Sharks resign Vlasic, Frisen to try out at camp

The San Jose Sharks announced today that the team has signed Marc-Edouard Vlasic to a 4-year contract extension. The terms of the deal were not announced per team policy. In 2006-07, his rookie season, Vlasic posted 26 points in 82 games.

Another interesting tidbit is the news that former Shark Jeff Friesen will be trying out at training camp. Friesen resided with the Sharks from 1994-2001, when he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. Over the course of his career with the Sharks, he posted 350 points.

The Sharks preseason schedule begins on September 24 at Anaheim. The regular season starts on October 9 at home against Anaheim.

Obama/Biden ‘08

Senator Barack Obama has selected Senator Joe Biden as his running mate in his bid for the presidency, CNN reported late Friday evening.

According to two Democratic Party officials, text messages to Obama supporters will be sent out Saturday morning. A joint appearance by Obama and Biden is scheduled for later that day.

The McCain camp was quick to react, stating that Biden was one of those who doubted “Obama’s readiness to lead” and criticized many of his policies and personal qualities.

Apple releases iPhone software v2.0.2

Apple has just released an iPhone software update. This updates the phone’s software to v2.0.2 just two weeks after the software was updated to 2.0.1.

The update clocks in at 248.7 MB and includes “bug fixes”, according to the release notes.

HP6 movie delayed until July 2009

Warner Bros. announced today that the release of the highly anticipated movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be pushed back July 17, 2009. The original release was scheduled for November 21 of this year.

Warner Bros. said that there were no problems and that the film is still in its scheduled post-production status. The move, they said, was to fill a gap in the summer blockbuster season. Production of the last two films in the series would not be affected, they added. The two final films will cover the 7th book, and production is scheduled to begin in February 2009 for November 2010 and May 2011 releases.

Reaction to the move by Potter fans was openly hostile, with many fans suggesting that the move was simply one that guaranteed Warner Bros. more money and ripped off the fans that had already been waiting so long for the film.

AT&T Premier selling iPhones online

AT&T Premier members, who are usually business customers, are now able to puchase the iPhone 3G online at the AT&T Premier store, Gizmodo reported today.

Premier customers are able to purchase all three versions of the iPhone, including the elusive 16GB white phone at the normal pricing (8GB – $199, 16GB – $299). The shipping estimate is 7-10 days, which is a little bit faster than the pre-paid shipping estimate.

Best Buy to sell iPhone 3Gs

Best Buy will begin selling iPhone 3Gs at 970 of their stores nationwide on September 7, the company announced today, making them the first third-party retailer to offer the phone. The phones will retail at the standard price (8GB – $199; 16GB – $299) and will be available in both colors. Best Buy has just recently completed renovations of the mobile department in preparation for selling the iPhone 3G.

An Apple executive said that he “couldn’t speculate” whether the iPhone 3G would be available at other third-party retailers in the future.

Apple releases iPhone 2.0.1 update

Apple today released iPhone version 2.0.1. Release notes indicate that this update includes “bug fixes”.

Early updaters on blogs such as TUAW sounded off in the comments, saying that the new software brought great improvement to speed and usability.

“The Tales of Beedle the Bard” to be published

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the book of children’s stories in the world of Harry Potter, will be released on December 4 in two editions, J.K. Rowling and Amazon.com announced Tuesday.

The book will contain 5 stories, including “The Tale of the Three Brothers”, the story featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book comes in two editions – a regular paperback standard edition (for about $8), and a Collector’s edition (for $100). The Collector’s edition will mimick the copy that was handwritten and handillustrated by J.K. Rowling herself. That copy was sold to Amazon for a whopping $3.8 million. Amazon will produce 100,000 copies of the Collector’s edition and retail them exclusively.

All profits from the book will go to the Childrens’ High Level Group, a charity in the UK.

Amazon links: Standard Edition, Collector’s Edition (SOLD OUT)

Harry Potter 6 trailer released

November 21st. Enjoy.

Sharks resign Ryane Clowe

San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson announced today that the Sharks have resigned Ryane Clowe to a one-year contract. The terms of the deal were not made available, per club policy.

Clowe played only 15 games during the regular season and recorded eight points. He was sidelined because of a knee injury he suffered during an Oct. 29 game against Columbus. He returned late in the regular season and placed second on the team in playoff points with nine.

Fans had started to become concerned when a contract with Clowe was not announced before the July 1st deadline. Both sides said that a rough deal was worked out weeks ago, but the details still had to be confirmed.

The Sharks open up the preseason at Anaheim on September 24. They open the regular season at home, also against the Ducks, on October 9.