Sony Pictures is working on a deal to acquire the rights to Steve Jobs’s biography for a feature film, BGR sister site Deadline reported on Friday. The highly anticipated authorized biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacsson is due for release on October 24th, and Sony Pictures is reportedly making a substantial offer for the motion picture rights. ”I’m hearing the deal is $1 million against $3 million and that Mark Gordon will be the producer,” Mike Fleming wrote on Deadline. Sony Pictures is thought to be a good fit for the project following its work on business book turned feature film Moneyball and the Oscar-nominated The Social Network. If the studio manages to work out a deal, this would be only the second film to chronicle Jobs’s career, the first being Pirates Of Silicon Valley.

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We recently caught up with singer and entertainer Sean Paul, who’s in the middle of promoting a brand new single, to check in with him about how technology influences his life and career. From his addiction to his iPad and how he uses GarageBand for music production, to Twitter, to how he recently dumped his iPhone to switch back to a BlackBerry… we covered it all. Check out the full video interview after the break.

BGR Interview is a series of interviews and conversations with executives, influencers, tastemakers and innovators, covering the mobile and consumer electronics industries.

BGR recently had a chance to catch up with actor, comedian, musician, producer, host, tech-lover, and now father, Nick Cannon, to see how tech has impacted his life and career. Nick is one of the most prominent Sidekick users around, so we wanted to find out if T-Mobile’s first Android-powered Sidekick managed to keep him reeled in. We also wanted to see how the advent of social media has impacted his life and career — Nick has over 2.5 million Twitter followers, and we’re sure many of you will recall his huge social campaign attempting to battle Eminem in a boxing ring for charity — and even what apps and games Nick and Mariah are planning to use with their new twins. Hit the jump for our interview.

BGR Interview is a series of interviews and conversations with executives, influencers, tastemakers and innovators, covering the mobile and consumer electronics industries.

You used to be a really prominent Sidekick user, but what’s your device of choice now?

The new Sidekick just came out so I got that, but I mean, I got everything from the iPhone, to the BlackBerry Torch, to the G2. I just happen to like the Sidekick — it’s just the easiest thing for me to use because I’m so used to it.

What do you like most about the Sidekick 4G? Do you like the keyboard? Do you like how fast it is — the way you can jump into any app real quick? How do you use it to help what you do?

I like the keyboard and then just how everything, like access to the text messaging and email and the phone, is right there. It’s just mad easy.

Let’s switch gears to BlackBerry… RIM has a new tablet that just came out called the BlackBerry PlayBook. What would you pick between the iPad 2 and the new BlackBerry PlayBook?

Probably the iPad. That’s what I got now and I really hate having to learn how to do new stuff. If I have a device, I want to just use it for what it does best right then and there and not have to read a manual and all of that. Since I’ve had the iPad for a minute, I’d rather rock with that then have to learn a whole new device.

Speaking of the iPad then, do you use any specific apps or programs for making music, or anything on the go? If you’re not near a studio and you get an idea, do you have anything that helps you?

Not yet. I’ve noticed that there’s some stuff coming out. I even saw they have the DJ app on the iPad now — the turntables, the mixer, everything in one — but, I haven’t been able to jump into it yet. I’m just still an outboard gear type of guy.

You’re a really huge Twitter user with over 2.5 million followers. How do you think using Twitter, with the ability to connect and speak directly to your fans, has impacted your music and your other projects?

It just allows me to connect on a real level with everybody. It’s a dialogue amongst fans, and even people who aren’t fans, but it allows you to connect in a way that’s never been possible before.

Touching on the whole Eminem and Mariah controversy — and we obviously don’t have to get into any sort of specificity if you wouldn’t like — but feuds like this five or ten years ago would normally involve some back and forths in a song, maybe a couple interviews and everyone would keep it moving. Here, you launched a really big social campaign — a proposed boxing match with you and Eminem, for charity. You used a lot of social media and your radio show to spread the word. What kind of response did you get from that?

It was everywhere. Everybody talked about it… it was big! I wasn’t even going for that; it just was one of those things that happen organically and naturally when you do talk about it on Twitter and my blog and all that. I mean, at the end of the day, I guess it was what it was. It was entertaining.

Well, congrats on becoming a father man!

Thank you man, I appreciate it!

Have you started to think about any games or tech toys you can use or play with your kids? Has anyone given you any advice?

I am trying to figure out how to get them on the iPad as soon as possible! I’ve seen it on YouTube with all these babies using an iPad. I’m looking forward to all those kid apps that are out there. I even went and got the baby can read thing and all that so, I’m trying to have tech-saavy kids!

What’s your favorite app on the Sidekick 4G that you’re using now?

I haven’t really dove into any extra apps yet, but they got this Word document one that’s really easy to write in, and I’ve been rocking with that for a minute.

Tell us about the Showtime stand up Mr. Showbiz and the accompanying album.

Yeah man, I’m excited. May 16th the album is out. This weekend the special actually airs on Showtime, and a lot of people didn’t know I even did standup, so it’s like the first introduction for some. And then, it’s like a dream come true for me because it’s something I have been doing since I was a preteen, and to finally get to share it with the world is cool.

Wrapping up, can you give us a couple general areas where technology has impacted your career?

You know, you kind of hit it on the head. Everything with Twitter, with all the followers, and being able to connect directly with your audience in a way that’s never been done before, really on an intimate level where they feel like they can get to know you. That has definitely impacted my career. Then everything from Serato has really allowed me to be the best DJ I could possibly be without having to carry around, you know, 1200 crates, and be able to operate on a level, and do things in a nightclub, and on radio, that I never would have been able to do before. Those are probably the most two impactful things with technology in my career.

Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us today, Nick.

No doubt.

When Forbes publishes its 2011 list of billionaires on Wednesday, William Henry Gates III will not be at the top. This is by design, however — the world’s richest man title may have been lost after, but a far more important title remains: the world’s top philanthropist. Gates is not new to this title according to the Global Philanthropy Group, and it finally cost him his spot as the world’s wealthiest man last year. Gates has reportedly given away a third of his wealth at this point, and the majority of this astonishing sum has gone to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. When Forbes’ list is published on Wednesday, Carlos Slim will sit at the top again with approximately $60 billion, up from his 2010 sum of $53.5 billion. Gates will occupy the No.2 spot with $49 billion followed by Warren Buffet, another renowned philanthropist, who is now worth roughly $47 billion. According to David Lincoln, director of global valuations at wealth research firm Wealth-X, Gates would currently be worth $88 billion had he not given away any money.

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Sir Steven of Cupertino? According to a report in The Telegraph on Tuesday, Steve Jobs was almost given an honorary knighthood in 2009. The legendary Apple founder and CEO was to be honored for introducing products such as the iPhone and iPod, which revolutionized the industry. “Apple has been the only major global company to create stunning consumer products because it has always taken design as the key component of everything it has produced,” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said at the time. “No other CEO has consistently shown such a commitment.” But Jobs reportedly refused to speak at the Labour Party conference, and former Prime Minister Brown is said to have blocked the knighthood as a result. Jobs’ appearance at the conference would have been a major score for Brown, and according to the report, he took Jobs’ refusal personally.

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We didn’t think we’d see an iPad surface so soon… If you were keeping up with the Grammys, you were probably just as shocked as we were when Stephen Colbert pulled one out to present Song of the Year. And of course, the iPad’s cameo wouldn’t be complete without a little gloating from Colbert himself. “Jay Z, did you not get one of these in your gift bag? Am I cooler than you?!” Bravo, Stephen Colbert. Hit the break for a video clip.

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Leave it up to our team of global ninjas — we’ve just got a shot of what we’re told will be one of Dell’s Android devices coming later this year. Yes, you heard that right — multiple handsets coming from Dell. It’s been rumored for a while, but we’re able to confidently report Dell is looking to introduce both 2G and 3G model devices in the near future. We don’t have any hard specs or even a name for the device pictured above, but we are able to report one thing: that UI is worse than Samsung’s TouchWiz interface cross-bred with a sea mammal.

Thanks, Daddy G.!

If you’re one of those people who hates it when celebrities meddle with your phones, you might want to skip this one. We’ve known for about a month now that U2 has partnered up with RIM for U2′s upcoming “U2 360″ World tour, but according to Canada’s Globe and Mail, there might just be a bit more to the RIM/U2 deal than a bunch of BlackBerry posters and SWAG at concert venues. When asked about the partnership, Bono had this to say, “I’m very excited about this. Research In Motion is going to give us what Apple wouldn’t — access to their labs and their people so we can do something really spectacular.” When asked if this meant that there is a possibility of a custom BlackBerry app that would allow the band to communicate with their BlackBerry-toting fans, Bono only responded with “you’re not far off.” Now, we’re not ones for unsubstantiated rumors at BGR, but was Bono trying to hint at a special edition BlackBerry loaded with U2 content much like 2004′s U2 Special Edition iPod? Perhaps a Product RED BlackBerry seeing as Bono was a founder of the initiative? We’re not too sure, but if all that does come out of this is a crummy app, color us unimpressed especially since there was all that talk of a “shared vision” when the partnership was announced.

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Apple and pop band U2 have long enjoyed a successful business relationship that proved to the world there is such a thing as an overwhelming display of smugness. It all started back in 2004 with the release of the iPod U2 Special Edition but now it looks like those days are over. RIM has signed on as official tour sponsor of U2′s upcoming “U2 360″ tour which will see U2 play in both Europe and North America. U2′s manager has already hailed this partnership as something that will foster a “shared vision”, but we’re not too sure we even want to know what that could possibly be.

There’s no official word yet on this one, but rumors are already circulating that John Mayer (who left Apple for a free BlackBerry Bold) is desperately trying to fill the void felt in Cupertino by winning back Apple’s heart via the sloppiest seconds the world has ever seen. Seeing as Mayer has no plans for a world tour let alone new album however, we doubt very much that Apple will take him back. Guess he’ll have to keep resorting to creative ways of earning income as the global recession has left his fanbase of pre-teens and pensioners without a penny to spare. Pitty.

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Last time we scooped a T-Mobile promotion it was so well received that we just had to go and do it again. While the prizes are way more intense this time around, compared to a free companion flight that may or may not have been handed over at least, the biggest news takes the form of a sweepstakes with one lucky winner. We’ve also got the word on a few new T-Mobile campaigns so let’s get right to it.

• myFaves Shot of a Lifetime: T-Mobile customers can enter for a chance to win a trip to the NBA Playoffs for you and your friends (Faves) as well as the opportunity to play a game of HORSE against… You guessed it… Dwyane Wade. If you’re smart you’ll just go ahead and consider that the whole prize – if the lucky T-Mobler manages to beat Wayde he/she will take home an even $50K but we really don’t see that happening. T-Mobile’s microsite is already up, though you can’t enter on the site until March 4th. Entry via SMS however, is set to begin this coming Wednesday.
• Jam Session: Pinky will be hosting an NBA Jam Session to take place during All-Star weekend where fans can get their game on in an interactive basketball theme park. There will also be an opportunity to watch a soon-to-be-named NBA player coach a kids clinic. Those of you in the Phoenix area can already see a massive T-Mobile ad on the Bank of America building near the arena featuring Dwight Howard, Yao Ming and Dwyane Wade.
• Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam game: To kick off All-Star weekend today, T-Mobile will host its third annual Rookie Challenge where 3,500 students from around the country will go to the game after having completed fitness, nutrition and community service requirements during the school year thus far. Dwight Howard and D-Wade will also be on hand as coaches during the Youth Jam games.
• New Commercials: Beginning today, T-Mobile also has a new myFaves commercial with Dwight Howard and other All-Stars. As soon as it begins airing it will also be up on T-Mobile’s YouTube channel.

Awesome? Exciting? Mind-blowing? Boring? Snooze-fest? Let us know in the comments.

If you’re one of the lucky ones that I’ve let follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that yesterday the BGR team hit Fat Joe and Akon’s music video shoot for “One”. Fat Joe’s a BGR buddy, but Akon has eluded our HD camcorders until now. Check out our brief interviews with both of them on the tour bus. Quick takeaways? Joe uses a Boost Mobile i880, Akon uses a BlackBerry Bold, and RIM, AT&T and Colorware need to start cutting us some checks.

Since the first iPhone was announced two years ago today, manufacturers of pretty much anything and everything electronic have been trying to cash in on the insatiable consumer demand for anything with a touchscreen. They’re definitely convenient, but a lot of times they seem to be more of a hassle than a benefit due to bloated GUIs that give some people, such as the legally blind, great difficulties. It was because of this that music legend Stevie Wonder went to CES yesterday to ask electronics manufacturers to consider those with visual ailments when designing devices. It might seem like a bit of a strange move considering that less that 0.5% of Americas are legally blind, but good ol’ Stevie raised a good point as to why his plea could benefit all. “We don’t want to hold up technological progress. What we’re saying is, think about the interface and set it up in such a way that it’s simple. The simpler you make the user interface of a product, it’s going to reach more people sighted or blind.” Well, it’s hard to argue with logic.

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With the Storm coming out soon, Blackberry is throwing a little shindig in Los Angeles later this evening with Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age providing the entertainment! A few who were in the know sent text messages to a specific number to try to win tickets to the show. The following morning, the winners were sent text messages with instructions on how to get into the show. Guess who’s going to be there? That’s right, the BGR team will be putting up pictures and giving you updates live from the party so be sure to check back here every so often after 7:30PM PST! Anyone else in the L.A. area going to the show? Hit us up!

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Not something terribly new, but kind of cool nonetheless. VH1 picked up some footage from our Pharrell interview earlier in the year and used in one of their episodes of The Fabulous Life. If you missed the interview we did or just want to check out some “geeked out hotness” including Pharrell’s famous solid gold iPhone, check the video!

Throughout the ages, mothers have always lectured their kids about the virtues of modesty, but it looks like some employees working at RIM never got that little nugget of advice. In a PowerPoint presentation courtesy of a RIM ninja, RIM shamefully proudly displays images of Lindsay Lohan, Michael Phelps, Cameron Diaz, John Mayer, Brad & Angelina, and Jessica Alba. But it gets even more lame. In a presentation note the following is written:

“In Australia, we have celebrities such as Jennifer Hawkins and Jamie Jury using BB
Micheal Phelps got a message on his BB from the president after winning 8 gold medals at recent olympics!!!!” [sic]

Look, all companies are proud when celebrities use and endorse their products because it means that they 1) have a degree of “cool” to them (whatevz, but it’s true), and 2) there are legions of obsessive fans out there who buy whatever their favorite starlets have. But the fact that there are people at RIM who get such a hard-on from celebrities that they start using paparazzi photos, misspelling names like Michael, and have to include not one but three exclamation marks is just absurd.

Larger photo after the break.