The mobile landscape is officially a three horse race between Apple, Google and Microsoft. Despite Microsoft entering the mobile game three years after Apple, the Windows Phone 7 Series, revealed today at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, looks like a beast.

iPhone users should and will welcome Microsoft’s new foray into mobile communications. Why? Because anyone who has seen a hacked/jailbroke iPhone knows how cool the device can be, and by comparison, how stagnant Apple’s desire to have complete autonomy over how people use their iPhones has made them. The Windows Phone 7 Series really feels like a computer that just happens to make calls and fits in your pocket. Apple will likely reveal the new iteration of the iPhone in June. Maybe by then they will have realized that the mobile world is changing rapidly and that staying relevant means treating their mobile phone as a small computer, not a smartphone. Hopefully, they will have implemented this change in ideology into the iPhone 4G.

Apple’s iPhone developers need to address some of the problems that the Windows Phone 7 Series conquers, such as stepping up the UI, allowing multiple applications to run at once, giving users the ability to download and implement web applications, and engineering seamless integration and less rigidity between phone, browsing, and social media hubs. Apple still has a huge advantage in the mobile market, but the gap was at least somewhat diminished today with the release of the Windows Phone 7 Series.

Apps

Mid February is a prime time for a winter weekend getaway, and for many New Englanders, that means hitting the mountains for some skiing and boarding. Between travel, accommodations, rentals and lift passes, everyone wants to maximize his or her time on the slopes while there. This winter, many will turn to iPhone apps for this purpose. Blast gives you the four best free apps for hitting the slopes:

The North Face Snow Report -- This app favors function over flashiness, simply giving users need-to-know information to make their trip as pleasant as possible. The app provides 24-, 48- and 72-hour snowfall conditions, trail maps and avalanche advisories. It also has a locate function to get you to the mountain and a unique resort specific Twitter feed, allowing the user to read and post tweets related to the mountain.

The Ski Computer — A handy app if you’re interested in the statistics of your riding. The Ski Computer calculates current, average and maximum ski per run, elevation, number of runs and distance per run. In addition to geotagging all the photos you take while on the mountain so you know exactly where you took them, it allows you to upload your trip in a file to EveryTrail.com, a trip sharing community.

iTrailMap – The best free app for avoiding lugging around a cumbersome trail map all day, the app contains high-resolution trail maps of over 750 resorts. With the knowledge that it can be hard to get service high in the alpines, iTrailMap downloads and stores the maps on your iPhone, eliminating the need for wireless service at all times.

Phresheez i- This app also features riding statistics such as speed, steepness, and maximum speed. Phresheez is unique, however, in that it addresses the problem of meeting up with friends on the slopes by tracking all the members of your riding party and where they are in relation to you on the mountain. The app also allows you to share your day on Facebook and Twitter.

The “Goal Time” content update went live in the free-to-play MMO today and unlocked the playing fields scattered throughout the land allowing players access to the new Soccer Star job class.

Twenty new soccer-themed quests and lots of gear and equipment came with the update. Additionally, skills and powerups, earned by progressing through quests, will grant your avatar an upper-hand in matches, which can be played either against a computer-controlled team or against three fellow Free Realmers.

Paying Free Realm customers can enjoy all 20 levels but those choosing the free path can only rank up to level 5.

Have a look at MMO soccer action. I mean, where else have you seen this?

The DLC is comprised of two maps testing your overall being-Batman skills. In the first; “The Heart of Darkness,” you’ll battle bad guys in action-oriented Freeflow combat at the Arkham Pumping Station. And in the second, “HotHouse Prey,” you’re sleuthing, stalking, and stealth skills will be stressed as you take out foes in the Abandoned Glasshouse.

If you missed last week’s also free DLC, “Insane Night,” read about it here, and check out our glowing review of the game itself right over here.

Dubbed “Insane Night,” the DLC will feature two challenges; the “Predator” challenge, in which the Batman must use his stealth skills, and the “Totally Insane” combat challenge, where the Dark Knight need slay countless amounts of escaping crazies.

Look for “Insane Night” this Thursday on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

The downloadable pack will include Oscar De La Hoya, Vitali Klischko, Wladmir Klitschko, and alternate versions of George Foreman and James Toney. However, EA isn’t just including a boxer pack. They will be releasing a FREE downloadable game update at the end of August which will include additional trunks, gloves, shorts as well as new button control scheme to allow players to use face buttons on the controllers to throw punches, hooks, uppercuts and haymakers.

A new demo featuring the buttons will be released on both Xbox Live and Playstation Network in early September which will feature Mike Tyson and Muhammed Ali.

Fight Night Round 4 is currently available for the PS3 and Xbox360 and is rated T for Teen.

• Is the hot weather giving you greasy hair? Are you camping and unable to shower? Forget shelling out the big bucks on trendy dry shampoos; some baby powder or cornstarch works just fine. Just sprinkle a little on your roots, leave it there for a couple of minutes to soak up the oil, rub it out with your fingers and voila!
• Is the humidity turning your hair into a frizzy mess? Have no fear,  just head to your kitchen. Rub a few drops of olive oil together in your hands and lightly pat onto dry or damp hair. If your hair tends to be greasy, apply it to the ends of your hair only to smooth any split ends. It may sound gross, but mayonnaise also works wonders on dry, frizzy hair. Apply a small amount of it as you would conditioner, cover your head with a shower cap and leave it on for up to 30 minutes, rinse it out and then shampoo. Or try mixing 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar with 1 quart of water and pour it through your hair in the shower in lieu of your regular conditioner, then rinse it out. Do this once a week. Depending on your hair length and your preference, you may have to experiment with the ratio. Another super easy and totally free fix is to simply end your shower with a quick rinse of cool water, which will seal the hairs’ cuticles and leave your mane smooth, shiny and manageable.
• Summer’s heat and humidity can wreak havoc on acne-prone skin. But there’s no need to shell out lots of dough on expensive skincare products or subject your skin to harsh chemicals, perfumes, dyes and preservatives. There are a plethora of homemade skincare options – so many that we couldn’t list them all. But don’t worry, we chose from some of our favorites. Do you have oatmeal and baking soda in your pantry? Grind 2 teaspoons of oatmeal (a coffee grinder will work just fine), mix it with 1 teaspoon of baking soda and slowly add water to make a paste. Gently rub the paste onto your face and rinse well. Or raid your medicine cabinet and take out some aspirin, which is a natural source of salicylic acid, a popular ingredient in acne products. Crush 3-5 tablets (un-coated plain white pills) and mix the powder with water to form a paste. Gently rub the paste onto your skin and leave it on until dry. Now rinse and enjoy your new smooth skin. Feeling a little adventurous? Add a couple squirts of honey to the aspirin powder and then add the water to form a paste. After cleansing, always splash your face with cold water to close the pores.
• Does your skin get super oily in the summer? Try a homemade toner. You’ll have to experiment with the recipe, but start off with 2/3 part water to 1/3 part apple cider vinegar (ACV). If your skin can handle it, eventually move up to a 50/50 concoction. We recommend using distilled or filtered water. Shake the mix well, soak a cotton ball with it, and apply it to the face each night after cleansing. ACV is packed with vitamins and minerals and is, among many things, known to help regulate oil production. If you’ve got some tea tree oil or want to shell out some bucks to buy some, add a few drops to the toner for an added bacteria-killing benefit. Warning: this toner does not smell good. But if you want clear, radiant skin, get over it!
• Make sure your legs are bikini ready by exfoliating for a closer shave, a more even tan and fewer ingrown hairs. The aspirin mask mentioned above does wonders at sloughing off dead skin and eradicating those pesky ingrowns. Great alternatives to store-bought body scrubs (can you believe Fresh sells one made with brown sugar for $65?!) are ridiculously simple. Mix 1 cup of granulated sugar or brown sugar and 1/2 cup of oil – any vegetable oil will do. Sea salt and Epsom salts are wonderful at exfoliating the skin, and can be used all over the body; just mix 1/2 cup of the salts with 1/2 cup of vegetable, olive, or baby oil, or simply scrub your skin with some salts mixed with a little water.
• Got dry legs? Exfoliate them, of course! Also, try using hair conditioner as a substitute for shaving cream.
• Hot summer days equal embarrassing sweat and odor. Forget expensive “clinical strength” antiperspirants that contain aluminum (yuck!) and stick to the basics: Rubbing baking soda or cornstarch onto dry armpits should do the trick. If sweaty, stinky feet are a problem, brew a strong batch of black tea, let it cool, and soak your feet in it for 20-30 minutes. The pore-closing tannins in black tea will solve your problem. Or take Cosmopolitan magazine’s advice and do this routine every night for two weeks: soak a cloth in some strong black tea, allow it to cool, and put it on each armpit for five minutes. If excess sweating has caused some BO and your deodorant just isn’t cutting it, soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to your armpits. Don’t worry, the vinegary smell will disappear within a few minutes.
• Spent too long sunbathing and now you’re paying for it with a sunburn? Don’t distress! As long as your burn isn’t blistering or oozing, try some of these remedies. Apply a cloth soaked in apple cider vinegar to the affected areas, and then apply a moisturizer, preferably one containing aloe and/or vitamin e, since ACV is drying. Add Epsom salts or oatmeal to your bathwater and relax. Soak a cloth in a mixture of warm (not hot!) water and dissolved baking soda and apply it to your skin. Got a cucumber? It’s not just for salads and soothing your eyes; rub your skin with its cool slices. This one is strange, but it works: soak a cloth in cool milk and apply it to your skin, leaving it on for about 20 minutes, then rinse. Plain yogurt can also do wonders. Apply it to the burn, leave it on for about 10 minutes and rinse with cool water. Another, less strange, solution is to make some tea (any kind will do), drink it, relax and apply the cooled tea bags to your burn.
• It’s no mystery that chlorine wreaks havoc on your hair. But why spend money on clarifying shampoo when you can use what you already have? Once again apple cider vinegar earns a gold star: rinse your hair with it in the shower to remove product and chemical build-up. Baking soda also offers a solution: mix 1 tablespoon or so of it with your shampoo in your hand, suds as usual, leave it on for a few minutes, rinse and enjoy chlorine-free locks. Another awesome tip? Before swimming, wet your hair and apply your conditioner to it but do not rinse it out; this will prevent the chlorine from penetrating your hair. After swimming, be sure to shampoo and condition as usual.

So, Blast readers, got your own summer beauty solutions? Comment below and help your fellow readers with cabinet-raiding, beautifying, cheap summer tips. And please, if you have adverse reactions to any of the recipes above, discontinue your use of them and see a doctor.

CORRECTION: One fan nationwide who best dresses up as their favorite Transformer will win a trip to the premiere as well as VIP seating at their local screening.

The first 25 fans who get in line for tomorrow’s “Transformers” screening will receive special edition versions of the DVD. The screening begins at 7:00 p.m., but fans are encouraged to arrive early because seating is first come first serve.

Paramount is also releasing a new “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” trailer at the screenings. Similar screenings are happening in 19 other cities nationwide. Here is a list of the screenings in the other cities:

Los Angeles: 7pm at The Bridge Cinema De Lux
New York: 8pm at AMC Loews Lincoln Square
San Francisco: 7pm at AMC Metreon
Chicago: 8pm at Navy Pier
Toronto: 7pm at Scotiabank
Philadelphia: 7pm at UA King of Prussia
Washington DC: 7pm at AMC Georgetown
Dallas: 7pm at Studio Movie Grill Royal Lane
Phoenix: 7pm at Harkins Tempe Marketplace in Tempe
Seattle: 7pm at Cinerama
Atlanta: 7pm at Regal Atlantic Station
Miami: 7pm at AMC Sunset in South Miami
Detroit: 7pm at Emagine Novi in Novi, MI
San Diego: 7pm at Regal Edwards Mira Mesa
Denver: 7pm at UA Colorado Center
Sacramento: 7pm at UA Market Square
Orlando: 7pm at Premiere Fashion Sq Mall
Minneapolis: 7pm at AMC Southdale in Edina
Baltimore: 7pm at AMC White Marsh

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox and hits theaters June 24, 2009.