iPhone 5 release date is the “death day” of the Android?

A new opinion report is suggesting the death of Android courtesy of iPhone 5.

Game Over Android, according to PC World blogger Tony Bradley, even calling the popular Google mobile operating system a copycat of Apple’s iOS/iPhone platform.



Of course, it’s like an article written with fanboyism knowing that he called the Android a “copycat” while enumerating his reasons why the so-called death of Google’s mobile OS is coming, or happening when the iPhone 5 hits the United States market. If I’m not mistaken, he’s talking about the possible decline of Android in United States only, and obviously doesn’t include the rest of the world including the emerging China market.

Bradley thinks that Verizon’s inclusion as one of Apple’s iPhone 5 launch partners will destroy the momentum of the Android (including Verizon’s own Droid branding), explaining that a lot of Verizon customers are still not jumping the ship and buying the iPhone 4 because they’re aware that the iPhone 5 is coming. The author of PC World also added that the possible unlocked iPhone 5 will attract more customers because they can insert their own SIM card, and giving the user the opportunity to choose a carrier.

So here’s my question, if the iPhone 4 is really a “super popular” device compared to other Android handsets, then what’s the reason behind the 2.9% market share decline ONLY of the Google operating system after Verizon introduced the iPhone 4? And after introducing another iPhone 4 last April, the white iPhone 4?

Plus, another iPhone 4 was introduced recently, the unlocked iPhone 4, which is also considered by some as a T-Mobile iPhone, and yet, the momentum of the Android is still up and running. MacWorld even posted an article explaining how to use an unlocked iPhone and a T-Mobile SIM, and yet, customers are buying HTC Evo 3D, or HTC Sensation 4G or Samsung Galaxy S II via online retailers, etc?

The secret of Android is availability and variants, because not all customers want a full touchscreen smartphone, and not all customers are fans of iTunes, and there’s Amazon helping Android to grow with their very own Android application market place, plus, a lot of smartphone customers want to view flash content.

Another reason given by the anti-Android blog is the iOS 5. Apparently, the iPhone 5 will include this new iOS update that wil introduce new notification system (that exactly works like the Android’s), better syncing, cloud-based services including the “Picasa-like” photo sharing feature of the iCloud, and the iTunes Match.

Obviously, majority of Apple customers are “non-techy” users, or customers that are not into a device that is congested or tweakable, while Android attract more yuppies, tech enthusiasts and tech-loving community that love to hack, root and unlock their devices. iOS 5 is still “a closed” device, and will remain closed (you can’t still change the keyboard and use third-party keyboards). Period.

Knowing Apple, I’m expecting that the iPhone 5 is an upcoming piece of art, and a lot of customers will surely love the design, whatever it is, because it’s an Apple product with an iconic Apple logo. But not all customers love Apple, or love the Apple ecosystem, that’s why the Android grew, and will continue to grow because it’s more open that iOS. Of course it’s not a perfect operating system (Fragmentation, ehem), who’s perfect in this world? You?

Apple and Android can coexist, and Android will not die on the release date of iPhone 5, trust me. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop even admitted that Apple allowed Android to grow. He said: “Apple created Android, or at least it created the conditions necessary to create Android. People decided they could not play in the Apple way, and they had to do something else. Then Google stepped in there and created Android… and others jumped on the Android train.”

Android’s market share will surely get a decline post iPhone 5, but it will get a bounce back after a couple of months because there’s still a huge percentage of customers that still want an option, it’s called “freedom.”

X-Men: First Class Earn $56 Million

Young X-Men don't have the same box-office superpowers as their older selves.

"X-Men: First Class" earned $56 million to top the weekend box office, but the 20th Century Fox prequel found smaller audiences than the franchise's first four big-screen adventures, which featured older versions of the X-Men.

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Renee Zellweger Furious With Bradley Cooper

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Renee Zellweger has been left rocked by claims her ex-boyfriend Bradley Cooper has hooked up with actress Olivia Wilde.

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Jealous Justin Bieber Fans hate Selena Gomez For Beach Romance

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 Selena Gomez is once more receiving death threats after steamy photographs of her on vacation in Hawaii with her boyfriend Justin Bieber were released over the weekend.

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Kung Fu Panda 2: Hollywood works harder to win Chinese audiences

A decade ago, as China closed in on membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), key negotiators now say, it wasn't talk of opening a huge market to grain or machinery that threatened talks: It was haggling over movies, the ultimate soft-power export.

Today, Chinese consumer confidence has soared. That has lifted movie ticket sales, which jumped 64 percent in 2010 to $1.5 billion, thanks partly to a 3-D craze and a mushrooming of cinemas in China. But what's also grown is official wariness of the influence of foreign media, so much so that Beijing – a WTO member since 2001 – has all but ignored a March WTO deadline to open film distribution to greater foreign participation, and has refused to discuss the annual cap of 20 imported films.

In late May, taking a page out of China's 1972 playbook – when Beijing gave two rare black-and-white bears to Washington's National Zoo after Presi­dent Nixon's historic visit – envoys from DreamWorks Animation went to Sichuan Province bearing "Kung Fu Panda 2," part of DreamWorks's effort to establish a paw-hold in the globe's fastest-growing movie market. The China Film Group (CFG) released the film nationwide on May 27, dubbed into Chinese.

Their effort drew on lessons from the release of the first "Kung Fu Panda" in China right before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Many loved it, making it the first animated feature film here to gross more than 100 million yuan ($15 million) in ticket sales. Others said DreamWorks's take on China's ancient culture fell as flat as its 2-D portrayal.

Fast-forward three years and the stakes are higher. Tickets costing as much as 120 yuan ($18.50) helped China become the No. 2 movie market after the United States for 20th Century Fox's "Avatar." After its January 2010 release, it went on to gross more than $200 million in China. Walt Disney Pictures's "Pirates of the Carib­bean 4: On Stranger Tides" recently topped the opening weekend figures for "Avatar."

Those kind of box-office numbers get the attention of US moviemakers. They ensure that the studios will increasingly take into account not only what will fly with China's middle-class audience but also with Beijing censors, who must approve every film.

Lindsay Lohan on House Arrest, Fitted Electronic Ankle Bracelet

Troubled star Lindsay Lohan locked up for probation violation!

The 24-year-old ‘Mean Girls’ star began serving her 35 days house arrest probation – Thursday morning. The actress turns over herself to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Century Regional Detention Facility 5a.m. – now staying at her Venice Beach townhouse – and must wear an electronic ankle bracelet at all time within the house arrest period.

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Equity loans scarce, even for high credit scorers

Many homeowners long to hear the magic words, "your home equity loan is approved." But for most, this type of loan, which allows a homeowner to borrow against the equity in the home, is hard to get.

The typical barriers are lack of equity, impaired credit, and inadequate income to support additional borrowing. Of those, negative equity, also referred to as being "upside down" or "underwater," may be the most daunting.

Homeowners who have equity, a strong credit score and enough income to support a second loan payment may still find only limited options.

That's mostly because of changes in the lending industry, said Shari Olefson, a real estate lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and author of Foreclosure Nation. Those changes, Ms. Olefson said, include the following:

Fewer lenders, loan officers, mortgage brokers, and companies that used to heavily promote home equity loans.

Stricter government regulations, requiring lenders to hold higher reserves and generally constraining all types of lending.

Short sales, foreclosures, and borrowers who have decided not to make their payments, even though they can afford to do so.

Lenders that offer equity loans may charge higher interest rates to offset those perceived risks.

Some lenders still approve home equity loans for homeowners who have enough "borrowing power," said Gary Korotzer, senior vice president of marketing for home equity at Wells Fargo in San Francisco.

That power consists of collateral, which refers to the home's value as determined by an appraisal or automated-valuation model, and capacity, which refers to the borrower's income relative to debt obligations, Mr. Korotzer said.

"The best thing to do," he said, "is to come in and talk to a banker about your situation. At the end of the day, it's a combination of factors, and you should have a conversation with someone who can guide you through the process."

US President Barak Obama Said "Osama bin Laden is Dead"

The mastermind of the worst terrorist attack on American soil is dead, U.S. President Barack Obama announced late Sunday night, almost 10 years after the attacks that killed more than 3,000 people.

Osama bin Laden -- the longtime leader of al Qaeda -- was killed by U.S. forces in a mansion outside the Pakistani capital of Islamabad along with other family members, a senior U.S. official told CNN.

U.S. officials have taken custody of bin Laden's body, Obama said. No Americans were harmed in the operation, he added.

U.S. diplomatic facilities around the world were placed on high alert following the announcement of bin Laden's death, a senior U.S. official said, and the U.S. State Department should be sending out a new "worldwide caution" for Americans shortly. Some fear al Qaeda supporters may try to retaliate against U.S. citizens or U.S. institutions.

Hundreds of people arrived at the White House late Sunday night and chanted, "USA! USA!" They then chanted, "Hey, hey, goodbye!" in reference to the demise of bin Laden and then spontaneously sang the national anthem.

"This welcome news is a credit to our intelligence efforts and brings to justice the architect of the attacks on our country that killed nearly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, in a statement issued Sunday night.

The news brought some relief to the grieving family members of those killed on 9/11.

"This is important news for us, and for the world. It cannot ease our pain, or bring back our loved ones," Gordon Felt, president of Families of Flight 93, said in a statement. "It does bring a measure of comfort that the mastermind of the September 11th tragedy and the face of global terror can no longer spread his evil."

Film Review: `Thor`, Hollywood extravaganza at its shiniest best

It will go down in history as the most elaborately planned movie franchisee, spanning years and different movies (including sequels) and multiple characters with individual films. And despite knowing that such an extravaganza can be possible only from the marriage of one between Marvel and Hollywood, you continue to marvel at it. The latest marvelous addition to this collection is "Thor".

Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins) a god, grows up to be a warrior too arrogant of his strength to maintain a fragile peace in the kingdom. Seeing his arrogance Odin takes his power and casts him to earth so he can learn to be humble.

Devoid of his power and unable to even move his weapon, a hammer forged from a dying star, he, with the help of a kind scientist Jane (Natalie Portman) learns the value of life and a humility and in the end is ready to sacrifice himself to save his friends.

"Thor" was a dangerous gamble for Marvel. He is not one of the popular characters among the avengers. To dedicate and entire movie, some would have said, was foolhardy. But the film "Thor" amply illustrates that if the will is right, creativity can indeed be brought to be a good slave.

"Thor" is Hollywood extravaganza at its best. It is expected of a film of this magnitude to have good effects. However, the film understands that the effects have to serve the story and not mask a nonexistent one. To bring out human elements in a story about gods, takes skill.

Also the costumes, set design and magical elements are put up in such a way as to make the clan of gods look like and advanced alien race rather than a magical race of gods. That gives the story a science fiction angle, like the other films in the Avengers` series, "Iron Man" and "Hulk", and the upcoming "Captain America", instead of a mythical, magical dimension that would not have fit in with the others.

Chris Hemsworth has gained more than few pounds for his role as Thor. From his impish arrogance of "Star Trek" to the magnificent arrogance of a god, he has come a long way both as an actor and as a star.

The film would delight fans of Avengers and Marvel comics with its hidden references. So we see the agent Coulson from SHIELD we first encountered in "Iron Man"; Samuel L. Jackson makes a unaccredited appearance after the end credits; and there`s reference to Tony Stark, Jeremy Rainer in a small cameo is set up to be "Hawk Eye" in the "Avengers" and Loki is set up to the arch-enemy for the "Avengers".

The Marvel master, Stan Lee too makes an appearance in a funny cameo. Fans should sit through the last credits, for a minute extra that has become an USP of this series.

"Thor" makes a good metaphor against vanity. One should not be too proud to be strong and that wisdom is worth aspiring for. Hope Marvel would have the wisdom to continue with good cinema in the next "Captain America" and "Avengers" offerings.

Insurance nightmare

Worst property insurance idea of the year: Gov. Rick Scott’s reported plan to eliminate or shrink Citizens Property Insurance by leaving its 1.3 million policyholders at the mercy of a problematic private market and the unregulated “surplus lines” market where the sky’s the limit on premiums.

Over the weekend, a report in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that was compiled from multiple documents and sources said the current Citizens bill in the Legislature originated with a notion by the Governor’s Office to completely phase out Citizens. This week, Brian Burgess, Scott’s spokesman, said the governor never supported that plan.

If this is what the governor ever had in mind, he’s smart to back away. The bill under consideration in the Legislature is bad enough, but drastically shrinking or eliminating Citizens at this time would be a disaster for Florida residents and businesses.

The report said even insurance industry lobbyists at a secret meeting with the governor’s staff in February were appalled because the private insurance market can’t absorb policies from those million-plus Citizens policyholders. The only option for many beleaguered consumers would be the surplus lines market, where rates are unregulated and not backed by a state guarantee fund.

A frustrated Sen. Mike Fasano, Republican of New Port Richey, called the governor “clueless” regarding the plight of policyholders who every year must face steeply rising windstorm insurance costs far out of line with inflation, not to mention salaries and incomes.

In the Senate, SB 1714, sponsored by Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, would increase rates for customers of Citizens up to 25 percent a year and force some policyholders out of the program. A House version caps the increases at 15 percent. The current limit is “only” 10 percent, and there’s talk of a compromise at 20 percent. That may be Tallahassee’s idea of a compromise; from the standpoint of policyholders, it’s price gouging.

Supporters of rate increases say Citizens has gotten far too big and, in case of a hurricane disaster, would leave every insurance consumer in Florida holding the bag for billions of dollars in claims that the state insurer must repay by adding new surcharges to future policies for years to come. That’s on top of existing surcharges for previous years of disastrous storms.

Shrinking Citizens is a worthy goal, but simply putting the monkey on the backs of policyholders is the wrong approach. Meanwhile, the private market has significant problems that the Legislature is ignoring. Citizens was created because the private market won’t touch vast areas of the state. Making Citizens less competitive with private insurance by raising rates serves only to punish policyholders who can’t get coverage elsewhere. Insurance companies don’t want their business to begin with.

The state has relaxed regulation to lure private companies into the market, but many of them cover billions of dollars of property but have only a few million dollars in the bank. In 2009, Florida led the nation with six property insurance companies going bust, even though the state has not suffered a serious hurricane hit in several years.

Unlike big companies like, say, Allstate and State Farm, companies with inadequate reserves are making hay while the sun shines — raking in premiums while there’s no disaster — but will be unable to withstand the flood of claims that accompany a big hurricane.

That’s where the focus of state lawmakers should be, along with other shortcomings in the market. Gov. Scott said during his campaign that he wanted to return Citizens to its original mission of being the insurer of last resort, instead of being the No. 1 insurer in the state. Good, but any proposal that allows price gouging is not a plan. It’s an insult.

At least 85 dead, hundreds injured as tornadoes, thunderstorms hit South

Killer tornadoes and thunderstorms tore through the southern United States on Wednesday, leaving at least 85 dead, hundreds injured and a wide swath of destruction in their wake.

Hardest hit was Alabama where 61 people died, most when a mile-wide tornado gouged its way across the state.

Storms also killed 11 in Mississippi, four in Georgia and one in Tennessee

In Tuscaloosa, where at least 15 people were killed, some neighborhoods were reduced to rubble and drivers abandoned cars in streets littered with downed trees and power lines.

"What we faced today was massive damage on a scale we have not seen in Tuscaloosa in quite some time," said Walter Maddox, mayor of the 83,000 population town.

One hospital emergency room took in 100 people.

A Birmingham family was trapped briefly in their home by uprooted trees.

"As I was grabbing my daughter and running to the closet, they hit the house," said Lisa Hey, who estimated 90% of the trees in her neighborhood were toppled.

"Teams have pre-deployed to begin debris removal and search and rescue operations as soon as conditions permit," said Alabama emergency agency spokeswoman Lauree Ashcom in a statement.

The monster twisters forced three nuclear reactors in Alabama to shut, leaving about 245,000 households and businesses in Alabama without power.

A Louisiana police officer was killed at a campsite in Choctaw County, Miss., when a tree fell onto his tent as he used his body to shield his 9-year-old daughter, said Kim Korthuis, a supervisor with the National Park Service.

"She wasn't hurt, just scared and soaking wet," said Greg Maier, a campsite volunteer.

Much of northern Texas, including areas recently charred by wildfires, also was pounded by tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.

"Numerous homes have been damaged or destroyed," said Lt. Chuck Allen, emergency management coordinator in Van Zandt County, located about halfway between Dallas and Tyler.

This week's storms have added to the violent weather that has pummeled much of the south this month.

Two weeks ago, at least 47 people died as storms tore a wide path from Oklahoma to North Carolina.

The latest wild weather - a nearly 600 mile stretch - began in the Midwest plains, moved through the south and Wednesday night was headed as far north as Pennsylvania and upstate New York.

The National Weather Service said as many as 21 states could be hit by severe weather before things clear up Friday.

About 74 tornadoes were reported Wednesday along with hundreds of reports of wind and hail damage.

Roads were washed out or blocked by fallen trees and power lines, houses, schools and businesses were flattened, flooded or set on fire by lightning and wind-whipped debris became deadly flying projectiles throughout the four-state hot zone.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in Missouri after levees failed to hold back swollen rivers.

"I'm just glad my family is safe," said Chris Pigg, who spent the night at a shelter with his wife and daughter and wasn't sure if he'd have a home to return to after the Black River breached the levee in Poplar Bluff.

Governors called out the National Guard to help with rescue and cleanup operations, and states of emergency were declared in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

T-Mobile G2X: Official Android 2.3 Gingerbread Release Date Update

If you are already in possession of a T-Mobile G2X, or currently have one on pre-order, we have some excellent news for you. T-Mobile has just confirmed that users will not have to wait long for the official upgrade to Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

For those of you that are unaware, the 1Ghz dual-core processor ships with Android 2.2 Froyo, but T-Mobile always insisted that Gingerbread would come soon after release. It now looks like they are sticking to their word, with the following Twitter update, as reported from TmoNews:

”@thephilbert Gingerbread is coming to the G2x soon. You won’t have to wait long.”

The company also confirmed that they were already testing Gingerbread before the G2X launched, and that’s the main reason why users will not have to wait long for the update. Just how long though? We’re hoping that they are talking about a few weeks wait, rather than months.

With that good news aside, it’s nice to see T-Mobile directly responding to questions about future software updates, and it’s certainly a contrast to users of Samsung handsets who are often pulling their hair out in frustration over lack of communication about their respective updates – Gingerbread for the Samsung S for example.

Do you already have a G2X? If so, let us know your overall impressions of the device so far and your thoughts on T-Mobile’s quick response to the Gingerbread update.

Obama Launches Task Force to Investigate Gas Prices

President Barack Obama said Thursday that the Justice Department will try to "root out" cases of fraud or manipulation in oil markets, even as Attorney General Eric Holder suggested a variety of legal reasons may be behind gasoline's surge to $4 a gallon.

"We are going to make sure that no one is taking advantage of the American people for their own short-term gain," Obama said at a town-hall style meeting at a renewable energy plant in Reno, Nev.

With the 2012 campaign in mind, theWhite House is anxious to show the public it's taking action to address rising gas prices. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.84 on Thursday, about 30 cents higher than a month ago and almost a dollar higher than a year ago.

Visit WTVR Mobile [mobile.wtvr.com] for the latest news, weather, video, cheap gas prices and more on your phone. CBS 6 has you covered -- at work, at home or on-the-go!

Obama, decrying such levels as yet another hardship "at a time when things were already pretty tough," said Holder was forming the Financial Fraud Enforcement Working Group.

The task force will focus some of its investigation on "the role of traders and speculators" in the oil-price surge, Obama said, and will include several Cabinet department officials, federal regulators and the National Association of Attorneys General.

InWashington, Holder said he would press ahead with the investigation, even though he did not cite any current evidence of intentional manipulation of oil and gas prices or fraud.

"Based upon our work and research to date, it is evident that there are regional differences in gasoline prices, as well as differences in the statutory and other legal tools at the government's disposal," Holder said in a memo accompanying a statement announcing the task force. "It is also clear that there are lawful reasons for increases in gas prices, given supply and demand."

"Nonetheless, where consumers are harmed by unlawful conduct that has the effect of increasing gas prices, state and federal authorities will take swift action," Holder said.

He promised to "be vigilant in monitoring the oil and gas markets for any wrongdoing so that consumers can be confident they are not paying higher prices as a result of illegal activity."

There's not much Obama can do to affect the price of gasoline in short term, something he acknowledged in his remarks. Gas prices have risen steadily as a result of tensions in the Middle East and northern Africa and rising demand from China and other emerging economies.

Given that no evidence has yet surfaced of actual fraud or price manipulation in oil markets, Obama's remarks appeared, at least in part, as more of an attempt to assuage public anger over rising gas prices.

Other presidents have also launched similar inquiries at times of rising oil prices and widespread public suspicions of market manipulation by the oil industry or by speculators.

In an Associated Press-Gfk poll last month, 51 percent of adults said they thought recent increases in gas prices were due to "oil companies that want to boost profits" rather than changes in the global oil market. Nine percent said higher prices stemmed from a combination of both, 37 percent from changes in the market.

Obama renewed his proposal to end roughly $4 billion annually in various government subsidies to oil and gas companies "at a time when they're making record profits and you're paying near record prices at the pump. It has to stop."

Asked by a member of the audience about prospects for advancements in clean energy, Obama predicted that, with time, prices of now-expensive devices such as electric cars would come down.

"Having a flat-screen TV used to be a big deal," Obama said. But he said now such TVs are commonplace because prices have dropped so much.

While acknowledging he doesn't spend much time these days behind the wheel, Obama said, "I've been in one of these Chevy Volts. This is a nice car. It drives well."

He said when such vehicles become more affordable, "those of you out there driving that 8-mile-a-gallon SUV" should consider a purchase. Otherwise, by buying gasoline that likely came from imported oil, Americans "are putting money in the pockets of people who do not like us at all," he said.

FromNevada, Obama flew to Los Angeles, his final stop on a three-day West Coast swing focused heavily on raising money for the president's re-election bid. Obama's six money events, all in California, focused on high-dollar donors and young people, both of whom will be integral to a campaign that could set fundraising records.

Before the Reno event Thursday, Obama told supporters inSan Francisco that he was pressing ahead with his agenda in a difficult political environment and that "change turned out to be a lot tougher than expected."

Obama addressed about 200 people who paid up to $35,800 apiece for the fundraiser at San Francisco's St. Regis Hotel, the first of four for the day.

Obama was interrupted by a small group among the paying guests who protested the detention ofBradley Manning, an Army private accused of leaking secret documents to the WikiLeaks website.

"We paid our dues, where's our change?" the protesters sang to the president.

"We'll vote for you in 2012, yes that's true. Look at theRepublicans — what else can we do?"

Obama paused while security removed some of the protesters, then joked, "That's a nice song. You guys have much better voices than I do."

Manning, suspected of illegally passing U.S. government secrets to the WikiLeaks while serving as an Army intelligence analyst in Iraq, was transferred this week to an Army prison inKansas from the Marine brig in Quantico, Va., where he has spent the last nine months.

Between his California events, Obama went to the Electra Therm Co. in Reno, speaking in front of a machine that produces renewable energy from low-temperature heat waste.

Obama's West Coast visit — his most extensive travel since announcing his re-election bid two weeks ago — offered a glimpse of how he will seek to re-energize the independents and first-time voters who carried him to victory in 2008. Obama argues that more work must be done to make the vision of America he promised a reality and that he is the only one who can see those hopes through.