Saturday, August 31, 2013

Airbrushing ‘Bans’ Become Full-Blown Marketing Ploy

First Seventeen publicly "banned" the use of Photoshop last year, and then there was the "did she or didn't she" kerfuffle over Beyoncé's ads for H&M last month. Now British retailer Debenhams announced yesterday that they'll no longer airbrush their lingerie advertisements. The store's website proclaims that they're doing so as part of an "inclusivity campaign" to boost women's self-esteem:

Says Sharon Webb, Head of Lingerie buying and design for Debenhams: “We want to help customers feel confident about their figures without bombarding them with unattainable body images.

“As well as being a positive from a moral point of view, it ticks the economic boxes as well. Millions of pounds a year are spent by organisations retouching perfectly good images... As a rule we only airbrush minor things like pigmentation or stray hair and rely on the natural beauty of models to make our product look great."

So in other words, they'll still use airbrushing to "enhance" the pictures (erase a zit here, delete a weird bruise there), just like Seventeen still does, but they won't use it to change the model's shape or size.

Of course, the incentive behind this is good press and a female-friendly reputation. Sure, Debenhams's executives don't want to go to bed every night knowing that they're portraying unhealthy ideals for women. But they also know this makes their brand look moral and upstanding, and draws more attention to their underwear offerings than a "normal" ad would (see their un-airbrushed" versus airbrushed ads, above).

What's more, they're using it to make their competitors look bad; a spokesperson told the Daily Mail, "We want other retailers to follow suit and encourage positive body-image through minimal retouching rather than bombarding them with unattainable body images." But perhaps this is better than relying on people like the British Advertising Standards Authority to police such matters; economic incentives are always more powerful than weak wrist slaps.

On a different note: Why just lingerie shots? Why can't this so-called "ban" apply to all advertising materials?


View the original article here

Oppo Find 5 smartphone surfaces in all-too-limited red edition

Oppo Find 5 smartphone surfaces in all-too-limited red edition data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20622287' !== '') ? 'bsd:20622287' : ''; var postID = '20622287'; var modalMNo = '93312529', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"cellphones",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"jon-fingas", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-13f",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93312529", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93312530", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Oppo Find 5 smartphone surfaces in all-too-limited red edition MobileBypostedJun 14th, 2013 at 1:29 PM 0

Oppo Find 5 surfaces in red, you probably can't buy it

Oh my. We thought the Oppo Find 5 was already good-looking in its original white, but it just took on some extra appeal now that there's a stylish red edition on the way. The 1080p smartphone hasn't changed on the inside, although that wasn't likely when the phone is just six months old. We're more concerned that we might not get our hands on one -- CNMO understands that the red Find 5 is a limited edition without a specific release date. Whether or not we get to see one in person, we'll at least have the photos at the source link.

when.eng("eng.perm.init")

Facebook to host new product launch on June 20th

Facebook to host new product launch on June 20th data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20622530' !== '') ? 'bsd:20622530' : ''; var postID = '20622530'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"facebook",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"brad-molen", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14d",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Facebook to host new product launch on June 20thBypostedJun 14th, 2013 at 3:04 PM 0

Facebook sends invites to new product launch on June 20th

In case you're interested, June 20th is a Thursday. It's more than that to Facebook, though: apparently that is the day the social network will show off a new product, or as the company puts it, a "big idea" coming from a small team. As to what this particular event -- to be held in Menlo Park -- could bring to the table, you now know exactly as much as we do; with recent talk regarding Facebook's interest in building an RSS reader, that rumor would certainly be a good stab in the dark. What's even more odd, however, is the method by which the press is receiving the invitation: the good old-fashioned postal service. Let us know in the comments if you have any particular theories on what it could all mean.

when.eng("eng.perm.init")

This week on gdgt: PlayStation 4, MacBook Air, Google Now

This week on gdgt: PlayStation 4, MacBook Air, Google Now data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20621231' !== '') ? 'bsd:20621231' : ''; var postID = '20621231'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"misc",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"gdgt", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14d",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});This week on gdgt: PlayStation 4, MacBook Air, Google NowBypostedJun 14th, 2013 at 2:00 PM 0

Each week, our friends at gdgt go through the latest gadgets and score them to help you decide which ones to buy. Here are some of their most recent picks. Want more? Visit gdgt anytime to catch up on the latest, and subscribe to gdgt's newsletter to get a weekly roundup in your inbox.

This week on gdgt

playstation 4

PlayStation 4

After a less-than-stellar debut a few months ago, Sony came out swinging at this year's E3. Not only did we finally get to see the new PlayStation 4, but Sony also took some shots at Microsoft about a few of its policies and limitations of the Xbox One. With a lower price and fewer restrictions on your gaming experience than Microsoft's next console, is the PS4 the one to beat?
Buy from $399
Read reviews and more


macbook airApple MacBook Air 13-inch (mid 2013)

Apple's updated MacBook Air may not have the Retina display of the MacBook Pro, but it's faster and cheaper than last year's model, and has the best battery life of any laptop in its class. Despite the lower-res display, its price, performance and features make it one of our favorites, and it remains a gdgt Must-have laptop.
Read reviews and more


google now

Is Google Now smarter than Siri?

In this week's featured gdgt discussion, user TgD talks about how Google Now warned him of a tornado in his area. Do any other mobile platforms offer this level of severe weather alerts?


optio wg-3

Pentax Optio WG-3

The Pentax Optio WG-3 is okay for people needing a camera for their latest rough-and-tumble adventure, but isn't much good beyond that thanks in part to its sub-par image quality and less-than-ideal shooting performance.
Buy from $244
Read reviews and more

when.eng("eng.perm.init")

Watch Hollywood Actors Turn Into Prada Men

In a behind-the-scenes video inspired by the French New Wave, Prada Menswear brings the world a gift: three actors getting into their model characters, Prada's FW 2013 collection. The video, filmed by photographer David Sims, shows Christoph Waltz, Ben Whishaw, and Ezra Miller impeccably dressed in suits, lounging about on geometric furniture designed by OMA for Knoll, speaking animatedly, modeling some sunglasses, and staring up with ferocious intensity while reading a newspaper. These men can act and sell clothes. But if you're just in the mood to see adorable guys with heart-melting smiles, set your marker to 0:35 — from that moment on, all three flash their most endearing smiles in succession.


View the original article here

Friday, August 30, 2013

Sharp branching into robo-vacs, grow lights, e-whiteboards to offset slow LCD sales (video)

Sharp branching into robo-vacs, grow lights, e-whiteboards to offset slow LCD sales (video) data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20621909' !== '') ? 'bsd:20621909' : ''; var postID = '20621909'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"displays",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"steve-dent", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14d",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Sharp branching into robo-vacs, grow lights, e-whiteboards to offset slow LCD sales (video) HDBypostedJun 14th, 2013 at 9:07 AM 0

Sharp branching into robovacs, grow lights, ewhiteboards to offset slow panel sales

Remember the Cocorobo robotic vaccum that could send you pics of your newly-cleaned carpet? Sharp is going to be doing a lot more of that kind of thing soon, if a recent demo at its research center in Nara, Japan is any indication. Since the company has been losing gobs of money on its tepid LCD-panel business, it'll soon be using some of that tech in completely different industries: for instance, converting powerful LED lighting from TV backlights to grow lamps, and touchscreen TV panels to interactive whiteboards. Sharp admitted to PC World that it needed to branch into other businesses since "rivals have been able to catch up from behind" to its LCD TV and mobile phone businesses -- and judging by the drastic actions the company's taken to stave off disaster lately, it'll need to hustle those products to market, stat. Check the video after the jump to see some of the prototypes in action.

[Image credit: PC World]

when.eng("eng.perm.init")

Katy Perry’s First Vogue Cover Leaked Early

Here is Katy Perry, nestled in tall grass like a newborn lamb, her powdered face turned toward Annie Leibovitz's lens like a flower to the sun for her very first-ever Vogue cover. (It bears a striking resemblance to Anne Hathaway's December cover, no?) She's wearing Rodarte, which is definitely a step up from her cupcake bras and aggressive keyhole cutouts of yore.

But wait, how are we supposed to interpret that ring on her wedding finger? The headlines do hint that we'll hear about her love life — does this mean she'll discuss John Mayer? Or Russell Brand, who is now supposedly making out with Andre Balazs's daughter, of all people? What about Robert Pattinson? Alas, these questions won't be answered until Tuesday, when the full accompanying spread and cover story will come out. (And probably when the cover was supposed to go up, had it not leaked early on the Fashion Spot.) 

Also of note: This cover reveals that the July issue will contain a story about Alexander Wang "Rebooting Balenciaga," which will surely be fluffy but hopefully interesting, as well as a feature about women who have to choose between a "good mood or good sex," which sounds unfortunate. 


View the original article here

Male Gaze: A$AP Rocky’s Temple Braids

During the last New York Fashion Week, the rapper from Harlem with a love for grillz, girls, chin-length braids, and baseball caps owned the scene. He flashed his trademark middle fingers (which temporarily made Terry Richardson's thumbs obsolete) at seven different shows, walked down the runway for Hood by Air, and even appeared in a spoof video for Alexander Wang. This Sunday, the fashion darling and hip-hop star will perform at Bonnaroo. Will his newfound dalliance with the fashion world be enough to make him wear a man skirt like Kanye? Or maybe even a long tunic or floral top. At the very least, we can expect to see a lot of middle fingers waving around. And bring some shades, or that winsome grin plated in silver and gold will blind you.


View the original article here

Frequently Asked Questions About the Miley Cyrus Half-Jeans, Half-Sweatpants

Miley Cyrus recently wore pants that were half jeans, half sweatpants at a red carpet event for MySpace. The reaction has mostly been disbelief. To help you through this time of ?!?!, the Cut is providing answers to all of your questions about her half-jeans, half-sweatpants.

Are those pants really half jeans, half sweatpants?
Yes.

How does that even work?
The left half is jeans. The right half is sweatpants. They are sewn together. Both the zip-and-button closure of the jeans and the elastic waist of the sweats have been preserved.

Are they designer, or something?
Yes. Miley's pants are from Ashish's spring 2013 collection. Designer Ashish Gupta also showed pants that were half jeans, half sequined slacks and half pleated jeans, half normal jeans. On the Internet, you can buy Ashish pants that are half sequined skinny leg, half sequined wide leg. Those pants cost $2,127, so Miley's pants are probably in the four-figure range, too.

Is there precedent for this?
Yes. Margiela has used the technique. When H&M offered a Margiela diffusion line last year, split-down-the-middle half-and-half jackets were among the re-created Margiela classics. The twin forces of colorblocking and asymmetry have led many a celebrity to half-and-half dresses. 

Half-jeans, half-sweatpants, though? Miley might be the first. Ashish's sweat jeans have appeared on some personal style blogs, but never before on a red carpet, as far as I can tell. (Feel free to disprove me in the comments.)

What should we call these frankenpants?
For your consideration: sweat jeans; jweats; swenim; sweans; bipolar pants disorder; split pants personality; "She likes to split her legs, heh heh heh"; everything you can steal from your boyfriend's closet all at once. I'm rooting for jweats.

What are the drawbacks to wearing jweats?
Being ridiculed; having your sanity questioned; having one side of your butt get saggy before the other one does owing to differing tensile strengths of fabrics.

What are the benefits of wearing jweats?
Compromise; attention; half-comfort, half-more-comfort.

What is the best face to make while wearing jweats?


View the original article here

White House mandates that federal agencies make better use of spectrum

White House mandates that federal agencies make better use of spectrum data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20622427' !== '') ? 'bsd:20622427' : ''; var postID = '20622427'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"wireless",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"jon-fingas", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14d",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});White House mandates that federal agencies make better use of spectrum MobileBypostedJun 14th, 2013 at 1:51 PM 0

White House

The White House has long been calling for smarter use of spectrum among federal institutions, and it's translating some of those words into deeds through a new Presidential Memorandum. The new set of guidelines requires that agencies wanting spectrum prove that they've both explored alternatives and will make efficient use of the airwaves they'll get. The NTIA also receives an expanded role under the mandate: it should offer wider access to government-owned frequencies and work more closely with the private sector. Not much changes for the FCC, though. The White House wants it to largely stay the course and prevent carriers from hogging spectrum. Accordingly, we're not expecting a sudden surge in wireless capacity as a result of the memorandum; it might, however, cut back on some waste.

when.eng("eng.perm.init")

Microsoft Office Mobile for iPhone hands-on

Microsoft releases Office for iPhone, available now for Office 365 subscribers only handson

It wasn't a question of whether Microsoft would release Office for iOS, but when. The company just released a free Office Mobile app for the iPhone, and it's available today in the US, with other regions to follow over the coming days. Before you all go rushing off to the download link, though, there's something you need to know: an Office 365 subscription is required in order to use the app. That's a bummer for people who bought a traditional copy of the suite, or who normally use other word processors, but it makes perfect business sense for Microsoft. After all, the company doesn't want to give folks too many reasons to use iOS, and it also needs to protect the precious revenue stream that is Office sales.

In any event, if you do have a 365 subscription, you'll be delighted to know that the iOS app does not count toward your limit of five PC / Mac installations. Rather, you get to install the application on up to five iPhones, the same way you can put the full suite on up to five computers. Also, in addition to merely viewing whatever Word, PowerPoint and Excel files you already had stored in SkyDrive, you can also make light edits. Additionally, you can create new documents from your phone, though this only applies to Word and Excel, not PowerPoint (understandably so, we think). Again, the app is available today in the US, and for the iPhone, specifically; for the iPad, Microsoft is steering people toward its Office web apps. As for other platforms, the company won't comment on whether an Android version is in the works. At any rate, all you iPhone owners with 365 subscriptions can get your download on now. And then you can read on past the break, where we've got some screenshots and hands-on impressions at the ready.

when.eng("eng.galleries.init")Microsoft releases Office for iPhone, available now for Office 365 subscribers only handson

To run Office, you'll need an iPhone 4, 4S or 5 (or a fifth-gen iPod touch) running iOS 6.1 or higher. Since you already have an Office 365 subscription, you won't need to create any new usernames or passwords; just enter the email address associated with your Office / Microsoft account, followed by the password. Boom. Voilà. You're in. What you'll see next is a home screen with four little tabs at the bottom for opening files, creating new ones and jumping to recently used documents. You can also adjust the settings using the tab farthest to the right. Each of these tabs is pretty self-explanatory, we'd imagine, and as you'll find throughout the entire app, none of these menus goes very deep. Depending on how much of a power user you are, the paucity of options could be frustrating, but if nothing else, the simple layout means you'll never get lost inside the app.

By default, the app synced with my SkyDrive account, though you can also add a SharePoint library. Obviously, that's a no-brainer; Microsoft would integrate Office Mobile with its own SkyDrive service. But it's worth noting that other iPhone office suites like QuickOffice and Documents To Go don't support SkyDrive, so if that happens to be your storage service of choice, Office Mobile already has a leg up. As a nice perk, you can view your SkyDrive photos inside the app, even though it was really built around Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Syncing your files also works just like you'd expect: open your SkyDrive folder and then swipe down on the screen to refresh. As for creating a brand-new file, you can open a blank Word document or Excel spreadsheet, with three templates in each category (think: budget, agenda, etc.).

Though Word, PowerPoint and Excel each offer different features, they generally work the same way. Across the board, you'll find a trio of shortcuts along the top of the screen, including a save button, followed by another for editing. Hitting that formatting button will pull up a drawer full of options along the bottom of the screen, right where the onscreen keyboard usually appears. This is the place where you do things like bold text, or change the background color (and not much else, as you'll see). Finally, the third shortcut lets you choose a different viewing option, whether it's data sorting in Excel, Outline View in Word or a slide overview in PowerPoint.

When you're ready to exit the document, tap the back arrow in the upper-left corner. If you haven't saved your most recent changes, you'll be prompted to (though you of course don't have to). That's all well and good, but there is one thing about the app that feels unintuitive. When you've got the formatting options pulled up at the bottom of the screen, you need to press a down arrow to make the formatting menu go away. It's not like when you're using the iPhone keyboard, and you can just tap the background to make it disappear. If you've been using iOS for a while, this one little quirk could take a lot of getting used to.

Microsoft releases Office for iPhone, available now for Office 365 subscribers only handson

Let's start with what you can do. While the full version of Word has evolved over the years to make it easier to add YouTube videos, the mobile app is all about the text. Using Office for iPhone, you can write stuff, making use of features like bolding, underlining, italics and a strikethrough feature. You can change the color of the text and background, but your only choices in either case are red, yellow or green. You can also adjust the size of the font, but all you have to work with are onscreen plus and minus buttons. And... that's it. No visual cues as to where you are on the spectrum of font sizes. So, you could be at 48- or 72-point font. You won't really know until you dismiss the formatting menu and resume writing. As you'd expect, at least, you can use the iPhone's highlighting tool to retroactively change the text color or font size. This partially makes up for the fact that you can't select font sizes from a list: at least you can see how each change will look like while the text is still highlighted.

Additionally, there are some other, less important features missing; things for which we can probably wait for an update. These include: font options, text alignment, bulleted lists and, again, more color choices, all of which you can find in, say, the Google Drive app.

Microsoft releases Office for iPhone, available now for Office 365 subscribers only handson

It's a similar story with Excel: the app has some good features in its 1.0 state, but we'd like to see Microsoft take things even further. Similar to some other apps, like Google Drive, you can't insert new rows or columns anywhere you want, though you can use the blank cells at the very bottom or on the far right. As on Google Drive, you can't delete random rows or columns either. In this case, though, you can't even add a new spreadsheet tab -- plenty of other apps let you do that.

All this means unless you build a spreadsheet from scratch, any "editing" you do will really just include touch-ups to existing files. As in Word, you can bold, italicize or underline text, as well as change the text and background color. (Same three color options here.) You can also tap a numerical figure to change it to a dollar value, percentage or calendar date. And, once you've highlighted data in the spreadsheet, it's possible to create charts out of it. (There are six options in total.)

Perhaps the most robust feature, though, is the ability to calculate formulas on the go. As on the desktop version, there's a formula button up top, near the text-entry bar. You can select from categories to find the formula you want or you can just start typing and the app will automatically whittle down the options for you. "A" will get you to absolutes and arccosines. "Av" will pull up "Average," which, let's face it, is probably what you were looking for all along. (Psst: there's also an Auto Sum option in the formatting menu.)

Clearly, then, Microsoft's got the ingredients for a solid Excel app -- charts, simple formatting for individual cells. The visuals and formulas, in particular -- Google's app doesn't do any of that. But these features only mean so much if you can't insert rows of fresh data. The way it stands now, you can either start from scratch, making sure you put everything in the right order the first time out, or you can rearrange the deck furniture on existing spreadsheets, adding columns or rows at the very edge of the document only. It's a fine start, but it's not a completely workable solution either.

Microsoft releases Office for iPhone, available now for Office 365 subscribers only handson

Of all the apps here, PowerPoint feels the least crippled, if only because editing a presentation on a phone seems like a less likely scenario to begin with. Using the app, you can change slide text, move slides, hide them and add notes. And frankly, that's about as much as we'd imagine doing on the iPhone's 4-inch screen. Create new slides? Add transitions? Those are the sorts of things we'd do at our desk, well before it's time to leave for a meeting, or take off on a business trip. Ideally, by the time we're in transit, we'd only need to make small corrections here and there. And if you did leave your presentation for the last minute? Well, you do travel with a laptop, dont'cha?

We can't tell if Microsoft deliberately handicapped Office Mobile for iPhone, or if it's simply saving some features for a later update. (A company rep declined to comment on what we can expect from future versions.) We're willing to believe Microsoft still has some unfinished items on its to-do list, but even so, it's a shame that iPhone users waited this long for an Office app, only to get something with such a minimal feature set. All told, Office Mobile represents a good enough start for Microsoft, and in some ways it's better than Google Drive, particularly where spreadsheets are concerned. Still, it's miles behind other office apps for iOS, including Apple iWork.

If you're an Office 365 subscriber, you might want to try out Office Mobile anyway, if only because many competing office suites for the iPhone don't support SkyDrive. And besides, it's free, so you've got absolutely nothing to lose. Even then, though, you might want a more full-featured app, depending on your needs, at least until Microsoft updates Office Mobile with some additional features. As for the rest of you without a 365 subscription, you're not missing much -- at least not yet.


View the original article here

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Pew LGBT Survey: It Got Better

Ninety-two percent of America’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender adults say the world has become a more tolerant place for them in the past decade, according to a fascinating Pew survey of LGBT Americans. The same number expect it to get even more accepting in the next ten years. But it’s still bad: 39 percent had been rejected by a family member or close friend because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and 21 percent had been treated unfairly by an employer. A staggering 30 percent have been physically attacked or threatened.

In terms of LGBT milestones, 12 is the median age at which respondents realized they might not be straight, they were sure about it at 17, and they came out at 20. Gay men beat lesbians and bisexuals out of the closet, and a greater percentage of respondents had come out to their mom than to their dad. Compared to the general public, LGBT respondents are: more liberal, less religious, less happy with their lives, and happier with the direction of the country. “They are also more likely to perceive discrimination not just against themselves but also against other groups with a legacy of discrimination.”


View the original article here

Apple's newest AirPort Extreme base station gets dissected

Apple's newest AirPort Extreme base station gets dissected data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20622339' !== '') ? 'bsd:20622339' : ''; var postID = '20622339'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"networking",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"darren-murph", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14d",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Apple's newest AirPort Extreme base station gets dissectedBypostedJun 14th, 2013 at 12:47 PM 0

Apple's newest AirPort Extreme base station gets dissected

The skyscraper? The hauteur router? The dapper WAP? All reasonable nicknames were considered, but in the end, Apple's sticking with "AirPort Extreme." The newest base station -- the one introduced alongside the company's Haswell-infused MacBook Air at WWDC -- takes on a new look and gains 802.11ac support, but that's not what you're here for. You're here for two reasons: first, you want to see this thing reverse engineered, and second, you want to get an idea of just how repairable it is. The gurus over at iFixit have done their usual teardown, offering up a plethora of lovely JPGs and settling on a respectable 8 out of 10 on the Repairability Index. Eager to learn more? Give that source link below a soft tap... with the key word being soft.

when.eng("eng.perm.init")

Mean-Girl Music: 5 Songs to Replace Sleigh Bells

There comes a moment in every teen movie — or in any movie about adults acting like teens, which is to say, stupidly — when the bad kids reveal themselves. It usually involves a Juicy sweatsuit and some poor nail-care choices; there is often a slow-motion shot of someone striding down a hallway; and it always, always features a blaring pop song. Lately, that song has been by Sleigh Bells: the Florida’s duo’s 2010 album Treats is experiencing a movie-trailer renaissance, specifically in movies about teen girls behaving badly. “Infinity Guitars” shows up in the Kick-Ass 2 trailer, just as Chloe Moretz slaps Aaron Johnson-Wood in the face; “Kids” scored the original trailer for Pain and Gain (which is more or less a movie about teenage girls trapped in Mark Wahlberg & Co.’s ’roided bodies). And most crucially, “Crown on the Ground” opens both the trailer and the title sequence for The Bling Ring, Sofia Coppola’s Ugg-filled tribute to a real-life gang of Hollywood teen burglars.

Please understand: Sleigh Bells is the perfect choice for The Bling Ring. It’s been simmering as a mean-girl music cue for years now — first in the American version of Skins, then in Girls and Bachelorette. The music is aggressive, but not off-putting; sunny, but with a bad attitude. Most of the songs are the perfect strutting BPM. But the first rule of the Mean Girl World is that cool can never last, and so in the interest of a more honest and varied music experience, here are a few suggestions for new bad-teen anthems.

Notes: M.I.A.’s “Bad Girls” was disqualified, because it is almost equally ubiquitous (and also in The Bling Ring); the choices are fairly recent, because teens don’t listen to old-people music.

“Go” — Santigold featuring Karen O
Not that Santigold or Karen O are mean girls — they are too talented to be plastics — but they are undoubtedly cool and, by extension, sort of intimidating. So the pedigree is impeccable, and then comes the primal girl chanting, perfect for gym or party scenes. Santigold is sort of singing in uptalk, too.

“Gucci Gucci” — Kreayshawn
How did this song only make it into The Sitter and a random episode of Entourage? Kreayshawn herself was overplayed, sure, but this song was smart, and it is relevant to all of the important mean-girl themes: girl-on-girl hate, labels, swag pumping out of ovaries. And now it has a kind of poignant failure attached to it, which is how most bad-teen stories turn out.

“Werkin Girls” — Angel Haze
Vicious Casper the Ghost references from your up-and-coming female rapper of the moment. (Related: No more “212.” Azealia has peaked, and then some.)

“You — Ha Ha Ha” — Charli XCX
It’s right there in the chorus: “Ha ha ha / I was right all along.” This might also be a good place to argue for the Charli XCX co-written “I Love It,” which has gotten a fair amount of play in commercials but still hasn’t made it into a real movie (as best we and IMDB can tell). You have to use it quickly! That song’s expiration date is coming. But any song in which young women scream “I don’t care” at the top of their lungs is a valid option.

“Run the World (Girls)” — Beyoncé
We assume this is far too expensive for everyday trailer use, but this is basically a Girl War Anthem. Sometimes, you need to spend more (specifically, when it involves Beyoncé).


View the original article here

Sony Xperia ZU specs reportedly leak: 6.44-inch display, 2.2GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, 8MP camera and 3,000mAh battery

Sony Xperia ZU specs reportedly leak: 6.44-inch display, 2.2GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, 8MP camera and 3,000mAh battery data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20620520' !== '') ? 'bsd:20620520' : ''; var postID = '20620520'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"cellphones",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"daniel-cooper", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14d",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Sony Xperia ZU specs reportedly leak: 6.44-inch display, 2.2GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, 8MP camera and 3,000mAh battery MobileBypostedJun 13th, 2013 at 10:21 AM 0

Sony Xperia ZU specs reportedly leak 644inch display, 22GHz CPU, 2GB RAM and 3,000mAh battery

Given the quantity of rumors that are floating around, it's hard to think that we won't be seeing a Sony phablet intermediate-size phone/tablet device in the near future. One of the folks over at ePrice is claiming that the Xperia ZU (for "Ultra") will come with a 6.44-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 IPS LCD display with a pixel density of 342ppi. Internals-wise, it's said to run a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 with 2GB RAM, 16GB storage and a 64GB microSD card slot, as well as a 3,000mAh non-removable battery. On the imaging front, there's a 8-megapixel Exmor RS sensor primary camera and a 1.3-megapixel Exmor R up front. The same tipster let slip that the ZU won't come with a stylus, but will be receptive to third-party styluses and should arrive on June 25th, so we'll be waiting for an invite to Sony's July 4th Paris launch with bated breath.

when.eng("eng.perm.init")

Huawei Ascend W1 review: the company's first WP8 device is promising, yet flawed

Huawei Ascend W1 review: the company's first WP8 device is promising, yet flawed

When Microsoft announced its hardware partners for Windows Phone 8, we were surprised that there was no mention of Huawei. You see, in the lead-up to the event, we'd seen enough evidence to be sure that the Chinese outfit would become the fourth phone maker to join Nokia, Samsung and HTC. When the Ascend W1 debuted later at CES, Huawei made no great effort to explain the delay, but with the vehement political opposition it's currently facing in the US, perhaps it had cold feet. Now, several months down the line, we have our first chance to put the Ascend W1, its first Windows Phone 8 device, through its paces.

With a £130 off-contract price on O2 UK (or $230 at Walmart in the US) and a spec sheet that screams "2011," it's clear that Huawei's aiming this at the same audience as Nokia's lowest-priced Lumias, the 520 and 620. That puts it squarely in the reach of smartphone virgins, the "price sensitive" and those looking to dip a toe into Windows Phone's hot tub with more of a secondary handset. But should the W1 be the device new users pick to be their entry point into Microsoft's mobile world, or will we once again say that it's the Lumia 620 that deserves your hard-earned cash? The answer resides below the fold.

when.eng("eng.galleries.init")

There's a fine line between light and insubstantial, and despite being eight grams heavier than the iPhone 5, it's the Ascend W1 that feels lighter in the hand. Bargain-basement handsets are invariably going to make you worry about poor build quality, but Huawei seems to have sidestepped those issues with relative ease. In fact, the W1 is solidly built and resisted our attempts to contort it out of shape with our meaty digits. All told, it should withstand the dangers of a jeans pocket quite well.

The company's been taking a page out of Nokia's and HTC's playbooks, covering the handset in a matte cyan (or pink) polycarbonate shell that can take the odd key scratch. Those of you who remember HTC's early Android devices will also note the hint of a chin here, but because the display is mounted atop the shell like a pedestal, it's a rather nice look. At 2.5 inches wide and 0.4 inch thick, you may expect it not to sit well with your fleshy palm, but fortunately the edges and corners have all been rounded off. So while the phone may appear stark and boxy, it's very comfortable in the hand.

Huawei Ascend W1 review

Above the 4-inch WVGA display, which we'll discuss more later, are the earpiece, proximity sensor, battery indicator light and a forward-facing VGA camera. Beneath the screen, you've got the usual three capacitive buttons, with the microphone notched into the edge of the bezel just to the left of the Windows key. Along the frame, you'll find a 3.5mm headphone port and the power / sleep button up top, two-stage camera key on the right-hand side, a volume rocker on the left and a micro-USB port on the base.

The company could have taken some notes on where to place the handset's loudspeaker. Rather than on the rim or the front of the frame, the speaker grille runs beneath the Windows Phone logo on the back of the case. That means if you're making hands-free calls, or annoying your fellow subway passengers, you'll have to hold the phone away from your palm or else mute the sound -- a problem we've also spotted on the low- and medium-end Lumias like the 520, 620 and 720.

Huawei Ascend W1 review

The rear cover snaps off to reveal the removable 1,950mAh battery, microSD card and SIM slot -- so keep a micro-SIM adapter nearby, folks. While the phone boasts 4GB of storage, Windows Phone occupies more than half of that allocation, leaving us with a meager 1.88GB of usable memory. Don't be fooled, then, by that bargain price if you're intending to load media onto the device, as your first job will be to buy a microSD card (up to 32GB) separately.

124.5mm x 63.7mm x 10.15mm (4.9 x 2.5 x 0.4 in)No (Ed. note: PR confirmed optional NFC is a typo)

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS: 900/2100, 850/1900/AWS
HSPA+: 21 Mbps d/l, 5.76 Mbps u/l

Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Play (MSM8230)Details correct as of May 2013DNP Huawei Ascend W1 review, it's good, but it's not right

We regularly labor the point that Windows Phone's block-color aesthetic negates some of the need for a pixel-rich display. As such, you shouldn't be surprised to read that the W1's 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480) screen doesn't exactly light our candle, however it does do a decent job considering the handset's price. Granted, it's not going to beat a flagship, but those upgrading from a feature phone won't find too many reasons to gripe. When it comes to replaying video, that 233-ppi display does a manful job, and we could quite happily use it to catch up on 30-minute TV shows during a commute without fuss.

In the plus column, the W1's IPS LCD itself has great viewing angles and is evenly lit. Huawei may have pinched pennies elsewhere, but at least here it used OGS (One Glass Solution) to eliminate the air gap between the screen and the protective glass for a crisper, sharper display. In fact, we'll say that color reproduction is good, but there's a catch.

The catch, of course, is that the W1's backlight should have been a lot stronger, as we had to set the display to maximum brightness even when indoors. As soon as we ventured out, we probably damaged our spine as we craned over the handset, trying to shade it from the midday sun. Granted, it's not a unique problem for any LCD, but trying to take pictures and video in June resulted in a lot of pointing and hoping that we'd captured a decent image.

Huawei Ascend W1 review

If you've read any of our Windows Phone reviews before, then please feel free to skip to the next section. It's very easy to summarize what follows as "blah blah, limited app selection, blah blah, not as diverse as Android or iOS, blah blah."

Those whose Windows Phone 8 experience has been limited to Nokia's smartphones (and we wouldn't blame you if that were the case) should be prepared for a culture shock. While other manufacturers have tried to prop up the operating system's underdeveloped features, Huawei isn't offering anything beyond the stock build of the OS. As such, your first step is going to be seeking out apps like Nokia Here Drive and Itsdagram (now known as Instance), to smooth out the software's rough edges.

So, to those who've already bought into Android, iOS or BB10: defecting to WP8 presents something of a risk. Admittedly, Microsoft is doing its best to fill out its app catalog, but if you aren't prepared to wait for a first-party Instagram or Vine client (for instance), then you'd best steer clear.

If, however, you're considering the W1 to replace a feature phone, then Windows Phone will provide all of the features and functionality that you're looking for at a knockdown price. The only issue is that you'll have is that with only 512MB of RAM, some of the apps you've been eyeing up won't work, so be careful.

Huawei Ascend W1 review

During our time with the phone, we found that taking pictures with the 5-megapixel, rear-facing, autofocus lens was something of a gamble. That's because the results were far too inconsistent, with weak focusing and a color balance that wildly varied from image to image. The presence of an LED flash compensated for the W1's poor low-light efforts, but overall we wouldn't rely upon this device as our primary snapper. On the upside, the company bundles Bing Vision (Microsoft's Google Goggles equivalent) and other Lenses are available from the Windows Store.

when.eng("eng.galleries.init")Huawei Ascend W1 review

The 0.3-megapixel (VGA) forward-facing camera isn't anything to write home about, but it's not the worst low-res webcam we've ever encountered. The odd overexposed self-portrait may take a few of the years (and wrinkles) off, but we doubt we'd share those pictures online if it wasn't our job. That said, it's a perfectly acceptable camera for a short Skype session.

As you can see in the above clip, taking video is as inconsistent as snapping stills. Colors were either badly washed out or as egregiously oversaturated as an early '80s Bowie video, not to mention the fuzzy detailing. The one positive thing we can say is that no matter how violently we panned around, we couldn't force an interlacing issue, but we'd have taken some blocky transitions and frame dropouts in exchange for higher-quality footage.

Another problem we found is that the W1's microphone just isn't up to the job of recording audio to accompany the video. Even on a still day, it picked up a huge amount of wind noise, which obscured much of what we had to say. When we took the handset out for a jog, the subsequent footage was plagued with a popping noise that would have made it unusable for its intended purpose. We were also surprised to see that, despite the poor quality of the video, clips are recorded at a data rate of 1.6 MB/s, which will rapidly eat away at your meager on-board storage.

Huawei Ascend W1 review

The spec sheet makes it clear that Huawei spared plenty of expense when it came to sourcing the internals. We played with the Snapdragon S4 Play MSM8230 that powers the device in late 2011, and the Adreno 205 GPU that partners with it is from a similar vintage. It's to Microsoft's eternal credit that Windows Phone works so well on low-end hardware, and we'd be surprised if casual users even realized they were using 2-year-old gear. Navigating around is stutter free and the Ascend W1 was even able to steal a march on Nokia's low-end Lumias in the benchmarking stakes. It's a similar story in the browser, which is smooth (if not whip-fast) and we could switch between the mobile and desktop versions of Engadget without any stutter or lag. When we tested it with a 3D gaming title like Brutal Chase, there was the odd stutter, but nothing more.

*SunSpider: ms, lower scores are better

One place where Huawei did splash the cash was in the battery department, supplying a power pack with a whopping 1,950mAh capacity. During WPBench's intensive rundown test, it survived for two hours and 57 minutes, and we found that the W1 kept on trucking during a day trip without us needing to worry about nursing the power. Considering that we had the display brightness turned up high and were taking pictures all day, we can only assume that the low-res display and low-spec hardware sips, rather than gulps from the electric bar.

If you're one of the few who still uses their smartphone as, you know, a telephone, then be warned. Call quality on this device is going to be a bit jarring to anyone who has been coddled by noise-canceling microphones or HD voice. It's not unbearable, but the call quality is nowhere near what we'd expect from a newly released handset. That said, it does follow the theme that the W1 has been put together from components that other platforms have since moved a long way past.

Huawei Ascend W1Nokia Lumia 520 / 521Nokia Lumia 620Price£130 ($230)£120 ($149)£150 ($180)

When discussing the Ascend W1's closest rivals, we're really only talking about the Lumia 520 (521 in the US) and the Lumia 620. Perhaps surprisingly, Huawei's entrant is able to outperform both devices in nearly every benchmark -- as we suspect the 620's longer battery life is partly down to its smaller, and therefore less-demanding, display. When we reviewed the two Lumias, we found that the 520's lackluster imaging, lack of a front-facing camera and low-end specs made the handset feel like an irrelevance. By comparison, the £30 more expensive 620 gains a host of extra features and a slightly smaller -- yet superior -- display. Both of Nokia's handsets, however, come with 8GB of storage and can take microSD cards up to 64GB, compared to the 32GB you'll be able to insert into the W1.

Huawei Ascend W1 review

Huawei's Ascend W1 is a well-crafted device that'll impress anyone making their first tentative steps into the world of smartphones. If you're only motivated by price, aren't fussed about the limited storage options and won't be taking a lot of pictures, then this is an eminently sensible purchase. It's only when you consider the unit in a broader context that its flaws begin to show, and we do feel obligated to tell you if there's a better option available.

For instance, if you stack it up against the Lumia 520, the W1's superior looks, better build quality, forward-facing camera, bigger battery and overall performance make it stand out. But, the 520 boasts twice the internal storage (8GB) and twice the microSD card capacity (up to 64GB), which may tempt those who take their music collection with them. Both units have weak primary cameras, and as such, we still think that if you've got the extra cash lying around, your best bet is still to stick with the Lumia 620.


View the original article here

Zoom on Resort: Rochas, Givenchy, and More

Joan Smalls debuted Givenchy resort 2014 at the CFDAs, wearing a long white gown with a sheer panel at the hem. She followed up by modeling most of the collection this week, which began as a series of delicate lace pieces before seguing into the more familiar exuberant blooms first seen at the house's fall runway show. Toward the end, designer Riccardo Tisci showed a series of exaggerated paper bag waisted pieces in denim and silk, including several slouchy evening-appropriate looks. One, consisting of a strapless bodice paired with culottes, made for an unusual yet relaxed silhouette.

J.W. Anderson experimented with Japanese minimalism for his collection, drawing inspiration from clothes folded and wrapped into unusual shapes. Exaggerated pleats at the neck, bodice, and arms emphasized the weight of fabrics and drew focus to the unusual textures that included elaborate ribbing and puckered PVC. A knotted skirt paired with an asymmetric top is worth a closer look, if only to discover all of the subtle surface changes as the look progresses from ribbed to perfectly smooth.

At Rochas, Marco Zanini took inspiration in a New England fishing village by showing printed pieces featuring starfish, crabs, and stingrays along with other sea creatures. One voluminous white evening look was finished off with his high-end vision of a classic fisherman's hat, but it was a mint green version that proved to be more zoom-worthy. The billowy gown was crumpled to add a texture reminiscent of the sea at a particularly turbulent moment. 


View the original article here

Kate Moss Still Plagued by Playboy Rumors

There were rumblings of Kate Moss for a Playboy cover back in March, but it seemed so implausible — Moss is hardly hurting for work or attention — that they quickly quieted down. But now they're back, thanks to hairstylist Oribe, who told Refinery29 that he'd done Moss's hair for the shoot in question. It'll supposedly come out in January, pegged to Moss's 40th birthday, and no doubt be "tasteful." Meanwhile, let's not forget that she's done so many nude shoots (including this year, for self-tanning brand St. Tropez, shown above), that full frontal would hardly be untrodden territory.


View the original article here

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

What Would Happen If Rep. Trent Franks’s Abortion Ban Passed?

The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee approved Arizona representative Trent “Little Women” Franks's Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act today, a bill inspired by the Kermit Gosnell case that would ban abortions after twenty weeks, when some studies suggest a fetus can feel pain. The committee hearing yielded June’s first GOP rape gaffe, when Franks argued against Democrat-proposed exceptions for rape and incest. “The incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low,” the congressman said, echoing Todd Akin. He later clarified in a statement that he meant that late-term abortions of pregnancies resulting from rape are rare.

A similar bill recently failed in the House, but hypothetically speaking, what would be the effects of such legislation, which would limit women's Roe-protected right to an abortion until viability, or 24 weeks?

Conveniently, The New York Times Magazine has published a big story on just that. Today. It traces University of California San Francisco demographer Diana Green Foster’s long-term study of abortion, the first to compare the effects of having an abortion to the effects of being denied an abortion, a.k.a. the “turnaways,” most often because of gestational limits in state laws similar to the one Franks has proposed. It's not good: Turnaways had higher rates of hypertension and chronic pelvic pain and were three times more likely to end up below the federal poverty line two years later. Motherhood, Stephanie Coontz wrote in the New York Times this week, “is now a greater predictor of wage inequality than gender in the United States.”


View the original article here

Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue Gets The Bling Ring Treatment

Wherever the Bling Ring cast travels, it now seems inevitable that a jewel heist will follow — or, in New York's case, occur just prior to the red-carpet premiere. Joining the back-to-back gem thefts that added an air of mystery-drama-crime to Cannes is another casual walkout burglary that occurred at the Tiffany & Co. shop on Fifth Avenue last Friday. The New York Daily News reports that police are on the lookout for "a well-dressed thief" who swiped two necklaces worth $100,000 off the store's counter after distracting the store clerk. Does this mean Coppola's film will trigger mass jewel hysteria upon national release? At the very least, expect to see the Tiffany & Co. flagship bulk up security with an army of personal guards.


View the original article here

Excerpt: How the (Real) Bling Ring Robbed Rachel Bilson Five Times

This Friday marks the New York and Los Angeles opening of The Bling Ring, Sofia Coppola’s film about those L.A. teens who stole millions' worth of designer clothing, jewelry, gadgets, and cash from celebrities including Paris Hilton, Rachel Bilson, and Orlando Bloom. Allegedly led by Rachel Lee, a high-school student in Calabasas — a wealthy suburb in the Valley — the kids would read gossip blogs or social networks to find out when their celebrity targets would be traveling. Then they’d walk right up to the front doors of their Hollywood mansions, often finding them unlocked or with keys under the doormat, and proceed to raid the place, especially the closets. Though the ring was first exposed by trashy tabloids, Coppola based her script on a 2010 Vanity Fair article by Nancy Jo Sales, who joined in on the Hollywood buzz by consulting on the project and using her extra reporting to expand her story into a book, which the Cut has exclusively excerpted here. Below, follow and learn as Lee and her main accomplice, Nick Prugo, invade Rachel Bilson’s home repeatedly. —Erica Schwiegershausen

In the first two weeks of May 2009, the Bling Ring burglarized Rachel Bilson’s house five times. They went back again and again, trying on her clothes, looking through her things. They put on her makeup and examined her jewelry. They went “shopping” and then decided they wanted to go shopping again. “Ms. Bilson was probably the most emblematic of how this group typically worked,” Officer Brett Goodkin told the Grand Jury on June 22, 2010, “where the accomplice,” allegedly [Rachel] Lee [the group’s ringleader], “identified [Bilson] as a target and [Nick] Prugo went to work and they committed numerous burglaries all within an approximate two- to three-week period.”

By now, they had gotten it down. Rachel picked Bilson as the next victim on her list, Nick said. “She loved her clothes.” Like so many young actresses today, Bilson, then 27, was admired as much for her fashion sense as for her work. She appeared at events in an array of dazzling gowns and around L.A. in unfailingly eye-catching ensembles. She was the object of many a “style-crush” among young women. She had a vintage, boho style which she told reporters was inspired by Diane Keaton and Kate Moss. In 2008, she worked with DKNY Jeans to create the junior sportswear line Edie Rose.

Ever since the fashion world success of Paris Hilton, P. Diddy, Jennifer Lopez, and other celebrities, having a clothing line — one of the potentially most lucrative franchise opportunities for a personal brand — has become de rigueur for starlets and reality stars alike. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Lauren Conrad, Selena Gomez, Mandy Moore, Kelly Osbourne, Hillary Duff, Whitney Port, and Avril Lavigne all have had lines, to name a few. In 2010, Women’s Wear Daily reported that The Jessica Simpson Collection had become the first celebrity clothing line to top a billion dollars in retail sales. Simpson’s reality and fashion stardom would seem to suggest her as an object of Bling Ring interest; but they never targeted her. “Rachel would never, like, carry a handbag that wasn’t made of real leather,” said Nick, referring to Simpson’s more downscale merchandise.

Rachel Bilson, on the other hand, offered Rachel Lee a whole sleek package of things Lee admired: she was beautiful, stylish, famous, rich, designed for Donna Karan — plus they had the same name. “Rachel-Rachel,” Nick said. “Rachel identified with her.” Both Rachels were from the Valley.

Nick did the research. He found out the location of Bilson’s four-bedroom, 3,662-square-foot home in Los Feliz, an L.A. neighborhood popular with Young Hollywood. Bilson had purchased the white Spanish-style house for $1.88 million in 2006, three years into her role as Summer Roberts, the unashamedly shallow rich girl on The O.C. (2003-2007). When the Bling Ring kids were robbing Bilson, they were also robbing Summer — which for them, it seemed was a form of flattery as much as it was a crime; the character was the embodiment of the sarcastic, slack-mouthed, eye-rolling mode of discourse (“Seriously?”) so prevalent now among teenaged girls on television and, consequently, in real life.

Nick and Rachel scoped out Bilson’s house, Nick said, doing their usual reconnaissance. Sometimes they just sat and watched with binoculars, and sometimes they did leisurely drive-bys, casually searching for clues about how best to get in and do the job.

For a couple weeks, Nick checked on Bilson’s comings and goings around L.A. “This was their operating norm,” Officer Goodkin told the Grand Jury. “Mr. Prugo would go to work with doing his kind of back-office research on the Internet, finding out where that victim lives, where is the primary resident, and then culling through Internet source stuff to determine is this a victim that travels a lot, is this a victim that’s not home very often.” Nick discovered Bilson was planning a trip to New York for a couple of weeks with her then fiancé, Shattered Glass (2003) star Hayden Christensen. As soon as the paparazzi shots of her at LAX appeared, the Bling Ring was on its way.

Nick said he and Rachel and Diana Tamayo burglarized Bilson’s home four times in the beginning of May, entering through an unlocked door. (Tamayo’s lawyer, Behnam Gharagozli, denies Tamayo had anything to do with the burglaries of Bilson.) Nick said they took Bilson’s designer clothes — pieces by Chanel, Roberto Cavalli, Zac Posen — and her vintage shoe collection; she was a size 5, too small for either of the girls, but they wanted the shoes anyway. They took Bilson’s handbags and extensive stash of Chanel makeup, her Chanel No. 5 perfume, her jewelry, “underwear, bras. With these celebrities everything’s brand-new,” Nick said, “they still have the tags on the items. But of course they would take dirty or non-dirty and wash ‘em, whatever — anything and everything that would fit, that they liked, they would take, and being that these were all women there wasn’t a lot of stuff for me….”

Rachel, he said, had gotten so comfortable with the routine that during one of the burglaries of Bilson’s home she took time out to have a bowel movement. “We were in Rachel [Bilson’s] bathroom and Rachel just had to go, so she just … yeah. I remember the incident so well. I can recall the smell, which is really nasty, disgusting. I know I would never like … When you’re in there,” robbing someone’s house, that is, “you have a rush, like I’ve had to pee when I’ve been in there, but I would never use their bathroom, just in fear of that maybe some type of evidence would be left there. I think that’s weird, personally. But yeah, she did.”

They took so much from Bilson, Nick said, he and Rachel “got a lot of her stuff together and sold maybe thirty purses” on the boardwalk on Venice Beach. “During the day there’s these stalls you can rent where you can set up like a shop to sell things to people that walk along,” he said. “We came up with maybe a thousand dollars each from Venice, just like selling [purses] for like fifty bucks a piece. We had all these designer things and people would jump at the chance.”


View the original article here