Thursday, July 4, 2013

Cosmo Editor Joanna Coles Whistles While She Works

Er, hums while she walks, anyway. So we learned from a preview of Rock Center's profile of Cosmopolitan editor Joanna Coles, set to air tomorrow. According to Coles, her singing is an "early warning system" for employees to close whatever browser windows they shouldn't be looking at on the clock. Watch her make fun of her own makeup and say "intoxicating cocktail" in her posh British accent.


View the original article here

See Early Head Shots of 16 Stars-to-Be

Andrew Brucker was a young, New York–based fashion photographer in 1982 when he got a call that would change his career: A manager asked if he would do some head shots for one of her clients. “I said no, it wasn’t my thing,” says Brucker. “A lot of people looked at head shots as the poor cousin of glamour photography.” So she challenged him to make them better. Which Brucker did, transforming the head shot into something as rich and lush as the old-school, black-and-white portraits of Hollywood masters like George Hurrell. Before long, every serious young actor in New York wanted the Brucker treatment, including Robert Downey Jr., Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Will Arnett, Kerry Washington, and Marisa Tomei. He still takes head shots, though he misses the early days, when actors were a little less business and a lot more punk. Winona Ryder was just 14 when she showed up, alone, without an entourage: “Nowadays I have mothers making arrangements for their 20-year-olds. Everyone was a little looser back then." Andrew Brucker has published his best before-they-were-stars photographs in his new book 8X10 (FVW; $39.00). You can find sixteen of them here.

(8x10 is available at Rizzoli, Dashwood Books, McNally Jackson, 192 Books, St. Mark's Books, Crawford Doyle Booksellers, the Strand, and Spoonbill and Sugartown in New York City, and at Diesel Books in L.A.)


View the original article here

Razer reveals the Blade Pro and 14-inch Blade gaming laptops (update: $999 Pro for indie game devs)

Razer Introduces the Blade-The World's Thinnest Gaming Notebook
The Razer Blade: Thinner than a dime with a 14-inch HD+ Screen, Intel Quad Core i7, NVIDIA GTX 765M


SAN FRANCISCO – May 30, 2013 – Razer™, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, today unveiled Razer Blade, the world's thinnest gaming laptop. The Razer Blade, measuring in at just 0.66-inches thin, packs more power-per-cubic-inch than any other laptop in the world. The Razer Blade is powered with a future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor, the latest NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M GPU and utilizes solid-state storage technology with boot speeds of up to four-times faster than a traditional 5400-RPM notebook hard drive. The Razer Blade has a rigid all-aluminum chassis, with a stunning 14-inch LED-backlit HD+ display and features a custom-designed trackpad and backlit gaming grade keyboard.

Designed entirely in-house by the multi-award winning Razer design team, the Razer Blade has an incredible 14-inch LED-backlit HD+ display with a native resolution of 1600 x 900 and its custom-made gaming grade trackpad offers multi-touch gesture support. The Razer Blade also features a full-size backlit gaming keyboard that has full anti-ghosting capabilities and programmable keys powered by the revolutionary Synapse 2.0.

The ultra-portable laptop features 8 GB of fast 1600 MHz DDR3L memory and comes standard with 128 GB of storage with options for a 256 GB or 512 GB SSD. The Razer Blade also comes with Dolby® Home Theatre® v4, featuring immersive audio-quality output that is custom-tuned to deliver a cinematic sound experience.

The Razer Blade delivers up to six hours of battery life and includes a Killer™ Wireless-N high-performance wireless networking adapter, combining intelligence and control along with up to five-times the wireless networking speed of competitive wireless adapters.

The new 14-inch Razer Blade embodies Razer's continuing goal to design the world's best gaming laptops for those that need insanely powerful performance in the thinnest form factors to game anywhere, anytime. Razer sets out to do the impossible without compromising performance and, with the new Blade 14-inch laptop, users are able to game more and do more than ever before on an ultra-portable system.

The Razer Blade is scheduled to ship in Q2. For more information, go to www.razerzone.com/blade.

Price:
Starts at $1,799

Availability:
Razerzone.com – Q2 2013
North America – Q2 2013

Product features:

• Future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor (formerly codename 'Haswell')
• 8 GB Onboard Memory (DDR3L – 1600 MHz)
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M (2 GB GDDR5) & Intel HD4600
• Windows® 8 64 Bit
• 128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (mSATA)
• Qualcomm® Killer™ NIC N1202 (802.11a/b/g/n + Bluetooth® 4.0)
• 14.0 in. HD+ 16:9 Ratio, 1600 x 900, with LED backlight
• Built-in stereo speakers
• 3.5 mm audio microphone/headphone combo jack
• Array microphone
• (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
• HDMI 1.4a audio and video output
• Dolby® Home Theater® v4
• 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
• Built-in full HD webcam (1.3 MP)
• Compact 150 W Power Adapter
• Built-in 70 Wh Rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery
• Razer™ Anti-Ghosting Keyboard (with adjustable backlight)
• Razer™ Synapse 2.0 Enabled
• Kensington Lock
• 13.6 in. / 345 mm (Width) x 0.66 in. / 16.8 mm (Height) x 9.3 in. / 235 mm (Depth)
• 4.135 lbs. / 1.876 kg

For more information about the Razer Blade, please visit www.razerzone.com/blade.

________________________________________

Razer Introduces the Blade Pro-Designed For Work and For Play
The Razer Blade Pro: 17-inch HD Screen, Intel Quad Core i7, NVIDIA GTX 765M; comes with built-in professional-grade SBUI applications for creative professionals

(Not for) Immediate Release:

SAN FRANCISCO – May 30, 2013 – Razer™, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, today announced the Blade Pro, the latest evolution of its award-winning 17-inch gaming laptop. Powered by a future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor, next generation NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M graphics and groundbreaking storage performance, the new Blade Pro is faster and more powerful than ever before.

Razer's designers and engineers refined every inner component to increase performance, while staying true to portability. At 0.88 inches thin and weighing 6.5 pounds, the Blade Pro is the most portable 17-inch gaming laptop in its class. Every detail is sleek, slim and light, all the way down to the compact power supply, making the Blade Pro the best choice for gaming performance and creative work on-the-go.

The Blade Pro, the third iteration of Razer's ground-breaking, ultra-portable laptop, features a 4th gen Intel Core processor and the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M GPU, all packed into the thinnest and lightest form factor in the 17-inch laptop class. The Blade Pro comes with Dolby® Home Theatre® v4, featuring immersive audio quality that is custom-tuned to each Razer laptop to deliver a cinematic sound experience. All of this is topped-off with gaming-grade peripherals built right in, such as Razer Synapse 2.0, a fully programmable anti-ghosting keyboard with adjustable backlight and an ultra-sensitive track pad.

At the heart of the Blade Pro is a full-HD 17-inch LED display linked in combination with the Switchblade User Interface (SBUI), allowing users to take advantage of tools and creative possibilities at their fingertips. Driven by 10 dynamic adaptive tactile keys, a revolutionary LCD track pad and professional-grade and game apps, users can work harder and play harder. Razer's SBUI now includes several new, professional-grade apps and a wide array of new tools available at no charge, including programs like Adobe Photoshop® and Adobe Premiere® Pro, Maya®, GIMP and more.

The Razer Blade Pro also features 8 GB of fast 1600 MHz DDR3L memory and comes standard with 128 GB of solid stage storage, with optional 256 GB and 512 GB SSDs. With solid-state storage technology, gamers will now experience up to four-times the performance of a traditional 5400-rpm notebook hard drive.

Razer is also offering a new creative professional pricing program, allowing design students, game developers, development staff, Kickstarter partners and others to purchase Razer products, including the Blade Pro, at special prices. Selected developers and partners are now listed at www.razerzone.com/creativepro. Those not listed are encouraged to fill out an application on the page for a chance to be included in the program.

The Blade Pro is scheduled to ship in Q2. For more information, go to www.razerzone.com/bladepro.
Price:
Starts at $2,299

Availability:
Razerzone.com – Q2 2013
Worldwide – 2013

Product features:

• Future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor (formerly codename 'Haswell')
• 8 GB DDR3L (2 x 4 GB 1600MHz)
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M (2 GB GDDR5) & Intel HD4600
• Windows 8 64 Bit
• 128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (mSATA)
• Qualcomm® Killer™ NIC N1202 (802.11a/b/g/n + Bluetooth® 4.0)
• 17.3-in. Full HD 16:9 Ratio, 1920 x 1080, with LED backlight
• Stereo 2.0 speakers
• 3.5 mm audio microphone/headphone combo jack
• HD Webcam (front-facing, 2.0 MP)
• Array microphones
• (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
• Codec supports 7.1 (via HDMI 1.4)
• Dolby® Home Theater® v4
• Razer™ Anti-Ghosting Keyboard (with adjustable backlight)
• Razer™ Switchblade User Interface
• Razer™ Synapse 2.0 Enabled
• Built-in 74 Wh Rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery
• Kensington Lock
• 16.8 in. / 427 mm (Width) x 0.88 in. / 22.4 mm (Height) x 10.9 in. / 277 mm (Depth)
• 6.58 lbs. / 2.98 kg

For more information about the Razer Blade Pro, please visit www.razerzone.com/bladepro.


View the original article here

Exclusive: Portraits of the 2013 CFDA Superstars

For the past six years running, CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg has commissioned renowned art director Trey Laird to make the CFDA journal, a program that's at the organization's annual awards show. "She always just says, 'Do something amazing,' and that's my brief," Laird told us over the phone this week. "It's great to have so much creative freedom." For the 2013 edition, Laird tapped photographer Peter Lindbergh to create a series of pictures to highlight the nominees, which include Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, and Marc Jacobs, and their designs. 

The images were shot at Pier 59 on May 7, the day after the Met Ball. (Riccardo Tisci, who co-chaired this year's gala, showed up in a sweatshirt and jeans.) "They're very Lindbergh and minimal," Laird explained, adding that they're meant to look more like portraits than fashion spreads. Pictures of the nominees and honorees are accompanied by several informal shots of a model wearing their designs. Laird specifically paired models and designers who had working relationships — for example, Proenza Schouler's designs are modeled by Sasha Pivovarova, who opened their most recent show, and Alexander Wang's collection is shown on his longtime muse Erin Wasson.

As many of this year's CFDA nominees have been honored previously, Laird says the shoot has become like an annual reunion. "We're like, 'Hey, it’s that time of year again!'" he laughed. Read on for a Q&A about the project, and see the resulting images in our slideshow.

What made you decide to work with Peter Lindbergh this year?
I’ve always wanted him to do this project with me, but it’s always been tricky because he’s based in Paris and so forth. He's a really good friend, and I’ve grown up in fashion with him — we met over twenty years ago, when I was in-house with Donna Karan, and we did all the Donna Karan campaigns throughout the nineties together. He's obviously an incredible fashion-image-maker, but also really talented portrait photographer, so we just made it work this year, and it was a real coup. 

The shots are much simpler than last year's. Why is that?
This time around, I really wanted to strip it down and capture fashion in a portrait setting. We decided to do several looks on each model — Peter and I wanted it to be like a running impression, almost like sketches, to show the mood and the feeling of each designer’s collection that they’re nominated for. Normally we just do one key look for each designer, but this time we wanted it to be several looks that, when showed together, made a little story of that designer’s collection.

How did you pick the models for each designer? Did the designers have input?
No, the designers didn’t pick, but we tried to find models that really had the sense of the designer’s work, and brought some character to the collection. In a few cases, I knew certain models had relationships with the designers. Like, Erin [Wasson] is always inspiring to Alex [Wang], and we did Kristen McMenamy for Riccardo Tisci because he’s always loved her and vice versa.

What’s Peter like on set?
He is the nicest, most warm and amazing person. Before he even picks up the camera, he makes everybody feel comfortable, and there is an ease and an effortlessness, but also a sense of drama and emotion. He always wants everyone to be incredibly natural, to the point where we did minimal hair, makeup, and wardrobe.

Is anyone ever difficult to deal with? Some designers are uncomfortable having their pictures taken because they’re used to being on the other side of the camera.
There are always a few people, who I won’t name, who will say, "I want to look like this or I want to look like that," and you roll your eyes, because the ones who are really famous, like Marc Jacobs or Oscar de la Renta, are confident and secure enough to let Peter do his job.

On shooting Oscar de la Renta:
I’ve actually never shot Oscar de la Renta before, so he was a new subject. He was so kind and elegant, really gracious and easy. He loves Peter’s work and was very excited to have Peter do his portrait — he was like, "I need a new headshot anyway, and who wouldn’t want a Peter Lindbergh headshot?" So for me that was a treat, because he is just such an icon.

On shooting Alexander Wang:
Alex came in in his black T-shirt and walked right on set. But there was a little bit of a snafu because Mr. de la Renta’s schedule changed slightly at the last minute, so he came right as Alex’s spot was starting — it was like planes backed up at La Guardia. So I asked Alex to go have a coffee for fifteen minutes or so, while we finished up, and he was like, "Absolutely, whatever Oscar needs." He’s just a really good sport. I think I’ve done Alex’s portrait about six times now, and he is just exactly the same as he always was, no pretense and no diva and no drama.

On shooting Vera Wang:
Peter always eliminates that whole transformation aspect, so it wasn’t about having Vera come in and put on some big gown and become, like, red carpet Vera Wang. When she's working, she always wears her cool leggings and her funky fur vest and weird boyish cap, and she’s got her rock-and-roll tomboy aesthetic. Most people only think of her as this grand wedding designer, but it was just nice to capture people as themselves.

On shooting Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez:
I’ve shot them several times for the CFDA catalogue, and they’ve really continued to evolve every year. I’ve seen them develop this maturity and this confidence. And they would take this as a compliment: They dress sort of like 12-year-old boys. Jack came in wearing this shirt that had some weird graphic on it, and he didn’t like the graphic so he just turned it inside out. And Lazaro had on, like, work boots and khakis and just an old, grubby T-shirt. Peter was like, "You know what’s fabulous about you guys? No one would ever know that you are in fashion.’}They are just so incredibly low-key, even though they’re these American superstars. It’s part of what makes them so cool.


View the original article here

How I Tightened My Legs and Butt for $77

Ever since it opened in my neighborhood last fall, I’d been intrigued by Barry’s Bootcamp — the boutique-fitness chain known for its sprints, squats, and teaching of celebrity fans like Jessica Alba — but couldn’t justify the pricey $34 classes.

But then, last month, Barry’s and the beauty brand Clarins launched a series of free workout videos on YouTube, which promised to firm, tone, and eliminate cellulite, so long as I bought Clarins’s new Body Lift Cellulite Control cream. The program is called Four Weeks to Sleek, and it specifically targets your butt and thighs.

For one month, you complete a series of exercises custom-created by Barry’s co-owner Joey Gonzalez, which take about five minutes a day and incorporate their $9 Booty Band (it's not required, but it helps). After your post-workout shower, you slather yourself in Body Lift, using the proper, massagelike application technique (who knew there was such a thing?) that's also illustrated in the videos. Your pores, opened up by the exercise, will slurp up ingredients like celosia-flower extract and sunflower seed oil, which trap fatty tissue, stimulate circulation, and flush out the excess water that appears in fat cells as, yup, cellulite. Add in Gonzalez’s slenderizing blend of cardio and strength training, and your cottage-cheese zone is supposedly toast. Even as someone whose main problem area is further north (see: love handles), the regime seemed worth a shot. What did I have to lose?

Week 1: I set the glossy red tube of lotion on my bathroom counter and perched my laptop on an ottoman, shifting all other furniture out of arm’s reach. I Velcro the resistance-boosting Barry’s Bootcamp Booty Band to my ankles, which promises to accelerate results, and pull up the first of four tutorials. “Let’s get that heart pumping with a good old-fashioned set of jumping jacks,” Gonzales tells me, a blonde Lululemonite-type demonstrating at his side. In truth, my heart is already pumping with trepidation — it’s been a while since I’ve tested my glutes beyond the 5.0 incline of the treadmill — but I remind myself this won’t take long; the interval routines are designed to burn fat in just a few minutes’ time. Soon, I’m squatting, knee-to-elbow lifting (60 seconds on each side), and done before I know it, just as I’d hoped. 

After my post-workout shower, I then carefully follow the product-application instructions given to me by Melissa, who is the Clarins specialist on the YouTube video (and not to be confused with her doppelgänger, the other blonde in the workout segment). I warm it in my hand and gently knead it upward, from ankles to saddlebags, using big, sweeping motions. As it turns out, the lotion has a slight Vapor Rub sensation, but that's nothing compared to the burning my muscles will endure week two.

Week 2: I’ve worked my way up to 90 seconds of elbow-to-knee squats on either side, and tacked them on to my twenty-minute treadmill routine, which typically involves a lot of morning television and little more physical exertion than a Charlie Rose interview. So I move on with the ritual. The second video centers on more alternating cardio and resistance; this time, there are flying lunges. Don’t be fooled by Gonzalez’s lighthearted nickname for these “flunges”: I can barely manage five in a row without losing my balance/will to live. I’m still panting asthmatically when he introduces a set of knee-raises. Trying to make it up stairs the next day(s), I could've been lapped by Betty White.

Week 3: Thankfully the muscle soreness wasn’t all in vain, as it seems to have created real muscle mass. Melissa from the YouTube video reassures me, I’m “only two weeks away from a firmer silhouette,” but already my wide-leg jeans are tighter in the butt and looser in the hips.  The next set of exercises calls for "burpees": jump in the air, squat down into a pushup position (and if you’re brave, do an actual pushup), and repeat. “Not easy,” as Gonzalez notes, but then you go straight into bent-knee raises on the floor, where you can collapse a minute later.

Week 4: I’ve decided to finish up the program in an à la carte fashion, incorporating favorite moves from all four sessions, including burpees, basic squats, and (now) even flunges, as well as one-legged hops (a new addition in the videos that I swear has done wonders for my calves). I end in a side-plank position, hips off the floor, scissor-lifting my top leg. My abs, shoulders, hamstrings — pretty much every muscle in my body — quiver, but I do feel strong.

I also feel the firming effects of the cream, although the caffeine, menthol, and other skin-tightening ingredients seem to wear off after a few hours. What persists, however, is the decreased dimpling in back of my thighs (luckily I didn’t have too much to begin with) and the (almost) baby-soft texture of my skin, including on days I go lotion-less.

I now apply it to my upper half, too, where I notice similar results — even at the love handles.


View the original article here

BlueStacks to offer GamePop Android game console for $129, expands title lineup

BlueStacks to offer GamePop Android game console for $129, expands title lineup data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20593403' !== '') ? 'bsd:20593403' : ''; var postID = '20593403'; var modalMNo = '93312529', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"cellphones",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"brad-molen", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-13f",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93312529", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93312530", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});BlueStacks to offer GamePop Android game console for $129, expands title lineupBypostedMay 30th, 2013 at 5:31 PM 0

BlueStacks to offer GamePop Android game console for $129, extends free preorder through June

BlueStacks is taking on OUYA in a big way, having announced its Android-powered GamePop game console a few weeks ago. The company wouldn't give specifics on how much the device would cost when it was first unveiled, although it offered an option to get the console for free through May -- provided you were willing to subscribe to the $7-per-month service for at least a full year, which gives you full access to a large number of paid and free mobile games. Today, BlueStacks announced that the free offer has been extended through June, after which time the console can be yours for $129. What's more, the service has inked partnerships with more gaming developers, adding at least another $50 worth of titles to its overall catalog. One such company is COM2US, which will feature its very own channel in GamePop's UI. Head to the source link to get your pre-order in.

when.eng("eng.perm.init")