Google's first tablet

Nexus 7

This morning, Google unveiled the Nexus 7 tablet at its I/O developers conference in San Francisco, California. Designed by Google but built by Taiwan's Asus, the seven-inch tablet has many features to it, both externally and internally. With a back-lit 7-inch 1280 x 800 HD IPS display covered in “Scratch-resistant Corning glass” and a Tegra 3 processor designed for video gaming and movie viewing, the Nexus 7 will have a newly enlarged lineup of magazines, TV shows and films for rent. There's a GPS, a 1.2MP front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a Near Field communication (NFC) chip and up to nine hours of video playback. It'll run Google's latest Android mobile operating system software (4.1, or Jelly Bean) that was also introduced today. The "My Library" widget on the home page features tiles with the latest content you were reading or watching, and a tap of the tile launches that content right where you left off.

The 8GB model will cost $199, while the 16GB device will be priced at $249. Google is taking pre-orders now and will ship the Nexus 7 in the next two weeks from the Google Play store.

Now, some people are angry that there are no microSD card slots in the Nexus 7 and no rear camera. Personally, I would love for this device to have those features. But we should not forget that this is the Nexus 7 tablet, so they can't put all the features that we want. Why? There are many Android manufacturers that will use the Android OS Jelly Bean, which was made by Google. If Google made the perfect device with a cheap price ($199), no one would buy the third-party manufacturers products, which ends in less money for Google. 

Nexus 7 Video Link

When Google has made the near perfect device (Nexus One smartphone), third-party manufacturers (Sony, Samsung, etc.) get ideas from it and make a revised version of it, with more features and better pricing. Eventually, they will deliver, and give a product with everything that you need and will satisfy you. 

Google is not Apple. They have different business strategies. Google is like Microsoft, giving/selling their OS or their products. Apple is a closed system that owns their hardware and does not distribute their OS.

Is the Windows Surface an iPad and Android tablet killer?

Microsoft recently released information on a new tablet they are working on. The Microsoft website has opened a new section focused on the tablet they call the "Surface". The "Surface" is not yet released, but prototype images and a commercial video have been posted.

The "Surface" has many features that are distinctly different from other tablets. For example, the "Surface" seemingly comes with a colored keyboard to fit into the bottom of the tablet for easy typing. Most keyboards for tablets have to be bought from an external source other than the original provider.  This piece makes the "Surface" almost seem like a mini laptop. Also,the keyboard doubles as a cover when not being used.

Another part of the "Surface" that makes it unique is a built-in stand for propping up the tablet for an easier view.

Now, in the video, you can catch a glimpse of some other features not in the gallery. There seems to be one USB slot and a Micro HDMI slot, as well. What looks like a sound bumper is also located on the right hand side of the tablet.

Of course, these are just exterior features of the "Surface", but the processing system and the hardware capabilities are still unknown. We believe from some images that it is maybe running a downplayed version of the new Windows OS coming at the end of the year.

If you want to see all the pictures and the video check this link out: Windows "Surface"

What is the DREAM Act?

The DREAM Act (acronym for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) is an American legislative proposal first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001,[1] by Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch.[2]

This bill would provide conditional permanent residency to certain illegal individuals of good moral character who graduate from U.S. high schools, arrived in the United States as minors, and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment. If they were to complete two years in the military or two years at a four-year institution of higher learning, they would obtain temporary residency for a six-year period. Within the six-year period, they may qualify for permanent residency if they have "acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or [have] completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor's degree or higher degree in the United States" or have "served in the armed services for at least 2 years and, if discharged, [have] received an honorable discharge".[3] Military enlistment contracts require an eight-year commitment, with active duty commitments typically between four and six years, but as low as two years.[4][5] "Any alien whose permanent resident status is terminated... shall return to the immigration status the alien had immediately prior to receiving conditional permanent resident status under this Act."[6] This bill would have included illegal immigrants as old as 35 years of age.




On Friday, June 15th, President Obama announced his plan of stopping the deportation of illegal immigrants who came into the United States as children. 


"This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It's not a permanent fix," Obama said to take on conservative criticism of the step. "This is a temporary stopgap measure."



Rep. Steve King of Iowa, a leading GOP foe of Democratic proposals for immigration reform, threatened to file a lawsuit asking the courts to stop Obama "from implementing his unconstitutional and unlawful policy."


In a Twitter post, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called the decision "a classic Barack Obama move of choosing politics over leadership," while House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, called the change a "decision to grant amnesty to potentially millions of illegal immigrants."


"Many illegal immigrants will falsely claim they came here as children and the federal government has no way to check whether their claims are true," Smith said in a statement. "And once these illegal immigrants are granted deferred action, they can then apply for a work permit, which the administration routinely grants 90% of the time."


Others complained the move will flood an already poor job market for young Americans with illegal immigrants.


Is this move by President Obama politicking? Of course it is, the support of many hispanics could boost his upcoming reelection as president of USA (November, 2012).


Illegal is illegal. There is no other way of explaining this word. But most politicians used hispanic votes for their own agenda and this will not stop as long people in the USA will never stop this non sense.


Helping those kids to have a legal path to be a permanent resident is acceptable, but to use their situations for the coming election is totally wrong.


I condemn every politicians who will use every way just to get votes for the coming elections especially if its illegal..

What is the Honda Fit EV?

Have you heard about the car that runs completely on electricity?

Meet the Honda Fit EV. One of the EV series in Honda, it is a model that runs on electricity. Yes, pure electricity. The model uses a 92kW electric motor with 188 lb-ft of torque and a lithium-ion battery. When the battery is depleted, you do not need to head to the nearest gas station, you can just plug it in at home! When using a 240 volt circuit, a depleted battery can be fully recharged in as little as three hours!

One of the features of the Fit EV is the three mode driving system which allows you to choose which energy plan you want to use. There is a sports mode, which allows for more power usage. An econ mode is available as well, which is used for efficiency, and finally a normal mode, which is a balance of the two. Once the buttons on right are pressed, lights will shine near the electricity gauge. 

Many people believe that this is the perfect car for previous hybrid owners. Why? Well, the Fit EV does not use any gas, but only electricity. So, the Fit EV does not need a tailpipe to release emissions anymore. Therefore, it is extremely environmentally-friendly.

The Fit EV has even more things implemented in it such as, a built-in GPS and automatic climate control!

All in all, the Fit EV is a car made for the environment that can be used for things that any other car can do. Look for it in the summer of 2012.

Why is Apple crying again?

I'm sure that most people know about Apple's recent scheme to get all HTC smartphones banned and their failure in that plan. But, now, Apple has another idea that could possibly skyrocket Apple product sales and it involves a smartphone that Samsung will soon release to the U.S.A.

Yes, Apple is trying to ban the Samsung Galaxy S3 from America COMPLETELY! The model that is extremely revered by countries in which it has been released. The sequel to the Samsung Galaxy S2, a phone that many people here in the U.S. already love.

Because of its popularity in foreign countries, we here at The Curved believe that Apple fears that the Samsung Galaxy S3 will lower interest in their own products and cause a decline in their profits this year. Why? Apple has many customers in the U.S. who buy their new products regularly, but the coming of the S3 could distract their costumers.

But, what grounds is Apple suing Samsung on? Apple is attempting to ban the Galaxy S3 because it apparently has "copied" some of the features on its devices. One of the features Apple is suing for is "Siri". "Siri" is a "Contextual Voice Command" system, a system which Apple has patented. The Samsung Galaxy S3 also has a "Contextual Voice Command" system implemented into it. Now, many people believe that because of this, Apple could possibly win this case, but there is something that is a little strange. The Galaxy Nexus, a smartphone from Samsung and Google that was release way before the S3 also contains the exact same "Contextual Voice Command" system that the S3 has. Now the question is, if the patent was so important to them, then why didn't they sue Samsung when the Galaxy Nexus came out?

According to an internal court document discovered by The Verge, Apple cannot launch its campaign against Samsung Galaxy S3 before June 21, which is also the date for summary judgment hearing between the two firms. Reportedly, the smartphone is hitting shelves on the same date.

The Pacquiao-Bradley Fight

          
Last Saturday night, a boxing match between Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley happened in Las Vegas. The start of the match was delayed because of Manny Pacquiao's refusal to play until the Heat/Celtics Game 7 was over. Later, at 12:10 A.M. eastern time, the bout started, a hugfest that lasted 12 rounds. After the match, a split decision happened, and Timothy Bradley won the belt, 115-113. Many people questioned the decision because of Manny's stats.
          
Manny had landed 100 punches more than Bradley did and landed 34% of the time while Bradley landed only 19%. WBO President Francisco ''Paco'' Valcarcel said in a statement Wednesday that the WBO's championship committee will review video of the fight with five ''recognized international judges'' and make a recommendation. He said the WBO does not doubt the ability of the scoring judges.


Most reporters seated ringside and the vast majority of fans inside the MGM Grand arena on Saturday night thought Pacquiao had easily defended his welterweight title against Bradley.


The first surprise came when ring announcer Michael Buffer announced that there was a split decision, and the biggest surprise came in the reading of the scores. Jerry Roth had it 115-113 for Pacquiao, while judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross had it for Bradley by the same score.


The Associated Press scored the fight 117-111 for Pacquiao.

Besides the people who think Manny won are the people who believe that the fight was actually set up by both contenders to benefit from the bout and a possible rematch. Bradley was already talking about a rematch weeks before the actual fight, so this would count as further proof. Other people would argue this by stating that known boxers like Manny would have their schedule set months in advance, so knowing about a possible rematch would not be strange at all.


So, was there ever any funny business going on in the planning of the match? Was the ruling of the bout just plain bad? Or did Bradley just deserve to win that fight?


Maybe the rematch will tell....

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