PSA: Nintendo 3DS firmware update now live in North America

If your 3DS' home screen is looking a little too cluttered, then today's your lucky day. Nintendo is rolling out the firmware update that adds folders to your folder (You've gotta fold the console closed, geddit?). The only other change evident so far is a redesigned eShop interface that makes better use of the screen's real estate, but pssh, who cares? It's all about the folders for us.

PSA: Nintendo 3DS firmware update now live in North America originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can 'NSYNC, Backstreet Boys Make Battle Of The Boy Bands Comeback?

Westlife and 5ive could upset two of the biggest boy bands of all time in the first round. Vote now!
By Christina Garibaldi

N'SYNC
Photo: Getty Images

We are still in the first round of voting in MTV's Battle of the Boy Bands, and already we are seeing some big surprises. Backstreet Boys are finding themselves behind Irish boy band Westlife, 'NSYNC are trailing former boy band 5ive and New Kids on the Block are neck-and-neck with British boy band Take That.

It seems like fans are rallying behind their favorites and battling it out to make sure they move on to the next round.

"I don't see how BSB and 'NSYNC are losing?!?!" MTV News reader Britney commented. Another fan, nickestlife, wrote, "Please VOTE WESTLIFE!!!! Don't let them LOSE!!!"

But the question on a lot of minds is: Why aren't the boy bands that dominated the U.S. pop charts not easily moving on to the next round?

"Remember that in America, while Westlife and Take That and 5ive were all a blip on the radar in the U.S., in the U.K. Take That and Westlife are enormous," Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts/retail at Billboard told MTV News. "Westlife, for example, has had 14 #1 singles on the U.K. singles chart, the second most only behind the Beatles, so they're kind of big."

According to Melissa Maerz, senior writer for Entertainment Weekly, the fact that these older boy bands are British may work in their favor, especially with the emergence of One Direction and the Wanted.

"I think probably what's happening is a combination of things. I think the fact that One Direction is in the news for having the biggest debut of a British band of all time, including the Beatles, has really made everyone pay attention to them and everyone is talking about One Direction," Maerz said. "And because they and the Wanted are coming at the same time, people are starting to pay attention to British boy bands, and the kids who are just discovering One Direction and the Wanted probably have parents who can say to them, 'Oh, this is kind of the same thing that happened when Westlife and Take That came to our shores."

But no matter what their chart performance may be, or where they come from, their advancement in the next round depends on only one thing: the fans.

"It frankly just comes down to: Are there passionate fans that are going to bother to spend the time on voting?" Caulfied said. "I think, generally speaking, when you have two acts going against one another, whoever has the most motivated, contemporary, engaged fanbase on the Web will win."

Voting is under way in round one of MTV's Battle of the Boy Bands and closes at noon ET on Thursday, April 26. Winners are determined by fan ballots, so if your favorite band made the cut, keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits daily for boy-band video takeovers. And don't forget to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates!

Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Battle of the Boy Bands interactive bracket!

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What Is Google Drive? [Video]

Google has finally taken the lid off of the long-rumored Google Drive, giving you another option for stashing your stuff in the cloud. But what is it, exactly? More »

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Skype launches on PS Vita, can do video calls in the middle of gaming sessions (video)

Skype continues to spread itself to anything with a data connection, and while while we don't expect this to be the last gaming device it'll appear on, it's the second. Yes, the Microsoft-owned Skype will be available to download for free on the Sony-made PlayStation Vita later today and it's capable of video calls from the get-go -- although we're yet to test whether that's possible on a 3G signal. Embarrassingly, the app looks far more capable than its recent gone-gold compadre on Microsoft's very own mobile platform. While the Windows Phone version is unable to tick along in the background, the Vita (with all that top-end processing power) can still keep your account online while you're running other apps, even take those video calls mid-game. Thankfully, Skype has drafted in professional gamer Fatal1ty to give us a quick tour of the UI and how it's all meant to click together -- it's included right after the break.

Update: To allow the Skype app to connect in the background, games like Uncharted, which switch off wireless connections, are unfortunately not supported.

Continue reading Skype launches on PS Vita, can do video calls in the middle of gaming sessions (video)

Skype launches on PS Vita, can do video calls in the middle of gaming sessions (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is A 'Game of Thrones' Romance In The Air?

'I'd hope for them to live happily ever after, but it's 'Game of Thrones,' right?' Richard Madden says of Robb Stark's romantic interest, Talisa.
By Kara Warner

Richard Madden in "Game of Thrones"
Photo: HBO

Another week, another gripping, wholly enjoyable episode of HBO's hit "Game of Thrones." Forgetting for a moment the frustrating continued existence of one Joffrey Baratheon and all the rather gruesome scenes in Sunday's episode entitled "Garden of Bones," let's take a moment to appreciate one easy-to-watch scene: the meet-cute between would-be King Robb Stark and feisty nurse Talisa (Oona Chaplin).

In the midst of all the blood, battles and complicated politics, might there be room for a real romance between two characters? MTV News was lucky enough to sit down with Robb Stark himself, Richard Madden, to get the scoop on this intriguing new story line.

"Robb's in a place where it's the first time he's met a woman, it's the first time he's had his head turned. It's the first time he's been in this position as this boy-king and the first time someone doesn't bow down to him, doesn't treat him like a king, doesn't cater to all that," Madden explained of his character's interest in Talisa. "She asks him real questions, she challenges everything and makes him ask questions of himself, he's kind of blown away by that, this kind of light in the darkness. He's surrounded by all these men and by all this violence and hate and blood, and he's got this woman there who kind of looks him in the eye and talks to him in a way he's not used to and he can't help but be intrigued by that. I think in the beginning he doesn't even know his head's been turned until we're right into it."

So now we know there will at least be major head-turning, but no telling how long that will last in the twisted and dangerous world of "Thrones." When asked for his thoughts on Robb and Talisa's future as a couple, the Scot wasn't at liberty to divulge gritty details, but did mention a hope for happily ever after, however unlikely that may be.

"I'd hope for them to live happily ever after, but it's 'Game of Thrones,' right? That doesn't really happen often with anyone," Madden said with a smile.

"We're going to see a lot of changes with Robb's character this year and this woman is the first big influence that takes him away from following his head. Usually his heart and his head are on the same page when it comes to decision-making and this woman takes him in a different direction and influences over the decisions that he makes and sets things on a different course with his mother as well. That's a huge kind of fracture between them," he continued. "So I'm keen to see how that plays out onscreen."

Do you think "Game of Thrones" is going to get romantic? Let us know in the comments!

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Sprint officially reminds us the Epic 4G Touch is getting Ice Cream Sandwich

That the Sprint Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch is getting Ice Cream Sandwich shouldn't be a surprise -- we've already seen several leaked builds make their way out. But if case you need something more official in the way of an announcement, Sprint's just given it in its community forums.

Sprint will begin to roll out Google's latest version of Android™, Ice Cream Sandwich, to our customers in 2012. Ice Cream Sandwich will be available via an over-the-air update to a variety of devices including Galaxy™ S II, Epic™ 4G Touch and Nexus S™ and other key products in our line-up. Stay tuned for more details and exact timing.

The Nexus S 4G (never mind that Sprint calls it a mere "Nexus S" here), of course, is already getting its ICS update. So there's not a whole lot of meat here. But some word is better than none.

Source: Sprint

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Flip-Flopping on Romney (Powerlineblog)

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