Apple iPhone 5 first impressions: Beauty is in the hand of the beholder

As I wrote last week, I preordered my Apple iPhone 5 for $820 (full price to keep my Verizon unlimited LTE data) and after spending all day with it I have to say that it was completely worth it. Like all of you, I have seen photos of the iPhone 5, but you really have to hold it in your hand to appreciate the fantastic design. When I hold it next to my Galaxy S III or Nokia Lumia 900 it appears to be more of an iPhone nano rather than the latest generation of iPhone and makes these devices look HUGE. The Apple iPhone 5 truly is a product of beauty and a great improvement over the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Check out my image gallery to see the new iPhone 5, a couple photos from the iPhone 5, and a couple of screenshots.

Hardware and design

I owned an iPhone 4S for several months, but wasn't personally thrilled with the glass front and back and the design. I was very pleased to see Apple move to using a mostly metal back with just two small glass areas. I also am pleased with the thinner form factor and find it amazing how much technology Apple was able to squeeze into such a small form factor. The metal sides and beveled edges, along with the cool new color schemes add to the element of high quality design.

The display is longer and does add to the usefulness of the browser and some apps. I am able to reach the entire display with the thumb on one hand and am already finding it convenient to use the iPhone 5 with one hand. It is something I did not think too much about before using the iPhone 5, but now I really notice that two hands are required to use my other smartphones.

I know there has been lots of controversy of the new iPhone connector, but I have to chime in and say I am already a big fan of it. I don't have lots of money tied into iPhone docks or anything so the impact of changing connectors does not affect me from a monetary standpoint. With so many smartphones implementing microUSB ports, I regularly try to connect charging cables upside down and am flipping them to fit. The convenience of being able to put the new connector into the iPhone 5 in either orientation is fantastic.

I took several photos and a couple videos and the camera did very well. My daughters use the front facing camera quite a bit for buddy photos and as you can see in my image gallery the photos from this 1.2 megapixel camera look good. Panorama seemed to work well too, but I did find it odd that you hold the phone in portrait orientation to pan it around and capture the image. It works much like other camera phones with arrows and directions on the display helping you capture a continuous image.

iOS 6

I haven't yet had the chance to extensively test out the new iOS 6 Maps that tech enthusiasts and the media seem to be slamming quite a bit. My sister-in-law updated her iPhone 4S and texted me that she loves the new Maps feature, especially the integrated voice navigation. It looks good and is quite fast, but I need to put it through much more testing.

I found Siri quite useful for creating reminders, but am already finding it much more useful for sports scores, launching apps, and checking out movie times. I haven't yet gotten Passbook to work at all and at this time it looks to be going the way of Newstand where it could get moved to the last page of my iPhone home screens.

Performance and experiences

I made a few phone calls and they sounded great, even at the Puyallup Fair. I also sent and received text messages and iMessages, along with sending and receiving several email messages. Communications is a strong element of iOS and the experience is excellent. Other phones have had the ability to quickly send a text when a call comes in so it was nice to see this function added to iOS 6.

The iPhone 5 is FAST! It is also a gorgeous work of art and if you have an iPhone 4 or earlier model with eligibility to upgrade then it really is a no brainer to upgrade to the iPhone 5. It's a bit tougher decision if you have to pay full price and my main focus over the next week will be to see if I can live with a much smaller display than what I have been using on the Samsung Galaxy S III. iOS apps are the best of all platforms and I understand there are a lot of developers working to enhance apps to support the longer display with many apps already submitted and waiting in the approval queue.

Related ZDNet articles

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ZDNetBlogs/~3/fc_ZbABrAbU/

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Indonesian police arrest 10 terror suspects

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) ? An elite Indonesian anti-terror squad has arrested 10 Islamic militants and seized a dozen homemade bombs from a group suspected of planning suicide attacks against security forces and the government, police said Sunday.

Eight suspects were arrested Saturday in Central Java's Solo town and a ninth in West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, national police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said. He said a 10th suspect, Joko Parkit, was arrested Sunday in Solo.

Parkit's brother, Eko Joko Supriyanto, was shot to death by police in 2009 during raids seeking Southeast Asia's most wanted Islamist militant, Noordin M. Top. Noordin was killed by police a year later.

Amar said two of those arrested, Badri Hartono and Rudi Kurnia Putra, worked to recruit young men and taught at least one member of the group how to make bombs.

"They were the central figures of the group who had planned several terror attacks," Amar said. "They recruited, invited young men to be trained in a military-style jihadi camp and bought bomb-making materials."

He said the group planned to bomb the country's Parliament, shoot police and attack members of the anti-terrorism squad as part of a plan to establish Islamic Sharia law in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

Police seized 12 homemade bombs along with other partially assembled bombs, three rifles, four swords and several jihadist books.

Solo is the hometown of convicted radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. Police are investigating possible links between the unnamed group and other terrorism networks, Amar said. Authorities believe it has now been largely broken up, but are continuing to search for other members.

Since March, more than 30 militant suspects have been arrested and seven others killed in a series of raids in Indonesia. All of the suspects are believed to have been plotting domestic attacks, and some attended a military-style training camp in Poso on Sulawesi island.

Another member of the group, alleged bomb maker Muhammad Toriq, surrendered two weeks ago in Jakarta while carrying a gun and wearing a suicide bomber belt that did not contain any explosives. A second militant, Yusuf Rizaldi, gave himself up to police in North Sumatra three days later. Both provided information that led to the arrests of other members of the group in Saturday's raids, Amar said.

Indonesia, a secular nation, has been battling terrorists since 2002, when militants linked to the Southeast Asian network Jemaah Islamiyah began attacking Western nightclubs, restaurants and embassies. More than 260 people have been killed in the attacks, many of them foreign tourists.

Recent terror attacks in Indonesia have been carried out by individuals or small groups and have targeted local "infidels" instead of Westerners, with less deadly results.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indonesian-police-arrest-10-terror-suspects-092802215.html

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Economic growth continues to drive China's growing need for energy

September 21, 2012

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China is the world's largest energy consumer. China's economy, which has grown at an average real rate of about 10 percent per year over the last 10 years, is a key driver of the increase in energy consumption, both in China and internationally. Economic growth in China is still robust?China's gross domestic product grew an estimated 7.8% in the first half of 2012?but its growth is slower than in recent years, as is its growth in energy consumption. EIA's China Country Analysis Brief details its energy use, production, and industry.

Electricity

• China had the most installed generating capacity in the world in 2011, at 1,073 gigawatts, slightly higher than the United States.
• About 80% of China's electricity generation came from conventional thermal sources, primarily coal, in 2011.
• Both China's electric generating capacity and its electricity generation doubled between 2005 and 2011.

Coal

• China was the largest producer and consumer of coal in the world in 2011, and accounted for almost half the world's coal consumption.
• China became a net coal importer in 2009 for the first time in over 20 years.
• China has the third-largest coal reserves in the world.

Oil

• China was the world's second-largest consumer of oil and liquids in 2011, as well as second-largest oil importer (trailing the United States in both categories).
• China's total oil consumption is slated to continue increasing; EIA forecasts that growth in China's demand for oil will represent 64% of projected world oil demand growth during 2011-2013.

Natural gas

• China was the fourth-largest global consumer of natural gas in 2011.
• Use and production of natural gas in China is rapidly increasing; natural gas production more than tripled over the last decade.
• Consumption of natural gas in 2011 was nearly 50% higher than in 2009.

Nuclear

• Nuclear power made up only 2% of total electricity generation in 2010. As of mid-2012, China had 15 operating reactors, with a total capacity of nearly 13 gigawatts, and 26 new reactors under construction, with a capacity of about 29 gigawatts.

Renewables

• While renewables made up a small fraction of the country's total electricity generation, China was the world's leading producer of hydroelectric power in 2010, and the second-largest producer of electricity from wind power.

For more information on China, see EIA's Country Analysis Brief on China.

Source: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=8070

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Newly aggressive Romney tries another campaign reset

MIAMI/SARASOTA, Florida (Reuters) - Taking a more aggressive tack after a series of reversals, Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney accused U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday of "surrendering" in his attempt to change Washington.

A comment that Obama made in an interview with the Spanish-language television network Univision in Florida gave Romney an opening to charge that the Democratic president is ineffective.

Obama told Univision his 2010 U.S. healthcare overhaul was a result of Americans exerting pressure on Washington for action because "You can't change Washington from the inside, you can only change Washington from the outside."

An animated Romney quickly pounced on the remark as evidence that Obama cannot break the political gridlock that has seized Washington as lawmakers grapple with massive debt and annual $1 trillion deficits.

"The president today threw in the white flag of surrender again. He said he can't change Washington from the inside, he can only change it from outside. Well, we're going to give him that chance in November. He's going outside," he said at a rally in Sarasota, Florida.

Romney is struggling to right the ship after damage from the release of a secret video from a private fundraiser in May in which he disparaged Obama supporters as dependent on government.

In a potential headache for the former business executive, a "Super PAC" group which backs him by funding negative advertising against Obama reported it had plowed through $21.2 million in August while its fundraising declined for the second month. That raised questions about its ability to be an ad-buying force in the final weeks before the November 6 election.

Romney's campaign has also been subjected to infighting and some Republicans have complained that he needs to campaign more.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed the challenge that Romney faces after one of the most difficult stretches of his campaign. Obama solidified a 5-point lead among likely voters, 48 percent to 43 percent for Romney. Surveys show Romney behind in some of the key states he needs to win on November 6.

"The Romney campaign is being out-hustled and the president's campaign is getting away with this argument that the economy is better off than it was four years ago," said a veteran Republican strategist who has worked on several presidential campaigns.

The Romney campaign says its candidate will spend more time at events with voters, and on a reset of his bid for White House. The campaign promised earlier this week that the former Massachusetts governor would be more specific on policies in an effort to get back on track.

FLORIDA FIGHT

The Obama campaign accused Romney of taking the Washington insider comment "wildly out of context."

"What the president said today is no different than what he has been saying for many years - that change comes from outside Washington, not inside," said Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith.

The backdrop to the fight was Florida, a state with a broad mix of retirees, blue-collar workers and Hispanics. Obama won it in 2008 and could land a severe blow on Romney this year if he can repeat the victory in November.

He leads the polls in Florida despite high unemployment and a struggling economy, evidence that Obama may be winning the argument over whether the country is better off now than it was four years ago.

Obama attacked Romney over his secretly taped video speech in which the Republican said 47 percent of Americans pay no federal income taxes and are unlikely to vote for him.

"When you express an attitude that half the country considers itself victims, that somehow they want to be dependent on government, my thinking is maybe you haven't gotten around a lot, because I travel around the country all the time and the American people are the hardest working there are," Obama said.

He told Univision that his inability to overhaul U.S. immigration laws was the biggest shortcoming of his first four years in office, but he blamed Republican lawmakers for standing in the way.

Pressed on why he had been unable to fulfill a 2008 promise and achieve a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. immigration system, Obama said the goal also fell victim to his top priority of preventing the collapse of the U.S. economy when he took office.

"I have never wavered in my support of comprehensive immigration reform," he said.

The three presidential debates between the Romney and Obama in October will be critical to the outcome. Romney engaged in some debate preparations in Miami before flying to Sarasota.

Romney's campaign announced plans for him to step up the pace of his campaigning in battleground states.

He will participate in a three-day bus tour of Ohio next week with his vice presidential running mate, Representative Paul Ryan. He will visit Nevada on Friday.

Many Republicans have expressed frustration at the pace of Romney's campaign. A Miami rally on Wednesday was his first public event since a campaign event in Ohio last Friday.

(Editing by Alistair Bell and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/newly-aggressive-romney-tries-another-reset-campaign-003636588.html

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Obama Weekly Address: Congress "More Worried About Their Jobs And Their Paychecks"

Hi, everybody. Last week, without much fanfare, Members of the House of Representatives banged a gavel, turned out the lights, and rushed home, declaring their work finished for now.

If that frustrates you, it should ? because their work isn?t finished.

See, when they skipped town, Members of Congress left a whole bunch of proposals sitting on the table ? actions that would create jobs, boost our economy, and strengthen middle-class security. These ideas have been around for months. The American people want to see them passed. But apparently, some Members of Congress are more worried about their jobs and their paychecks this campaign season than they are about yours.

Right now, if Congress had done the right thing, we could be on our way to having a veterans? jobs corps that helps returning heroes find work as cops and firefighters in communities all across the country. These men and women have made incredible sacrifices for our country. They shouldn?t have to worry about finding a job when they get home. But last week, Republicans in Congress voted it down. And then they left.

Right now, if Congress had gotten its act together, we would have a farm bill to help farmers and ranchers respond to natural disasters like the drought we had this summer. And we?d have made necessary reforms to give our rural communities some long-term certainty. But so far, Republicans in Congress have dragged their feet. And now they?re gone.

Right now, if Congress had acted, thousands of responsible homeowners could be saving an extra $3,000 a year on their mortgages by refinancing at historically low rates. But instead, Republicans in Congress decided that working families could wait. And now they?ll have to wait a little longer.

And finally, if Congress had listened to you, they could have given 98% of Americans and 97% of small business owners a guarantee that your taxes won?t go up next year by a single dime. This is something we all agree on. It should have gotten done a long time ago. But Republicans in Congress have refused to budge. They?re holding tax cuts for 98% of Americans hostage until we pass tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. And now middle-class families and small business owners are left wondering what their tax bill will look like next year.

All of these ideas would strengthen our economy and help the middle class right now. All of them are supported by Democrats, Republicans and Independents. There?s no reason to wait.

That?s why, after going home and listening to their constituents for a few weeks, Members of Congress should come back in November and do this work. They should do the right thing for veterans and farmers; for responsible homeowners and small businesses; for Americans everywhere who are just trying to get ahead.

And if you agree with me, I need your help. Tell your Members of Congress you can?t afford to wait any longer. If you get an answering machine, leave a message. If you see them campaigning back home, tell them in person. Because there?s been enough talk. It?s time for action. That?s what you deserve, and that?s what it?s going to take to move this country forward.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/09/22/obama_weekly_address_congress_more_worried_about_their_jobs_and_their_paychecks.html

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Katahdin valley health center - HEALTH, BEAUTY & FITNESS

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Key U.S. military material meant to help save lives

Lucas Jackson / Reuters file

SKYDEX makes blast-absorbing plastic sheets that line military vehicles like the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected trucks used by American personnel in Iraq.

By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor

In the lobby at SKYDEX Technologies, just south of Denver, there?s a stunning, inside-facing wall that approaching visitors can't see.

Departing employees, however, can take long, slow gazes at all the imagery blanketing that wall: in short, it?s a glimpse of the immense, human cost of war.

Pictures show a U.S. Army soldier missing one full leg below his hip and a portion of his second leg under the knee ? body parts abruptly shredded by an IED in Afghanistan two years ago. That soldier, still on active duty, is undergoing rehab at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

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?We placed the photographs there, a lot of photographs,? said Peter Foley, chief technology officer?at SKYDEX. (The pictured soldier prefers to remain anonymous). ?You can?t help but look at those photos and not think about how not only his life has changed but his family?s lives as well. SKYDEX people see it as they leave. It will often make us turn around and go back inside and work harder.?

A look at the innards of the SKYDEX "Convoy Deck," now installed on the floors of most MRAP vehicles used by U.S. military forces in Afghanistan. If it looks like the inside of a sports shoe, there is good reason.

Foley said the?company?s patented, blast-absorbing plastic sheets now line?more than 18,000 military vehicles ? including Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) trucks used by American personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq. Similar cushioning materials developed by SKYDEX also reinforce the floors of military interceptor boats and the padding in troop helmets.

In an IED attack that?s large enough to carry a 100 percent chance of seriously injuring a soldier who's riding above the explosion, the odds of bad wounds drop to 10 percent if that vehicle?s flooring is covered with a SKYDEX application, according to Foley.

The core of this danger-soaking science involves thin mats filled with thermoplastic, opposing ?twin hemispheres? that collapse into one another during a nearby bomb burst, sucking up the rapid, violent energy waves emitted by an IED.

When the company?s ?convoy decking? is viewed from the side, however, it somewhat resembles the guts of a sports shoe.

There?s a logical reason for that bouncy, about-to-dunk look.

?We started the company thinking we were a sporting goods material,? Foley said. ?That?s my background. I?m actually a biomechanist.?

Plainly put, that means he is a sports scientist trained to apply the laws of mechanics and physics to human performance.

?The early inventors (of the SKYDEX material) were early guys at Nike, pioneers in the shoe industry. This absorbs so much more shock than foam,? which has lined many athletic shoes over the years.?

But within about six months of the 2001 launch of SKYDEX Technologies, the company was approached by researchers from the Marines, the Army and the Navy ? ?to work on different problems the military had,? Foley said.

Among those problems: IEDs.

?Because we absorb so much force, it makes sense for them to go this route,? Foley added.

?Yes, we use SKYDEX blast-attenuating floor mats in many of our MRAP vehicles,? said Elizabeth Robbins, a Pentagon spokeswoman. ?A majority of the MRAPs in Operation Enduring Freedom have them installed.?

?It is accurate to say that both in test results as well as the results from IED events in theater, the technology demonstrates the ability to significantly reduce forces to the legs of people in the vehicles,? Robbins added.

At SKYDEX, the research-and-development team is examining next-generation head protection for American troops, Foley said, ?really looking at what we can do to prevent injuries from blunt trauma and blast waves.? ?(The company also employs 11 veterans).

But the whirlwind career detour Foley has taken - from trying to engineer a more buoyant sports shoe a decade ago to trying to protect the heads and bodies of soldiers today - isn?t lost on a man who has his name on more than 10 patents.

?The veterans who work here were, by and large, boots on the ground. They have a difficult time telling their stories,? Foley said. ?So it?s really easy to remember why we?re doing this.

?I?m the son of a retired Navy captain. Like a lot of older parents, he will often talk a long, long time on the phone. Then we?ll talk about SKYDEX, what it can do to save live and limbs. And he?ll suddenly tell me that I?ve got to get off the phone and go to work.?

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/21/13945159-from-sports-shoes-to-bomb-shields-the-odd-detour-of-a-key-us-military-material?lite

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