Jul 29
A Bearable Harlem Shake (VIDEO)
Posted in: Today's ChiliThank you, Reddit. The Harlem Shake may have gotten old fast, but puns never do.
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Jul 29
In addition to having appeared today in the FCC, the next Sony Xperia release in codename “Honami” has appeared this morning in a series of leaked photos aside the Sony Xperia Z. This device is set to out-do the Xperia Z in several ways, one of which in its camera at 20-megapixels, complete with a brand new set of features in its software interface. The Honami, also known as the “i1″ will be coming without the full-waterproofing of its predecessor.
Honami appears in these images with a slightly longer body and what appears to be an ever-so-slightly thinner frame. The Xperia Z shares the same size display at 5-megapixels and likely 1080p once again, here also taking on a slightly more traditional approach with a black frame around a black body. That’s the silver-framed Xperia Z, mind you, and there’s a fully-purple edition out in the USA as well with T-Mobile.
This set of leaks includes a rather strange Augmented Reality mode for the camera as well. Here you’ll see a dinosaur walking across this devices’ display amongst several palm trees, the camera able to superimpose said dinosaur over the photo taken of an office building’s interior.
There’s also a series of effects including Superior Auto – a favorite of reviewers of the Xperia Z, and Social Live. With Social Live you’re able to broadcast the photos you’re taking to a network that’ll allow cross-downloading between devices on the same network. You’ll be working with Timeshift Burst as well, this allowing to you choose the best photo of a large series of snaps taken in quick succession.
Perhaps most interesting is Info-eye, this according to this UI allowing you to “find more information about what you see in the viewfinder!” We’re assuming this will work with bar codes and readable text through Google, but we’ll see!
The Sony Xperia 1i will quite likely be coming with an upgraded processor, somewhere in the region of Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 as is found in the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 as is found in the Sony Xperia Z Ultra as well as many other next-generation devices, complete with multi-region LTE.
VIA: Android Community; Gadget Helpline
Sony Xperia Honami vs Xperia Z in leaked photos is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 29
CNN has hired David Chalian to be supervising producer of the “Crossfire” revamp, according to tweets sent by network talent, including Wolf Blitzer.
Jul 29
Summertime is now in full swing, and it’s also a period of transition within the mobile world. With the exception of a brand-new smartphone that wields a 41-megapixel shooter, our buyer’s guide hasn’t changed much since the last installment, but that’s not to suggest the market is stagnant. On the contrary, high-profile smartphones such as the next iPhone, the Moto X and the successor to the Galaxy Note II are in the pipeline, and there are even rumors swirling of a larger BlackBerry. Likewise, two of the world’s premiere smartphones — the HTC One and the Galaxy S 4 — are now available with stock Android directly from Google, which brings the added promise of timely software updates.
Mobile carriers are changing the game too, thanks in large part to the T-Mobile Jump program, which allows customers to upgrade their smartphone every six months. AT&T Next and Verizon Edge will soon provide similar (albeit more expensive) offerings, with upgrade eligibility that comes once per year. Even Sprint is doing its part with Unlimited, My Way, which promises unlimited data for life. Whether you’re looking to purchase a new handset right away, or you’re simply evaluating your options, Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide is the definitive resource for finding the very best smartphones on the market today. We’ll be here when you’re ready.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, HTC, Google, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, Blackberry, T-Mobile
Jul 29
“I’m a tireless worker; I don’t consider painting a work, it is not an obligation, I do it for pleasure; I haven’t found anything that amuses me more than painting.” -Fernando Botero
Fernando Botero is one of the most famous and admired Latin American artists today. He is indeed a true Latin American icon. The creator of “Boterism,” his work has traveled worldwide thanks to his unmistakable style. It is this artist’s paintings of curves that produce visual fascination and widespread appreciate of his art.
Jul 29
* Shares in WPP, Interpublic, Havas leap on deal news
* Competing agencies will seek to poach big advertisers
* Conflicts possible in tech, telecom, autos
* Publicis, Omnicom say can manage conflict risks (Recasts)
By Kate Holton and Leila Abboud
LONDON/PARIS, July 29 (Reuters) – A plan to merge Publicis and Omnicom into the world’s biggest advertising group has begun a scramble by rivals to poach their blue-chip clients worried the new agency might face conflicts of interest.
Without any defections, the Franco-U.S. giant would bring the accounts of major competitors in a number of industries such as Apple and Samsung, or Coca Cola and PepsiCo, under one roof.
Publicis boss Maurice Levy and Omnicom’s John Wren spoke to some of their biggest clients before the $35.1 billion deal was announced on Sunday, and made further calls on Monday to reassure them they will be better served by the new group.
But rival chief executives from London to Paris and New York, including WPP boss Martin Sorrell, were already scouting on Monday for accounts to poach from the soon to be formed group, industries sources said.
Under the planned deal, the French and U.S. groups will form a giant that will have the necessary scale and investment firepower to cope with rapid changes brought by technology on the advertising business.
Rival ad groups have a rare opportunity to swoop as contracts between major advertisers and agencies often include clauses that say they can be renegotiated in the case of agencies being bought or sold.
“It’s good for us and other independents,” said David Kershaw, CEO of ad group M&C Saatchi. “It shakes out more people that want great creative and global capability but they don’t want to be involved with one of these behemoths, and also who feel uncomfortable having their competitors within the same group,” he told Reuters.
The merger will bring together Publicis brands such as Saatchi & Saatchi and Omnicom’s BBDO Worldwide and DBB Worldwide, which could create new client clashes.
Levy and Wren said they did not expect any major problems with big advertisers defecting to rivals, with the Frenchman describing the reaction from clients as “extremely positive”.
“We’re going to work extremely hard to resolve any client conflict issues with creative solutions,” said Wren, adding that he expected only roughly 1 percent revenue losses due to potential contract losses.
Shares in rival ad groups leapt on Monday, in a sign of their perceived opportunity and the prospects for further consolidation in the industry.
Shares in WPP, currently the world’s biggest ad agency, opened up over 4 percent before settling back to be up 0.6 percent at the London close. Interpublic was up 8 percent on the New York stock exchange while France’s Havas was trading 5 percent higher.
“The deal should boost competitors’ stock prices in the near term, with billions of overlapping business up for grabs and the industry consolidation story now having a greater sense of urgency,” said Steve Soranno, an equity analyst at U.S.-based firm Calvert Investment Management. It has $13 billion under management, including shares in Omnicom.
MASSIVE SWINGS
Don Elgie, the chief executive of the insight and digital communications group Creston, said he expected to see a fall-out from the tie-up.
“Communications groups are nothing without their clients,” he said. “You could see massive swings in terms of clients moving around.
“They can’t have talked to all their clients (and also) no client is going to give a cast iron reassurance until they see how the thing shakes out.”
Three senior European advertising executives interviewed by Reuters said areas of conflict within the new company could include the consumer goods, tech and automobile sectors.
For example, Omnicom works for PepsiCo and Publicis handles Coca Cola. In telecoms, Omnicom handles U.S. leader AT&T and Publicis its rival Verizon.
Technology blue-chips are also an issue: Omnicom works for Apple and Microsoft, Publicis for Samsung and Google.
BMW sales chief Ian Robertson said he had some concerns.
“We may be affected in some way in some country but it’s too early to say,” he told Reuters. “Ideally, clearly we (would) have that independence from other manufacturers. But in a world which is now connected and there are so many mergers of this type, maybe that’s something that is not an ideal position.”
Renault and Nissan were amongst the first big advertisers to say they welcomed the deal.
“Renault and Nissan are both major global clients of both Publicis and Omnicom. We welcome the direction taken by Publicis and Omnicom to create a best-in-class communications, advertising, marketing and digital services company and will continue to work with them,” a Nissan spokesman in Britain said.
As the two ad groups begin a round of meetings with shareholders, the one area they are likely to focus on is the advantage they will get in negotiating the pricing for ads with the tech giants of Facebook or Google, and investing in new software and data mining tools.
“Consolidation may help regain pricing power in a very competitive industry,” Morgan Stanley analysts wrote. (Additional reporting by Rhys Jones and Paul Sandle in London, Andreas Cremer in Frankfurt and Liana Baker in New York; Editing by David Stamp)
Jul 29
* U.N. body warns of possible set-back to women’s rights
* Calls for women to have meaningful role in peace talks
* Increasing Taliban attacks on schools, suspected poisonings
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, July 29 (Reuters) – Women’s rights in Afghanistan risk being further undermined in the fragile country’s peace process due to entrenched patriarchal attitudes, a United Nations watchdog warned on Monday.
Afghan women have made hard-fought gains in education and work since the collapse of the Taliban government in 2001, but fears are growing these could suffer a reversal when most foreign forces leave by the end of next year.
The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women said the Afghan authorities had promised it that women would be able to participate in the peace talks, thereby rejecting Taliban demands for them to be excluded.
“We have had official assurances … I would like to consider a government’s word as credible,” Nicole Ameline, committee chair, told a news briefing.
But the committee of independent experts voiced concern that “women’s interests and needs may be compromised in the peace negotiations due to deep rooted patriarchal attitudes”.
In addition, meaningful participation by women in the peace process is jeopardised by the fact that there are only nine women in the 70-member High Peace Council, the Afghan body created in 2010 to broker peace with the Taliban.
“We have 18 months (before the NATO withdrawal) that consist of a turning point and we have to be absolutely mobilised,” said Ameline, a former French minister.
“There could be backsliding and we cannot accept that.”
The committee said there was already an increasing number of attacks on girls’ schools by Taliban groups opposed to their education, with girls falling ill in school from suspected poisoning in some instances.
Afghanistan has a “high prevalence of violence against women”, marked by domestic violence, rapes, stoning, and so-called honour crimes, the U.N. committee said. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Jul 29
This summer, ten small libraries mysteriously appeared throughout New York City’s Lower East Side and East Village. But who paid for them? Who designed them? And what was the point? In a short film published today, the creators finally answer our many questions about how the Little Free Library came to be.
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Jul 29
Clocks come in a bunch of shapes and sizes, but this clock made from a bike wheel is certainly unique. The resulting wall clock is quite big, but definitely something interesting to hang in your pad if you’re a bicyclist.
The Bicycle Wheel Clock is made by Vyconic, and I’m sure that it would work well as a conversation piece in an office or in your living room. If you love bikes, then this is the clock for you. The wheel had a brushed aluminum finish with a bright chrome hub. The wheel is reconditioned and has been modified to make space for the quartz clock movement at its center.
You can get the Bicycle Wheel Clock from Notonthehighstreet for £55 (~$89 USD). It’s available with either red or black hands. Tire and innertube not included.
[via The Gadget Flow]
Jul 29
So I was on vacation last week, and came back to the usual mountain of 700+ emails and piles of junk from PR companies Katamaried all over my desk. There was also this.
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