It's here: The iPhone 3G S (the S is for Speeeeed). As Phil Schiller revealed the new device and its feature set at Apple's Wwdc conference he drew to a close several months of rumors and speculation. How accurate was it all? We've summarized the myths for you, starting with the key facts about the new phone.
The Name: iPhone 3G S 
In our last rumor round-up, we said that iPhone 3G Video would be a pretty sensible name for the new device--video is, after all, one of the key features in the new iPhone. But over the weekend John Gruber leaked out that it would be the 3G "S" though he didn't know if it was a code word or the real product name, or precisely what it stood for.
Gruber was correct, of course. We kind of wish he hadn't been. "3G S" just sounds clumsy--not a very Appley title.
Kit Eaton

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As we get closer to the new iPhone, the rumors get hotter (even hotter than our last round-up). Here are the more interesting stories, one of which is a doozy.
Chinese iPhone in July, Along with the Rest of the World? A Chinese release for Apple's favorite toy has been expected ages, and news about it has surfaced and sunk before. The main hang-ups were the actual details of the contract with China Mobile, which seems to have been angling for some control over the Chinese App Store and maybe a cut of the profits. That's something Apple's reluctant to give up, given the store's a cash-cow, and the fact it uses the same business model everywhere else. Those issues seem to have been resolved, as Cens.com is reporting a Chinese iPhone is due in July. It's likely to be specialized hardware, tailored for China's network only, and with
Kit Eaton

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In seven days, Apple's World Wide Developers Conference kicks off. Everyone is expecting we'll see a new iPhone revealed during the keynote, so a lot of leaks and rumors are popping up. We've compiled the most interesting ones for you.
Voice Memo, Compass and Autofocus Camera
Chinese Web site UMPCFever leaked some imagery of the new iPhone 3.0 recording and compass apps in action, and a demo of the new autofocus camera.
While the compass and recorder apps look very glitzy, which is a mite un-Apple like, they're definitely highly polished. We hope there's a switch to make it deliver the compass data in numerical format, though: Much more useful if you're trying to do some proper navigation. Meanwhile, the autofocus for the new 3.2-megapixel camera seems to work very intuitively--there's a blue square superimposed on the viewfinder screen. You simply drag it to what you want to focus on.
There
Kit Eaton

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From April 15th to 19th, Frankfurt transforms into the center of the Japanese film world when the Nippon Connection 2009 opens its doors once again. After giving us a first look at the highlights of the largest festival for Japanese film worldwide, the official site has now been updated with the full program that includes more than 150 feature and short films.

Nippon Cinema 20th Century Boys (Niju seiki shonen), R: Yukihiko Tsutsumi, J 2008
www.20thboys.com All Around Us (Gururi no koto), R: Ryosuke Hashiguchi, J 2008
www.gururinokoto.jp Detroit Metal City, R: Toshio Lee, J 2008
www.go-to-dmc.jp Genius Party Beyond, R: Masahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Kazuto Nakazawa, Shinya Ohira, Tatsuyuki Tanaka, J 2008
www.genius-party.jp/beyond Genius Party, R: Atsuko Fukushima, Shoji Kawamori, Shinji Kimura, Yoji Fukuyama, Hideki Futamura, Masaaki Yuasa, Shinichiro Watanabe, J 2007
www.genius-party.jp/genius01 Gs Wonderland, R: Ryuichi Honda, J 2008
www.gs-w.jp Hells Angels,
Ulrik

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Cities and dates for No Doubt's highly-anticipated tour with Paramore have been unraveled on Wednesday, February 25. Being the ska-punk band's first tour since going on hiatus five years ago, the tour will start with the band's performance at the Bamboozle Festival in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 3 and wrap up in Orange County, California, on August 1.
Visiting amphitheaters and arenas from coast to coast across North America, it will make 45 cities stops along the way and end with a two-night stand at Irvine, California's Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. The tour dates also include a performance at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, for Tiger Woods' annual Tiger Jam charity event on May 16. In addition to Paramore as the band's opening act, The Sounds, Janelle Monae and Bedouin Soundclash will serve as support on select dates.
Tickets for most dates will be made available on March 7. However,
AceShowbiz.com

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The 20th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival was a huge success! The Opening Night Gala was well-attended, and there were many A-list celebrities including Clint Eastwood, Anne Hathaway, etc.
But it's all about the quality of films! And last night, the festival honored films around the world.
The Festival, held from January 6-19, 2009, screened 208 films from 73 countries, including 50 of the 67 foreign entries for this year.s Academy Awards®. Palm Springs. increasingly popular Festival continues to expand its diverse programming of quality independent and foreign films, setting the stage for the year.s film festival circuit.
Awards
This year.s Festival attendees selected Departures (Japan) directed by Yojiro Takita, as the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. A failed cellist connects with his inner undertaker, his rural hometown, and his newly deceased father in this tonally eccentric, lushly scored, moving drama. The film is on the Academy Awards® shortlist
Manny

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Recently, a baker's dozen of product designers convened to show the impressive potential within an also-ran material.
Lately, at design fairs around the world, one new trend has crept to the fore: the design jam, for lack of a better word. Resembling a cross between a church lock-in and Project Runway, the idea is to gather a bunch of creative minds, give them a challenge and set them loose. At the Milan Furniture Fair, we saw the Craft Punk exhibition; recently, at Dmy Berlin, there was Open Process, an exhibition put on by Transalpino, a sprawling design collective whose members hail from Germany and Italy.
What's behind the trend? Transalpino says the idea was to focus on the design process, rather than the actual products created. The entire thing was meant to be as close to a performance as design gets--no mass production, no copyrights. Still, the objects, all made
Cliff Kuang

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In a great new article from Variety were given a look at Summit Entertainments past success their future projects and how the firm is looking past the Twilight sequels. Below are some bits and pieces of the articleWhen Summit Entertainment hit it big with Twilight it followed up almost immediately with plans for three more films based on the Stephenie Meyer novels with the sequels seen as a good bet for a B.O. windfall.But even amid its heavy investment in the teenfriendly saga Summit is trying to avoid the temptation to turn its slate into all vampires all the time.The ministudio is sticking to its original strategy of releasing and distributing 1012 films per year including eight inhouse productions with a focus on the midrange films that the majors are less likely to greenlight.The company is mindful of the pitfalls of shifting an overall strategy for the sake of quick success.

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