Text content (OCR)
NOV 21, 2014
160
le
Magazine
THRILLING MOMENTS
THE HUNGER GAMES:
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REVOLUTION IS ON THE HORIZON IN
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GIFT GUIDE: DRAGONS, ALIENS, WHY ANiPAD PRO REALLY DOES MAKE SENSE
HEROES FOR THE GAMER WHY BIGGER iPAD SHOULD BE WIDELY WELCOMED
eS Se
SCIENCE FICTION FANS PREPARE FOR THE
DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT
OS.) + -3 EAGERLY AWAITED NEW ADDITION
SCIENCE: HUGE SOLAR-PLANT Wy .) TO DIVERGENT TRILOGY
Wes,
LAGS INEARLY PRODUCTION
REVIEW: HTC RE CAMER
FACEBOOK'S PRIVACY UPDA\
REVIEW: APPLE'S iOS 8 PROVIDES A re TYPE 64
SCIENCE: SCIENTISTS ‘CONFIDENT’ COMET LANDER WILL WAKE UP 102
AT&T STOPS ADDING WEB TRACKING CODES ON CELLPHONES 110
NOKIA BOUNCES BACK WITH LAUNCH OF ANDROID TABLET 126
WHATSAPP ENCRYPTS MESSAGES FROM BEGINNING TO END 128
—_ SCIENCE
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SOLAR
PLANT LAGS
HUG
ON
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PRODUC |
The largest solar power plant of its type in the
world - once promoted as a turning point in
green energy - isn't producing as much energy
as planned.
One of the reasons is as basic as it gets: The sun
isn't shining as much as expected.
Sprawling across roughly 5 square miles of
federal desert near the California-Nevada
border, the lvanpah Solar Electric Generating
System opened in February, with operators
saying it would produce enough electricity to
power a city of 140,000 homes.
So far, however, the plant is producing about
half of its expected annual output for 2014,
according to calculations by the California
Energy Commission.
It had been projected to produce its full capacity
for 8 hours a day, on average.
"Factors such as clouds, jet contrails and
weather have had a greater impact on the plant
than the owners anticipated," the agency said in
a statement.
It could take until 2018 for the plant backed by
$1.6 billion in federal loan guarantees to hit its
annual peak target, said NRG Energy Inc., which
operates the plant and co-owns it with Google
Inc. and BrightSource Energy.
"During startup we have experienced ...
equipment challenges, typical with any new
technology, combined with irregular weather
patterns," NRG spokesman Jeff Holland said in
a statement. "We are confident that lvanpah's
long-term generation projections will meet
expectations."
The technology used at lvanpah is different
than the familiar photovoltaic panels commonly
10 |
used for rooftop solar installations. The plant's
solar-thermal system - sometimes called
concentrated-solar thermal - relies on nearly
350,000 computer-controlled mirrors at the site,
each the size of a garage door.
The mirrors reflect sunlight to boilers atop
459-foot towers - each taller than the Statue of
Liberty. The resulting steam drives turbines to
create electricity.
When the $2.2 billion complex opened,
Energy Department Secretary Ernest Moniz
called it a "symbol of the exciting progress" in
renewable energy.
While the agency still says the project remains
in good standing, Kaitlin Meese, an analyst
at research firm Bentek Energy, said its early
production figures "do not paint a strong picture
for solar-thermal technology development."
The operation of such plants is highly dependent
on weather conditions, and predicting when
and how strongly the sun will shine is not a
perfect science.
A little bit of inefficiency with mirrors can
translate into a loss of power output ranging
from small to significant, said Dr. Neil Fromer,
executive director of the Resnick Sustainability
Institute at the California Institute of Technology.
Problems could include getting the thousands of
mirrors pointed in precisely the right direction,
especially in the cool early morning, or keeping
them clean in the dusty Mojave Desert.
Operators initially expected to need steam from
gas-powered boilers for an hour a day during
startup. After operations began, they found they
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be
needed to keep boilers running more than four
times longer - an average of 4 1/2 hours a day.
State energy regulators in August approved the
plant's request to increase the natural gas it is
allowed to burn by 60 percent.
Additional natural gas could also be needed
to operate boilers when clouds thicken or to
maintain output at the end of the day and
extend the capability for power production, the
company said.
"Because the plant requires sunlight to
heat water and turn it to steam, anything
that reduces the sunlight will affect steam
conditions, which could damage equipment
and potentially cause unsafe conditions," said
the commission, which approved the request
for increased gas use.
Fromer said it was surprising that so much
additional gas is needed, adding that it "signals
to me they have some very large problems that
they are going to need to sort out."
Plants owners said they are learning on the fly to
some extent.
"For some aspects of operation, the only way
to fully understand how the systems work has
been through the experience of operating,”
plant owners wrote in the request to increase
gas use.
Holland said the company always expected a
ramp-up period of four years to reach maximum
output. That extended period was not publicly
disclosed, however. Holland said it is outlined
in confidential agreements with two California
utilities buying the power, Southern California
Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
Brightsource said on its website that the
weather has generally been substantially worse
than historical averages - in other words, cloudy
- resulting in reduced output in certain months.
"We remain confident that over time the sun at
Ivanpah will be more than sufficient for the plant
to meet its expected performance targets," the
statement said.
REVIEW:
HTC RE CAMERA FUN, BUT DOESN'T BEAT PHONES
~~ =>
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Don’t live your life through a screen.
That’s the premise behind HTC’s new Re camera,
which aims to let users document all of life’s little
moments and actually experience them, too,
instead of watching through a viewfinder or a
screen. In fact, the Re doesn’t have either - we'll
get to that.
The camera, launching Saturday in the U.S., is
tiny, waterproof and easy to grip. But, at $199, is
it good enough to replace your smartphone or
digital camera?
HOW IT WORKS
Some people asked if it was an asthma inhaler,
but the Re is better described as a miniature
submarine periscope, about the size of a small
candy bar. There’s no need to turn it on. You
grab it, and it’s ready to shoot. To take stills of
up to 16 megapixels, click one button quickly.
Or hold that button and record video at 1080p
high definition. A second button triggers a slow-
motion video mode.
Like | said, there’s no viewfinder or display of any
kind. You can view what you’re shooting through
an app on your phone, but if I’m going to do that,
| might as well just take the shot with my phone.
The lens is wide-angled, so ostensibly you'll
shoot whatever you point at, but in practice
it wasn’t that simple. | had to guess where
subjects would end up relative to the
background. Many times, they were too far
off to the side. | also didn’t notice my glove
obstructing many of the shots taken during a
half-marathon in a Hudson Valley state park last
weekend. And while phones and digital cameras
show you the image as soon as you snap it, |
didn’t find out my pictures were poor until | got
home and looked at them on my phone.
You don’t have to have an HTC phone to
control settings and transfer images to your
smartphone. You can use free apps for Apple and
Android devices. You can also set up backups to
Dropbox or Google Drive, though that feature
wasn’t working reliably with the pre-production
software | was testing. It’s supposed to be fixed
with the version that ships.
| 21
IN ACTION
There’s no zoom. This is a flaw with camera
phones as well, which fake zoom using a software
technique that degrades image quality. But when
that’s all you have, that so-called digital zoom
eliminates the need to crop photos later. The Re
doesn’t offer that option, so other half-marathon
runners appear far ahead in the distance. With
zoom, | wouldn’t seem as much of a slowpoke.
The Re comes with a fixed-focus lens that’s ideal
for subjects 40 feet to 130 feet from you. Closer
up, you'll notice some blur, even if the subject is
still. | got some OK shots of my cousin’s 2-year-old
in a New York City playground, but images lacked
the sharpness | usually strive for. Also because
of how you hold the device, it’s biased toward
horizontal shots.
After the playground visit, we went to a well-lit
indoor exhibit of “Sesame Street.” Shots of Big
Bird and other Muppets came out fine, though
feathers looked duller than shots | took with the
better cameras in Apple and Samsung phones.
Shots were disappointing in low-light settings,
whether outdoors at night or inside a dark bar.
Part of that comes from the lack of a flash. But
many camera phones do better with flashless
images - in some cases because their lenses are
able to open wider for more light and less blur.
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SO WHO SHOULD USE THE RE?
The Re does allow you to watch your kid’s recital
or a parade or to talk to your friend eye to eye,
without a screen in the way as you try to record
the moment.
Because it’s always “on,” it’s quicker than
whipping out your phone or camera to snap
impromptu fun. | found it was better for video
than snapshots as minor blur doesn’t matter
when everything’s moving anyway. And HTC has
included technology to minimize camera shake
for video, but not yet for stills. Kids seem to
gravitate toward the device, not knowing what
it does. My cousin’s kid ran around with the Re.
It was neat seeing the world through her eyes.
It’s also good to have in a pool, as it’s waterproof,
unlike most phones.
But the Re is no replacement for a camera phone.
It’s more of a supplement for the times you don’t
want to hold your phone. You'll have to decide if
that’s worth the price tag.
SCIENCE FICTION FANS PREPARE FOR
Tpbees DIVERGE Nees ERE
Eagerly awaited new addition
to Divergent trilogy
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ORIGINAL CAST RETURNS WITH
NEW ADDITIONS
Calling all aficionados of science fiction action
films! Are you still catching your breath after
the blockbuster success of the Divergent
movie earlier this year? The woman behind
the original Divergent trilogy of adventure
novels, Veronica Roth, certainly has reason to
be pleased with the $288.75 million pulled
worldwide by the last flick, and there's
already a sequel on the way.
Roth only wrote her debut novel, Divergent,
in 2011, but earlier this year came the release
of its film adaptation, with Lucy Fisher, Pouya
Shabazian and Douglas Wick on production
duties, while Evan Daugherty and Vanessa
Taylor handled the screenplay. As you might
expect, the cast was also pretty formidable,
with Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley
Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoé Kravitz,
Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Maggie Q and
Kate Winslet all starring.
Now, we're all set for the release of a sequel
on March 20, 2015, based on Roth's 2012
addition to the trilogy, Insurgent.
AN INTRIGUING BACK STORY
For those unaware, the original movie
centered on the story of Beatrice "Tris" Prior,
played by Woodley, who receives a warning
that she is Divergent and will therefore never
fit into one of the distinct factions - based on
human virtues - that prevail in a dystopian
post-apocalyptic Chicago.
Image: Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Lionsgate/AP Images
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The Divergent Series: Insurgent Official Teaser Trailer
oe |. RTT
That story is continued in the The Divergent
Series: Insurgent, with Tris trying to make
sense of the intention behind the insurrection
of Erudite, as well as information subject to
attempted protection by the Abnegation.
The existing cast returns, alongside such
supporting talents as Octavia Spencer, Naomi
Watts, Suki Waterhouse and Rosa Salazar.
While there has been a change of director
between the two movies - from Neil Burger
to Robert Schwentke - Burger remains on
board as executive producer. Brian Duffield
and Akiva Goldsman, meanwhile, have
taken on screenplay responsibilities. With
filming having officially wrapped up in
September and the conversion of the film
to 3-D having subsequently taken place in
post-production, all that remains is for us to
see the movie itself.
A TRULY TEASING TEASER TRAILER
The minute-long trailer that has been released
for The Divergent Series: Insurgent is a little
short on plot details, but nonetheless very
much does its job of teasing you ahead of
the complete flick. It's suitably dramatic, only
featuring two characters, Tris and her mother
Natalie Prior (played by Judd), as the latter
becomes trapped in a burning house.
We're presuming that this is some sort of
dream sequence rather than a depiction
of actual events in the film, given Natalie's
death in the original Divergent. Maybe
it's - as speculated by the Los Angeles
Times' Hero Complex site - "a drug-induced
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hallucination that plays on a character's
fears", "an imaginary test that that Tris
must pass" (the suggestion of Time) or
something completely different.
What the trailer is basically about - other
than leaving us guessing about the finer
details - is showing off the movie's admittedly
impressive CGI. In the wake of the previous
film's success, we don't doubt that the trailer
will be more than enough to get fans heading
to the cinema in their droves. Even the movie
poster doesn't offer many more clues, given
its depiction of that same burning house.
FAN AND CRITICAL REACTION TO
THAT TRAILER
If you needed any evidence of just how much
meaningful insight could be gleaned from a
mere 60-plus second trailer, you would only
need to read about the endless fan and
critical reaction to it. In all fairness, the trailer
was released after months of the movie's
stars suggesting that the latest addition to the ;
Divergent movie trilogy would feature more
action, and it definitely didn't disappoint on
that front.
One fan on Twitter declared the teaser to
be "just breathtaking, | love the effects so
much, congrats to all the Divergent team!",
while another commented: "I have no
words to express myself right now. The
#InsurgentTeaser was much more than | was
expecting. I'm shocked."
As for the critical reaction, Zach Dennis,
writing for EnStars, cited four things that
34 |
viewers could learn from the trailer. They
included that Tris is still burdened with regret
about how the original Divergent ended,
Dennis commenting that her mother's death
had "left a giant hole inside her heart".
Dennis added that the trailer was also enough
to confirm that "a lot more action is on the
way for this movie", backing up Woodley and
costar Theo James’ recent claims. The two
actors said that a train sequence later in the
movie would particularly impress.
Among Dennis' other conclusions were that
"Tris will be split between people she cares
about", pointing to "rumors that a love
triangle between Four (James) and another
character could be created", as well as "the
underlying threat that her brother Caleb
(Ansel Elgort) could be betraying her."
Also tipped by Dennis was that "The movie
will pull a Hunger Games and up the ante in
the sequel", adding that "While big events
happened in the first movie, even more will
happen in this one."
Finally, Dennis described the trailer as "only
the start of what will happen", commenting
that "We have yet to see Four, Caleb, Peter
and the rest of the gang yet so there is still a
lot to learn as we approach the movie."
WOODLEY SOUNDS FULL OF
ENTHUSIASM
Looking back to October, Woodley certainly
primed us all for this trailer when he told the
New York Daily News that the new movie "has
36 |
so much more action than Divergent did and
the action scenes are, like, seven-minute long
sequences." The 23-year old was obviously
anxious to avoid spoilers, but did reveal that
one scene sees her dangling in a high harness
while surrounded by green screens.
She continued: "Then they compiled the
shots and showed me on the screen what
it would look like and | remember being
like, 'A, technology is f**** crazy and B, it's
so much fun’. | felt like Spider-Man." With
Woodley having also suggested that there
will be a richer story, with more focus on
the characters' relationships, it sounds
like Insurgent will be a step forward from
Divergent in more ways than one.
While Woodley described the movie as
"pretty emotional” in an interview with Hero
Complex, James qualified that it wasn't "in a
cheesy way". He added: "There’s real stakes
behind it, and sometimes that's hard to find
in spectacular situations. If you're watching
these movies that are spectacles, which are
fun and it's about this thing and escapism,
sometimes the crux of the emotionality gets
lost. That doesn't necessarily sometimes
matter, but we are trying to retain that with
this film."
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sail
a
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Image: Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Lionsgate/AP Images
ALL OF THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS
ARE PRESENT AND CORRECT
The original Divergent was certainly not short
of accolades, Beatrice "Tris" Prior winning the
Favorite Character award at the MTV Movie
Awards, while at the Teen Choice Awards, the
film carried away the gongs for Choice Movie:
Action, Choice Movie Actor: Action (James),
Choice Movie Actress: Action (Woodley) and
Choice Breakout Star (Ansel Elgort). There was
also a host of nominations for the movie at
the Young Hollywood Awards.
Insurgent certainly seems to have all of the
qualities to match the original Divergent's
box office success, but that does beg the
question... will there be a movie for the
third novel in the trilogy, Allegiant? The
short answer is yes, of course. In fact, it was
announced in April that there would be two.
Lionsgate confirmed that the first part of
Allegiant would hit theaters on March 18
next year, with the second part following on
March 24, 2017.
For now, though, let's revel in the upcoming
second installment. If you're a fan of young
adult science fiction and have grown even
the tiniest bit tired of The Hunger Games,
or even if you haven't, this film simply has
to take pride of place in your cinema-going
itinerary. =
by Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan
| 39
—
(=)
+
FACEBOOK’S PRIVACY UPDATE:
5 THINGS TO KNOW
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Facebook is once again trying to simplify its
privacy policy, largely to address criticisms that it’s
too complex and lengthy for the average user.
Laid out with illustrations into short subsections,
the new policy explains what types of information
Facebook collects and how it uses the data. The
new policy is 70 percent shorter than the old one.
Many of the changes are cosmetic, designed
to make the policy easier to digest. Still, it helps
to go through it to get an idea of all the things
Facebook knows about you.
Users have until Nov. 20 to comment on the
proposed changes or ask questions. A finalized
version will take effect soon after that.
Here are five things to remember about
Facebook’s data policies.
LOCATION, LOCATION
Facebook only recently began allowing
businesses to advertise to users based on their
specific location. Previously, ads were targeted
based on the “current city” listed on the profile.
Both the old policy and the new one note that the
company can access your location information
based on your smartphone’s GPS information.
The new policy points out that Bluetooth and Wi-
Fi signals can also reveal device locations.
Besides that, Facebook can also collect
information from the photos you share on the
site, including where they were taken.
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4A |
BEYOND FACEBOOK
Facebook doesn’t just track what you do on
its site. It also collects information about your
activities when you’re off Facebook. For example,
if you use Facebook to log in to outside websites
and mobile apps, the company will receive data
about those. It also gets information about your
activity on other businesses it owns, such as
WhatsApp and Instagram, in accordance with
those services’ privacy policies.
AD TARGETING
Unless you decline targeting, or opt out,
companies whose websites you visit off Facebook
can also show you ads on Facebook. For example,
a website can use browser cookies to record who
visited it. It can then ask Facebook to show ads
to these visitors - both on and off Facebook. If
you want to opt out in the U.S., you can visit this
website: http://aboutads.info/choices
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ALL EYES ON YOU
Everything is fair game. Facebook explains it best:
“NNe collect the content and other information
you provide when you use our Services, including
when you sign up for an account, create or share,
and message or communicate with others.” Plus,
Facebook says it also collects information about
how you use Facebook, “such as the types of
content you view or engage with or the frequency
and duration of your activities.”
SHOPPING SPREE?
Facebook is testing a tool to let people buy things
directly through its site. If you decide to do this,
Facebook will collect information about your
transaction, including your credit card number
and billing and shipping address.
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Why an
really does make sense
RUMORED LARGER DEVICE COULD BE
VERY GOOD NEWS
Looking at the Apple product range right now,
including both the devices presently available
and those in the pipeline for the coming
months, you'd be forgiven for thinking that
there's not much more the Cupertino firm
could do. However, there must certainly is
one more product in the offing for early next
year, at least if widespread reports are to be
believed: an iPad Pro.
The most recent October keynote was a
big one for all admirers of Apple's well-
established tablet, with a lithe iPad Air 2
breaking cover alongside the iPad mini 3.
Indeed, the use of the term 'Air' mimics
the naming conventions applied to the
MacBook Air and Pro laptops, which begs the
question... will we get a more professional or
educationally-oriented larger version of the
tablet, bearing the name ‘iPad Pro'?
The 'professionals' tablet’ is certainly one
category with growth potential, with
Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 being an obvious
rival for any offering from the Cupertino
stable.
AN ATTRACTIVE PROPOSITION FOR
PROFESSIONALS
An iPad Pro would seem to make sense in a
number of respects, given the opportunity
that such a device would present for a beefy
new processor for running heavy desktop-
class applications, encompassing professional
photo and video editing, 3D rendering/
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modeling and real multitasking. Such a
combination of functionalities would surely
represent the next big step for tablets.
In recent years, it's appeared that we are
heading swiftly in the direction of ever-smaller
mobile devices, so the reversal of that trend
that the larger 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch
iPhone 6 Plus apparently represented came as
a surprise to some observers.
However, with those new devices being so
well-received critically and commercially,
there's reason to wonder whether the
experience with the larger screens could be
repeated with the same success with the iPad.
SIZE MATTERS, AT LEAST FOR
THE iPAD PRO
Back in late August when Bloomberg
reported on the possibility of such a device,
suggesting that production was "scheduled
to commence by the first quarter of next
year", the talk - "according to people with
knowledge of the matter" - was of a screen
measuring 12.9 inches diagonally.
That, of course, would be a significant jump
on the 7.9 inches and 9.7 inches of the
currently available iPads, and would also
match the Surface Pro 3's display real estate.
At the beginning of this month, however,
it was reported by the Japanese-language
macotakara website - which has a good
record of accuracy as far as the details of
future Apple products are concerned - that
a slightly smaller 12.2-inch screen was also
a possibility.
Image: Ramotion
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Image: Ramotion
That report gave us some further intriguing
information about the form that an iPad
Pro could take. The site's source apparently
predicted a front-projection form factor
similar to that of the Surface Pro 3, and
that while the device would be thicker
than the 6.1mm iPad Air 2, the exact
measurement would be somewhere
between the 6.9mm iPhone 6 and the
7.1mm iPhone 6 Plus.
WE COULD BE IN FOR IMPRESSIVE
POWER, TOO
Various other design features were referenced
in the macotakara report, including two
additional speakers and an extra microphone
apparently to be found on the top of the
device, possibly making the device "capable of
supporting stereo audio".
There have also been rumors that the iPad
Pro will make use of the iPad Air 2's A8X
processor. However, other speculation points
to an enhanced version of the company's 64-
bit A7 chip possibly being favored.
One other normally very reliable source of
information on upcoming Apple products is
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said
earlier this month that the larger tablet would
not now enter mass production until the
second quarter of 2015 at least, given ongoing
manufacturing issues. Kuo blamed the delay
on the extra time needed by Apple to improve
component yield and assembly.
This, in turn, is apparently needed due to
Apple's plans for an oxide panel in the device
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Image: Ramotion
to make possible a "high resolution, quick
response and high color saturation."
THERE CERTAINLY SEEMS TO BEA
MARKET FOR SUCH A DEVICE
Another of Kuo's predictions is a 54.4 percent
quarter-over-quarter slide in iPad shipments
to just 9.8 million units in 2015's first calendar
quarter. Sure enough, the last three quarters
have seen decreased sales of the venerable
tablet, despite a still healthy-sounding 12.3
million iPads having been sold during the
fourth fiscal quarter of this year.
Kuo blamed the wider tablet market's
"structural challenges characterized by a lack
of new applications and market saturation"
for the decline, but Apple CEO Tim Cook
has said that such figures represent a
mere "speed bump" that the company can
overcome. Earlier this year, he told investors
that the iPad still presented scope for
"significant innovation", and there's plenty of
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reason to suggest that an iPad Pro would be a
major boost to the range.
With smartphones recently taking on ever-
bigger screens, it's fair to say that they've
been eating into the territory of their tablet
bigger brothers. It seems that many of those
who may have previously purchased an iPad
mini or even the standard tablet may decide
that an iPhone 6 Plus or other 'phablet' serves
their needs perfectly well, creating the need
for a tablet that makes its product category
stand out once more.
HOW THE iPAD PRO COULD REPLACE
THE TRADITIONAL LAPTOP
The iPad's pretentions of replacing the time-
honored laptop computer have long been
mocked by many, but that could come closer
to reality with the release of the iPad Pro.
IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani has predicted that
businesses, schools and governments will
account for an ever-greater proportion of
tablet purchasers. He said that in the second
quarter of this year, those groups already
represented 16 percent of tablet sales, a 13
percent rise on a year earlier.
Ubrani commented in an interview that
he expected the enterprise market to be
particularly attracted to larger tablets, and
Apple appears to think likewise, given its
announcement in January of a partnership
with International Business Machines
Corp. (IBM). Part of the idea behind the
pact, according to Cook, was to sell to
corporations to make them "a catalyst for
future iPad growth."
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EXTRA FEATURES THAT HAVE
BEEN MOOTED
As mentioned, there's been a lot of
speculation about the many features that
an iPad Pro could sport to make it attractive
to these enterprise customers, and as
invariably turns out to be the case ahead of
iDevice launches, some of those rumors will
be further off the mark than others.
Could we, for example, see a proprietary
Apple iPad keyboard case break cover? Prior
to the unveiling of the iPad Air, erstwhile
Apple fellow Jamie Ryan said that then-
current employees of the Cupertino firm
had told him of such a case being in the
prototyping stage, apparently modeled on
the Microsoft Surface Touch Cover.
There's also been talk, for all of the late
Steve Jobs' derogatory comments about
styluses, of the iPad Pro being packaged
with an iPen to make it a more feasible
rival to Samsung's business-oriented Galaxy
Note Pro, with its S Pen. Apple patents
have been released in the online media for
both a keyboard cover and a stylus in the
past, so neither of the aforementioned are
necessarily outlandish ideas.
The iPad Pro could also be made a greater
productivity tool by the incorporation of
split-screen multi-tasking, as seen on such
devices as Microsoft's Surface. This was
previously - in May - reported by 9to5Mac
as a likely feature of iOS 8.
FaceTime
Contacts
10:31 AM
Calendar
Clock Maps
Remindérs ‘ . Photo Booth
iTunes Store
a
Mail Safari
62 |
LOADS OF REASON FOR EXCITEMENT
3D engineering, heavy desktop-class
applications, a powerful processor, healthy
battery life... they've all been talked about as
possible selling points of the eventual iPad
Pro, but right now, it's difficult to judge how
likely they all are to come to pass.
All that we can really do is wait - but with the
rumors gathering pace that there definitely
will be such an iPad in the open by early next
year, we'd be saving your money right now if
we were you.
by Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan
"
FaceTime Full HD Camera
FaceTime Ful HO Camera
Volumetric (8D) video calls
lrmagine that thousands of miles from home,
using the same principles used in Seene.
‘The presence of 3 active cameras makes eye wracking
‘contro!
‘eeese Verizon LTE 3:46 PM
New Message
Send
Hey guys. Want to get
| never would have considered writing this review
on my iPhone if | hadn’t upgraded to Apple’s new
operating system, iOS 8.
With the free upgrade, typing on the iPhone’s
touch keyboard doesn’t seems as tedious,
cumbersome or infuriating as it did before, when
a rather dim-witted “auto-correct” system would
slip in words that made people look illiterate or,
even worse, inappropriate.
The new “QuickType” keyboard is smart enough
to anticipate what you’re typing, such as the
next logical word in a phrase. You’re constantly
shown three word choices in a gray ribbon above
the keyboard. When the right word appears,
tapping on it automatically inserts it into the text
to save keystrokes. | just avoided 15 by tapping
on “automatically” and “keystrokes” when they
popped up.
If that’s not slick enough, iPhone and iPad users
can choose one from an outside party, similar
to what Google’s Android operating system has
Image: Vjeran Pavic
allowed for years. A few are free, while others
cost 99 cents to $4.99.
Switching to a different keyboard just requires
pressing on a small globe near the space bar, a
tool that allowed me to use each one as | wrote
about them for this review. | am focusing on
the keyboards that | liked best, though | also
experimented with several others, including
Flesky (99 cents) and Textexpander ($4.99).
APPLE’S QUICKTYPE (FREE)
This keyboard strives to predict what words
are being typed so you don’t have to spend as
much time pecking on your device. For the most
part, QuickType fulfills that mission. It does a
good job anticipating common words like “the”
and “you,” but also understands when to list
words like “immolation.” It also had no problem
automatically filling in email addresses when |
was in my Gmail app or tagging people when
| was on Facebook. These are common tasks,
but th /boards from outside parties couldn’t
consistently do them in my tests.
The most annoying aspect about QuickType
and all the other keyboards is their inability to
anticipate punctuation marks. When | type, “As
Mark Twain once said,” | have to go back to add a
comma after tapping on “said.” If these keyboards
were really smart, they would start to include
words with punctuation among the choices.
SWIFTKEY (FREE)
This seemed to be the most intelligent of the
keyboards that | tried. As promised, Swiftkey
quickly picked up on my writing style and
frequently used words.
When | was writing an email about New Orleans,
SwiftKey smartly included “Quarter” among
the choices after I typed “French.” With your
permission, SwiftKey also scans posts on your
Facebook page. It seemed to know my favorite
sports teams right away. For instance, when |
typed “Pittsburgh,” it included “Steelers” among
the choices for the next word.
SwiftKey is supposed to pay attention to each
user’s writing style to become ever-more
clairvoyant as time goes on.
70 |
SWYPE (99 CENTS)
The main appeal of this keyboard is a feature
that inspired its name: the ability to enter text
by swiping across the keyboard instead of
tapping on keys.
This is especially useful for common punctuation.
For instance, that comma and space were created
with a swipe from the comma to the space bar.
And how about this? That question mark was
entered with a quick swipe down from the “m”
key to the space bar.
You’re also supposed to be able to enter entire
words by swiping around the keyboard, but |
wasn’t adroit enough to perfect the technique.
MINUUM ($1.99)
At first, what you’re typing looks like gibberish
if you just look at the body of the text. But the
keyboard grew on me once | realized | was
supposed to focus on the ribbon above the
keyboard, where six different word choices are
constantly displayed. If you learn to focus on that
ribbon, the word you want usually appears and
can be inserted into the text with a quick tap.
Minuum’s name refers to its ability to be shrunk
down to an ultra-small mode with a downward
swipe. | had no use for this option on an iPhone,
but it might be handy at times on the iPad’s
larger screen.
Apple’s new keyboard is so much smarter than its
predecessor that most longtime iPhone and iPad
users probably will be quite happy just to use it.
| recommend checking out SwiftKey or Swype if
you are looking for an even more intelligent type.
4 3 5%na>
72"
Sony’s PlayStation 4 video-game console has built
an impressive lead over its competitors. That’s
good news for holiday shoppers because it has
driven Microsoft and Nintendo to offer more
budget-friendly holiday deals on their consoles.
Microsoft Corp.'s $350 Xbox One packages have
jettisoned the Kinect motion-sensing device,
which some gamers didn’t find appealing
because it gave them more exercise than they
would have liked. Instead, you get a copy of either
“Assassin’s Creed Unity” or “Sunset Overdrive.”
Meanwhile, Nintendo has a $300 Wii U package
with “Super Mario 3D World.”
Sony Corp’s console still costs $400, but you can
get “Grand Theft Auto V,’ updated with better
graphics, free with one PS4 Black Friday bundle.
Of course, your gaming loved one probably
already has the latest console. In that case, here
are some new games to feed the machine. Be
sure to find out which console your loved one
owns, or there’s bound to be disappointment.
—
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Po
Cis,
Image: iMore
FOR ADULTS
- “Dragon Age: Inquisition” (Electronic Arts
Inc., for the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC,
$59.99): Anyone who's into “Game of Thrones”
or “The Lord of the Rings” will adore this sword-
and-sorcery epic from the role-playing masters
at BioWare. It offers more than 100 hours of
adventure as you build an army of humans, elves,
dwarves and more to prevent demons from
destroying a sprawling, gorgeous fantasy world.
- “Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor” (Warner
Bros., for the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC,
$59.99): In this action-focused take on J.R.R.
Tolkien’s world, a sword-wielding ranger takes on
a series of orc warlords, one by one. No two duels
are the same, and victory requires a satisfying
blend of strategy and reflexes.
- “Titanfall” (Electronic Arts, for the Xbox One,
Xbox 360, PC, $59.99) or “Destiny” (Activision,
for the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, $59.99):
Gamers who love to go online and shoot other
gamers got two fresh arenas this year. “Titanfall”
adds giant robots to the mayhem, while
“Destiny” delivers a wider variety of intense
cooperative battles.
- “Wolfenstein: The New Order” (Bethesda
Softworks, for the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360,
PC, $59.99): Some trigger-happy gamers prefer a
good story to the chaos of online play. For them,
| recommend this chilling alternate history, in
which a plucky resistance fighter tries to take
down the Nazi regime that has overrun all of
Europe.
- ‘Alien: Isolation” (Sega, for the PS4, PS3, Xbox
One, Xbox 360, PC, $59.95): The toothsome
alien stalking this space station can’t be killed,
so anyone who goes in with guns blazing is likely
to get eaten. It’s almost as nerve-racking as the
original “Alien” movie from 1979.
| 77
FOR EVERYONE
- amiibo (Nintendo, Wii U, $12.99): The “toys-to-
life” category - figurines that interact with video
games - has been the hottest thing in toy stores
for the past few years. Nintendo Co. is finally
joining the fray. Want to team up with Mario in
“Super Smash Bros. for Wii U” ($59.99)? Place
his character on the Wii U’s GamePad, and you
can teach him new fighting styles. The amiibo
models include favorites such as Donkey Kong,
Pikachu and Kirby. They are also compatible
with “Mario Kart 8,” “Hyrule Warriors” and more
games to come.
- “Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes”
(Disney, for the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360,
Wii U, $74.99): The Walt Disney Co., meanwhile,
has expanded its line of playable figurines by
calling on the Avengers to assemble. The starter
kit includes Iron Man, Thor and Black Widow,
all starring in a goofy, kid-friendly adventure
in Marvel's Manhattan. Additional heroes like
Spider-Man and Groot cost $15 apiece.
- “Skylanders Trap Team” (Activision, for the
PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, $74.99):
Activision started the whole toys-to-life trend
with this blockbuster franchise, and this year’s
model is as clever as ever. The new Trap Team
Skylanders can capture villains in shells made of
“traptanium” (known to the rest of us as plastic).
Switching traps allows you to play as different
bad guys. There are now hundreds of Skylander
characters available, costing $5 to $16 apiece.
Surely the collector in your family is missing a few.
- “Fantasia: Music Evolved” (Disney, for the
Xbox One, Xbox 360, $59.99): Players become
conductors in Disney’s reimagining of the classic
film, rearranging tunes from a playlist that goes
from Mozart to Elton John to Nicki Minaj. Like
most rhythm games, it’s good fun for family
gatherings. (Be advised: It does require Kinect.)
| 79
80
- “Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth” (2K
Games, for the PC, $49.99): The stargazer on your
list will dig the latest “Civ” simulator, which adds
all kinds of crazy technology, from nanorobotics
to neural uploading, to the classic formula. Why
settle for conquering Earth when there are whole
new planets out there?
| 81
82 |
#01 - Candy Crush Soda Saga
By King.com Limited
Category: Games
Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#02 - Facebook Messenger
By Facebook, Inc.
Category: Social Networking
Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus.
#03 - Instagram
By Instagram, Inc.
Category: Photo & Video
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus.
#04 - YouTube
By Google, Inc.
Category: Photo & Video
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#05 — iTunes U
By Apple
Category: Education i
Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible wit
This app is optimized for iPhone 5, iPhor
#06 - New Words With Frie
By Zynga Inc.
Category: Games
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5¢ 1
5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#08 - Stick Hero
By Ketchapp
Category: Games
Requires iOS 4.3 or later. Compatible
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#09 — Pandora Radio
By Pandora Media, Inc.
Category: Music
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
d, and iPod touch.
#10 - Game of War - Fire Age
By Machine Zone, Inc
Category: Games -
Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#01 — OS X Yosemite
By Apple
Category: Utilities
Compatibility: OS X 10.6.8 or later
#02 - Getty Images Stream
By Getty Images Inc.
Category: Photography
Compatibility: OS X 10.10 or later, 64-bit processor
#03 - Kindle
By AMZN Mobile LLC
Category: Reference
Compatibility: OS X 10.6 or later
#04 - Memory Clean
By FIPLAB Ltd
Category: Utilities
Compatibility: OS X 10.7.4 or later, 64-bit processor
#05 - Microsoft Remote Desktop
By Microsoft Corporation
Category: Business
Compatibility: OS X 10.7 or later, 64-bit processor
#06 - Xcode
By Apple
Category: Developer Tools
Compatibility: OS X 10.84 or later
#07 — Evernote
By Evernote
Category: Productivity
Compatibility: OS X 10.6.6 or later
#08 - Extreme Landings
By RORTOS SRL
Category: Games
Compatibility: OS X 10.6.6 or later
#09 - The Unarchiver
By Dag Agren
Category: Utilities
Compatibility: OS X 10.6.0 or later
#10 - Microsoft OneNote
By Microsoft Corporation
Category: Productivity
Compatibility: OS X 10.9 or later
84 |
#01 - Five Nights at Freddy's
By Scott Cawthon
Category: Games / Price: $2.99
Requires iOS 5.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#02 - Minecraft - Pocket Edition
By Mojang
Category: Games / Price: $6.99
Requires iOS 5.1.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#03 — Dirt Trackin’
By Tim Bennett
Category: Games / Price: $2.99
Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#04 - Heads Up!
By Warner Bros.
Category: Games / Price: $0.99
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#05 - Swype
By Nuance Communications
Category: Utilities / Price: $0.99
Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad) and iPod touch
This app is optimized for iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus.
#06 - Monument Valley
By ustwo™
Category: Games / Price: $3.99
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone 4, iPhone 45, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c,
iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#07 - Afterlight
By Afterlight Collective, Inc
Category: Photo & Video / Price: $0.99
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
— Facetune
ticks Ltd.
ry: Photo & Video / Price: $3.99
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone 4, iPhone 4S,
iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus
#09 - Buddyman: Kick 2 (by Kick the Bud
By Crazylion Studios Limited
Category: Games / Price: $0.99
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#10 - Geometry Dash
By RobTop Games AB *
Category: Games / Price: $1.99
Requires iOS 5.2 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
#01 — Disk Doctor
By FIPLAB Ltd
Category: Utilities / Price: $2.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.7.3 or later, 64-bit processor
#02 - GarageBand
By Apple
Category: Music / Price: $4.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.9 or later
#03 — OS X Server
By Apple
Category: Utilities / Price: $19.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.9.5 or later
#04 - 1Password
By AgileBits Inc.
Category: Productivity / Price: $34.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.8.4 or later, G4sbit processor
#05 - FaceTime +=
By Apple
Category: Social Networking /
Compatibility: OS X 10.6.6 or la
#06 — BetterSnapToo
By Andreas Hegenberg
Category: Productivity / Price: $1.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.6 or later, 64-bit processor
#07 — Final Cut Pro
By Apple
Category: Video / Price: $299.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.9.2 or later, 64-bit processor
#08 — Current for Facebook
By AppDen LLC
Category: Social Networking / Price: $1.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.8 or later, 64-bit processor
#09 - Logic Pro X
By Apple
Category: Music / Price: $199.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.84 or later, 64-bit processor
#10 - Duplicate Detective
By FIPLAB Ltd
Category: Utilities / Price: $1.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.7 or later, 64-bit processor
i.
Mac OS X
by R.J. Cutler
Genre: Drama
Released: 2014
Price: $14.99
If | Stay
Mia Hall expected her hardest ever decision
to be whether to head to Juilliard to chase
her musical dreams, or instead be with Adam,
her beloved. That changes drastically after
what should have been a carefree family drive
leaves her fighting for her life. One decision
remains for her - one that will decide not just
her future, but her ultimate fate.
FIVE FACTS:
1. The film is based on the novel of the same
name by Gayle Forman.
2. It stars Chloé Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos,
Jamie Blackley, Joshua Leonard, Stacy Keach
and Aisha Hinds.
3. The movie grossed $78,274,843 worldwide.
4. Music was composed for the film by Heitor
Pereira.
5. Previous contenders to play Mia included
Dakota Fanning and Emily Browning.
See more in
iTunes
| 87
88 |
Te
Interview with Chloé Grace Moretz
and Jamie Blackley
a
MIE
i
‘
| 89
22 Jump Street
Overgrown adolescents everywhere will
certainly identify with the two protagonists
of this action comedy, Schmidt Jonah Hill)
and Jenko (Channing Tatum). They've twice
made their way through high school, but
big changes are now afoot for the pair when
they go deep undercover at a local college.
Subsequent events leave them questioning
whether they can have a mature relationship.
FIVE FACTS:
1. The film was directed by Phil Lord and
Christopher Miller.
2. It is the sequel to 21 Jump Street, the 2012
film based on the television series of the same
name.
3. Principal photography and production
took place in New Orleans, Louisiana and
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
4. The film grossed $330,737,774
worldwide.
5.A third film is already being developed,
with Lord and Miller as producers.
90 |
THEY'RE NOT 21 ANYMORE
‘Tunes Preview |
by Phil Lord &
Christopher Miller
Genre: Action & Adventure
Released: 2014
Price: $17.99
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576 Ratings
Interview with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum
Steal My Girl
94 |
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THE ULTIMATE EDITION
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Ka
Genre: Pop
Released: Nov. 17, 2014
FOUR
(Deluxe Edition)
One Direction
There have been few more exciting pop
acts since the turn of the Millennium than
One Direction, and on the evidence of this,
their fourth studio album, they aren't going
anywhere anytime soon. FOUR is undeniably
personal fare from the English-lrish boy band,
showing off singer-songwriter, R&B and
piano-driven rock styles.
FIVE FACTS:
1. One Direction first came to prominence
on the British televised singing competition
The X-Factor in 2010.
2. They subsequently scored hit singles
including “What Makes You Beautiful’, “Live
While We're Young” and “Story Of My Life”.
3. The band was proclaimed as Billboard’s
Top New Artist of 2012.
4. 2013's Midnight Memories aloum made
One Direction the first group in the
history of the US Billboard 200 to have
their first three albums debut at number one.
5. FOUR's lead single, “Steal My Girl’,
reached number 13 on the US Billboard
Hot 100.
See more in
iTunes
| 95
| - 4 | 97
No Fixed Address
Nickelback
Canadian rockers Nickelback mark the sixth
anniversary of their sixth studio album, Dark
Horse, with the release of No Fixed Address.
It is also the band’s first release on Republic
Records, after its exit last year from long-time
record label, Roadrunner Records. The album
was preceded by the lead single “Edge Of A
Revolution’, which topped the US Billboard
Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
FIVE FACTS:
1. The album title, No Fixed Address, is
inspired by the fact that the album was
recorded in many different places, rather
than one single spot.
2. The band was formed in 1995 in Hanna,
Alberta.
3. It was initially a cover band called the
Village Idiots.
4. Lead singer Chad Kroeger has said that
some of the new album's tracks mark a
significant departure from the band’s
typical musical style.
5. “What Are You Waiting For?” was
released as the second single, reaching
number 11 on the US Billboard Hot Rock
Songs chart.
Genre: Rock
Released: Nov 17, 2014
11 Songs
Price: $11.99
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104|
A burst of sunshine in the spring could be just
the wakeup call for Europe's comet lander.
Scientists raised hopes Monday that as the
Philae lander nears the sun its solar panel-
powered battery will recharge, and the first
spacecraft to touch down on a comet will send a
second round of scientific data back to Earth.
Since landing with a bounce on the comet
Wednesday, Philae has already sent back reams
of data that scientists are eagerly examining. But
there were fears its mission would be cut short
because it came to rest in the shadow of a cliff.
Its signal went silent Saturday after its primary
battery ran out.
Shortly before that happened, the European
Space Agency decided to attempt to tilt the
lander's biggest solar panel toward the sun - a
last-ditch maneuver that scientists believe may
have paid off.
"We are very confident at some stage it will
wake up again and we can achieve contact,"
Stephan Ulamec, the lander manager, told The
Associated Press.
That should happen next spring, when Philae
and the comet it's riding on - called 67P/
Churyumov-Gerasimenko - get closer to the sun,
warming up a secondary battery on board and
bringing it out of its unplanned hibernation. A
few days of sunshine on the solar panels should
be enough to charge the battery sufficiently to
resume collecting scientific data, Ulamec said.
Philae's position in the shadows may even prove
to be a blessing in disguise. Shielded from the
sun's rays, the lander could survive for longer
PEN
ox.F
as the comet approaches perihelion - its closest
point to the sun - in August.
Before they can say for certain if they'll be
able to restore contact with Philae, scientists
first need to find out where on the 2.5-mile
(4-kilometer)-wide comet the washing machine-
sized lander is, he added.
New pictures released Monday offered very
good clues.
The high-resolution images taken from
Philae's mother ship Rosetta show the lander
descending toward the comet, then bouncing
off when the thrusters and harpoons meant to
anchor it to the surface failed. It drifted through
the void for two hours before touching down
again.- after a second, smaller bounce - then
coming to rest in a shallow crater. :
Scientists at the German Aerospace Center said
Monday that an initial review of data the lander
sent back 311 million miles to Earth showed the
comet's surface is much tougher than previously
assumed. There's also evidence of large
amounts of ice beneath the lander.
Scientists had speculated the comet's surface
could be quite soft, but that has turned out not
to be the case. "The strength of the ice found
under a layer of dust on the first landing site is
surprisingly high," said Klaus Seidensticker of the
German Aerospace Center.
Scientists are still waiting to find out whether
Philae managed to drill into the comet and
extract a sample for analysis.
Material beneath the surface of the comet has
remained almost unchanged for 4.5 billion years,
so the samples would be a cosmic time capsule
that scientists are eager to study.
One of the things they are most excited about
is the possibility that the mission might help
confirm that comets brought the building blocks
of life - including water - to Earth.
Tantalizingly, one of Philae's instruments was
able to "sniff" the presence of organic molecules
on the comet, the space center said. A full
analysis of the molecules is still underway.
The European Space Agency has stressed that
even if the lander fails to awaken again, Rosetta
will be able to collect about 80 percent of the
data scientists are hoping to glean from the $1.6
billion mission.
AT&T STOPS ADDING
WEB TRACKING CODES
ON CELLPHONES
110]
AT&T Mobility, the nation’s second-largest
cellular provider, said Friday it’s no longer
attaching hidden Internet tracking codes to data
transmitted from its users’ smartphones. The
practice made it nearly impossible to shield its
subscribers’ identities online.
The change by AT&T essentially removes a hidden
string of letters and numbers that are passed
along to websites that a consumer visits. It can
be used to track subscribers across the Internet, a
lucrative data-mining opportunity for advertisers
that could still reveal users’ identities based on
their browsing habits.
Verizon Wireless, the country’s largest mobile
firm, said Friday it still uses this type of tracking,
known as “super cookies.” Verizon spokeswoman
Debra Lewis said business and government
customers don’t have the code inserted. There
has been no evidence that Sprint and T-Mobile
have used such codes.
“As with any program, we’re constantly
evaluating, and this is no different,” Lewis said,
adding that consumers can ask that their codes
not be used for advertising tracking. But that
still passes along the codes to websites, even if
subscribers say they don’t want their data being
used for marketing purposes.
The tracking codes are part of the latest plan by
the cellular industry to keep tabs on users and
their devices. While the codes don’t explicitly
1111
contain personal information, they’re unique “This is more like a license plate for your
and nonetheless sent to websites alongside brain,” said Jacob Hoffman-Andrews, a senior
personal details that a user may submit staff technologist with the Electronic Frontier
voluntarily - like a name or a phone number. Foundation, a civil liberties organization
that opposed the practice. “Everything you
wonder about, and read, and ask the Internet
about gets this header attached to it. And
there are ad agencies out there that try to
associate that browsing history with anything
that identifies you.”
That means enough data can transform a
large chunk of random digits into a digital
fingerprint that’s as identifying as a Social
Security number. AT&T said Friday its tracker
was part of a testing project that’s been
phased off of its network.
Image: Mike Blake
aE
For mobile users, the quest for online privacy
isn’t easy. Even if subscribers wanted to switch
service providers to what they think is a more
privacy-friendly carrier, they would likely be
slapped with hundreds of dollars in early
termination fees before leaving.
The magazines Wired and Forbes first
reported last month that Verizon and AT&T
were inserting the tracking numbers, even
if their subscribers wanted to opt out.
The investigative website ProPublica also
discovered that Twitter’s advertising arm was
using Verizon’s tracking codes, which could
be used to build a dossier about a person’s
behavior on mobile devices.
Some cell providers already collect and store
the approximate location of their subscribers’
phones, according to government documents
from 2010. That has raised alarm among privacy
advocates, who fear government investigators
ee
114|
can obtain such personal data and even track
Americans’ movements without their knowledge
or consent.
Consumers’ interest in privacy and their digital
anonymity has intensified in recent years,
following revelations by former National
Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden. Top
secret NSA documents he leaked to journalists
revealed the NSA was collecting the phone
records and digital communications of millions
of citizens not suspected of a crime, prompting
congressional reform.
On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported
that the U.S. Marshals Service was flying airplanes
above American cities to secretly collect certain
cellphone information from criminals while
incidentally gathering data from innocent
Americans. The Justice Department would not
confirm the practice, but said in a statement
Friday the Marshals Service “does not maintain
any databases for the purposes of retaining
cellphone information of the general public.”
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GOOD GIRLS (EP)
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER
SONGS OF INNOCENCE +
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1119
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ALL ABOUT THAT BASS
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MARY, DID YOUKNOW?
PENTATONIX:
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(OFFICIAL VIDEO)
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BANG BANG
(FEAT. ARIANA GRANDE & NICKI MINAJ)
Jessie J
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BOOTY (FEAT. IGGY AZALEA)
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THE Watkinc Deap, SEASON 5
STICKY CONTENT
THE Goop Wire, SEASON 6
CONTACT
REVENGE, SEASON 4
PARTY CRASHING
Kourtney & KHLoe TAKE THE HAMPTONS, SEASON 7
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Mapvam Secretary, SEASON 7
SMASH THE MIRROR PART 7
Once Upon a Time, SEASON 4
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American Horror Story: FreAKsHow, SEASON 4
1123
ThE
CAPTIVATED BY YOU
Syivia Day
THE ESCAPE
Davib BALDACCI
THE JOB
JANET Evanovic & LeE GOLDBERG
MONEY MASTER THE GAME
Tony Rogeins
THE CINDERELLA MURDER
Mary Hicains CLARK & ALAFAIR BURKE
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
EL James
GRAY MOUNTAIN
JOHN GRISHAM
GONE GIRL
GILLIAN FLYNN
THE BURNING ROOM
Micwae. CONNELLY
THE ANDY COHEN DIARIES
Awpy COHEN
1125
NOKIA BOUNCES BACK WITH
LAUNCH OF ANDROID TABLET
126|
Nokia is back in the fray.
_ Just months after selling its ailing handsets unit
to Microsoft, the Finnish company is launching
a tablet.
The new offering operates Android instead of
the Windows software that Nokia adopted on its.
cellphones when it started a strategic partnership
with Microsoft in 2011.
The 7.9-inch N1 tablet will first be available
in China in the first quarter of 2015 with an
e tag of $250, before being
aid Tuesday that the former global mobile phone
ader was “pleased to bring the Nokia brand
back into consumers’ hands.”
Nokia’s earnings have improved since its $7.2
_ billion sale of its handset unit to Microsoft. The
- slimmed-down company has three remaining
Operations: networks, mapping and software.
WHATSAPP ENCRYPTS
MESSAGES FROM
BEGINNING TO END
WhatsApp, the globally popular instant
messaging system owned by Facebook, has
begun using a powerful new encryption program
aimed at protecting users’ conversations from
unwanted surveillance and snooping.
The messaging service, which has 600 million
users and is especially popular in Europe and
Asia, added the new encryption to its last update
for Android smartphones, according to Open
Whisper Systems, the San Francisco-based
software group that developed the “TextSecure”
program with help from U.S. government grants
and private funding.
Privacy advocates say WhatsApp’s decision to
incorporate so-called “end-to-end” encryption
will help users communicate without the fear
of someone reading their messages. WhatsApp
cofounder Jan Koum has said he’s deeply
committed to user privacy because he grew up
in the Soviet Union during the 1980s, when his
mother and other adults routinely assumed
that authorities eavesdropped on their phone
calls. The move comes as other leading tech
companies also are boosting data encryption,
despite criticism from some in law enforcement
who say that can make it more difficult for
authorities to catch terrorists or other criminals.
Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. encrypt users’
email and messages while they move within each
1129
company’s network, so they can’t be read by
outsiders. But experts say those messages can still
be scanned at certain points by the companies
themselves, for commercial purposes such as
advertising, and can be read by authorities if
subpoenaed. Apple and Google also encrypt user
data when it’s stored on their mobile devices.
TextSecure takes that a step further; it’s designed
to make WhatsApp messages unable to be read
by anyone but the sender and recipient, even if
subpoenaed. The encryption feature is offered
by default, meaning WhatsApp users don’t have
to turn it on and shouldn’t notice its presence,
according to a statement from Open Whisper
Systems. WhatsApp declined comment Tuesday.
Apple’s iMessage service also encrypts data
from “end-to-end” but some experts say Apple’s
program has technical features that may leave it
vulnerable to determined snooping. TextSecure
isn’t yet available for WhatsApp on iPhones, but
Open Whisper said it is working to make the
feature available to iOS and other non-Android
mobile users.
1131
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