2013年9月8日星期日

California first to get electronic license plates? Easier to track?

  California is the home of everything that's new, exciting, and, well, accidentally nefarious.
  It's a delight, therefore, to hear that we here in the Golden State might be the first to get electronic license plates.
  Yes, the young and the restless of tech will be able to have their new "TE$LA1" plate beamed directly to their car.
  What could be more moving? I am beaming at Ars Technica for discovering that a bill has passed the California State Senate, allowing for a pilot program to launch the scheme.
  If the Governor signs the bill, 0.5 percent of Californians might enjoy this perk quite soon.
  They can look forward to rolling down their beautiful hills and having the word "EXPIRED" suddenly appear on their backside. (The car's, that is.)
  What fun it will be to see Ferraris with the word "STOLEN" -- or Priuses with the word "TASTELESS."
  Actually, I'm not sure that last one will be an option. Even so, the sheer instancy and convenience will fascinate many.
  The suspicious (which ought, these days, to include most people) might wonder whether these license plates -- which very probably will be accessed through a mobile data network -- will let the powers that be know where people are, yes, all the time.
  The bill doesn't seem clear about this. What is clear is that the company that operates the system will have access to everyone's location.
  That company is Smart Plate Mobile, which doesn't appear to have so much as a Web site currently.
  Electronic Frontier Foundation Staff Attorney Lee Tien told Ars Technica that the DMV would hopefully not have access to location information.
  However, we all know how porous digital walls can be.
  As with so many digital creations, the weak spot for people is the convenience. Someinterviewed by KCRA-TV said they'd pay extra in order to not stand in the DMV line.

Click here to understand extra about generating essentially

  Now, that doesn't imply XP will abruptly quit operating. You can retain using it if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it.
  End of life implies Microsoft won't be releasing any additional security updates to the typical user. Any security flaws that hackers find won't be fixed. Your laptop will be a sitting duck, even with safety software program installed. Click here to view what no cost safety computer software I recommend.
  I know several die-hard XP customers are cynical about this news. They think Microsoft is trying to force folks get new computers. Microsoft is in small business to create funds, so it does want persons to upgrade. But in Microsoft's defense, this isn't anything special for XP.
  Microsoft has carried out precisely the same with Windows 95, 98 and Me. Vista's end of life is April 11, 2017 and Windows 7's is January 14, 2020. The truth is, Microsoft extended XP's end-of-life date a number of times. XP should really have already been gone years ago.
  Here's a entertaining reality: XP initially appeared in the end of 2001. As late as 2010, computers have been nevertheless sold with XP installed. Windows Vista, which arrived six years immediately after XP, only lasted till 2011.
  Should you think of it, XP will be nearly 13 years old. Like a teenager, it really is possessing difficulty adjusting for the world. In spite of a significant overhaul with Service Pack 3, XP just wasn't built for the modern digital age.
  It's missing essential safety options introduced in Windows Vista. It cannot support the most recent, safest and most Web-compatible versions of Internet Explorer. It can not take full advantage from the most current hardware advances.
  It is becoming increasingly frustrating for shoppers and third-party businesses. A lot of third-party firms would love to stop supporting XP. It takes many money and time to produce sure applications and hardware function on each and every version of Windows.
  This even affects the net. Web developers is going to be overjoyed to see XP-only World wide web Explorer versions six, 7 and eight go away. Those versions are so far behind other browsers, you practically have to create one more website just for them.
  It's going to be a critical adjust for a lot of persons. In most circumstances it is going to imply a brand new laptop or computer, upgraded software program and possibly new accessories like printers and scanners.
  Until final year, upgrading would not have been quite so undesirable. Windows 7 was still relatively close to Windows XP in appear and how it worked. In fact, I anticipate Windows 7 to become the subsequent Windows version that people stick with for very a while.
  Now, having said that, Windows eight would be the only operating program readily available on new computer systems. Whenever you attempt it, you will discover that it really is radically distinct from prior Windows versions.
  The interface was meant for touch-screen tablets and doesn't operate that effectively with keyboard and mouse. In truth, even acquiring the Desktop is an adventure in itself.
  The Windows 8.1 update coming out next month will let you bring back some of the old Windows. Microsoft will even involve a tutorial on how to use Windows 8 - ultimately. But it really is still a steep understanding curve, especially coming from XP. Click here to understand extra about generating essentially the most of the Windows 8.1 update.
  You'll be able to come across copies of Windows 7 for sale on the internet. You could install it on your current laptop or computer - assuming it is not too old. You might also invest in a Windows 8 personal computer and downgrade.
  Just be conscious which you cannot do an in-place upgrade from XP to 7. You will have to wipe your tough drive and install Windows 7 from scratch. In the event you purchase an upgrade version of Windows 7, you'll need Windows XP installation discs to prove that you simply are eligible. What ever you do, begin preparing now. April will likely be coming up quickly and also you never want to be still making use of XP when it arrives.
  Now, you might hear there is a slim possibility Microsoft could continue releasing security updates for XP. It is actually below contract to some providers to supply them for the next couple of years. Nonetheless, that is a paid solution and I wouldn't hold your breath that Microsoft will make these updates public.

  http://www.windows7prokeys.com/windows-7-professional-product-key-p-3527.html

2013年8月12日星期一

ISPOne sues Telstra to stop mobile service termination

  Telstra mobile reseller ISPOne is embroiled in another legal dispute, this time with Telstra itself, over claims that the company has not paid its bills. Telstra is threatening to disconnect prepaid mobile services.
  ISPOne, which acts as a wholesale intermediary between Telstra and other resellers such as Kogan Mobile and Aldi Mobile, has filed an urgent application in the Federal Court to seek to stop Telstra from terminating the supply of prepaid mobile services to the 280,000 customers that have active services through one of ISPOne's customers.
  ISPOne has claimed that Telstra has sought to terminate the services due to a failure to pay invoices, but ISPOne has said that no money is due, because Telstra is calculating the amount owed based on incorrect pricing of data for prepaid mobile services.
  ISPOne is claiming that Telstra is now in breach of its agreement with ISPOne, and that it is entitled to damages because of problems with the wholesale service that Telstra offered, over which ISPOne said it saw a delay in mobile numbers porting to Telstra.
  Telstra said it has yet to change its arrangements with ISPOne.
  "ISPOne is a customer of Telstra Wholesale. We have met all our contractual obligations to them. We can't comment on matters before the court, other than to say we will exercise all our legal rights in this case. We have not made any changes to the arrangements with ISPOne at this time," a Telstra spokesperson said.
  Following a hearing in the Federal Court in Victoria this afternoon, the Telstra spokesperson said that the matter would be decided in the next 24 hours, with ISPOne to pay into court AU$300,000.
  "As the court has heard we are a creditor of ISPOne. Over a period of several months we have given them every opportunity to develop a repayment plan for their debt but to date we have been unable to reach a satisfactory agreement," the spokesperson said.
  "We will continue to defend the claims raised by ISPOne at tomorrow's hearing."
  Telstra said it had a contingency plan in place to limit the impact on the customers using services through one of ISPOne's customers.
  The court case against Telstra is the latest in the ongoing problems for ISPOne in providing Telstra 3G wholesale services. In May, ISPOne was ordered to pay Kogan Mobile damages for suspending over 700 Kogan Mobile customers who were flagged by the company to be using too much data.

You could possibly make a case that Microsoft must have pursued

  It really is no secret that Surface RT and Windows RT, along with Windows RT on other platforms, did not do also as Microsoft hoped. The newest collateral harm in that failure was Nvidia's Tegra processors, which run inside the Surface RT.
  Surface/Windows RT had no shortage of skeptics even when it launched, but it is doable things could transform more than time. I am not saying that this *will* take place, but that there's a reasonable scenario for it. Here's how it operates.
  Initially, some Microsoft company plan forensics: Microsoft wants developers to write apps for the new, Modern UI (a.k.a. Metro). Releasing Windows eight only for Intel architecture, they ought to have believed, would have made it also simple for developers to bypass Metro due to the fact conventional Windows programs would already run on it (and on Windows 7 along with other versions). But if Surface RT were a results, developers would want to be on it, and would pick to write Metro apps as a way to be on each platforms.
  Effectively, that did not work. The truth is, color me shocked at the degree of reticence of developers to create Metro apps, because the sheer quantity of users who can run them will undoubtedly be very huge, even if it is small adequate to become considered a failure for Microsoft. Recall, any other firm in the world would like to have a disaster like Windows Vista, a huge selection of millions of copies of which have been sold. Such could be the worst you may count on from Windows eight.
  This vacation season you could expect to determine touch-enabled Windows systems heavily promoted and Microsoft will attempt other promotions to have individuals purchasing apps from the shop. The truth is, the failure to have developers writing apps for the shop may be the single most significant difficulty they have. With very good apps customers will undoubtedly come, and with users excellent apps will come.
  And if the apps do come, then the decision to purchase an RT device could develop into considerably far more affordable. There requirements to be a expense benefit compared to x86 since the RT will nevertheless be much less capable, or it will must demonstrate far much better battery life or anything to offer people today a reason to get it, as opposed to an Intel-based method.
  Based on the performance and power consumption of the most current chips from NVidia and Intel, all of this is probable. It is also possible that Intel will narrow the price and efficiency consumption gaps, and RT will drop all its raison d'etre.

  But if, come holiday time or later, the Windows app choice is respectable and RT systems are less high-priced than Intel-based ones, it may be completely affordable to get a single. If they get inexpensive sufficient, persons may well get casual about obtaining them.
  My money's against it, nevertheless it could take place. There have been attempts previously to put Windows on other architectures, however they have all failed since the Intel has generally improved their chip overall performance adequate to produce the cost of incompatibility as well higher relative to the advantages.
  You could possibly make a case that Microsoft must have pursued it this way to start with: x86 initially, other architectures after the app industry was solidly established. It appears like which will be the Strategy B for Microsoft and NVidia, and maybe it was built-in from the starting.

2013年7月18日星期四

Apple Said Developing Ad-Skipping as Part of TV Strategy

  Apple Inc. (AAPL) is developing ad-skipping technology that would let owners of its Apple TV set-top box and future television devices watch shows without commercials, people with knowledge of the matter said.
  Apple executives have briefed at least two owners of broadcast TV networks and cable channels, as well as some of the biggest U.S. pay-TV systems, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. One proposal is for Apple to reimburse programmers for skipped ads, they said.
  The company is seeking to develop TV products with broader appeal than Apple TV, a set-top device purchased by 13 million consumers, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in May at the D: All Things Digital conference. Apple TV is more appropriate for “hobbyists” than mainstream viewers, he said. Apple continues to work on a “grand vision” to update TV-viewing that remains “much like 10 or 20 years ago,” Cook said.
  Jessica Lessin, a technology writer, reported on July 15 that Apple was working on the ad-skipping initiative.
  With advertising accounting for the largest share of their revenue, commercially supported TV networks have resisted skipping technology.
  Dish Network Corp. (DISH) introduced ad-skipping for broadcast network TV shows with its Hopper TV set-top box in March 2012. 21st Century Fox Inc., Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)’s NBCUniversal and CBS Corp. (CBS) sued, claiming the service will destroy free, over-the-air prime-time TV. Dish sued the networks in New York, seeking a court ruling that it isn’t infringing copyrights.
  DVR Popularity
  Almost three-quarters of consumers in a survey cited the ability to skip commercials as a main reason to use a digital video recorder, Google Inc.’s Motorola Mobility unit said in its annual media engagement barometer released on March 19.
  Apple has also been working to license more content for people to watch via Apple TV. In June, it announced deals to offer apps from Time Warner Inc. (TWX)’s HBO and Walt Disney Co. (DIS)’s ESPN to customers who already receive those channels from cable or satellite pay TV services.
  The maker of iPhones and iPods is also reaching out to cable services, which buy content from media companies such as Disney. It is nearing a deal with Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) that would let subscribers of that cable system watch channels on Apple TV, people have told Bloomberg. The companies plan to announce an agreement within the next few months, those people said earlier.
  Web Viewing
  While Apple pitched an ad-skipping feature to Time Warner Cable, the New York-based cable operator isn’t interested in the idea, according to a person familiar with the matter.
  Accessing content from the Internet on a TV has become common since Apple introduced Apple TV in 2007. According to Leichtman Research Group, 44 percent of U.S. households have a TV set connected to the Internet through a video-game console, Blu-ray player or streaming devices such as Roku Inc. and Apple TV. That’s up from 38 percent a year ago, the researcher said.
  More competition is coming. Intel Corp. (INTC), the world’s largest chipmaker, plans to begin selling a set-top box with Web-based pay-TV service by the end of the year.
  Google has also held discussions with media companies about licensing content for an Internet TV service, people with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The news was reported earlier by Dow Jones.
  Apple, based in Cupertino, California, was little changed at $430.31 at the close in New York. The stock has fallen 19 percent this year.

Windows says there’s an extremely basic explanation

  Tablets depending on Microsoft’s Windows eight and Windows RT operating systems have struggled to achieve traction so far and Paul Thurrott with the Supersite for Windows says there’s an extremely basic explanation for this: The first generation of Windows tablets just isn’t really superior. To become clear, Thurrott says that there are several touch screen Windows eight PCs and ultrabooks which can be pretty worthy of users’ time and that shouldn’t be overlooked. But when it comes to pure tablets, he deems that each and every single one is “simply to flawed to recommend” to anyone serious about purchasing one particular.
  “Looking around my own workplace, that is what I see,” Thurrott explains. “A Surface RT which is attractive and light and gets fantastic battery life but is worthless and frustrating in use due to its horrible performance. A Surface Pro that may be thick and heavy and gets only four.five hours of battery life whilst offering the weird mixture of a little screen having a pretty higher resolution. A Samsung ATIV Intelligent Computer 500T (Clover Trail based) that will be laughable from a performance point of view if it weren’t for that Surface RT. (Truly, it is nonetheless terrible.) That 700T that will not charge anymore unless I plug the energy cord into the tablet itself … which, wait for it, you can not do whilst the keyboard is connected.”
  Of course, the first round of Android-based tablets were similarly lackluster when compared with Apple’s iPad, so it is not as although Windows eight is doomed as a tablet operating technique. It does recommend, on the other hand, that Microsoft and its OEM partners will have to put a good deal of work into adding better functionality and worth to their tablets, similar to how Nokia has tried to produce Windows Phone 8 look far more cutting-edge together with the inclusion of its industry-best 41-megapixel smartphone camera in the Lumia 1020.
  Thurrott is optimistic that the next generation of Windows tablets is going to be a major improvement more than the present generation considering the fact that improvements to both hardware and computer software will make the devices additional palatable for customers.

  “Things are going to obtain better,” he concludes. “Intel’s new generation Core processors, codenamed Haswell, seem to have solved the battery life issue. And Windows eight.1 seems to solve many from the troubles customers have highlighted in Windows eight, like desktop display scaling. Each of those improvements suggest to me that waiting is in order, as Haswell- and Windows eight.1-based tablets are going to be plentiful in just a couple of months.”

2013年7月7日星期日

iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S rumors: sizes, colors, cheaper plastic option

  The picture for the iPhone 6, iPhone 5S, or whatever Apple decides to call the seventh generation iPhone is becoming more clear thanks to an increasing array of rumors which overlap each other and are evolving to create a basis of legitimacy. Whether the new device keeps the styling of the iPhone 5 and becomes the iPhone 5S, or moves to a new cosmetic styling and becomes the iPhone 6, is still anyone’s best guess. But regardless of body style, the new iPhone will come in more colors, multiple options, and in some parts of the world will come in a cheap plastic housing instead of its signature bulletproof glass and metal.
  The screen size and color changes, despite not adding much to the iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S experience for most users, will drive sales significantly if consumer sentiment is any indication. Most people who buy an Android phone over an iPhone claim that “choice” as the determining factor in their buying decision, but then proceed to nearly all purchase the same specific Galaxy model from the same specific vendor. But with Apple offering the iPhone 6 in colors which go beyond black and white, and impractical screen sizes above four inches, those same consumers will view Apple as offering “more choice” even as most of them continue to buy the black four inch model of the new iPhone 6. Consumers, it seems don’t want to make individual choices. They merely want to be able have the option and then not exercise it.
  It’s a game Apple will have to learn how to play, pointless as it may be, if it wants the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 to retain the world’s #1 selling smartphone mantle which the iPhone 5 currently holds.Speaking of world sales, the iPhone 6 (or something lesser than the iPhone 6) is rumored to be offered in a low cost model that’s made from the same cheap plastic as the Galaxy. The reason: in the U.S., carriers will sell the iPhone 6 for about two hundred dollars thanks to contract subsidies. But in other nations where contracts and subsidized pricing don’t exist, Apple must sell the iPhone for its full retail price. By making a cheaper iPhone alternative for those nations, Apple has a better shot at competing there. It’s not clear whether the “cheap iPhone” will also be sold as a free-with-contract model in the U.S. alongside the iPhone 6, or will be strictly an overseas affair.

This security evaluate was released weeks once the services

  Evernote today produced an update for its Home windows Contact software that provides a redesigned hub website page, assistance for its Business merchandise, and two-step verification to its consumers. Even though a transfer that may appear to be slight, the corporate phone calls them important that will help build the “best-looking, native experience” on Home windows equipment.
  For anyone buyers accessing Evernote on the Home windows Floor, mobile phone, or pill machine, a brand new start display screen is going to be displayed. The corporation suggests that it has positioned all of its core navigation things and account material that a user could possibly want proper on a solitary display screen.

  The screen has now been sorted into multiple sections, like “create”, which must quickly permit you to develop notes, snapshots, or start off that has a file attachment. Other sections on the screen include things like shortcuts, your latest action, as well as a listing of your notes, notebooks, and tags.
  Realistically, that is extra of an aesthetic adjust if just about anything. None of these functions are brand-new.
  Evernote Business is now supported about the Windows Touch app, bringing it to par with its Android and iOS counterparts. Now, Evernote states end users can integrate with their company’s Company Library with the Get Far more section. Within the notebook part about the hub webpage, customers will see not simply their personalized contents, and also office 2010 professional retail these for their company.
  And lastly, to ensure that person information is properly shielded, Evernote is applying two-step verification. This security evaluate was released weeks once the services endured an unauthorized breach in March, which resulted during the corporation resetting its fifty million-plus users’ passwords. In May possibly, Evernote said that two-step verification might be in the beginning available for its premium and Business enterprise people. So even though Home windows Contact application customers have that attribute, you could not be essentially in a position to employ it.
  Two-step verification provides a further security stage to logging in to an Evernote account, and ensures that the person logging into Evernote may be the rightful owner of that particular account. The login course of action with two-step verification enabled needs a username, password and one of a kind code which is sent to the user’s cellular telephone, produced because of the Google Authenticator app or printed out via the user in advance.

2013年6月13日星期四

Xbox One price and release date both blow up in Microsoft’s face

  E3 should have been a coronation for the Xbox One. Microsoft got its new gaming console unveiled before Sony, with well received specs, great looking games, and a new set of internet living room features might even work this time. The only two pieces missing from the Xbox One puzzle were its price and release date, both of which were expected to be formalities. The $499 price being thrown around by those in the know sounded high, but no higher than anyone was expecting from the competition. And as long as it shipped before the holidays, the precise date didn’t matter. But then E3 came and bombs started dropping on Microsoft’s head.
  Microsoft confidently unveiled the price tag of the Xbox One at the E3 gaming conference this week, $499 just as expected, but Sony announced that its PlayStation 4 would cost only $399. Boom. Then Microsoft said that it expects the Xbox One release date to be November. No one in the tech industry ever hits release dates on time when they’re still this far out. Especially Microsoft. So now there’s the good chance that the new Xbox will hit the market too late into the holiday season to have a full impact, or arrive with too little available inventory, or miss the holiday season entirely. Boom again. And that’s before the ongoing tick-tick-tick of Microsoft’s unpopular built-in DRM for Xbox One gaming discs got blown up by Sony’s revelation that PS4 games will be free of DRM entirely.
  Now the Xbox One launch at E3 has shifted from a coronation to a condemnation. Gamers have stopped talking about how cool the new Xbox One games look, or caring about the feature set. Instead they’re whining about how the price is too high, game ownership is too restricted, and wondering if they should buy a PS4 instead because the new Xbox may not arrive this year anyway. Microsoft has a good deal of time to turn around the narrative, but suddenly it’s playing from behind.

Mainly the start Display had the opinions hub

  Apple famously shed an apple iphone 4 prototype in a very bar, sparking a hunt for the individuals associated with the decline and sale of your handset. Microsoft has also dropped a cellphone, a single working a upcoming Home windows Mobile phone 'Blue' model of its cellular software program. A Reddit user posted screenshots and knowledge acquired with the system more than the weekend, building curiosity in unannounced features for Windows Cellphone which incorporated an early prototype of a notification centre. The Verge achieved out into the Reddit user in issue, which would be the tale in the lost magic formula Windows Cellular phone.

  Jeremiah Wong procured a Lumia 920 from eBay on June 5th from the vendor positioned in Seattle. "The cellular phone within the images appeared various," claims Wong, speaking solely into the Verge. "Mainly the start Display had the opinions hub, also etching about the back that browse MSFT." Wong in the beginning assumed the product was a developer package mainly because it experienced the exclusive etching together with a cracked display, however it was a good deal much more essential. So crucial in reality that Microsoft desired it back again.
  Following submitting screenshots on the computer software working around the system, and unintentionally revealing his cellphone quantity inside the method, Wong was contacted by Microsoft's legal team. Microsoft locked the cellular phone remotely and requested that Wong consider down his photos from his Flickr account. "Apparently the male who owned it missing it over a bus. It was then picked up and offered," he claims. As an alternative to pursuing Wong, Microsoft has made available to reimburse him to the cost of the gadget and also ship him a substitute cellular phone. "I was exceptionally amazed on the not enough intimidation as well as far more astonished at their lodging," states Wong.
  Resources common with Microsoft's Windows Telephone options have uncovered for the Verge which the computer software is early prototype perform for an forthcoming update codenamed Blue. Describing the application, Wong suggests it experienced "pretty a great deal anything he wished," but that "a few issues wanted perform still." The screenshots exposed Microsoft's work over a much-requested notification middle for Home windows Mobile phone and a few enhancements to multitasking along with the common usability of the app check out.
  Because the improvements are only in the prototyping section, it is not likely that each one of them are going to be provided in a last version of Windows Cellular phone Blue. The Verge understands this update is not scheduled for release until eventually early subsequent yr. While the screenshots present a notification heart as element of a independent software, it is really possible this implementation ?a if it ships at all ?a will modify by the time Windows Telephone Blue is introduced.
    http://www.windows7retailbox.com/microsoft-office-2010-professional-retail-full-pack-p-3602.html

2013年6月10日星期一

PS4: Sony Teases 'The Dark Sorcerer' At E3 2013

  As part of its PlayStation 4 reveal event, Sony teased "The Dark Sorcerer," an upcoming game for the just-unveiled PS4. The teaser trailer was not a cutscene, but rendered within the game's engine in real time.
  In the teaser trailer, an evil sorcerer is seen conjuring dark forces while assisted by a goblin. We were beginning to get the impression that "The Dark Sorcerer" could be what "Diablo 3" failed to live up to.
  Just as we thought we had a good idea of what "The Dark Sorcerer" was, the trailer cut to a zoomed out shot which revealed that the paranormal scene we were being treated to was actually being shot at a studio.
  The title character then began casually talking with a cameraman or director, who was off-screen. There was also casual and humorous banter between the sorcerer and his goblin assistant. The twist got some chuckles out of us, and though the trailer went from darkly serious to deceptively silly, our interest in "The Dark Sorcerer" did not wane.
  Sony went on to say that more details about "The Dark Sorcerer" will be revealed tomorrow. We can't wait to get a closer look at the game.
  Check out photos of the teaser trailer for "The Dark Sorcerer" below.

Wong suggests it experienced "pretty a lot all the things he wanted,

  Apple famously missing an apple iphone 4 prototype inside a bar, sparking a hunt for that individuals associated with the reduction and sale from the handset. Microsoft has also misplaced a cellphone, 1 running a future Home windows Telephone 'Blue' variation of its mobile software package. A Reddit consumer posted screenshots and knowledge attained within the product over the weekend, making desire in unannounced functions for Windows Cellphone which bundled an early prototype of the notification middle. The Verge arrived at out towards the Reddit person in query, which could be the tale of your shed key Home windows Cellphone.
  Jeremiah Wong ordered a Lumia 920 from eBay on June fifth from the seller positioned in Seattle. "The cellphone while in the pictures looked diverse," suggests Wong, speaking exclusively to your Verge. "Mainly the start Display screen experienced the feed-back hub, also etching about the back again that examine MSFT." Wong in the beginning believed the product was a developer package because it experienced the unique etching together with a cracked screen, but it really was a lot extra crucial. So critical actually that Microsoft needed it back again.
  Soon after publishing screenshots on the computer software running on the device, and accidentally revealing his cellphone number inside the course of action, Wong was contacted by Microsoft's authorized staff. Microsoft locked the mobile phone remotely and requested that Wong choose down his pics from his Flickr account. "Apparently the man who owned it lost it on the bus. It was then picked up and sold," he states. In lieu of pursuing Wong, Microsoft has presented to reimburse him for your expense of the product and likewise ship him a alternative cellphone. "I was unbelievably surprised in the not enough intimidation and in some cases far more stunned at their accommodation," claims Wong.

Resources common with Microsoft's Windows Phone designs have disclosed to the Verge which the software is early prototype function for an impending update codenamed Blue. Describing the computer software, Wong suggests it experienced "pretty a lot all the things he wanted," but that "a several items wanted function continue to." The screenshots discovered Microsoft's work over a much-requested notification heart for Home windows Mobile phone and some enhancements to multitasking and also the common usability in the application perspective.
  Since the advancements are only within the prototyping stage, it is not likely that each one of these will be involved inside of a closing edition of Home windows Cell phone Blue. The Verge understands this update isn't scheduled for release right until early following year. Even though the screenshots demonstrate a notification middle as part of the independent software, it is probable this implementation ?a if it ships in any way ?a will adjust with the time Home windows Mobile phone Blue is produced.

2013年6月2日星期日

Top proxy firm ISS likes SoftBank's offer for Sprint

  A top adviser to mutual funds and other large investors says Sprint shareholders should give the thumbs-up to SoftBank's offer to buy the company, but it doesn't address a rival, preliminary -- and higher -- offer from Dish Network.
  In a report, proxy firm Institutional Shareholder Services said, according to The Wall Street Journal, that SoftBank's $20.1 billion offer "addresses Sprint's most compelling need: capital to acquire additional spectrum and complete the transformation of its network, enabling it to fully compete in the U.S. market."
  The compelling need for capital aside, ISS said SoftBank could make "an excellent strategic partner" for Sprint, given the Japan-based company's deep experience with wireless, "as demonstrated in its postacquisition track record with Vodafone Japan."
  Regarding a potential competing offer of $25.5 billion from Dish, ISS was mum, saying that because "Dish has not yet made its offer directly through a tender -- ISS has not developed a view, from a valuation perspective, on whether the Dish offer is superior to the SoftBank transaction for Sprint shareholders."
  As noted by the Journal, major Sprint shareholders Paulson & Co, Omega Advisers, and others have expressed interest in the Dish proposal, and proxy adviser Egan-Jones has said Sprint shareholders should nix the current SoftBank offer with an eye toward a better one from SoftBank, or toward Dish's proposal.
  But a source told the Journal that Sprint and Dish had been experiencing some friction lately, in part because the companies are competing to acquire wireless-broadband provider Clearwire.
  The Journal reported that Sprint said it's concentrating on finalizing the SoftBank deal. Shareholders are set to vote on that offer June 12, so Dish would have to make a binding offer before that deadline.
  U.S. officials, including members of the Homeland Security and Justice departments, have been reviewing the deal over national security concerns involving the use of Chinese-made networking gear. They've been concerned that the use of such gear in U.S.-based Sprint's network could allow for cyberespionage. But Sprint said Wednesday that the concerns have been addressed by an agreement that reportedly would, among other things, give the U.S. government veto powers over some equipment purchases made by Sprint and require Sprint to remove Chinese-made equipment from its Clearwire network by the end of 2016.
  The issue of cyberspying has been hot lately. President Obama brought it up in March, during a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. And today, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel raised the topic during a speech at a regional security conference in Singapore, as well as during a meeting last night with the deputy chief of staff of China's People's Liberation Army.
  With a security deal having been reached, and the buyout by SoftBank thus cleared by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the acquisition is still subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is expected to give a thumbs-up once it completes a general "public interest" review.
  Update, 4:22 p.m. PT: Regarding cyberspying, The New York Times reported Saturday that the "United States and China have agreed to hold regular, high-level talks on how to set standards of behavior for cybersecurity and commercial espionage."
  Correction, June 2 at 12:41 p.m. PT: The original version of this story mischaracterized the FCC's role in reviewing the proposed Sprint buyout by SoftBank. Sprint said Wednesday that a national security agreement had been reached between the two companies and other U.S. officials. The FCC, for its part, conducts a more general "public interest" review of the acquisition. The story has been updated to reflect this, and the author regrets the error.

As a outcome quite a few people obtain

  World Computer system profits plunged 14% year-on-year within the to start with quarter of 2013, and much from the blame was heaped within the lukewarm reception to Home windows 8. Microsoft's new operating procedure was supposed to provide a lift on the ailing market but has ostensibly unsuccessful to carry out so.
  Microsoft suggests that it's got already shifted 100 million Home windows 8 licenses, which matches the profits rate of Windows 7, but 6 months in the launch with the former, NetApplications stories that Windows 8 only contains a 3.82% share with the desktop OS current market, though Home windows seven and Windows XP even now dominate with forty four.72% and 38.31% respectively. Back again when Windows 7 was also 6 months previous it by now experienced an eleven.94% share, NetApplications suggests.
  "Users are obtaining Windows eight to provide a compromised working experience that does not excel possibly to be a new cell interface or in the classic desktop interface," stated Jay Chou, senior study analyst, according to Reuters. "As a outcome, quite a few people obtain a decrease in the traditional Computer practical experience devoid of getting much from new characteristics like touch. The result is the fact several consumers are apprehensive about upgrading to Windows eight, to state practically nothing of business consumers who're even now just moving into Home windows 7."
  Microsoft, to its credit score, is using energetic measures to handle the numerous person complaints about Windows eight. The tech large will debut the cost-free Home windows 8.one update (code-named "Blue") afterwards this calendar year, which is able to enable customers the option of launching the OS by using a button around the bottom left-hand corner of their screens that's similar for the iconic 'Start' menu of preceding Home windows iterations.
  Will the update change the fate of Home windows eight? Richard Windsor, founding father of the mobile-focused site Radio Free of charge Cellular and a previous tech analyst at Nomura, claims that it's almost irrelevant, mainly because given that Apple has stopped attaining marketplace share in the Pc environment, Computer users will inevitably really have to upgrade to Home windows 8, offered the Microsoft hegemony of the market. Therefore the Redmond, Washington-based corporation will likely not be much too fearful about the fate of Home windows eight at this time.
  The proposition is the fact that of a Microsoft ecosystem, "a unified experience across all devices that is definitely integrated and easy to make use of. But practical and delightful just isn't what consumers see. Possible buyers are introduced with what I confer with as Blue Squares of Loss of life," he claims, noting the issue went away with Home windows seven but sadly resurfaced with Home windows eight.
  "When a person picks up a Windows Cellphone or even a Home windows 8 unit at retail he or she is presented with a display full of blue or purple squares labeled Folks, Maps, Music, Game titles etc. Strike anybody of these squares and practically nothing is observed. Typically, the unit will not be even connected. This can be the equivalent of likely right into a supercar showroom with $100,000 as part of your again pocket and not currently being capable to obtain a test push," opined Windsor.
  "Furthermore, Microsoft features a reliable encounter from console / Television through Computer, pill and phablet all of the method to the cellphone. These units are in no way displayed collectively and therefore prospective purchasers never comprehend this is undoubtedly an ecosystem for every machine. How on this planet Microsoft expects user to purchase Home windows Phones and Windows 8, when it does not display them what it really is effective at and how wide its scope is, is often a secret."
  "As for [Original Devices Manufacturers], the very best issue they can do is arrive up with equipment that happen to be impressive, affordable, and that present new persuasive encounters inside the Windows 8 ecosystem. You'll be able to see this together with the rise of convertibles, ultrabooks, plus the impending start of processors like Intel's Haswell, which purports to significantly increase the battery lifetime of personal computers," Haynes included. "If they don't, the OEMs will discover more and more folks actively searching for to abandon Home windows 8 and starting off the move towards pill computing rather of laptops and desktops.

2013年3月27日星期三

Gordon Stoker, Member of the Jordanaires, Dies at 88


You might not have known the name Gordon Stoker, but odds are you probably have an album in your collection with his vocals represented on it.
Stoker, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 88, was a member of Country Music Hall of Fame vocalists The Jordanaires for over 60 years, with his tenor being heard on records by artists such as Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves. According to the group’s website, total sales of music that included their vocals total more than eight billion copies.
Stoker's son Alan told the Associated Press that Stoker died Wednesday at his home in Brentwood, Tenn., after a lengthy illness.
Born in rural Gleason, Tenn., in northwest Tennessee on August 3, 1924, Stoker joined the group in 1949 -- the year they joined the Grand Ole Opry. He was originally hired as a pianist, but by 1951, the Jordanaires had evolved into a vocal group, bringing fans to their feet at the Ryman Auditorium with their energetic performances of songs of the day in addition to their warm and capable versions of Gospel songs, such as “Noah.”
In 1955, the quartet became acquainted with a local artist who at a show in Memphis who told them if he ever got a recording contract with a major company, he wanted them to back him up. Signed to Sun Records at the time, Elvis Presley made good on his offer, as the singer inked a deal with RCA Victor not soon after. From 1956-1970, the Jordanaires were the background group on the majority of Presley’s records and also appeared on the soundtracks of many of his films in the 1960s.
In addition to Presley, Stoker and the Jordanaires appeared on classic records such as Cline’s “Crazy,” Reeves’ “Four Walls,” and Loretts Lynn’s “Coal Miners’ Daughter”. The group continued to be highly sought-after into the new millenium, with recent performances on albums by The Grascals and Kristin Chenoweth. The group was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

You could shop many on-line outlets


  On the web vogue continues to be in large demand from customers as technology receives much more superior. There are so many retailers offering fashion clothing on the internet that it is not probable you won't discover what you are on the lookout for. You could shop many on-line outlets that has a handful of clicks of the mouse and you can uncover anything you're seeking in minutes. It is easy, it's easy, and you're very likely to search out all the things you'll need.


  Procuring for vogue on the net is entertaining mainly because you are able to peruse various outlets, types, colours and materials. You could locate what you are trying to find by buying many suppliers, all that has a couple clicks on the mouse. You merely sit with your place of work chair and possess enjoyable purchasing for style on the web and also you in no way need to leave your home. Procuring for style apparel online, nevertheless, is really easy you'll be able to shop three or four distinct on the net retailers in a very issue of minutes. You'll need a lot of fun procuring for fashion on the internet

  Fashion on line would not just offer you good choice to select from however , you might also discover benefit addition. You may perhaps even be capable of discover better offers and improved products online than in standard retailers. You could possibly also stop by the website of shops. They usually have wonderful picks and in many cases a great deal of discounted merchandise that are offered on their sites. Plenty of on line catalogs also supply you with the easy potential of shopping for clothing on the internet

  Dresses that make you feel good and produce out the very best in you, all at fantastic charges and avail price reduction clothing and diverse variety from on the web retailers. Discover the best and most current kinds in apparel. Whenever you come across everything you want, all you need to do is pull out your credit history or debit card and buy that which you require.

2013年3月14日星期四

First-look review: Galaxy S 4 stuffed with new technologies that don’t come together


 The Galaxy S 4 has what you’d expect from a new smartphone: a bigger screen and a faster processor. But Samsung didn’t want to stop there when it presented the successor to its hit Galaxy S III. It loaded the new phone with a grab-bag of features that don’t come together as a pleasing whole. The new additions could confuse users.
The Korean company revealed the S 4 for the first time Thursday at an event in New York, and provided reporters with some hands-on time with pre-production units. The final phones will be on sale in April to June period from Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA, US Cellular and Cricket, the company says. If history is any guide, even smaller phone companies will get it, if not right away. The phone companies will set the prices; expect this phone to start at $200 with a two-year contract.


Samsung has competent engineers, and hardware-wise the S 4 is a solid successor to the III. The screen is slightly larger, at 5 inches on the diagonal compared to 4.8 inches for the III and 4 inches for the iPhone 5. It sports a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, as much as you’d find on a high-definition TV set. This should mean that the resolution chase is over in the smartphone area: the eyes just can’t discern any more pixels on these small screens. Competing top-line Android phones already have the same resolution, so Samsung isn’t breaking new ground here.
The bigger screen is crammed into a chassis that’s actually a hair narrower and thinner than the S III’s. This is quite a feat. Samsung shrank the frame surrounding the screen to make room. Shrinking other internal components allowed it to make the battery 20 percent larger than III’s, but Samsung isn’t saying whether that translates into longer battery life — the added battery power could be eaten up by software and hardware changes.
The body is still dominated by softly molded plastic, and the S 4 doesn’t really advance the aesthetics of its predecessor the way competitors Apple, Sony and HTC have done with their latest phones. Apple and HTC, in particular, have put a lot of sweat into machining metal into jewel-like enclosures; Samsung doesn’t seem to care all that much about looks.
Samsung does care about trying to push the envelope on what the phone does, but it may have poked through the envelope, tearing a hole or two in it. It’s probably not a disaster, because most of its features can be turned off, but first-time users could be confused.
For one thing, Samsung is taking the whole “touch screen” thing further by now sensing when the user’s finger is hovering over the screen. In other words, you don’t even need to touch the phone to make it react. Hovering over a thumbnail of a picture in the Gallery will reveal a bigger thumbnail, and hovering over one email in a list will show a preview of its first lines.
The idea is similar to the “mouse hover” feature on a PC, which sometimes reveals things before the mouse is clicked. Implementing it on a smartphone is trickier, though. On the PC, you have to use the mouse, so you’ll discover the hover functions in the normal course of use. But since the feature is new in a smartphone and there’s normally no reason to have your finger hovering over the screen, users are likely to discover this feature by chance. That wouldn’t be so bad if all applications responded to hovering in a consistent manner, but very few applications react to it all. On the S 4, the “Email” app will show previews, but the “Gmail” app won’t. The built-in “Gallery” app will show picture previews, but other photo apps won’t. I suspect users will get tired of trying to hover with their fingers and give up on the whole thing.


The hovering feature also sets the phone up for another problem. In my testing, I found that the phone sometimes registered a close hover as a touch. In other words, the screen was overly sensitive, thinking I was touching it when I wasn’t. This may be fixed by the time the phone is in production, but it’s potentially an annoying issue.
The S 4 tries to divine your intentions in two additional ways. It has an infra-red sensor that looks for hand movements up to about 4 inches away from the phone, and it uses the front-side camera to figure out if it’s front of the user’s face. Thanks to the IR sensor, the phone’s browser responds to an “up swipe” in the air above it with by scrolling up, and to a “side” swipe by jumping to another tab. This could be pretty useful when the smartphone is the lunchtime companion and you don’t want to grease it up with foody fingers, but again, the “air swipe to scroll” shows up in only a few applications.
(Jason DeCrow/ Associated Press ) - JK Shin, President and Head of IT and Mobile Communications for Samsung Electronics, presents the new Samsung Galaxy S 4 during the Samsung Unpacked event at Radio City Music Hall, Thursday, March 14, 2013 in New York.

The camera is supposed to engage when you’re watching a video, pausing playback if it thinks you’re looking away. This didn’t work in the preproduction unit I tested, but it’s hard to imagine that this is a feature to die for.
The list of user interface innovations goes on, but they don’t amount to a coherent new way of interacting with the phone. Nor do they turn the phone into something that’s intelligently aware of what goes on around it. It’s more like Samsung is throwing a bunch of technologies into the phone to see what sticks. Sometimes, that’s how progress works, but consumers might not appreciate being guinea pigs.
The S 4 presents an interesting contrast to the BlackBerry Z10, which is coming out in a few weeks. Research In Motion Ltd. jettisoned the old BlackBerry software and rebuilt it from the ground up. The phone’s hardware isn’t as impressive as Samsung’s, but the software is easy to use, and it’s based on a strong idea: taking the pain out of communicating across email, text messaging and social networks. The S 4, unfortunately, doesn’t have the same clarity of purpose.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


All of us want our kids to be the cutest


  Toddlers' outfits designed of top quality elements and materials are fewer possible to disintegrate during the washer and dryer and even more possible to very last several seasons. It truly is additional likely that the child will outgrow them. You'll be able to buy designer clothes for youths on on the web suppliers.
  Young children specifically replicate on their mother and father. From how they behave, how they react to steerage and authority, how they connect with other young children and in many cases how they dress. Myself a mum, I know how critical it can be to lift a child who respects her dad and mom and lecturers and can enjoy nicely with other young children.
  Everything a child sees, does and says starts off together with the mother or father. A similar goes for his or her visual appeal. Most of us aren't likely to allow our kids from homes with dirty faces or apparel 2-3 sizes way too small or significant for them. Every one of us want our youngsters for being eye-catching and carry themselves perfectly. We place lots of time and strength into the way we costume and have ourselves and we wish the same for our kids.
  The hunt for cute substantial good quality clothes for our youngsters can occasionally become a headache. With all the mass generation of low-priced garments at outlet price ranges, we're all normally tempted to give in and purchase this stuff only for being let down immediately after the initial use. We all are aware that little ones develop from their clothes speedily and all we would like is a thing that may be heading to very last at the very least until eventually they grow outside of them. All of us want our kids to be the cutest little ones in class and baby vogue clothing tend to be the strategy to go. We won't risk the prospect of sending our princess to high school wearing the identical outfit as their classmate. The last matter we want is for our youngsters to really feel unoriginal and come house with tears of their eyes.
Chinese mbroidery handbag


  Most of us wearing designer clothing are not going to search by means of rows and rows of garments for our youngsters. We wish just the very best and also the very best arrives from designers. But in which would you come across affordable designer garments for the young ones? Really don't squander your time and energy searching in the racks for something you wouldn't dress in you in the event the great newborn fashion outfits are less complicated and fewer of the inconvenience to find. The best quality products and materials are much less probably to disintegrate within the washer and dryer plus much more probably to last some seasons. It is additional possible that the kid will outgrow them. Over time you save income and time by acquiring your little ones something they can be proud to put on and something you can be proud to point out then off in.
  The online world will be the greatest strategy to go. We could access a broader market and come across excellent bargains on all child vogue garments of all main manufacturers. All the things is simply a click on away and convenient in comparison to the typical department store browsing. You may shop even though viewing tv or likely to slumber alternatively than jostling with crowds in a fast paced mall that it always handles more readers than it may possibly just one weekends. Whether you need woman costume up or boys' dresses, these will be available there.
  In no way worry about your child's visual appearance reflecting inadequately upon on your own. For those who will not use it, why put it on your infant! They are worthy of nothing a lot less compared to the ideal and designer clothing tend to be the fantastic answer for the kid's needs.

2013年2月25日星期一

Huawei Launches “World’s Fastest” LTE Phone


Huawei, which in the last quarter of last year was the world’s third largest seller of smartphones, launched their Ascend P2 smartphone, which the Chinese company claims is the fastest LTE device on the market.

In the hubbub of Mobile World Congress getting your phone out the day before the event officially opens is a way of getting above the noise so it was a sharp move on their part.

What did the assembled media and analysts make of the phone? See for yourself in this round up of a few tweets and comments.

The specialty of designer clothing is that


  Designer clothes is the symbol of style. Designer clothes is desirable for a lot of folks and increasing prices of numerous things of clothes made them out in the crowd, making an atmosphere of exclusivity. Exclusive designer clothing has designs and patterns and are produced up with higher excellence supplies and master craftsmanship which offers them an improved lengthy life and makes them enhanced worth for funds.The specialty of designer clothing is that, even when not rather distinctive, they are pretty elite. Designer clothes appears terrific as the designers are specialists at cutting luxurious fabrics into fantastic pieces to sew collectively in large clothing. Designer garments are far superior to 3 dollars shirt purchased on the street because they may be of improved excellence which lasts longer both sensible and style wise, than the clothing around the road. A self-confidence shopper does not have to be in one particular of your fashion capitals like New York or Paris to purchase designer garments. The online world is now a magnificent source for clients who can decide on the types of garments created by fashion designers worldwide.

Chinese clothes

  Lately, globe wide trend has witnessed the purchase of clothes. These range of designer clothes jackets, shirts, T-shirts, casuals, formals, below garments to all kinds of men and women clothes. A consumer who buys garments desires clothing that is certainly reduce in the finest fabrics and carefully sewn into spectacular made garments. Style clothes is created in order that they may be quite casual, but they have an air of sophistication as well. Whatever the figure or size you can find garments and accessories that could make you really feel smart and confident.
  Fashionable people today purchase the newest clothing stand out from the crowd and look excellent among their peers. The latest trends designer t-shirts, handbags, fashion dresses, skirts, jackets, trousers and more. Individuals get what they want to demonstrate. In line with a person'sbudget, style taste and their size and shape will finally determine what kind of designer clothing to purchase and put on. Shopping for clothing on line system is the easiest strategy to access the principle designers of clothes that you simply desire to put on. Unless you have your very own private jet and limitlesscredit card to travel to style capitals on the planet.
  Our society perceives on style as a kind of expression, this can be why clothes is so popular. Designer clothing are in style, and for those who pick to buy them to become the center of concentration. Every person must feel good concerning the way they see in the course of their life and clothes is an excellent way to obtain the look you wish.

2013年2月1日星期五

Who is the guy in that Bar Refaeli GoDaddy Super Bowl ad?


One of this year's most talked-about Super Bowl ads is a GoDaddy spot featuring Bar Refaeli. As part of its “smart meets sexy” campaign, the Israeli supermodel kisses a bookish GoDaddy engineer. While Refaeli’s face is familiar to millions around the world, having graced the cover of countless magazine spreads, you may have a harder time placing the face of the actor portraying the engineer.
Actor Jesse Heiman has earned a reputation as Hollywood’s best known extra, having made silent cameos in more than 60 films and TV shows. His big break came as an extra in American Pie 2. Since then, he has had brief but memorable appearances in films like Old School and The Social Network.

Who is the guy in that Bar Refaeli GoDaddy Super Bowl ad?
Heiman’s distinctive looks have made him a favourite of Hollywood casting agents, who have tended to typecast him. The 34-year-old actor has played nameless characters such as “Nerd”, “Nerd #1″, Nerdy Guy.” “Winking Comic Book Nerd,” “Comic Shop Customer,” “3rd UFO Enthusiast” and “Locker Room Student – with Inhaler.” You get the idea.
Heiman says he was elated to take part in the Go Daddy Super Bowl. According to Ad Age, the kissing scene with Refaeli, which took 45 takes to complete, left him feeling like he won the “championship of men.”
If you’re looking to get more familiar with Heiman’s work, one film buff created a Jesse Heiman highlight reel

With 'House Of Cards,' Netflix Begins The Future Of TV


Friday was the beginning of the end of television as we know it -- or at least that's what Netflix would like you to believe.
The popular video-streaming service released the political drama "House of Cards" early Friday morning. The star-studded series about the underbelly of D.C. politics -- featuring glittery names like Kevin Spacey and executive producer David Fincher -- cost Netflix $100 million to make. That's a whopping price, until you consider what Netflix is trying to buy. Sensing moneyed competition from Amazon and Google, Netflix is taking a chance on premium original content to secure its customer base, ensure its survival and become the next HBO.
Reed Hastings has a vision for TV that ought to scare studio heads as much as Netflix's first business -- direct-by-mail DVDs -- scared Blockbuster. According to profile of Hastings in this month's GQ, he and his executives imagine a TV land where episodes don't conform to 22-minute-long blocks, directors aren't beholden to corporate middlemen and viewers don't have to wait week to week to watch episodes.
(For further elaboration on Hastings' grand plan, read Nancy Moss's profile.)
Early Friday morning Netflix put up all 13 episodes of "House of Cards" and asks its subscribers to binge away. The success of this grand experiment hinges much on how good of a show "House of Cards" turns out being. Currently, the show is getting a 62 out of 100 on Metacritic, based off of an aggregation of 22 reviewers. That puts it somewhere between FX's "The Americans" and Fox's "The Following" -- a good rating, but is it good enough to earn Netflix enough new members to break even on the project?

After crunching the numbers, the Atlantic Wire's Rebecca Greenfield notes that Netflix will need an additional 520,000 subscribers to cover the $100 millon cost of the project -- not a significant increase, percentage-wise, to its existing 33 million userbase. Netflix's plan is to roll out at least five new shows a year, meaning they'll realistically need a 10 percent increase in users to cover costs.
Yes, "House of Cards," a remake of a popular British drama from the 1990s, was somewhat of a safe bet considering its success across the pond. But coming in April is a new season of the cult hit "Arrested Development," which will surely draw even more customers to Netflix's banana stand than "Cards" will.

Netflix is known for its PR disasters, like most recently when raised prices and unbundled its DVD and streaming businesses and lost hundreds of thousands of customers. It may very well have another up its sleeve. But based on positive critical reaction, which you can check out below, Netflix is already off to a really good start to its HBO-ification.

2013年1月21日星期一

RIM CEO says company is open to licensing new OS, stock jumps 10 percent


After Research in Motion's CEO told a German newspaper the company may be considering big changes, the company's stock shot up on the Toronto Stock Exchange, ending Monday more than 10 percent up, at CAN$17.41 ($17.41).
In an interview with Die Welt (The World), Thorsten Heins, the German-born executive, suggested that the company could sell the company’s hardware division, or license its upcoming operating system, known as BlackBerry 10—as part of the company’s “comprehensive review.”
"The main thing for now is to successfully introduce Blackberry 10. Then we'll see," he told the German paper (Google Translate).
Given the company's struggles in recent years—against the iPhone and Android—it seems likely that licensing the OS would be one way of shoring up the company's finances.
In a hands-on with the new OS at CES earlier this month, Ars editor Florence Ion found it to be very gestures-heavy, noting that “upon first use, we had a difficult time understanding which gestures to use and how to swipe between screens without bringing up something we weren't trying to.”
That said, Canadian financial analysts seemed to be relatively bullish on the company and its pending launch of BlackBerry 10 on January 30.
"There are several emerging datapoints that suggest this may be a more successful product cycle than many expected," Tom Astle of Byron Capital, wrote in an investor’s note, raising his price target from CAN$14 to CAN$18.

You will find always a number of dressing alternatives for girls


  There has been an innocent argument involving every couple irrespective of whether they want a child girl or a baby boy. It can be at some point a child girl that the father wants as well as a child boy that a mother wants. But visualize the diversity of explorations that you could do in case you have a sweet tiny baby girl in your arms! You are able to obtain her all types of infant girl clothes, toys, accessories and shoes the will only adorn her organic beauty. It is possible to dress her just like a cute doll or perhaps a beautiful princess. You will find always a number of dressing alternatives for girls that the boys are normally deprived of. You may have frocks, skirts and tops in conjunction with the wide variety of pins, clips artka dress and accessories that basic make her look the very best. You certainly want your little angel to appear the prettiest normally!
Chinese style clothing

  Just envision the exclusivity of new fashionable clothes that happen to be properly tailored only for the infant girl. You will discover endless options of cute skirts to choose from, tops that appear wow and these tiny, pretty frocks that would look actually flawless on your tiny princess. Child style clothes have now turn out to be the talk with the town due to the fact each and every single parent wants their young children to appear the best. Becoming fashionable was a slice for the adults but now has turn into a a part of the lives on the young ones also. In fact, men and women have gone to such an extent exactly where the children are observed to become walking the aisle on the ramp for fashion shows of huge brands that offer clothes for youngsters. The cute little boys and girls are all decked up with make-up and those jazzy clothes just to lure some parents with these eye catchy outfits. It has been a controversial situation for pretty a sometime about acquiring the little ones operate, but seriously, who cares when its dollars at question? About the other hand, when it is concerning the parents, they just observe the fashionable clothes and get them for the small ones if that's what they like, without having contemplating the higher costs of it. These designer infant outfits might be also smaller in size but are extremely extremely priced indeed!
  Nobody would have ever believed that style would touch the planet of infant clothing too but with the rapid progress, almost everything and something has develop into achievable! The small ones are noticed wearing these miniskirts and halter tops wanting to look and be the top, but someplace, the innocence is lost! Though handful of of these jazzy outfits may perhaps in fact appear superior but most of them just kill the innocence and make the kid a fashionable mannequin! You may have also observed several men and women dressing their cute infant girls in such clothes, that don't even fit them, however they just are forced to put on them to look fantastic. The parents have a craze that their infant ought to appear by far the most adorable one particular, irrespective what looks excellent and what does't!
  Girls are the ones who had often been picky with their look correct in the get started. They require accessories like chains, bangles, earrings and everything else to place around the appear on the most recent trend that everybody is adapting to. But when talking of child girl clothes, they may be also selected to create the sweet tiny girl give the impression of getting cute and innocent and of her age. So normally select the proper sort of clothes that suit your tiny daughter and make her a true princess!

2013年1月8日星期二

Celebrate Elvis Presley's Birthday By Taking A Look Inside Graceland


Today is Elvis Presley’s birthday and to celebrate we’re taking a look inside his beloved home, Graceland. Located in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee, Graceland was purchased by Presley in 1957. The nearly 14-acre home was occupied by The King until his death on August 16, 1977.

Graceland has eight bedrooms and bathrooms, not to mention the famous Jungle Room that has an indoor waterfall and was eventually turned into a recording studio. We’re also particularly fond of the carpeted ceiling found in the game room. But of course, words could never really describe the awesomeness that is Graceland, so take a click through our slideshow to see photos that were taken by our very own editors. Join us in wishing Elvis Presley (what would have been) a very happy 77th birthday.