Sony Lowers Tablet S Price by $100

Sony has rung in the New Year by "permanently" shaving $100 off the price of its Tablet S, joining the likes of many mid-range slate manufacturers, according to BetaNews.

The Japanese electronics giant will now sell a 16GB Tablet S for $399.99 and the 32GB version for $499.99. The company is further sweetening the deal by offering five free PlayStation Classic game downloads, 180 days of its basic Music Unlimited service, five free rentals from the company's Video Unlimited service and a store credit on purchase of the newly-discounted slate for a limited period only.

Although the new pricing isn't listed as permanent, it is unlikely prices will spiral upwards again. In fact, many tablet manufacturers, including Sony, slashed prices during the Christmas season. The Tablet S's last price-drop was December's $50 discount that just expired.

Like us on Facebook

The biggest dip in price was seen for Research in Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry Playbook, which sold out for $300 a unit off its base price. More recently, service providers Verizon trimmed prices of Motorola Xyboards by $50, while offering a two-year data plan. Meanwhile, Apple's decision to price its iPad 2 at $499 seems to working out well for the Cupertino-based company.

Unfortunately for many manufacturers, price-cuts seem to be the only solution for successful sales in the tablet arena. Now... is Sony's new move good enough to attract consumers?

Despite the cut, it continues to face stiff competition in the low-end tablet market, particularly from Amazon's Kindle Fire. The Android-powered tablet is not a bad device though. The 9.4 inch device runs on the Honeycomb operating system and packs a dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor. The tablet also sports a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel camera up front.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/275170/20120102/sony-lowers-tablet-s-price-100.htm

pie crust stuffing recipe happy thanksgiving dwts cnn debate kennedy assassination kennedy assassination

49ers plan to bring back QB Alex Smith for 2012 (AP)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. ? Coach Jim Harbaugh has told 49ers quarterback Alex Smith the team plans to re-sign him beyond this season.

Smith, the 2005 No. 1 overall draft pick out of Utah, received a $4.9 million, one-year contract as a free agent last July after the lockout ? when many, including Smith himself, figured he'd be headed elsewhere following six up-and-down seasons. He has thrived under Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback who recently endorsed Smith as the team's answer behind center moving forward.

"I've told Alex that," Harbaugh said Monday. "I wouldn't tell you (the media) something I wouldn't tell Alex.

"I told Alex, `Hey, we're going to want you to come back here next year.' He's focused on the season, and that's where his mindset wants to be. And I totally respect that, and we'll talk about it and address it once the season is over. That's the way I understand it right now."

The 27-year-old Smith has thrown for 3,150 yards and 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions for the NFC West champion Niners (13-3), who earned the No. 2 playoff seed in the NFC and a first-round bye this week.

Smith is a big reason San Francisco finished with 10 total turnovers, which equaled the 2010 Patriots for fewest in NFL history since 1941.

Smith ? booed from every direction during recent seasons at Candlestick Park ? has said much of this season's success comes from him not trying to do too much in Harbaugh's West Coast offense.

He has shown the poise under pressure and decision making Harbaugh believed Smith still had in him when Harbaugh took over last January. Smith isn't ready to reflect on his resurgent 2011 season or the franchise's turnaround after going eight years without a playoff berth or winning record.

"You know, it's hard when you're still in the thick of it. It's probably a better question to ask me after the end of the season when everything is wrapped up," he said. "Right now there's still a lot on the line. Not quite time for me to reflect on anything. We've done some good things, putting ourselves in a good situation."

Smith, who has played for a different offensive coordinator in each of his seven NFL seasons, has earned the confidence of his teammates. He went 21 for 31 for 219 yards in Sunday's regular-season finale, a 34-27 win at St. Louis.

"I firmly believe that Alex Smith can do nothing but just keep getting better," said tight end Vernon Davis, who had eight catches for 118 yards against the Rams.

"At this point ... all he can do is get better. If he's willing and that's what he wants. He wants to be successful and learn as much as he possibly can about this game and try to find ways to help this team get better down the road. I'm all for it. I'm a big supporter."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120102/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn49ers_smith

denver weather donovan mcnabb donovan mcnabb the waltons the waltons weta weta

Human remains found on UK queen's estate (AP)

LONDON ? Human remains have been discovered on Sandringham estate, a vast area in rural Norfolk where the royal family retreats for the holiday season, local police announced Monday.

A terse statement posted to the website of the Norfolk Constabulary said that a member of the public found the remains on New Year's Day in an area of woodland at Anmer, a tiny village about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northeast of London. The hamlet is home to several dozen people and sits around three miles (4.8 kilometers) from Sandringham House, the 19th property at center of several thousand acres of gardens, mudflats, woods, and farmland.

Police Sgt. Andrew Terry said he didn't know whether the remains were found on the site of Sandringham, but Britain's Press Association news agency identified Anmer as being part of the royal estate. No indication of the age or nature of the remains was given, and Terry said no further information would be released until Tuesday.

Sandringham has served as a private residence for British monarchs since 1862, and queen Elizabeth II traditionally retreats there with her family during the holiday season.

The estate's website says that half of the royal residence is rented out to agricultural tenants. There are also two stud farms, a fruit farm and a country park which, together with the estate's gardens, employ over 100 full-time staff.

Buckingham Palace referred questions about the find back to police.

___

Online:

Sandringham House: http://ow.ly/8g2IC

Norfolk Constabulary: http://www.norfolk.police.uk/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120102/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_human_remains

penn state stanford oregon joe paterno velasquez vs dos santos velasquez vs dos santos manny pacquiao vs. juan manuel marquez manny pacquiao vs. juan manuel marquez

Romney Labels Santorum a 'Career' Politician (ABC News)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/181772642?client_source=feed&format=rss

city of ember virgin diaries kevin smith kevin smith carlos mencia packers stock sale packers stock sale

Romney runs strong, but can he connect with voters? (reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/181541764?client_source=feed&format=rss

conrad murray conrad murray jack del rio jack del rio heaven is for real chapter 11 bankruptcy chapter 11 bankruptcy

In the Midst of Outages, Verizon Imposes New Fee (NewsFactor)

Verizon Wireless is pulling a Netflix of sorts. In the midst of three unexplained data outages in less than a month, the wireless carrier decided to start charging customers a $2 fee to pay their bill on its Web site. To say that customers are angry would be an understatement.

"[A] new $2 payment convenience fee will be instituted for customers who make single bill payments online or by telephone," Verizon Wireless announced on its Web site Thursday. The new charges are official beginning Jan. 15, but customers aren't wasting any time complaining about the "convenience fee."

Indeed, the social-media world is abuzz with complaints over the new fee in a way that's reminiscent of the recent Bank of America debit-card-fee drama. Bank of America backpedaled under pressure. So far, Verizon is holding its course. Although the company now blames its data outages on growing pains, the company isn't yet responding to the latest complaints.

Worst Move Ever?

"As if Verizon doesn't make enough money already. I prefer to not use the automatic payments so that I can make sure I have enough money in my account each month. I always pay my bill within a few days of receiving the e-mail," Christina Budd wrote on Verizon Wireless' Facebook page Friday morning. "How about you reward the people who pay on time, instead of punishing them?"

Meanwhile, Matt Beggs wrote, "I hope you enjoy losing almost $200 a month because you wanted to get another $2 out of me." Others took the occasion to start complaining about Verizon's Total Equipment Coverage. Still others reverted to the good old-fashioned "boo" on the wireless carrier's Facebook page. One Facebook follower posted the e-mail addresses of Verizon executives.

"OK, so I see you want to charge me $2 to pay my bill online. I have 15 months to go on my contract. I have figured I can cut $100 a month off my bill," writes Bentz Kirby on Verizon's Facebook page. "So, I will trade you my savings of $1,500 for your rip-off of $30. Then, when my contract is up, I will move my phone lines to another company and you will lose that income stream too. So, enjoy your $2 a month while you lose in the long run. Worst move ever by you, Verizon."

Communications Snafu

"Part of this uproar is based on an incomplete or inaccurate consumer understanding of what's going on. The belief initially was that Verizon was going to charge people for making all online bill payments. It's only 'one-time' payments, according to the company," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence.

More broadly, people believe there are zero costs incurred by Verizon for online billing, he said, so there's a perception that the company is trying to take advantage of customers unfairly or unjustifiably.

"This PR snafu isn't as bad as Netflix, which had several in a concentrated period of time," Sterling concluded. "But it does illustrate how companies are no longer at liberty to simply impose changes unilaterally on the public without risk to their reputations and brands."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111230/tc_nf/81588

heritage foundation dancing with the stars results 2011 ali fedotowsky ali fedotowsky krill oil krill oil black friday 2011

Oil on Nigerian coast after major Shell spill

LAGOS ? An environmental group said Tuesday that an oil slick had approached Nigeria's coastline after a major Shell spill last week, but the company insisted that its spill had been largely dispersed.

?

? WorldShares lets you earn donations for your favorite nonprofit. Earn up to 20 points now. Learn More

??

Earn Points What's this?

Nigerian group Environmental Rights Action, which closely monitors oil spills in the country, said oil was reported along the shoreline of fishing communities in Bayelsa state as well as Delta state.

?

The group said it sent monitors out after reports from fishermen. It said it suspected the oil had come from the Shell spill, but the claim could not be independently verified.

?

"In the course of the visit, spreading slick was sighted close to the coastline of Odioama and along St. Nicholas," it said in a report that included photos of streaks of what appeared to be oil just off the coastline.

?

"The footprint comes from the ocean," the group's head Nnimmo Bassey told AFP. "We suspect it is from Bonga."

?

Shell has said the spill from its offshore Bonga field, which it became aware of on Dec. 20, amounted to less than 40,000 barrels and that it had been "largely dispersed."

?

Five vessels and two aircraft had been deployed to spread chemical dispersants.

?

A Shell spokesman in Nigeria told AFP that "if there was any more spill found on the coastline, it must have come from a third party."

?

"We found a third-party spill and we have told our team on the ground to clean it. If there is still a spill on the shoreline, it is a third-party spill," Precious Okolobo said.

?

Bonga, which has a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day, is located some 120 kilometers off Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer and an OPEC member. Production has halted at the field.

?

The company said the source of the leak was a flexible line linking a production vessel to a tanker.

?

It was Nigeria's worst offshore spill since a 1998 Mobil incident, officials said, though onshore leaks have been estimated at levels far worse since that time in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

?

Environmental group SkyTruth, using satellite imagery from December 21 it published on its website, estimated the slick had been 70 kilometers long and 17 kilometers wide at its widest.

?

It said it had covered 923 square kilometers (356 square miles) of ocean.

?

Powered by Mochilla

?

WorldShares lets you earn donations for your favorite nonprofit. Earn up to 20 points now. Learn More

Source: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/oil-on-nigerian-coast-after-major-shell-spill

honda generator cc sabathia ruth madoff ruth madoff in living color enews enews