Hottest tech products of fall 2012

Every year we roll out our fall list of the products getting the most attention from readers, and every year it ends up being a list dominated by phones. But not this year. No, this time you guys are spicing things up with a surprising mix of products. Here’s what’s getting your attention right now.

Sony Vaio Tap 20

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)

The good: By slapping a battery inside a 20-inch touch-screen all-in-one, the company has given birth to a new PC category with great potential in tech-savvy homes.

The bad: The touch screen has some frustrating drag, and Sony made a few missteps among some otherwise reasonable sacrifices for portability and price.

The cost: $999.99

The bottom line: A compelling experiment in tablet-desktop hybridization, the Sony Vaio Tap 20 is a great fit for home tech enthusiasts willing to try something new.

Toshiba Portege Z935-P300

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)

The good: This Toshiba product has very good features, performance and battery life for its price and is very thin and very light.

The bad: The keyboard may be too small for some users and the laptop doesn’t feel particularly sturdy, especially the lid and display.

The cost: $779.99 to $876

The bottom line: The Toshiba Portege Z935-P300 is an excellent ultrabook value if you can overlook its few design shortcomings.

Apple iPad Mini

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: The ultrathin and light design makes it seem far more intimate and booklike than the larger iPad, and its cameras, storage capacities, optional LTE antenna and general functionality offer a full iPad experience. The screen’s dimensions elegantly display larger-format magazines and apps.

The bad: It costs too much, especially considering the lower resolution of its 7.9-inch display, which isn’t a Retina Display. The A5 processor isn’t as robust as the one in the fourth-gen iPad and iPhone 5. Typing on the smaller screen is not quite as comfy.

The cost: $329.99 to $549.99

The bottom line: If you want the full, polished Apple tablet experience in a smaller package, the iPad Mini is worth the premium price. Otherwise, good alternatives are available for less money.

Apple iPhone 5

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: The iPhone 5 adds everything we wanted in the iPhone 4S: 4G LTE, a longer, larger screen, free turn-by-turn navigation, and a faster A6 processor. Plus, its top-to-bottom redesign is sharp, slim, and featherlight.

The bad: Apple Maps feels unfinished and buggy; Sprint and Verizon models can’t use voice and data simultaneously; the smaller connector renders current accessories unusable without an adapter; there’s no NFC; and the screen size pales in comparison with jumbo Android models.

The cost: $199.99

The bottom line: The iPhone 5 completely rebuilds the iPhone on a framework of new features and design, addressing its major previous shortcomings. It’s absolutely the best iPhone to date, and it easily secures its place in the top tier of the smartphone universe.

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In humbler times for state House Republicans, Will Weatherford sets a more moderate tone

TALLAHASSEE --
Few state institutions bear a more distinct imprint of recent Republican hegemony than the Florida House of Representatives.

It launched the political career of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who served as its speaker four years ago. Its members have passed some of the most conservative bills in the nation. And since 2006, it has nurtured the career of Will Weatherford of Wesley Chapel.

On Tuesday, Weatherford will be sworn in as, at 33, the youngest speaker of the House in recent Florida history and the first speaker from the Tampa Bay area since 2004. He’ll preside over a chamber where Republicans have an overwhelming 76-44 majority. The son-in-law of former House Speaker Allan Bense, Weatherford looks like the latest model in a long, unbroken line of GOP speakers.

But these are also somewhat humbling times for House Republicans. On Nov. 6, they lost five seats and their veto-proof majority, punctuated by the shocking defeat of the person who had been picked to succeed Weatherford as speaker in 2014, Chris Dorworth.

"There’s no question that the state moved more toward the center," said incoming Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Plantation. "This will change things, make it more bipartisan than it has been for quite a while."

The moment may be tailor-made for Weatherford, a block of a man and former defensive end at Jacksonville University who has developed a reputation for playing nice with both parties.

"If there’s one thing I’d like to achieve it is to be an inclusive reformer for the Florida House," Weatherford told reporters last week. "To make sure we’re working with our friends across the aisle, that we’re allowing for everyone’s voice to be heard and to participate, but at the same time, don’t let that stifle us from moving forward with real reforms and dealing with the challenges that Florida has before us."

Make no mistake: Weatherford, a businessman himself, will continue to push a conservative, pro-business agenda that could have been written by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

He wants new state employees to enroll in 401(k)-style retirement plans rather than the current pension system, which provides guaranteed payments from the state. While it’s sure to alienate unions and spark a legal battle, Weatherford can’t say how much it would save the state. He says pensions are a "ticking time bomb" in state finances — despite no evidence of the sort.

He’ll push hard for a bigger commitment to online education and easing corporate taxes on small businesses. He toes the Republican Party line on the Affordable Care Act, is closely aligned with incoming Senate President Don Gaetz and publicly supports Gov. Rick Scott, albeit with measured language.

"His focus is on the right thing, which is getting unemployment down, making sure we have a fully funded education system," Weatherford said. "He’s talking about the right things."

But he disagrees with Scott on tuition. While Scott opposes tuition increases, Weatherford sides with universities, saying they are necessary to cover costs. "We have universities that if given more flexibility with tuition, they can go to great heights," he said.

His biggest break is one of style. His predecessor, Dean Cannon, ran the House with strict efficiency that bruised the feelings of marginalized Democrats while allowing Republicans to run roughshod with legislation that, during the tea party ascendency, opposed the Affordable Care Act, the federal economic stimulus and early voting. Since the spring, Weatherford has signaled he will run the House differently.

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People turn to Twitter for CPR information: study

(Reuters) – Amid snarky comments and links to cat videos, some Twitter users turn to the social network to find and post information on health issues like cardiac arrest and CPR, according to a U.S. study.

Over a month, researchers found 15,234 messages on Twitter that included specific information about resuscitation and cardiac arrest, said the study published in the journal Resuscitation.

“From a science standpoint, we wanted to know if we can reliably find information on a public health topic, or is (Twitter) just a place where people describe what they ate that day,” said Raina Merchant, the study’s lead author and a professor at the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

According to the researchers, they found people using Twitter to send and receive a wide variety of information on CPR and cardiac arrest, including their personal experiences, questions and current events.

Some researchers and organizations already use Twitter for public health matters, including tracking the 2009 H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic and finding the source of the Haitian cholera outbreak, the researchers said.

For the study, the researchers created a Twitter search for key terms, such as CPR, AED (automatic external defibrillators), resuscitation and sudden death.

Between April and May 2011, their search returned 62,163 tweets, which were whittled down to 15,324 messages that contained specific information about cardiac arrest and resuscitation.

Only 7 percent of the tweets were about specific cardiac arrest events, such as a user saying they just saw a man being resuscitated, or a user asking for prayers for a sick family member.

About 44 percent of the tweets were about performing CPR and using an AED. Those types of tweets included information on rules about keeping AEDs in businesses and questions about how to resuscitate a person.

The rest of the tweets were about education, research and news events, such as links to articles about celebrities going into cardiac arrest.

The vast majority of the Twitter users send fewer than three tweets about cardiac arrest or CPR throughout the month. Users that sent more tweets typically had more followers – people who subscribe to their messages – and often worked in a health-care related field.

About 13 percent of the tweets were re-sent, or retweeted, by other users. The most popular retweeted messages were about celebrity-related cardiac arrest news, such as an AED being used to revive a fan at a Lady Gaga concert.

“I think the pilot (study) illustrated for us that there is an opportunity to potentially provide research and information for people in real time about cardiac arrest and resuscitation,” Marchant said.

“I can imagine in the future we will see systems that would automatically respond to tweets of individual users. Twitter is a really powerful tool, and we’re just beginning to understand its abilities.”

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/T2bj7u

(Reporting from New York by Andrew Seaman at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine)

Internet News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Ryan Eggold: Next Taylor Swift Break-up Song?

Fresh off an appearance at Sunday night's American Music Awards, Ryan Eggold had one girl on his mind, Taylor Swift.

Fierce & Fabulous: The 2012 AMA Red Carpet Fashion

"I'm just hoping to meet Taylor Swift," he confessed of his crush at the Rolling Stone After Party in Hollywood. The 90210 actor would do just about anything to sweep her off her feet. The 11-time AMA winner is synonymous with penning songs about all her exes and Ryan's not afraid of becoming her next target. Coming up with a game plan, he told ET he'd willing oblige. "Date her for like a month and then just drop her like a rock and then get a great song out of it," he schemes.

VIDEO: Jenny McCarthy Imagines Dating Justin Bieber

Artists often use their loves as muses for lyrical inspiration. American Idol's Paul McDonald says with his blushing wife Twilight's Nikki Reed standing beside him, "I get a lot of my inspiration from this lady over here and it's good when we write together. It brings out a whole different thing than I'm used to from touring with a band."

VIDEO: Nikki Reed Duets with Hubby for 'Twilight' Song

Chicago Fire actress Teri Reeves' husband didn't need to be a hunky firefighter to win her heart. He serenaded her with a personally-written song at their wedding. "My husband is a musician. He doesn't wear a uniform, but he wears a guitar, which is equally as sexy," she gushes.

Watch the video for more about the AMAs, Dancing with the Stars, and Once Upon a Time.

VIDEO: Kesha on Justin Bieber: 'I Would Hit That'

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Sandy victims' spirits lifted by Barclays Center Thanksgiving

From Hurricane Sandy victims to Barclays Center VIPs.

About 100 Big Apple residents whose lives were turned upside down by the hurricane had a reason to smile yesterday after feasting to an early Thanksgiving dinner at the Brooklyn Nets’ new home.

For many of the victims -- who hailed from Red Hook and Canarsie in Brooklyn and the Rockaways in Queens – it was their first time at the arena, and they got to eat in style with arena honchos at Jay-Z’s swanky 40/40 Club and Restaurant. Afterwards, they sat in the stands and watched the Progressive Legends Classic college basketball tournament semifinals as No. 1 Indiana and Georgetown rolled to victories.

Some – including Michelle Matthews of the Arvene by the Sea complex in the Rockaways and her two young sons – told the Post they’re still displaced from their flooded homes and that yesterday's arena invitation was a great way to get briefly forget the hardship they've recently had to deal with.

“I am so emotional because … we probably won’t have Thanksgiving this year. There’s no Thanksgiving because we don’t have a home, and there might not even be Christmas because we don’t even have anywhere to go,” a teary-eyed Matthews said.

However, she later added that what Barclays Center officials “did for us here is great because it makes us feel some holiday spirit."

Barclays Center/Nets CEO Brett Yormark offered his support to Matthews and her sons, Christian Izien, 12, and Tyler Izien, 6.

When the boys told Yormark they were Knicks fans, a determined Yormark offered to take them to a future Nets game, so he could “convert” them over to Brooklyn’s new team.

“We understand our role; we know we have to give back,” Yormark told the Post afterwards. “We are very fortunate, and we have to help those who aren’t as fortunate.”

The arena and the Nets previously donated $300,000 to the Brooklyn Recovery Fund, which assists Brooklyn residents affected by Sandy.

Also on hand were Reginald Stanley and his 12-year-old stepson Jamel Evans, who live in public housing in Red Hook.

“The hurricane was devastating for us because we were without electricity, hot water and heat for two weeks," Stanley said. "But we finally have it back, and it’s great to be here and finally feel like we can celebrate the holidays. This arena is amazing."

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New House speaker faces post-election challenges

TALLAHASSEE --
Few state institutions bear a more distinct imprint of recent Republican hegemony than the Florida House of Representatives.

It launched the political career of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who served as its speaker four years ago. Its members have passed some of the most conservative bills in the nation. And since 2006, it has nurtured the career of Will Weatherford of Wesley Chapel.

On Tuesday, Weatherford will be sworn in as, at 33, the youngest speaker of the House in recent Florida history and the first speaker from Tampa Bay since 2004. He’ll preside over a chamber where Republicans have an overwhelming 76-44 majority. The son-in-law to former House Speaker Allan Bense, Weatherford looks like the latest model in a long, unbroken line of GOP speakers.

But these are also somewhat humbling times for House Republicans. On Nov. 6, they lost five seats and their veto-proof majority, punctuated by the shocking defeat of the person who had been picked to succeed Weatherford as speaker in 2014, Chris Dorworth.

“There’s no question that the state moved more toward the center,” said incoming Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Plantation. “This will change things, make it more bipartisan than it has been for quite a while.”

The moment may be tailor-made for Weatherford, a block of a man and former defensive end at Jacksonville University who has developed a reputation for playing nice with both parties.

“If there’s one thing I’d like to achieve is to be an inclusive reformer for the Florida House,” Weatherford told reporters last week. “To make sure we’re working with our friends across the aisle, that we’re allowing for everyone’s voice to be heard and to participate, but at the same time, don’t let that stifle us from moving forward with real reforms and dealing with the challenges that Florida has before us.”

Make no mistake: Weatherford will continue to push a conservative, pro-business agenda that could have been authored by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

He wants new state employees to enroll in 401(k)-style retirement plans rather than the current pension system, which provides guaranteed payments from the state. While it’s sure to alienate unions and spark a legal battle, Weatherford can’t say how much it will save the state. He says pensions are a “ticking time bomb” in state finances — despite no evidence of the sort.

He’ll push hard for a bigger commitment to online education and easing corporate taxes on small businesses. He toes the Republican party line on the Affordable Care Act, is closely aligned with incoming Senate President Don Gaetz and publicly supports Gov. Rick Scott, albeit with measured language.

“His focus is on the right thing, which is getting unemployment down, making sure we have a fully funded education system,” Weatherford said. “He’s talking about the right things.”

But he disagrees with Scott on tuition. While Scott opposes tuition increases, Weatherford sides with universities, saying they are necessary to cover costs.

“We have universities that if given more flexibility with tuition, they can go to great heights,” he said.

His biggest break is one of style. His predecessor, Dean Cannon, ran the House with strict efficiency that bruised the feelings of marginalized Democrats while allowing Republicans to run roughshod with legislation that, during the tea party ascendency, opposed Obamacare, the stimulus and early voting. Since the spring, Weatherford has signaled he will run the House differently.

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Cisco to buy cloud-networking start-up Meraki for $1.2 billion

(Reuters) – Networking equipment company Cisco Systems Inc said it will buy privately held cloud networking company Meraki for $ 1.2 billion in cash as part of its cloud and networking strategy.

Cisco said the acquisition of Meraki, which was founded in 2006 by members of MIT’s Laboratory for Computer Science, is expected to close in the second quarter of Cisco’s 2013 fiscal year and is subject to regulatory approval.

Cisco’s second quarter runs until the end of January.

Meraki – funded by Sequoia Capital and Google Inc – offers Wi-Fi technology, switching, security and mobile device management from the cloud with a focus on mid-sized businesses.

“This is a very logical move for Cisco,” said ZK research analyst Zeus Kerravala.

He said the deal will allow Cisco to offer alternative solutions to traditional Wi-Fi deployment models like smaller competitors, such as Aruba Networks and Ruckus Wireless, which debuted on Friday.

“Cisco didn’t really have anything to counter that before,” Kerravala noted.

Meraki’s Chief Executive Sanjit Biswas said in a letter to employees posted on the company website that Cisco had approached the company several weeks ago.

The company’s founders had at first rejected the offer in favor of continuing Meraki’s strategy aimed at an initial public listing.

“After several weeks of consideration, we decided late last week that joining Cisco was the right path for Meraki,” Biswas said.

He also said that Meraki had achieved a $ 100 million bookings run rate, grown to 330 employees and had a positive cash flow.

(Reporting by Nicola Leske, editing by Gary Crosse)

Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Justin Bieber Wins Big at American Music Awardss

Justin Bieber gave an emotional thank you to his mom, Pattie Mallette, who stood on stage with the pop star as he accepted Artist of the Year, his third award of the evening, at the culmination of the 40th annual American Music Awards Sunday in Los Angeles. 

The Biebs, who brought his mother along as his date for the show, took home the first and the last award of the night, (Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Artist of the Year, respectively) as well as Favorite Pop/Rock Album for Believe.

Fierce & Fabulous: The 2012 AMA Red Carpet

Nipping at his heels with two wins this year, Nicki Minaj nabbed the awards for favorite rap/hip hop album (Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded) and favorite rap/hip hop artist.

The big-winning twosome also graced the stage to sing (once with each other) hits from their current albums. Taylor Swift, Christina Aguilera, No Doubt, Usher, Carly Rae Jepsen, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Pink also made the night memorable with elaborate, theatrical performances.

Recently departed Dick Clark, who created the show forty years ago, was honored by Stevie Wonder with a variety of songs. Whitney Houston was also fondly remembered by singer Brandy, who introduced a brief tribute to the late artist.

Here's a rundown of all the winners honored at the 40th annual American Music Awards tonight:

Artist of the year: Justin Bieber

New artist of the year: Carly Rae Jepsen

Pop/rock female artist: Katy Perry

Country female artist: Taylor Swift

Pop/rock male artist: Justin Bieber

Pop/rock band, duo or group: Maroon 5

Country male artist: Luke Bryan

Country band, duo or group: Lady Antebellum

Soul/R&B male artist: Usher

Soul/R&B female artist: Beyonce

Alternative rock artist: Linkin Park

Adult contemporary artist: Adele

Artist, Latin: Shakira

Artist, electronic dance music: David Guetta

Artist, contemporary inspirational: tobyMac

Rap/hip-hop artist: Nicki Minaj

Pop/rock album: Justin Bieber, "Believe''

Rap/hip-hop album: Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

Country album: Carrie Underwood, Blown Away

Soul/R&B album: Rihanna, "Talk That Talk''

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President Obama discusses freedoms, offers 'hand of friendship' in Myanmar speech

AP

President Obama speaks in Myanmar Monday.

President Obama spoke about freedoms and empowerment during a Monday speech in Myanmar, encouraging the country to continue its transition to democracy.

“Hatred in the human heart can recede,” Obama said, suggesting that “the lines between races and tribes can fade away.”

Obama offered a “hand of friendship” and US support for Myanmar – long ruled by a repressive military – and other nations that respect its people’s rights and international law.

But he also said the new civilian government must nurture democracy or watch it, and US support, disappear.

During his speech at the University of Yangon, Obama addressed America’s own restrictive past.

“Once, the color of my skin would have denied me the right to vote,” he said. “If our country can transcend its differences, yours can too.”

The speech came during Obama’s four-day trip to Southeast Asia. He’s the first US president to visit Myanmar.

With AP

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South Florida guide to corporate gift giving

Holiday gifts to clients and colleagues can help you strengthen both business relationships and your brand. While flashing your logo at holiday time seemed insensitive back when droves of people didn’t have jobs, manufacturers — several based in South Florida — have responded with more creative ways to include branding on some very usable products that people can actually enjoy.

What’s more, some companies are coming up with highly customized gifts, whether geared to personal allergies (seems the universe has gone gluten-free) or even philanthropic affinities, so your recipients can feel good about indulging.

“This year in corporate gifting, people are trying to stand out and not give the typical branded gear, such as pens and mugs,” says Dana Holmes, editor of Gifts.com. “And people are selling unique and creative ideas — both with and without logos. People are thinking about who they’re supporting, looking local, and they want to feel more connected to the things they buy.”

Here are some ideas to help your search for thoughtful gift giving.

Ginny Bakes Holiday Boxes: This season, more people are avoiding gluten than they are the annoying office braggarts, so you can sweeten any holiday party by sending a holiday box packed with cookies made in Miami, from ingredients such as dark organic chocolate, preservative-free nuts and fruit as well as gluten-free oat flour. Ginny Bakes will deliver to any door holiday box collections such as the Chocolate Love variety, packed with Chocolate Chip Macadamia, Double Chocolate Happiness and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bliss flavors. The box arrives wrapped and ready to eat. $34; www.ginnybakes.com.

Courtly Check Candy Cottage: Hey big spender, this illuminated tabletop cottage costs just a bit less than the down payment on actual real estate, but the impact is earth-shattering. It’s not edible (think eye candy), but the hand-crafted house, with a glass-candy covered roof, a delicate wreath and tufted walls is a numbered, festive collector piece. No two are alike — even though it’s unlikely your client will get more than one this holiday season. $9,900; www.mackenzie-childs.com.

Feed 8 Godiva collections: For professionals who crave both chocolate and charity, Godiva has partnered with FEED, a nonprofit sustenance organization for children, to provide eight school meals to kids in cocoa producing regions for every box sold. Each one contains eight chocolates in four flavors: Ecuador Dark 71%, Costa Rica Milk 38%, Uganda Dark 80% and Venezuela Milk 43%. All are made with beans from its country of origin. $25 Godiva; 19575 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 33180.

Crystal Custom Eyewear: Bravo executive Andy Cohen wore them on national television and Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade had them at his birthday in Miami Beach, but the concept of personalized sunglass lenses was created in downtown Miami. Advertise your office catch phrase or logo across the lenses because these glasses can display the message you want your customers to see. They come in nine colors (including blue, red and pink) as well as three styles: Ray-Bay, Wayfarer and Aviator, all with 100 percent UV protection. $14.99 for a single pair or buy 100 pairs for $3.45 each, www.crystalcustom.com.

Dolce Shot: Replace everyone’s office coffee break with a Made-in-Miami energy shot that comes both packaged and packed with our city’s essence. Inside, the South Beach-style cans are one of three flavors: Splash (a crisp lemon-lime) Rise (cherry explosion) and Citrus (orange bite.) All come in two-ounce servings that are equivalent to an 8-ounce drink, with concentrated ingredients such as amino acids, vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, B12 and 80-milliliters of caffeine — about the amount in a cup of coffee. $24.99 for a case of 12; www.dolceshot.com.

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