The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that while demolishing a wall, David Gonzalez struck gold amid newspapers from the 1930s that had been used for insulation: a copy of 1938′s Action Comics #1, featuring the debut of Superman.

He says he knew immediately the comic was valuable, but he had no idea how much it was actually worth. He’ll know for sure in another 20 days, when an online auction ends for the CGC-graded 1.5 copy. The top bid is a $113,111; Gonzalez will receive about half of the final sale price.

Unfortunately for the father of four, that figure would be significantly higher if not for the actions of one of his in-laws. It seems his wife’s over-eager aunt snatched the comic, and when Gonzalez went to grab it, the back cover was ripped, resulting in what has been called  “a $75,000 tear.” Without the rip, the comic would have been graded 3.0.

Even with that extra damage, the discovery of a copy of Action Comics #1 in that condition — the auction listing says it “boasts bright, sparkling colors and sturdy off-white pages” –  is almost unimaginable.

“This is like a virgin comic in this instance,” ComicConnect’s Vincent Zurzolo says. “It’s so hard for anyone to fathom that, in this day and age, you could still discover a comic book that nobody has known about because this book was in a wall of a house for more than 70 years. It’s pretty miraculous that it even survived and it’s only had one owner.”

About 100 copies of Action Comics #1 are thought to exist, but relative few are in decent condition. A near-mint copy owned by Nicolas Cage sold at auction in 2011 for a record $2.16 million.

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Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two charges onto Vita in a few weeks time. SCE America announced a release date of June 18 this morning. The Vita port of the co-op game is also confirmed for Europe, although that remains undated for now.

SCE America says the Vita version, being handled by Blitz Game Studios, features ad hoc network support. Lots of the additions center on the touchscreen, including being able to control paint, thinner, and the electric beam of Oswald (the one that’s not Mickey). The touchscreen can also be used to command AI and navigate the user interface, among a number of other actions.

Disney closed original developer Junction Point earlier this year. The game sold 529,000 units in the US across November and December 2012, having launched for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Wii on November 18.

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Sony executives are considering splitting the company’s entertainment and electronics divisions, following billionaire Daniel Loeb’s proposed initial public offering of its entertainment business. The entertainment arm includes all PlayStation properties, alongside Sony’s film and music businesses.

Loeb, with Third Point LLC, owns a 6 percent stake in Sony worth $1.1 billion, and is Sony’s biggest investor. Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai confirmed that the top brass is considering Loeb’s offer, but didn’t say when it would come to a decision, Bloomberg reports.

“It’s only a start,” Hirai said. “It’s important that the board will discuss this and come to a decision that represents Sony’s stance.” Following Loeb’s offer yesterday, Sony stock surged 9 percent.

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The Sculpt Comfort Mouse is the first mouse to feature the new Windows touch tab, a touch-sensitive strip for navigating through Windows 8. Tapping the center of the tab will switch users between their current app and the Start screen, while swiping up or down can be used to manage open apps.

Meanwhile, the Sculpt Mobile Mouse features a dedicated Windows button for quick access to the Start screen.

Both mice are available from Microsoft’s online store for $40 and $30 respectively.

Sculpt Comfort Mouse

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The show pulls the viewer directly into the inner workings of the elite Salt Lake City ballet company, Ballet West, to experience the rehearsals, the behind-the-scenes drama and the vibrant and dynamic main-stage performances so that everyone who dropped out of ballet class in fourth grade can rest assured knowing they’d never have been tough enough to make the cut when it counted.

The show is produced by Adjacent Productions, with executive producers Leola Westbrook (“Real Housewives of Atlanta,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “Taking the Stage”), Izzie Pick Ashcroft (“Dancing with the Stars,” “Strictly Come Dancing,” “Big Brother”) and Jane Tranter (“Dancing with the Stars,” “Top Gear,” “Little Dorrit”).

The post The CW Moves Up the Premiere of Breaking Pointe appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Both OtterBox and LifeProof are known for producing impact- and weather-resistant cases, particularly for Apple devices. LifeProof puts a special emphasis on the weather component, claiming that its cases are water-, dirt-, and snow-proof. It’s uncertain whether OtterBox will continue to sell LifeProof’s existing products and/or incorporate their design into its own lineups.

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Alphas follows a clandestine group of ordinary people with superhuman mental and physical abilities. Led by preeminent neurologist and psychiatrist Dr. Lee Rosen, the unlikely team takes on cases the CIA, FBI and Pentagon are unwilling or unable to solve going head-to-head with many of the criminal Alphas hiding among the normal population.

Bruce Miller (ER, Eureka) joins Alphas this season as Executive Producer and Showrunner. Executive Producers are Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein for BermanBraun. The series was created by Zak Penn (Avengers) and Co-Executive Producer Michael Karnow.

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Concluding the saga begun in Adam Green’s hit 2006 thriller, Hatchet III follows the vengeful Marybeth (Danielle Harris) as she continues seeking out a way to destroy Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder), a hulking, seemingly-invincible sociopath rampaging through a sleepy Louisiana swamp.

While a heavily-armed team of mercenaries takes to the bayou surrounding Crowley’s home, Marybeth finds herself begrudgingly teaming up with a local policeman (Zach Galligan) and his ex-wife (Caroline Williams) – an expert on the maniac who may have uncovered the secret to ending his murderous rampage once and for all.

The post The Hatchet III Poster Is Hot! appeared first on Takes On Tech.

It costs $199.99 for the 16GB model with a new contract.

The post Galaxy S 4 Now Available from Verizon appeared first on Takes On Tech.

This person would be responsible for overseeing national security concerns. The move is an unusual concession on SoftBank’s part, and is being taken to allay U.S. governmental fears about foreign country ownership of a telecommunications company. The government is also pursuing the right to approve certain telecommunications equipment purchases, and wants Sprint to remove Chinese equipment from its affiliates.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has already approved the deal, but it is still undergoing review within the U.S. Departments of Justice, Defense, and Homeland Security, in addition to the FBI. The deal must also be cleared by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S

The post SoftBank Will Allow U.S. to Name Sprint Board Member appeared first on Takes On Tech.

The latest stable release changes the search omnibox to show the search terms rather than the search URL, and makes it easier to jump to other searches in the search history.

The app now also allows for full-screen browsing. Last, Google says the browser loads pages 5% faster.

Google said that a new version of Chrome will soon be available to Apple’s iPhone and iPad, and will bring with it voice search tools built into the browser.

The post Google Updates Chrome for Android to V 27 – Supports Full-Screen Browsing appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Microsoft updated the app after Google asked it to remove the app from the Windows Phone Store for violating Google’s terms of use.

“Microsoft updated the Windows Phone YouTube app to address the restricted video and offline video access concerns voiced by Google last week,” said the company in a statement provided to The Verge. “We have been in contact with Google and continue to believe that our two companies can work together to hone an app that benefits our mutual customers, partners and content providers.”

Google cited the app’s ability to permit video downloads and its lack of advertising as the two main issues.

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The process requires that users add a mobile phone number to their account. With the two-step authentication enabled, Twitter will send an SMS to that number with a code that must be entered in addition to the username and password in order to gain access to the Twitter account. The code will be sent each time the person logs in via the web, but is not required for subsequent sign-ins through Twitter apps.

This new security feature is optional.

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This is the End follows six friends trapped in a house after a series of strange and catastrophic events devastate Los Angeles. As the world unravels outside, dwindling supplies and cabin fever threaten to tear apart the friendships inside. Once they discover that they are experiencing the Apocalypse, they must come to terms with why they were left behind. Eventually they are forced to leave the house, facing their fate and the true meaning of friendship and redemption.

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Starring Metallica, a cast of thousands of their fans and breakout star Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Metallica Through the Never is written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Nimród Antal (Predators, Kontroll) and produced by former IMAX film producer Charlotte Huggins (Journey to the Center of the Earth). The film marries groundbreaking footage and editing techniques with a compelling narrative, in which a band crew member (played by DeHaan) is sent out on a mission during Metallica’s roaring live set in front of a sold-out arena. While on this mission, he unexpectedly has his life turned completely upside down.

Metallica Through the Never opens in IMAX 3D on September 27, expanding to other theaters October 4.

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Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston and Sally Hawkins, Godzilla hits the big screen May 16, 2014.

A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, Godzilla will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, except in Japan, where it will be distributed by Toho Co., Ltd.

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Mike Bell previously led Intel’s mobile chip business. Prior to Intel, the engineer spent 16 years with Apple, including early work on the iPhone. Just prior to his hire at Intel, Bell helped develop a series of Palm devices.

The move is part of a large Intel internal reorganization by new CEO Brian Krzanich. Bell’s co-manager of the mobile chip business, Hermann Eul will be running the group by himself going forward.

The post Mike Bell Will Lead Emergent Technology and Product Trend Group at Intel appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Based on the hit feature film of the same name, “Bad Teacher” stars Ari Graynor as an always inappropriate, fearless and unapologetic former trophy wife who masquerades as a teacher in order to find a new man after her wealthy husband leaves her penniless.

Hilary Winston, Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky, Sam Hansen, Jimmy Miller and Michael Lasker are executive producers for Sony Pictures Television in association with CBS Television Studios and Mosaic Media Group.

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Turbo is the story of a snail who dreams of being the greatest racer in the world, just like his hero, 5-time Indianapolis 500 champ, Guy Gagné. Turbo’s obsession with speed and all things fast has made him an outsider in the slow snail community, and a constant embarrassment to his cautious older brother, Chet.

Turbo desperately wishes he could escape the slow-paced life he’s living. He gets that chance after a freak accident when he suddenly finds himself vested with the power of incredible speed. Turbo embarks on an extraordinary journey to achieve the impossible: racing against the best that IndyCar has to offer. Turbo is the ultimate underdog who achieves the impossible by refusing to let his limitations limit his dreams.

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The upgrade was accomplished with changes in software alone. The i500 LTE modem is a software-defined radio that uses Deep Execution Processors, and so was able to be changed without altering anything to it or Tegra 4i at all physically. The use of a software-defined modem also allows it to take up far less space in the chipset itself, allowing more room for other components.

Demonstrations at the CTIA event in Las Vegas shows Tegra 4i working on an LTE-Advanced network at 150Mbps, though emulated due to the lack of live networks using such Category 4 connections. The Phoenix Tegra 4i smartphone is also being demonstrated on a live AT&T LTE network, in order to show off the performance and stability of the software modem when used for voice calls and video streaming.

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Fans who go to a local comic shop will receive a free copy of All-Star Superman #1 Special Edition, reprinting the first chapter of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s seminal Superman tale. Shops will also have posters and Man of Steel-branded bags to promote the movie.

The post June 12, 2013 Is Man of Steel Day appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Level-5′s Fantasy Life has doen so well in Japan,  publisher has announced a new upgraded version of the title, called Fantasy Life Link!.

As an RPG that allows you to choose a career, set off on a quest and also mess around a lot, the goal with the expansion is clearly to tap into social aspects of the experience. The expansion will allow four players — who are on each other’s friend lists — to play together in the main game, while a Link mode will mean friends can also exchange messages and track each other’s progress. The Link idea will also be followed up with a related website, while extra content will arrive in the form of a new island, with additional items and monsters included.

The new content will be available in two ways. A newly branded version of the game, with the full title and additional content, will arrive for 4,980 Yen, while those that have already taken the plunge can download the updated features onto their copy for 2,000 Yen; both arrive on 25th July in Japan.

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The hinge on the ZaggKeys Cover allows users to position an iPad mini at multiple angles, as well as reverse the iPad mini for one-piece reading or for viewing movies and playing games. The inbuilt battery keeps the cover powered for up to three months of regular use before it needs to be recharged. It will be available in black and silver options for $100.

The ZaggKeys Folio is also aiming for the title of the thinnest folio keyboard cover available, at 6.9mm (0.27 inches) thickness. Like the ZaggKeys Cover, the Folio’s hinge also allows an iPad mini to be positioned in a wide range of angles and incorporates the same keyboard backlighting. Its inbuilt battery is also good for three months on a charge while it too will retail for $100 and will be available in black and white, with other colors arriving by fall.

The post Zagg Announces New Cover and Folio Bluetooth Keyboards for iPad mini appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Joining Ninja Gaiden’s  Momiji as new characters in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate are Ein and Jacky Bryant, the latter from the Virtua Fighter series. As revealed in the latest issue of Famitsu (via Siliconera and Game Jouhou), the spiky-haired racer gels with the other combatants when the PS3 and Xbox 360 game hits Japan on September 5.

The Ultimate version of DoA 5 is confirmed to arrive in the west this fall, both at retail and on digital platforms.

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Viva Movi is the new brand created by Lopez to capitalize on the fastest growing demographic in the U.S.

“This new company is here to revolutionize the entire mobile experience for Latinos,” said Lopez. “There’s no specific place for Latinos to be specifically catered to. We will continuously evolve the wireless shopping experience with Verizon Wireless’s guidance and support.”

Lopez, who will serve as chief creative officer for VivaMovil. She emphasized the need for a mobile brand that addresses Latinos since they shop differently.

The new company will allow people to shop for service, phones, and accessories online, on social networks like Facebook, and in stores. Lopez said that the company will launch its first store in New York City on June 15, and will open 15 stores in total this year in several other cities including in Miami and Los Angeles.

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Throughout the summer, Metro: Last Light developer 4A Games is planning to release four different content packs, all bundled together today in a season pass available on Xbox Live, PSN and Steam for 1200 MS Points ($15).

The Faction and Chronicle packs are the first listed, each aimed at continuing the single-player story of Metro: Last Light – Faction is due first, in June. The Tower pack will be aimed at Metro veterans, offering “a unique solo challenge.”

Finally, the Developer pack aims to offer some additional tools aiding in exploration. All season pass purchases will also unlock an exclusive semi-automatic shotgun rifle; each piece of DLC will be available for individual purchase, of course.

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Nintendo released what looks like a minor system update for the Wii U this week, and it’s available to download now. Going by the patch notes, 3.0.1 U offers “further improvements to overall system stability and software compatibility.”

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At one point, Slant Six Games was apparently working on a Medal of Honor game for PS Vita. Some concept art for the game showed up over on an artist’s portfolio site, spotted by the @supererogatory Twitter account.

Medal of Honor: Warfighter was the latest entry in the Medal of Honor series, developed by EA’s Danger Close studio. Following that game’s poor reception, EA’s Peter Moore announced the franchise is now “out of the rotation.”

Slant Six Games’ last release was Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City for Capcom – a spin-off that takes place during the outbreak of Raccoon City, first seen in Resident Evil 2. I

n April, Slant Six Games issued temporary layoffs, a stopgap measure to help keep interim operating costs down in-between contract work.

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After clearing its $70,000 goal more than a week in advance, the A.N.N.E. Kickstarter has concluded at $100,272. The total is enough to unlock three of ANNE‘s stretch goals, namely Mac & Linux versions, gender swap mode and achievements, and New Game+.

While stretch goals for Ouya, PSN/Vita and Wii U versions were not met, creator Moise “Mo” Breton promised in a previous update that these versions will still be made, though it will take longer.

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In “The World’s End,” 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood  friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub – The World’s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries.

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