Daily News That Matters

Nadal played precise tennis, faces Verdasco in US Open Quarterfinals

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:41:54 +0000

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal played precise tennis on Monday night to advance into his third straight U.S. Open quarterfinals. Nadal defeated his compatriot Feliciano Lopez in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in convincing fashion for a fourth straight match in the tournament. Nadal has not dropped a single service game or set throughout the Open. The world No. [...]

Nikon’s new P7000 compact camera

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:38:54 +0000

Nikon’s Stages Compact Comeback with Flash-Friendly P7000 smacks right up against Canon’s G11 (and forthcoming G12). It’s a tough, rangefinder-style camera with looks and specs which are almost word-for-word the same as those on the Canon. And that’s a good thing. First, the similarities. Both the Nikon and the Canon have 10-megapixel sensors, both of which are [...]

Samsung Electronics introduced Dual Core ARM Processor

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:34:50 +0000

Samsung Electronics has introduced a dual-core ARM processor for smartphones and tablet-style computers that will compete against Qualcomm’s Snapdragon and Nvidia’s Tegra 2. Samsung launched a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9-based dual-core application processor, codenamed Orion on Monday. The company introduced the new chip at the Samsung Mobile Solutions Forum in Taipei, Taiwan. Orion is aimed at tablets and [...]

Importance of multiplayer modes – Call Of Duty

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:31:25 +0000

Anyone who is under any illusion about the importance of multiplayer modes, at least as far as shooters are concerned, should have a gander at the colossal task facing Treyarch this Christmas. The developer Call Of Duty: Black Ops will see its new game beset from all sides in the run-up to its release date. First, it [...]

Two asteroids to swing closer to the Earth today – NASA

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:28:12 +0000

Later today, two asteroids will swing so close to the Earth that they pass between us and the orbit of the moon. Anyone with a reasonable-sized amateur telescope should be able to spot the objects, which are both a few meters in diameter. However, because they are moving so fast, observers will need sharp eyes. Neither has [...]

Google logo games may hint at the future of search

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:24:03 +0000

After teasing millions on Tuesday by turning its logo into a swirl of balls that would avoid their mouse, Google on Wednesday seemed to go the other way – offering a plain grey logo which only changes colour to the normal blue, red, yellow, blue, green and red once the user starts typing. Experienced Google-watchers believe [...]

From PCs to TVs – Google TV to launch first in the US

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:20:18 +0000

Google’s chief executive announced that the company will launch its television service in the United States this fall and worldwide next year as it broadens its reach from PCs to TVs. The service, which will allow for full Internet browsing via television sets, will be free, according to CEO Eric Schmidt. Google will work with a [...]

iPod Touch 2010 (32GB) – The Good, the bad & the bottom line

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:17:05 +0000

The good: The fourth generation of Apple’s iPod Touch offers nothing but improvements, including an HD camcorder, front-facing camera, integrated microphone, FaceTime video calling, Retina Display, gyroscope sensor, and a slimmer, lighter design. The bad: Photo quality doesn’t hold up to the iPhone 4’s; there’s no GPS, and no option for 3G data service. The bottom line: [...]

Hillary condemned Quran burning plan by Pastor Jones

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:10:59 +0000

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has condemned the planned burning of Qurans on the anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the United States as criticism mounts from Muslims around the world. Speaking Tuesday at an iftar meal in Washington to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Clinton said she welcomed the concerns. “I am heartened [...]

$950K yearly and $10M 2011 bonus for Mr. Hurd from Oracle

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:07:04 +0000

Oracle Corp., the world’s second- biggest software maker, said it will pay former Hewlett-Packard Co. Chief Executive Officer Mark Hurd $950,000 a year in salary, with a bonus of as much as $10 million. Oracle, which disclosed the compensation in a regulatory filing, said Hurd’s target bonus for fiscal 2011 is $5 million and will not [...]

Nokia N8 smartphone release date – October 1

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:01:28 +0000

The N8, first announced in April, will finally be available to consumers on 1 October, Nokia has disclosed. The smartphone, based on the Symbian 3 operating system, includes a 12mp camera and will be available from Carphone Warehouse, O2, Orange, Phones4u, T-Mobile, Tesco Phone Shops, Three Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone. Nokia is pinning its hopes [...]

Google Android speech translation is work in-progress

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:57:12 +0000

Just say the word “hello” into your Android phone and you’ll instantly hear a response of “bonjour” or “hola,” if Google’s latest research actually comes to fruition. Google called the idea of being able to speak any word or phrase and get an instant vocal translation “the next logical succession” in mobile technology. It actually showed [...]

Goodwill Ambassador Jolie visits Pakistan flood victims

batchblogs — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:54:10 +0000

Angelina Jolie visited with displaced women Tuesday after arriving in Pakistan on Sunday to meet with victims of flooding and to highlight the need for help, as part of her United National High Commissioner for Refugees work. Millions of people have been affected by the July floods. “People have lost everything: their homes, their belongings, their [...]

Android Race to Catch iPhone

batchblogs — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:18:13 +0000

Apple’s iPhone iOS continued to lead the U.S. smartphone operating system ecosystem at 56 percent market share in August, but Google’s Android platform came on strong, notching a 25 percent plot, said data firm Quantcast. Apple said it is shipping 230,000 iOS-based devices per day. Apple’s iOS share was also buoyed from selling 1.7 million iPhone [...]

iOS 4.1 Software Update for Apple

batchblogs — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:15:02 +0000

On Wednesday Apple will release IOS 4.1, the latest version of its operating system for iPhones and the iPod touch. Here, we run through some of the key features the software update will bring: » Better photos The IOS 4.1 update includes a technology known as High Dynamic Resolution to help users take better photos. Whenever a [...]

Disney unleashed Epic Mickey Trailers

batchblogs — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:10:07 +0000

Disney unleashed two new trailers and a batch of new screenshots for Epic Mickey at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle. You can see Mickey in action in the Dark Beauty Castle and watch the complete intro movie. First up is that intro movie, the second part of which was premiered at the show. It sees Mickey Mouse [...]

Stosur reach US Open quarters, beats Dementieva

batchblogs — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:06:38 +0000

Sam Stosur won the latest-finishing women’s match in U.S. Open history, erasing four match points to beat 2004 runner-up Elena Dementieva 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (2) in the fourth round. There were 15 service breaks in the 2-hour, 38-minute match that officially ended at 1:35 a.m. Monday, when Stosur converted her second match point. “When everyone stays out [...]

Clooney’s ‘The American’ now Tops Box Office

batchblogs — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:03:32 +0000

George Clooney’s “The American” has taken over last weekend’ box office number one “Takers.” Jennifer Aniston’s “The Switch” has been dropped from the top 10 just after 3 weekends. “The American,” with a reported $20 million budget, opened Wednesday and has amassed $16.1 million in the U.S. alone. According to eonline.com, it is Clooney’s first number [...]

Latest sighting of supposedly extinct Red Fox in Yosemite National Park

batchblogs — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:57:26 +0000

The genetic signature of canine slobber on a bait bag of chicken scraps and a fuzzy photograph snapped by a motion-sensitive camera north of Yosemite National Park have confirmed the existence of a supposedly extinct red fox, the U.S. Forest Service announced this week. “The last known sighting of a Sierra Nevada red fox in the [...]

Murray out in US Open, beaten by Wawrinka

batchblogs — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:53:45 +0000

Andy Murray was as confused as the rest of us in defeat and piercing his despondency was a struggle as we sought to discover why his usually pitch-perfect fitness deserted him when he needed it against Stanislas Wawrinka in the US Open. Another grand slam championship has slipped by and, after four sets of anxious and [...]