AT&T won't be matching T-Mobile's offer of free wireless data for the iPad Air when the device debuts at the company's stores across the U.S. next month.
AT&T, the country's second-largest cellular carrier, said it will offer a $100 discount to customers who sign a two-year contract for tablet data service.
For customers who don't want to sign a contract, AT&T will offer recently announced plans costing between $5 for 250MB of data for one day and $50 for 5GB for one month. Those customers won't get the $100 discount.
Subscribers will also be able to add the iPad Air to an existing data plan for an additional $10 per month.
On Wednesday, T-Mobile said it will give tablet owners 200MB of data per month for no cost. Once that's used up, customers will have the option of paying $5 for 500MB of data for one day or $10 for 1GB of data for a week.
T-Mobile, which is the fourth-largest of the country's four major carriers, is aggressively courting customers with cheaper pricing plans. It recently said customers heading overseas would get unlimited 2G data at no additional cost.
A spokesman for AT&T declined to comment on T-Mobile's announcement.
Martyn Williams covers mobile telecoms, Silicon Valley and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Twitter at @martyn_williams. Martyn's e-mail address is martyn_williams@idg.com
Features include a curved display, self-healing rear skin and back-mounted buttons
We've had our fair share of looks at the then-unannounced G Flex, and now LG has made its curved phone official. Unlike the recently-revealed Samsung Galaxy Round, the G Flex is curved on the horizontal axis (think Galaxy Nexus) and seemingly more dramatically based on the pictures LG has released. Aside from the curve, the G Flex follows LG's design language found on its other "G series" devices, including the rear-mounted buttons we first saw on the LG G2.
In terms of specs, the G Flex has an OLED display, as we'd expect for such a curved panel, but is unfortunately only 720 x 1280 resolution — at 6-inches diagonally, that pegs the pixel density at 244 ppi. Inside, we're looking at a MSM8974 (Snapdragon 800) processor clocked at 2.26GHz, 2GB of RAM, a 13MP camera, 32GB of internal storage and Bluetooth 4.0. As expected, for now this is a South Korea-only affair. Also interesting, LG says the rear of the G Flex will feature a self-healing coating, designed to automatically fill small scratches in the finish.
As you'd expect the G Flex is running Android 4.2.2 with LG's own software customizations. LG seems to be crafting its software to take advantage — or at least be accommodating — of the curved screen, shifting elements on the screen based on how the phone moves. Beyond that, it isn't entirely known what new software features will be G Flex-specific.
MMA manager and promoter Ed Soares hasn't changed his tune since seeing longtime client and former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva lose his strap. Calling The Spider the G.O.A.T. for years, Soares' faith in the former champ hasn't been rattled following his knockout loss to Chris Weidman.
"I believe Anderson is the best fighter on the planet, period,' says Soares. "Any weight class. I believe he has a bigger danger to any fighter he faces than any fighter has towards him. Can he be beat? Of course he can be beat. Anybody can be beat, but you put him against any fighter in any weight class and I think he has a better chance of beating them than they do beating him."
As for the ill-fated superfight with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Soares still believes his man has what it takes to be the first man to put down 'Bones.'
"I think he'll beat him. I do think Anderson can beat Jon Jones. Not taking anything away from Jon Jones. Incredible athlete, but he doesn't have the experience and I think a well-trained Anderson Silva would beat Jon Jones."
Throwing in the towel.Dana White says he agrees with some fans' sentiment that Rosie Sexton's corner should have thought about putting a stop to her one-side affair with Jessica Andrade. "It should have been stopped. I said what we should do is bring the ref out in the hallway and let someone punch him in the face for 15 minutes, and nobody jump in to help him, just to see what it feels like."
Action from the last two weeks of October, and videos for all non-UFC fights again, woo. hoo.
*
A rough viewing priority ranking
1. Gonzalez/Casey
2. Clark/Cifers, Lim/Osman
3. Yamaguchi/Vidonic
4. Kianzad/Dudieva
*
140lbs: Pannie Kianzad def. Milana Dudieva via unanimous decision
I knew I should not have included this fight in my preview, but I did. So, my suggestion is don't watch it. It felt like a no name ultimate fighter level fight. Also, there were no commentators and barely any noise from the arena. Both fighters grappling were sloppy and I'm not looking forward to either of their next fight. Unless, Kianzad makes the move to 135. Kianzad wearing a low cut sports bra didn't seem like the best choice for an MMA fight (sort of like Ronda's sports bra against Carmouche). No wardrobe malfunction.
Star power counts for a helluva lot in Last Vegas, an amiable geezers comedy with an affecting emotional anchor. To call this the geriatric Hangover is both accurate and misleading, as the main fun here is not so much the broad humor as it is to watch five great old pros — Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline and an entirely captivating Mary Steenburgen — imparting pleasure while obviously having it themselves. Although formulaic in design and programmed to meet its quota of laughs, the film makes a point of going beyond basic expectations into some legitimate aspects of mature friendships without getting soggy about it. CBS Films looks to make this visit to Vegas a profitable one.
All wearing their years quite well, thank you — Freeman is the oldest at 76, Kline the youngest at 66, while De Niro is 70 and Douglas 69 — the actors play friends who have known each other for nearly six decades, as glimpsed in a Brooklyn childhood prologue. Nowadays, Archie (Freeman) is a veteran of one stroke whose obsessively protective son holds him health hostage in his New Jersey home, Sam (Kline) is bored in early Florida retirement with his longtime spouse and Paddy (De Niro) no longer leaves his New York apartment after his beloved wife's death.
By extreme contrast, ladies' man and successful Malibu attorney Billy (Douglas) willfully ignores the calendar but finally decides it's time to settle down — with a bride about a third his age. Despite reluctance on the part of Paddy, who says he hates Billy, the guys agree to meet in Vegas for a bachelor party on the Saturday night before Billy's Sunday wedding.
Screenwriter Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love.) delivers the requisite amount of old-age shtick (Sam's wife thoughtfully slips him an envelope containing a Viagra pill and a condom in the hope that some action will revitalize her husband), but quickly takes the story in a refreshingly unexpected direction with the introduction of Diana (Steenburgen), a wise and sassy lounge singer who's very frank about her availability as well as about the hope that Vegas will provide her with a satisfying next act to her life. She teases and engages with the guys, her sultry singing style is wonderful and develops a quick rapport with both Paddy and Billy that inadvertently revives the secret grudge that drove a wedge between them.
For his part, Sam attracts the attention of a drag queen (RogerBart), while Archie's big winnings at blackjack occasion an upgrade into the hotel's most lavish suite, available now that 50Cent has canceled for the weekend. Events naturally conspire for the boys to to use the enormous space to throw a wild party, in the course of which Archie shows off some smooth dance moves, Sam is forced to decide whether or not to use his wife's presents, and 50 Cent, in a cameo, shows up after all to demand that the music be turned down.
Director JonTurteltaub's signal accomplishment here is to have created a congenial environment in which the actors could bond and have fun within proper boundaries. The foursome's approach to these uncomplicated characters is at once relaxed and alert, loose and quick on their toes; they're just darn good company for a couple of hours, both when they're rejecting the usual expectations to act their age but especially when they're working through emotional issues for which even decades of experience provide inadequate preparation.
In every instance, the long-buried feelings that fire the dynamics of the men's character arcs cut rewardingly across the sitcommy ways the guys are initially presented: Cranky stay-at-home Paddy evolves into a man afflicted with profound romantic angst; Archie's life-loving bonhomie asserts itself once he escapes his son's overbearing surveillance; Sam reverses course from premature calcification to libidinous reawakening, while Billy risks renewed conflict with Paddy to at long last look beyond a woman's surface charms and probe the potential of a mature romantic relationship. These may be obvious trajectories but they serve to invest a farcical context with plausible facsimiles of real people.
The actors are all great to watch. It may be that Freeman's work stands out simply because, since he's now most often cast in solemn, grave, not to say God-like roles, he hasn't cut loose like this in a long time; like his character, he should do it more often. At first it seems that Douglas as an L.A. playboy is just too obvious, but the sensitivity and soul that Diana ushers to the surface as Billy spends more time with her elicits many grace notes from the actor. While Kline's role could have benefited from more meat in the script, his impeccable timing makes you pine for more mature serio-comic roles for this acting wizard. De Niro morphs his stubborn Archie Bunker-like complainer into a hurt man with a couple of exceptional grievances.
And then there's Steenburgen's Diana. Her musical gifts draw you in first but her self-deprecating humor, wisdom of the ways of the world and fundamental optimism make her a keeper and deserving of heated competition among men. In her best film role in years, the actress delivers a fully realized character from the outset and deepens it into someone you really care about even in an essentially comic context.
Opens: Nov. 1 (CBS Films) Production: Laurence Mark Productions Cast: Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen, Jerry Ferrara, Romany Malco, Roger Bart Director: Jon Turteltaub Screenwriter: Dan Fogelman Producers: Laurence Mark, Amy Baer Executive producers: Nathan Kahane, Jeremiah Samuels, Lawrence Gray Director of photography: David Hennings Production designer: David J. Bomba Costume designer: Dayna Pink Editor: David Rennie Music: Mark Mothersbaugh PG-13 rating, 104 minutes
Mobile payments startup Flint has been keeping a low profile for much of this year, but it’s looking like that quiet period is finally over. The company just recently launched support for Android in a bid to widen its reach, and today the startup has confirmed that it’s raised a $6 million Series B round led by Digicel Group with SVG Partners, Storm Ventures, and True Ventures also participating.
Wait, Digicel Group? Who? They’re not exactly a known quantity around these parts, but their oeuvre may just offer a glimpse at where the mobile payments startup goes next — it’s best known as a wireless service provider with networks peppering the Caribbean and the South Pacific.
“They’re kind of renegades in the mobile operator space,” CEO Jason Goldfarb told me. “Which is fine by us, we’re kinda the new kid on the block too.”
He isn’t kidding. If you haven’t been keeping tabs on the Flint odyssey, the startup launched in May 2012 to bring yet another perspective to the booming mobile payments space. In a nutshell, Flint wants to get a new generation of entrepreneurs and business owners processing payments on the fly without having to be tethered to a traditional countertop POS system.And I know what you’re thinking: I’ve heard that before too.
Where Flint aims to set itself apart is no-nonsense approach to getting mobile entrepreneurs up and running. There’s no additional hardware needed to get started for one — after a brief setup process merchants can simply scan their customers’ credit cards using the Flint app and the iDevice’s camera. That data is then encrypted and passed along to the backend payment processor (nothing remains on that device), and a quick signature with a finger seals the deal.
Flint also offers more competitive transaction fees than players like Square, especially when debit cards come into play — debit card swipes essentially cost 1.95% plus $0.20 while those with credit cards pay 2.95% plus an additional $0.20.
Now that the team is suddenly flush with some extra capital, what’s next? Goldfarb is definitely content to keep the Flint roadmap closely guarded, though he did note that he planned to flesh out the 16-person team considerably and that Flint is working on backend tools focused on driving repeat business and referrals for small business owners. He wouldn’t confirm how many users now tap into the service these days, though he did note that the company has seen “strong engagement” off the 150,000 iOS app installs since launch May 2012 and a 10x surge in transaction volume.
Scientists eye longer-term forecasts of US heat waves
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
27-Oct-2013
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Contact: David Hosansky hosansky@ucar.edu 303-497-8611 National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
BOULDER -- Scientists have fingerprinted a distinctive atmospheric wave pattern high above the Northern Hemisphere that can foreshadow the emergence of summertime heat waves in the United States more than two weeks in advance.
The new research, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), could potentially enable forecasts of the likelihood of U.S. heat waves 15-20 days out, giving society more time to prepare for these often-deadly events.
The research team discerned the pattern by analyzing a 12,000-year simulation of the atmosphere over the Northern Hemisphere. During those times when a distinctive "wavenumber-5" pattern emerged, a major summertime heat wave became more likely to subsequently build over the United States.
"It may be useful to monitor the atmosphere, looking for this pattern, if we find that it precedes heat waves in a predictable way," says NCAR scientist Haiyan Teng, the lead author. "This gives us a potential source to predict heat waves beyond the typical range of weather forecasts."
The wavenumber-5 pattern refers to a sequence of alternating high- and low-pressure systems (five of each) that form a ring circling the northern midlatitudes, several miles above the surface. This pattern can lend itself to slow-moving weather features, raising the odds for stagnant conditions often associated with prolonged heat spells.
The study is being published next week in Nature Geoscience. It was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, and the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is NCAR's sponsor. NASA scientists helped guide the project and are involved in broader research in this area.
Predicting a lethal event
Heat waves are among the most deadly weather phenomena on Earth. A 2006 heat wave across much of the United States and Canada was blamed for more than 600 deaths in California alone, and a prolonged heat wave in Europe in 2003 may have killed more than 50,000 people.
To see if heat waves can be triggered by certain large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns, the scientists looked at data from relatively modern records dating back to 1948. They focused on summertime events in the United States in which daily temperatures reached the top 2.5 percent of weather readings for that date across roughly 10 percent or more of the contiguous United States. However, since such extremes are rare by definition, the researchers could identify only 17 events that met such criteria -- not enough to tease out a reliable signal amid the noise of other atmospheric behavior.
The group then turned to an idealized simulation of the atmosphere spanning 12,000 years. The simulation had been created a couple of years before with a version of the NCAR-based Community Earth System Model, which is funded by NSF and the Department of Energy.
By analyzing more than 5,900 U.S. heat waves simulated in the computer model, they determined that the heat waves tended to be preceded by a wavenumber-5 pattern. This pattern is not caused by particular oceanic conditions or heating of Earth's surface, but instead arises from naturally varying conditions of the atmosphere. It was associated with an atmospheric phenomenon known as a Rossby wave train that encircles the Northern Hemisphere along the jet stream.
During the 20 days leading up to a heat wave in the model results, the five ridges and five troughs that make up a wavenumber-5 pattern tended to propagate very slowly westward around the globe, moving against the flow of the jet stream itself. Eventually, a high-pressure ridge moved from the North Atlantic into the United States, shutting down rainfall and setting the stage for a heat wave to emerge.
When wavenumber-5 patterns in the model were more amplified, U.S. heat waves became more likely to form 15 days later. In some cases, the probability of a heat wave was more than quadruple what would be expected by chance.
In follow-up work, the research team turned again to actual U.S. heat waves since 1948. They recognized that some historical heat wave events are indeed characterized by a large-scale circulation pattern that indicated a wavenumber-5 event.
Extending forecasts beyond 10 days
The research finding suggests that scientists are making progress on a key meteorological goal: forecasting the likelihood of extreme events more than 10 days in advance. At present, there is very limited skill in such long-term forecasts.
Previous research on extending weather forecasts has focused on conditions in the tropics. For example, scientists have found that El Nio and La Nia, the periodic warming and cooling of surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, are correlated with a higher probability of wet or dry conditions in different regions around the globe. In contrast, the wavenumber-5 pattern does not rely on conditions in the tropics. However, the study does not exclude the possibility that tropical rainfall could act to stimulate or strengthen the pattern.
Now that the new study has connected a planetary wave pattern to a particular type of extreme weather event, Teng and her colleagues will continue searching for other circulation patterns that may presage extreme weather events.
"There may be sources of predictability that we are not yet aware of," she says. "This brings us hope that the likelihood of extreme weather events that are damaging to society can be predicted further in advance."
###
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research under sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this release are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
About the article
Title: Probability of U.S. heat waves affected by subseasonal planetary wave pattern
Authors: Haiyan Teng, Grant Branstator, Hailan Wang, Gerald A. Meehl, and Warren M. Washington
Publication:Nature Geoscience
On the Web
For news releases, images, and more:
http://www.ucar.edu/atmosnews
Additional Contact:
Zhenya Gallon, NCAR/UCAR Media Relations
303-497-8607
zhenya@ucar.edu
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Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Scientists eye longer-term forecasts of US heat waves
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
27-Oct-2013
[
| E-mail
]
Share
Contact: David Hosansky hosansky@ucar.edu 303-497-8611 National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
BOULDER -- Scientists have fingerprinted a distinctive atmospheric wave pattern high above the Northern Hemisphere that can foreshadow the emergence of summertime heat waves in the United States more than two weeks in advance.
The new research, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), could potentially enable forecasts of the likelihood of U.S. heat waves 15-20 days out, giving society more time to prepare for these often-deadly events.
The research team discerned the pattern by analyzing a 12,000-year simulation of the atmosphere over the Northern Hemisphere. During those times when a distinctive "wavenumber-5" pattern emerged, a major summertime heat wave became more likely to subsequently build over the United States.
"It may be useful to monitor the atmosphere, looking for this pattern, if we find that it precedes heat waves in a predictable way," says NCAR scientist Haiyan Teng, the lead author. "This gives us a potential source to predict heat waves beyond the typical range of weather forecasts."
The wavenumber-5 pattern refers to a sequence of alternating high- and low-pressure systems (five of each) that form a ring circling the northern midlatitudes, several miles above the surface. This pattern can lend itself to slow-moving weather features, raising the odds for stagnant conditions often associated with prolonged heat spells.
The study is being published next week in Nature Geoscience. It was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, and the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is NCAR's sponsor. NASA scientists helped guide the project and are involved in broader research in this area.
Predicting a lethal event
Heat waves are among the most deadly weather phenomena on Earth. A 2006 heat wave across much of the United States and Canada was blamed for more than 600 deaths in California alone, and a prolonged heat wave in Europe in 2003 may have killed more than 50,000 people.
To see if heat waves can be triggered by certain large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns, the scientists looked at data from relatively modern records dating back to 1948. They focused on summertime events in the United States in which daily temperatures reached the top 2.5 percent of weather readings for that date across roughly 10 percent or more of the contiguous United States. However, since such extremes are rare by definition, the researchers could identify only 17 events that met such criteria -- not enough to tease out a reliable signal amid the noise of other atmospheric behavior.
The group then turned to an idealized simulation of the atmosphere spanning 12,000 years. The simulation had been created a couple of years before with a version of the NCAR-based Community Earth System Model, which is funded by NSF and the Department of Energy.
By analyzing more than 5,900 U.S. heat waves simulated in the computer model, they determined that the heat waves tended to be preceded by a wavenumber-5 pattern. This pattern is not caused by particular oceanic conditions or heating of Earth's surface, but instead arises from naturally varying conditions of the atmosphere. It was associated with an atmospheric phenomenon known as a Rossby wave train that encircles the Northern Hemisphere along the jet stream.
During the 20 days leading up to a heat wave in the model results, the five ridges and five troughs that make up a wavenumber-5 pattern tended to propagate very slowly westward around the globe, moving against the flow of the jet stream itself. Eventually, a high-pressure ridge moved from the North Atlantic into the United States, shutting down rainfall and setting the stage for a heat wave to emerge.
When wavenumber-5 patterns in the model were more amplified, U.S. heat waves became more likely to form 15 days later. In some cases, the probability of a heat wave was more than quadruple what would be expected by chance.
In follow-up work, the research team turned again to actual U.S. heat waves since 1948. They recognized that some historical heat wave events are indeed characterized by a large-scale circulation pattern that indicated a wavenumber-5 event.
Extending forecasts beyond 10 days
The research finding suggests that scientists are making progress on a key meteorological goal: forecasting the likelihood of extreme events more than 10 days in advance. At present, there is very limited skill in such long-term forecasts.
Previous research on extending weather forecasts has focused on conditions in the tropics. For example, scientists have found that El Nio and La Nia, the periodic warming and cooling of surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, are correlated with a higher probability of wet or dry conditions in different regions around the globe. In contrast, the wavenumber-5 pattern does not rely on conditions in the tropics. However, the study does not exclude the possibility that tropical rainfall could act to stimulate or strengthen the pattern.
Now that the new study has connected a planetary wave pattern to a particular type of extreme weather event, Teng and her colleagues will continue searching for other circulation patterns that may presage extreme weather events.
"There may be sources of predictability that we are not yet aware of," she says. "This brings us hope that the likelihood of extreme weather events that are damaging to society can be predicted further in advance."
###
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research under sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this release are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
About the article
Title: Probability of U.S. heat waves affected by subseasonal planetary wave pattern
Authors: Haiyan Teng, Grant Branstator, Hailan Wang, Gerald A. Meehl, and Warren M. Washington
Publication:Nature Geoscience
On the Web
For news releases, images, and more:
http://www.ucar.edu/atmosnews
Additional Contact:
Zhenya Gallon, NCAR/UCAR Media Relations
303-497-8607
zhenya@ucar.edu
[
| E-mail
Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
For complete WWE Hell in a Cell 2013 results, stick with WWE.com throughout the night. From an up-to-the-minute account of the evening's winners and losers to exclusive backstage video interviews and action-packed photo galleries, WWE.com has the most complete coverage of WWE's October classic.
How to watch WWE Hell in a Cell
Big E Langston def. Dean Ambrose (c) by count-out (United States Championship Match)
Fandango & Summer Rae def. The Great Khali & Natalya (Mixed Tag Team Match)
Kane returned and unleashed his rage on both The Wyatt Family and The Miz
Cody Rhodes & Goldust (c) def. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns and The Usos (WWE Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match)
Damien Sandow def. Kofi Kingston (Hell in a Cell Kickoff Match) (RESULTS |PHOTOS)
WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton (with Shawn Michaels as special guest referee)
World Heavyweight Championship Match Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. John Cena
Handicap Hell in a Cell Match CM Punk vs. Ryback & Paul Heyman
WWE Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match Cody Rhodes & Goldust (c) vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns vs. The Usos
Divas Championship Match AJ Lee (c) vs. Brie Bella
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