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(CNN) — A month after being released to mostly positive reviews, Samsung’s flagship phone is getting some validation from Consumer Reports. The publication has run all its tests, kicked the phone’s tires, and named the Android-powered Galaxy S4 its top rated smartphone.

The previous list-topper was the Optimus G, a solid $100 4.7-inch phone from LG that held Consumer Reports’ No. 1 spot for several months. The Optimus G is now ranked as the No. 2 smartphone, followed by the HTC One, the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Apple iPhone 5.

Consumer reports bases its ratings on a number of extensive tests and rates the devices in categories including ease of use, display and voice quality, portability and battery life. The $200 Galaxy S4′s weakest scores were in video quality and portability. Like all the other smartphones on the list, it also had mediocre scores for voice quality, a sacrifice that seems common in the smartphone market. The publication also lamented the lack of one-button phone access.

Consumer Reports specifically called out the S4′s 5-inch, 1080p touch-screen, multitasking in split view, and a built-in IR feature as some of the handset’s standout features. The abundance of features were seen as appealing to more advanced users without complicating the phone for more entry-level users. The publication said the device’s camera was “among the best phone cameras for photo quality.”

The Galaxy S4 is an update to Samsung’s wildly popular S3 phone, which was one of the best selling smartphones of the past year. Samsung was the leader in the smartphone market in in the first quarter of 2013, according to research firm IDC, and it looks like its latest offering will help it hang on to that top spot for the time being.

Last week, Google announced a new version of the Galaxy S4 that will run a pure form of the company’s Android mobile operating system. That unlocked and uncluttered phone will cost $649 when it becomes available at the end of June.

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(CNN) — At least 51 people — including seven children at an elementary school — were killed when a massive tornado struck an area outside Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, officials said.

Seven children were killed at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma, a police official said. Emergency personnel were scouring the school’s rubble Monday evening, video from CNN affiliate KFOR showed. The footage also showed a number of other leveled buildings.

The tornado was estimated to be at least 2 miles wide at one point as it moved through Moore, in the southern part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, KFOR reported. Video from CNN affiliates showed a funnel cloud stretching from the sky to the ground, kicking up debris.

You can click here for our latest full story.

Teachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School after a massive tornado destroyed the building in Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20. The death toll continues to climb as rescuers search for survivors. It was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. View more photos of the aftermath in the region.

A teacher hugs a student at Briarwood Elementary School in Oklahoma City on May 20.

Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.

People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.

Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.

Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.

Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.

A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.

A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.

A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.

A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.

A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.

A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.

A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.

A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.

A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.

Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.

Extensive damage from an EF4 tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.

Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.

Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.

A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.

A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.

Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.

A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit CNN.com/impact for ways to help the victims.

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Photos: Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma City area

See cell phone video of tornado

Mapping tornado’s path of destruction

Tornado levels elementary school

Latest updates:

– The Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office has been told to expect about 40 additional bodies, including about 20 children, according the office’s Amy Elliott. The official death toll of 51 will not rise until the bodies are processed, she said. The current toll already includes at least 20 children who were killed by the storm. It was unclear how many of those were students at Plaza Towers.

– Texas is sending the state’s elite search and rescue team, Texas Task Force 1, to assist local officials and first responders in Oklahoma following Monday’s tornado outbreak.

– The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center received 45 children for treatment on Monday, according Dr. Roxie Albrecht.

– The city of Moore, Oklahoma, has no running water, Mayor Glenn Lewis told CNN on Monday evening. He said they’re hoping to get it restored overnight.

– President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for Oklahoma Monday night, a White House statement said. The declaration means federal emergency aid will supplement local recovery efforts.

– At least 145 people have been hospitalized in the Oklahoma City area after a massive tornado hit the region Monday, hospital officials said.

– Fifty-one people have died as a result of the storm that hit the Oklahoma City area Monday, Oklahoma’s office of the chief medical examiner said.

– The dead include seven children at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, said Oklahoma City Police Department spokesman Kevin Parton.

Follow the severe weather tracker

Previously reported:

– Storm damage has been reported in Cleveland County, which includes Moore; McClain County, which includes Newcastle; and Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management representative Terri Watkins said.

– The preliminary rating of the Moore tornado is at least EF-4 (166 to 200 mph), the National Weather Service said on Monday afternoon.

– President Barack Obama told Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin the federal government “stands ready to provide all available assistance” as part of the response to a series of deadly storms that have struck the Oklahoma City area, including Monday’s devastating tornado.

A White House statement said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed a team to assist state operations, and additional personnel are ready to be dispatched as necessary. Obama told Fallin that “the people of Oklahoma” are in the first family’s “thoughts and prayers,” the statement said.

– About 38,000 customers of utility OGE were without power in metropolitan Oklahoma City after Monday afternoon’s storm, utility spokesman Brian Alford said.

Alford also said the storm knocked out power to the Oklahoma City area’s Draper Water Treatment Plant.

A deadly tornado destroys cars and demolishes structures in the town of Moore, near Oklahoma City, on Monday, May 20. The death toll from the tornado that hit Moore was climbing Monday night. It was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. View photos related to the Moore tornado.

A volunteer helps clean up a mobile home on May 20 after it was overturned on a day earlier near Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Jean McAdams’ mobile home near Shawnee, Oklahoma, lies overturned on May 20.

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin from the Oval Office on May 20. The president expressed his concern for those who have been affected by the severe weather.

Tom and Ronda Clark get help with cleanup on May 20, after their property near Shawnee was damaged by a tornado on May 19.

Lonnie Langston says his garage was swept off the concrete pad next to his house by a tornado near Shawnee.

Shawnee residents embrace on May 20 as they search through the remains of their home.

A home in Shawnee sits in ruin after being hit by a tornado on Sunday, May 19.

A twister stretches toward the ground near South Haven, Kansas, on May 19.

Residents repair the roof of a neighbor’s damaged house after a tree fell on it in Shawnee on May 19.

A woman waits to be allowed back to her home after a tornado swept through Shawnee on May 19.

Storm chaser and videographer Brad Mack records a tornado touchdown in South Haven, Kansas, on May 19.

A tractor-trailer lies on its side on Interstate 40 while another is broken open on the road below after falling from the overpass after a tornado strike near Highway 177 north of Shawnee on May 19.

A tornado touches down near Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday, May 19.

Debris from a mobile home park west of Shawnee litters the ground on May 19. An estimated 300 homes were damaged or destroyed across Oklahoma, Red Cross spokesman Ken Garcia said.

Lightning strikes in Clearwater, Kansas, on May 19.

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Photos: Tornadoes wreak havoc in Midwest

First images of damage from Okla. tornado

Vine videos show tornado devastation

Survivor: Storm sounded like train

OGE is working to restore power to the plant. City officials are asking residents to turn off their sprinkler systems and postpone washing dishes and clothes, according to a message on the city government’s website.

– Country music star and Moore native Toby Keith said in a written statement: “This storm has devastated the community that I grew up in. I rode my bike through those neighborhoods. I have family and friends in Moore. My heart and prayers go to those that have lost so much. But Moore is strong and we will persevere. God be with you all.”

– Interstate 35 in Moore, Oklahoma, was closed as a result of debris from the tornado that hit the area Monday afternoon, Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman Cole Hackett said. Crews were headed to the north-south highway to start the cleanup process, Hackett said.

– “People are trapped. You are going to see the devastation for days to come,” Betsy Randolph, spokeswoman for Oklahoma Highway Patrol, told CNN late Monday afternoon. She did not say how many people were trapped. “Send your prayers heavenward because there are people fighting for their lives.”

Heartbreaking scenes in Oklahoma City area after twister

– The National Guard has been activated in response to the tornado, Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Ann Lee said.

– Will Rogers World Airport reopened around at about 6 p.m. ET, spokeswoman Karen Carney said. All flights are delayed, and at least six flights have been canceled, she said.

– Lance West, a reporter for CNN affiliate KFOR, said people late Monday afternoon were pulling students from a classroom at an elementary school heavily damaged by the tornado that hit Moore. There are no immediate reports on the condition of the children.

– Congressman Tom Cole, who lives in Moore, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Monday afternoon the damage he saw on TV looks as bad as a 1999 tornado that destroyed more than 1,000 houses in his hometown.

– McClain County Undersheriff Bill Shobe reported Monday afternoon there is significant damage near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Shobe went on to say there are a lot of structures with damage north of Newcastle and in the town of Tuttle. Most of the damage is parallel to Highway 37, he said.

– Moore Medical Center in Oklahoma was evacuated after it sustained damages from the tornado, a hospital spokeswoman told CNN’s Sarah Baker. All patients are being evacuated to Norman Regional Hospital and Health Plex Hospital, and residents injured in the storm are being told to go to those centers as well.

– A tornado struck just Moore, Oklahoma, south of Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, ripping apart homes and other buildings in populated areas. The National Weather Service issued a rare tornado emergency for the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, meaning that significant and widespread damage and fatalities were likely.

Meteorologists warned residents to go underground to survive a direct hit from the tornado.

Tornado brings back terrible memories of 1999

CNN’s AnneClaire Stapleton contributed to this report

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Teachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School after a massive tornado destroyed the building in Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20. The death toll continues to climb as rescuers search for survivors. It was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. View more photos of the aftermath in the region.

A teacher hugs a student at Briarwood Elementary School in Oklahoma City on May 20.

Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.

People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.

Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.

Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.

Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.

A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.

A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.

A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.

A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.

A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.

A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.

A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.

A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.

A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.

Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.

Extensive damage from an EF4 tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.

Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.

Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.

A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.

A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.

Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.

A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit CNN.com/impact for ways to help the victims.

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Are you experiencing severe weather in your area? Send photos and videos to CNN iReport. But please remember to stay safe.

For local coverage of Monday’s devastating storms in Oklahoma, go to these CNN affiliates: KFOR, KOCO, KOKH, KOKI.

Moore, Oklahoma (CNN) — Clinging to the hope of finding more survivors, rescue workers raced overnight scouring mountains of rubble where houses and schools once stood– even as the sobering death toll continued to climb.

The vicious tornado that tore across central Oklahoma on Monday has killed at least 51 people — with about 40 more bodies expected to arrive at the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s office, Amy Elliott of the coroner’s office said. The official death toll will gradually rise as the bodies are processed.

Tornado leaves path of destruction

A deadly tornado destroys cars and demolishes structures in the town of Moore, near Oklahoma City, on Monday, May 20. The death toll from the tornado that hit Moore was climbing Monday night. It was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. View photos related to the Moore tornado.

A volunteer helps clean up a mobile home on May 20 after it was overturned on a day earlier near Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Jean McAdams’ mobile home near Shawnee, Oklahoma, lies overturned on May 20.

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin from the Oval Office on May 20. The president expressed his concern for those who have been affected by the severe weather.

Tom and Ronda Clark get help with cleanup on May 20, after their property near Shawnee was damaged by a tornado on May 19.

Lonnie Langston says his garage was swept off the concrete pad next to his house by a tornado near Shawnee.

Shawnee residents embrace on May 20 as they search through the remains of their home.

A home in Shawnee sits in ruin after being hit by a tornado on Sunday, May 19.

A twister stretches toward the ground near South Haven, Kansas, on May 19.

Residents repair the roof of a neighbor’s damaged house after a tree fell on it in Shawnee on May 19.

A woman waits to be allowed back to her home after a tornado swept through Shawnee on May 19.

Storm chaser and videographer Brad Mack records a tornado touchdown in South Haven, Kansas, on May 19.

A tractor-trailer lies on its side on Interstate 40 while another is broken open on the road below after falling from the overpass after a tornado strike near Highway 177 north of Shawnee on May 19.

A tornado touches down near Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday, May 19.

Debris from a mobile home park west of Shawnee litters the ground on May 19. An estimated 300 homes were damaged or destroyed across Oklahoma, Red Cross spokesman Ken Garcia said.

Lightning strikes in Clearwater, Kansas, on May 19.

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Photos: Tornadoes wreak havoc in Midwest

Rescue efforts continue at school

Tornado survivor: I just want to cry

At least 20 of those killed were children, including seven from Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore — the site of a frantic search early Tuesday morning.

About 75 students and staff members hunkered down in the school when the tornado hit, CNN affiliate KFOR reported. The school in the direct path of the monster storm’s fury.

A father of a third-grader still missing sat on a stool outside. Tears cascaded from his face as he waited quietly for any news.

Even parents of survivors couldn’t wrap their minds around the tragedy.

“I’m speechless. How did this happen? Why did this happen?” Norma Bautista asked. “How do we explain this to the kids? … In an instant, everything’s gone.”

Get the latest developments in the story

Across Moore, even the city’s main hospital fell victim to the tornado.

“Our hospital has been devastated,” Mayor Glenn Lewis said. “We had a two-story hospital, now we have a one. And it’s not occupiable.”

So dozens of wounded had to be rushed to other hospitals.

At least 145 people were taken to three area hospitals.

That number includes 45 children taken to the children’s hospital at Oklahoma University Medical Center, Dr. Roxie Albrecht said. Injuries ranged from minor to severe, including impalement and crushing injuries.

Not the first time

Rescuers use hands to dig through rubble

Storm witness: ‘I’m blessed to be alive’

Toby Keith: Hometown storm ‘devastating’

Nye: It’s going to happen again

Even for a city hardened by massive tornadoes, no one in Moore had seen this kind of devastation.

The suburb recovered from a fierce twister in 1999 that killed six people there and dozens in the area. When that tornado struck, it was the most devastating in history in terms of wind speed, Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Tom Lamb said.

10 deadliest tornadoes on record

This time, the 2-mile-wide twister stayed on the ground for a full 45 minutes. The death toll has far surpassed anything the area has seen from a tornado — and is expected to climb.

“Our worst fears are becoming realized,” Bill Bunting of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center said Monday afternoon.

The preliminary rating of damage created by the tornado is at least EF4, meaning it had winds between 166 and 200 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

After the ear-shattering howl of the killer storm subsided, survivors along the miles of destruction emerged from shelters to see an apocalyptic vision — the remnants of cars twisted and piled on each other to make what had been a parking lot look like a junk yard.

Many survivors in the city looked like zombies, unable to process the breadth of the tragedy, KFOR reporter Scott Hines said.

Hiding in refrigerators

Hines said rescuers found a 7-month-old baby and its mother hiding in a walk-in refrigerator. But they didn’t survive.

Track current severe weather

At the devastated hospital in Moore, some doctors had to jump in a freezer to survive, Lamb said.

Lando Hite, shirtless and spattered in mud, described how the storm pummeled the Orr Family Farm in Moore, which had about 80 horses.

“It was just like the movie ‘Twister,’” he told KFOR. “There were horses and stuff flying around everywhere.”

‘This is not over yet’

The tornado also disrupted roads, piling them high with debris and complicating both travel and communication.

“People are trapped. You are going to see the devastation for days to come,” said Betsy Randolph, spokeswoman for Oklahoma Highway Patrol. She did not say how many people were stuck.

More than 38,000 electricity customers in Oklahoma are without power, according to local power providers. The city of Moore had no running water overnight, the mayor said.

While the threat of killer tornadoes is subsiding, severe weather threatened to strike states farther east.

‘We’re also concerned that there may be an enhanced and widespread damaging wind threat with storms as they merge together,” Bunting said.

“This is not over yet.”

Heartbreaking scenes in Oklahoma City after disaster

Severe weather 101

Impact Your World: Helping with disaster in the heartland

CNN’s George Howell and Gary Tuchman reported from Oklahoma; Holly Yan reported from Atlanta. CNN’s Dana Ford, Nick Valencia, Monte Plott, AnneClaire Stapleton, Phil Gast, Ed Payne, Joe Sutton, Devon Sayers, Miriam Falco, Sean Morris and Debra Goldschmidt contributed to this report.

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No longer grounded for safety concerns, United Flight 1 flew from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Monday.

A passenger on United Airlines Flight 1 looks out one of the Dreamliner’s oversized windows. The use of composite materials to build the airplane made larger window cutouts possible.

A United Airlines 787 Dreamliner sits on the runway in Houston on Monday as crews prepare for its first commercial flight since the fleet was grounded earlier this year. The Boeing 787 was the first entire airline model to be grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration in more than 30 years.

Michael Reynolds of St. Louis, Missouri, reclines during the flight to Chicago.

The Dreamliner has larger overhead bins than similar airliners.

The aircraft’s lightweight design allows it to fly long distances more efficiently.

Alex Gilbert and Rebecca Davila watch a film during a flight on a Boeing 787
Dreamliner.

Lithium-ion batteries that overheated on two Dreamliners in January prompted authorities to ground all 50 of the 787s worldwide, but a redesigned battery system has cleared the way for the plane’s return.

A United Airlines maintenance worker examines a hydraulic line.

The plane is designed to be lightweight so that it can fly farther with the same amount of fuel as heavier airliners. It can carry 200-plus passengers a third of the way around the globe.

Composite materials have replaced aluminum as the predominant material in the 787. The 777 is made up of 50% aluminum and 12% composites, compared with the Dreamliner’s nearly 50% makeup of composites and just 20% aluminum.

United Airlines Capts. Neils Olufsen and Bill Blocker piloted the Dreamliner’s domestic return to flight on Monday.

United Airlines maintenance workers prepare the plane for flight.

Boeing’s Dreamliner design reflects the airlines’ demand for efficiency. That desire has triggered a trend toward fuel-sipping, lightweight, long-range airliners.

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(CNN) — This was no ordinary plane ride.

No longer grounded for battery problems, United’s Dreamliner 787 Flight 1 gained takeoff speed down a Houston runway Monday, en route to Chicago O’Hare.

After months of concern about the 787′s future, the excitement and tension was palpable aboard the first domestic commercial flight since January 16.

In Seats 32 J, K, and L, Charles Marine, his wife Amira and 6-year-old son Dominic were going home after visiting the Lone Star State. Dominic, wearing a red T-shirt and headphones, chewed gum with a serious look on his face as the plane raced toward the end of the runway. Amira had a pillow on her lap, her hands folded as she faced forward. At one point, her husband placed his hand on hers.

The plane, carrying 219 passengers including many reporters and executives from Boeing and United, began to lift into the air. Outside the Dreamliner’s oversized windows, it was clear the plane’s wings were bending upward.

Dreamliner interactive: The Boeing 787 layout

Watching the wings of an airliner bend during takeoff might be a little bit disturbing for most passengers.

But the wings of this plane are made mostly of carbon reinforced plastic. They’re supposed to bend.

Then, Dreamliner’s wheels magically left the Earth. That triggered passenger applause that rang throughout the aircraft.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner got off to a rough start. Just over a year after its first commercial flight, the aircraft was grounded after batteries overheated on two flights. This Dreamliner, built for Air India, was the first produced at Boeing’s new production facilities in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Aviation safety regulators have approved Boeing’s battery fixes, and Dreamliners have started to fly again. Earlier this year, this All Nippon Airways 787 made an emergency landing because of battery troubles. ANA plans to resume commercial Dreamliner flights in June.

The redesigned battery system, right, adds a containment and venting system to prevent possible overheating from affecting the plane. At left is a battery case damaged during a flight on a Japan Airlines Boeing 787. It was one of two incidents that prompted the Dreamliner’s grounding.

A LOT Polish Airlines 787, with a redesigned lithium-ion battery system, performs a test flight in March at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. The Dreamliner’s distinctive wings sweep back at 32 degrees.

United Airlines is the lone U.S. carrier flying the Dreamliner. These are Business First Class seats on one of United’s six 787s.

The use of composite materials on the Dreamliner makes larger window cutouts possible. Composites have replaced aluminum as the predominant material in the 787. The 777 is made up of 50% aluminum and 12% composites, compared with the Dreamliner’s nearly 50% makeup of composites and just 20% aluminum.

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Dreamliner’s turbulent debut

Boeing’s Dreamliner takes flight again

The Dreamliner can do THAT?

The 787 was back in domestic service after being grounded because of fears of onboard lithium-ion battery fires. Two incidents on Japanese 787s in January prompted the FAA to ground all six U.S. Dreamliners, which are all operated by United. Engineers designed a fix of the system which involved insulating the batteries and putting them in a ventilated armor-plated box to protect the rest of the plane.

Dreamliner returns: Five things to know

‘It’s a relaunch!’

Dreamliner “was a fairly expensive piece of sculpture to have on the ground,” joked United CEO Jeff Smisek during a pre-flight ceremony. The average list price for a 787 is currently about $207 million.

His counterpart at manufacturer Boeing apologized. “We’re very sorry about the delay caused by the technology workaround,” said Boeing CEO Jim McNerney. “Safety means everything to us.” Both men were passengers on Flight 1.

In Seat 21J, Michael Reynolds, 64, was headed home after his oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation ceremony. He had no idea he was booked on arguably the most-watched airliner in America, touted by Boeing as the “airplane of the future.”

“It was a surprise to see the media circus,” he said.

Charles Marine also was in the dark about the flight until he arrived at the gate. Was he concerned about the battery problems? “I guess there’s a little bit of something in the back of my mind,” he said. But to have all these CEOs on the plane,” he said he felt safe.

Aviation enthusiasts call it Dreamliner 2.0.

Others call it Reboot: 787.

“It’s a relaunch!” said a United flight attendant wearing the name tag, Alejandro. “That’s what they told us to call it!”

Whatever it’s labeled, the fastest airliner in the world is back. Up in the cockpit, Capt. Niels Olufsen clocked it at about 647 mph. The plane beat about 10 minutes off other airliners by the time it hit Chicago traffic.

The slick new cockpit display allows pilots to more easily see maps, speed and altitude data. “It’s easier to fly because we have better displays,” said Capt. Bill Blocker, another pilot on Flight 1. “It lands nice, it flies nice, it’s real responsive, it’s actually one of the easier planes I’ve ever flown.”

It also soars higher than other airliners. Flight 1 maxed out at 41,000 feet — which actually is 2,000 feet below its limit. A typical airliner altitude is around 30,000 feet up.

But Dreamliner’s most important trick is to save on fuel expense. Surprisingly, it takes less fuel to fly high. “That’s just how jet engines work,” said Capt. Michael Barksdale, another United pilot who attended the pre-flight ceremony.

All airlines love to save fuel. That’s good for business — and the environment. And it’s why Dreamliner is seen as the “airliner of the future.”

Thrill of flight

For this aviation enthusiast, the thrill of flying this airplane for the first time involved the bendy, plastic wings as they lifted the plane into the air on take off. At first, it doesn’t compute — it looks so strange — but then you realize this ain’t your daddy’s aluminum aircraft.

Its cutting edge carbon fiber technology is taking aviation to a new level, where special materials can make magic happen.

Dreamliner’s cabin pressure is touted as a big relief for passengers who suffer from air sickness. The cabin pressure makes it feel like the equivalent of being at 6,000 feet above sea level, compared with typical airliners which are pressured at 8,000 feet.

I didn’t notice any difference at all, but I don’t suffer from air sickness. Most of us passengers weren’t discerning enough to notice the rarefied air, but the airliner’s larger windows, complete with “shades” made of gel that dims in response to electricity, were easier to spot and appreciate.

Now about the seats: They’re a comfy 17.3 inches across, which fit me fine, especially after enduring a torturous chair on a commuter plane the previous day. The plane’s seats are arranged in three rows of three chairs across, with two aisles. In first class, passengers stretch out on 22-inch wide lay-flat seats in the 2-by-2-by-2 configuration.

And what about Dreamliner’s other goodies?

– Specially designed cabin lighting to match the time of day

– Cathedral-like cabin ceilings so high they would be impossible for most people to touch

– Computers that sense imminent turbulence and command parts of the wing to make appropriate adjustments, smoothing out the ride

A bit of unstable air rocked the plane early in the flight, but it was difficult to know how the plane’s anti-turbulence system affected the ride.

Airliner of the future?

The battery problems have been addressed, but the real proof of a successful fix will be in incident-free flights across the globe. With that kind of smooth flying, is the door still open for Dreamliner to realize its promise as the game-changing airliner of the future? Can global aviation titans Boeing and United put the 787′s troubled battery system behind them?

Two battery overheating incidents on 787s sparked fears of possible inflight fires, prompting an announcement three months ago yanking all 50 Dreamliners out of service worldwide. Some experts dismissed the battery problems as hiccups, glitches or teething pains that all new airliners experience.

Glitch or not — it was the first FAA grounding of an entire airliner model in more than 30 years. Supporters hailed the move as an abundance of caution.

Two weeks into the grounding, Japanese carrier ANA said it had lost $15 million. In April, Boeing wouldn’t reveal how much the grounding was costing them, but it was “minimal.”

For many of the thousands of employees at Boeing and United who saw their futures tied to this plane, the grounding order was more than a little unnerving. Of course, passengers were nervous too.

Grounding an airliner opens the door to damaging its reputation for safety, say experts.

The previous FAA grounding in 1979 followed the terrible crash of the now-defunct DC-10 wide-body airliner. American Airlines Flight 191 crashed on takeoff from O’Hare and killed 273 people. Authorities grounded the DC-10 for about a month until it could be determined that maintenance issues were to blame for the crash.

The DC-10 suffered an image problem after that, said Capt. Kevin Hiatt, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, an independent aviation safety think tank, but that perception faded and the DC-10 went on to be relatively successful.

The FAA’s abundance of caution shouldn’t be allowed to damage the Dreamliner’s image, say experts, who point out that no one has been hurt in any of the Dreamliner incidents. “It’s a safe airliner to get back on and fly,” said Hiatt. Travelers, he said, should be very confident.

Under strict oversight, the FAA delegates certain certification activities to qualified experts, Boeing says on its website. The battery fix included a team of Boeing battery engineers and experts from outside the company.

FlyersRights.org President Paul Hudson wants an independent analysis of Boeing’s battery fix. He said federal authorities are “simply taking Boeing’s word for it” that the problem has been resolved and by delegating certification authority. “We think they made a mistake.”

“There’s never been any proof that self-certification ever resulted in a problem in an aircraft,” said John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, the nation’s top aviation investigation agency.

Hiatt is also comfortable with the process as it pertains to Dreamliner. But his group supports the idea that the FAA self-certification system should be reviewed, to bolster its safety.

Dreamliner’s days of being the next big thing may be numbered. Snapping at Boeing’s heels is its arch rival Airbus, which is expected to start test flying its A350 XWB later this year. In the wake of Boeing’s lithium-ion battery challenges, Airbus decided not to go with the same technology in the new plane — opting instead for traditional — and heavier — nickel-cadmium batteries.

Airbus rolls out sleek, new A350 XWB

Shortly after it was grounded, United said flyers would “flock back” to the game changing aircraft after the battery problems were fixed.

For United and domestic travelers, the game started all over again on Monday. We’ll see how much things change. And we’ll keep you posted.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/20/travel/dreamliner-main/index.html?eref=edition

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A mockup showing what an Apple iWatch might look like.

(Credit:
Sarah Tew and Christopher MacManus/CNET)

Apple may be checking out displays for its much-rumored smartwatch.

The company has reportedly been examining 1.5-inch OLED screens built by Ritek subsidiary RiTdisplay, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of display panels, according to Taiwanese news source Economic Times. Apple reportedly was initially eyeing a 1.8-inch display but felt that was too large and switched to a 1.5-inch size.

CNET contacted Apple for comment and will update the story if the company responds.

RitFast, a joint venture between Ritek and Taiwan’s YoungFast, would supply the touch technology for the so-called iWatch, the Economic Times added.

Another story from the Economic Times claims that Apple supplier Foxconn has already received 1,000 orders for the iWatch. But such a small order is simply a trial run, with mass production still a ways off.

As always, these tidbits fall strictly into the rumor stage. Reports have surfaced that Apple could unveil an iWatch this year, but the company has been mum about the possibility of such a product.

(Via Macotakara, MacRumors)

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/ekefVu49L_k/

Sony’s 13.3-inch Digital Paper tablet is based on durable plastic TFT technology.

(Credit:
Sony)

If you love doodling with a pen but hate accumulating paper, Sony and E Ink are coming out with a tablet/digital notepad that’s large and relatively light for its size compared to big e-readers.

The 13.3-inch Digital Paper touch-panel display was recently shown off at Educational IT Solutions Expo (EDIX) in Tokyo. Sony is planning to try it out at Japanese universities and bring it to the general market this year.

It incorporates the E Ink Mobius electronic paper display, announced earlier this month. Mobius is based on thin film transistor (TFT) technology developed by Sony and is being billed as the first large-format flexible display to enter mass production.

Built on a plastic substrate, they can be much lighter than glass-based TFTs, with 13.3-inch screens weighing only 2.1 ounces.

Sony’s
tablet has a 1,200×1,600 pixel gray-scale display, weighs 12.6 ounces, and is just over a quarter of an inch thick. It has 4GB internal memory, Wi-Fi, micro SD, and micro USB slots.

A charge of its lithium ion battery lasts approximately three weeks if the Wi-Fi is off, according to Sony.

As seen in the video below from DigInfo, you can rest your hand on the screen while writing on it, something you can’t always do with conventional tablets.

Would you want to write with this?

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A Howell torpedo on display at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum.

(Credit:
The Naval War College Museum)

Unlike Acoustic Kitty, the U.S. military’s dolphin program, active since the 1960s, has had quite a bit of success. Dolphins, you see, are capable of producing sonar, and have an aptitude for learning commands, proving to be much more useful than machines for aquatic mine detection.

“Dolphins naturally possess the most sophisticated sonar known to man,” explains Braden Duryee, operations supervisor for the SSC Pacific Biosciences Division. “They can detect mines and other potentially dangerous objects on the ocean floor that are acoustically difficult targets to detect.”

This time, though, two of the trained bottle-nose dolphins have discovered something much more interesting than mines off the coast of Coronado, Calif: a late 19th century Howell Automobile Torpedo, the first self-propelled torpedo in the U.S.

Military bottle-nose dolphin K-Dog with its handler, Sergeant Andrew Garrett.

(Credit:
U.S. Navy)

Unlike previous torpedoes, it was propelled by a hand-wound flywheel that weighed around 60 kilograms and needed to spin at around 10,000 rotations per minute. Conceived in 1871, the torpedo wasn’t officially approved for construction until 1877, and then used until 1885-1886. It was quickly superseded in 1892, meaning only 50 of the torpedoes were ever produced.

Until this discovery, in fact, only one Howell torpedo was known to still exist, housed in the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Wash. (Of course, Howell was pipped at the post by Melbourne, Australia, inventor Louis Brennan, who patented his steerable propeller torpedo in 1877.)

The dolphins had been trained by U.S. Navy specialists to touch the front of the boat with their noses if they find something, and the back of the boat if they don’t. During a shallow-water dive last month, a dolphin by the name of Ten surfaced and touched the front of the boat, confusing the human handlers, who didn’t expect any finds in the area. When it happened a week later with a dolphin named Spetz, a marker was placed, and divers were sent in for examination and retrieval. They discovered, after extensive research, that it was a 130-year-old torpedo.

“It was apparent in the first 15 minutes that this was something that was significant and really old,” Christian Harris, operations supervisor for the SSC Pacific Biosciences Division, said. “Realizing that we were the first people to touch it or be around it in over 125 years was really exciting.”

(Source: Crave Australia)

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British artist Marc Quinn poses with his sculpture of an orchid in the Royal Horticultural Society garden on May 20, 2013. The world-famous gardening event is celebrating its centenary year.

Cacti are displayed on the “Southfield Nursery” stand on the press day at Chelsea Flower Show on May 20, 2013 in London, England.

A flower-covered Mini Cooper in 2012, just one of the eye-catching creations for which Chelsea has become known in latter years.

Garden designer Diarmuid Gavin created an 80ft pyramid-shaped “Westland Magical Garden’” in 2012. He asked Chelsea Pensioners, retired soldiers who live in the Royal Hospital Chelsea, to pose for pictures on the pyramid.

Lupins on display in 2011 show, a reminder that, despite the celebrities and grand designs, flowers are at the heart of the show

Many of Chelsea’s gardens showcase styles from around the world, such as this Tourism Malaysia Garden in 2011

The Victorian Aviary Garden at the 2010 Chelsea Flower Show

A bumblebee on a flower in the 2008 show. Sue Biggs says the detail of an individual flower can be as compelling as the grand vistas of the show.

In their distinctive red coats, old soldiers called Chelsea Pensioners are a familiar sight at Chelsea. Here, one comes face to face with the Beatrix Potter character Peter Rabbit, in 2003.

A show piece called the “4Head Garden of Dreams” by designers Marney Hall and Heather Yarrow in the 2006 show

A Chelsea Pensioner inspects a 2004 work by Diarmuid Gavin called “A Colourful Suburban Eden”.

A woman at the 1976 show blends in with her choice of hat

Hat to hat chat….two women in straw hats chat during a visit to the 1964 Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show was a fashionable place to be seen in 1958 as it is today.

Smaller scale gardeners preparing for the 1955 show

Visitors relax to the sound of a band playing in the 1937 Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show has always been popular with the crowds, as this 1936 photograph shows. In 1979 turnstiles were introduced to prevent overcrowding and a ceiling has since been put on the number of tickets sold.

And an earlier age…gardeners carrying pots of flowers during the 1931 Chelsea Flower Show

A staff photograph from the first Chelsea Flower Show in the Royal Hospital Chelsea in 1913. Sue Biggs is planning to recreate this image with the present-day staff this year.

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Leading Women connects you to extraordinary women of our time — remarkable professionals who have made it to the top in all areas of business, the arts, sport, culture, science and more.

London (CNN) — It is 6am and Sue Biggs is surveying the preparations for the 100th anniversary of the Chelsea Flower Show.

A team of 800 people has spent three weeks converting 11 acres of playing fields into the world’s most prestigious horticulture show, as famous for attracting royalty and celebrities as garden enthusiasts.

Over five days each May, 157,000 visitors troop into the Royal Hospital Chelsea in west London to see 550 exhibitors displaying magnificent show gardens, new plants and new trends in gardening.

Watch: Royal visit to flower show

After 30 years in the travel industry, Biggs became director general of the Royal Horticultural Society — the charity behind Chelsea Flower Show — in 2010, and has already attracted a record number of members to the organization.

“I was here at 6 o’clock this morning and the excitement is fantastic,” says Biggs. “There’s something very magical about Chelsea. If you love gardening, as I have since I was seven years old, Chelsea is the absolute pinnacle. I have to pinch myself that I’m seeing it take shape.

“This has been going on for 100 years, you are very aware of the heritage, the past that’s gone before and the great people who have walked this showground, whether royalty, celebrities or great gardeners.

“Whether you love the tiny detail of a plant or the great vistas of an elaborate garden, there’s always something you’ll find eye-wateringly beautiful.”

A royal visit to the Royal flower show

Chelsea Flower Show takes between 15 and 18 months to prepare, so even as the final touches are being added to this year, a team is well into planning for the 2014 show.

Extravagant displays at Chelsea in the past two years have included an 80ft “Magical Tower Garden” and a “Sky Garden” with a suspended “flying boat”, both by the Irish garden designer and television personality Diarmuid Gavin. This year Gavin is not exhibiting, and Biggs says the focus is more on plantmanship, although she has promised at least one surprise.

Biggs, 57, began gardening at the age of seven when her mother gave her a packet of seeds and her own piece of garden for her birthday.

“I was smitten the minute the seeds came into flower,” she says. “It takes you into another world, an oasis, it’s a great wind-down for me.”

Read: Famous daughters on what they learned from their moms

However, she was not trained in horticulture and had never worked in the industry until three years ago. Instead, Biggs went into the travel industry where she worked for 25 years for the upmarket operator Kuoni, rising to become managing director.

In 1999, when she joined the board of Kuoni, she became the youngest ever director, the first female director and the first non-Swiss director.

“I went to Zurich for a celebratory weekend with the board, and they presented me with a card saying ‘Congratulations Sue, finally we have someone to iron our shirts’. They’d be shot for that now, but at the time I found it funny.”

Biggs, a longtime member of the Royal Horticultural Society, became its director general in 2010 after her husband spotted an advertisement in a Sunday newspaper and suggested a change of career.

“I laughed at him at first, but he said ‘you love gardening, you’d love it,’ she says. “I decided to apply and by some miracle they chose me.”

Biggs has worked on ridding the 209-year-old society of its exclusive image, promoting its charity work and has pushed membership numbers over 400,000 for the first time.

“It was never intentional, but it was seen as a gardening club for posh people. We have tried to be much more open and engage people. It’s helped us to achieve a record number of members,” she says.

She has overseen the sale of one of the society’s properties in London and used the money to invest in charity work, from promoting horticulture as a career option and funding plant research to opening an urban garden.

Read: Meet Saudi Arabia’s first female lawyer

“It’s one of my frustrations that people don’t know the RHS is a charity,” she says. “We need to make people aware of the scientific research, the work in schools, prisons and communities that we do. All of that work is funded by the success of shows like Chelsea.”

Back at Chelsea, Biggs is preparing for another busy day from media interviews to overseeing the start of planting once all the structures, from pavilions and marquees to rocks, boulders and hedges are in place. She is wary of treading a fine line between tradition and innovation.

“Chelsea is the most successful flower show in the world, but it needs to always have something to surprise and delight people.”

Chelsea Flower Show runs from May 21-25 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/20/business/chelsea-flower-show-blooms-100-years/index.html?eref=edition

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The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active.

Images of what is purported to be the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active – a rugged version of the Galaxy S4 – have been leaked.

The pictures – obtained by GSMArena – show what appears to be a largely normal Samsung Galaxy S4 but with a metal back and rubber, or possibly soft-touch plastic, ends. It also features three physical buttons under the screen, rather than one physical and two touch-sensitive, as on the normal model.

The device is set to be called the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active and will feature the same 4.99in 1080p Super Amoled screen as the standard handset though will feature only an 8mp camera rather than 13mp model. It will also use the same 1.9GHz processor though there is no word on whether the back will be removable for adding a microSD card.

The existence of an S4 Active has near enough been confirmed by the company that makes Samsung’s WatchON TV service, as a changelog for the software listed the new device. Whether these images are of that device, though, remains to be seen.

Expected to be both dust and waterproof, the Active will be taking on the Sony Xperia Z as the only two premium ruggedised Android handsets, though using the term ruggedised is perhaps misleading as neither is/is expected to be significantly more shock resistant than other handsets. One question as yet unanswered is how this handset may waterproof its headphone and charging sockets; the rubber flaps used for protecting the Xperia Z were not much liked by reviewers of that phone.

A Samsung Galaxy S4 Active release date has not yet been announced, nor has it been confirmed where the handset might be available. However, the handset has apparently been shown in Croatia suggesting an imminent announcement.

A you excited by the idea of a water and dust resistant Samsung Galaxy S4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Rocky poses with a prototype for Petcube, which keeps him entertained when he’s alone.

(Credit:
Petcube)

If you feel bad about leaving Fluffy home alone, consider giving her the laser treatment.

Petcube is stylish box that lets you play with your pet when you’re away. It beams leasers around the room while you control it from afar via smartphone.

Connected to your home Wi-Fi network, Petcube is a 4-inch cube that has a wide-angle camera, microphone, and low-intensity laser pointer.

The prototype is made of glass and aluminum and is being developed by robot enthusiast Alex Neskin, along with Yaroslav Azhnyuk, and Andrey Klen. The Ukranian startup recently showed it off at Seedcamp Week Berlin.

Credit for Petcube goes in part to Neskin’s chihuahua, which goes nuts for lasers.

“I came up with the idea for Petcube when I had a real problem with my dog Rocky,” Neskin tells CNET. “It couldn’t get used to our new place and spent hours barking at the door. Neighbors were not quite happy with that noise.

“So I used an Arduino platform to build a device with a camera and a laser to check on Rocky from time to time and entertain it with a moving red dot. Suddenly, all of my fellow pet owners wanted such a gadget, and that’s how the idea for a business appeared. We are doing this because we want to help people to keep in touch with their pets from anywhere.”

Neskin and his colleagues hope to launch Petcube on Kickstarter in August or September. They’re developing an app that will let users and their friends access Petcube to play with and monitor their pets.

Check out Neskin’s story in the video here.

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