Cavendish wins 2nd stage, Cancellara leads at Tour

Mark Cavendish of Britain crosses the finish line to win the second stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 207.5 kilometers (129 miles) with start in Vise and finish in Tournai, Belgium, Monday July 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Mark Cavendish of Britain crosses the finish line to win the second stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 207.5 kilometers (129 miles) with start in Vise and finish in Tournai, Belgium, Monday July 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Stage winner Mark Cavendish of Britain celebrates on the podium of the second stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 207.5 kilometers (129 miles) with start in Vise and finish in Tournai, Belgium, Monday July 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

Mark Cavendish of Britain, right with yellow helmet, crosses the finish line ahead of Andre Greipel of Germany, left, and Matthew Harley Gross of Australia, right, to win the second stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 207.5 kilometers (129 miles) with start in Vise and finish in Tournai, Belgium, Monday July 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

Bradley Wiggings of Britain, wearing the best sprinter's green jersey, drinks as he rides in the pack during the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 198 kilometers (123 miles) with start in Liege and finish in Seraing, Belgium, Sunday July 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides in the pack during the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 198 kilometers (123 miles) with start in Liege and finish in Seraing, Belgium, Sunday July 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

TOURNAI, Belgium (AP) ? Mark Cavendish led a tight sprint to the finish Monday to win the second stage of the Tour de France, while Fabian Cancellara retained the overall leader's yellow jersey after the mostly flat ride across Belgium.

The top overall standings didn't change as defending champion Cadel Evans of Australia and fellow title contender Bradley Wiggins of Britain trailed close behind in the pack after the 129-mile ride from Vise to Tournai.

Cavendish collected his 21st Tour stage victory and proved he remains the rider to beat in Tour sprints. He also won three stages in the Giro d'Italia and two in the Tour of Oman this year.

The 27-year-old from the Isle of Man has been left largely to fend for himself this year because his Sky team is focusing on helping Wiggins become Britain's first Tour winner.

"It's quite nice. I came into this sprint day with really the least pressure I've ever had in a Tour stage," Cavendish said. "Normally in the past, I've had a full dedicated team. Normally I win by some bike lengths. Today I had to lunge at the line, so you see that it wasn't too easy."

Cavendish is renowned for his short fuse and he rebuffed a reporter who suggested that Sky appeared to have two goals ? success for him in the quest for the green jersey given to the best sprinter, and Wiggins' hopes for the yellow.

"There are not two objectives. There's one objective," Cavendish said gruffly.

He also sought to dispel speculation that he might be looking ahead to the London Olympics at which he will be one of the favorites to win gold in the road race.

"It (the Tour) is the most beautiful race of the year for me," he said. "Here, it's the Tour de France ... I can't say the Olympics are more important."

Cancellara kept the lead for a third straight day after winning the opening-day prologue Saturday. Wiggins remains second, 7 seconds back, and Evans is a further 10 seconds behind in eighth place.

The riders' only climbing challenge of the day was a winding, low-grade ascent up the citadel of Namur, a medieval town that is the capital of the French-speaking Wallonia region of Belgium and hosts an annual beer festival in the spring.

The flat layout helped riders keep pace with each other in a tight pack against the wind, setting the stage for a sprint finish.

Three breakaway riders, including Anthony Roux of France with an injured left wrist which hung limply by his handlebars, led for most of the day. The pack swallowed up Roux, the last to hold out, with a little less than nine miles left.

On Tuesday, the three-week race returns home to France for more mostly flat stages. First up, a 122-mile trek from Orchies to the English Channel fishing town of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-02-CYC-Tour-de-France/id-e91a0de70c5b4e7f9e0557a0a7598e5d

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GreatCall outs Samsung-made Jitterbug Plus, for folks who want a phone without all the smarts

Adding features to a senior-friendly phone kind of defeats the purpose, but a sleeker design, improved battery life and boosted speaker? Sure, we'll take it. That's what you'll get with the new Jitterbug Plus, a bare-bones mobile phone for users who really only need to make and receive calls, and perhaps check the occasional voicemail. Manufactured by Samsung, the no-frills r220 includes an incredibly straightforward interface, with clearly marked Yes and No button options and large, backlit keys, including a panic button that puts you in touch with a 5Star Urgent Response agent. This latest model also adds a very basic 1.3-megapixel camera, which lets you post photos to Facebook with the touch of a button (you'll need to forgo the Instagram filters, though). The Jitterbug Plus is available now in red or silver for $99 at retailers like Best Buy, Radio Shack and Fry's, along with the company's online store, however pricing is expected to jump to $119 shortly after launch. Overall, the device appears to be a great choice for seniors, though CNET called the phone "overpriced" in its review, which you'll find at the link below.

Continue reading GreatCall outs Samsung-made Jitterbug Plus, for folks who want a phone without all the smarts

GreatCall outs Samsung-made Jitterbug Plus, for folks who want a phone without all the smarts originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 01:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/03/greatcall-samsung-jitterbug-plus/

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US 100-meter tiebreaker runoff set for Monday

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) ? The tie for third place in the women's 100 meters at the U.S. track trials will be decided by a runoff Monday.

Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh will race to determine the third member of the Olympic team for London, officials confirmed Sunday.

Felix and Tarmoh finished in a dead heat for third in the 100 more than a week ago. Track officials had no policy in place to resolve it but devised a tiebreaker that included the options of a runoff or a coin flip.

The resolution of the race was delayed because the coach for both athletes said they wanted to wait to make a decision until after Saturday night's 200 meters so they could focus on that race.

The runoff will be held at 5 p.m. local time ? 8 p.m. EDT ? at Hayward Field. It's not something Tarmoh is looking forward to.

"In my heart of hearts, I just feel like I earned the third spot. I almost feel like I was kind of robbed," Tarmoh said.

Originally, Tarmoh was declared the third-place finisher behind winner Carmelita Jeter and runner-up Tianna Madison. The official scoring said she had edged training partner Felix by 0.0001 seconds. But the photo finish was reviewed and the dead heat was announced.

In swimming, ties are settled with swim-offs between the two deadlocked opponents. Track has tiebreaking procedures for many of its events, as well, but this was a special case for which there is no written solution ? a tie for the last spot on the Olympic team.

A day after the disputed race, USATF announced the tiebreaking options. Scenarios included a runoff, a coin flip, or one athlete could concede the race to the other.

Bobby Kersee, coach for both of the women, proclaimed soon thereafter that he did not want to distract his runners from the 200 on Saturday night, which Felix handily won. Tarmoh failed to qualify for London in the 200, finishing fifth. She could run in the 400 relay at the Olympics.

A meeting among the athletes, their agents and USATF representatives was held at a hotel in Eugene on Sunday morning.

"They both feel they deserve a spot on the team and they're willing to do it in a competitive manner and a competitive fashion," said Stephanie Hightower, president of USA Track and Field. "I think it's good for the sport and it's good for them to show their level of competitiveness and passion and drive for what they've been working so hard to accomplish.

"The bottom line is that this is, in my opinion, the best way to be able to resolve this issue."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-01-OLY-ATH-Track-Trials-Women's-100/id-44cf23fab6fd4fc69be44c04ecead5f4

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GOP: Voters will have final say on health care law

FILE - In this Thursday, June 28, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, after the Supreme Court ruled on his health care legislation. The victory will help define Obama's legacy. However, if Obama does not win a second term in November, he risks losing both the law and the core of his legacy. (AP Photo/The New York Times, Luke Sharrett, Pool, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, June 28, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, after the Supreme Court ruled on his health care legislation. The victory will help define Obama's legacy. However, if Obama does not win a second term in November, he risks losing both the law and the core of his legacy. (AP Photo/The New York Times, Luke Sharrett, Pool, File)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., center, accompanied by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, left, and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., speaks to reporters outside the Senate, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 26, 2012, following a political strategy session with other GOP Senate leaders. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican congressional leaders said Sunday that voters ? not the Supreme Court ? will have the final word on President Barack Obama's health care law come November. And they are betting that the law's unpopularity will be enough to drive Democrats from power.

The White House's response? Bring it on.

"We've got one last chance here to beat Obamacare, and we can do that in the November election," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, calling the law the "single worst piece of legislation" passed in modern times.

White House chief of staff Jack Lew countered that he believes most Americans want to put the health care debate to rest.

"I actually think the American people want us to focus on the economy, on creating jobs and moving forward," said Lew.

Republicans and Democrats have been wrangling for the upper hand in the health care debate since last week's Supreme Court ruling upholding the law's mandate that individuals buy health insurance or face a penalty. Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, provided the pivotal vote in that decision by ruling that the penalty was legal under the government's taxing authority.

While technically handing a political victory to Obama, Roberts' ruling invigorated Republicans eager to cast the law as a new tax.

"The American people do not want to go down this path," said House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. "They do not want the government telling them what kind of insurance policy they have to buy, and how much they have to pay for it, and if you don't like it we're going to tax you."

Democrats refute the characterization of the law. Lew said the mandate would impact only 1 percent of Americans ? those who can afford health insurance but refuse to buy it.

"This is a penalty on free riders," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Yet public opposition to the health care law remains high. Forty-seven percent of respondents in a recent Associated Press-GfK poll said they oppose the law while 33 percent said they support it.

However, much of the polling does find strong support for individual elements, like allowing young adults to remain on their parents' plan to age 26. Some Democrats see that as an opening to reframe the debate.

Republicans say they believe last week's ruling by the high court gives them fresh ammunition to attack Obama ? and the Democrats who support him ? in the upcoming election because of the health care bill's connection to jobs. The GOP says the law puts onerous mandates on industry that could stifle job creation.

"I think it's intertwined with the economy, and I think it's an example where Washington doesn't get it," said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., of the health care bill.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that Republicans, including Mitt Romney, are "being the mouthpiece of the health care industry" and that the bill will actually improve the economy.

"The costs were unsustainable," she said of the current health care system. "It's a competitiveness issue for business and for our economy. So we had to (come) to a place where we lowered costs to all concerned, and that we again take it down a path where we continue to lower costs."

If given control of the Senate next year, McConnell said he would support using budget reconciliation rules to repeal the health care law. Doing so would prohibit Senate filibusters and require only 51 votes to succeed. In 2010, Republicans lambasted Democrats for relying on these rules to pass the health care bill, calling their tactics unusual and hyperpartisan.

McConnell said he'll do whatever it takes to repeal the law.

"I'm confident they're going to give us the votes to repeal it," he said of the American public.

The House is scheduled to vote to overturn the law on July 9. The vote will largely be symbolic since the Democrats control the Senate. But it will put lawmakers on record for the upcoming political campaign.

McConnell and Lew spoke on "Fox News Sunday." Boehner, Schumer and Coburn spoke on CBS' "Face the Nation." Pelosi spoke on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-07-01-Health%20Care-Politics/id-e2f5bb5fec1945d286f1f63566d31d60

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Battle plan: Apple vs. Microsoft vs. Google

23 hrs.

Devin Coldewey

In the last few weeks,?the tech industry's?biggest players have shown off their newest software and hardware, all aiming to make big moves before the end of the year. Apple has iOS 6 and the new MacBook Pros, Microsoft unveiled the new Surface and is preparing Windows 8 for launch, and Google has shown off the new version of Android and entered the tablet game.

It should be much more exciting than last year. What did 2011 have? A spec bump on the iPhone and iPad, a slow warming to the Windows Phone ecosystem, and the?lackluster launches of a social network and (failed)?desktop platform?by Google. By comparison, 2012 should be a battle royale.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal, but that doesn't grant reporters privileged access to Microsoft products and services, nor does it influence their opinion of them.)

Let's look at what each company has in store:

Apple
Big changes are afoot this year: a truly new iPhone is expected, sure, but June's announcements already telegraphed their intentions: a return to the high end, and freezing out Google.

After aggressively pricing almost all their hardware via partnerships and ruthless negotiation with manufacturers, Apple has managed to push its products down from luxury to the mainstream. The iPhone is now considered a standard device, and the MacBook Air, once incredibly overpriced, is now setting the bar for PC laptops.

This has given Apple the market share to start selling extremely expensive things again, starting with the Retina?MacBook Pro. Soon there will likely be a 13-inch version as well, and they will both sell like hotcakes?? even at around $2,000 per unit. The cheapest new iPhone will probably still cost $200 to consumers, but only because Verizon and AT&T will have no choice but to subsidize it.

iOS 6 is on its way as well, and it's evident that Apple is using its mobile platform as both carrot and stick. Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and more are getting the red carpet treatment, integrated right into the OS. But Google is getting the cold shoulder as Apple moves to its own maps and tries to get users to ask Siri instead of Google.

What could go wrong? If Google's?Android OS?was more mature and more evenly upgraded (that is, less "fragmented"), it?could pose a threat to Apple's near-monopoly in the hugely profitable paid-apps ecosystem. And Apple is still lagging behind in cloud services, losing out on many fronts ? including?file sharing and storage, streaming media,?email and Web apps ??to Google, Microsoft, and smaller companies. Apple can only keep you attached to their services if those services are competitive, and the competition is moving faster than they are. And be honest: iOS and OS X are both starting to look a bit old.

Microsoft
The year?2012 will be looked on as a watershed moment in the company's history: Windows 8 is the biggest change ever made to the world's most popular OS, and opinions are in no way unanimous on the new look and feel. But Microsoft hopes to build on their success in the living room and make Windows and Xbox an ecosystem families and friends can live in, not just a set of isolated products.

The Surface tablet is Microsoft's way of telling the world that it's ready to move on from the?desktops and laptops that put the company where it is today. And Windows Phone 8 is Microsoft learning from its mobile OS?mistakes and saying "this time for real." The next Xbox isn't ready, but you'd better believe it's being conceived as the third piece in this puzzle.

Connecting the TV, PC and mobile (the so-called "three screens" strategy) has ever been a hope of Microsoft's, but it's not until now that the company's had the presence on the TV, the credibility on mobile, and the audacity to actually change what constitutes a PC. This year and the next will be a crucible for the company as it is forced to abandon traditions and partners, but if it's going to remain a force in consumer tech, these are necessary steps.

Plenty could go awry, though, and if one piece fails, the others are weakened. Windows 8 could fail to gain traction as a replacement for Windows 7, to which many millions of people and companies have only recently switched. Leaving behind 10 or 20 years of applications and hardware isn't something small businesses and casual computer users are likely to do.

Similarly, Windows Phone 8 will have a lot to prove when it debuts, first because the platform may have lost the support of many early adopters by not fully?upgrading devices currently running Windows Phone 7 and 7.5, and second because Microsoft may simply not have the superstar hardware that will be needed to take consumers' eyes off the next iPhone.

Google
The challenge Google will be facing is presenting a single aspect to the consumer. There are 10 different versions of Android out there by 10 different manufacturers, all getting updates at the whim of the carriers.?Meanwhile, the?Chrome browser?is coming out for iPad, and yet Google is making its own laptop OS and its own?Android tablets, and trying to one-up Facebook with a proprietary social network,?too? Every corner of the tech world seems to have a different Google, focused on a different task. Android 4.1 is the company's way of roping everything back together.

With one OS for tablets and phones, a plea to developers and partners to get on board, and a new tablet that sets a high bar for a budget product, Google is trying to unify a core brand after its initial meteoric rise and sprawl.

Another goal seems to be having one big Google that looks more or less the same wherever you go, and from whichever device you use. Chrome syncs tabs between devices, sure, but ultimately what Google wants is for you to think of Google as a place, not a set of services and websites. One place that you can view from multiple windows?? your phone, your TV, your PC and, at some point, your vision overlay device, such as Google Glass.

In order for that to happen, though, Google has to make its world look, act and respond in a similar way no matter where you are. No small task when there are huge differences in interface, connectivity and screen size. Not to mention hardware partners like Samsung and HTC putting custom interfaces all over the place. (Those overlays are probably not going to survive for much longer, by the way.)

Unfortunately for Google, too much of this is out of the company's control. The very nature of open systems like Android prevents Google from yielding to this kind of unifying influence, and companies may (as Amazon did) simply take what they want and tell Google to go fly a kite. So Google needs cooperation from its friends in turning its patchwork systems and platforms into a single powerful, useful and affordable one.

What will happen?
How it will likely play out is this: Google and Microsoft will both take a hit as they regroup and put their weight behind their new unifying efforts. This will be because they have to build up brand and trust over again.

Meanwhile Apple will continue to dominate in hardware, selling iOS and OS X devices by the million, but even its most dedicated customers must acknowledge that both operating systems aren't as fresh as they used to be.

So while it'll be another year of big sales for Apple, you'll see a creeping discontent with its software offerings. A full overhaul will be due ? maybe even overdue ? by June of next year, when Apple again gathers its global cadre of developers. But by that time, who knows? Maybe Google and Microsoft will have gotten their acts together, and the sparks of their own reinventions will be catching fire.

Source: http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/battle-plan-apple-vs-microsoft-vs-google-854664

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Android-Powered ?Ninja Master? Robot Wants to Punch You

Imagine playing with a Rock ?em Sock ?em Robot, but you?re the one getting socked. This week at Google I/O, Japanese technology company RT Corporation showed off its ?Ninja Master,? a boxing robot which is powered by an every day Android tablet.?

We had a chance to stop by RT Corporation?s booth and fight the Ninja Master in person. At around 4 feet tall by our estimation, the Master is about the size of a small child and has metallic legs and arms that can move with a great deal of?articulation. A 10-inch Acer Iconia tablet sat in the spot where his head should have been with USB cables running between it and the body.

At the booth, Ninja Master was wearing boxing gloves, shorts and a robe, but this $50,000 robot is not being marketed as a gaming machine. He?s being sold to research institutions and others with deep pockets to use as they see fit, perhaps as a robot that works with children or even a telepresence device. However, here at Google I/O, he?s a boxer, because that shows off many of his key strengths (pun intended).

After firing up a client application on a Windows PC and opening the Ninja Master?s boxing app on his tablet face, a representative from RT corp stood behind a camera and made gestures which caused the robot to move the same way. If the human punched upward so did the robot. If the human took a step forward, so did the robot. Later on, she also moved the robot using a standard game controller that was wired to the PC.

The boxing app was a really simple program that showed a cartoon face for the robot and had a timer with about 3 minutes on it and a set of stars representing the robot?s life points. The Ninja Master on display had a red button right below his neck and, every time we hit the button, he lost a life point. While we were trying to hit the button, an RT corp rep was using gesture control to try to block and hit us with the robot?s fists. If Ninja Master could outlast the timer, he?d win and, if I hit his button five times, he?d lose.

It was easy to push Ninja Master?s button and beat him at his own game, but the ease or difficulty of the game was not the point. We were very impressed with the robot?s ability accept gesture controls, its fluid arm movements and its ability to walk. And the brains behind all of this is a standard Android tablet.

Check out our video below to see the RT Corporation Ninja Master in action.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/laptopTipsandAdvice/~3/kY4P2I3NXuc/android-powered-ninja-master-robot-wants-to-punch-you

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BMW, Toyota Plan To Jointly Develop Sports Cars

Just the Facts:

• BMW and Toyota on Friday expanded their joint research and development beyond previously announced environmental technologies work.
• Under the latest agreement, BMW and Toyota will cooperate in four areas: vehicle architecture and components, including for sports cars; fuel cells; lightweight technologies and vehicle electrification.
• BMW and Toyota executives insist the development agreement is not a sign of the companies merging.

MUNICH, Germany ? BMW and Toyota announced on Friday that they will jointly develop sports cars, in addition to collaborating on environmental technologies including fuel cells, vehicle electrification and lightweight materials. No details on the jointly developed future sports cars were provided.

"I get so excited thinking about the cars that will result from this relationship," said Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corporation, as he signed the agreement in Munich Friday with BMW Board Chairman Norbert Reithofer. "I am the one most looking forward to a sports car that is environmentally friendly and truly excites car fans around the world."

Since 2009 when he took the reins of the company his grandfather founded, Toyoda has promised more emotional cars to replace Toyota's bland ones. The much more stylish 2013 Toyota Avalon, which goes on sale in the U.S. at year's end, is the first vehicle to have Toyoda's imprint. "The attractive and emotional products we plan cannot be born in conference rooms but only where real development takes place," Toyoda said Friday.

One of those places promises to be Germany's famous N?rburgring. "When I drive at N?rburgring, there is always a car that passes me, and it is a BMW," said Toyoda, an avid racer. "BMW knows how to make a car perform. BMW knows more than anyone else that roads make cars. At N?rburgring, BMW is my greatest rival and has earned my utmost respect."

Toyota and Subaru already have collaborated sports car development with the result being the hot-selling Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ.

The announcement Friday by BMW and Toyota expands on cooperative arrangements agreed to earlier by the two companies. Last December, BMW and Toyota announced they would explore joint research on mid- to long-term, next-generation environmental technologies that leveraged Toyota's expertise in hybrids and BMW's diesel expertise. In March, the companies kicked off joint research into next-generation, lithium-ion batteries used in hybrid and electric cars. The deal also included BMW supplying Toyota's European subsidiary with diesel engines starting in 2014.

The two companies insist they will remain independent entities but will continue to explore areas for collaboration.

Inside Line says: What do you get when you cross a BMW with a Toyota sports car? Company executives promise emotion, performance and environmental friendliness.

Source: http://www.insideline.com/bmw/bmw-toyota-plan-to-jointly-develop-sports-cars.html

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