The smartphone giant’s latest Android offering makes a splashy debut
in London, boasting facial-recognition technology and Siri-like voice
controls.
The device, which will be available in Europe May 23 and shortly
thereafter in the U.S., is now the Korean manufacturer’s flagship
handheld. The phone comes equipped with expected spec bumps like a new
quad-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a high-contrast
AMOLED screen.
The Galaxy S III boasts a formidable 4.8-inch touchscreen, a display
22 percent larger than the Galaxy S II, and vastly bigger than the
iPhone’s 3.5-inch touchscreen.
A new feature called Smart Stay follows your gaze and automatically
dims the phone when you look away. That not only conserves power, but
ensures that the screen won’t dim when you’re doing long-reading on
the gadget.
The Galaxy S III keeps tabs on people’s faces with exciting new
facial-recognition technology. If you snap a picture of a friend, and
the phone recognizes the person in the picture, it will ask you if you
want to send a copy of the photo to that friend.
The new S Voice feature also allows you to send a text, use the
camera, or launch an app with spoken commands.
NY Knicks guard, Jeremy Lin, whose rise from a nobody to superstar in
just a matter of weeks earlier this year for the Knicks sparked global
interest, trails only reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose on the list of
most popular jerseys at the NBA Store and nbastore.com since April
2011, according to the list of top-selling jerseys the NBA released on
Thursday.
Lin hasn’t even stepped foot on an NBA court since April 2 knee
surgery and didn’t even crack the Knicks starting lineup until
February. He is back jogging and participating in shooting drills with
the hopes of returning for the second round of the NBA playoffs if the
Knicks advance that far
Lin is selling more jerseys than some of the biggest names in the
sport. Lin’s No. 17 is performing better than those of Kobe Bryant,
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Compare to the trio of NBA superstars who have a combined 30 All-Star
appearances, Lin has only started 25 games in his brief pro career.
The U.S. Senate, by a vote of 51-45, has blocked consideration of the
Buffett Rule, a key initiative by President Obama to require
millionaires to pay a minimum tax rate of 30 percent. Republicans kept
the measure from receiving the 60 votes necessary to allow the Senate
to open debate.
Google is reportedly building an official in-house tablet for release
later this year. The move could conceivably be a big win for the web
powerhouse, which, like Apple, is uniting hardware and software under
one roof to create a more streamlined.
Here’s what we know so far about Google’s tablet:
1. Expect a 7-inch display
2. It’ll be Wi-Fi only
3. To be sold only at a Google store
4. It will be available in July
Facebook Inc.said Monday it would acquire Instagram, the maker of a
popular photo-sharing mobile app and service, for approximately $1
billion in cash and stock.
Facebook made the announcement via Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg’s
Facebook page.
Instagram allows users of smartphones to instantly add features to
their digital photos and share them with friends.
Google’s sci-fi plan to transform a pair of glasses into a wearable
personal computer has long threatened to become a reality.
On Wednesday, the rumors were confirmed, and the initiative was
finally revealed as “Project Glass.” The search giant’s Star
Trek-inspired, augmented-reality specs — which promise to beam data
from Google’s vast trove of information right in front of your eyes —
are slimmer and sleeker than initial reports indicated.
Wearers, through vocal commands alone, can send instant messages, look
up directions, snap photos (and share them with Google+ circles), add
events to calendars, and video chat with friends. Google, however,
will be testing them in public very soon.
NY KNICKS DISHONESTY: CONCEALING JEREMY LIN INJURY UNTIL AFTER TICKET DEADLINE PASSES http://ping.fm/JRaD4
The Fair Labor Association, a Washington D.C.-based advocacy group
focused on workers’ rights issues, said Thursday that it has found
“significant issues with working conditions” at three China factories
operated by Foxconn, a major Apple Inc. supplier.
The independent group of academics, civil society organizations and
companies said it has “secured groundbreaking commitments that will
reduce working hours to legal limits while protecting pay, improve
health and safety conditions, establish a genuine voice for workers,
and will monitor on an ongoing basis to verify compliance.”
Apple previously announced that it had engaged the FLA to audit these
facilities.
A gauge of U.S. consumer confidence declined in March due to lower
employment expectations, while views on the present situation rose to
the highest level since 2008, the Conference Board reported Tuesday.
The consumer-confidence gauge fell to 70.2 in March from a February
reading of 71.6.
“The moderate decline was due solely to a less favorable short-term
outlook,” and data suggest “consumers feel the economy is not losing
momentum,” said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board’s
consumer research center.
Generally when the economy is growing at a good pace, confidence
readings are at least 90.
Pending home sales dipped slightly in February, according to an industry
trade group the National Association of Realtors. Its pending sales index
fell to 96.5% last month from 97.0% in January, although it’s still 9.2
percentage points above its year-ago level.
“The spring home buying season looks bright because of an elevated level of
contract offers so far this year. If activity is sustained near present
levels, existing-home sales will see their best performance in five years,”
said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.
By region, pending home sales rose 6.5%% in the Midwest, but dropped 3.0%
in the South, 2.6% in the West and 0.6% in the Northeast.
An index reading of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity
during 2001. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed
but the transaction has not closed. Not all contracts lead to closings.
Sales of new homes dipped 1.6% in February though prices jumped, according
to data released by the Commerce Department on Friday. Sales fell to a
seasonally adjusted 313,000 in February, from a slightly downwardly revised
318,000 in January.
Median sales prices, which are not seasonally adjusted, jumped 8.3% to
$233,700, which is the biggest one-month percentage rise in 14 months.
Compared to Feb. 2011, median prices climbed 6%.
The number of Americans who filed requests for jobless benefits fell by
5,000 last week to 348,000, the lowest level since February 2008, the U.S.
Labor Department said Thursday.
Claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 353,000 from 351,000.
The average of new claims over the past four weeks, meanwhile, declined by
1,250 to 355,000.
Continuing claims, which reflect people already receiving benefits,
decreased by 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 3.35 million in the week ended
March 10. Continuing claims are reported with a one-week lag.
About 7.28 million people received some kind of state or federal benefit in
the week ended March 3, a decline of 142,499. Total claims are reported
with a two-week lag.
Linsanity’s Economic Power. Jeremy Lin’s star keeps glowing outside basketball court http://ping.fm/m9gAP
