• IMAX
• IMAX Digital
• 3D
• IMAX3D
• IMAX3D Digital

Plus there are other theater brand specific digital screen presentations (ex: Cinemark XD) that are too numerous to list here.  What I want you to know is that much of this is a marketing gimmick and in many cases will not only cost you more money, but the end result product you’re about to see and hear isn’t as good, or the improvement you just paid the extra few dollars for.

First, IMAX.  IMAX is a standard started in the ’70s that in its original and purest form is a completely different medium from what you normally see 99.9% of all other movies.  It is a 70mm film, actual film and uses very heavy and special cameras to shoot.  It also requires very special and expensive projectors to show these movies and that’s why you normally only see real IMAX theaters at science museums and a very few number of commercial theaters.  Pretty much everyone has watched a space or underwater documentary on either the domed screen or giant flat wall versions of IMAX at some point in their life.  Today though many commercial screens now office “IMAX Digital” which really isn’t IMAX at all.  It’s just a watered down set of specifications and a marketing ploy.

IMAX Digital can be a superior experience to your normal screen.  It will generally be a little bigger in screen size and the sound system will be cranked up.  It will be using the newest digital projectors which can have some advantages over traditional film projectors (and some disadvantages). But additionally, pretty much none of the movies you see this summer will be shot in IMAX.  In fact, only a handful of movies (Dark Knight Rises, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) even shoot a just few scenes in the format, meaning using the IMAX cameras and resulting in a 70mm film stock, and even these won’t be presented properly on today’s IMAX digital screens.  If you look at the image to the right you’ll see the dramatic differences between a true IMAX screen and what is being marketed today at your local theater as IMAX Digital.  Slash Film has done a much better job of explaining this in far more detail and you should read it.

Now about 3D.

I hate 3D.  Avatar was about the only time I’ve watched a movie in 3D and almost fully enjoyed it.  I hate the glasses that don’t cover your entire field of vision, I dislike the ever so slightly out of focus and washed out colors image.  But if you insist on seeing a movie in 3D you should know that not all are equal.  Many movies today are not filmed in 3D, but are converted to 3D in post production.  The result is a far less successful effect.  Below is a list of 2012 movies (provided from this website) that native to the format and you should keep in mind when buying tickets.  So, do NOT see Avengers in 3D, but if you must, seeing Prometheus or Spider Man should be a better use of your money.

The point to all of this is to make you sure you know what you’re spending your money on

Shot in 3D

• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
• The Amazing Spider-Man
• Brave
• Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
• The Hobbit
• Prometheus

Fake 3D (converted)

• The Avengers
• Frankenweenie
• Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence
• Gravity
• John Carter
• Men in Black III
• Star Wars Re-release
• Titanic
• Wrath of the Titans

He can now stick an iPod Nano straight to his wrist, no strap, lanyard or glue.  Nope, Dave is using four small magnets (icp: “how do they work?”) that he implanted into his wrist.  The result is a strapless watch, music player and whatever else those little devices are capable of these days.

The magnet/iPod combo is a strong enough combo that he can wear it without it falling off during jogging or a workout.  Its also is quite the conversation starter.

Hurban claims that this is not his “worst piercing” (we can all guess just how messed up his junk is), he just installed four 5mm micro-dermal anchors – according to Dave are “very common in body piercing” and wasn’t as painful as he expected.  No mention if the magnets can be removed at a later time without too much damage, or if he sticks to the refrigerator has he goes to get milk.  Obviously Dave does have a problem when Apple decides again to change the form factor of the Nano, which is now in its sixth generation, and almost never consistently been the same size from version to version.  Dave doesn’t care, he’s about the “now” and probably won’t change it to upgrade.

His reason for doing this? “The ultimate reasoning was that I just thought it would be cool.”

*warning* video is pretty graphic of the actual implant.

Another six weeks, another “best Android” is about to reveal itself to the US shores.  (I use “best” loosely, there’s much that can be debated over which current model is the “best”)

In what is really the best and worst thing about Google’s Android being available from different manufactures is that something better is always just around the corner.  It wasn’t just a few weeks ago we were all drooling over the new Google Nexus, or the HTC One X (Gizmodo’s Fav Android of the moment) or in fact, it doesn’t seem that long ago we rubbed the Galaxy S II against our face for the first time.

Now the Galaxy S III is coming to America this summer and it looks to be a fine choice for anyone in the market.

Working with the new 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Cortex-A9 quad-core chip, a Gig of RAM and up to 64GB of internal storage and a very high definition-y 4.8″ 720×1280 Super OMLEG display pumping 306ppi (in comparison the iPhone 4s is 3.5″ at 960×640 at 326ppi) that is certain to be bright and beautiful.  The phone will work on 4G LTE systems and have as many as seven different internal sensors – including NFC (near field communication) and (gasp! for the weather nerd in me) a barometer!  Oh yes, a removal battery (which is still Android phones biggest advantage over an iPhone in my mind)

It will shoot 1080p from the back camera and the front facing will do 720p for your face chatting time.

Samsung, as does all manufactures, is rolling out some of their “improvements” to Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich OS.  Some of the cooler ones is the phone will vibrate and/or flash a LED when you pick it up after a missed call.  A new voice recognition called S-Voice which can complete actual tasks and S-Beam, a system that uses NFC for talking to and sharing info with other Galaxy S III owners.  (the video below mentions December, but it is pretty certain the LTE comes here in the summer)

If there’s been a knock on the phone in early reviews is that the materials used don’t always feel as up to snuff as other brands and Samsung has been plauged for sometime for having wonderful looking designs, but when you actually pick up the devices they leave you wishing they felt better made.  I have personally held a S III, but I can attest that other Samsung phones have always felt a bit plasticky in my hands.

The Galaxy S III is due to arrive this summer, but the HTC X is here now and a completely worthy alternative if you’re needed a new phone before then.

It is fully expected that Microsoft will announce a Xbox360 budge package, complete with Kinect sensor and 4GB drive for only $99 starting next week.

The hitch?  You also are then tied to a monthly subscription fee of $15 for Xbox Live for two years.  Rumors are that the $15 per month will give you access to a Gold level subscription and possibly some streaming content.  There will also be an early termination fee and if you’re attempting math in your head this deal is equal to about $459 over the course of two years versus $420 if you’d just bought the $299 bundle with a two years of Gold.

Microsoft is clearly gearing up for the 360 to move well past its gaming origins and trying to make it a full service media center.  Lots of talk about a new music “Woodstock” service being rolled out later this year.  So as many ways for people to spend their money to get one, the better for Microsoft.

Related articles

• Microsoft planning $99 Xbox 360 with subscription – Report (gamespot.com)
• $99 XBOX 360 Coming Soon from Microsoft (blippitt.com)

This full moon phase coincides with its closest distance from the Earth, 221,802 miles, and will give anyone and everyone a spectacular view of a giant and bright moon.  In fact astronomers call it a “super moon”.

Related articles

• Supermoon Alert (Space.com)
• ‘Supermoon,’ biggest full moon, to appear Saturday (abclocal.go.com)

And does anyone pick better scoring for his movies than Christopher Nolan?

I think not.

Turns out that Terry has bought and is wearing one, so let’s keep tabs on Mr Jaymes and his new found device to fitness.

****

Hopefully Nike can pull off this product better than Jawbone did with their “Up” wristband.  That failure lead to a total recall of the product and refunds to people who didn’t even report having problems.

Yesterday Nike previewed the Nike+ Fuelband.  Their next step in an ongoing line of fitness monitoring products, which right now are all the rage.  Nike with their usual elegant design ramp up the cool factor with a very nicely embedded LED assembly that displays all sorts of information.  Plus you can track and store info on your iOS device, computer and yeah, share that info with all your friends that know your a fatass.

It tracks steps, calories, time and presents a total number in a Nike invented brand called “NikeFuel”.  That number is suppose to help you set goals and better track your overall successes and failures.  It’s a device you wear all day.  No mention if it has any sleep monitoring features or heart rate monitoring.  It’s on pre sale now for the lofty price of $150.

Related articles

• Introducing: Nike+ FuelBand (insydetech.info)

This is the week the long awaiting and anticipated movie The Avengers hits screens across the country.  It’s getting solid, if not rave, reviews and many a comic book loving fan is counting their lucky stars that one Joss Whedon was tapped to write and direct the movie.

So, who is Joss Whedon?  You can always go look at his IMDB or Wikipedia page, but the short of it is that he’s the guy that brought Buffy the Vampire Slayer to television.  But he also birth a cult favorite show for Fox back in 2002 called “FireFly.”  This was a space adventure show with a western tilt but it lived only for 11 episodes.  Fox screwed the pooch in canceling the show way too early and didn’t even air three of the produced episodes.  There was also a good, but not much watched, movie called “Serenity” (the name of the main ship in the series) and to this day fans are trying to find ways to get the show rebooted.

Whedon also did one of the ‘net’s most beloved web-series, “Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” which was a three act play/musical that was distributed exclusively on the internet.  About an aspiring super villain, played by Neil Patrick Harris, the series was one of the first to showcase that content could be placed on the internet and find a real audience.

The point to this simply is that Whedon has a wonderful track record and if anyone was going to make The Avengers a summer blockbuster that could stand the test of time it’s him.

With Facebook’s one billion dollar purchase of Instagram – a company that had yet to make any revenue – a good percentage of Instagram users are in freak out mode.

Understandably concerned that Facebook will dig their data mining tentacles into the rich information that Instagram pics provide via facial recognition and geo-tagging, many people want to close their Instagram accounts and find a new playground.  To be fair, Facebook promises to keep the two things separate, for now, and haven’t made any changes – yet.  In fact Instagram has added 10 million users since last week’s announcement.

But if you are one of the peeps that wants to bail, and no judgement here, there are alternative applications and even ways to pull your pics from Instagram and save them.

Here’s some alternative apps (links will open iTunes)

•  Hipstamatic and D-Series are two apps from the same company, the latter is free
• Camera Bag - Just filters, no social media
• Picplz - Tight social media sharing capabilities
• Phototoaster – Filtering tools more along the lines of professional editing, and less gimmicky (free version is Phototoaster Jr)
• Magic Hour - Make your own filters! (free version is “lite”)

And for Android (links will open in Google Play)

• Pixlr-o-matic
• Stream Zoo
• Hipster

If you want to pull your images out of Instagram and save them… There are ways, but all take some work and outside help

• Copygram - 
• Instabackup - iOS only
• Instaport

If I’ve missed other options, please put them in the comments section….

The Pebble is a new bluetooth connectable watch that works with an iPhone (and soon Android).  The group that is bringing it to the market also made the similar inPulse that connected to Blackberry phones for a while.  The Pebble is a considerable advancement from its forbearer.  It uses vibrating alerts to tell the wearer of incoming calls, emails, calendar alerts, Facebook and Twitter messages, weather alerts and more.  It’s also water resistant enough to swim with and sweat on.  Its functions, or apps, are all delivered from a master app on the phone, and the company is going to allow 3rd parties to create other apps/functions for the watch with their own SDK (how will Apple like that?)

What’s interesting is that the group was unable to find an investor, so they turned to Kickstarter and have become the single most funded project in the site’s history.  Currently at about $4million dollars have been raised from almost 30,000 backers.  Many of those backers bought themselves a version of the watch at a lower price than the $150 it will retail for in the Fall.