Hotels In Northern California - Facebook Turns Friends Into IT Support

Source - http://www.informationweek.com/
By - Thomas Claburn
Category - Hotels In Northern California
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotels In Northern California

Just as companies have warmed to the financial benefits of employee-supplied devices and have embraced the rent savings of offices that are open but smaller under the pretense of promoting interaction, Facebook has recognized the economic and security promise of deputizing users to provide customer support.

The social network, ever keen to increase user engagement, wants you to designate friends as Trusted Contacts who can restore access to your Facebook account "if you ever have trouble logging in." Don't call us, call a friend.

 Why might you have trouble logging in? Facebook doesn't say. A hacked account is one possibility, but presumably anyone who hijacks your account could alter your Trusted Contact list. And Facebook maintains a separate account reset process for hacked accounts, at facebook.com/hacked.

The most common scenario for resorting to Trusted Contacts is a forgotten password. This could be a relatively frequent occurrence, given that Facebook tends to keep users logged in, thereby obviating the need to type one's password and making it easier to forget.

Account recovery processes, however, have a long history of insecurity. For example, in 2008, the Yahoo Mail account of then vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was hacked when a University of Tennessee student reset the account password by answering what turned out to be obvious password recovery questions. The following year, Yahoo Mail's account recovery process was abused again to gain control over a Twitter administrative account.

A Facebook spokeswoman in an email said that there are also occasions when users lose access to the email account through which they log in to Facebook.

Facebook in a blog post suggests that the Trusted Contact account recovery process represents an improvement on answering security questions. "With trusted contacts, there's no need to worry about remembering the answer to your security question or filling out long web forms to prove who you are," the company says. "You can recover your account with help from your friends."

There's another security benefit too: Account compromises often occur as a result of social engineering attacks. While customer service personnel can be tricked into revealing personal information by people posing as account holders, friends presumably are less likely to be duped by an imposter soliciting sensitive data.

With Trusted Contacts, Facebook support personnel can expect fewer emails from users who can't log in to get their their social fix. What's more, Trusted Contacts could create a user retention halo effect: Users will probably be less likely to drift away from Facebook when their friends have entrusted them with the keys to their accounts.

Vacations In Santa Clarita - Intel Names 30-year Veteran as New Chief

Source - http://www.ft.com/
By - Chris Nuttall
Category - Vacations In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Vacations In Santa Clarita

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has promoted 30-year veteran Brian Krzanich to the role of chief executive, as the world’s largest chipmaker by sales navigates a post-PC world dominated by smartphones and other mobile devices.

The Silicon Valley company’s chief operating officer will succeed Paul Otellini at this month’s annual meeting, becoming only the sixth person to lead Intel in its 45-year history.

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Intel broke with tradition when it appointed Mr Otellini, its first non-engineer in the top job. However, Mr Krzanich is steeped in Intel’s core manufacturing operations, having joined in 1982 as an engineer and rising to manage one of its “fabs”, the fabrication plants that produce its processors from silicon wafers.

His appointment will increase speculation that Intel could focus on growing this side of its business to become more of a foundry for outside companies, given its lead in the miniaturisation of chips.

Intel’s processors are in four out of every five PCs sold, but that market slumped a record 14 per cent in the first quarter as consumers turned to tablets and smartphones.

Mr Otellini had focused on reducing the power demands of the company’s processors to make them more appealing to those markets. However, Intel has made little impression with device manufacturers, which have preferred the chip designs of the UK’s Arm.

Mr Otellini, 62, who joined Intel in 1974 and who has been chief executive since May 2005, sensed that the company was at a pivotal point when in November he announced his decision to retire so “a new generation” of leaders could face the mobile challenge.

Mr Krzanich, 52, said Intel was well positioned to expand into mobile markets. “We have the best silicon technology and the best factories in the world bar none . . . and so I think we’re perfectly poised for growth in that area and that is absolutely our intention," he said.

Andy Bryant, Intel chairman, said Mr Krzanich was a strong leader with a passion for technology. “He has the right combination of knowledge, depth and experience to lead the company during this period of rapid technology and industry change.”

Nathan Brookwood, analyst at the Insight 64 consultancy, said moves by Intel to become more of a foundry for outside companies could be a good alternative if its mobile processor designs failed to have much impact.

“One of the things that Intel really needs to look at is how it can tie up with some of the key fabless chip suppliers, which are Arm-based companies like Apple and Qualcomm, in order to leverage its manufacturing strengths, even if it doesn’t get to leverage its processor design strength,” he said.

Intel has a handful of partnerships making chips for companies that do not compete with it on PC microprocessors, including Altera, Cisco Systems and Microsemi.

Mr Otellini had combined the roles of president and chief executive, but Intel announced that Renee James, 48, would become president. She has been an executive vice-president in charge of Intel’s software business.

Intel shares, which have fallen 18 per cent over the past year, rose 0.5 per cent to $24.11.

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.