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Friday 11 October 2013

This Week’s Apple Rumors, Ranked From Dumbest to Most Plausible

Production of the iPhone 5c may be slowing, according to a report out of China. Photo: Alex Washburn/WIRED

Each week, there are dozens of Apple rumors, reports, and patent filings that hint at what’s coming out of Cupertino next. Some are legit, but most are totally bogus. We parse the week’s rumors for you, ranking them in order from “utterly ridiculous” to “duh, of course.” First up…

DON’T COUNT ON IT: Apple iWatch Will Be a Home Automation Portal
Forget about access to texts and tweets, snapping photos, and all the other wrist-based activities associated with smartwatches. Apple’s ambitions go far beyond such mundane tasks, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White says. He expects the rumored Apple iWatch will let you control things like home lighting and temperature, music and entertainment, energy use, and security. It would be a “multi-purpose gateway” into the home. White reportedly talked with Apple’s Taiwanese and mainland China suppliers to get this insight. While this is certainly a possibility (and it sounds good to us), information about Apple’s iWatch is still pretty suspect this early in the game.

ASK AGAIN LATER: iPhone 5c Production Getting Halved
Chinese site C Technology reports that Apple is slicing its iPhone 5c production from 300,000 units to 150,000 units per day. The drop could be due to wide availability, weak demand, or just a part of the iPhone 5c’s production plan. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of iPhone 5c’s at hand. The gold iPhone 5s on the other hand…

ASK AGAIN LATER: A 12-Inch Retina Display MacBook Air for 2014?
Ever since Apple debuted the Retina Display MacBook Pro in mid 2012, OS X users have been wondering: How long until we get a Retina MacBook Air? According to DisplaySearch, we’ll get one sometime in 2014. Based on DisplaySearch’s supply chain research, they think Apple is going to “revamp nearly all of the displays in its products over the next year.” A report out of Korea last week also suggested Apple would be making big changes to its display lineup in 2014. While it’s possible Apple could debut a Retina iPad next year, I question the 12-inch size in this report — why would Apple not stick with the current 13-inch size for a Retina display MacBook Air?

WITHOUT A DOUBT: Apple to Hold iPad Event October 22
Looks like Apple’s next media event will take place October 22, according to AllThingsD (and past Apple example). Previously, the rumor was October 15, but seeing as no invites went out this week, that’s definitely not happening. If Apple follows the same timing between its September and October events as it did last year, October 22 would be the date.

WITHOUT A DOUBT: Apple’s 5th-Gen iPad Gets the Space Gray Treatment
If this isn’t the next iPad decked out in space gray, then I’ll be darned. A whole mess of images come to us via Sonny Dickson, who’s been accurately leaking photos of other Apple products like the iPhone 5c this year. As we’ve seen from other leaked photos, the new iPad will be much slimmer and look more iPad mini-like. Between the number of leaked images, the proximity to Apple’s next event, and the way Apple tends to style its product lineups, I would expect the next iPad to look like the photos and signs suggest.

Source: http://feeds.wired.com/c/35185/f/661457/s/32584419/sc/5/l/0L0Swired0N0Cgadgetlab0C20A130C10A0Cthe0Eweeks0Eapple0Erumors0C/story01.htm
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Friday 2 August 2013

Andy Samberg's Fox role inspired by 'The Wire'

Maria Elena Fernandez TODAY

3 hours ago

Andy Samberg is on a new Fox comedy "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."

Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

Actor Andy Samberg at the Television Critics Association summer press tour for his new Fox comedy "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."

Andy Samberg's family knew he was funny when he was an infant and relieved himself in a bathtub, then laughed hysterically about it.?

"My sister started squealing and laughing and I started laughing hysterically," Samberg said told reporters at the Television Critics Association's press tour Thursday for his first post-"Saturday Night Live" TV show, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," which premieres on Fox on Sept. 17. "And my mom said, 'That?s when we knew.' I like to think I haven?t matured in my comedy at all since then."

Samberg, 34, plays a smug and effective detective in the workplace comedy set in a Brooklyn police precinct. Although his character, Jake Peralta, can be goofy, he's also the best detective in the house.

"He's like McNulty from 'The Wire,' except instead of drinking problems and philandering he's being a jackass," Samberg said. "I think it's important for the show to work, because otherwise why do you care? If he?s actually good at it, you can forgive him from being a jackass."

"He's comedy McNulty!" added executive producer Dan Goor.

Samberg said he wasn't looking to become a series regular on a television show. But when "Parks and Recreation" executive producers Goor and Michael Schur, who created "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" in a similar documentary-style format, approached him, he couldn't resist.

"I was not looking to do a TV series at all," Samberg said. "But I?m a huge fan of 'Parks' and I?ve seen what these guys have done with (Amy Poehler), who is basically my hero and idol ... it was too good to pass up."

The diverse cast includes Andre Braugher, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Chelsea Peretti and Stephanie Beatriz, who plays a detective and is excited to be one of two Latinas on the show.

"It never happens that you look over and there?s another Latina actress on the same show with you and we?re not doing accents," Beatriz said. "Nobody?s doing anything spicy, you know? It?s amazing, it?s incredible and it does reflect this room and the United States."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/andy-sambergs-brooklyn-nine-nine-character-inspired-wire-6C10820642

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Ikea's New App Transports Furniture Right Into Your Living Room

Ikea's messed around with augmented reality before, but this year they've really outdone themselves. With just a phone and a copy of the catalog, you can now call up a digital version of any piece of furniture and put it anywhere in your home.

Mayor believes stadium is good investment

Topics:? debt, mackay regional council, money, nrl, virgin australia stadium

Mayor Deirdre Comerford said the stadium is a great asset.

RATEPAYERS have paid off more than $600,000 of debt, which was left in the hands of the Mackay Regional Council after it took over operations of the Virgin Australia Stadium.

Mayor Deirdre Comerford said it wasn't "pleasant" to have to tell the community the extent of the $635,000 bill, which includes paying off outstanding power bills, wages and the cost of hosting NRL matches.

But she is confident the $11.3?million stadium is a solid investment for the community.

The public was invited to attend yesterday morning's press conference, and councillors showed a united front, with many of them watching the mayor address the media pack. Council is in the process of developing a business plan to manage the cost of the stadium, she said.

"The key is ... that we will develop a business plan, so we can ensure for our community that we can run this as effectively, and cost effectively as we can," Cr Comerford said.

The current Virgin Australia Stadium manager, Julie Anderson, will finish up in early September, and a senior officer at the MECC will take charge. At the moment there is a $200,000 line in the council budget allocated to fund the running of the stadium.

The Bulldogs versus Knights NRL match, which was played only a month after council was in control of the stadium, ran at an $185,000 loss.

But $450,000 of debts were left to council, when they took over operations.

"There were power bills outstanding for about $70,000 and it was also down to maintenance and cleaning bills, fire alarm maintenance ... top dressing the field," she said.

"So those figures are real bills owed to real businesses in Mackay. And one can say ... council was doing the right thing by many local businesses in our community."

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Do you believe the stadium is a good investment?

POSSIBILITY OF NO MORE NRL GAMES

THE stadium won't host another NRL game if councillors know it will run at a loss.

That's the opinion of Mayor Deirdre Comerford.

She said they would have to know if events like that would, at the least, "break even", to get a green light by councillors.

Bulldogs? Ben Barba evades a tackle from Knights? Jarrod Mullen during the NRL match held at Virgin Australia Stadium last month. Peter Holt

"But it is clear to say, we can still see the value of having an NRL match, for a variety of reasons," she said.

Cr Comerford has been in meetings with NRL officials to discuss the stadium's best bet at hosting an event.

The previous match was a huge learning curve, and things would change if another game of that scale was to be held at the stadium.

"There are better ways to do things for the future," she said.

However, the Virgin Australia Stadium has key events coming up.

Mackay District Rugby League has secured a deal to host their grand final match later this year.

And on September 21 the stadium will be filled with big hats and boots when the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) bring their show to Mackay.

Cr Comerford said, if the opportunity to host another musical spectacular, like March's KISS concert, came about, council would absolutely look into it.

CUTTERS HOPE TO STAY

THE Mackay Cutters have called the Virgin Australia Stadium home for two years, and executive officer Glenn Ottaway hopes it will stay that way.

Mayor Deirdre Comerford said the agreement allowing the Cutters to stay on board at the stadium would be looked at in council's development plan.

"Certainly they are currently tenants at the stadium and they will be part of the business plan going forward, so they will need to pay their way," she said.

Mr Ottaway said increased cost on the Cutters would be a huge burden on the club.

"We are a not-for-profit organisation, everything we earn is from the support of sponsors and the community, but 100% of what we make goes back into the club," he said.

Cr Comerford said the Cutters were unique, in comparison to other clubs, as they didn't have a leagues club with poker machines pooling in money for them.

Mr Ottaway said Cutters and council officials had been meeting regularly, even daily, to discuss operations at the stadium. He said he was promised by council they would ride out the rest of the season, and was confident they could make an agreement with council.

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Source: http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/mayor-believes-stadium-is-good-investment/1968928/

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Thursday 1 August 2013

Can Microsoft Rebound From Surface Flop?

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Tablet Buying Demystified: 10 Tips

Like an overmatched but determined boxer, Microsoft's Surface line has been absorbing abuse for months -- and on Tuesday, the devices took a punch straight to the chin.

In its annual 10-K report to the SEC, Microsoft revealed that its Surface products are hemorrhaging even more cash than previously thought. CEO Steve Ballmer's reorganized company now faces a tough question: Can it increase adoption before its Surface line -- particularly the RT model -- is down for the count?

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Tuesday's report added new dimension to the scope of Microsoft's problem. The company evidently took in only $853 million in Surface-related revenue in all of its fiscal 2013, which started in July 2012. That's almost $50 million less than the $900 million write-down Microsoft recently took to accommodate a $150 Surface RT price reduction.

What's more, Microsoft increased its marketing budget by almost $1 billion during the reported period, mostly to advertise Windows 8 and the Surface products. Because Windows 8 and the Surface RT didn't hit the market until late October, Microsoft's tablet revenue represents only two-thirds of the fiscal year, which means that in only 8 months, the company spent a gargantuan amount of money attempting -- and failing -- to attract consumers.

[ Windows 8.1 Enterprise includes a lot to assuage business users, but plenty of questions remain. Read Microsoft Releases Windows 8.1 Enterprise Preview. ]

To be fair, there are only a few tech companies that can casually absorb billion-dollar losses, and Microsoft is one of them. Still, the situation is bleak for several reasons.

The $853 million in revenue includes both the Surface Pro and the Surface RT. In May, IDC estimated that Microsoft sold about 900,000 combined Surface units in the first three months of the year. This is a relatively paltry sum (IDC estimated that Apple sold 19 million iPads over the same period), but some had speculated that the Surface Pro, which arrived months after the RT model and was initially subject to stock shortages, was selling better than its sibling. Microsoft's disclosure suggests that both tablets have struggled, however.

The SEC report is also just the latest in a two-week barrage of negative Windows RT news. Other examples include Steve Ballmer's uncharacteristically direct admission that the device has underperformed, as well as Asus's decision to abandon development of Win RT products. Asus chairman Jonny Shih told All Things D that the OS is "not very promising," and virtually all of Microsoft's OEM partners have now dumped their Windows RT plans.

With the PC market in disarray and Windows 8 still struggling, Microsoft's Surface woes are only one facet of the company's larger challenges. The company hopes to improve sales of both PCs and tablets with Windows 8.1, however, and Ballmer confirmed in July that new Surface models are in development. The OS update should help Windows 8 overall -- but the question still remains: How is Microsoft going to reverse the Surface's dreadful performance?

Source: http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/can-microsoft-rebound-from-surface-flop/240159201?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_software

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Wednesday 31 July 2013

Universal law for light absorption in 2-D semiconductors

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Researchers have demonstrated a universal law of light absorption for 2-D semiconductors. This discovery not only provides new insight into the optical properties of 2-D semiconductors and quantum wells, it should also open doors to exotic new optoelectronic and photonic technologies.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/w8aQPeXcKS0/130731133210.htm

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Instagram reportedly blocking images uploaded through some third-party apps

~~Hipstamatic Oggl app users might want to rethink those subscriptions.~~ Select Windows Phone 8 imaging apps, such as Instance, may no longer be able to upload images to Instagram's photo sharing service. According to a spokesperson's comment published on The Verge, the site has updated its API, restricting access to third-party apps in an effort to "fight spam to help prevent future attacks and increase security." Images apparently still pop up on the platform, but are deleted seconds later. For now, it appears that the only way to share images on Instagram is to capture them directly within the app, or through a supported service like Hipstamatic Oggl, leaving some WP8 and BlackBerry users out in the cold. Let's hope this unwelcome change means additional OS support is on the way.

Update: We spoke to an Instagram representative, who provided the same ambiguous response we've already seen reported. "We recently made an update to the systems that we use to fight spam to help prevent future attacks and increase security. As part of this, applications accessing Instagram against the terms of our API may also be affected. This update does not specifically target any particular app or platform." Unfortunately, it's not clear which apps are affected, including Hipstamatic Oggl, but we're currently testing several third-party offerings and we'll share our results shortly.

Update 2: We've managed to test Hipstamatic Oggl, and the app was successfully able to upload an image to Instagram. It appears that this new restriction is limited to apps that aren't accessing the service in line with API requirements.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Internet, Facebook