Among the truckload of devices that Apple unpacked at its press event a few days ago was a gadget that we had heard rumblings about for a long time. The iPad mini graces the cover of our weekly and we put it through the full review treatment to see how it stacks up with other slates that sport a smaller stature. If Cupertino's latest doesn't grab your eye, we also take a good, long look at Windows 8, ASUS's PadFone 2 and HTC's 8X before offering in-depth analysis. Weekly Stat recaps earnings season, Eyes-On visually fondles a pair of Slingboxes, and video producer Freddie Wong visits the Q&A. The usual download repositories are just below, so mosey on to yours and snag a copy.
Distro Issue 64 PDF
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Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
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Source: iTunes, Google Play
8 Aralık 2012 Cumartesi
Distro Issue 64: Is Apple's iPad mini the next big thing?
Kobo's Glo and Mini readers on their way to Japan as the Touch gets a discount
Looks like Kobo's leveraging some of that Rakuten-infused love. The e-reader maker announced today that it'll be bringing its new pair of devoted readers to Japan over the next couple of months, courtesy of its parent company. The e-literati in that country can pre-order the new Kobo Glo now for ¥7,980 ($100) through Rakuten for a projected ship date of November 15th. The 5-inch Kobo Mini, meanwhile, is due to arrive in December for ¥6,980 ($87) -- the same price as the recently discounted Kobo Touch.
Angels' Pujols ends longest HR drought of career
Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols celerates a two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, May 6, 2012. This was Pujols' first home run of the season. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols celerates a two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, May 6, 2012. This was Pujols' first home run of the season. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols watches his two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, May 6, 2012. This was Pujols' first home run of the season. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols (5) heads into the dugout after a two-run home run with Mike Trout against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, May 6, 2012. This was Pujols' first home run of the season. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) ? Albert Pujols has hit his first regular-season home run since joining the Los Angeles Angels, ending the longest drought of his 12-year career after 33 games and 139 at-bats.
Pujols' two-run shot into the left-field bullpen Sunday came in the fifth inning against Toronto's Drew Hutchison.
Pujols was playing his 28th game for the Angels since leaving St. Louis and signing a $240 million, 10-year contract. The homer, estimated at 390 feet, came in his 111 at-bat for the Angels.
The three-time NL MVP hit seven home runs in spring training. His regular-season drought began last year with the Cardinals.
Pujols' home run was his 446th in the big leagues. The only game he's missed this season was Saturday night's 6-2 victory, when manager Mike Scioscia gave him the day off.
Pujols' longest homer drought prior to this was in 2011, when he came up empty in 27 straight games and 105 at-bats. His longest previous drought at the start of a season was in 2008, when he failed to get one in his first eight games and 27 at-bats. The 32-year-old first baseman averaged 40.5 home runs during his 11 seasons with the Cardinals, including a career-best 49 in 2006. He is the only player in major league history to hit at least 30 homers in each of his first 11 big league seasons.
This was Pujols' first home run at Angel Stadium, the 31st big league ballpark in which he's hit one.
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Rare Met revival of Britten's shipboard opera
NEW YORK (AP) ? Absent from the Metropolitan Opera for 15 years, Benjamin Britten's great maritime tragedy "Billy Budd" has made a brief but welcome return in the season's closing days.
If the lead singers were a variable lot at Friday's premiere, the night was still a success because the real stars of the show ? the conductor, the chorus and the set ? all performed magnificently.
That set, designed by William Dudley for the 1978 John Dexter production, is a cutaway depiction against a black background of the H.M.S. Indomitable, a British gunship sailing toward battle with the French in 1797. When the action begins, we're on the main deck, but as scenes change, the ship seamlessly shifts and grows before our eyes, taking us down to the captain's cabin and the sailors' berths and even expanding to reveal seven levels at once.
In adapting Herman Melville's novella, Britten and his librettists ? E.M. Forster and Eric Crozier ? invented a prologue and epilogue in which Captain Vere, now an old man, reflects on the events of the story. In brief, a good-natured young foretopman, Billy Budd, is falsely accused by the master-at-arms, John Claggart, of fomenting mutiny. Tongue-tied, Billy strikes Claggart dead, and Vere ? despite his conviction that Billy is innocent ? feels he has no choice but to see him hanged.
The role of the captain (originally written for Britten's life partner, Peter Pears) was taken in this revival by tenor John Daszak in his Met debut. He sang with a bright, pungent tone and notably crisp diction, though his sound occasionally turned strident on high notes. Dramatically, he was persuasive both as an old man tormented by guilt and as an embattled captain facing an impossible choice.
Baritone Nathan Gunn performed the title role, looking the epitome of Melville's handsome sailor and acting with youthful vigor. He sang sweetly in quiet moments like "Billy in the Darbies," his haunting aria on the eve of execution, but much of the time one longed for a more powerful sound.
Bass James Morris has virtually owned the role of Claggart at the Met, but his voice has lost strength, especially at the low end. He etched a subdued portrait of a corrupt soul who cannot tolerate the presence of unalloyed goodness in the world.
There were many strong contributions from the all-male cast, starting with the chorus, whose role in this opera is vital. The fine trio of officers consisted of baritone Dwayne Croft ? a former Billy himself ? and bass-baritones Kyle Ketelson and the debuting Ryan McKinny. Tenor Keith Jameson was impressive as the Novice, the weak-willed sailor who does Claggart's dirty work.
David Robertson, making a too-infrequent appearance, conducted the Met orchestra in an energetic and moving performance of Britten's score, which is filled with surging melodic themes amid its spiky dissonances.
An AP Entertainment Review
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HBT: O's 1B takes mound, tops Red Sox in 17
It wasn?t pretty, but in many ways, Chris Davis had the most remarkable day on a baseball field that I can ever remember.
Starting at DH, Davis fanned in his first five at-bats, hit into a double play into his sixth and grounded out in his seventh before moving to the mound to pitch the 16th and 17th innings and picking up a win in a 9-6 game against the Red Sox.
Davis very nearly took the loss in the 16th, but Marlon Byrd was gunned down at home plate on Mike Aviles? double with two outs. The Red Sox then turned to a position player of their own in the 17th, and Darnell McDonald gave up a three-run homer to Adam Jones, giving the Orioles a 9-6 lead.
After Jones? homer, Davis grounded out, making him 0-for-8 on the day.
The bottom of the 17th started with an infield single off Davis? glove and a Dustin Pedroia walk, but Adrian Gonzalez struck out on three pitches to put a cap on his own 0-for-8 day and McDonald grounded into a double play to end it.
Davis became the first position player to win a game since Philadelphia?s Wilson Valdez got a victory in the 19th inning of a game last May 25. Before that, the last to do it was Rockies catcher Brent Mayne in 2000.
Davis?started his outing showing a 90-91 mph fastball, but he quickly faded into the mid-80s in the 17th. Of course, it still worked out for him. McDonald was sitting in the 81-83 mph range in his inning of work.
Despite having three opportunities, Davis managed to avoid picking up his sixth strikeout. He could have been just the eighth player to reach that mark (dating back to 1918) and the first since Milwaukee?s Geoff Jenkins in 2004.
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7 Aralık 2012 Cuma
Hands-on with MSI's S20 Slidebook, a $1,099 Windows 8 convertible Ultrabook
We just got more hands-on time with MSI's S20 Slidebook, which we first spotted at Computex 2012. This ultra light (2.3 pounds / 1kg) and thin (0.78-inches / 19.8mm) convertible Ultrabook runs Windows 8 (naturally) and packs an Intel Core i5 processor (Ivy Bridge), 4GB RAM and a 128GB mSATA SSD. In front, there's a gorgeous 11.6-inch 1920x1080-pixel IPS display with a 10-point capacitive multitouch layer plus an HD front-facing camera. A glossy white plastic bezel surrounds the glass panel and incorporates the MSI logo and the Windows button.
The back cover is made of a silver magnesium alloy with matching plastic antenna covers for the built-in WiFi b/g/n, WiDi and Bluetooth 4.0 radios. Most of the ports are on the right edge along with the power / lock key and LED indicators -- this includes the power input, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a mini-HDMI output and a pair of USB 3.0 connectors. You'll find a gigabit Ethernet port on the left side plus an SD card reader, orientation lock button and volume rocker in back.
Of course, what sets the S20 apart is its ability to switch instantly from a tablet into a usable laptop. The screen slides up and tilts forward to reveal a chiclet keyboard with excellent key travel and decent spacing. You're not limited to any specific angle here -- the display is fully adjustable from flat to almost perpendicular with the keyboard. The sealed 3-cell 3900mAh battery is rated for 7 hours of continuous operation. We spent several minutes using the Slidebook and came away pretty impressed -- it's incredibly light for its size, the screen is bright and crisp, and the keyboard is comfortable. Even in prototype form, performance and build-quality are top-notch. MSI plans to make its convertible Ultrabook available late November for $1,099 through major US retailers both online and in stores. The company expects to sell other configurations in other markets as well. Take a look at our gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video.
Distro Issue 64: Is Apple's iPad mini the next big thing?
Among the truckload of devices that Apple unpacked at its press event a few days ago was a gadget that we had heard rumblings about for a long time. The iPad mini graces the cover of our weekly and we put it through the full review treatment to see how it stacks up with other slates that sport a smaller stature. If Cupertino's latest doesn't grab your eye, we also take a good, long look at Windows 8, ASUS's PadFone 2 and HTC's 8X before offering in-depth analysis. Weekly Stat recaps earnings season, Eyes-On visually fondles a pair of Slingboxes, and video producer Freddie Wong visits the Q&A. The usual download repositories are just below, so mosey on to yours and snag a copy.
Distro Issue 64 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter
Source: iTunes, Google Play