Cassidy: NSA muzzle should be removed from Google, Facebook, Apple, Yahoo

The NSA spying scandal and the way it runs through Silicon Valley "is the story that just won't go away," to borrow a phrase from Fox News.

Details -- some accurate, some not -- of the government's snooping continue to trickle out. Many of us continue to wonder just what the government has scooped up about us from our go-to social networking and search companies like Google (GOOG), Facebook, Yahoo (YHOO) and Apple (AAPL). And some of us wonder just what those companies have done to try to protect our privacy

It's the last question that has become my personal obsession. The feds and the commercial keepers of the Internet have said all the right things to make us feel better. When several news outlets were reporting that the NSA through a program called Prism was tapping directly into the servers of search engines and social media sites, executives said that was not the case. The NSA explained

that it was only targeting foreign suspects and only with the authorization of a top-secret court.

But does any of that put you at ease? Me neither.

There is something that could help us all feel better about the oceans of personal data that are sloshing around out there: National security officials should free companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and Yahoo to explain what is going on in much greater detail. After all, we are their customers. We put our trust in them. They have benefited greatly from using our data to target ads and develop marketing schemes. They know more about us than we know about ourselves.

All this was on my mind recently when I attended a New York Times global forum. This one, hosted by columnist Thomas Friedman, centered on the notion that we'd moved from being a connected society to a hyper-connected one and that the transformation has changed everything from business to security to philanthropy to education to relationships.

The spin was generally positive, but obviously this increased connectivity has some serious down sides.

Among the many speakers was Dov Seidman, CEO of corporate advisory firm LRN and a guy who's become a guru of good corporate behavior. He seemed a

An illustration picture shows the logo of the U.S. National Security Agency on the display of an iPhone in Berlin, June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski (PAWEL KOPCZYNSKI)

logical one to ask about the role of valley companies in the NSA drama.

"At the end of the day," Seidman, whose outfit works with Fortune 500 companies globally, told me, "the Silicon Valley companies that are capturing a lot of data are in a very precarious and a very rich relationship with their (customers). Their currency is trust and if they do anything to betray that trust, it's going to be hard to regain it."

No kidding. The problem is that it's going to be hard for Silicon Valley companies to maintain or regain that trust if the federal government continues to muzzle them.

Part of Seidman's gospel is that the world has become a place where what companies do is important, but more important is how they do things. The explosion of social media and the ability to immediately and broadly call out bad corporate behavior, means that companies that act unethically or otherwise mistreat customers, partners, suppliers and others will have a hard time getting away with it.

Few things matter more to people than their personal information, said Seidman, author of "How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything." "So these are the crown jewels that these companies are possessing," he said. "They've got to handle them with great care."

How have they done? Google, Facebook, Apple, Yahoo, Microsoft and others have pushed back, asking the feds to let them disclose more details about government demands for information and corporate responses to those demands. But the feds have provided little useful relief.

No question it would be good to get a good accounting. I'd also be interested in knowing what search and social media companies did when the NSA first came calling. The week the NSA news broke, I wrote a blog post wondering whether Silicon Valley companies stood up for our privacy. Did they go to court to fight the orders to turn over data? Did they use their considerable connections in Congress? It would be fair to say the post was critical and assumed the worst.

But now comes news that at least one company in 2008 fought a request made under the law that governs the Prism program. The legal battle was fought secretly and to this day the court hasn't disclosed the name of the company, although The New York Times reported that it was Yahoo.

That is exactly the sort of information that the feds should allow companies to disclose. There is no need to keep the targeted company secret five years later. If they ever doubted it, terrorists now know that investigators monitor U.S. Internet companies; and they know Yahoo is a U.S. Internet company. That Yahoo fought a surveillance order would tell those who mean us harm nothing they don't already know.

But it would tell consumers a lot. For instance, if Yahoo fought the feds prying through Prism and Google didn't (something we can't know for sure) a reasonable consumer might want to shift from Google to Yahoo for search, or from Gmail to Yahoo Mail for correspondence.

At the very least, a reasonable consumer would want to know the track record of the two companies in order to make an informed decision.

Contact Mike Cassidy at mcassidy@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5536. Follow him at Twitter.com/mikecassidy.

Source: http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_23553774/cassidy-nsa-muzzle-should-be-removed-from-google?source=rss_viewed

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Egyptians stream into streets to demand Mursi quit

By Shaimaa Fayed and Yasmine Saleh

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians poured onto the streets on Sunday, swelling crowds that opposition leaders hope will number into the millions by evening and persuade Islamist President Mohamed Mursi to resign.

Waving national flags, a crowd of some 200,000 had gathered by late afternoon on Cairo's Tahrir Square, seat of the 2011 uprising against Mursi's predecessor Hosni Mubarak.

"The people want the fall of the regime!" they chanted - this time not against an ageing dictator but against their first ever elected leader, who took office only a year ago to the day.

As the working day ended and the heat of the sun eased, more joined them on the otherwise deserted streets of the capital. Many are angry at Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, saying it has hijacked the revolution through a series of electoral victories to monopolize power and push through Islamic law.

Others are simply frustrated by the economic crisis, deepened by political deadlock, over which Mursi has presided.

In other cities, thousands of protesters also gathered. Over 100,000 were out in the centre of second city Alexandria.

Security sources said three Brotherhood offices were set on fire by demonstrators in towns in the Nile Delta - the latest in over a week of street violence in which hundreds have been hurt and several killed, including an American student.

Over 20,000 Mursi supporters also congregated in the capital, by a mosque not far from the suburban presidential palace. Mursi himself is working elsewhere. But liberal protest organizers plan a sit-in outside the palace from Sunday evening.

Thousands of anti-Mursi protesters were walking to the site.

Interviewed by a British newspaper, Mursi repeated his determination to ride out what he sees as an undemocratic attack on his electoral legitimacy. But he also offered to revise the new, Islamist-inspired constitution, saying clauses on religious authority, which fueled liberal resentment, were not his choice.

He made a similar offer last week, after the head of the army issued a strong call for politicians to compromise. But the opposition dismissed it was too little too late. They hope Mursi will resign in the face of large numbers on the streets.

Some also seem to believe the army might force the president's hand. In Cairo, demonstrators stopped to shake hands and take photographs with soldiers guarding key buildings.

While many Egyptians are angry at Mursi over the economy, many others fear that more turmoil will make life worse.

Mursi and the Brotherhood can hope protests fizzle out like previous outbursts. If they do not, some form of compromise, possibly arbitrated by the army, may be on the cards.

VIOLENCE

Both sides insist they plan no violence but accuse the other - and agents provocateurs from the old regime - of planning it.

Helicopter gunships flew over Cairo. The U.S.-equipped army, though showing little sign of wanting power, warns it may step in if deadlocked politicians let violence slip out of control.

U.S. President Barack Obama called for dialogue and warned trouble in the biggest Arab nation could unsettle an already turbulent Middle East. Washington has evacuated non-essential personnel and reinforced security at its diplomatic missions.

In an interview with London's Guardian newspaper, Mursi repeated accusations against what he sees as attempts by entrenched interests from the Mubarak era to foil his attempt to govern. But he dismissed the demands that he give up and resign.

If that became the norm, he said, "well, there will be people or opponents opposing the new president too, and a week or a month later, they will ask him to step down".

Liberal leaders say nearly half the voting population - 22 million people - has signed a petition calling for new elections, although there is no obvious challenger to Mursi.

The opposition, fractious and defeated in a series of ballots last year, hope that by putting millions on the streets they can force Mursi to relent and hand over to a technocrat administration that can organize new elections.

"We all feel we're walking on a dead-end road and that the country will collapse," said Mohamed ElBaradei, a former U.N. nuclear watchdog chief, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and now liberal party leader in his homeland.

ARMY ROLE

Religious authorities have warned of "civil war". The army insists it will respect the "will of the people".

Islamists interpret that to mean army support for election results. Opponents believe that the army may heed the popular will as expressed on the streets, as it did in early 2011 when the generals decided Mubarak's time was up.

A military source said the army was using its helicopters to monitor the numbers out on the streets. Its estimate on Tahrir in mid-afternoon was 40-50,000, with a few thousands at similar protest sites in other major cities.

It put the number at the Islamists' Cairo camp at 17,000. Having staged shows of force earlier this month, the Brotherhood has not called on its supporters to go out on Sunday.

Among the Islamists in Cairo, Ahmed Hosny, 37, said: "I came here to say, 'We are with you Mursi, with the legitimate order and against the thugs'.

"This is our revolution and no one will take it from us."

At Tahrir Square, banners ranged from "The Revolution Goes On", "Out, Out Like Mubarak" to "Obama Backs Terrorism" - a reference to liberal anger at perceived U.S. support for Mursi's legitimacy and its criticism of protests as bad for the economy.

"I am here to bring down Mursi and the Brotherhood," said Ahmed Ali al-Badri, a feed merchant in a white robe. "Just look at this country. It's gone backwards for 20 years. There's no diesel, gasoline, electricity. Life is just too expensive."

The Egyptian army, half a million strong and financed by Washington since it backed a peace treaty with Israel three decades ago, says it has deployed to protect key installations.

Among these is the Suez Canal. Cities along the waterway vital to global trade are bastions of anti-government sentiment. A bomb killed a protester in Port Said on Friday. A police general was gunned down in Sinai, close to the Israeli border.

Observers note similarities with protests in Turkey this month, where an Islamist prime minister with a strong electoral mandate has been confronted in the streets by angry secularists.

For many Egyptians, though, all the turmoil that has followed the Arab Spring has just made life harder. Standing by his lonely barrow at an eerily quiet downtown Cairo street market, 23-year-old Zeeka was afraid more violence was coming.

"We're not for one side or the other," he said. "What's happening now in Egypt is shameful. There is no work, thugs are everywhere ... I won't go out to any protest.

"It's nothing to do with me. I'm the tomato guy."

(Reporting by Asma Alsharif, Alexander Dziadosz, Shaimaa Fayed, Maggie Fick, Alastair Macdonald, Shadia Nasralla, Tom Perry, Paul Taylor and Yasmine Saleh in Cairo, Yusri Mohamed in Ismailia and Abdelrahman Youssef in Alexandria; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Anna Willard)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-protests-set-showdown-violence-feared-003343388.html

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Songza review: The best way yet to stream music on your iPhone

Songza for iPhone is a streaming music service that takes a different approach to discovering music than traditional apps such as Pandora. Songza comes complete with your own personal concierge. Just tell Songza what you're doing or what kind of mood you're in and you'll instantly be served with playlists curated by experts based on what you've specified.

Let's not forget that Songza also has the most beautiful and easy to use interface of any streaming service we've used thus far.

Upon launching Songza you'll be asked to either create a Songza account or log in with Facebook. After that you'll be taken directly to the concierge page. Here you can choose times of day and the activities your performing and you'll be given choices of playlists based on those activities. You can also auto-generate playlists based on your mood.

If you aren't one to listen to curated playlists without specifying at least an artist or genre that you like, you can do that as well. Searching for an artist will bring up playlists that contain tracks by them. Choosing a playlist will automatically start streaming it, typically starting off with the artist you specified. Just like other popular services such as Slacker, Pandora, and Spotify, you can vote songs up or down and add playlists to your favorites for easy access later.

While Songza doesn't seem to specify how large their music library is, they do seem to have a rather large collection with tracks spanning almost every genre I could think of. I listen to a lot of electronica and I've always had issues finding streaming services that actually have good selections outside of mainstream titles. I've found that Songza actually has a very good selection for electronica that allows me to discover new music and artists that I enjoy. And sometimes that's hard to do with more obscure genres. If you find a song you like and that you want to purchase, tapping on the shopping cart icon will instantly take you to that track in iTunes for purchase.

Another neat feature I really like about Songza is that high quality audio doesn't seem to be limited to just premium subscribers. You can actually customize it in settings to your exact model of headphones as well. There are lots of brands supported and I have no trouble finding the most common ones including manufacturers such as Bose, Harman/Kardon, iHome, JBL, Beats, Sennheiser, and more. You can also create playlists on the web version that other users can listen to. Due to licensing restrictions, you won't be able to listen to them yourself which is a bit of a letdown, but it is a way to add more value to the community.

As for a premium subscription to Songza (referred to as Club Songza), it'll cost you $0.99 a week so about $4 a month. With that you'll get no ads on the iPhone app as well as the web version. When it comes to song skips, you are limited and it seems to be about 10 tracks an hour or so.

The good

• Drop dead gorgeous interface
• High quality audio not limited to only paid subscribers
• Decently priced for the quality and track selection, one weekly fee without the complicated pricing tiers to deal with
• Concierge is an intriguing and unique feature that really makes Songza stand out
• Buffer times even over cellular network are surprisingly quick, dare I say quicker than Pandora and Spotify

The bad

• No custom curating playlists for yourself
• No way to really search and just play individual songs, but playlists based on them are good enough for users that just want to find music and go

The bottom line

Songza is not only the most gorgeous music streaming app I've ever come across, it also works amazingly well. If you're looking for custom song searches and the ability to make your own playlists, Songza isn't for you and you'll be happier with a service like Spotify but be aware the price tag will be much higher for the privilege.

But if you're looking for a way to discover new music instead of simply streaming what you already know, Songza is a perfect option. The playlists are well put together and the iPhone app is a joy to use. If music discoverability is your number one desire, give Songza a try. You'll be glad you did.

• Free - Download Now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/SOMTyOgAaoo/story01.htm

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Radiation from airport scanners -- how much dose we get

Public release date: 27-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jason Socrates Bardi
jbardi@aip.org
240-535-4954
American Institute of Physics

Examining X-ray backscatter scanners at LAX airport, an independent task force determines that radiation doses are low, according to new report by AAPM

WASHINGTON D.C., June 26, 2013 -- A new report by an independent task force commissioned by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), has found that people absorb less radiation from airport X-ray backscatter scanner than they do while standing in line waiting for the scan itself.

Measurements made on two scanners in active use at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), as well as seven other scanners not in active use at the time of measurement, found that full-body scanners deliver a radiation dose equivalent to what a standard man receives every 1.8 minutes on the ground, or every 12 seconds during an airplane flight.

Put another way, an individual would have to receive more than 22,500 scans in a year to reach the standard maximum safe yearly dose determined by the American National Standards Institute and the Health Physics Society, according to AAPM Report No. 217, "Radiation Dose from Airport Scanners."

"This report represents a wholly independent review of the X-ray scatter airport scanners and is the first we know of to look at multiple scanners including those in actual airport use," said Christopher Cagnon, PhD, DABR, the chief of radiology physics at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and one of the lead authors of the new report. "We think the most important single take-away point for concerned passengers is to keep an appropriate perspective: the effective radiation dose received by a passenger during screening is comparable to what that same passenger will receive in 12 seconds during the flight itself or from two minutes of natural radiation exposure."

Sources of Radiation

Natural sources of radiation on the ground include terrestrial sources such as radon in the air, cosmic radiation from space, and even the decay of potassium in the human body. Radiation doses are greater in the air because at cruising altitude, there is less atmosphere to shield passengers and crew from cosmic radiation.

To compare naturally occurring radiation with that emitted by airport scanners, AAPM convened a volunteer task force comprised of medical physicists from the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Davis who donated their time. They measured the radiation delivered by Rapiscan Secure 1000 SP backscatter X-ray scanners, a model once commonly used in American airports but which the Transportation Security Administration has largely pulled from major airports due to passenger concerns over privacy.

The task force found that for a standard man -- approximately 178.6 cm (5'10") tall and 73.2 kg (161.4 pounds) -- one full-body scan delivered approximately 11.1 nanosieverts of radiation. (The "Sievert" is a common unit of radiation dose, and one "nanosievert" is one billionth of a sievert.)

On the ground, the same man receives approximately 3.11 millisieverts of radiation per year -- more than 10,000 times as much. The task force also found that the radiation dose a passenger receives during an average 2.84-hour plane flight -- 9.4 microsieverts -- is nearly 1,000 times greater than the dose delivered by one full-body scan.

"To our knowledge, all prior studies were contracted by the government and looked at a single scanner that was either of an older model or mocked up from component parts," Cagnon said. "A significant difference in our work is we were able to look at multiple working scanners both in the factory and in an international airport."

The AAPM report found that the LAX scanners emitted doses that were even lower than reported in the government contracted studies. The report also examines dose to skin and other superficial organs. To avoid any appearance of conflict of interest, this work was performed by independent physics experts volunteering their expertise, Cagnon added.

###

ABOUT AAPM

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (http://www.aapm.org) is a scientific, educational, and professional organization with nearly 8,000 medical physicists. Headquarters are located at the American Center for Physics in College Park, MD, with a staff of 24, Annual budget is 10.4M. Publications include a scientific journal (Medical Physics), an applied clinical journal (JACMP), technical reports, and symposium proceedings.

MORE INFORMATION

Access the AAPM Report: http://www.aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_217.pdf

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Database (Average TSA Wait Times) http://apps.cbp.gov/awt/

Environmental Protection Agency Site on Sources of Radiation in the Environment: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/perspective.html

---

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 27-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jason Socrates Bardi
jbardi@aip.org
240-535-4954
American Institute of Physics

Examining X-ray backscatter scanners at LAX airport, an independent task force determines that radiation doses are low, according to new report by AAPM

WASHINGTON D.C., June 26, 2013 -- A new report by an independent task force commissioned by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), has found that people absorb less radiation from airport X-ray backscatter scanner than they do while standing in line waiting for the scan itself.

Measurements made on two scanners in active use at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), as well as seven other scanners not in active use at the time of measurement, found that full-body scanners deliver a radiation dose equivalent to what a standard man receives every 1.8 minutes on the ground, or every 12 seconds during an airplane flight.

Put another way, an individual would have to receive more than 22,500 scans in a year to reach the standard maximum safe yearly dose determined by the American National Standards Institute and the Health Physics Society, according to AAPM Report No. 217, "Radiation Dose from Airport Scanners."

"This report represents a wholly independent review of the X-ray scatter airport scanners and is the first we know of to look at multiple scanners including those in actual airport use," said Christopher Cagnon, PhD, DABR, the chief of radiology physics at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and one of the lead authors of the new report. "We think the most important single take-away point for concerned passengers is to keep an appropriate perspective: the effective radiation dose received by a passenger during screening is comparable to what that same passenger will receive in 12 seconds during the flight itself or from two minutes of natural radiation exposure."

Sources of Radiation

Natural sources of radiation on the ground include terrestrial sources such as radon in the air, cosmic radiation from space, and even the decay of potassium in the human body. Radiation doses are greater in the air because at cruising altitude, there is less atmosphere to shield passengers and crew from cosmic radiation.

To compare naturally occurring radiation with that emitted by airport scanners, AAPM convened a volunteer task force comprised of medical physicists from the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Davis who donated their time. They measured the radiation delivered by Rapiscan Secure 1000 SP backscatter X-ray scanners, a model once commonly used in American airports but which the Transportation Security Administration has largely pulled from major airports due to passenger concerns over privacy.

The task force found that for a standard man -- approximately 178.6 cm (5'10") tall and 73.2 kg (161.4 pounds) -- one full-body scan delivered approximately 11.1 nanosieverts of radiation. (The "Sievert" is a common unit of radiation dose, and one "nanosievert" is one billionth of a sievert.)

On the ground, the same man receives approximately 3.11 millisieverts of radiation per year -- more than 10,000 times as much. The task force also found that the radiation dose a passenger receives during an average 2.84-hour plane flight -- 9.4 microsieverts -- is nearly 1,000 times greater than the dose delivered by one full-body scan.

"To our knowledge, all prior studies were contracted by the government and looked at a single scanner that was either of an older model or mocked up from component parts," Cagnon said. "A significant difference in our work is we were able to look at multiple working scanners both in the factory and in an international airport."

The AAPM report found that the LAX scanners emitted doses that were even lower than reported in the government contracted studies. The report also examines dose to skin and other superficial organs. To avoid any appearance of conflict of interest, this work was performed by independent physics experts volunteering their expertise, Cagnon added.

###

ABOUT AAPM

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (http://www.aapm.org) is a scientific, educational, and professional organization with nearly 8,000 medical physicists. Headquarters are located at the American Center for Physics in College Park, MD, with a staff of 24, Annual budget is 10.4M. Publications include a scientific journal (Medical Physics), an applied clinical journal (JACMP), technical reports, and symposium proceedings.

MORE INFORMATION

Access the AAPM Report: http://www.aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_217.pdf

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Database (Average TSA Wait Times) http://apps.cbp.gov/awt/

Environmental Protection Agency Site on Sources of Radiation in the Environment: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/perspective.html

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/aiop-rfa062713.php

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Egypt: Opposition rejects Morsi's dialogue offer

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's main opposition coalition has rejected the Islamist president's offer for dialogue on reconciliation and says it insists on holding early presidential elections.

A statement by the National Salvation Front read by reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei said Mohammed Morsi's 2 ?-hour speech late Wednesday reflected a "clear inability" to acknowledge the difficult conditions in Egypt.

Morsi spoke ahead of opposition plans for street rallies on June 30 aimed at forcing him from office. He told his opponents to use elections not protests to try to change the government and counseled the military, which has warned it would intervene if violence breaks out, to focus on improving its capabilities and defending the nation.

Speaking Thursday, ElBaradei said "nothing will change our determination to go out on June 30 everywhere in Egypt."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-opposition-rejects-morsis-dialogue-offer-175226402.html

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Ritalin shows promise in treating addiction | Science Codex

A single dose of a commonly-prescribed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug helps improve brain function in cocaine addiction, according to an imaging study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Methylphenidate (brand name Ritalin?) modified connectivity in certain brain circuits that underlie self-control and craving among cocaine-addicted individuals. The research is published in the current issue of JAMA Psychiatry, a JAMA network publication.

Previous research has shown that oral methylphenidate improved brain function in cocaine users performing specific cognitive tasks such as ignoring emotionally distracting words and resolving a cognitive conflict. Similar to cocaine, methylphenidate increases dopamine (and norepinephrine) activity in the brain, but, administered orally, takes longer to reach peak effect, consistent with a lower potential for abuse. By extending dopamine's action, the drug enhances signaling to improve several cognitive functions, including information processing and attention.

"Orally administered methylphenidate increases dopamine in the brain, similar to cocaine, but without the strong addictive properties," said Rita Goldstein, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai, who led the research while at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York. "We wanted to determine whether such substitutive properties, which are helpful in other replacement therapies such as using nicotine gum instead of smoking cigarettes or methadone instead of heroin, would play a role in enhancing brain connectivity between regions of potential importance for intervention in cocaine addiction."

Anna Konova, a doctoral candidate at Stony Brook University, who was first author on this manuscript, added, "Using fMRI, we found that methylphenidate did indeed have a beneficial impact on the connectivity between several brain centers associated with addiction."

Dr. Goldstein and her team recruited 18 cocaine addicted individuals, who were randomized to receive an oral dose of methylphenidate or placebo. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the strength of connectivity in particular brain circuits known to play a role in addiction before and during peak drug effects. They also assessed each subject's severity of addiction to see if this had any bearing on the results.

Methylphenidate decreased connectivity between areas of the brain that have been strongly implicated in the formation of habits, including compulsive drug seeking and craving. The scans also showed that methylphenidate strengthened connectivity between several brain regions involved in regulating emotions and exerting control over behaviors?connections previously reported to be disrupted in cocaine addiction.

"The benefits of methylphenidate were present after only one dose, indicating that this drug has significant potential as a treatment add-on for addiction to cocaine and possibly other stimulants," said Dr. Goldstein. "This is a preliminary study, but the findings are exciting and warrant further exploration, particularly in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy or cognitive remediation."

Source: http://www.sciencecodex.com/ritalin_shows_promise_in_treating_addiction-114847

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Texas governor may revive abortion proposal

By Corrie MacLaggan

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A marathon speech by a Texas Democrat temporarily frustrated a Republican drive for new state abortion restrictions, but political sources predicted on Wednesday that anti-abortion Governor Rick Perry would quickly revive the proposal.

Senator Wendy Davis, a single mother by the age of 19 who now is a rising star of the Democratic party, drew national attention when she spoke for more than 10 hours to block a measure that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Her filibuster of the Republican supermajority in the Texas legislature was hailed by women's groups and abortion rights advocates, and streamed live on some national media websites.

Republicans managed to stop her about two hours ahead of the midnight end to the special legislative session citing parliamentary procedures, but they were unable to complete voting on the abortion bill before the deadline.

"I pledge to Texas one thing: this fight is far from over," David Dewhurst, the anti-abortion Republican Lieutenant Governor who presides over the Senate, posted on Twitter Wednesday.

Texas Republican political strategist Matt Mackowiak predicted that Perry will call lawmakers back for another special session to pass the abortion bill.

"An abortion bill passed both houses. The votes are there. There's no question the votes are there," he said.

The abortion restrictions passed the House earlier in the week and a version of the proposal that did not include the ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy passed the Senate.

If the measure ultimately passes, Texas would be the 13th state to impose a ban on abortions after 20 weeks and by far the most populous. In addition, the legislation would set strict health standards for abortion clinics and restrict the use of drugs to end pregnancy.

Republican backers said the regulation of abortion clinics would protect women's health and that the ban on late-term abortions would protect fetuses, based on disputed research that suggests fetuses feel pain by 20 weeks of development.

Opponents said it would force nearly all Texas abortion clinics to close or be rebuilt.

"We know this isn't the end of the fight to protect women's access to health care in Texas." said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Davis whittled away chunks of time by reading testimony and messages from women and others decrying the legislation, reciting previously suggested changes to the bill and tapping into her own past as a single mother at 19.

She said the bill would have choked off her own access to a local Planned Parenthood clinic.

"I was a poor, uninsured woman, whose only care was provided through that facility. It was my medical home," said Davis, 50, several hours into her speech.

NATIONWIDE DEBATE

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, but conservative states have enacted laws in recent years that seek to place restrictions on the procedure, especially on abortions performed late in pregnancy.

Twelve states have passed 20-week bans, including two states where the bans take effect later this year, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Courts have blocked the bans in three of the 12 states - Arizona, Georgia and Idaho.

Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization. The measure is extremely unlikely to become law because Democrats control the U.S. Senate and the White House.

The Texas proposal would allow exemptions for abortions to save a woman's life, and in cases of severe fetal abnormalities.

"In Texas, we value all life, and we've worked to cultivate a culture that supports the birth of every child," Perry said.

The abortion debate simmers elsewhere in the United States.

North Dakota's only abortion clinic filed a federal challenge on Tuesday to a new state law, the most restrictive in the country, that would ban procedures to end pregnancy once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as early as six weeks.

A Philadelphia jury last month convicted abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell of murdering three babies during abortions at a clinic in a high-profile case that focused national attention on late term abortions.

(Reporting by Eric Johnson and Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Greg McCune and Chris Reesea)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republican-disrupt-texas-state-democrats-filibuster-over-abortion-043413723.html

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Cracking Cancer's Secret Code: Oncologist Searches for Breast ...

Triple-negative breast cancer has been defined by what it is not, but Dr. Jennifer Pietenpol and her team has identified six different subtypes of the disease.

Over the last decade, oncologist Jennifer Pietenpol has been trying to decode and kill a difficult-to-treat type of breast cancer. Known as triple-negative breast cancer, this form of the disease can be highly aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy.

The cancer, which accounts for 10 to 20 percent of all breast cancers in the United States, is also a deadly genetic riddle that doctors find easiest to describe in terms of what it is not. ?Between 75 to 85 percent of breast cancers express one of three clear targets for therapy,? says Pietenpol, who runs the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn. ?But with triple-negative cancer, there is nothing to attack and patients go into a standard of care that involves combinations of chemotherapy that have been determined by experiment. We felt that in this era of precision medicine, we should get a better handle on the treatment.?

Pietenpol and her team have collected and analyzed more than 600 cases of triple-negative breast cancer so far, and their results have defined six biological subtypes of the disease. This breakthrough could help scientists apply existing drugs and procedures to attack the cancer, develop new ones, and map out treatment.

Last year, GE?s Healthymagination Challenge, an open innovation quest that seeks to find and fund the best new ideas in breast cancer detection and treatment, gave Pietenpol?s team $100,000 to finance more science. ?We are beginning to get that molecular information from an individual patient?s tumor,? she says. ?This is helping us guide therapy and align it with patients. Every bit of additional funding helps to accelerate this further.?

Doctors divide breast cancer into four groups, based on what is driving tumor growth. The vast majority of breast cancers use the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor or the HER2 pathway for growth. ?When we see this, we can apply existing therapy, like Tamoxifen,? Pietenpol says.

Her research group and other teams are now looking for similar tools and targets to destroy the fourth type of breast cancer, triple-negative cancer. ?Our task is to understand how these tumor cells grow, find their Achilles? heel, and how we can hit it,? she says.

Pietenpol starts by looking at the different pathways the tumor cells appear to use to signal growth, pairs that information with genetic data about how the cells mutate and then tests the hypotheses in her lab. ?In cancer, we want to move to predictive oncology where we can use molecular information to better guide treatment,? she says.

Pietenpol?s team has already pinned six unique targets to triple-negative cancer?s back. One of them, an androgen receptor, could expose as many as 10 percent of triple-negative cancer cases to attack. But additional targets will likely be smaller. ?As we go more into precision medicine, the fraction of people with any given molecular subtype will get smaller and smaller,? she says. ?This is where we are going, using much more precision therapy where no two tumors are going to be alike.?

Pietenpol?s team has started designing clinical trials for each of the six subtypes. She says that ?androgen-receptor antagonists? used for treating prostate cancer could be effective against the androgen receptor subset her team discovered. ?We are continuing to accelerate this, but we have a lot of work to do,? she says. ?We?ve just begun to uncover these lower hanging fruits.?

Source: http://www.gereports.com/cracking-cancers-secret-code/

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Poppy Hands On: Turn Your iPhone into a 21st Century View-Master

The Fisher-Price View-Master has entertained generations of kids with stereoscopic views of famous landmarks and cartoon characters since its advent in 1939. Problem was, these iconic gadgets could only display images, never record them. But the Poppy can. It turns your iPhone into a 3D camera.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/G-wscjfYoc4/poppy-hands-on-turn-your-iphone-into-a-21st-century-vi-576130963

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NSA leaker stays free in Russia

By Jeff Mason and Thomas Grove

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - The United States increased pressure on Russia to hand over former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, who Washington believes is in Moscow waiting for news of an asylum request to Ecuador.

Snowden, charged with disclosing secret U.S. surveillance programs, left Hong Kong for Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday, starting a cat-and-mouse chase that has frayed ties between Washington and Beijing and threatens U.S.-Russia relations.

The American would need a Russian visa to leave the transit area of the airport. The 30-year-old has not been spotted by journalists camped out there.

President Vladimir Putin, who is not shy of celebrating people who challenge Washington, has ignored U.S. requests to send Snowden home but may want him to stay in the airport to avoid being implicated in helping a fugitive.

A spokesman said the Kremlin has no information him, suggesting Moscow does not want to further alienate President Barack Obama, who has tried to "reset" ties with Russia. Putin, a former KGB spy, also favors strong measures to combat terrorism and acts seen as hostile to the state.

"It's not in Russia's interests to anger the U.S. just for sake of angering the U.S.," Russian commentator Anton Orekh said on Ekho Moskvy radio.

The U.S. State Department said diplomats and Justice Department officials were holding discussions with Russia, suggesting they were looking for a deal to secure his return to face espionage charges.

"Given our intensified cooperation working with Russia on law enforcement matters ... we hope that the Russian government will look at all available options to return Mr Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged," spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters on Monday.

Jay Carney, a spokesman for the White House, said it was Washington's assumption that Snowden was still in Russia.

Russian officials say they can do little to fulfill the U.S. request to expel him if he is still in the airport transit area and not on Russian territory.

ECUADOR

Snowden, whose exposure of the surveillance raised questions about civil liberties in the United States, flew to Moscow after being allowed to leave Hong Kong, even though Washington had asked the Chinese territory to detain him pending possible extradition.

Snowden, until recently a contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency, had been expected to fly to Havana from Moscow on Monday and eventually go on to Ecuador, according to sources at the Russian airline Aeroflot.

But he was not seen on the Aeroflot flight that landed in Havana on Monday evening. Seat 17A had reportedly been set aside for Snowden, but reporters aboard said it was occupied by another person. It was not clear whether the plane had a section in which the American could have been concealed.

Julian Assange, founder of anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks which is assisting Snowden, said on Monday Snowden had fled to Moscow en route to Ecuador and was in good health in a "safe place" but did not say where he was.

There is no direct flight from Moscow to Quito, which has said it was considering Snowden's request.

Ecuador, like Cuba and Venezuela, is a member of the ALBA bloc, an alliance of leftist governments in Latin America that pride themselves on their "anti-imperialist" credentials. The Quito government has been sheltering Assange at its London embassy for the past year.

DEFIANCE

With Snowden's whereabouts still a mystery, Obama, may face prolonged embarrassment from a young American leading the world's lone superpower on a global game of hide and seek.

Obama told reporters his government was "following all the appropriate legal channels working with various other countries to make sure the rule of law is observed".

But U.S. officials said intelligence agencies were concerned that they did not know how much sensitive material Snowden had in his possession and that he may have taken more documents than initially estimated.

He could publish more documents or they could get into the hands of foreign intelligence. The Kremlin denies knowledge of any contacts between Russian officials and Snowden, despite media speculation the security forces could be questioning him.

Carney defended the administration's attempts to bring Snowden into U.S. custody and said his choices of where to flee belied his assertion that he was focused on supporting transparency, freedom of the press and individuals' rights.

U.S. officials reserved most of their criticism for China for helping Snowden leave despite the arrest warrant. China, in turn, has expressed "grave concern" over Snowden's allegations that the United States had hacked Chinese computers.

Carney said his escape would damage U.S.-China relations and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Snowden's activities could threaten the security of China and the United States.

"People may die as a consequence to what this man did," he told CNN. "It is possible that the United States would be attacked because terrorists may now know how to protect themselves in some way or another that they didn't know before."

But to his supporters, Snowden is a whistle blowing hero who exposed the extent of U.S. surveillance activities.

A petition, https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/pardon-edward-snowden/Dp03vGYD, initiated by his supporters and posted on the White House website said he "should be immediately issued a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs".

(Additional reporting Alexandra Valencia in Quito, Mark Felsenthal, Paul Eckert and Mark Hosenball in Washington and Katya Golubkova in Havana, Writing by Elizabeth Piper and David Brunnstrom, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Anna Willard)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-presses-russia-mystery-over-snowden-deepens-015914306.html

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Putin beefs up Kremlin control over economic policy

By Douglas Busvine and Maya Dyakina

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Andrei Belousov on Monday as his economic adviser, beefing up his Kremlin staff with an advocate of greater state action to revive the weak economy.

Belousov takes the place of Elvira Nabiullina, who has taken charge at the central bank, in a staff rotation that enhances the influence of interventionists and further sidelines liberals who advocate a more market-oriented approach.

"The reshuffle could be interpreted as strengthening the axes of economic power around President Putin," said Ivan Tchakarov, chief Russia economist at investment bank Renaissance Capital.

In Russia, economic policy is typically the preserve of the government, and not the Kremlin. Yet, a year into his third term as president, Putin has taken increasing strategic control, relegating Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to a technical role.

As economy minister, Belousov has come under fire from the liberal policy establishment for calling for the state to determine bank lending rates, which he argues would unblock the flow of affordable credit to the economy.

Belousov was replaced by Alexei Ulyukayev, who is moving from the central bank after missing out on the top job there. Nabiullina formally assumed her role on Monday after a year as the Kremlin's 'chief economist'.

At a meeting with Putin, Ulyukayev said the government's primary task would be to avert an economic recession and ensure the government can fulfill its spending promises to Russians.

The job moves, flagged in advance, set the scene for a shift towards a more activist approach to managing Russia's economy as policymakers seek to engineer a recovery at a time of still-high inflation.

"This is all being done to embark on a dynamic stimulus of economic growth," said Julia Tsepliaeva, a Russia economist at BNP Paribas in Moscow.

Belousov, 54, advised Putin during the latter's four-year term as prime minister - when Medvedev was president - helping put together an anti-crisis program to nurse Russia through the global financial and economic slump.

STAGFLATION RISK

Nabiullina, regarded as more dovish than her inflation-fighting predecessor Sergei Ignatyev, has nonetheless ruled out a dash for growth and warned that monetary stimulus could end in a toxic combination of stagnation and inflation.

"The long-term impact would in all probability be negative - we could end up with stagflation," Nabiullina, 49, told Reuters in an interview.

She did say that the central bank might cut interest rates in the third quarter of this year if inflation is clearly falling, but argued that for Russia to achieve higher rates of growth, deep structural reforms would be needed. These included cutting bureaucratic red tape and fighting state corruption.

As economy minister, Ulyukayev will be running Russia's 'ministry for growth', which is known for taking a more expansionist view than he has advocated at the central bank.

The staff moves underscore the marginalization of the liberal economic establishment still informally led by former finance minister Alexei Kudrin, who quit in September 2011 in a row over public spending.

Kudrin tweeted his support for Ulyukayev: "He is a good specialist with rich practical experience and deep theoretical background." He did not comment on Belousov's appointment.

Speculation persists, meanwhile, that Putin's Group of 20 summit coordinator, Ksenia Yudayeva, will land a senior role at the central bank where she could bolster Nabiullina's authority.

Yudayeva, interviewed by Reuters last week, declined to comment on her career plans. She did, however, back Nabiullina's criticism of calls for a weaker rouble.

(Writing by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Catherine Evans)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/putin-beefs-kremlin-control-over-economic-policy-093637223.html

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Obama lays out climate action plan

25 June 2013 Last updated at 18:49 ET By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website

President Obama said he would use his executive powers to enforce the new rules on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

US President Barack Obama has laid out a package of measures aimed at curbing climate change, including limits on emissions from power plants.

He also unveiled plans for an expansion of renewable energy projects, improved flood resilience and calls for an international climate deal.

Administration officials had earlier rejected the idea of a "carbon tax".

President Obama pledged in his inaugural address in January to act on climate change in his second term.

'Moral obligation' Continue reading the main story

Analysis

The activists who gathered at Georgetown University saw a president finally living up to campaign promises first made years ago.

For Barack Obama, pausing frequently to wipe the sweat from his brow - surely the White House didn't choose one of the hottest days of the year to make a point? - this was a chance to lay down a gauntlet.

It's certainly his boldest statement of intent yet on the difficult ground of climate change.

But it's been abundantly clear throughout his more than four years in office that Congress is not simply going to do his bidding. The president may think the debate over climate science is over, but there are still plenty of sceptics ready and willing to say otherwise.

Bypassing Congress may help the president to realise some of his proposals, but Mr Obama knows that tough political and legal battles lie ahead.

Speaking at Georgetown University in Washington DC, President Obama said: "As a president, as a father and as an American, I am here to say we need to act."

President Obama mocked critics who contend climate change is not a threat.

"I don't have much patience for anyone who denies that this challenge is real," he said. "We don't have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society."

The president said climate change posed an immediate threat, with the 12 hottest years on record all occurring in the past 15 years.

He added: "While we may not live to see the full realisation of our ambition, we will have the satisfaction of knowing that the world we leave to our children will be better off for what we did."

Most of the president's agenda can be executed without congressional approval, but some issues are likely to face opposition.

The top Republican in the House of Representatives, House Speaker John Boehner, has called the plans "absolutely crazy".

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Finally, 16 years after the global agreement to tackle climate change in the Kyoto Protocol, the world can see how the US intends to play its part. It may be cutting CO2 only 4% on 1990 levels by 2020 - less than a fifth of the amount achieved in the EU - but this is at least a plan, and some of the US green think-tanks are grateful for it.

But this is part of what the White House calls an "all of the above" strategy which includes new efficiency standards on trucks, electrical appliances and government buildings - a change that will lift the US out of the 1950s design age; a reduction in short-lived greenhouse gases like methane and soot; a further doubling of wind power, especially on public land; future-proofing infrastructure against climate damages and more.

There are things to upset environmentalists, like the absence of any commitment to drop Keystone XL and the continuing support for biofuels. Nor is the plan as precisely quantified as the UK's climate policy, for instance, which commits to methodically cutting emissions through to 2050. But if the president has the stomach for a legal fight over bypassing Congress on coal, if he's willing to impose extra measures in a few years and if his policies don't get overturned, today's announcement could help the US achieve its international carbon pledges up to 2020. That would be a start.

On Tuesday, the president reaffirmed his 2009 commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade.

Critics say these reductions are too modest, and less aggressive than European Union targets.

The plan includes the first-ever limits on carbon emissions from new and existing power plants. These are the single biggest source of carbon pollution, accounting for a third of US greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of its carbon output.

But it remains unclear how strict these limits will be.

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed regulating emissions from new power plants, but that plan was delayed.

Seven US governors have asked President Obama to abandon this proposal, which they say would "effectively shutter" coal-fired power plants and prevent the construction of new ones.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said imposing carbon rules on power plants amounted to a "war on coal".

"This is a huge step in the wrong direction, particularly in the middle of the most tepid recovery after a deep recession in anyone's memory," Mr McConnell said.

President Obama also called for the US to stop supporting new coal-fired plants abroad.

His plan would exempt plants in the poorest nations if the cleanest technology available in those countries is being used.

Pipeline challenge

Obama: "We don't have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society"

President Obama called for more solar and wind energy projects on public lands, with the aim of powering the equivalent of six million homes by 2020. He also set higher goals for renewable energy at federal housing projects.

In addition, he announced $8bn (?5bn) in federal loan guarantees to spur investment in green technologies.

President Obama also broached the subject of the $7bn, 1,700 mile (2,700km) Keystone XL pipeline, meant to bring heavy crude from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada to the refineries of Texas, saying it should only proceed if it was in the nation's interest.

"The net effects of the pipeline's impact on the climate will be absolutely critical to deciding whether this project goes forward," he said.

Backed by industry and labour unions but staunchly opposed by green campaigners, Keystone XL has turned into one of the biggest environmental challenges of the president's time in office.

Saleemul Huq, senior fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development, said the plan was "too little too late".

"While it is good to see a leader of the world's richest country and biggest cumulative polluter finally promise to take actions," he said, "after over a decade of refusal to do so, the problem has become much bigger while the US was ignoring it."

Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23032890#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Mid-range Acer Liquid E2 headed to Three UK

Three UK has announced that it'll be carrying Acer's latest mid-range Android offering, the Liquid E2. The 4.5-incher, which comes with a qHD (960x540) display resolution and a quad-core MediaTek 1.2GHz processor, will be arriving "soon," the network said in a media release today. Three says the Liquid E2 will run on Three's 42Mbps DC-HSDPA network, though it looks like support for the carrier's upcoming LTE network is out of the question.

Other notable specs include an 8-megapixel camera, stereo speakers, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of storage, expandable via microSD. No release date has been given for the Acer Liquid E2 on Three, though with the device appearing on Three's "Coming Soon" page today, a retail launch probably isn't too far off.

More: Three UK

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/VAhMzezkbBU/story01.htm

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13 feared dead in bus crash in Montenegro

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) ? Officials say at least 13 people were killed and several were injured when a bus swayed off a bridge and plunged into a deep ravine in central Montenegro on Sunday.

Local Public Attorney Vojislav Grujic said the bus crashed some 30 kilometers north of the capital Podgorica. He said it is still unclear whether the bus is Romanian or Ukrainian.

The nationality of the passengers was not given.

Police said the bus plunged from a bridge over the Moraca river during a rain storm and crashed some 40 meters into the ravine. A helicopter was used in the rescue operation mounted by Montenegro police.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/13-feared-dead-bus-crash-montenegro-175948989.html

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Obama on immigration: 'Now is the time to do it'

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is pressing the Senate and the House to complete action on immigration legislation before the August summer break. He says: "Now is the time to do it."

He says he wants the strongest possible bipartisan vote in the Senate before the Republican-controlled House gets to act on the legislation.

The Senate was on the verge of a crucial test vote Monday on the bill. It would offer citizenship to millions of immigrants over time and pour billions of dollars into border security.

Obama spoke after meeting with nine business people who support changing current immigration laws.

Obama says the bill does not contain everything he wants, but says it adheres to the main principles of the type of overhaul he has sought.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-immigration-now-time-190938668.html

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 series to hit US on July 7th, prices start at $199

Not to be forgotten amid other new Samsung products, the company has announced that its complete Galaxy Tab 3 lineup will arrive in the US next month. The tablet family launches in the states on July 7th, with all three screen sizes (7, 8 and 10.1 inches) going on sale at Samsung.com, Amazon, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Office Depot and other brick-and-mortar retailers. As a refresher, the entry-level Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is priced at $199 and sports a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 8GB of storage (plus microSD expansion), and a 7-inch 1,024 x 600 TFT display. There's Android Jelly Bean (4.1) from the outset, as well as Samsung's various apps and built-in hubs.

In addition to having a larger screen, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 ($299) bumps up other specifications, with a more potent Exynos 1.5GHz dual-core processor and higher-resolution (1,280 x 800) TFT display. It's got the very latest Android build (4.2), as well as a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera capable of 720p video capture. Storage is also doubled to 16GB, with extra space available through microSD, and 1.5GB of RAM to keep apps running smoothly.

Finally, there's the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 ($399), which packs an Intel Z2560 processor (1.6GHz dual-core) and the same resolution as the Tab 3 8.0, albeit stretched a little further. It also matches the smaller model on storage and camera specs, although RAM has inexplicably dropped to just a single gig. The larger model does include a built-in IR blaster, however, as well as Samsung's WatchON TV recommendation service. All three WiFi-only models will arrive in white and a previously leaked gold brown hue. Pre-orders start tomorrow.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 family

Filed under: Tablets, Samsung

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/WeK9kzjin-E/

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