By Paul Thomson :: 1:02 AM
Rapper, media executive, and clothing line owner Sean “Diddy” Combs will host the first ever Instagram fashion show today on the popular image sharing social network.
Beginning at 10:00 AM Eastern, Combs will post pictures of his new spring lineup to his Instagram account about every half-hour until 5:00 PM. His new line will be sold only at Macy’s stores.
“In honor of New York fashion week we wanted to do something that has never been done before,” said Combs in a prepared statement. “With Instagram technology we are bringing Sean John to the social media runway where our consumer lives.”
Fans and followers can view the pictures on Combs’ Instagram account at:Â http://instagram.com/iamdiddy
Combs started his Sean John line in 1999, and in 2004 was honored by the Council of Fashion Designers of America as Men’s Wear Designer of the Year. His retail sales in the United States total close to $525 million annually, and he has been with Macy’s exclusively since 2010 for his men’s sportswear collection.
By Paul Thomson :: 10:11 PM
BlackBerry today confirmed that its latest handset model, the BlackBerry 10, will not be made available in Japan.
A spokesperson told Bloomberg news that “Japan is not a major market for BlackBerry and we have no plans to launch BlackBerry 10 devices there at this time.”
The newly-named company (it changed its name from Research in Motion when it launched the new hardware last month) is passing up one of the world’s largest markets for smartphones by staying out of the game in Japan. Analyst estimates put the number of mobile devices sold there at 15 million last quarter alone.
BlackBerry’s newest hardware has been released already in Canada and the UK and the company plans to make it available in the United States next month.
By Gilbert Falso :: 9:47 PM
A number of rumors have come out over the past several days, some of them more credible than others, and one even tied to a major Japanese newspaper, that peg the price of Sony’s next console release, the PS4, at somewhere north of $400.
Japan’s top daily, the Asahi News just published a story on the PS4, and included mentions that it believes the console will launch toward the end of the year in both Japan and the US, priced around 40,000 Yen, which translates to just under $430.
Now rumors are rumors, but Asahi News is about equivalent to the New York Times – not exactly the kind of journalism outfit to be running with bad tips and half-baked assertions. At this point, it is the most believable printed piece on where the PS4 will land price-wise.
Some tech blogs in the U.S. are thinking that the numbers will actually shake lower, perhaps to a shelf price of $399. As with everything else surrounding Sony’s next big thing – we’ll just have to wait.
By Cynthia Herbert :: 10:51 AM
The next version of Microsoft’s long-awaited Xbox console may come with a twist for many who are looking forward to the next iteration of game play – no used games.
Many outlets are reporting this morning that the new Xbox will require users to establish and maintain an internet connection at all times when using the console. New games will ship with activation codes, and once games are purchased and activated it is note likely that they could then be used on another console. This will severely limit the game resale and trade market.
Obviously Microsoft’s reason for tying all games to an activation key and Internet connection is to attempt to curb piracy. However, in a culture where trading games with friends and exchanging games at reseller stores is common, such a requirement is bound to generate much consternation with gamers.
It is important to note that at this time, this information has not been confirmed by Microsoft. We are not likely to have any hard information until closer to this summer, when Microsoft is expected to release details on the new console. Sales will likely begin sometime in the fall.
By Paul Thomson :: 10:33 PM
Singer Beyoncé provided the halftime entertainment at the Super Bowl on Sunday – and as is the case with these large public performances, a number of photos have made their way to the Internet. Some of these photos are a little less flattering than others.
Beyoncé’s publicist has been e-mailing websites and image hosting sites asking for the removal of some of the less flattering pictures, with results that are, of course, not optimal. Once something is on the Internet, it’s very hard to get it off. Go on, try squeezing toothpaste back into the tube – similar premise.
The viral image and video aggregator site BuzzFeed has posted one of the removal request e-mails they received from her publicist, and, not surprisingly, took the time to re-feature the very images that the e-mail requested they remove.
Perhaps Schure Media (the publicist) hasn’t heard of The Streisand Effect yet?