of face detection and multiple scenes mode are also part of the package.

The R8 should be on shelves for S$599 (US$394.08) by March 7 in Singapore. For elsewhere in Asia, check with your local retailers regarding availability at your area.

MCube: Your mobile phone companion

It looks like the MCube concept by the team at VINYL Studio won't be entering production anytime soon.

Apparently, this uber plain-looking cube is able to recharge the phone's battery using short-range induction technology when a handset is within a certain range. That's not all. The built-in display on the MCube displays information such as date, time, messages, call alerts, and there are touch controls so we can pump music wirelessly via the onboard speakers.

We can't figure how picking up the handset can be so difficult. But if the MCube can also read our text messages aloud and allows us to talk to the calling party without ever lifting a finger or moving a single muscle (some voice recognition software perhaps), we might just want one.

Via Yanko Design

Nubrella: We come in peace!

Who says the humble umbrella hasn't gone places? Remember the NanoNuno Umbrella with nano technology? Or the windproof designer SENZ brollie?

In fact, there's even a whole slew of weird umbrella inventions intended to give them their second wind. Which leads us to the latest, the nubrella (US$59.99), which personally sounds like a spore culture.

This umbrella of the 21st century touts itself as "the ultimate weather protector". It claims to "stop rain, wind, snow and extreme cold", "keep your head, face and shoulders drier than ever", and blow you over with its "first true handsfree umbrella in the world", all thanks to a new patent-pending shoulder straps and offset handle design.

Which is all good, if you don't mind looking like a goldfish-bowl Martian right out of Mars Attacks!, while the other two-thirds of you attempt to keep dry and warm. "We come in peace! We come in peace!"

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