It’s actually surprisingly common these days to hear about acquisitions of one major company by another, so today’s suggestion that Lenovo is interested in picking up smartphone company HTC isn’t all that off-the-wall. HTC hasn’t been doing especially well in the profits department over the past few quarters, so acquisition rumors have appeared more than […]
T-Mobile has announced that its Simple Choice plans will now come with free international data and texts. That sounds amazing, but in reality how much will it actually save you compared to carriers like AT&T, Sprint and Verizon?
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“There’s something we miss when everything becomes virtual and goes online,” says Tyler DeAngelo. “Tactile-ness gives it something that is more interesting and a deeper connection and makes it more meaningful.” The ad executive invited us to Havas Worldwide’s Chicago offices to show off his latest …
The president casting his vote.
(Credit: TheWorldVideoNews/YouTube Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)
Dear governments of perhaps-slightly-less-democratic-than-it-appears regimes: the appearance of democracy is quite important. Just for, you know, appearances sake.
So, even though everyone might have an idea that your free and fair elections are as free as OJ Simpson and as fair as the average January day in the north of England, you have to at least pretend.
This is something that the oil-rich Azerbaijani government might have overlooked. Or, rather, whoever is in charge of its Central Election Commission election mobile app.
For, as The Washington Post reports, the app dutifully pumped out marvelously accurate election results, heralding a stunning victory for current president Ilham Aliyev.
The only slight kink was that the app declared him the overwhelming winner the day before anyone had actually voted. Or should that be “voted?”
I suppose that in the capital, Baku, this might have been seen as a case of Baku to the Future.
When the presidency is handed down from father… [Read more]
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Earlier this year Samsung launched the Galaxy S4, its latest flagship Android smartphone. The device generated a lot of hype and sold like hot cakes around the world. Samsung sold 20 million Galaxy S4 units in the first two months alone, and has continued to sell millions after that. Though since then, the company hasn’t revealed any official sales figures. Then there have been reports that overall Galaxy S4 sales have been disappointing, missing the company’s internal projections, though Samsung hasn’t publicly confirmed any of this. Rumor has it that Samsung has pushed the Galaxy S5 launch to January 2014, and that it will flood the market with units in February, a couple of months ahead of its usual March/April timeframe.
Making this move is likely to shake things up once again, by merely pushing the launch by a couple of months, Samsung might be able to make up for the alleged disappointing sales of the Galaxy S4. This is purely speculative right now, the company hasn’t given any indication that it intends to push forward the Galaxy S5 launch. We’ve been hearing rumors about the device recently, it is expected to have a new design, a 16 megapixel camera with optical image stabilization and a Exynos 5430 64 bit processor. Samsung is also expected to shun plastic, opting for a metal chassis instead for the Galaxy S5.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Launch Rumored For January 2014 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Coca-Cola’s global distribution channels are so well-developed that a Coke can get pretty much anywhere on the planet—even places where there’s no access to fresh water. But Coke is working on that, too. As part of its mission to bring drinking water to the communities it serves, the company has developed a solar-powered, Wi-Fi-equipped kiosk with a water purification system—and it plans to drop them in 20 countries by 2015.
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An artist's idea of what the planet looks like.
(Credit: MPIA/V. Ch. Quetz)
NASA may be laying low during the government shutdown, but that doesn’t mean a lack of cool space news. A team of researchers from Hawaii has announced the discovery of an “exotic young planet” that is forging its own path in the universe by not bothering to orbit around a star.
The free-thinking planet, the scientists say, is 12 million years old, located just 80 light years from Earth, and sports a mass six times that of Jupiter. It’s also extremely red, possibly from embarrassment at being caught naked out in space with no escort.
The planet has been saddled with the catchy name “PSO J318.5-22.” Research team leader Michael Liu with the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii at Manoa says, “We have never before seen an object free-floating in space that that looks like this. It has all the characteristics of young planets found around other stars, but it is drifting out there all alone. I had often wondered if such solitary objects exist, and now we know they do.”
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In August Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that he would be retiring within the next 12 months. He will retain the top job at Redmond until his successor is appointed. According to a new report, the company might appoint Ballmer’s successor within this year, or what’s left of it anyway. Microsoft is said to be going through the list of candidates it has created, and that it is narrowing its choices after conducting preliminary interviews, people with “knowledge of the discussions” tell Bloomberg.
This appointment is a very big deal for the company, the new Microsoft CEO will take charge after Ballmer who has lead the company for nearly 13 years. It was reported recently that Microsoft is looking for a “turnaround expert” as its next CEO, suggested individuals include Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who has apparently warmed up to the idea after initially expressing his disinterest. Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop was rumored to be in fray as well, though it is believed that he won’t be getting the top job anytime soon. The report says that Microsoft’s announcement of a new CEO will depend on negotiations over crucial matters such as compensation, and if the candidate comes from another company, their departure from their current place of employment. Microsoft has only ever had two CEOs, the first being co-founder Bill Gates. Whoever gets the job will have tough shoes to fill and will have the responsibility to navigate Microsoft as it looks to bolster its position as a premier devices and services company.
New Microsoft CEO Expected To Be Appointed This Year original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Got an old smartphone you’re wishing was an iPhone 5S or 5C? Best Buy just confirmed they’re knocking at least $100 off a new iPhone when you trade in a working smartphone October 13th through 19th. [AllThingsD]
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Meet Bose SoundTouch, a combination of hardware and software aimed at making the easiest, most seamless wireless music system ever. It’s a direct shot at Sonos’s excellent system from one of the most recognizable names in consumer audio. But can Bose catch up with the popular and excellent system Sonos has been building up for a decade?
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