An enormous, expensive and technology-laden warship that some Navy leaders once tried to kill because of its cost is now viewed as an important part of the Obama administration's Asia-Pacific strategy, with advanced capabilities that the Navy's top officer says represent the Navy's future.
The stealthy, guided-missile Zumwalt that's taking shape at Bath Iron Works is the biggest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy.
The low-to-the-water warship will feature a wave-piercing hull, composite deckhouse, electric drive propulsion, advanced sonar, missiles, and powerful guns that fire rocket-propelled warheads as far as 100 miles. It's also longer and heavier than existing destroyers -- but will have half the crew because of automated systems.
The General Accounting Office expressed concerns that the Navy was trying to incorporate too much new technology. Some Navy officials pointed out that it's less capable than existing destroyers when it comes to missile defense, and a defense analyst warned that it would be vulnerable while operating close to shore for fire support.
Even its "tumblehome" hull was criticized as potentially unstable in certain situations.
The 600-foot-long ships are so big that the General Dynamics-owned shipyard spent $40 million to construct a 106-foot-tall building to assemble the giant hull segments.
And then there's the cost, roughly $3.8 billion apiece, according to the Navy's latest proposed budget.
Including research and development, the cost grows to $7 billion apiece, said Winslow Wheeler, director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Center for Defense Information in Washington.
HTC and Verizon are soon going to start rolling out a new software update for the ladies-droid, the Rhyme. The HTC Rhyme was released around September last year, and is a mid-range Droid targeted mainly towards female Droid lovers. While HTC and Verizon have confirmed that the Rhyme will be getting Ice Cream Sandwich, this new software update is a mere bug fixer. The Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Rhyme is expected to land sometime in late Q2 or early Q3.
Device Features
“ Ringtones” has been replaced with “Edit Home” when the Menu key is pressed on the home screen.
Updated signal strength meter to 5 bar Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI).
Mobile networks no longer disabled when using Power Saver.
Device is enabled with the Wireless Alerting System.
Device Dock Features
Default applications in Dock Mode have been changed to “Phone” and “Calendar”.
In-call volume control has been added to Dock Mode.
“All Apps” option has been added to Dock Mode.
Resolved issue of dock volume changing to 20%.
Applications & Widgets
Device displays available music on the device and provides an option to purchase ringtones from the MOD application when a user is attempting to set a new ringtone through a prepopulated list.
Mail shortcut now shows unread mail count.
Samsung recently announced two new multimedia devices in its popular Galaxy family, the Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 and Galaxy Player 4.2. Both the devices runs on the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Operating System. These media players has all the all the features of a smartphone, except the calling capabilities.
You might have already guessed that the Galaxy Player 3.6 comes with a 3.6 inch WVGA display, while the Galaxy Player 4.2 comes with a 4.2 inch WVGA display. These devices will be available for purchase from next month in the US. Check out the complete specs after the break.
samsung galaxy player
The Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 features a 3.2 inch WVGA display, sporting a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels, 1 GHz processor, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, TouchWiz 4.0 UI, 2 megapixel rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, Music Player with SoundAlive, Front Stereo Speaker, 3.5 mm headset jack, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 8 GB internal memory, MicroSD card slot, 32 GB expandable memory, 512 MB RAM and a 1500 mAh battery.
The Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 features a 4.2 inch WVGA display, sporting a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, 1 GHz processor, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, TouchWiz 4.0 UI, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 2 megapixel rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, Front Stereo Speaker, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, Samsung Apps, Social Hub, Readers Hub, Music Hub, Game Hub, Google Play Store, 8 GB/ 16 GB internal memory, MicroSD card slot, 32 GB expandable memory, 512 MB RAM, Samsung ChatON, Samsung Kies and a 1500 mAh battery.
Sony Mobile Communications finally launched the much-awaited Sony Xperia S in India. This handset was originally announced and showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 in Las Vegas. The Sony Xperia S is the first smartphone in the new Sony Xperia NXT series. This handset currently runs on the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS. However, the company will roll out the latest Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Operating System in the coming months.
P. Balaji, Managing Director, Sony Mobile Communications India, said,
“Now, as part of the Sony group, we are in an even stronger position to bring connected entertainment experiences to consumers in India. Bringing together the best of Sony’s electronics, networked services and content, the Xperia smartphone is a cornerstone to enjoy entertainment in this connected world.”
sony xperia s
Sony Xperia S features a 4.3 inch HD display, sporting a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, 1.5 GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 dual-core processor, Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS (upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich), 12 megapixel camera with 16x digital zoom, auto-focus, Face detection and LED Flash, Full HD (1080p) video recording and playback, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls and so on.
Other features include a 3.5 mm audio jack, FM radio with RDS, 32 GB eMMC, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Google Play Store, Wi-Fi Hotspot functionality, GPS with aGPS, Bluetooth technology, DLNA Certified, HDMI support, Micro USB, NFC (Near Field Communication), USB 2.0, up to 25 hrs music playback time, up to 7 hrs 30 min of talk-time, up to 450 hrs of stand-by time and a 1750 mAh battery.
Sony Xperia S is also a PlayStation certified smartphone. This handset is currently available in 2 colors – Black and White. The Sony Xperia S comes with a price-tag of Rs.32,549 in India. Sony has also confirmed that the Xperia P, Xperia U and the recently announced Xperia Sola will hit the Indian market by the end of Q2 2012.
Call it a new way of branding to stay afloat in the time of crisis or the dawn of a new era in India where the most recognisable faces (read cricketers) have learned to the tread the Twitter path to keep their followers informed about every aspect of their lives.
On his return from the US where he underwent three cycles of chemotherapy, Yuvraj Singh has been hailed as the new braveheart not just by his fans across the country but also by the entire media. An obvious question also being raised by many is: why is he risking his health for the sake of publicity?
Yuvraj was tweeting about his health and posting photographs of each and every stage of his medical progress, a first by any Indian sportsperson.
India’s World Cup hero hardly needed any publicity to keep his brand value intact. So what compelled him do all this? Well, the batsman says he “wanted to put to rest all speculation about his health issues”.
“The moment the news of my illness became public, there was all kind of speculation. I thought it was important to let my fans know about my condition and also not allow people to cook up stories,” Yuvraj said on Wednesday, during his first media interaction after returning home.
One thing’s for sure, though. Yuvraj has emerged as a more mature and responsible person after his treatment and he could, perhaps, become a great crusader for cancer awareness in this country. “Maybe I would like to do something for all cancer patients. I know their pain because I have gone through it. But right now, my focus is to get back to fitness as early as possible,” Yuvraj said. He spoke candidly for an hour about his two-month stay in the US. He also revealed how he avoided watching cricket on television and was inspired by the practical approach of fellow chemotherapy patients, a group he called “the cancer family”.
Yuvraj confessed that he was in denial. “I could hardly believe that a fit person like me could actually have cancer. I concealed my ill-health for a long time even while having breathing problems during the World Cup. I had always presented a cheerful front to the outer world during that time.”
Yuvi also thanked Sachin Tendulkar for his encouraging words during their meeting in London. “Sachin has always inspired me. He always talks positively and motivated me during my difficult times,” Yuvi said.
On his future plans, Yuvraj says that it would be difficult for him to say anything at this point of time. “I don’t know what the future holds. It will be a great achievement if I get back to the field,” the 30-year-old said, adding, “the cancer is out of my system, but the scars are yet to be healed. All my fans want me to come back soon, I am sure you people will understand that my body will take time.”
Yuvraj also spoke about the inspiration he drew from legendary American cyclist Lance Armstrong, who survived testicular cancer. “I read Lance Armstrong’s book some five-six years back but had to leave it midway for some reasons. I didn’t know that I will have to complete it in the way and circumstances like I did,” he said.
The Razorbacks, 21-5 the past two seasons, were enjoying sustained football success and turning into a powerhouse in the Southeastern Conference.
But with Petrino, 51, having been fired Tuesday night for not being forthcoming to school administrators over his recent motorcyle accident and inappropriate relationship with 25-year-old football staff member Jessica Dorrell, his once-promising career is in limbo.
MORE: Petrino joins list of sports' great downfalls
Will another school eventually hire Petrino, long regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in the sport?
He has not been a stranger to controversy. While coaching at Louisville, he met with Auburn officials about that school's head coaching job when Tommy Tuberville was still coaching the Tigers. Petrino abruptly left the Atlanta Falcons and took the Arkansas job with three games left on the NFL team's 2007 schedule.
There have been instances where scarred coaches have landed on their feet.
Larry Eustachy rebuilt his basketball coaching career in eight seasons at Southern Mississippi following his departure from Iowa State in 2003, shortly after photos surfaced of him partying with students. Eustachy, who will be named head coach at Colorado State, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, went through alcohol rehabilitation and said this season that he has not had a drink in nine years.
In May 2003, then-Alabama football coach Mike Price was fired for what the school called improper behavior after Price spent time at a strip club and drank too much the night before a charity golf outing. The humiliation continued after two women from the club were quoted in a Sports Illustrated story about a wild night in Price's hotel room.
In December 2003, Texas-El Paso hired Price, who had denied the women's allegations and sued the magazine for $20 million. The suit was settled out of court in 2005, and Price said at the time that he felt vindicated by the settlement.
UTEP athletics director Bob Stull, who brought Price to the school, said Wednesday that the Petrino and Price situations were "not even close" to being the same.
"Mike had too much to drink one night. That's really what happened," he said.
Stull said the school did an extensive background check before Price was even interviewed, and Stull, a former UTEP football coach, already had known Price for 20 years.
Stull said UTEP President Diana Natalicio also met with Price during the process. "A lot of these decisions start at the presidential level and work their way down (to the athletics department)," Stull said.
