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Apple

Submission + - Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) set to deliver one more Macworld keynote address (stableytimes.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "Ashton Kutcher will portray Apple cofounder Steve Jobs in an upcoming movie, and before that he’ll by stopping by Macworld to discuss the role. Kutcher will be joined on stage by Josh Gad (of 1600 Penn), who portrays Jobs’ fellow cofounder Steve Wozniak, at the Apple themed conference in San Francisco at the end of this month. The movie, titled “jOBS” with a lower case J, is set for release sometime in 2013. Macworld-iWorld, formerly known as Macworld Expo, dates back to 1984 as the largest annual Apple centric consumer technology conference"
Government

Submission + - Obama takes forceful stand on climate and tech (computerworld.com)

Submitted by dcblogs
dcblogs writes: In his second inaugural address, President Barack Obama on Monday argued with certainty and forcefulness about the dangers of climate change and the role of technology in fighting it. It wasn't just a moral point for Obama, but a jobs issue as well. Obama said that the U.S. "cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries — we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality." The president led this call with a blunt statement about the moral consequences of inaction. "We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations," he said.

Submission + - In light of hands-free laws, a list of things that are legal while driving (stableytimes.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "States like California and Oregon continue to pass laws which mandate that drivers use a hands-free devices if they want to talk on the phone while driving. As drivers start to scramble for a bluetooth earpiece or finally figure out how their car stereo’s built in bluetooth functionality works, it’s worth taking a moment to examine why holding your phone to your ear while driving is becoming illegal – and the best way to do so might be to take a look at the various things which drivers are allowed to do while driving. Which of the following activities are you guilty of doing while driving, and which of them do you think should be outlawed? Take a gander at the list below"
Android

Submission + - Galaxy Note 8.0 sub-tablet could be a month away from release (stableytimes.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "Having run the screen size gamut on its Galaxy lineup from mid sized smartphone to full sized tablet with screen sizes including 4.0, 4.8, 7.7, and 10.1 inches, Samsung is now looking to do the same with its stylus-infused Galaxy Note line. The current second generation Galaxy Note II features a 5.5 inch screen, making it an oversized phone, and the only other Note model is a 10.1 inch tablet. Now comes the in between model, the Galaxy Note 8.0..."
Music

Submission + - Pandora finally turns a profit, might not to die of its own popularity after all (stableytimes.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "Internet radio service Pandora has announced that its audience has grown to tens of millions of users who have listened to billions of hours of music, but those numbers aren’t nearly as vital as a smaller number the company also reported: last month it finally turned a profit, albeit a relatively small one. Suddenly the long running paradigm of a music streaming service drowning in debt due to its own popularity might be taking a turn for the less tragic.."
Iphone

Submission + - Apple pricing for spring 2013: iPhone 5 for $0 and $99, iPhone 5S for $199 (stableytimes.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "Facing more intense competition in the smartphone market than ever, Apple will move in 2013 to differentiate its iPhone models and wipe away any trace of dock connector devices from its lineup. That’ll mean curtains for not only the aging iPhone 4, which Apple had been offering for free with contract, but also the $99 iPhone 4S. In its place the iPhone 5 will become the lower price model, clocking in at $0 for the sixteen gigabyte model and $99 for the thirty-two gigabyte offering. The iPhone 5S, which will look similar to the iPhone 5 but will offer improved internal hardware specs such as a faster processor speed, will arrive at $199 and up for models with thirty-two gigabytes on up. This will be the first time in which Apple offers a current generation iPhone model free with contract, if the iPhone 5 is to be considered part of the iPhone 5S generation. Moreover, the move is expected this spring ahead of a fall iPhone 6 launch"

Submission + - Florida supreme court to teachers: do not pass go, do not collect your pensions (stableytimes.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "The Florida State Supreme Court ruled today that governor Rick Scott can proceed with his plan to take away a portion of public school teachers’ accumulated pensions by placing an after-the-fact state income tax on them. The ruling gives the green light to Scott’s latest cash grab, which sees him seizing state funds and then diverting them into his initiatives such as drug testing welfare recipients and directing all of the testing to a company his wife owns..."
Desktops (Apple)

Submission + - Windows malware is about to get a lot worse (stableytimes.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "My oldest daughter started high school about 5 months ago. Anticipating a heavy workload of writing and research, my wife and I did what countless other people do every day ; we got her a PC. The purchase decision was made primarily on price, and in this particular laptop we found a good mix of features and value ; or so we thought. Last night, after the latest round of hours spent cleaning, pruning, and otherwise tuning up the laptop for my daughter, a regular chore necessary to simply keep the machine in working order, I was ready to throw the computer out the window. And that was before I even got mad about the situation. The problem with my machine, like all other PCs, is crapware. Crapware is the gateway drug to Malware. It is those little pieces of software you neither need nor want that are installed on your PC for you. (Six month trials, free downloads, alternative search engines, etc.) The manufacturer loads them on your PC before you even buy it, and software vendors keep the cycle going by slipping some more on there for you every time you download a legitimate piece of software that you actually do want. Why would PC makers engage in such an anti-customer practice? Because they make millions of dollars a year from it..."

Submission + - The Second Amendment was the first gun control law (stableytimes.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "Gun owners have criticized President Obama’s executive orders on gun control today, citing their 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The most contentious constitutional point of our time, the 2nd Amendment has become a blanket rationale on the part of gun owners to suggest that they have an unlimited right to bear any arms they choose, and that any attempt to regulate those arms is unconstitutional. However, an examination of the 2nd Amendment itself might leave some gun owners in for a surprise. The entire amendment is one sentence long, and includes the words “well regulated” – making the 2nd Amendment effectively the first ever gun control law"

Submission + - Prosecutors didn't kill Reddit cofounder Aaron Swartz, his fans did. (beatweek.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "Reddit cofounder Aaron Swartz killed himself yesterday at the age of twenty-six, amid a troubling pattern of illegal hacking and resulting criminal charges. Not surprisingly, fingers are pointing in all directions as to who’s to blame. Before broaching that matter, it must be remembered that no parents should have to bury their son, so this is a personal tragedy. And in the wider scope, society lost one of its brighter minds before he had a chance to show us what all he might have been able to contribute. But his fans are making today all about blame, pointing to a prosecutor who kept going after the kid, and that begs the question: with such an obviously troubled kid engaging repeatedly in increasingly self destructive behavior, were the fans who continued to cheer him on just as responsible? The concept requires examination of just how and when he went off the rails"

Submission + - Samsung confirms new 85-inch device isn't a television. It's the Galaxy Note 3. (beatweek.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "The 85 flatscreen device which was introduced by Samsung at the nation’s largest consumer tech conference this week was initially believed to be a new class of television set. But according to a Samsung representative, the new mammoth device is actually the Galaxy Note 3. Despite its size, the company expects it to do well among technology enthusiasts."
Iphone

Submission + - Apple to release iPhone 5S in the spring, iPhone 6 in the fall (beatweek.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "Apple appears set to introduce the iPhone 5S in early 2013 with a release date which could come as soon as March, and the iPhone 6 perhaps as soon as the fall of 2013, based on a number of recent changes to the company’s iOS product release strategy and one key piece of insider information. Since its introduction in 2007, Apple has been consistent in launching one new iPhone model per year, originally in the summer and more recently in the fall, while keeping the two previous generation iPhone models around as lower priced options. The company had also been doing the same with its iPad, releasing a new generation each spring. But that pattern changed significantly last month when Apple launched not only the iPad mini offshoot, but also a new fourth generation iPad a mere six months or so after the iPad 3 had taken the stage. This makes clear that Apple is no longer married to its once-a-year hardware update strategy, paving the way for it to do the same with the iPhone lineup. And now there’s buzz that the iPhone 5S may be in limited production already"
Facebook

Submission + - After initial flop, does Google+ have a secret weapon for a comeback? (beatweek.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "Google+ was going to lure millions of existing Google services users away from Facebook and become the dominant social network, according to “social media experts” everywhere who in hindsight were guilty of wishful thinking. In reality, while plenty of Gmail users sought invites to Google+ and registered for it, they took one look around and went back to Facebook..."
Iphone

Submission + - Happy New Year: iPhone 5S coming early next year, iPhone 6 in late 2013 (beatweek.com)

Submitted by
billpalmer
billpalmer writes: "Apple appears set to introduce the iPhone 5S in early 2013 with a release date which could come as soon as March, and the iPhone 6 perhaps as soon as the fall of 2013, based on a number of recent changes to the company’s iOS product release strategy and one key piece of insider information..."

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