ITG xpPhone 2 to get some Windows 8 love, starts living large in January

Let's be honest: with the size of a brick and a relatively short battery life, it's no surprise that ITG's xpPhone hasn't quite dominated the smartphone market since its launch back in November. In fact, we haven't even seen one in the wild, and we certainly wouldn't have missed it if there ever was one on the street. That said, ITG hasn't given up, as the company's just announced its second-generation Windows-powered smartphone. The reason? Well, interestingly enough, ITG prefers Windows' greater range of compatible software compared to those of mobile OSes, namely Android and iOS. Let's just leave it at that for now.

Simply dubbed the xpPhone 2, this beast of a QWERTY slider packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 chip, along with 2GB RAM, up to 112GB of SSD storage, 4.3-inch display and compatibility with both Windows 7 and Windows 8 -- obviously the latter OS will depend on its final release date. Not only has battery life been bumped up to around 18 hours of call time or 46 days on standby, but the phone's also been slimmed down to 140mm x 73mm x 17.5mm, which is a huge improvement compared to its bulky predecessor. With the touch-friendly Windows 8 on board along with a non-underclocked CPU, we have a feeling that the xpPhone 2 will at least fare much better than Fujitsu's F-07C; as for the rest, we shall see when it comes out in January next year. And no, it probably won't run Crysis.

Gallery: ITG xpPhone 2

ITG xpPhone 2 to get some Windows 8 love, starts living large in January originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/28/itg-xpphone-2-to-get-some-windows-8-love-starts-living-large-in/

fiji fiji ruby tuesday aliens lil kim michael j fox seattle times

NBA cancels all games through Nov. 30

FILE - In this file photo taken Oct. 4, 2011, NBA Commissioner David Stern listens during a news conference following NBA labor talks meeting between basketball players and owners in New York. Stern canceled all November games on Friday, Oct. 28, the 120th day of the lockout. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, file)

FILE - In this file photo taken Oct. 4, 2011, NBA Commissioner David Stern listens during a news conference following NBA labor talks meeting between basketball players and owners in New York. Stern canceled all November games on Friday, Oct. 28, the 120th day of the lockout. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, file)

(AP) ? As NBA players and owners wait to see who will blink first, fans are stuck staring at a blank calendar.

NBA Commissioner David Stern canceled the rest of the November games Friday, saying there will not be a full NBA season "under any circumstances."

The move came about after labor negotiations broke down again when both sides refused to budge on how to split the league's revenues, the same issue that derailed talks last week.

Now, a full month of NBA games have been canceled, and Stern said there's no way of getting them back.

"We held out that joint hope together, but in light of the breakdown of talks, there will not be a full NBA season under any circumstances," he said.

"It's not practical, possible or prudent to have a full season now," added Stern, who previously canceled the first two weeks of the season.

And he repeated his warnings that the proposals might now get even harsher as the league tries to make up the hundreds of millions of dollars that will be lost as the lockout drags on.

"We're going to have to recalculate how bad the damage is," Stern said. "The next offer will reflect the extraordinary losses that are piling up now."

Just a day earlier, Stern had said he would consider it a failure if the sides didn't reach a deal in the next few days and vowed they would take "one heck of a shot" to get it done.

Instead, negotiations broke off again over the division of basketball-related income, just as they did last Thursday. Union executive director Billy Hunter said the league again insisted it had to be split 50-50, while Stern said Hunter just walked out and left rather than discuss going below 52 percent.

Owners are insistent on a 50-50 split, while players last formally proposed they get 52.5 percent, leaving them about $100 million apart annually. Players were guaranteed 57 percent in the previous collective bargaining agreement.

"Derek (Fisher) and I made it clear that we could not take the 50-50 deal to our membership. Not with all the concessions that we granted," Hunter said. "We said we got to have some dollars."

Instead, they'll now be out roughly $350 million, the losses Hunter previously projected for each month the players were locked out. He believed a full season could be played if a deal were made this weekend, but Stern emphatically ruled out any hope of that now.

"These are not punitive announcements; these are calendar generated announcements," Stern said.

No further talks have been scheduled.

There was a sense of optimism entering the day after progress was made on salary cap issues during about 24 hours of talks over the previous two days. Then the sides brought the revenue split back into the discussion Friday and promptly got stuck on both issues.

Stern said the NBA owners were "willing" to go to 50 percent. But he said Hunter was unwilling to "go a penny below 52," that he had been getting many calls from agents and then closed up his book and walked out of the room.

Hunter said the league initially moved its target down to 47 percent during Friday's six-hour session, then returned to its previous proposal of 50 percent of revenues.

"We made a lot of concessions, but unfortunately at this time it's not enough, and we're not prepared or unable at this time to move any further," Hunter said.

Union president Fisher said it was difficult to say why talks broke down, or when they would start up again.

"We're here, we've always been here, but today just wasn't the day to try and finish this out," he said.

There was some good news.

Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said there was essentially a "tentative agreement" on most system issues, with Stern rattling off some of them: Owners agreed to keep the midlevel exception starting at $5 million a year; and contract lengths would be five years for players staying with their teams and four when leaving for another.

"And then we hit a wall," Stern said.

The small groups that were meeting the previous two days grew a bit Friday. Union vice presidents Chris Paul ? wearing a Yankees cap for his trip to New York ? and Theo Ratliff joined the talks, and economist Kevin Murphy returned after he was unavailable Thursday. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban stayed for the session after taking part Thursday.

Fisher said there were still too many restrictions in the owners' proposal. Players want to keep a system similar to the old one, and fear owners' ideas would limit player movement and the choices available to them in free agency.

And though they might be inclined to give up one if they received more concessions on the other, players make it sound as if they are the ones doing all the giving back.

The old cap system allowed teams to exceed it through the use of a number of exceptions, many of which the league wants to tweak or even eliminate. Hunter has called a hard cap a "blood issue" to players, and though the league has backed off its initial proposal calling for one, players think the changes owners want would work like one.

"We've told them that we don't want a hard cap. We don't want a hard cap any kind of way, either an obvious hard cap or a hard cap that may not be as obvious to most people but we know it works like a hard cap," Hunter said. "And so you get there, and then all of a sudden they say, 'Well, we also have to have our number.' And you say, 'Well wait a minute, you're not negotiating in good faith.'"

But if players think what's being proposed is a hard cap, here's another warning: Silver won't rule out the league seeking one again.

"Our response is then let's have a hard cap, which is what we wanted," he said.

"We don't think it's a hard cap. ... We've all been wasting our time if they believe this is a hard cap. We've been spending literally hundreds of hours negotiating the specifics of a system, where they're now saying is the equivalent of a hard cap. We've been clear from the beginning from a league standpoint we would prefer a hard cap."

When players offered to reduce their guarantee from 57 percent to 53 percent, Hunter said that would have transferred about $1.1 billion to owners over six years. Now, at 52.5, he said that would grow to more than $1.5 billion.

But even a 50-50 split would be too high for some hardline owners, because it would reduce only $280 million of the $300 million they said they lost last season. Owners initially proposed a BRI split that players said would have had them around 40 percent.

Though they will miss a paycheck on Nov. 15, Hunter said each player would have received a minimum of $100,000 from the escrow money that was returned to them to make up the difference after salaries fell short of the guaranteed 57 percent of revenues last season.

The real losses, though, could be felt by arena staff and other people who work in fields connected to the game. Stern apologized to them in making the announcement.

But Jeff Lee, a 37-year-old cafe owner and Warriors season-ticketholder in the East Bay, said he isn't discouraged about Friday's setback.

"I'm pretty certain that the season's going to start sooner or later," Lee said. "I know when the season starts it's going to be well worth the wait."

___

AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in Oakland, Calif. contributed to this report.

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: twitter.com/Briancmahoney

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-10-28-BKN-NBA-Labor/id-c594ca5cfc9e46b0b5e1433244b0184f

big 12 last minute halloween costumes rum diary klipsch image s4 chris bosh daylight savings dia de los muertos

Josh Krajcik Amazes on The X Factor


Let there be no debate: Josh Krajcik deserves his spot in the final 12 of The X Factor.

This fast food worker, who made headlines following his initial audition for talking about his career of slinging burritos, can likely retire his hairnet and plastic gloves for good. Even if he doesn't go on to win, it's hard to believe Krajcik won't have a future in the music industry.

On last night's live performance show, Josh received some of the highest praise of the night for his cover of "Forever Young," led by Paula Abdul: "Your voice is my favorite voice I've heard in the past decade."

Do we have competition here for Melanie Amaro?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/josh-krajcik-amazes-on-the-x-factor/

rosh hashanah rosh hashanah michael jackson trial amanda palmer listeria monocytogenes chipper jones chipper jones

ITG xpPhone 2 to get some Windows 8 love, starts living large in January

Let's be honest: with the size of a brick and a relatively short battery life, it's no surprise that ITG's xpPhone hasn't quite dominated the smartphone market since its launch back in November. In fact, we haven't even seen one in the wild, and we certainly wouldn't have missed it if there ever was one on the street. That said, ITG hasn't given up, as the company's just announced its second-generation Windows-powered smartphone. The reason? Well, interestingly enough, ITG prefers Windows' greater range of compatible software compared to those of mobile OSes, namely Android and iOS. Let's just leave it at that for now.

Simply dubbed the xpPhone 2, this beast of a QWERTY slider packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 chip, along with 2GB RAM, up to 112GB of SSD storage, 4.3-inch display and compatibility with both Windows 7 and Windows 8 -- obviously the latter OS will depend on its final release date. Not only has battery life been bumped up to around 18 hours of call time or 46 days on standby, but the phone's also been slimmed down to 140mm x 73mm x 17.5mm, which is a huge improvement compared to its bulky predecessor. With the touch-friendly Windows 8 on board along with a non-underclocked CPU, we have a feeling that the xpPhone 2 will at least fare much better than Fujitsu's F-07C; as for the rest, we shall see when it comes out in January next year. And no, it probably won't run Crysis.

Update: Looks like we were misled by the company's other promotional photos and thus mistakenly thought the xpPhone 2 will have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. This would explain the slimmer body then.

Gallery: ITG xpPhone 2

ITG xpPhone 2 to get some Windows 8 love, starts living large in January originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/28/itg-xpphone-2-to-get-some-windows-8-love-starts-living-large-in/

entourage season 8 entourage season 8 avignon asn dukan diet mark sanchez faith hill

Official convicted in West Virginia mine disaster (AP)

BECKLEY, W.Va. ? The probe of the worst U.S. coal-mining disaster in decades has produced its first conviction ? a former mine security chief found guilty of lying to investigators. After the jury returned its verdict, prosecutors said nothing is off the table when it comes to the possibility of charges for others.

It took jurors about six hours to find Hughie Elbert Stover guilty Wednesday on the lying charge and a second count of seeking to destroy thousands of security-related documents following the explosion that killed 29 men in 2010. So far, he's the only person who's been charged, but state and federal investigations continue.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said prosecutors haven't ruled out the possibility of charges for others.

"There were serious matters that existed in this mine that didn't just happen overnight or without the involvement of individuals," he said.

The jury had begun deliberating Wednesday morning after hearing two days of testimony, in which prosecutors painted Stover as an obstructionist and defense attorneys claimed he was a scapegoat.

He remains free pending a Feb. 29 sentencing hearing. Stover faces an estimated two years in prison on the record-disposal count alone. Goodwin said prosecutors will seek as stiff penalty as possible to deter such conduct.

Stover's attorney, William Wilmoth, said it was too early to discuss any future motions or appeals.

"While we're disappointed at this result, we're very appreciative of their services," he said of the eight men and four women on the jury.

The defense had portrayed the former law enforcement officer, a veteran of both the Navy and Marines, as a by-the-book employee who became a victim of the government's zeal to blame someone for the deadly explosion.

"You wanted justice, and this is who they brought you," Wilmoth said during his closing argument.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Blaire Malkin had earlier reminded jurors of testimony from others at the Raleigh County underground mine. These witnesses alleged that Stover instructed mine guards to send out alerts by radio whenever inspectors entered the property. Such a practice is illegal. One of the criminal charges alleges Stover denied in a November 2010 interview with investigators that there were any advance warnings at the mine.

The other count alleges that Stover sought to destroy the documents the following January, by ordering a subordinate to bag and then throw them into an on-site trash compactor. Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Ellis suggested to jurors Wednesday that those records would prove that Stover had lied about inspection tip-offs. The attempted disposal also violated repeated warning from the mine's then-owner, Massey Energy, to keep all records while the disaster remained under investigation. Massey officials told investigators of the trashed documents, which were recovered.

Wilmoth attributed Stover's November statements to confusion over evolving policies at the mine, run by Massey subsidiary Performance Coal Co. As for the document disposal, Stover had called that the "stupidest, worst mistake" of his life when he testified Tuesday in his defense.

Questioning criminal intent, Wilmoth said Stover could have burned, shredded or otherwise destroyed the records himself, instead of delegating the task of throwing them out to a subordinate during daylight hours and in front of a security camera. Prosecutors said the documents were dumped around 6 a.m., and after being placed in trash bags. Hauling them out in their cardboard storage boxes would have drawn notice, as would Stover performing the deed himself, prosecutors argued.

In urging jurors to acquit, Wilmoth argued that Stover's actions amounted to innocent mistakes, citing how several witnesses had described him as by-the-book and honest. Rather than targeting mine executives or engineers who may be at fault for the deadly blast, prosecutors have seized on Stover in a game of "government gotcha," Wilmoth told the jury.

"We're no closer to finding the real villain or villains behind this explosion," said Wilmoth, a former U.S. attorney. "Instead, this is what they brought you."

Three investigative reports issued so far on the disaster have each concluded that poorly maintained machines cutting into sandstone created a spark that ignited both a small amount of naturally occurring methane gas and a massive accumulation of explosive coal dust. Malfunctioning water sprayers allowed what could have been a small flare-up to become an epic blast that traveled seven miles of underground corridors, doubling back on itself and killing men instantly.

One of those reports was issued Tuesday by the United Mine Workers union, which criticized government regulators while slamming Massey. Labeling the disaster as "industrial homicide," the findings urge criminal charges against a number of then-executives at Massey. Alpha Natural Resources of Abingdon, Va., acquired the Richmond-based Massey in June through a $7.1 billion takeover deal.

___

Follow Lawrence Messina at http://twitter.com/lmessina

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_on_re_us/us_mine_explosion_trial

recent earthquakes club paradise earthquakes today twilight breaking dawn trailer shaker patti labelle db cooper

Bolena's crown is a good fit for Angela Meade (AP)

NEW YORK ? On paper, it reads like the operatic equivalent of Mission Impossible: Take over the taxing title role of Donizetti's "Anna Bolena" right after Russian superstar Anna Netrebko has completed a run of seven sold-out performances.

That was the assignment the Metropolitan Opera offered to Angela Meade. And the promising young American soprano rose to the challenge, putting her own stamp on the role and drawing prolonged cheers from the audience at Friday night's final curtain.

Unable to compete with Netrebko's mesmerizing stage presence ? who can? ? and lacking her uniquely alluring vocal timbre, Meade compensated with the gifts that have made her a fast-rising star. She has a strong, supple voice, a knack for floating soft high notes, and an unusual agility in the rapid-fire technique of bel canto singing so crucial to this 1830 masterpiece.

She wasted no time in showing off her talents. Anna's first aria and cabaletta ? which had proved difficult for Netrebko on opening night ? was sung with impeccable phrasing and included a couple of high pianissimos that seemed to be spun out of finest silk. There were more of those in the final scene, and at one point Meade accompanied a hushed high note by extending a hand in the air as if reaching for a thread of the delicate fabric.

In the long downward runs that Anna sings in the ensemble that ends Act 1, and again in the closing scene, Meade articulated each note with rare precision. Throughout the long evening, she made the intricate vocal line sound effortless ? the mark of a true bel canto expert.

Not everything about her performance was flawless. Her chest voice, or lower register, is still developing, and that limited her ability to punch out some of Anna's most urgent phrases. Her trills in the final scene didn't come across distinctly. And the E-flat above high C that she interpolated as her final note sounded thin and was quickly chopped off. (Her D natural at the conclusion of Act 1 had sounded just fine.)

Considering she was having to fit into a direction tailored to Netrebko's talents, Meade did a commendable job carving out her own portrayal. Her Bolena was softer and more vulnerable, though never lacking in regal bearing. Her large size hampered her hardly at all, except on a few occasions when she had obvious difficulty rising from a sitting or kneeling position.

The only other newcomer to the cast was mezzo-soprano Katherine Goeldner, who subbed for an ailing Ekaterina Gubanova as Jane Seymour.

Goeldner's voice is not as plush as Gubanova's, but she sang with warmth and intensity The David McVicar production looks every bit as dreary as it did on opening night, but from the first notes of the overture, Marco Armiliato's conducting was greatly improved. He showed far more drive and sense of pacing, and the ensembles jelled better.

Meade, who is in her early 30s, had a meager Met resume before Friday: one performance of Verdi's "Ernani" in 2008 ? as a last-minute stand-in for an ailing colleague_ and one performance in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro." This season, besides two more "Annas," she gets an entire run of "Ernani" to herself, including a live HD broadcast.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111023/ap_en_ot/us_opera_review_angela_meade

stop loss stop loss thurston moore the island the island mcdonalds beating dreamcatcher

Learn how to get the cheaper Vehicle Insurance Quotes - Investment ...

Looking for a way to by using discount in your motor insurance? Even though you are unable to wholly terminate your car insurance policy to save lots of some dollars, you might be surprised to know that there are some things you can do that can assist you lower the buying price of your insurance fees. If you wish to understand how to obtain the most economical vehicle insurance, consider right after these straightforward ideas.

Suggestion Number1: koszulki z nadrukiem Only The Thing You Need

If you wish to understand how to obtain the most economical vehicle insurance, first of all you have to do is have the volume of insurance you require. Because you undoubtedly don?t want to advertise oneself limited on insurance policies, you?ll find that you don?t want to be paying for insurance policies it?s not necessary. When your motor vehicle is really worth a few 1000s cash, as an example, spending a larger premium volume for full dental coverage plans may not be a helpful expense.

Suggestion Number2: Do Some Looking at

To recieve the cheapest auto insurance rates feasible, it is additionally important for you to do some comparability The differences in rates derived from one of insurance broker yet another can be truly amazing, to ensure the time in paying researching the rates involving a variety of providers is time wisely spent.

Suggestion Number3: Get Discount rates

Among the best held tricks with regards to hoe to obtain the most economical auto insurance rates may be the price cut. Most people are unmindful that insurance companies supply many different deals to owners, nevertheless, you generally have to request for the price cut in an effort to make use of the cheaper fee. When you?ve got an adolescent drivers and or she is a superb pupil, as an example, you could probably receive a cheaper fee. Additionally you can love cheaper rates if your motor vehicle has specified security measures or anti?robbery products put in. You may also get deals if you decide on your house insurance coverage, life assurance and motor insurance on the exact firm.

Suggestion Number4: Change Your Allowable

An additional word of advice for learn to get the cheapest vehicle insurance will be to have a bigger deductible in your insurance policy. The cheaper your deductible, the higher your insurance fees will likely be. Before you decide to have a cheaper deductible, nevertheless, you require make sure you will be able to the higher deductible volume if an car accident should take place.

Suggestion Number5: Think Of Your Vehicle Purchase

Ultimately, you can find the cheapest vehicle insurance by very carefully taking into consideration the sort of motor vehicle you pay for. The truth is, before you purchase the latest motor vehicle, be certain to call your insurance broker and get around the rates you need to pay out. You will be surprised by the gap in rates a variety of cars or trucks. By reviewing together with your insurance broker deciding on an acquisition, you may don?t be unpleasantly surprised by the buying price of your insurance policies.

By putting into action these a few strategies for learn to get the cheapest vehicle insurance, you will be able to seek out a reasonably priced insurance cover that suits your driving a car requires.

Source: http://www.investmentstrategytips.org/learn-how-to-get-the-cheaper-vehicle-insurance-quotes/

florida marlins dancing with the stars 2011 dwts bill buckner christmas island antonio gates antonio gates