3 Reasons Why Playing PC Games Can Be Good For Your Health!

We all use our computers for many things including work, keeping in touch with family and friends, and sometimes even to play games. Computers have become such a big part of day-to-day life for most people it’s natural they use them for entertainment like playing PC Games. While some of those games can be addictive and you can lose track of time if you aren’t careful, it is also good for you to play those games.

Our daily lives can become so full of pressures, deadlines, and hectic schedules we all need something to just let us breath for a bit. We need time to just sit back and play without the worries of life intruding if only for a short time. Playing games on the PC is a way of doing that and helping us to keep a bit of fun in our busy daily life.

Reason 1: PC Games Relieve Stress

For almost everyone there is a certain amount of stress in our lives but for some that stress can cause problems. High blood pressure, problems sleeping, mood swings, and depression can all be caused by too much stress. Playing PC Games can help reduce the stress you are feeling which in turn will help ease any of the symptoms caused by the stress. You don’t have to spend hours playing games on your PC to benefit with stress reduction. Playing just short amounts of time can also help reduce stress and make you feel better.

If you remember Atari and the arcade games you can spend a little time playing some of those old favorites including Pac Man. If you loved the games your Game Boy had you can play those online also for free. Reliving the fun games you remember can help reduce your stress.

Reason2: Keep Your Mind Sharp

The stress in our lives as well as aging can cause our minds to become less sharp. Being able to think, focus, and remember things is important as we age. Playing PC games can help with keeping your mind sharp. There are many types of brain games that you can play for focus and attention. There is a wide range of online games for the PC that will help you keep your mind sharp.

These types of brain games help cognitive skills. They can also help motivation and problem solving skills. Memory games are good for the mind. Word games and puzzles help us think things through. These may be PC Games but they are great for mind stimulation as well!

Types of Brain Games for PC Play:

1.   Crossword puzzles

2.   Sudoku

3.   Jigsaw puzzles

4.   Mah Jong

5.   Spot the Differences in the Pictures

6.   Scrabble

7.   Memory

Reason 3: PC Games Help Coordination and Reaction Time

As we age we seem to slow down. We aren’t as fast as we once were. Our reaction time seems, for some strange reason, to be slower. We may not feel as coordinated as we once were. Something is changing and it’s not fun. There is however a fun way to help with reaction time and coordination skills. Playing PC Games can help with those functions as well as hand and eye coordination.

Some PC Games require speed to win against a timer. Some games require you to follow a moving target. There are other games where you stack objects or remove objects before being crushed. As you play your reflexes will become better, your time will be faster, and your hand-eye coordination will improve.

While you are playing PC Games for fun, relaxation, and just to take a break you are also improving areas of your health. Taking some time out of your busy and hectic day to enjoy a little fun with games on the PC can do a lot to help improve your health.

If you thought playing games on the PC was just a waste of time, you can now feel better about playing those games. You can take a break, play some games, relax, reduce stress, improve hand-eye coordination, and improve your reflexes. All of those things are good for you and taking care of yourself is important. It may seem silly to say playing games is good for you but playing is good for kids, and it is good for adults too.

Not only are playing PC games good for your health, designing and programming PC games is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States.

Workstation Setup – What’s The Big Deal?

Setting up your workstation properly is an important key factor to help eliminate aches and pains while sitting at your computer for any length of time. A bad workstation setup can lead to bad posture, back and neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, eye strain, leg numbness, and a number of other physical distresses.

Over the course of this article you will learn how to set up your workstation properly, to help avoid health problems later down the line. After you have your workstation set up properly, consider giving your PC a tune up, to avoid unnecessary wait time when using multiple applications.

Proper Setup of Your Computer Workstation

More than 95 percent of home computer users have their workstation setup wrong. If you find that you back and neck ache after prolonged use of your computer, your workstation may not be properly setup.

When you sit at your computer you should feel relaxed. Don’t  sit all “hunched” up, or feel “stiff” when you sit at your computer. Make certain to keep your shoulders and neck relaxed. Don’t rest your arms and elbows on the desk, keep them relaxed and close to your body. Your elbows should sit close to your waist.

Your hips, legs and feet should feel relaxed too. Nothing should feel tight or uncomfortable at your workstation. Nothing should hurt, or feel numb. If it does, follow some of the tips below.

Proper Workstation Setup of your Keyboard and Mouse

 

Personally, I have a pull out keyboard as shown below. It pulls out right above my lap.That is where your keyboard should be. It should not sit up high, It should be just in line with your navel. The mouse should be kept right next to the keyboard at the same height. Your arms and wrists should feel relaxed when typing. If you have to hunch up your shoulders and lay your wrists on the desk to type, you need a pull out keyboard tray/platform.

Height of Your Monitor at Your Workstation

The height of your monitor is important too. You don’t want to be looking down, or up at your monitor. You want to be looking “straight on” at it. Try to set up your workstation so that the monitor is at eye level. Meaning, the top of the top of the monitor is at your eye level. If you feel that you have to look down, or up – even slightly, adjust your monitor so your neck is relaxed. If you get neck and shoulder pain when sitting at the computer, it could be that the monitor is not at the correct height. It could mean your keyboard and mouse need to be adjusted.

Floor/Feet/Legs

 

I know it sounds silly, but even if your feet touch the floor when sitting at your workstation, you could still be sitting wrong. If your legs ache when sitting for too long, or your legs and feet go numb – you’re sitting wrong. Pressure to the back of the legs causes the numbness and pain in your legs. You should sit so that your thighs should be horizontal. Basically your legs (thighs and calves) should be at a 90 degree angle between the them as shown in the illustration.

I’m so short, I have to use a footrest. If I don’t my legs will go numb. You want to keep the pressure off the back of your legs. There are many types of foot rests available to purchase. You just need to find one that works for you.

Backrest and Chair

Your chair should be comfortable. I prefer to tell people to purchase a chair without arms, but that is completely up to you. Most of the time, if you have a chair with arms at your workstation, you will find yourself resting your elbows on the arms.

Today they have chairs that can support your back with built in back supports. You can even change the support of to your buttock. You can even tilt a chair’s seat forward and backward. You want to make certain that your lower spine (lumbar), is supported well.

If you need more support for your back, purchase a backrest. This is something that you will have to go and try. Sit is a few chairs and try out some backrests at your local office supply or electronics store. A backrest and chair is kind of personal. What works for you, may not work for me. That’s why it is important to “try before you buy.” Keep your back supported – it will help alleviate that lower back pain you may get when sitting for too long.

Telephone

If you have a telephone at your workstation, keep it within arms reach. You should not have to reach for your phone. Reaching for things, such as the phone can cause shoulder, neck, and back strain. If you have aheadset, I recommend that you use it. Even better, if you don’t – go purchase one.

You should also never hold the phone receiver between your neck and shoulder. I know most of you probably do that exact same thing. I am guilty of it too, so don’t feel bad. However, I do own a headset and try to use that most of the time. It makes things so much easier. You can keep your hands free, and continue typing or working. You just click a button and start talking. It’s that easy.

Key Points to Proper Workstation Setup

• Your forearms should feel relaxed when type or use the mouse.
• Avoid reaching overhead a lot, or bending over a lot.
• Keep your monitor at eye level. Don’t look down or up at it.
• Keep your legs relaxed and at a 90 degree angle. Use a footrest to relax your legs and hips.
• Don’t rest your wrists on the workstation table or a wrist rest when you are typing. You can add pressure to your wrists causing carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Use a backrest to support your lower spine.
• Take breaks often. Take a quick break every hour or hour-and-a-half. Get up, stretch, or go for a two minute walk, and get your blood flowing again.
• Avoid eye strain by looking away from the monitor frequently. The rule of thumb is, for every hour you are looking at the monitor constantly – look away for about 10 to 15 seconds, and stare at an object far away.

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Book Review: Pro Tools 10: Advanced Music Production Techniques by Robert Campbell

For those who are unfamiliar with Pro Tools, it is a digital audio workstation for Windows and Mac, which was introduced way back in 1991. It is safe to say that in the past 21 years, the technology has revolutionized the recording industry.

One of the main features of the software is the ability to isolate and correct even the tiniest flaws in a recording. Pro Tools has become so prevalent in studios that some artists are rejecting it--based on the idea being that it is “dishonest,” and removes the “human” factor from the recording process.

Nevertheless, Pro Tools has become standard equipment, and the tenth version of the software was released in October, 2011 from Avid Technology.

With the advanced capabilities Pro Tools 10 features, it is hardly surprising that books have been published to help the users understand how to best utilize the system. Two of these have just been issued from the Avid Learning Series: Pro Tools 10: Advanced Music Production Techniques by Robert Campbell, and Pro Tools 10: Advanced Post Production Techniques by Joel Krantz. These are textbooks which offer expert certification, and both include a DVD-ROM to further help in the learning process.

Clearly, both books are intended for those who are serious about getting the most out of Pro Tools 10. They are not “light” reading. But for those who use the system, I think they are invaluable. And both authors employ a very user-friendly writing style. By that I mean that each book is laid out in a logical, and easy to follow manner. These books are meant to help the user understand the software better, whether they are professionals, or amateurs like myself.

Robert Campbell’s Advanced Music Production Techniques is divided into nine lessons, nine exercises, and two appendices. The nine lessons are sequenced quite logically, with the first being “Pro Tools HD Hardware Configuration.” This is followed by an exercise, which “tests” your knowledge of what you have just read. Both the lessons and the exercises are timed, offering the student an idea of how long each should take. The lessons range from 45 to 120 minutes, and the exercises range from 20-60 minutes.

The remaining eight lessons and exercises follow the same format. These are (in order), “Troubleshooting a Pro Tools System;” “Tactile Control of Pro Tools;” “Importing and Recording Audio;” “Advanced Editing;” “Synchronization;” “Pro Tools HD/HDX Mixing Concepts;” and “Advanced Mixing Techniques.” Appendix A is “Pro Tools HD-Series Audio Interface Calibration,” and Appendix B quite helpfully offers the self-explanatory “Exercise Answer Keys.”

Joel Krantz’s Advanced Post Production Techniques follows a very similar format, although it features ten lessons and exercises. The first two are identical to those of the Campbell book, which makes sense, as one must have the system properly configured, and know how to troubleshoot potential problems to proceed. “Tactile Control of Pro Tools” is also offered in both books.

The remaining seven lessons and exercises are, “Synchronizing Pro Tools with Linear Video;” “Post Production Recording Techniques;” “Editing Workflows;” “Pro Tools HD/HDX Mixing Concepts;” “Advanced Mixing Techniques;” “Mixing Using Satellite Link;” and “Advanced Layback.” The lessons range in duration from 45 -120 minutes, and the exercises range from 20 to 60 minutes.

There are five appendices in the Krantz book. Two of these are also in the Campbell book, calibrating the system, and the answer key. The other three are, “Synchronization Concepts;” “Avid ISIS and Pro Tools Workflows;” and “Videotape Duplication Instructions.” Both books come with DVD-ROMs which contain media files for the exercises that appear at the end of each lesson.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a professional user of Pro Tools by any stretch of the imagination. My son and I have a small “studio” in our basement, and every now and then we record. Even though Pro Tools 10 does come with a manual, these two books offer some very detailed information, which I have already found to be quite useful.

Whether you are a pro or not, both of these books are excellent resources. As previously mentioned, they are part of the Official Curriculum from Avid, the company that publishes Pro Tools. Depending on where you look, both books are available at very reasonable prices, and for the Pro Tools 10 user, I think each offers invaluable aids in getting the most out of the software.

RIM Might License BlackBerry 10, But What Hardware Vendors Want It?

RIM is facing an uphill battle as the company attempts to dig itself out of its current situation. With BB10 postponed until the first quarter of 2013 and the company bleeding money, CEO Thorsten Heins is looking towards desperate measures.

How desperate?

RIM is investigating licensing BB10 to third-party hardware makers, Heins admitted to The Telegraph in an interview. “You could think about us building a reference system, and then basically licensing that reference design, have others build the hardware around it – either it’s a BlackBerry or it’s something else being built on the BlackBerry platform,” Heins said.

The CEO wouldn’t get into details about the potential business plan, but he said that the company is working with it’s financial planners to see if it is financially viable. But is this a plan that RIM can actually implement?

“RIM’s talked about licensing, there’s no secret they’re doing that. The real question is who are they going to license too?” Analyst Ken Dulaney of Gartner told Wired. If dominant phone manufacturers like Samsung and HTC are not interested, there are other options. Dulaney said: “It’s going to be secondary players potentially or maybe a large player that’s looking for some niche market.”

While licensing with large hardware makers, and in markets like the United States, might not pan out for the Waterloo-based company, the company’s international market could benefit. Dulaney told Wired, “Markets, like international, where [RIM has] been strong, they don’t necessarily want to make devices and they may want lower cost devices.” That’s something that licensing BB10 could help achieve.

But, without more concrete information about its future plans, it’s difficult to parse how RIM could push its licensing deals.

Regardless of the company’s current financial difficulties or its pending difficulties with hardware partners, Heins is still dedicated to the current BlackBerry customers: “Either we do it ourselves or we do it with a partner. But we will not abandon the subscriber base.”

BY ROBERTO BALDWIN

How Microsoft Surface Stacks Up Against Its Tablet Competition

How do the specs for the upcoming Microsoft Surface for Windows RT and Surface for Windows Pro compare with the Apple iPad? Here's what we know. 

Surface will change your expectations of what you can do with your tablet. First and foremost, you are no longer buying into a dedicated mobile OS and its corresponding app ecosystem. Instead, you’ll be able to buy one app and use it on both a tablet and a Windows 8 laptop or desktop PC.

While the Metro face of the two Surfaces will be the same, the hardware flavors are fundamentally different. Surface RT will compete most directly with Apple's iPad and the current crop of Android tablets, all of which run on power-efficient ARM-based processors. And Surface Pro—though still a tablet—targets Ultrabooks and other ultraportable laptops.

Click on the chart below for a comparison of the two Surface models with other tablets.

Surface RT vs. the iPad and Android Tablets

Tech specs: Surface RT comes with a USB 2.0 port standard (critical for connecting external storage and peripherals), along with a MicroSD card slot and Micro-HDMI video out. Most Android tablets have a MicroSD card slot and a Micro-HDMI port as well, but very few have a full-size USB port. Apple’s iPad famously has no ports, with the sole exception of its proprietary dock connector.

At the chip level, Nvidia’s Tegra 3 ARM processor powers the Surface RT. Most Android tablets run a version of the Tegra 3, as well, or they use another ARM-based processor. The iPad carries Apple’s own processor, which is also based on the ARM architecture.

Storage on the Surface RT is similarly upscale, with a minimum of 32GB. The iPad and most Android tablets start at just 16GB. Among Android tablets, Asus’s Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 and Acer’s Iconia Tab A700 are the two exceptions, with 32GB baseline models.

Screen and resolution: Microsoft lists the RT’s display as “HD” rather than as “Full HD,” which likely translates into a resolution of just 1366 by 768 pixels. That won’t compete with the iPad’s Retina display, or even with those of Android tablets such as the Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 and the Iconia Tab A700 (both with resolutions of 1920 by 1200 pixels). The Surface RT’s optically bonded display, which eliminates the annoying air gap between the screen and the glass, should help overcome its resolution shortfall. Microsoft does cite its ClearType font-display technology, but we won’t know how much ClearType can compensate for the gap in pixel density until we have the Surface tablet in hand.

Physical specs: Microsoft didn’t supply complete numbers, but it did say Surface RT should be about 0.37 inch thick—thinner than many competing tablets and in a dead heat with Apple’s iPad. Current estimates put the Surface RT’s weight at 1.49 pounds, or 0.05 pound heavier than the current iPad. That’s a negligible difference, but the iPad itself got heavier this year, while Android tablets are consistently moving in the other direction, as consumers have come to expect. At 1.49 pounds, the Surface will be about 0.2 pound heavier than the Toshiba Excite 10 or the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity.

The Surface tablet’s design is unique. It features a comfortably angled bezel created with ergonomics in mind; a balanced arrangement of internal components that make Surface feel lighter; and a built-in kickstand for conveniently using Surface in a variety of scenarios.

Productivity: In this respect Surface RT is likely to shine. Unlike Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows 8 provides the ability to view two apps at a time on one screen, as well as having additional apps multitasking in the background. This flexibility is closer to what users are accustomed to having on a desktop or laptop computer. Plus, Surface RT will include Office Home and Student 2013 RT (with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote).

Surface Pro vs. Ultrabook Laptops and Windows 7 Tablets

Tech specs: Surface Pro will come with 64GB or 128GB of storage and an Intel Core i5 CPU (Microsoft has not yet re­­vealed the clock speed). By contrast, Ultrabooks have anywhere from 128GB to 320GB of solid-state or hard-drive storage, and feature Intel Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 CPUs. Microsoft hasn’t disclosed how much memory its Surface Pro will have; Ultrabooks average 4GB of RAM, comparable to what you’d find on an ultraportable or all-purpose laptop. Surface Pro outdoes most Ultrabooks, though, with a Micro­SDXC card slot, a USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort for video output, and a dual digitizer for digital inking with a stylus.

Screen and resolution: Preliminary specs simply state that Surface Pro has a “Full HD” 10.6-inch display, which would suggest a display resolution of at least 1920 by 1200 pixels. That minimum spec would put it on a par with the best Android tablets from Asus and Acer, but those displays are half an inch smaller, so they have a higher pixel density. And none of the Android models compares with the 9.7-inch Apple iPad at 2048 by 1536 pixels. Like Surface RT, Surface Pro will also feature Microsoft’s ClearType (standard in Windows 8).

Physical specs: Surface Pro’s overall physical design is the same as Surface RT’s; but this model will be thicker, at 0.53 inch. Nonetheless, Surface Pro looks more stylish and snappy than current Windows 7 slates, and it’s thinner than many Ultrabooks. Surface Pro’s weight is estimated at 1.99 pounds, which is significantly lighter than the average 3- to 4-pound Ultrabook and comparable to current Windows 7 tablets.

Productivity: Intel’s Core i5 is powerful enough to let you tinker in Photoshop, handle complex spreadsheets, or play games. Surface Pro won’t come with Microsoft’s Office apps, though. Still, with digital inking plus one of Microsoft’s keyboard cover options, Surface Pro could be the ultimate ultraportable. If you can make do with a 10.6-inch display, then you can benefit from Surface’s inherent flexibility.

By Melissa J. Perenson, PCWorld  

Samsung Vs. Apple – The Plot Thickens As Judge Rebukes Samsung

The ongoing Samsung vs. Apple legal battle is not looking to come to an end any time soon as both tech giants muddle around in the courtroom. After Apple’s unveiling of more than 29 iPhone prototypes and 7 iPad prototypes earlier in the week, Samsung has released data that shows they might have had an iPhone type smartphone in the works before the iPhone was released.

Judge Lucy Koh, who is handling the Samsung vs. Apple  case, dismissed the information, stating that it had been excluded from the case due to its being brought so late into the trial. Koh has also forbidden jury members to read up on the trial, and blocked the original 9 page press release sent out by Samsung. She worries that the additional information could interfere with Jury neutrality, and therefore effect the case.

Whether Koh is worried that the information could be fabricated, or simply believes that it is irrelevant to the case is as of yet, unclear.

Samsung vs. Apple Legal Battle

The Samsung vs. Apple legal battle began after Samsung released their new Galaxy tablet. Apple took Samsung to court, suing for infringement on approximately 7 patents. They are suing for 2.5 billion in damages, or roughly what Apple’s Phillip Schiller estimates was lost by the patent infringement.

He can be quoted as saying “I was pretty shocked at the appearance of the Galaxy S phone and the extent it appeared to copy Apple products.” And went on to say about the new Galaxy s3, “I thought they’ve done it again, they’re just going to copy our whole product line.”

While Schiller may have been shocked, Samsung is less than upset about it. Representatives brushed the allegations off with the allegation that it is ‘normal’ for large companies to copy popular designs, and that Apple’s patent shows  little more than a rectangle, which can hardly be patented.

Will The Legal Battle Ever End?

The Samsung vs. Apple trial has been drawn out to the point that Judge Koh actually limited the time allowed for each tech giant to present their case. While both companies still have some of their allotted time left, both are running out. Perhaps, that is the reasoning behind Samsung’s release of the material that had been deemed irrelevant.

However; with one of the Apple iPhone prototypes revealed to be what Apple thought a Sony iPhone would look like, Samsung’s case to the jury may be coming a little clearer.

Apple attempted to penalize Samsung for the decision to show the information; however, Judge Koh said that she would not tolerate more delays or ‘cries for attention’ from either sides of the case. She did however state that action might be taken against Samsung after the Samsung vs. Apple legal battle, and that she would investigate the information provided by Samsung should more information come to light.

The websites and press release originally distributed by Samsung have since been disabled. Samsung claims that the information would irrevocably prove that they had not, in any way, stolen Apple patents. However; Apple claims that the press release was an effort to ‘taint’ the Jury.

Judge Koh forbid the Jury members to read any of the news based on the incident, and then conducted a questionnaire to ensure that the Jury members knew nothing of the released material.

At this point it is unclear who, if anyone; will win the Samsung vs. Apple legal battle.

However; the Samsung vs. Apple legal battle hasn’t prevented both companies from releasing new software. Samsung has released a Music Hub for the contested Galaxy s3, while Apple has signed on to allow Hulu and Amazon video streaming on their devices.

What do you think? Did Samsung infringe on Apple patents in an attempt to undermine their customer base, or did they honestly already have the software? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

For more on the Samsung vs. Apple legal battle and other daily news, subscribe to our newsfeed or RSS or bookmark us in your browser. 

Apple’s Software Boss Reveals the Origin Story of iOS

SAN JOSE, CA — Appearing second in Apple’s witness line-up in the Apple v. Samsung trial on Friday, Scott Forstall, Apple’s senior vice president of iOS software, discussed all the secrecy, hard work and innovation that went into developing the iOS user interface. Samsung’s lawyers, however, took a completely different route, questioning Forstall about the ways Apple compared — and possibly drew inspiration from — competitors like Samsung.

“The investment in building a user interface that could work on this size device with your fingers and touch was immense,” Forstall said, using his hands to indicate the size of an iPhone. “I know I personally dedicated years of my life to this, as did hundreds of people on this team. It was very, very difficult.”‪

‬”I remember sitting with Steve and some others, and we all had cellphones and hated our cellphones” –Scott Forstall‪

‬During testimony, Forstall provided an overview of Apple’s operating system strategy: “The goal of an operating system is to run all of the machine, is to drive the machine,” Forstall said. “We wanted an operating system that could last for another 20 years. The operating system that Apple had at the time didn’t have those legs. We came up with a strategy that worked really well for [third-party] applications, as well as all the built-in applications. The strategy was a modern operating system.”

Forstall, an Apple veteran since 1997, then discussed how Apple decided to embark on the iPhone project.

“I remember sitting with Steve and some others, and we all had cellphones and hated our cellphones,” Forstall said, noting that many of them had flip phones at the time. Apple had already embarked on the iPad project at this point. Forstall and his cohorts wondered, “Could we use the technology we’d been using with touch and use that same technology to build a phone, something that could fit in your pocket, but give it all the same power we were looking at giving the tablet?”

The secretive iPhone project was originally called “Purple Project,” and the engineers involved weren’t told anything about what they’d be working on, or who’d they’d be working for, when they were recruited. The building used for iPhone development was called the “purple dorm.”

“We put up a sign that said ‘fight club’ — first rule of the Purple Project is you don’t talk about Purple Project outside those doors,” Forstall said, adding the dorm smelled vaguely of pizza, like a college dorm.

Apple attorney Harold McElhinny asked Forstall a series of questions to illustrate the innovation, sweat and tears that went into developing the original iPhone’s user interface and touch technology. Forstall described the difference between early, resistive touch screens that existed prior to the iPhone and the capacitive technology that Apple championed. The former require a heavy finger to select items and scroll, while the later demand a much lighter touch.

Forstall referred to developing the onscreen keyboard as “a science project.”

“One of [the challenges of this] was everything we dealt with before was based on mouse and keyboard, and here we were changing the entire user interface to be based around touch,” Forstall said. “We had to rethink everything about what big controls would be, knowing where you are in the document, knowing when you reach the list… Every single part of every device had to be rethought for doing touch.”

Samsung’s attorney Kevin Johnson eventually got his turn to question Forstall. Johnson’s focused on internal Apple documents to illustrate how Apple looked to competitors, particularly Samsung, for inspiration.

In several instances, Forstall explained that the documents in question were referring to carrier benchmarking — Apple was testing its device’s call performance (the number of call drops) against multiple phones to see if a drop was due to the network, or to the phone itself. Forstall noted that benchmarking is completely different from copying.

“It’s fine to benchmark for performance reasons, it’s not OK to copy and rip something off,” Forstall said.

One very interesting piece of evidence was brought up by Samsung’s counsel: an internal email between Apple executives talking about the 7-inch tablet size. Referring to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 that he had personally checked out, Apple VP of Internet software and services Eddy Cue wrote, “I believe there will be a 7-inch [tablet] market and we should do one.” Further along in the email, Cue wrote that Steve Jobs seemed receptive to the idea the last time Cue had mentioned it to him.

Curious indeed.

Apple and Samsung have been duking it out in courts across the globe for over a year. Apple says Samsung is infringing on iPhone and iPad design patents, as well as a handful of utility patents covering UI elements in iOS. Samsung claims Apple is in violation of its essential 3G transmission patent holdings. The jury trial for the case began on Monday. Each party made opening statements to jurors Tuesday presenting their case.

Phil Schiller testified earlier Friday morning talking about the iPhone’s iconic design, and how Samsung’s products’ likeness to Apple’s phones and tablets can cause confusion among consumers.

• BY CHRISTINA BONNINGTON

Radiohead Hides Several Pots of Gold ‘In Rainbows’

With all the attention Radiohead’s new In Rainbows album (released digitally today) has received due to its unique sales plan, it’s possible to forget that this is an album with actual songs on it, rather than a way to turn the music industry on its ear.  But it is, in fact, an album, and that album has a sound.

Fans expecting a sonic revolution on the magnitude of Kid Aare likely to be disappointed, In Rainbows representing an expansion of earlier Radiohead ideas rather than a departure from them.  Likewise, anyone looking for the dramatic anthems from the band’s earlier albums will prefer to keep listening to those.  But the more I listen to In Rainbows, the more I notice the sort of subtle touches, sonic variety and chordal development that could make the album a so-called "grower" with Radiohead fans.  It simply gets better with each listen.

Listen: 30-second sample from "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi":

Making your way through In Rainbows, you understand why Radiohead refuses
to release their albums as individual songs on iTunes and other digitaloutlets: the songs flow into each other with a sense of purpose, and sound like they’re meant to be heard in a row.
Ingeneral, the trend throughout the album is from fast to slow tempos, but, of course,
the overall progression is a lot more complex than that.

The album kicks off with Thom Yorke declaring, "How come I end upwhere I started, how come I end up where I went wrong" on top of astomping beat that feels like an IDM-typedeconstruction of the sparse, cheerleader style pioneered by GwenStefani in "Holla Back Girl," but soon guitar and bass kick in toenvelope the listener in a rapidly-expanding layer of Radioheadlushness.

Then it’s time for live favorite "Bodysnatchers," a whirling dervish of a track that rouses on the level of Kid A‘s "National Anthem."  After these two driving tracks, In Rainbows
wends its way into slower, more haunting territory with "Nude," a waltzwith velvety bass and string swells that sounds like it would be perfect accompaniment for slow space footage a la 2001: Space Odyssey.
The ambitious, beautiful "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" expands a jitteryacoustic guitar riff into a glittering crescendo that resolves into theunderwater aesthetic hinted at by its title, ultimately ensnaring thelistener in a whirlpool.

"All I Need," a nicely disorienting track, sounds somewhat likeThom Yorke fronting The Boards of Canada, while "Faust Arp" could be ananswer to The Beatles’ "Blackbird." Then the album takes a turn for theexperimental with the wide, watery drum sounds of "Reckoner," whichadds Fender Rhodes and more string swells, and includes afew suprising/satisfying major chords.

As for the last three songs, you’ll have to listen for yourself.  Then, vote for your favorite In Rainbows tracks with our voting widget:

How do you rate the songs on Radiohead’s In Rainbows album?

• By Eliot Van Buskirk

Third Day's Mac Powell Going Country

Mac Powell, lead vocalist for Grammy winning Christian rock band Third Day, has recorded a solo project -- and it's a country record.

"I grew up listening to country music," Powell tells Billboard. "It was a big part of shaping me musically and I think that's pretty evident in Third Day music. There's always been little tinge of it."

"Powell recorded the project with producer Jason Hoard, a multi-instrumentalist who has been touring with Third Day for the past two years. The album was recorded at Hoard's Black Cat Studios, just south of Atlanta, Ga. "I first met him through the 'Glory Revealed' projects," Powell says of the two Dove Award-winning worship albums he recorded with a cadre of special guests. "Jason grew up with some of the same influences that I did and he brings a little more of the bluegrass flavor in with banjo and being a great mandolin player."

Powell, the principal songwriter in Third Day responsible for such hits as "Cry Out to Jesus," "Revelation," "Call My Name" and "Make Your Move" co-wrote half the album with acclaimed Nashville tunesmith Brett James (Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel," Kenny Chesney's "Out Last Night," Chris Young's "The Man I Want to Be").

"I started writing with Brett. He was really the first step," says Powell, who will make his solo country debut June 7 performing on the Hard Rock Café stage during CMA Music Fest. "We just hit it off really well and came up with a lot of ideas in a short amount of time, and then Jason worked on a few of those ideas as well. We started recording them and it just started feeling great. Jason brought in some friends of ours to play on the record. It came together very easily."

Powell has yet to sign with a label to release his new country project. He's entertaining offers, but may just release it on his own. "I really can't wait to get it out there and have people hear it," says Powell, who plans to hit the road, performing solo dates booked by his longtime CAA agent Jeff Gregg.

Though he's excited about his country record, Powell is quick to point out his new solo effort doesn't signal the end of his successful band. "I've been very clear that we're not breaking up," Powell says of the Essential Records outfit that has collected four Grammys and 26 Gospel Music Assn. Dove Awards. "In fact, we're finishing up a brand new record that I'm really excited about. We worked with Brendan O'Brien who has produced Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and so many great records in the past 20 years. Getting to work with him here in Atlanta in our own studio was a great experience. That record comes out in the fall and we'll be touring it in the spring."

Article by Deborah Evans Price

Bob Dylan 'Early Roman Kings' Cinemax 'Strike Back' trailer

A new song from Bob Dylan's forthcoming album Tempest has debuted in a trailer for the Cinemax TV series Strike Back. About half of the song Early Morning Kings is performed in the trailer for the second season of the show.

Early Morning Kings is a Dylan blues song, borrowing heavily from Muddy Waters Manish Boy.

Early Morning Kings is the first we have heard so far from Dylan's Tempest album, due September 11, 2012 through Columbia. It will be track 7 on the album.

Check it out here.

Alleged iPhone 5 Display Meticulously Detailed in Video

Next-generation iPhone parts seem to be lining the streets in Asia. Last week a website in Japan said it built the outer casing of the upcoming iPhone from leaked parts, and on Friday a website in China released an elaborately detailed video show-and-tell of what it says is the front glass of Apple’s still unannounced new smartphone.

If all of these components being publicly demoed in Asia are actual leaked parts, then Apple definitely needs to work on its “double down” on secrecy.

Chinese forum iPhone5Parts.net says it got its Latex-fingered hands on the glass covering of an iPhone 5 front display, and then proceeded to compare it to the equivalent part from the current iPhone 4S. If the component in the video is the real deal, then the comparison is quite thorough and educational. But if the glass covering is just a fake — an opportunistic ploy to capture video views and notoriety — then we all just watched nearly seven minutes of a guy wearing bizarre Latex finger covers (they’re actually finger cots) instead of gloves. But, hey, at least the video was entirely SFW.

The iPhone5Parts.net video narrator wields a micrometer, detailing the differences between the current iPhone front cover and what he describes as “one of the components we got from reliable sources, this iPhone 5 front glass lens.” Obviously, the new display is taller. The iPhone 4S is 76.65mm while the narrator reports the next-generation iPhone display is 90.25mm — an increase of 13.6mm in height. The width is the same at 51.60mm, he says. However, the display area jumps from 3.6 inches to 4.065 inches and the thickness of the glass increases by 0.1mm.

Get ready to buy jeans with larger pockets.

If we are to believe the video as reliable evidence, the much taller display also moves the front-facing camera from above the earpiece to the left of the earpiece, and moves the light and proximity sensors from the left of the earpiece to above the earpiece. Basically the components have done a switcheroo.

The best information to come out of the video — assuming its legit — is that the new glass is even more scratch-resistant. The narrator goes to town on both screens with “the common keys we use every day” and proclaims the new iPhone display to be the winner.

So what are we to make of the video? Well, if nothing else the alleged screen glass corroborates previous purported leaked parts. At this point, if the new iPhone arrives and it doesn’t match the new 4-inch screen size in the aspect ratio we’ve all been seeing, Gadget Lab will be quite surprised.