HP Just Sold a Bunch of iPads

Life isn’t fair. We all know that. Or at least we should. For Tablet makers you could argue that it is not just unfair, but cruel and unusual punishment. Apple has such an long lead in terms of its iPad in so many categories, it is almost like they need to need to somehow prohibit Apple from selling the damn things before they have a chance. Wait a minute. I think Samsung tried and failed at that.There are two things at play here. First, everyone trying to play the game is so anxious, and I hope so passionate, about what they have created that they seem to have developed collective blind spots as to what the iPad offers. Second, gadget bloggers and reviewers are doing what comes naturally and writing their reviews comparing new Tablets like HP’s TouchPad with point for point comparisons to the iPad. You can say that is unfair. You’d probably be right. But it is what it is.In reading over a list of reviews this morning the biggest conclusion I can draw is that HP just unwittingly sold a bunch of iPads. The reviewers pretty much unanimously have said that this first webOS Tablet doesn’t stack up or can’t be recommended by comparison. But HP, like others, had its own hand on the trigger of the gun pointed at its foot.

via HP Just Sold a Bunch of iPads.

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Transformers 3

20110701-090054.jpg

Must see best movie of the summer so far. For a sequel to the sequel this movie kicks ass!!

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Facebook To Unveil Skype-Powered Video Chat Next Week [CONFIRMED]

 

Facebook’s “awesome” announcement next week has been spoiled. The social network will reportedly be unveiling a Skype-powered video chat platform.Facebook’s Seattle team was behind the new feature, according to TechCrunch. Skype and Facebook already have a serious partnership that integrated Facebook social data directly into the Skype client. Now it looks like Skype will be coming to Facebook.This isn’t even the first time we’ve heard about Skype-powered video chat on Facebook. Rumors surfaced last year about such a product, but it never materialized.The report is sparse on details about how it will work. Will it require a software download? Will it support group video chats? Undoubtedly it will be a major addition to the Facebook platform. Google+, the search giant’s answer to Facebook, launched with a group video chat feature, Google+ Hangouts. Google is seeing a lot of traction with the feature, but if Facebook can release a video chat product next week, Google+ Hangouts may not seem as revolutionary.We’ve reached out to Facebook and Skype for comment.Update: While Facebook and Skype aren’t saying anything officially, our sources confirm that Skype-powered video chat on Facebook will indeed be launching next week.

via Facebook To Unveil Skype-Powered Video Chat Next Week [CONFIRMED].

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Facebook CEO says company will ‘launch something awesome’ next week

 

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the social network has plans to “launch something awesome” next week. There’s no official word on what will be announced, but we suspect it’s going to be the new iPhone photo-sharing service that we saw just last week. The service — which looked amazing in the leaked screen shots — will likely compete with other applications such as Instagram and Path. Rumor has it that inside Facebook headquarters, the new photo sharing app has been dubbed either “WithPeople,” or “Hovertown.” It’s entirely possible that Zuckerberg will also take the wraps off of his company’s native Facebook iPad app, since it would likely fit well into the photo-sharing ecosystem. Lastly, it’s possible Facebook will detail the next steps it’s taking with its Facebook Places check-in service, too, but given Zuckerberg’s use of the word “launch,” we’re not so sure. It remains unclear what day the announcement will be made.

via Facebook CEO says company will ‘launch something awesome’ next week.

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Google+ Hangouts Is the Best Free Group Video Chat Weve Seen

Adam Pash — Team Lifehacker has been playing around with Google+ all morning, and so far the coolest innovation weve seen—particularly from a productivity standpoint—is the Hangouts feature, which creates rooms for you to hang out with your friends, coworkers, or any of your social circles. Its great.Weve tried out various video conferencing solutions before—like Skypes subscription-required, clunky group video calling—and theyve never really worked that well. Google+ Hangouts, on the other hand, has so far been really impressive. In fact, the main stumbling block so far seems to be related more to slower connections than to the tool itself.Check out the video above to see it in action. Apologies if we seem overly giddy in the video. Hangouts is undeniably a fun tool, but were also considering moving our weekly feature meetings from our group chat tool to Hangouts, so its got plenty of productivity potential.

via Google+ Hangouts Is the Best Free Group Video Chat Weve Seen.

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Apple iPhone 3GS to be free on contract following iPhone 5 launch, analyst says

 

 

Apple is set to finally hit the $0 on-contract mark with its entry-level iPhone 3GS once it launches the next-generation iPhone 5 later this year. In a note to investors on Wednesday, RBC Capital Markets General Manager Mike Abramsky claims Apple is expected to finally offer the phone for free in an effort to aggressively attack mid-market smartphone buyers and counter Android’s momentum. Abramsky sees this move more than doubling Apple’s global addressable market to 150 million smartphones, up from 64 million, and it will drastically accelerate Apple’s growth outside North America. In the U.S., this of course begs the question, how will Verizon Wireless stay competitive with AT&T? Apple does not currently offer a CDMA iPhone 3GS, so the carrier would be unable to match AT&T with mid-market customers. Add to that AT&T’s attractive $15 data plan option versus Verizon’s minimum $30 plan, and subscribers looking for an iPhone on a budget will really only have one place to look. Abramsky currently has an Outperform rating on Apple stock with a price target of $450.

via Apple iPhone 3GS to be free on contract following iPhone 5 launch, analyst says.

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“No es un gasoducto, es vía verde”- Primerahora.com

Si alguien pensó que lo que construirá el Gobierno para trasportar gas natural desde la región sur hasta la zona norte de la Isla es un gasoducto, sepa usted que se equivocó.

El secretario de Transportación y Obras Públicas, Rubén Hernández Gregorat, corrigió repetidamente hoy a los periodistas que al preguntarle sobre el proyecto se refirieron al mismo como “gasoducto”.

“Primero aclarar: No es un gasoducto, es vía verde. Es totalmente diferente”, dijo el funcionario. “El gasoducto, todos recordamos, es un proyecto que iba por los patios de las casas. Era en ese sentido totalmente insensible con la comunidad. Este proyecto vía verde es un sistema de transmisión de gas natural muy seguro”, agregó.

Ante la insistencia en el uso del término, Hernández Gregorat reiteró. “No es cuestión de semántica. Tiene sus diferencias. Es un sistema de transmisión de gas natural. Eso no es gasoducto”, subrayó. “Gasoducto, recuerden, es un proyecto que se trató de hacer, que iba por los patios de las casas. Esto es diferente…”.

La “confusión” que según este funcionario tiene el país con lo que propone hacer el Gobierno debe ser la misma que tienen todos los entendidos en la materia y hasta los diccionarios más populares:. Gasoducto”: (De gas y el lat. ductus, conducción).

“Tubería de grueso calibre y gran longitud para conducir a distancia gas combustible”, dice el diccionario de la Real Academia Española, al definir este término.

via “No es un gasoducto, es vía verde”- Primerahora.com.

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Gasoducto pipeline plan in Puerto Rico draws heated response – New York Daily News

 

A controversial plan to build a 93-mile natural gas pipeline that will cross Puerto Rico from south to north has energized the Caribbean islands environmental movement – all the way to New York.Officially called by the government Va Verde Green Way, the pipeline has been dubbed Va de la Muerte Death Route by its opponents and prompted protests and petitions to stop it.”Several independent studies have shown that this project will have a negative environmental impact on the islands natural resources like no other project carried out in Puerto Rico in decades,” said Arturo Massol, an activist with Casa Pueblo, a community organization in the mountain town of Adjuntas that is leading the opposition.Massol, a well-known environmentalist on the island, is in New York this week to march in the National Puerto Rican Day Parade Sunday, which this year is dedicated to celebrating the natural beauty of the Caribbean island. And he will give a talk titled “Green or Deadly?” Friday at 6 p.m. at Union Theological Seminary in Harlem.A protest has also been called for tomorrow at noon in front of the New York offices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at 26 Federal Plaza. The project is awaiting the final go-ahead by the Corps.

via Gasoducto pipeline plan in Puerto Rico draws heated response – New York Daily News.

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MediaPost Publications Hispanic Audience Turning Up On E-Readers, Tablets 06/27/2011

Tablets may have more glamour — but e-readers are proving more popular so far this year, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project. The number of U.S. adults owning an e-reader has doubled from 6% to 12% between November 2010 and May 2011, while tablet penetration during that period has increased only from 5% to 8%. And despite the release of scores of new tablet models in 2011, tablet ownership since January has only inched up from 7% to 8%. “We were a little surprised that tablets didnt keep pace with e-readers, but our guess is that some people are waiting on the tablet market to settle out a bit to see what their options are before making a purchase,” said Kristen Purcell, associate director for research at the Internet & American Life Project and author of the study. She added that the lower cost of e-readers generally requires less of a financial commitment, making them popular holiday gifts.

via MediaPost Publications Hispanic Audience Turning Up On E-Readers, Tablets 06/27/2011.

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Google Launches Its Answer to Facebook: Introducing Google+ [PICS]

 

Google has finally unveiled Google+, the company’s top secret social layer that turns all of Google into one giant social network.Google+, which begins rolling out a very limited field test on Tuesday, is the culmination of a year-long project led by Google Senior Vice President of Social Vic Gundotra. The project, which has been delayed several times, is — without doubt — Google’s answer to Facebook.The search giant’s new social project will be omnipresent on every Google product, thanks to a complete redesign of the Google navigation bar. The familiar gray bar at the top of every Google page will turn black, and come with several new options for accessing your Google+ profile, viewing notifications and instantly sharing content at any time. The notification system is similar to how Facebook handles notifications, complete with a red number that increases with each additional notice.At its core, Google+ is a social network. The first thing users are introduced to when they visit Google+ is the Stream. It’s much like the Facebook News Feed, allowing users to share photos, videos, links or their location with friends.

via Google Launches Its Answer to Facebook: Introducing Google+ [PICS].

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