as seen from the promo pics below, the 2 phones called the Lumia 710 and the Lumia 800 especially, look drop-dead gorgeous.

first of all, a look at the lumia 800.

sporting a a curved 3.7-inch WVGA ClearBlack AMOLED display, a single-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM, 8-megapixel camera with a f/2.2 Carl Zeiss lens, and 16GB of onboard storage, the lumia 800 does not exactly set the world alight specs wise, but does and will turn heads due to it’s stunning unibody design that’s shaped out of a slab of durable polycarbonate material.

to be continued….

microsoft’s first mass-market operating system in the windows NT family, at is peak it cornered, through factors such as lack of any clear successors and the explosive growth in computers and internet usage, a figure close to 80% of the desktop users.

happy birthday windows XP. yes, you did have occational niggles (BSOD anyone?) , vulnerabilities and you did cause some “tearing the hair out” moments but overall you have been a good friend. thank you….

in the end only one point separated the two sides but it doesn’t matter. commiserations to the gallant french, who rubbished all prematch predictions and produced one of their best games ever. the french captain thierry dusautoir in particular was magnificent however the all blacks were no to be denied.

they were unable to re-produce the power and perfection that won them the semifinals against the wallabies. a case of the semifinals taking too much out of em plus the final nerves? whatever the reason, the all blacks did not play the type of rugby we know they are capable of playing. piri weepu in particular had a bad night and was substituted in the 49th minute but his replacement, stephen donald stepped up to land a crucial penalty which in the end proved to be decisive.

dusautoir (who else?) scored a second half try which was converted bringing the french within one point of the new zealand scoreline but the all blacks, who had to live without the ball for most of the match, somehow managed to engineer enough tackling, grit and determination to defend that one point!

finally, the hurt is over

new zealand are  officially the best team in the world.

congratulations to the 2011 rugby world cup champions!

world cup final as it happened

for the all blacks, it’s about ending 24 years of constant hurt and pain. without question the most consistent and feared team in the union, they have however since their triumph in the inaugural tournament way back in 87, found various ways to muck up their chances in world cup competition. fate has also played its hand, felling the entire squad with mysterious food poisoning just before the 1995 finals and  a blatant french forward pass missed by officials which in the end proved to be decisive in the 2007 quarters.

for france, it’s a case of being massive party poopers in the biggest stage of them all – a rugby world cup final in fortress eden gardens. their form throughout this tournament have been less than serene, unconvincing wins against lesser nations, beaten by the all blacks in pool play and a shock defeat to minnows tonga. the french managed to scrape together a performance against a misfiring england in the quarters, but would be the first to admit they have been extremely fortunate to get past an inspired welsh team in the semis.

add to that the colourful france coach, whose behaviour and utterances while delighting the assembled media, have surely not gone down well with the squad…

but foolish is the one who writes off the gauls entirely. they do have a knack of causing upsets late in the tournament and while a french win today will be inconceivable, it is not improbable.

so who will finally be holding aloft the william webb ellis trophy? richie mccaw or thierry dusautoir? whoever it is do expect a CRACKING game!

a nation awaits….

p.s.  GO ALL BLACKS!

steve jobs was 56…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15193922

in a win that would no doubt have delighted the majority of a near capacity 58,678 crowd, an inspired ireland shocked tri nations champions australia in eden park, auckland…

it would be correct to describe this as the shock result of the world cup (that canada vs tonga game notwithstanding) so far. irish form has been atrocious in the lead up to this tournament, culminating in a home defeat to england for the first time since 2003. compared to the men in green, the australians have been far  more impressive, even managing to defeat the mighty all blacks to become the tri nations champions. A relatively easy victory for the wallabies surely…

But the form book was torn up and majority of the pre match predictions were rubbished in an epic encounter which despite not producing even a single try, proved to be a highly entertaining affair.

jonathan sexton landed a drop goal and along with ronan o’gara kicked two penalties each for the irish score of 16  while the opposition could only manage 2 penalties courtesy of  james o’connor.  and the wallabies had no answer to the relentless pressure exerted on them with even their playmakers, quade cooper and will genia subdued by dogged irish defense.

it was eventually all over as the men in green won for the first time against australia in 5 world cup encounters.

irish eyes will be smiling tonight…

match as it happened

http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/

first, the artwork (click to view in full size)

band mastermind tuomas holopainen states that
“originally, this was supposed to be the centerfold image of the album but once i and some mates saw the final image, we immediately knew that the hunt for the actual cover artwork was over. i believe this is toxic angel’s finest piece of work yet, capturing the deepest essence of what imaginaerum is all about. the power of imagination and places of wordless wonders, magic and awe, of longing and the surreal.

i emphasized from the start that not a single living thing should be seen in the picture, and toxic was able to create that sublime but desolate, “all this waiting for you, and you only” – feeling.

all you need is the courage to enter.”

the release dates

• the first single, titled  “storytime”, will be released on friday, the 11th of november. it will be available on pre-sale via the nwshop as cd (digipak) and 10” mlp (gatefold) versions.

• imaginaerum the album will be released in finland on the 30th of November 2011, and the rest of europe (and the world?) on the 2nd of december 2011. as with above, it will also be available on pre-sale via the nwshop .

the tracklist (with additional song information)

1. taikatalvi – this world is but a canvas for our imagination.
2. storytime – how would it feel to take a midnight flight with a snowman through the most wondrous landscapes, like in the classic animated yuletide film? the meaning of our very existence is created though stories, tales and imagination. they are at the very core of humanity.
3. ghost river – life is the ultimate privilege; a river filled with wonders and horrors. love, sorrow, beauty, evil and temptation. and we need them all to survive and enjoy the journey.
   good, evil, pain and pleasure – members one of another.
4. slow, love, slow – truest love needs no words, demands or promises. it is wordless territory, and thoroughly unconditional.
5. i want my tears back – longing for things long gone, but still possible to bring back.
6. scaretale – monsters in the closet, squealing pigs, hordes of spiders and flesh-ripping harpies. a peak into childhood´s unforgettable nightmares- a vivid and twisted circus sideshow.
7. arabesque – a catharsis to a nightmare. giving birth through a death-dance.
8. turn loose the mermaids – we quietly witness as her dying loved one takes his last journey…forever now, a haunting moment of beauty and comfort.
9. rest calm – memories and hope are two things no-one can ever take away from you. the sweetness of my own past is a bottomless chest of comfort and inspiration.
10. the crow, the owl, and the dove – love is everything, and only truth is our guide to a deeper state.
11. last ride of the day – the theme park is just about to close, but the rollercoaster runs one more time and you get to take the last ride by yourself. it`s dark and the fireworks have just started. moments such as these are portals to infinite dreams, of deep realisation, and ultimately the thrilling awareness of being a speck of dust in this vast swirling cosmos.
12. song of myself – our homage and version of walt whitman`s transcendental celebration of life and existence, delving deep into a personal catharsis.
13. imaginaerum – Thank you for sharing the ride and we hope to welcome you back soon. The stage is lit, and the Magnificent Play is beginning…

for more information, visit www.nightwish.com

let us remember all those who have fallen, the americans and those from other nations who fell victim that september morning, the casualties from the various armed forces sent in to do battle . and not forgetting the thousands of ordinary people (iraqis, afghans etc.), who got caught up in a conflict not of their own making…

check out the pics from the opening ceremony and also from the new zealand vs tonga curtain raiser…

click here to view original article..

for more on the rwc, visit:  http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/