Sunday, March 31, 2013

HP's $169 Slate 7 tablet apparently delayed until June

Maybe it's that $169 price, or maybe it's the inclusion of an honest-to-goodness memory card reader, but we know some of you can't wait to get your mitts on HP's new Slate 7 Android tablet. Back when it was first announced, the company indicated it'd be available by April, but it would seem that plan has changed: the product page on HP's site is now saying the Slate won't arrive until sometime in June. We're not sure why there's a delay (we're asking for comment), but we do know this can't be good news for HP. By June, after all, Google I/O will have come and gone, and the next-gen Nexus 7 might already be on sale.

[Thanks, jmartj]

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Source: HP

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/29/hp-slate-7-delayed-until-june/

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Top 5 Strategy Games for iOS and Android

No matter which period throughout human history you examine, one of the constants of each culture is the incorporation of games for pleasure, competition and education. Games have been discovered by historians dating back to as far as 2500 BC, showing that this type of social interaction has been instrumental in shaping our existence from the very beginning.

Games come in a myriad of different flavors, ranging from single person activities to those that can span nations. With the introduction of modern technology in the last century, games have evolved into something truly spectacular, with whole worlds being created for the enjoyment of millions of people. In addition, the rise in popularity of mobile computing devices has provided the opportunity for people to bring their favorite gaming pastimes with them wherever they go.

One specific category of games has benefited greatly from the ability to play them on hand-held devices: strategy games. Strategy games provide a unique opportunity for developers to provide not only interesting challenges, but also the chance to enhance them with eye-catching graphics and immersive sound. Following are some of the best strategy games that are currently available for both Android and iOS mobile devices.

Plague Inc.

Plague Inc. is touted as one of the most popular strategy games currently available for both Android and iOS users, as well as being a nominee for IGN?s 2012 Best Overall Strategy Game award. Plague Inc. continues its run of popularity with over two million downloads, marking it as the 15th most downloaded paid game on the iOS market.

The object of the game is simple in its overall goal, as well as providing a challenge in accomplishing it. Your character is ?Patient Zero,? tasked with spreading a deadly virus around the world, all while staying just ahead of the efforts to provide a cure. While the premise for the game may seem a bit macabre, you can enjoy hours upon hours of harmless fun.

Plague Inc is available from the Google Play store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miniclip.plagueinc&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5taW5pY2xpcC5wbGFndWVpbmMiXQ..) and at the Apple App Store (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/plague-inc./id525818839?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D2).

Backgammon Free

Our second offering steers us toward a mobile computing rendition of the famous boardgame, Backgammon. Backgammon Free provides many different challenges, with five levels of difficulty, a strong AI opponent and multiple boards and piece sets. This game is perfect for those looking to go head-to-head with friends or family, as well as providing an engaging activity to enjoy on your own.

Backgammon Free is available from Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.aifactory.backgammonfree&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsInVrLmNvLmFpZmFjdG9yeS5iYWNrZ2FtbW9uZnJlZSJd) and the App Store (https://itunes.apple.com/app/backgammon-free/id335445524?mt=8).

Mahjong

Another rendition of a popular and storied strategy game, which can be found for Android and iOS users, is Mahjong. Mahjong is similar in ways to solitaire, in that the goal of the game is to match up identical tiles to remove them from the board. Mahjong features over 80 different boards to play on, as well as varying levels of skill.

Versions of Mahjong can be found at the Google Play store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nix.game.mahjong&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5uaXguZ2FtZS5tYWhqb25nIl0.), as well as in the App Store (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mahjong-unlimited-hd/id434781441?mt=8) for iPad and iPhone users.

Great Little War Game

If your strategy gaming needs reach to the popular goal of conquering the world, Great Little War Game provides a 3D platform that gives you the opportunity to go head to head with other players in a fun and engaging atmosphere. Battle your enemies on land, air or sea, making tactical use of different terrain features and variables. GLWG also provides multiple skill levels, a wide variety of different unit types and multiple play modes for different gaming experiences.

GLWG can be found in the Google Play store for both Android and iOS users at http://www.rubicondev.com/glwg/.

Little Commander- WWII TD

Rounding out our list of some of the most popular strategy games available on Android and iOS is Little Commander- WWII TD. Little Commander is a cartoon-style tower defense game that allows you to control your armies in a World War II setting. Virtually every aspect of the game is customizable, allowing for a unique gaming experience each time it is played.

Little Commander- WWII TD is available on both Android and iOS by visiting http://www.heyzap.com/game/little-commander-wwii-td.

If you are looking for a fun and engaging way to pass your free time, as well as a way to exercise your brain in the process, finding a great strategy game can go a long way towards satisfying both goals. With technology ever advancing, be sure to keep an eye out for better and more sophisticated games as time progresses.

Source: http://www.techtous.com/blog/top-5-strategy-games-for-ios-and-android/

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Spring 2013 iOS and OS X conference schedule

Spring 2013 iOS and OS X conference schedule

The spring iOS and OS X developer and designer conference season is in full swing and this year more than ever the schedule looks jam packed with events and talent.

NSConf has already wrapped up in Leicester, England, where it sounds like a good time was had by all. Run by Steve Scott, and with presenters like Evan Doll, Michael Jurewitz, Craig Hockenberry, Daniel Jalkut, Daniel Pasco, Manton Reece, Rob Rhyne, and Emily Loop, that was never in any doubt. Hopefully the sessions will be available soon.

If you missed it though, there are several more coming our way soon.

CocoaConf Dallas - April 4-6, Dallas, USA - features Daniel Pasco, Manton Reece, and more.

?ll - April 12-18, Dublin, Ireland - is run by Paul Campbell of Hypertiny and Dermot Daly of Tapadoo. This year's slate of speakers includes Lex Friedman, Don Melton, Jennifer Brook, Matthew Panzarino, Jaimee Newberry, Matt Gemmel, and panels with Dave Wiskus, Neven Mrgan and Jim Dalrymple.

CocoaConf San Jose - April 18-29, San Jose, USA - features Michael Jurewitz, Matt Drance, Michael Simmons, and more.

NSNorth - April 19-21, Ottawa, Canada - is being held by Dan Byers and Philippe Casgrain. Speakers lined up include Guy English, Luc Vandal, Sam Vermette, Rob Rhyne, Gus Mueller, Caroline Sauve, and more.

One more thing - May 24, Melbourne, Australia - is put on by Anthony Agius and Lauren Watson of MacTalk. Speakers include Lex Friedman, Jaimee Newberry, Dave Wiskus, Louise Duncan, and many more.

And, of course, Apple should be capping it all off in June with WWDC 2013...

All of the events have lots of valuable information to share and many of them still have tickets available. So, head on over and grab yours now.

(If I missed listing your event let me know ASAP and I'll add it in.)



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/SXvoATbTGAk/story01.htm

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Hollywood Group Kills Hundreds of ?Pirate? TV and Movie Streaming ...

Hollywood Group Kills Hundreds of ?Pirate? TV and Movie Streaming Sites

The popular movie and TV streaming script TVstreamScript has shut down ?voluntarily? following pressure from movie industry group FACT. The script was used by hundreds of streaming sites, which have all been rendered useless overnight. FACT tells TorrentFreak that convincing site owners to sign over their domains is one of the strategies they use to tackle online piracy.

tvstreamscriptWith broadband connections becoming more prevalent, movie and TV streaming sites have become a growing problem for copyright holders.

These streaming sites come in all shapes and sizes, and there are scripts on the market that allow anyone to set up their own streaming index in just a few minutes.

TVstreamScript is one of these options and hundreds of sites, mostly smaller ones, run on this software. The script costs $99 for a basic one domain license and buyers can expand their sites with plugins or buy themes to make it more unique.


A TVstreamScript demo site

script-tv

However, yesterday, TVstreamScript shut down following pressure from Hollywood-backed UK anti-piracy group FACT. The site owner voluntarily signed over the TVstreamScript.com domain to FACT and it?s currently redirecting to a parked page.

As a result, hundreds of streaming sites that relied on the script have become unusable.

Tvsuperstream.com, Infinityshows.com, Cinesheet.com, Streamflix.org, Whatchon.me, Seriesvk.com, Yeahstream.com, Canaltv.ru, Tvshows2k.com, Watchtvstream.com, Online24tv.com, Movifan.net and Tvdrot.com/ are just a few examples of the sites that are affected, but there are many more.

Most streaming sites now display 404 errors, redirect elsewhere, or show the following license error. ?License Error: Invalid license key. Please contact your software vendor for support.?


Gone

invalid-key

Commenting to TorrentFreak, the movie industry anti-piracy group says that the current action is one of the many strategies the group employs to combat the ?growing problem? of online piracy.

?When contacted, some site owners agree to sign over their domains to FACT and we then use that domain to help direct visitors to legitimate ways of watching movies, TV programmes or sporting events,? FACT explained.

Previously the group told TorrentFreak that they?ve seen a change in attitudes since the owner of TV streaming links site SurfTheChannel was sentenced to four years jail-time last year.

FACT is using the Vickerman verdict to convince operators of other streaming related sites to ?voluntarily? hand over their domains to escape prosecution, which many have done since.

However, not all streaming sites that were hit by the domain takeover are willing to throw in the towel. Several site owners are trying to recover and come back online and some have done so successfully.

And so it continues?.

Source: http://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-group-kills-hundreds-of-pirate-tv-and-movie-streaming-sites-130328/

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Charge your devices faster with the ChargeDr

If you find that charging your USB-chargeable devices takes too long, you may be interested in the ChargeDr USB Charge Booster from Digital Innovations. ?The ChargeDr uses an unspecified method of boosting the power from your computer’s USB port, so that a normal?5V, 0.5A-2.1A port always outputs?5V, up to 2.1A of power. ?The ChargeDr is [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/03/29/charge-your-devices-faster-with-the-chargedr/

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From Tap To Zap: Tapulous Co-Founder Shoots For The Moon With ZapTravel, His Semantic Travel Startup

zaptravelTapulous, one of the earliest, big mobile games makers for the iPhone, made its splash with Tap Tap Revenge, the first in a series of apps where users tapped on dropping balls in time with music -- a formula that proved wildly successful and eventually resulted in the company getting bought by Disney in 2010 for reportedly $50 million. Now, one of the co-founders of Tapulous, the Australian Andrew Lacy, has hotfooted it to Paris to tackle something new: the online travel market, with the launch of ZapTravel, a semantic travel search engine.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/J39Rs07oWRI/

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US Navy to fund development of vehicle-mounted, drone-shooting lasers

US Navy to fund development of vehicle-mounted, drone-shooting lasers

Lasers, particularly those that set boats ablaze and incinerate incoming missiles, have long been on the Navy's mind. Today, the Office of Naval Research revealed its latest energy weapon craving: vehicle-mounted lasers that shoot down drones. Dubbed Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-The-Move, the project is offering private outfits up to $400,000 each to develop such a system that blasts at full power for 120 seconds and juices back up to 80 percent after a 20 minute charge. The beam is required to pack a punch of at least 25 kilowatts, while the ability to ratchet up to 50 kilowatts is optional. Given that kind of power, Wired points out that making such a solution fit in a Humvee is going to be a feat -- especially when the Navy says it can't weigh more than 2,000 pounds and must fit entirely within a vehicle's cargo area. Have blueprints for a jeep-mountable laser squirreled away in your basement hobby shop? You'll have to send your application in by 2 PM on April 26th to qualify for the federal cash.

[Image credit: Official U.S. Navy Imagery, Flickr]

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Via: Wired

Source: Federal Business Opportunities

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/vGp5QJOvY9g/

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New Android apps worth downloading: PassWallet - Password Manager, Sidewalk Buddy, Angry Birds Star Wars update

Protect your online accounts a little better with the help of today's first fresh app, PassWallet. The app lets you store all your password and makes the app hidden from prying eyes, as well as encrypts it against savvier predators. We've also got Sidewalk Buddy, an app that makes it a little safer to text while walking. Finally, Angry Birds Star Wars has gotten another substantial content update, this time taking to the floating heights of Cloud City.


Also on Android Apps

Zinio put together a survival guide for magazine lovers, now that many magazine and newspaper publishers are embracing digital. Read about their counsel in this Guest Post.


PassWallet - Password ManagerWhat?s it about? Keep track of your passwords without having to remember the more complex ones with PassWallet, which stores your passwords safely and securely on your Android device.

What?s cool? Creating tough-to-crack passwords can be difficult, because by definition they require randomness, and randomness is hard to remember. Fortunately, PassWallet can store all your passwords in order to make it easier for you to use highly effective ones for your various accounts, without the burden of writing them down where they might be found or forgotten. The app has a ?stealth? feature that keeps it from appearing with other apps on your device, should someone else pick it up and access it, and includes a 256-bit encryption to keep it secure from online predators. Keep in mind that you'll need to pay a subscription after PassWallet's 30-day trial, though.

Who?s it for? If you struggle to remember your complicated passwords, try PassWallet.

What?s it like? mSecure ? Password Manager and Safe in Cloud Password Manager are two other potential password-saving alternatives.

Sidewalk BuddyWhat?s it about? Sidewalk Buddy makes it safer to walk down the street while completing tasks on your smartphone, such as sending emails or text messages, by showing you where you're going using your Android device's camera.

What?s cool? Trying to use your Android device as you're walking can be perilous. Just like texting while driving, texting while walking is an invitation to run into people or otherwise injure yourself when you should be watching where you're going. Sidewalk Buddy at least makes walking safer by providing the ability to scale down apps so they don't take up your device's full screen, so it can be shared with video feed from your rear-facing camera. The idea is that you'll be able to see where you're walking even as you do things like type messages or skim emails, avoiding such hazards as accidentally wandering into traffic.

Who?s it for? The kinds of people who need to multitask even when they're walking somewhere should definitely try Sidewalk Buddy for a little added safety.

What?s it like? Another good app for helping you see where you're walking while also using your Android device is Transparent Screen.

Angry Birds Star WarsWhat?s it about? The content updates keep coming to Angry Birds Star Wars as it continues to work its way through The Empire Strikes Back. Twenty new levels take players to Cloud City this time out.

What?s cool? Angry Birds Star Wars is among the best tie-in games out there, successfully mixing the fun of the Angry Birds slingshot formula, the innovations added to the game in Angry Birds Space, and new gameplay mechanics and humor born of the Star Wars universe. The game works through the events of the original trilogy and provides players with new bird characters modeled after Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia and more, each with special abilities that are key to finishing each level. The latest update throws in 20 new stages from Cloud City on Bespin from the latter portion of the film The Empire Strikes Back, and includes new challenges.

Who?s it for? If you like Angry Birds at all, Angry Birds Star Wars is the entry into the franchise you need to be playing.

What?s it like? Players should also check out Angry Birds Space for a slightly different take, and Star Wars Pinball for more great action from a galaxy far, far away.

Download the Appolicious Android app

Source: http://www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/13347-new-android-apps-worth-downloading-passwallet-password-manager-sidewalk-buddy-angry-birds-star-wars-update

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Salwa Amin: Arrested AGAIN on Drug Charge

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/salwa-amin-arrested-again-on-drug-charge/

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Friday, March 29, 2013

What Amazon Really Paid For Goodreads - Business Insider

Bloomberg Businessweek just published a very strange article trying to guess how much Amazon paid for Goodreads, a social network where people share what books they're reading.

In essence, the writer, Kyle Stock, tried to find comparables in recent IPOs and private financings to arrive at a value per user for social websites, comparing Goodreads to Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram. He came up with a figure of $880 million, which he rounded up to $1 billion.

Three problems with that:

  • Amazon did not disclose a price for the acquisition. Had it been as high as $880 million, let alone $1 billion, the company would likely have had to disclose it as a material transaction. (Stock acknowledges the materiality issue in an aside, but that observation should have prompted him to rethink the entire premise of his story.)
  • Investors value different companies in different ways. Instagram, for example, was valued so highly by Facebook not because of its revenues?it had none?but because it threatened Facebook's core photo-sharing franchise. LinkedIn, by contrast, is valued highly by investors not primarily based on its number of users but how well it monetizes them through diversified revenue streams.Technology consultant Anil Dash tore Stock apart in a comment on the piece:"This valuation is preposterous, because the methodology is preposterous. There is zero evidence that either the markets or investors use some arbitrary 'multiply users by a dollar amount' calculation to determine a valuation for these companies. Using such a formula to arrive at an absurd number is especially egregious here because people will now use the authority of this publication to say 'Businessweek reports that Goodreads sold for a billion dollars,' though that's almost certainly not the case."
  • Lastly, AllThingsD's Kara Swisher actually talked to some sources and asked them how much Amazon paid for Goodreads, which raised almost $3 million from angel investors and True Ventures. They told her the real number was $150 million.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-goodreads-purchase-price-2013-3

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John Green contributes to book about cancer victim

NEW YORK (AP) ? Young adult author John Green has written an introduction for a book about the teen cancer victim to whom he dedicated his best-selling novel "The Fault in Our Stars."

Penguin Young Readers Group announced Thursday that it will publish "This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl" in early 2014. Along with Green's introduction, the book will compile writings and sketches by the girl from Quincy, Mass., known for the YouTube video journal about her terminal illness.

Esther died in 2010 at 16.

Green and J.K. Rowling were among her admirers.

The book is named for the foundation started in Esther's memory, "This Star Won't Go Out." Penguin will donate to the foundation, which aids families with children who have cancer.

___

Online:

Foundation: www.tswgo.org

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/john-green-contributes-book-cancer-victim-100051972.html

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N. Korea vows 'to settle accounts' with U.S.

By David Chance and Phil Stewart

SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea put its missile units on standby on Friday to attack U.S. military bases in South Korea and the Pacific, after the United States flew two nuclear-capable stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula in a rare show of force.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed off on the order at a midnight meeting of top generals and "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists in view of the prevailing situation", the official KCNA news agency said.

KCNA said North Korea and the United States could only settle their differences by "physical means". The North has an arsenal of Soviet-era short-range Scud missiles that can hit South Korea but its longer-range Nodong and Musudan missiles, which could in theory hit U.S. Pacific bases, are untested.

China, the North's sole major ally, repeated its calls for restraint on the Korean peninsula at a regular foreign ministry briefing on Friday and made no criticism of the U.S. flights.

"We hope that relevant parties will work together in pushing for a turnaround of the tense situation," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.

On Thursday, the United States flew two radar-evading B-2 Spirit bombers on practice runs over South Korea, responding to a series of North Korean threats. They flew from the United States and back in what appeared to be the first exercise of its kind, designed to show America's ability to conduct long-range, precision strikes "quickly and at will", the U.S. military said.

The news of Kim's response was unusually swift.

"He finally signed the plan on technical preparations of strategic rockets of the KPA (Korean People's Army), ordering them to be on standby for fire so that they may strike any time the U.S. mainland, its military bases in the operational theaters in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in South Korea," KCNA said.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported there had been additional troop and vehicle movements at the North's mid- and long-range missile sites, indicating they may be ready to fire.

It was impossible to verify the report which did not specify a time frame, although South Korea's Defense Ministry said on Friday that it was watching shorter-range Scud missile sites closely as well as Nodong and Musudan missile batteries.

The North has launched a daily barrage of threats since early this month when the United States and the South, allies in the 1950-53 Korean War, began routine military drills.

The South and the United States have said the drills are purely defensive in nature and that no incident has taken place in the decades they have been conducted in various forms.

The United States also flew B-52 bombers over South Korea earlier this week.

The North has put its military on highest readiness to fight what it says are hostile forces conducting war drills. Its young leader has previously given "final orders" for its military to wage revolutionary war with the South.

ECONOMIC ZONE

Despite the hostile rhetoric from Pyongyang, it has kept open a joint economic zone with the South which generates $2 billion a year in trade - money the impoverished state can ill-afford to lose.

Pyongyang has also canceled an armistice agreement with the United States that ended the Korean War and cut all communications hotlines with U.S. forces, the United Nations and South Korea.

"The North Koreans have to understand that what they're doing is very dangerous," U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday.

"We must make clear that these provocations by the North are taken by us very seriously and we'll respond to that."

The U.S. military said that its B-2 bombers had flown more than 6,500 miles to stage a trial bombing raid from their bases in Missouri as part of the Foal Eagle war drills being held with South Korea.

The bombers dropped inert munitions on the Jik Do Range, in South Korea, and then returned to the continental United States in a single, continuous mission, the military said.

Thursday's drill was the first time B-2s flew round-trip from the mainland United States over South Korea and dropped inert munitions, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

Victor Cha, a North Korea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the drill fitted within the context of ramped-up efforts by the Pentagon to deter the North from acting upon any of its threats.

Asked whether he thought the latest moves could further aggravate tensions on the peninsula, Cha, a former White House official, said: "I don't think the situation can get any more aggravated than it already is."

South Korea denied suggestions on Friday that the bomber drills contained an implicit threat of attack on the North.

"There is no entity on the earth who will strike an attack on North Korea or expressed their wishes to do so," a spokesman for the South's Unification Ministry said.

Few believe North Korea will risk starting a full-out war.

Still, Hagel, who on March 15 announced he was bolstering missile defenses over the growing North Korea threat, said all of the provocations by the North had to be taken seriously.

"Their very provocative actions and belligerent tone, it has ratcheted up the danger and we have to understand that reality," Hagel said, renewing a warning that the U.S. military was ready for "any eventuality" on the peninsula.

North Korea conducted a third nuclear weapons test in February in breach of U.N. sanctions and despite warnings from China, its one major diplomatic ally.

(Additional reporting by David Alexander in Washington; Editing by Warren Strobel, Paul Simao and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-readies-rockets-u-flies-stealth-bombers-020309202.html

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Saturday, March 23, 2013

Tiffany 4Q net income rises less than 1 pct

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2008 file photo, shoppers look in through a window at Tiffany & Co.'s new store at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio. Jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. said Friday, March 22, 2013, its fourth-quarter net income edged up less than 1 percent, but managed to beat Wall Street predictions. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2008 file photo, shoppers look in through a window at Tiffany & Co.'s new store at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio. Jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. said Friday, March 22, 2013, its fourth-quarter net income edged up less than 1 percent, but managed to beat Wall Street predictions. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

(AP) ? Tiffany says its fourth-quarter net income edged up less than 1 percent, but still beat Wall Street predictions as strong customer demand in Asia for its pricey baubles offset weakness in the U.S.

The upscale jewelry company also offered an annual sales outlook that topped analysts' estimates, and its shares rose more than 4 percent in premarket trading Friday.

The results, which include the critical holiday season, show Tiffany's resilience even as it faces challenges in the U.S. and a fiscal crisis in Europe.

For the quarter ended Jan. 31, Tiffany earned $179.6 million, or $1.40 per share. Revenue rose 4 percent to $1.24 billion.

Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of $1.36 per share on $1.25 billion in revenue.

"While financial results in fiscal 2012 were disappointing due to lower-than expected sales growth and pressures on gross margin, we continued to maintain a longer term focus on strengthening global awareness of the Tiffany & Co. brand," Michael J. Kowalski, Tiffany's chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Total sales in the Americas region increased 2 percent to $620 million in the fourth quarter and 2 percent to $1.8 billion in the full year. The area represents 48 percent of last year's global revenue. Revenue at stores open at least a year declined 2 percent in both the quarter and full year on a constant exchange rate basis. Sales in the New York flagship store dropped 3 percent in both the quarter and full year, while that figure dropped 2 percent for its branch locations for both periods.

In the Asia-Pacific region, total sales rose 13 percent to $254 million in the fourth quarter and 8 percent to $810 million in the full year. The region represents 21 percent of worldwide sales. On a constant exchange rate basis, total sales rose 10 percent in the fourth quarter due to sales growth in Greater China and in other markets and rose 8 percent in the full year. On that basis, revenue at stores opened at least a year rose 6 percent in the quarter and 2 percent for the full year.

Total sales in Japan declined 6 percent to $192 million in the fourth-quarter, reflecting a weaker Japanese yen versus the U.S. dollar and increased 4 percent to $639 million or 17 percent of worldwide sales in the full year. However, on a constant exchange rate basis, total sales rose 2 percent in the quarter and 6 percent in the full year. On that basis, revenue at stores opened at least a year rose 2 percent and 7 percent in the quarter and full year respectively.

In Europe, total sales rose 3 percent to $146 million in the fourth quarter due to mixed performance by country and also rose 3 percent to $432 million or 11 percent of worldwide sales in the full year. On a constant exchange rate basis, total sales rose 3 percent and 7 percent in the quarter and full year respectively. Revenue at stores opened at least year were unchanged in the quarter and rose 2 percent in the full year.

The New York-based jewelry company also says it expects its first-quarter earnings from operations will fall about 15 percent to 20 percent as a result of profitability pressures and higher marketing costs, but pick up later in the year.

For the current year, Tiffany expects sales growth of 6 percent to 8 percent, which means that sales are expected to be anywhere from $4.02 billion to $4.09 billion. Analysts project $4.02 billion

It expects full-year earnings of $3.43 per share to $3.53 per share. Analysts expect $3.46 per share.

Tiffany shares rose $2.79, or 4.1 percent, to $70.70 in premarket trading.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-22-Earns-Tiffany/id-397ff65c60624bdf8abe843bea1e2fdf

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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

$260 Portable Lounge Chair: For Professional Beach Bums Only

For most sunbathers a towel, a bottle of lotion, and some sunglasses are all they need for a day at the beach. But with every activity there's always that one person who has to do overdo it, and they'll be easy to spot dragging around this 22-pound transforming monstrosity of a lounge chair. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/XeknPrsX3x8/260-portable-lounge-chair-for-professional-beach-bums-only

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Monday, March 11, 2013

College Fails to Protect African-American Women From Divorce ...

By Janice Wood Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 10, 2013

College Fails to Protect African-American Women From Divorce  Married couples who have attained higher levels of education are less likely to divorce than less-educated couples ? except in the African-American community, according to new research.

?African-American women don?t seem to enjoy the same degree of protection that education confers on marriage,? said Jeounghee Kim, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Rutgers School of Social Work.

?For white Americans, higher education is related to a lower chance of divorce, and this protective effect of education on marriage increased consistently among the recent generations. But for African-American women, higher education is not necessarily related to a lower chance of divorce.?

In her study, published in the journal Family Relations, Kim observed that while the divorce rate has remained steady for white women since 1980, the trend has been less stable for African-American women.

She studied white and African-American women in five-year marriage cohorts starting from 1975 to 1979 and ending in 1995 to 1999. The researcher also took into account demographic characteristics, such as age, geographic region, motherhood status and post-secondary education (associate degree at minimum) when married.

She then measured marital dissolution (within nine years of first marriage) rather than by legal divorce, which many African-American women eschew in favor of a permanent separation.

Kim?s analysis revealed that the percentage of white women with some post-secondary education continuously increased throughout the cohorts. This was not the case with African-American women, whose educational attainment peaked in the 1985-1994 cohorts before declining.

At the same time, she found the percentage of white women getting divorced declined throughout the study period, while African-American women experienced an increase in the 1980s before declining in the 1990 to 1994 cohort.

Kim said her findings were consistent with much existing literature that says that women with higher levels of education ? and greater earning potential ? make more attractive marriage partners. Also, their marriages tend to last longer than those of their counterparts ? particularly among white women ? with less education.

But the research also raises questions about why African-American women?s higher education does not have a strong protective effect on marriage.

?One possibility is that college education does not translate into the higher earnings that would help protect marriage for African-Americans,? she said. ?Another could be that educational attainment may be insufficient to address the high levels of economic inequality that even well-educated African-Americans experience. Many are the first in their families to have attained a post-secondary education and do not benefit from the cushion of intergenerational wealth possessed by some white families.?

A third possibility involves the gender gap in African-Americans? educational attainment ? there are nearly twice as many African-American women college graduates as men.

?We see the increasing power of education protecting marriage within the same socioeconomic class,? Kim said. ?Well-educated white women may still have power to select an equally well-educated mate. Then, there may be a synergy factor ? higher incomes, better and healthier lives, smarter kids ? that helps sustain their marriage.

?On the other hand, the return on higher education may not be the same for many African-American women, who have less chance to marry their educational equals,? she continues. ?Also, because they are less likely to marry outside their race, their choices are limited.?

Source: Rutgers

Couple disagreeing photo by shutterstock.

APA Reference
Wood, J. (2013). College Fails to Protect African-American Women From Divorce. Psych Central. Retrieved on March 11, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/10/college-fails-to-protect-african-american-women-from-divorce/52397.html

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Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/10/college-fails-to-protect-african-american-women-from-divorce/52397.html

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Raw Five-Point Preview: March 11, 2013

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2012 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2012 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2013-03-11/five-point-preview

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2 years after tsunami, slow progress on cleanup

TOKYO (AP) ? Monday's two-year anniversary of Japan's devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe is highlighting the country's continuing struggle to clean up radiation, rebuild lost communities and determine new energy and economic strategies.

More than 300,000 people remain displaced and virtually no rebuilding has begun along the battered northeastern coast, where the tsunami swept away entire communities.

Memorial services were to be held Monday in Tokyo and in barren towns along the northeastern coast to mark the moment, at 2:46 p.m., when the magnitude 9.0 earthquake ? the strongest recorded in Japan's history ? struck off the coast, unleashing a massive tsunami that killed nearly 19,000 people.

In the ravaged small fishing town of Miyako, sirens wailed as residents trundled to higher ground in a disaster drill. In some areas, searches for the 2,676 people still missing in the disaster continued, as workers poked through sand and debris along the coastline.

A thin blanket of snow covered the ground in Kesennuma, where houses and fisheries once stood. Survivors live in temporary housing farther inland on higher ground, while others have decided to move away altogether. On Monday morning, fishermen, who are trying to get the vital industry back on its feet, lined up rows of tuna and other fish for auction.

"It's scary (living here) when there is an earthquake. It's scary, but I don't plan to go anywhere else. I want to give my own very best, somehow, toward reconstruction of the city," said 75-year-old Kenichi Oi, who had to refurbish his home, just a few hundred meters (yards) from the sea, but on higher ground, after the tsunami flooded its first floor.

Throughout the disaster zone, the tens of thousands of survivors living in temporary housing are impatient to get resettled, a process that could take up to a decade, officials say.

"What I really want is to once again have a 'my home,'" said Migaku Suzuki, a 69-year-old farm worker in Rikuzentakata, who lost the house he had just finished building in the disaster. Suzuki also lost a son in the tsunami, which obliterated much of the city.

Farther south, in Fukushima prefecture, some 160,000 evacuees are uncertain if they will ever be able to return to abandoned homes around the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, where three reactors melted down and spewed radiation into the surrounding soil and water after the tsunami knocked out the plant's vital cooling system.

"I don't trust the government on anything related to health anymore," said Masaaki Watanabe, 42, who fled the nearby town of Minami Soma and doesn't plan to return because the radiation in the ground is too high.

In Kawauchi, one of many towns with varying degrees of access restrictions due to radiation, village chief Yuko Endo is pinning his hopes on the success of a long decontamination process that may or may not enable hundreds of residents to return home.

Much of the area is off-limits, though some restrictions gradually are being lifted as workers remove debris and wipe down roofs by hand.

Many residents might give up on returning if they are kept waiting too long, he said.

"If I were told to wait for two more years, I might explode," said Endo, who is determined to revive his town of mostly empty houses and overgrown fields. "After spending a huge amount of money, with the vegetable patches all cleaned up and ready for farming, we may end up with nobody willing to return."

Evacuees are torn. They are anxious to return home but worried about the potential, still uncertain risks from exposure to the radiation from the disaster, the worst since Chernobyl in 1986.

While there have been no clear cases of cancer linked to radiation from the plant, the upheaval in people's lives, uncertainty about the future and long-term health concerns, especially for children, have taken an immense psychological toll on thousands of residents.

A group of 800 people filed a lawsuit Monday in Fukushima against the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co., the utility that operates the Fukushima plant. It demands an apology payment of 50,000 yen ($625) a month for each victim until all radiation from the accident is wiped out, a process that could take decades.

A change of government late last year has raised hopes that authorities might move quicker with the cleanup and reconstruction.

Since taking office in late December, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made a point of frequently visiting the disaster zone, promising faster action, and plans to raise the long-term reconstruction budget to 25 trillion yen ($262 billion) from 19 trillion yen (about $200 billion).

Hopes for a significant improvement may be misplaced, said Hiroshi Suzuki, chairman of the Fukushima Prefectural Reconstruction Committee.

"There have been no major changes by the new government in response to the nuclear accident, though the budget has been increased," he said. "If the reconstruction budget continues to serve as a tool for expanding public works spending, then I believe local societies and economist will be undermined."

Another lingering problem is that of discrimination against evacuees from Fukushima, Suzuki said: Many fear their children will find it hard to find spouses due to worries over potential long-term harm from radiation.

Watanabe, who used to work for a company maintaining the nuclear plant's lighting systems, said his sons are sometimes shunned or taunted by classmates who say things like, "Don't come near me. You're radioactive."

___

Associated Press writers Malcolm Foster in Tokyo and Emily Wang in Kesennuma, Japan, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-years-tsunami-slow-progress-cleanup-040127601.html

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PFT: Rams could lose top two wide receivers

HarvinGetty Images

Vikings receiver Percy Harvin reportedly wants out of Minnesota.? He also reportedly wants to be paid like Lions receiver Calvin Johnson.

But Harvin is overlooking one important reality.? He?ll have to find a team that wants him, and a team that will pay him what he wants.

As one NFL front-office source explains it, Harvin and his agent forget that a large portion of the league had him off of their draft boards in 2009, due to his reputation for being a pain in the posterior.

In Minnesota, the Vikings have done a nice job of keeping Harvin from being too much of a problem, at least publicly.? Under former coach Brad Childress, then-defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier often was the peacekeeper.? Now that Harvin and Frazier reportedly had a ?heated exchange? that preceded Harvin?s placement on injured reserve, Harvin may be out of allies in Minnesota.

That doesn?t mean he?ll have friends elsewhere.? Especially if he gets the kind of money he wants.? If/when (if) he cashes in, Harvin will be largely untouchable, free to do what he wants, how he wants, when he wants.

Even though there are plenty of desperate coaches and General Managers in the NFL, there?s a difference between desperation and stupidity.? For Harvin, the key word could be delusion.

If there?s no team who will both trade for him and pay him, he?ll continue to be the property of the Vikings.? And the manner in which he handles himself during the final year of his contract will go a long way toward shaping the extent to which other teams will, or won?t, be interested in him once he hits the open market.

And if he decides to hold out, the Vikings can fine him hundreds of thousands of dollars and, if he doesn?t show up by Week 10, squat on his rights through 2014.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/10/brandon-gibson-will-leave-st-louis-danny-amendola-may-go-too/related/

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Sunday, March 10, 2013

92% The Gatekeepers

All Critics (60) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (55) | Rotten (5)

The level of candor here may not satisfy hard-liners of either stripe, but it can help viewers begin to formulate new questions about the philosophical, strategic and moral challenges of conflict, in particular "wars on terror."

Ultimately the movie feels evasive, and its flashy, digitally animated re-creations of military surveillance footage unpleasantly evoke the Call of Duty video games.

It offers startlingly honest insight into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from some of those who called the shots.

As a political testament, the result is revealing and important.

A monolith crumbles in The Gatekeepers, and it's a sight to inspire awe.

As a clear-eyed examination of a conflict that seems to have no end, The Gatekeepers is powerful, provocative stuff.

Extraordinary...not only an engrossing first-hand account of Israel's Palestinian policies over time, but one that may have lessons to teach both Israeli leaders and other nations confronting those they identify as terrorists.

Unprecedented and deeply unsettling, it offers little hope for a lasting peace in that war-torn region.

For its candor and impact, deserves to be seen and discussed.

An often remarkable Israeli documentary about Shin Bet, the country's internal security agency.

"The Gatekeepers" achieves something rare: It is riveting because of both its intellectual rigor and its filmmaking vigor.

I got as much enjoyment out of this film about as much as a 6 year-old would.

A remarkable behind-the-scenes peek at how Israel's in-house CIA/FBI has operated, both honorably and questionably, from the Six-Day War until now.

As a work of contemporary political history and moral philosophy, it's essential viewing.

An inside look into one of the most secretive and sophisticated intelligence apparatus in the world may not be what you expected.

Filmmaker Dror Moreh gives a unique look, from those in the know, of the inner workings of Israel's home intelligence service.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_gatekeepers_2012/

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This Tiny Slithering Snake Robot Has Its Cyclopean Eye on You

Snake robots have a staggering ability to be both graceful and terrifying, but this one developed by CMU Biorobotics is just cute. And it could help save your life someday by slithering through debris and surveying the scene with its cyclopean eye. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/2ARijAmIJjg/this-tiny-slithering-snake-robot-has-its-cyclopean-eye-on-you

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Space satellite launch set for 2014 | New Europe

An undated simulated image shows a Galileo type satellite circling earth. The contract for the construction of the first four satellites and several bases on earth was signed in Paris, France, 21 December 2004. The European satellite navigation system is supposed to be assisted by 30 satelites. The Thales version to be built for Turkmenistan could be quite similar. |EPA/esa

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Turkmenistan recently announced plans to launch the first national satellite for late 2014. As per contract signed with the Turkmen government, French company Thales Alenia Space would be involved in the development and construction of the spacecraft, Turkmenistan.ru reported. It was reported that recently Thales, known as a developer and supplier of advanced high-tech aeronavigation equipment for the country's airports since 1991, won a tender in this regard. An article in the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper states that the company is now entitled to create a Turkmen satellite and control system of the satellite from the Earth, launch it into space, ensure round-the-clock assistance in satellite management within 15 years, and to prepare highly qualified specialists for Turkmenistan in this field. As of now, Turkmenistan services Russian satellite "Yamal", owned by JSC "Gazprom Space Systems." Through this satellite, digital national TV broadcasting and many Russian TV channels are broadcasted in Turkmenistan. Turkmen communication satellite will provide TV broadcasts, radio telephone, telegraph and other types of communication between ground stations, placed at a distance of up to 10,000-15,000 kilometers from each other.

The Turkmen communication satellite will provide TV broadcasts, radio telephone, telegraph and other types of communication between ground stations, placed at a distance of up to 10,000-15,000 kilometers from each other.With the emergence of own satellite, several TV broadcasting channels will increase and it will be possible to use the satellite for international backbone TV broadcasts, integrated information exchange, including distance education and telemedicine. In addition, use of spacecraft will establish high-quality telephone service with hard-to-reach areas of the country and at same time removing the need to lay expensive cables. The usage of the satellite will help to monitor oil and gas pipelines (SKADA system). Another advantage of the satellite is its cost-effective step. Geographical position of Turkmenistan will allow the satellite to act as a transit country in channels broadcasting in Europe and Asia in the presence of the satellite, covering a large area.National spacecraft of the country after being launched into a circular equatorial orbit at 35,786 kilometers distant from ground surface, will "hang" stable over one point of the ground surface.

Source: http://www.neurope.eu/article/space-satellite-launch-set-2014

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WH, State Dept, renew calls for Iran to help find missing American (Washington Bureau)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/290244317?client_source=feed&format=rss

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With 26.5M Daily Users, Denmark's Kiloo Pioneers New Ways of Producing Mobile Games

subway-surfersOne of the sleeper hits on the charts over the last year has been a tiny game out of Denmark called Subway Surfers. It’s a runner game like Imangi’s Temple Run that has a character named Jake riding train tracks and dodging trains. That single title has helped Kiloo and Sybo, the studio it co-produced the game with, reach 26.5 million daily active users. For comparison, that’s more daily users than Zynga had on mobile platforms last quarter. Subway Surfers was also the sixth most actively used game on U.S. iPhones in December, according to app tracking company Onavo. It has some off-the-charts retention numbers with 91 percent of players returning after day 1 and 60 percent returning after 30 days. How did they do it? Kiloo’s chief creative officer Simon Moller credits a co-production model where they split development of the game with outside studios. Kiloo handles the free-to-play part with the user interface, monetization, marketing, user retention and community. Their developer partners focus on the concept and art. Moller, who co-owns the 50-person company with his brother, says Kiloo’s model isn’t about publishing. He insists it’s different. “This model is good for people who come out of the traditional gaming world. They know how to do gameplay and graphics, but they’re really confused about free-to-play,” he said. “Maybe they know it’s the way the industry is moving, but they don’t realize it requires a whole different skill set and mentality.” What’s happened over the last year on mobile platforms is that early companies like Pocket Gems and then big publicly-traded companies like Zynga have started a publishing arms race. With their reach, they promise indie studios distribution and customers. While indie hits do break out from time to time, the market overall is just getting a lot more expensive and competitive. Last month, Distimo said that only 2 percent of the top 250 publishers in the iPhone App Store were ?newcomers,? versus just 3 percent in the Android store, Google Play. Publishing is also a way for the bigger gaming companies to de-risk their portfolio and counter the hits-driven nature of the business by relying on outside studios for original IP. The publishing model, which was necessary in a world where games were packaged goods sold on store shelves for $60 or more, is controversial on mobile platforms where anyone can just submit an app to the store.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/qTEX2Ww6kkc/

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Lisa Ling Welcomes Daughter Jett

The Our America host and husband Dr. Paul Song welcomed daughter Jett Ling Song on Friday, March 8 in Santa Monica, Calif.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/tSM1k7VnzSo/

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Stringer leaving Sony in June, hands over to Hirai

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2009 file photo, Sony Corp. Chief Executive Howard Stringer speaks during a press conference, in Tokyo, Japan. Stringer, who fought to bring a divided and struggling Sony Corp. together as the Japanese electronics and entertainment company's first foreign president, announced Friday, March 8, 2013, he is retiring as chairman in June. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2009 file photo, Sony Corp. Chief Executive Howard Stringer speaks during a press conference, in Tokyo, Japan. Stringer, who fought to bring a divided and struggling Sony Corp. together as the Japanese electronics and entertainment company's first foreign president, announced Friday, March 8, 2013, he is retiring as chairman in June. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

TOKYO (AP) ? Howard Stringer, who fought to bring a divided and struggling Sony Corp. together as the Japanese electronics and entertainment company's first foreign president, is retiring as chairman in June.

He announced his departure in New York in a speech at the Japan Society on Friday, which was confirmed by Tokyo-based Sony on Sunday. His retirement will come at an annual general shareholders' meeting in June.

Stringer, a Welsh-born American and 15-year employee at Sony, became president in 2005, when the once glorious maker behind the Walkman portable player was first starting to get slammed by the flashier Apple Inc. and the nimbler Samsung Electronics Co.

The company, which makes the PlayStation 3 game console as well as "Spider-Man" movies, is still struggling. It has lost money for the last four years, and racked up its biggest loss in its 67-year history for the fiscal year through March 2012.

Stringer said he was ready to retire after handing over the helm last year to Kazuo Hirai. Stringer groomed Hirai, longtime head of Sony's video-game unit, who led its relative success as a brand in the U.S. market, to be his successor.

"I was pleased to hand the reins to Kazuo Hirai last year because I saw in him the right mix of skills to lead Sony, and I knew it was the right time to bring about generational change," Stringer said in the speech.

"Over the course of the past year, he has come into his own and is leading Sony with vision and authority."

Stringer said he will remain busy with charity work in education and medicine, and will continue as chair of the American Film Institute.

Hirai credited Stringer in the next-generation video-format battle by leading the Blu-ray camp, which included Sony, to victory; for pursuing efficiency and cost reductions, and expanding the film and music businesses to become "key profit drivers."

"Howard's unwavering dedication and leadership throughout his tenure as CEO enabled us to form the foundation to overcome huge challenges and the path to future growth," Hirai said in a statement.

"I was able to learn so much from him as a business leader and person, particularly his incomparable ability to inspire and invigorate all of those around him."

Before joining Sony in 1997, Stringer had a 30-year career as a journalist, producer and executive at CBS Inc. His pivotal role was seen as developing strategic links between the entertainment and electronics business ? a plan Sony has pursued for years but is still not fully realized.

While president, Stringer pinpointed as the major problem the divisions within Sony's sprawling empire he disparagingly named "silos." He reorganized the company, ended unprofitable businesses like the robot project and slashed thousands of jobs. He also encouraged collaborations.

Hirai has followed with the same effort under the slogan "One Sony." Sony has recently come out with smartphones and other products that have gotten good reviews. But it is still losing money in its core TV division.

Some critics say playing catch-up with Apple and Samsung isn't enough, and Sony needs to pioneer an entire consumer electronics sector, as it once did with the Walkman.

But Stringer said he was ready to move on.

"A new world is opening up for me, too," he said.

___

Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at twitter.com/yurikageyama

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-09-Japan-Sony/id-ab721374121a40a78a890f69b5db8082

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