This and that | Ripple's Web

The Huawei Ascend P6 is the Chinese company’s latest flagship smartphone, and is the worlds slimmest, at just 6.18mm thick.

However, while flagship for Huawei, the Ascend P6 is more of a premium mid-range handset in terms of features and design. Its screen is 720p rather than 1080p and, quite astonishingly considering the time of its launch, it lacks 4G LTE, but on the other hand its chassis is finely crafted from aluminium. To find out just what the deal is, we got hands on.

One thing that is clear about the Huawei Ascend P6 is the influence from Apple. This phone sports machined aluminium sides and back and really could be mistaken for the iPhone 5 at a glance.

However, similarities apart, this is a lovely handset. That aluminium construction lends the phone a near iPhone 5-equalling level of build quality that just feels great in the hand. Also helping immensely are the proportions of the phone. While the record-breaking 6.18mm slimness we could take or leave – though notably we didn’t find it so thin as to be unwieldy – the narrowness makes the phone sit nice and snug in the hand. In comparison the Galaxy S4 is nearly 5mm wider and 6mm taller – that may not sound like a lot but in the hand it makes quite a difference.

This size difference may well be somewhat down to the smaller screen that the P6 uses but in fact that just highlights another way in which this phone trumps the S4 for ergonomics. The smaller 4.7in screen combined with the smaller body makes it significantly easier to get to grips with.

Even better are the main buttons that are ranged down the right edge of the phone. Up top is the power button while below is the volume. Both are perfectly placed so as to fall easily under finger or thumb, have just the right level of click and are nicely machined from aluminium – we’re talking class-leading stuff here.

We’re also fans of the use of on-screen buttons for Home, Back and Multi-tasking. Yes, it means you loose some screen space in some scenarios but equally it means there’s a decent amount of space below the screen to rest your thumb and grip the phone, unlike on the Galaxy S4 in particular.

The good news continues with the addition of a microSD slot that allows for cheap and simple upgrading of the phone’s storage.

However, not all is rosy. For a start the battery is inaccessible without dismantling the phone. Then there’s the placement of the charging socket, which is on the top edge – ever heard of a phone dock Huawei? But the worst is where Huawei has placed the headphone socket: right at the bottom of the left edge. This means the headphone cable gets in the way in almost every conceivable situation that the phone finds itself in – in the hand, in the pocket, when gaming…

Although the P6 lacks a 1080p screen, in use it doesn’t feel remotely lacking (indeed there’s arguably an advantage of a slightly lower resolution screen as it requires less power to run and needs less processing power). Its 720p LCD screen is still very sharp (it’s basically iPhone Retina matching) and uses the latest laminated screen manufacturing techniques such that the image appears right on the surface, rather than below the front glass. The result is superb viewing angles and bright colours. How it fares in darker lighting conditions when watching a video, we’ll have to wait and see.

As for the phone’s interface, it felt suitably speedy, thanks to its quad-core 1.5GHz chip (Huawei K3V2) and the use of Android 4.2.2. The look and feel is very different to stock Android as Huawei has gone to town customising it – and we had precious little time to really get to grips with it – but from what we could see it was largely cosmetic and all the key functions still work as any users of vanilla Android would expect.

Huawei was certainly keen to talk up the many funky features that its Emotion UI includes but five minutes at a press event is hardly time enough to do any of them justice.

Likewise the rear camera, which is an 8megapixel BSI model. With an F2.0 lens, it has a faster optic than both the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4. While this may sound impressive, the HTC One had a equally fast lens and that phone’s camera has far from lived up to expectations.

Taking a few snaps with the P6, the camera seems nice and speedy in operation with a clean interface – and that extra thumb space really helps for when holding the phone in landscape orientation. When it comes to image quality, we’ll have to wait and see

All told, from what we’ve seen so far, the Huawei Ascend P6 is going to be a phone well worth considering if it really does come to market at around £300-£350. It’s in fact a shame there are a few slipups like the headphone socket placement as without those it could have enough going for it to take on the likes of the HTC One, iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4 right at the top of the smartphone league.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bit-tech/hardware/~3/Q_PO9mbh-Z0/1

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GamingRipplesWeb/~3/tt-DqvD3OWw/

Flames in space form actual fireballs.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET)

Here on planet Earth we’re used to flames — whether from a candle or campfire — reaching upward to the sky with slender limbs hungry for oxygen and driven by rising hot air. But in space, sans our planet’s strong gravitational pull, flames are more likely to take the shape of eerie fireballs.

Within the flame of a regular candle wick, there’s quite a bit going on. As the video below released this week by NASA explains, molecules from the wick are being cracked apart and vaporized by the flame, then combined with oxygen to produce light, heat, carbon dioxide, and water, as well as soot.

In recent years we’ve become quite familiar with how flames can extend and expand quickly in their greedy quest for more fuel and oxygen; witness countless western wildfires of the past decade. But researchers aboard the International Space Station have observed that flames in microgravity behave much differently, staying in a small spherical shape and letting oxygen molecules come to them.

They also discovered something very strange while conducting experiments on how to put out fires in their environment. Small droplets of a fuel called heptane were set aflame inside a test chamber. The flames quickly went out, but surprisingly the droplets continued to burn without the presence of flames.

It could be that flames are actually present, but just too faint to see, something NASA refers to as “cool flames.”

Cool flames can burn at temperatures as low as 400 degrees Fahrenheit, but they behave very differently from the flames we’re used to. For starters, they don’t produce the carbon dioxide we’re used to getting from fires. Instead they give off carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Fortunately, cool flames typically can’t exist on earth for more than a few fractions of a second, whereas they can persist on the International Space Station for up to a minute.

However, NASA says these insights could have practical implications on our planet, such as better fuel efficiency.

So get ready for the next generation of vehicles — new, improved, and with more space fireballs! Watch the video below for a more eloquent explanation of the science and let us know what potential you see in formaldehyde-expelling balls of fire in the comments.

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

A trick sure to inspire copycats around the world.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Christopher MacManus/CNET)

After saving (or destroying) the galaxy, what’s a Jedi or Sith supposed to do in their off time? A comedic group called JesterLads came up with a hilarious trick that made many people think a mysterious hooded figure was opening elevator doors with the power of the Force seen in “Star Wars.”

With a hidden camera rolling, unsuspecting people in the elevator think it’s just another normal day, but suddenly change tune as a nearby man wearing a gray hoodie waves his hand to reopen the elevator door that’s about to close.

The reactions from other elevator occupants, which make the video totally worth watching, range from pure awe (“Are you Neo or something?”) to anger (“Stop doing that”). Some people just stare at the hooded man and smile, perhaps wondering if they’ve happened to come across a real-life Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Sadly, this isn’t a real Jedi trick, as the hooded figure happens to wave his hand in synchronization with his accomplice hitting the elevator button. Regardless, I’m sure many of you found humor in this piece by JesterLads comedians George and Austin, who set up the “Star Wars” elevator prank at King’s College London.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/lgf3mTOfrv0/

The Emerald City is part of a Wizard of Oz display built by 12 members for Brickworld 2013.

(Credit:
Captain Redstorm/Flickr)

We’ve seen plenty of crazy Lego re-creations over the years, from landmark architecture to vintage computers, but we can’t help but be impressed when an entire movie is redone in bricks.

That would be 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” which a team of 12 Lego builders has turned into a marvelous 3D plastic diorama that includes just about every scene in the film, including a rotating tornado.

The collaborators from VirtuaLUG recently showed off the result of their teamwork at Brickworld 2013 Chicago, a display of spectacular Lego builds.

VirtuaLUG has done displays including portrayals of “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Lord of the Rings.” For its “Wizard of Oz” set, the 12 builders in three different countries worked on their components separately and then assembled them in Chicago.

The display, at least 10 feet long, begins with a sepia-tone re-creation of Kansas, complete with a spinning tornado carrying Dorothy’s house off to Oz.

It then turns into a brightly colored array of bricks to simulate Munchkinland and the Yellow Brick Road, which leads away to show minifigs of Dorothy meeting the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.

The road leads through the poppy fields to the Emerald City, an eye-popping build of the green metropolis.

The display continues into the dark forest, which lights up with ultraviolet lights for an eerie glow, to the witch’s castle, which has a detachment of Winkie guards on the bridge. It concludes back in Emerald City as Oz’s balloon is about to launch.

Check out Beyond the Brick’s walk-through video of The Wizard of Oz display, which was named best collaboration at Brickworld, below.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/88azmdfZf7s/

Boldly going where no budget has gone before. This Trekkie created his own theater modeled after a “Star Trek” ship bridge.

(Credit:
Electronics Systems Consultants)

For some people, an ordinary old giant flat-screen television and Blu-ray player just aren’t enough.

How much would you spend for the best of the best? Some hard-core videophiles and audiophiles dump incredible amounts of cash on home theater equipment (and fancy home theaters) that can cost as much as the average
car or house.

Over the last couple of weeks, Crave has journeyed into the world of ultra-luxury with opulent smartphones and tablets and jaw-droppingly fancy watches.

In the latest installment in our series, we look at some ultra-high-end home theater equipment — and a few custom theaters — that redefine the notion of excess.

Be warned, though. The gallery below might give you a serious case of upgrade-itis.

Home theater gear fit for royalty (pictures)

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/4By9xvnVDAY/

Boldly going where no budget has gone before. This Trekkie created his own theater modeled after a “Star Trek” ship bridge.

(Credit:
Electronics Systems Consultants)

For some people, an ordinary old giant flat-screen television and Blu-ray player just aren’t enough.

How much would you spend for the best of the best? Some hard-core videophiles and audiophiles dump incredible amounts of cash on home theater equipment (and fancy home theaters) that can cost as much as the average
car or house.

Over the last couple of weeks, Crave has journeyed into the world of ultra-luxury with opulent smartphones and tablets and jaw-droppingly fancy watches.

In the latest installment in our series, we look at some ultra-high-end home theater equipment — and a few custom theaters — that redefine the notion of excess.

Be warned, though. The gallery below might give you a serious case of upgrade-itis.

Home theater gear fit for royalty (pictures)

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/4By9xvnVDAY/

Concern about the Syrian al Qaeda-affiliated group Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as the al-Nusra Front, is at an all-time high, according to the analyst, with as many as 10,000 fighters and supporters inside Syria. The United States has designated al-Nusra Front as a terrorist group with links to al Qaeda in Iraq.

That assessment is shared by some Middle Eastern intelligence agencies that have long believed the United States is underestimating the Sunni-backed al Qaeda movement in the country, according to a Middle East source. It is also believed that Iran is running training camps inside Syria for Hezbollah and that other Iranian militia fighters are coming into the country to fight for the regime.

The analyst has been part of recent discussions with the U.S. intelligence community, which is urgently working to understand what is going on inside the war-ravaged country and is consulting outside experts. The analyst, who declined to be named because of the sensitive nature of the information, stressed that all assessments about Syria are approximate at best because of the lack of U.S. personnel on the ground.

Next moves for the U.S. on Syria

“They are making desperate attempts to get chemical weapons,” the analyst told CNN, noting that in the past few weeks, security services in Iraq and Turkey arrested operatives who were “trying to get their hands on sarin.”

A senior U.S. intelligence official told CNN recently that gathering intelligence on Syria, including its potential future use of chemical weapons, is now one of the top priorities of the U.S. intelligence community.

The Obama administration announced last week that it will start arming rebels because Syria crossed a “red line” by using chemical weapons — including sarin gas — against the opposition.

The development is likely to be at the center of the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland on Monday, setting a riveting backdrop to the meeting after Syria’s longtime ally Russia said the move supports “those who kill their enemies and eat their organs.”

Opinion: Peace in Syria? Talk to Iran

In one corner, the United States, the United Kingdom and France say rebels need more help in ousting a 42-year dynasty and ending a regime that crushes dissent with lethal force.

In the other corner, Russia says its supply of arms to the Syrian regime isn’t nearly as bad as sending weapons to the rebels.

“I believe you will not deny that one should hardly back those who kill their enemies and eat their organs. … Do you want to support these people? Do you want to supply arms to these people?” Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Sunday.

He was referring to a widely circulated video that allegedly showed a rebel fighter eating the heart of a dead soldier. The video, posted by a group loyal to the Syrian government, raised questions about the rebels’ credibility, even though the Syrian opposition widely condemned the act.

On Monday, Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama will meet one-on-one to discuss the war that has now killed more than 92,000 people, including thousands of children.

On the ground in Damascus: Locals defiant toward more U.S. help of rebels

Chaos on the ground

While world leaders struggle to form a unified front, the seesaw battles rage on inside Syria — and at a staggering price. About 5,000 Syrians are killed every month, the United Nations said.

The opposition once controlled the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk, which served as a Palestinian refugee camp. But Palestinian fighters supporting the regime say they’re taking the area back.

“We will keep fighting until we get rid of Jabhat al-Nusra and al Qaeda and all other insurgents in Syria,” fighter Abu Ihad told CNN’s Fred Pleitgen in Yarmouk.

The pro-government fighters said they’re angry about the U.S. decision to arm the opposition, especially since members of al-Nusra Front have joined the rebels.

In recent weeks, the rebels have suffered a series of devastating setbacks. Their loss of the stronghold Qusayr coincided with the arrival of Hezbollah fighters supporting Syrian troops.

Syrian rebels have pleaded for anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, saying they are outgunned by President Bashar al-Assad’s military.

Explosions rock Damascus military airport

The U.S. has a new game plan

Obama has not detailed the increased military support, but Washington officials told CNN that the plan includes providing small arms, ammunition and possibly anti-tank weapons to the rebels.

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told CNN’s Candy Crowley there is a strong consensus on arming Syrian rebels.

“As the Foreign Relations Committee voted nearly a month ago on a strong bipartisan vote of 15-3 … we believe the rebels need to be armed, the moderate elements of those rebels,” said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey.

“Public intelligence sources have said that we’ve come to know who, in fact, we could ultimately arm. And the reality is we need to tip the scales, not simply to nudge them. And the president’s moving in the right direction.”

Britain has not decided whether to provide weapons to rebels but has provided technical assistance and training alongside the United States, France and its other allies.

“I’m in no doubt that responsibility lies with President Assad. It is the onslaught that he has inflicted on his own people which is the primary cause of the suffering, the humanitarian catastrophe and the deaths we have seen,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday.

Russia’s president said he believed both sides were responsible for the bloodshed. Putin said he hoped the G8 summit this week would help broker a peace deal to end the carnage.

But it’s unclear how many more lives may be lost in the meantime.

Putin warns U.S., West against arming organ-eating Syrian rebels

CNN’s Igor Krotov and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/17/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/yE5Tny1dsRI/analyst-al-qaeda-affiliate-surges

(CNN) — In a recent Fortune magazine essay, Warren Buffett — one of the world’s wealthiest people — explains why women are key to America’s prosperity. CNN’s Poppy Harlow sat down with the Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO to talk about girls education, his sisters, his family and how, as he says, “If I had been born a female, I would have been very unhappy about the Constitution.”

Watch the full interview in Part 1 and 2 of the videos.

More: Jennifer Buffett — Make schools safe for girls everywhere

More: CNN’s “Girl Rising”

Photos: The girls’ stories from “Girl Rising”

How to help

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/16/us/warren-buffett/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/zhYo-VkTepY/buffett-women-in-the-workplace

Read a version of this story in Arabic.

(CNN) — Though Syria is set to dominate discussion at this week’s Group of Eight summit, leaders began the conference Monday with talk of a possible trade deal they said could create millions of jobs.

The first round of negotiations for a trans-Atlantic trade agreement between the United States and the European Union will take place next month in Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama said.

“I believe that we can form an economic alliance as strong as our diplomatic and security alliances,” he told reporters after the leaders of eight of the world’s most powerful nations kicked off their meeting in Northern Ireland.

“The whole point of this meeting … is to fire up our economies and drive growth and prosperity around the world. … There’s no better way than by launching these negotiations on a landmark deal between the European Union and the United states of America,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said.

Putin warns against arming organ-eating Syrian rebels

The conference comes days after the United States pledged to play a greater role in assisting Syrian rebels, citing evidence that President Bashar al-Assad’s regime used chemical weapons against the rebels and his own people. The move was backed by seven of the eight nations represented at this week’s conference in Loch Erne, while Russia remains the sole G8 nation supporting al-Assad.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized the decision to provide arms to Syrian rebels, referencing a widely circulated video of an opposition fighter appearing to eat the heart of a dead solider.

Speaking to reporters in London after meeting with Cameron, Putin warned against arming Syrian rebels “who kill their enemies and eat their organs.”

“Do you want to support these people? Do you want to supply arms to these people?” Putin asked.

The White House announcement last week that it was increasing the “size and scope” of its material support to Syrian rebels came after months of political debate over the U.S. role in the conflict. Great Britain and France, two other G8 members, were strong backers of the May decision to end the European Union arms embargo on Syria, and both countries asserted that al-Assad’s regime had used chemical weapons before the United States did.

Russia, however, has downplayed the claims of chemical weapons use, and Putin has opposed outside intervention into the county’s 2-year-old internal conflict. G8 leaders hope a unified front against al-Assad will help pressure Russia to end its support for the regime, which extends back to al-Assad’s father and the Cold War.

Opinion: A new breed of terror in Northern Ireland

Obama and Putin will discuss Syria one-on-one Monday, the first time the two leaders will have spoken face to face since last year’s G-20 summit in Mexico.

“They clearly have a very broad agenda to discuss,” Obama’s deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes noted, adding the pair would also talk about counterterrorism and arms control.

“It’s in Russia’s interest to join us in applying pressure on Bashar al-Assad to come to the table in a way that relinquishes his power and his standing in Syria, because we don’t see any scenario where he restores his legitimacy to lead the country,” Rhodes continued.

Hollywood A-listers ‘demand zero’ nukes in new video

On Friday, Rhodes said further discussions with other nations were necessary to determine next steps.

“This is a fluid situation, so it’s necessary for (Obama) to consult with all the leaders at the G8 about both our chemical weapons assessment and the types of support we’re providing to the opposition,” Rhodes said.

The G8′s Syria discussions will come in a setting imbued with reminders of American diplomatic involvement overseas. The U.S.-brokered Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998, created the current system of government in Northern Ireland and helped end the decades-long violence between republican and loyalist forces in the region.

Before the G8 summit officially began, Obama delivered remarks on the U.S.-supported peace process in Belfast, though massive security operations served as evidence of Northern Ireland’s still-shaky peace.

“It has been 15 years since the Good Friday Agreement; since clenched fists gave way to outstretched hands; since the people of this island voted in overwhelming numbers to see past the scars of violence and mistrust, and choose to wage peace,” the president said, promising U.S. support as long as North Ireland continues to pursue peace.

“We will always be a wind at your back. And like I said when I visited two years ago, I am convinced that this little island, that inspires the biggest things — its best days are yet ahead.”

Cameron, the host of this week’s conference, named the problem of tax avoidance by large corporations as a central issue for G8 leaders to resolve at this year’s summit. The British prime minister hopes to secure agreements among nations on sharing tax information, with the goal of ensuring global companies aren’t able to dodge tax bills.

The measure met resistance from firms’ chief executives, though Cameron said he’s willing to withstand corporate ire for a fairer global tax system.

“You don’t get anywhere unless you are prepared to give the lead and perhaps make a few enemies along the way,” Cameron said. “In setting the G8 agenda around trade, tax and transparency, yes, you are taking on some vested interests, you are taking on some difficult decisions. But actually will it help both the developing world and us in the West? I believe it can.”

While in Europe, Obama will also likely be forced to defend U.S. Internet surveillance techniques that were disclosed in a series of newspaper articles in early June. The intelligence programs, which were previously considered top secret, involved large tech companies who operate globally, including Facebook, Google and Yahoo.

Snowden says online he had to ‘get out’ of the U.S. before leaks

Individual privacy online is highly regarded in Europe, but leaders there have faced a quandary in publicly condemning the American program called PRISM, which monitors e-mails, photos, search histories and other data from American-based Internet companies.

A robust intelligence-sharing network exists between some members of the G8 and the United States, and intelligence gathered through the NSA’s program has the potential to benefit other countries targeted by terrorists.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has nonetheless vowed to discuss the program with Obama during his visit to Germany and told CNN in an interview that other European officials are also concerned about PRISM. She said she wanted the greatest possible transparency on issues of surveillance and privacy.

The European Union — represented at the G8 by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso — also has “serious concerns” about the reported large-scale surveillance of online data by U.S. authorities, European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding said.

Rhodes said on Friday that the president would defend the programs, which also came under fire from civil libertarians in the United States.

“We certainly understand that — like the United States — countries in Europe have significant interests in privacy and civil liberties, so we will want to hear their questions and have an exchange about these programs and other counterterrorism programs that we pursue in the United States and in partnership,” Rhodes said.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/17/world/europe/g8-summit/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/rNCc26hJfi4/g8-fire-up-our-economies

Creator Scott Garner tests his app in a video.

(Credit:
Video screenshot by Nic Healey/CNET Australia)

Like most social media, Foursquare is designed to connect people, but what if you feel like being alone?

Web app Hell is Other People takes friends’ check-in data from your Foursquare account and calculates what the creator calls “optimally distanced locations” to make sure you don’t bump into any of them.

Scott Garner, designer of the app named after Sartre’s famous “hell is other people” quote from “No Exit,” made a video in which he tests the effectiveness of these safe zones. You can watch it below.

Of course, the success rate depends on just how dedicated you and your friends are to Foursquare. You might have more success calling in sick, closing the blinds, and pretending not to be home.

But Hell is Other People, spotted by The Verge, was designed more as an art project than a functional app, and in those terms it works just fine.

(Source: CNET Australia)

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/BAW0MOxHHUI/