Jennifer Hudson’s unfortunate v-neck.

The beautiful actress and singer is in the best shape of her life, as those obnoxious Weight Watchers ads never let us forget.

And her Versace gown is stunning.

But something about her cleavage is just bothering us. From the two-tone skin color to the painful-looking smashed top to the cut just showing a little TOO much, it’s making us slightly uncomfortable.

Like at any minute, one could pop out and it would be the nip-slip seen ’round the world and we will just be left here saying a bittersweet “told ya so.”

Well, we certainly hope it doesn’t happen. But it’s distracting us from whatever she is saying.

Which is probably better than us focusing on her hair, which really, let’s face it, is even worse than the deep v.

There, we said it.

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Wondering whether to get a tablet, a phone or a new computer?  Psssh.  Why choose when you can have all three in the Magic W3, a Windows 7 tablet with integrated telephone features measuring under five inches.
The first pocketable computer running Windows 7 (the Home Premium Edition, if you’re curious), the device literally throws everything [...]

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We didn’t think the previous generation of SSDs, topping out at around 280MBps read speeds, were in any way hampered by their celerity, but Intel’s bringing the future to us whether we like it or not with its new 510 Series SSDs. These Marvell-controlled flash storage drives will zip data to your processing unit at a rate of 500MB per second and write anything you send back at a clip of 315MBps. That’s mostly thanks to the 510 being one of a new breed of consumer SSDs with a 6Gbps SATA interface, which has effectively removed a bottleneck from the performance equation and uncorked the extra vroom now contained within. When bought in bulk, a 250GB SSD 510 will cost you $584, while the slightly slower (450MBps read, 210MBps write) 120GB model will set you back $284. Full press release after the break.

Continue reading Intel outs SSD 510 Series with 6Gbps SATA interface, 500MBps transfer speeds

Intel outs SSD 510 Series with 6Gbps SATA interface, 500MBps transfer speeds originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just because there weren’t long lines at Verizon and Apple stores when the iPhone 4 launched on Verizon’s network Feb. 10 doesn’t mean the device didn’t sell well. According to estimates made based on recent comments by Verizon CEO Dan Mead, sales of the iPhone 4 may have exceeded 1 million during its introductory weekend.

Here’s how the math works out: according to The Street, recent analyst estimates put Verizon pre-orders at around the 600,000 mark. Mead said this weekend talking to press that pre-orders accounted for 60 percent of total iPhone 4 sales at launch. That means 1 million total devices potentially flew off the shelves during the debut, with even more sold during the following weeks. Verizon plans to announce actual sales figures when it reveals its first quarter earnings in April.

In comparison, AT&T sold 1.7 million during the first three days of the original iPhone 4 launch in June of last year. Verizon’s totals may not match AT&T’s success, but remember that the iPhone 4 has already been on market for more than half a year now, and that many customers may be unwilling to buy when a new model is expected for a June release.

Mead also revealed that Apple has plans in mind for LTE, Verizon’s next-generation mobile broadband technology, but he declined to give any more specific information. Analyst predictions have LTE on track for a sixth-generation iPhone device, but not for the one we’ll see released this summer. That timeline makes sense, given Apple’s propensity to wait until a technology is more or less widely adopted and stable before introducing it to its products.

Even without LTE, the iPhone 5 will be the device launch to watch in terms of truly gauging the relative success of Apple’s smartphone on both Verizon and AT&T, since it’ll likely be available simultaneously on both networks. AT&T, meanwhile, looks to be hedging its bets with alternative connected devices.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• Mobile 2011: Data Consumption Will Explode
• Metered Mobile Data is Coming and Here’s How
• For Operators Who Bet on WiMAX, There’s an LTE Plan B

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Hong Kong, China (CNN) – The Mideast turmoil has oil prices hovering near $100 a barrel again. For Asian economies, an extended period of high oil prices could have a number of knock-on effects, including hurting oil-dependent industries like autos and construction, and depressing exports to the U.S. and Europe.

The real danger though may lie in single word: inflation.

Economies from China to Vietnam to India are already struggling to contain rising consumer prices, especially for staple foods like corn and onions. These costs hit many of society's poorest families, as they struggle to meet basic food and energy costs. They are also taxing government balance sheets, with food and energy subsidies still common place in this part of the world.

In a research note HSBC described the combination of high food prices, gaining core prices, labor tightness and the oil shock "a lethal brew."

HSBC Economists Frederic Neumann  and Sherman Chan warn, "Crude, in fact, is especially tricky: though energy prices do not constitute an overwhelming share of local CPI baskets (food dominates), it can have a pernicious effect on inflation and price expectations."

Part of that unpredictability comes from the intertwined nature of food and oil prices. Higher energy prices also mean higher costs for fertilizer, transport and, this is key, manufacturing. UBS economists have gone as far as to say that "food isn't food," with only 20% of consumer food spending in OECD countries going to the actually agricultural commodities. The rest is labor, energy, transport, and so forth. Measures of food inflation don't just track raw ingredients like wheat or corn, they track processed foods, says UBS Managing Director Peter Hickson.

"When you look at what drives processed food [prices]," says Hickson. "It comes down to labor and it comes down to energy costs."

It's nearly impossible to guess whether the current spike in oil prices is here to stay, with markets fixated on unpredicted political developments in the Middle East. A return to $85 dollars a barrel could be on the horizon.

But if it's not, Asian economies might just get hit where they are already hurting.

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Lindsay Lohan shwos some skin in Comlpex magazine last year. (Complex)

Lindsay Lohan is not letting her myriad of legal woes get in the way of pursuing new business opportunities.

According to the UK’s Sun newspaper, Lohan just inked a deal worth almost $3,400,000 to produce a sexually explicit book with controversial photographer Terry Richardson.

Much like Madonna’s 1992 book “Sex,” Lohan plans to strip down to the altogether in a series of explicit nude photos. Instead of using Vanilla Ice as her sexual muse, Lohan has reportedly enlisted former fling James Franco to get naked with her.

PHOTOS: Lindsay Lohan.

Franco, who is studying for his doctorate in English at Yale, was widely panned for his dazed and confused co-hosting of the Oscars on Sunday night. The quirky actor skipped his own much-hyped after-party and immediately boarded a plane headed for New York. Franco posted a picture of himself on Twitter, still sporting his Oscar tux, with the message, “Goodbye L.A. It was fun! Time to head back to class.”

While in this case, Lohan seems to have marginally better taste in men than Madonna, the book will hardly cover new ground. A source tells the Sun, “There will be a lot of nakedness–some of it graphic and suggestive–but it will be a real statement book. Obviously, there will be comparisons to Madonna’s book. But James and Lindsay believe theirs will be classier.”

Keeping things classy may be a bit tricky for a jail-bound starlet. The troubled actress has a little over a week to decide if she wants to accept a plea deal with certain jail time for allegedly stealing a $2,500 necklace, or take her chances at trial.

If Lohan is found guilty of felony grand theft, she could face up to a year in the California state prison system.

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Arsene Wenger's long wait for another trophy goes on after Arsenal's League Cup final defeat to Birmingham City.

As I watched Arsenal surprisingly lose the English League Cup final to Birmingham on Sunday, I remembered an old tale from Hans Christen Andersen called “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

You may know about this story from the legendary Danish writer which illustrates how intellectual vanity can lead someone into believing in something that everyone else can see is not true.

In my perspective, Arsene Wenger is guilty of this behavior, and let me be the one to point out and say, “but he isn’t wearing anything thing at all, he’s naked!”

Enough is enough. I can imagine this is what most Arsenal fans around the world are saying at the moment.

As the Gunners contemplate a sixth straight year without any silverware, surely they have to question the methods of a man who has lived off his past glories for too long. A man who must see that he needs to change his philosophy or risk leaving the Emirates Stadium through the back door.

In the final minute at Wembley, when 20-year-old goalkeeper Wojicech Szczesny and 25-year-old central defender Laurent Koscielny made a mess of a loose ball, leading to Obafemi Martins' winning goal, I thought to myself: “Once again, kids lose out to men.”

In Sunday’s final, the average age of Arsenal’s back five (goalkeeper and four defenders) was 24.4 years. How many teams around the world have won anything with a defense that young? Not many. This is the main reason why Arsenal haven’t won anything since 2005 and the reason they won’t win anything again this season.

In my view, the finger of blame has got to be pointed at Wenger. Is he a good coach? Yes. Should he be respected? Yes. But he has now proven all too often that his obsession for young promising players has not translated into titles. How much longer are Arsenal going to put up with this trophy drought? The board should take a stand.

Recently I had the chance to speak with Patrick Vieira about his former club. He told me, during a short interview, that he felt sorry for Arsenal because they were missing a couple of key ingredients.

He admitted they needed some more experience. Personally, I thought Wenger should have taken his former midfield talisman back to London instead of letting him go north to Manchester City.

The Frenchman would have been a great addition to Arsenal’s squad. Just like many other experienced central midfielders like Anatoliy Tymoschuk, Mahamadou Diarra or Mark van Bommel would have been.

Or even better, a proven international center-back like Matthew Upson, Richard Dunne or Fernando Meira. All players who were available over the last couple of seasons for a reasonable price and who would have added mettle and muscle to a back line often too easy to beat.

Another position Wenger should have strengthened is goalkeeper. Surely he would have seen by now that as talented as his young keepers are, they are not experienced enough to lead a young defense.

Surely he would have seen that spending two or three million pounds on someone like Mark Schwarzer would have been a good investment. But no, apparently he didn’t, and the result is once again, the same. So close, but no cigar.

I know many of you are thinking that I am overreacting and that the recent victory over Barcelona proves that Wenger is on the right track. I don’t agree.

There is no doubt that this team has many talented individuals and they will shine at times like they did against the Spanish giants. However, consistency wins titles, and this team cannot beat Barcelona and Chelsea and then lose to the likes of Braga and Birmingham if they are to be serious contenders.

One final word about the 2011 League Cup champions. With limited resources, Birmingham fought valiantly and deserved their victory on Sunday.

Ben Foster was colossal in goal and veterans like Lee Bowyer, Stephen Carr and Barry Ferguson were extremely influential – just the kind of players the Gunners desperately need.

So I say Mr. Wenger, the expensive clothes you say you are wearing don’t exist. Your team isn’t winning and your philosophy isn’t paying off. It’s time for a change.

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Joining AT&T and Verizon in offering some software-based data security for owners of its handsets, Sprint is today introducing its Total Equipment Protection app. Funnily enough, it uses the same Asurion software as the aforementioned other carriers, which would be why its functionality mirrors them so closely. With the TEP app, you’ll be able to track your phone via a web interface, force it to sound an alarm even if muted, lock it, and finally wipe your contacts (which can later be restored once you get your handset back). The app itself, compatible with Android and BlackBerrry devices, is free, however you’ll need to be signed up to Sprint’s Total Equipment Protection program, which costs $7 a month. You’ll find more details in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Sprint’s Total Equipment Protection app searches out lost Androids and BlackBerrys

Sprint’s Total Equipment Protection app searches out lost Androids and BlackBerrys originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(AP)

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards started out strong enough. Anne Hathaway and James Franco were funny, the stars seemed excited to be there, and Celine Dion had not sung us to sleep yet.

And then, something happened: it became painfully boring.

Sure, Melissa Leo dropped an F-bomb, James Franco dressed in drag….

But then there were about 5 million tributes.

And then, before we knew it (that’s a lie, we counted every second), it was two-and-a-half hours into the show and nearly none of the major awards had been presented.

Overall, even our very own Dr. Oscar was bored. And that’s not a good sign.

But hey, maybe we’re just jaded. Maybe it was the most exciting moment of television any of you can remember.

Ha, we doubt it.

But cast your vote below.

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