GeekSugar

Oscar Worthy Gadgets: The Dark Knight's Cell Phone Capers

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:31:55 -0800

One of my favorite films of last year, The Dark Knight unquestionably shines with the performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker, nominated for Best Supporting Actor. The film's up for a slew of other nominations that I'm really interested in because of their technical slants, like Best Cinematography, Film Editing, Sound, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects.

That's not just why the Batman sequel was a geek's dream; it featured the Nokia Tube as Lucius Fox's cell, and a couple pivotal scenes centered around cell phone communication as a plot device.

A cell phone being inside one of the thugs was particularity gruesome, while the scene with Rachel Dawes' and Harvey Dent's last cell conversation was heartbreaking. But not even their intensity can beat the staggering image of the city's 3D view of the cell phone network that would finally lead Bruce Wayne to his mark.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Yay or Nay: Comics Turned Movies?

GeekSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:00:56 -0700

With the HUGE success of The Dark Knight last weekend (and I do mean huge), it seems that graphic novels and comics turned movies are bigger than ever. Buzz (and Brian) agree with my opinion that Iron Man was one of the best super-hero movies to hit the theaters ever, and the newly released trailer for the Watchmen has me all giddy in anticipation for March! Adding to the already expanding list of comic book movies in the pipeline including Conan the Barbarian, The Justice League, and G.I. Joe, which are all slated to be making their big screen debuts in 2009.

It's comic overload! Are you stoked that your favorite comic books are being made into feature films, or are you over the crossovers?

Daily Tech: The High-Tech Making of The Dark Knight in IMAX

GeekSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:03:39 -0700

To create The Dark Knight in IMAX format, director Christopher Nolan used special IMAX cameras that use 70mm film which, unlike 35mm cameras, are very heavy. - Popular Mechanics
Musician Funki Porcini gets the award for having one of the most original album covers. Check out this beautiful image of her sleeping amongst many music making machines. - Boing Boing
Adorable! The iClooly Aluminum Stand for the iPod Touch and the iPhone 3G makes your little device look exactly like an Apple desktop screen! My favorite so far indeed. - Unplggd
Here's a little story we can all learn from. Someone put their iPhone 3G box up for sale on eBay for $650 and it actually sold with a ton of bids. Sadly, I don't think the buyer read the fine print. - CrunchGear
Learn some helpful tips and tricks for taking stunning pictures with your camera. - Yahoo! Tech
It's giveaway time! Be sure to log in for your chances to win a new iPhone 3G by Apple! - geeksugar

Source

Commit Your Friends to Arkham Asylum!

GeekSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:00:19 -0700

I've been waiting for The Dark Knight with white-knuckled anticipation, and as part of the viral marketing that began as early as January, they've released a terrifying and awesome interactive feature: committing your friends to the mother of all fictional insane asylums, Arkham Asylum.

I like that this kind of online marketing is becoming de rigeur for films, like with The Wackness's graffiti contest.

This is pretty sophisticated; you upload a headshot of you or your friend, and then it's integrated into a video, which shows creepy real-looking footage of that person then become a raving loony, writhing in a straight jacket.

Except I made the poor decision to test it out with my picture (Alcatraz flashback!) Permanently scarred.

The Dark Knight's Viral Websites Featuring Heath Ledger as the Joker Still Up

GeekSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:01:21 -0800

Before Heath Ledger's death last week, I was very much looking forward to this summer's The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins, which I loved. But now, the teaser trailers for the film just make me feel sad and wistful. The images of Ledger in his perfectly-cast glory as the iconic villain the Joker, no doubt a talent-filled effort, are heartbreaking. That's why Valleywag's report that the viral websites to promote The Joker's role in the film will remain active confounds me.

I can't say I'm outraged, because this isn't the first time a film has faced losing a star prior to its release, but this may be the first time a marketing campaign such as this - viral websites surrounding the deceased actor - has been launched. The Joker-centric sites - among them whysoserious.com (which has been sporting a black ribbon in Ledger's honor since the news broke), TheGothamTimes.com, and TheHaHaHaTimes.com, don't seem to currently display any actual images of Ledger, but it still seems to be in poor taste that they remain up.

With new technology, we face new decisions each day that we never had reasons for before, and sensitivities must be bred to respond to our new world. What do you make of Warner Bros.' decision to leave the sites up? Is it an expected move, since the proverbial show must go on, or do you think their response should be different?
Source

Watchmen Gearing Up For a BD-Live Screening on Facebook

GeekSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:05:23 -0700

One of the coolest things about the Blu-ray takeover is BD-Live, which allows you do cool stuff like watch movies while recording your own commentary track - I've done The Dark Knight with my nearest and dearest and confirm its awesomeness.

For the Watchmen's Blu-ray release, it'll also get a revolutionary welcome on social network site Facebook. The Blu-ray discs will capitalize on the BD-Live feature and enable you to have "community screenings" on Facebook; you'll be able to watch the movie simultaneously with your Facebook friends and make status updates for your commentary.

The Blu-ray disc (which you'll need) will come out some time in July, and in the meantime, make sure you seek out all your Facebook friends who are also Watchmen fans!

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Daily Tech: T-Mobile Sells Out of the G1

GeekSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:40:52 -0700

Just like that. In less than one week, T-Mobile's G1 android handset sold like hot cakes and are now out of stock. Although T-Mobile is reassuring its customers that there are "some available" for T-Mobile subscribers. - Gizmodo
Apple is working towards making iTunes 8 and the new iPod Nano fully user friendly for blind individuals. - Apple Insider
Check out five of the best websites for streaming television online. - Lifehacker
Thinking about purchasing the Sonos wireless music system? Unpluggd just picked up the Sonos Bundle 150 with loudspeakers and here's a full rundown of all its gadgets and gizmos. - Unplggd
On Dec. 9, Warner will be releasing the DVD version of The Dark Knight in Blu-ray and it will cost $36. - CrunchGear

Daily Tech: Nintendo Wii is the King of Console Sales in the US

GeekSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:45:04 -0700

In June alone, Nintendo sold 666,000 Wii units and since its launch, over 11 million, making it the highest selling console in the US. - Tech Ticker
There's actually an iPhone app that lets you transform yourself into the Joker from The Dark Knight. - Gizmodo
Lexie Barnes has just unveiled a new line of laptop bags that are affordable and come in a variety of sizes for different laptop models. - Chip Chick
Wondering whether to use Outlook or Gmail as your primary web client? Lifehacker lists the pros and cons of each. - Lifehacker
Are you a Verizon customer and own a BlackBerry Curve, Pearl or 8830 World Edition smartphone? Verizon has just announced that it is opening up mobile banking to its BlackBerry customers. - Gadgetell
It's giveaway time! Be sure to log in for your chances to win a new iPhone 3G by Apple! - geeksugar

Source

Daily Tech: A UK Company Shows Off the E7, An Electric Taxi

GeekSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:25:36 -0700

Although London's taxi licensing division has given the new E7 the thumbs down, it is certainly an environmentally friendly car, offering 100 miles on a single charge. - Engadget
Co-stars of Heath Ledger from the movie Batman: The Dark Knight Returns told the Today Show that Heath's iPod had become a symbol of him as his friends would pass it around to each other, download the tunes, then share it with someone else. - Valleywag
Governments are cracking down on Google Maps, by making them take down images for various security reasons. Already, 51 locations have been removed from Google Maps and Google Earth. - Switched
A real-life Hello Kitty house actually exists! Every inch of the house is HK, with a Hello Kitty living room, bedroom and kitchen, crazy! - Gizmodiva
Wal-Mart and Dell have teamed up to offer tech support "Solution Stations" which are set to roll out in 15 Dallas stores. - Gizmodo
It's giveaway time! Be sure to log in for your chances to win a new iPhone 3G by Apple! - geeksugar