Hasta La Gadget!

After unboxing a pair of phablets at CES, Chinese mobile maker Huawei looks to be lining up a new flagship smartphone in its Android-based Ascend P line ahead of the Mobile World Congress trade show kicking off in Barcelona Monday. The company, which pushed into third place in the global smartphone rankings for the first time in Q4, has sent out invites to a press conference taking place tomorrow afternoon (CET).

It’s not confirmed what device or devices Huawei plans to unveil tomorrow — the invite includes the cryptic tagline “Discover possible” – but CNET‘s Stephen Shankland has snapped a photo of Huawei’s MWC booth, currently under construction before the crowds arrive on Monday, which includes a sign for an as yet unreleased device called the Ascend P2.

Judging by the name, the Ascend P2 is the sequel to the Ascend P1, which launched in Europe last summer. P stands for ‘Platinum’ in Huawei’s marketing speak — one rung down from its top-of-the-line D for Diamond devices, such as the 5-inch Ascend D2, which it outted at CES, along with the 6.1 inch Ascend Mate (its Galaxy Note rival). Those quad-core whoppers leave room in Huawei’s portfolio for a powerhouse smartphone with a slightly less palm-stretching screen. So, enter stage left the Ascend P2. Either that or it has a typo in its booth signage.

Aside from an LTE variant, the Ascend P1 was a relatively mid-range affair — with a dual-core 1.5Ghz chip, 4.3-inch display and 8 megapixel camera. The Ascend P2 is rumoured to add more beef the second time around, with various leaks hinting at a 1.8GHz quad-core chipset — which would give it more welly than either the Ascend Mate or the D2 — along with a 4.7 inch display, a 13 megapixel camera and Android 4.1. We’ll find out for sure tomorrow.

Huawei can’t claim to have the massive brand clout of Samsung and its Galaxy range, but its mobile profile is growing and it has carved out a savvy niche for itself in the Android space by offering relatively impressive specs for the device’s price point — which, in its Ascend G range, has helped to power up the functionality of budget Androids. The company is also taking a similar tack with Windows Phone — showing off an “entry level” Windows 8 device at CES, the Ascend W1, and partnering with Microsoft to launch an “affordable” Windows Phone device for the African market.

— Once, the barren mesas and shrub-covered canyons that extend east of the Pacific Ocean held the most popular routes for undocumented immigrants heading into the U.S. Dozens at a time sprinted to waiting cars or a trolley stop in San Diego, passing border agents who were too busy herding others to give pause.

Now, 20 years after that onslaught, crossing would mean scaling two fences (one topped with coiled razor wire), passing a phalanx of agents and eluding cameras positioned to capture every incursion.

The difference, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on a recent tour, is like “a rocket ship and a horse and buggy.”

Read More…
More on U.S.-Mexico Border

NEW DELHI — For 11 years the family of a convicted terrorist waited and wondered about his fate as he sat on death row. Two weeks ago they found out – from television. Mohammad Afzal Guru had been hanged in secrecy in a faraway jail in New Delhi. A government letter informing them of the imminent hanging arrived at their home in Kashmir two days after he was dead.

`’No words can describe the pain. It was like a bolt from the sky. Our whole family is still locked in that moment. We’re still struggling to reconcile with that moment,” said Yasin Guru, the dead man’s cousin.

Read More…
More on Video

CHICAGO — The mother of a Cook County inmate who was allegedly beaten after getting into an argument with two jail guards said Friday she was happy “justice is being served.”

That comes after criminal charges were brought against Department of Corrections officers Delphia A. Sawyer, 31, and Pamela R. Bruce, 29, for allegedly ordering two inmates to beat up 18-year-old inmate Kyle Pillischafske, of Mount Prospect, last year.

Read More…

Minecraft has definitely been a success on many unprecedented levels for sure, which is a good thing, as it shows that the world is still not short on creativity when it comes to churning out new gaming titles for the masses. Well, as with any self-respecting game, there will be addicts at the scene as well, and Minecraft is no different. In fact, you might be classified as hardcore should you decide to actually play Minecraft Pocket Edition on your touchscreen-capable mobile device using the $19.99 Minecraft Pickaxe Touchscreen Stylus.

The Minecraft Pickaxe Touchscreen Stylus says it all – it is a miniature pickaxe that was designed to resemble the classic pickaxe within Minecraft itself, where it will play nice on majority of the touchscreen devices out there, regardless of whether you are a smartphone or tablet owner. Thing is, you will be able to write with the top of the pickaxe or to use the end of the handle, the job will still get done. Made out of high-density foam, the Minecraft Pickaxe Touchscreen Stylus measures 3.25″ x 2″ if you are interested in picking it up.

[ Minecraft Pickaxe Touchscreen Stylus copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]