Remember that time Spanish device maker BQ started promoting a new, Ubuntu-powered tablet
before Canonical was ready to start talking about it? Well, the Ubuntu
developer finally decided to get chatty. As expected, the device is a
Ubuntu-fied version of BQ's existing Aquaris M10 tablet, with just about
everything from the 10.1-inch display to the quad-core MediaTek MT8163A
chipset left unchanged. The biggest difference centers on what
Canonical calls "Convergence" — the updated M10 is the first bit of consumer Ubuntu hardware that acts like a full-blown PC when you connect a keyboard, mouse and display to it.
Ubuntu's tablet ambitions stretch back for years -- Canonical released an Ubuntu installer for the original Nexus 7, and a preview version of Ubuntu Touch was made available for the Nexus 10.
It's a little surprising that it took this long for a full-blown Ubuntu
tablet to hit the market, but better late than never, we guess. Anyway,
once those peripherals are connected, Ubuntu's touch-friendly interface
shifts into a more familiar desktop view, allowing you to multitask,
run desktop apps and manage mobile apps you already have installed. New
software can be had after a quick trip to the platform's single app
store, too, and Canonical has to draw lots of attention there if it
wants people to seriously consider Ubuntu gadgetry as a functional
alternative to other mobile platforms.
If that all sounds familiar, it's because Microsoft's direction with its new Windows Phones
is nearly identical. Both approaches focus on the ability to let a
device's computing power — and the software that harnesses that power —
to thrive no matter what display is attached to it. Unfortunately for
Ubuntu, Microsoft's seemingly endless cash and talent hasn't kept
Windows 10's Continuum feature from feeling like a fancy, hamstrung
add-on. The situation has slowly gotten better as developers continue to
explore what's capable with universal apps -- hopefully, Ubuntu doesn't
run into similar growing pains.
At the
same time, Canonical is finally delivering on its promise to deliver one
codebase for all devices. The upshot is you'll be able to use the first
Ubuntu tablet, the Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet, as a PC as well
as a tablet.
Back in 2010, I was one of the first people to get my hands on Ubuntu Linux's new Unity PC interface. Back then I wrote, "Unity is not just a desktop interface though. It's also Ubuntu's one master interface for desktops, netbooks, and someday, tablets." That day has come. It took a while, but the first Ubuntu Linux-powered tablet--the Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet--is here.
Canonical
On February 4th, Canonical announced its launch of the first Ubuntu tablet: the Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet. This tablet will be available in March through BQ's online store,
It will have the following specs:
10.1 inch touchscreen with 1080p video
MediaTek quad-core MT8163A 1.5GHz processor
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage, approximately 11GBs is available for use
MicroSD slot (up to 64GB)
802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, FM Radio
8-megapixel camera with autofocus and dual flash
Front mounted speakers
Micro HDMI port
7,280mAh Li-Po battery
Built by the Spanish OEM BQ, the 10-inch M10 is the first Ubuntu tablet. There are already Ubuntu smartphones such as the Aquaris E4.5 and E5 HD smartphones and China's Meizu MX4 smartphone.
Pricing has not been announced yet. Sources tell me though to expect it to cost 230 Euros or $260.
While
the tablet sounds nice in its own right, it also features a dynamically
adaptive user experience. In short it can give you both a true tablet
experience and the full Ubuntu desktop experience. In other words, you
can use it as a tablet, or with an HDMI monitor and a Bluetooth mouse
and keyboard as a PC. That sounds great to me.
Canonical has been working towards this goal of one operating system and one interface for all devices for years. It's finally here. In a statement, Jane Silber, Canonical CEO said:
We're
bringing you everything you've come to expect from your Ubuntu PC, now
on the tablet with BQ, soon on smartphones. This isn't a phone interface
stretched to desktop size - it's the right user experience and
interaction model for the given situation. Also, in terms of
applications, we have something no other OS can provide: A single,
visual framework and set of tools for applications to run on any type of
Ubuntu smart device.
In an interview, Silber explained,
that the Aquaris M10 runs the same code at the Ubuntu smartphones and
desktop operating system. The interface automatically changes for your
device. So, when you use it as a tablet, it has the Unity tablet look
and feel. Connect it with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and you get
the PC interface. Just add monitor, jeyboard and mouse and the new Ubuntu tablet can work as a PC. Silber
continued, "We're not out to win the tablet market. We want to win the
reinvention of the PC experience. Today, the PC, tablet and smartphone
markets are not really different things. It's what we're doing on our
devices that's important. By providing one code base for all devices,
our view of convergence will make it easier to deal with blurring of
form factors." She added that OEMs and programmers will be able to
create customized interfaces and applications with the fragmentation
that has bedeviled the Android market.
Canonical is on to
something. Today, I work on my smartphone, a Samsung Galaxy 5; my
tablet, a 2013 Nexus 7; and multiple PCs. It would be great if I could
work with the same programs in fundamentally the same way on each of
them. Android devices have multiple annoying differences between OEM
versions and little desktop presence. Windows is desktop bound; its
smartphone and tablet efforts have failed. And, Apple's Mac OS X and iOS
are really different operating system that happen to be running on
parallel tracks. While users don't care, Silber pointed out that for
companies supporting a single operating system across platforms would
make end-point management much easier.
I've said for a while now that we won't have a year of the Linux desktop.
But, what we will have -- already have really thanks to Android's
domination of smartphones and tablets -- is a year where more users use
Linux than any other operating system. The Canonical Ubuntu universal
system for all devices may well prove to be another large step in that
direction.
Several things about the 2016 Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG qualify as astounding.
Let’s
rattle a few of them off: You’ve got a giant 12-cylinder engine on a
5,000-plus pound rig that worked initially as military transport for the
Shah of Iran—and, later, as the preferred vehicle for the Pope. It’s
heavy, but with a sprint time of 5.3 seconds it hits 60mph much faster
than an Audi A4.
Source: Mercedes-Benz USA/Wieck
You’ve
got a body style on the G-Class that has hardly changed in nearly 40
years. There have been some slight changes—mostly in paint and chrome
options—to that aquiline face and gilded tank body but hardly anything
anyone would consider an actual face-lift.
And
most astounding of all, you’ve got the price tag: $223,575 for the one I
drove last week through New York. Staggering, isn’t it? (At 282,208.50
euros in the European market, the AMG G65 EDITION 463 costs even more.)
You could buy a very respectable Aston Martin or Ferrari for that much
dough.
Some have decried the famous G-Wagon, as it is called, for
its stiff ride, small back seat, and deplorable gas mileage (11mpg in
the city might have been fine in ’79, but it doesn’t quite cut it in
2016). Those are legitimate complaints.
Photographer: Hannah Elliot/Bloomberg
But the G-Wagon makes no pretense to anything otherwise. And that, in its way, is refreshing.
Expensive, But Unforgettable
The
G-Wagon family is one of the longest-running cars ever produced by
Mercedes/Daimler, produced by the hundreds of thousands and lauded by
cults of loyalists. Many people happily spend thousands of extra dollars
on this, basically for the bragging rights of owning one, because while
the G-Wagon AMG has many nice qualities, they don’t all really add up
to that $224K pricetag. The extra little bump in the numbers is the
premium required to drive something with that “luxury heritage”
(buzzwords that have lost much potency in recent years) branding behind
it.
Here’s the irony—when it
comes at least to price, the closest competitor this old,
already-collectable rig is so young it’s not even on the streets yet.
The $231,000 Bentley Bentayga, while arguably less adept off-road, is
more luxurious inside and, while less powerful, a full second faster to
60mph. Even though it looks quite different, it’s the closest thing in
the market that to my mind captures the price-range, prestige and
performance of the G-Wagon.
Mercedes G Wagon, driven through snow.
Photographer: Hannah Elliot/Bloomberg
As
for other competitors, you could compare the G-Wagon to a Land
Rover—the closest SUV to it when it comes to old school iconography,
legit European heritage, and inarguable cool, but which costs $100,000
dollars less. Or choose the SUVs from Porsche or BMW, which are also
much less expensive, more ubiquitous, and, for many buyers, not nearly
as alluring. G-Wagon does indeed carry over from its military days an
undeniable swag that relative newcomer competitors can’t quite capture.
All
of this is to say, there’s nothing quite like the G65 AMG. I’m not
going to deny that I had strong feelings in favor of its looks before I
drove it. I have a friend who has driven the same stainless steel
version back and forth to Montauk for years (sometimes he even lets me
drive!). I have fond memories of that car sitting on the grass and in
the sand out there, or parked in front of his latest downtown party on
the nights I venture out to join him. To me, the car signifies good
times.
Old-School Looks
I like how tall and square it
is—it reminds me of safaris and exploration and adventurers from past
decades, when travel was glorious, unexpected, and a little dangerous.
Don’t be fooled - the double-crossbar chrome front bumper combo is
mostly cosmetic—don’t expect to tow anything attached to it—but it
fences in the beast like a dark polished bit on a bridle. The square
windows lined around the car allow maximum visibility (there could be a
smidge more out the rear window, but the blind spot warning system and
rear-view camera do help); their privacy glass adds to the general
mystique that you’ll achieve when you drive this. The high wheel covers,
21-inch five-twin light alloy wheels that are polished in ceramic with
red brake calipers, and the wide stance all, communicate assurance, too.
Bulletproof windows don’t come standard on this thing, but you’ll probably feel like you already have them, anyway.
Interior Trim
The
interior mixes primitive points with modern trim. In the G-Wagon,
cigarette lighters and ash trays are still a thing, as is the manual
turn-key ignition, which is getting rarer by the minute on luxury cars,
and cup holders indented into the back side of the glove compartment, so
they don’t take up extra space. You’ll half expect to have to roll down
the widows by hand.
The interior.
Photographer: Hannah Elliot/Bloomberg
On
the other hand, the carbon fiber panels across the dashboard and doors,
the swank Napa quilted seats, and the easy, intuitive computer screen
and entertainment technology seem fresh and relevant, designed well for
the current age. The front screen is pleasantly small, so as not to
distract; the AMG shifter remains discrete. They’re unobtrusive rather
than over-thought.
Also inside, the heated 10-way power front
seats inflate or deflate on command—the only problem, of course, is that
adjustability can’t magically add room to the back seat, which was
cramped even for the two sub-6’foot surfers I drove to Lido Beach last
week.
The rear seat does fold down, however, into an easy split
large enough to accommodate surf boards, wet suits and gear bags all
within the back. And the headroom in the G-Wagon is possibly unequalled
by anything that still has a top.
A Tight Ride
What does
it feel like to drive? About what you’d expect: Tall, tight, and fast if
hulky, at least after that initial turbo-charge lull. The 2016 AMG G65
has a 6.0-liter AMG V12 biturbo engine with 621 horsepower and
738-foot-pounds of torque. That’s a lot of guts—for perspective, the
much-less-expensive G63 gets 536 horsepower and 560 lb-ft from a
twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8; the G550 offers 382 horsepower and 391 lb-ft
from its naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8. (Remember, all of these
models look the same from the outside, except for some differential
badging and option packages available with each.)
The G-Wagon has
permanent all wheel drive, a 4-wheel electronic traction system, and
three independent differential locks. (Yes, I did use those differential
locks on the sand at Lido, though I suspect I would never use them if I
owned this car.) You’ll bump around a bit on the road when you drive
it—the chassis is stiffer than you might expect—this is a hard hunk of
diamond on wheels, after all. The brakes on this glam stagecoach are
massive and rock-solid; its turning radius is about as wide as a
football field.
We tested the G Wagon with some real surfers, who liked the ruggedness of the car, but wished for more leg room in the back.
Photographer: Hannah Elliot/Bloomberg
The “G-Wagon” moniker stands for Geländewagen, which is German for "cross country vehicle.” If you want, you can indeed take it across hill and dale—but if all you
care about is doing that, you’re better served saving a hundred grand
and buying something solid from Land Rover, or Jeep, or Toyota.
If,
however, you have the means to join the ranks of the G-Wagon elite, who
brandish a collectible vintage design that is modern, functional and
austere in its richness, this is your ride.
Cape Town - If there is one word
that sums up the updated Mercedes-Benz A-Class, released in South
Africa this week, it is 'smooth'.
Engineered to do what
it does without fuss while cosseting you in enhanced comfort, even the
relatively minor styling 'nip and tuck' is all about a more aerodynamic
front bumper, faired-in tailpipes and an understated diamond grille.
But
under that, of course, there's an upgraded adaptive suspension that
goes from Mom's Taxi to Dad's Dragster, through 'Comfort', 'Eco',
'Sport' and 'Individual' at the twist of a Dynamic Select selector,
remapping the responses of the engine, transmission, suspension,
steering and even the air conditioning at each setting.
Acceleration
sensors measure body movement, steering angle, steering speed and yaw
rate, and vary the damping rate at each wheel individually.
Dynamic
Select is standard on the A220d and A250, as well as all variants with
dual-clutch transmission, AMG-line package or lowered suspension, but
it's an extra-cost option on baseline A200 and A200d models New A-Class: now with added comfort
The
A-Class is available here in a choice of two 2.2-litre diesel, one
1595cc and two 1991cc petrol variants, all turbocharged, starting with
the A200d (that's right, the CDI badging gives way to a simpler 'd' for
diesel), rated at 100kW and 300Nm, while the A220d is slightly upgraded
from the outgoing A-Class to 130kW and 350Nm.
It's also more
efficient than the A200, recording nominal fuel-consumption of 4.2
litres per 100km versus 4.5 for its detuned brother.
The
entry-level 1.6-litre A200 turbopetrol is good for 115kW and 250Nm while
warming the globe at a nominal 5.7 litres per 100km, followed by the
two-litre A250 Sport, which ups the ante to 155kW and 350Nm, at a cost
of 6.3 litres per 100km.
And then there's the Big Dawg of the
A-Class kennel, the A45 AMG 4Matic, barking out 280kW at 6000 revs and
475Nm from 2250-5000rpm - good enough, thanks to improved aerodynamic
and revised gear ratios, for a 0-100km/h getaway in a whiplash-inducing
4.2 seconds (nearly half a second quicker than its predecessor) while
slurping a nominal 7.3 litres per 100km under laboratory conditions. INTERIOR
The
cabin trim has also been upgraded with a new beige/black leather combo
for the Exclusive package and a new seat design with red or green
highlights in the Style line. A new seat cushion with up to 60mm of
adjustment is standard across the range.
There a new instrument
cluster with tubular dial housings and new graphics, anodised electrical
switchgear and a big, free-standing infotainment display - also
optionally available with an even bigger eight inch screen.
LED
headlights are standard on the A45 AMG and A250 Sport, and an option on
the A220d, A200d and A200. Another option is ambient lighting with a
choice of 12 colours and five dimming levels.
More importantly,
the driver assistance systems have been upgraded, adding autonomous
braking to reduce the risk of rear-ending the car in front of you, while
the drowsiness detection system now operates from 60-200km/h, using a
five-bar display to tell you exactly how tired you are. MOTORSPORT EDITION
Available
for any A-Class except the A45 AMG, the Motorsport Edition celebrates
the achievements of L Hamilton, Esq, with petrol green insets in the
front and rear bumper trim and on the AMG rear spoiler, as well as the
flanges of the AMG rims and (on the A250 Sport only) the side mirror
housings.
Inside, the bezels of the air-vents are finished in
petrol green, to match the contrast stitching on the black
leather/Dinamica microfibre upholstery and the decorative strips in the
seatbelts. PRICES
A200 - R389 200
A200 AT - R407 200
A200d - R419 200
A200d AT - R437 200
A220d AT - R460 100
A250 Sport AT - R491 500
A45 AMG AT - R683 600
An updated version of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class has arrived in
South Africa, with the German automaker touting its ability to mix
performance and comfort.
The Stuttgart-based manufacturer says its Dynamic Select system
allows the driver to change the vehicle's characteristics at the touch
of a button.
The updated A-Class is offered in two diesel and three petrol
variants: the A 200 d and A220 d and the A 200, A 250 Sport and
Mercedes-AMG 45 4MATIC.
The range-topping A 45 gains a boost in power, with its 280kW and
475Nm making it the world's most powerful compact sports model. This
sees its sprint to 100km/h fall by four-tenths to just 4.2 seconds.
The A 220 d, meanwhile, now has a slightly higher output of 130kW while the A 250 Sport now develops 155kW.
"With the Dynamic Select driving programme selector, the new chassis
with adaptive damping, and LED high-performance headlamps, the new
generation of the A-Class demonstrates just how high the level of
innovation can be in this segment," said Florian Seidler, Co-CEO
Mercedes-Benz South Africa & Executive Director Mercedes-Benz Cars.
"With this model update we are now meeting the wishes of many
customers for even more comfort with no loss of dynamic performance,"
said Seidler.
The A 220 d and the A 250 Sport models are equipped with Dynamic
Select as standard, while the system is also included in all models with
7G-DCT, AMG Line, or lowered suspension. Dynamic Select is available as
an option for the A 200 and the A 200 d.
Exterior styling updates include a new front bumper and newly designed tail-lights.
Inside, there's a new instrument cluster and anodised switches. The
frameless display of the infotainment system is now optionally available
with a larger eight-inch screen. New colours and materials, as well as
new finishes for the trim in the dashboard, are also on offer. Pricing: Mercedes-Benz A 200: R389 200 Mercedes-Benz A 200 d: R419 200 Mercedes-Benz A 220 d: R460 100 Mercedes-Benz A 250 Sport: R491 500 Mercedes-AMG A 45 4MATIC: R683 600
Google's market capitalisation will soon surpass Apple's,
despite the fact it makes less profit in a year than Apple does in a
quarter.
Marcio Jose Sanchez
by
Financial Times
Unless the market sobers up, Google's market capitalisation will soon surpass Apple's for the first time since 2010.
The
real re-rating occurred in 2015, with Google's addition of a new chief
financial officer. Hopes for cost control and transparency, under the
new brand of Alphabet, followed Ruth Porat's arrival.
Reality on
those fronts is less than the hype. Operating expenses dipped to 36 per
cent of revenue in fourth-quarter results. But apart from in 2014, the
ratio was lower than 35 per cent in every quarter for the past 10 years.
Nor is there any guarantee that spending is on an altered trajectory.
In fact, there were repeated warnings that capital expenditure could
rise.
The vaunted segment reporting provides only two parts:
Google; and a division known winsomely as "other bets", which lumps
together self-driving cars, smart-home device maker Nest, fast-internet
provider Fiber and anti-ageing division Calico. Apple, known as a
fortress of secrecy, provides five reporting lines.
The real benefit is
that the core business can now be appreciated in all its glory. Set
aside the "moonshots", which, it turns out, reduce net income by $US3
billion a year, and the search division is doing very nicely indeed.
The
big fear for Google was that it would struggle with the transition to
the mobile internet: would users neglect to type search queries into a
small screen and would they spend their time in apps, which are hard for
Google to monetise? The evidence is reassuring. Paid clicks increased
at an accelerating rate of 31 per cent year on year. Revenue from
product listing advertisements was greater on mobile than desktop in the
main US shopping period.
Alphabet still makes less profit in a
year than Apple does in a quarter. The market cap milestone can be
justified only if Apple deteriorates more than forecast. Alphabet is not
going to cut costs enough to close the profit gulf quickly, but at
least it is searching for and finding top-line growth.
Nasa workers handled a special delivery as the massive Super Guppy aircraft opened to reveal the smaller - but equally precious - Orion capsule.
The Super Guppy, which landed on Monday at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, enables Nasa to fly spacecraft components around the world.
This time, the jumbo plane, with a 156 feet wingspan, was carrying the Orion space crew module, destined to fly at the top of the Space Launch System (SLS).
By the time it is completed in 2018, the SLS will be the biggest and most powerful rocket in the world and will be capable of sending humans to Mars.
Scroll down for video
The Supper Guppy landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Monday. It delivered the pressure vessel, or underlying structure, of the Orion space crew module
The Orion capsule (pictured) will fly on top of the Space Launch System (SLS). By the time it is completed in 2018, the SLS will be the largest, most powerful rocket in the world and will be capable of sending humans to Mars
Nasa plans to send astronauts on a first crewed flight aboard Orion in 2021. Then, the space crew module will be used for other missions in the 2020s.
Ultimately, Nasa hopes that a journey to Mars will be within reach in the 2030s.
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The Super Guppy's cargo compartment is 25 feet tall, 25 feet wide and 111 feet long. It can carry more than 26 tons.
The aircraft's hinged nose can open at an angle larger than 200 degrees, allowing workers to load and unload large pieces of equipment from its front.
Monday's delivery brought Orion's underlying structure, also known as the pressure vessel, to the Kennedy Space Center.
The pressure vessel was first assembled in Nasa's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. It took about four months for technicians to build it from seven large aluminum pieces.
The Super Guppy (pictured), which delivered Orion's pressure vessel, enables Nasa to fly spacecraft components around the world. Its cargo compartment is 25 feet tall, 25 feet wide and 111 feet long, and can carry more than 26 tons
The aircraft has a hinged nose that can open at an angle larger than 200 degrees, allowing workers to load and unload large pieces of equipment from its front
Orion (pictured inside the Super Guppy) is set to go on an uncrewed test flight beyond the moon in 2018. The capsule will travel for about three weeks, taking off from the Kennedy Space Center and touching down off the San Diego coast in the Pacific Ocean
The structure will fly on top of the SLS for a first uncrewed test flight in 2018. The flight, dubbed Exploration Mission-1, is meant to enable Nasa to test the spacecraft's ability to accomplish future missions into deep space.
It will be a three-week journey beyond the moon.
SLS and Orion will take off from Nasa's Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center. Orion will leave Earth's orbit and travel in the direction of the moon for several days.
The capsule will then orbit around the moon for about six days before traveling back to Earth. It will return to the atmosphere at 25,000 mph, reaching temperatures as high as 5,000 degrees Farenheit.
Nasa expects Orion to touch down off the San Diego coast in the Pacific Ocean.
The Space Launch System (pictured) will give Orion the big push it needs to leave Earth's orbit and head towards the moon during the first test flight in 2018. The flight will pave the way for future missions with astronauts on board
A manned mission to Mars is a little closer after a big move from NASA on Monday. A Super Guppy cargo jet was used to transfer the Orion spacecraft pressure vessel from Louisiana to Florida, where it will conduct a test flight in 2018.
“The pressure vessel will fly on the first integrated launch of Orion and NASA's powerful new rocket, the Space Launch System,” NASA posted on its website Monday. “The test flight, which will fly without crew, will demonstrate the agency’s new capability to launch future deep space missions, which include missions to an asteroid and Mars.”
The pressure vessel will provide life support for the astronauts eventually boarding Orion, NASA’s replacement to its Space Shuttle program. Just short of 11 feet tall, Orion will fit four astronauts.
After being upgraded for deep space exploration at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, the pressure vessel will be tested at the Kennedy Space Center before finally being aligned with the rest of the Orion spacecraft. But it was the humongous Super Guppy that captured much of the day’s attention.
Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer is set to reveal cost-cutting plans that include slashing 15pc of the company's workforce, or roughly 1,600 jobs, and closing several business units, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The plans are expected to be announced after Yahoo's fourth-quarter results on Tuesday, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. It did not specify which business units might be closed.
A Yahoo spokeswoman said the company could not comment during its quiet period before releasing earnings.
Activist investors have pressed Yahoo to sell its core business rather than spin it off, even though a sale would likely incur more taxes.
It is unclear whether the plan Mayer is expected to announce would satisfy their demands, but cutting costs could make Yahoo more attractive to buyers.
Verizon has said it is interested in acquiring Yahoo if it were up for sale. Other potential buyers would include media and private equity firms, analysts said.
Yahoo had about 11,000 employees as of June 30, according to its website, down from a December 31, 2014 total of about 12,500 full-time employees and what it called fixed term contractors.
Separately, a former Yahoo employee filed a lawsuit against the company Monday challenging its "quarterly performance review" process, on grounds it assigned numerical ratings to workers that in some cases were used to fire those at the bottom of the scale.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Jose, California, said the plaintiff was terminated in 2014, despite being previously praised, as a result of the QPR process.
The filing said Yahoo's use of the QPR process to terminate large numbers of employees violates federal and California laws that require employers to disclose mass layoffs above a certain threshold.
The New York Times previously reported on the lawsuit.
Yahoo has struggled to expand its Internet business, which includes selling search and display ads on its news and sports sites and email service, in the face of competition from Alphabet's Google unit and Facebook.
Yahoo's shares fell 1.2pc to $29.14 in afternoon trading on Monday. As of Friday's close, the stock had lost about a third of its value over the year.
The Orion capsule, Nasa's spacecraft designed to land humans on Mars, was carried from the US space agency's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to Kennedy Space Centre Florida for structural integrity tests."The pressure vessel of @NASA_Orion for Exploration Mission-1 is heading to KSC today," Nasa's Kennedy Space Center tweeted on Monday.
The Orion, which was carried in a Super Guppy aircraft, will carry four astronauts and will be launched from Nasa's rocket-in-the-making -- the Space Launch System (SLS) for the mission currently scheduled for 2018.
The Super Guppy has a cargo area that is 25 feet tall, 25 feet wide and 111 feet long and the jumbo plane, which can carry over 26 tonnes of cargo, is often used by Nasa to ferry large components around the country that would take too long (or be impossible) to ship by land or by sea, techcrunch.com reported.
The aircraft was designed during the Apollo programme and was used in the 1960s to carry parts of the Saturn V rocket from California to Florida.
The vehicle has also been used to ship Nasa's supersonic jets as well as modules from the International Space Station.
In 2013, the Super Guppy was used to carry Orion's heat shield, which was the largest of its kind ever built.
Assuming there are no delays or changes in Nasa's mandate, Orion's first crewed-mission will take place in 2023. Nasa hopes to use Orion to send humans to Mars by the mid-2030s.
San Francisco - Yahoo’s plans to turn around its struggling core business are set to dominate its earnings report on Tuesday, with investors keen to see if CEO Marissa Mayer will push ahead with a proposed spin-off or entertain calls for a complete sale.
The spin-off of its main business which includes its search engine and digital advertising units was flagged by Mayer in December after Yahoo abandoned efforts to sell its stake in Alibaba Group, but the company has provided few details.
On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported Yahoo planned layoffs of about 15 percent of its 11 000-strong workforce and would close unspecified units. A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment on the report, citing the quiet period ahead of earnings.
Investors are also expected to zero in on any comments from Mayer on her plans to increase the company's advertising sales and improve its efforts on mobile platforms, where more users are spending their online time.
Some activist investors are pushing Yahoo to ditch the spin-off and instead sell the core business. Verizon Communications Inc has expressed interest in the core, and analysts say other potential buyers include media and private equity firms.
A note published by SunTrust Robinson Humphrey last week valued the core business at between $6 billion and $8 billion.
A Reuters story earlier this year reported that investors are prepared to take a tax hit on a quick sale of the core business instead of waiting for a spin-off that could take more than a year.
For the fourth quarter, analysts expect Yahoo to report revenue of $1.18 billion and earnings per share of 12.5 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Last quarter's revenues and EPS both missed analysts' estimates.
Yahoo has struggled to expand its Internet business, which includes selling search and display ads on its news and sports sites and email service, in the face of competition from Alphabet’s Google unit and Facebook Inc.
Yahoo's revenue has fallen slightly since Mayer took the helm in mid-2012, and its share of US web searches is essentially flat with three years ago, gaining no ground on market leader Google.
Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer is set to reveal cost-cutting plans that include slashing 15pc of the company's workforce, or roughly 1,600 jobs, and closing several business units, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The plans are expected to be announced after Yahoo's fourth-quarter results on Tuesday, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. It did not specify which business units might be closed.
A Yahoo spokeswoman said the company could not comment during its quiet period before releasing earnings.
Activist investors have pressed Yahoo to sell its core business rather than spin it off, even though a sale would likely incur more taxes.
It is unclear whether the plan Mayer is expected to announce would satisfy their demands, but cutting costs could make Yahoo more attractive to buyers.
Verizon has said it is interested in acquiring Yahoo if it were up for sale. Other potential buyers would include media and private equity firms, analysts said.
Yahoo had about 11,000 employees as of June 30, according to its website, down from a December 31, 2014 total of about 12,500 full-time employees and what it called fixed term contractors.
Separately, a former Yahoo employee filed a lawsuit against the company Monday challenging its "quarterly performance review" process, on grounds it assigned numerical ratings to workers that in some cases were used to fire those at the bottom of the scale.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Jose, California, said the plaintiff was terminated in 2014, despite being previously praised, as a result of the QPR process.
The filing said Yahoo's use of the QPR process to terminate large numbers of employees violates federal and California laws that require employers to disclose mass layoffs above a certain threshold.
The New York Times previously reported on the lawsuit.
Yahoo has struggled to expand its Internet business, which includes selling search and display ads on its news and sports sites and email service, in the face of competition from Alphabet's Google unit and Facebook.
Yahoo's shares fell 1.2pc to $29.14 in afternoon trading on Monday. As of Friday's close, the stock had lost about a third of its value over the year.
The plans are expected to be announced after Yahoo’s fourth-quarter results, the report said
Yahoo had about 11,000 employees as of 30 June, according to its website, down from a 31 December 2014 total of about 12,500 full-time employees and what it called fixed term contractors. Photo: Getty Images/AFP
Bengaluru/San Francisco/New York: Yahoo Inc chief executive Marissa Mayer is set to reveal cost-cutting plans that include slashing 15% of the company’s workforce, or roughly 1,600 jobs, and closing several business units, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The plans are expected to be announced after Yahoo’s fourth-quarter results on Tuesday, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. It did not specify which business units might be closed.
A Yahoo spokeswoman said the company could not comment during its quiet period before releasing earnings.
Activist investors have pressed Yahoo to sell its core business rather than spin it off, even though a sale would likely incur more taxes.
It is unclear whether the plan Mayer is expected to announce would satisfy their demands, but cutting costs could make Yahoo more attractive to buyers.
Verizon has said it is interested in acquiring Yahoo if it were up for sale. Other potential buyers would include media and private equity firms, analysts said.
Yahoo had about 11,000 employees as of 30 June, according to its website, down from a 31 December 2014 total of about 12,500 full-time employees and what it called fixed term contractors.
Separately, a former Yahoo employee filed a lawsuit against the company Monday challenging its “quarterly performance review” process, on grounds it assigned numerical ratings to workers that in some cases were used to fire those at the bottom of the scale.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Jose, California, said the plaintiff was terminated in 2014, despite being previously praised, as a result of the QPR process.
The filing said Yahoo’s use of the QPR process to terminate large numbers of employees violates federal and California laws that require employers to disclose mass layoffs above a certain threshold. The New York Times previously reported on the lawsuit.
Yahoo has struggled to expand its Internet business, which includes selling search and display ads on its news and sports sites and email service, in the face of competition from Alphabet Inc’s Google unit and Facebook Inc.
Yahoo’s shares fell 1.2% to $29.14 in afternoon trading on Monday. As of Friday’s close, the stock had lost about a third of its value over the year. Reuters
According to the report, the smartphone won't be launched at the MWC 2016, instead, it will be launched later this year.
NEW DELHI: The specifications of HTC's 2016 flagship smartphone, expected to be called One M10, are out.
According to a report by VentureBeat, the smartphone has been codenamed
"Perfume." It is said to feature 5.1-inch QHD AMOLED display with
1440x2560p resolution. Running on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and skinned
with HTC's Sense 8.0 UI, the smartphone reportedly sports a fingerprint
scanner, embedded in the home button.
In terms of hardware, the smartphone is said to be powered by Qualcomm
Snapdragon 820 system-on-a-chip with Adreno 530 graphics. According to
the report, it comes with 32GB storage coupled with 4GB RAM.
Coming to the camera, the smartphone reportedly houses 12MP UltraPixel
rear camera with laser autofocus and optical image stabilization.
Although the leak did not specify the resolution of the front camera, it
did reveal that it will too feature optical image stabilization.
The report also revealed that the smartphone won't be launched at the MWC 2016, instead, it will be launched later this year.
HTC will soon launch M10, the company's flagship phone for the 2016. It will also be, according to a report at the VentureBeat,
the Taiwanese company's most advanced phone yet. The M10, which is
currently codenamed Perfume, will use an AMOLED display and come with a
12-megapixel image sensor.
The phone will also pack in
top-of-the-line internal components. The leaked reports say that it
would be powered by Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdrgaon 820 processor. The M10, which succeeds a not-so-memorable M9, will have 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. The M10's 5.1-inch AMOLED screen will have 1440p resolution.
The
reports indicate that for the M10, the camera performance is going to
be a key area. For the phone, not only the company is going to back to
the ultrapixel technology -- which means bigger pixels -- but is also
putting optical stabilisation in the both cameras in the phone. Yes,
there is a possibility that even the front camera in the M10 will have
optical image stabilisation.
For now not much is known about the
design of the M10. But Evan Blass, who has written the latest report at
the VentureBeat and who has a track record of successfully leaking
unannounced phones through his Twitter profile called @Evleaks, earlier
hinted that the M10 would have a design similar to that of the HTC A9.
The HTC A9, which we reviewed recently,
is an attractive phone with a slick design and smooth aluminium body.
Although it looks very similar to the existing iPhones, particularly
with its rounded edges, the design has been hit with the consumers so it
is possible that HTC may just tweak the same design for its flagship
phone.
Earlier, there were also reports that HTC would make this year's Nexus phones and if that was accurate than you can expect that the smaller Nexus this year -- the one that will succeed the Nexus 5X -- may have the similar hardware that goes inside the M10.
HTC
has grand plans for its upcoming smartphone, it appears. The Taiwanese
company has been long-rumoured to be planning to launch a flagship
smartphone codenamed Perfume (widely believed to be the HTC One M10) featuring top of the line specifications including a fingerprint sensor.
For the upcoming flagship HTC One M10, HTC
plans to bring back its UltraPixel camera, remove the company's
signature BoomSound speakers, and perhaps also introduce substantial
design changes, reports prolific tipster Evan Blass for Venture Beat.
Blass cites a person who has allegedly tested a prototype of the
smartphone, and claims the the HTC One M10 will sport a 5.1-inch QHD
(1440x2560 pixels) display - likely an Amoled panel (instead of SuperLCD
3 panel), and Qualcomm's recently launched Snapdragon 820 SoC coupled
with Adreno 530 GPU.
Other features of the HTC One M10, as per the report, include 4GB of
RAM, 32GB of inbuilt storage, and the presence of a microSD slot. The
HTC One M10 'Perfume' is said to run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with HTC Sense
8.0 UI. The smartphone will reportedly also feature a Samsung
Galaxy-like home button that will come equipped with a fingerprint
sensor.
As for some bold changes, the HTC One M10 is said to have a
12-UltraPixel front-facing camera. To recall, the company had used a
standard camera sensor in lieu of UltraPixel sensor in its last year's One M9
flagship. There's no word on how powerful the rear-camera is, however,
the report insists that both the camera sensors offer optical image
stabilisation capabilities.
The HTC One M10, as per the report, won't have the company's
signature BoomSound audio front-facing speakers. Blass further claims
that HTC One M10 won't be launched at Mobile World Congress in February.
If you’re using Google’s My Tracks app on your Android device, you won't be for much longer.
Google has revealed
that My Tracks will no longer be available after April 30. El Goog
explains that it has “made the tough decision to invest our efforts into
other, more wide-reaching, mapping projects.” To replace My Tracks once
it goes kaput, Google recommends using Google Fit, Strava, Endomondo,
Map My Run, Map My Hike, GPS Logger for Android, and GPX Viewer.
If you are using My Tracks, you can export your data before switching
over to a new app. To export to Google Drive, simply launch the My
Tracks app, tap the three dot overflow button, tap Settings, and then
select Sync to Google Drive. If you’d prefer to export to external
storage, you can go select Export All in the three-dot overflow menu.
You can then select one of the four file formats:
KML: Contains locations, markers, photos, and sensor data
GPX: Contains locations and markers, but no sensor data like heart rate, cadence for biking, cadence for running, and power
CSV: Contains locations, markers, and sensor data
TCX :Contains locations, no markers, and some sensor data
The data will be in the /MyTracks folder in your external storage.
If you’re not familiar with My Tracks, it’s an Android app that’ll
track your path, speed, distance, and elevation while you do things like
walk, run, or bike. You can then look back at that data in maps,
charts, and stats. Google now has Google Fit for tracking all of that
data, though, and so it’s no surprise to see My Tracks getting killed
off.
Land
Rover pulled the plug on the iconic Defender today. The UK plant which
was building the Land Rover Defenders had been in operation for over 68
years. The list of people who have owned this British legend include
Sean Connery, Robin Williams and also member of the Royal family
including Queen Elizabeth II.
To commemorate this special
event, over 700 current and former employees were invited to see and
drive some of the most important vehicles, like the first pre-production
'Huey' Series I as well as the last vehicle off the production line, a
Defender 90 Heritage Soft Top. To make it even more special, there were
more ... Continue Reading...
Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen’s yacht almost
entirely destroyed a coral reef in a protected ecosystem in the
Caribbean. Allen, who has denied that his crew was responsible, would
face a fine of up to $600,000 if found at fault.
According to local
authorities, an anchor chain from Allen’s 300-foot-long vessel, the MV
Tatoosh, ploughed into a sensitive reef in the Cayman Islands, ruining
14,000 square feet of it, which amounts to about 80 percent of the
protected coral species. “Early findings already indicate
extensive damage and investigations into the circumstances of the
incident are ongoing, with the assistance of staff aboard the Microsoft
billionaire’s superyacht, which was anchored close to the Doc Poulson
wreck and The Knife dive site,” Cayman news service reported, citing Department of Environment officials.
The
incident occurred on January 14 and it is believed that Allen was not
on board his luxury yacht at the time of. Yet, on Wednesday, Allen’s
office rushed to deny any involvement of his yacht’s crew and put the
blame on the Port Authority. “When [M/V Tatoosh] crew was
alerted by a diver that her anchor chain may have impacted coral in the
area, the crew promptly, and on their own accord, relocated their
position to ensure the reef was protected,” a statement from Allen’s investment firm Vulcan said.
This situation is particularly awkward for Allan, given his reputation as “a global leader in supporting ocean health,” as well as a for being a supporter of “cutting-edge research designed to stabilize and restore coral reefs,” as the statement implies.
If
Allan is found responsible for the damage, he would have to pay up to
$600,000 in compensation. His staff was said to be assisting and
cooperating with the DoE enquiry at the time. “In addition to
assessing the damage and determining the cause of this incident, we are
also paying close attention to lessons learned so that we can more
effectively prevent these accidents while still hosting visiting
yachts,” the DoE said.
The incident involving Allan’s yacht
is just the latest in a series of mishaps that have contributed to the
demise of the Cayman Islands’ coral reefs.
Just
recently, Pullmantur cruise lines’ Zenith ruined a significant part of
the reef. A Carnival Cruise Line’s ship, the Carnival Magic, dropped an
anchor on the endangered coral reef in 2014, ruining more than 11,000
square feet of it. Though it failed to admit any responsibility for the
incident, the company ended up paying $100,000 to the Cayman Islands
National Trust, which went towards the Magic Reef Restoration Project.
Tesla is considering allowing smartphone apps from an iPhone or
Android device to be mirrored on its giant 17-inch center console
display, rather than building its own native app development kit for
developers, which the company had hinted at several years ago.
Speaking at an event for Tesla owners in Hong Kong, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the focus of Tesla's infotainment efforts
would be to "enable you to project apps from your phone to the center
screen." It's not clear whether Musk is referring to platforms like
Android Auto or CarPlay, which allow a limited sort of mirroring of
smartphone apps, or something more Tesla-centric.
It's also not clear what might have prompted the change, but 9to5Google
suggests it may be due to the security concerns of developing a
full-fledged app platform in a system that is so closely tied to the
functionality of the car.
Most major automotive manufacturers have promised to implement Android Auto and CarPlay (with a couple notable exceptions),
but Tesla has thus far declined to participate — of course, Tesla has
one of the best infotainment systems, using a huge 17-inch touchscreen
well before the rest of the industry started to embrace large central screens.
7:26:00 PM
An updated version of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class has arrived in
South Africa, with the German automaker touting its ability to mix
performance and comfort.
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