Budget Hotel in Santa Clarita | "Samsung Galaxy S 4 is Loaded With Gee Whiz Features"

Source:     http://www.usatoday.com/

By:            Edward C. Baig

Category:  Budget Hotel in Santa Clarita

Posted by: Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Budget Hotel in Santa Clarita

NEW YORK — You get the impression that Samsung is auditioning for a Las Vegas magic act. When it comes to the brand new Galaxy S 4, the South Korean electronics giant seemingly has an endless bag of parlor tricks. The smartphone is the highly anticipated successor to the Galaxy S III and I like it a lot, even if some of the new features come off as "look what we can do" as opposed to "look how we can make your experience better."

Want to answer a call or skip a song with the wave of your hand? Go right ahead. Want to pause a video by looking away from the screen? You can do that, too. Did someone walk in front of your family just as you were capturing the perfect pose? Poof — the interloper can be made to disappear from the picture. You can also use your phone as a remote control for your television — whether the TV is from Samsung or not — and receive recommendations of what to watch.

Samsung's latest phone is loaded with so many stunts that the company wisely starts folks out with a "learn about key features" wizard. Newbies can also go with a newly enhanced "Easy Mode" home screen, with a simpler layout and bigger icons than the standard screens. An improved notifications panel can also make it a little easier to tame the device.

Some of the features on the S 4 launched on prior Galaxys, and perhaps you even took advantage of them. For example, there's S Beam, in which you can exchange data with a friend by bumping your Galaxy phone against his or hers. 

But the S 4 is teeming with fresh capabilities. Some are fun and innovative, such as a dual-shot photography feature that lets you simultaneously snap a picture using the 13-megapixel front camera and 2-megapixel rear camera. You can see your own face beaming in an image that also shows your kid whacking the ball in Little League. But several other "touch-less" features weren't always functional or easy to figure out. (Samsung has embedded eight sensors on the device.) 

That's not to diminish what taken as a whole is a handset worth coveting. There's good reason Samsung's Galaxy smartphones have climbed to the top of the Android charts and emerged as the leading competitor to Apple's iPhone. Some features may be gimmicky, but this is still a phone you're going to want.

The S 4 hardware is state of the art, even if the plastic-y back, which feels just like the S III, doesn't quite have the premium feel of another recent new Android rival, the HTC One. The speakers aren't as good as HTC's, either.

Samsung certainly has no reason to apologize for the S 4's beautiful 5-inch full HD Super Amoled (1920 x 1080) display, which is fortified by an advanced version of protective Gorilla Glass. At less than a third of an inch thick, the phone is more svelte than the S III and, at 4.6 ounces, a hair lighter. 

Even at that, Samsung has been able to pack in a more powerful battery, which, as a bragging point against the iPhone, can be replaced by the user. When the back cover is removed, you can also slide in an optional microSD card to bolster the 16 GB or 32 GB of on-board storage by up to 64 GB.

The S 4 has a powerful quad-core processor. It runs Android version 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Devices start arriving Thursday and will eventually be available in the U.S. from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, as well as from U.S. Cellular, Cricket and C Spire. Major retailers will also carry it.

AT&T is selling the 16 GB version for $199.99 with a two-year contract. Sprint is trying to lure new customers with an incentive that drops the cost to $149.99. That's what T-Mobile will charge upfront on top of monthly payments under its new pricing structure. (I tested the T-Mobile version of the phone but couldn't tap into 4G LTE since that network is not available yet on T-Mobile in and around New York City.) Verizon starts pre-orders on Thursday for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with availability May 30.

Some of the coolest new features come with the camera. I especially liked the dual-camera mode for combining images from the front and rear cameras into one, though it was sometimes a challenge to frame the image just right. Your mug appears in a small resizable rectangle that you can drag about the screen.

"Drama shot" was also pretty nifty. You can take a picture of your kid running the bases or doing a somersault — the idea is you're tracking movement. The camera can take up to 100 images in a burst. Once processed, you can choose which of the frames ought to be combined in the final picture, which shows the

I wasn't able to test every last feature on the phone, including Group Play, which lets you play games or share files with other people nearby who also have the device. Then again, I can't imagine using every last feature anyway. For all the fancy tricks, the real magic comes from sticking to the basics on what is a very appealing phone.

Family Hotel In Santa Clarita | "Yahoo Uses Summly Techonology in Latest iphone App"

Source:      http://www.itpro.co.uk/
By:             Mehael Toso
Category:   Family Hotel in Santa Clarita
Posted By:  Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Family Hotel in Santa Clarita

Yahoo has unveiled a brand new app for iPhones, which implements technology from the recently acquired Summly.

Marissa Mayer, Yahoo CEO claimed the revamped Yahoo app will help to satisfy their “insatiable” appetite for information and has been designed with small screens in mind.

 “We acquired Summly less than a month ago, and we’re thrilled to introduce this game-changing technology in our first mobile application,” Mayer noted in the Yahoo blog.

The Yahoo app uses Summly’s natural-language algorithms and machine learning to deliver bitesized summaries.

Yahoo has also improved video and image search functionality on the app and Mayer noted that the app will adapt to your behavior as well.

“When you’re signed into Yahoo, the choices you make are saved across screens. The more you use Yahoo, the more relevant and interesting the experience becomes - on mobile and desktop.”
The rapid introduction of the technology acquired through the purchase of Summly shows Yahoo is keen to more forward in the mobile market.

Summly was first brought to the internet firm's attention after the application was downloaded over 500,000 times in the Apple App store. The text condensing technology was purchased in March from UK teenage entrepreneur Nick D’Aloisio for a reported $30 million.

The application claims to enhance user experience by employing natural language algorithms and machine learning to deliver quick story summaries, as well as personalising content to each user’s interest.

While it is rumored that Yahoo is to extend the service to other mobile platforms, such as Google’s Android, no such announcements have been issued at this time. 

Meeting Space Santa Clarita - Apple Wins Case by Google’s Motorola Over Phone Sensors

Source - http://www.businessweek.com/
By - Susan Decker
Category - Meeting Space Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Meeting Space Santa Clarita

Apple Inc. (AAPL) averted an order that could have hindered imports of the iPhone 4 into the U.S. after persuading a U.S. trade agency to invalidate a patent owned by Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Motorola Mobility unit over a phone sensor,

The U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington yesterday upheld a judge’s findings that the Motorola Mobility patent is invalid, though for different reasons. The patent covers a sensor that prevents the phone from accidentally hanging up or activating an application when close to a person’s face.

The decision marks the latest instance in which neither Cupertino, California-based Apple nor Google has been able to strike a decisive blow against its competitor in a squabble that began more than two years ago. Each has claimed the other is infringing patents, and Apple accused Motorola Mobility of breaching obligations to license some of its most widely used technology on fair terms.

“This is not a surprise because the commission has heretofore not found a violation by Apple in any case as to any claim in any patent,” said Rodney Sweetland, a patent lawyer with Duane Morris in Washington who specializes in ITC cases. “The commission is particularly attentive to the details in cases involving Apple, which implicate such a popular product and such an important part of commerce.”

Matt Kallman, a spokesman for Google, said the Mountain View, California-based company was disappointed and is “evaluating our options.” Amy Bessette, a spokeswoman for Apple, said the company had no comment.

IPhone Revenue

The iPhone, in all models, generated $78.7 billion in sales last fiscal year for Apple, about half of the company’s revenue. The devices are assembled in China and imported into the U.S. Apple’s newest model, the iPhone 5, has been the company’s top seller since going on sale in September. Still, reduced-price older models like the iPhone 4 have retained their popularity, Canaccord Genuity Inc. said April 8.

Apple is scheduled to report earnings later today. The company is predicted by analysts to post its first profit decline since 2003, hurt by products with lower profit margins and slower iPhone-sales growth. Seventeen analysts surveyed by Bloomberg have lowered their outlook for the company in the past month.

The dispute with Motorola Mobility predates its acquisition by Google last year. Apple contends phones running on Google’s Android operating system copy the look and features that make the iPhone unique. In addition to Motorola Mobility and Samsung Electronics Co., Apple sued Taiwanese handset maker HTC Corp. (2498) in a case that settled in November with royalty payments and a pledge that HTC wouldn’t copy Apple designs.

Smartphone Market

At stake is a share of a U.S. smartphone market estimated at $51 billion last year by Neil Shah, an analyst with Strategy Analytics. Apple is the largest maker of smartphones in the U.S., with about 45 percent of the devices sold in the fourth quarter, he said last month.

Apple is appealing the loss of its own case against Motorola Mobility at the agency over touchscreen technology, and both companies are challenging a decision by a judge in Chicago to toss infringement claims they filed against each other. A federal judge in Miami presiding over another dispute between the two called them “obstreperous and cantankerous” and said they were more interested in never-ending litigation as a business strategy than in resolving disputes.

Google paid $12.4 billion for Motorola Mobility in large part to get access to its trove of more than 17,000 patents and gain leverage against Apple.

Sensor Patent

The sensor patent was all that was left of a case that also involved claims that Apple infringed Motorola Mobility patents for third-generation wireless technology used throughout the industry. The ITC in August cleared Apple of those allegations.

ITC Judge Thomas Pender in December said the Google sensor patent is invalid because it isn’t different enough from earlier inventions, and said he didn’t consider his decision to be a close call.

Motorola Mobility argued the sensor technology wouldn’t have been obvious to engineers in 1999, when the patent application was filed, because there were few touchscreen mobile devices so people were unlikely to realize it would be a problem. The company quoted the late co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, as saying the incorporation of a proximity sensor in the iPhone was a “breakthrough.”

Apple in turn contended the sensor is little different than those that prevented accidental dialing on keypads, and touchscreens have been around for years. It also said the paraphrased Jobs comment, which came from his official biography, was not about the same technology as that covered by the patent.

The case is In the Matter of Certain Wireless Communication Devices, Portable Music and Data Processing Devices, Computers and Components Thereof, 337-745, U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington).

Santa Clarita Local Colleges - Dollar Resumes Run Toward ¥100 Level

Source - http://stream.marketwatch.com/
By - Carla Mozee
Category - Santa Clarita Local Colleges
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Santa Clarita Local Colleges

The U.S. dollar rose against Japan’s currency Monday, flirting with the 100-yen level after financial officials from the world’s top economies refrained from criticizing Japan’s weakening of the yen through its monetary-policy program.

The dollar  rose to ¥99.82, up from ¥99.52 late Friday in North American trade.

Monday’s decline in the yen drove Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average  higher, as a weaker yen provides a competitive boost to Japanese exporters.

The dollar on Friday climbed more than 1% against the yen after the Group of 20 major economies said Japan’s recent monetary-policy actions are aimed at ending long-running deflation and supporting domestic demand, rather than accusing it of competitive devaluation.

The “G-20 and the [Bank of Japan] have made it very clear to the financial community that Japan has the green light regarding continued [quantitative easing] and resulting [yen] weakness,” wrote Chapdelaine Foreign Exchange managing director Douglas Borthwick to clients Friday.

“The ¥100 level in [dollar/yen] will fall soon, with ¥110.00 possible in coming weeks,” Borthwick said.

The dollar had jumped close to the ¥100 level in the days after the Bank of Japan’s April 3 announcement of a two-year campaign to defeat deflation in the country’s stagnant economy. The dollar had traded at ¥92.89 just before the announcement.

However, the greenback ran into resistance at the psychologically important ¥100 level, which it hasn’t crossed since April 2009, according to FactSet data.

Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda reportedly told Japan’s upper house budget committee Monday that, last week in Washington, he explained to the G-20 that the Japanese central bank’s monetary-easing plan was aimed squarely at achieving its target of 2% consumer-price inflation.

“No one is prepared to get in Japan’s way when it comes to Abenomics and their goal of creating inflation,” said Borthwick, referring to Japan’s monetary and fiscal initiatives pushed by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“The global hope is that inflation will drive growth in Japan, finally awaking this sleeping giant. [Yen] weakness is now a given — the only uncertainty is the pace at which this unfolds,” Borthwick said.

The euro changed hands at ¥130.52, stronger than ¥130.09 on Friday.

This week, investors will look for any further comments from the Bank of Japan in its next policy announcement, due Friday.

Euro slips, sterling steady

Against the dollar, the euro  fetched $1.3076 on Monday, down from $1.3108 late Friday in North America.

The euro had pushed above $1.31 Friday after Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann said the European Central Bank would only cut rates if economic data further deteriorated. Weidmann is a member of the ECB Governing Council.

In other major pairs, the British pound  traded at $1.5227, unchanged from Friday when the currency fell after Fitch Ratings cut the United Kingdom’s long-term issuer default rating to AA+ from AAA.

The Australian dollar   was at $1.0298, down from $1.0343 late Friday.

The ICE dollar index , a measure of the dollar against a basket of six other major currencies, slipped to 82.694 from 82.731 on Friday.

But the WSJ Dollar Index , a rival gauge that uses a slightly larger basket, rose to 73.99 from 73.94.

Six Flags Magic Mountain - NASA Spots Three Distant Worlds That Seem Ideal For Life

Source - http://www.courier-journal.com/
By - Dan Vergano
Category - Six Flags Magic Mountain
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

 

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Earth is looking a little less lonely after NASA astronomers reported Thursday the discovery of three more Earth-sized worlds orbiting nearby stars.

Astronomers have spotted more than 800 planets orbiting nearby stars in recent decades, but only a handful have been Earth-sized, “Goldilocks” worlds, not too hot and not too cold for water. Astronomers consider water an essential ingredient for the possibility of life on other planets.

The Kepler space telescope findings reported in the journal Science by a team led by William Borucki of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., add to that total. The report finds that the star, Kepler-62 has two planets, Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f, traveling in ocean-friendly orbits around the star.

“This appears to be the best example our team has found yet of Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of a sun-like star,” said team astrophysicist Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution for Science of Washington. Kepler-62 is close by astronomical standards at about 1,200 light years away (708,000 trillion miles). It’s slightly smaller than our sun, so its “habitable zone” for planets is closer in. The two ocean-friendly planets have “years” of 122 days and 267 days — the time it takes to orbit the star — for that reason.

Another star spotted by Kepler, dubbed Kepler-69, appears to have a planet in the habitable zone. The planet, Kepler-69c, is 70 percent larger than Earth and circles its star once every 242 days.
 

Attractions In Santa Clarita - America's Jobs Are Moving To The Suburbs

Source - http://money.cnn.com/
By - Steve Hargreaves
Category - Attractions In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Attractions In Santa Clarita

Jobs within 3 miles of a city center fell from 24.5% of overall positions in 2000 to 22.9% in 2010, according to a report released Thursday from the Brookings Institution. During the same time, jobs in the outer suburbs -- between 10 and 35 miles of a city's center -- grew from 40.9% in 2000 to 43.1% in 2010.

The recession halted the flight of jobs to the suburbs for a few years as industries like manufacturing, construction and retail -- businesses that thrive in a city's outer regions -- bore the largest brunt of layoffs. But by 2010, the suburbs accounted for nearly twice the share of jobs as city centers, continuing a trend that has been underway for decades.

"Where the jobs are matters to the overall development of a region," said Elizabeth Kneebone, a fellow at Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program. "It can impact long-term productivity."

Related: Firms are firing less, but not hiring enough

Low-density development away from city centers can be a drag on growth for several reasons, Kneebone said.

For poorer people without access to a car, it can make it harder to physically get to a job. For those with a car, it can lead to longer commute times and more money spent on gas.

It's also more expensive for taxpayers. Infrastructure costs can be 40% higher in low-density areas than higher ones, she said.

Innovation can also be crimped, as fewer people from similar industries get to interact with one another. Brookings pointed out in a separate report that patenting rates are higher in more densely populated locales.

Kneebone noted that not all suburban job growth is done poorly. Some metro regions, like San Francisco, have done a good job concentrating suburban job growth in specific areas, eliminating many of the potential negatives. Other regions are physically constrained from growing any more near their downtown, due to obstacles like mountains or water.

The metro regions with the highest rate of job density are San Jose, Calif.; Las Vegas; Virginia Beach; Salt Lake City and New York.

The regions with the most "job sprawl" are Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and St. Louis.

Despite the much-hyped revitalization taking place in many city centers across the country, Kneebone said the jobs are not necessarily following the shift of residents toward downtown districts. In many places, these new urban dwellers end up reverse commuting to the suburbs for work.

She thinks better planning and zoning laws are required to encourage denser development, and urged more cooperation at both the regional level and among government agencies, such as economic development and transportation departments.

The Brookings report looked at the nation's 100 largest metro areas, which account for about two-thirds of both the country's population and its jobs. To top of page

Hotel In California - Microsoft Bringing Back the Start Button With Windows Blue

Source - http://www.pcmag.com/
By - Damon Poeter
Category - Hotel In California
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotel In California

Microsoft is rumored to be building a new version of Windows 8 that will have an option to boot to the traditional Windows interface instead of the "Metro"-style Start Screen used in the current edition of the PC and tablet operating system.

The change, which users will have to switch on, is coming in Windows 8.1, also known as Windows Blue, according The Verge.

Blue is the follow-up to Windows 8, which was released last October, and will reportedly be released this year. Microsoft has publicly stated that it is tightening the release cycles for new versions of its flagship operating system and acknowledged in March that the company's employees are "working together on plans to advance our devices and services, a set of plans referred to internally as 'Blue.'"

However, the chances of the final product being called "Windows Blue" were "slim to none," Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft's corporate vice president of corporate communications, said at the time.

The Verge cited unnamed sources as saying Redmond was currently testing Windows Blue builds "that include an option to boot directly to the traditional desktop" with the "hot corner functionality, for access to the Charms and Start Screen [remaining] intact if the boot to desktop option is enabled."

As further evidence that Microsoft plans to revive its traditional Start Menu and Start button, The Verge pointed to "references to a 'CanSuppressStartScreen' option in early builds of the Windows 8.1 registry," as spotted on MyDigitalLife's forums.

The site's sources indicated that the current Windows 8 interface would remain the default one for an updated version of the OS, however, and that it's "highly unlikely" that Redmond would push out a traditional Windows look as anything but an extra option for users.

Microsoft's Metro-style interface built for Windows 8 has met with sharp criticism from some corners. The UI, optimized for PCs and mobile devices with touch screens, hasn't been well received by many Windows users who still depend on keyboard-and-mouse configurations.

Business and organizational Windows customers have been particular hostile to the UI change, perhaps Microsoft's most radical since introducing a graphical interface for the first time with 1985's release of the first Windows system shell on top of its MS-DOS operating system.

As to whether Microsoft is really planning to revive its traditional UI as an option for Windows 8 holdouts, there's some recent history that suggests the software giant is capable of backtracking at times to placate vocal Windows users. The Windows Aero visuals incorporated in 2007's Windows Vista release were derided by many Windows users as nothing but resource-hogging eye candy—and were subsequently downplayed in Windows 7, released in 2009.

For more, check out What Is Windows Blue?, Beware of Windows Blue, and Microsoft Readying RT Version of Windows Blue.

Accommodation In Santa Clarita - SKorea Plans $15 bln Extra Budget To Boost Economy

Source - http://www.boston.com/
By - YOUKYUNG LEE
Category - Accommodation In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Accommodation In Santa Clarita

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean government proposed a $15.3 billion stimulus Tuesday to boost slowing growth in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

The stimulus would be South Korea’s third-largest supplemental budget ever, exceeded only by those approved after the 1998 Asian financial crisis and the 2008 global financial turmoil.

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said the budget will be used to cover a tax revenue shortfall, aid small and medium firms, create jobs and boost the stagnant real estate market. The statement said the ministry will submit the 17.3 trillion won ($15.3 billion) plan to parliament on Thursday.

It estimated a tax revenue shortfall of 6 trillion won due to the slower-than-expected economic recovery and another 6 trillion won shortfall from the delay in selling stakes in state-owned banks. The remaining 5.3 trillion won will be a net increase in the government’s budget.

In addition to the extra budget requiring a parliamentary approval, the ministry will also use 2 trillion won in state funds that do not need to go through the assembly to stimulate the economy.

The stimulus plan comes after the ministry sharply revised down its growth forecast of South Korea’s economy last month.

It said South Korea’s economy will expand 2.3 percent this year, instead of 3 percent it had predicted three months earlier, citing the yen’s slide that is hurting South Korean exporters, weak consumer sentiment and sluggish capital investment.

The stimulus move underlines how the government is seeking a quick fix to the slowdown. South Korea’s economy expanded 2 percent in 2012, the slowest rate in three years, as weak global recovery and trade.

The extra budget will stimulate growth by 0.3 percentage point this year and add 40,000 new jobs, it said.

Despite the government’s calls for all-out efforts to boost the economy, South Korea’s central bank resisted calls to lower borrowing costs.

Last week, Bank of Korea kept its key interest rate unchanged at 2.75 percent for a sixth month. Gov. Kim Choong-soo said the economy is on track to a slow recovery and the monetary policy is ‘‘accommodative’’ to encourage borrowing and spending.end of story marker

Hotel Reservations In Santa Clarita - Japan Gets Calls From U.S. to Europe Not to Drive Down Yen

Source - http://www.bloomberg.com/
By - Kasia Klimasinska & Ian Katz
Category - Hotel Reservations In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotel Reservations In Santa Clarita

Japan will be reminded of its pledge not to drive down the yen when Group of 20 finance chiefs meet this week for the first time since the world’s third- largest economy intensified its campaign to defeat deflation.

As G-20 finance ministers and central bankers prepare to convene this week in Washington, the U.S. Treasury is saying it will press Japan to refrain from competitive devaluation and European governments are urging it not to become too reliant on fiscal and monetary stimulus.

The yen has fallen against all 16 of its most-traded peers since April 4 when the Bank of Japan (8301) surprised investors by doubling monthly bond purchases and setting a two-year horizon for achieving its goal of 2 percent inflation. The salvo leaves foreign policy makers coupling praise for the effort to boost stagnant economic growth with concern it may come at the expense of their exporters if the yen keeps sliding.

“Yen moves have been too rapid for the U.S. to applaud Japan’s battle to end deflation,” said Yasuhide Yajima, chief economist at NLI Research Institute Ltd. in Tokyo, an affiliate of Nippon Life Insurance Co., Japan’s biggest life insurer. “Japan will have to show fiscal plans and means to strengthen growth to make it clear it’s not depending only on weakening the yen to revive the economy.”
Currency Report

The yen rose against all but one of 16 major counterparts today after a report showed Chinese growth unexpectedly slowed in the first quarter, fueling demand for haven assets. The Japanese currency added 0.2 percent to 98.22 per dollar as of 12 p.m. in Tokyo after earlier touching 97.63, the strongest since April 8.

The U.S. Treasury used its semi-annual currency report to Congress to say April 12 that Japan must “remain oriented towards meeting respective domestic objectives using domestic instruments and to refrain from competitive devaluation and targeting its exchange rate for competitive purposes.”

In a planning document prepared for the G-20 talks, the European Union will note the “lack of credible medium-term fiscal consolidation plans in the U.S. and Japan.” It will push Tokyo to make structural reforms to an economy roiled by repeat recessions over the past two decades, according to the document.

The U.S. stance echoes that adopted by the Group of Seven and G-20 in February when members pledged not to target exchange rates for competitive reasons. That was interpreted as an endorsement of Japan’s recovery push so long as officials didn’t directly target a weaker yen.
Japanese Defense

Japanese policy makers have already launched their defense against criticism that they are driving down the yen. Mitsuhiro Furusawa, the vice-finance minister for international affairs, said in an April 12 interview that Japanese monetary policy is “clearly aimed at getting Japan out of deflation” and that officials will “properly explain” their position in Washington.

In another sign officials want to head off attacks, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda last week indicated limits to easing by saying April 10 that the central bank has taken all “necessary” and “possible” measures.

Such arguments may be enough to offset criticism especially given economies from the U.S. to U.K. have carried out similar quantitative easing programs. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said in London on March 25 that low interest rates in advanced nations benefit the world economy without creating a disruptive diversion of trade through weaker currencies.
‘Red Light’

Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan said at the Bloomberg Australia Economic Summit in Sydney on April 10 that while monetary expansion can push a currency down “that doesn’t mean it’s manipulation.”

While a weaker yen helps Japanese exporters such as Sony Corp., which gets 70 percent of its revenue outside the country, and boosts repatriated earnings, an excessive decline could swell import costs and fuel trade tensions at a time of weak global growth.

South Korea Finance Minister Hyun Oh Seok last month urged the G-20 to revisit the currency issue and said the yen is “flashing a red light” for his country’s exports.

While the yen rose after the release of the Treasury’s report, Steven Englander, a currency strategist at Citigroup Inc. in New York, said it’s unlikely to trigger extended yen buying. The report is not a major policy document and its comments are “not particularly critical” of Japan, he said in an e-mail to clients.

In its report, the Treasury also declined to name China a manipulator while saying that the yuan “remains significantly undervalued.” The U.S. said it will press China for policy changes and greater exchange-rate flexibility.

The G-20 officials meet on April 18 and April 19 in Washington ahead of weekend talks of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Weakness in the world economy, Europe’s ongoing debt crisis and the U.S. budget deficit are other likely topics for debate.

California Vacation Packages - Twitter Will Reportedly Launch Music App This Weekend

Source - http://news.cnet.com/
By - Steven Musil
Category - California Vacation Packages
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

California Vacation Packages

Twitter is rumored to preparing for the launch this weekend of its much rumored Twitter Music app.

The microblogging service plans to launch its standalone music app tomorrow, sources familiar with the matter tell AllThingsD. Still other sources say the app will launch during this weekend's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California, but not necessarily on Friday.

CNET has contacted Twitter for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

 The report comes on the heels of Twitter confirming that it has purchased music discovery service We Are Hunted. CNET reported in March that Twitter had acquired the music discovery service last year and was using its technology to build a standalone music app.

A person familiar with the matter told CNET at the time that the app, to be called Twitter Music, could be released on iOS by the end of March.

Twitter Music is said to suggest artists and songs to listen to based on a variety of signals, and be personalized based on which accounts a user follows on Twitter. Songs are streamed to the app via SoundCloud.

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest confirmed the app's existence in a series of tweets yesterday that indicated he was "lovin" using it.

Hotels In Northern California - Korea Crisis High On Agenda At London G8 Talks

Source - http://www.bbc.co.uk/
By - Press Release
Category - Hotels In Northern California
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotels In Northern California

The Korean crisis will be high on the agenda when foreign ministers from the G8 group of nations hold talks in London on Thursday.

Correspondents say Japan, present at the talks, is looking for a strong statement of solidarity over the issue.

North Korea has been making bellicose threats against South Korea, Japan and US bases in the region.

Ministers will also debate the Syrian crisis, Iran's nuclear programme and sexual violence in conflicts.

The BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says ministers agree that the combination of warlike threats from Pyongyang and preparations for new missile tests amount to dangerous provocation.

"There is no disagreement with the United States over North Korea," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in London on Wednesday.

South Korea has raised its alert level amid indications that the North is preparing for a missile test.

Pyongyang has increased its fiery rhetoric following fresh UN sanctions imposed after its third nuclear test and joint military manoeuvres by the US and South Korea.
Syria division

Meanwhile, G8 ministers met Syrian opposition figures on Wednesday on the sidelines of the two-day meeting.

Our correspondent says that, unlike North Korea, Syria divides the G8 and no-one expects Damascus's ally Russia to join others backing punitive action against President Bashar al-Assad.

Fresh evidence of links between some opposition fighters and al-Qaeda makes it even harder for governments to decide a course of action, he adds.

In a meeting with ministers on Wednesday, leaders of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) reportedly pressed for more humanitarian assistance.

Mr Kerry, however, stressed the importance of the opposition becoming better organised, a senior US official told reporters.

In a statement issued after the talks, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain was committed to finding a political solution to the crisis.

"We discussed what further assistance the UK could provide to save lives in Syria, and how we could work together to ensure this support was channelled most effectively," he said.

The London talks are also the first chance for G8 ministers to discuss face-to-face the failure of last week's meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on curbing Iran's nuclear programme.

Tehran says it only wants to produce energy but the US and its allies suspect it is trying to develop a nuclear weapon.

Mr Hague, meanwhile, has said his "personal priority" for the G8 meeting is a new agreement to prevent sexual violence in conflicts.

Burma, Somalia and cyber-security are also topics on the agenda.

The Group of Eight nations comprises the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia.

Britain currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the G8 and the talks are a prelude to the annual G8 summit later this year in Northern Ireland.

Vacations In Santa Clarita - T-Mobile Announces iPhone Trade-In Special, Gives You iPhone 5 For $0 Upfront

Source - http://www.slashgear.com/
By - Brittany Hillen
Category - Vacations In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Vacations In Santa Clarita

T-Mobile has been making big changes lately, moving to rebrand itself as the “Uncarrier” and to do things in a way that is different from its competitors. It has made good on all that talk, revealing a trade-in deal for current iPhone owners: trade-in an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S and receive the iPhone 5 for $0. The special is in effect until June 16.

The trade-in special will begin at T-Mobile stores April 12, which is this upcoming Friday. Only so-called well-qualified customers will be able to take advantage of the special, and will need to trade in either an iPhone 4 or a 4S. In return, the iPhone 5 will be priced at $0 upfront plus the monthly service fee.

The special is in conjunction with a Simple Choice Plan. If your iPhone 4 or 4S is in good condition, you could receive credit on top of the iPhone 5 up to $120, which T-Mobile says can be used towards monthly payments, towards an existing bill with the carrier, or to buy accessories from the company. The plan starts at $50 per month, and offers unlimited talk/text and 500MB of data. Another $10 will get you 2GB of additional data, while an extra $20 will get you unlimited data.

T-Mobile’s Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert said: “Our message to iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 customers is simple: bring in your device and trade up to iPhone 5 on T-Mobile. We’re making it incredibly attractive to buy an iPhone 5 by pairing an un-beatable upfront price and trade-in offer with Simple Choice, the most hassle-free and affordable rate plan in wireless.”

Budget Hotels Santa Clarita - In Europe, New Protest Over Google

Source - http://www.nytimes.com/
By - JAMES KANTER
Category - Budget Hotels Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Budget Hotels Santa Clarita

European antitrust regulators have received a formal complaint about Google’s Android operating system for mobile devices, even as they move to the final stages of their inquiry into the company’s search practices.

 The complaint was filed by Fairsearch Europe, a group of Google’s competitors, including the mobile phone maker Nokia and the software titan Microsoft, and by other companies, like Oracle. It accuses Google of using the Android software “as a deceptive way to build advantages for key Google apps in 70 percent of the smartphones shipped today,” said Thomas Vinje, the lead lawyer for Fairsearch Europe, referring to Android’s share of the smartphone market.

For example, phone makers that agree to use Android — and that also want Google applications like YouTube — face contractual requirements to place those applications and other Google-branded applications in prominent positions on the mobile device’s desktop, Mr. Vinje said.

In an interview on Monday, the European Union’s antitrust chief, Joaquín Almunia, declined to comment on the new complaint but said officials had been examining the Android operating system independently of the two-year inquiry into whether Google had abused its dominance of Internet search.

When a formal complaint like this is made, the commission must at some point decide whether to take up the case or drop it.

Mr. Almunia also said that he was receiving proposals this week from Google to clear up concerns about its search practices, and that he hoped they would make it easier for Internet users to identify when Google was promoting its own services rather than those of competitors who might offer better results.

“This is a new step in the investigation,” he said.

A Google spokesman, Al Verney, would not specifically discuss either the new complaint or the comments by Mr. Almunia about the search case, saying only that the company continued “to work cooperatively” with the commission.

The European Commission opened its antitrust inquiry into Google’s search practices in November 2010. The investigation has since focused on whether Google might have unfairly taken advantage of its market dominance by giving preference to links to its own services, like Google Maps, when answering queries; whether Google disadvantaged competitors by including material in search results that came from other Web sites; and whether Google conducts its advertising business in accord with European antitrust law.

Last May the commission suggested that Google propose changes in how search results are presented as a way to settle the case. Since then, regulators and Google have been negotiating over those changes and other terms.

In Monday’s interview, Mr. Almunia said Google needed to offer the commission a solution where choices between Google-branded search results and those of its competitors were clearly visible within the search engine both on desktop computers and on mobile devices.

“I don’t know if you should call it labeling, or whatever, but they need to distinguish,” Mr. Almunia said.

“In some cases this can be achieved through the information you will receive through the natural search results,” he said. “In other cases, maybe we will ask Google to signal what are the relevant options, alternative options, in the way they present the results.”

The choice “should be a real one,” he said.

Mr. Almunia said regulators were not requiring Google to make changes to its algorithm, the secret formula that the company uses to determine the best responses to search queries.

In terms of the way Google uses and displays snippets of information from other Web sites in its search results, he said he expected Google to accept that other companies could choose “to allow or not to allow Google to use the content, but this decision cannot have as a consequence the punishment of those who will not allow the use of the content in terms of search results.”

Web sites and some publications have complained in recent years of virtually disappearing from Google’s search engine if they posed a competitive threat or did not comply with Google’s terms.

Mr. Almunia said he would test any changes that Google proposed to make by sending questionnaires to competitors, including the complainants, and to other companies.

Mr. Almunia said in Europe, where Google is especially strong, with more than 90 percent of the search market, compared with about 70 percent in the United States, it is particularly difficult for search engines to establish themselves if they focus on narrow but deep services like online shopping, travel or mapping.

But Mr. Almunia also said his approach in the case was not aimed at “protecting competitors,” as critics of European regulation have long complained.

Mr. Almunia said that he had concerns that Google had abused its dominance to promote its own products but that he would not need to “find a final answer to this question” if Google reached a settlement. “We are concerned by the possibility of an abuse,” he said.

“What is clear in our view is the market dominance of Google,” Mr. Almunia said. “This is obvious.”

He also noted that “it would not be surprising” if Google faced formal charges in a case concerning Motorola Mobility, a mobile phone maker owned by Google. That case follows complaints by Microsoft and Apple that they were victims of unfair licensing conditions and abusive litigation by Motorola Mobility.

The commission has taken a tougher line with Google than has the Federal Trade Commission on the issue of how Google runs its search rankings. The F.T.C. decided in January, after a 19-month inquiry into how the company operated its search engine, that Google had not broken antitrust laws.

Family Hotels In Santa Clarita - Oil Rises To Near $93 After Sharp Drop Last Week Driven By US Job And Over Supply Concerns

Source - http://www.foxnews.com/
By - Press Release
Category - Family Hotels In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Family Hotels In Santa Clarita

The price of oil rose modestly Monday after sharp losses due to high supplies and weak U.S. employment figures.

Benchmark oil for May delivery was up 17 cents to $92.87 a barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 56 cents to close at $92.70 on Friday and was down 5 percent from midweek.

The price of oil fell after a weak jobs report cast doubt on the strength of the U.S. economy. The Labor Department reported Friday the economy added 88,000 jobs in March, the fewest in nine months. The slowdown may signal the economy will weaken this spring.

The U.S. Energy Department last week reported that crude in storage was at its highest level since 1990 even though refiners had begun to ramp up gasoline production to get ready for the summer driving season. Now the economy looks like it might not grow fast enough to churn through the nation's high supplies.

"The latest jobs data provide a useful reminder that this is still an uneven recovery in the US economy," said Caroline Bain, commodities analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

She expects oil prices to average less than $90 a barrel in the second quarter of 2013 "reflecting a comfortable market balance, lower refinery runs and only very modest growth in consumption."

Brent Crude, which sets the price of oil used by many U.S. refineries to make gasoline, rose 57 cents to $104.69.

In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:

— Heating oil rose 1 cent to $2.919 per gallon.

— Wholesale gasoline rose 0.8 cent to $2.871 per gallon.

— Natural gas rose 2.8 cents to $4.153 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Six Flags Magic Mountain - Samsung Unveils Quarterly Profit Boost

Source - http://www.ft.com/
By - Song Jung-a
Category - Six Flags Magic Mountain
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

 

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Samsung Electronics on Friday said that first-quarter operating profit would be stronger than expected, as the world’s largest electronics company by sales stepped up sales of lower-end smartphones in emerging markets despite growing price competition and slowing demand in developed markets.

The South Korean company estimated that it posted about Won8.7tn of operating profit in the first three months of this year, up 53 per cent from a year earlier, while sales increased 15 per cent to about Won52tn ($46bn). Samsung will officially announce first-quarter earnings this month.

Booming sales of its flagship Galaxy smartphones continued to drive Samsung’s earnings growth this year while the company has made further inroads into emerging markets by broadening its mid-end product line-up as the smartphone market in advanced countries show signs of saturation. Samsung offers more than 30 models that cover nearly all segments of the smartphone market while rival Apple relies on a single high-end model.

Analysts quoted by Reuters estimate that Samsung sold up to 70m smartphones in the January-March period, up from 63m in the previous quarter, while Apple’s iPhone shipments likely slid about 30 per cent to about 30m.

Although the earnings guidance beat estimates, the first quarter ended Samsung’s five consecutive quarters of record profits. However, analysts expect the company’s earnings to hit a fresh high in the second quarter as its new smartphone, Galaxy S4, goes on sale this month.

Analysts say Samsung may gain the upper hand in its battle with Apple for market share in smartphones, as the company expands marketing for the new phone with a raft of fresh software and hardware features.

With the Galaxy S4, Samsung aims to retake the top spot in US mobile phone sales from Apple, after it was overtaken by the US company in the fourth quarter of last year.

Analysts expect Samsung’s operating profit to probably exceed Won10tn in the second quarter on the back of Galaxy S4 sales. Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at IBK Securities, estimates that shipments of Samsung’s flagship models including the Galaxy S4 could reach 37.8m units in the second quarter, boosting the company’s average selling price by 17 per cent.

Samsung shares inched up 0.13 per cent to about Won1.5m on Friday. The shares have fallen 3 per cent over the past three months on concerns about the slowing smartphone market while Apple stock has dropped nearly 20 per cent in the same period.

Attractions In Santa Clarita - Eat Fish And Live Longer

Source - http://abclocal.go.com/
By - Jennifer Matarese
Category - Attractions In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Attractions In Santa Clarita

Most of us know eating fish is good for our health.

But exciting new research has found, for the first time, evidence that shows exactly how heart healthy it can be and the key to reaping the benefits is to start eating fish when you are young.

The evidence is in the blood.

Eating fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids may help you to live longer.

Lillian Irani says she eats a lot of salmon.

"I feel great and I have more energy when I eat it," Irani said.

Until now, scientific studies showing omega 3's are heart healthy have primarily been based on what people say they eat.

Now scientists can point to something better.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health looked at the blood stream.

They studied data on more than 2,600 people, finding fish eaters who had the highest levels of omega 3 fatty acids in their blood reaped significant benefits.

"There was about a 23 percent reduction in total death and about a 35% reduction in cardiovascular incidence. This is really significant," said Christopher Ochner, St. Luke's Roosevelt Medical Center.

They also lived, on average, a little over two years longer.

But the research was done on older folks, ages 65 and up.

Nutrition expert Christopher Ochner says its people in their 20's 30's and 40's that need to get the message. "The idea is to start early. That's where the main benefit is going to be in terms of long term longevity improving health, appearance, energy levels sleep and everything in our everyday lives starting now," Ochner said.

The American Heart Association recommends eating 3.5 oz fatty fish at least two times a week.

That includes fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna.

But even if you don't eat that much fish, its ok, what's most important is to start and the younger the better .

"If people are eating no fish, that's where the largest opportunity for benefit is because those are the people who are really going to see the most improvement from no fish to a little bit of fish you are really going to get that protective effect," Ochner said.

Make small changes, not drastic ones at first .

Ochner says people won't stick to very drastic changes even if they can do them for a couple of months.

Instead, make small, incremental changes that you can follow for a lifetime.

If you don't like fish, the study's author says supplements might work for some people but the benefits are uncertain.

Hotel In California - Almost 20% Of Teen Births Are Not a First Child

Source - http://www.usatoday.com/
By - Sharon Jayson
Category - Hotel In California
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotel In California

Nearly one in five births to U.S. teens ages 15-19 is not a first child, says a federal report out today.

Of the 365,000 teens who gave birth in 2010, almost 67,000 (18.3%) have had at least one child before, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's down from 19.5% in 2007. Most were the teen mom's second child (86%).

But more teen moms are using birth control, the report says -- almost 91% used some form of contraception after having had a baby. But just 22% of those used contraceptive methods considered to be "most effective" -- tubal ligation, vasectomy, hormonal implant or intrauterine device (IUD). With those, the report says, the risk of becoming pregnant is less than one pregnancy in 100 users a year. The pill, injectables, the patch and the ring are considered "moderately effective."

"The trend is definitely up both on birth control generally and using the most effective forms of birth control, which we call LARC (long-acting reversible contraception)," says CDC Director Tom Frieden. "What that's telling us is nearly all teen moms want to avoid pregnancy and are taking steps to avoid a repeat pregnancy. But the challenge is only one in five are using the most effective means of doing that."

More than three quarters of sexually active teen mothers used one of the "most" or "moderately effective" contraceptive methods after having a baby; they were more likely than other sexually active teens to use a long-acting method (21.5% vs. 4.5%), the report finds.

"Just having one teen birth is a challenge but having a second can just compound things," says Jennifer Manlove, a senior research scientist who has studied repeat births for the nonprofit Child Trends, based in Bethesda, Md. She was not involved in the CDC's report.

The highest percentages of repeat teen births were among American Indian/Alaska natives (21.6%), Hispanics (20.9%), and blacks (20.4%). The lowest percentage was among whites (14.8%). Texas had the highest percentage of any state (22%) and New Hampshire had the lowest (10%).

In eight states -- Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas -- 20% of all teen births were repeats. In seven states -- Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Wyoming -- less than 15% were repeats.

Manlove says as recently as 1990, 25% of teen births were repeat births. "We have seen a steady gradual decline," she says. "Maybe these long-acting methods are the way to go to reduce repeat teen births in the future."

The CDC report notes that "teens are at a high risk for inconsistent use of methods that are user-dependent (e.g., condoms and oral contraceptive pills)," and that "LARC methods might be a suitable option" since they don't require daily monitoring.

But the report says teens "face a number of barriers to LARC use, including cost, limited availability, lack of provider acceptance for this practice in teens, and teen lack of awareness of these methods."

Accommodation In Santa Clarita - Apple Apologizes In China After Service Criticism

Source - http://abcnews.go.com/
By - CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Posted By - Accommodation In Santa Clarita
Category - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Accommodation In Santa Clarita

Apple apologized to Chinese consumers after government media attacked its repair policies for two weeks in a campaign that reeked of economic nationalism.

A statement Apple posted in Chinese on its website Monday said the complaints had prompted "deep reflection" and persuaded the company of the need to revamp its repair policies, boost communication with Chinese consumers and strengthen oversight of authorized resellers.

State broadcaster CCTV and the ruling Communist Party's flagship newspaper, People's Daily, had led the charge against the American company. They accused Apple Inc. of arrogance, greed and "throwing its weight around" and portrayed it as just the latest Western company to exploit the Chinese consumer.

The attacks quickly backfired, though, and were mocked by the increasingly sophisticated Chinese consumers who revere Apple and its products. State-run media also inadvertently revived complaints over shoddy service by Chinese companies.

Nonetheless, Apple responded with an apology from CEO Tim Cook.

"We've come to understand through this process that because of our poor communication, some have come to feel that Apple's attitude is arrogant and that we don't care about or value feedback from the consumer," Cook's Chinese statement said, as translated by The Associated Press. "For the concerns and misunderstandings passed on to the consumer, we express our sincere apologies."

 Although Apple enjoys strong support from Chinese consumers, the vehemence of the attacks and the importance of the Chinese market appeared to have persuaded the company to appear contrite.

The People's Daily newspaper ran an editorial last Wednesday headlined "Strike down Apple's incomparable arrogance."

"Here we have the Western person's sense of superiority making mischief," the newspaper wrote. "If there's no risk in offending the Chinese consumer, and it also makes for lower overheads, then why not?"

Chinese observers accused People's Daily of gross hypocrisy and pointed out that the newspaper had maintained a stony silence when Chinese companies were implicated over food safety, pollution and other scandals. Meanwhile, CCTV was shamed when it emerged that celebrities had been recruited to blast Apple on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, in what had been billed as a grassroots campaign.

"The public responded in two ways to this incident," popular commentator Shi Shusi wrote on his Weibo account. "One group supports this criticism but quite a number of people felt that there are state monopolies which have severely violated customer's rights, but which are not being exposed."

Popular business magazine Caijing said its readers identified a long list of abusers, including state banks that lend to those with political connections while stiffing ordinary savers with low rates on deposits; a government oil company that sets gas prices and other rates as it sees fit; and state telecom providers notorious for their lack of customer service.

"If media is going to go after Apple, let's hope they spare some thought for those big Chinese communications companies and other monopolies, the ones that enrich special interests in the name of being publicly owned," Cai Tongqi, a lawyer from the eastern province of Jiangsu, wrote on Weibo.

Consumers seem unfazed by the state media's attacks on Apple.