Kantar: Android back on top of US smartphone share in January with Sprint's help

Most US smartphone market share estimates last fall saw Apple retake the lead as it rode a wave of iPhone 5 sales. While there was always a question as to how long that trend would last, new data from Kantar Worldpanel supports beliefs that it was really more of a momentary pop. Android reportedly took back the lead at 49.4 percent of American sales between November and January, improving its overall position versus the same month last year. Not that everyone else was necessarily hurting -- iOS still had a 45.9 percent slice of the pie, and the continued Windows Phone 8 rollout took Microsoft up to 3.2 percent. The real wounds were dealt to a pre-transition BlackBerry and Nokia's outgoing Symbian.

We seldom get an explanation as to why such shifts take place, but the researchers suggest that a significant chunk of the January switch-up can be assigned to one carrier: Sprint. Its decision to cut the Galaxy S III's contract price to $99 supposedly helped Samsung's flagship climb from 14 percent of Sprint sales in October to 39 percent over the more recent 3-month span. The Galaxy S III didn't play as much of a role elsewhere, Kantar says. Sprint's average contract pricing for Android also dipped to $95 at the same time, helping Samsung alone get 60.3 percent of the network's business as customers snapped up bargains. Big Yellow only played a small part in the overall US market, as you'll see in the detailed charts after the break, but it may have been large enough to tip the balance in OS preferences at the start of 2013.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, Google, Blackberry

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Source: Kantar Worldpanel

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/1xF7Gc03YQE/

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White House will soon revive cybersecurity legislation push

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A senior adviser to President Barack Obama said the White House will soon renew efforts to push cybersecurity legislation through Congress, though he foresaw an uphill battle given the failure of the last attempt.

Daniel said the White House has begun drafting "key legislative principles" for a new bill that it believes can pass both the House and Senate this time.

"We very much want a bill," White House cybersecurity coordinator Michael Daniel told Reuters while in San Francisco to meet industry experts and business leaders at a security conference. But he added: "I don't want to leave anybody with an impression that we underestimate the challenges."

"We will do our best to work with Congress," he added. "You will see that develop over the next couple of weeks to months," he said.

Cybersecurity legislation backed by the Obama administration died in the Senate in November amid fierce opposition from businesses that complained about over-regulation.

That bill would have increased information-sharing between intelligence agencies and private companies, with some privacy protections. It also would have set voluntary standards for businesses that control electric grids, water treatment plants and other essential facilities.

In the absence of overarching legislation, the Obama administration will pursue other means to improve cybersecurity, he said. Those included implementing an executive order the president signed this month that seeks to better protect critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks.

The order directs federal authorities to improve information-sharing on cyber-threats - including some that may be classified - with companies that provide or support critical infrastructure.

"It would be a mistake to assume you can't make any progress in the absence of legislation," he said.

The principles that the White House will support in new legislation include requiring that a civilian agency must be in charge of information-sharing, Daniel said.

Last year's Senate plan likewise would have put the Department of Homeland Security squarely in charge, though it could turn to the military's National Security Agency for assistance.

(Additional reporting by Joseph Menn and Deborah Charles; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-soon-revive-cybersecurity-legislation-push-011024890.html

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RT's Oscar Picks 2013 - Results

How did we fare this year in our Academy Awards predictions?

We at Rotten Tomatoes freely admit we're not the world's greatest Oscar prognosticators. Still, we did a bit better than usual this year; while there were some surprises (Sound Editing was a tie?!) and a few winners that aren't all that surprising in retrospect, most of our predictions came true at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. Read on to see how our forecast squared with the final results!

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Best Picture: Argo

Momentum has been building for Argo in the past few weeks; it took home best picture honors at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, and the Critics' Choice Awards (and not to toot our own horns, but it won the Golden Tomato Award for Best Wide Release as well). Argo hits several sweet spots that the Academy voters find irresistible: it's inspirational, but loaded with historical gravitas; it was both a mainstream hit and a critical favorite; and, perhaps most importantly for voters, it's a celebration of the power of movies and the people who make them. Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook have enjoyed some dark horse cache, but we think Argo will be the first film since Driving Miss Daisy to win Best Picture without garnering a Best Director nod.

CORRECT

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Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln

This category has been in the bag since the ink was dry on Daniel Day-Lewis' contract.

CORRECT

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This was the toughest category for RT editors to whittle down. At opposite ends of the age bracket, Emmanuelle Riva and Quvenzhan? Wallis each gave remarkable performances, and Riva in particular could muster some votes. Even more likely is Naomi Watts, whose physically grueling work in The Impossible has also generated buzz. Early on, it looked like Jessica Chastain had this category all sewn up, as critics societies around the country were heaping praise on her. However, in the last couple months, all the Oscar mojo has seemingly shifted toward Jennifer Lawrence; with a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice, and a SAG award under her belt, we think Lawrence will walk away with the Oscar as well.

CORRECT

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Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln

Each of the nominees has an Oscar to his credit, so there aren't any unjustly ignored sentimental favorites to choose from. Christoph Waltz won the BAFTA and the Golden Globe, but it seems unlikely he'll win just a few short years after his breakout role in Inglourious Basterds. Robert DeNiro has a strong chance, especially since his work in Silver Linings Playbook helped to erase memories of the great actor's string of mediocre films. However, we think Tommy Lee Jones - who was already honored by the Screen Actors Guild --will ultimately claim the Oscar.

INCORRECT - Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained. We shouldn't have discounted Waltz's previous award season victories.

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Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway for Les Mis?rables

Anne Hathaway has enjoyed almost universal Oscar buzz since before Les Mis?rables even hit theaters, and her wins at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs confirm her status as the front-runner here. It's possible, though unlikely, that either Helen Hunt or Jacki Weaver will steal this category; if Weaver wins, it could be an early sign that Silver Linings Playbook will have a huge night.

CORRECT

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Best Director: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln

Since Ben Affleck was inexplicably snubbed in this category, we think Steven Spielberg will take home the hardware as a consolation prize.

INCORRECT - Ang Lee, Life of Pi. It just wasn't Lincoln's night, and the Academy was obviously more enamored with Life of Pi overall. It's still a mystery why Ben Affleck wasn't even nominated in this category.

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The Usual Suspects, Fargo, Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Juno... The screenplay awards are the place where the Academy honors innovative stuff that's a little too wild and wooly for Best Picture. Quentin Tarantino's consolation prize for Pulp Fiction losing to Forrest Gump was a Best Original Screenplay trophy, and he'll pick up another one for Django Unchained this year.

CORRECT

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Adapted Screenplay: Argo

Following up on the last entry, we must make note of the fact that because there are two screenplay awards, it makes sense that one goes to something a little left of center, and the other goes to whatever won Best Picture. So chalk up Argo for the Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).

CORRECT

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Best Foreign Language Film: Amour

Given that Amour was also nominated for Best Picture (not to mention noms for Michael Haneke in the direction and screenwriting categories), this one seems like a lock.

CORRECT

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This was another contentious award for RT editors. In a year of particularly strong choices, we think it's down to a three-way race between Searching for Sugar Man, The Invisible War, and The Gatekeepers, with the feel-good vibes of Sugar Man carrying the day over its more somber, issue-oriented peers.

CORRECT

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Animated Feature: Brave

Another tough call. We think the competition is ultimately between Brave and Wreck-It Ralph. However, because graying Academy voters can't tell Call of Duty from The Call of the Wild, we're gonna go with the little redhead. (It must be noted that RT editor-in-chief Matt Atchity insists Frankenweenie will win, loudly telling the rest of the staff, "You're all wrong." Sure thing, chief.)

CORRECT

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Best Cinematography: Life of Pi

Life of Pi's visual splendor is so mind-blowing that it seems improbable that anyone could steal this category from its cinematographer, Claudio Miranda.

CORRECT

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Best Film Editing: Argo

Argo already took home the BAFTA in this category, and we think three-time nominee William Goldenberg will add to the film's Oscar haul.

CORRECT

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Best Music - Original Score: Lincoln

John Williams is one of the most nominated figures in Academy history, and hasn't won in a long time. We think he'll win Oscar number six, but Mychael Danna's eclectic score for Life of Pi could surprise some people.

INCORRECT - Life of Pi. We had a feeling Mychael Danna could steal this one, especially since John Williams has so many Oscars to his name already.

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Best Music - Original Song: Skyfall

These days, award shows exist for one reason, and one reason alone: to bestow trophies upon Adele.

CORRECT

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This looks like a tossup between Anna Karenina and Les Mis?rables. We decided to go with the period piece based on a classic novel. And when we realized we were being forced to choose between two period pieces based on classic novels, we picked Anna Karenina, because Leo Tolstoy had cooler facial hair than Victor Hugo.

INCORRECT - Lincoln. We got this one completely wrong. Probably should have considered the painstakingly recreated period detail of Civil War-era Washington.

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Take this one to the bank, comrades.

CORRECT

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The controversy over Zero Dark Thirty's politics have hurt its Oscar chances in a number of categories. Still, few questioned the film's technical brilliance, and we think it's here that Zero Dark Thirty will take home the hardware.

HALF CORRECT - Ties are rare in Oscar history, but not unprecedented. Zero Dark Thirty split the honor with Skyfall.

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A big deal was made about the fact that the cast of Les Mis?rables sang their songs live on camera. That's pretty tough to record, especially with canons going off everywhere.

CORRECT

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Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi

Dude, remember the tiger in that movie? It was all CGI. Pretty cool, huh?

CORRECT

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Those ears didn't get pointy all by themselves.

INCORRECT - Les Mis?rables. We were so focused on the pointy ears we neglected to take note of the grit and grime that accumulated on the faces of the actors portraying 19th Century Gauls.

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Best Short Film - Live Action: Curfew

An idiosyncratic dramedy about a depressed writer tasked with babysitting his precocious niece, Curfew has racked up a bunch of festival awards, and we think it will add an Oscar to its haul.

CORRECT

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Best Short Film - Animated: Paperman

Paperman is the wistful tale of an office drone who goes to great lengths to reconnect with a beautiful woman he glimpsed on the subway. It's sweet, it's beautifully animated, and it had the benefit of being the opening act for Wreck-It Ralph in theaters.

CORRECT

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Best Documentary Short: Open Heart

This is a particularly solemn year for documentary shorts. We think Open Heart, the tale of eight Rwandan children traveling to Sudan for heart surgery, will earn both tears and votes from Academy members.

INCORRECT - Inocente, the story of a homeless girl who dreams of becoming an artist, took home the Oscar.

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FINAL TALLY

CORRECT: 18
INCORRECT: 6

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For our full Oscar coverage on the day, go to RT's Awards Tour page

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Written by Tim Ryan

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926890/news/1926890/

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Marine pleads guilty to urinating on dead Taliban

The U.S. military is in damage-control mode after a video surfaced of Marines urinating on the dead bodies of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

By Judy Royal, Reuters

CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina - A U.S. Marine pleaded guilty on Wednesday to urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan and then posing for photographs in a scene captured in a widely circulated video on the Internet and denounced by world leaders.

Staff Sgt. Edward W. Deptola said he knew desecrating the corpses and posing for the "trophy photographs" was wrong and he offered no excuse for the behavior during his court martial at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune.

"I was in a position to stop it and I did not," said Deptola, a native of Southold, New York, and married father of two.

Although the judge presiding at Deptola's trial recommended a stiffer sentence, the maximum penalty he will face under the terms of a pre-trial agreement is a reduction in rank to sergeant.

Deptola was among a group of Marines to face disciplinary action after the video, posted on YouTube and other websites in January 2012, showed four U.S. servicemen in camouflage combat uniforms urinating on several corpses.

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One of them said, "have a nice day, buddy," during the footage and another Marine made a lewd joke.

Military officials said the actions depicted in the video occurred during a counter-insurgency operation in the vicinity of Sandala, Musa Qala District, in Afghanistan's Helmand Province on July 27, 2011.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other military leaders denounced the behavior and Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the video. Officials worried the video would stir up already strong anti-U.S. sentiment in Afghanistan after a decade of a war that had seen past cases of abuse.

Deptola, who is assigned to the Third Battalion, Second Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune, pleaded guilty to being derelict in his duties by failing to properly supervise junior Marines and wrongfully posing for unofficial photos with human casualties.

He also admitted to urinating on one of the bodies and wrongfully and indiscriminately firing a recovered enemy machine gun.

Deptola said he and the others accused in the incident thought the dead fighters might have been responsible for killing a fellow Marine earlier.

A sergeant who worked in the same platoon as Deptola described him as a good leader and Deptola's defense attorney said he was "not a barbarian." The defense asked the military judge to consider Deptola's overall record of service since he enlisted in November 2003.

The judge, Lt. Col. Nicole Hudspeth, recommended Deptola be reduced to the rank of private, jailed for six months, fined $5,000 and discharged for bad conduct - but acknowledged the sentence could not be enforced under the pre-trial agreement.

Lt. Gen. Richard P. Mills, the commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, will issue a final ruling on Deptola's punishment within 120 days.

"You have walked into this courtroom with exceptional protection," Hudspeth told Deptola.

A fellow Marine at Camp Lejeune, Staff Sgt. Joseph W. Chamblin, pleaded guilty in December to urinating on a dead Taliban fighter's body and posing for photos.

A military judge ordered 30 days in jail, but an agreement reached ahead of his court martial limited Chamblin's punishment to no more than $500 in forfeited pay and a reduction in rank to sergeant.

Three other Marines pleaded guilty and were punished last August for their role in the video incident as part of a non-judicial military proceeding, according to the Marine Corps. Their names and specific punishments were not disclosed.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/16/16552152-marine-pleads-guilty-to-urinating-on-bodies-of-dead-taliban-posing-for-photographs?lite

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aviation lawyers | aviationlawyers

Kn?w th? Laws Involved W?th Aviation ?nd Airplane Accidents

H?w m?n? ?f u? h?v? travelled ?ll ?v?r th? world ?n board airplanes? H?w m?n? ?f u? bring ?ur children ?nd loved ?n?? w?th u? wh?n w? travel? Wh?th?r ?t ?? f?r business ?r leisure, transportation v?? aircraft ?r airplanes h?? ?lr??d? b??n ?n m??t people?s lives. Th?t ?? th? reason wh? w? h?v? frequent flier numbers ?r wh? credit cards h?v? partnered w?th airlines t? provide miles t? ?t? loyal passengers. Flying ?? ?lr??d? ? part ?f America?s daily routine. M??t w?uld u?? airline services w?th?ut r??ll? giving mu?h thought ?b?ut one?s rights ?nd responsibilities ?? ? passenger. Th?? lack ?f knowledge, unfortunately, ??uld spell headache f?r m??t ?f u? ???????ll? ?f we, God forbid, ??m?th?ng h????n? t? u? wh?l? aboard ???d planes.

Aircraft accidents m?? ??? ? major catastrophe but th?? ?r? n?t unusual. Th??? accidents happen ?n ? daily basis, ?lth?ugh n?t ?n large scale. M??t accidents happen ?v?n b?f?r? takeoff, ? situation th?t m?ght ???m bleak but n?v?rth?l??? beneficial t? ?v?r??n? b???u?? aircraft engineers ?r? ?lw??? ?n standby ?h?uld th?r? b? ?n? mishaps. Of course, th?? m?? lead t? flight delays but w? w?uld r?th?r h?v? th?t th?n ?n accident wh?l? flying.

Th? National Transportation Safety Board ?r m?r? commonly kn?wn ?? NTSB ?? th? governing body ?f ?v?r?th?ng th?t h?? t? d? w?th transportation. Th?? body ?l?? handles ?nd enforces ??rt??n laws wh?n flying. A? ?f date, th? NTSB, t?g?th?r w?th th? Federal Aviation Administration, h?? ?lr??d? developed ? system f?r classifying accidents b? air carriers.

Sh?uld ??u find ??ur??lf b??ng ? victim ?f ?n airplane accident, th?r? ?r? ??rt??n laws ?nd rulings th?t ??u ?r ??ur family ??n refer t? ?? w?ll ?? t?k? advantage of. If ??u h?v? incurred ?n? injury ?nd th?? injury ?r loss h?? b??n caused b? ?n? ?f th? airline?s staff ?r machinery, i.e. pilot ?r crew, th? manufacturer ?f th? airplane ?r ?th?r responsible parties, m??nl? due t? negligence, th?n th?r? ?? ? high likelihood ?f ? winning case. K??? ?n mind, however, that, b???u?? ?f th? General Aviation Revitalization Act, aircraft th?t ?r? 18 years ?ld ?nd ?b?v? ?nd ?r? fr?m well-known aircraft manufacturers ?r? exempt fr?m ?n? liability. Th?? exemption holds true ?v?n f?r crafts hat h?v? design flaws th?t w?r? d?r??tl? linked t? th? ??u?? ?f accident. Y?ur consolation w?uld b? ?n th? fact th?t th?? Act d??? n?t protect pilots, mechanics, ?nd maintenance facilities.

Aviation law ?? und?r federal jurisdiction. However, d?ff?r?nt states h?v? ?lr??d? created statutes ?nd h?v? created agencies th?t w?uld regulate traffic ?n th? airways. Th?? w?uld enable th?m t? b?tt?r manage aviation ?n th??r area ?f responsibility. If ??u w?uld l?k? t? kn?w m?r? ?b?ut aviation laws ?r ?f ??u w?uld l?k? t? understand ?t b?tt?r h?w ??u ??uld win ? Washington airplane accident lawsuit, ??u w?uld n??d t? g?t ?n touch w?th ??ur lawyer. Y?u m?? ?l?? search Seattle airplane accident lawsuit ?f ??u w?uld l?k? t? b? m?r? specific. K??? ?n mind th?t knowing th? law ?? ? good w?? ?f protecting yourself.

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Sony CEO Kaz Hirai talks 4K, Xperia Z, death of the PS2 and more at CES 2013 (video)

4K TVs and streaming? The Xperia Z? The death of the PlayStation 2? Just a few topics of conversation as our own Editor-in-chief Tim Stevens sat down for a one-on-one interview with Sony CEO Kaz Hirai. We won't waste any more of your time here -- head on past the break to watch the full video!

Continue reading Sony CEO Kaz Hirai talks 4K, Xperia Z, death of the PS2 and more at CES 2013 (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Home Entertainment, Sony

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Community College Funding Shrinks, For-Profit Enrollment Grows: Treasury Report

A report released this month by the U.S. Treasury Department shows a correlation between state budget cuts to community colleges over the past decade and a growth in enrollment at for-profit colleges.

The report, titled "The Economics of Higher Education," examined both employment and income characteristics of Americans who attain some form of a post-secondary education alongside funding and tuition costs at public and private colleges.

The report notes that more high school students are graduating and going on to colleges and universities. Most attend public schools, many with shrinking state funding, which puts added pressure on community colleges:

Community colleges are highly dependent on state funding since, unlike four-year, public schools, they do not have diversified revenue sources such as hospitals, endowments, or research grants. While enrollments have been increasing, state support per student has remained relatively flat. In 2009, community colleges received approximately $6,450 per FTE (full-time equivalent) student, only slightly higher than the $6,210 in 1999,

According to the report, the funding decline for public colleges and universities bottomed out in 2005, then slightly increased before dropping again in 2008.

Because of the budget squeeze, community colleges are pushed to either raise tuition or or to limit class size, and often choose the latter, leading to a correlating spike in for-profit college enrollment. According to the report, community colleges are "more likely to serve low-income and first-generation student populations than four-year schools, and these students now constitute the bulk of the student population at for-profit schools."

For their part, for-profit colleges are targeting these low-income students in their marketing and recruitment efforts, court documents revealed earlier this year.

At the for-profits, students are more likely to default on their student loans and struggle to find work, compared to their counterparts at public colleges. The average graduation rate at for-profit colleges is unimpressive, often falling below 30 percent, compared to public and private non-profits with graduation rates above 65 percent.

Despite these dismal figures, the number of students attending for-profit colleges grew from 200,000 students in the late 1980s to nearly 2 million students today, representing 9 percent of all higher education enrollment, the report found.

The continued success of for-profits could be because the "college wage gap" is as wide as ever, since it was first estimated in 1915. The report notes college graduates in 2012 are statistically fully employed and make 64 percent more than those with just a high school diploma. Without a college degree, children born to families at the lowest income level have a 45 percent chance of remaining at that level, but they are more likely to earn more with a greater degree of education.

From the report:

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