5 SECONDS OF SUMMER

Michael Clifford Fires Back at Abigail Breslin's Diss Track

Stars Most Stylish Selfie of the Week

Stars Most Stylish Selfie of the Week

GMAIL BLOCKED IN CHINA

5-Minute Outfit Idea

5-Minute Outfit Idea: An Effortless, Polished Look to Try This Weekend.

Facebook suffers outage

Facebook suffers outage affecting users worldwide!! .

Sunday 31 August 2014

ABC to Air Special on Making of Disney's 'Frozen'

ABC to Air Special on Making of Disney's 'Frozen'

Kevin Noonan
Variety

ABC will give "Frozen" fans a behind-the scenes-look at its development in a new special, "The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic."
The special is hosted by Josh Gad, who voiced the character Olaf in the film, and will feature interviews with stars Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Gad. Jon Lasseter, chief creative officer for Disney Animated Studios and Pixar, and members of the filmmaking team will also be featured. Additionally, viewers will see footage of the Norwegian villages and landscapes that inspired the film's look and design.
"The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic" will air at 8 p.m. on Sept. 2 on ABC.

Twitter makes it easier to decide who you'll follow first

Twitter makes it easier to decide who you'll follow first

Jon Fingas
Engadget 

Twitter said early this year that it would do more to help first-timers follow people, and it's now making good on its word. The social network has just revamped its sign-up process to help you tailor those first follows to your interest. Rather than simply toss out a bunch of suggestions, Twitter now asks you to choose topics you like (such as music or technology) and offers recommendations to match. You'll also see recent tweets from those accounts, so you'll have a better sense of whether or not that celebrity or news outlet is really a good fit.
The new sign-up system isn't perfect. By default, it will automatically have you following every suggestion; you have to deselect the people you don't want to watch. Still, it could give you a much gentler introduction to the service by showing people you're more likely to care about -- Twitter is hoping that you'll see enough interesting activity to stick around. The company obviously has some financial incentives for helping you out, but it's hard to object to a bigger, better welcome mat.

Wind, weather stoke Northern California wildfires

Wind, weather stoke Northern California wildfires

Associated Press 


HAPPY CAMP, Calif. — Two wildfires sparked by lightning nearly three weeks ago were still growing on Saturday while threatening as many as 250 homes in far Northern California.
Low humidity and warm weather helped the fires burning in the Klamath National Forest one mile east of the gold mining and logging town of Happy Camp continue its sweep through steep terrain packed with trees desiccated by the state's extreme drought, Forest Service spokesman Marc Peebles said.

The two fires are the largest among about 20 that broke out in the forest when a thunderstorm moved through the area on Aug. 11. Originally located a few miles apart, they had merged by Saturday morning and together charred more than 90 square miles, about 21 square miles more than a day earlier.

"These trees are very stressed. They are very dry. Firefighters are seeing burning conditions like they have never seen before or for many years," Peebles said.

The threatened homes, which were put an under mandatory evacuation orders on Friday, include cabins and other public structures within the forest and private houses in Siskiyou County, he said.
Nearly 2,000 firefighters and 11 helicopters are assigned to the Happy Camp Complex blazes. As of Saturday, they remained just 15 percent contained.

Cloudy skies, cooler temperatures and lighter winds helped slow the fire on the western flank of the fire, the U.S. Forest Service said. However, the shifting winds forecast for Sunday could increase fire activity on the southern flank.

Meanwhile, another series of fires burning in the Klamath National Forest about 69 miles south of Happy Camp that started with lightning strikes on July 31 remained 73 percent contained.

Saturday 30 August 2014

Nintendo launching 'amiibo' with 12 characters

Nintendo launching 'amiibo' with 12 characters

DERRIK J. LANG
Associated Press
 

LOS ANGELES — Pikachu and Link will be among the first characters coming to "amiibo."
Nintendo announced Friday that 12 characters will initially be part of its upcoming toy-game franchise set for release later this year. In addition to the "Pokemon" and "Legend of Zelda" leading men, the starting line-up will include Mario, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Samus Aran, Kirby, Fox McCloud, Marth, the "Wii Fit" Trainer and the Villager from "Animal Crossing."

The figures in the "amiibo" toy-game line will each cost $12.99 and work in tandem with several of the Japanese gaming giant's upcoming titles, beginning with "Super Smash Bros."
"We wanted to make sure that the breadth of characters we had for the initial 'amiibo' line-up supported the fan favorites, as well as showcase the variety of people Nintendo speaks to — from kids to adults," Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said in an interview. "For example, you've got a character like Marth from the 'Fire Emblem' series. We thought exposing Marth to a wider collection of consumers through 'amiibo' made a ton of sense, but, of course, we had to have Mario, Princess Peach and Donkey Kong in that initial line-up, as well."

Similar to Activision's "Skylanders" and "Disney Infinity," the characters' virtual histories will be stored on the plastic figures and transmitted through the Wii U GamePad, the controller for the Wii U console that features a touchscreen and near field communication (NFC) capabilities. Unlike the Activision Blizzard Inc. and Walt Disney Co. franchises, the "amiibo" figures will work with several games from different genres and won't be required to play the games.

"Our vision is to have these 'amiibo' figures be your playable friends that allow you to enhance the overall experience," said Fils-Aime. "It's a different approach from Activision and Disney, which is more to unlock something in the game. You're going to want to have your 'amiibo' figure because it's going to allow you to enhance your skills, upgrade your character and take the experience over to a friend's house."
Nintendo first unveiled "amiibo" at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June. The company plans to release more figures over the next year and include "amiibo" functionality in future games, as well as compatibility with its handheld Nintendo 3DS system.

The Kyoto, Japan-based company is hoping the figurines will help boost its bottom line and sales of its beleaguered Wii U console, which has been on the rise since the May release of "Mario Kart 8." Despite the success of the latest installment in the cartoony Nintendo racing series, Wii U sales still trail behind the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles from rivals Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

"Call of Duty" and "Assassin's Creed" publishers Activision and Ubisoft Entertainment recently said they wouldn't bring the new installments of those popular series to the Wii U later this year.
"In the end, I want the very best of every single publisher's content on our platform," said Fils-Aime. "We believe we'll get there as we grow the install base of the system. Make no mistake: The consumer knows they can get high-quality games on the Wii U console. That's why our business is up almost double over last year."

Nintendo will be showing off upcoming games like "Super Smash Bros.," ''Hyrule Warriors" and "Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker" at PAX Prime, a four-day celebration of gaming that kicks off Friday in Seattle.

China is now using drones to catch 'terrorists' in Xinjiang

China is now using drones to catch 'terrorists' in Xinjiang

Daniel A. Medina
Quartz
The Chinese government announced last week (Chinese) that it had deployed drones to the autonomous western region of Xinjiang, where separatist attacks have been on the rise in recent years. The New York Times’ Sinosphere blog, citing Chinese state media reports, says the drones will be used to track the movements of Muslim Uyghur separatists, who the government calls “terrorists”, in the region’s southwestern county of Yarkant.

The area was the site of the latest attacks that left over 100 people dead.
The Chinese state newspaper, Global Times, reported that the UAVs arrived in the region weeks ago where they surveilled towns across Yarkant for “suspected terrorists,” and helped police arrest 215 people—18 others surrendered to the authorities.
The move, part of Beijing’s year-long anti-terrorism campaign that began in May with an aim of cracking down on “violent terrorist activities,” was celebrated in China but condemned by human rights groups around the world.

The Uyghur American Association issued a statement condemning the decision:
“The use of drones over villages in East Turkestan shows that China treats all Uyghurs as state enemies. China is not singling out alleged ‘terrorists;’ it is intimidating entire communities, including the very people its purported anti-terror campaign is supposed to protect.”

While Beijing maintains that the drones will only be used to hunt “terrorist” suspects, they will likely have the capabilities to track civilians in the area, said David Cenciotti, founder of the blog The Aviationist.
He says it is likely that they are Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) UAVs. These, he explains, would have similar capabilities to the Chinese naval Wing Loong/Chengdu Pterodactyl model that has been deployed to the disputed Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu by China) in the past.

”The Wing Loong, are more persistent on a certain area of operation, hence they are more useful for surveillance purposes as they can search, identify and track ground targets (and individuals) silently loitering in the air for several hours,” Cenciotti tells Quartz.

The drones were developed and manufactured by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the main contractor for the nation’s space program. According to a report in the state-run newspaper, People’s Daily, the Xinjiang regional government ordered the drones last year.

China has increasingly turned to drones in recent years to boost its defense capabilities, both domestically and abroad. Photos emerged in May of what is believed to be China’s first armed military drone, the Lijan or “sharp sword.”

Labor Day Weekend Stargazing: See Moon, Mars and Saturn Meet Up

Labor Day Weekend Stargazing: See Moon, Mars and Saturn Meet Up

by Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist


Look up this Labor Day weekend to see a lovely celestial tableau in the southwestern part of the evening sky.
About an hour after sunset on Sunday (Aug. 31), skywatchers should be able to see three cosmic bodies gathered together for the final days of summer, if weather permits. Intrepid observers will immediately notice the moon, appearing as a wide crescent phase. Two bright "stars" will also appear, flanking the moon. One will shine with a yellowish-white tint off to the satellite's right and another shining with a yellow-orange color below and a bit to the moon's left.

The yellowish-white object to the moon's right is the planet Saturn, while the one below and slightly to the moon's left is Mars. [Best Stargazing Events of September (Sky Maps)]
In April, Mars was 57.6 million miles (92.7 million kilometers) away from Earth, the Red Planet's closest pass with Earth for the year. At that time, Mars' brightness rivaled that of the star Sirius (the brightest star in the sky). Now, however, Mars has receded to a distance of 127 million miles (204 million km) and shines only about one-seventh as bright as it did in April. Still is a conspicuous object, however, Mars ranks among the top 10 brightest stars. But as Earth continues to move away from the Red Planet, Mars will gradually fade.

The other planet joining the moon, Saturn, is famous for its spectacular ring system, and if you have a telescope then Sunday might just be your night to spot the rings. Use the moon as a benchmark. Just point your telescope to that bright, starlike object just off to the right of the moon, and there you will find the ringed beauty. Right now, the north face of the rings is spectacularly tilted 21.5 degrees toward Earth.
You'll need an eyepiece magnifying at least 30-power to easily discern the rings. If you have a 3-inch (7.6 centimeters) telescope, your best view will be using 75-power; with a 6-inch (15 cm) telescope, use 150-power, and with a 10-inch (25 cm), use 250-power.

Don't bother pointing a telescope toward Mars, however. July was the last month that the Red Planet showed more than a few traces of surface features in medium-size telescopes on good nights. Now, even in moderately large scopes, the planet appears as just a tiny, featureless dot of yellow-orange light.
The moon is always a wonderful sight to see through binoculars and telescopes. Scan especially along the line separating dark and light (the terminator) to catch a view of shadowed craters and mountains appearing in high relief.


REPORT: The iWatch Might Cost $400 (AAPL)

REPORT: The iWatch Might Cost $400 (AAPL)

Dave Smith
Business Insider 

Apple’s various executives have discussed a
$400 price point for its wearable device, possibly called “iWatch” or “iBand,” according to Re/code.

Just one day prior to this report, John Paczkowski said Apple’s wearable would debut at the company’s Sept. 9 event but wouldn’t arrive until early 2015.
The new report says Apple hasn’t finalized the starting price for its wrist device, and may or may not announce that particular portion at its Sept. 9 event. Still, sources close to the company told Re/code “consumers should expect a range of prices for different models including lower priced versions.”
A $400 price point would certainly fall into the high-end range for current wearable devices. Fitness wristbands tend to be a bit cheaper, such as the Nike+ FuelBand SE ($99) and Jawbone’s Up24 ($149), while the first Android Wear devices from Samsung and LG cost $200 apiece.
That said, Apple wouldn’t be alone in the high-end wearable market. Timex has its own Ironman One GPS+ watch , which looks pretty impressive and doesn’t need to be tethered to a phone — that will retail at $399 around November.
Apple’s wearable device is expected to marry the looks of a luxury wristwatch wit the powerful sensors found in modern fitness wristbands, taking elements from the iPhone and iPad operating system and shrinking them down and reconfiguring them for the wrist. With iOS 8 coming this fall, the iWatch is expected to work with the company’s Health and Home platforms to track one's fitness levels and control elements of your home, respectively.
Considering Apple's next iPhone may introduce a mobile payments platform, it's possible the iWatch could work in tandem with that device to pay for goods with one's wrist. 

Global warming is about to turn Sweden's highest mountain into its second highest

Global warming is about to turn Sweden's highest mountain into its second highest

Michael Silverberg
Quartz 

The snow-capped southern peak of Lapland’s Kebnekaise, in the Scandinavian Mountains, reaches 2,097.5 meters (6,881.6 feet) above sea level, making it the highest point in Sweden. But not for long.
The 40-meter-thick glacier on top of it has been shrinking, on average, a meter a year for the past two decades. In 1901, when the southern peak was first measured, its elevation was 2,121 meters.
By next year, scientists at the University of Stockholm predict, Kebnekaise’s northern peak—which is solid rock—will likely become the tallest spot in the country.

The culprit? Climate change. A recent research paper (pdf) that tracked 47 years of air-temperature records in Tarfala Valley, below the Kebnekaise glacier, found a significant warming trend. The period from 1995 to 2011 was 1.08°C warmer than the period from 1965 to 1994. Eight of the ten warmest years covered by the study occurred since 1999.


Gunhild Rosqvist, a professor at Stockholm University and the director of the Tarfala Research Center, says the shrinking of the mountain will be a blow to the tourist industry. Climbers in search of Sweden’s superlative peak won’t easily be able to ascend the northern point, as it’s largely inaccessible. “It’s going to be a real challenge for the people working in tourism up there to continue attracting people,” she told the Local. “That mountain climb is a crucial earner for the region. They’re going to need a major rethinking here, and I hope they come up with something good.”

The changes are already having an impact on the mountain’s habitat. “It’s been unusually warm up there this summer, the reindeer calves are dying because their mothers aren’t getting enough water to make milk, and the herders are struggling,” she said. “No one can remember it ever being this warm.”

Friday 29 August 2014

Happy Birthday: See Pics of Liam Payne's Major Hair Transformations

Happy Birthday: See Pics of Liam Payne's Major Hair Transformations


Liam Payne's 21st birthday seems like an international holiday that all his fans has been looking forward to for weeks now. It's such an exciting day for the One Direction singer, so in honor of his milestone birthday, we took a look back on 21 of his biggest hair moments ever. Even as a tiny tot, Liam had amazing hair, and has experimented with tons of stylish hair looks ever since!
Credit: Tumblr


Credit: Tumblr


Credit: Tumblr


Credit: Tumblr


 Credit: Tumblr


Credit: Tumblr

Credit:  Tumblr


Credit:  Tumblr


Credit: Tumblr


Credit: Tumblr


Credit: Getty


Credit: Getty


Credit: Instagram


Credit: Instagram



 Credit: Twitter

Is Taylor Swift Still Friends With Selena Gomez Despite Justin Bieber Reunion

Is Taylor Swift Still Friends With Selena Gomez Despite Justin Bieber Reunion


We heard that Taylor ended her feud with Selena because she broke up with Justin, but now that Jelena is back on, Taylor is staying friends with Selena — even though she doesn't approve of their reunion.
"Selena’s friends have given up trying to get her to break-up with Justin, even Taylor’s stopped giving her grief over it,” a source told Hollywood Life. “They think she’s crazy for taking him back, but they’re not going to punish her for it.”
Even though Taylor isn't Justin's biggest fan, she just wants to see Selena happy this time around.
“Taylor still can’t stand Justin, but she doesn’t want to lose Selena over it so she’s backing off. She wants Selena to be happy and Justin is making her really happy, so it’s hard to be mad at that!”
Apparently, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge also played an important role in their friend reunion! Taylor nominated Selena for the challenge, and when she completed it, they started talking more frequently.
“After Selena did the challenge Taylor was happy and reached out to Selena and they talked for a long time mostly through text. They were very friendly with each other and built up their friendliness with each other again. They are now in a really good place.”
Aw, that's so sweet! We're glad that they're on good terms, especially because they've been friends for such a long time.

Apple working with NXP for pay-by-touch technology in new iPhone: FT

Apple working with NXP for pay-by-touch technology in new iPhone: FT

Reuters


Apple Inc is working with Dutch chipmaker NXP Semiconductors NV to add secure near-field communications (NFC) technology into the next iPhone, which would enable smartphone users to pay by touch, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with Apple's plans.
NXP will provide the secure near-field communications chips that will allow an iPhone to connect with payment terminals or ticketing systems, the daily reported. (http://on.ft.com/VRN8xK)
NFC technology allows a smartphone to communicate wirelessly with other devices by tapping them together.
Apple has invited media to a "special event" in its hometown of Cupertino, California on Sept. 9, when the iPhone maker is expected to unveil the latest versions of its best-selling smartphones.

Angry Birds maker Rovio names new CEO

Angry Birds maker Rovio names new CEO

Reuters

HELSINKI - Finland's Rovio, the maker of the Angry Birds mobile game, said it has hired Pekka Rantala from beverage maker Hartwall to take over as its new chief executive by the beginning of next year.
Current CEO Mikael Hed, son of board chairman Kaj Hed, will join the company's board of directors as well as take on the role of chairman at Rovio's animation studios.
Rantala, who is currently the CEO of Hartwall, earlier worked for 14 years for Nokia.
After scoring a global breakthrough with Angry Birds in which players use a slingshot to attack pigs who steal birds' eggs, Rovio has expanded the brand into an animated TV series and merchandising of toys and clothing.
But it has struggled to retain players and earnings halved last year due to investments in the animation business as well as stalling sales.
Rovio said several years ago it could go public in Hong Kong or New York, but has later said it was not planning an initial public offering any time soon.

MSN Messenger will finally shut down on October 31

MSN Messenger will finally shut down on October 31

by Andy Weir
Neowin

If you read the headline for this article with some confusion, you're probably not alone. After all, Microsoft announced last year that it was closing down its Windows Live Messenger service, and it spent a great deal of time and effort transitioning users to Skype instead.

But while the rest of the world moved to Skype, Windows Live Messenger - even now, still popularly referred to by its previous name, 'MSN Messenger' - lived on in China, where it was operated in partnership with a local third-party company.

However, as TechNode reports today, MSN Messenger will soon be no more, as Chinese users have received emails informing them that the service will be shut down on October 31. To encourage users to stick with Microsoft - rather than moving to rival messaging services - the company is giving each of them a $2 coupon for Skype calls.

MSN Messenger first launched in 1999, before officially rolling out in China in 2005.

Robot printer 'comes to your desk'

Robot printer 'comes to your desk'

BBC News 

Fuji Xerox has developed a new robotic printer that can move around a lounge or office to bring documents to the person who printed them.

The printer is designed to be used primarily in public places as a way to keep sensitive documents secure.
Sensors on the machine prevent it from bumping into people on the way.
However, some analysts argued that the idea was not cost effective when compared with other secure printing methods.

Describing use of the printer in, for example, an airport business lounge, IDC analyst Maggie Tan told the BBC there are better methods already available.
"The majority of these business lounges would have higher printing demand, especially from business travellers who always need to print urgently using a secured method.
"There are several mobile printing solutions available today that users can submit the print job online through their mobile devices or laptops and they are given a secured password to collect their printouts."

Tokyo testBryan Ma, also from IDC, complimented the ingenuity, if not the practicality of the device.
"Sounds like something very unique to Japan.

"One might even argue that it seems more like technology for technology's sake."

Fuji Xerox - a joint venture between the two firms - has been testing the printer this month at a business lounge in Tokyo.

Each desk in the lounge is given a unique web address from which to print. Users access the address and upload documents to be printed.

Once the printer receives the job, it moves to the intended recipient who then has to display a smart card to activate printing.

The battery in the printer lasts for up to a day

Thursday 28 August 2014

Is Calum Hood Copying Zayn Malik's Old Hairstyle

Is Calum Hood Copying Zayn Malik's Old Hairstyle
INSTAGRAM, TUMBLR

We really miss the days when Zayn Malik rocked a vibrant blond streak in his stylish quiff. It looks like 5 Seconds of Summer's Calum Hood was a fan of the look as well, because he just dyed his hair in a nearly identical style! Calum posted an Instagram pic showcasing his new bleached hair, and we had to do a double-take to make sure that we weren't looking at a throwback pic of Zayn!

we're totally okay with both guys trying out the trend at some point, we wouldn't even mind if Zayn decided to give the blond streak a major comeback!

Drones at Disneyland? Disney seeks patents

Drones at Disneyland? Disney seeks patents

Andrew Khouri
Los Angeles Times 


On top of Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and Aladdin, visitors to Disney theme parks may one day get a glimpse of drones.
Walt Disney Co. appears to have a wish to use unmanned aircraft to produce entertainment shows, according to three recently published patent applications first reported by the blog Stitch Kingdom.
At the moment, aerial shows can be cumbersome and difficult to modify, Disney says in the applications published last week.
The shows may rely on "very complex fountain systems," fireworks or even blimps dragging large display screens, an application reads. Light shows can also be projected onto buildings, another filing says.
But buildings can't be moved, fireworks can be dangerous and water can shoot only so high, limiting the size and scope of the shows, the applications say.
Disney's apparent fix? Drones. What else?
Numerous drones would jet through the sky, carrying "display payloads" to create a "dynamic display," according to one application.
"Each of these (drones) with its display payload may be thought of as a floating pixel or 'flixel' that when combined provides a very large display screen or aerial display that may be three dimensional," the patent application says.
Another application has a hint of Pinocchio. Drones, the document reads, would pull the strings on marionettes, moving their limbs.
Another patent application says drones would carry flexible, floating projection screens to present "an aerial display over an audience of spectators."
A representative from Disney could not immediately be reached for comment.

Apple will unveil the iWatch on Sept. 9—here’s what to look for

Apple will unveil the iWatch on Sept. 9—here’s what to look for

Dan Frommer
Quartz

The so-called “iWatch” is supposedly real. Apple “plans to unveil a new wearable” device alongside two new iPhones at an event on Sept. 9, Re/code’s plugged-in John Paczkowski reports. While Apple has been widely reported to be working on some sort of new wearable gadget, surprisingly few details have leaked—including its expected arrival date.

A few important questions:
What is it? This seems basic, but very little has actually been reported about what the “iWatch” looks like or does. Is it actually a band you wear on your wrist? Paczkowski writes that it “will, predictably, make good use of Apple’s HealthKit health and fitness platform.” But that leaves many possibilities for everything from its shape to how it attaches to the body. Does it even have a screen?

Why will people buy it? The idea that Americans, in particular, will suddenly start caring about their health and fitness en masse has always seemed amusing. So what’s the real selling point: Fashion or function?
How often will it need to be charged? Another thing to plug in daily—unless there’s some novel way to charge it—doesn’t sound fun.

How much will it cost? If it’s really getting announced alongside new iPhones, is it intended to be an iPhone accessory? The Apple TV streaming media player—also, arguably, an iPhone accessory—costs $99. That would be a great price for a wearable, especially compared to the $200+ price tags attached to disappointing Google Android-based wearables.

What will it need to work? Will it work only with Apple’s newest iPhones? Or any iOS device? Or could someone—a kid, for example—use it independently? Will it also require some sort of subscription?

Is it cool? This isn’t Apple’s first wearable—it’s been making them for more than a decade, if you count earbuds and clip-on iPods. Some have become iconic; others haven’t. Apple has been hiring people from the fashion and luxury industries, theoretically to help develop and market this device. How have they influenced it?

Nobody Is Buying Amazon's Fire Phone

Nobody Is Buying Amazon's Fire Phone

Timothy Stenovec
The Huffington Post 


Amazon's Fire Phone does not appear to be on fire.
According to an estimate by Charles Arthur, technology editor at The Guardian, the world's largest online retailer sold fewer than 35,000 of its new smartphones in the first 20 days it was on the market.
To put that in perspective: Apple sold 9 million iPhone 5C and 5S devices within three days of the phones' release last September. It's not an entirely fair comparison, because iPhones are the most popular smartphone in the world and are available in more stores, in more countries and on more carriers.
But 35,000 is indeed a very small number. Amazon itself has 132,600 employees, according to the company's latest public filings.

Amazon's entry into the smartphone market comes at a time when the company is under intense pressure from shareholders to make a profit. Shares of the company plummeted after Amazon reported a loss of $126 million for the three-month period ending June 30, and the company told investors it could lose as much as $810 million this quarter. Just this week, Amazon said it would buy Twitch, the live-streaming video game network, for about $1 billion.

Amazon would never actually give figures for how many phones (or tablets, e-readers or streaming media players, for that matter) it has sold. Arthur's estimate, which he bases on an analysis of the phone's web traffic from Chitika, an online ad network, and numbers from comScore, the analytics company, should be taken with a grain of salt. As Arthur himself writes, "Lots of caveats apply: this is a calculation based on two non-congruent sets of samples, though both are large enough to be robust."
Still, Amazon, which did not respond to an email requesting comment, doesn't have a lot going for it when it comes to the Fire Phone.

It got tepidreviews, at best. For starters, it's just as expensive as a new iPhone or premium Android device, and not nearly as good. Although it's based on Android, it has its own operating system. Therefore, many apps -- such as Google's popular suite that includes Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube -- aren't available for it. It's also only available on AT&T, and unlike the iPhone, when it first came out and was only available on AT&T, the Fire Phone is not a product most people would switch carriers for.

As I wrote in my review, Amazon is asking customers to sacrifice a lot to switch to the Fire Phone.
Amazon also got into the smartphone game late -- the majority of Americans already have smartphones, and 94 percent run on either Android or Apple's iOS. Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system, which gets good reviews, has just 3.4 percent of the market in the U.S., according to comScore.

That said, Amazon has put its huge marketing muscle behind the Fire Phone, hawking it on its highly trafficked home page as well as sealing delivery boxes with colorful tape promoting the phone.
But even the power of the world's largest online retailer doesn't seem to be enough to sell the Fire Phone.

Microsoft Rolls Out Surface Pro 3 To 25 New Markets

Microsoft Rolls Out Surface Pro 3 To 25 New Markets

Alex Wilhelm
TechCrunch 


In keeping with prior expectations, Microsoft is currently in the process of rolling out its Surface Pro 3 tablet-hybrid to 25 new markets over the next 24 hours.
With the 25 new markets all live, Surface Pro 3 will be available in a total of 28 markets. The rollout of the device has therefore been quite constrained to date. Microsoft also detailed in a post today that the new Surface dock will sell in the new markets, ahead of its general availability in mid-September.
The new markets give Surface a chance to put more revenue-points on the board. Surface revenue is a figure that Microsoft breaks out in its earnings, making it simple to track. Top line from the hardware project fell by more than half from the fourth calendar quarter of 2013, to the second calendar quarter of 2014.
Given that Microsoft may be in process of stepping back from its Windows RT-based Surface devices, it’s up to the Intel-based Surface Pro 3 to carry the torch. The device has received the strongest reviews of any Surface device. Microsoft positions it as a computer that can replace a traditional laptop.
The Surface project has been an expensive effort for its parent company. If the Surface Pro 3 fails to ignite revenue in Microsoft’s hardware group, it isn’t immediately apparent what a next step would be — the Surface Mini was yanked moments before its planned announcement, so other new SKUs could be somewhat far from making it to market.
Regardless, New Zealand is up first, along with 24 other markets. We’ll see if the bets that Microsoft has made were worth their time, and expense soon enough.

Researchers working on nanobots that directly attack tumors to cure cancer

Researchers working on nanobots that directly attack tumors to cure cancer

Timothy J. Seppala
Engadget


For all the advancements we've made with technology and medicine, a cure for cancer still eludes us. But maybe that's because we haven't enlisted nanoparticles to attack tumors just yet.
New research from the University of California's Davis Cancer Center, spotted by PhysOrg, suggest that could be a reality sometime soon. By attaching a tumor-recognition module to a nanorobot, doctors would be able to both diagnose a cancerous growth and inject drugs directly into the carcinoma.
This would effectively target only the malignant cells and leave the surrounding areas unharmed -- taking things a few steps further than, say, the nanodiamonds we've heard of. It's a stark contrast to how chemotherapy treatment typically works, too, which is a blanket attack on all of a certain type of cell that often inflicts as much collateral damage as it does good.
Who knows, a world where cancer patients don't have their hair or bone marrow destroyed during treatment might not be too far off after all. 

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Find Out How the Paparazzi Put Justin Bieber's Life in Danger

Find Out How the Paparazzi Put Justin Bieber's Life in Danger



Even though 
Justin Bieber got into a car accident with a paparazzo only a few months ago, he can't seem to stay out of trouble! The singer just got into another car accident with a photographer who was trailing him.
According to TMZ, a member of the paparazzi crashed into the back of Justin's Ferrari after he slammed on the brakes. Although nobody was injured, Justin was obviously furious, taking to Twitter to blast the paparazzi for endangering his life.


It's been a busy week for Justin — he's already had a run-in with the cops and letse see what's next.

Tuesday 26 August 2014

LG reveals the G3 Stylus, a new handset at an "exceptional price"

LG reveals the G3 Stylus, a new handset at an "exceptional price"

by Andy Weir
Neowin 

The name 'G3 Stylus' sounds, initially, like it might apply to an accessory for LG's flagship Android handset, the G3, which it launched earlier this year. But in fact, the name applies to an entirely new device - one that looks like a G3, but which has far less impressive specs than the company's range-topper.

LG announced the G3 Stylus today, ahead of its full official launch next month at the IFA trade show in Berlin. As its name suggests, the device comes with its own stylus for handwriting and sketching on its display - but while the company describes the handset as a 'G3 variant', it appears to have very little in common with that device.

The original G3 is a true flagship, packing superlative specs, from a quad-core 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 chipset to 2GB/3GB of RAM, and a stunning 5.5-inch Quad HD (2560x1440px) display. The G3 Stylus, by comparison, has a far more modest spec sheet.

The new handset also includes a 5.5-inch display, for example, but its resolution is far lower at just 960x540px. There's only 1GB of RAM onboard too, as well as a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, and just 8GB of onboard storage (expandable via microSD).

The G3 Stylus also includes a 13MP rear camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera and a 3000mAh battery, along with Android 4.4.2 KitKat. However, there is no support for 4G LTE networks.
Following its launch at IFA, the G3 Stylus will first go on sale in Brazil next month, before rolling out to Russia and markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Pricing details have not yet been announced - LG is saving that info for later - but it promises that the G3 Stylus will be sold at an "exceptional price that can't be beat".

The new handset will also feature many of the UI and software enhancements that LG first rolled out with the G3.