It’s been two years since we last heard of the 98-foot-long solar-powered boat, which at the time was gearing up for its big journey around the world. Well, some 19 months and 37,286 miles after setting sail from Monaco, the MS Turanor PlanetSolar has finally made it home. The PlanetSolar broke four Guinness world records along the way, including the all-important “first circumnavigation by solar-powered boat,” and it made stops on six continents to promote solar energy. Oh, and the team fended off Somalian pirates in the process, too. Now that it has a moment to catch its breath and soak up some rays at leisure, the MS Turanor could become any number of things — from the world’s largest solar battery to a “green luxury yacht.” The latter option would certainly befit its chichi home port.

First solar-powered boat to circle the world pulls into home port, contemplates next move originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 20:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are a lot of computer whiz kids out there. We’ve all seen the local news stories about the teenager who’s created an awesome app, or the high school student working on an ambitious robotics project. We’ve all met those guys. But how often do you see a six-year-old kid who’s been creating video game emulators since he was four and knows computers better than most adults?

Enter Wasik Farhan-Roopkotha. He learned how to use Microsoft World when he was three, and became interested in emulators a year later. He’s also a boss when he competes in games like Call of Duty or Metal Gear Solid. He may soon be recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s youngest computer expert. “I knew he was very different since his birth. I couldn’t believe my eyes when he began computing when he was just seven months old,” his mom said in an interview with BBC.

Farhan-Roopkotha, who lives in Bangladesh, says his dream is to work for a large computer firm in the future. He is also learning English to make himself more marketable once he is actually old enough to begin a professional career. As for the world record, the boy genius won’t be replacing a current record holder. Instead, his family, along with support from Microsoft, will try to convince Guinness to add a new entry in its records database. If they did decide to create such a record, there’s probably little argument that Farhan-Roopkotha would deserve to be the inaugural choice.

[via BBC]

Six-year-old boy may set world computer expert record is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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CNN, Hong Kong – The World Bank race has been run and won – and no surprises for guessing the winner.

That was clear months ago when the U.S. backed Europe's nomination of Christine Lagarde for the top job at the International Monetary Fund. It ensured the Europeans would back the U.S. at the World Bank.

But the cozy days of you-scratch-my-back-if-I-scratch-yours are numbered. And not before time.

Former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is claiming, if not victory, then success. Success in breaching the IMF-World Bank club for insiders. Never again will a European be chosen for the IMF or an American for the World Bank without a rigorous test based on merit.

Whether Mr Kim is the best or most qualified for the job will remain a debate. But what is clear is that Ngozo Okonjo-Iweala was equally well-equipped to lead the bank.

As the 21th century becomes increasingly a story of the developing world, the Bretton Woods institutions have been put on notice in clear terms: no more deal-making and a lot more transparency. Those days belong to an era when the U.S. and Europe ruled the economic world. Those days are coming to an end.

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It’s a bit early to be handing out the big trophy for 2012, particularly with the world about to end in a few months time here, but Mario Menezes sees no fault in staking claim to it more than two years out. This is probably the fault of the internet age rendering the man behind the pulpit no longer responsible for his words, as what were once key, locker room crippling soundbites are now just pixels between the latest tweet from Rio Ferdinand regarding what he had for breakfast.

Arguably, Brazil should be the favorites. Whether or not added pressure is good for his faux-hawk-led team is his discretion. Personally, I’d have gone the “woe is us” Droopy route for three years and then sprung a ruthless attack.

“We will win the World Cup in 2014,” Menezes told Marca Brasil. “We have a talented generation, with a very strong mindset. These are players who can handle the pressure of representing Brazil at such an important moment, even though they are very young. And we also have experienced players who can balance it out. This will become very clear for the fans soon.”

“Neymar can be the best, but Messi’s chances are bigger, because he is at a more advanced stage and is more mature,” Menezes said. “I am afraid when it comes to Neymar, just like I would be in the case of a student who is the top of his class, because both can lose their reference points and the notion that they can still improve.”

So there you have it: Brazil to win, Messi to win the Golden Ball. Attempt a refund on flights, hotels and tickets as appropriate.

View full post on International Football News – World Cup Blog

Editor’s note: The Millennials are a generation that are constantly plugged in and moving fast to make their mark on the world. CNN’s Quest Means Business is tracking four of them. In this episode, Intern Latin America's David Lloyd comes to London and tests some potential new staffers while trainee actor Michael Burbach gets ready for the working world. In this guest blog, Michael explains why the theatre remains such an important art form.

New York (CNN) – “Ladies and gentlemen, the performance of [title of show] will begin shortly. Please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices. Thank you, and enjoy the show.”

The lights are dimmed, the first few notes from the orchestra are played, and the curtain is raised. I take a big, slow breath as the first moments of a Broadway show begin. Only the stage exists, time dissolves. I’m lost in the Magic of the Theatre.

Oh, wait. No. I’m still on earth. I’m reminded of this by the pinprick of light in my peripheral vision. My eyes unglue themselves from the actors to investigate the star amidst the sea of audience.

The Magic comes to a screeching halt as I realize I am not, in fact, in Oz, or Argentina, or anywhere else my $26.50 student ticket has led me to believe I am. I am in the West 40s in the New York City. And someone is on their cell phone. Texting. In the middle of a Broadway show.

As infuriating as it is, it’s actually not all that hard to believe. Arguments, breakups, makeups, and other confrontations are often dealt with via text these days.

You’re not really in a relationship until it’s FBO (Facebook Official). You can skip commercials on your TiVo and you set up dates on website Plenty of Fish. You don’t even need to speak to a human to buy your tickets to the Broadway show – the automated voice on the line will take care of that for you.

It’s no surprise people find it difficult to keep their cell phones off while Bernadette Peters is singing Sondheim on stage in front of them. They’ll just watch it on YouTube later.

But we are humans. Like Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, we need people. Our grip on reality and communication is changing rapidly. I know the urge for real human connection is within all of us, but it’s so much easier to simply hide behind the screen of white, glowing light. Real talk is starting to become too scary.

This is why theatre is so important. Even with the distraction of someone in the audience on their phone, theatre is real. There’s no digital barrier between the audience and the performers. There’s no a safe wall of shiny plastic to protect you. No fast-forwarding. Theatre forces humanity in front of you in real time, in tangible reality. In an age where that is becoming less common, I can’t think of an art form that is needed more.

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What do you think of the new uniforms?

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Rich people have phones, like apps and want to buy things using said phones. The less-than-groundbreaking results of a study from the Luxury Institute offer some facts and figures around affluent people who own smartphones (60 percent), use apps on them (73 percent) and who have or want to buy something (67 percent) using their handsets. But what’s really worth pondering is the call by the Institute to create luxury mobile experiences via apps and in-app advertising to help drive commerce even when affluent shoppers aren’t in the store.

From the release:

“Consumers are becoming so much more mobile and we need to figure out how to translate that mobility into a humanistic experience,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute.

“Apps are becoming ubiquitous, so it’s what we do with them that make the experience more extraordinary that will make the difference,” he said. “How the app is being used by the consumer or to contact someone who represents the brand is now where the real opportunity lies.”

There are many luxury buyers, should there be many luxury brand apps?

So what exactly defines luxury in a mobile setting? In the original web world, sites or luxury brands equated an “experience” with processor-hogging and time-consuming animations, movies and Flash-like experiences (see restaurant web sites), or they scorned the web for years (see Prada). So in bringing luxury to mobile devices and to popular mobile apps such as Words with Friends, Angry Birds or other popular games that the Luxury Institute discovered rich people also play, how do brands and developers indicate their class?

The Institute’s survey respondents had an average net worth of $2.8 million, so I’m not in the demographic, but I do have some experience with luxury brands that might offer some clues for creating an experience that resonates with some shoppers. There is a woman at Nordstroms who picks clothes out for me when I call and tell her I need something (usually before a GigaOM event). That’s luxury for me. Saving time. So perhaps a browser extension across PC and mobile that sent everything I looked at or liked to her would be useful.

But other luxury shoppers (those with more money and time) might have a different definition of luxury and different requirements. If we think of apps as so popular because they create a small individual experience then maybe luxury brands would do well to create apps for their different types of shoppers? Gateway apps, such as the engagement ring app Tiffany’s created to guide people through the purchase of a ring helps get mobile users into the Tiffany fold. Meanwhile, another app could focus on serving established customers with reminders about a spouse’s birthday (go diamonds!) or upcoming baby showers where Tiffany silver might make a lovely gift.

So what about ads?

A larger portion of the survey appeared to focus on the experience of online ads in the current apps that everyone plays. Aside from seeming surprised that wealthy people also play apps, the Institute noted that Nordstroms and Bergdorf Goodman were running ads inside Words with Friends. But for luxury brands, instead of a tacky banner app, could a luxury brand come up with something … well, more luxurious? This might help luxury shoppers choose mobile instead of the in-store experience.

Apple’s iAd was supposed to be something similar to that, allowing a brand to pay big to create an “experience,” but so far it hasn’t been a resounding success. The cost to participate has dropped from a $1 million commitment to a $100,000 commitment, and Apple has made the revenue share on iAd larger, perhaps in hopes of enticing developers to use it. Although, what may be a surprise for Apple lovers, only 28 percent of luxury consumers own an iPhone, according to the survey. Twenty-two percent own an Android, 16 percent own a BlackBerry and 2 percent own another smartphone.

So will better in-app ads drive rich people into stores? Will better apps drive rich people to buy online? In the mobile age, luxury brands have the same problem as every other retailer pondering a mobile strategy. The difference seems to be that this time around luxury brands won’t be as slow to adapt to the new commerce.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Opportunities and challenges for mobile deals
• Facebook’s IPO filing: ideas and implications
• NewNet Q4: Platform mania and social commerce shakeout

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We’ve had a go at the HTC One X and the HTC One S, now it’s time to let you in on the camera hardware and software involved in both of these marvelous machines. HTC has been adamant about how much time and effort they’ve put into the photo and video capturing elements of this Hero line of smartphones, and from what we’ve seen thus far, they’ve done quite an amazing job at it! Below we’ll go through not only the interface in video form, but include several examples of both high definition video and photos galore.

What you’re going to see here first is a hands-on experience with the HTC One S’s camera app – it’s the same software as the HTC One X, so you can expect to be working with the same set of buttons and controls on either device. Here you’ll find that this HTC-made experience takes what Android is capable of and delivers a whole new level of fabulous mobile photo and video capture. Included are effects on both video and photo, settings, adjustments, and results below.

Check out our full reviews of the HTC One X and the HTC One S right now!

Next let’s have a look at a couple examples of video. We’ve got a couple of different situations here, one outdoors with high sunlight, the other indoors looking out a window. First we’ll have a 1080p video sample collected with the HTC One X at a flea market in London on a fine spring afternoon:

Next we’ve got a 1080p video sample taken with the HTC One S. The difference here is in the processor’s additions to the quality of the video. Minute though they may be, the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor in the One X does handle image and video processing different from the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4. Both devices have the same “HTC ImageSense” processing chip, from what we understand, this working directly with the camera, but there is some final processing to be done between what you’ve captured on the device and here.

Have a peek here also at some Slow Motion video capture from the HTC One S. Both devices are capable of working with this effect, they capturing frames at an extraordinary speed to bring you all the slo-mo action you could possibly desire. First have a peek at the HTC One S’s capture of the dog named Emme:

Next we’ve got video showing off the HTC One X taking some slow-motion video, this time with a child involved! Note that this video comes from the Android Community review of the One X, and also note that the Slow Motion effect does not include sound, just video.

For photos we’ll begin with an HTC One S example in some mixed light – some natural and some generated by lamps – of the rather complicated machine you saw moving above.

Then a photo with the One X of a traditionally relatively dark area, the London tube, here with nothing but unnatural light. The only scarier place on earth is the same place in New York City – watch out for mole people and Ninja Turtles!

A couple of HD photos outdoors from the Android Community review of the HTC One S are next – the detail can be seen sharp and hot from back to front, wouldn’t you agree?

Then we’ve got some action from Burst Mode. The following set of images was photographed during the hands-on video you see at the head of this post. Notice the slight variations in quality throughout the series:

This camera experience yields an extremely entertaining and diverse environment in which we’ll be able to work on a day-to-day basis with ease. HTC has also created a set of cameras that produce videos and photos which are set to compete with the best smartphone-based cameras on the market without breaking a sweat. Have a peek at the timeline below to continue your HTC One experience, all the way from Barcelona to London to Minnesota to Arizona and back again!

Also included below is a set of photos each captured in the hands-on video you see above. These photos show off the vast majority of the effects you’ll be able to use in photos here in Sense 4.0 on the HTC One series – enjoy!

HTC One camera wows in real world Hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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(CNN) – It was a storybook finish at the world’s richest horse race. After a six-year drought on his home turf (actually a synthetic surface called Tapeta), Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum watched with a royal smile that could light up the Meydan Grandstand at the racing venue he built on the outskirts of his emirate Dubai.

Monterosso, ridden by the Spanish jockey he personally picked, Mickael Barzalona, cruised to victory in the $10 million Dubai World Cup. In a CNN interview right off the winner’s circle at Meydan, the Ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates told me, “My heart was in my throat at that time and I didn’t know what to say but thank God we won it and everybody has won – all of the country – I’m double happy now!”

“Double happy” because the Godolphin stables took one and two after not winning since 2006. The President of the UAE called to send his congratulations knowing how passionate Sheikh Mohammed is about his racing empire.

Triumph and tragedy for Godolphin stable

The state-of-the-art facility was filled to the rafters with just over 80,000 spectators, who were entertained in Dubai style, including a dazzling fireworks and dance show which included a neon lit, acrobatic plane that criss-crossed the night skies in front of the grandstand.

The Dubai World Cup is one piece of a grand puzzle that Sheikh Mohammed has assembled over the past two decades to build out the brand of his emirate. Key pieces include: Emirates Airline, one of the largest in the world, the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, and the Palm Jumeirah, the near-shore housing and tourism development in the shape of a palm tree.

The chairman of the company that built the Burj Khalifa and the largest developer in the country, Emaar, Mohammed Alabbar says that the race “adds that important element, heritage, tourism, Dubai, horses, the Middle East, all one in the same.”

But is this translating into a full recovery for Dubai after the 2009 debt troubles?

The answer is mixed. Emaar’s profits were down 27% in 2011, with the glut in apartment rentals eating into its bottom line. Apartment sales were down 85%, single family villa sales were up the same, a sign property strategists say that excess inventory still needs to be worked through.

But Alabbar says all the other key components for Dubai point to the bottom having been hit and the arrow pointing to faster growth than the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is suggesting for 2012 of 2.5% for the UAE overall.

Dubai hosted 9.3 million hotel guests and cruise passengers last year, up 10% on 2010. Guests stayed longer, with bookings rising 23% from the year before and Alabbar says retail sales in his giant mall complex near the Burj Khalifa were up 30%.

Ministers who hosted visitors at events around the World Cup talked of the emirate benefiting from years of investment into “world class infrastructure” and tapping a broader market from South Asia to Africa of 2.5 billion people. No one can argue with what Dubai has become since I first visited in 1990-91. Its airport is the hub between East and West, the Jebel Ali port is the largest in the Middle East and North Africa by a wide margin and the Dubai International Financial Center is credited with creating a real home for financial services.

Long term strategists say it all happened too fast and on too grand of a scale. As we know by now it was built on a huge mountain of debt, some $118 billion, according to credit rating agency S&P. About 10% of that is being restructured in 2012 and there is no discussion about default any more.

Sheikh Mohammed built a strategy on being first, with such a long lead that he could stay ahead of the fast charging competitors with oil revenues above $1 trillion for the first time.

The Ruler’s response to the Dubai World Cup victory taking the top two slots is fitting for his emirate’s long term goal, “A one-two finish, I mean when they came to the straight I thought will we win or is somebody coming to catch us? But it’s great.”

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Did you see this product announced, back on March 5? I didn’t think so, but if you’ve been watching American Idol, you should have seen ads for Beat’s audio “Beatbox portable,” which is, “an AT&T exclusive.” I have been trying to wrap my head around the idea that a wireless carrier would want to procure exclusive distribution for a portable speaker, and then spend millions of dollars advertising it (a 30 second spot on American Idol costs approximately $500,000). Oh, and the price of the speaker itself? $399.

In its favor, the Beats brand has credibility, as it is tied to hip hop legend Dr. Dre and music industry legend (and American Idol advisor) Jimmy Iovine. There is more to Beats than just Jimmy’s impassioned speeches about how important audio quality is; beats headphones have become fashion accessories. I have conducted a completely unscientific survey by observing the public school teenagers walking in front of my home office window on their way to the deli around the corner. Conclusion: 70% of Beats buyers wear them entirely as fashion statement/collars (the cords are actually disconnected!).

HP was the first tech brand to hook up with Beats for its laptops and short-lived TouchPad. The Beats brand is apparently so valuable that HTC paid $300 million (three. hundred. MILLION. dollars.) to invest in the brand, put the Beats logo on its phones, and presumably get invited to really swanky parties with rock stars. I’m guessing AT&T wanted in on all that Beats goodness, but what could it do? HP still has the exclusive on laptops, HTC has Beats for phones, so that left a boombox.

HP gave me a pair of Beats headphones when it was still making TouchPads, and I tested the headphones with and without a Beats-compliant device supplying the audio. The $299 headphones are not a bargain, but they do sound good – the bass is excellent (boosted but still natural – a tough combination to pull off), the midrange and highs are fair, and there is only some lightly audible distortion in the midrange from the noise cancellation (all active noise cancelling headphones have some distortion, as quite literally that’s what noise cancellation is).

The noise cancellation itself is very good, though not as good as Bose’s QuietComfort line. The Beats audio mode on the TouchPad and HTC Rezound (a Verizon Wireless exclusive) are less impressive – as far as I can tell, it’s just an EQ setting. However, the headphones on the Rezound are much, much better than freebie headphones you usually get with phones or media players, and the combination works well.

So how does the Beatbox portable stand up? I got one in to test, and the good news is that it has nice industrial design, and it also allows iPhone/iPod users to choose whether to dock their device in the 40 pin connector, or use it (or any Bluetooth device) remotely as a Bluetooth speaker. The Beatbox’s carry handles make it ideal for lugging to start a party. This is actually the best reason to buy the product, because it plays LOUD. Ridiculously loud.

“It’s loud enough for a really good party according to the teenagers I consulted”

Honestly, I have tested a lot of audio products, and when plugged into an AC outlet, the Beatbox portable plays louder without distorting than anything else its size. I got out my SPL (sound pressure level) meter and measured it solidly in the 90 – 95 db range from a distance of ten feet away. That’s more than enough to cause permanent hearing loss after just an hour’s exposure according to the alarmist websites I consulted. It’s also loud enough to drive a really good party according to the teenagers I consulted.

The bad news is that, unlike Beats headphones, the Beatbox portable’s audio quality is just fair at any volume. Vocals are clear but not warm, and highs are nothing special. There is a slight boxy coloration to the sound (you can hear the plastic cabinet), and there is no stereo separation whatsoever. The Beatbox portable does not appear to share other Beats products propensity to boost bass frequencies; that isn’t bad, just unexpected. At 7 lbs. it can get quite heavy to carry around – and that’s before inserting six D cell batteries (not included) or considering the 1 lb. power brick for AC (included). It is not waterproof or sand-proof, so if you do take it on the go, you’ll have to stay away from the beach or the pool.

Logitech’s $99 Z515 cannot play anywhere near as loud, but offers equivalent sound quality and an integrated rechargeable battery. Unless you absolutely need to blow the roof off – or you are captivated by the Beats brand – the $399 price tag is awfully hard to justify. But if you do decide to spend a fortune on the Beats brand, you will be in good company; buying into the Beats brand as a consumer will be a lot less expensive for you than it was for AT&T or HTC.

It’s a “Beats” World, We Just Listen To It is written by Avi Greengart & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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