Google Reaches for the Stars, Takes You to Outer Space in Your Browser

Image Credit: Google

You ready to space out? Literally? Google’s got just the trick, and no, it’s not another Doodle.

The company’s creative lab has put together a new project called 100,000 Stars. Dubbed an “experiment,” the search-engine giant has plotted 100,000 starts in an interactive map of outer space. Using imagery and data from NASA, the European Space Agency and other sources together with the Chrome browser’s support for advanced web technologies (HTML 5, WebGL and CSS3D), the team was able to put together a beautiful site, which lets you pan and zoom around the stars closest to the sun. Zoom in on the stars, and you will see their names and more from Wikipedia, including just how hot it is with a color index map.

Of course, Google decided to focus only on 100,000 stars, not the billions out there. “As you explore this experiment, we hope you share our wonder for how large the galaxy really is. It’s incredible to think that this mist of 100,000 measurable stars is a tiny fraction of the sextillions of stars in the broader universe,” Google’s Aaron Koblin said in a post on the company’s Chrome blog.

The imagery is really stunning, but Google emphasizes that it’s an artist’s rendition. It shouldn’t be seen as a scientific document, and the music by Sam Hulick, who composed tracks for video games, makes that pretty obvious.

With that, we’ll let you get out of here and go check it out yourselves here.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Twitter War Erupts Between Israel and Hamas During Gaza Strikes

                                                      (Image Credit: IDFSpokesperson/Twitter)

As the Israeli Defense Forces waged a military campaign on Hamas targets in  Gaza today, a different kind of war unfolded on Twitter between the two groups.

“We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead,” said a tweet from the @IDFspokesperson account today. The tweet followed news that the Israeli attack had taken out Ahmed Jabari, the chief of staff of the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades and leader of the military wing of Hamas.

Read More: Israel Assassinates Hamas Commander

Hamas launched mortars in retaliation,  but also fired back on Twitter.

“Our blessed hands will reach your leaders and soldiers wherever they are (You Opened Hell Gates on Yourselves),” said a tweet from the @AlqassamBrigade handle that was directed to the Israeli Defense Forces Twitter.

Throughout the day, the warring groups used their Twitter accounts to provide real-time updates about the military action. The IDF account even broke the news of Jabari’s death on Twitter and quickly posted a video of the strike that was said to have killed him.

“Hamas continues to try to kill Israeli civilians. So far today, the Iron Dome has intercepted 17 rockets fired from #Gaza,” another update said, referring to the missile defense system installed with the help of the U.S.

Meanwhile, the militant unit of Hamas said it had shelled numerous Israeli bases.

“Al Qassam hit Isnad Sofa base with 6 mortars in response on assassination of its leader,” a recent update said, as the Twitter war continued well into the evening.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

‘Paper Mario: Sticker Star’ Shines Despite Sticky Situations

Image credit: Nintendo

Somewhere around the end of “Super Mario: Sticker Star,” I realized that it was the most beautiful handheld game I’ve ever played. “Sticker Star” has a consistently charming design that keeps the surprises coming even late into the campaign, but unfortunately suffers from one or two key level design flaws that may mar your experience.

In the world of Paper Mario, all characters and surfaces are made from paper, stickers and cardboard, their flat nature making for clever, eye-pleasing, layered foregrounds and backgrounds. The game represents a fantastic use of 3D, and although I tend to play Nintendo 3DS with the third dimension slider turned off, I found myself flipping the 3D switch often to appreciate the shoe-box dioramas that Nintendo had created.

The Paper Mario games are RPGs that have always worked to simplify the turn-based fighting experience, and this Nintendo 3DS offering simplifies RPG gameplay even further.  The world can be navigated quickly and easily, there are not an overwhelming number of side quests to complete and there is a lack of emphasis on HP stats, taking away the complications that may have kept kids from previous incarnations. The game also avoids introducing many new characters, instead using Mario’s classic cast in new ways.

One big note on “Sticker Star”; you are going to need to play this game with Google by your side. While the game plays intuitively for 95 percent of its run, getting stuck on just one puzzle can stop your entire adventure dead in its tracks. There is a help system built into the game, but I found that it would not provide the desired advice in the majority of situations where “Sticker Star” left me stuck. Here are the top 5 sticker stumpers I found as I played…

WARNING:  SPOILERS

World 1-3: How do you get that faucet to stop pumping? I tried cutting the cord with scissors, slamming my hammer down, stomping the hose, striking Bowser with the hammer. The solution? This is the only puzzle that actually requires you to jump up and down.

World 2-4: That’s not a sticker indicator spot, it’s a plug. Didn’t mind this one as much, but it sure went against intuition.

World 4-1: I felt stupid when I spent an hour trying to bypass snowball-throwers. You can hammer their snowballs with precise timing to pass them, but if you’ve tried this a few times and failed, you might think it impossible. Keep at it.

World 4-3: The ghost house room with the floating furniture threw me for a loop. At first it seemed one might be able to jump from table to chair in mid-air. Then it made sense that if the final bookcase could be found, it might bridge to the desired area. Instead, click the candle off on the upper level of the moving furniture room to reveal your way forward.

World 5-5: Jump the jungle flower. I’m convinced there is no official way to get over the last jungle flower. Luckily, the hive-mind of global trouble shooters has figured out a way to jump on an invisible leaf ledge and make your way up to the final crumpled piece of paper. Then again, the best item in the game is accessible after this jump, so I’m thinking the game’s designers knew just how maddening the puzzle would be. Still, I could have used a lawnmower or a ladder sticker at the end of this level.

Random Tip:

Final Bowser Battle: I didn’t have the patience to keep entering battle with Bowser in order to figure out how to knock his bodyguard Whomp down and cut up its clearly vulnerable back. I tried putting him to sleep with a Baahammer and was weary of using a bed as it put Mario to sleep on an earlier test run. I found it was easier to use an infinite jump sticker, as long as you have the patience to mash buttons for a full minute’s time.

Extra Observations:

• This game finally answers the burning question, why are the forest rivers in Mario’s world filled with poison?
• So now Nintendo’s handhelds are juggling two RPGs at once. The question is, will the Mario and Luigi series continue when Paper Mario is now in the mix??

“Paper Mario: Sticker Star” is now available in the United States for digital download and physical purchase.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Online Anonymity Nearly Impossible, Petraeus Emails Show

                                                                   (Image Credit: T. Ortega Gaines/AP Photo)

The Petraeus sex scandal rocked Washington, bringing down one of the most respected military minds of his generation, and with it, exposing a web of intimate and embarrassing electronic communications between the former CIA director and his paramour. It all begged the question:

If the nation’s top spy or his mistress — a counterintelligence expert — couldn’t keep their private email messages  truly private, then who can?

“It’s kind of ironic the leader of this organization dedicated to keeping things secret was completely exposed and left hung out to dry,” said Cole Stryker, an online privacy and anonymity expert and author of “Hacking the Future.”

Stryker said “99.9 percent” of people don’t have to worry about the FBI reading their electronic communication.  “But obviously there was enough of a reason, with all the implications, for the FBI to chase this one down,” he said.

Stewart Baker, a former assistant secretary at the Homeland Security Department who’s now in private law practice, agreed.

“As a general matter, the government cant get into your email unless they are conducting an investigation of a crime,” he told ABCNews.com.

See the timeline of the Petraeus/Broadwell affair HERE.

The FBI probe began in May or June of this year, sources told ABC News, when Jill Kelley, a Florida socialite and friend of the Petraeus family, began receiving anonymous harassing emails that she believed were referring to the CIA director. She feared his account had been compromised.

Those emails, as the world now knows, turned out to be not-so-anonymous after all.

With the FBI suspicions that Petraeus’ email had been compromised, investigators were able to begin a probe into the source of the emails, which ultimately led to the inbox of Paula Broadwell, the retired general’s biographer.

“It’s harder and harder to maintain anonymity, and particularly if you’re engaged in something that could reasonably be viewed as criminal conduct,” Baker said.

The FBI uncovered in Broadwell’s inbox  ”hundreds if not thousands of emails between Petraeus and Broadwell,” a source told ABC News, many of them salacious in nature and indicating an extramarital affair.

It is unknown whether the FBI utilized its subpoena power on Broadwell’s email provider, but Stryker said electronic communication from one account to another leaves footholds for investigators, such as an IP address.

That unique string of numbers can help investigators pinpoint a general location, or, for instance, a specific hotel, where someone may have logged on and sent an email.

Photos: Faces of the Petraeus Scandal

Broadwell was first interviewed by FBI agents the week of Oct. 21 and again on Nov. 2, a source told ABC News.

Petraeus, who was made aware of the probe by the FBI during the week of Oct. 29, gave his resignation to President Obama on Nov. 9. It was accepted a day later, ending a storied public career.

For Stryker, the story serves as a lesson for all that very few can achieve anonymity online, whether from a skilled hacker or the FBI.

“Anonymity requires a relentless attention to detail,” he said.  ”You have to be perfect with it or you’re sunk.”

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

How Samsung, Microsoft and stupidity are staining Apple’s brand image

Clever marketing from competitors and its own stumbles have left Apple’s effortlessly cool brand image looking more effortlessly clueless.

I’m at an IBM event this week, and at dinner I had what has been an increasingly frequent experience.

It used to be that attendees at these events gushed about the new Apple gadget they were carrying, and anyone who expressed reservations seemed out of touch with the group. Much like talking about religion or politics from the minority position at the dinner table, bashing Apple was one sure way to ensure everyone thought you were an idiot.

But last night, instead of showing off an Apple device, another guest showed off his new Samsung Galaxy S III phone, which led to more chatter about my new Microsoft Surface tablet. It spiraled into an “everyone dump on Apple” event, and by the end of the evening, Cupertino’s sole defender seemed to be considering other options.

This may be anecdotal, but I’ve seen the same event played out several times recently among analysts and other influencers in the tech space. It makes me think Apple’s image is changing, and the firm’s products are losing their magical edge.

Samsung’s anti-Apple marketing

The blemish on Apple’s spotless image didn’t just appear there; Samsung helped etch it into the glossy white plastic quite intentionally. Its excellent marketing campaign has attacked Apple’s image on three vectors.

The first is questioning Apple’s leadership. Samsung’s ads paint Apple’s “upgrades” as features the company accidentally or intentionally left out of prior products (larger screens, 4G radios), or obvious improvements (headphone jacks on the bottom). In some cases, they also point out where Apple still lags behind the curve after launching a new device, like the lack of NFC in the iPhone 5. Samsung wants to depict itself as the innovator Apple is struggling to match.

Second, the campaign raises the idea that Apple fans aren’t smart consumers. They’re depicted slogging through long lines waiting for their technology, and getting unreasonably excited about aspects of the product that aren’t exciting. In fact, the not-so-subtle message is that Apple buyers are kind of dense.

Finally the ads build on this dense concept by showcasing Apple users as people you wouldn’t want to emulate: Your parents. Dorks. Clueless hipsters. This is designed to strip away the prestige that Apple products typically carry.

For all its mocking, Samsung actually copied Apple with its first smartphones, but has since diverged, trying to drag away the perceived market leadership with it. The Korean company waged a similar type of warfare on Sony in the television space, which was once the clear leader. Samsung first emulated Sony, then partnered with the company, then took the market away. Sony has never recovered. Granted, Sony had additional issues that complicated things, but the plan worked, and Samsung appears to be following the same playbook with Apple.

Microsoft Surface

Samsung isn’t the only company slinging mud on Apple’s image. The Microsoft Surface tablet is doing relatively well, and Apple’s efforts to disparage it have largely been ineffective (at least so far). It appears to have been designed specifically to make the iPad look wanting in comparison.

As I write this, the Surface is still generating lines, but the important part is it looks both more advanced and more unique than Apple’s offerings. This impression dovetails nicely with Samsung’s efforts, because while the two companies aren’t aligned on products, they are aligned on a common message: Apple’s offerings don’t convey status anymore because they appear to be bought by stupid people.

The too-soon iPad 4 and too-expensive iPad mini

The third leg on this this ugly three-legged stool comes from Apple itself. Its latest launch even showcased an array of different products under one roof, a “big bang” event that trivializes individual products. Firms like Compaq were famous for this approach, but Apple has avoided them like the plague since Steve Jobs returned in the late 90s. Worse, the new iPad made buyers of the old version – launched only back in March – look stupid.

Meanwhile, the iPad mini was priced well out of line with competing models, with inferior specs. When Steve Jobs launched the iPad, it was the lowest priced tablet from a major vendor in its class, and since then, it has remained price competitive against the alternatives. The iPad mini is priced at a 65 percent premium, but lacks the same high-quality displays found on far cheaper competitors. Smart people would probably not buy it as a result. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple discount it significantly once initial demand falls off, leaving early buyers upset and looking stupid yet again.

Destroying Apple’s brand

Apple’s strongest asset is the power of its brand, and the historically valid belief that Apple products are purchased by smart people who are well regarded. This asset is being systematically destroyed, overtly by Samsung, covertly by Microsoft, and stupidly by Apple. Apple is not effectively defending this incredibly valuable asset, and the end result will likely resemble the company that existed before Steve Jobs’ return. That also means a market less dominated by Apple. Since I’m writing this on my Surface Tablet, I’m thinking this may turn out to be a good thing.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, Stranded in Holland, Released on Texas Coast

Image: National Park Service. 

They named her Flip — a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle found last December, stranded on the coast of Holland.  She was injured and stunned by the cold.

But the scientists and animal lovers who rescued her took advantage of a key fact about Kemps’ Ridleys — that while they’re endangered, they are also among the world’s great long-distance travelers.  Specialists nursed her back to health, and released her into the water today — off the coast of south Texas.

“We couldn’t have asked for it to go any better,” said Iain Scouller, the general manager of Sea Life Aquarium Grapevine, based near Dallas-Fort Worth.  “We set her loose at high tide, and off she went.”

A lot of effort went into the rescue of a single four-year-old turtle, but Scouller said it matters for a species very much in danger of disappearing.

“It’s as much symbolic as anything,” he said.

His colleague, Karen Rifenbury, joined in. “One turtle makes a great difference because of the number of eggs she’ll lay in her lifetime.  We hope she will help revive the species.”

Flip was found on the rocky Dutch coast last December, about 5,000 miles from her likely birthplace in the Gulf of Mexico, and slowly nursed back to health by staff members at a Dutch aquarium.  She was then flown from Amsterdam to Houston — the aquarium staff is quick to thank KLM, the Dutch airline — in a special container that kept the water around her at 22 degrees Centigrade (about 75 degrees Fahrenheit).  She was driven to Port Aransas, Texas, for today’s release.

“It is likely that most individuals remain in the Gulf of Mexico for their entire lives,” wrote Donna Shaver of the National Park Service, in an email to ABC News. “However, some juveniles are shunted out of the Gulf of Mexico through the Gulf Stream and travel up the Atlantic coast of the U.S. to forage in nearshore waters and bays as far north as Massachusetts.”

Shaver has devoted much of her career to the preservation of sea turtles, and said it was rare, and risky, for a turtle like Flip to have gotten as far as northern Europe.  “There are only a few records of Kemp’s Ridleys being found stranded alive in this region. The waters there are too cold for their survival.”

Flip, at last report, is safely out in the warm waters of the Gulf, wearing an identification tag and a satellite transmitter glued to the back of her shell.  Turtles’ shells grow, and have a waxy protective layer over them, so the transmitter will probably come off at some point, but in the meantime it will provide useful data on Flip’s travels.  People will be able to track Flip at SeaTurtle.org.

“This is much bigger than a single turtle,” said Scouller.  “It shows that every one counts.”

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

iPhone Photo of Hurricane Sandy Makes the Cover of Time

Image credit: Time Magazine

When superstorm Sandy was approaching, New York photojournalist Ben Lowy, 33, didn’t grab his high-end camera equipment. He grabbed his iPhone 4S,  put it in his pocket, and headed out on assignment for Time magazine.

Time sent out a handful of photographers with iPhones to capture the storm, but it was Lowy’s photo that made the cover of the Nov. 12 issue. “The photo was taken on Coney Island,” Lowy told ABC News. “I was watching the waves come in and I went into the surf about waist deep and waited for some crazy waves to come along.”

The photo was taken with just the iPhone 4S — no lens accessories. Lowy did use Hipstimatic, an application that lets you add effects to photos. Lowy actually created his own photojournalism lens pack in the app with the help of the company.

Apps like that and the great optics of the iPhone make him feel comfortable leaving his higher end camera equipment at home now, he said. “I used to not feel confident, but I definitely do feel that way now.” His one complaint about the iPhone is poor image quality in low light. Apple has tried to improve with the iPhone 5; Lowy hasn’t yet upgraded to one.

Lowy has been shooting with his iPhone since 2010.  He shot a series of photos in Libya for The New York Times Magazine and the political conventions for The New Yorker.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Tesla Model S named Automobile Magazine’s 2013 Car of the Year

In what will undoubtedly please EV enthusiasts, Automobile Magazine has named the Tesla Model S its 2013 Car of the Year.

The electric car has received a positive image boost, and perhaps more mainstream validation, as Automobile Magazine has named the Tesla Model S its “2013 Car of the Year.”

For those unfamiliar with Tesla Motors ambitious EV, the Model S is an all-electric luxury sport sedan and the California start-up’s second battery-powered vehicle after the well-received Tesla Roadster.

Okay, so it’s powered by electrons. But what makes the Model S worthy of such an accolade? “It’s the performance that won us over,” Automobile Editor-in-Chief Jean Jennings said in the magazine’s January 2013 issue. “The crazy speed builds silently and then pulls back the edges of your face. It had all of us endangering our licenses.”

Indeed, Tesla’s green speed-machine is capable of rocketing from zero to 60 miles per hour in a mere 4.2 seconds when outfitted with an 85 kilowatt-hour battery – this, despite weighing more than 4500 pounds. “It’s alarming to jam the accelerator of such a big car and have it surge forward so quickly and so quietly,” said copy editor Rusty Blackwell.

Of course, a lot of cars are fast, very fast, and while it’s no doubt impressive that the Model S can scamper down a straight line with ease, it’s not the only reason the folks at Automobile were smitten with it, citing the vehicle’s excellent handling dynamics, ability to soak up road noise, and nuanced steering. “All that speed, along with powerful braking, superflat handling, and sharp steering, gives you the sense that you’re invincible,” reads Jennings’s evaluation of the vehicle on a test track.

And then there’s the inside. The Model S might be packing a lot of impressive tech, battery and all, but it’s the car’s command center cabin that proved equally drool-worthy. Having already sat inside the Model S ourselves over the course of the year, we are more than aware of the tech-laden wonderland that is the Model S’ cockpit. Instead of dials, buttons, and knobs, virtually everything inside the Model S is operated via its gigantic, 17-inch iPad-like center touchscreen. Want to open the panoramic sunroof? Swipe the screen. Climate controls? Same deal. Drivers can even surf the Web and access their email while on the go.

Interestingly, Tesla’s status as a start-up was taken into consideration before the final decision was made, according to Automobile’s senior editor Joe Lorio. “What if we give the car this honor, and a year from now the company disappears in a ball of flakiness?” he said “Are we going to feel foolish?”

Ultimately, though, the Model S was given the award based on its merits as a standalone vehicle and not the politics or position it may or may not see itself in down the road. “The car is here now, and we think it’s a significant milestone,” Lorio explained.

The Model S is available in three different battery sizes: 40 kWh, 60 kWh, and 85 kWh. Pricing for the 40kWh Model S starts at $57,000, $67,00 for one outfitted with a 60 kWh battery, and $77,000 for an 85 kWh model like the one tested by Automobile. (All prices exclude a $7,500 federal tax credit). Estimated range for the base Model S sits at 160 miles on a single charge, 230 miles for the 60 kWH, and 300 miles for the 85kWh.

The Tesla Model S went into production this summer, with 250 deliveries having taken place as of October. According to Tesla, roughly 13,000 people have placed $5,000 deposits towards a Model S. The company expects to sell about 3,200 units by the end of 2012.

We have reached out to Tesla for comment on its latest award, and will update this space with the company’s response.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Barack Obama Announces ‘Four More Years’ With Tweet

Image credit: @BarackObama/Twitter

It wasn’t in a speech or a statement that Barack Obama announced that he was going to be re-elected as the president of the United States. It was through Twitter.

At 11:14 p.m. ET, @BarackObama tweeted, “This happened because of you. Thank you.”

A few minutes later: “We’re all in this together. That’s how we campaigned, and that’s who we are. Thank you. – bo.”

And finally along with a photo of him and Michelle Obama: “Four more years.” That last tweet is now his most retweeted tweet and one of the most retweeted tweets ever. Twitter would not confirm if it was the most retweeted tweet ever. Just 40 minutes after posting it, it had 308,705 retweets.

According to Twitter, after a network call of the presidential race at 11:19 p.m., there were 327,453 tweets per minute. On Election Day itself there were over 20 million election related tweets. For more on the social media reaction to Election Day, check out our guide.

Check out our full article on Barack Obama’s win. 

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Twitter: Over 20 Million Election Related Tweets Today

Image credit: @BarackObama/Twitter

Twitter has called its own race. At 10:01 p.m. ET, Twitter announced that it had hit 20 million election-related tweets, making Election Day 2012 the most tweeted-about event in U.S. political history.

As a reference, there were close to 20 million tweets about Hurricane Sandy over the span of last week and 10 million tweets during the first presidential debate. Twitter has not released the exact details on the peaks — it will likely do that tomorrow when all is said and done — but at 9:26 p.m. when the Pennsylvania results were announced there was a peak of 66,019 tweets per minute (TPM) and at around 10:45 p.m. there was a spike of 69,000 TPM.

Throughout the day voting topics have trended on the service, including #stayinline, referring to those standing in the voting lines or urging those to tough out the wait. The impact was also showing on the candidates’ Twitter feeds. As of 10:45 @barackobama had a 123,782 retweets on the following tweet “RT it you’re on #TeamObama tonight.”

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Superman Home: Planet Krypton ‘Found’ in Sky

A panel from DC Comics, in which astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson helps Superman find Krypton. Image: DC Entertainment.

Look!  Up in the sky!  It’s — oh, forget it.

Superman is, of course, a fictional character, the stuff of comics and movies.  But that didn’t stop DC Comics, which owns the Superman franchise, from enlisting the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson to “find” the location of his lost home planet, Krypton.

It’s in the constellation Corvus the raven, in the southern sky not far from Virgo and Hydra.  The planet Krypton — not that it ever existed — would have orbited a red dwarf star called LHS 2520, Tyson concluded. The star is 27.1 light-years from Earth.

You’ll recall that according to the story, the baby Kal-El was sent in a spaceship to Earth by his parents, who knew that Krypton would soon be destroyed.  As an adult in the city of Metropolis, he disguises himself as Clark Kent, a reporter fighting a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way.  But he also has feelings.  In the newest comic, out this week, Tyson is seen helping the homesick Superman trace his roots.

It’s all a good bit of publicity — both for DC Comics and for Tyson, who directs New York’s Hayden Planetarium and has become a popular science communicator — but you can also tell he has tongue firmly planted in cheek.

“As a native of Metropolis,” said Tyson in a statement, “I was delighted to help Superman, who has done so much for my city over all these years.”

DC Entertainment, which says it approached Tyson, had its own take.  Co-publisher Dan DiDio said, “Having Neil deGrasse Tyson in the book was one thing, but by applying real world science to this story he has forever changed Superman’s place in history. Now fans will be able to look up at the night’s sky and say, ‘That’s where Superman was born.’”

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Apple Logs 3 Million iPads Sold in Three Days

                                                                                  (Image Credit: Joanna Stern/ABC News)

Take that, analysts! That’s what Apple is saying this morning after announcing that it has sold 3 million iPad Minis and fourth-generation iPads since going on sale Friday.

While Apple didn’t break down sales between the two, analysts at Piper Jaffray predicted Apple would only sell 1.5 million Minis in the first few days.

Apple sold 3 million of the new iPads in the first weekend of its launch in March. But with that version it had WiFi and 3G-4G units on shelves at launch. With the Mini, only the WiFi version launched this week; the 3G-4G versions will launch later this month.

In addition to the Mini, Apple also released a slightly updated version of its larger iPad. The fourth-generation iPad has a new processor and dock connector. With the sales of both products combined, Apple is calling this a launch weekend record for the iPad.

The iPad Mini joined a few other popular smaller tablets on the market, including the $199 Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. Asus, the maker of the Nexus 7, has reported its sells close to 1 million units a month.

The new iPad, which starts at $329, has a smaller 7.9-inch screen than the regular 9.7-inch iPad. While the Mini has a lower-resolution screen, it still has all the same capabilities as the other iPad since it runs iOS 6, the latest version of Apple’s operating system for the iPhone and iPad.

Despite the recent superstorm, the Mini was sold out at various stores in New York City this weekend. Apple has begun to allow customers to reserve the tablet online and pick it up in-store the next day.

“We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “We’re working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”

As a result of last week’s executive shakeup at the company and predictions of lackluster iPad Mini sales, Apple’s stock dropped to less than $580. Apple was trading at $582.72 a share this morning.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Honda brings supercharged CR-Z concept to SEMA, production plans still unclear

Honda has brought a supercharged CR-Z to SEMA in the hopes that the boost to the car's sporting image will help the slow sales of the car.

The Honda CR-Z hasn’t exactly been a runaway success. The little car was supposed to combine sportiness with fuel efficiency in a relatively low-cost package. But the sad reality of the situation is that it isn’t especially sporty or fuel efficient, and taking these things into account, it’s actually pretty expensive. The car doesn’t quite capture the spirit of the lightweight CR-X of the Eighties, which the CR-Z is both named and styled to resemble. So Honda has been trying hard to improve the sporting image of the CR-Z. The European version has been given a number of performance upgrades, a supercharged version of the CR-Z has been built for racing purposes, and Honda brought a supercharged CR-Z engine on a stand to last year’s SEMA show.

Mugen actually makes a supercharged CR-Z in small numbers for the Japanese market, but North America is still without a respectable performance version of the CR-Z. For this year’s SEMA show, Honda brought a supercharged CR-Z concept. The car produces 185 horsepower and 169 lb-ft of torque, thanks to its centrifugal supercharger. That’s a pretty noticeable improvement over the 122 horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque that the 1.5-liter engine normally produces. Honda hasn’t told us what the supercharger does to the CR-Z’s fuel economy, but it’s a safe bet that it doesn’t exactly improve it.

Honda has promised us the same performance upgrades for the CR-Z that it gave to the European market, but there is no word on a factory supercharged version for any market. It wouldn’t be terribly unusual if one was never offered, but at this point it seems that Honda has gone to an awful lot of trouble to promote the idea of a blown CR-Z to not offer one. Of course, the downside to such an upgrade is that little voice in the back of your head saying that the same performance and fuel economy figures could probably be achieved much more cheaply by simply ditching the heavy and expensive hybrid drivetrain.

Whatever Honda decides to do, some kind of performance version of the CR-Z is probably needed. The car does not sell especially well, and consumers need something other than a racing version to get excited about it. The report from Car & Driver is one in a long series which seem to be promising something more from the little car, and it seems high time that Honda actually deliver on this.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Reddit Co-Founder Defends Site and Internet Freedom of Speech

Image credit: ABC News

Reddit has had quite a few months of attention-grabbing news – both positive and negative.

On the positive side, the social network, which is built around forum threads, was used by President Obama to connect with voters in one of the site’s “Ask Me Anythings,” or AMAs. It also deployed an “Internet 2012″ bus through Middle America during the presidential debates to share stories about people across the nation who are using the Internet to build businesses.

“We wanted to break this false narrative of innovation only coming from Silicon Valley. We certainly feel that way here in New York. We’ve got a great, booming tech sector,” Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian told ABC News’ Paula Faris in an ABC News/Yahoo! News Newsmakers interview. “It’s so much bigger than that. We went from Denver to Danville interviewing people and just met with people who were using the Internet to help themselves, whether they were entrepreneurs or students or farmers.”

The tour was focused on the jobs being created across the nation as a result of the Internet, but also the power of the Internet and the freedom it allows everyone, Ohanian shared.

“But all of that rests on this premise that all links are created equal,” he said. “All that rests on the fact that it’s a flat network without hierarchies. I like saying the world is not flat, but the World Wide Web is. And preserving that technological level playing field, where all links are created equal, is so important.”

But with freedom also comes people that abuse it. And Reddit has been at the center of a story that surrounds that freedom in the last few weeks. In mid-October, a reporter at Gawker.com uncovered one of Reddit’s biggest “trolls” (or anonymous users who instigate or provoke readers).

Going by the name of “Violentacrez” on the site, the 49-year-old computer programmer had consistently posted images of child pornography and other inappropriate content.

Ohanian said that he and his team at Reddit were still trying to figure out how to handle the sort of content that was put up on the site.

“The challenge that Reddit faces, like all other social media sites, is how do we be better stewards of the technology,” Ohanian said. “I really do believe that most people are good. We always hear about the exceptional ones. Sometimes, it’s the exceptional good – but, oftentimes, it’s the exceptional bad ones. And we need to find ways as a public to curb the effects of the bad ones.

“There certainly always have been bad people and good people,” he added. “This platform, this technology, is enabling for anyone who’s on it. So that gives the potential next great founder the chance for her to start that great company – and that’s awesome. But it also gives the jerk the chance to be a jerk, and do it at scale and have lots of other people see that and witness that. There are yet no good technological solutions for humanity.”

Ohanian added that it is an issue for all social networks – not just Reddit, but also Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus.

“This is something that exists throughout social media right now,” he said. “The subreddits, these individual platforms for communities, are just like Twitter accounts, they’re just like YouTube Channels.

“The people who use the platform have the ability to be offensive,” he said. “I don’t know how to deal with someone who leaves an offensive comment on Reddit, unless we find a kind of standard that we can, perhaps, all agree on. The technological solutions just aren’t there.”

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

T-Mobile and AT&T to Share Networks in Areas Impacted by Hurricane Sandy

Image credit: John Minchillo/AP Photo

Times of national disaster not only can bring together people, but also rival technology companies.

This afternoon, AT&T and T-Mobile have announced that they will be working together in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to provide more service and coverage in areas hit by the storm. The two cellular providers will share networks and roaming capabilities in New York and New Jersey, an AT&T spokesman told ABC News.

AT&T and T-Mobile customers will be able to place calls as they usually do. The calls just might be carried over a network they don’t subscribe to. For instance, T-Mobile customers in New York City who have had very little service during the storm aftermath will now be able to place calls over AT&T’s network.

In each case, calls will be carried over the most operational network in the area.

“This agreement is possible because AT&T and T-Mobile use the same underlying wireless network technology,” AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel told ABC News. “Which network a customer is on will be completely transparent. The customer won’t even notice.”

There will be no extra costs to users, and no roaming fees or extra line items on bills.

Both AT&T and T-Mobile use the same GSM and UMTS network technology.

Verizon and Sprint use different technology, so they aren’t involved in this arrangement.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Hurricane Sandy Prompts Google to Cancel Android Event

Image credit: Google

Google had hoped to take the tech world by storm on Monday with its Android event, but a storm is now taking the event.

As a result of Hurricane Sandy, Google cancelled its big Android event, which was set to be held in New York City at 9:00 a.m. Monday. The effects of the hurricane are expected to be felt in the New York City area as early as Monday morning. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already declared a state of emergency, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned residents to brace themselves.

Hurricane Sandy: Live Storm Tracker

At the event, Google was expected to detail the next version of Android, codenamed Key Lime Pie. It has also been rumored that it would announce a new Nexus phone made by LG and a new Nexus 10 tablet made by Samsung.

Google has not yet shared details on when or where they will hold the rescheduled event.

“We are canceling our Monday morning event in New York due to Hurricane Sandy. We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more,” Google said in an e-mail to ABC News.

Google’s event was planned to compete with Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 event taking place in San Francisco the same day.

Android chief Andy Rubin is still expected to speak at the All Things D “Dive Into Mobile” conference in New York City on Monday afternoon. ABC News still plans to attend the conference and report on the news.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

App of the Week: Make A Zombie 2

Image credit: Skunk Brothers

App Name: Make A Zombie 2

Price: Free

Available Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. This app requires iOS 4.3 or later.

What does this app do? Blood down the side of the mouth, pale and sallow skin, dark circles like inverted half moons under the eyes, maybe even a knife protruding out from a crusty, worm-eaten cheek—really, when you sit down and imagine what makes a zombie look like a zombie, you have a grab bag of options. And now, app developers Skunk Brothers provide even more possibilities for you to design your idea of this walking-dead monster with their latest release of a mix and match app called Make a Zombie 2.

For those of you that missed the previous release, Make A Zombie, this new version, released earlier this month, allows you to create your own zombie by selecting from a variety of features and outfits.

At the start screen, the app presents your canvas–a squat, wide-eyed character against a plain backdrop ready for zombifying. From your iPhone or iPod Touch, tap the arrow on the top right of the screen to peruse outfits and features. Select the icon for hair, for example, and a second row of tiles below displays a handful of choices—long and stringy to short and nubby. You can change the background by tapping on the square tile in the top row of buttons, and then choosing between several colors and textures presented in the second row.

Once you’ve outfitted your zombie, name and save it, tweet it or post it to Facebook by tapping on a button on the bottom left. The app also allows you to save your zombie to a gallery, wherein you can see all of your brains-eating creations displayed in glass jars. For additional features, you can purchase “zombie packs” from the in-app store, such as the Halloween Pack, or the Pirate Zombie Pack, by selecting the shopping cart icon.

Is it easy to set up? Yes, download it from the App Store, but keep in mind it is optimized for iOS 5.

Should I try it? This is all fun. You won’t be challenged, you won’t learn a new word, and you won’t score points or excel to another level. You will, however, get into the Halloween spirit and enjoy designing your very own zombies, maybe even legions of them! The two drawbacks to this app were the ads displayed at the bottom of the screen, and, unlike the previous Make A Zombie version, this one is not available yet for Android.

Let us know if you have any app of the week suggestions on Twitter at @TechThisOutABC.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Bone Tired: Study Shows Yawning Dogs Empathizing with Owners

Image credit: Lifesize/Getty Images

We’ve all heard that a dog’s bark can be worse than its bite, but what about its yawn?

It turns out that aspect of canine behavior may provide evidence that dogs really are man’s best friend. A study out of Lund University in Sweden found that our canine companions often yawn in reaction to seeing a human do the same thing.

The phenomenon, known as contagious yawning, is prominent among many groups of animals, humans included. However, the process, which is believed to indicate empathy and help contribute to group mentality and social structure, has been less studied between species.

Elainie Madsen a doctor of psychology at Lund University who co-authored the study, told ABC News dogs were chosen because “they spend so much time with us, and we spend so much time with them.”

“For those of us who have dogs,” she said, “we often feel this very close connection with them, and we feel that they must understand or sympathize with our emotions and our emotional states.”

The study took 35 dogs between the ages of 4 and 14 months and exposed them to various yawning human beings. Madsen found the results fascinating.

“We showed that the dogs were yawning contagiously – not just yawning but they also took on the emotion that yawning usually signifies, which is usually sleepiness and tiredness,” she said.

As with humans, age proved to be a significant factor in whether or not a dog exhibited contagious yawning.

“They go through what seems to be an empathy development that somehow mirrors humans’ empathy development, so it’s just obviously on a very different time scale,” Madsen said. “Human children don’t begin to yawn contagiously until they’re about 4 years old. Below that age, they seem pretty immune to others yawning at them. In dogs, this happens when they’re about 7 months old. Dogs below that age don’t seem to yawn, either.”

So what does this mean for dog owners?

According to Madsen, it’s a reason to rest assured that your dog really does love you as much as you love it.

“Dogs really have a close emotional connection with people,” she said, “with owners as well as with other people.”

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Apple CEO Tim Cook: Microsoft’s Surface Tablet ‘Confusing’ and ‘Compromised’

Image credit: Apple / Microsoft

The Apple vs. Microsoft post-PC war is just getting started.

Microsoft has argued why its new software and Surface tablet are better than the iPad, but Apple’s not staying quiet.

“I haven’t played with a Surface yet, but what we are reading about it is that it is a compromised and confusing product,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said on the company’s earnings call late this afternoon, which took place just hours after Microsoft’s Windows 8 launch event. “One of the toughest things you do is make hard tradeoffs and decide what a product should be, and we’ve done that with the iPad.”

Cook didn’t stop there.

“You could design a car that flies and floats, but I don’t think it would do all those things very well,” he said. “I think when people look at the iPad versus competitive offerings, they will continue to want an iPad.”

Apple and Microsoft are taking different routes when it comes to tablet software. While Apple offers its iOS mobile software on its family of iPads, Microsoft has decided to revamp Windows by bringing in elements from its smartphone operating system. Previously, Cook had compared what Microsoft was doing to combining a refrigerator and a microwave.

Microsoft, on the other hand, claims Windows 8 doesn’t have any of the compromises that the iPad has.

“We have a different perspective, a different reason why we would want to make a tablet computer and that is really rooted in PCs being a general-purpose device that works within a broad ecosystem, that connects to a lot of peripherals, and represents an open platform,” Steve Sinofsky, head of the Windows division, told ABC News in an interview.

Apple announced the iPad Mini earlier this week.

On the Apple earnings call, Cook defended the $329 starting price, which is higher than the $199 Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7.

“We try to create a product that people will love for months and years after they’ve purchased it. That’s what iPad Mini is designed to do,” Cook said.

Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer also noted the premium parts in the tablet, including the aluminum build, the faster processor and the iSight camera.

Apple announced that it sold 14 million iPads in the fourth quarter.

Find a full recap of the earnings here.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Windows 8 and New Apps Launched At Microsoft Event in New York

Image credit: Joanna Stern / ABC News

After 1.2 billion hours of testing, Windows 8 is ready. Or at least that’s what Microsoft came to New York City today to tell the media.

At an event on Pier 57, the company detailed its new operating system, which is meant for all sorts of computers, including tablets, laptops and desktops.

“This is the best release of Windows ever,” Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, said on stage.

Steven Sinofsky, president of Windows, detailed the new operating system and the momentum around it at the event. There will be more than 1,000 Windows 8 computers at launch, including tablets, ultrabooks, laptops and desktops. Starting tomorrow, Windows 8 will be available for download and pre-loaded on new computers and tablets.

Windows 8 is the biggest change to Windows since Windows 95, Sinofsky said on stage. While there is still the traditional desktop, it is really just an app on the new Start Screen. The new Start Screen is full of colorful tiles or apps, which you can buy in the new Windows Store. While much of the software is designed for touch, you can still use a mouse and keyboard with it. Office 2013 is also available for the operating system and has a new touch mode.

“You’re not going to find that phenomenal productivity experience on any other tablet,” Ballmer said when discussing the new Office.

Microsoft has received criticism in early reviews, including ours, of its own Surface RT tablet, about the lack of apps available in its store. “We see today as a grand opening and a very solid one. Developers are adding hundreds of new apps everyday,” Sinofsky said.

Today already a number of new apps have been added, including ABC News’ own app. Additionally there are new apps from The New York Times, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Instant Video, ABC television and Nickelodeon.

Check out our behind the scenes look at Windows 8. 

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com