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With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts, and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances - and confront powerful enemies.

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Peter Parker has finally managed to piece together the once-broken parts of his life, maintaining a balance between his relationship with Mary-Jane and his responsibility as Spider-Man. But more challenges arise for our young hero. Peter's old friend Harry Obsourne has set out for revenge against Peter; taking up the mantle of his late father's persona as The New Goblin, and Peter must also capture Uncle Ben's real killer, Flint Marko, who has been transformed into his toughest foe yet, the Sandman. All hope seems lost when suddenly Peter's suit turns jet-black and greatly amplifies his powers. But it also begins to greatly amplify the much darker qualities of Peter's personality that he begins to lose himself to. Peter has to reach deep inside himself to free the compassionate hero he used to be if he is to ever conquer the darkness within and face not only his greatest enemies, but also...himself.

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Michael Oher's story was told in the book and movie The Blind Side; however, that story was told by his foster parents. I Beat the Odds is the first time he is giving his take on growing up homeless and then making it into the NFL.

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James Patterson turns out several page turners a year with the help of co-writers. Now You See Her, co-written with Michael Ledwidge, tells the story of Nina Bloom, a successful lawyer who has a secret past. When a man is framed for murder, she decides to confront the murderous secret that caused her to change her identity 18 years before.

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With the movie version of One for the Money set to come out early next year, Janet Evanovich's bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, may gain an even bigger following. The movie, which was originally supposed to be released this summer, was delayed. For now, fans will have to content themselves with the seventeenth book in the series.

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America Pacifica by Anna North is a debut novel about Darcy, an 18-year-old girl in a dystopian future who sets out to find her mother after she disappears with no explanation. America Pacifica is a dark page turner.

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Erik Larson is known for examining history through a unique narrative lens. In Devil in the White City he followed two men -- the architect of the Chicago World's Fair and a serial killer who lived in Chicago during the fair. In In the Garden of Beasts, Larson once again examines a dark time, Berlin in 1933. Larson tells the story of William Dodd, the American ambassador to Germany, and his family.

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Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks is the story of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. In Caleb's Crossing, Brooks creates a historical fiction novel full of love and adventure. Brooks is known for People of the Book and March, which won her the Pulitzer Prize.
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Priest is a 2011 American horror film starring Paul Bettany as the title character. The film, directed by Scott Stewart, is based on the Korean comic of the same name. In an alternate world, humanity and vampires have warred for centuries. After the last Vampire War, the veteran Warrior Priest (Bettany) lives in obscurity with other humans inside one of the Church's walled cities. When the Priest's niece (Lily Collins) is kidnapped by vampires, the Priest breaks his vows to hunt them down. He is accompanied by the niece's boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), who is a wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q).^[1]
The film first entered development in 2005, when Screen Gems bought the spec script by Cory Goodman. In 2006 Andrew Douglas was attached to direct and Gerard Butler was attached to star. They were eventually replaced by Stewart and Bettany in 2009 and filming started in Los Angeles, California, later in the year. The film changed release dates numerous times throughout 2010 and 2011. It was especially pushed back from 2010 to 2011 to convert the film from 2D to 3D. It is scheduled to be released in the United States and Canada on May 13, 2011.

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Jackie Evancho’s debut album Dream With Me, produced by David Foster, will be available everywhere Tuesday, June 14. Jackie Evancho comes into her own with Dream With Me, collaborating with Foster on a repertoire ranging from classical arias to pop classics to show tunes with highlights that include two extraordinary superstar duets showcasing the young vocalist performing with Barbra Streisand and Susan Boyle.

“I can say without a doubt that working with Jackie on Dream With Me was truly phenomenal. Her natural ability and the depth of her understanding of the musical process left me speechless. I think we have created a musical experience that will thrill audiences of every age. She was a pure joy to work with and I had a front row seat to one of the next great talents of our time,” said David Foster.

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During Major Gen. Mark Graham’s 2 years as commander of Fort Carson, Colorado, he became known and loved for the way he treated others. One US Army colleague said: “I have never come across another general officer who was so compassionate and so concerned about the well-being of soldiers and their families.” After losing one son to suicide and another who was killed in action, Mark and his wife, Carol, dedicated themselves to helping soldiers and their families cope with service-related stress, depression, and loss.

In the book of Acts, a follower of Christ was well known for his care and concern toward others. His name was Joseph, but in the early church, the apostles called him Barnabas—“son of encouragement.” It was Barnabas who vouched for the newly converted Saul when others doubted the sincerity of his faith (Acts 9:26-27). Later, Barnabas brought Saul from Tarsus to teach the believers in Antioch (11:25-26). And it was Barnabas who wanted to give John Mark a second chance after his failure on a previous missionary journey (15:36-38).

Compassion is an inner feeling resulting in outward action. It should be our daily uniform of service (Col. 3:12). By God’s grace, may we be known for it.


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Superstars abound in today’s culture. Great soccer players can create such excitement that fans have been known to riot in the bleachers. Popular musicians have fans who stand with adoration throughout entire concerts. And Hollywood celebrities hire bodyguards to protect themselves from adoring stalkers.

The first-century Corinthian believers had become divided over their own “spiritual superstars.” Paul viewed such favoritism as a reflection of the sinful nature in a believer’s unyielded heart. “For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?” he asked (1 Cor. 3:4).

The apostle’s teaching on how we view Christian leaders puts the topic in a biblical perspective that provides mutual appreciation for those who minister: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (v.6). Each person did his part: Paul had planted spiritual seed through evangelism, and Apollos had watered it with his eloquent Bible teaching. But it was God alone who made the seed of spiritual life grow. He alone is the “superstar.”

We should be careful not to put any Christian leader on a pedestal. Instead, let’s appreciate how God is using a variety of spiritual leaders for His honor and His glory.

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One afternoon Angela gave her young daughter four jellybeans and let her know that was all the candy she was going to receive.

After practically inhaling the first three candies, Eliana lingered over the final one. She sucked on it, took it out of her mouth, bit into it, sucked on it some more, then gnawed at the outer shell. Knowing that this was her last jellybean, she took a full 45 minutes to ingest the treat completely.

Angela observed her little girl with amusement. It occurred to her that she was watching Eliana learn the value of savoring—enjoying taste and texture and learning to draw out every possible bit of flavor from the pleasurable experience.

When we read, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8), we can be sure that God wants us to “savor” His presence. He allows us to gain intimate and satisfying knowledge of Him. And when we meditate on His Word, we will draw out a deeper understanding of who He is (Ezek. 3:1-3). As we taste His goodness and love, He will reveal the distinctive flavor of His creativity, sovereignty, holiness, and faithfulness.

Our Father must look on with enjoyment as we learn how to enjoy and savor Him.


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Felipe Massa of Brazil should have won the Formula One Grand Prix in Singapore in September 2008. But as he drove off from a refueling stop while in the lead, the fuel hose was still attached. By the time his team removed the hose, he had lost so much time that he finished 13th.
The apostle Paul warned Timothy of another kind of attachment that would cause him defeat—“the affairs of this life” (2 Tim. 2:4). He urged Timothy not to let anything slow him down or distract him from the cause of his Lord and Master.
There are many attractive things in our world that are so easy to get entangled with—hobbies, sports, TV, computer games. These may start off as “refueling” activities, but later they can take up so much of our time and thought that they interfere with the purpose for which God created us: to share the good news of Christ, serve Him with our gifts, and bring glory to Him.
Paul told Timothy why he ought not be entangled with this world’s affairs: So that he could “please Him” (v.4). If your desire is to please the Lord Jesus, you will want to stay untangled from the world. As John reminds us, “The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).

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Every year I have a physical—that periodic visit to the doctor’s office where I’m poked and prodded, screened and studied. It is something that can be easy to dread, and even to fear. We aren’t sure what the tests will show or what the doctors will say. Still, we know that we need this evaluation to understand our physical well-being and what is needed as we move forward.
The same is true spiritually in the life of the Christ-follower. We need to pause from time to time and reflect on the condition of our hearts and lives.
One place for an important self-study is at the Lord’s Table. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, some of whom were eating in an unworthy manner: “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Cor. 11:28). In the remembrance of Christ’s death for us, there can be a sobering clarity of thought and understanding, for as we consider the price Jesus paid for us, it is the best time to consider the condition of our heart and our relationships. Then, with honest understanding of our spiritual well-being, we can turn to Him for the grace we need to move forward in His name.
Is it time for your checkup?

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The highly anticipated high performance series of laptops from Samsung called Series 9 just hit the market a few days before. This super slim laptop is going to make you pay $1599, but his specs will justify the price just because at the end of the day everything relies on performance.

The 13.3-inch display with SuperBright Plus makes the laptop a good entertainer besides the high processing power with its Core i5 2537M processor. The display is not the only thing to look at because the design and feel of the laptop will keep you your eyes busy for some time. It is made from the same material used to make airplanes, known as Duralumin which makes it lighter and stronger at the same time keeping the laptop having just 0.64-inch.

Samsung has proven their superior brighter display technology again with the SuperBright Plus display that has 400- nit brightness. This LED-backlit screen with the 100,000:1 contrast ratio will give you a true-to-life picture quality besides the highly useful 160-degree viewing angle. This also uses an ambient light sensor to adjust the brightness automatically with the lighting condition from the surrounding environment.

The processing power is beyond doubt as it comes with the second generation of Intel Core i5 processor. It features 4GB of RAM and also comes with 128GB SSD memory-it may sound bad for the storage, but it sounds great for the performance. The 13.3-inch model runs with Windows 7 Home Premium which looks amazing when you add an Intel HD GT2 graphic card, the best Intel Graphics Chip till now.

Longer battery life is already a common feature in most of the Samsung laptops and Series 9 could not let this down: with this battery you can use the laptop up to 6.5 hours. The battery has two charging settings: one is Battery Life Extender Mode which makes the battery last longer, but it also needs a longer recharging time and another mode called Express Charging Mode which recharges the laptop comparatively faster, but it will not be good for the battery life.

There are other attractive features in this laptop such as: USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0 and this makes the laptop as a competitor to any recent laptop model from other manufacturers. Besides Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n connectivity it also comes with a built in WiMAX modem making it more mobile and less accessorized. Better than any usual laptop is also the sound system as it features two 1.5 watt stereo speakers and a 1.5 watt sub-woofer.

Samsung Series 9 Laptops are available now(starting $1599) for and it is expected to come with different models that will have other screen sizes and/or specs soon. If this beautiful duralumin made laptop has set you back with its prices you can wait because there are some other models on the way(in April) which will be featuring smaller display( like 11.1 inch) with comparatively lower specs that may be priced within your budget.

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A laptop is no longer just a fashion statement or a luxury that is enjoyed only by the well-to-do community of computer users. In fact, recent market surveys have revealed that laptops are one of the topmost selling electronic products. Present laptop sales are at a much higher level as compared to those of desktop computers. There is one catch though. Laptops do pose users with a major problem - the problem of choice. Choosing a laptop computer is much more difficult as compared to choosing its desktop counterpart. There are a number of nitty-gritties involved when choosing a laptop that perfectly suits your needs. High school or college going students have different computer-related needs as compared to professional software developers. On that note, let us have a look at some of the best laptops for students.


Best Laptops for College Students
Before we move on to enlisting some of the best laptops for students, we need to understand the general computer-related requirements of a college student. Typically, college students require laptops and notebook computers for doing project-related work, academic research, making presentations, taking notes while in lectures and seminars, etc. (I have already taken it for granted that students will use their laptops for playing games, listening to music and watching movies). Therefore, in terms of computer hardware, the bare minimum hardware requirements of an ideal student's laptop are as follows:

* Processor with a minimum capacity of 1.8 GHz or higher
* Minimum 1 GB of RAM (preferably 2GB)
* Minimum hard drive capacity of 120 GB (preferably 160 GB)
* CD drive with both read-write facility (DVD equivalent will be even better)
* Minimum 13 inch display screen
* Minimum 2 hours of laptop battery backup
* 4 USB ports, 1 Ethernet port
* Bluetooth connectivity
* At least 64 MB of video i.e. graphics memory (preferably 128 MB)
* Sturdy body and easy-to-carry
* Last but not the least, modestly priced.

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There's always big news for laptops during the Consumer Electronics Show, and this year is no different. From processor updates to 3D technology, these are exciting times for the mobile PC market. Read on for what to expect in laptops in the coming year.

CPU and GPU Get Closer
In terms of the processor market, it isn't just another speed bump this year, nor is it about adding more physical cores to the processor die, as with previous years. This year, graphics power is finally riding shotgun with the CPU. Both Intel and AMD will unveil new chips, followed by a sea of laptops that will for the first time feature on-die graphics. The mere fact that the graphics component is that much closer to the CPU means that novice and part-time gamers can actually play the latest 3D titles without having to spend extra money on a midrange graphics chipset from the likes of Nvidia and AMD. It's a monumental improvement in 3D graphics-related tasks, coupled with big gains in CPU horsepower. Intel's new chips, codenamed "SandyBridge," will be revealed as the next generation Core i3, i5, and i7 processors in retail. Meanwhile, AMD refers to its latest APU (CPU and GPU on the same die) as its Fusion technology.

Nvidia and AMD Not Standing Down
Despite the buzz surrounding SandyBridge and its new and improved graphics platform, Nvidia and AMD aren't backing down in the discrete graphics race. Their graphics chipset will boast about DirectX 11 and the graphically detailed images that Intel can't achieve with SandyBridge, which will not support DirectX 11. You'll see frame rates that will rival $2,000 gaming rigs from a year ago while paying a fraction of their costs.

Netbook Aren't Going Away
Tablets may have been getting the lion's share of attention this past year, but don't put netbooks out to pasture just yet. This coming year, netbooks will continue to charge forward until tablets can prove their staying power. AMD, of all companies, is leading this charge with its APUs, promising an overall performance improvement without sacrificing battery life. They'll be pitched as low-cost ultraportables, but the target is really the netbook market, which has been owned by the Intel Atom. Intel, of course, is still a big presence in the netbook space, and you'll see plenty of netbooks that'll launch with the dual core Atom.

USB 3.0, 720p Webcams, and 3D
USB 3.0, 3D technology, and 720p Webcams—get used to these terms, because you'll be hearing them a lot in relation to laptops. USB 3.0, for instance, is already prevalent in desktop replacement laptops, but you'll be seeing them in slim form factors like ultraportable laptops as well. It looks exactly like your average USB port, except it's the icon is blue, and, oh yeah, it delivers 10 times the transfer rate of USB 2.0. It'll eventually replace eSATA in laptops, since having both of these technologies on board is redundant.

Smartphones like the Apple iPhone 4 can shoot 720p video with its Webcam, so why shouldn't laptops, with their bigger screens, be able to do the same? We've already seen the first 720p Webcam in the Dell XPS 15, and at least a few more laptops will allow users to video chat and shoot videos in high definition.

3D is still more gimmick at this point and even more so in laptops. But that won't stop the countless manufacturers from launching 3D laptops that come with the fancy eyewear. Glasses-free 3D laptops aren't out of the question, as Nintendo and Toshiba have already announced 3D technologies that can be viewed with the naked eye. Laptops will announce support for 3D even though their panels can't display it. If you invested in one of the latest 3DTV flat panels for your living room or office, companies like Nvidia and ATI can push 3D content out of your laptop's HDMI port to your 3D flat panel. This includes 3D Blu-ray content, games, and even home-made videos and photos (converted to 3D using special video editing packages.

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Acer Aspire TimelineX AS5820T-6401 – Combining Intel Core i5 processing performance with extended battery life, the breathtaking thin and lightweight Acer Aspire TimelineX laptop (model AS5820T-6401) gives you the freedom to roam all day long with an 8-hour battery life and stay productive with its 15.6-inch LED-backlit display.

A perfect balance to mobility and portability at just under 5.5 pounds, the TimelineX features a premium durable design with a black brushed aluminum cover and a brushed metal palm rest that not only looks sharp but protects from fingerprints as well. Burn through the hottest new digital media, content creation and advanced 3D gaming with the breakthrough performance of the turbo-charged Intel Core i5 processor–with 4-way multitasking processor power to work on four tasks simultaneously.

Pinch, flick and swirl your fingers on the Multi-Gesture Touchpad for an intuitive navigation of web pages, photos, and more. A Touchpad Lock Function Key prevents accidental cursor movement from your wrists and fingers while typing.

The 1.3-megapixel HD webcam lets you go face to face in online chats and VOIPs with a 1280 x 1024 resolution, and you can go even bigger by easily connecting to your HDTV via the HDMI port–delivering crisp high-quality visuals and high-fidelity audio through a single cable.

Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you’ll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to.

You’ll also experience new ways to deliver your best work with Office Starter 2010. Complete your PC. Buy full-featured Microsoft Office 2010.

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HP Compaq 6730b Review

 

Convenience and versatility are among the best reasons to look for a laptop computer. Today’s best units can essentially replace the standard desktop computer for most needs yet are truly portable. The HP Compaq 6730b is among the best small laptops available and while it can certainly be used by students and home users, it has a decided bent towards business use.

Features:

On the go professionals will find the HP Compaq 6730b to be an indispensible tool for many reasons but most notably for its many connectivity options. Wherever travels may take you, at least one of them can keep you in touch just as though you were in the home office. Security features built in to this computer are also major selling points for this excellent series of computers.

The 15.4-inch screen, diagonally measured, offers ample size for long periods of usage without undue eye fatigue. The anti-glare finish that is incorporated into the display makes it very usable under varying lighting conditions and, for the most part, eliminates the glare that is common to most laptop computers under bright lights.

There’s an Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor at the heart of the computer running at 2.40 GHz clock speed with a 3MB L2 cache and 1066 MHz front side bus speed. While that’s likely adequate for most business users, there are four upgrades available up to an Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 running at 2.80 GHz, a 6 MB L2 cache and the same 1066 MHz front side bus speed. Though most users will be best served by maximizing processor speed, there are also a couple of downgrades available that still offer pretty snappy performance for most needs while saving some money.

Going hand in hand with the processor to define the computer’s performance is the memory. The 6730b comes standard with 2 GB of DDR2 RAM which is upgradeable to 8 MB. A 320 GB hard drive is included in the package price. That can be increased to 500 GB for a reasonable price or reduced to 160 GB for those who prefer to economize a bit.

We mentioned earlier that connectivity is among the HP Compaq 6730b’s strong points. Here are some details. The computer comes ready for wireless networking with built in Wi-Fi supporting the 802.11a/b/g and draft-n standards. Additionally, wireless broadband can be included from AT&T, Sprint or Verizon Wireless. This is, of course, and option and the preferred carrier must be specified at the time of ordering. Use of this service requires activation of wireless broadband service from the selected carrier. For additional information about the carriers, take a look at our side-by-side comparison of Mobile Broadband services. Recognizing that wireless internet connections aren’t always available, this computer is outfitted with a 56K dial-up modem for yet another means of staying in touch.

Sensitive business information can be protected by a couple of options for relatively low cost. A fingerprint reader can be added to the device as can a smart card reader.

The HP Compaq 6730b comes equipped with a CD/DVD reader/burner including LightScribe disc labeling which allows you to burn labels onto the created discs. A second 250 GB hard drive can be substituted for the CD/DVD drive. Also optional is an integrated VGA webcam.

Connectivity to Bluetooth wireless devices is available with the HP Compaq 6730b but there’s a rather odd relationship between this option and the available warranty. If you want Bluetooth, you have to opt for the three year warranty. Without Bluetooth, only the one year warranty is available. We fail to see the connection but suspect that marketing has more to do with it than technical necessity.

Up to about six hours of battery life can be expected from the 6-cell, 55WHr battery but that depends in great measure what’s being done with the computer. As always, using features like Bluetooth and wireless broadband will quickly reduce the time that you can operate without plugging into an AC outlet.

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional is the standard operating system for this computer. For those who prefer, it can be downgraded to Windows XP or Windows Vista, though we can’t quite imagine why anyone would want to do that, especially regarding Vista.

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Google is still hard at work on their social strategy. You know it, I know it, we all know it. What it will actually be, remains to be seen. But there are clues related to it that have started to appear.

The first was the redesign of the toolbar. While Google claimed it doesn’t directly point to the social strategy (even though it looks exactly like the verified +1 leaks we’ve seen), it is a first step. The second was the revamping of profile pages. Also nothing particularly social about it, but again, related to the overall strategy. And now we’re seeing something else: a unification of profiles across Google properties. And a big push for all of them to be public.

As The Next Web spotted a couple weeks ago, Google quietly announced that it would be deleting Google Profiles that weren’t public starting in July. Here’s the wording:

The purpose of Google Profiles is to enable you to manage your online identity. Today, nearly all Google Profiles are public. We believe that using Google Profiles to help people find and connect with you online is how the product is best used. Private profiles don’t allow this, so we have decided to require all profiles to be public.

Keep in mind that your full name is the only required information that will be displayed on your profile; you’ll be able to edit or remove any other information that you don’t want to share.

If you currently have a private profile but you do not wish to make your profile public, you can delete your profile. Or, you can simply do nothing. All private profiles will be deleted after July 31, 2011.

And that’s important because other Google properties are also being woven into these profiles. Yesterday, the following note was left in the Google Groups message board:

Google Groups-specific profiles will no longer be supported. Instead, you will be able to use the new Google Groups to (optionally) link your new and improved Google profile with your groups. Starting July 1st 2011, you will not be able to make changes to your Groups profile. Your profile information will be available for export from your profile page until November 1st 2011. This change will not affect the nicknames you might have chosen for yourself to participate in groups. It will only affect the custom profile fields, such as your photo, location, and occupation.

This type of unification will also take place across other Google properties as well, we hear. It’s a part of a broader effort to bring Google’s properties closer together, and allow for more social activities, is our understanding.

But as we laid out a couple weeks ago, don’t look for a massive launch of something being billed as a “Facebook-killer” (not that anyone besides the press would label it as such anyway). Instead, expect smaller social features across Google properties to appear once the unification is more complete. Judging from the timelines of the changes above, this could be late summer or even later.


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Microsoft Disables HTTPS for Hotmail Users in Iran, Sudan (and More) / emailGovernments in Bahrain, Algeria, Syria, Iran and the Sudan are all free to snoop their citizens' Hotmail accounts today, as Microsoft has inexplicably disabled HTTPS support for Hotmail users in those countries.

Equally disturbing is how quickly Microsoft seemingly abandoned the feature (at least in the listed countries, as it is still active in Europe and the U.S.). Microsoft deployed the feature, which is present on such platforms as Twitter and Google's Gmail, in December. HTTPS is largely effective at blocking snooping tools like Firesheep, which hackers can use to glean sensitive information from unprotected Hotmail users.

In a statement, the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) offered further explanation, and called for a swift correction of the as-of-yet unexplained security snafu:

"For Microsoft to take such an enormous step backwards— undermining the security of Hotmail users in countries where freedom of expression is under attack and secure communication is especially important—is deeply disturbing. We hope that this counterproductive and potentially dangerous move is merely an error that Microsoft will swiftly correct."

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Microsoft Disables HTTPS for Hotmail Users in Iran, Sudan (and More)

Jack Loftus — Microsoft Disables HTTPS for Hotmail Users in Iran, Sudan (and More) / emailGovernments in Bahrain, Algeria, Syria, Iran and the Sudan are all free to snoop their citizens' Hotmail accounts today, as Microsoft has inexplicably disabled HTTPS support for Hotmail users in those countries.

Equally disturbing is how quickly Microsoft seemingly abandoned the feature (at least in the listed countries, as it is still active in Europe and the U.S.). Microsoft deployed the feature, which is present on such platforms as Twitter and Google's Gmail, in December. HTTPS is largely effective at blocking snooping tools like Firesheep, which hackers can use to glean sensitive information from unprotected Hotmail users.

In a statement, the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) offered further explanation, and called for a swift correction of the as-of-yet unexplained security snafu:

For Microsoft to take such an enormous step backwards— undermining the security of Hotmail users in countries where freedom of expression is under attack and secure communication is especially important—is deeply disturbing. We hope that this counterproductive and potentially dangerous move is merely an error that Microsoft will swiftly correct.

Luckily for Hotmail users in the affected countries, the fix is apparently fairly easy: Just change your settings so that the country you've selected in your profile is one of the unaffected countries. Good ol' U.S. of A. works, as does Germaany, France, Israel or Turkey. If you're using Firefox, the EFF says you can force the use of HTTPS by default. Simply install the HTTPS Everywhere Firefox plug-in and you'll be good to go. [EFF via Boing Boing]



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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Internet rights attorneys appealed a US judge's order that Twitter must hand over data of three users in contact with the controversial website WikiLeaks.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged the March 3 ruling on behalf of Icelandic parliamentarian Birgitta Jonsdottir, one of the Twitter users targeted by the decision.

The EFF and ACLU want Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan's decision overturned and WikiLeaks investigators to reveal any similar requests for information from other Internet firms.

"Except in very rare circumstances, the government should not be permitted to obtain information about individuals' private Internet communications in secret," said ACLU staff attorney Aden Fine.

"If the ruling is allowed to stand, our client might never know how many other companies have been ordered to turn over information about her, and she may never be able to challenge the invasive requests."

Besides Jonsdottir, the Twitter accounts belong to US computer researcher Jacob Appelbaum and Rop Gonggrijp, a Dutch volunteer for WikiLeaks.

The government request for information from Twitter became public because the California-based microblogging service notified them, according to the EFF.

In her decision, Buchanan rejected arguments that the grab for Twitter information violated freedom of speech and privacy.

She said the three "already made their Twitter posts and associations publicly available" and voluntarily provided information to Twitter pursuant to the website's privacy policy.

Buchanan also dismissed the argument that the order violated the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, which protects people against "unreasonable" searches.

When the trio relayed information to Twitter, they gave up "any reasonable expectation of privacy," she said.

"Services like Twitter have information that can be used to track us and link our communications across multiple services including Facebook and Gmail," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn.

"The Magistrate's ruling that users have no ability to protect that information from the US government is especially troubling."

President Barack Obama's administration obtained a court order last year seeking information from the Twitter accounts as it considers action against WikiLeaks, which has released a flood of secret diplomatic documents.

WikiLeaks, which has strongly criticized the order, said that three Twitter users never worked for the site but that two helped make public a video that showed a 2007 US helicopter strike in Baghdad that killed several people.

The footage appeared to show the Apache pilots mistaking a camera carried by an employee of the Reuters news agency as a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

WikiLeaks has since angered US authorities by posting secret documents on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and releasing a slew of internal correspondence among US diplomats around the world.

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Generasi terbaru Apache Hadoop, implementasi piranti lunak yang memproses petabyte data, akan keluar tahun ini, kata seorang eksekutif Yahoo seperti dikutip IT News.com.

Papaioannou Todd, Wakil Presiden Arsitektur Yahoo kepada Computerworld minggu ini mengatakan perulangan Hadoop yang saat ini berlaku kurang mampu mengelola sumber daya ribuan server secara efektif dalam sebuah kluster.

Jadi pengembang sedang bekerja untuk meningkatkan penggunaan, penjadwalan dan pengelolaan sumber daya.

Misalnya, arsitektur baru itu akan mencakup ResourceManager global yang akan melacak ketersediaan server penjadwalan invarian ketika ApplicationMaster beroperasi dalam kluster dan melacak program semantik untuk pekerjaan tertentu, tulisa pengembang Yahoo Arun Murthy mdalam satu posting blog.

Menurut Papaioannou, saat ini Yahoo memberikan kontribusi sekitar 70% dari kode perulangan Hadoop dan Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS).

Awal tahun ini, Yahoo menghentikan distribusi Hadoop-nya sendiri dan mulai bekerja erat dengan komunitas Apache Hadoop karena dapat menarik komunitas open source untuk membantu pengembangan-pengembangan, kata Papaioannou.

Bersama Apache, Hadoop menggunakan iterasi MapReduce, suatu teknik pemrograman yang berasal dari Google, untuk membangun program-program paralel. Dengan menggunakan Hadoop, MapReduce memungkinkan melakukan pemrosesan data secara paralel.

"Generasi berikutnya HDFS akan lebih tangguh dan andal. Kami berharap akan menempatkannya bersama-sama dalam sebuah peluncuran beberapa waktu ke depan. Itu adalah uji kerja sama dengan seluruh komunitas pembangunan," kata Papaioannou.

Yahoo baru saja meluncurkan satu proyek baru yang disebut H Catalog yang adalah sebuah skema manajemen tabel metadata Hadoop.

"Itu akan membantu mengatasi sejumlah kasus berbeda-beda. Program ini baru saja makuk ke versi Apache minggu lalu." (*)
Adam

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Bandung (ANTARA News) - PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia segera meluncurkan Satelit Telkom-3 yang akan memperkuat jaringan dengan mengatasi saluran yang belum terjangkau jaringan teresterial serat optik.

"Satelit Telkom-3 dijadwalkan rampung sekaligus diluncurkan pada akhir 2011," kata Head of Coorporate Communication Telkom Eddy Kurnia dalam siaran persnya di Bandung, Kamis.

Proyek Satelit Telkom yang bernilai total 200 juta dolar AS tersebut saat ini tengah dibuat di pabrik satelit ISS-Reshetnev Rusia dengan subsistem komunikasi yang dibuat Thales Aleniaspace Prancis.

Satelit tu rencananya akan diluncurkan dengan peluncur Proton M-breeze.

Eddy Kurnia menyebutkan, Satelit Telkom-3 juga untuk meningkatkan kapasitas dan kualitas infrastruktur ICT dan memenuhi keperluan pemerintah dalam kaitan pertahanan dan keamanan, serta mendukung operasional perusahaan-perusahaan milik pemerintah.

Menurut Edi, sekarang ini terjadi peningkatan permintaan atas satelit komunikasi baik di Indonesia maupun di negara-negara tetangga lainnya di ASEAN.

"Permintaan terhadap transponder masih akan tumbuh. Saat ini lebih dari 160 transponder dimanfaatkan untuk GSM backhaul, jaringan data dan untuk penyiaran," katanya.

Sedangkan pasokan domestik yang dilakukan oleh Telkom hanya 101 transponder, permintaan saat ini masih tumbuh untuk keperluan penyiaran, 3G, "triple play" dan "Quardraple".

"Satelit Telkom-3 berkapasitas setara dengan 42 transponder," katanya.

Dari sisi cakupan geografis, Satelit Telkom-3 yang merupakan satelit pertama Indonesia yang dibeli dari Rusia itu mencakup Standart C-band (Indonesia dan ASEAN), Ext C-band (Indonesia dan Malaysia) serta Ku-Band (Indonesia).

Sebelumnya Telkom telah mengoperasikan Satelit Telkom-2 pada 12 November 2005 yang diluncurkan di ArianeSpace Kouroune, Guyana Prancis

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Traditional 3D programs are notoriously difficult to use and understand. Not so Xara 3D Maker. Unlike many 3D programs that take an age to learn and understand, Xara 3D Maker has been created to perform one job, and performs that job with style, speed and simplicity.

Xara 3D Maker is solely designed to create the highest quality 3D text and graphics, such as headings, logos, titles and buttons. It's the perfect way to add impact to your web pages, mailshots, movies and presentations (all images are fully anti-aliased for that smooth, professional quality). Xara 3D Maker can also create awesome 3D animations in seconds - GIFs, AVIs and simple Flash movie sequences - and you can even enhance your desktop by saving any animation as a screensaver!

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Mytoolsoft Watermark Software is an easy-to-use watermark software which was created to help you add watermarks to multiple images at once. Easy three-step operation to complete. Support text watermark and image watermark. Freedom of location and style. Allow use individually setting in batch process. Protect your photos without unauthorized distribution.

watermark software - batch mode
add watermark to your multiple images at once. allow use individually setting in the batch process. support multiple picture formats: bmp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, tiff...
watermark software - text watermark and image watermark
support text wartermark and image watermark. freedom of location and style. such as margins, angle, shadow and opacity. resize output images and convert format in batch mode. setting output image quality. retain the EXIF information.
watermark software - easy to use
friendly user interface, fastly and easily. support drag & drop files and folder. preview in watermark setting, what you see is what you get. auto save watermark setting and output setting.

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Software Description

Awave Studio allows you to convert, edit, play or process a huge amount of audio, music & synthesizer formats (more than 290 different audio carrying file formats can be read!). Features include conversion, creation, editing, and emulation of synthesizer instruments, MIDI SDS and SCSI SMDI transfers, reading of non-Windows compatible AKAI, Kurzweil and Roland CD-ROM's, conversion of mobile phone ring signals, CD-ripping, simple MIDI editing, song playback incl. custom samples, batch conversion, and sound recording. Supported file formats are include synthesizers from Roland, Yamaha, AKAI, EMU, Korg, SampleCell, various trackers, mobile phones, et c. It is truly a must-have, multi-purpose, audio tool for musicians, audio engineers, and just about anyone that's into computer audio!

New in v10.4

* Added support for reading and writing Yamaha EX5 files (.S1V,.S1M,.S1A).
* Added support for writing (in addition to reading) Yamaha Tyros 2 and Tyros 3 files (.TVN,.UVN).
* Added support for reading Yamaha Motif XF all/voice/wave files (.X3A,.X3V,.X3W).
* Added beta-support support for writing Yamaha Motif XS and Motif XF voice and wave files (.X0V,.X0W,.X3V,.X2W). This hasn't been fully tested yet, so feedback is appreciated.
* Added support for reading and writing Logic EXS24 files (.EXS). NB; only basic parameters are converted - LFOs, envelopes etc., are currently ignored.
* Added support for reading audio data from Matroska container format files (.MKV and.MKA). Currently the following audio codecs are supported: MPEG, AAC, Ogg, and PCM.
* Added support for reading songs from Cakewalk/Sonar work files (.WRK). This includes support for associated SoundFont files and for SysEx banks with Yamaha DX-series or Roland MT-32 instruments.
* Improved conversion of Kurzweil files (.KRZ,.K25).
* Added support for writing AKAI S900/S950 sample files.
* Added support for reading Ensoniq Mirage floppy disk images (.EDM). As these can not be reliably auto-detected, you must use a file extension of.EDM. NB; envelopes are not converted, and the pitch can be a bit shaky...
* Resampling of waveforms is now up to 8x faster.
* Added a "Compact MIDI file size" function to the "MIDI processing wizard", allowing removal of duplicate/unnecessary MIDI messages, and optional replacement of Note-Off with zero-velocity Note-On (which saves a Byte whenever the previous message is a Note-On on the same channel).
* Added an "Auto-detect and fix phase inversion" option to the "Convert to mono" function in the "Audio processing wizard".
* The MIDI track editor now allows multi-selection, so that you can delete more than one event in one go.
* When reading rare "format 2" MIDI files, each "pattern track" is now automatically converted into a separate format 0 songs.
* Added support for reading several "raw Adlib / OPL register capture" formats (with conversion of both song and instrument data):
- DOSBox Raw OPL format v1 & v2 (.DRO files).
- Rdos Raw OPL capture format (.RAW files).
- id Software Music Format (.IMF &.WLF files).
* Reading & writing Monkeys Audio files (.APE) now requires the external file MACDLL.dll (included in the latest codec pack).
* Added support for reading.WAV files containing Ogg Vorbis format compressed audio.
* Added support for reading 2/2.67/4-bit SoundBlaster/Creative Labs ADPCM compression from.VOC files.
* Added support for reading rare "non-seekeable".OGG files.

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Finale has always offered you unlimited power to create any music you can imagine. Finale 2011 builds upon that power by transforming the creative process. Now, the way you create can be as flexible as what you create. Finale 2011 adapts to the way you work.

Improved Lyric Entry and Spacing
Lyrics are more easily entered, instantly appear exactly as they’ll print out, and are automatically spaced with engraver precision.
Garritan sounds
Finale now includes more than 375 world-class instrument sounds from the makers of Garritan Personal Orchestra. Free new sounds include bass trombone, brass section, children’s choir ahs, flute section, electronic drum kit.
New Fonts
Hundreds of new font characters are included for percussion, mallet and handbell graphics.
Expanded Percussion Playback
Last year we simplified the process of getting notes on percussion staves to look – and playback – exactly the way you want them to. This year Finale 2011 makes it easy to switch between pitched and non-pitched percussion anywhere in your score.
Instant Capo Chords
Automatically add capo chords to your music with the freedom to control whether they replace or appear in addition to non-capo chords.

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Blaze Media Pro is powerful music software, providing the capability of a music converter, music editor, music burner, music ripper, and music player all in one software application. The software offers many advanced, yet easy to use, features for converting between MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, and more music formats. Sample audio conversions include MP3 to WAV, WAV to MP3, WMA to MP3, MP3 to WMA, OGG to MP3, MP3 to OGG, and many more! Blaze Media Pro features an audio editor that can easy edit music files in virtually any format and bitrate, save to different bitrates, etc. The audio editor also supports recording music from any available source, such as streaming music online, cassettes or LPs via line-in, etc. Music recordings can, of course, be saved into any supported format in seconds. The software's Burn Audio CD feature allows for quick and easy burning of music files to CD-R or CD-RW media in record time. Music ripping is also available via the software's CD Tracks conversion feature. It can quickly rip tracks from CD, obtain track and disc information from the online CDDB, automatically name the saved music files using the CDDB information, and automatically insert music ID3 tags from the same information. A music lyrics search feature is provided that allows users to quickly and easily find the lyrics for a song searching by its title or the artist. Of course, a music player is also included which supports all of the same music formats, playlists, and many options for functionality control. Blaze Media Pro offers all of this in one highly configurable application. Advanced options are available for maximum control, although they are completely optional, making Blaze Media Pro the perfect choice for music software for users of any experience level.

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We also learned a few interesting new facts about the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.

* There will be no PSOne emulator. The PSOne classics will be ported directly to the Android platform, but   they will be available only through the dedicated Game Store.
* Sony Ericsson is going to revise the games before they enter the Game Store so they get the PlayStation certification. Otherwise they won't be published there, but in the Android Market only.
* The promised 60fps in games won't be constant but optimum. Lots of the upcoming titles should run at or about that frame rate, though.
* The XPERIA Play doesn't have a Reality display or an Exmor R camera sensor. They are sacrificed in order to minimize the device size.
* The XPERIA Play will launch with 50 game titles in its Game Store, but they will expand rapidly until the end of the year. Lots of Sony's partners are working on new games or porting classics right now.
* XPERIA Play launches in March worldwide except the States. Verizon will offer it exclusively in the US starting from April.
* There's no pricing info yet.

Sumber : Gsmarena

No - this isn't one of our April Fools Day jokes. It's the real deal, confirmed by the Sony Ericsson Product Blog and everything.

It seems that the guys over at Sony Ericsson haven't forgotten about the godfather of their Android lineup, while promoting their second wave XPERIA smartphones. Actually Rikard Skogberg, the man who unveiled this juicy information to the world, says that experience with the XPERIA Arc and XPERIA Neo phones has helped Sony Ericsson's engineers to start working on the Gingerbread update for the X10.

Skogberg wrote that the reason behind this upcoming update is that Sony Ericsson listens to its clients requests. Well, okay - we guess it's technically true. Eclair and multi-touch did reach the X10, no matter how long people had to wait for them.

The update will start rolling-out in the summer time. It will be exclusive for non-carrier-branded devices so far. Locked carrier-dependent devices will just have to wait for new developments. Reportedly, some users may not get the Gingerbread update because of their carrier situation.

On the changes that Gingerbread would bring, Mr. Skogberg had this to say: "In short, we plan to bring similar software and functionality to Xperia X10 as we have in our new 2011 Xperia smartphones. Our ambition is to provide the majority of functionality of the Gingerbread platform, as well as the Sony Ericsson specific User Experience and features."

Also some current software functions will disappear. The camera app will get the standard Gingerbread UI, Mediascape will be replaced by the newest Sony Ericsson Android media widgets, included in the Arc, Neo and Play. The Sony Ericsson Backup and Restore app will be lost since Gingerbread doesn't support it.

The new update won't be an over-the-air affair. You'll have to connect your X10 smartphone to a PC with the Sony Ericsson software to update.

Sumber : Gsmarena

The Samsung Galaxy Ace can get far with a name like this but it isn’t going any further than its comfortable midrange spot. You know, if you want the best seat in the house you need to move the cat. The Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 is a feline droid – the black cat in Samsung’s Android portfolio. And it spells bad luck for the competition – mid-range droids are a force to be reckoned with in the smartphone world.

Key features

* Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
* 7.2 Mbps HSDPA support
* 3.5" 16M-color TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen of HVGA (320 x 480 pixels) resolution
* 800MHz ARM 11 processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset; 278MB of RAM available to the user
* Android OS v2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz 3.0 UI customization
* Swype text input
* 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash; Geo-tagging, face and smile detection
* QVGA@15fps video
* microSD slot (up to 32GB, 2GB in box)
* Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n and DLNA
* GPS with A-GPS connectivity; Digital compass
* microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
* Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
* DNSe sound enhancement
* FM radio with RDS
* Document editor
* File manager preinstalled
* Samsung Apps brings a few nice apps for free
* Accelerometer and proximity sensor

Sumber : Gsmarena

Mobiado, the luxury phone maker, and Aston Martin, the luxury car maker, are in cahoots, trying to co-create phones. The first prototype they've shown is a stunning transparent Android phone. No, don't go back to read that again, check out the concept renders - they are even more mind-blowing.

The Mobiado concept phone is called CTP002 is basically one big, transparent sapphire glass with two titanium edges on the left and right. The glass is a color capacitive touchscreen. We know it's only a concept and from a technical standpoint it seems all but impossible, but the Mobiado CTP002 is a joy to behold.
Still, Mobiado's plan to cram in the SIM card slot a chipset that's powerful enough to run Android and a battery with enough juice for the phone to run more than a minute is science fiction with today's technology.

But not having access to the technology of tomorrow doesn't mean you can't plan to show off today. Here's what Mobiado envisions you can do if you had the CTP002 and an Aston Martin.

The phone will connect with the car and its display. The car display will show a map with all local venues and your friends from Foursquare. The cameras integrated into the car can be set to snap a photo periodically and post it on Facebook or Twitter (nothing classier than telling the Internet how rich you are) and the CTP002's accelerometer will track the drivers body in case of a collision, giving the car's airbags better information on how to react.

Well, these things sound like a thirteen-year-old daydreaming (especially trusting a phone with something as important as airbag deployment) but having a transparent phone like the Mobiado CTP002 would be super cool. Fingers crossed they do manage to go beyond the concept phase.

By the way, the Mobiado CTP002 concept will be shown off at BaselWorld, the world watch and jewelry show in Switzerland. Good to know in case you're nearby.

Sumber : Gsmarena

An alternative color version of the HTC Incredible S has just been spotted on a Danish retailer's website. If black seemed all too played out for you, you will eventually have a chance to get the latest HTC smartphone flagship in red.

Now there is no price mentioned on the site so the red Incredible S clearly isn't in stock just yet, but its existence is confirmed now. We are not quite sure red is the perfect choice for the second option as silver, for example might have had a broader appeal. Still, having options is good and that's why this is pretty good news.
We are yet to know when exactly the red Incredible S will hit the shelves and if it will be available globally. We are also to confirm if this version will cost the same as the black one.
By the way we are on our way to publishing a full-blown review on the HTC Incredible S. You can check out the unboxing and hands-on video in our blog (there's some live photos there too) for now and keep an eye on the homepage next week to make sure you won't miss it.


Sumber : GSMArena