Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is Good, But No iPad Killer [REVIEW]

Unboxing the Kindle Fire HD 8.9Click here to view this gallery.[More from Mashable: Apple Now Owns the iMessage Name] Amazon expands its tablet sights with the bigger, more powerful Kindle Fire HD 8.9. Can it compete against Apple‘s iPad?If there’s one company that deserves credit for reigniting the iPad competitor market,...

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Ex-’Price is Right’ model gets $8.5M in damages

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The producers of “The Price is Right” owe a former model on the show more than $ 7.7 million in punitive damages for discriminating against her after a pregnancy, a jury determined Wednesday.The judgment came one day after the panel determined the game show’s producers discriminated against Brandi Cochran. They awarded her nearly $...

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In “beautiful China”, local polluters still hold sway

TIANYING, China (Reuters) – In ramshackle semi-industrial Tianying in China’s Anhui province, a state-owned lead smelter and foundry sits at the center of town, behind high walls and secure gates that make it look more like a prison than the mainstay of the local economy.Decades of pollution from it and similar plants — Tianying once accounted for half...

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Twinkies liquidation is approved

21 November 2012 Last updated at 16:27 ETA US bankruptcy judge has given the go-ahead for the liquidation of Hostess Brands, owner of some of the country’s best known food brands, including cream-filled sponge snack Twinkies. The hearing was delayed from Monday to allow for last-ditch talks with unions, but those failed.As...

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Ivory Coast: New prime minister named

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — President Alassane Ouattara has tapped Foreign Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan to serve as prime minister in a new government one week after the surprise dissolution of cabinet.The appointment of Duncan, a member of the PDCI party of former President Henri Konan Bedie, was announced at a press conference Wednesday by Amadou Gon...

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PlayStation Mobile Now Lets PS Vita Owners Create Their Own Games

Think you (or someone you know) has what it takes to write games for the PlayStation Vita? Sony just opened up its PlayStation Mobile game store to anyone who wants in. All you need is a half-decent Windows PC and a Vita, and the cash for a $ 99 developer fee — the same yearly price Apple charges.​How PlayStation Mobile fits in PlayStation...

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Tom Hanks, Will Farrell offer custom recordings

NEW YORK (AP) — Imagine having William Shatner supply your outgoing voicemail message. Or maybe you’d prefer Morgan Freeman coolly telling callers to wait for the beep. Or perhaps having Betty White joke around is more your speed.All it takes is $ 299 and some luck. The advocacy group Autism Speaks is offering custom-recorded...

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Pfizer, Bristol get EU nod for blood clot preventer

(Reuters) – European health regulators on Tuesday approved an eagerly anticipated blood thinner developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and Pfizer Inc for preventing strokes and blood clots in patients with an irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation, the companies said.The drug Eliquis, also known as apixaban, is widely considered one of the most...

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AP Exclusive: Syrian rebels seize base, arms trove

BASE OF THE 46TH REGIMENT, Syria (AP) — After a nearly two-month siege, Syrian rebels overwhelmed a large military base in the north of the country and made off with tanks, armored vehicles and truckloads of munitions that rebel leaders say will give them a boost in the fight against President Bashar Assad‘s army.The rebel capture of the base of the Syrian...

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Tablets, discounters top U.S. holiday shopping lists: Reuters/Ipsos

(Reuters) – Move over computers, your sleek siblings are the prized gift of the holidays.One-third of U.S. consumers are thinking about buying an electronic tablet this holiday season, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted for Thomson Reuters. And 22 percent of those who want one of the hot devices said they plan to cut back on other holiday purchases...

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