HTC pays price for One delays, reports worst quarterly profit so far in Q1 2013

Instead of reaping the rewards of putting out a lovely new flagship, HTC has just reported its lowest ever profit -- a mere $2.8 million in unaudited net income -- during the first three months of this year. That compares to $173 million in the same quarter of last year, representing a pretty catastrophic fall of around 98 percent. Underlying revenue dropped by a third to $1.4 billion. The reason? The top-end smartphone on which the company's fortunes currently rest, the HTC One, mostly missed its scheduled global arrival date in March due to manufacturing delays, so it effectively didn't exist during the period in question. It has only just become available to pre-order in the US and won't start shipping to customers until April 19th. At this rate, the HTC First -- the manufacturer's second big announcement of the year -- might actually deserve its name.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Bloomberg, HTC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/08/htc-financials-q1-2013/

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Thousands walk in Central Park for Colon Cancer awareness | PIX 11

NEW YORK (PIX11)- Thousands of walkers took to Central Park on Sunday, to help raise money and awareness for Colorectal Cancer.

Most of the participants walked the 1.7 mile course in memory of someone close to them who had been affected by the deadly disease.

?We?re here in honor of my dad who died two years ago of colon cancer, we?re doing it as a family,? said walker Daisy Gonzalez.

This is the 10th Anniversary of the Colon Cancer Challenge.
The foundation is hoping to mark the milestone by raising $1 million for research, awareness, prevention and screening efforts.

PIX 11?s Mr. G was on hand to help kick off the festivities.

?Great cause.? We?re healthy fortunately, we?re giving to those who are not, and that?s the way it should work,? said Mr. G.

In 2011 almost 150,000 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and almost 50,000 people died due to the disease that same year.

That?s why many walkers say they hope their efforts will encourage more people to get screened, so they can fight against this fatal, yet preventable disease.

?Not everybody knows about it, and unfortunately for my father, he found out too late.? So if we raise awareness, we can help people prevent it,? said walker Carry Leggett.

Source: http://pix11.com/2013/04/07/thousands-walk-in-central-park-for-colon-cancer-awareness/

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10 Things to Know for Monday

Former Taliban militants stand in line, hand-cuffed after turning in their weapons during a ceremony with the Afghan government in Herat, Afghanistan, Sunday, April 7, 2013. About six former Taliban militants from Herat province handed over their weapons as part of a peace-reconciliation program. (AP Photo/Hoshang Hashimi)

Former Taliban militants stand in line, hand-cuffed after turning in their weapons during a ceremony with the Afghan government in Herat, Afghanistan, Sunday, April 7, 2013. About six former Taliban militants from Herat province handed over their weapons as part of a peace-reconciliation program. (AP Photo/Hoshang Hashimi)

FILE -In this Thursday, April 15, 2004, file photo, Designer Lilly Pulitzer, smiles during an interview in her clothing company's Manhattan fashion district offices. Pulitzer, known for her tropical print dresses, died in Florida at 81 on Sunday, April, 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

This undated image provided by James Weitze shows a truck driver taking a self portrait on the road. Weitze satisfies his video fix with an iPhone. He sleeps most of the time in his truck, and has no apartment. To be sure, he's an extreme case and probably wouldn't fit into Nielsen's definition of a household in the first place. But he's watching Netflix enough to keep up on shows like ?Weeds,? ?30 Rock,? ?Arrested Development,? ?Breaking Bad,? ?It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? and ?Sons of Anarchy.? (AP Photo/James Weitze)

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:

1. AFGHANISTAN IS HEATING UP AT CRUCIAL MOMENT

A suicide attack on Americans and a NATO airstrike blamed for children's deaths come as Afghan forces contend with less coalition support.

2. MOURNING FOR A YOUNG US DIPLOMAT

Anne Smedinghoff, slain along with four other Americans, displayed a love of global affairs while growing up outside Chicago.

3. A WARNING FROM NORTH KOREA

A South Korean security official says Pyongyang's notice that it will be unable to guarantee diplomats' safety could be a sign that a missile test is imminent.

4. LA COLD-CASE MURDER PROBE GOES CROSS COUNTRY

Investigators are using DNA to determine if ex-boxer Samuel Little was a serial killer who traveled the US preying on women.

5. THE AMERICANS BROADCASTERS FEAR MOST

It's the "Zero TV" crowd, the growing ranks of viewers watching TV without cable, satellite or antennas.

6. DECISIVE MOMENTS LOOM FOR CONGRESS

Lawmakers return to Washington amid signs of deadlocks loosening on guns and immigration.

7. JESUITS GRAPPLE WITH HAVING ONE OF THEIR OWN AS POPE

Francis could inspire new recruits but could also feel compelled to intervene in the inner workings of the order.

8. HOW ORANGES MADE LILLY PULTIZER A FASHION GIANT

The designer, who died Sunday in Miami, needed to hide juice-stand stains. Sleeveless dresses in colorful prints did the trick.

9. WHERE THE PHONE BOOTHS WILL REALLY TAKE YOU BACK

Punch in 1-855-FOR-1993 on some Manhattan street corners to hear a notable New Yorker recount what life was like 20 years ago.

10. THE WAY RICK PITINO CAN MAKE BASKETBALL HISTORY

If Louisville beats Michigan Monday night, the former Kentucky coach would be the first to win NCAA finals at two schools.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-07-10-Things-to-Know-Monday/id-1535657233994e1c8d146efaa671b3dd

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PFT: Revis not optimistic about trade possibilities

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There?s a common belief that the pending concussion litigation against the NFL ultimately will result only in the lawyers making money.

The so-called expert witnesses likely will, too.

Often overlooked in complex litigation involving esoteric medical knowledge and jargon is the fact that the men and women who have the education and experience to share that knowledge and jargon with a judge and a jury get paid a lot of money.

That reality routinely results in a blurring of ethical lines.? According to Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN.com, Dr. Robert Cantu previously served as a senior adviser to the NFL?s Head, Neck and Spine committee ? but he also has consulted with the lawyers who are suing the NFL on behalf of thousands of former players.

?It was an informational session, just like I get paid to give a talk someplace else,? Cantu said of a February 2012 presentation to the lawyers representing the players.? He also justified working for the players suing the league by explaining that the NFL could hire him to serve as an expert witness, which would block from him talking to those suing the league.

?If [the NFL] wanted to put me on their payroll, to defend their case, then I?m not gonna say boo about those issues [to the plaintiffs],? said Cantu, who gets $800 per hour for legal services, $5,000 for depositions, and $8,000 per day for trial testimony.

Cantu?s attitude underscores one of the biggest problems with the litigation industry.? Many experts aren?t necessarily motivated by the pursuit of justice but by the supplementation of their total income with the exorbitant fees they charge.? And since there?s plenty of discretion to be exercised when telling the truth, their testimony often can be molded to help whichever side of a case hires them first.

Here?s a concrete example, for those of you who are still awake.

Eleven years ago, I represented a former employee of a major U.S. low-cost big-box retailer who had been forced to take an alcohol test under circumstances that, as the jury concluded, didn?t justify an invasion of the employee?s privacy rights via the drawing of a blood sample.? The case included testimony from an expert witness who had been hired by the employer to justify the conclusion, based on the blood-alcohol concentration measured by the test, that the employee had indeed been intoxicated at work.

On cross-examination, I confronted the expert witness with a passage from a written report on the issue of blood-alcohol testing.? In the report, the author expressed concern about the reliability of efforts to use blood-alcohol measurements to determine a person?s BAC at an earlier point in time.

I read the sentence to the expert witness, and I asked the expert witness if he agreed with the statement.

He said, ?No.?

So I read it to him again, slowly.? I asked him if he agreed with that statement.

Again, he said, ?No.?

So I handed him the report, showed him the first page of it, and asked him to tell the judge and the jury who had written the report.

The expert witness, after taking a gulp, said his own name.

And that?s pretty much all I ever needed to know about the world of expert witnesses.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/05/revis-not-optimistic-trade-gets-done/related/

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Android this week: Facebook Home phones, software, privacy and fragmentation potential

Another tech giant is building off of Google Android, using the platform to expand its potential influence. Facebook didn?t introduce its own phone, but instead debuted Facebook Home software and a partner handset with HTC. The HTC First has mediocre specifications and will cost $99 with contract on AT&T?s network when it launches on April 12. Facebook Home will appear in the Google Play store that same day, but only for five current Android phones initially.

Will people install it? Out of 622 GigaOm readers that responded to our poll asking that question, 63.02 percent said no, although 21.54 percent said they will at least try it. I certainly will install it, but mainly for work and testing purposes.

Facebook Home will appeal to those who spend more time in Facebook apps than in any others. The home screen shows updates from friends and can easily be liked with a double-tap. The new ChatHeads feature allows for Facebook messages to appear atop any other open app. And it?s easy to navigate to other Facebook apps.

As a Facebook user, it sounds great except for one thing, at least to me: I want my home screen to have information relevant to me and my environment. Things like local weather, my scheduled events, breaking news and such.

Jason Perlow wrote a thought-provoking piece on the potential fragmentation that Facebook Home could bring. I don?t see as huge an issue, however, as Facebook Home is, at least for now, just a launcher. There are numerous launchers and hundreds of launcher themes available on Google Play but they don?t introduce fragmentation. On your own Android phone, you can choose to install and use, install and disable, or simply not install Facebook Home. Even on the HTC First, you can disable the Facebook Home launcher and the phone will revert to the native Android Jelly Bean look and feel.

Perlow notes that if Facebook adds deeper hooks into the Android system, APIs and its own app store, that could cause problems. I agree but think it?s unlikely to happen. The only companies that completely take over an Android phone are the ones that build their own hardware: HTC, Samsung, even Amazon. Even Amazon?s forked version of Android and app store isn?t creating much, if any, of a fragmentation issue for users or developers. We?ll have to see if Facebook Home works out any differently; it?s certainly a situation work watching.

The more immediate issue is one of privacy. My colleague, Om Malik, wrote a fantastic post on greater mistrust of Facebook Home and use of data, so I won?t rehash the privacy concerns. I don?t really see Facebook Home having any greater (or lesser) impact on privacy, however.

Why? Because Facebook already has deep hooks into user data on Android and other devices. Once I can install the Facebook Home software next week, I?ll be looking to see if the launcher has any additional data permissions even though Facebook has already said it won?t. I?ll then compare them to the current app permissions, which include these abilities and more:

• Access to photos and videos
• Both approximate and precise location from the phone?s GPS
• Reading and modifying your contacts, including the ability to see who you contact the most
• Your phone number as well as the recipient phone number when on a voice call; access to full call logs
• Getting a list of all other app/data accounts on your phone

I understand Om?s points on privacy in regards to Facebook. I still use the service, however, I think the bigger privacy issue should be focused on Facebook itself, not Facebook Home; unless I see something new in the permissions when Facebook home arrives.

Source: http://gigaom.com/2013/04/06/android-this-week-facebook-home-phones-software-privacy-and-fragmentation-potential/

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Remote reefs can be tougher than they look

Friday, April 5, 2013

Remote reefs can be tougher than they look Western Australia's Scott Reef has recovered from mass bleaching in 1998.

Isolated coral reefs can recover from catastrophic damage as effectively as those with nearby undisturbed neighbours, a long-term study by marine biologists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) has shown.

Scott Reef, a remote coral system in the Indian Ocean, has largely recovered from a catastrophic mass bleaching event in 1998, according to the study published in Science today.

The study challenges conventional wisdom that suggested isolated reefs were more vulnerable to disturbance, because they were thought to depend on recolonisation from other reefs. Instead, the scientists found that the isolation of reefs allowed surviving corals to rapidly grow and propagate in the absence of human interference.

Australia's largest oceanic reef system, Scott Reef, is relatively isolated, sitting out in the Indian Ocean some 250 km from the remote coastline of north Western Australia (WA). Prospects for the reef looked gloomy when in 1998 it suffered catastrophic mass bleaching, losing around 80% of its coral cover. The study shows that it took just 12 years to recover.

Spanning 15 years, data collected and analysed by the researchers shows how after the 1998 mass bleaching the few remaining corals provided low numbers of recruits (new corals) for Scott Reef. On that basis recovery was projected to take decades, yet within 12 years the cover and diversity of corals had recovered to levels similar to those seen pre-bleaching.

"The initial projections for Scott Reef were not optimistic," says Dr James Gilmour from AIMS, the lead author on the publication, "because, unlike reefs on the Great Barrier Reef, there were few if any reefs nearby capable of supplying new recruits to replenish the lost corals at Scott Reef.

"However, the few small corals that did settle at Scott Reef had excellent rates of survival and growth, whereas on many nearshore reefs high levels of algae and sediment, and poor water quality will often suppress this recovery.

"We know from other studies that the resilience of reefs can be improved by addressing human pressures such as water quality and overfishing," says Dr Gilmour. "So it is likely that a key factor in the rapid recovery at Scott Reef was the high water clarity and quality in this remote and offshore location."

Dr Andrew Heyward, Principal Research Scientist at AIMS, highlights another conclusion from their findings.

"Previously we've tended to factor proximity to other reefs as a key attribute when estimating the resilience of a reef following a major disturbance, but our data suggests that given the right conditions, reefs might do much of the recovery by themselves." This finding could have implications for the management of marine protected areas.

In their publication the team also draws attention to the important role played by climate change in the longer-term prospects for coral reefs, as Prof Morgan Pratchett of CoECRS explains.

"While it is encouraging to see such clear recovery, we need to be mindful of the fact that the coral recovery at Scott Reef still took over a decade. If, as the climate change trend suggests, we start to see coral bleaching and other related disturbances occurring more frequently, then reefs may experience a ratcheting down effect, never fully recovering before they suffer another major disturbance.

"By preventing illegal fishing and enhancing water quality on coral reefs in all regions we will give these reefs a greater capacity to recover from major disturbances."

The highly detailed, long-term data set makes Scott Reef the best studied reef in Australia's Indian Ocean territory. The study provides valuable new perspectives on ecosystem function and resilience of coral reefs situated in the northwest Australia, and in other contexts such as the Great Barrier Reef, and illustrates the importance of AIMS' research collaborations with its industry partners.

###

The paper "Recovery of an isolated coral reef system following severe disturbance", by J. P. Gilmour, L. D. Smith, A. J. Heyward, A. H. Baird and M. S. Pratchett appears online in Science on Friday, 5th April, 2013.

ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies: http://www.coralcoe.org.au/

Thanks to ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127614/Remote_reefs_can_be_tougher_than_they_look

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Fisker fires 75% of workforce; bankruptcy next?

Paul A. Eisenstein , The Detroit Bureau ? ? ? 9 hrs.

About 75 percent of the workforce at troubled battery-car start-up Fisker Automotive has been laid off, a move forced by the firm?s increasing weak financial situation and the mounting fears that without new investors or partners Fisker could be forced into bankruptcy, numerous sources have confirmed.

The move comes only days after U.S. employees reported back after a week-long, unpaid furlough, and less than a month after founder and former Chairman Henrik Fisker resigned over ?several major disagreements? with members of the small carmaker?s senior management team over its ongoing business strategy.

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"Unfortunately we have reached a point where a significant reduction in our workforce has become necessary," the company said, adding that it was still searching for a strategic partner.

According to sources, the firm is effectively being run by the big gun among its investors, the Silicon Valley-based venture capital fund Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, which has been pressing Fisker to ?conserve cash? and try to line up new investors, partners or buyers.

But efforts to do so have collapsed, according to sources. Several Chinese partners were talking to Fisker as recently as last month, including Dongfeng Motor Corp., based in Wuhan, China, which reportedly had considered purchasing 85% of the U.S. company. Also reportedly in talks was Zheijangg Geely, the Chinese firm that owns Swedish automaker Volvo.

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Both Chinese firms have pulled out of the discussions ? though one insider cautioned, ?The Chinese play hardball and may be taking advantage of the situation to get their best deal.?

At this point it is not clear what position is being taken by law firm Kirkland & Ellis, which has been brought in to advise on a possible bankruptcy filing.

Calling the layoffs ?a necessary strategic step in our efforts to maximize the value of Fisker's core assets," just 53 managers were asked to remain with the company following the mass firing of 160 employees on Friday morning at its headquarters in Anaheim, California. The company reportedly will provide no severance payments.

The Detroit Bureau: Battery Cars Suddenly Sparking Consumer Interest

Focusing on the plug-in hybrid niche in the nascent electric vehicle market, the company was founded by two industry veterans, Bernard Koehler and the eponymous Henrik Fisker, a Danish designer who was perhaps best known for his work at Aston Martin. Fisker himself tendered his resignation just last month. He had been increasingly isolated from a management team headed by CEO Tony Posawatz who joined the firm last year after leading the development of General Motors? own plug-in, the Chevrolet Volt.

Even before the official launch of the Fisker Karma in early 2012 the company was running into problems that led the U.S. Department of Energy to freeze most of a $529 million loan intended to help Fisker develop its second, more mass-market model, the Atlantic.

The situation contined to worse as the Karma became subject to several recalls for a variety of problems including a defective fan system that caused one vehicle to burn up. Meanwhile, production of the battery-car at a plant in Finland has been on hold since last autumn.

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Despite having raised an estimated $1.2 billion from private investors ? and having tapped $193 million before the DoE loan was frozen, Fisker reportedly has just $30 million in available cash at this point. It also is expected to get a settlement of $15 million from its bankrupt battery supplier, the former A123, which was recently sold to a Chinese bidder.

Fisker also faces a $10 payment to the DoE on the outstanding portion of its loan that would be due on April 22.

The Energy Department has come under heat for problems with that program which has seen several other loan recipients, including A123, run into trouble as sales of electric vehicles have lagged well behind early, optimistic forecasts.

In a statement, however, DoE spokeswoman Aoife McCarthy contended that, "Despite Fisker's difficulties, our overall loan portfolio of more than 30 projects continues to perform very well, and more than 90 percent of the $10 billion loan loss reserve that Congress set aside for these programs remains intact.?

Barely a week after U.S. employees were put on a 5-day unpaid furlough, troubled Fisker Automotive has apparently given termination notices to as much as half or more of its staff ? including its entire communications department, several well-placed sources have told TheDetroitBureau.com.

While the latest move appears to be part of a desperate move to conserve dwindling cash resources while searching for new investors or a complete outside acquisition, the situation could be even more dire.

?I would not be surprised to see this leading up to the possibility of a bankruptcy filing,? cautioned a well-connected source with long connections to the battery-car maker. Other Fisker sources said such a move would come as no surprise to them, either.

The mass job cuts are just the latest setback to a once-promising company that had hoped to become a major player in the nascent electric vehicle market. It was founded by two industry veterans, Bernard Koehler and the eponymous Henrik Fisker, a Danish designer who was perhaps best known for his work at Aston Martin.

Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2a63b62c/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Cfisker0Efires0E750Eworkforce0Ebankruptcy0Enext0E1B9234245/story01.htm

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