More details on the Android Asus Eee Pad revealed

 

A few days ago, we reported on a new line of Android-based Asus Eee tablets expected to be released in 2011. Asus may be getting a little too impatient for CES to arrive because more information has now been revealed about these tablets, coming straight from the horses mouth. The Asus Eee EP102 and EP101 appear to be those exact tablets, sporting a 10-inch screen (hopefully) running the much more tablet-friendly Honeycomb.

As some of you predicted in the comments, at least one of these tablets, purportedly the EP101, will have a detachable keyboard as shown in that chalkboard demo. The EP102 on the other hand appears to be some sort of slider tablet. As if my anticipation for CES couldn't get any higher, Asus swoops in and teases us just a little bit more. Hit the break for two more pictures! [eeepc.it via CrunchGear]

More details on the Android Asus Eee Pad revealed posted originally by Android Central

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Bizarro Hawkeyes arrive just in time to douse flames on Iowa's season

Iowa 27, Missouri 24 The template for Iowa's descent from Big Ten contender to rapidly imploding star over the second half of the season went something like this: a) Struggle offensively, especially on the ground; b) Run out of gas defensively, and c) Let a late lead slip away en route to a gut-punch defeat. All four of the Hawkeyes' losses after mid-October came by virtue of opponents' come-from-behind touchdown drives in the final five minutes – three of them in final two minutes – and they only escaped an upset at Indiana when the Hoosiers dropped the game-winning touchdown on their last offensive snap.

As it turns out, the formula for victory in tonight's Insight Bowl was a) Unleash an obscure freshman back for a dominant night on the ground, b) Yield well over 500 yards total offense for only the second time in five years, and c) Storm back for the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, after blowing a 10-point lead in the third. Is it possible that their problem this whole time has been timing?

For starters, it might have helped to have had Marcus Coker in the backfield on a more regular basis, based on his 219-yard outburst – two yards better than former All-American Shonn Greene's career high – in the absence of the Hawkeyes' leading rusher and receiver. Coker gashed the Missouri D for two first half touchdowns, one of them from 62 yards out, and earned a target squarely on his back as a candidate for a sophomore breakout in 2011.

It also helped to have a defense that responded in the face of pressure for a change. After Iowa held the Tigers to just 10 points on three red zone trips in the first half, the momentum began to snowball for Missouri with back-to-back touchdown drives in the third quarter and a Ricky Stanzi interception to open the fourth, giving the Tigers the ball with a chance to add a dagger to their 24-20 advantage. Instead of another fold by the defense, though, the Hawkeyes buckled to down to force Mizzou into a three-and-out, an interception brought back for Iowa's go-ahead touchdown and a turnover on downs on their final three possessions.

Most importantly, watching Micah Hyde's 72-yard pick-six return helps the general morale in Iowa City to not hit the offseason on a four-game losing streak, on top of all the other unpleasantness that's stricken the team over the last two weeks. By no stretch of the imagination will a season that began in the top 10 and ended with five losses – two of them at the hands of Northwestern and Minnesota – go down as a success. But with a little gumption and one truly awful throw by Blaine Gabbert, at least there's something to take into the new year other than total dejection.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Opera 11 downloaded 6.7 million times on day one -- thanks to the power of bacon

While Opera 11's warm reception had a lot to do with a greatly improved browser and a very loyal fan base, the boys in Oslo had one clever trick up their sleeve which they saved for launch day. And with nearly 7 million downloads in 24 hours, you've got to hand it to Opera: they know how to tempt a geek.

How'd they do it? By dangling delicious bacon in front of Reddit users. You've got to admit, the Opera 11 Web advert is at least as enticing as those Evony ads -- you know which ones I'm talking about.

As for those of us who already tried Opera 11 and knew it was a solid browser... well, if you're like me, you're probably just craving some sizzlin' hot bacon right about now.

Curse you, Opera!

Opera 11 downloaded 6.7 million times on day one -- thanks to the power of bacon originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Headlinin': Aw, the Vikings might get a little chill on campus

Making the morning rounds.

• Where are the heated sofas and the outlet for my cappuccino machine? Amateurs. You'd think after the literal collapse of your house, you'd be grateful to whoever was willing to take you in. Not so much Minnesota Vikings punter (and part-time bass player) Chris Kluwe, who took to Twitter Sunday to blast the field conditions at the University of Minnesota's brand-spanking-new TCF Bank Stadium, emergency host of tonight's Monday Night Football game between the Vikings and Chicago Bears. Kluwe dubbed the turf – buried under a small mountain of snow less than a week ago – "unplayable" and called the NFL "hypocritical" for allowing a game on a field that's "as hard as concrete" in a season defined mainly by the league's over-the-top crusade against concussions. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe was more generous to the campus venue, despite his own concerns about "random patches of hard and slippery field." [Minneapolis Star Tribune]

• I'm still here, part one. Amid many reports of his demise, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen hasn't agreed to retire and is still expected to coach the team against East Carolina in next week's Military Bowl, even as sources continue to insist the Terps are in hot pursuit of Mike Leach to replace the Fridge as head coach. If Friedgen doesn't step aside, the school could be on the hook for $2 million to buy out the final year of his contract. [Baltimore Sun, Washington Post]

• Meet the new boss(es). As expected, Ball State filled its head coaching vacancy over the weekend with Pete Lembo, architect of turnarounds at I-AA/FCS Lehigh (Pa.) and Elon (N.C.) over the last decade. Lembo's resumé includes a 79-36 record, a national coach of the year nod in his first season at Lehigh, seven wins over ranked FCS teams in five seasons at Elon and the first playoff berth in Elon history in 2009 – all of which will pale to a resurrection of Ball State after a dismal, 6-18 stretch under Stan Parrish over the last two years. [Associated Press]

Elsewhere in the MAC, Kent State is tapping the Ohio pipeline for Buckeye receivers coach Darrell Hazell, who will replace head coach Doug Martin in one of the most daunting jobs in the country: The Golden Flashes have managed exactly two winning seasons in the last 30 years and a single bowl game in school history, the 1972 Tangerine Bowl, featuring future Hall-of-Famer Jack Lambert and a young Nick Saban under future Washington legend Don James. [Columbus Dispatch]

• I'm still here, part two. Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist, former golden boy recruit, shrugged off rumors that he was considering a transfer rather than compete for the starting job with sophomore-to-be Tommy Rees, who finished the regular season 3-0 as a starter after Crist went down with an injured knee in the Irish's humiliating Oct. 30 loss to Tulsa. Crist has one year of eligibility remaining, but also has a redshirt year to burn if he changes his mind. [South Bend Tribune]

• Another hobnailed 'Husker. Nebraska safety Rickey Thenarse won't play in the Holiday Bowl after being arrested Sunday on an early morning DUI charge – just a few hours after his graduation ceremony. Thenarse is the second Cornhusker starter on ice against Washington for an alcohol-related offense, joining defensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler, who was cited near the same intersection earlier this month. [Lincoln Journal Star]

Quickly… USC defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo, 25 years old and recently married, will transfer to BYU as a walk-on. … Tennessee defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox is the latest target to replace Will Muschamp at Texas, but "nothing appears imminent." … Al Golden is retaining three assistant coaches at Miami, one of whom will decide on the 'Canes' starting quarterback in the Sun Bowl. … Redshirt freshman Daryle Hawkins is playing the role of Cam Newton in Oregon practices. … Auburn has been kicked off its regular practice fields by construction. … Michael Haywood gets a standing ovation from his team on his way to Pittsburgh. … Another call for schools to tell bowl games where to stick their ticket obligations. … Revisiting the 1971 Liberty Bowl conspiracy. … Alabama's offensive line is back at square one, finally. … Hawaii's band executes one of the greatest marching formations ever conceived. … Somebody has to ring this bell. … And some Alabama stores are counting their championships before they hatch.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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MacBook Pro appears on Amazon's 2010 bestseller list

The iPhone and the iPad both made eBay's "top-shopped" list for the year, but neither of those devices are sold on Amazon, so they weren't to be found on the big online retailer's annual list of bestselling items. The Kindle was, of course -- it's Amazon's own e-reader, and it was both the bestselling and most wished-for item on the site in the Electronics category.

But while Apple's iOS devices didn't make the list, there was one major Apple item that did. In the Computers category, the MacBook Pro with the 13.3" screen scored as both the bestselling and most wished-for item. Apple's excellent laptop appears to be the computer of choice for Amazon shoppers. The only other specifically Mac item on the list was the Mac/Windows version of Photoshop, which was the most gifted item in the software category (Microsoft Office was the bestselling item in that category).

One smartphone did make the bestselling list, and it was the Samsung Captivate Android phone (again, probably only because the iPhone isn't for sale on Amazon.com). Some of the other items on the list are funny, too -- who knew so many people needed Donut Shop K-Cups? For work coffee, you think?

[via Mashable]

MacBook Pro appears on Amazon's 2010 bestseller list originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Liberty Bowl, UCF Vs. Georgia: Knights Win Field Goal Fest, 10-7

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App Launcher for Chrome is like a start menu for Web Store apps

If opening Google Chrome's new tab page just to fire up an app feels a bit too clunky for your liking, check out a new extension from Google itself: App Launcher.

Once installed, you'll have access to a drop down menu which lists all your apps in alphabetical order -- unlike previously reviewed AppJump Launcher, which doesn't appear to list them in any particular order. Google's offering also features built-in search -- which could be handy if you've been able to find a whole pile of apps you decided to keep installed. Keyboard navigation is supported as well, allowing you to arrow up and down and tap enter to launch.

The extension currently lacks an options screen -- which would be a great place for Google to slap in another missing feature: hotkey support.

Install App Launcher for Google Chrome

App Launcher for Chrome is like a start menu for Web Store apps originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mike Haywood Arrested For Domestic Violence In South Bend

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OK ... which one of you perverts returned this Coby Kyros tablet

We love these stories. A 12-year-old girl awakes on Christmas Day to find her prized present beneath the tree -- an Android tablet. And, look, Santa! It's already got porn apps installed on it! So instead of a white Christmas, they got a blue Christmas.

When confronted by the girl's father on Monday, Coby senior product manager Michael Paladino said, "There is nothing preprogramed from Coby. LIke any other internet device with an open platform, a wide range of content is available which may require parental oversight." That's true, parents should keep (erm) abreast of their kids' online habits. I know I do.

But there actually are a few crimes here:

1. Coby should have (ahem) bent over backwards to apologize and exchange the devices. That's just good customer service. It's doubtful the girl downloaded "Boobs! Butts! Babes!" and "Undress Me" on her own.
2. The newscaster at WSIL-TV calls the Coby Kyros "similar to the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle." Mmmmmm'kay.

Regardless, if you're going to return a crappy tablet after (cough) using it, do the world a favor and follow our how-to for cleaning porn off the device. Little Suzie and her family will thank you. [WSIL-TV]

OK ... which one of you perverts returned this Coby Kyros tablet posted originally by Android Central

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Stephen Strasburg Odds

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Official Kinect drivers now available for Windows and Ubuntu

If the recent demonstrations of the Kinect's potential have you all hot and bothered, brace yourself: official drivers are now available for both Windows and Ubuntu. It's all thanks to the OpenNI (Natural Interaction) initiative, where PrimeSense -- the company behind the Kinect -- happens to be one of the founding members.

OpenNI aims "to accelerate the introduction of Natural Interaction applications into the marketplace," and releasing drivers is a good first step. Binaries for 32-bit Windows and both 32 and 64-bit Ubuntu systems are available for download and source code is also available. There's also a full OpenNI user guide in PDF format.

Here's hoping driver availability leads something more than slick demos -- we'd love to actually be able to control our desktops this way.

Official Kinect drivers now available for Windows and Ubuntu originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Throwing Darts: Sweating three hours with Carson Palmer

A winning season is already in the books, but let's try to up that winning percentage before the campaign ends.

Bengals +9.5 at Ravens: It's hard to trust the Bengals much, I realize that, even off a win. You can close your eyes and imagine the Carson Palmer pick-six that does you in. But the Bengals have three straight victories in this series (and 9-of-12 if you care to look back that far) and the decisive thumping of San Diego buys some cred. It's also nice knowing that Cincinnati will feed Cedric Benson early and often; let's shorten this game if at all possible.

Buccaneers +8 at Saints: This is a strange spot for New Orleans – in theory the Saints need the game, but do they really think there's much of a chance of Carolina winning in Atlanta? If we assume a Falcons win this weekend, New Orleans locks into the No. 5 seed and drops into a meaningless game. Josh Freeman always gives you a shot at a cover, be it through the front door or in garbage time.

Seahawks +3 versus Rams: Brian Billick nailed it with respect to the Seahawks at home – he likes the 12th man, but he doesn't trust the 11 men on the field. And yes, it pains me to go against my darling Rams, a team that's been wonderfully undervalued for just about the entire season. But the line has adjusted here – at least enough for my liking – and for all the flaws of Charlie Whitehurst, perhaps a full week of starter reps will be enough to keep him competent in this game.

Chargers -3.5 at Broncos: Here's a good chance to buy low on the Chargers and sell high on the Tim Tebow experience. I understand that we can't get into the minds of all the San Diego players – perhaps they'll be deflated after wasting their playoff shot and they'll lay an egg here. But I still feel like this is one of the 2-3 best teams in the AFC, and I'm expecting a statement on the way out.

Patriots -4 versus Dolphins: New England has absolutely nothing to play for here, but I recall instances where Bill Belichick has used his starters deep into these types of games. Miami's got that crazy home/road thing going, but I expect Chad Henne to donate a couple of loose throws to the turnover-happy Patriots defense.

Survivor: If you've gone 16 weeks in a row without a loss, now's not the time to go with outside opinions. Trust your gut. (And if you don't trust your gut, try to negotiate a split beforehand.)

Last Week: 3-2 (44-34 season).

----------

Image courtesy Associated Press. Good dog.  

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Sophisticated Android Geinimi Trojan appears in the wild

Over at the Lookout Mobile Security blog there's news of a sophisticated new trojan spreading on Android devices. Dubbed Geinimi, the Trojan has been injected into legitimate versions of Android games (primarily) and apps, and distributed via third-party app stores in China.

While Lookout isn't certain of Geinimi's intent, the company believes it to be capable of receiving commands from a central server, and that the trojan can also collect and transmit a significant amount of user data. Lookout also believes there is a possibility that Geinimi could be laying the groundwork for an Android botnet.

As Lookout points out, it's easy enough to protect yourself:

• Don't install apps from untrusted third-party application markets
• Don't enable Android's "install from unknown sources" setting
• Install a good anti-malware app on your device

There are plenty of good, free anti-malware apps available for Android devices -- like AVG, Creative Apps Antivirus, NetQin Antivirus, and, of course, Lookout's own offering. Search for one in the market, or hit up the AppBrain links after the break!

Continue reading Sophisticated Android Geinimi Trojan appears in the wild

Sophisticated Android Geinimi Trojan appears in the wild originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UConn's Winning Streak Ends At 90 Games: What Did We Learn From Stanford's Victory?

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VerbalVictor app gives a voice to those who can't speak

Created by a caring father and his students at Wake Forest University, VerbalVictor is an interactive communication tool for people who are unable to speak. The application was developed by Paul Pauca for his five-year old son, Victor, who has difficulty talking due to a rare genetic disorder that delayed his speech development. Mr. Pauca tried several specialized speech devices to help his young son, but they were either too low tech or too expensive to be practical. Knowing that his Wake Forest students could do better with current consumer technology, Paul recruited his students to design this iOS application as part of a class project.

VerbalVictor presents the user with a series of images and associates these images with pre-recorded phrases. An individual only has to touch the appropriate image to communicate with those around him. For example, tapping on an image of a kitchen could playback the phrase "I am hungry." Rather than a series of generic images and robotic voices, the application can be personalized for each individual user. Pictures of familiar environments can be imported into the app using the on-device camera, and a relative or friend can record his or her voice to accompany each image. The application will sell for US$10 on the App Store and will be available sometime next week for iPhone and iPad owners.

[Via Engadget]

VerbalVictor app gives a voice to those who can't speak originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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12/21 Quickie: Favre,

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Google?s Gaggle of Announcements

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12/24 Quickie: Ohhh...Fuuudge

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MotoMatters.com 2011 Motorcycle Racing Calendar Now Shipping - Get One In Time For The Holidays!

The MotoMatters.com 2011 Motorcycle Racing Calendar is finally shipping, and just in time for the holidays. Scott and David are busy stuffing envelopes and sending the existing orders out, and our stock of calendars is dwindling fast. So if you want to get a calendar in time for the holidays, as a gift for your motorcycle-racing obsessed loved one, now is the time to put in your order.

read more

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Hopewell Culture and Design Aims at Apple, Others in Double-Click Lawsuit

If it weren’t for the technology industry, there’d probably be a lot of downtime for some of the major courts around the United States. This time around, several companies are being targeted by plaintiff Hopwell Culture and Design. Of those companies, Apple, HTC, Adobe, and Samsung are being named. According to the plaintiff, these companies [...]

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Blog Post: New Code Sample & Map App: Washington Real-time Transit

Real-time bus schedules takes the uncertainty out of riding the bus. Sometimes a bus arrives early and you have to choose whether to chase after it or wait for the next one. Other times the bus arrives late and you have to wait at the bus stop, looking down the road wondering when the bus will appear. If the weather is bad or you?re alone at the bus stop in the dark, you need to know exactly when your bus is coming ? at the very least for peace of mind.

The Washington real-time transit map app brings real-time bus schedules (provided by OneBusAway) to Bing Maps for the Puget Sound / Seattle area. The map app was developed by Luan Nguyen, who wrote an article for MSDN in October on how to add real-time transit data to a map app. His article goes into how to access the OneBusAway API, defining the map entity, writing the main plug-in, and displaying the content. He also goes in-depth into the code, which is now freely available.

When you first open the map app, you?re shown the transit agencies with available data. I recommend using the Bing search bar or map control to zoom in to your location rather as the ?go to this area? links keep you at a fairly high level.

 

Once you?re zoomed in to where you need to pick up your bus, click on ?arrival times? either on the left rail or after clicking on the appropriate pushpin. Please note that not only can you see real-time schedules, you also can get directions to the bus stop, save the stop to quickly bring it up in the future, and dive into StreetSide to make sure you know where the bus stop is ? all of which are benefits Bing offers over other sources of real time transit information. When you click on ?arrival times?, you?ll see the real time schedule for that bus stop.

Thank you to Luan for building this map app and sharing the code and process. Once again, if you?re interested in building a map app with real-time transit data this is a great resource for anyone looking at developing a map app that interacts with other web services, check out Luan's MSDN article and how to bring OneBusAway to your city.

Also, don?t forget we also have real-time transit built into our newly released Bing Mobile update for Seattle, Boston, and San Francisco metro areas.

Follow me @BingMaps ^BH.
Learn more on Facebook & Wikipedia

Brian Hendricks
Bing Maps Product Manager

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Did a routine post-TD salute really cost K-State a Pinstripe comeback?

Syracuse 36, Kansas State 34. All things considered, Kansas State and Syracuse probably gave us the most entertaining game of a tepid bowl season this afternoon, across the board. The offenses combined for 70 points, 888 total yards and four second half lead changes. Syracuse running back Delone Carter and receiver Marcus Sales delivered career performances, racking up 371 yards and five touchdowns between them. Neither team turned the ball over. There were at least two hilarious moments involving officials, and at least one player suffered a minor injury while over-enthusiastically celebrating a minor success.

In the end, Syracuse left the stadium with its eighth victory of the season, doubling the Orange's best effort in the win column since 2004. (That would be Yankee Stadium, by the way, hosting its first postseason game since 1962, on the heels of a blizzard.) All of which was immediately overshadowed on Kansas State receiver Adrian Hilburn's 30-yard touchdown reception to bring the Wildcats within a two-point conversion of tying the game with 1:24 on the clock, when Hilburn's post-touchdown salute was met with the most dubious flag of the postseason, at least:

The touchdown stood, but instead of attempting a two-point conversion to tie from the Syracuse three-yard line, the Wildcats were forced into a longshot heave from the 'Cuse 18 and, when that (predictably) failed, a desperation onside kick. That failed, too, allowing Syracuse to run the clock out on its biggest win in nearly a decade.

Is it the worst call of the year? In technical terms, probably not, since it can be conceivably justified by the rule book as a player drawing attention to himself. (The Wildcats might get a "clarification" from the bowl or the Big Ten, which supplied the crew for the game, but almost certainly not the mea culpa the SEC issued last year after a bogus celebration call against Georgia.) In practical terms, coming against a senior who didn't taunt his opponent, throw the ball into the crowd or break into any sort of elaborate dance after taking in his second career touchdown in the most crucial moment of probably the biggest stage of his life, it has to be up there. And for its immediate impact on the outcome, I'm inclined to give it the title.

In the meantime, Syracuse fans should enjoy the victory, unless they're the type of fan who responds to this sort of thing by saying "act like you've been there before," in which case I imagine they find it difficult to enjoy anything. But even the over-legislated "No Fun League" thinks the guy who threw that flag is a self-important killjoy. Let 'em play, and occasionally salute.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Uh Oh

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Puck Headlines: Niemi back in Chicago; Winter Classic updates

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Well, ain't that always the way it works: You have your clever "Eat More Wings" sign ready for its moment in the lower bowl, and someone shows up to the Dallas Stars game with an awesome tribute to Steve Ott that gets all the attention. Worst. Birthday. Ever.

• Interesting night at the United Center tonight, as Antti Niemi makes his first visit back to Chicago as a member of the Sharks ... and having already beaten them once this season. Said Niemi: "I'm not mad. ... It didn't go like I expected." [Between The Circles]

• Battle of California not really feeling the San Jose Sharks lately, heading into their game against the Chicago Blackhawks: "The two Western Conference finalists from last season currently sit at 7th and 8th in the West, tied with 43 points. The points situation in the West is still really close, but not as close as it was. Dallas has 48 points, steadily pulling away from the struggling Sharks. This is a problem." [Battle of Cali]

• Brian Rolston passes through re-entry waivers without a claim. But don't worry, because Lou is working the trade phones. Good luck with that. [NJ.com]

• The state of the coach of the year race. The four leading candidates: Boucher, Crawford, Payne and Ramsay. [THW]

• Oh, now this is awesome: The top 50 goals for the Vancouver Canucks for 2010. [Pass It To Bulis]

• Michael Farber's five theories about why Alex Ovechkin is struggling for the Washington Capitals. No. 2 is, we think, an issue with the team; No. 5 is one we're agreed with for months, combined with his other suspension last season. [SI]

• John Collins says the NHL has "maximum flexibility" to play the Winter Classic on Saturday on NBC. Also having "maximum flexibility": Bruce Boudreau's pants. [Capitals Insider]

• Wouldn't eight teams be just fine for World Juniors? [Buzzing The Net]

• The Atlanta Thrashers have placed forward Nik Antropov on Injured Reserve and have recalled forward Tim Stapleton from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, according to General Manager Rick Dudley. [Thrashers]

• Jordin Tootoo's mother hopes her son's rehab for alcohol abuse will be an inspiration for others to seek help. [CBC Sports]

• Good piece on Stephen Weiss of the Florida Panthers getting his confidence back. [On Frozen Pond]

• Five reasons to love the Blackhawks. [THW]

• The Winter Classic coverage schedule from NHL Network. Really impressive lineup of coverage starting in Friday. Save for that whole "not covering Mario's game live" stuff. [NHL Network]

• Speaking of which, the final rosters are locked for the alumni game. Too bad it's not in the playoffs, because John Druce is playing for the Caps. [NHL]

Benstonium's Winter Classic commercial outtakes are hilarious.

• Claude Julien of the Boston Bruins on the struggles if his No. 1 line: "You have a choice of either working with them and trying to get that line going, because you know what the potential is. Or you blow it up. We're not ready to blow it up quite this second." [Bruins Blog]

• The Edmonton Oilers lose defenseman Ryan Whitney for at least two weeks with an ankle injury ... but there's still a chance he could require surgery. D'oh. [Oilers]

• The St. Louis Blues "see the light at the end of the tunnel" in their search for new investors. God-willing, none of them named "Boots." [Dispatch]

• Trevor Linden and Howie Meeker are due to receive the Order of Canada. [Slam]

• Syracuse Crunch announced today that they have assigned left wing Jon "Nasty" Mirasty to Elmira (ECHL). [Crunch]

• Finally, it's cheese-suckin' nose-pickin' fun at the Nashville Predators game.

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Travel Day

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Serendipity in Fan Allegiance

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Google?s Gaggle of Announcements

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Mike Wallace: NFL's Best Big-Play Wide Receiver?

Filed under: Steelers, NFL Analysis

When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets this past offseason, the biggest question for the offense was who would replace him as the its big-play threat in the passing game. Holmes, for all of his problems off of the field (two suspensions: one by the team in 2008, one by the NFL in 2010, a now infamous and probably forgotten Twitter meltdown) was an impact player on it. A Super Bowl MVP and an explosive wide receiver capable of turning any pass into a touchdown.

The answer for his replacement was an easy one, coming in the form of second-year wide receiver Mike Wallace. Fresh off a rookie campaign that saw him finish with the highest yards-per-catch average in the NFL, he's emerged as not only the Steelers biggest impact player on offense, but also the best big play wide receiver in the NFL.

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Twitter Tuesday - Back up your tweets with Tweetstream and see Twitter friends' other profiles with Hoverme

Hey, Twitter fans! It's almost 2011, and we're nearing the end of a year where Twitter users posted an astounding 25 billion tweets. That's an awful lot of data to protect, so you might want to start off the new year by archiving your own tweets with Tweetstream. Tweetstream starts by backing up your past 3,200 tweets (the maximum Twitter's API will allow), and then automatically syncing as you tweet more. Tweetstream is entirely searchable, as opposed to Twitter's built-in search function, which only goes back two weeks -- and it even saves your friends, followers, and lists.

Tweetstream is free for up to 3 accounts and 500mb of storage (that's a lot of tweets!), but doesn't include the search function. Premium accounts -- on sale for $5 a year right now -- give you 5GB of storage. A premium account will also save your tweeted photos, sync unlimited accounts daily, and provide searching. Both free and premium accounts can be set to back up to your own FTP server or Amazon S3 account. If you're concerned about preserving your twitter memories from 2010, you'd be doing yourself a favor by using Tweetstream or a similar service (like BackupMyTweets or the Backupify-powered TweetBackup).

Continue reading Twitter Tuesday - Back up your tweets with Tweetstream and see Twitter friends' other profiles with Hoverme

Twitter Tuesday - Back up your tweets with Tweetstream and see Twitter friends' other profiles with Hoverme originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Football Outsiders vs. Vegas: 2005-2009

Vanessa Minnillo Katie Holmes Victoria Beckham Missy Peregrym Sarah Gellman

The 12 best apps for your new Android device

So, you found a brand-new Android device under the tree a few days ago. Congratulations! Now what? In this post I'm going to recommend the very best apps to get off on the right foot with Android. If you've been using Android for a while, chances are you know most of these. Still, you might find a hidden gem or two. These are all based on my own use, so while the list is subjective in nature, these are not just shiny apps we've noticed in the market -- they have all been tested in real life for quite some time. Here goes:

Continue reading The 12 best apps for your new Android device

The 12 best apps for your new Android device originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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April Scott Mia Kirshner Elisabeth Röhm Lily Allen Emmanuelle Chriqui

2010 Totals Contest Update: September 23

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Dandy Don

Melissa Joan Hart Bianca Kajlich Giulianna Ramirez Ashley Greene April Scott

Brandon Webb Update

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Angry Birds for Symbian gets two new birds and two new worlds

Angry Birds for Nokia's Symbian smartphones has been updated to version 1.4.2 (the previous one being 1.2.1, for those keeping track). This is the 'normal' version of the game, not the holiday-themed Angry Birds Seasons, mind.

The update brings two new worlds, one golden egg world, and two new birds: Boomerang and the Steroid Bird. There's also a new splash screen, and the main dashboard theme changes based on the previous world.

The new version hasn't reached Nokia's Ovi Store yet, but you can update to it using the Update feature that shows up in the bottom right corner of the main dashboard inside your existing Angry Birds install. This will download a file to your device, which you should then run, as it will install the update.

Alternatively, you can grab the update file from SymbianWorld, and run it once you've downloaded it onto your smartphone.

Angry Birds for Symbian gets two new birds and two new worlds originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 18:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Simulating the 2010 Season (NL, 9/5)

Diane Kruger Magdalena Wróbel Connie Nielsen Melissa George Cameron Richardson

Better Gmail and Better GReader Now Firefox 4-compatible

Aisha Tyler K. D. Aubert Sara Spraker Alexis Bledel Kim Kardashian

Headlinin': The SEC plays the numbers game, postseason edition

Making the morning rounds…

• Just responding to the market, part one. Going proactive in case of another Ohio State flop against the SEC in New Orleans, long-running Buckeye site theozone.net crunched the numbers and discovered that Sugar Bowl opponent Arkansas has signed 30 more players than Ohio State to letters of intent over the last four years – enough surplus players to field a full starting lineup, including the spread and nickel packages. That's only the most extreme version of the broader trend: In eight bowl games this winter, only one Big Ten team, Wisconsin, has signed more players than its opponent since 2007; the other seven have all signed at least 10 fewer players, for an average deficit of 13.7 over the entire four-year span. (Here are all the numbers for each Big Ten/SEC bowl game.)

On the other hand, eight of ten SEC teams in bowl games have signed at least 10 more players since '07 than their upcoming opponents, including huge margins for Mississippi State (+20 over Michigan), Alabama (+22 over Michigan State) and Auburn (+19 over Oregon). The Bulldogs, Crimson Tide and Tigers have all signed upwards of 110 players in four years, meaning at least 25 of those signees in each case – the equivalent of a full recruiting class – had to wash out in one fashion or another to get those rosters in under the NCAA's 85-scholarship limit this year. [theozone.net via Blutarsky]

• Just responding to the market, part two. At least there's a demand for the Sugar Bowl, which can't be said for almost any other bowl ticket – at least not the overpriced tickets for sale through the school, anyway. Based on a small sampling of local papers alone, West Virginia, Tulsa, Nebraska, Stanford, Florida International, both Iowa and Missouri and UConn are still holding on to a majority of their allotment of tickets, each of which will have to eat the full cost when they go unsold. [Links via The Wiz]

• Just responding to the market, part three. Oregon's Chip Kelly raked in another Coach of the Year award Tuesday, this one from the Associated Press, triggering a contract incentive for an additional $25,000. In all, the bonuses, incentives and future guarantees Kelly has accumulated during Oregon's run to the BCS title game could amount to an extra $4.3 million above his base salary. His assistants are going to make out OK, too. [Associated Press, Eugene Register-Guard, USA Today]

• Cardinal coup. Charlie Strong picked up a big win Tuesday night to seal a winning season in his first year at Louisville, but may have picked up a bigger win on Monday, when he received a verbal commitment from hyped South Florida quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, a longtime Miami commit who's apparently backed out of his plan to follow former Northwestern High teammates to The U in the wake of Randy Shannon's departure. Bridgewater is the No. 2 dual threat quarterback in the 2011 class, according to Rivals, well above the grade that usually opts for the Big East. [Miami Herald]

• Godspeed. The supposedly benign tumor doctors removed from Syracuse punter Rob Long's brain last week may have contained some malignant cells, according to pathology tests, which will force Long to undergo further treatment. "This is obviously a difficult time for my family and me," he said in a release. "However, we remain optimistic and positive toward a favorable outcome to this situation." [Syracuse Post-Dispatch]

Quickly… Michigan State will be without starting receiver B.J. Cunningham for the Capital One Bowl, thanks to a foot injury. … Clemson's leading receiver will join the Tiger basketball team after the bowl game. Can you name him? … Auburn Arena is showing the BCS Championship Game for fans who can't get to Arizona. … Brandon Harris says he's coming back to Miami for his senior year. … Colorado needs to replace two 2011 quarterback commitments who backed out after Dan Hawkins was fired. … Jake Locker gets engaged to a former Washington softballer. … And just in case you missed it, here's Austin Davis' one-handed touchdown catch in the Beef 'O'Brady's Bowl.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Kat Von D Ana Paula Lemes Vanessa Simmons Chyler Leigh Julie Berry

Uh Oh

Zooey Deschanel Tara Reid Coco Lee Katy Perry Vinessa Shaw

ESPNEWS Anchor Will Selva Suspended for Plagiarism

Filed under: Lakers, Spurs, Sports Business and Media

An ESPNEWS anchor has been suspended for an indefinite period for lifting portions of a newspaper column and using them in a script without attributing where the passage originated.

Will Selva, an anchor at ESPN for three years, issued an apology Wednesday for taking all but of a few words from the lead of a column written by Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register, previewing Tuesday's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.

Selva, who anchored the overnight "Highlight Express," which repeated through the morning, used Ding's sentences virtually verbatim to set up the game highlights. In a statement issued by ESPN, Selva said he had been researching stories from local newspapers, and came across Ding's column. Selva said he cut and pasted the story into his script, but forgot to write his own words.

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Firefox 4 beta 3 for Android hands on: Mozilla browser hits the Market

Mozilla has released a new beta of Firefox 4 for Android and Maemo to keep the mobile browser in step with its desktop cousin, and it packs a number of important improvements. Perhaps the most noticeable one on Android is that you can now find Firefox in the Market, meaning future updates will be a smoother process -- just make sure you uninstall any previous beta versions before downloading from the Market.

So what's new in Firefox 4 beta 3?

• Improved support for both software and hardware keyboards
• Android-style menus
• Better integration with other apps when opening a link
• A save page-as-PDF option
• Improved Firefox Sync with new 'add a device' feature
• Full screen video and improved audio support
• Copy and paste support in the URL bar
• Developer access to a localStorage API and orientation events

After browsing for a while with beta 3, I'm definitely left feeling it's faster than the previous non-Market release. Some pages, however, still load about 30-40% slower than they do in Dolphin Mini (my current browser of choice). The new features are definitely key additions -- especially basics like keyboard support and copy/paste in the URL bar. Firefox Sync setup is an absolute breeze now, thanks to the 'add a device' option in both the desktop and mobile versions.

Firefox 4 is also a bit of a space hog, currently consuming about 21MB -- ten times more than Dolphin Mini. And while I dig the desktop-to-mobile Firefox 4 synchronicity, I'm not sure it's enough to make me switch just yet. If I start doing more mobile surfing (which would make Sync more useful to me) and Mozilla kicks up the speed and trims a little fat, Firefox 4 will definitely be a strong contender for the coveted default browser crown.

Check out the gallery, or if you want to jump right in, use the QR code after the break. For more information, release notes and troubleshooting tips, check the Firefox Beta for Mobile website.

Gallery: Firefox 4 beta 3 for Android

Continue reading Firefox 4 beta 3 for Android hands on: Mozilla browser hits the Market

Firefox 4 beta 3 for Android hands on: Mozilla browser hits the Market originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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