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SmartGlass for Xbox One reaches Windows Phone a few days early

As the ancient proverb goes: a next-gen console ain't no next-gen console without next-gen mobile apps. We can't remember who said that exactly, but it's impossible to forget what's built into the new Xbox One SmartGlass app. After all, Microsoft's been hyping everything you'll be able to do with that second screen for months now. In preparation for the One's launch later this week, the companion app has (unsurprisingly) landed first in the Windows Phone store. As you'd imagine, it's basically useless, but you can still download it, sign in and poke around the limited UI should you wish. We expect the new version to show up in the App and Play stores in due course, but perhaps this debut appearance will remind Sony that Windows Phone users like apps, too.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablets, Software, HD, Mobile, Microsoft

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Nexus 5 review

LG’s second Ne​xus is the best phone you can buy for $350, and an excellent platform on which to experience the new Android 4.4 KitKat — but that experience isn’t entirely free from compromises

Just what is a Nexus? The definition of Google’s homegrown gadget lineup has evolved — if not changed beyond all recognition — in the almost four years since the arrival of the Nexus One. Originally expensive, exclusive and developer-centric, Nexus is now solidly a consumer-focused brand. With wallet-friendly price tags, a Nestle-promoted launch, numerous carrier and retailer partners and new, prettier software, the LG-built Nexus 5 is more a phone for normal people than any previous Google-branded handset.

But despite the face of “vanilla” Android becoming more friendly and the Nexus line growing more accessible, these products have always garnered attention from tech-savvy enthusiasts more than average smartphone buyers. Nerds, if you will. People who value the specs, performance and the latest version of Android over shiny features and space-age build quality.

That was clearly the case with last year’s Nexus 4, which demanded users sacrifice LTE connectivity to be part of the elite Nexus club. Similarly, Nexus 4 buyers got only an average camera and unspectacular battery life for their $299. Though it was a fantastic phone for the time — and for the money, particularly in countries where LTE had yet to take off — Nexus 4 ownership was also a lesson in compromises. And so for $50 more, this year’s Nexus promises high-end internals, 4G LTE support wherever you live, and an improved camera experience with “HDR+” mode — in essence, more of what made the Nexus 4 great, with fewer bugbears.

However, hardware is only part of the equation — arguably more important is the new Android 4.4 KitKat software, the biggest step forward for the OS since 2011’s Ice Cream Sandwich release. Aside from the clear visual refresh, KitKat aims to revamp Android’s basic phone and SMS experiences, while making it easier to get to use Google Now, one of the platform’s greatest assets.

All of this for $349 (£299) sounds like impossibly good value. So can the Nexus 5 really be a slam-dunk of high-end hardware, slick, beautiful software and an unbeatable price point? And for those willing to spend more, is a Nexus still the best way to experience “vanilla” Android in a world of Moto Xs and Google Play editions? Let’s find out in the full Android Central review of the Nexus 5.

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First study of Russian meteor: Chelyabinsk was largest meteoroid strike since Tunguska event of 1908

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in February 2013 was "a wake-up call," according to a UC Davis scientist who participated in analyzing the event.Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131106131946.htm
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Lydia McLaughlin Is Leaving Real Housewives of Orange County: I'm "Doing the Right Thing"

So long, Lydia. After just one season on The Real Housewives of Orange County, Lydia McLaughlin has decided not to return for season nine of the Bravo smash, she tells Us Weekly exclusively. "It's bittersweet," McLaughlin, 32, tells Us. "I compare it to breaking up with a boyfriend you know you're not going to end up with -- it's hard, but overall you know you're doing the right thing." (Bravo had no comment.)

PHOTOS: Remember these former Housewives?

The quirky, Canadian-born magazine entrepreneur and married mother of two isn't the only woman exiting the original show that spawned the entire Housewives franchise: As reported back in September, both Alexis Bellino and Gretchen Rossi were fired from the Bravo smash; Rossi joined the series in season four, and Bellino entered the fray one season later. Pending any other casting changes, the remaining OC women include veteran housewife Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Barney and Heather Dubrow.

PHOTOS: Before they were housewives!

Typically chilled out during her short tenure on the show, McLaughlin assures Us that there's "no epic story" or feud behind her decision to leave the show. "I never wanted to make a career out of being a housewife. That's never really been a dream of mine," says McLaughlin, who shares kids Stirling, 4, and Maverick, 2, with husband Doug. Although producers asked McLaughlin to come back ("I was really flattered!"), she explains, "I want to build my brand outside of the Housewives -- I've always been really honest with the producers about that. I knew that while I was filming it that I probably wasn't going to be doing it again."

PHOTOS: Biggest Housewives brawls ever

To her credit, McLaughlin managed to survive her short tenure on the show mostly keeping peace with all of the often-combative women. "I definitely don't have any regrets," she says. "I got to be kind of a different voice -- I think that my fans love the love and positivity that I brought."

And McLaughlin - who owns Beverly Hills Lifestyle magazine with Doug, 33 -- hasn't ruled out a potential return to reality TV, either. "I definitely have plans to continue to sparkle fairy dust and be a light! I want to develop our own reality show about our magazine and all the glitz and glamour involved with publishing it," says McLaughlin, who also has a burgeoning jewelry line.

PHOTOS: Housewives' plastic surgery -- before and after

As for keeping in touch with her now ex-costars? "I still see Alexis and Gretchen," she says. "Ironically they're not on the show anymore!"

McLaughlin's also undecided whether she'll tune in as a viewer of future seasons. "I feel like because I did have such a great experience with it, I would be sad to watch it," she mused. "It'd be like seeing your ex-boyfriend with a new girl! I'm really grateful for the opportunity!"

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/lydia-mclaughlin-is-leaving-real-housewives-of-orange-county-im-doing-the-right-thing-2013411
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How to find out what apps are eating the battery life on your Mac running OS X Mavericks

If you've got a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or other kind of portable Mac that contains a battery, OS X Mavericks has made it easier than ever to figure out and keep track of exactly what's using your battery life. So if you find your battery draining quickly, one click can help you determine what the cause is. Here's how:

1. In the upper system tray in your Mac, there is a battery icon that shows how much battery you have remaining. Click on it.
2. There's a new section labeled Apps Using Significant Energy. If there are any apps listed here, these are the ones that could potentially be draining your battery faster.
3. Close down any apps that are in this list in order to save battery life.

That's all there is to it. Amongst our staff, Google Chrome always seems to be in the list. If you're experiencing the same, let us know in the comments!

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Chris Brown released after assault charge reduced

FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2013 file photo, Chris Brown arrives at the 55th annual Grammy Awards, in Los Angeles. Brown was arrested early Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013 in Washington after a fight broke out near the W Hotel near the White House. District of Columbia Police spokesman Officer Paul Metcalf says 24-year-old Brown was arrested and charged with felony assault. Metcalf says 35-year-old Chris Hollosy also was arrested on felony assault charges after the incident. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2013 file photo, Chris Brown arrives at the 55th annual Grammy Awards, in Los Angeles. Brown was arrested early Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013 in Washington after a fight broke out near the W Hotel near the White House. District of Columbia Police spokesman Officer Paul Metcalf says 24-year-old Brown was arrested and charged with felony assault. Metcalf says 35-year-old Chris Hollosy also was arrested on felony assault charges after the incident. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Singer Chris Brown mother, Joyce Hawkins, right, is escorted into a D.C. Courthouse in Washington, Monday, Oct. 28, 2013, for her son's arraignment on a felony assault charge. Brown is accused of punching a man in the face after the man said he tried to get into a photo with the singer outside a hotel, according to police, the latest legal trouble for the Grammy Award-winning artist. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

The W Hotel in Washington, Monday, Oct. 28, where singer Chris Brown was arrested, accused of punching a man in the face after the man said he tried to get into a photo with the singer outside the hotel, according to police, the latest legal trouble for the Grammy Award-winning artist. The singer is expected to appear in court Monday on a felony assault charge. Another man, Christopher Hollosy, 35, also was charged with felony assault in the altercation that started just before 4:30 a.m. Sunday, police say. It happened near the W Hotel, not far from the White House. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Singer Chris Brown is surrounded by bodyguards as he departs the H. Carl Moultriel courthouse Monday, Oct. 28, 2013, in Washington. A charge against the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer has been reduced to a misdemeanor and he was ordered released after his arrest Sunday following an altercation outside a Washington hotel. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Singer Chris Brownwaves to fans as he departs the H. Carl Moultriel courthouse Monday, Oct. 28, 2013, in Washington. A charge against the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer has been reduced to a misdemeanor and he was ordered released after his arrest Sunday following an altercation outside a Washington hotel. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chris Brown's misdemeanor assault charge in Washington, D.C., could further complicate the R&B singer's unsettled legal situation. Additional time behind bars remains a possibility for the singer — both in the District of Columbia and California — where Brown remains on probation for his 2009 beating of his on-again, off-again girlfriend Rihanna.

Brown emerged from a Washington court on Monday flashing a peace sign after spending more than a day in custody on a charge filed after a man accused the Grammy winner and his bodyguard of punching him and breaking his nose outside a local hotel.

Brown's arrest early Sunday comes at a crucial time for the singer, who is releasing an album this winter and is under a deadline to complete hundreds of hours of community service to satisfy his sentence for the Rihanna attack.

His day and a half in custody are the longest time the scandal-plagued singer has spent behind bars and the case represents the most serious accusations he's faced since his attack on Rihanna. Brown left the courthouse to cheers from supporters, some of whom clapped when a judge announced he would be released.

His time in custody was much longer than the few hours he spent at a Los Angeles jail after the Rihanna attack. In contrast to Brown's LA court appearances, which routinely happen in the afternoon when his case is the only one on calendar, Brown appeared in a crowded D.C. courtroom and had to wait until the end of the day for his case to be called and his release granted.

Brown is accused of punching a man who tried to get a picture with the singer and two other people near Washington's W Hotel early Sunday, according to the man's account in a police report. The report states Parker Isaac Adams, 20, said Brown told him, "I'm not down with that gay s---" and "I feel like boxing." The exact context of Brown's remarks was not immediately clear.

The man told police Brown punched him in the face, and a court filing states the man's nose was fractured. Brown's bodyguard, Chris Hollosy, stepped between them and also punched the man before grabbing Brown by the arm and leading him toward his tour bus, according to the report.

In an interview with police, Brown denied hitting the man and said he was on his tour bus when Hollosy got into a fight with Adams.

"We understand that his security acted to protect Mr. Brown and Mr. Brown's property as he was authorized to do under District of Columbia law. We are confident that Mr. Brown will be exonerated of any wrongdoing," Brown's lawyer, Danny Onorato, said after Monday's hearing.

Brown, 24, had a squeaky clean image before his attack on Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 Grammys, but since then has had several flare-ups that have been reported to authorities and noted by Los Angeles prosecutors. Brown broke a window after a 2011 "Good Morning America" interview in New York and was accused of snatching a woman's cellphone in Miami after she tried to snap pictures of the singer. He was also slightly injured in a New York nightclub brawl and earlier this year, was accused of being involved in a fistfight with Frank Ocean's entourage over a parking spot at a West Hollywood recording studio.

He was not charged in any of the incidents, but they have kept his public image tarnished, even as legions of fans continue to support him. Many of Brown's more than 13 million Twitter followers continue to come to the singer's defense and attack his critics on the site.

The release of singer's latest album, "X," was delayed earlier this year and is due to be released in the coming months. Brown's career since the Rihanna attack has been a mixed bag: his 2009 album "Graffiti" bombed but he found success with the back-to-back pop hits "Yeah 3x" and "Deuces," which was — one of 2010's top R&B songs.

He also earned his first Grammy win for his album "F. A. M. E." and received several nominations for his follow-up "Fortune." The album featured 2011's most popular rap song, "Look At Me Now."

While jail time would put a dent in his career, others — from the ultra-successful Lil Wayne to T.I. — have made it to the top of the charts after prison stints.

Brown faces an August 2014 deadline to complete 1,000 hours of graffiti cleanup or other community labor. The additional service was added earlier this year after prosecutors accused Brown of failing to properly complete his service in his home state of Virginia.

In addition to penalties Brown would face if convicted in the Washington case, he also faces the possibility of up to four years in prison if a Los Angeles judge determines he violated his probation for the Rihanna attack.

Probation officials would need to investigate the new arrest for it to become an issue in California, which could happen before Brown's next probation progress hearing on Nov. 20.

Judges typically wait to see if a person on probation is convicted in a new case before imposing new punishments, said Los Angeles defense attorney Steve Cron, however Brown's notoriety may prompt earlier scrutiny.

LA prosecutors cited the "Good Morning America" and Miami cellphone snatching incident in court filings earlier this year seeking modifications to Brown's probation. The office had no comment on the Washington arrest.

Cron said while Brown's fate depends on the facts in the Washington case, the singer's history might lead to some more time behind bars. "If the guy got hurt at all, I think he's looking at some jail time," he said.

___

McCartney reported from Los Angeles. Entertainment Writer Mesfin Fekadu and Writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

Follow Jessica Gresko at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko and McCartney at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-10-29-Chris%20Brown%20Arrest/id-3a2b46c02ad8402183e6fcf9d88b00b4
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After unity, some Democrats push back on Obama

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just two weeks after President Barack Obama saw his Democratic Party put up an unyielding front against Republicans, his coalition is showing signs of stress.

From health care to spying to pending budget deals, many congressional Democrats are challenging the administration and pushing for measures that the White House has not embraced.

Some Democrats are seeking to extend the enrollment period for new health care exchanges. Others want to place restraints on National Security Administration surveillance capabilities. Still others are standing tough against any budget deal that uses long-term reductions in major benefit programs to offset immediate cuts in defense.

Though focused on disparate issues, the Democrats' anxieties are connected by timing and stand out all the more when contrasted with the remarkable unity the party displayed during the recent showdown over the partial government shutdown and the confrontation over raising the nation's borrowing limit.

"That moment was always going to be fleeting," said Matt Bennett, who worked in the Clinton White House and who regularly consults with Obama aides. "The White House, every White House, understands that these folks, driven either by principle or the demands of the politics of their state, have to put daylight between themselves and the president on occasion."

Obama and the Democrats emerged from the debt and shutdown clash with what they wanted: a reopened government, a higher debt ceiling and a Republican Party reeling in the depths of public opinion polls.

But within days, attention turned to the problem-riddled launch of the 3-year-old health care law's enrollment stage and revelations that the U.S. had been secretly monitoring the communications of as many as 35 allied leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And with new budget talks underway, Democratic Party liberals reiterated demands that Obama not agree to changes that reduce Social Security or Medicare benefits even in the improbable event Republicans agree to increase budget revenues.

The fraying on the Democratic Party edges is hardly unraveling Obama's support and it pales when compared to the upheaval within the Republican Party as it distances itself from the tactics of tea party conservatives. But the pushback from Democrats comes as Obama is trying to draw renewed attention to his agenda, including passage of an immigration overhaul, his jobs initiatives and the benefits of his health care law.

The computer troubles that befell the start of health insurance sign-ups have caused the greatest anxiety. Republicans pounced on the difficulties as evidence of deeper flaws in the law. But Democrats, even as they defended the policy, also demanded answers in the face of questions from their constituents.

"The fact is that the administration really failed these Americans," Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., told Medicare chief Marilyn Tavenner at a hearing this week. "So going forward, there can be just no more excuses."

In the Senate, 10 Democrats signed on to a letter seeking an unspecified extension of the enrollment period, which ends March 31. "As you continue to fix problems with the website and the enrollment process, it is critical that the administration be open to modifications that provide greater flexibility for the American people seeking to access health insurance," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., wrote.

Another Democratic senator, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, has called for a one-year delay in the requirement that virtually all Americans have health insurance or pay a fine.

On Thursday, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough, Tavenner and the White House's designated troubleshooter for the health care web site, Jeffrey Zients, were meeting privately with Senate Democrats to offer reassurances.

Democrats who have talked to White House officials in recent days describe them as rattled by the health care blunders. But they say they are confident that the troubled website used for enrollment will be corrected and fully operational by the end of November.

The spying revelations also have created some tensions between the administration and Democrats. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and until now a staunch supporter of the NSA's surveillance, called for a "total review of all intelligence programs" following the Merkel reports.

She said that when it came to the NSA collecting intelligence on the leaders of allies such as France, Spain, Mexico and Germany, "Let me state unequivocally: I am totally opposed."

In the House, Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, a Democratic member of the House intelligence committee, complained that the intelligence committees had been kept out of the loop about the collection of data on foreign leaders.

"Why did we not know that heads of state were being eavesdropped on, spied on?" she asked Obama administration intelligence officials on Tuesday. "We are the Intelligence Committee. And we did not -- we didn't know that. And now all of us, all of us, are dealing with a problem in our international relations. There will be changes."

With Congress renewing budget talks Wednesday, liberals have been outspoken in their insistence that Democrats vigorously resist efforts to reduce long-term deficits with savings in Social Security or Medicare. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who usually votes with Democrats, has been the most outspoken, saying he fears a budget deal will contain a proposal in Obama's budget to reduce cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security and other benefit programs.

Obama, however, has proposed that remedy only if Republicans agree to raise tax revenue, a bargain that GOP lawmakers involved in the discussions made clear they would reject. Moreover, leaders from both parties as well as White House officials have signaled that in budget talks, they are looking for a small budget deal, not the type of "grand bargain" that would embrace such a revenue-for-benefit-cuts deal.

Still, many liberals warn that such cuts aren't palatable even if coupled with additional revenues.

"The idea, the notion that we're going to solve this problem or it's going to be OK if we were able to raise revenue and cut this thing back at the same time, it just isn't going to fly outside of Washington," said Jim Dean, chairman of the liberal advocacy group Democracy for America.

Follow Jim Kuhnhenn at http://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn

• Politics & Government
• Budget, Tax & Economy
• Barack Obama
• White House
• Democratic Party
• health care
• health insurance

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/unity-democrats-push-back-obama-175506793--politics.html
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Chemical weapons inspectors in Syria miss deadline

BEIRUT (AP) — International inspectors overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile have missed an early deadline in a brutally tight schedule after security concerns prevented them from visiting two sites linked to Damascus' chemical program.

Experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were to have checked all 23 of Syria's declared chemical sites by Sunday, but the organization said Monday that inspectors have visited only 21 because of security issues. While there are no consequences for missing the deadline, the group's failure to meet it underscores the ambitious timeline as well as the risks its inspectors face in carrying out their mission in the middle of Syria's civil war.

The OPCW did not say who was responsible for the security problems, but the organizations' director-general has said in the past that temporary cease-fires may have to be negotiated between rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar Assad to reach some sites. The chemical weapons watchdog said it has not given up hope of gaining access to the two locations.

"Negotiations continue to try to get security guarantees so our inspectors can go in," OPCW spokesman Michael Luhan said.

The joint OPCW-U.N. mission faces a string of target dates for specific tasks as it aims to achieve the overall goal of ridding Syria of its chemical stockpile by mid-2014. Luhan said the next deadline is Nov. 1, by which time Syria has to complete "functional destruction of the critical equipment for all its chemical weapons production facilities and mixing-filing plants."

That step will ensure that Syria can no longer make new chemical weapons. After that, the international community and Syria have to agree to a plan to destroy the country's chemical stockpile.

Syria is believed to possess around 1,000 metric tons of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and the nerve agent sarin. It has sent the OPCW a plan for full destruction of the stockpile that has to be discussed by the group's executive council next month.

The OPCW, based in The Hague, said such declarations by member states "provide the basis on which plans are devised for a systematic, total and verified destruction of declared chemical weapons and production facilities."

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that Washington was reviewing the declaration, which ran to more than 700 pages. "We are, in accordance with OPCW regulations, not going to publicly discuss or analyze our assessment of the report," she said.

The two sites the inspectors still need to check appear to be in rebel-held or contested areas. At least one of the locations is believed to be the town of al-Safira, which experts say is home to a production facility as well as storage sites. The area has been engulfed by fighting for months, and many of the rebels in the area are from al-Qaida-linked groups.

The OPCW-U.N. mission stems from a deadly chemical attack on rebel-held suburbs of Damascus in August that killed hundreds. Assad denied any role in the attack, while the U.S. and its allies blamed his government and threatened to carry out punitive missile strikes.

The U.S. and Russia then brokered an agreement for Syria to relinquish its chemical arsenal. Assad quickly agreed, and the deal was enshrined in a U.N. Security Council resolution.

That resolution also endorsed a roadmap for a political transition in Syria, and called for a peace conference to be held in Geneva as soon as possible. Diplomatic efforts to convene the meeting have sputtered, however, amid disagreements over the agenda and participants.

U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi traveled to Damascus Monday as part of his regional trip to try to drum up support for the conference. Brahimi is expected to meet Syrian officials as well as members of local opposition groups. It is not clear whether he will meet Assad, who was furious with the envoy after Brahimi said in December that the Assad family's 40-year rule of Syria was "too long."

Also Monday, Syrian government forces retook a Christian town north of Damascus, expelling al-Qaida-linked rebels after a week of heavy fighting, state media and opposition activists said.

The state-run SANA news agency said the army "restored security and stability" to the town of Sadad, 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Damascus, and that "a large number of terrorists" were killed.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the government had retaken the town but that rebels had successfully withdrawn.

SANA also said that rebel fighters captured a member of parliament, Sheik Mahna el-Fayadh, on Sunday near the eastern city of Deir el-Zour. The Observatory said el-Fayadh was being held by rebels from the Ahrar al-Sham brigade as well as the al-Qaida-linked Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

___

Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, and John Heilprin in Geneva contributed to this report.

• Politics & Government
• Unrest, Conflicts & War
• Bashar Assad
• Syria
• OPCW
• chemical weapons

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chemical-weapons-inspectors-syria-miss-deadline-185536935.html
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9 Ohio, W.Va. residents sue DuPont Co. over cancer

CINCINNATI (AP) — Nine Ohio and West Virginia residents who have cancer and other diseases have filed federal lawsuits this month against chemical giant DuPont, alleging the company knowingly contaminated drinking-water supplies with a chemical used by one of its plants.

The lawsuits, filed Oct. 8 and this week, are among about 50 such cases — including one alleging wrongful death — filed against DuPont since April, when a court-appointed science panel found probable links between exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as C8, and kidney cancer, testicular cancer and thyroid disease, among others.

DuPont, based in Wilmington, Del., uses C8 at its plant near Parkersburg, W.Va., on the Ohio line but plans to stop making and using the chemical by 2015. C8 is a key ingredient in Teflon, the coating used on cookware, clothing and other products.

The recent litigation is the latest in a yearslong battle between DuPont and residents of the Mid-Ohio Valley, in the heart of Appalachia along the Ohio River.

About 80,000 area residents filed a class-action lawsuit against the company in 2001. It resulted in a settlement in which DuPont agreed to pay as much as $343 million for residents' medical tests, the removal of as much C8 from the area's water supply as possible and a science panel's yearslong study into whether C8 causes disease in humans.

"These are folks who've been waiting many, many years to be able to pursue these claims," said Rob Bilott, a Cincinnati attorney who has been working on the case for more than 15 years and represents the Mid-Ohio Valley residents. "Our goal is to be able to get these resolved for them and move forward as quickly as we can."

In a written statement, DuPont spokesman Dan Turner pointed out the company's efforts to pay for the medical study of C8 and fund a medical monitoring program for residents exposed to the chemical.

"Lawsuits such as these ignore family history, lifestyle choices and other causes of health issues and disease in specific individuals," Turner said. "DuPont will vigorously defend against any and all such lawsuits not based upon valid science."

The roughly 50 recent lawsuits in Ohio and West Virginia, which seek unspecified damages, have been consolidated into one case being presided over by a federal judge in Columbus. The first trial in the matter is set for September 2015.

Many of the lawsuits are more than 50 pages long and accuse the company of negligence, concealment, fraud, deception, battery and the "negligent, intentional and reckless infliction of emotional distress and outrage."

The lawsuits allege that DuPont's own research had concluded by at least 1961 that C8 was toxic and it conducted studies in the 1980s showing higher-than-normal birth defects among babies born to its female employees.

DuPont is accused of recklessly, maliciously and knowingly ignoring the risks and releasing C8 into the air and groundwater through its production practices, all while telling members of the public and news media that C8 was safe.

"No reasonable person could be expected to endure the knowledge that an entity has knowingly and intentionally exposed them to years of harmful contact with a dangerous chemical, and has furthermore actively misrepresented and/or concealed such danger from them, while reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in profits as a direct and proximate result," the lawsuit says.

The lawsuits quote internal notes written by DuPont's attorneys, obtained during previous litigation, that show their apparent frustration.

"Too bad the business wants to hunker down as though everything will not come out in the litigation," wrote one attorney who was not named in 2001, according to the lawsuit. "God knows how they could be so clueless. Don't they read the paper or go to the movies?"

Among the lawsuits is one filed by Virginia Morrison of Parkersburg, W.Va., accusing DuPont of causing the death of her husband in 2008 from injuries related to kidney cancer.

DuPont denies all the allegations in court filings, saying that plaintiffs' damages, if any, were caused by acts of God or actions of others, "over which DuPont had no control," and were not reasonably foreseeable by the company.

___

Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-26-DuPont-C8%20Lawsuits/id-81439803a53041ba95ece48725ec6712
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Powerful Nokia Tablet Focuses on Photo Skills

Nokia's Lumia 2520 is the first tablet to incorporate Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor, and it's the first to include Zeiss lenses. Also, the addition of an LTE modem in the 2520 "is a great attempt to see if [Nokia] can change the game," said tech analyst Jeff Orr. "I believe whoever can lead the charge by including a modem could be a bellwether for the rest of the market."

Nokia on Tuesday announced a slew of new products, including its first Windows tablet, the Lumia 2520.

Two phablets with 6-inch screens, the Lumia 1520 and 1320, were also in the lineup.

Features that distinguish the 2520 from other tablets include the use of Zeiss lenses for the first time in a tablet; Nokia Storyteller, an app that lets users curate and relive images and videos as a story on a map; and Nokia Video Director, which lets users edit videos shot on the 2520 and on Nokia smartphones.

"It's designed for people who like to take photos on their smartphones and edit them on tablets," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld.

"That's probably the segment that will be most interested in the 2520 and it's not the biggest segment -- but at least it's something, and the tablet's differentiated from others," Enderle continued.

The phablets "can be used as pretty decent readers, so they're a good alternative to having to carry both a phone and a tablet," Enderle suggested.

The 2520's Specs

The 2520 has a 10.1-inch full HD ClearBlack IPS LCD capacitive multipoint touch display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution.

It is the first tablet to be built around a 2.2 Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, and to have a built-in modem. The 2520 runs Windows RT 8.1.

The 2520 has a 6.7 MP camera and will come preloaded with the Dragons Adventure interactive game Nokia developed with Dreamworks Animation; Nokia's HERE offline Maps; Nokia Music with Mix Radio; and Microsoft Office and Outlook.

It gets 80 percent charged in one hour and has a microSIM card slot and a micro HDMI connector.

Enterprise security features include a mobile VPN, remote-wipe capability over the Internet, device lock, device passcode and user data encryption capability.

The tablet has NFC to enable photo-sharing with other devices, and it can serve as a WiFi hotspot for up to eight other devices. It's also equipped with GPS.

The Lumia 2520 will be available in red and white or in cyan and black. It is scheduled to ship in Q4 and will cost US$499. AT&T has already announced it will carry the 2520.

The Nokia Power Keyboard, which has a keypad and gesture trackpad and two built-in USB ports, will be available for another $150. It offers an additional five hours of battery life.

Reactions to Nokia's Tablet

Nokia's Lumia 2520 could potentially be a high-performance device, Jeff Orr, senior practice director for mobile devices at ABI Research, told TechNewsWorld.

The closest is the Asus Padphone Infinity, which also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 but is a smartphone that docks into a tablet enclosure, Orr said.

The tablet market this year will be $72 billion worldwide, and North America will take 47 percent of that, ABI Research has predicted.

However, the Lumia 2520 might not be able to carve out much of a share for Nokia, because "any time Nokia has launched a device other than a mobile phone, it's been a disaster," Orr pointed out.

"They had the Nokia Booklet, and data-only devices that looked like smartphones but didn't have voice capability, and none of them took off," he noted.

The addition of an LTE modem in the 2520 "is a great attempt to see if they can change the game," Orr suggested. "I believe whoever can lead the charge by including a modem could be a bellwether for the rest of the market."

However, Microsoft's Surface 2, which also runs Windows RT, could battle the 2520 for market share.

"They're coming from similar parents," Orr said. "You should expect them to quarrel like siblings."

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/79246.html
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