Viacom 2Q earnings up 56 percent

NEW YORK (AP) — Viacom Inc., the owner of Paramount Pictures, MTV and Comedy Central, on Thursday said its net income rose 56 percent in the latest quarter, even though a slate of movies that was lackluster compared with last year held back revenue.

Viacom earned $585 million, or $1.07 per share, in the January to March quarter. That compares with $376 million, or 63 cents per share, it earned in the same period last year. Viacom has bought back shares, reducing stock outstanding and boosting earnings per share.

Excluding special items, earnings were 98 cents per share in the fiscal second quarter, 9 cents above the average analyst estimate as polled by FactSet.

The New York-based media company said its revenue rose 2 percent to $3.33 billion, matching analyst estimates.

Revenue rose 5 percent at Viacom's TV networks, and fell 5 percent at Paramount, as movies like "The Devil Inside," ''A Thousand Words," and "Jeff, Who Lives at Home," did not match hits from last year like "Rango" and "No Strings Attached."

However, the lower movie revenue was more than offset by lower distribution costs, so Paramount's operating income expanded, contributing to the overall profit increase.

Viacom's Class B shares dropped 49 cents, or 1 percent, to $46.94 in premarket trading Thursday.

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CEOs rank Texas tops for business, California worst

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Texas remains the top state for business and California still holds the title for the worst, according to an annual ranking of states by Chief Executive magazine released on Wednesday.

Chief Executive each year surveys CEOs and asks them to grade states in which they do business. This year 650 responded, giving Texas high marks "foremost for its business-friendly tax and regulatory environment," a report on the survey and ranking said on the magazine's website.

"Texas easily clinched the No. 1 rank, the eighth successive time it has done so," the report said. "California earns the dubious honor of being ranked dead last for the eighth consecutive year."

California "appears to slip deeper into the ninth circle of business hell," the report said. "Each year, the evidence that businesses are leaving California or avoid locating there because of the high cost of doing business due to excessive state taxes and stringent regulations, grows."

New York was ranked just ahead of California.

New York's unemployment rate stood at 8.5 percent in March, compared with California's 11.0 percent jobless rate that month, which was the third highest state unemployment rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Texas posted a jobless rate of 7.0 percent that month, compared with a national average of 8.2 percent.

Chief Executive's report may be found at http://chiefexecutive.net/best-worst-states-for-business-2012

(Reporting By Jim Christie; Editing by Richard Chang)

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Freddie Mac profit falls, needs $19 million in aid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Freddie Mac , the No. 2 provider of U.S. mortgage money, said on Thursday it will seek another $19 million in taxpayer aid after its quarterly profit failed to make up for a dividend payment to the government for its controlling stake.

Net income fell to $577 million from $676 million in the year-ago quarter. The drop was mainly due to derivatives losses totaling $1.06 billion, up from $427 million a year earlier and $766 million in the previous 3-month period.

Still, the $19 million from the U.S. Treasury in the first quarter is less than the $146 million needed in the last quarter of 2011.

Freddie Mac and larger rival Fannie Mae , which own or guarantee about 60 percent of U.S. home loans, have been sustained by taxpayer support since the government seized them at the height of the financial crisis in September 2008.

In the first quarter, the company and its federal regulator focused more on "shifting risk to private investors" and reducing the size of the government's role in the housing finance market, Freddie Mac Chief Executive Charles Haldeman said in a statement.

Freddie Mac has now tapped $72.3 billion in Treasury aid and paid $18.3 billion to the government in dividends. The company said the money owed to the government from cash infusions will drive future losses.

Fannie Mae, which has yet to report quarterly results, has borrowed more than $116 billion from the government and paid almost $20 billion via dividends.

Both companies do not directly make loans to consumers. Rather, they buy and insure mortgages from banks, freeing up cash for more lending.

(Reporting by Margaret Chadbourn; editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jeffrey Benkoe)

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Obama's top security adviser to travel to Russia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's top security aide will be in Moscow this week for meetings with Russian officials on the U.S.-Russia relationship and other issues, the White House said on Wednesday.

National Security Adviser Tom Donilon's two-day trip comes ahead of a G-8 leaders' summit the United States is hosting this month as well as an expected White House meeting between Obama and Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said Donilon would meet senior Russian officials on Thursday and Friday "to review key issues in our bilateral and international agenda as well as to consult on upcoming U.S.-Russian high-level engagement."

(Reporting By Laura MacInnis; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

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Robert Doisneau Google doodle marks centenary of his birth

Famous French photographer's landmark shots adorn search engine's homepage

Robert Doisneau Google doodle

His photographs once adorned the walls of student residences everywhere but now on the centenary of his birth, 14 April, Robert Doisneau, the French photographer, is himself the latest subject of Google's homepage, the Google doodle.

Doisneau was born on 14 April 1912 and is best known for the photograph, "The Kiss by the Town Hall" in which in a young couple, oblivious to the bustle around them kiss. The photograph, which has the Paris town hall in the back ground and the tables of a cafe in the foreground, has been reproduced on cards and posters.

It was first published in Life magazine in 1950 and Doisneau allowed people to think that it was not a staged photograph. One couple, believing they were featured kissing in the photograph, sued the photographer. In court, Doisneau revealed that it was another couple who he had seen kissing and then asked them to model for him. He then took them to a series of locations in Paris. The couple who wrongly believed they were in the photograph lost their claim.

Doisneau's speciality was street photos and he avoided fashion or other forms of reportage. He was awarded a series of prizes for his work and he died in 1994.

View orginal artical here- Google

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Loder1899's Range Rover Evoque Horus gets wide

German aftermarket tuner Loder1899 tells us Horus was an Egyptian god, and Wikipedia says he was usually depicted as a falcon or a man with a falcon's head. While we're not seeing much that's bird-like in this customized Range Rover Evoque, a new front fascia with integrated fender flares and a similar treatment for the other end means the Evoque no longer looks like the baby of the Land Rover clan. The vehicle in the photos is also fitted with optional gigantic 11x23-inch wheels shod with 315/35R23 Michelins and a lowered suspension. Without them, the conversion runs €3,032 – or about $4,000, including German taxes. Awful or awesome? Let us know what you think in the comments.

 View orginal artical here- Loder1899

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Intel's Ivy Bridge Launch Hints of Refreshed MacBook Pro

Intel's Ivy Bridge processors, which are expected to feature in new MacBook Pros, may ship on April 23. This could mean a new MacBook Pro could launch as early as Tuesday, April 24.

Authorized Apple resellers are suffering from low 15in MacBook Pro stock, which suggests that Apple is slowing production of the current MacBook Pro line-up in preparation for a redesigned MacBook Pro launch.

Intel's Ivy Bridge processor announcement had been anticipated for the end of the month, but according to DigiTimes sources it has been bought forward to April 23, with various notebook manufacturers planning to release ultrabooks in May. Apple is expected to be the first manufacturer to launch an Ivy Bridge-equipped laptop.

The new MacBook Pro lineup may include a new thinner and lighter 15-inch MacBook Pro, borrowing its styling from the MacBook Air. As a result the optical drive will be removed and the traditional hard disk drives will be scrapped in favour of SSDs. Later this year MacBook Pros with up to 800GB SSD could become available, after Intel announced new solid-state drives with storage of up to 800GB.

View orginal artical here- Intel

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Google CEO Reveals Android's Tablet Future

In Google's most recent earnings report, CEO Larry Page said of "lower priced tablets that run Android" that "we definitely have a belief that there is going to be a lot of success at the lower end of the market as well, with lower priced products that will be very significant. And it's definitely an area we think is important and are quite focused on."

Analysts like those at Droid Life believe Page was alluding to the 7-inch "Nexus tablet" that Google's reportedly working on. This piece on The Week sums up the reports, including the expected July launch date. But it's worth pointing out that the tablets at "the lower end of the market" which are currently having "a lot of success" aren't the generic-brand Target specials, or even the lowest end Samsung Galaxy Tabs. They're the Barnes and Noble Nook Color (and Nook Tablet) and Amazon's Kindle Fire, neither of which run what Page called "the full Google version of Android" but both of which have sold in the millions, and are the only "tablets" that have any mainstream mindshare or marketshare aside from Apple's iPad.

Here's a look at the reasons why, and the ways Google may be pursuing an identical strategy.

Cheaper price and smaller form factor than the iPad

This part is basically non-controversial. No $399-$499, 10-inch tablet has managed to successfully compete with the iPad, if by "successfully compete" you mean "drawn any significant percentage of buyers away from it." But the Kindle and Nook have, because they aren't just generic-brand iPads; they're iPad-like devices that less-affluent buyers can actually afford, and that people who already have an iPad can pick up in addition to it. For about the same price as an iPod Touch, you get a device with a much larger screen, that's tied into the same e-book and media store you may already use on your black-and-white e-reader.

Integrated content store

"Content" means more than just apps. It means games, music, movies, and e-books. Of the three successful tablet companies so far, all three run their own stores, and Google's rebranding of the Android Market as "Google Play" shows its desire to put a Google-owned content ecosystem at the forefront of the experience. Which means that just like how Amazon's store and the iTunes store are wired into the Kindle and iPad all over the place, the Google Play store may be too if Google can make its own tablet. Which may involve ...

A custom OS or UI skin

As Charlie Kindel opines in a blog essay, Google will abandon Android, by which he means the Android brand and "generic" Android design. Instead, something more like the Kindle Fire or Nook Color is likely, which may not even be Android branded but might be Google Play branded instead. (Too bad they can't call it the Google Play Station.)

End-to-end control of the experience

Amazon, Apple, and Barnes and Noble all control the entire official experience you have with their tablets, including the software, the hardware, and retail. (Amazon and Barnes and Noble use Google's Android code, but because it's open-source they can modify it all they want.) Now that Google's bought Motorola, expect it to start building its own tablets for this initiative; if not at first, then soon afterwards.

The biggest problem for Google, with this regard, is its lack of a retail presence. The company tried selling Nexus One phones directly from its website a couple of years ago, and didn't do all that well with it. Worse, Google Play lags behind its competitors' retail cachet as well. No one thinks of Google the same way that they do of Apple or Amazon ... but that may be exactly how Google thinks that it needs to be seen, in order to survive the decline of its search business.

View orginal artical here- Android

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The People vs. Apple

The U.S. DoJ has slammed Apple and several major book publishers with a suit alleging price-fixing in the e-book market. Apple, according to the suit, worked with publishers to foist a new business model onto the e-book industry -- one that took pricing controls away from retailers. Meanwhile, Nokia and Microsoft got serious, Facebook got Instagram, and Best Buy's CEO got out of Dodge.

Apple has been accused of acting as ringleader of a price-fixing racket, enlisting half a dozen market-dominating companies in a conspiracy to profiteer through anticompetitive practices and artificial price inflation. The market: e-books.

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued Apple along with a handful publishers, accusing them of orchestrating a sales agreement that effectively changed the business model under which e-books were sold. The syndicate, according to the DoJ, pushed an agency model upon the industry, basically limiting retailers to selling e-books only for the prices named by publishers, as opposed to a wholesale model, which would allow retailers to establish their own prices.

Apple rounded up the major publishers named in the suit and convinced each of them to sign functionally identical agency contracts, according to the DoJ. That would eliminate price competition and facilitate Apple's habit of taking a 30 percent cut of the total revenues earned through downloads of things like apps and e-books. Those publishers then allegedly turned around and demanded that everyone else who sold their e-books jump on the agency bandwagon too.

One of the biggest losers in Apple's alleged dealings with publishers was Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), which lost some control over how it priced its e-books.

About half the publishers named in the suit folded immediately and settled with the DoJ. But Apple and others fought on, and it seems that Cupertino may have a good shot at getting off the hook, for the most part. Even if Apple were the syndicate hub, it's not much of a book publisher itself, so it might be more difficult for the DoJ to sell a case that it was responsible -- to the same degree as publishers -- for price-fixing in an industry in which it participates only indirectly. So Apple may not have to pay as much to make this go away.

The other publishers face a tougher fight. Publishing is their game, and as some of the biggest names in the business, it'll be easier to prove they were colluding to fix prices.

There's also a question of just how much damage this alleged activity really caused. Apple's huge, and the publishers involved are among the biggest in their field, but price-fixing is an accusation that's usually shot at companies that are already enormously dominant in their fields. And in the field of e-books, Amazon happens to be the top player.

View orginal artical here- Apple

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New targeted Mac OS X Trojan requires no user interaction

Summary: A new Mac OS X Trojan referred to as Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a or SX/Sabpab-A is also exploiting Java vulnerabilities in a way that requires no user interaction. It is being used in targeted attacks.

Another Mac OS X Trojan has been spotted in the wild; this one exploits Java vulnerabilities just like the Flashback Trojan. Also just like Flashback, this new Trojan doesn’t require any user interaction to infect your Apple Mac. Kaspersky refers to it as “Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a” while Sophos calls it at “SX/Sabpab-A.”

After infecting a given Mac, this Trojan is like most: it connects to a remote website using HTTP in typical command and control (C&C) fashion to fetch instructions from remote hackers telling it what to do. The backdoor contains functionality to take screenshots of the user’s current session, upload and download files, as well as execute commands remotely on the infected machine. Encrypted logs are sent back to the control server, so the hackers can monitor activity.

The remote C&C website appears to be hosted on the free dynamic DNS service onedumb.com. Interestingly, the IP address in question has been used in other targeted attacks (known as Luckycat) in the past. This particular attack may been launched through e-mails containing a URL pointing to two websites hosting the exploit, located in Germany and the U.S.

The Trojan may have been created on March 16, 2012. It was compiled with debug information, meaning analyzing it wasn’t hard, but more importantly this seems to suggest it is not the final version. You can check for infection by looking for the following files:

    /Library/Preferences/com.apple.PubSabAgent.pfile

    /Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.PubSabAGent.plist

The Java exploits appear to be pretty standard, but have been obfuscated using ZelixKlassMaster to avoid detection by anti-malware products. The low number of infections and its backdoor functionality indicates that it is most likely used in targeted attacks.

The good news is this means that this Trojan is not believed to be anything as widespread as Flashback, and if you’ve downloaded and installed the latest software updates from Apple that patch the Java vulnerabilities (or disabled Java), you’re safe. The bad news is these Trojans will just keep coming, likely at an increasing rate.

This Trojan further underlines the importance of protecting Macs against malware with an updated anti-virus program as well as the latest security updates.

View orginal artical here- Trojan

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Nokia Answers Lumia 900 User Complaints with Software Update, Bill Credit

Smartphone maker Nokia has issued a software update to resolve data connection problems reported by users of the new Lumia 900 and it is offering a $100 AT&T bill credit to anyone who currently owns the handset or buys it before April 21.

The company, which describes the credit as a "gesture of goodwill," quickly acknowledged the problem with the phone when users began complaining about losing their data connections shortly after the device hit U.S. store shelves earlier this month.

The credit effectively means anyone who was on the fence about whether to try out the Windows Phone platform can essentially get on board for free if they buy one before the offer runs out. That's because AT&T is selling the Lumia 900 for $100 with a two-year contract.

Users -- many of whom never experienced a problem after buying the phone -- are applauding Nokia, Microsoft, and AT&T for how swiftly the companies handled the data connection problem, as well as how well customers have been treated.

And even though the Windows Phone operating system only holds a small fraction of the market compared with Google's Android and Apple's iOS, it can't be denied that many who use it, love it.

Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps recently wrote in a blog, "I will say it loud and say it proud: I love my Windows Phone."

The developments show that sometimes being the underdog means you have to go all-out to win customer loyalty. Only time will tell if Windows Phone adoption ramps up as a result.

In the meantime, Nokia says if you have already purchased a Lumia 900, you have two options. You can either use Zune to update your phone with the new security update, or exchange your phone for a new one at any AT&T story until April 21.

View orginal artical here- Nokia

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Next Gen Nissan Trucks Still Years Away

After reports of the next-generation Nissan Titan being delayed with a possibility of not bowing until 2014, it appears the Japanese automaker is still several years away from debuting its new trucks.

Nissan had hoped a new Titan would be on the market by now, but Chrysler‘s bankruptcy and subsequent Fiat takeover caused a deal on the next-generation Titan to break down. The Japanese automaker had its design and engineering team working on a Nissan-branded Ram 1500 but unfortunately that will never see the light of day.

The engineers have, however, worked on evolving the Titan’s frame when building the new range of NV vans but plenty more work still has to be done on the new Titan. One source said that the new Titan is still “a couple of years” away, which puts it still on schedule for a 2014 release as previously mentioned.

The new Frontier however is further behind than the Titan and will probably remain a body-on-frame vehicle, which means the third-generation Xterra will also be body-on-frame.

View orginal artical here- Next Gen

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Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 get 1st custom ROM with interop unlock

The presence of WP7 Root Tools demonstrates this Lumia 800 is interop-unlocked

It has certainly been a very exciting 24 hours for Nokia fans between the early release of the 900 data-fix, that hilarous video from India or the prospect that "the Woz" may pick up a Lumia. And now we can add one more.

Over at XDA they have successfully figured out how to get the Lumia devices into unlocked bootloader mode (or rather, to detect if your phone has an unlocked bootloader). In turn, you can install a custom ROM with build 12070 (RM819_059P453_1600.2487.8107.12070_002) on board plus an interop-unlock.

The interop-unlock method goes deeper than developer unlocked on Mango phones but not as deep as a full-unlock. However, it will allow users to install some more sophisticated homebrew apps (e.g. registry editors) as opposed to just sideloading signed apps.

Unfortunately a lot of Lumia 800's won't have an unlocked bootloader (you'll need to check your phone first) but biktor_gj and the rest of the crew over at XDA will surely get to devices with newer firmware on board and unlock their bootloaders eventually.

At time of this writing, biktor_gj is still uploading the custom ROM for the Lumia 710 with interop unlock, though it should be up shortly and use the same process.

Certainly this is a big day for Lumia owners and just the tip of the iceberg for the custom ROMs to follow on these devices.

View orginal artical here- Nokia

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HTC Golf: First Press Shot

HTC is preparing a new, Ice Cream Sandwich-powered entry level phone codenamed HTC Golf; we recently saw an unmemorable test photo from this handset's five-megapixel main camera. Reportedly set to hit the market sometime before the end of the quarter as the Wildfire C (following the original Wildfire and Wildfire S), Golf slots into HTC's current lineup below the three members of the One series -- although it takes a few design cues from those devices as well.

Tipped to run on a single-core, sub-gigahertz processor, the Sense 4.0-skinned Golf should offer up a 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 pixel display with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage onboard. The internal storage will be somewhat complemented by the same two years of free 25GB Dropbox cloud storage as the One X, S, and V ship with, along with a microSD card slot. Bluetooh 3.0 and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi are also said to be included, as well as the now-standard Beats enhancements to audio. Finally, Golf should feature a front-facing webcam, which is somewhat of a rarity at the price point it's expected to occupy.

View orginal artical here- HTC

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5 Ways to Put LinkedIn to Work for Your Business

As one of the web’s “big three” social networks, along with Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn has grabbed its slice of the limelight as the space where professionals strategize their next career move. But that’s an unnecessarily limiting way to view this powerhouse network. Over the last few years, LinkedIn has introduced myriad tools – some free, some paid – to help small businesses drive word of mouth about their brand. Here are just a few ways you can get started.

Increase your visibility with a company page

If you look at LinkedIn’s users as potential customers, employees and business partners, it becomes clear the networking site is a grand stage on which to tell your brand story. There’s no easier way to start than to create a company page. This profile offers you a central hub to provide an overview of your business, showcase products and services and attract new talent. Facebook like features allow you to build a following and engage with customers directly through status updates and content sharing. There’s even an analytics feature that gives insight into your audience and your page’s effectiveness.

Generate new leads

With 150 million members, LinkedIn is the Internet’s largest business mixer, and you should work it as such. Assess the room to identify a few key players in your industry and either have one of your connections introduce you or approach them directly. Find the LinkedIn group discussions where your audience is active and join the conversation. And you wouldn’t dream of attending a networking event without a stack of business cards; make sure your profile is current and complete – you never know when a lead may approach you.

Find talent

The same methods you use to find new business also apply to finding your next star employee. Every savvy job seeker understands the adage “It’s not who you know, it’s who who you know knows,” and it applies to the talent recruiter as well. Build a strong, well-rounded network of people both inside and outside your industry and tap into it for recommendations. Uncover candidates by joining Q&As and groups that are relevant to the position you want to fill. If you have a company page, post openings there to attract active job seekers. Remember this will likely be their introduction to your business, make sure the content on your page accurately reflects your company culture to lure the best fit for your position.

Promote your expertise

LinkedIn Answers is a fantastic medium through which to show off your expertise and build trust in your brand. Demonstrate your knowledge by finding a question related to your field and sharing your insights. You’ll expand your visibility beyond your connections, and potential customers will find your answer through LinkedIn’s Advanced Search. Any answers you provide are also posted to your profile and as a network update on your connections’ homepages. Each time a member picks your answer as the “best,” you earn a point of expertise. The more points you earn in a specific category, the higher you rank in that category’s expert list.

Gather intelligence

Your competitors are already leveraging LinkedIn in some or all the ways mentioned above. Take advantage of this to stay on top of whom they’re hiring, what executives are leaving, what new ventures they’re involved in and what their customer sentiment is like. This is a unique opportunity to get data that could help your business gain a competitive edge.

View orginal artical here- NEWS

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Intel targets Ivy Bridge processors at Windows 8 tablets

Intel says Ivy Bridge tablets could have up to quad-core Core i-series chips and offer 'leading performance'

IDG News Service - Intel's upcoming Core i-series processors based on the Ivy Bridge architecture are being pitched at ultrabooks, but the company is now extending the chips to high-performance tablets with Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system.

Intel hopes the new Ivy Bridge chips will make it to tablets, according to a slide from this week's Intel Developer Forum trade show in Beijing. The slide shows one tablet with gaming controllers attached on both sides and another tablet with a keyboard attached to it.

The tablets will provide "leading performance," Intel said on the slide. The tablets could have processors with up to four CPU cores, low-power memory and other power-saving features to extend battery life, according to the slide.

Intel until now had established a tablet strategy around low-power Atom chips. The company is due to release its latest tablet chips code-named Clover Trail later this year, which will help Windows 8 tablets offer more than nine hours of battery life.

Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge mobile processors have been mainly targeted at a new category of thin and light laptops called ultrabooks, which is a way for the company to combat its weakness in tablets. Intel is promoting ultrabooks as an alternative to tablets, as the lightweight laptops let users consume and create content. Intel is implementing some tablet features in Ivy Bridge ultrabooks, with some models meshing keyboards with features such as touchscreens, quick boot and instant connectivity.

Intel could not immediately comment on whether any device makers would offer those tablets. Intel has code-named the Ivy Bridge tablet platform Chief River, which is also the code-name for the upcoming ultrabook platform. The Chief River platform supports USB 3.0 and could also bring Thunderbolt ports to tablets.

Ivy Bridge tablets could be very similar in specifications to ultrabooks, just without the keyboard, said Dean McCarron, principal analyst at Mercury Research. Intel could be pushing the high-performance tablets to test new use cases of x86 devices.

"You are looking at an evolutionary step," McCarron said. "Particularly in the x86 space, the evolution is more the convertible-type design where the keyboard is an optional piece," McCarron said.

The tablet may appeal to customers who need the performance of a Core processor, but also need a more highly portable platform than is currently offered by laptops, McCarron said. Tablet use is on the rise in enterprises, and customers may want a high-performing device resembling a tablet with a separate keyboard.

The Core processors have specific on-chip features that provide the processors a performance and security edge over power-optimized Atom tablet chips. In addition to Windows 8, tablets with Core processors will improve graphics with DirectX 11, which is supported on the Ivy Bridge chipset.

McCarron didn't know the specific tablet implementations Intel was targeting, but said the 7-series chipset accompanying Ivy Bridge processors could be tweaked for tablets. Enterprises are a better fit for Ivy Bridge tablets than gamers, who usually need high-resolution displays, refresh rates and graphics performance, McCarron said.

Most tablets today come with ARM processors, and ARM-based chip makers Nvidia and Qualcomm are targeting faster quad-core chips at tablets. ARM has an advantage on power consumption, while Intel is better on raw performance, analysts said.

Intel is throwing its weight behind its Atom and Ivy Bridge processors to see if it can gain some market share against ARM, said Jim McGregor, an independent chip analyst.

"They are going after every angle they can to get a foothold in a market," McGregor said, adding that Intel has had limited success to date.

Gaming tablets with ARM are now available, and Intel may be targeting Ivy Bridge chips to disrupt ARM's dominance in the area, McGregor said.

Intel is working with Microsoft on Windows 8 tablets, but also has a relationship with Google on Android so the chip maker will have to play its cards carefully, McGregor said. But the higher performance on Intel's Ivy Bridge chips may be relevant for specific productivity applications on both operating systems compared to ARM.

View orginal artical here- Intel

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2014 Infiniti G IPL Reported with Twin-Turbo 530-HP V6

Infiniti appears to have some impressive products in its pipeline, including a next-generation G powered by a twin-turbo V6 with 530 hp.

The relationship between the Japanese automaker and Mercedes-Benz is picking up full steam and will go beyond the upcoming Benz-based compact. For 2014, Infiniti will be producing next-generation four-cylinder engines for both Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti models at its Nissan Tennessee plant. And as we reported before, the first C-segment hatchback will be produced by Magna Steyr in Austria.

But the big news is that the next-generation G will start production in 2014 and is slated to go on sale by summer of that year. The Japanese automaker’s goals is to build on top of its highly-successful model by launching it in 70 countries worldwide. Apparently the design for the next G was finalized in June of last year and is shared with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class platform.

Overall length and width is expected to stay the same as the current-generation G, but it will have a lower roofline in the style of a four-door coupe. The sedan will debut first in 2014, with the coupe variant following in 2015. Infiniti is also considering a crossover variant, which makes sense.

What has us uber excited is that the IPL-spec G will feature a 3.7-liter twin-turbo V6 powerplant pumping out 530 hp and will probably be priced competitively with the GT-R, if not more In fact, the inside source that reported to Motor Trend compares it to the C63 pricing. The new IPL engine will be hand-made in the same plant where the GT-R is produced out in Tochigi, Japan.

View orginal artical here- IPL

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Late-night poll: Do you use, or want to use, the FM radio feature?

Tonight's poll comes thanks to our lovable forums Admin Cory Streater, who brought up a great question on episode 93 of the Android Central podcast -- I wonder how many people really use the FM radio? None of us were any help (we can't ever agree on anything) but you guys sure can be.

I get why people use it. It's subscription free, doesn't use data, and has a bigger selection of music that you could ever hope to have in your personal cloud or on the phone itself. Maybe the best reason I've ever heard is that it's great for listening to the news while on the treadmill at the gym. The other side of the coin -- wired headphones suck, radio stations suck, commercial music sucks, etc. People have just as many reasons why they don't use it as those who do use it.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I don't use it, but I do see the appeal. And not everything on the radio sucks. But asking you guys is a much better idea, so tell us all in the poll, and fire away in the comments to let us know why you voted the way you did.

View orginal artical here- Android

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Canon EOS-1D C and C500 shoots 4K videos

Whenever there is a C in a Canon camera series, then you will know that it isn’t only expensive but is also of different kind as well. This is because any camera with C means that it is meant for Cinema videography and is also capable of shooting 4K resolution. If you don’t know what 4K is, it is the combination of 2×2 stacks of 1080p full HD video. Suffice to say that the quality is a lot better as compared with the current full HD videos.

Previously, Canon has surprised the world with its C300 4K camera and now, there are two more cameras that they are releasing and these are the Canon EOS-1D C and C500. As to no surprise, the Canon EOS 1D-C comes with a price tag of $15,000. However, there is no known price tag on the C500 nor the other two lenses that will be launched alongside the two devices.

These cameras are certainly not for the common videographers especially when they are expensive. The hardware that you need for this purpose can left you short of $50,000 alone. That is why it is meant for the moviemakers that are looking forward for the future resolution.

View orginal artical here-  Camera

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ProfLT 10.4

Main features of ProfLT: 

* generating profiles using 2D polylines with points, 3D polylines or the 3D model; 

* automatic generation of longitudinal and cross profiles using the point codes; 

* automatic drawing of points from coordinate files; 

* automatic joining of lateral points of the longitudinal profiles axis; 

* functions for modifying profiles, for joining and disconnecting them, for recalculation of orientation and reversing the profile;

* predefined templates for various longitudinal and cross profile types (roads, high voltage electrical lines, sewage and water lines); 

* the possibility to save a new template for a custom transversal or cross profile; 

* the program options cover a wide variety of situations related to the profile generating and drawing modes, the profile rows can be arranged according to the job specification, the format for the sheets with the longitudinal and cross profiles can be chosen, etc. 

* preview the profiles before drawing

* quick drawing of longitudinal and cross profiles;

* creating the page layout and arranging the profiles depending on the type of printer selected; 

* calculating height of platfom and drawing the labels of plaform heights; 

* exporting the profiles in specific Micropiste or SdrMap files; 

* the program is available in English and Romanian languages.

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Starting with 9.0 version the program was developed to work on AutoCAD or IntelliCAD in order to take advantage of the features offered by the CAD software.

ProfLT 10.4 Drawing and CAD software developed by CADWARE Engineering. The license of this drawing and cad software is shareware, the price is $390.00, you can free download and get a free trial before you buy a registration or license. Do not use warez version, crack, serial numbers, registration codes, pirate key for this drawing and cad software ProfLT. If you want to get a full and unlimited version of ProfLT, you should buy from original publisher CADWARE Engineering.

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Nokia says fixed flagship smartphone software bug

Nokia said on Saturday it has fixed a software bug in its Lumia 900 smartphones which went on sale a week ago in the United States, its answer to Apple's iPhone.

Earlier this week Nokia said its first 4G phone, which it markets with the strapline "an amazingly fast way to connect", can occasionally lose its data connection due to the bug. It promised to fix the problem around April 16.

"The update is now available. Consumers now have the opportunity to update their AT&T version Nokia Lumia 900 software," the firm said.

Lumia 900 is the third Nokia phone to run Microsoft's Windows operating system since it ditched its own Symbian system last year, and only went on sale in the United States through AT&T on April 8.

It is due for a wider global launch this quarter. The model won several awards at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas when it was launched in January.

Nokia is offering anyone who has bought a Lumia 900 phone, or who buys one by April 21, a $100 credit to their AT&T bill. The operator sells the phone for $99.99 with a 2-year contract.

Nokia lost the top spot in the lucrative smartphone market last year to Apple and Google , and analysts said it lost overall top spot in cellphone sales volume in the last quarter to Samsung Electronics <005930.KS>.

This week Nokia also warned its phone business would post losses in the first two quarters of this year as it struggles to revamp its product line to compete with Apple and Samsung, sending its shares sharply lower.

View orginal artical here- Nokia

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Acer rumored to be working on Windows Phone 8 QWERTY slider

Over at Russian forum Acer-Club, a rumor has surfaced that Acer is working on a Windows Phone  8 device with sliding QWERTY keyboard.  Despite a dearth of evidence or details, the phone will reportedly be called the W11 and will be a lower-end offering. The post says that the W11 is slotted for an October 2012 release, with an official announcement coming in September.

If true, the W11 join the Dell Venue Pro, the LG Quantum (aka, Optimus 7Q and C900) and the HTC Arrive (Sprint's only Windows Phone offering) as one of the few Windows Phone sliders out there.  Acer once manufactured the M900, a Windows Mobile phone with a sliding QWERTY keyboard, so it would fit their M.O and they currently have the Allegro on the market.

The timing of an October release would also fall in line with the expected release of Windows Phone 8, commonly referred to as Apollo.  And although it's already been said, please be sure to take this as nothing more than a rumor at this point.  We will be sure to keep you posted as we catch word of more details.

So what do you think?  With the slim and sleek Lumias and iPhones of the world, is there still a strong demand for QWERTY sliders?

View orginal artical here- Acer

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Lexus LFA II Rumors: Twice the Car, Twice the Price

The Lexus LFA is undoubtedly a supercar, but many criticized its lofty $375,000 price tag.

When compared to its performance rivals that figure seems downright excessive. After all, for $225,000 you can land a Ferrari 458 Italia or for $90,000 there’s the Nissan GT-R. Then again, at this level you’re paying as much for exclusivity as for price and with just 500 units ever made, and the fact that the LFA is undoubtedly Japan’s first ever supercar, the automaker had no trouble finding buyers.

Based on that car’s success and Toyota’s newfound performance spirit under the leadership of CEO Akio Toyoda, Lexus is already preparing a successor that will be vastly more impressive in terms of performance. It will also be vastly more expensive.

Our well-connected source was informed by a senior Toyota executive who prefers to remain anonymous that plans for an LFA II are currently in the works. The new supercar has been described as twice the car, with a significantly higher performance level. To match that new performance, pricing will climb steeply, into the range of $800,000 to one million dollars.

Like the LFA it will be an exclusive product, but even more so than the original, with plans to produce just 100 units.

View orginal artical here- Twice Car

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Exclusive Executive Caddie app heading to Nokia Collection?

Well, well, well. Colour us surprised (pun intended) with what the above image could point to, but if it holds true we could see the Executive Caddie heading to the Nokia Collection of OEM apps. Of course, should this happen, we'd expect to see the original app remain available for all Windows Phone owners, but it would be interesting to see unique variants of the app (available for free) tied to which Lumia 900 you purchase.

Executive Caddie is a popular golf app on the Windows Phone Marketplace, and rightfully so as it's quite simply gorgeous. Functionality includes highly accurate golf course database, on-course GPS and scorecard functionality (for up to four golfers). Reviews have been positive from users and it has been with us since the beginning (released in December 2010). Microsoft has reportedly given the developers the nod with eligibility for a "Showcase App" promotion. It would seem as though Nokia has caught wind of this positive aura.

The above photo shows two Lumia 900s running Executive Caddie with a unique theme / colour scheme that matches the device pigmentation. The Lumia 800 in the middle is using the default app that's currently available on the Marketplace. Could we be seeing exclusive versions of the app hitting the Nokia Collection or just an updated version? Could well be, and perhaps there'll be a few extra features thrown in for good measure.

On a humorous side note: someone rescue the poor Lumia 800 being patronised by size sitting in the middle. Executive Caddie is available on the Markeplace for free (usually $29.99), which has had its price tag slashed since Christmas.

View orginal artical here- Nokia

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 only $50 with new VZW contract

With the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) hitting store shelves on April 22nd, Verizon is looking to burn off some inventory of the original 7-in Galaxy tab. Right now on Verizon’s website the 7-inch Galaxy Tab is available for $229.99 minus a $180 promotional discount making the device just $49.99 with a 2-year contract.The Android 2.2 powered tablet has a 7-inch 1024x600 display, 1GHz processor, 2GB memory, 16 GB microSD card, 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

 

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) will be priced at a competitive $250, so it’s safe to assume that Verizon realized that not too many people would spring $230 for the old model. At just $50 though, the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab is a great value and offers a lot more for your money than similarly priced budget tablets.

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BBM Music Version 1.2.0.16 Updates In Beta Zone

Those of you who are member of BlackBerry Beta Zone can update to the latest Beta release of BBM Music. Wondering what is new with this update read below:

Invitation Requests: When an invitation request is sent from a ‘friend of a friend’ through Recent Updates you will now be able to view songs and the common friend before accepting/declining an invitation.

‘Favorite’ Songs and Contacts: You can now highlight songs or contacts as favorites in BBM Music 1.2! For a favorite contact, when you visit a contact’s page you can select “favorite” from the top menu bar. This will add a highlighted yellow star beside the contact’s name in the contacts tab which will only be visible to you. You will now have the ability to search by “favorite” contacts within the contacts tab.

Intelligent Shuffle: Intelligent shuffle offers you the ability to shuffle songs by favorite songs, genre, artist, song popularity, album, contact, release year or recently added. To access the intelligent shuffle, on the home tab click “shuffle” which will display the shuffle menu shown below.

 A Default Friend for all New Users: New users to BBM Music will now have a default friend listed as a contact.

Application Enhancements: If you are an existing BBM Music user you will also notice improved notification for friends already using BBM Music, improved performance at startup and easier access to account information from the profile screen.

View orginal artical here-  BBM

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