Apple sued over 'shrinking' gadget storage
Apple is facing a lawsuit for not telling users about the amount of memory required by its flagship operating system.
The legal complaint revolves around iOS 8 and the amount of memory it reserves for itself on iPods, iPhones and iPads.
The complaint alleges that it takes up so much space that far less than advertised is left for people to store their own data.
Apple has yet to issue any official comment on the lawsuit.
The complaint has been filed in California by Miami residents Paul Orshan and Christopher Endara who say that iOS 8 can occupy up to 23.1% of the memory available on some Apple devices.
In addition, upgrading devices from the earlier iOS 7 to 8 can cause people to lose up to 1.3 gigabytes of memory, said papers filed in support of the legal action.
The amount of memory taken up by iOS 8 can mean users run out of storage and, the pair allege, this is helping Apple force people to sign up for its fee-based iCloud storage system.
The lawsuit is seeking millions of dollars in damages for those using Apple devices facing the storage squeeze.
So far, Apple has not responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit.
The latest upgrade to iOS 8 was released in late September but Apple was forced to withdraw and then re-issue it because the first version meant a lot of iPhone 6 and Plus handsets could no longer make calls.
Apple issued a public apology over the botched update but said only 40,000 people were affected by it.
Source-BBC
Record Numbers at Successful 5th Annual Maskanoo
Maskanoo, the brainchild of TCHTA continues to be a yearly success and has definitely earned a top spot on TCI's annual calendar of events.
The recently concluded Maskanoo 2014 event managed and produced on behalf of TCHTA by David Bowen, Director of Culture saw a record number of locals and visitors congregating on Provo's Grace Bay strip, all eager to be a part of the TCI Boxing Day tradition. Keeping the crowd moving and grooving were the Steel Pan Band, Breeze Beach Dancers, Oooh La La dancers, Kino & Kaz, Elroy and Dez while the Filipino Community Group entertained the crowd with their traditional dance performance and breathtaking costumes and the local Haitian community was left begging for more as the Haitian Ra Ra Group put on a fantastic show.
TCHTA's Executive Director Stacy Cox congratulated Bowen for managing another successful Maskanoo, noting, "David has partnered with the TCHTA from the inception of Maskanoo and we had no doubt that his commitment and dedication to seeing the event grow and develop would have ensured its success in 2014. For an event still in its infancy stage we continue to be amazed by the positive crowd response and the massive turnout which we have seen in the past five years. We would like to commend our partners like the Royal TCI Police Force, Dove Security, HAB Group, FortisTCI and SkyJuice etc who worked closely with David to guarantee such a well executed event which was incident-free."
TCHTA told RTC News that they are looking forward to a bigger and better Maskanoo set of events in 2015 including the Maskanoo Fun Run and Maskanoo Poker Tournament.
Shelby celebrates 50th Anniversary of Cobra 427
The iconic Shelby Cobra, based on the British-built AC Ace roadster — first left Carroll Shelby’s shop in 1962 with a 4.3-liter, V-8 engine under its hood.
It took the Cobra name only a few months to become famous and Carroll quickly turned to making it equally popular on the race track. Although the 4.7-liter version was unbeatable in the U.S. racing scene throughout 1964, Carroll also wanted the Cobra to become competitive in the FIA GT class, which was dominated by Ferrari back in the early 1960s.
Thus the Cobra 427 was born, a roadster that featured wider fenders, fatter tires, an upgraded chassis and a massive, 7.0-liter, V-8 engine.
Notwithstanding the fact that it missed homologation for the 1965 racing season, the Cobra 427 went on to capture the SCCA’s covered "A Production" championship. A the same time, its road-legal version rocked the sports car world thanks to its amazingly powerful engine and reduced weight, which combined helped the Cobra obliterate most of its competitors.
As the 427 turns 50 years old in January 2015, Shelby American is building 50 new examples, which are dubbed the 50th Anniversary Cobra 427, to commemorate the occasion and bring back the most powerful roadster of the 1960s.
Russell and Bravo set to join West Indies for T20's
West Indies players Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo will join the West Indies team in South Africa for the two T20's, starting on Friday.
They are set to depart Australia’s Big Bash Twenty/20 league with their Melbourne Renegades team at the bottom of the points table.
Their latest defeat, which is their third from four matches, came yesterday in a humiliating 112 run fashion against derby rivals Melbourne Stars.
Bravo and Russell had done well with the ball.
Trinidadian Bravo claimed three for 22 while Jamaican Russell had one for 26 in helping to limit the stars to 169 for six.
However, the Caribbean players couldn't repeat their effort with the bat.
Russell scored nine and Bravo three as the renegades were blown away for 57, the lowest ever score in Big Bash history.
ESPN's Stuart Scott dies
Stuart Scott, the ESPN anchor and reporter whose catchphrases became part of the American popular sports vernacular for the past two decades, died Sunday morning after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 49.
"ESPN and everyone in the sports world have lost a true friend and a uniquely inspirational figure in Stuart Scott," said ESPN president John Skipper. "Who engages in mixed martial arts training in the midst of chemotherapy treatments? Who leaves a hospital procedure to return to the set?
"His energetic and unwavering devotion to his family and to his work while fighting the battle of his life left us in awe, and he leaves a void that can never be replaced."
Scott, who received a standing ovation during his acceptance of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2014 ESPY Awards in July, addressed his uncertain future at the time.
"When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer," Scott told the audience. "You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live."
Scott joined ESPN in 1993 for the launch of ESPN2, quickly moving up the ranks as one of the network's main SportsCenter anchors thanks to his rapid-fire delivery and unique phrasing to describe highlights. While Scott might not have invented the term "Boo-yah," he certainly popularized.
By 2008, Scott was ubiquitous among the network's programming. He anchored late-night SportsCenter shows, hosted Monday Night Countdown on location during the NFL season, served as the lead host for NBA on ESPN and ABC and interviewed Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.
It was a workload he'd do his best to maintain during several recurrences of cancer, a diagnosis which first appeared during an emergency appendectomy in 2007. The disease reappeared in 2011, when Scott announced on Twitter that he was undergoing chemotherapy. He never revealed what kind of cancer he was fighting, and told the New York Times in March that it was not colon cancer.
By the time the illness reemerged in December 2012, Scott began to share more public details about his plight. In January 2013, he told USA TODAY about his routine at the time, which included only missing his ESPN work days for chemotherapy treatments every other Monday, after which he'd go train at a mixed-martial arts gym.
"I can take this," he said at the time. "Deal with it easier than some people I see. So I think for the ones who can't punch a heavy bag, can't spar, who can't do any of that. I'll do it for you."
Scott's determination was well known to executives at ESPN long before his diagnosis. In 2002, Scott missed several months of work after his left eye was damaged by a football while he was working out with the New York Jets for an upcoming story. Due to previous problems with both eyes, including a right detached retina, Scott had to retrain his right eye to be his dominant eye, a task that presented a challenge when having to read from a teleprompter.
Scott is survived by his two daughters, Taelor, 19,and Sydni, 15, the latter of whom joined him onstage at the end of his ESPYs speech after he asked her to "come up here and give dad a hug because I need one."
While Scott thanked his bosses at ESPN during that memorable oration, he made it clear that there was no career moment that could ever surpass what he considered his life's best highlight.
"The best thing I have ever done, the best thing I will ever do," Scott said. "Is be a dad to Taelor and Sydni."
"Taelor and Sydni, I love you guys more than I will ever be able to express. You two are my heartbeat. I am standing here on this stage tonight because of you."
Source-USAToday
Andy Murray & Heather Watson give GB victory at Hopman Cup
Andy Murray made a winning start to his Australian campaign as Great Britain beat France 2-1 at the Hopman Cup.
On a day when the temperature in Perth peaked at 44C, Murray beat Benoit Paire 6-2 7-5 to give Britain an early lead over France at the mixed team event.
Heather Watson then lost 6-2 6-2 to Alize Cornet, before the Britons won the mixed doubles 6-4 2-6 10-8.
Britain will play Poland on Wednesday and Australia on Friday, with the group winners reaching Saturday's final.
The format guarantees all the players at least three singles matches as they prepare for the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on 19 January.
"It was a bit of an eye-opener when we arrived at the practice court this morning and it was 44 degrees outside," said Murray, who arrived in Perth on Sunday after winning an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
"I'm from a small town in Scotland and the weather is not quite like that there. The conditions here are fantastic to get ready for Melbourne."
Murray, 27, had felt soreness in his left shoulder during the Abu Dhabi event and admitted he was still dealing with the issue.
"I had the problem in Abu Dhabi a couple of days ago and haven't had much time to serve after that," he said. "We flew straight from there and arrived yesterday.
"It doesn't really make sense for a right-handed player to have a problem with their left arm. So I am not sure exactly what it was and I had a scan in Abu Dhabi and that was all clear.
"But it's still a little bit sore today."
Source-BBC
Hobbit holds on at North American box office
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has held on to the top spot at the North American box office for a third consecutive week.
The final film in Peter Jackson's series took $21.9m (£14.3m) according to early studio estimates.
Disney's new release, the musical Into the Woods, was at number two with $19.1m (£12.5m) in its second week of release.
The fairytale drama stars Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Emily Blunt.
Angelina Jolie's World War II tale Unbroken, took third spot with $18.4m (£12m).
The weekend's only major new release, horror sequel The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death, landed in fourth place with $15.1m (£9.9m).
The first film, starring Daniel Radcliffe, was a huge success.
The sequel stars Helen McCrory, recently seen in BBC Two series Peaky Blinders, War Horse's Jeremy Irvine and newcomer Phoebe Fox.
Sony's controversial film The Interview, which involves a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, took an estimated $1.1m (£723,142) in its second week of limited release.
Last week, Sony announced the film had taken $15m (£9.84m) in its first four days of online streaming.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb rounded out the top five with takings of $14.5m (£9.5m).
Source-BBC
Beverly Hillbillies star, dies at 82
US actress Donna Douglas, best known for playing the tomboyish Elly May Clampett in 1960s sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, has died at the age of 82.
The Louisiana native appeared in more than 270 episodes of the popular show, which followed a family who relocate to Beverly Hills after discovering oil.
She also starred in the famous Twilight Zone episode, The Eye of the Beholder.
Douglas died on New Year's Day in Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana.
According to her niece, the cause of death was pancreatic cancer.
Typically clad in a snug flannel shirt and tight jeans, Elly May was blissfully unaware of her blond bombshell status.
The actress described the character, whom she played from 1962 to 1971, as "a slice out of my own life".
"I was raised a tomboy, with one older brother and all male cousins," she told a Kansas newspaper last March. "So I grew up swinging from vines and playing softball."
Before The Beverly Hillbillies, she was seen in supernatural drama The Twilight Zone as a beautiful woman who undergoes plastic surgery.
The twist in the tale is that her procedure is considered a failure, her world consisting of people with uniformly deformed features.
Douglas starred opposite Elvis Presley in his 1966 film Frankie and Johnny and had a small role in Lover Comer Back, a 1961 comedy starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson.
After The Beverly Hillbillies she worked in real estate, recorded country and gospel music albums and wrote a book for children that drew on biblical themes.
Born Doris Smith in 1933, Douglas began her career in beauty pageants before travelling to New York to pursue a career in entertainment.
She was married twice and is survived by Danny Bourgeois, her son from her second marriage.
Source-BBC
Euro touches a nine-year low against US dollar
The euro slid to a nine-year low against the dollar as investors predicted the European Central Bank (ECB) may act to stimulate the economy.
The euro fell by 1.2% against the dollar to $1.1864, marking its weakest level since March 2006, before recovering slightly to $1.19370.
The drop follows ECB president Mario Draghi's comments indicating the bank could soon start quantitative easing.
Greek political turmoil also weighed on the currency.
Although the ECB has already cut interest rates to a record low level, and also bought some bonds issued by private companies, a full-scale programme of quantitative easing QE has not yet been launched.
But on Friday, Mr Draghi hinted in a newspaper interview that the bank might soon start a policy of QE by buying government bonds, thus copying its counterparts in the UK and US.
The purpose would be to inject cash into the banking system, stimulate the economy and push prices higher.
Political turmoil in Greece also weighed on the euro, with fears that the general election on 25 January, could see the anti-austerity, left-wing Syriza party take control of the country.
The possibility has sparked fears about whether Greece will stick to the terms of its international bailout and stay in the eurozone.
On Saturday, Germany's Der Spiegel magazine said the German government believes the eurozone would be able to cope with a Greek "exit" from the euro, if the Syriza party wins the Greek election.
Reacting to Der Spiegel's report, a spokesman for German Chancellor Merkel said there was no change in German policy and the government expects Greece to fulfil its obligations under the EU, ECB and IMF bailout.
French president Francois Hollande also commented, saying it was now "up to the Greeks" to decide whether to remain a part of the single currency.
"Europe cannot continue to be identified by austerity," he added, suggesting that the eurozone needs to focus more on growth than reducing its deficit.
Venezuelan leader Maduro seeks economic help on tour
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is beginning an international tour to try to stem the impact of falling oil prices and a deepening recession.
Mr Maduro goes first to China - a major source of loans for Venezuela - for talks with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping.
He will then travel to various Opec member countries to press for cuts in oil output that would boost prices.
Venezuelan oil prices have dropped by half since June.
The country gets most of its foreign currency from oil exports and is estimated to have the largest oil reserves in the world.
Before he left Venezuela Mr Maduro announced a number of new mechanisms aimed at addressing the country's economic crisis.
He said he would create a strategic reserve, appoint a new board to run the organisation that manages currency exchange controls, and create new agencies to manage the distribution of commodities.
President Maduro has said his country is suffering the consequences of an economic war launched by US President Barack Obama "to destroy" the oil producers' cartel, Opec.
He has also accused the US of flooding the markets with oil as part of an economic war against Russia.
The Venezuelan opposition blames the country's economic crisis and shortages of many staples, such as corn oil and milk, on the socialist policies of Mr Maduro and his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez.
Source-BBC