4:00 PM, Saturday, January 28th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
 Back at CES Mimoco revealed their new line of MimoMicro card readers designed for those of us with an abundance of microSD cards. Today at MacWorld they jumped back to the standard Mimobot line and announced the Legends of Mimobot Collection.
As I'm sure you've already guessed the Mimobot that launched the new Legends line is none other than legendary human being, Albert Einstein. The Einstein x Mimobot comes in storage sizes as large as 64 GB (if you want to drop $120) and just like the other Mimobots it will come preloaded with downloadable goodies such as wallpapers, icons and avatars.
"Perhaps no other figure in the scientific community has played a more important role than Albert Einstein," says Mimoco CEO Evan Blaustein. "It is a real thrill to collaborate with his estate on this Einstein MIMOBOT flash drive series, merging one of history's greatest minds with our MIMOBOT brainchild that fuses designer toy ethos with memory storage function. Now everyone can store their data inside Einstein's digital MIMOBOT brain!"
Mimoco isn't done with the Einstein Mimobots quite yet -- additional Einstein designs will be revealed at SXSW in March, including the Brainstein character that provided the inspiration for the new crossover.
"We are really excited about the launch of the Einstein™ MIMOBOT Series. We believe Mimoco has done a great job in the development of a powerful yet fun line of computing tools that capture Einstein's lighthearted and spirited nature," said David Reeder, VP GreenLight.
The Einstein flavored Mimobot is available now at Mimoco.com and if you happen to be walking the MacWorld floor you should definitely stop by the Mimoco booth and check out there other awesome designs.
Source: Macworld Add a reply 
| 11:00 AM, Saturday, January 28th, 2012 - Posted by Brant Fowler
This weekend only, Post Mortem Press is offering a FREE copy of Jason Downes' PONY FLEMING on Amazon.com for the Kindle. Here's the details:
 Just when everything seems to look up, a young man's life makes a sharp turn as he is forced to face an unexpected yet questionable burden. Author Jason Downes pens the story of Pony Fleming, a young Irish man who becomes a victim of fate's twists and turns.
After eighteen months of being unemployed, John "Pony" Fleming is moving forward. Almost too easily, he gets a gatekeeper job at a local train station, earning more than what he expected. This stroke of luck calls for a celebration, so he decides to grab a few pints with his best pals, Gav and Anto. Life is good, family is great, and they are young and free-or so Pony thought.
Just then, Olivia, his former lover, calls and tells him that she is pregnant with his child.
Now caught in between a promising future and a responsibility he is not prepared to handle, Pony has a tough decision to make. His conscience would not allow him to abandon Olivia and their unborn child, but still, he is faced with a situation that would change his life forever.
However, a sudden twist of events might give Pony the freedom for which he desperately longs.
Imaginatively crafted yet truthfully depicting a man's uncommon struggles, Pony Fleming is a novel of subtle drama and reality.
You can find the Kindle version of the book - for FREE, this weekend only - here.
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| 3:00 PM, Thursday, January 19th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
DC Entertainment and LEGO® Systems, Inc announced today that all-new, free digital comics are now available in the LEGO Hero Factory app created by DC Entertainment and sponsored by LEGO Systems. The free downloadable app, available on the App store for iOS users, includes kid-friendly, digital comics based on the popular LEGO Hero Factory, a place where action heroes are designed, equipped and built depending on specific missions that beam in from across the galaxy and across time.
In addition to the LEGO Hero Factory comics, DC Entertainment has included many other digital comics for kids of all ages including The Batman Adventures, Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade, Young Justice, Tiny Titans, Teen Titans and Superman Adventures, among others.
"LEGO Hero Factory is all about building heroes so it's the perfect match for an app that also features DC Comics Super Heroes," stated Hank Kanalz, senior vice president of digital for DC Entertainment. "We've had a great, longstanding relationship with LEGO Systems and we're really excited to bring these comics to kids through the LEGO Hero Factory app."
LEGO Systems is the exclusive sponsor of the LEGO Hero Factory app, which was created by DC Entertainment, the leader in developing and delivering digital comics. The app is free to download, and many comic issues featured in the app are also free for individual download.
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| 9:00 AM, Monday, January 16th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
The Obama administration said Saturday that it would not support legislation mandating changes to internet infrastructure to fight online copyright and trademark infringement.
"Proposed laws must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the Domain Name System (DNS), a foundation of Internet security," the administration said in a statement. "Our analysis of the DNS filtering provisions in some proposed legislation suggests that they pose a real risk to cybersecurity and yet leave contraband goods and services accessible online. We must avoid legislation that drives users to dangerous, unreliable DNS servers and puts next-generation security policies, such as the deployment of DNSSEC, at risk."
 The announcement follows a whirlwind week in which leaders in the House and Senate, apparently buckling to widespread pressure, announced they would at least temporarily remove DNS-redirecting requirements in the Protect IP Act in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House. The White House move likely signals that Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) would not likely re-introduce the Domain Name System redirecting provisions in their bills.
The DNS-redirecting provisions in both bills were designed to prevent American citizens from visiting sites the attorney general maintains are dedicated to infringing activities.
The Obama administration's announcement appears to have conceded to opposition from security experts who say the plan would sabotage U.S. government-approved efforts to secure DNS against hackers and break the internet's unified naming system by introducing lies into infrastructure. The government is agreeing with experts who maintain that the SOPA and PIPA and the Senate's Protect IP Act would break the internet's universal character and hamper U.S. government-supported efforts to roll out DNSSEC, which is intended to prevent hackers from hijacking the net through fake DNS entries.
However, both bills essentially grant the government the authority to bring lawsuits against so-called rogue websites and obtain court orders requiring search engines like Google to stop displaying links to them. They would allow rights holders to seek court orders instructing online ad services and credit card companies from partnering with the infringing sites. The administration's announcement was unclear on whether it would support those provisions.
The White House announcement was penned by Victoria Espinel, the White House copyright czar; Aneesh Chopra U.S. chief technology officer; and Howard Schmidt, special assistant to the president for cybersecurity.
David Hirschmann, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce president, urged lawmakers to move forward on the bills without the DNS provisions, saying it was "much needed legislation." Sherwin Siy, deputy legal director of digital rights group, Public Knowledge, said the White House statement underscored that the Obama administration has concluded that the legislation "poses real risks to the security and stability of the internet."
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California) was scheduled to conduct a hearing Wednesday on the cybersecurity issue before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Issa, the committee's chairman, has called prominent internet security experts and others to testify about the security ramifications of DNS redirecting. But in response to the White House announcement, that hearing has been tentatively postponed.
Among those summoned by Issa was Stewart Baker, a former Bush administration Department of Homeland Security policy director, who has said tinkering with the Domain Name System "would do great damage to internet security."
Source: Wired Add a reply
| 5:00 PM, Monday, January 9th, 2012 - Posted by Chuck Moore
Are you one of those readers who likes to mix it up with both digital and print formats? If so we have great news - starting with the April 2012 issues, GREEN LANTERN and DETECTIVE COMICS will join the ranks of DC Comics' popular digital combo pack titles, including JUSTICE LEAGUE, BATMAN and ACTION COMICS. Now you can keep your print issues pristine and reread favorite issues over and over again on your phone, tablet or online - it's the best of both worlds.
Source: DC Comics Add a reply
| 7:00 AM, Saturday, January 7th, 2012 - Posted by Brant Fowler
Yesterday Marvel Entertainment sent out a notice that fans would get a $5 coupon to use in comic stores if they purchased a digital comic from Marvel today, Saturday, January 7th between 12am and 12pm Est. The graphic for the notice can be seen below.
Johanna Draper Carlson expounded on Marvel's notice calling it a "bribe" to get digital readers into comic stores:
Marvel today officially announced a coupon offer for digital comic customers. From the press release:
Kick off the New Year by discovering the world of the Marvel Comics app and receiving a $5.00 coupon for your local comic store! That's right, if you purchase* a comic on the Marvel Comics app on January 7th, between 12:01am EST and 11:59pm EST, you will be e-mailed a coupon (on January 8th)** valued at five dollars to be used for any Marvel comics purchase at your local comic store. Please note that only one coupon is available per user during this limited-time offer and may only be redeemed at select comic shops.***
Wow, THREE footnotes for the offer.
The first clarifies that you have to be logged in with a Marvel account, which means registration through "the ';My Comics' section of the Marvel Comics app or at Marvel.com". (I presume this is different from a standard comiXology account, although I don't know how or why.) The second states that the coupon expires on February 6, so it's only good for a month, which seems a reasonable amount of time.
The third is the one that trips me up. How do I know that any shops in my town are participating? Given how many retailers are justifiably angry about being forced to advertise digital to their customers, I'm not sure how many have signed on for this effort. The announcement states: "***Fans: The e-mail containing your coupon will also include a link to help you find the closest qualifying store(s)", so you don't know if you'll be able to easily use the offer without committing to it.
Also interesting: the purchase date is a Saturday. I'd be curious to know if there are any known digital patterns, in terms of when people buy comics online. Is that a low-purchase day, historically, to reduce the risk of this offer, or a high one, to try and get the most customers possible into stores?
While I admire any attempt to experiment, especially if it involves giving people free money, this type of offer ignores the percentage of customers who like one format or the other and want to keep getting what they like. A number of digital readers don't want print — they don't want to lug it around or store it. Trying to get them into stores doesn't address their needs. Instead, it's a panacea for retailers upset at a publisher who seems to beundercutting them by giving away digital copies of its Ultimates and Season One lines. The goal is to "convert" them to reading comics the "right" (old-fashioned) way. This quote tells the story:
"As we continue to grow the digital comics world, we want to make sure it's always to the benefit of the medium and our comic shop retail partners," said Peter Phillips, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Marvel Digital Media Group. "This coupon is a great way for us to let more of our fans know about their local comic store and incentivize them to make the trip there. At the end of the day, our goals in the print and digital mediums are the same—bring more fans to comics."
Here's the notice:
So what do you think? Is this a bribe, just a good offer, or a cheap promotional tactic? Leave your comments below.
Sources: Marvel Entertainment, Comics Worth Reading
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| 2:45 PM, Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 - Posted by Chuck Moore
Happy New Year!!
As we get into 2012, our focus at Graphicly is squarely on creativity. As we go into our third year of existence, our mission has become clear, help stories get seen. There are so many amazing publishers and creators out there (we are working with more than 400 here at Graphicly) that are creating work that rivals any of the long standing characters that are out there.
We decided that we wanted to start the year out right, and look back at a title that was really the harbinger of things to come, Savage Dragon. Over the past twenty years(!!) Eric Larsen has been the sole creator on the book, which was one of the first books released under Image Comics. We have teamed up with Image to give every single Graphicly user a copy of Savage Dragon #175.Twenty years. 175 issues. All written and drawn by Eric Larsen. Amazing!
Source: Graphicly
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| 7:00 PM, Monday, December 26th, 2011 - Posted by Brant Fowler
 Broken Icon announces their full line of books available online.
Broken Icon Comics announces that their full line of comics is nowavailable online at www.drivethrucomics.com.
"This is just the next step in our company's young history" Chief Editor and Co-Founder James Maddox proclaimed. "We are always looking to stay up with the readers and how they prefer to read their comics" he continued.
This move allows readers to be able to purchase any of Broken Icon's wonderful titles at a cheaper price than normal print. As a bonus to the announcement, Broken Icon is also pleased to announce that Panned! #1 will be a free download for a limited time.
"With the release of the Kindle Fire and other digital media devices, we felt that this was the next best thing for our readers" Director of Operations, Eric Watkins said. "You now have the ability to read our titles anywhere you are from the convenience of your digital media device" he finished.
About Broken Icon
Formed in Marietta, OH in November 2009, Broken Icon Comics is the brainchild of Eric Watkins and James Maddox. Watkins is the Director of Operations and in charge of artwork and artist recruitment. Maddox—an experienced publisher and a novelist—is responsible for scripts and managing Broken Icon's writers.
For more about the label, webcomics, podcasts and more, please visit:
www.brokeniconcomics.com
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| 6:00 PM, Friday, December 23rd, 2011 - Posted by Chuck Moore
Show your Marvel pride with new gear inspired by Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine and more for your Xbox avatar!
Now available in Xbox Marketplace, your avatar can sport your favorite Marvel hero's duds, from shirts to actual props like Hulk hands, Cap’s shield and Spidey's web-shooters. Be the first of your friends with this awesome new gear, and head over to the Xbox Marketplace now to check it out. All shirts are available for only 80 Microsoft Points each, while each animated prop, as well a fantastic Marvel theme for your Dashboard, can be yours for 240 Microsoft Points apiece.
Check out some of the gear currently available right now in our gallery below, and let us know what more you'd like to see on Facebook, or write us at @Marvel or @MarvelBlip on Twitter!
Source: Marvel Comics
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| 4:00 PM, Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 - Posted by Chuck Moore
Comics+ 4.0 is here with a completely new design and several new and enhanced features!
New features include:
- Completely redesigned Store and Bookshelf
- Brand new "Showcase" view for your collections
- Overlay graphics to mark books as purchased, reading and completed (can be turned off in the "More" or "Settings" section)
- You can now delete books directly from the bookshelf
- Live search of your collection
- Improved in-store search
- Better store organization and layout
- Complete graphical redesign
- "Keep Reading" pop-up at the end of each book (when connected to the internet) which guides you directly to the next issue
In other words, a complete and AWESOME overhaul to one of the original iOS digital comic apps! Download the latest version here http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/comics/id323397665?mt=8
Source: Comics+
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