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Each year begins for technologists and geeks with the annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for CES. Its easy to write off this massive technology trade show as an outdated, overrated, and overhyped gizmo-fest. But I think its incredibly valuable, and often results in real marketplace knowledge ahead of the curve.

That said, I go into CES each year with some insights and some crystal ball gazing that often helps me focus on what Im expecting to see. This year, 2012 CES has a handful of trends that will impact media, content creators, and devices.

Here are FIVE CES PREDICTIONS you can expect to see come true in Las Vegas this year.

TVs get sexy. Expect Samsung, Vizio, Panasonic, Sony, and more to come out with sleeker, brighter, more awesome screens. A related new technology called 4K is expected to greatly improve image resolutions. While its still early on, there will be some new voice control gizmos trying to get a jump on the Siri TV product that Apple is rumored to have on its way to market. However, as always, no Apple at CES. Last year the big buzz was 3-D on the heels of Avatar. But the glasses were expensive and proprietary to the set manufacturer, which kept customers away. Expect a new batch of passive 3-D glasses that are cheap (like the ones in the movie theaters) and interchangeable from set to set. LG is planning to offer 4K HDTVs that include passive 3-D technology. TVs with 4K resolution will be able to deliver full HD resolution with the passive 3-D. Maybe 3-D will break out this year? Could be.

Game platforms vie for dominance. Nintendo and Xbox both promise new home-media friendly devices that will put them even deeper into the battle for living room dominance. Expect more improvements with Microsoft Kinect as a device-control interface for your home TV.

The year of the app. Theres huge jump in the number of web-connected TVs shipping this year, from 60 million last year up to 80 million this year. And Adobe has come out swinging, saying it wants to be the dominant provider of technology in the new world of app-centric viewing.

The cable-cutting dilemma. While the buzz on cable cutting has been huge, the reality of life without cable TV has proven to be a bit of a programming minefield. This CES will see a series of shifts in the space, with Boxee shifting from a computer-centric model to a hardware+software solution. Roku will continue to build a base, with content deals and its new Streaming Stick looking to grow its 2.5 million customer user-base. Tivos offerings or new gizmos are under wraps (or nonexistent) this year. But the dark-horse candidate for most disruptive new technology may come from a small company, Syncbak. Syncbak founder Jack Perry is no stranger to Web TV, having launched TitanTV.com at CES back in 2000. Perry says the big guys have it all wrong, and that web video isnt about search. Instead, he says, content should search for consumers.

Were taking broadcasters OTT in less than 5 minutes at no cost, Perry told me. He claims 50 TV stations reaching 22 million households have been testing the technology over the past year. Syncbak says Spokane, Wash., will launch in January with several TV stations. Theyll use Syncbak to distribute live broadcasts to viewers mobile devices. The app will also include two national broadcast channels (but Syncbak wont reveal who they are).

Laptops will make way for Ultrabooks. Mobile computing will get lighter and thinner as Ultrabook manufactures like Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, HP, and others hustle to catch up with Apples popular Macbook Air product line. Intel is driving the Ultrabook push, but it wont be till Windows 8 shows up that youll see really snappy performance. So, Apple still has a running head start. Oh, did I mention that theres no Apple booth at CES? Yet their impact is everywhere.

Expect CES 2012 to be a hotbed of disruptive technologies, changing screens and devices, and programmers looking to protect their existing revenues while getting a piece of the future.

Good times in Vegas, if youre willing to place a bet or two.

Ebony Utley, author and speaker about pop culture, race and romantic relationships, is scheduled to speak at the University of Dayton as part of the Universitys annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.

Utley will deliver a lecture on Social Movement Strategies and the Hip-Hop Generation at 7:30 pm Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the Kennedy Union ballroom. The event is part of the 2011-12 University of Dayton Speaker Series and is free and open to the public.

Utley is the author or editor of two forthcoming books, Rap and Religion: Understanding the Gangstas God and Power and Pleasure in Popular Culture. She co-edited the 2009 book Hip-Hops Languages of Love. A former Javitz Fellow at Northwestern University, she now teaches in the communication studies department at California State University, Long Beach.

The University of Daytons office of multicultural affairs is promoting events for students throughout the week, Jan. 16-20, with the theme How Im Living the Dream. Visit http://oma.udayton.edu for more information.

• Monday, Jan. 16: The MLK Dayton Community March. Students meet at 10 am at the office of multicultural affairs in Gosiger Hall for breakfast and to make signs and posters. The march begins at 11 am at Welcome Stadium and ends at the Dayton Convention Center.
• Tuesday, Jan. 17: Ebony Utley lecture.
• Wednesday, Jan. 18: A campus Day of Unity with an open microphone at 6 pm in Kennedy Union Boll Theatre.
• Thursday, Jan. 19: Open discussion, What will your legacy be: How are you living the dream? 1-4 pm in Roesch Library.
• Friday, Jan. 20: Video, How am I living the dream?, shown on television sets in Kennedy Union all day between classes.

The University of Dayton Speaker Series is in its inaugural season, dedicated to the theme: Building Movements for Social Justice. The series evolved from a combination of the Universitys popular Diversity Lecture Series and the Distinguished Speaker Series.

David Suzuki, co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation and award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster, is slated to give the final lecture of the season April 16 on The Challenge of the 21st Century: Setting the Real Bottom Line.

Heather Donahue chronicles her journey from starring in the cult classic to growing marijuana in her memoir, “Growgirl,” in stores now. She tells Marlow Stern about her path to pot.

HP releases a new teaser video for its Envy Spectre, a 14-inch ultrabook that is set to make its first public appearance this week at CES in Las Vegas.

The Digital Trends team is right now preparing to converge on Las Vegas, Nev. for the week-long gathering of gear, gadgets and electronics gurus that is the annual Consumer Electronics Show. HP fired a first shot at the start of last week when it released a teaser video for its soon-to-be-revealed Envy Spectre ultrabook. Today brings a second teaser video, though dont expect to walk away with much new information or even a clear look at whats being cooked up. The best you get is a blink-and-youll-miss-it glimpse of the Envy Spectre in profile, though its hard not to notice the Beats Audio logo on the devices side.

The Envy Spectre will be one of the many ultrabooks taking a bow at CES this year, all of them lining up for a shot at knocking out the most popular kid on the block, Apples MacBook Air. Very little is known about HPs contender, beyond that it will likely sport a 14-inch screen and and feature Intels Ivy Bridge processor, according to a recent FCC filing.

The Envy Spectre wont the only HP ultrabook in the mix. The company released its Folio 13 ultrabook on December 7, a $900 13.3-incher with a solid nine-hour battery life and a good mix of features to offset its relatively average-sized (for an ultrabook) 3.3 pounds and 18mm thickness.

Check out the Envy Spectre teaser below and stay tuned all this week for CES coverage straight from the show floor!

NOTE: If you have any problems checking out the embed, you can also see it right here on HPs YouTube channel.

MISSOULA, Mont., Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ –The Electronic Cigarette Guy website (http://www.electroniccigaretteguy.com) recently announced a total site redesign, that now features reviews of current electronic cigarette products from actual users of these products.

Product information has been made available by Rob, who was a longtime smoker himself. Now 34 years old and a father of four children, he attributes his interest in e-cigarettes to an accidental discovery of them in 2009, which he now uses on a daily basis.

Over the past three years I have put in a lot of time researching these devices — Ive spent a lot of my own money on them, said Rob. I guess by now I must own over 20 different models, some of them very early models that pale in comparison to what is available to the consumer today.

According to Rob, I wanted to make this site an important resource for persons who were once just like me — bewildered and confused by all the different makes and models. The real difficulty here stems from the fact that every single manufacturer of e-cigarette devices claims to be the best. And of course, manufacturer websites will go to great lengths to convince you that their device is the best ever invented.

Adding to the confusion, he says, is the fact that many review websites in this area simply display reviews that are, in fact, fictional, made up by the operators of the website.

Having fake reviews is certainly no help to the average person who is looking for objective feedback on the merits or shortcomings of e-cigarette devices and accessories. We have set a goal to offer the very best electronic cigarette reviews of any site on the Web today. We are accomplishing this by soliciting product feedback from actual users of these devices. In fact, any e-cigarette device user is welcome to leave their comments and feedback on any of the products discussed on our site.

The Electronic Cigarette Guy site reviews include a summary chart for each brand/manufacturer, which shows some at-a-glance information on each product such as kit prices, cartridge flavors, the nicotine levels available, average shipping (delivery) times, and overall user rating.

If coupon codes are available, the site also includes a handy one-click button to navigate directly to the official manufacturer site when the consumer is ready to make a purchase.

Commenting further, Rob noted that We have tried to provide very detailed kinds of information, so that if, for example, someone wanted to look up the safe cig review, they could find this information quickly and easily. You can locate specific products if that interests you. We tried not to leave anything out. If you want to know exactly what is included with each type of e-cigarette kit, like the Njoy electronic cigarette, we have that listed for you. If you are interested in purchasing bulk packs of cartridges, or want to know what battery or charger options are available, you can find it there as well.

User ratings are specified in five different areas: overall value, flavor, speed of shipment, customer service helpfulness and an overall rating. The site also boasts a detailed FAQ section, which gives helpful information explaining what e-cigarette devices are, how they work, questions about safety, their correct operation, cleaning and maintenance.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Rob The E-Cig Guy
rob@electroniccigaretteguy.com
http://www.electroniccigaretteguy.com

This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Electronic Cigarette Guy

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Ive just arrived in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show to hang out with 140,000 of my closest friends. This show — the mother of all tech trade shows — is where people find out what many companies plan to release at some point during 2012. Not all products shown at CES will make it to market and many of the ones that do will be flops. But there have also been some successful products and product categories launched at CES including the VCR in 1970, the Commodore 64 personal computer in 1982, the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985, HDTV in 1998, Tivo in 1999, Blu-Ray in 2003 and that wildly successful (not) Palm Pre in 2009. CES is also where many people first saw 3D TVs in 2009 and a parade of tablets in 2011. Check out this chart at Sortable.

So here are a few things we can we expect at CES 2012.

3D TVs without glasses. We saw that in 2011 but well see more of them and larger ones in 2012. Well also see lots of 3D TVs that use inexpensive passive glasses instead of the $300 a pair active ones that were common just a couple of years ago. These new developments are a good sign, but Im still not convinced that people will want to spend more on 3D TV. As CES chief Gary Shapiro said in a podcast interview posted at CNET, 3D is a feature, not a new category of TV.

Ultrabooks: Apple has done very well with its thin and lightweight MacBook Air but the so-called Windows netbooks, never did catch on big time. Thats because they were under-powered and often had skimpy keyboards. Ultrabooks are thin and light but theyre not cheap and they dont skimp on power. Expect Lenovo, Dell, HP and others to feature them at CES and expect Ultrabooks to be the hot category of PCs in the coming year.

OLED and Connected TVs: OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode and unlike other technologies, there is no need for a backlight so its more energy efficient. It also allows for thinner TVs and for richer colors, better contrast and resolution. LG has already blogged that it will be showing the worlds largest OLED, a 55-inch model.

It should come as no surprise that the hottest thing on TV has nothing to do with an antenna or even a cable or satellite connection but the ability to bring in streaming video from the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and others. As with previous years, there will be plenty of TVs with built-in Internet connectivity. I wouldnt be surprised if it emerges as an almost standard feature.

Connected Cars: There will be keynote speeches from the CEOs of both Ford and Mercedes and plenty of connectivity solutions for cars. There will also be mobile apps to control cars, such as Fords MyFord Mobile App to help owners of its electric cars find charging stations.

iStuff: As usual Apple wont be at CES but there will be plenty of vendors with apps, cases and accessories for the iPhone and iPad. There will even be an iLounge, with 300 exhibitors who are focused on supporting Apple products.

This post is adapted from one that appeared on Forbes.com and LarrysWorld.com

News that Beyonce gives birth became a hot trend early Sunday morning, with Internet users looking for the latest details on the newborn. Bey and Jay-Z had a daughter, and now their babys name, Ivy Blue Carter, is a trend on Twitter. Are people loving it or hating it, though?

It started last night with news that a pregnant Beyonce checked into Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC, and now it appears the singer has finally given birth. Multiple sources have reported on the news, and fans have been congratulating the power couple on their first child. Congrats to Beyonce and Jay-Z, Brooklyn Carter, Ivy Blue Carter, and Illuminatis Very Youngest, all became Twitter trends in the USA as of this early morning report.

Fans are continuing to congratulate the couple, or crack jokes about the name or the newborn girl. One user joked with a tweet saying:

Congrats to Beyonce and Jay-Z on their daughter Ivy Blue. Since shell never have to work a day in her life, they shouldve named her Lay-Z.

Another jokes about the promotional power of Beyonce, tweeting:

Mama suggested that Beyoncà name her daughter Kelly Rowlands new album out now, yall. Go buy it… Carter but she just laughed.

As for the name choice, some love it, and some dont. One user named MOREN0 tweeted:

I was hoping Jay was going to name his daughter Brooklyn Carter. Ivy Blue Carter? Sounds like a new crayon to me

Either way, congratulations are certainly in order for Beyonce finally giving birth to her and Jay-Zs daughter. It could make for some interesting mentions in songs, and there will probably be a line of baby products named after her. Thats just the way the power couple rolls!

So what do you think of the name Ivy Blue Carter, was it a good choice, or should they have opted for something different?

(Image source: Wikimedia)

FLYING HIGH: Phillips Trust Westpac Rescue pilots Dan Harcourt, left, and Loren Haisley never know where their job will take them next.

WELCOME BACK, AMERICAN IDOL

THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A TWO-NIGHT PREMIERE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 AND THURSDAY, JANUARY 19;
AUDITIONS CONTINUE WITH A SPECIAL BROADCAST SUNDAY, JANUARY 22
FOLLOWING THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON FOX

Hollywood Rounds Begin Thursday, February 9

Performance Challenge Airs Wednesday, February 22

Semifinalists Revealed Thursday, February 23

Semifinalists Perform Tuesday, February 28 and Wednesday, February 29

Americas Vote Reveals Finalists Thursday, March 1

The incredible journey is about to begin as AMERICAN IDOL, Americas No. 1 show, returns for its remarkable 11th season. Featuring host Ryan Seacrest and returning judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, AMERICAN IDOL is set to return with a two-night event showcasing the nations most extraordinary talent Wednesday, Jan. 18 and Thursday, Jan. 19. Auditions will continue with a special, extended primetime broadcast of AMERICAN IDOL Sunday, Jan. 22 (10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT), following the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (6:00 PM-CC ET live/3:00 PM-CC PT live) on FOX.

The shows judges – Jackson, Lopez and Tyler – traveled to Savannah, Aspen, Galveston, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego and St. Louis in search of contestants with the raw talent and potential to become the next AMERICAN IDOL. Auditions continue on Wednesday, Jan. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 26; Wednesday, Feb. 1 and Thursday, Feb. 2; and Wednesday, Feb. 8 on FOX.

The contestants who impress the judges will head to Hollywood and be put to the ultimate test during the Hollywood Rounds, airing Thursday, Feb. 9; Wednesday, Feb. 15; and Thursday, Feb. 16.

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, those who make it through Hollywood must then take the Performance Challenge, where they face the judges one last time before the top male and top female semifinalists are revealed on Thursday, Feb. 23.

The judges have their say after every performance, but its the viewing public that determines who will advance to the next round of the competition and who will go home. In the milestone 400th episode, airing on a special night, Tuesday, Feb. 28, the first group of semifinalists will take the stage to sing for Americas votes.

The following night, Wednesday, Feb. 29, the remaining semifinalists will perform. The competition takes an intense turn on the LIVE results show Thursday, March 1 as Americas vote reveals the first set of finalists, then those that remain will have one last chance to perform for the judges who will round out the 2012 AMERICAN IDOL finalists with their wild card picks.

The following week, the competition heats up when the finalists take the stage on Wednesday, March 7. One finalists journey will end as Americas vote is revealed on Thursday, March 8.

All AMERICAN IDOL episodes begin at 8/7c unless otherwise noted.

RECAP

Wednesday, Jan. 18 Season Premiere, Part 1

Thursday, Jan. 19 Season Premiere, Part 2

Sunday, Jan. 22 Auditions Episode (Special Broadcast)
(10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT)

Wednesday, Jan. 25 Auditions Episode

Thursday, Jan. 26 Auditions Episode

Wednesday, Feb. 1 Auditions Episode

Thursday, Feb. 2 Auditions Episode

Wednesday, Feb. 8 Auditions Episode

Thursday, Feb. 9 Hollywood Round, Part 1

Wednesday, Feb. 15 Hollywood Round, Part 2

Thursday, Feb. 16 Hollywood Round, Part 3

Wednesday, Feb. 22 Performance Challenge

Thursday, Feb. 23 Semifinalists Announced

Tuesday, Feb. 28 Semifinalists Perform/
400th Episode (Special Broadcast)

Wednesday, Feb. 29 Semifinalists Perform

Thursday, March 1 Results Show; Finalists Announced and
Judges Wild Card Picks Revealed
(ET live/PT tape-delayed)

Wednesday, March 7 Finalists Perform

Thursday, March 8 Results Show; First Elimination
(ET live/PT tape-delayed)

Visit americanidol.com for all of your AMERICAN IDOL news.

Become a fan of AMERICAN IDOL on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanIdol. Follow the series on Twitter @AmericanIdol and join the discussion at #AmericanIdol. Also, follow host Ryan Seacrest at @RyanSeacrest, and follow the judges: @yo_randyjackson; @JLo; and @iamstevent.

AMERICAN IDOL is produced by 19 Entertainment, a division of CKX, Inc. and FremantleMedia North America, Inc. The series is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, CEO, XIX Entertainment, and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; and Nigel Lythgoe, CEO, Nigel Lythgoe Productions. AMERICAN IDOL has been No. 1 among Adults 18-49 for the past eight consecutive seasons.

Forget the expensive bauble he gave you over the holidays. And its not about the trip your wife promised. Nor is it a matter of who wears the pants in the family.

The secret to marital happiness is as simple as making your spouse tea in the morning. Turning down his side of the bed. Giving her a back rub.

More related to this story

• Happiness in couples is contagious. So is misery
• Put your partner on a pedestal? You might have a happier marriage
• Are you stuck in a lsquo;semi-happy marriage? Sure about that?

Small acts of kindness are not just what we should be practising in the world at large, it would seem, but also right in our homes.

The generous marriage has a much greater chance of being a happy one.

Thats the finding of a recent study by the University of Virginias National Marriage Project, examining the role of generosity in marriages. Defined as the virtue of giving good things to ones spouse freely and abundantly, such thoughtfulness adds a new dimension to our understanding of how couples can build a strong, stable partnership, say the researchers. Their questions were directed in three areas. Did spouses offer small kindnesses to each other? Did they regularly express affection? Were they able to forgive? The researchers claim that this is the first empirical study of generosity.

A happy marriage is not just about satisfying sex, in other words. (Although, of course, its about that, too.)

In fact, sexual satisfaction came first as the factor that cements a partnership, followed by a sense of commitment. Generosity was third. Other factors include a positive attitude about raising children, social support from friends and family and spirituality within marriage. All 2,870 couples studied had children.

Undertaken in co-operation with the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values, an organization headed up by Elizabeth Marquardt, a famously pro-marriage family scholar who argued in her book, Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce, that even amicable divorces profoundly shape the lives of children in negative ways, the study set out to counter what it calls the increasingly individualistic tenor of modern life.

In that way, the study can be seen as another backlash against the popular divorce culture, not unlike books such as Mark OConnells The Marriage Benefit: The Surprising Rewards of Staying Together and Maggie Scarfs September Songs: The Good News about Marriage in the Later Years which criticized the consumerist attitude in modern marriage the idea that if a partner no longer pleases you as he did when you first acquired him, you promptly trade him in for a different model.

Since the 1970s and the advent of the Me Generation in North America, theres been a stress on seeing marriages as a vehicle for fulfilling individual needs as opposed to (at least in part) an opportunity to serve your spouse on a regular basis, something that is good for both you and your partner, comments W. Bradford Wilcox, associate professor of sociology at the University of Virginia. As marriage came under scrutiny in the wake of feminism, the focus of most academic study was on issues of gender equality, he notes.

And yet the Holy Grail of the equitable marriage is far trickier to find than a hot cup of tea for your beloved. Among those parents with high scores on the generosity scale, 50 per cent reported their marriage as very happy. Among those with lower generosity scores, only 14 per cent claimed to be very happy.

Its signaling to someone that you want to go above and beyond the call of duty. On a regular basis, its signaling that you value them, says Prof. Wilcox. Its really little acts of service that dont cost a huge amount.

Feeling appreciated goes a long way to making someone feel good, even if he does have to clean up the kitchen every night. But its not about positive reinforcement, the researchers quickly point out. Generosity is often motivated by a desire to benefit ones spouse, not to receive reciprocal benefits, they write in the study.

A generous marriage makes both the giver and the receiver happy. Kind acts help engender a sense of gratitude, which research shows is linked to positive feelings. And the giver benefits from the altruism, another important factor in studies of well-being.

It may seem self-evident a basic part of being human. But generosity toward loved ones or even friends is often overlooked these days. Part of it is that people are very busy, Prof. Wilcox says in a telephone interview. Theyre on their Facebook page or watching TV, and theres little free time to devote attention elsewhere. It may also be a function of the child-focused family model, in which helicopter parents spend more time devoted to nurturing their childrens talents and interests than they do cultivating their marriage.

All marriages are opaque, but this study parts the curtain a little bit on those private, domestic behaviours that make partnerships strong. Its a welcome respite from the popular pastime of cooing over celebrity marriages, seemingly made in heaven, as a couple canoodles on the red carpet only weeks, or even days, before announcing their split.

As a culture we underrate the importance of kindness in our romantic relationships. We think its about how hot someone is, what kind of car they drive or what someone does for a living. We are enamoured of the grand gesture being whisked away on a Caribbean holiday at short notice. But the study shows its not the big displays of affection but rather the small, frequent, even mundane, ones that matter.

Which reminds me of something Helen Gurley Brown, the former editor of Cosmopolitan, once said to me in an interview. Forget the charmer, she advised, wagging a finely manicured finger. Go for the man who is your best friend.