Is BlackBerry back? Strong early BlackBerry 10 demand could signal RIM comeback

After hitting a rough patch that seemed to last for most of 2012, Research In Motion (RIMM) may finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. RIM plans to unveil the finished version of its next-generation BlackBerry 10 platform at a press conference on January 30th, and at least one new smartphone is expected to be revealed during the event. Generating interest in BlackBerry 10 within the crowded global smartphone market will be no easy task for the struggling vendor, but if demand at top Canadian Rogers is any indication, RIM is off to a promising start.

[More from BGR: ‘Apple is done’ and Surface tablet is cool, according to teens]

In mid-December, Rogers began taking reservations for RIM’s first BlackBerry 10-powered handset. The carrier offered almost no information about the BlackBerry smartphone, which has not yet been announced, but asked subscribers interested in purchasing the device to register on the company’s website.

[More from BGR: iPhone 5 now available with unlimited service, no contract on Walmart’s $ 45 Straight Talk plan]

BGR approached Rogers on Thursday to see how subscriber response has been thus far.

“While we can’t release the total number of reservations we have received for the BlackBerry 10 all-touch device, we can say that customer interest is definitely strong and reservations continue daily,” a RIM spokesperson told BGR via email.

The strong response from Rogers subscribers despite being provided only with the knowledge that the device will feature an all-touch form factor and will run the BlackBerry 10 OS is a good sign for RIM.

The vendor has a number of difficult challenges ahead, and convincing current BlackBerry users to upgrade en masse is near the top of the list. Strong early demand at Rogers for RIM’s first BlackBerry 10 handset is clearly a positive sign in this regard, as most early reservations likely came from current BlackBerry subscribers.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

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Oscar's Most Memorable Moments

The nominations for the 85th Annual Academy Awards have been announced, providing the perfect opportunity to relive some of the greatest moments of Oscar's past, from the unexpected streaker running behind David Niven and Muhammad Ali surprising Rocky star Sylvester Stallone to Halle Berry's emotional Best Actress acceptance speech and Heath Ledger's posthumous Dark Knight honor.

Related: Stars React to Oscar Nominations

Hosted by Seth MacFarlane, the 85th Academy Awards will air live from Hollywood Sunday, February 24, 2013 on ABC.

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Herbalife defends itself against Ackman's claims

Herbalife came out swinging Thursday against claims made by hedge fund manager Bill Ackman that the business amounts to a pyramid scheme.

A series of executives looked to refute Ackman's allegations during an analyst and investor meeting, laying out everything from how the business operates to who its customers are.

Critics have questioned the company's business model, which uses a network of distributors to sell its nutritional supplements and weight-loss products in more than 80 countries.

The defense put forth Thursday comes a few weeks after Pershing Square Capital's Ackman alleged Herbalife Ltd. was a pyramid scheme and that he was shorting the stock. Short-sellers make money when the shares they're betting against decline.

Under a pyramid scheme, a company makes most of its money by recruiting new salespeople, rather than on the products that they sell.Aside from Ackman, Greenlight Capital's David Einhorn had also raised concerns about Herbalife's business in May.

Herbalife President Desmond Walsh said Thursday that over its 32-year history, only one court has ruled that the company runs an illegal pyramid scheme. The ruling, which occurred in Belgium, is being appealed.

Walsh said that ruling has not hurt Herbalife's business in the country. He also balked at Ackman's claims that Herbalife uses a "pop-and-drop" approach to the markets it serves. This alleges Herbalife enters a market, makes money as fast as it can and then pulls out and moves on to new markets. Walsh said this is not true and that much of Herbalife's growth is coming from markets it has served for more than 10 years.

Herbalife Chief Operating Officer Richard Goudis looked to debunk Ackman's claim that Herbalife is not a product company. The executive said that the Herbalife invested $44 million into research and development, technical infrastructure and other areas to support its products last year.

Goudis also said Ackman's claim that Herbalife's shakes are more expensive than its rivals was caused by the hedge fund manager using a price-per-serving measurement that the company does not feel is accurate, and argued that Herbalife's shakes are competitively priced against rivals like GNC.

In defense against claims that Herbalife has few customers outside its distributor network, Walsh said the company has functioned primarily as a business-to-business seller and had not tracked its retail customer base.

To dispel Ackman's claims, Herbalife hired Lieberman Research to study its customers. A representative of the firm said that two of the studies, which were conducted among a sample of 2,000 adults over the age of 18, found that more than 5 million households purchased Herbalife products in the past three months.

Walsh added that 31 percent of Herbalife's orders in the U.S. were directly sent to non-distributor customers in 2012.

Herbalife, which is incorporated in the Cayman Islands and based in Los Angeles, also maintained that it complies with the appropriate Federal Trade Commission standards and that its financial disclosures meet guidelines of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Thursday meeting comes one day after Herbalife announced that well-known investor Dan Loeb's Third Point LLC purchased 8.9 million shares in the company. This amounts to an 8.2 percent stake.

Third Point's stake in Herbalife, a vote of confidence the business, was disclosed in a regulatory filing Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal also reported Wednesday that the Securities and Exchange Commission opened an inquiry into Herbalife. The Journal cited an unidentified person familiar with the matter. Representatives for the SEC and Herbalife both declined to comment.

Herbalife's stock hit a low of $24.24 in late December as a result of Ackman's allegations, their lowest point since July 2010. Shares have lost close to half their value since the end of April.

The company's stock rose 96 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $40.91 in midday trading.

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Unemployment claims on the rise in Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade County ended 2012 with more people joining the unemployment rolls than it did last year.

The late-year increase in first-time unemployment claims broke a trend of declining applications throughout most of 2012. First-time claims spiked about 15 percent in November and December, with about 17,500 new applications in all over those 60 days. That’s compared to 15,000 during the same time in 2011. For the entire year, claims were still down about 10 percent.

In Broward, overall claims were down 15 percent. In November and December, Broward residents applies for 10,200 first-time unemployment benefits, compared to about 10,500 in 2011 — a 3 percent drop.

DOUGLAS HANKS

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Hollywood OKs deal with Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso will soon have a sequel.

Hollywood’s Community Redevelopment Agency board agreed Wednesday morning to buy 3,000 movie tickets a year — at a cost of $30,000 — to help the small art house theater open a second location.

“The outpouring of support is amazing,” said Gregory von Hausch, the theater’s executive director. “Now we just have to work to get it open.”

Having a Hollywood location has been three years in the making. The theater, which shows documentaries, foreign and independent films and retro movies, currently operates from a spot near the Broward County Courthouse on Southeast Sixth Street in Fort Lauderdale, but wanted a second, more metropolitan location.

It’s worked out a deal to lease a nearly 3,000-foot space at 2008 Hollywood Boulevard.

It just needed the CRA’s guaranteed financial support in order to commit. And city leaders say the theater is the perfect for downtown, where they envision an arts and cultural district.

“This is more than a no brainer,” said Mayor Peter Bober. “This is a deal that makes absolute sense.”

The tickets will be given for free to area hotels to distribute to guests. The theater will also work something out to encourage Hollywood residents to view films there.

Several residents and theater supporters came out in favor of having a theater location in Hollywood.

“Here is a wonderful way of bringing people from all over Hollywood downtown,” said Terry Cantrell, president of the Hollywood Lakes Civic Association.

With the approval, von Hausch said they will immediately start work on the space to create a ticket booth, concession stand, screen and other theater necessities. The hope is for the theater, which will have about 100 seats, to open in three months.

Board Chair Alan Koslow is already dreaming of a second phase.

“This is just the start,” he said, adding that the film society would love to add a film school. “We want to bring Hollywood, California to Hollywood, Florida.”

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Why bother with a Facebook phone? Facebook’s app is already on 86% of iPhones and iPads

Rumors suggesting Facebook (FB) is working on a smartphone have resurfaced a number of times over the past year. Each time, Facebook denied the various claims. Facebook may indeed still be working on its own phone but as a new report from market research firm NPD Group shows, it probably doesn’t need to.

[More from BGR: Is Samsung the new Apple?]

Facebook makes money by gathering information about its users and serving targeted ads based on that data. Allowing users to update Facebook with fresh data as often as possible is obviously beneficial to the company, and smartphones present a terrific opportunity to give users access to their Facebook accounts from anywhere. The more people using Facebook’s mobile apps, the better, and Facebook’s smartphone penetration is absolutely staggering right now.

[More from BGR: iPhone 5 now available with unlimited service, no contract on Walmart’s $ 45 Straight Talk plan]

According to data published by NPD Group on Tuesday, Facebook’s iOS application was used by 86% of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners as of November 2012. On the Android platform, 70% of smartphone and tablet owners used Facebook’s mobile app in November.

No other third-party app even comes close to approaching Facebook’s mobile penetration. Google’s (GOOG) YouTube app is the next most popular third-party app on iOS with 40% penetration and Amazon’s (AMZN) mobile application is the second most popular third-party Android app with just 28% penetration.

So why would Facebook bother making its own phone?

One answer — perhaps the obvious one — is that an own-brand smartphone with custom software would give Facebook access to far more personal data than it can reach using third-party applications. Considering Facebook’s track record with matters relating to privacy, however, users may be reluctant to buy a Facebook phone.

In any case, a Facebook phone certainly doesn’t seem like a necessity for the time being. Instead, focusing on ways to effectively monetize the hundreds of millions of users who interact with Facebook from a smartphone or tablet each month might be a wiser use of resources.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

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31 Fun Facts About Birthday Girl Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton captured the attention of the world by marrying Prince William in a fairy-tale ceremony watched by millions in April 2011. She continues to be a major celebrity in her own right, with the world's media clamoring for tidbits about her everyday life and closely following her fashion choices. In honor of her 31st birthday today, here are 31 fun facts about the Duchess of Cambridge!

1. Born in the British town of in Reading on January 9, 1982 to parents Michael and Carole Middleton. Her father was a pilot and her mother was an airline stewardess.

2. At age 8, she became a brownie with the 1st St Andrews pack in Pangbourne, Berkshire.

3. At age 13, she went to Marlborough College in Wiltshire.

4. During her early school years, she played tennis, hockey and netball.

5. Her parents became self-made millionaires after launching a successful party supply store.

6. She graduated with a Master of Arts from the University of Saint Andrews.

7. Enjoys photography and took pictures for her family's mail order business.

8. As a young child, she performed in a play in which she portrayed a young lady wooed by a young, handsome blond prince named William.

9. Her hobbies include walking, tennis, swimming, sailing, and painting.

10. Spent time studying at the British Institute in Florence.

11. It was rumored that at Marlborough College Kate had a poster of her future husband William on her wall. But she later revealed that the image was actually "the Levi's guy."

12. While an undergraduate, she continued playing sports and played for the university's hockey team.

13. It was at St Andrews where she met Prince William and graduates of the university have around a 1 in 10 chance of meeting their mate and getting married.

14. Worked in London as a part-time buyer for the clothing company Jigsaw Junior and once considered launching a clothing line for kids.

15. Kate and William's first official event together after they got engaged was last February in Anglesey, where they dedicated a new lifeboat.

16. In keeping with wedding tradition for "something blue," Kate had a blue ribbon sewn into the interior of her dress.

17. She is related to famous U.S. General George S. Patton.

18. She is descended from a family of solicitors and landed gentry on her father's side and butchers, plasterers, road sweepers and domestic servants on her mother's.

19. The see-through dress that sparked William's interest in Kate when she wore it at a university fashion show in 2002 was auctioned in 2011 for more than $120,000.

20. During her tour of California and Canada last summer, wore more than 25 outfits.

21. Is an official ambassador for Britain's Olympic and Paralympic Teams.

22. Is six months older than Prince William.

23. She traveled with William to Malaysia, Singapore, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu to mark the Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee last year.

24. Received a tandem bike from London Mayor Boris Johnson as a wedding present.

25. Is distantly related to Prince William -- they are 12th cousins once removed.

26. She is patron of Action on Addiction treatment centers and royal patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices and The Art Room.

27. She's not allergic to horses even though this has been widely reported.

28. Although she could have a private chef at her disposal, she prefers to do most of the cooking for herself and William.

29. Back in 2006, she was selected by The Daily Telegraph as the "Most Promising Newcomer" in its list of style winners and losers.

30. She lived with her family in Amman, Jordan, for a few years in the mid 1980s.

31. Has four body guards assigned to her from Scotland Yard to protect her around the clock.

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Biden meets with gun-safety, victims groups; set to sit down with gun owners, NRA and Wal-Mart on Thursday

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden is hearing personal stories of gun violence from representatives of victims groups and gun-safety organizations as he works on the Obama administration's response to the shooting at a Connecticut elementary school.

Biden's meeting Wednesday is part of a series he's holding this week to build consensus around proposals to curb gun violence after the Dec. 14 shooting in Newtown, Conn., in which 20 school children were killed.

He told participants that he and President Barack Obama are determined to act.

Participants included the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence and groups from Arizona, Illinois and Wisconsin. Also present were two survivors of the Virginia Tech shooting.

UPI

Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder meet with representatives of gun violence victims groups and gun safety organizations.

Obama has asked Biden to deliver policy proposal by the end of the month.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will join talks at the White House on Thursday.

On Thursday, Biden will meet with the National Rifle Association and other gun-owner groups. Meetings with representatives from the video-game and entertainment industries are also planned.

Wal-Mart said it previously had not planned to attend the meeting because of its senior leaders' schedule and had spoken in advance with the Vice President's office to share its perspective.

"We underestimated the expectation to attend the meeting on Thursday in person, so we are sending an appropriate representative to participate," company spokesman David Tovar said in a statement Wednesday. "We take this issue very seriously and are committed staying engaged in this discussion as the administration and Congress work toward a consensus on the right path forward."

The world's largest retailer said it has had ongoing conversations with the Obama administration, Congress, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office, sportsmen groups, suppliers and others. The company said it has tried to strike the right balance between serving hunters and sportsmen and ensuring that it sells firearms responsibly.

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4 smartphones with standout features

These days, smartphones are almost all drawing from the same bag of tricks, and it can be hard to tell one from the next. If the average smartphone will do all the basic things you want it to, what does it take to be special? Here are four smartphones with unusual features that really make them stand out.

Nokia Lumia 920

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: This phone forges new Windows Phone ground with wireless-charging support and a highly sensitive screen you can use with gloves. Moreover, Nokia helps fill in Windows Phone OS gaps with a few missing features.

The bad: A thick, heavy build and slippery finish for some colors make the Lumia 920 harder to hold and carry, and the phone’s overhyped camera doesn’t have enough settings.

The cost: $99.99

The bottom line: Nokia’s Lumia 920 is heavy and thick, but if you want the most powerful, feature-rich Windows Phone smartphone available, this is it.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: Oodles of screen real estate make this terrific for videos, games, and reading, and its improved stylus aids productivity. A blazing quad-core processor, a great camera and strong battery life round out the advantages of this Android 4.1 phone.

The bad: The huge display makes it unwieldy to carry, and hiccups in the S Pen stylus and apps can slow you down. The pricey Note 2 isn’t a suitable tablet replacement across all categories.

The cost: $149.99 to $309.99

The bottom line: Samsung delivers a powerful, boundary-pushing device that gets a lot right. Yet its complicated features and high price raise questions about its purpose.

Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: This Droid (Verizon) offers fast performance, a big, eye-popping screen and luxurious design. It also has great call quality, lots of storage, 4G data speeds, and unbeatable battery life.

The bad: The major weakness is a camera that produces subpar images. The phone is filled with Verizon bloatware as well.

The cost: $149.99 to $299.99

The bottom line: Motorola’s fast, stylish Droid Razr Maxx HD offers outstanding battery life, but its camera captures unimpressive images.

Samsung Galaxy Beam

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)

The good: An integrated pico projector, as well as a dual-core processor, 720p video capture and a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen.

The bad: The projection software needs some work, the 5-megapixel camera sometimes blurs indoor shots, and the Beam is thicker and heavier than many phones.

The cost: $474.49 to $839.99

The bottom line: Despite weak software, the Galaxy Beam’s bright projector pushes boundaries, and strong smartphone features make it a worthy standalone device.

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Scott Israel is sworn in as Broward sheriff

As several thousand people looked on inside the Faith Center of Sunrise, new Broward Sheriff Scott Israel was introduced at Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony to a standing ovation.

It’s one of the most powerful elected post in the county, overseeing about 5,500 employees and a $670 million budget.

The BSO Honor Guard and a pipe and drum corps led the procession on stage. Israel’s triplets, 16-year-old Blair, Blake and Brett, led the “Pledge of Allegiance.’’

Israel, a Democrat, takes the reins from form Sheriff Al Lamberti, a Republican, who served in the post since first being appointed by then-Gov. Charlie Crist in 2007. Lambert won over challenger Israel in 2008, but in the most recent election, Israel handily ousted the incumbent. Lamberti has not said what his future plans include.

Even before taking office, Israel set to work changing things at BSO. In December, his transition team sent emails to 28 high-ranking employees telling them they would be out once Israel took over. Many top officials had already announced they would be leaving, including BSO spokesman Jim Leljedal, attorney Judith Levine and Undersheriff Tom Wheeler. Emails from Israel’s transition team to BSO show that Israel has sought information about every aspect of the agency, including budget forecasts, contracts for everything from garbage collection to lobbying, statistics about the race of employees and even about the protocol for military casket arrivals.

Beyond staff changes, it is not yet clear how Israel, a 56-year-old former Fort Lauderdale police captain and North Bay Village police chief — will change BSO.

But Israel’s senior command staff includes many who played key roles in his campaign, including his new general counsel, Ron Gunzburger, son of County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger, and Lisa Castillo, who worked on Israel’s campaign. The name of her husband, Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo, is also being bandied about as having a role in the Israel administration.

Israel, his wife Susan and their teenage triplets live in Parkland.

Miami Herald staff writer Amy Sherman contributed to this report.

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