The iPad has shipped, the box has arrived and I’ve opened it and looked inside. Yes, the iPad is here. By way of refrence, I ordered a 64GB iPad with WiFi only. My rationale for this was I usually use most of my devices where there’s Wifi so the idea of having 3G capability on this iPad wasn’t really a factor.

Not only that, I don’t like the idea of giving AT&T any more money than I already do for my iPhone 3GS and I didn’t really want to wait another month to try out the iPad. So, Wifi version it is.

Although, after using it I may discover that having 3G is more important than I think it is. We’ll have to see about that one. I’ll do a more in-depth review a bit later after using the device for a few days but until then, here’s what I think so far.

Design and Build Quality

Apple designs nice looking productuct and nobody can deny that. They also tend to build them pretty well. The iPad is no exception. On first use it was a bit heavier than I expected but stil, as I usually carry a much heavier 13″ MacBook Pro around most of the time, the weight really won’t be a factor.

Also, once you see and use the iPad, the black bezel around the edges makes perfect sense. That’s where you hold it with one had while you use it with the other. In other ways, build quality is excellent with all the parts fitting together very nicely in a tight package.

Oh, and did I mention the screen is absolutely beautiful. Pictures and video look amazing and book text, either from iBooks or with the Kindle for iPad Application, is very readable. However, I would say that reading a book on the iPad is not quite as easy on the eyes as it is on the Kindle. I think the Kindle, at least for me, is a slightly better reading experience. But fortunately, the iPad does so much more and for shorter durations, or after I get more used to it, will probably end up being fine for reading books.

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Anyone who saw Resident Evil: Extinction knows that it left off on a cliffhanger that required a fourth film be made in the series based off the hit video game franchise. While it was up in the air for a short time whether it would get made, Resident Evil: Afterlife is now set for a September release date and looks to be coming to the screen in glorious 3D.

Both Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter will be returning to reprise their respective roles as Alice and Claire Redfield. New to the cast will be Wentworth Miller of Prison Break fame taking on the role of Chris Redfield and Shawn Roberts, who will be taking over the role of Chairman Wesker. Even more exciting, Resident Evil 5 baddie, the Axeman, looks to make his silver screen debut as well.

Take a look below at what’s in store for this hit video game to film crossover and as always, check back here for more news on Resident Evil: Afterlife as it becomes available.

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This week On the Radar we’re talking about how Michael Bay simply isn’t impressed with 3D conversions, Harold and Kumar are set to return for a Christmas movie, Big Bang Theory‘s resident babe takes on a big screen role and will Two and a Half Men lose its star actor?

Kenneth Branagh talks Thor

With all the news of Iron Man and Captain America sweeping the Internet we haven’t heard a lot about Thor lately.  Well, director Kenneth Branagh has offered up some information about the production this week:

“Inspired by the comic book world both pictorially and compositionally at once, we’ve tried to find a way to make a virtue and a celebration of the distinction between the worlds that exist in the film but absolutely make them live in the same world,” Branagh said. “It’s about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and the distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different…. The combination of the primitive and the sophisticated, the ancient and the modern, I think that potentially is the exciting fusion, the exciting tension in the film.”

Holy cow!  That update reads as though it was being delivered as a Shakespearean monologue.  Here’s hoping Branagh still remembers we’re comic book fans at heart and want to see some series action as well as crafty dialogue. Bring the thunder, Branagh, not the theater.

Big Bang Theory’s Cuoco heads to the big screen

While not Kaley Cuoco’s first film role it is her first big debut project since the explosion of popularity around The Big Bang Theory.  Cuoco is set to star in I Hop, a film by Alvin and the Chipmunksdirector Tim Hall:

“[Cuoco] will be playing the sister of James Marsden’s slacker loser Fred, taking him in after their parents kick him out and finding herself also saddled with Brand’s Easter Bunny Jnr, following his accidental injury by Fred.”

With James Marsden and Russell Brand already signed on it’s hard to decide just what this film will be like.  Mind you, is anyone going to say “no” to more Kaley?  I’m definitely not.

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Vin Diesel is making me feel like I’m going back in time (kind of like these guys).  It all started with a return to The Fast and the Furious franchise, then came word of a new Pitch Black sequel, now Diesel is heading back down the xXx road.  The third film will be in…wait for it…3D!  Maybe they’ll call it “Triple X, Triple D.” If not, back off adult entertainment company, Vivid…that’s my title now.

Anyway, Diesel will reunite with director Rob Cohen and co-star Samuel L. Jackson for xXx: The Return of Xander Cage.  When asked about the new film Cohen said, “I feel what we did in the beginning of the decade was bring a different attitude to the action movie and a different kind of hero”.  I won’t disagree with that.  Originally, xXx was meant to introduce a new kind of spy-like character to the big screen.  In fact, the opening sequence of the movie showed a James Bond type agent getting killed off; a not so subtle transition point to introduce the new, hip xXx character.

Unfortunately, while that premise worked in 2002 a lot has changed since then. With upcoming films like The Expendables, The A-Team, and The Losers anti-heroes are becoming a dime-a-dozen.  For xXx to even compete it will have to bring something really new to the equation.  Based on the high level story description so far that doesn’t sound like it’s going to happen:

“In the script, written by Michael Ferris and John Brancato, Xander Cage (Diesel) is left for dead, but returns to execute a very difficult assignment that only he can pull off”.

How many times have we seen this story played out now? While Cohen plans on shooting the film entirely with 3D cameras, the technology can’t save a bad script.  xXx: The Return of Xander Cage has serious competition these days. As such, Diesel runs the risk of becoming the mediocre, brand X of vigilante anti-heroes. Mind you, if you’ve seen the original xXx, he may have been that already.

Well, we’ve had a good week, but things are finally calming down after last weekend’s PAX East convention. We’ve been bringing you coverage of the show since Monday with details on Nintendo’s newest hand-held device, our first impressions on the upcoming Puzzle Quest 2 game, some of our favorite games from the show, and some info on some great new technology coming up in the near future.

With that said, there’s only one more element of the con that we haven’t touched on, which happens to be everyone’s favorite part. I’m talking about Cosplayers, of course! And there was certainly no shortage of them at this year’s PAX East. Inspired by their favorite videogame badasses, the attendees at this con were definitely dressed to impress.

There were some goodies, such as this guy dressed as Nathan Fillion’s “Captain Hammer”, and some less inspired. Check them out after the jump, and be sure to keep it here for future con coverage coming up in 2010!

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If you’re a fan of Stargate Universe and/or Merlin and have anxiously been awaiting the return of one or both of these shows, you’re in luck because tonight’s the night. Both shows come back to the U.S. airwaves with all new episodes this evening and to help build the excitement for their return, we’ve got previews from both shows to share with you today.

In the first clip, we’re back with the Stargate Universe team and find that things are still pretty much as bad a when we left. They are still on a runaway ship and still have trouble getting along with each other and anyone (or anything) they encounter. With Merlin, the young wizard is back to his old tricks as he tries to grow up and explore his emerging abilities all while attemtping to stear the course of the world towards the light. Not an easy job for a boy wizard — just ask Harry Potter.

Check out both clips of these shows after the jump. Stargate Universe airs tonight at 9/8C on Syfy with Merlin following at 10/9C.

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Though our vote may have already been cast for Hot Tub Time Machine to go down as the “Comedy of the Year”, we are still early in the running, and by the looks of it, MacGruber may put up quite a fight.

We got our first look at the film back in January, with matching green and red band trailers. Since then, things have been a bit quiet while the film debuted at SXSW last month. Nothing but rave reviews have come from that screening, and we’re all pretty excited to hear more.

Before we get closer to the film’s release date, however, we’ve got some great new marketing for the film on the way. Starting with an awesome new iPhone app which comes with some great tools like The Mullet Generator, Bomb Defuser Challenge, a cool soundboard, and more.

MacGruber is also now trolling around on Twitter, being outrageous, and only a little inappropriate. Finally, there’s a brand new red band trailer, this time focusing more on Val Kilmer’s “Von Cunth” character.

Check that out after the jump, and be sure to catch MacGruber in theaters on May 21. By clicking through you certify you are eighteen years of age or older.

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One week after WWE’s headline Pay-Per-View WrestleMania 26, Ring of Honor will put on a pro-wrestling first. On Saturday April 3rd, ROH (as it is affectionately referred to as) will put on the first ever internet only Pay-Per-View  event.  Entitled “The Big Bang”, the event will emanate live from the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, NC for a live audience and be streamed live over  ROH’s partners at Gofightlive.TV.

It is actually a surprise that ROH is the first company to try this. WWE has been streaming Pay-Per-View events simultaneously with on-air broadcasts for years and had internet interactivity for years but has never dedicated itself to an online only Pay-Per-View.

Total Nonstop Action tried a Pay-Per-View only format for the company in its infancy but eventually made their way to Spike TV where their show Impact competes weekly now against WWE’s Monday Night Raw. Ring of Honor has experimented with various Pay-Per-View models in the past to varying success and now resides alongside its big brothers on Monday nights. ROH doesn’t directly compete with WWE and TNA though as they have an hour broadcast from 8 to 9 PM on HDNet which ends safely before Raw or Impact.

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While those lucky film goers in the UK (and at SXSW) have already gotten the chance to see Lionsgate’s Kick-Ass in theaters since March 26th, we still have two weeks before the US gets a wide release. In that time, you can still set your sights on some great new clips from the film, which we’re happy to share.

For those unfamiliar with the source material, Kick-Ass is based on a Marvel comic by Mark Millar (Wanted) about a regular teen who decides to take a stand against crime and become a super hero. What he doesn’t know is that it’s not all that easy. He encounters a few other heroes along the way, all who have an interesting perception of morals.

The film is directed by Stardust’s Matthew Vaughn and has a pretty deep cast, from Nicolas Cage to Mark Strong and Superbad’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse. We’ve got three new clips from the flick for you to check out. Aaron Johnson stars in the first, as the titular character.

We get a ridealong in the Red Mist Mobile in the second clip, and in the third, Nic Cage’s “Big Daddy” takes out some bad guys.

Check out the clips after the jump, and be ready for Kick-Ass when it hits theaters stateside on April 12th.

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Even though Apple’s iPad won’t officially be available until Saturday, April 3rd, that doesn’t mean you can’t stock up on all those cool iPad application right now. Plus, the iBooks appication is available now as well. You can go to iTunes and browse hundreds of Apps designed specifically for the iPad, buy them, download them and have them ready and waiting  for your iPad’s arrival on Saturday.

Some of the coolest Apps I’ve seen so far include a few we already mentioned yesterday such as the ones from Netflix and ABC. Plus, here’s a list of a few more that I’ve already downloaded and have at the ready for tomorrow.

• The USA Today, New York Times Editors Choice, NPR and AP News applications. Each of these allows you to browse news and videos on the iPad. Free.

• Marvel Comics. Hey, who wants to read your favorite Marvel titles on the iPad? Who doesn’t? Free. Comics cost $1.99.

• StumbleUpon. Share links to your favorite sites using your StumbleUpon account. Free.

• NetNewsWire. The best RSS reader for the Mac is now on the iPad. $10.00.

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While the news broke yesterday that Joss Whedon is on the short list of names being looked at to direct the upcoming Avengers flick, we were skeptical given that 80% of the news yesterday was to feed into “pranksgiving.” But after extensive research, we now can officially report that this news is legit.

Nothing is official just yet, and Marvel still has two other films to finish and release before even looking at The Avengers, but with a script from Zak Penn allegedly finished, they’re looking to fill the director’s chair sooner than later. From IESB:

Director Louis Leterrier has thrown his hat into the ring as wanting to bring Earth’s mightiest heroes together under one tentpole but we are hearing it will not be his cross to bear. Leterrier mentioned a short list of directors recently that Marvel was looking at, he didn’t know who else was on the list but IESB has found out one other member.

The same sources that spilled the beans to IESB about Spider-Man 4 being put on an indefinite hold back in December, have revealed that another leading contender on that short list to direct “The Avengers” film is none other than Joss Whedon.

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Now that Marvel has settled on Chris Evans to play Captain America in director Joe Johnston’s The First Avenger: Captain America, they can turn their attention to filling other important roles in the film. With Hugo Weaving already playing Red Skull, the next role to be filled will be Cap’s trusty sidekick Bucky Barnes. The actor selected for that? Sebastian Stan.

Stan, who’s recent work includes NBC’s Kings, the CW’s Gossip Girl and roles in Hot Tub Time Machine and the upcoming Black Swan, has reportedly signed on for five or six pictures as Bucky, a teenaged orphan who, after discovering the identity of Captain America, joines forces with him to fight the Nazis during WWII.

During one of Cap’s last battles, Bucky is killed but then later returns to modern comics continuity in the form of The Winter Soldier. Marvel hasn’t confirmed Bucky’s status as The Winter Soldier only that Stan will be playing the character.

Shooting on the film starts this summer in Europe. Obviously, we’ll be following this one very closely.