Entertainment

Photos: Pharell Williams plays Halo 3 on IMAX at UK launch

Surely the most eagerly anticipated game of the year hit the U.K. last night, with a massive celebrity-studded launch event at London's IMAX cinema for Halo 3.

Rapper Pharell Williams, of The Neptunes and N*E*R*D fame, was on hand to show off his fragging skills--or lack of them, as it turned out--on the vast IMAX screen.

Showcasing the game's online multiplayer capabilities, Williams took on other celebrities and competition winners from around Europe. Click here for more of the night's escapades.

(Source: Crave UK)

Robo-One videos will astound/confuse you

If you've been following Robo-One 12 vicariously on the Internet, welcome to the motherlode.

Robot Watch recently posted a smorgasbord of videos showcasing the best demos and battles from the recent bipedal robot competition in Japan, and they're all available right here, about a third of the way down the page.

If you don't want to do all that clicking and deciphering, here are some of the best clips of the lot. Mind you, I can't read Japanese, so I've offered my own personal interpretations of what the hell is going on in each video, … Read more

Will Sling shine under Echostar?

Dish TV satellite company Echostar is buying Sling Media, makers of the innovative Slingbox, for $380m in a classic corporate behemoth acquires startup story. Will Sling be able to maintain its quirky, innovative persona?

The Slingbox is one of those devices that is rather difficult to explain what it does and how it does it to someone unfamiliar with the concept. It's a convergent device - a tight integration of hardware and software - which has been very well executed right from the get-go. Like TiVo before it, it immediately nailed the user experience for a brand new product … Read more

At DigitalLife's press kickoff, everyone just wants to play 'Guitar Hero III'

On Tuesday night at an event space across the street from the Jacob Javits Convention Center, DigitalLife convention parent company Ziff Davis Media held its press kickoff event, but it might as well have been a Guitar Hero III party.

Members of the media could obtain their semi-coveted credentials; New York City technology commissioner Paul Cosgrave gave a brief talk officially designating September 24 to 30 as "Digital Technology Week"; and a set of "Hot Five" featured products--Trend Micro's Internet Security Pro, electronic music company M-Audio, the HD DVD Alliance, the Ford Sync voice-activated … Read more

'Bouncing bionic billionaire' Mark Cuban dances like an eager fool

Nobody was expecting billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban to be a runaway surprise on the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars, but he naturally managed to raise a few eyebrows on his Tuesday night dancing debut. For one, the opening credits featured the Dallas Mavericks owner and HDNet guru shouting "I am a lean, mean dancing machine!" And paired with scantily-clad Australian dancer Kym Johnson, the 49-year-old entrepreneur wiggled his hips, snapped his fingers, lip-synched, and (naturally) let his tongue hang out.

Cuban did indeed "churn the butter" as he'd promised his blog readers. He … Read more

Preorder your 'Halo' USB drive

If you love Halo 3 but hate staying up till midnight to attend over-the-top launch parties, there's hope for you yet.

Mimoco has announced its line of Halo-themed Mimobot USB flash drives, so you can now experience Halo without all that gameplay. The drives are available for preorder on Mimoco's Web site.

The thumbdrives are available in three styles: the Master Chief Mimobot, the Blue Spartan Mimobot, and the Red Spartan Mimobot. Irregardless of the style, all three USB devices look like they're stuck head-first in your USB port when you're using them.

They're pretty … Read more

Say what? Mark Cuban threatens to popularize 'the motorboat' on 'Dancing with the Stars'

Have you set your DVR yet? I sure have. On Tuesday night we'll see the ballroom dancing debut of Dallas Mavericks owner and tech entrepreneur extraordinaire Mark Cuban as he leaps onto the stage of the corny ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars, which pairs celebrities of various calibers with professional dance partners and then pits the couples against one another.

Cuban, always the subtle one, is encouraging his blog readers to dial in and vote for him and his curvy blond dance partner, Kym. "I'm up against all the pretty boys, athletes and entertainers tonight,&… Read more

Baseball robot will eventually sign with Yankees for $18 million per year

More video is rolling in from last week's Robo-One 12 competition, courtesy of Robots Dreams. One of the challenges of the recent bipedal robot competition in Japan was to have a robot play catch.

As this video shows, robot King Kizer took that challenge to another level altogether, also fisting an inside changeup to the opposite field, diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt, and stealing second with no throw. Let's watch.

This isn't the first time we've seen a robot with baseball skills, although King Kizer may have the most well-rounded game. This … Read more

A designer as CEO: Should Jonathan Ive be Apple's next leader?

Steve Jobs shows no signs of retiring any time soon, but Jess McMullin, who runs the great Business+Design blog, thinks ahead and pre-emptively wraps his head around Apple's succession planning. In an open letter to the Apple board, he urges the directors to consider Jonathan Ive, Apple's SVP of industrial design, as Jobs' successor, if need be. (Mullin was obviously inspired by Bruce Nussbaum's "CEOs Must Be Designers, Not Just Hire Them" post several months ago.)

And yet--a designer as CEO? (Wearing the marketing hat for a renowned design consultancy, I am posing this … Read more

Vote: The nonviolent robot Final Four

Voting is now closed for this round. See the results of these battles here and vote on the championship battle here!

Get it now! Your updated, printer-friendly tournament bracket.

This is why they play the games have online robot polls.

The Final Four is set, and only one No. 1 seed is still in contention. Not only that, but fan darlings The Beer-Launching Fridge, Bender, Marvin the Paranoid Android, and Nintendo R.O.B. have been sent packing due to heart-wrenching losses in the Elite Eight. They are still champions in the hearts of many, but when it comes to … Read more