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Monday, 31 October 2011
Something Has Exploded In a Spectacular Fashion On Uranus [Space]
Report: RIM operating surveillance facility in India (Digital Trends)
Back in 2010, the Indian government set multiple deadlines for RIM to provide the government with access to encrypted BlackBerry communication or face a shutdown of BlackBerry services in the country. Those deadlines came and went, with RIM insisting that it has no back door that would let government authorities (or anybody else) decrypt and access communications on its BlackBerry Enterprise services. However, by the beginning of 2011 RIM had been working with the Indian government to provide access to consumer-level BlackBerry Messenger and BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS) email?and now the Wall Street Journal reports RIM is operating a small surveillance facility in Mumbai to process government requests for access to BlackBerry user communications.
According to the report, government officials must convince RIM they have enough legal justification to require access to a user?s messages before the company will cooperate. However, the Indian government still wants access to decrypted messages sent via BlackBerry Enterprise Services, and also wants to locate officials at RIM?s headquarters in Canada to facilitate getting surveillance requests to the company.
RIM has consistently claimed that it has no magical back door that would enable it to snoop on encrypted communications sent via BlackBerry Enterprise Server; when customers sign on to the service, they generate their own encryption keys, and the architecture of the service prevents RIM from ever having a copy of them. RIM insists that architecture is identical around the world, but has led some industry watchers to speculate governments might require companies using BlackBerry Enterprise services to hand their encryption keys over to the government to be able to lawfully use the services.
India isn?t the only country where RIM has seen government demands for access to its services: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and others have also demanded access to customer messages and threatened RIM with BlackBerry shutdowns. In each case so far, RIM has been able to work out agreements with the countries, although the details have never been disclosed and the Indian case is the first where RIM is believed to have set up a message surveillance center. In other cases, RIM is believes to have located BlackBerry servers within the country, rather than operating BlackBerry services off servers in North America and the United Kingdom.
RIM has not confirmed the existence of a monitoring center in India, so far telling media only that it as ?delivered a solution? to the Indian government?s concerns.
Governments have insisted they need access to messages for security purposes, such as preventing attacks by militants and terrorists who might use encrypted communications to plan and coordinate attacks. However, critics have warned that some regimes might use communications access to suppress free speech and monitor activities of political opponents.
This article was originally posted on Digital Trends
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Sunday, 30 October 2011
Engadget Mobile Podcast 110 - 10.29.2011
Host: Myriam Joire (tnkgrl), Brad Molen
Guest: Steve Litchfield
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Daestro - Light Powered (Ghostly International)
00:03:00 - Nokia Lumia 800 unboxed: we shed some light on what's inside
00:07:25 - Nokia Asha 200, Asha 300 and Asha 303 hands-on (video)
00:09:25 - Mythical snow-white N9 spotted at Nokia World
00:13:50 - Nokia N9 review
00:25:30 - Samsung Galaxy Note review
00:44:20 - Motorola Atrix 2 review
00:59:25 - Sprint's LTE getting Advanced in 2013, WiMAX's inferiority complex intensifies
01:00:40 - Sony to buy out Ericsson's stake in joint venture, call it quits after ten years
01:01:20 - Windows Phone Apollo coming 'middle of next year,' says Nokia VP
01:06:44 - Motorola Droid 4 exposed to our wandering eyes, comes with LTE in tow?
01:15:10 - Steve Litchfield
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Engadget Mobile Podcast 110 - 10.29.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Saturday, 29 October 2011
Adele to have throat surgery, cancels 2011 plans (AP)
NEW YORK ? Adele's voice has given her the biggest success this year ? and the most trouble. The singer will have throat surgery and has now canceled all tour dates and promotional appearances for the year.
Columbia Records announced Friday that the "Rolling in the Deep" singer will have surgery "to alleviate the current issues with her throat." A full recovery is expected.
Earlier this month, the 23-year-old canceled a U.S. concert run due to a hemorrhage in her vocal chord; she also canceled concerts in June due to laryngitis.
The statement said that doctors have ordered the Grammy winner to rest her voice and "completely recuperate before looking to schedule any work commitments."
Adele's "21" is the best-selling CD of the year in the United States; it's sold over 4 million units.
___
Online:
http://www.adele.tv
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North Carolina runaway No. 1 in AP preseason poll
North Carolina broke a tie with its fiercest rival and moved into one with one of college basketball's most storied programs.
The Tar Heels, who return all five starters from the team that reached the regional finals last season, were the runaway No. 1 in The Associated Press' men's preseason Top 25 on Friday. It is the eighth time they have received that honor since the preseason poll started in 1961-62.
That breaks a tie with Duke, North Carolina's Tobacco Road rival, and moves them into a tie with UCLA, the program that dominated the sport unlike any other under coach John Wooden.
"It shows that North Carolina basketball has had a tremendous level of success over a long, long period of time," coach Roy Williams said. "We are very proud of that and this is another indication of the program's great history."
North Carolina received all but three of the No. 1 votes cast by the 65-member national media poll, finishing well ahead of Kentucky, the team that eliminated the Tar Heels last season one step from the Final Four.
With the frontcourt of Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller all passing up the chance to enter the NBA draft and point guard Kendall Marshall having a chance to run the team for the whole season instead of just the last 20 games, the Tar Heels have the personnel to start the season comfortably atop the poll.
"I'm happy that people feel this positive about our team, but the great thing about college basketball is you have to get it done on the court," Williams said. "This gives us a goal and it's up to us to work hard and be the best team we can be to reach that goal."
North Carolina has been the preseason No. 1 in three of the last five seasons. In 2008-09, the Tar Heels were a unanimous preseason No. 1 with five starters back, and that season ended with a national championship.
The Tar Heels' other preseason No. 1s were in 2007-08 (Final Four), 1993-94 (second round), 1986-87 (regional final), 1983-84 (regional semifinals), 1981-82 (national championship) and 1977-78 (first round).
"We have the opportunity to win it all, and we have the opportunity to completely fail," Barnes has said. "It's just a matter of we continue to stay humble and continue to take the right steps and get our way back on top like we did last year."
Ohio State, which got one first-place vote, was third and defending national champion Connecticut, which received the other two No. 1 votes, was fourth.
Kentucky has starters Terrence Jones and Darius Miller back to lead yet another outstanding recruiting class by coach John Calipari. Ohio State has All-America Jared Sullinger and senior guard William Buford back, while Connecticut has to find a way to replace All-America Kemba Walker, the all-everything guard who carried the Huskies through their 11-game winning streak to the national championship. Don't feel too bad for Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun as freshman Andre Drummond will give the Huskies a presence under the basket.
Syracuse, Duke, Vanderbilt, Florida, Louisville and Pittsburgh rounded out the top 10.
Memphis was 11th followed by Baylor, Kansas, Xavier, Wisconsin, Arizona, UCLA, Michigan, Alabama and Texas A&M. The last five teams were Cincinnati, Marquette, Gonzaga, California and Missouri.
Fourteen of the teams in the preseason poll were ranked in last season's final poll. Ohio State was No. 1 entering the NCAA tournament and the Buckeyes lost to Kentucky in the regional semifinals.
Duke was No. 1 in the 2010-11 preseason poll and went on to finish third in the final poll before losing to Arizona in the regional semifinals. Connecticut wasn't ranked before last season but worked its way to No. 9 in the final poll.
Vanderbilt had the longest stretch of not being in the preseason Top 25. The Commodores were last in the rankings in 1993-94. Xavier was next with its last preseason appearance in 2002-03, while Cincinnati was last in 2003-04.
Vanderbilt has all the starters back from a team that came on strong at the end of the regular season only to be knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the first round by Richmond.
"There has been some fixation on our early exits from the tournament, but we have been very excited about this team for a very long time. For good reason, we have good players," coach Kevin Stallings said. "If this team can stay healthy, I think we have a chance to have the best team we have ever had."
The Big East has six ranked teams, two more than the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 had three each. Even with all the offcourt doings in the Big East ? Syracuse and Pittsburgh leaving, TCU never really showing up and some others ready to head elsewhere ? the conference that set the record for teams in an NCAA tournament last season is going to be tough again.
"In the past five years we've had the best basketball league in the country," Calhoun said. "We had 11 teams in the NCAA tournament last year and on paper today nine of them would be in it again."
Duke has the longest current streak of being ranked at 78 polls, a run that started with the preseason poll in 2007-08. Kansas is next with 46, a streak that began on Feb. 2, 2009.
Associated PressFriday, 28 October 2011
Oakland protesters hold late-night march (AP)
OAKLAND, Calif. ? Anti-Wall Street protesters filled a street with a late-night march Wednesday and Oakland's police chief pledged a vigorous investigation into an earlier clash between police and protesters that left an Iraq War veteran in critical condition with a fractured skull.
Police Chief Howard Jordan spoke as tensions grew over demonstration encampment in the Bay area.
"It's unfortunate it happened. I wish that it didn't happen. Our goal, obviously, isn't to cause injury to anyone," the chief said at an afternoon press conference.
Olsen, 24, suffered a fractured skull Tuesday in a march with other protesters toward City Hall, said Dottie Guy, of the Iraq Veterans Against the War. The demonstrators had been making an attempt to re-establish a presence in the area of a disbanded protesters' camp when they were met by officers in riot gear.
It's not known exactly what type of object struck Olsen or who might have thrown it, though Guy's group said it was lodged by officers. Several small skirmishes had broken out in the night with police clearing the area by firing tear gas and protesters throwing rocks and bottles at them.
An Oakland hospital spokesman said Olsen, a network administrator in Daly City, was in critical condition Wednesday.
Earlier, Oakland officials allowed protesters back into the plaza outside City Hall where their 15-day-old encampment had been raided the day before, but said people would be prohibiting from spending the night.
About 1,000 people quickly filled the plaza, but later many of them filed out and began marching down nearby streets.
A reporter at the scene says police erected wooden barricades to block the march, but the protesters veered off as a group and continued down another street.
There were no signs of clashes between the two sides.
It wasn't immediately clear how many people were left in the plaza, where some had vowed to spend the night.
"I'm going to stay here tonight," said Jhalid Shakur, 43, of Oakland. "I don't have a tent, but I'll sleep on a bench if there's space."
"We're about to build our city back," he said.
Mayor Jean Quan said Oakland supports the protesters' goals but had to act Tuesday when a small number of them threw rocks, paint and bottles at the police.
"We had, on one hand, demonstrators who tried to rush banks, other demonstrators saying don't do that, and we had police officers, for the most part, 99 percent, who took a lot of abuse," the mayor said. "So yesterday was a sad day for us."
Jordan said an internal review board and local prosecutors have been asked to determine if officers on the scene used excessive force. He asked witnesses with recordings of violent interactions between civilians and the officers who came from several Bay Area agencies to submit them to investigators.
The clash Tuesday evening came as officials complained about what they described as deteriorating safety, sanitation and health issues at the dismantled camp.
Oakland City Administrator Deana Santana said protesters would be allowed to assemble in the plaza outside City Hall from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. She pleaded with those who planned to make another stand there to refrain from smashing windows, lighting fires and attempting to stay overnight.
"If we could have these simple, reasonable requests, we think we can assure safety in the streets tonight," Santana said.
The same concerns were being raised by San Francisco officials who warned protesters Wednesday that they could face arrest if they continue camping in a city plaza. In a letter, Police Chief Greg Suhr said the protesters could be arrested for violating a variety of city laws against camping, cooking, urinating and littering in public parks.
"Existing and ongoing violations make you subject to arrest," Suhr wrote in the notice, but didn't say if or when arrests would occur.
Police have taken down a previous Occupy San Francisco camp in the Justin Herman Plaza and also cleared another camp outside the Federal Reserve Bank downtown.
Late Wednesday some of the San Francisco protesters, estimated to be about 200 people, had their arms locked and were practicing trying to keep police from entering the perimeter of their encampment.
Police estimated at least five protesters were arrested and several others injured in the Tuesday evening clashes.
____
Associated Press writers Jason Dearen and Marcus Wohlsen contributed to this report.
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Thursday, 27 October 2011
Netflix plummets on weak outlook, downgrades (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? Netflix Inc's shares plunged almost 40 percent on Tuesday and were set to open at their lowest level since March last year, a day after the movie rental company warned of higher subscriber attrition and mounting costs.
On Monday, the company said it would see more cancellations as it grapples with the fallout from a price increase and other unpopular moves, including a failed attempt to split its online and DVD services into two separate companies.
"We believe the NFLX model is unsustainable, as the company faces rising costs that it hoped it could pass onto its (subscribers), who appear unwilling to do so," Janney Capital Markets said in a note to clients. The brokerage cut its rating on the stock to "sell."
The company that shook up Hollywood with its DVD-by-mail service has seen its shares plummet since July, when it announced a price rise for subscribers who wanted both DVDs and streaming. Since then, its market value has shrunk by about $9.76 billion.
Netflix -- which is trying to recover from the roughest patch in its nearly 15-year history as it moves to emphasize online streaming of television and movies at a time when its traditional domestic business hits a wall -- forecast a loss for the first quarter of 2012 as it spends more to expand into Europe.
"Expansion into the U.K. and Ireland - a positive longer-term - comes at the same time domestic growth is slowing and content costs are building," said J.P. Morgan Securities, which expects a combination of these factors to significantly pressure 2012 profitability.
JP Morgan downgraded the stock to "neutral" from "overweight," and slashed its price target to $67 from $205.
On Monday, the company said DVD subscriptions will "decline sharply this quarter" but total U.S. subscribers, which includes customers who pay for its online streaming service, will be "slightly up."
Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said in the company's cost of subscription expense -- the amount Netflix pays for its content partnerships -- outpaced its revenue growth in the third quarter and is expected to continue to be grow at a higher pace "for the foreseeable future."
Separately, Citigroup, which also downgraded the stock to "neutral," said the 60 percent price increase in July and the aborted effort to split its business were "two major execution errors."
Netflix has long enjoyed a near-monopoly in the online streaming space but the recent entry of new players Amazon.com Inc and Google Inc's Youtube could potentially lead to subscribers switching to alternative services.
Shares of the company, which touched a high of $304.79 in July before falling to their current levels, closed at $118.84 on Monday on Nasdaq. They were trading at $73.70 before the bell.
(Reporting by Himank Sharma and Arpita Mukherjee in Bangalore; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
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Jennifer Lopez Concert Tears: Explained, Depicted
Yes, Jennifer Lopez really did break down during a concert in Connecticut on Saturday night. But not for the reason many outlets are reporting.
Because the incident took place following a rendition of "Until It Beats No More," and because Lopez talked a lot about love before and after the tears flowed, most people have been assuming J. Lo was lamenting her recent split with Marc Anthony.
But sources tell TMZ the water works were NOT a result of any break-up. Instead, the jumbotron at Mohegan Sun flashed THIS PHOTO of Jennifer and her twins and it was just too much to take. Consequently, we were treated to a rare moment of raw emotion from a celebrity. Watch it unfold below:
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/jennifer-lopez-concert-tears-explained-depicted/
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Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Official: Ex-Gulf cartel boss' nephew held in US (AP)
McALLEN, Texas ? A man arrested on federal drug and immigration charges in South Texas is believed to be the nephew of the former boss of Mexico's Gulf Cartel and was a rising player in the drug trafficking network, a U.S. law enforcement official said Wednesday.
Rafael Cardenas Vela was arrested last week following a traffic stop in Port Isabel, a Gulf coast town that sits across the causeway from South Padre Island. He is charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute drugs and using a fraudulent passport, according to federal court records.
The law enforcement official familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Wednesday that authorities believe Cardenas Vela is the nephew of Osiel Cardenas Guillen and was a rising player in the cartel's operations. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the case. Cardenas Guillen was extradited to the U.S. in 2006 from Mexico and sentenced to 25 years in prison last year.
Angela Dodge, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston, said in an email that "we understand there is a familial relationship," but declined to comment beyond that.
A call to Cardenas Vela's attorney was not immediately returned.
According to court records unsealed this week, special agents from Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, interviewed Cardenas Vela after Port Isabel police made the traffic stop. Port Isabel Police said they did not make the arrest and do not write reports for traffic stops.
Initially Cardenas Vela presented a valid Mexican passport and U.S. visa under the name Pedro Garcia Gonzalez, but the agents determined that was not his true identity. He then admitted that he has been involved in the transportation and importation of marijuana and cocaine into the U.S. for several years. He told agents that two years ago he sold about five tons of marijuana to people he knew would import it into the U.S.
Cardenas Vela had been scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Brownsville Wednesday afternoon, but his attorney waived his detention hearing Tuesday.
ICE officials did not immediately return calls requesting comment Wednesday.
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Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Another strong quake hits southeast Turkey (Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) ? A magnitude 6.1 quake hit southeastern Turkey, 6 km (4 miles) south east of the city of Van at a depth of 33 km, the USGS geological survey said on Sunday.
A later bulletin said a magnitude 6.0 quake hit 20 km northwest of Van at a depth of 9 km.
Earlier a magnitude 7.2 quake hit the same area and an official said up to 1,000 people were feared killed.
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Monday, 24 October 2011
Turkey: 49 Kurdish rebels killed in fighting (AP)
ANKARA, Turkey ? Turkish troops have killed at least 49 Kurdish rebels in a valley near the Iraqi border, the military said Saturday, as hundreds of troops also pursued Kurdish fighters within northern Iraq.
The rebels were killed in offensives in the past two days in the Kazan Valley region, near the town of Cukurca that borders Iraq, the military said in a statement posted on its website. There was no confirmation of the deaths from the rebel group.
On Wednesday, Turkey launched anti-rebel offensives involving around 10,000 troops both in southeastern Turkey and across the border in Iraq. The military operations began hours after 24 soldiers were killed in Cukurca by the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the deadliest one-day toll against the military since the 1990s.
Turkey's conflict with the Kurdish rebels has killed tens of thousands of people since the insurgents took up arms to fight for autonomy in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast in 1984.
The military said it recovered the bodies of 35 rebels at the valley after it struck the area with artillery shells and airstrikes on Saturday. Seven other bodies were found inside a cave while seven more rebels were killed in separate clashes in the region.
"Operations launched in a few regions across the border and in two regions inside Turkey are continuing," the military statement said, adding they were aimed at "preventing acts by members of the separatist terror organization against our units."
On Friday, the military said air and ground offensives were mostly concentrated within Turkey, in Cukurca, while operations were also under way "in a few areas" in northern Iraq.
The military has not revealed the number of soldiers that have crossed into Iraq. But the Haber Turk newspaper reported Saturday that 1,500 elite troops were involved in the ground operation against rebel hideouts in northern Iraq. The Vatan newspaper put the figure at 2,000.
The Turkish troops had penetrated three miles (five kilometers) into Iraqi territory, Haber Turk said, while military helicopters were ferrying elite troops in and out of other areas for "spot operations" against PKK rebels. Warplanes and drones were providing air support for the gunbattles.
The paper said the offensive was targeting seven suspected PKK bases along the border, where about 2,000 rebels are believed to be hiding.
The military said the operation includes commandos, special forces and paramilitary special forces ? elite forces trained in guerrilla warfare. They are being reinforced by F-16 and F-4 warplanes, Super Cobra helicopter gunships and surveillance drones.
The Kurdish rebels meanwhile, said seven of their fighters, including three senior operatives, were killed in Turkish air raids in northern Iraq on Oct. 10 and vowed revenge.
Turkey has launched more than two dozen air and ground incursions into northern Iraq over the 27 years of the insurgency, with mixed results. The rebels have returned to positions along the border soon after the troops have withdrawn. The current offensive was the largest attack on the insurgents in more than three years.
Turkey is seeking the cooperation of Iraqi Kurds, who control an autonomous region in northern Iraq, and of Iran for the latest offensive.
Hurriyet newspaper reported Saturday that Iraqi Kurdish security forces, the Peshmerga, were helping Turkish troops by providing intelligence.
Iraqi leaders have condemned the rebel attacks and promised to stop the PKK from using Iraqi territory for future attacks against Turkey. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said both Baghdad and the regional Kurdish government in northern Iraq "are committed to securing the borders."
On Friday, Turkey and Iran vowed to collaborate against the PKK and its Iranian wing, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, or PJAK, during a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. The PKK and PJAK have both been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in their respective countries and both are labeled as terrorist organizations by the United States.
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Sunday, 23 October 2011
Georgetown legal scholar David Luban to discuss 'human dignity ...
By:
Dr. David Luban, a professor of law and philosophy at Georgetown University and acting director of its Center on National Security and the Law, will present his thinking on the topic of human dignity in a 4:30 p.m. lecture Thursday, Oct. 27, in the Frey Moot Courtroom of the University of St. Thomas School of Law in downtown Minneapolis.
The lecture, free and open to the public, is the next in an ongoing series on what it means for humans to possess dignity. The title of the lecture is ?The Dignifier and the Dignified: Human Dignity from Autonomy to Relations.?
Dr. David Luban
The series is sponsored by the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy, which is a collaboration between St. Thomas? School of Law and Center for Catholic Studies. The institute?s goal is to assemble a collection of lectures into one volume that can serve as a resource for those interested in a strenuous investigation of the topic of human dignity.
Luban has been visiting professor and Distinguished Senior Fellow in Legal Ethics at Yale Law School, and Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor of Human Rights at Stanford Law School.? He also has held visiting appointments at Dartmouth College, the University of Melbourne and Harvard Law School.
He has held a Guggenheim Fellowship and Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, and won awards for his legal ethics scholarship from the New York State Bar and the American Bar Foundation. Last spring Luban was a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Luban has published more than 150 articles; his books, which include the 2007?Legal Ethics and Human Dignity,?have been translated into Chinese and Japanese. He is a frequent speaker at universities in the United States and has lectured in 10 other countries.
Go to the Murphy Institute website for more information and to register. The institute is applying for continuing legal education credits.
This article was posted at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Oct. 24, 2011 and is filed under See/Hear/Do.
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The Samsung Galaxy S2-Great Model To Be Joined By Two Newcomers
By Emma Rosher
The Samsung Galaxy S2 will continue to run as the brands mains smartphone but it is joined by new arrivals in the shape of the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy R. ?The Galaxy Note is a larger screened version of the S2 that will strike a chord with multi media lovers but not replace the model as a mainstream hit thanks to its massive size. ?Boasting a 5.3 inch display the phone is almost a hybrid between a phone and a tablet device which offers massive advantage in areas such as video playback and gaming but lacks the portability of other models in the range. ?A powerful 1.4 Ghz processor ensures the model performs at lightning fast speeds and an 8 million pixel camera means the device will appeal to camera enthusiasts. ?The Samsung Galaxy R will sit slightly lower than the Galaxy S2 in the range a prove a great option for anybody looking for the smartphone experience at a more budget price. ?The phone features a 1Ghz processor together with a high quality 4.2 inch display. ?Media wise the phone offers a 5 million pixel main camera and a 2 mega pixel front facing camera perfect for self portraits and video calling.
?
Their have been several superb mobile phones released over the past year but none have managed to eclipse the global success that has been achieved by the Samsung Galaxy S2. ?This high specification model has proved a hit across the globe thanks to a blend of cutting edge technology together with a slim and stylish look.
?
Since its release in April 2011 the Galaxy S2 has helped its predecessor the Galaxy S to achieve 30 million sales between them. ?In September it was announced that the S2 had already reached the 10 million mark and since that report the phone has been released in the US with plenty of media publicity. ?Main US networks AT&T, Sprint and T Mobile all offered packages on the phone and this has resulted in a further boost in sales figures for this popular model. ?Despite the popularity of the S2 the original Galaxy S is still selling well as a lower priced alternative. ?"Since its launch only five months ago, GALAXY S2 has seen tremendous sales success and garnered enthusiastic reviews from consumers and mobile industry watchers across the globe," said JK Shin, president of Samsung mobile communications. ?"This is in addition to the continued sales momentum behind GALAXY S, which we launched at Mobile World Congress 2010 as continues to be a run-away success with consumers.". ?And it seems the popularity of the Galaxy name is set to continue with the release of two new handsets in the range.
?
The Samsung Galaxy S2 will continue to run as the brands mains smartphone but it is joined by new arrivals in the shape of the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy R. ?The Galaxy Note is a larger screened version of the S2 that will strike a chord with multi media lovers but not replace the model as a mainstream hit thanks to its massive size. ?Boasting a 5.3 inch display the phone is almost a hybrid between a phone and a tablet device which offers massive advantage in areas such as video playback and gaming but lacks the portability of other models in the range. ?A powerful 1.4 Ghz processor ensures the model performs at lightning fast speeds and an 8 million pixel camera means the device will appeal to camera enthusiasts. ?The Samsung Galaxy R will sit slightly lower than the Galaxy S2 in the range a prove a great option for anybody looking for the smartphone experience at a more budget price. ?The phone features a 1Ghz processor together with a high quality 4.2 inch display. ?Media wise the phone offers a 5 million pixel main camera and a 2 mega pixel front facing camera perfect for self portraits and video calling.
?
It is easy to see why the Samsung Galaxy S2 has been such a runaway success. ?The addition of the two new models to the range will further cement the Galaxy's position as the ultimate smartphone family.
?
?
About the Author:
The Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Samsung Galaxy Note are available now.
Articles Source: The Samsung Galaxy S2-Great Model To Be Joined By Two Newcomers
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechGadgetz/~3/LVzeyJ2o-TY/samsung-galaxy-s2-great-model-to-be.html
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Saturday, 22 October 2011
Thai floods, hard drive shortage threaten PC sales (Reuters)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) ? A looming shortage of hard drives caused by floods in Thailand threatens to disrupt computer manufacturers as soon as December and hurt tech giants like Intel (INTC.O), Apple (AAPL.O) and Dell (DELL.O).
Thailand is the No. 2 maker of hard drives, used in laptops, servers and TV set-top boxes, and damage caused by flooding across the region could keep factories closed or hobbled for months, analysts and executives say.
World output of hard drives could fall as much as 30 percent in the final three months of 2011 and manufacturers that need them are now scrambling to snap up existing inventories, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli.
Leading chipmaker Intel said on Friday it was keeping an eye on a "dynamic" situation but expects existing stores of drives and unaffected sources to help keep the PC industry supplied. If manufacturers build fewer PCs, Intel sells fewer processors.
"The PC supply chain has proven to be very resilient, as most recently demonstrated in the response to the earthquake in Japan," Intel spokesman Jon Carvill said.
Top hard drive makers Western Digital (WDC.N) and Seagate (STX.O) both have factories in Thailand, where flooding has killed at least 320 people since July and devastated industrialized areas in the center of the country.
Western Digital's factories are closed and Seagate, while its plants are running, warns it could face parts shortages.
Apple chief executive Steve Cook this week told analysts on a conference call he expects an industry shortage of disk drives.
PC PRODUCTION MAY BE IN JEOPARDY
Intel on Tuesday said the flooding would not affect the PC market in the fourth quarter.
Since then, details about the damage to Western Digital's factories in Thailand have caused some analysts to believe a shortage of hard drives could start interfering with PC production in December.
"There's a major disconnect here. We don't see how they can not be affected and we're recommending investors avoid Intel at these levels," said Brad Gastwirth, co-founder of ABR Investment Strategy, an independent research firm.
Western Digital said Thailand accounts for 60 percent of drive production. Its customers have about two weeks of inventory on hand and distributors have around four weeks of supplies.
As those inventories get used up, the supply of hard drives may be about 10 percent less than demand for the December quarter, estimated Rodman & Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar.
With production in Thailand likely to be constrained for several weeks, customers will face larger shortages in early 2012, IHS iSuppli analyst Fang Zhang said.
No. 2 PC maker Dell said the flood would have little impact on its quarter ending this month but did not say how it expected to be impacted beyond then.
A Hewlett-Packard (HPQ.N) spokesman declined to comment.
(Reporting by Noel Randewich, additional reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in New York; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)
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Video: In LA, kids choose music over gang violence
We'll focus on?efforts to help veterans find?jobs and deal with health and family problems. "One of the great blessings in my life has been the exposure I've received to the military?active duty, in the field and veterans,"?says Brian Williams. "They are America?s genuine heroes, and it's a privilege to use our platforms at NBC News to honor all that they have done."
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40153870/vp/44982562#44982562
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Friday, 21 October 2011
Thai PM admits government overwhelmed by floods (AP)
BANGKOK ? Thailand's new premier acknowledged Wednesday that the country's flood crisis has overwhelmed her government, pleading for mercy from the media and solidarity from the country in battling the relentless waters.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said her administration is doing all it can and trying to be as clear as possible about where the flooding may strike next.
However, mixed messages from officials in recent days about whether the floodwaters will enter Bangkok have left people confused. A poll Tuesday by ABAC, associated with Bangkok's Assumption College, found that 87 percent of 415 people surveyed did not trust information from the government's flood command center.
"We have been doing everything we can, but this is a big national crisis," Yingluck said. "I'm begging for mercy from the media here."
Bangkok's city government, headed by the opposition, on Wednesday urged residents in seven northern districts to move belongings to safe places because of likely flooding. The warning came days after some officials had indicated the worst threat had passed.
Meanwhile, flooding in areas directly north of the city worsened despite frantic government efforts to stave off the water.
The death toll in nationwide flooding is 317, mostly from drowning, with nearly 9 million people affected and 27 of the countries 77 provinces still inundated. Initial estimates of the economic cost of destroyed shops, paralyzed factories and swamped farmland were $3 billion, but have since been rising.
Floodwaters in northern areas began in August and have slowly crawled south toward the Gulf of Thailand since then, though the government has notched up the urgency of flood-control efforts only in the past two weeks.
"The government had said over and over again they were able to handle the situation, then what happened? It got flooded from place to place," said Puntip Susuntitapong, a 61-year-old retired banker in Bangkok.
Yingluck came into power in August as the standard-bearer for the party aligned with her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a fugitive on corruption convictions but still widely popular. However, she has had no previous experience in government.
A distraught Yingluck appealed Wednesday to reporters stop asking questions whether Bangkok will be inundated.
"The more you ask questions like this, the less useful it is going to be," she said, adding that her role was to coordinate, not disseminate information. She said experts were more qualified than she to give information, and that her own personal views "might lead to lack of confidence and confusion among the people."
"I'd like to tell you that today we are telling the truth, not concealing anything from the people," she said.
"We have been doing everything we can, but this is a big national crisis. On our own, we can't get it done," Yingluck said. "We need unity from every side and today we must set politics aside."
The administration's low point in handling the floods may have been last Thursday when Science Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi issued a spur-of-the-moment order on live television to immediately evacuate an area north of Bangkok. Within 20 minutes, he and his colleagues from the government's flood emergency team were back on the air to rescind the order.
"I'm confused every time I hear the warning from the government. There was so much information that I couldn't quite grasp," said Somjai Dokkam, a 51-year-old female recycling worker in Bang Kradee, north of Bangkok, whose house was flooded Wednesday morning.
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Thursday, 20 October 2011
Where is Herman Cain's campaign money coming from?
Mitt Romney is collecting from Wall Street. Rick Perry is getting moolah from the oil and gas industry. It's harder to tell much about the donor base of Herman Cain, who is fifth in the GOP fundraising race.
Herman Cain has shot to the top of GOP presidential nominee polls, with his support tripling or better in major surveys over the past month. But so far his fundraising hasn?t kept pace.
Skip to next paragraphHe has so far raised a total of about $5.3 million in campaign cash, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission figures. That puts him fifth in the Republican money race in this election cycle, behind Michele Bachmann ($7.5 million) and just ahead of Tim Pawlenty ($4.7 million), who?s already an ex-candidate.
True, Cain?s Federal Election Commission reports cover only cash raised through the end of September. It?s possible his October surprise rise to prominence has been equaled by a money surge we just haven?t yet seen.
But he?s got a long way to go to enter the top tier of candidate riches. Rick Perry has raised more than $17 million, and Mitt Romney has brought in at least $32 million. Plus, both Governor Perry of Texas and Mr. Romney ? and libertarian Rep. Ron Paul ? are associated with "super PACs," which can raise unlimited funds from deep-pocket donors as long as they don?t directly coordinate with their favored candidate.
Mr. Cain has a political action committee, called the Hermanator PAC. But it?s a plain vanilla leadership pact, which limits how much it can accept from any individual source. It has raised the grand total of $23,602 in the current election cycle, and starts the third quarter with but $2,246 cash on hand. That?s less than the $4,300 Cain paid for ?event entertainment? in the third quarter, according to disbursement records.
So where?s Cain?s money coming from? What?s most interesting about the pattern of his fundraising so far is that there isn?t much of a pattern.
Perry, for instance, unsurprisingly gets substantial contributions from the oil and gas industry. Wall Street is investing heavily in Mitt Romney, as financial firms are the top industry donor to his coffers. But the top category for donations to Herman Cain, as determined by the watchdog group Center for Responsive Politics, is simply listed as ?retired.? Second is ?miscellaneous business.?
If there is a pattern to Cain?s cash, it may be that it comes from just folks. Fully half of the money he raised through the third quarter came from small individual donations. About 40 percent came from large individual donations. In contrast, the Romney campaign got only 10 percent of its money from small donations and 90 percent from large donations.
It?s clear that in terms of geography Cain?s money base is in the South. The FEC has nifty interactive maps that show the amount individual candidates get from each state, and Cain?s biggest haul came from his home state of Georgia. Texas is second, and Florida third. He did respectably in California, but got very little cash from the power corridors of New York.
Money remains the engine of campaigning, and if Cain is to have any chance of actually winning primaries, as opposed to winning polls, he?s likely going to have to get much more money for ads and get-out-the-vote efforts. Maybe he can link up with comedian Stephen Colbert, who has set up his own super PAC in an effort to publicize the absurdity of current campaign finance laws.
Back in July, Colbert joked that maybe he would pick Cain as his favorite candidate and funnel him Colbert super PAC cash.
The comedian?s reason?
?When it comes to presidential candidates I look first for an easily rhymed name,? said Colbert.
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No "Hope" or "Change" but Obama campaign HQ buzzes (Reuters)
CHICAGO (Reuters) ? Barack Obama's approval ratings are down, Republican challengers are beating him in polls and the U.S. economy is in a slump, yet the Democratic president's re-election campaign headquarters is buzzing.
There are no signs with "Hope" or "Change" -- Obama's popular slogans in 2008 -- hanging prominently at the office in downtown Chicago. Simple "2012" posters with the president's website cover the walls instead.
But youthful enthusiasm abounds at the 50,000-square-foot (4,645-sq-m) nerve center, where some 200 staff members and volunteers are racing ahead of the Republican candidates in raising cash and setting up a national campaign network.
The space is nearly twice as big as Obama's 2008 campaign headquarters, which came in around 31,000 square feet, and the team of strategists, web designers, money counters and message makers is expanding.
Young people just out of college play ping pong, maps and chalkboard paint cover the walls, and a life-size cardboard cutout of the president peers over a sea of desks.
The atmosphere, in the words of one staffer, is like that of a fledgling Internet company, and the dress code is casual: 20- and 30-somethings, many of whom worked in the suit-and-tie atmosphere of Washington, now walk around in jeans, sneakers and untucked shirts, a few of them showing off tattoos.
"I did a lot of work for start-ups before. There's a certain energy to start-ups," said Harper Reed, 33, the campaign's chief technology officer, clad in faded jeans, big black glasses, huge earrings, and a T-shirt with "NOIZE" written on the front.
"These are mostly start-up people. And here they get to build a product that will empower the field organization to just do what they do best," he said.
Obama, the one-time transformative candidate, has a long way to go to regain the momentum that swept him into power in 2008. Some polls show Mitt Romney could beat him in 2012 if the former Massachusetts governor wins the Republican nomination.
Obama is clearly ahead, though, in campaign organizing.
He and the Democratic National Committee raised more than $70 million from July to September, beating all the Republican hopefuls put together.
Obama's campaign team, boosted by former White House staffers, also dwarfs those of his possible Republican rivals.
BATTLE FOR MOMENTUM
The question, however, is which side will have more momentum, as Obama tries to convince young voters and other important demographic groups to stick with him despite the moribund economy he has presided over for nearly three years.
"Core constituencies from President Obama's 2008 coalition continue to move away from him and overall Democrat voter enthusiasm is at new lows," said Kirsten Kukowski, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.
"In fact, with youth being hit harder by the economy than the rest of the country, President Obama has a lot of work to do to excite young voters and expect them to campaign for him as they did in 2008."
Obama's campaign is trying to address that by building up offices and volunteers in all 50 U.S. states, and some of the headquarters crew will depart for those local sites next year.
But for now they are bolstering the operation in Chicago, Obama's home town.
Keeping a distance from Washington is deliberate. Campaign workers stay outside of the "bubble" of the capital and see how their efforts and messaging connect with voters in a less political atmosphere.
"You get a real sense of what's broken through and what hasn't broken through. It's not easy to tell that in D.C.," said Ben LaBolt, the campaign spokesman.
The headquarters has an open seating plan. Workers take their places at long tables in a space that looks something like an enormous classroom. Actual offices with doors that close are largely eschewed.
The staff is made up of a mixture of newcomers and veterans who worked on the previous campaign or within the Obama administration.
"I oversee all the nerds," said Michael Slaby, the campaign's chief integration and innovation officer.
The team is divided into regional "pods" based on geographical areas the campaign is targeting. A sign inked in purple, orange and blue over the western pod, which covers important swing states such as Colorado and Nevada, proclaims "How the West is won."
An air hockey station, foosball table, and mini golf putting green decorate different areas of the office. The ping pong table alone draws lines of players in the afternoons.
"The single most important thing to us ... is that people talk to each other, work together, break down any silos," said Jim Messina, 41, the campaign manager.
Messina has one of the rare offices with a door that closes.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Must See HDTV (October 17th - 23rd)
The baseball season is almost over, but we've got one more playoff series to enjoy before giving things over completely to the fall and winter sports. We've also got a new new shows premiering this week, alongside notable Blu-ray releases including The Crow and Cape Fear. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
Boss
Kelsey Grammer comes back to TV this week on Starz playing the mayor of Chicago, who has just been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease that he's trying to hide from both his friends and his enemies. Focused more on political intrigue it probably won't have the action of The Chicago Code, but the intricacies of the corrupt political machine at work should remain. Check out a trailer after the break, apparently this first season was already impressive enough that it's been renewed for a season two before the premiere episode airs Friday.
(October 21st, Starz, 10PM)
World Series
The long baseball season has finally come down to the last two teams standing. the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals both feature impressive offensive and defensive lineups, which should make for an exciting round of baseball, as long as the series goes. The first four games are all scheduled to take place over the next week, so check the schedule below and clear out a little time for the inevitable Pujols/Hamilton/Cruz show.
(All week, Fox)
Once Upon A Time
Game of Thrones this ain't. This new drama premieres on ABC Sunday and attempts to update fairy tales for the modern age. The plot centers around a woman who is contacted by the son she gave up for adoption who believes that she is actually from an alternate universe where she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Now he lives in a normal-looking neighborhood that is actually populated by the characters of the most famous classic children's stories. The subject matter is a bit out there, but coming from writer's whose biggest credit to date is their work on Lost, who would expect anything different? There's a trailer for this one after the break as well.
(October 23rd, ABC, 8PM)
Boss
Kelsey Grammer comes back to TV this week on Starz playing the mayor of Chicago, who has just been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease that he's trying to hide from both his friends and his enemies. Focused more on political intrigue it probably won't have the action of The Chicago Code, but the intricacies of the corrupt political machine at work should remain. Check out a trailer after the break, apparently this first season was already impressive enough that it's been renewed for a season two before the premiere episode airs Friday.
(October 21st, Starz, 10PM)
World Series
The long baseball season has finally come down to the last two teams standing. the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals both feature impressive offensive and defensive lineups, which should make for an exciting round of baseball, as long as the series goes. The first four games are all scheduled to take place over the next week, so check the schedule below and clear out a little time for the inevitable Pujols/Hamilton/Cruz show.
(All week, Fox)
Once Upon A Time
Game of Thrones this ain't. This new drama premieres on ABC Sunday and attempts to update fairy tales for the modern age. The plot centers around a woman who is contacted by the son she gave up for adoption who believes that she is actually from an alternate universe where she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Now he lives in a normal-looking neighborhood that is actually populated by the characters of the most famous classic children's stories. The subject matter is a bit out there, but coming from writer's whose biggest credit to date is their work on Lost, who would expect anything different? There's a trailer for this one after the break as well.
(October 23rd, ABC, 8PM)
Continue reading Must See HDTV (October 17th - 23rd)
Must See HDTV (October 17th - 23rd) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Prisoner swap between Israel, Hamas moves ahead (AP)
JERUSALEM ? The elaborate machinery of a prisoner swap deal between two bitter enemies swung into motion Monday, as hundreds of Palestinians and one Israeli soldier prepared to return home in one of the most dramatic recent developments in the otherwise deadlocked Israel-Palestinian conflict.
The Israel-Hamas deal, to take place Tuesday morning, is going ahead despite criticism and court appeals in Israel against the release of 1,027 Palestinians for a single captured Armored Corps sergeant, Gilad Schalit, held by militants in Gaza since 2006.
The exchange, negotiated through mediators because Israel and Hamas will not talk directly to each other, involves a delicate series of staged releases, each one triggering the next.
When it is over, Schalit ? 19 years old at the time of his capture, and 25 now ? will be free, ending what for Israel has been a prolonged and painful saga. Israel was forced to acknowledge that it had no way of rescuing Schalit in a military operation, though the soldier was held no more than a few miles from its border.
Instead, Israel agreed to a lopsided prisoner exchange that Hamas officials have openly said will encourage them to capture more soldiers, and which will free Palestinians convicted of some of the deadliest attacks against Israeli civilians in recent memory.
Numerically uneven swaps for captured or dead Israeli soldiers held by armed Arab groups have taken place a number of times since the 1980s. The last one, in 2008, saw the release of five militants in return for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers held by the Lebanese group Hezbollah. In a deal with Hezbollah in 2004, Israel freed about 400 prisoners in return for a former army colonel and the bodies of three soldiers.
When Tuesday's exchange is complete, 477 Palestinians held in Israeli jails will have been released, several of them after decades behind bars. Another 550 are set to be released in two months.
Palestinians slated to be part of the initial part of the exchange have already been moved from their original prisons to other Israeli penal installations in preparation for their release. The very first group, 27 women, are to walk free sometime after dawn Tuesday.
After that, Hamas is supposed to move Schalit from Gaza through the Rafah border terminal into Egypt, where he will be met by Israeli medical personnel, according to Israeli defense officials.
Once the soldier is in Egypt, the officials said, the rest of the prisoners will be released under the terms of the exchange agreement. About 100 will be sent to the West Bank, and roughly 30 are to be deported to Jordan, Turkey, Qatar and Syria, which agreed to take prisoners who Israel insisted not be allowed to return home, according to Hamas officials. The rest will be freed in Gaza.
Schalit will be brought to an Israeli military base along the Egypt border, where he will be issued a new military uniform and given another medical examination, according to the Israeli military. Although he appeared healthy the last time he was seen ? in a brief and scripted 2009 video released by Hamas ? he was denied all visits, including by the Red Cross, and the state of his mental and physical health is unclear.
Schalit will then be flown by helicopter to an air force base in central Israel, where he will meet his parents, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the defense minister and military chief of staff.
From there, he will be flown to his family's home in northern Israel.
The swap drew an emotional response from some in Israel because of the number and identities of the prisoners.
Among those being released are militants involved in planning and executing suicide bombings in restaurants and on buses during the years of the second Palestinian uprising, which began in 2000.
One woman, Amna Muna, was convicted of luring an Israeli teenager over the Internet onto Palestinian territory, where another Palestinian killed him. Another prisoner, Nasser Yateima, was convicted of masterminding a hotel bombing that killed 30 people celebrating the Passover holiday in 2002.
Also among those being released were two Gaza militants convicted of playing minor roles in capturing Schalit. One filmed the operation on behalf of Hamas, and the second transported some of the militants who crossed into Israel, seized the soldier and killed two of his comrades.
Palestinians see the prisoners as freedom fighters whose actions were justified in the context of their struggle against Israel. In the violence of the second Palestinian uprising, which was eventually put down by Israel's military, more people were killed on the Palestinian side.
The planned celebrations for their release were to be attended both by officials from Hamas, the Islamic group that captured Schalit and negotiated the deal, and from the Palestinian Authority, the Western-backed government that wields partial control in the West Bank.
Among Palestinians, the exchange appeared likely to strengthen Hamas, which is dedicated to Israel's destruction, at the expense of the rival Fatah movement, which dominates the Palestinian Authority and says it wants to peacefully create a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
In Israel, public pressure for a deal was intense. Thanks in part to a vocal campaign led by his parents, Schalit had become a symbol of national solidarity in a country where military service is mandatory for Jewish citizens and where the government is seen as responsible for bringing soldiers home.
In Israel, relatives of victims of Palestinian attacks filed court appeals aimed at stopping the deal. One was filed by the surviving members of the Schijveschuurder family, whose parents and three siblings were killed when a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a Jerusalem pizzeria in 2001, killing 15.
At an emotionally charged Supreme Court hearing Monday, Noam Schalit, the soldier's father, urged the judges not to delay the exchange. Late Monday, the court decided not to intervene, removing the last hurdle for the deal to go through.
A poll published Monday showed an overwhelming majority of Israelis ? 79 percent ? supporting the deal. Only 14 percent were opposed.
The poll was carried out by the Dahaf Institute and published in the daily Yediot Ahronot. Pollsters interviewed 500 respondents, and the margin of error was 4.4 percentage points.
An Egyptian security official said that an American-Israeli dual national held since June in Egypt on suspicions of espionage would also be released shortly after the swap. Ilan Grapel will be released by Egypt in return for about 70 Egyptian prisoners, most serving sentences in Israel on charges of smuggling or illegal entry, the official said.
Israel has denied that Grapel, a law student who was traveling under his own name and whose connections to Israel were easily apparent on his Facebook page, was a spy.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media on the matter. He would not give a precise time for Grapel's release, and Israeli officials would not comment.
___
Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, and Sarah El Deeb in Cairo, Egypt, contributed to this story.
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France says rating safe despite Moody's warning, weak (Reuters)
PARIS (Reuters) ? France insisted on Tuesday its triple-A credit rating was safe despite a warning shot from ratings agency Moody's but it acknowledged growth would probably miss its target and more belt tightening may be needed ahead of elections next year.
Moody's raised the prospect of one of the pillars of the euro zone losing its coveted triple-A status, saying on Monday it could place France on negative outlook in the next three months if the costs for helping to bail out banks and other euro zone members overstretched its budget.
Moody's also cited a downside risk to France's economic growth outlook, which could complicate efforts to cut a budget deficit forecast for 5.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year -- roughly the same level as bailed out Portugal.
Economic growth in France, the euro zone's second-largest economy, ground to a halt in the second quarter. While most economists expect a pick-up later this year, they see weak growth continuing in the medium-term as unemployment remains mired at around 9 percent, undermining domestic consumption.
Finance Minister Francois Baroin acknowledged the government's 2012 growth target of 1.75 percent was probably too high and would have to be adjusted, without saying by how much or when.
"It is probably too high compared to the development of the economic situation ... We will adapt it, that much is clear," he told France 2 television.
He said, however, that France's triple-A -- which is essential to the viability of the euro zone's 440 billion EFSF rescue fund which is largely underwritten by Germany and France -- was safe because the government stood ready to take additional budgetary steps to safeguard it.
"It is not in danger because ... we will even be ahead of schedule in passing deficit reduction measures," he said.
With a tough re-election battle looming in April, President Nicolas Sarkozy has been wary of politically unpopular cuts to public spending, but announced a 12 billion euro package of deficit reduction measures just two months ago, mostly consisting of eliminating tax breaks.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon said late on Monday that next year's budget would work even if growth fell to 1.5 percent. He said a European leaders' summit this weekend would be decisive in re-establishing confidence in the euro zone.
"If we are capable in the next two weeks to put together measures strong enough to stop the speculation ... then there will be growth in 2012 and we will reach the 1.5 percent," he told France 2. "If we fail, then it is serious because the whole world will be at risk of a recession and we will have to take new measures."
GOVT HAS THREE MONTHS TO ACT
Michel Martinez, an economist at Societe Generale in Paris, said that France still has the ability to correct any growth shortfall with deficit-cutting steps, but said the government needed to take action before year-end.
"The adjustment needs to be made in the next three months or so, before the presidential election campaign gets into full swing," he said. "If that does not happen, it will be too late and the 2012 deficit targets will not be respected."
A Reuters poll last week predicted that French growth would slow to 1.0 percent next year -- a scenario that would force the government to find billions of euros.
With Sarkozy's main opponent for next year's election, Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, also pledging to meet France's EU commitment to reduce its deficit to 3 percent of GDP by 2013, Moody's noted that political risk was not a major factor for France.
The government, however, faces the prospect of guaranteeing up to 33 billion euros of Franco-Belgian lender Dexia SA's toxic debt. French government officials say there will be no major impact on the public deficit.
With European Union leaders considering steps to recapitalise the region's banks to insulate them from the risk posed by the debt crisis, France has insisted that other French banks like BNP Paribas and SocGen would be expected to find their own capital via retained earnings and dividend cuts.
But analysts noted it was weak growth, not the banking sector, which posed the main threat to France's ratings.
"The banks' recapitalisation is just a one-shot operation. This would impact the debt, but the real problem is the trajectory of public finances and therefore growth," said Jean-Louis Mourier of brokerage Aurel Leven BCG.
"The problem with French public finances is not so much the level of the debt, which is comparable to Germany's: the problem is that economic growth is the road toward restoring public finances, and the growth outlook for France is weak for the coming years," he said.
(Reporting by Nicholas Vinocur, Geert De Clercq and Marc Joanny; writing by Daniel Flynn; editing by Anna Willard/Mike Peacock)
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