Fanatix The Portugal captain turns his talent to another sport.
Real Madrid supremo Cristiano Ronaldo dropped in on the LA Dodgers during the Spanish?s side?s current tour of the USA and showed off his skills by juggling a baseball with his feet. The 28-year-old, who has emerged this summer as a transfer target for former side Manchester United, was also given the honour of starting the match between the Dodgers and New York Yankees by throwing the first pitch.
It might be a bit much to say that one of the new features packed into Android's 4.3 upgrade is controversial, but it's definitely one worth knowing a little bit more about. As those who have taken a spin around the Android 4.3 ROM have noticed, Google has made a change to devices' Wi-Fi settings in Android 4.3.
"To improve location accuracy and for other purposes, Google and other apps may scan for nearby networks, even when Wi-Fi is off," describes Google.
Android Police's Ron Amadeo notes that the move is actually probably designed to save one's battery life instead of wasting it, given that the only other way for one's smartphone to discern one's location is to kick on the battery-draining GPS. However, he also calls out Google's interesting use of language in its disclaimer ? specifically, the "other purposes" bit.
"Those 'other purposes' probably (that means this is the speculation part) involves shipping that Wi-Fi location data back to Google, which is how the Wi-Fi location service currently functions. The only way to use Wi-Fi hotspots for location data is to build a map of SSID (hotspot name) locations. You do that by running around with a GPS and Wi-Fi chip and virtually stick Wi-Fi pins on a map," Amadeo writes.
To check and see whether your phone has this feature enabled by default (a number do not), you'll have to navigate through to the very bowels of your Android operating system's settings ? Google doesn't exactly make this feature all that easy to flick on and off. Here's how:
Fire up the Settings app and tap your finger on the Wireless and Networks option. Tap on the Wi-Fi option, and then tap on the Menu button on your phone's lower-right-hand corner (the triple-dots icon). When the submenu pops up, tap your finger on the Advanced option. From there, you'll want to make sure to check the "Scanning always available" option if you want to participate in the new Android 4.3 feature. Otherwise, if it's checked, you need merely to uncheck it to ensure that "Wi-Fi off" really means "Wi-Fi off."
It's important to reiterate that numerous reports have come in from Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Galaxy Nexus owners ? to name a few ? who all indicate that this feature remains off by default when they've updated their devices to Android 4.3. Which is to say, it's more important that you know about this potentially useful setting than to freak out about it, but it's also worth checking this, and many of Android's other "Advanced" wireless configuration options, when you've upgraded your mobile OS!
Former White Stripes singer Jack White has provided an answer in court to his former wife Karen Elson, who had a restraining order issued against him last week and has petitioned that he submit to a psychiatric exam.
Rolling Stone obtained court documents from Davidson County Circuit Court in Nashville in which White objects to being characterized as an unfit father to their two children. In the countermotion, his lawyer Cathy Speers Johnson writes, "The reason for filing this response is that Mr. White does not want to be portrayed as something he is not, violent toward his wife and children."
The note also refers to emails the pair sent one another, including one dated May 19, 2013, where she calls him an "amazing father." The motion for a psychiatric exam is described as "inflammatory . . . . disingenuous, fraudulent and retaliatory and simply designed to malign him in the public record or to gain an upper hand in this litigation."
He said he did not oppose the restraining order, but objected to limited communication with his children.
White noted that Elson left the children in his care after signing the restraining order affidavit and then went on a "work/pleasure trip" in New York. "One who was truly fearful of another would not leave their children alone with that person for 10 days," the response noted. "The truth of the matter is that Ms. Elson is not fearful for herself or the parties' minor children."
In Elson's filing, she had referred to a musician White had particular enmity toward ? going so far as to wanting to have his child removed from a class where that musician's child was also taking part ? and White's countermotion revealed that the singer in question was The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach.?
In one email, writes?The Hollywood Reporter, White called Aeurbach a "derogatory name" and said he didn't want to spend the next 12 years of their children's schooling "with people trying to lump us together."
White's spokesperson told THR that he would only comment in court filings on the case, and Auerbach's spokesperson said he had no comment. Auerbach?is also going through a divorce, as announced in February.
Although Windows Media Player has been reinvented numerous times, it's still a frustrating app to use. And in Windows 8, the basic music player just doesn't have enough features to keep us tuned.
So we thought it would be a great idea to round up the best of the rest - the greatest alternatives for music playing and editing on your PC. Here's the list.
1. Get sorted with iTunes
It might be an Apple product, but we'd be remiss to not talk about iTunes. It does it all: it's a music player, a media browser and organiser, and a tool to help set up your iPod, iPhone and iPad.
The iTunes Store helps you to discover and buy new music, too. The latest version has a new stripped-down look, with a simpler, cleaner interface. Most of the key playback options can be controlled from the Mini Player, creating and managing playlists is easier than before, and the store works more like it does on iPhones and iPads, which makes a lot of sense.
iTunes is all about Apple devices of course, and it does its best to get you into the store (you can't get album art until you're logged into an account, for instance).
2. Move it with Musiczen
If your music folder has got into a real mess, with MP3s scattered everywhere, then getting them properly organised can seem like a real challenge - until you run MusicZen. Point the program at your chaotic folder and it will scan all your MP3s automatically, reading their tags, then copying (or moving) them to new folders based on the artist, album, song title and more.
The program is incredibly simple, so you'll have your MP3s reordered in no time. If you've been amassing a collection of tunes over the years, MusicZen is essential.
3. Find songs on YouTube
There are plenty of YouTube search tools around, but MP3jam is a little different from most; instead of helping you access videos more easily, this program is all about music. Just enter a search term - an artist, song name or album title - and it'll quickly return any results, some of which even have album art.
Considering how many artists are forthcoming about uploading their newest tracks to Youtube these days (and considering the number of exclusive remixes you'll find on there), this is invaluable. Each song title has a 'Play' button, allowing you to stream it from the web.
4. The classic player
With 16 years of development under its belt, it's no surprise that Winamp - which can only be described as a classic in software terms - is one of the most capable music players around. The program supports more than 60 audio and video formats.
It can quickly scan your PC for audio files (or import your iTunes library), then organise your music in many different ways. You can create playlists, update and edit your MP3 tags, read more about your favourite artists, and access thousands of free audio and video channels.
5. Import and organise
iTunes is a great choice if you want to work with iOS devices, but if you have an Android phone or tablet - or you're just looking for a better way to organise your ever-expanding music collection - then it could be time to give MediaMonkey a try instead.
The program quickly imports even the largest music libraries, and can then automatically rename your MP3s, moving them into a logical folder structure, fixing tags and notifying you of any duplicates.
There are lots of playlist options, and the core player offers lots of features and can be extended with a huge range of effects. If you want to share your music, it's easy to sync with Apple or Android (and other) devices, or UPnP/DNLA compatible devices such as TVs, Blu-ray players and more.
6. Rename your tracks
Advanced Renamer is a powerful tool for renaming, copying or moving files. If your MP3 library is a mess, then it can give your files new names based on audio tags, change the case of a file name, add or remove text, change a file's attributes or timestamps, and even copy or move MP3s to new locations based on their tags (a specific folder for that artist or album, for example). It's one of the most useful tools if you're serious about keeping your music collection in check.
7. Keep it simple
If other MP3 organisers and players seem too bulky and complicated, you might prefer Foobar2000. Just like other music management tools, this program helps you build and organise your music library, create playlists and sort out your tags. The interface is very configurable, and its excellent music player supports lots of formats, gapless playback, gain to level out volume across tracks and more.
Despite all this, Foobar2000 requires only 7MB of hard drive space, and can even be installed in 'portable' mode, so it won't touch your Registry or install any extra components that might clutter your hard drive. It also has a refreshingly simple interface.
8. Quick conversion
Just as its name suggests, Freemake Audio Converter is an excellent tool for converting audio files into a more useful format. If you have a portable music player or smartphone that can't play some of your tunes, Freemake could well be the answer to your musical prayers.
Freemake includes support for writing most formats, including MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, AAC, M4A and OGG files. Various audio settings (bitrate, sample rate, channels) are there to help you get the best compromise between sound quality and file size, so you can even use it to shrink your files down to fit onto a smaller player.
9. Record and edit
Audacity is a capable and feature-packed audio editor, but is still relatively straightforward to use. Import an MP3 file and you'll see the usual waveform-type display. It's easy to zoom in and select the area you need, and then you can cut or delete it, or perhaps copy or paste it elsewhere.
If you need more power, the Effects menu reveals 40 options, including change pitch, equalisation, normalise and more. It's great for making your own music or podcasts.
10. Play almost anything
If you're looking for a player that's simple and easy to use, but also has some power when you need it, then why not grab a copy of VLC Media Player. You can use the program as a very simple on-demand player. Select one MP3 or an entire album and it'll begin playing, and you can reduce the interface to just a single toolbar and some album art, allowing you to enjoy your music without cluttering your desktop and distracting you.
Despite its simplicity, the program works with just about every media type, including MP3 files, video, CDs and more. There's simple media library management, playlist creation and tag editing. Its graphic equaliser, compressor and spatialiser help deliver great sound, the interface is extremely configurable, and plug-ins add more power when you really need it. What more could you want?
Alrosa plans to hold a rough diamond tender in Israel, during the summer edition of the US & International Diamond Week, in August. This endeavour culminated after a series of talks between Yuri Okoyomov, vice-president of Alrosa and Yair Sahar, president of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE). Featuring in the August tender will be individual, large diamonds, larger than 10.8 carats. Viewing of the tender lots is scheduled from August 20-29, at the offices of Archos Diamonds (Israel), Alrosa's representative office in the Ramat Gan diamond exchange complex. In the current year, 2013, Alrosa and IDE have held three successful tenders with two additional tenders, including one in August.
"Alrosa is very pleased to continue its cooperation with the Israel Diamond Exchange and in particular with the effective and fruitful talks we have held with IDE president Yair Sahar, who has proven an excellent partner in this project. This project has across-the-board support of the Alrosa management, and in particular of our company's president, Fyodor Andreev," Mr. Okoyomov said in a statement.
"Alrosa fully recognizes Israel's stature as a major, dynamic diamond manufacturing and trading hub that is among the leading centers in the world. We are confident that next month's tender will serve toward the further broadening and strengthening of our mutual business interests and will bode well for the future", added Mr. Okoyomov.
Mr. Sahar IDE president Yair Sahar mentioned that the exchange is working hard to intensify and diversify Alrosa's business activities in the Israeli diamond center. "Israel's diamond expertise, experience and abilities in diamond manufacturing remain unparalleled. Therefore, to sustain and develop our industry, we are consistently and continuously seeking not only to increase the supply of rough but also to diversify it the best we can. Our cooperation with Alrosa and the ensuing organization of rough diamond tenders, are part the efforts of the IDE's board and management to create tangible added value for the members of our exchange," Sahar said.
Two Asheville Tourists baseball players are accused of raping a woman at their apartment.
The Asheville Police Department says Michael Mason and Jesse Meaux were charged Thursday with two counts of first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sex offense. Both of the relief pitchers are 23 years old. They are being held at the Buncombe County jail on $100,000 bond each.
A court hearing is set for Friday.
According to arrest reports released by the department, the alleged rape occurred early last Saturday.
The Colorado Rockies said in a statement that the Major League team and its affiliate are shocked and deeply concerned by the allegations. It has suspended both players. Both organizations are working with authorities.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
NEW YORK (AP) ? The price of oil is suddenly marching upward again.
Oil rose $2.86 a barrel Thursday, for a two-day gain of $4.81, or 4.7 percent. That erased a $4 decline in the week ended Tuesday.
Positive signs on the global economy were the catalyst Thursday. Data from China and Europe showed improvement in manufacturing. In the U.S., in addition to a strong report on manufacturing, a drop in unemployment claims indicated a strengthening job market.
Even with those signs of improvement, global central bankers show no inclination of easing up on measures that have kept interest rates at historic lows ? and prompted investment in riskier assets like oil and stocks.
On Thursday Mario Draghi, head of the European Central Bank, indicated it is nowhere near withdrawing its help for the euro area's economy. On Wednesday the U.S. Federal Reserve hinted that it's not ready to slow its bond-buying program, which has kept long-term rates low in an effort to boost borrowing and spending.
At the gas pump, drivers paid an average of $3.63 Thursday, down 3 cents from a week ago, but still 11 cents higher than at this time a year ago.
Benchmark oil for September delivery gained 2.7 percent to close at $107.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
On Friday attention will be focused on the release of hiring figures for July, which will be examined for hints about future energy demand in the world's No. 1 economy.
Brent crude, traded on the ICE Futures exchange in London, rose $1.84 to finish at $109.54 per barrel.
In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:
? Heating oil was up 4 cents to end at $3.10 a gallon.
? Natural gas fell 6 cents to finish at $3.39 per 1,000 cubic feet.
? Wholesale gasoline rose 3 cents to end at $3.03 a gallon.
We just got a very intimate look at the just announced Moto X, a flagship device from Motorola. Needless to say, it?s going to be fighting against some of the greats in the space, and with that in mind, people are going to wonder if it?ll have enough power in its punch to dethrone the mighty iPhone 5 from its throne. It?s Motorola?s long awaited flagship against the iPhone 5, so we?re taking a sneak peek at how the two compare against one another.
Display:
From a far glance, we can?t deny the fact that our eyes are more attracted to the 4.7-inch 720p AMOLED display of the Moto X, since its vibrant colors just reels us in much more than anything else. With the Apple iPhone 5, it bears a modest 4-inch Retina Display (640 x 1136 pixels) that continues to give us colors that are more realistic looking, but for some reason, our eyes still favor the saturated tones put out by the Moto X. Naturally, details are pretty much identical with the two.
Design:
Here?s the thing, the iPhone 5 absolutely has the premium element on its side, since its brushed aluminum rear casing just delivers that polished quality ? whereas with the Moto X, it employs a rubbery composite frame. However, the Moto X offers better ergonomics with its curved rear casing, which enables us to grasp the handset in a more natural position. Out of everything, though, we?re mesmerized to find that the Moto X is extremely convincing with its overall size, as it?s just a smidgen larger than the iPhone 5, which interestingly enough hosts a smaller 4-inch display.
Another item worth mentioning about the Moto X, we like how there?s a personalized touched with it as well. Unlike the iPhone, which is only available in black or white, there?s an insane level of customization attached to the Moto X. Sure, its construction might not feel as sturdy as Apple?s pride and joy, but heck, some people will surely appreciate the options available with Moto Maker ? Moto?s online portal for designing the handset from scratch.
Interface:
Quite frankly, we already know where this is headed. Android continues to show accelerated growth with its functionality ? despite the fact that iOS still has some better looking and performing apps than Android. And with the introduction of the Moto X, they?re clearly focusing a lot of effort with the experience, as some of its new features really puts it ahead of what Apple has on the iPhone 5 right now. From Touchless Controls to its Active Display, there?s no denying that the gap is widening even more between these two rival platforms.
They don?t sport the most threatening hardware under their hoods, but their processors are effective enough to deliver remarkable performances. In fact, they?re able to run most tasks with the same level of finesse and ease ? then again, it?s hard to distinguish what the Moto X can do at this point, since we haven?t spent enough time dealing it with some intensive processes.
Expectations:
Finally, Motorola has a device that can tangle with the iPhone 5?s reach, namely due to the handset?s upcoming availability with all major wireless carriers in the US. There have been many devices to eclipse the iPhone in terms of hardware and software experiences, but as we?ve come to see time after time, they still are unable to dethrone it from the top of the ladder. In order to do so, the Moto X requires that balanced set of features and performance to prove that it?s a worthy candidate in making the challenge very interesting.
Motorola Moto X vs Apple iPhone 5 first look Fullscreen
I was so busy yesterday with the new Crochet Buzz show and preparing for the last webinar for the blog challenge that I completely forgot to post the linky.
Okay, so I?m preparing to do a 15 week blog tour and releasing my book on the first of August ? Yes, just little preoccupied.
This is a Bloglovin? Linky which unlike other linky?s you link to your blog url, your store url, or your bloglovin url NOT the blog post. The purpose is to follow each other?s blogs and stores.
Welcome to Bloglovin? Blog Hop #12
Hosted by
Mel?s Daisy Patch
?I?m changing things up a little this month. The hops for this month will be for your Bloglovin? account, your blog, your shop or all three.
Rules
1. Grab the button above and put it on your side bar, in your linky list, or?in a post so everyone knows where you link up.
2. Follow your host and co-hosts on Bloglovin? or their Blog. Please leave us a comment so we know you are new and can come visit you also.
3. Link up your Bloglovin? URL, Blog URL, Shop URL or all three. Please DO NOT link up a specific post just the blog URL. Please save the specific posts for The?Monday Funday Hop.
4. Hop around and visit some of the other blogs listed. ?Who knows, you might make some lifelong friends in the process. Make sure to leave them a comment so they can visit you as well.
5. Please visit our sponsors pages also.?
Note: ?All links are being checked for spam sites and malware sites. If you click on a link and it leads somewhere it shouldn?t please contact your host so we can delete it.
Your Host:
Your Co- Hosts:
If you are interested in Co-Hosting please contact the host by using the contact page HERE. THERE IS NO FEE FOR CO-HOSTING. I will add new co-hosts weekly and the hop will run for a month.
If you would like to sponsor the hop, please contact me with the link above. Your ad will be placed just below the linkup image below for everyone to see and on the sidebar for the month. Sponsorship is $5.00 for the month and all you have to do is sit here on the post and look pretty.?
Apple recently announced sales of 14.6 million iPads during the quarter, which was down a few million from the previous quarter and the same time period the year before. But Cupertino has nothing to worry about when compared to Microsoft, which is clearly struggling to move its Surface tablet, according to new financial filings.
In its quarterly Form 10-K filing, Redmond revealed that Surface revenue was $853 million between Oct. 2012 and June 2013.
That might not seem too shabby, but Microsoft recently incurred a $900 million charge for Surface RT inventory adjustments, and boosted advertising costs for Windows 8 and the Surface by $898 million.
According to May data from IDC, Microsoft shipped 900,000 Surface tablets during the first quarter, with reports of 1.5 million sold between October and March.
The news comes shortly after Microsoft dropped the price on the Surface RT tablets by $150. The 32GB iteration of the tablet dipped from $499 to $349, while the 64GB was slashed from $649 to $499.
During a recent earnings call, Microsoft's CFO said the price cut would increase the viability of the struggling device in the market.
In July, Microsoft teamed up with third-party sellers to help move more Surface tablets. Through the Microsoft Devices Program, the 10 chosen companies can resell Surface Pro and Surface RT devices to commercial customers, helping to activate a chain of sales to businesses, schools, and universities.
For more, see PCMag's reviews of the Surface RT and Surface Pro.
