How much does Android 4.0 mean to you? How much do you need to have it right now? Because that’s the dilemma with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone ($299-$649). Overall it’s not quite as good a phone as the Motorola Droid RAZR ($299, 4.5 stars). But right now, it’s the only phone running Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), and that’s the future.

In many ways, this is the ultimate early adopter phone. The phone itself isn’t perfect; typically, Nexus phones aren’t the best hardware on the market. But the software takes a major leap forward, with everything from a better Gmail experience to a faster browser and the ability to put folders on your home screens. Do you need that right now? Then yes, you need the Nexus.

Physical Design
The Galaxy Nexus is a well-built but not extraordinary Samsung phone—which is to say, it’s a giant piece of relatively well-engineered plastic. There’s none of the metal and glass accents you see on top-of-the-line Motorola or Apple phones. Read the rest of this entry »

Actress Jennifer Lawrence has been chosen to join Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak to announce the nominees for the 84th Academy Awards, the organization behind the awards ceremony announced on January 9.

The official announcements for the nominees will take place on January 24. Lawrence and Sherak will unveil the nominations in 10 of the 24 categories at a 5:30 a.m. PT during a news conference at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Lawrence, 21, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2011 for her work in “Winter’s Bone.” Up next she will be seen in the highly anticipated film “The Hunger Games,” based on a Young Adult novel by the same name. Read the rest of this entry »

Being that it’s about 20 degrees outside right now, heading outside presents quite the challenge — think several layers topped off by a big coat. While braving the arctic temps is never fun, there’s a simple little pre-fall styling trick you can try right now to add a little pop to dreary winter dressing. Much has been said about the return to a defined waist this pre-fall; designers are even applying this belted aesthetic to outerwear. At Burberry Prorsum, a camel coat gets a whimsical and feminine touch with a bow belt; Calvin Klein nips in at the waist by adding a slim brown belt to a muted orange cocoon coat; and at Diane Von Furstenberg, a dark embossed leather coat gets tucked in with a hefty two-tone belt.

Emmy Rossum says she had some real-life sisterly advice for Emma Kenney, who plays her little sister on the R-rated Showtime series “Shameless.”

Rossum, 25, told Chelsea Handler on a recent episode of the comedienne’s E! talk show “Chelsea Lately” that she taught Kenney, 12, how to shave her legs.

“We have nude scenes so I was in the trailer, shaving my legs before a nude scene and she came in the trailer and I’m in like, you know, pasties and my robe, getting ready for my naked scene and she’s like, ‘Oh, that’s how you … shaving your legs? I’ve never done that before’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it,’” Rossum said.

“So then, we’re lathering her up and she’s shaving and of course, when I called my mom when I went home, I was like, ‘Yeah, we shaved her legs,’ the actress added. “She was like, ‘You robbed her mother of that experience. She’s becoming a woman. You’re taking it away from her.’ So I felt terrible.” Read the rest of this entry »

Beyonce and Jay-Z welcomed a daughter, baby-bumping the music power duo to a trio Saturday night. According to a report by E! News, sources confirmed the singer gave birth via scheduled C-section at Lenox Hill hospital in New York. The baby’s name was originally reported by E! as Ivy Blue. The New York Daily News says the girl’s name is Blue Ivy.

Update: 9:00 a.m. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow confirmed the baby’s name as Blue Ivy when asked by a follower on Twitter. “RT @Sparrow_Teague @GwynethPaltrow is it ivy blue, or blue ivy? so confused..It’s Blue Ivy Carter,” Paltrow wrote.The actress previously sent out a Tweet welcoming the baby saying, “Welcome to the world Blue! We love you already.”Spokespeople for both Beyonce and Jay-Z have commented on the birth or the name of the child.Beyonce’s sister Solange Knowles shared her first thoughts of the new baby early Sunday morning tweeting, “The most beautiful girl in the world.”

The couple’s close friend and music mogul Russell Simmons celebrated the new arrival by tweeting, “congrats to my good friends Beyonce and Jay-Z.”Rihanna also gave a shout on Twitter, “Welcome to the world princess Carter! Love Aunty Rih.”The 30-year-old singer announced her pregnancy during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards in August. During her 2011 MTV VMA performance she told the audience, “I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside me.” At the end she opened her sequined tuxedo jacket and rubbed her stomach, to the delight of the crowd. Read the rest of this entry »