RIM starts glitzy BlackBerry 10 launch parties

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd on Wednesday kicked off a string of global launch parties for a long-delayed line of smartphones it says will put it on the comeback trail in a market it once dominated.

The new BlackBerry 10 phones will compete with Apple's iPhone and devices using Google's Android technology, both of which have soared above the BlackBerry in a competitive market.

They boast fast browsers, new features, smart cameras and, unlike previous BlackBerry models, enter the market primed with a large app library.

(Writing by Janet Guttsman; Editing by Frank McGurty)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rim-starts-glitzy-blackberry-10-launch-parties-151850139--finance.html

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TV veteran developing news show for Fuse

This undated image released by Fuse shows Rick Kaplan. The Fuse television network has turned to news veteran Rick Kaplan, who has run CNN and MSNBC and produced programs like "Nightline," to develop a music news program aimed largely at people some 40 years younger than him. "Fuse News" is set to debut Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. ET with pre-Grammy Awards coverage. The half-hour show, originating from Fuse's studios across from Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, will be repeated at midnight. (AP Photo/Fuse)

This undated image released by Fuse shows Rick Kaplan. The Fuse television network has turned to news veteran Rick Kaplan, who has run CNN and MSNBC and produced programs like "Nightline," to develop a music news program aimed largely at people some 40 years younger than him. "Fuse News" is set to debut Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. ET with pre-Grammy Awards coverage. The half-hour show, originating from Fuse's studios across from Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, will be repeated at midnight. (AP Photo/Fuse)

This undated image released by Fuse shows Rick Kaplan. The Fuse television network has turned to news veteran Rick Kaplan, who has run CNN and MSNBC and produced programs like "Nightline," to develop a music news program aimed largely at people some 40 years younger than him. "Fuse News" is set to debut Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. ET with pre-Grammy Awards coverage. The half-hour show, originating from Fuse's studios across from Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, will be repeated at midnight. (AP Photo/Fuse)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Fuse television network has turned to news veteran Rick Kaplan, who has run CNN and MSNBC and produced programs like "Nightline," to develop a music news program aimed largely at people some 40 years younger than him.

"Fuse News" is set to debut Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern time with pre-Grammy Awards coverage. The half-hour show, originating from Fuse's studios across from Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, will be repeated at midnight.

"A lot of people are covering music in different ways," said Mike Bair, president of MSG Media, Fuse's corporate ownership. "But not a lot of people are covering it deeper and in a respectful way. We thought there was a real opportunity for us."

Fuse, available in some 70 million homes, is overshadowed by MTV, but unlike its competitor has kept its focus on music and is looking for a signature show.

Kaplan, 65, walked through a busy newsroom with TVs tuned to a Fuse countdown of sexy rap videos one recent afternoon. The 47-time Emmy winner had most recently produced Katie Couric's "CBS Evening News" and Christiane Amanpour's stint on ABC's Sunday morning and has formed his own consulting company.

Bair reached out to Kaplan through a mutual friend to gauge interest, and the idea intrigued Kaplan.

"While he's not in the target audience for Fuse (the network's median age is around 27), I think he also saw the opportunity," Bair said.

A whiteboard in Fuse's office already lists story plans for the first month. The collapse of the traditional music industry has made for many changes ripe for examining.

One future story will talk about bands scalping tickets to their own concerts, another about the sound quality issues behind the resurgence of vinyl. If "Fuse News" was on the air last week, it wouldn't treat the story about Beyonce lip-synching at the inauguration as a joke, but rather look into how widespread the practice is, Kaplan said.

"I want it to be a place where if you're involved in the industry in any way ? and that means anybody with a headset ? this will be the place where you will want to go," Kaplan said.

Kaplan's tastes run to the Eagles, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Now he's learning about electronic dance music, and even liking some of it. Liz Walaszczyk, a 28-year-old producer and contributing correspondent on "Fuse News," is gently introducing her boss to bands like the Xx.

And he's introducing her to the news.

Walaszczyk, who booked bands for Carson Daly's NBC show before joining Fuse, said that she finds blogs like Pitchfork and Stereogum helpful but that there's a void in serious music journalism. Kaplan is teaching her the importance of detail in every question asked and picture selected for her stories.

"I hear his voice and I think, 'This man has spoken to so many legends,'" she said.

Co-anchors for the show are Alexa Chung and Matte Babel. Former Gawker writer Elaine Moran and Jack Osbourne are contributing correspondents.

Yes, the news producer who once worked with Walter Cronkite is telling Ozzy's kid what to do.

Kaplan brushed aside a question about whether some people in the television news business might consider his current gig a comedown.

"Oh, God no," he said. "By no means. People who say that don't get it. It's a great privilege to be asked to do this program. It's the only serious program in this industry. It's a serious attempt to report on music in a credible way."

He said he's having a blast.

"In many ways, what Fuse is attempting to do with this show is more cutting edge than what any of the networks are doing," he said. "We're not starting a magazine show. We're not tinkering with the evening news."

The show will also have studio guests and music performances. Kaplan has hired Audrey Gruber, a former CBS News and CNN producer, to eventually take over for him when the show is up and running.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-28-TV-Fuse%20News/id-a52f2539ce0d443687871f99240a4bca

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Japan's Retail Sales Remain Tepid In December As Economy Struggles To Emerge From Recession

The December sales were lower than the 1.3 percent gain witnessed in November. However, it was higher than analysts' expectation of 0.3 percent in December.?

The data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed that Japan?s retail sales, which measure the change in the total value of inflation-adjusted sales at the retail level, rose 0.1 percent from November, when it fell 0.1 percent.

Sales of large retailers were flat in comparison to December 2011, after gaining 0.9 percent the previous month. However, the sales grew 0.7 percent, if stores not surveyed last year were taken into consideration.

Japan?s gross domestic product contracted 3.5 percent in the third quarter of last year in comparison to the previous quarter owing to weak global demand and the low domestic consumption indicating a deepening of recession in the world's third-largest economy.?Besides, exports were seen falling for the seventh consecutive month in December.

However, economists are optimistic of a rebound in the economy in the second quarter, as the U.S. and China markets show signs of recovery.

?Japan?s economy will probably head back to a gradual recovery from this quarter as external demand rebounds, while the government?s stimulus may lend support from the second quarter,? Azusa Kato, an economist at BNP Paribas SA in Tokyo, told Bloomberg before the report was released.

In November, it was reported that Japan?s manufacturing activity contracted to a seasonally adjusted 1.7 percent - much worse than the analysts? expectation of a 0.5 percent decrease.

The continued shrinking of the manufacturing activity is seen increasing the likelihood of a sharp contraction in the economy.

Earlier this month, the government announced a 10.3 trillion yen ($113 billion) fiscal stimulus to revive the economy weakened by a soft global demand and sluggish domestic spending.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/japans-retail-sales-remain-tepid-december-economy-struggles-emerge-recession-1047824

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UA Rec Center to host 'T-Town Pull Down' rock climbing competition ...

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama ? The University of Alabama?s Outdoor Recreation department will host its annual T-Town Pull Down climbing competition on Feb. 2.

The event is a sanctioned Collegiate Climbing Series Event and will feature climbers from all over the Southeast to compete.

T-Town Pull Down will have two sessions with 25 climbers each, but there may be a third session depending on the amount of interest they receive.

The first session will be from 10:30 a.m. untll 12:30 p.m., and the second session will be from 1-3 p.m. with finals beginning at 3:30 p.m.

?This is a great opportunity for climbers to come out and compete on new routes, enter raffles that will benefit Hospital Boulders and meet other climbers from a variety of universities,? said Stephen Middleton, coordinator of Outdoor Recreation at UA.

The raffles will immediately follow the climbing sessions.

?We hope to not only bring climbers together but help develop local climbing areas so that the sport of climbing can continue to grow,? Middleton said.

Some people may be surprised to know that there are rock climbers here in Tuscaloosa. Tyler Smelley, marketing director of event sponsor Alabama Outdoors, told us about the many climbing areas in Alabama.

?Alabama has excellent bouldering,? Smelley said. ?Horse Pens 40 in Steele, Ala., is host to one third of the Triple Crown of Bouldering. Palisades and Sand Rock are also premiere bouldering locations, all in Alabama. The UAOR Climbing Wall gives many students their first experiences bouldering and climbing.?

The Friday before the climbing event, they will have a free screening of ?Reel Rocks 7? at 6:30 p.m. on the seventh floor of the Presidential Village on UA?s campus.

T-Town Pull Down is accepting early registration from now until Jan. 28. If you register early, the price is $30. But if you register after, it is $40. You must be 14 to enter.

For more information, call (205) 348-7045 or email outdoor.recreation@ua.edu.

Posted in climbing

Tags: alabama, climbing, climbing-series, horse-pens, local-climbing, other-climbers, presidential, price, southeast, triple, triple-crown, tyler-smelley, university

Source: http://zyj88888.com/ua-rec-center-to-host-t-town-pull-down-rock-climbing-competition-feb-2-al-com/

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5 Money Smart Moves for the New Year ? By Scott Gamm | One For ...

With the new year upon us, we tend to start tackling our resolutions in many areas, whether financial, academic or health-related. When it comes to managing money while in college, you?ll have a leg up if you consider these five money moves to make in 2013. From credit cards to savings to student loans, it?s time for a financial checkup.

1.? Credit Cards ? Get Them to Work For YOU

First on the list are credit cards. College students have too many. According to a 2009 Sallie Mae study, 50% of college students have over four credit cards.?Students only need one credit card. Period.

Why? Because the more credit cards you have, the more temptation there is to spend money, which will put you more at risk for getting into debt.

Credit cards should be viewed as a tool to build up a solid credit history and not as a way to finance a fancier lifestyle. This means using credit card for small purchases under $50 per month. This is a manageable monthly balance to pay off in full each month.

2.? Get Serious About Retirement

It sounds crazy to think about retirement while in college. But the earlier you start, the more you?ll end up with later on? thanks to compounding interest (which is simply interest on interest). Consider opening up a Roth IRA, for example, through an online discount brokerage firm or other financial institution. If you save $1,000 per year for the next forty or so years, just over $33 per month, you?ll have $250,000 in your Roth IRA at age 65 (given an average rate of return of 7%). That?s a lot better than spending that money each year on movie tickets!

This is easier said than done. To take action when it comes to retirement, you want to set aside a certain amount of money each month that will be entirely devoted to your Roth IRA?and not clothes or frozen yogurt.

3.? Pay Interest on Your Student Loans

Unless you have subsidized direct loans where the government pays the interest while you?re in school, interest will accrue during your college years (as opposed to simply starting to accumulate once you graduate).

If you have student loans, do everything you can to pay the interest on those loans?while you?re still in school. This will dramatically reduce the time it?ll take to become debt-free and you?ll save thousands in interest over the life of the loan.

4.? Think About Repayment Plans

If you are graduating in May, start thinking about how you?re going to repay those loans. With federal loans, you?ll be automatically enrolled into a 10-year repayment plan. If that monthly payment is too high, consider switching into the 25-year payment plan, which will result in a lower monthly payment.

But there is a catch. With that lower monthly payment, you?re actually paying more in interest over the life of the loan, compared to the standard plan. So try and stick with the 10-year plan, as it?s the fastest and cheapest repayment option. You also may be eligible for several income-based repayment plans that limit your monthly payments based on your income. Contact your loan servicer to inquire about switching plans.

With private student loans, there are fewer options and it will ultimately be up to the bank and the terms of the loan as to how your repayment plan will be structured.

5.? Make it Automatic

Streamline your finances by automating everything: your savings, bill payments and retirement savings. Have a certain amount of money (10% of your income) automatically transferred from your checking account to your savings account. this will force you to make do with less. Head over to your bank?s website to set this up. It takes a few minutes but is ultimately worth it in the long run.

Scott Gamm is author of MORE MONEY, PLEASE and founder of HelpSaveMyDollars.com. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter. He studies finance at NYU Stern.

Please note:

This article has been posted for your edification.? The views expresses in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Higher One, Inc.?In addition, the posting of this article by no means represents an endorsement by Higher One, Inc. of any of the products or services that may be included therein.

Source: http://www.higherone.com/oneforyourmoney/2013/01/28/5-money-smart-moves-for-the-new-year-by-scott-gamm/

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Putting the Slime on Ghostbusters iOS, A Review | Video Game Blog ...

Beeline Interactive?s Ghostbusters is one game that should have gone back to the drawing board. Not only are there a few bugs in the release but also the game play is not all that inspiring. At least the story this game tries to introduce is interesting. The game begins after Peter Venkman?s episode of torturing an innocent geek and flirting with a gorgeous gal before Ray Stanz interrupted.

After a lengthy tutorial and introduction, some long-time fans of the franchise may recall similarities with Activision?s Ghostbusters for the Commodore 64. Although players do not race around the city catching stray ghosts with the Ecto-1, the game play involves stunning ghosts with proton guns and waiting for enough ghosts to amass before dealing with the coming of Gozer.

In this new game, the player is essentially navigating a new generation of Ghostbusters around New York trying to catch ghosts, research them, earn money and make it to a haunted building to deal with some new terrible force. The original team is present in the game, but to play them early on means spending real world dollars in order to activate them early on in the game.

Despite a nice colourful update to a product that?s well past its prime?the third movie is most likely not going to happen?the only reason mobile users may want to look at this product is to see where this game?s story goes. To give an unsuspecting character (played by Steven Tash in the film) a role in the Ghostbusters universe is a nice touch.

But in order to see where this plot goes, many hours of game-time will have to be spent on a device that the game will not crash on. Also, a sizable investment of real money will have to be spent to buy ?power cores,? this game?s pay-for model to quickly obtain upgrades.

Without them, to advance further in this game will require tons of patience and waiting until the in-game clock tells players that the next day has arrived. After enough missions are accomplished, perhaps more cores can be obtained, but with a game that needs fixing so it can operate on older iOS devices, to get there is going to be difficult.

This game is meant for the Apple tablet line than the iPhone/Touch miniscreen. Unless a ghost is in the machine, the game kept on crashing after the second day of game play/testing on a fourth generation iPod Touch. On the first day, the game operated fine.

Even then, this product is still wrought with user interface problems. The four characters that the player has to control should not remain motionless, waiting for an attacker to make its move. The player characters can stay where they are, but eventually, the ghosts will swarm around the target and slime him. Most of the game relies on managing a crowded chessboard to attack or defend against these entities.

Free games are better when lunch money does not have to be spent obtaining extra condiments to enhance the product. This game is nearly impossible to continue without some kind of extra investment. For players needing their paranormal fix, perhaps going back to a different product, namely XMG Studio?s Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast, is going to be required.

Score: 1.5 out of 5

Article from Gamersyndrome.com

Related posts:

1. Capcom?s Beeline Interactive Working on Mobile Ghostbusters Game
2. Ghostbusters: The Video Game Review
3. Ghostbusters the Video Game Review
4. Patching the holes in Ghostbusters
5. Temple Run 2, Details on Gameplay and Impressions

Source: http://gamersyndrome.com/2013/video-games/putting-the-slime-ghostbusters-ios-review/

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LaHood Leaves, another vacancy in Obama Cabinet

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who lifted the profile of distracted driving as a national safety concern, is stepping down, presenting President Barack Obama with another Cabinet vacancy at the start of his second term.

The former congressman from Illinois and one of only two Republicans who served in Obama's Cabinet, LaHood worked for more safety in the air and on the ground and pushed for improvements of roads and bridges. Under his watch, the department demanded tougher fuel efficiency requirements for automakers and took steps to address airline pilot fatigue.

Obama, who at one point served with LaHood in the Illinois congressional delegation, said they were "drawn together by a shared belief that those of us in public service owe an allegiance not to party or faction, but to the people we were elected to represent. And Ray has never wavered in that belief."

LaHood, 67, said in an interview with The Associated Press that he told Obama a week after the November election that he needed to move on. But he also said he was still "conflicted" by his decision because he liked working for the president and considered it the "best job I've ever had in public service."

He said he plans to remain at the department until his successor is confirmed by the Senate, which he expects in about two months. The only other Republican who was in Obama's first-term Cabinet was Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who stepped aside and was replaced by Democrat Leon Panetta earlier.

LaHood, who once considered likely to run for governor in his home state, said he would not seek public office and indicated he didn't have any specific plans.

"I have had a good run. I'm one of these people who believe that you should go out while they're applauding," he said. LaHood said he was content to watch from the sidelines as his oldest son, Darin, serves in the Illinois state senate.

His move continues an exodus that will give Obama's team a new look in his second term. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Panetta and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner are departing and in addition to LaHood, the heads of the Interior and Labor departments also have announced their resignations. Obama has nominated former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican, to serve as defense secretary to succeed Panetta.

Possible replacements for LaHood include Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has pushed for increased rail service in Los Angeles and served as chairman of last year's Democratic National Convention, and Debbie Hersman, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. The name of former Rep. Jim Oberstar of Minnesota, who led the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has also been mentioned.

LaHood served seven terms in Congress representing a central Illinois district that includes his hometown of Peoria, Ill., before he was chosen by Obama for the post. He traveled widely, visiting 49 states, 210 cities and 18 countries promoting Obama's agenda. He made trips that allowed him to ride some of the world's fastest trains and inspect the latest vehicles at auto shows.

In Washington, he would occasionally don a bicycle helmet and peddle around the District to promote bike lanes.

At the start of the new administration, LaHood spearheaded efforts to stimulate the economy through transportation construction projects and promoted the administration's vision of a nation connected by high-speed trains. But the high-speed rail program, which was supposed to be one of the president's signature projects, has been on life-support since Republicans regained control of the House in the 2010 election.

The department struggled with how to pay for the repair and improvement of the nation's aging transportation network and eventually reached a compromise with Congress last year on a more limited, scaled-back 2-year plan that gives states more flexibility in how they spend federal money.

Perhaps LaHood's most passionate work involved distracted driving, which he called a "national epidemic." He launched a national media campaign to end texting and cellphone use by drivers, an awareness campaign that drew comparisons to efforts to promote seat belt use more than a generation ago. He buttonholed auto executives to help reduce driver distraction and would even yell at other drivers on occasion to put down their cellphones.

"Every time someone takes their focus off the road ? even if it's just for a moment ? they put their lives and the lives of others in danger," he said in 2010.

During his tenure he slapped Toyota Motor Co. with record fines for delaying safety recalls and failing to promptly report problems to federal regulators. And he recently ordered United Airlines to ground its Boeing 787 Dreamliner following mishaps with the aircraft's batteries.

___

Associated Press writer Joan Lowy contributed to this report.

___

Follow Ken Thomas at: http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lahood-leaves-another-vacancy-obama-cabinet-182258738--politics.html

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