Gingrich in Iowa says GOP taking second look (AP)

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa ? Newt Gingrich is conceding that he made mistakes early in his campaign for the Republican nomination for president, but says his debate performances are leading voters to take another look at him.

The former House speaker has risen in national polls in the past week as former businessman Herman Cain has slipped. A new CNN poll Monday shows Gingrich almost even with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Cain is battling allegations of sexual harassment against women.

Gingrich spoke in Iowa at a Des Moines-area insurance company.

He's spending a few days in the state this week and expects to name an Iowa campaign team and open offices. He hasn't had either since a national and Iowa staff revolt last June.

The state's leadoff caucuses are Jan. 3.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111114/ap_on_re_us/us_gingrich_iowa

anwar al awlaki amanda knox amr apple press conference apple press conference apple event apple event

Chinese spacecraft dock in orbit for second time (AP)

BEIJING ? Two unmanned Chinese spacecraft successfully docked together for a second time Monday, state-run media reported, in China's latest step toward placing its own space station in orbit.

The Shenzhou 8 craft re-docked with the Tiangong 1 module that will form part of a future space lab, and the two were jointly orbiting Earth, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the mission's control center.

About half an hour before the Monday evening docking, Shenzhou 8 had successfully disengaged from the module after a 12-day flight together, Xinhua said.

In a commentary, Xinhua said the Shenzhou 8 mission had "laid a solid steppingstone for deep space exploration."

"The autonomous docking know-how now enables China to build space stations, resupply them, transfer astronauts and rescue them," it said.

One expert said not having to have crews on board when docking spacecraft was a big step toward building a space station and developing a human spaceflight program.

"They have plans to build a space station, and of course that's not possible without perfecting docking between two different craft, and the fact that they have perfected automated docking is a big step forward. The Americans didn't do it for decades after they launched their space program," said Peter Bond, consultant editor for Jane's Space Systems and Industry.

Shenzhou 8 was launched Nov. 1 and first docked with the already orbiting Tiangong 1 on Nov. 3. China's first space docking took place in an orbit 213 miles (343 kilometers) above Earth, Xinhua said. The craft is due to return to Earth on Thursday.

The docking mechanism, composed of 10,000 parts, and the more than 600 instruments aboard Shenzhou 8 were all developed and made in China, Wu Ping, spokeswoman for China's manned space program, was quoted as saying.

China will conduct two more space docking missions next year, and plans to establish its own space lab around 2016 and a manned space station around 2020, Wu said.

At about 60 tons when completed, the Chinese station will be considerably smaller than the 16-nation International Space Station, which is expected to continue operating through 2028.

China launched its own space station program after being rebuffed in its attempts to join the ISS, largely on objections from the United States. The U.S. is wary of the Chinese program's military links and the sharing of technology with its chief economic and political rival.

Xinhua said Monday that "tiny adjustments" could make the Chinese docking mechanism compatible with the ports of the ISS and U.S. space shuttles as it allows any two similarly equipped spacecraft to dock with each other.

It also said that China allowed Germany to conduct biological experiments in a docking vehicle ? the first instance of international cooperation since the beginning of China's manned space program.

Bond said Europe seems "more open" to collaborating with China in space and "I think that's to their mutual benefit."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111114/ap_on_sc/as_china_space

jenelle evans jenelle evans miami hurricanes vlad the impaler steven tyler weather houston weather houston

Oscars Academy honors Vanessa Redgrave in London

U.S actress Meryl Streep, left, talks to British actress Vanessa Redgrave, right, at a central London cinema for an evening to pay homage to the Oscar-winning actress, called 'An Academy Salute to Vanessa Redgrave', Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

U.S actress Meryl Streep, left, talks to British actress Vanessa Redgrave, right, at a central London cinema for an evening to pay homage to the Oscar-winning actress, called 'An Academy Salute to Vanessa Redgrave', Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

British actress Joely Richardson, from left to right, Dame Eileen Atkins, Meryl Streep, Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl-Jones, and Ralph Fiennes, come together at a central London cinema for an evening to pay homage to the British Oscar-winning actress, called 'An Academy Salute to Vanessa Redgrave', Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

U.S actress Meryl Streep, left, greets U.S actor James Earl-Jones, right, as British actress Vanessa Redgrave, centre, looks on, at a central London cinema for an evening to pay homage to the Oscar-winning actress, called 'An Academy Salute to Vanessa Redgrave', Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

British actress Joely Richardson, left, looks on as Vanessa Redgrave, second from right, points out U.S actor James Earl-Jones, right, to Meryl Streep, centre left, at a central London cinema for an evening to pay homage to the British Oscar-winning actress, called 'An Academy Salute to Vanessa Redgrave', Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

British actress Vanessa Redgrave and U.S actor James Earl-Jones pose together at a central London cinema for an evening to pay homage to the Oscar-winning actress, called 'An Academy Salute to Vanessa Redgrave', Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

(AP) ? Vanessa Redgrave was hailed at a Hollywood film academy tribute Sunday, praised as an actress and an activist by A-list friends including Ralph Fiennes, Meryl Streep and James Earl Jones.

More than 30 years after she shocked the Oscars ceremony with a fiercely political acceptance speech, Redgrave was the subject of an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences retrospective ? its first to an actor in Europe.

"I love this woman. My wife understands," said Jones, who is currently starring alongside Redgrave in "Driving Miss Daisy" on the London stage.

"I stand in profound admiration of her courage, both on and off the stage," said Jones, who received an honorary Academy Award on Saturday ? presented to him in front of a surprised matinee audience at Wyndham's Theatre.

Redgrave's bold artistic and political choices were a theme of the evening, hosted by playwright David Hare.

A member of a famous British acting dynasty that includes her father, sister, brother and two daughters, Redgrave has appeared in more than 100 films since her 1958 debut in "Behind the Mask." She is also known for her humanitarian work as a UNICEF ambassador, and for decades of left-wing political activism.

The 74-year-old actress has been nominated for six Oscars and won for her supporting role as an anti-Nazi activist in 1977's "Julia."

Her victory led to one of the most startling moments in Oscar history. The Jewish Defense League had objected to her nomination and picketed the ceremony because Redgrave had narrated and helped fund a documentary, "The Palestinian," which supported a Palestinian state.

In her acceptance speech, Redgrave praised the academy for not being intimidated by "a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums whose behavior is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world and their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression." Her comments were met by gasps, boos and growing applause.

Streep ? who made her film debut in "Julia" ? said that speech was the moment when she first recognized that "fame was not just this stupid vanity ... you could use it to make a difference in the world."

Fiennes, British actress Eileen Atkins, Liam Neeson and Jane Fonda added their own tributes to a performer Fonda called "my friend ... my idol .. my mentor."

Hare screened clips from across Redgrave's eclectic career ? from landmark 1960s films like "Blow-Up" to the musical "Camelot" and dramas such as "Julia" and "Second Serve," in which Redgrave played transsexual tennis pro Renee Richards.

Hare said she was one of a generation of actresses who "went on to be so much more interesting than their early stereotyping allowed." But he noted that she was also "fated to live parallel public lives: first as a celebrity and secondly as an actor."

Atkins said the two words most often used about Redgrave were "courage" and "radiance."

"And I think that comes from her true belief that basically mankind is very good," Atkins said. "She believes in humanity, and not many people do."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-11-13-EU-Britain-Oscars-Redgrave/id-1b3cf2ca60164f1892043d003888c80e

the call surrogates surrogates james garner veteran aircraft carrier ucla basketball

Thailand flooding damages its ancient capital (AP)

AYUTTHAYA, Thailand ? Water fowl, monitor lizards and stray dogs have replaced the throngs of tourists at one of Thailand's greatest historical sites. Record flooding has turned Ayutthaya's ancient temples into islands, and a giant statue of the reclining Buddha appears to float miraculously on the lapping water.

Experts fear that at least half of the more than 200 waterlogged monasteries, fortresses and other monuments in the one-time royal capital have been damaged.

"Imagine a thousand tons of brick and stone resting on soft foundations, with no modern-style pilings. We are very worried," said Chaiyanand Busayarat, director of the Ayutthaya Historic Park.

And as flood waters recede, some experts are proposing a radical change to prevent similar disasters in the future: Turn back the clock about four centuries to emulate the city's urban planners and engineers of that time.

"We can't prevent flooding so we have to learn to live with water again, like those who created Ayutthaya. Let's take out the old city maps," said Anek Sihamat, deputy director-general of the Thai government's Fine Arts Department.

He recommended digging up old canals that have been paved over for roads and curbing the urban sprawl and industrial parks that block the natural runoff of water.

Capital of a powerful state for 417 years, seat of 33 kings, Ayutthaya has been described as one of the greatest cities on water ever, with a canal network that measured more than 85 miles (140 kilometers). Built on the flood plain of central Thailand at the confluence of three rivers, it was inundated annually, but its citizens lived in stilt-raised houses and used boats for transport.

Water also defended Ayutthaya, which once held as many as 1 million residents, until a brutal sacking by the Burmese in 1767 forced relocation of the capital to Bangkok, 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the south ? where the same floodwaters that inundated Ayutthaya are now nearing the inner city.

The surge of water from the northern highlands, which began in late July and has killed more than 520 people, is the worst since the 1940s, although Ayutthaya experiences flooding almost every monsoon season.

In coming weeks, experts will assess damage and determine what will be needed to revive and protect the city, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1991.

Advisers from Venice and the Netherlands, two places that have grappled with the challenges of watery environments, are prepared to come, while several countries, including Germany and Japan, have provided or promised funds. Anek, the Fine Arts official, estimated that some $20 million will be needed.

"Clearly what we hope for from this experience will be a more solid, more thorough flood mitigation plan," said Tim Curtis, head of the culture unit at UNESCO's regional office in Bangkok.

He said that Amsterdam's 19th-century water-based defense line ? another World Heritage site ? and Venice may be used as models.

Witthaya Pewpong, the Ayutthaya provincial governor, said a dam has been proposed to shield the historic area while flooding would be eased by setting aside a large, construction-free area of the nearby countryside to absorb excess water.

Nevertheless, authorities "know that they will have to learn to live with water because it will always be there," said UNESCO cultural expert Montira Horayangura Unakul. As such, urban planning should be consistent with Ayutthaya's design as a city of water, she said.

To date, Ayutthaya has not scored well on the urban management front. The city of 82,000 people is mushrooming helter-skelter and has bid to host World Expo 2020. Four years ago, amid concern in Thailand that UNESCO might take the city off its list, one Bangkok newspaper wrote that the city was destroyed twice, "first by invading Burmese, and now by greedy and insensitive Thais."

Adding to its watery woes, said Curtis, are problems common to heritage sites: the looting of artifacts, inadequate waste disposal, corrosive vehicle fumes, ugly and inappropriate new construction and mass tourism.

There's also a running battle between heritage and municipal authorities, often allied with business interests.

The Fine Arts Department controls development in the core historic area of some 1.2 square miles (3 square kilometers), where no structures more than 26 feet (8 meters) are permitted. However, it exercises little power in outlying zones, which include numerous important monuments and where modern buildings have sprouted next to graceful relics of the past.

Most immediately, however, heritage authorities are focused on the floods.

With water up to 10 feet (3 meters) high flooding the area for weeks, there is concern that the foundations of larger structures may have been undermined, and bricks, plasterwork and murals damaged. Visitor facilities and once grassy areas emerging as a sea of mud will need to be restored at what is one of the country's top tourist destinations.

Also worrisome is salt residue that seeps up with the groundwater, causing damage to monuments.

Park director Chaiyanand said the stupas, or Buddhist reliquary, in Ayutthaya were built with an outer core of brick. The hollow portions inside were filled with sand. When the floods came, the water was absorbed upward into this inner chamber of sand, which became heavier. He fears the weight could cause cracks of the outer brick shell.

Water that is hard to detect and remove may also remain within walls after the floodwaters recede. Chaiyanand said he was particularly concerned about the bricks that were the key building blocks of old Ayutthaya.

"They're like crackers," he said, noting the mossy, water-stained bricks at the base of a stupa at the 15th-century Phra Srisanphet monastery. "When soaked they become easy to break."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111113/ap_on_re_as/as_thailand_flooded_heritage

andre johnson andre johnson arrested development arrested development shannon tweed shannon tweed don lapre

NBA talks continue with Stern's deadline on hold

National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern, left, speaks alongside deputy commissioner Adam Silver during a news conference after a marathon meeting with the Players Association, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, in New York. Although no agreements have been reached, the two sides will meet again Thursday at noon in an effort to save what remains of the season after a protracted labor dispute engulfed the league. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern, left, speaks alongside deputy commissioner Adam Silver during a news conference after a marathon meeting with the Players Association, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, in New York. Although no agreements have been reached, the two sides will meet again Thursday at noon in an effort to save what remains of the season after a protracted labor dispute engulfed the league. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

National Basketball Association Players Association president Derek Fisher, center, speaks alongside Maurice Evans, left, and Billy Hunter, right, during a news conference after a marathon meeting with owners, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, in New York. Although no agreements have been reached, the two sides will meet again Thursday at noon in an effort to save what remains of the season after a protracted labor dispute engulfed the league. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

NEW YORK (AP) ? NBA owners and players are meeting again Thursday, hoping to reach a deal to end the lockout and very aware of the consequences if they fail.

The two sides met for more than six hours, working to try to find a way to save the season.

This latest bargaining session came after players and owners met for 12 hours Wednesday, passing Commissioner David Stern's deadline for players to accept the league's current proposal or face one that would be much worse. He said he "stopped the clock" while this round of negotiations continues but warned the harsher proposal will be put into play if talks break down.

On Wednesday, they talked mostly about the salary cap system issues that divide them and did not even discuss the division of basketball-related income, which is the other major obstacle. Owners are calling for a 50-50 split, which the players would consider if they get the concessions they seek on the system.

The league, however, repeatedly has said it must have both in the next collective bargaining agreement.

"The competitive issues are independent of the economic issues. Our goal is to have a system in which all 30 teams are competing for championships and if well managed, they have an opportunity to break even or make a profit," Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said. "So we don't see the ability to break even or make a profit as a trade-off for the ability to field a competitive team. So all those issues are still in play."

Those issues largely relate to the spending rules for teams over the luxury tax threshold. The NBA has sought to ban or reduce their ability to use the midlevel exception or participate in sign-and-trade deals, as well as impose a more punitive tax that players fear would deter teams from spending so much that it would act like a hard salary cap.

Union president Derek Fisher said after Wednesday's talks that he couldn't "characterize whether (owners) showed flexibility or not in certain system issues."

"Obviously, we'd have a deal done if the right flexibility was being shown," he said. "The fact that we don't have a deal lets you know that there's still a lot of work to be done on the system."

Failure to make a deal Thursday would increase the calls for the union to decertify so the players can file a lawsuit against the league in court, a risky and lengthy tactic that likely would doom the 2011-12 season. Union officials have downplayed the idea, but players might have no other leverage once the more severe proposal is put into play.

The current offer calls for players to receive between 49 percent and 51 percent of basketball-related income, though the union said it would be impossible to get above 50.2 percent. Players were guaranteed 57 percent of BRI under the previous collective bargaining agreement.

Though they called this deal unacceptable, they might not see another one nearly as favorable.

The next proposal would call for a 53-47 revenue split in the owners' favor, essentially a hard salary cap and salary rollbacks, which the league originally sought but had taken off the table. Both proposals were sent to Hunter on Sunday.

Players indicated after a player representative meeting Tuesday that they would be open to reducing their BRI take if owners made some changes on the system issues. Players offered to go to about 51 percent Saturday, with 1 percent going into a fund for retired player benefits, though their last formal proposal on paper called for a 52.5 split in their favor.

But the league has placed as much importance on the system as the split, making it difficult to find compromise on the handful of items that remain unsettled.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-10-NBA%20Labor/id-04d96994ace34e248fb44e57a6786519

costumes bobby flay clemson football the new girl miami hurricanes football miami hurricanes football emmy winners

NY Muslims question privacy rights after probe

Even before it showed up in a secret police report, everybody in Bay Ridge knew that Mousa Ahmad's caf? was being watched.

Strangers loitered across the street from the caf? in this Brooklyn neighborhood. Quiet men would hang around for hours, listening to other customers. Once police raided the barber shop next door, searched through the shampoos and left. Customers started staying away for fear of ending up on a blacklist, and eventually Ahmad had to close the place.

But when asked if he would consider legal action against the police, Ahmad just shrugs.

"The police do what they want," he said, standing in front of the empty storefront where his caf? used to be. "If I went to court to sue, what do you think would happen? Things would just get worse."

It's a common sentiment among those who are considering their legal options in the wake of an Associated Press investigation into a massive New York Police Department surveillance program targeting Muslims.

Many of the targets feel they have little recourse ? and because privacy laws have weakened dramatically since 9/11, they may be right, legal experts say.

"It's really not clear that people can do anything if they've been subjected to unlawful surveillance anymore," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The AP investigation revealed that the NYPD built databases of everyday life in Muslim neighborhoods, cataloguing where people bought their groceries, ate dinner and prayed.

Plainclothes officers known as "rakers" were dispatched into ethnic communities, where they eavesdropped on conversations and wrote daily reports on what they heard, often without any allegation of criminal wrongdoing.

Taking advantage?
The NYPD did not respond to repeated requests for an interview, but it has insisted that it respects the rights of people it watches. Commissioner Ray Kelly says each request for surveillance is thoroughly examined by the department's lawyers.

"The value we place on privacy rights and other constitutional protections is part of what motivates the work of counterterrorism," Kelly told a city council committee. "It would be counterproductive in the extreme if we violated those freedoms in the course of our work to defend New York."

But critics of the surveillance say the NYPD is taking advantage of a general weakening of state and federal restraints, many of them forged during the 1960s and following the Watergate scandal:

  • The USA PATRIOT Act, passed after the 9/11 attacks, reduced legal limits on wiretaps imposed by the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The same law also amended the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 to allow banks to release records to intelligence agencies investigating terrorism.
  • A 2007 law changed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, originally a reaction to former President Richard Nixon's spying on political groups, to allow wiretaps of international phone calls.
  • In 2002 the Supreme Court decision ruled that students cannot sue universities under the 1974 Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act. That could make it harder for Muslim student groups to seek redress over infiltration by NYPD undercover officers.

The U.S. Department of Justice still has some tools it can use to discipline local police forces.

It can withhold federal money from any police agency that discriminates on the basis of race, color, sex or national origin.

Another law allows the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to sue state and local police forces for any "pattern or practice" that deprives people of their Constitutional rights. In September, it cited the statutes in a scathing report about corruption and abuse within the Puerto Rico Police Department.

Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J. has asked the Justice Department to investigate the NYPD surveillance program.

But in Puerto Rico and elsewhere, the Justice Department has typically focused only on issues of excessive force, illegal traffic stops and other clear violations of police procedure. Since 9/11, the department has not used its civil rights authority against a police department in a national security case.

'Shady'
Lawsuits filed by surveillance targets themselves are notoriously hard to win, said Paul Chevigny, a law professor at New York University and expert on police abuse cases.

"The fact that you feel spooked and chilled by it doesn't constitute an injury," Chevigny said. Even in cases where surveillance notes leak out, the chances of winning a lawsuit are "marginal" unless the leaking was done with the clear intent of harming someone, he said.

In Ahmad's case, police documents obtained by the AP show officers were compiling a report on Moroccan neighborhoods as part of an effort to map the city's Muslim communities. Ahmad's Bay Ridge International Caf? appears with two other nearby restaurants, along with notes about their ownership, customers and size.

Neighbors were especially suspicious about one physically fit man in his 50s who would spend hours sitting on a bench outside a doughnut shop across from the caf?, said Linda Sarsour, director of the Arab-American Association of New York, which has its offices down the street.

"It's like, 'Why don't you have a job, bro? Why are you always hanging out in every coffee shop?'" Sarsour said. "That was shady."

  1. Only on msnbc.com

    1. ID theft victim shares SSN with 50 people
    2. New poverty indicator, more grim news
    3. Updated 84 minutes ago 11/8/2011 5:22:08 PM +00:00 Chinese senior citizens do Lady Gaga
    4. Pakistanis share costs of Eid with 'joint sacrifices'
    5. If Rome burns, US will feel the heat
    6. Obama rail initiative a 'train to nowhere'?

In 2009 neighbors got fed up and asked for a meeting with the commander of the local police precinct, Ahmad said. They met in Ahmad's caf?. The commander did not confirm any surveillance operation, but the strange men on street corners disappeared after that, he said.

Still, the stigma remained, Ahmad said. He changed the caf?'s name, but business never recovered. Finally he sold it, but the new owner did no better and eventually closed it for good.

Over the last 40 years, there has been only one class-action lawsuit that has forced serious changes to an NYPD surveillance program, lawyers say, and those changes have been eroded since the 9/11 attacks.

In 1971, 16 leftists led by lawyer Barbara Handschu sued the police department for spying on them. In 1985 they settled the case in exchange for a set of rules, known as the Handschu Guidelines, that set up a three-member panel to oversee NYPD surveillance operations.

The rules also said detectives could only start an investigation when they had "specific information" about a future crime.

"An individual's or organization's political, religious, sexual or economic preference may not be the sole basis upon which the (police intelligence division) develops a file or index card on that individual or organization," the rules said.

In 2003 a judge agreed to relax the rules. Under the new rules, known as the Modified Handschu Guidelines, NYPD intelligence chief David Cohen can act alone to authorize investigations for a year at a time. He can also authorize undercover operations for four months at a time.

Most importantly, the rule requiring police to have "specific information" was loosened. It now says only that facts should "reasonably indicate" a future crime.

'Not a favorable judicial climate'
Activists say they have not ruled out going to court over the latest NYPD program.

But at a "strategy meeting" held in Manhattan on Wednesday, the discussion centered on preparing for a Nov. 18 protest march and on organizing "know your rights" seminars at mosques and community centers.

Organizers believe they need to build a mass movement against the surveillance program first, so that people like Ahmad will feel more confident about coming forward and filing lawsuits, said Cyrus McGoldrick, civil rights manager for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who ran Wednesday's meeting.

"That way if there's a court date, it's not just 10 people sitting there, it's 1,000 people outside the courthouse, every day," he said. "People need to feel there is a movement protecting them before they take on the police. Apathy is not our problem ? fear is our problem."

As the 9/11 attacks recede into the past, state and federal rules may eventually swing toward privacy rights again, said Judith Berkan, a member of the advisory board of the National Police Accountability Project, a group of civil rights lawyers.

But until then, surveillance targets would likely face a difficult court battle, she said.

"I think if the government treats you different because you're from a particular part of the world, even if the surveillance is in a public place, it might violate the constitution," Berkan said. "But it's not a favorable judicial climate for me to make those kinds of arguments today."

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45202633/ns/us_news-security/

nyc marathon brian williams coriolis effect coriolis effect black friday giants patriots yolo

Hybrid phone network offers Wi-Fi calls

Jacob Aron, technology reporter

republicwireless.jpg(Image: Republic Wireless/LG Optimus)

Smartphones let you do almost everything over Wi-Fi, so why do we still have to use up cellular minutes when making a call? That's the thinking behind Republic Wireless, a new hybrid phone network that lets you seamlessly make calls using any available Wi-Fi hotspot, falling back to the regular cellular network when you move out of Wi-Fi range.

The company estimates that most people are near a Wi-Fi network 60 per cent of the time, whether that be your home, work or the local coffee house, but it might not be suitable for those who like to roam further afield - rely too much on the cellular connection and you'll receive a warning before eventually being booted off the network.

It is a nice idea, especially if you are after a cheap smartphone - the initial cost is $199 for a modified LG Optimus phone running Android, followed by a $19 monthly charge. There is no minimum contract tie-in as with most other networks. You can't yet use your existing phone, though the company says it hopes to allow this in the future as well as providing a range of other handsets.

But is hotspot availability in the US good enough for the hybrid plan to work? Running data-hungry smartphones on Wi-Fi makes much more sense than the ageing cellular network, which was never designed to stream movies or download the latest apps, but it does rather reduce the mobility of your mobile phone.

Perhaps the Republic Wireless model would work better in a country like Estonia, which enjoys near-ubiquitous Wi-Fi coverage.


Subscribe to New Scientist Magazine

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/19ebd781/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Conepercent0C20A110C110Chybrid0Ephone0Enetwork0Eoffers0Ewi0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

matilda new jersey weather halloween movies halloween movies new york snow new york snow braxton miller