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NXP in April 2012 sued BlackBerry, then known as Research in Motion, alleging that versions of the BlackBerry phone and PlayBook tablet infringed patents related to the design, data transmission and other features of those devices.

The lawsuit originally covered six patents, but NXP later dropped its claims related to three of the patents. NXP sought unspecified damages, including triple damages.

Jurors needed less than a day of deliberations before ruling in BlackBerry's favor, in a trial that began on March 24, court records show.

NXP is listed on the Nasdaq as NXP Semiconductors NV. It did not immediately respond to requests for comment. BlackBerry did not immediately respond to similar requests.

Litigation remains a major weapon in a global patent war among makers of smartphones, tablet computers and operating software, including such companies as Apple Inc, Samsung Electronics Co and Google Inc.

BlackBerry was once a dominant force in smartphones, but the Waterloo, Ontario-based company has lost much of its market share to Apple's iPhone and gadgets powered by Google's Android operating system.

NXP is based in Eindhoven, Netherlands, and was spun off from Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV in 2006.

In Monday trading in Toronto, BlackBerry shares fell 15 cents to C$8.62. In Monday trading on the Nasdaq, BlackBerry shares fell 14 cents to $7.86.

They find that some three billion years after the Big Bang, the cosmos was pushing itself apart by another 1% every 44 million years.

It is the latest result to come from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS).

The international group clocks the expansion by making detailed maps of the distribution of matter in space.

The hope is such studies can provide further insights on "dark energy".

This is the mysterious force that appears today to be driving the cosmos apart ever more quickly.

What is interesting about the new result is that the BOSS-measured expansion rate 10 billion years ago is quite a bit slower than that expected from the standard model of cosmology.

"This is the most precise measurement that's ever been done, and all I'll say at the moment is that there is a tension there," explained Dr Matthew Pieri, a BOSS team-member from Portsmouth University, UK.

"We expected to see the Universe expanding faster than what we found.

"The disagreement could still be a statistical fluke, or it could be be that the Universe was different to how we thought it was, but we'll have to explore this further to find out."

Theory holds that the Universe has been on a rollercoaster-like ride.

From the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, it expanded rapidly - but that expansion decelerated in the first few billion years under the constraining influence of gravity.

Then, some six billion years ago, the cosmos started to speed up again under the influence, scientists suspect, of dark energy.

The BOSS group has determined both the near and far expansion rates.

And while the near values fit very well with expected numbers, it is the new result for the far Universe that is the cause of some head-scratching.

Two largely independent measurements have been made.

One is to map the distribution of quasars, which are extremely luminous, distant galaxies.

The second measure involves using the light from those quasars to pinpoint the positions of clouds of hydrogen gas along the line of sight to Earth. In both instances, the BOSS team is probing so-called baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs).

These refer to the pressure-driven waves that passed through the post-Big-Bang Universe and which subsequently became frozen into the distribution of matter once it had cooled to a sufficient level.

The world's biggest smartphone maker is counting on the fifth version of its flagship Galaxy S smartphone, which goes on sale globally from Friday, to right the ship and prove the technology giant's staying power as a mobile innovator.

But the Galaxy S5 has already got off to a weak start at home, with its South Korean debut marred by a temporary ban on mobile carriers selling handsets and criticism that it lacks eye-catching new features.

Underscoring the challenges, Samsung priced the S5 about 10 percent cheaper than the S4 even though main rival Apple Inc is not widely expected to update its line-up until September. The firm also dialed back on marketing glitz to keep margins stable.

"This strategy gives them price competitiveness that can be leveraged to drive sales volume and defend overall profits," IM Investment analyst Lee Min-hee said.

"The Galaxy S5 isn't something that will awe investors ... and that's mostly the same with high-end phones at this point. Smartphones no longer offer much groundbreaking innovation and are equalizing to a certain degree."

In this respect the Galaxy S5 marks a major shift for Samsung, dropping the emphasis on hardware innovation and instead highlighting features such as fitness aids and sleek design.

JK Shin, co-chief executive and head of Samsung's mobile business, has called it a "back-to-basics" strategy that will help the world's biggest technology company by revenue rein in component costs and make products of wider appeal.

Samsung is likely to estimate a 3 percent year-on-year decline in January-March operating profit to 8.5 trillion won ($8.1 billion) on Tuesday, according to a mean consensus of 40 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. StarMine's SmartEstimate, which gives greater weighting to the more accurate analysts, suggests further downside risk with profit of 8.35 trillion won.

This would mark the second consecutive quarter of decline - the first negative streak since a four-quarter slip in 2010-2011 - and analysts polled by Reuters expect the trend to continue through the July-September period. The company's full quarterly results are likely to be announced by April 25.

"The S5's boost to Samsung's bottom line will be weaker than the S4, as it will have fewer shipments in the crucial early launch period and then sales will taper off gradually," said Seo Won-seok, an analyst at Korea Investment and Securities.

The Islamic Republic and six world powers will hold a new round of talks in Vienna on Tuesday and Wednesday intended to reach a comprehensive agreement by July 20 on how to resolve a decade-old standoff that has stirred fears of a Middle East war.

It will be the third meeting of chief negotiators since February. So far, officials say, they have largely focused on what issues should form part of a long-term deal.

"We will finish all discussions and issues this time to pave the ground for starting to draft the final draft in Ordibehesht (an Iranian month that begins in two weeks)," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said upon arrival in Vienna.

A U.S. official gave a similar timetable last week, voicing hope that the drafting of an agreement could begin in May.

Iran says its enrichment program is a peaceful bid to generate electricity and has ruled out shutting any of its nuclear facilities.

But the United States and some other Western countries have accused it of working on developing a nuclear bomb capability. Israel has threatened to attack its long-time foe Iran if diplomatic efforts fail.

The relatively upbeat comment by Zarif appeared designed to underline Tehran's commitment to reach a comprehensive deal by the July deadline, though Western officials say wide differences remain between the two sides.

A spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who coordinates contacts with Iran on behalf of the powers, said the discussions would be "detailed and substantial" but gave no details.

"The next round of talks will be an important continuation to explore respective positions on each topic," the spokesman, Michael Mann, said.

The six powers - United States, France, Russia, China, Britain and Germany - want Iran to scale back its nuclear program so it cannot quickly make a nuclear bomb, if it decided to pursue such arms. Iran wants the six powers to lift sanctions that are severely hurting its oil-dependent economy.

TALKS STILL IN EARLY STAGES - RUSSIA

Iran says the powers must respect what it calls its right to a peaceful nuclear program, including the enrichment of uranium. Such activity can have both civilian and military uses.

"We believe that our partners should make important decisions which includes respecting the existing realities and respecting Iran's rights," Zarif said.

Researchers carried out a range of tests, including making a non-violent version of popular game Half-Life 2.

Games modified to have counter-intuitive, frustrating controls - leading to feelings of incompetence - produced more aggressive reactions.

The team called for more sophisticated research into violent gaming.

"There's a need for researchers who are interested in these questions not just to pull two video games off the shelf from the high street," said Dr Andrew Przybylski from the Oxford Internet Institute, who carried out the research along with colleagues from the University of Rochester in the US.

"We need to have a more sophisticated approach so we're all reading from the same experimental methods."

The link between violence and video games is a heavily debated topic among psychologists.

One recent study suggested that playing violent video games for long periods of time can hold back the "moral maturity" of teenagers.

Problems arose with teenagers who spent more than three hours every day in front of a screen, continuously playing these violent games without any other real-life interaction. Evaporating foes

The study from the University of Oxford, however, believed it was the first to look at the impact gameplay mechanics had on aggression.

The findings have been published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The research sought to establish whether it was violence in games which made players feel more aggressive, or a combination of other factors.

Six separate studies were carried out.

One of them involved modifying Half-Life 2 - a critically-acclaimed, but graphic, shooting title.

The researchers created a modified version in which rather than violently removing enemies, the player would instead "tag" foes who would then evaporate.

This version was tested alongside the normal, violent version.

However, only some of the gamers were given a tutorial before playing the game so they could familiarise themselves with the controls and game mechanics.

The researchers found that it was the players who had not had the tutorial who felt less competent and more aggressive, rather than people who had played the more violent version of the game. Thwarted

"We focused on the motives of people who play electronic games and found players have a psychological need to come out on top when playing," said Dr Przybylski.

"If players feel thwarted by the controls or the design of the game, they can wind up feeling aggressive.

Some 15.6 percent of Americans lacked health insurance in the first three months of 2014, down from a high of 18 percent in late 2013, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey.

"'Obamacare' appears to be accomplishing its goal of increasing the percentage of Americans with health insurance coverage," the report said.

Black and low-income Americans saw some of the most pronounced drops in the uninsured rate, with declines of more than 3 percentage points.

Hispanics remained the group most likely not to be insured, with more than one in three individuals lacking coverage, though the level dropped nearly 2 points in the first quarter, according to the poll of 43,500 adult Americans between January and March. It has a margin of error of 1 percentage point.

The percentage of Americans without health insurance has generally trended upward over the past six years. Gallup began tracking insurance coverage in 2008, starting at a low of 14.5 percent and increasing every subsequent year except for 2012.

Obamacare's individual mandate, which requires most Americans to obtain coverage or face a fine, went into effect in January and the law's first enrollment period ended March 31. The government granted a deadline extension into April for those who faced technical difficulties while signing up.

The White House last week reported a total of 7.1 million private insurance enrollments through the Affordable Care Act's health insurance exchanges, exceeding most expectations, despite a troubled rollout in October 2013.

An additional 3 million signed up for Medicaid, government-provided health insurance for low-income people, the administration said Friday, bringing the total number of sign-ups to over 10 million.

Republicans have consistently campaigned against the law, making at least 50 attempts to repeal it since it was signed in 2010. Opposition to Obamacare also figures prominently in many 2014 midterm Congressional campaigns.

Internet stocks were among the day's biggest decliners with Amazon.com (AMZN.O) down 1.6 percent at $317.76 and Yahoo! Inc (YHOO.O) off 3.5 percent at $33.07. The Global X Social Media ETF (SOCL.O) which includes Groupon Inc (GRPN.O) and LinkedIn (LNKD.N) fell 2.5 percent.

The Nasdaq index .IXIC posted its worst three-day decline since November 2011.

But the biotechnology sector, which saw sharp declines in the past several sessions, ended higher with the Nasdaq biotech sector index .NBI up 0.5 percent at 2,367.94.

Selling pressure migrated to other sectors, with only defensives such as utilities .SPLRCU and consumer staples .SPLRCS in positive territory among the 10 major S&P sectors.

"This type of market behavior (buyers favoring defensive names) suggests investors are turning cautious again after the big gains in stocks during the past year," said Gary Thayer, chief macro strategist at Wells Fargo Advisors.

"We remain long-term positive on the U.S. economy and the U.S. stock market but expect increased volatility risk this spring and summer."

The CBOE Volatility index VIX .VIX, often used to gauge investor sentiment on Wall Street, jumped 11.5 percent to 15.56. The index usually moves inversely to the S&P 500.

Dish Network Corp (DISH.O) was among the top decliners on the Nasdaq 100 .NDX, down 4.4 percent at $59.51.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI fell 166.84 points or 1.02 percent, to 16,245.87, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 20.05 points or 1.08 percent, to 1,845.04 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 47.973 points or 1.16 percent, to 4,079.753.

Pfizer Inc (PFE.N), down 3 percent to $31.20, added pressure to the Dow and S&P 500. The company's experimental breast cancer drug in a clinical trial nearly doubled the amount of time patients lived without their disease getting worse, but overall survival was not yet shown to be statistically significant, researchers said.

Earnings season gets under way this week, with results due from financials JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N), as well as retailer Bed, Bath & Beyond (BBBY.O).

S&P 500 companies' first-quarter earnings are projected to have increased just 1.2 percent from a year ago, Thomson Reuters data showed. The forecast is down sharply from the start of the year, when growth was estimated at 6.5 percent.

The IMF in its current World Economic Outlook essentially endorses the secular stagnation hypothesis — noting that the real interest rate necessary to bring about enough demand for full employment has declined significantly and is likely to remain depressed for a substantial period. This is evident because inflation is well below target throughout the industrial world and is likely to decline further this year.

Without robust growth in industrial world markets, growth in emerging markets is likely to subside — even without considering the political challenges facing countries as diverse as Brazil, China, South Africa, Russia and Turkey.

Facing this inadequate demand, the world’s key strategy is easy money. Base interest rates remain essentially at floor levels across the industrial world and central banks signal that they are unlikely to increase anytime soon. Though the United States is tapering quantitative easing, Japan continues to ease on a large scale and Europe seems to be moving closer to starting it.

This all is better than the tight money policy of the 1930s that made the Great Depression great. But it is highly problematic as a dominant growth strategy.

We do not have a strong basis for assuming that reductions in interest rates nominal or real from very low levels will have a major impact on spending decisions. We do know that they strongly encourage leverage, that they place pressure on return-seeking investors to take increased risk, that they inflate asset values and reward financial activity.

The spending they induce tends to come at the expense of future demand. We cannot confidently predict the ultimate results of the unwinding of massive central bank balance sheets on markets — or on the confidence of investors. A strategy of indefinitely sustained easy money leaves central banks dangerously short of response capacity when and if the next recession comes.

A proper growth strategy would recognize that an era of low real interest rates offers opportunities as well as risks. It should focus on the promotion of high-return investments, rather than seeking to encourage investments that businesses find unworthy at current rock-bottom rates.

1. Clutter control for your brain:

No matter how many times I check my smartphone calendar, get notifications, or alerts, there are often small details of daily life that somehow slip through the connected cracks, and catch me off guard. Remembering to remember is one of the toughest parts of my busy day. For years now, I've used Post-it notes to keep me in check. I have a rainbow of them stuck everywhere — on my desk, purse, fridge — even my car dashboard. But rather trail a tornado of paper wherever I go, I've recently discovered the Post-It Note Camera Feature in Evernote.

It's really easy to use. You just snap a photo and let technology do the rest; Capture, enhance, organize by color, sync across devices, and save all of your thoughts, notes, reminders, brainstorms, and to-do's in one easy to access place. You can even flag them with a reminder, tag them with keywords, and share them with your family and friends. The Evernote App is free for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, and the service requires a subscription of $5 per month.

2. Getting a grip on connected clutter:

As our homes get more high tech, every new smart thing — from thermostats to light bulbs — now comes with its own separate app, push notifications — and the result can be total sensor overload. The new Revolv smart home hub can cut serious amounts of connected clutter. Revolv is like a digital translator for all of your connected home gadgets, such as Philips Hue lights, Yale deadbolts, Sonos speakers and Honeywell thermostats. It puts you in control of the whole shebang in one place, with less hassle overall. At $299, it's not cheap, but saving you time and headache may be worth it.

3. For those days when Moms need a Mom

This year's update, the S32, ups the megapixel count, ups the toughness, and — yes — ups the asking price. But at a $120 list, we're still talking about a very affordable — some would say near-disposable — camera, and it's one that should serve its target audience far better than its predecessor.

LIGHT, BRIGHT AND LOADS OF FUN

At first glance, you'd be hard-pressed to pick out any differences between the Coolpix S32 and the older S31. But stare at the two cameras long enough and subtle changes in the design language become apparent: The new model is rounder, softer and generally more toylike — crafted specifically to appeal to kids and their parents.

Still, the fundamental components are all the same, and all positioned in pretty much the same way. Up front there's the plastic-covered 3x zoom lens, surrounded by a shallow depression meant to give you more grip when shooting underwater. Arrayed around the lens are a thin flash, stereo mics and an autofocus assist light. The top panel hosts the video-recording and shutter-release buttons, as well as the power switch.

The controls on the back are unusually spartan for a modern camera. To the right of the 2.7-inch screen are a four-way pad and a playback button. To the left, you'll find a column of four unlabeled buttons whose functions (displayed on the screen itself) change depending on where you are in the camera's menu system. It's a slightly unintuitive system if you're used to the more locked-down controls of DSLRs and high-end compacts, but first-time users (the target for the S32) will probably feel right at home.

FEATURES

A new sensor gives the S32 a new lease on life.

Great image quality wasn't the Coolpix S31's foremost concern, but the new S32 takes some serious strides toward improving your photos and videos. Powering that effort is the new 13.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor — a significant upgrade in technology from the 10.1-megapixel CCD used in the S31.

Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israel would respond with steps of its own if the Palestinians pressed ahead with unilateral actions toward statehood. He did not elaborate.

Attempts by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to put peace talks back on track unraveled in the past week after the Palestinians signed 15 international conventions, mainly through the United Nations.

"By doing so, the Palestinians fundamentally violated the understandings that were reached through U.S. intervention," Netanyahu said in his first public remarks since the crisis erupted.

President Mahmoud Abbas decided to sign the international conventions after Israel reneged on a pledge to free the last group of 104 Palestinian prisoners it agreed to release in the deal that led to the negotiations restarting nine months ago.

Netanyahu continued: "They will achieve a state only through direct negotiations and not through empty proclamations or unilateral moves, which will only push a peace accord farther away."

"Unilateral steps on their part will be answered with unilateral steps on our side. We are willing to continue negotiations, but we will not do so at any price."

The talks have struggled since they began in July, stalling over Palestinian opposition to Israel's demand that it be recognized as a Jewish state, and over Israeli settlements, internationally deemed illegal, in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

METER MEASURES WIND

Just how windy is it outside? The Wind Meter, a handy anemometer that connects to your phone, can tell you the speed and direction of the wind. The WeatherFlow device also can measure gusts, calculate the average wind speed and measure wind speeds ranging from 2 miles per hour to 125 miles per hour.

Here's how it works: Download the included app, plug the device into your phone and hold it up high so that it's facing into the wind. Your phone will then record the speed, direction and location. Measurements can be provided in meters per second, miles per hour, kilometers per hour, knots and the Beaufort scale. Info can then be shared online via its app and other social media. Compact enough to tuck into a pocket, the device works with the iPhone, iPad and iPod as well as most Android devices. It costs about $35.

www.weatherflow.com

SOAP UP WHILE LISTENING TO RADIO

Eager to hear the latest news report? You can catch the news on your favorite FM station while showering with the ABCO Tech Bluetooth Shower Speaker Auto FM Shower Radio. Designed with a swivel hanger hook, the waterproof speaker can be placed on a showerhead, a curtain rod or a towel hook.

Depending on your preference, it can be set to broadcast radio stations on the 88.0 to 108.0 FM dial, or stream music from a connected Bluetooth device. Thanks to its built-in microphone, the speaker also can handle phone calls should you feel the need to take a call while in the shower. Priced at about $35, the speaker has a built-in battery that can be recharged via the included USB cable.

www.abcotechbrand.com

CHARGING CABLE WORKS THREE WAYS

Tired of digging through your bag to find the right cable for the right device? Tego Power's TrioCable can streamline the hunt. Designed with three charging tips, the tangle-free cable has connections for Micro USB, Apple Lightning and Apple 30-pin devices. Available in aqua, black and white, it costs about $20.

www.tegopower.com

PICK YOUR COLOR, AMP

A line of colorful battery packs from Neptor can brighten your space while also juicing up your favorite devices. Available in vivid orange, red, purple, green and blue with matching USB charging cords, the NP056K Portable Battery Pack comes with a lithium polymer battery that can deliver more than 500 recharges. A model with a 5600 mAh Dual Port Portable Battery and an LED Flashlight and Battery Indicator costs about $50.