Category: News

The best way to avoid developing colds, influenza, and other viral diseases this winter is not to go out and get more vaccines and over-the-counter drugs. Your immune system is fully equipped to thwart these conditions naturally on its own, provided you feed it the nutrients…

When state legislators ratified the Bill of Rights in 1791, they did so with assurance from the founding fathers that the central government would always exist within the parameters of the Constitution. Some 220-odd years later, that initial pledge has been broken…

When we relish a delicious organic apple or pear, we usually don’t suspect we are also ingesting a mouthful of antibiotics. As shocking as this may seem, it’s yet another dirty little secret of the certified organic industry in the U.S. Used to control a tree born bacterial…

Spending less of your waking hours sitting or lying down may do more to reduce your risk of Type II diabetes than meeting current recommendations for moderate or vigorous exercise, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Leicester and published…

First it was millions of servings of long-term storable food. Then it was billions of rounds of high-powered ammunition and thousands of tank-like armored vehicles. Now the occupying powers of the U.S. federal government are stockpiling millions of doses of smallpox…

In 2002, author Martin Lee wrote an article for Common Dreams: “Truth Serum and Torture.” It could have been written yesterday, because now a Colorado judge has stated that, if James Holmes pleads not guilty by reason of insanity to the Aurora murders, state psychiatrists…

Though it may come as a surprise to some, many of the dietary and lifestyle “villains” that we have all been told to avoid for the sake of our health are actually good for us. However, a constant onslaught of misinformation from regulatory and health authorities on the…

(NaturalNew) Nuclear medicine has been around for decades, as has the technology for the federal government to monitor and track nuclear materials. In the past patients who have been treated with nuclear medicine have “set off” government nuclear detection gear, but…

Beetroots have long been treasured by health enthusiasts for their sweet taste, distinctive appearance, and nutritional value. Rich in trace minerals, high in dietary fiber, and bursting with antioxidants, they have been linked to lowered cholesterol, blood sugar control…

It’s not surprising that processed foods are designed to foster addictive behavior — robbing us of our health, serenity and hard-earned cash. Sugar, fat, salt and artificial flavors are manipulated in such a way that after one taste, consumers just cannot help themselves…

In the wake of legislation passed by voters in Colorado and Washington State which legalized marijuana in defiance of federal drug laws, President Obama told Barbara Walters that he had instructed his Justice Department not to prosecute anyone smoking pot in these states…

Teenagers are faced with a myriad of challenges while growing up, one of which is acne, which affects four out of five Americans between the ages of 12 and 24. Thankfully though, there are effective treatments available right now that work to combat acne and ultimately…

This is from a finding for future cancer rates in the UK. Currently, it is just under that risk rate, just under one for every two or 44 percent. It’s no surprise that the numbers are almost the same in the U.S. for both men and women. So what to do about it? Well…

Early this morning, Google announced a massive expansion of Chromebook distribution, including new countries and more Best Buys in the United States.

“Starting Tuesday, the Acer, HP and Samsung Chromebooks will begin rolling out in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands”, Caesar Sengupta, Google product management director, says. “To help improve computing for organizations, we’re rolling out Chromebooks to businesses and schools in these same countries as well”.

Over the next couple weeks, Google will double the number of U.S. Best Buy locations carrying Chromebooks to 1,000. The company sets up discrete displays inside the electronics stores, staffed by Google employees. Perhaps Chromebook Pixel will show up, finally, as the search and information giant indicated last month.

Future Think

Retail expansion comes days after an executive shakeup raised the operating system’s profile and speculation about its priority over, or perhaps merger with, Android. Andy Rubin left his position running operations for the green robot. Sundar Pichai, who is responsible for Chrome and Apps, added Android to his responsibilities.

I’m not with those calling for or expecting a merger of the operating systems. Rather, I see Chrome’s profile dramatically rising — and so Chrome OS with it. The browser, as development platform, can co-opt operating systems like iOS, OS X or Windows, while also fronting Chrome OS. The browser is more natural fit for Google services and anchors them anywhere. Where do you consume most Google services and where is the most advertising revenue generated? From the web.

By contrast, Android, while hugely popular, is constrained by OEM partners like Samsung. Google delivers fresh features to Chrome and Chrome OS users about every six weeks. Android updates are less frequent and carriers and device manufacturers logjam dispatch. For example, Jelly Bean, which released in July 2012, makes up just 25.5 percent of the devices accessing Google Play in the 14 days before March 5.

While Samsung ships the newest Android on Galaxy S IV, the operating system is heavily customized and the electronics giant controls branding and user experience. Google commands the browser, Chrome OS and the user experience around both. The point: Executive changes and today’s retail expansion are clear signs of Google’s commitment to Chrome OS, not just the browser.

PC and Tablet Alternative

Something else: The traditional Windows PC or Mac is in trouble. Yesterday, IDC warned that first-quarter shipments would be far worse than previously predicted, falling in the double-digits. This follows one of the worst holiday quarters on record, even though Windows 8 launched in late October. Microsoft’s new OS isn’t lifting PC sales, and even Macs suffer — missing analysts fourth-quarter consensus by more than one million units.

Google offers something different, yet familiar. With the exception of Pixel, most Chromebooks are affordably-priced and, not coincidentally, sell for what buyers might pay for tablets, which analysts contend displace PC sales. Prices start as low as $199, offering many benefits associated with tablets — long-battery life and near-instant-on capabilities, among them — but offering keyboard, desktop browser, Flash support and many other benefits uncommon to slates. Chrome is familiar to anyone using the browser elsewhere.

Critics charge that Chromebooks aren’t good enough, because the browser can’t compete with desktop software and the computers require a persistent Internet connection. But someone must be buying these machines. Otherwise, why expand distribution? I gave up using a traditional PC in May of last year for a Chromebook, which is more than enough to meet my needs.

Circling back to Google possibly putting Chrome and Chrome OS ahead of Android, remember that Pixel has a touchscreen. Why shouldn’t there be a Chrome OS tablet in the near future — a device that tightly fits in the Google Play content ecosystem?

If you are interested in buying a Chromebook, Google offers additional info for each new country: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Photo Credit: Joe Wilcox

Not too long ago, Droid 4 owners could take part in a small soak test for a possible Jelly Bean update. Well, about a week later, it looks like Verizon is ready to push out that Jelly Bean update to the masses starting tomorrow, March 19th. The update will begin rolling out in phases, but it’s definitely good news for Droid 4 owners.

The update will contain the regular Jelly Bean goodness, including Project Butter and Google Now, but it’ll also feature a handful of device specific fixes and improvements, such as improved data connection and removal of some preloaded apps. No complaints there. So keep an eye out for that notification tomorrow, and let us know in the comments if your device gets the update.

source: Verizon

Come comment on this article: Verizon Droid 4 to receive Jelly Bean update this week

Amazon’s App Store is celebrating a birthday this week. It’ll be two years on March 22nd since Amazon brought their little creation into this world, and what better way to celebrate than by discounting piles of apps and games? Amazon will be running sales on certain apps through this weekend, discounting some stuff over 50% off. And there’s still the famous Free App of the Day, like always, so you’ll have plenty to pick from.

Right now, there’s some pretty big apps like Angry Birds, Cut The Rope, and OfficeSuite Professional 7, all of which are at least 50% off. So if you frequently use the Amazon App Store or own a Kindle Fire, you’re probably going to pick up a few extra apps and games this week.

source: Amazon

Come comment on this article: Amazon’s App Store turns 2 this week, celebrates with app sales

Google’s recently stepped up their advertising game to try to draw some attention to their Nexus lineup, and the latest really hits home. The small story focuses on a couple trying to decide how to handle having their first child, and it goes through the beginning expecting stages all the way through the couple trying to decide on a name. The video of course showcases the cool things the Nexus 10 can do in a relateable way, like multi-user support for both parents’ schedule, and Google Now for making that tough naming decision.

It’s definitely a memorable commercial that’s bound to drum up a bit of interest for the 10-inch tab. Hopefully we’ll see a few more showcasing the other features Google stuffed into their devices. Hit the break below to check out the commercial for yourself.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Come comment on this article: Google’s latest Nexus 10 commercial tugs at your heartstrings

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) giant Salesforce.com is announcing new features for its Chatter social network’s Android and iOS native apps, as part of a larger effort to enhance its mobile offerings.

Inside the Chatter app for smartphones and tablets, users will be able to view and edit the status of deals in progress, share and view files, assign tasks, start polls and see updates in real time. Some of those abilities are available now, and others will come in the second half of the year. Until this week, though, users have been limited to viewing and posting status updates and browsing through user profiles.

The new functions let salespeople and other employees do more of their work and keep track of projects on the go, whether during the morning commute or outside the door of a potential client. The most talented salespeople might not want to be tethered to a desk to use legacy customer-relationship management software; they want to work with the mobile devices they know, said Anna Rosenman, senior manager of product marketing for Salesforce Chatter.

The rollout follows a Salesforce announcement last month about new live chat and co-browsing capabilities for mobile users of the company’s Service Cloud product.

Stay tuned for other mobile announcements from Salesforce later this year, a spokesman said. How will the company execute on its mobile strategy? Look for it to make acquisitions, as it did for the co-browsing technology. As my colleague Barb Darrow reported last month, Salesforce will “be aggressive and look at everything” in terms of acquisition prospects, CEO Marc Benioff told analysts.

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Bowers & Wilkin’s Zeppelin speaker is one of its best products, but as times evolve, so does the company and its products. That’s why the British Speaker manufacturer is introducing the Zeppelin Air wireless speaker and the brand new Z2. Not too long ago, B&W released the A5 and A7 speakers, for consumers who are truly wireless. Neither speaker has a dock of any kind, but rather stream music wirelessly through Apple’s AirPlay. But with the A line, B&W realized that, regardless of wireless play or not, people enjoy having a dock on their speaker. “When you walk into your home, the speaker is always in the same place, and we’ve heard from customers that they like slapping their phone down on the dock and letting it charge,” said Brian Devlin. “That way they always know where it is.” Both the Zeppelin Air and Z2 have both wireless functionality as well as iPhone 5 docks.

Zeppelin Air

To start, the Zeppelin Air hasn’t seen much of an update in the design department. And perhaps rightfully so, considering the speaker has one of the more iconic designs in its class among competitors. The Air has been updated with a Lightning dock, and the company even made that dock flexible. Because it bends, you’ll never have to worry about damaging the Lightning port on your iOs device or the dock of the speaker. The Zeppelin Air is available in May for $599.99.

Z2

The Z2 is instantly reminiscent of the Zeppelin Mini, B&W’s shot at a Zeppelin spin-off. Bowers & Wilkins insists the Z2 is not a next-generation Mini, but a brand new product line. Just like the Zeppelin Air, the Z2 offers Airplay streaming, a lightning dock, and B&W’s flexible dock technology. The Z2 comes in a considerably smaller package than the Air, and the dock almost seems invisible until you’re hovering over the speaker. The Z2 is available in April in both black and June in white for $399. Both products are made for the high-end listener, but if you can pick up an A5 or A7 along the way, Bowers & Wilkins will have truly completed its goal. The focus with all new products out of the company is that the music should follow you, and not the other way around.

Chromebooks haven’t exactly taken the world by storm so far, but that doesn’t mean Google (GOOG) is giving up on its vision for browser-centric notebook computers anytime soon. In a new piece over at Time’s TechLand blog, Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin says that Google’s upcoming merger of Android and its Chrome operating system makes it much more likely that Chromebooks will become attractive to consumers going forward.

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