figure

In an effort to root out impostors, Facebook will reportedly soon allow celebrities and other public figures to verify their accounts in much the same way that Twitter does.

The social network will begin notifying public figures with many subscribers tomorrow that they can verify their accounts by submitting an image of a government-issued ID, allowing them to display a preferred pseudonym instead of their birth name, according to a TechCrunch report. Facebook will then manually approve the "alternative names" to confirm they are the real stage names or pen names.

Facebook users must be chosen to participate … Read more

The maker of a controversial Steve Jobs doll is ceasing production and sales of the 12-inch figure in response to "immense pressure" from Apple and Jobs' family.

"Though we still believe that we have not overstepped any legal boundaries, we have decided to completely stop the offer, production and sale of the Steve Jobs figurine out of our heartfelt sensitivity to the feelings of the Jobs family," Tandy Cheung, head of the Hong Kong-based In Icons, said in a statement yesterday announcing the decision. "Regardless of the pressure, I am still Steve's fan, I fully respect Steve, and his family, and it is definitely not my wish or intention that they be upset." … Read more

As expected, the $99 posable figure resembling late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs now appears to be following the same legal path as its predecessors.

The Telegraph today reports that Apple sent In Icons--the figure's creators--a cease and desist note, claiming the company is breaking the law by creating a product that "resembles the technology company's logo, person's name, appearance or likeness of its products."

The figure, which made waves earlier this week, closely resembles Jobs, including his well-known wardrobe of a black turtleneck and jeans, and frameless glasses. Among the other things included in the … Read more

I haven't picked up a bearded 12-inch action figure since the 1970s, when the G.I. Joe Action Adventure Team was a kick-ass toy. But I can't resist this new fuzzhead from In Icons that's the spitting image of Steve Jobs.

The craftsmanship that went into this fully poseable collectible from In Icons and Hong Kong-based Dragon in Dream, known for its hyper-realistic Barack Obama figure, is quite striking.

This isn't the first Jobs action figure--last year, Apple lawyers put the kibosh on a predecessor by China's MIC Gadget.

But this one is far more … Read more

The latest entry in the Madden franchise, Madden NFL 12, has rebounded from a couple years of slower first-week sales.

According to Electronic Arts, the game's publisher, 1.4 million copies of Madden NFL 12 were snapped up in its first week of availability. That figure is 10 percent higher than last year's opening week, the company said today. Although sales are up over the prior year, they are down from previous highs. In 2005, for example, that year's Madden title sold 1.7 million copies in the first week.

Madden NFL 12 launched on August 30. … Read more

Green Lantern fans, there's no need to freeze yourself! It's just another 30 days until the movie comes out, and in the meantime I have something that may ease the pain of waiting.

Mimoco, a maker of quirky designer USB thumbdrives, has teamed with DC Entertainment to announce a new line of drives based on Green Lantern Corps characters. Basically, they're little action figures of Hal Jordan, Tomar-Re, Kilowog, and Sinestro that can also work as USB flash drives.

The USB 2.0 drives come in capacities ranging from 2GB to 16GB. Apart from the figures themselves, which will be enough for most of you comics fanboys to adore for a month, there's also character-specific content preloaded on the drives, including wallpapers, avatars, screensavers, and other digital extras.

The Mimoco Green Lantern USB thumbdrives are available now starting at $23 for the 2GB version. The 16GB version costs around $60. Go get a couple and make yourself and your nerdy friends happy.… Read more

Google I/O is mostly for developers, but the show can offer a lot of interesting sights for your average smartphone geek. Between robots, a Switch Pitch ball, and giant Android figures that doubled as device charging stations, the conference can be a visual feast. That's provided, of course, that you like the color green.

My biggest attraction, though, is the glass case that shows Andorid phones from around the world. It's a great resource for checking out handsets that aren't sold by a U.S carrier. And unlike last year, Google thoughtfully packed its display case … Read more

Hit the road, Ken. Social-media Barbie has a new crush she can film with the camera on her chest: the Mark Zuckerberg action figure.

It seems everyone wants a piece of the Facebook CEO these days. President Obama recently picked his brain, hackers want to exploit his bread and butter, and a stalker recently clamored for his attention. Now you can have ol' Zuck all for yourself in his trademark hoodie, jeans, and sandal ensemble for $69 and shipping fees (sold at the M.I.C Gadget Store).

The likeness in the 7-inch-doll is remarkable, but it isn't exactly spot on. In fact, there's something almost creepy about this action figure, and perhaps it's the giant head that matches the torso in size. Still, Zuckerberg's freckled face is very well done, with incredible detail in the visage and curly hair. Those blue jeans also look absurdly good for a paint job.

The Zuckerberg action figure includes two acrylic plates with the "Poke" and "Like" icons, and in the land of make believe I could see those being tossed at the retired Steve Jobs action figure. There are also some speech caption bubbles that can be attached to Zuck's head so you can pretend the man behind a 500-million-user social network actually wants to talk to you.… Read more

Yes, it's finally happened. The digital book has overtaken the paper book on Amazon.com. And this time that isn't only true about hardcover books. Now we're talking paperbacks.

In reporting its latest earnings, Amazon said that it was selling more Kindle books than paperback books, though the score is still close. Since January 1, for every 100 paperback books Amazon sold, 115 Kindle books were sold. To top it off, the company says that since the beginning of the year it's sold three times as many Kindle books as hardcover books. Amazon noted that this data was from "across Amazon.com's entire U.S. book business and includes sales of books where there is no Kindle edition." It added that free Kindle books were excluded from the tally.

While Amazon has said previously that Kindle e-book sales were outpacing hardcover sales, this is the first time it's said that Kindle books were outselling paperbacks, which typically cost significantly less than hardcovers. As usual, Amazon didn't report exact sales and would only say that it had sold "millions of third-generation Kindle devices."

Some reports suggest Amazon sold more than 8 million Kindles in 2010. Combine that with all the people buying the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, as well as millions of Android-powered devices, and you can see how Amazon's digital book sales got a huge boost. (Amazon, like Barnes & Noble, offers its e-reading Kindle app across multiple platforms). … Read more