What’s open and closed in South Florida on New Year’s Day




















Tuesday is the first day of the new year. Here is a list of what’s closed for the day.

Federal offices: Closed.

State offices: Closed.





Miami-Dade, Broward county offices: Closed.

Miami-Dade and Broward courts: Closed.

Public schools: Closed.

Post offices: Closed.

Stock markets: Closed.

Banks: Closed.

Tri-Rail: Will run on a weekend schedule.

Miami-Dade and Broward transit: Will run on a Sunday schedule.

Garbage collection: Regular service in most cities and unincorporated areas.

Malls: Open.





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Angry Birds, YouTube among top apps of 2012






TORONTO (Reuters) – Angry Birds, Instagram and Facebook continued to be among the most downloaded apps of the year but rising stars also earned coveted spots on smartphones and tablets.


This year consumers spent on average two hours each day using mobile applications, an increase of 35 percent over last year, according to analytics firm Flurry. The number is expected to continue growing in 2013.






“2012 was a transformative tipping point in the way consumers use apps,” said Craig Palli, a vice president at mobile marketing company Fiksu, adding that the biggest shift is in consumers’ eagerness to turn to apps for a broad range of day-to-day tasks.


Categories such as social networking, media and entertainment, photo editing, and games, continued to captivate consumer interest, with YouTube and Angry Birds being the top free and paid apps respectively at Apple’s App Store.


Meanwhile, several apps released this year quickly joined the ranks of the top downloaded and revenue grossing apps of the year.


The game Draw Something for iPhone and Android quickly gained widespread popularity when it was released in February, and despite dropping off, is still the second most downloaded paid app of the year Android and Apple devices.


“It had a big run and other multi-player puzzle-oriented games like newcomers LetterPress and ScrambleWithFriends proved popular, too,” Palli said. “But in many respects these titles were inspired by the more revolutionary Words With Friends.”


Songza, a music-discovery app for iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire, saw significant growth in both the United States and Canada, where it is now one of the top free apps on the App Store.


Paper, a sketchbook app for the iPad, is estimated to be one of the top grossing apps released this year according to Distimo, an app analytics company. It was named by Apple as the iPad app of the year.


But the real revolution, according to Palli, is among consumers who are eager to turn to apps for their day-to-day tasks, such as finding a taxi or hotel, following current events or increasingly, making payments.


“It is really consumers who are turning to apps first and traditional methods second,” said Palli.


Uber and Hailo, which allow users to book limos and taxis, and AirBnB and HotelTonight, for finding accommodations, began to move mainstream in 2012, Palli said.


Payment apps such as Square, and Apple’s introduction of the Passbook has further positioned the smartphone as a digital wallet.


This year, during major events such as the Olympics, Hurricane Sandy and the U.S. presidential election, the top apps on the App Store reflected those events, said Palli, showing the demand for keeping up with current events through apps.


(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Bill Trott)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Billie Joe Armstrong Reveals Green Day Tour Post-Rehab

After entering rehab in September, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong thanked his fans for their support and revealed some exciting news on Sunday, Dec. 30.

The musician wrote on Instagram that he was grateful "for all the love [and] support you've showed for the past few months."

"Believe me, it hasn't gone unnoticed and I'm eternally grateful to have such an amazing set of friends and family. I'm getting better every day."

Armstrong, 40, added, "So now, without further ado, the show must go on. We can't wait to get on the road and live out loud! Our passion has only grown stronger. ... Green day tour in March."

The singer entered rehab two days after an on-stage rant at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in September.

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Jackson family members won't be prosecuted in fight with Michael's kids: report









None of the Jackson family members will be prosecuted over their violent scuffle in July outside the home of family matriarch Katherine Jackson, according to an online report.

The case is now closed because no one from the Jackson family would speak to cops, according to TMZ.

Singer Janet Jackson allegedly slapped her teenage niece Paris and called her a “spoiled bitch” after she tweeted about her missing guardian and grandmother, Katherine. Security footage shows Janet and her brother Randy approaching the 14-year-old girl and trying to snatch her cell phone away.




Paris had been on Twitter for days, demanding the whereabouts of her grandmother.

“9 days and counting . . . so help me god i will make whoever did this pay,” tweeted Paris.

Janet, Randy and Jermaine confronted Paris and her brother Prince, and tried to take away their cell phones.

“This is our house. Not the Jackson family house. Get the f--k out!” Paris allegedly told her aunt and uncles, TMZ reported.

There was subsequently a physical confrontation between Randy and Jermaine on one side, and Trent on the other. Cops rushed to the scene.










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Tribune to leave bankruptcy after 4 years




















Tribune Co., which owns the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, announced it is emerging after more than four years of bankruptcy.

Tribune said late Sunday the reorganized media company begins Monday with new ownership – the senior creditors – and a new board of directors: Bruce Karsh, Ken Liang, Peter Murphy, Ross Levinsohn, Craig A. Jacobson, Peter Liguori, and Eddy Hartenstein.

“Tribune will emerge from the bankruptcy process as a multimedia company with a great mix of profitable assets, strong brands in major markets and a much-improved capital structure,” said Hartenstein, Tribune’s chief executive officer.





Senior creditors Oaktree Capital Management, Angelo, Gordon & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. will control the new company. The Chicago Tribune reported late Sunday that Liguori, a former TV executive at Discovery and Fox, is expected to be named chief executive of the reorganized Tribune Co.

Tribune, which was founded in 1847, publishes some of the best-known newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times, The Baltimore Sun and the Chicago Tribune. It also owns WGN in Chicago and 22 other television stations, as well as the WGN radio station. The Tribune’s report Sunday said that the new owners expect to sell all of the company’s assets.

Tribune Co. sought bankruptcy protection in 2008, less than a year after billionaire developer Sam Zell led an $8 billion leveraged buyout that left the company with $13 billion in debt.





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Manhunt continues for Miami man suspected of killing ex-girlfriend




















Miami police detectives on Sunday were still looking for the man suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend outside a Little Havana drugstore Friday afternoon.

Investigators said Ifrain Quintana is armed and extremely dangerous. Quintana is believed to be driving a 2001 Blue Ford Explorer with a Florida tag.

Quintana is wanted for questioning in the daylight shooting of Ariadna Gonzalez Campa, 42.





Police said Quintana confronted Gonzalez on Friday afternoon along Southwest Fifth Street and Eighth Avenue, taunted her then shot her multiple times in front of La Milagrosa drugstore.

Among those urging him to turn himself in is his mother, Katileydi Quintana, who on Saturday made an emotional plea on Miami Herald’s newspaper CBS4 for him to come forward.

“Turn yourself in,” she told him over the phone. “Call me.”

He said Quintana acted out of jealousy and Quintana’s mother agreed.

“You did it out for love. For love...” Katileydi Quintana said.

Quintana said her son needs psychiatric help.

Gonzalez’s 19-year-old son waited for word about his mother shortly after she was rushed to the Jackson Memorial Hospital. The young man broke down on the sidewalk when police told him his mom didn’t make it.

“I want justice for the man who did this,” he told CBS 4

Anyone who sees the suspect or has information about the shooting should call Crime Stoppers at 305- 471-8477.





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Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas






While it does have drawbacks just like anything else, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Surface is a great slate for those looking for a fresh new take on the modern tablet. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like very many people were looking for a fresh new take on the modern tablet this holiday season. In a recent note to investors, R.W. Baird analyst William Power recounted recent conversations had at retailers including Best Buy (BBY) and Staples (SPLS). While speaking with sales reps at the stores, Apple’s (AAPL) iPad was the most highly recommended tablet while Amazon’s (AMZN) Kindle Fire line and Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Tab line were both recommended as alternatives. Microsoft’s Surface tablet, on the other hand, was not pushed by reps at either chain.


[More from BGR: Purported photo of new BlackBerry phone with QWERTY keyboard leaks]






From Power’s note, as picked up by Barron’s:


[More from BGR: Sprint salesman refuses to sell iPhone to customer, says his ‘fingers are too fat’ to use it]



Microsoft’s Surface, which Best Buy just recently started carrying, was not recommended to us by reps without us asking about it specifically. When asked about sales to date, reps noted that the device was new and indicated that early demand has been modest relative to the iPad and Kindle Fire. We would also note that the device was in stock at every store we contacted […] We contacted Staples stores in an effort to further gauge Microsoft Surface sales, though our impression from speaking with reps was tablets are not a major seller at Staples. Tellingly, Staples doesn’t currently carry the iPad. When pressed for details, Staples reps indicated that Surface volumes have been modest to date. Most reps told us that the primary appeal to Surface buyers is the ability to run Microsoft Office. Consistent with our Best Buy checks, the Surface was also in stock at all Staples stores we contacted. Outside of the Surface, the Google Nexus 10 was cited as another strong tablet option.



Further supporting the idea that Microsoft’s debut tablet wasn’t a big seller this holiday season, Twitter user A.X. Ian did a quick analysis of tweets discussing new tablets during a 24-hour period around Christmas Eve.


Based on his data, 1,795 people tweeted about getting a new iPad during that time span while 250 tweeted about their new Kindle Fires, 100 mentioned their new Nexus 10 tablets and just 36 tweets were posted by users who had received a new Surface.


This article was originally published by BGR


Gadgets News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Golden Globes Flashback: Alec Baldwin 2007

Alec Baldwin was known as a film actor until undertaking debatably the best role of his career on television as "Jack Donaghy" on 30 Rock. After decades in the industry, he experienced immediate, tangible success through the show and was stunned by it all.

While he had previously been nominated for awards, including both Oscar and Golden Globes nominations for his 2003 film The Cooler, Baldwin had yet to win a major individual award for his acting until the Tina-Fey-created comedy series came along.


VIDEO: Alec Baldwin Jokes About Photog Controversy

The first season of 30 Rock premiered in the fall of 2006 and Baldwin was nominated a few months later for a Golden Globes for Best Actor. With Season 1 winding down, he was granted the award, his first of this magnitude, in January at the 2007 Golden Globes.

"I never really think of myself of someone that's going to walk in and [win the award]," he says to ET's former co-host Mary Hart after winning the award. "Meryl [Streep] walks in and wins the award. There's people that just have that role; they have that gravitational field...To win this, I am shocked. I am truly, truly shocked."


PIC: Photographer Alleges Alec Baldwin Punched Him

Although he was shocked to receive the award, Baldwin admits that he believed the show had a chance to succeed due to the various positive elements that comprised 30 Rock. Not only did the show reap accolades for Baldwin, but it also provided him with a new lifestyle that he enjoyed.

"I love the people and I love the scripts and I love the opportunity but I also love the lifestyle," he says. "In the past when I did movies, there was a thing that was thrilling to me twenty years ago, and that was I didn't know where I was going to be four months from now...and now I know exactly where I'm going to be four months from now, and I need that. I want that."


VIDEO: Alec Baldwin Takes on Santa

Baldwin has been able to maintain a stable lifestyle of filming 30 Rock for seven years now and awards have become a predictable facet of his life as well. After winning for Season 1, he has gone on to win two more individual awards, receiving a nomination in every year since 2007.

The 54-year-old actor will have a chance to add yet another Best Actor Golden Globe to his collection, as he has once again been nomination for 30 Rock's final season.

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Couple arrested after cops found explosive powder in Village apartment








A pregnant woman and her boyfriend were arrested after cops found an explosive white powder in their Greenwich Village apartment yesterday, police sources said.

Morgan Gliedman, 27, was wanted for credit card theft when investigators discovered a white explosive powder and a loaded shotgun inside her apartment on Ninth Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues, around 8:20 a.m. yesterday, court documents state.

Gliedman and her boyfriend Aaron Greene, 31, were charged with possession of a loaded firearm and explosives with intent to use them, records show.



The alleged gun-toting pregnant mom was also charged with drug possession earlier this year, giving her a total of three open court cases in Manhattan, records show.

kconley@nypost.com










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Week brings startup launches, social media advice for 2013




















Jared Kleinert, a South Florida entrepreneur, plans to soon launch Synergist, a platform that allow social entrepreneurs to meet potential co-founders online, collaborate and crowdfund their new projects. He also just launched AliveNDead, a blog about risk-taking, and he interns for a Silicon Valley startup.

And when he’s not doing all that, he’s going to class — he’s a junior at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton.

Lester Mapp is CEO and founder of the new Miami-based startup called designed by m. His team has just designed a sleek, ultra-thin aluminum iPhone bumper and launched the project on Kickstarter. After just a few days, Mapp is already more than a third of the way to his $20,000 fund-raising goal.





Read about both these entrepreneurs on The Starting Gate blog, where there’s also a post on the most pressing issues facing small businesses in the coming year — taxes, healthcare, lending and a skilled worker shortage, for starters.

And as you are ringing in the New Year, you may be resolving to beef up your business’ social media strategy. Susan Linning's guest post offers five top tips for boosting your social media effectiveness. Among them: Go beyond retweets and make your posts original, fun and personal (but not too personal.) Use visuals, too. Find this and other news, views and tools for entrepreneurs on the blog, which is at the bottom of MiamiHerald.com /business.

Follow me on Twitter @ndahlberg and Happy New Year to all.





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