Facebook demos biggest mobile move to date

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) ? With its new "Home" on Android gadgets, Facebook aims to put its social network at the center of people's mobile experiences.

If users choose to download Facebook's Home software starting on April 12, the social network will become the hub of their Android smartphones. A phone from HTC that comes pre-loaded with Home will also be available starting that day, with AT&T Inc. as the carrier.

The idea behind the software is to bring Facebook content right to the home screen, rather than requiring users to check apps. "Home" comes amid rapid growth in the number of people who access Facebook from phones and tablet computers. Of its 1.06 billion monthly users, 680 million log in to Facebook using a mobile gadget.

The service is part of Facebook's move to shift its users' focus from "apps and tasks" to people, said CEO Mark Zuckerberg during Home's unveiling at the company's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters on Thursday.

The new product, which resides on the home screen of Android phones, is a family of apps designed to help people share things with their Facebook friends. Rather than seeing a set of apps for email, maps and other services when they first turn on their phones, users will be greeted with photos and updates from their Facebook feeds. There will be ads too, eventually.

"We think this is the best version of Facebook there is," Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg says users can have an experience on Android phones that they can't have on other platforms. That's because Google makes the software available on an open-source basis, allowing others to adapt it to their needs.

Recognizing that text messaging is one of the most important tasks on a mobile phone, Facebook also showed off a feature called "chat heads." This lets users communicate with their friends directly from their phone's home screen ? without opening a separate app.

The move that coincides with rapid growth among the number of users who access the social network from smartphones and tablet computers and Facebook's aim to evolve from its Web-based roots into a "mobile-first" company.

"What Facebook wants is to put itself at the front of the Android user experience for as many Facebook users as possible and make Facebook more elemental to their customers' experience," said Forrester analyst Charles Golvin.

The new Home service won't be available on Apple's iPhone and iPad devices. Apple's iOS and Mac operating systems include features that integrate Facebook's services, but Zuckerberg says doing something like Home would require a closer partnership.

Apple had no immediate comment.

The deeper mobile integration will likely help Facebook to attract more mobile advertisers. Though mobile ads were a big concern for Facebook's investors even before the company's initial public offering last May, some of the worry has subsided as the company muscles its way into the market.

Last year, Facebook began showing ads to its mobile audience by shoehorning corporate-sponsored content into users' news feeds, which also include updates from friends and brands they follow. Facebook now faces the challenge of showing people mobile ads without annoying or alienating them.

The mobile advertising market is growing quickly, thanks in large part to Facebook and Twitter, which also entered the space in 2012. Research firm eMarketer expects U.S. mobile ad spending to grow 77 percent this year to $7.29 billion, from $4.11 billion last year.

EMarketer said Wednesday that it expects Facebook Inc. to reap $965 million in U.S. mobile ad revenue in 2013. That's about 2.5 times the $391 million in 2012, the first year that Facebook started showing mobile ads. Clark Fredricksen, vice president at eMarketer, says "there are some clear reasons why a deeper integration with mobile operating systems and handsets make sense for Facebook. At the end of the day, the more deeply Facebook can engage consumers, no matter what device or operating system or handset," the better.

Facebook's stock rose 80 cents, or 3.1 percent, to $27.05 in afternoon trading following the announcement. It's still 23 percent below its initial public offering price of $35.

___

Barbara Ortutay reported from New York.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-unveils-home-android-phones-183648913--finance.html

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Matt Lauer: Too Soft on Chris Brown?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/matt-lauer-too-soft-on-chris-brown/

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Alvarado wins rematch over Rios by decision

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios had barely got done hitting each other when the talk of a third fight between the two eager warriors began.

No reason not to do it again, the way these two like to go after it.

The action Saturday night was much the same as their first fight, only this time the result was different. Alvarado boxed and punched his way to a narrow but unanimous 12-round decision over Rios in the rematch of their slugfest from five months ago.

Alvarado came on strong in the late rounds to win 115-113 on two scorecards and 114-113 on the other to avenge his seventh-round loss to Rios in October. The ringside punch totals were almost as close as the scoring, with Alvarado credited with landing 261 punches to 241 for Rios.

It wasn't as dramatic as the first fight, when Rios stopped Alvarado after being rocked himself a round earlier. But the fight was still thrilling at times, fought at a high level between two game warriors.

It also was brutal at times, as evidenced by the cut on Alvarado's forehead and his swollen face. He was taken to a hospital for a precautionary brain scan after the fight, and Rios also was taken to the hospital.

When the two finally got done hitting each other and the bell rang to end the last round, the crowd of 5,418 was on its feet cheering.

"Brandon gave me a shot to redeem myself," Alvarado said. "I'll give him a shot for the trilogy."

Alvarado was again more than willing to trade punches with Rios, but began boxing more in the middle rounds, a change in strategy that may have won him the fight. Rios expended a lot of energy chasing him, and was not able to land as many big punches as in the first fight.

Alvarado won three of the last four rounds on two scorecards and all four on a third to pull out the fight.

"I won the first won, now they want to make the third one," Rios said. "Let's make the third one."

That will likely happen, but not right away. Promoter Bob Arum said he wants to see a third fight, but would look elsewhere for both fighters for their next fights.

"Are these guys going to fight again?" Arum asked. "Of course they will. But it doesn't necessarily have to be next."

Alvarado's corner credited his road work in the mountains near his Denver home with giving him the legs to stay away from Rios instead of brawling the entire 12 rounds. But both fighters were more than willing to trade when they needed to.

It was the first loss for Rios (31-1-1), while Alvarado (34-1) avenged his only defeat in the 140-pound bout.

"He didn't rock me at all," Rios said. "I'm a warrior."

Their first fight was so good it made them headliners for the first time, and both fighters were determined to deliver for a second time. They alternated between taking punishment and giving it out, both smiling at the other when they got hit with a good shot.

If they didn't fight at quite the pace of their first fight, it wasn't for the lack of effort. Rios kept coming forward, attacking Alvarado relentlessly, while Alvarado scored well with his jab and traded freely any time either fighter landed a punch

If they didn't fight at quite the pace of their first fight, it wasn't for the lack of effort. Rios kept coming forward, attacking Alvarado relentlessly, while Alvarado scored well with his jab and traded freely any time either fighter landed a punch.

"I didn't get rocked," Rios said. "If I got rocked, I'd have been wobbling. I could go 15 more rounds. I'm a warrior. I love to fight. We got to do it again."

Though both fighters weighed the class limit of 140 pounds at Friday's weigh-in, Rios was unofficially 161 to 158 for Alvarado before the fight. That made it more of a middleweight bout, though no titles were at stake and none were needed before an appreciative crowd at the Mandalay Bay arena.

There were no knockdowns and neither fighter ever appeared seriously hurt. But that didn't stop it from being an action fight filled with big punches, one that was in doubt even as it went into the final round.

Rios, who came in as a 3-1 favorite, rocked Alvarado with a left hand with a minute left in the second round, sending him staggering backward. Any pretenses Alvarado had of boxing Rios went by the wayside as the two fighters began brawling in the center of the ring with little regard for defense of any type.

Alvarado was marked on his face eyes swelling in late rounds. Rios appeared fresher, but still took plenty of punishment.

Rios earned the biggest purse of his career, $1.25 million, while Alvarado was paid $625,000 for the rematch.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/alvarado-wins-rematch-over-rios-decision-042157280--spt.html

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The Big Roundtable Rethinks The Editorial Model For Long-Form Journalism, Hits Its Kickstarter Goal

Michael Shapiro isn't the sort of person I'd expect to circumvent the gatekeepers of traditional journalism. He's a professor at the Columbia School of Journalism, and he said he's been published in The New Yorker, Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, and Sports Illustrated ? in other other words, he seems to be on pretty good terms with those gatekeepers. Yet Shapiro is launching a new journalism startup called The Big Roundtable. The reason? He said that there are a lot of untested assumptions in the journalism world. As a parallel, he pointed to book publishing, where he said it was long believed that "black people don't buy books." There was, in fact, "this whole sub rosa world" of independent black book stores, with its own bestsellers like Iceberg Slim's Pimp: The Story Of My Life. Yet traditional publishers had no idea that world existed until the mainstream success of writers like Terry McMillan in the 1990s.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Np-UpeTHW6E/

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Iraqi Catholics celebrate Easter

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Iraq's Catholic Christians flocked to churches to celebrate Easter Sunday, praying, singing and rejoicing in the resurrection of Christ behind high blast walls and tight security cordons.

It was the first Easter since the election of Pope Francis in Rome, and worshipers said they hoped their new spiritual leader would help strengthen their tiny community that has shrunk under the joint pressures of militant attacks and economic hardships.

At the St. Joseph Chaldean Church in Baghdad, some 200 worshipers stood and sat during parts of the Easter mass led by Father Saad Sirop.

"We pray for love and peace to spread through the world," said worshiper Fatin Yousef, 49. Like most worshippers she arrived have dressed immaculately for mass, her hair tumbling in salon-created curls, wearing a tidy black skirt, low-heeled pumps and a striped shirt. "We hope Pope Francis will help make it better for Christians in Iraq."

There are an estimated 400,000 to 600,000 Christians in Iraq, with most belonging to ancient eastern churches. There has been no census in Iraq for 16 years, making precise figures difficult to obtain.

An estimated two-thirds of Iraq's Christians are Catholics of the Chaldean church and the smaller Assyrian Catholic church. Worshipers of both churches chant in versions of ancient Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke, although the dialects would be mutually unintelligible.

Since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, Iraqi Christians have suffered repeated attacks by Islamic militants. Hundreds of thousands have left the country, with church officials estimating their communities have at least halved. The worst attack was at Baghdad's soaring Our Lady of Salvation church in October 2010. It killed more than 50 worshipers and wounded scores more.

More broadly, decades of immigration have shrunken the size of Christian communities throughout the Middle East, with most leaving for better opportunities and to join families abroad.

Other Christians in the region no longer feel comfortable among majority-Muslim communities that many believe have become more outwardly pious and politically Islamist over the decades.

They included Iraqi Christian worshiper Yousef's son, who moved to live with relatives in Arizona last year. Yousef said she was arranging for her other daughter and son to immigrate.

"There's still fear here, and there's no stability in this country," she said.

Iraqi officials have made efforts to secure churches since the violence of 2010.

High blast walls topped with netting and barbed wire surrounded the St. Joseph Church in Baghdad in the middle-class district of Karradeh. Blue-khaki clad Iraqi police guarded roads surrounding the church and checked papers of passers-by as worshipers filtered inside.

Four Iraqi Christian volunteers, two men and two women, stood at the church entrance to double-check who was coming in.

White-robed church volunteers marched down the church aisle behind Father Sirop, who chanted and waved thickly-scented incense that wafted through the building. The white-painted interior was adorned with three ornate chandeliers and a series of simple paintings illustrating the life of Christ.

Worshipers stood for lengthy passages of Sirop's mass, at one point bursting into applause when he told them, "Celebrate! You are Christians!"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraqi-catholics-celebrate-easter-075830377.html

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Marketing studies help craft health overhaul pitch

FILE - In this March 15, 2013, file photo the Senate Minority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, points to a 7-foot stack of ?Obamacare? regulations to underscore his disdain during the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md. McConnell said Democrats have been predicting for years that Americans would learn to love the health care overhaul and that has not happened. ?I agree that it will be a big issue in 2014,? he said. ?I think it will be an albatross around the neck of every Democrat who voted for it. They are going to be running away from it, not toward it.? (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - In this March 15, 2013, file photo the Senate Minority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, points to a 7-foot stack of ?Obamacare? regulations to underscore his disdain during the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md. McConnell said Democrats have been predicting for years that Americans would learn to love the health care overhaul and that has not happened. ?I agree that it will be a big issue in 2014,? he said. ?I think it will be an albatross around the neck of every Democrat who voted for it. They are going to be running away from it, not toward it.? (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Charts profile the uninsured

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2010, file photo Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., speaks during a Debt Commission meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. In 2013 with a nation still split over President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul Schakowsky, who has long supported coverage for the uninsured, is predicting vindication for the Affordable Care Act once people see how the program really works. ?It?s harder to sell what is a pretty new idea for Americans while it is still in the abstract,? she said. ?I think as people experience it, they?re going to love it, much like Medicare.? (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE ? In this June 29, 2012 file photo front pages of the days' newspaper front pages are displayed at the Newseum in Washington, after the previous day's Supreme Court ruling to uphold President Barack Obama's health care law. With a nation still split over the affordable care act, and in an effort to convince millions of average Americans that one of the most common complex and controversial programs devised by government may actually be good for them the administration has turned to the science of mass marketing for help in understanding the lives of uninsured people, hoping to craft winning pitches for a surprisingly varied group in society. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

FILE ? In this Aug. 31, 2009, file photo supporters on both sides of the health care reform issue argue in Skokie, Ill., outside a town hall meeting held by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who represents Chicago. With a nation still split over the Affordable Care Act Schakowsky, a long-time supporter of coverage for the insured, is predicting vindication for the health overhaul legislation once people see how the program really works. ?It?s harder to sell what is a pretty new idea for Americans while it is still in the abstract,? she said. ?I think as people experience it, they?re going to love it, much like Medicare.? (AP Photo/ Jim Prisching, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? How do you convince millions of average Americans that one of the most complex and controversial programs devised by government may actually be a good deal for them?

With the nation still split over President Barack Obama's health care law, the administration has turned to the science of mass marketing for help in understanding the lives of uninsured people, hoping to craft winning pitches for a surprisingly varied group in society.

The law's supporters will have to make the sale in the run-up to an election ? the 2014 midterms. Already Republicans are hoping for an "Obamacare" flop that helps them gain control of the Senate, while Democrats are eager for the public to finally embrace the Affordable Care Act, bringing political deliverance.

It turns out America's more than 48 million uninsured people are no monolithic mass. A marketing analysis posted online by the federal Health and Human Services Department reveals six distinct groups, three of which appear critical to the success or failure of the program.

They're the "Healthy & Young," comprising 48 percent of the uninsured, the "Sick, Active & Worried," (29 percent of the uninsured), and the "Passive & Unengaged" (15 percent).

The Healthy & Young take good health for granted, are tech-savvy, and have "low motivation to enroll." The Sick, Active & Worried are mostly Generation X and baby boomers, active seekers of health care information and worried about costs. The Passive & Unengaged group is mostly 49 and older, "lives for today," and doesn't understand much about health insurance.

The challenge for the administration is obvious: signing up lots of the Healthy & Young, as well as the Passive & Unengaged, to offset the higher costs of covering the sick and worried.

Uninsured middle-class Americans will be able to sign up for subsidized private health plans through new insurance markets in their states starting Oct.1. Low-income uninsured people will be steered to safety net programs like Medicaid.

"The goal here is to get as many people enrolled as possible," Gary Cohen, the HHS official overseeing the rollout of the law, told insurers at a recent industry conference. Partly for that reason the first open enrollment period will continue until March 31, 2014.

Coverage under the law takes effect Jan. 1. That's also when the legal requirement that most Americans carry health insurance goes into force. Insurance companies will be barred from turning the sick away or charging them more.

The new law is mainly geared to the uninsured and to people who buy coverage directly from insurance companies. Most Americans in employer plans are not expected to see major changes.

Administration officials say they see an opportunity to change the national debate about health care. They want to get away from shouting matches about the role of government and start millions of practical conversations about new benefits that can help families and individuals.

The HHS marketing materials reveal some barriers to getting the uninsured to embrace the law.

The Healthy & Young lead busy lives and tend to be procrastinators. Plus, why would they need health insurance if they're full of vigor? The Passive & Unengaged fear the unknown and have difficulty navigating the health care system. The Sick, Active & Worried dread making wrong decisions.

Marketing for the new system will start this summer, going into high gear during the fall after premiums and other plan information becomes public.

There's already widespread concern that the new coverage costs too much, because of a combination of sicker people joining the pool and federal requirements that insurers offer more robust benefits. A recent study by the Society of Actuaries forecast sticker shock, estimating that insurers will have to pay an average of 32 percent more for medical claims on individual health policies.

The administration says such studies are misleading because they don't take into account parts of the law that offset costs to individuals and insurance companies, along with other provisions that promote competition and increase oversight of insurance rates.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., who has long supported coverage for the uninsured, is predicting vindication for Obama once people see how the program really works.

"It's harder to sell what is a pretty new idea for Americans while it is still in the abstract," said Schakowsky, who represents Chicago. "I think as people experience it, they're going to love it, much like Medicare."

That will put wind in the sails of Democratic candidates. "I think it's going to be a very popular feature as far as the American way of life before too long," Schakowsky added.

But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky says Democrats have been predicting for years that Americans would learn to love the health care overhaul and that has not happened. McConnell had his picture taken next to a 7-foot stack of "Obamacare" regulations recently to underscore his disdain.

"I agree that it will be a big issue in 2014," said McConnell. "I think it will be an albatross around the neck of every Democrat who voted for it. They are going to be running away from it, not toward it."

___

Online:

HHS marketing study ? http://tinyurl.com/aycgowc

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-31-Health%20Overhaul-Crafting%20the%20Pitch/id-99fea257bce0450685a3a1f2f7d17948

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Deal of the Day: Incipio Feather Hard Case for HTC Droid DNA

The April 1 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Incipio Feather Hard Case for HTC Droid DNA. Measuring less than 1mm thin, the Feather Case is ideal for the Droid DNA user seeking inconspicuous, first-class protection. It's made of an ultra light, ultra strong polymer for light as a feather, form-fitting durable protection without the added bulk. Color options include black, pink, blue and gray.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/gpLJPudoDsQ/story01.htm

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