With Z3, Sony brings phones to US faster

With Z3, Sony brings phones to US faster

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Sony is launching its new Xperia Z3 waterproof smartphone through Verizon, the nation's largest wireless carrier, and T-Mobile. The phones are hitting U.S. stores on the heels of their unveiling last month at a trade show in Berlin, as Sony ramps up efforts to expand its tiny market share by getting to the American market faster.

Its Xperia Z1 phone took months to arrive, by which time it felt old. Sony never found a U.S. wireless carrier for the Z2 this spring.
The Verizon phone comes out Oct. 23, just a month after Apple's new iPhones and a week after the Oct. 17 release of Samsung's new Galaxy Note 4. A release date for the T-Mobile version hasn't been announced.

THE PHONES:
T-Mobile is carrying the standard version. For the Verizon model, dubbed Z3v, Sony is adding the ability to charge the phone wirelessly with an optional accessory, without needing to plug in a traditional USB cable. It's a capability coming to many smartphones, but often requires buying a special back cover on top of the charging accessory. The two models have slightly different dimensions, even though both screens measure 5.2 inches diagonally.
Both versions let people play Sony PlayStation 4 games through the phone while on the porch or in another room from the TV. The phones are waterproof and have 20.7 megapixel cameras.
The Verizon version will sell for $200 with a two-year contract. Other pricing hasn't been announced yet.

THE LANDSCAPE:
Sony has had a tough time breaking through the highly competitive smartphone market. Sony's market share doesn't even rank in IDC's lists of top 5 smartphone makers. In the trend-setting U.S. market, Sony has suffered further from late releases.
It took time for Sony to figure out what customers and carriers want, says Ravi Nookala, president of Sony Mobile Communications' U.S. business.
Technical and feature requirements tend to be stricter in the U.S. Getting the endorsement of Verizon, the nation's largest wireless carrier, should help.

THE PROSPECTS:

Nookala says target customers in the U.S. include owners of Sony TVs, headphones, cameras and PlayStation game consoles.
"Consumers are used to getting the best experience from Sony technologies," he said in an interview. "We're bringing all the best of Sony into the smartphone now."
But gaining market share will take time, given the dominance of Apple and Samsung.
"We are here for the long play. It's not that we just launch one phone and disappear," he added.

WHAT ELSE IS COMING:

Sony is also releasing a third-generation smartwatch. Unlike previous models, the SmartWatch 3 will have GPS capabilities for more accurate tracking of outdoor fitness activities.
The SmartWatch 3 will sell for $250 and will run Google's Android Wear system. That means the software experience will be similar to many rival watches, but it paves the way for a wider range of apps to extend the watch's functionality.

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Mobile wallet adoption years away: eMarketer

Mobile wallet adoption years away: eMarketer

AFP

Industry tracker eMarketer on Thursday said that use of smartphones as wallets will jump in the US next year, but shoppers won't be quick to abandon cash or credit cards.

"The more things change in the US mobile payments space, the more they seem to stay the same -- at least in the short term," eMarketer analyst Bryan Yeager said in a release.

"Despite a wider range of available technology and adoption from more merchants, consumers remain tepid about paying for goods and services with their phone at the point of sale."
The amount of money spent using smartphone wallets will climb in coming years, though, especially as consumers begin using them for big ticket buys, according to eMarketer.

A report authored by Yeager forecast that US consumers this year will consummate $3.5 billion worth purchases using smartphones, and that the amount would jump 150 percent in 2015.

A mainstream shift to mobile wallets in the US is still years away, climbing to $27.47 billion in the year 2016 and then quadrupling the following year to $118.01 billion, according to eMarketer.
Apple adding Apple Pay mobile wallet to its newest iPhone models and eBay splitting off its PayPal online financial services division have captured attention in recent weeks, but the overall market remains fragmented, the report indicated.

"Apple Pay will do a lot to bring consumer awareness to mobile payments, but it still has to work," Yeager said.

"If new Apple Pay customers get excited to try the product and there are hiccups the first time they use it, that's going to be a negative experience, and they might think twice about trying it again."
No matter how well smartphone wallets are designed, winning people over often depends on how well and how broadly merchants incorporate the payment systems into the check-out process, according to eMarketer.

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Obama's Cyber Czar Wants to Replace Passwords With Selfies

Obama's Cyber Czar Wants to Replace Passwords With Selfies

National Journal 

Brendan Sasso

The Obama administration's top cybersecurity official wants to get rid of passwords.
"Frankly, I would love to kill the password dead as a primary security method, because it's terrible," said Michael Daniel, the White House cybersecurity coordinator, during a discussion Thursday hosted by the Center for National Policy and TheChristian Science Monitor.

So what would replace the password? Daniel suggested that "selfies" would be one possibility. A device could scan a photo of a person's face and grant access only to the right one.
"You could use the cameras on cell phones, which are now ubiquitous, so the selfies are used for something besides posting on Facebook," Daniel said.

Fingerprint scanners, which are already in use on iPhones, are another possibility, Daniel said.
The important thing, he emphasized, is that companies develop technologies that are secure but that also recognize how people actually behave. If a security measure is too complicated or difficult, people just won't use it, he warned.

Daniel gave a cautious answer when the moderator asked him about new security measures from Apple and Google that protect private phone data—even from police officers with a warrant.
Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director James Comey have attacked the new encryption policies, warning they could derail attempts to save kidnapped children and other critical police investigations.

"Even things that are in safes or other places are reachable by search warrant in many cases," Daniel said. "We don't want to have something that puts it utterly beyond the reach of law enforcement in appropriate circumstances."

But on the other hand, he said, it's also important for companies to improve their use of encryption.
"This is a really hard area, and I think the reason that you see, we've had debates about encryption going back decades," Daniel said.

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Ariana Grande Looks Totally Different With Her Latest Hairstyle

Ariana Grande made a major style impact with a seemingly subtle hair switch-up! She let her hair down out of her signature ponytail for an event in London, pinning back just a few strands of her layered look.

She later captured the glam look in a stylish new Instagram selfie. Even though Ari has worn her hair loose before, her latest pics still looks so different!

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Miley Cyrus Is Being Sued Over a Dog Attack

Miley Cyrus is no stranger to controversy, but according to TMZ, the "Wrecking Ball" singer has been hit with a serious lawsuit! Los Angeles-based model Yolande Ngom claims that she was attacked by Brandi Cyrus' dog Feather. She is suing for medical damages and emotional distress, alleging that the dog bit her thigh and caused permanent scars.

Although Miley wasn't there, one of her employees was handling the German shepherd, and it happened in an apartment complex owned by her company. Since we know the singer loves animals, she's probably distressed over the accusations against her sister's dog!

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King of click: the story of the greatest keyboard ever made

King of click: the story of the greatest keyboard ever made

Emulated, replicated, and tweaked for 30 years, IBM's Model M is the forefather of modern keyboard design

The verge
By Adi Robertson 

The first thing you notice about the IBM Model M keyboard, when you finally get your hands on it, is its size. After years of tapping chiclet keys and glass screens on two- and three-pound devices, hefting five pounds of plastic and metal (including a thick steel plate) is slightly intimidating. The second thing is the sound – the solid click that’s turned a standard-issue beige peripheral into one of the computer world’s most prized and useful antiques.

Next year, the Model M turns 30. But to many people, it’s still the only keyboard worth using. It was recently spotted on the desk ofMinecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson, attached to a gaming PC whose graphic cards alone cost thousands of dollars. "The Model M is basically the best keyboard ever made," he told PC Gamer.  YouTube has dozens of Model M typing demos, unboxing videos, and sound comparisons between it and other mechanical keyboards. Since its introduction, the Model M has been the standard to meet for keyboard excellence.

"I enjoy using an iPad, it’s a wonderful device; the Kindle e-reader is a beautiful thing," says says Brandon Ermita, a Princeton University IT manager. "But I could never write a story, I could never write my dissertation, I could never produce work with a touchscreen." Ermita is devoted to keeping the Model M alive: he recovers them from supply depots and recycling centers, sells them through his site, ClickyKeyboards, and runs a veritable Model M private museum.  He estimates he’s put between 4,000 and 5,000 of the keyboards under the fingertips of aficionados over the past decade.

Like many people, I have vague memories of using a Model M as a kid. Last month, though, I took a trip to suburban New Jersey to meet Ermita and rediscover the magic of one of the most beloved keyboards of all time.

The day I visited his spacious office, two dozen or so keyboards were ensconced in a rack like fine wines. Above them, a single black keyboard sat protected in a glass case — a prototype Model M that’s one of the oldest pieces in Ermita’s collection. A hamper held recent acquisitions that still needed to be taken apart and cleaned of Doritos, sewing needles, and other pieces of detritus from their former owners. Looking at a Model M for the first time in years, what was most remarkable about the keyboard was just howunremarkable it looks. The Model M might be a relic of the past, but its DNA remains in almost every keyboard we use today.

 Keyboards from the '70s and '80s range from familiar to counterintuitive to utterly foreign_

The QWERTY keyboard layout was designed for typewriters in the late 19th century and quickly became universal. But by the time IBM released its first PC in 1981, layout was no longer a simple matter of spaces and capital letters — users now needed special keys to communicate with word processors, terminals, and "microcomputers." In hindsight, keyboards from the '70s and '80s range from familiar to counterintuitive to utterly foreign: in the IBM PC’s original 83-key keyboard — known as the PC / XT — the all-important Shift and Return keys were undersized and pushed to the side, their labels replaced by enigmatic arrows. The entire thing looks like a mess of tiny buttons and inexplicable gaps. In August of 1984, IBM announced the far more palatable PC / AT keyboard. Compared to the previous model, "the AT keyboard is unassailable," said PC Magazine. The AT couldn’t pass for a present-day keyboard: the function keys are arranged in two rows on the far left instead of along the top, Escape is nestled in the numeric keypad, and Ctrl and Caps Lock have been switched. Even so, it’s cleaner and far more comprehensible than its predecessor to modern eyes.

Find out how we turned 12 clicky keyboards into a music video

But IBM wanted something more than merely acceptable. In the early ’80s the company had assembled a 10-person task force to build a better keyboard, informed by experts and users. The design for the previous iteration was done "quickly, expeditiously — not the product of a lot of focus group activity," says David Bradley, a member of the task force who also happens to be the creator of the now-universal Ctrl+Alt+Delete function. The new group brought in novice computer users to test a friendlier keyboard, making important controls bigger and duplicating commonly used keys like Ctrl and Alt so they could be reached by either hand. Many of the keys were detachable from their bases, letting users swap them around as needed. And the Model M was born.

Introduced in 1985 as part of the IBM 3161 terminal, the Model M was initially called the "IBM Enhanced Keyboard." A PC-compatible version appeared the following spring, and it officially became standard with the IBM Personal System / 2 in 1987. The very first Model M that Ermita can verify — a terminal version — was produced on June 10th, 1985. That’s an awfully specific date, and it’s available because every Model M keyboard comes with an ID and production date printed on its back — Ermita does steady business with 20-somethings looking for a keyboard made on their birthday. He also curates the Model M Archive Project, a set of dauntingly long spreadsheets that track keyboards that have passed through his business as well as ones submitted (with ID, production date, and plant number) by other users.

"I have the uneasy feeling IBM is telling me, ‘You’d better learn to love it, because this is the keyboard of the future,’" wrote a PC Magazine reviewer_

Ermita’s collection includes many specialized, industry-specific keyboards, like one with baked-in labels for travel-agent booking, or a small model with the keys grouped into thirds, possibly for cashiers. "When computers were introduced, they were introduced as business machines," says Neil Muyskens, a former IBM manager. Vintage keyboards still bear stickers with commands for specific programs, and reviewers judged keyboards partly on how well they worked with software like WordStar and Lotus 1-2-3.

One reviewer was frustrated by the once again reshuffled keyboard layout that the Model M presented, but had a nagging suspicion that this design would stick. "I have the uneasy feeling IBM is telling me, ‘You’d better learn to love it, because this is the keyboard of the future,’" wrote a PC Magazine reviewer, in what would prove to be one of computing’s bigger understatements.

IBM PC/XT

IBM PC/AT

IBM Model M

Unicomp Ultra Classic

•  Control keys
•  Function keys
•  Typing (alphanumeric) keys
•  Navigation keys
•  Numeric keypad

That layout of the Model M has been around so long that today it’s simply taken for granted. But the keyboard’s descendents have jettisoned one of the Model M’s most iconic features — "buckling springs," a key system introduced in the PC / XT. Unlike mechanical switches that are depressed straight down like plungers, the Model M has springs under each key that contract, snap flat, or "buckle," and then spring back into place when released. They demand attention in a way that the soft, silent rubber domes in most modern keyboards don’t. This isn’t always a good thing; Model M owners sometimes ruefully post stories of spouses and coworkers who can’t stand the incessant chatter. But fans say the springs’ resistance and their audible "click" make it clear when a keypress is registered, reducing errors. Maybe more importantly, typing on the Model M is a special, tangible experience. Much like on a typewriter, the sharp click gives every letter a physical presence.

Soon after its emergence, Model M clones flooded the market. For its part, IBM gave new versions of the keyboard only the barest of redesigns. As a result, nostalgia for the Model M spans generations. "People contact me often via email, thanking me for reminding them of when they were a 20-something engineering student back in the 1980s," says Ermita. Younger buyers recall rearranging a classmate’s keyboard as a middle-school prank — "I’ve heard that story a few times."

In 1990, IBM spun off its US typewriter, keyboard, and printer business into a new company called Lexmark. Six years later, Lexmark dropped its keyboard division during what Muyskens calls an industry-wide shift towards cheaper products. IBM continued to commission products from a factory in Scotland and, briefly, a company called Maxi-Switch, but the last IBM Model M — as far as we know — rolled off the production line in 1999.

With a limited supply, all Model M fans are typing on borrowed time_

You can still buy an official Model M for about $80, but it won’t wear the IBM badge. After Lexmark left the business, Muyskens and other former employees began slowly purchasing the keyboard’s intellectual property rights and manufacturing equipment, working under the name Unicomp. "We’ve had to change the electronics," Muyskens says. "The clamshell cover material was changed back in ’99. But pretty much everything else has remained the same."

For some, that’s not authentic enough. "We get asked all the time — can we sell [someone] an IBM logo-ed product? And the answer is no, IBM owns the logo," says Muyskens. He says IBM still orders some keyboards for existing commercial customers, but if you want the old-school logo, you’ll have to turn to eBay or people like Ermita. For others, the inherent superiority and versatility of the Model M trumps nostalgic notions of authenticity: some users are adapting them to work wirelessly with Bluetooth. One Reddit user posted a custom modification with backlit keys that evoke the over-the-top designs of Razer or Alienware. But with a limited supply, all Model M fans are typing on borrowed time.

"This is like oil. One day oil will run out. It’ll be a big crash," says Ermita. For now, though, that crash seems far away. The oldest Model Ms have already lasted 30 years, and Ermita hopes they’ll make it for another 10 or 20 — long enough for at least one more generation to use a piece of computing history.

The Model M is an artifact from a time when high-end computing was still the province of industry, not pleasure. The computer that standardized it, the PS / 2, sold for a minimum of $2,295 (or nearly $5,000 today) and was far less powerful and versatile than any modern smartphone. In the decades since, computers have become exponentially more capable, and drastically cheaper. But in that shift, manufacturers have abandoned the concept of durability and longevity: in an environment where countless third-party companies are ready to sell customers specialty mice and keyboards at bargain basement prices, it’s hard to justify investing more than the bare minimum.

That disposability has made us keenly aware of what we’ve lost, and inspired a passion for hardware that can, well, take a licking and keep on clicking. As one Reddit user recently commented, "Those bastards are the ORIGINAL gaming keyboards. No matter how much you abuse it, you’ll die before it does."

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Apple enables unique passwords for apps that tap into iCloud

Apple enables unique passwords for apps that tap into iCloud

Steve Dent

Engadget

Do you use third-party apps like Outlook that access Apple's iCloud but don't support two-factor authentication? You'll now be forced to enter a specific password for each one. Following a notorious celebrity hack, Apple updated iCloud with an extra security layer used to protect accounts by sending a four-digit code to your personal device. However, many third-party calendar, contact and email apps that access iCloud don't support two-factor, and could therefore expose your iCloud password -- and all your personal data -- to hackers. Apple said that if you're signed in to one of those apps when the change goes through today, you'll be signed out and forced to generate and enter a new password. To see how, check after the break or click here for more.
This is a reminder that starting tomorrow, app-specific passwords will be required to access your iCloud data using third party apps such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or other mail, contacts, and calendar apps.
If you are currently signed in to a third party app using your primary Apple ID password, you will be signed out automatically when this change takes effect. You will need to generate an app-specific password and sign in again. To generate an app-specific password:

• Sign in to My Apple ID (https://appleid.apple.com)
• Go to Password & Security
• Click Generate App-Specific Password

Source: Apple

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Astronomers accidentally discovered the brightest pulsar on record

Astronomers accidentally discovered the brightest pulsar on record

Sean Buckley

Engadget

Remember NuSTAR, the specialized space telescope NASA designed specifically to study black holes? It just found something much, much brighter. Astronomers at NASA have stumbled upon what appears to be the most luminous pulsar ever discovered, but they almost mistook it for a black hole. After measuring the dead star's output, they found it was outputting as much energy as 10 million suns -- shockingly powerful, considering how much smaller it is than our own star. Astronomers aren't sure why the pulsar is so bright, but will continue to study in hopes of learning how common or uncommon this kind of pulsar is. The discovery kind of shakes up what theorist knew about black holes and ultraluminous x-rays, underlining how little we really know about the universe out there.
Source: NASA

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Apple delays production of larger iPad - WSJ

Apple delays production of larger iPad - WSJ

Reuters

Oct 9 - Apple Inc suppliers have delayed the production of a larger iPad to early next year, the WallStreet Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The suppliers had planned to start producing the largerscreen tablet in mass volume beginning in December, but havebeen struggling to produce enough new iPhones to keep up withdemand, the WSJ said. (http://on.wsj.com/1vOGmWU)

Foxconn Technology Co Ltd, which assembles iPhonesand iPads, has 200,000 workers in China already putting togethernew iPhones and making items such as metal casings, the Journalsaid.
Apple is expected to launch the new iPads at an event on Oct. 16.

Asian suppliers expect Apple's larger tablet to have a12.9-inch liquid-crystal-display screen with a resolutionsimilar to the iPad Air launched in October last year, the WSJsaid.
Data research firm IDC said in August that it expectedtablet sales to slow globally in 2014.
Apple was not immediately available for comment.

The company said it sold more than 10 million of its newiPhones in the first weekend they were available in September. 

(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bangalore; Editing by TedKerr)

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Icahn to Apple: Hurry up already with that tender!

Icahn to Apple: Hurry up already with that tender!

Everett Rosenfeld

CNBC

In a letter to the company, activist investor Carl Icahn asked Apple (AAPL) to make a tender offer for shares on the belief that the tech giant is undervalued.

"The intention of this letter is to communicate two things to you: (1) given the earnings growth we forecast for Apple, we continue to think that the market misunderstands and dramatically undervalues Apple and (2) the excess liquidity the company continues to hold on its balance sheet affords the company an amazing opportunity to take further advantage of this valuation disconnect by accelerating share repurchases," Icahn wrote in the letter.

Icahn wrote that his models value Apple at $203 per share today—more than double its current price around $100. If that stock price were realized, the company would be worth more than a trillion dollars.

Apple shares (AAPL) were up about half a percent in Thursday premarket trading.
In response to the letter, Apple wrote to CNBC that it "always appreciate[s] hearing from our shareholders. Since 2013 we've been aggressively executing the largest capital return program in corporate history. As we've said before, we will review the program annually and take into account the input from all of our shareholders."

Icahn, who owns about 53 million shares in the company, has previously pushed Apple on its stock buybacks.

"You have said before that the company likes to be 'opportunistic' when repurchasing shares and we appreciate that. With this letter we simply hope to express to you that now is a very opportunistic time to do so. We think a tender offer is simply a good method of conducting a large repurchase in an expedited timeframe, but the exact method and the exact size is not the key issue for us.

We are simply asking you to help us convince the board to repurchase a lot more, and sooner," the letter said.
In order to "preemptively diffuse any cynical criticism" about the request, the activist investor committed not to tender any of his own company's shares if Apple takes his recommendation.

Icahn explained that the letter is not intended to criticize the direction of the company, and in fact represents a strong belief in its future. Apple, Icahn estimated in the letter, will see sales grow 82 percent over the next three years—the company's sales have already increased 65 percent in the last three years.

"We feel compelled to do so because we forecast such impressive earnings growth over the next few years, and therefore we believe Apple is dramatically undervalued in today's market, and the more shares repurchased now, the more each remaining shareholder will benefit from that earnings growth," the letter said.

CNBC's Jim Cramer said Icahn's note "is not scathing, but it basically says, 'Alright, [Apple CEO Tim Cook]. I've been around forever. You're a newcomer. Do it my way or the highway.'"

The letter also goes into detail concerning what Icahn thinks about several major Apple products. On the just-announced Apple Watch, the activist investor predicted another Cupertino-led revolution.

"It appears to us that Jony Ive and his team have yet again executed at a level that will bring to market a product that revolutionizes the entire category from both a hardware and software perspective, especially given that Apple has developed an entirely new operating system for this device, and catered to the notion that such a device needs to be far more fashionable and personal than other products currently available in this category," the letter said.

Icahn predicted that Apple will sell about 20 million watches in fiscal 2015, and then 45 million the following year.

As for the continual rumors that Apple may be getting into the television set business, Icahn wrote that "we have good enough reason to expect the introduction of an UltraHD TV set" in fiscal 2016.
On Wednesday, Icahn announced on Twitter that he would be sending an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

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Seconds of Summer's Luke Hemmings Punched Michael Clifford in the Face!

5 Seconds of Summer's Luke Hemmings Punched Michael Clifford in the Face!

GETTY IMAGES

The 5 Seconds of Summer guys all seem like they get along great, but apparently they've gotten into some pretty serious fights. During their appearance on The Bert Show, the guys all revealed that Luke Hemmings has the shortest temper of them all — Michael Clifford even said Luke punched him in the face once!

Now, however, the guys can laugh about it and it doesn't seem to be an issue. Though, they did say Luke's the most likely to follow in Justin Bieber's footsteps and punch the paparazzi in the face! Luckily, they haven't really been put in a bad situation with any photographers.

"We don’t get that many [paparazzi] to be honest, sometimes when there’s lots of fans around. Usually it’s quite funny because they ask funny questions and we can say funny things," Luke says.

“We like to mess about with them... rather than getting mad at them," Ashton added.

We love that the guys resort to humor, rather than violence (most of the time!).

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Does Niall Horan Regret Being in One Direction?

Niall Horan has been very vocal about how much fun he has with the One Direction guys and how much he loves his career, but we also know that he regrets not finishing school. In 1D's upcoming autobiography Who We Are, Niall reiterated how much he wishes he finished school and even revealed that he feels like being in the band took his childhood away from him.

"My childhood was cut short by the X Factor, because One Direction took off and I never really got the chance to finish school or do my exams or anything like that," he wrote.

Niall had no idea when he auditioned for the reality singing competition that he would no longer be a normal kid going to school and living at home.

"After the first audition, I packed up everything in my life in a bag. What I didn't realize at the time was that, when I was stuffing clothes into the little suitcase, that was pretty much me leaving home for good," he wrote.

We can't imagine having your life change so quickly. We're just glad that he had four other guys who were going through the same thing with him and he wasn't alone!

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