World newspapers online. 07-25-2013 | Po

The new Nexus 7, featuring a Qualcomm Inc Snapdragon processor and a higher display resolution, on July 30 will be priced at $229 for a basic version with 16 gigabytes of storage. The original year-old tablet started at $199 for an 8 gigabyte version.

The announcement comes a week before its Motorola division is expected to unveil the Moto X smartphone in New York. The Moto X represents the first phone Motorola has developed since it was acquired by Google for $12.5 billion in May 2012, and is central to relaunching the venerable brand into a highly competitive mobile market.

Google and other traditionally non-hardware companies such as Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp have begun making inroads into mobile devices as consumers increasingly access the Web on the go. It introduced its first tablet in June 2012, hoping to replicate its smartphone success in a hot market presently dominated by Amazon's Kindle Fire, Apple Inc's iPad.

Google, which gets the lion's share of its revenue from online and mobile advertising, wants the aggressively priced Nexus tablets to be a hit as more users would mean increased exposure for its ads.

Its Nexus line of devices, which include smartphones and tablets made by partners like Samsung Electronics' and HTC, also serve as references for manufacturers across the globe adopting its Android mobile software system.

On Wednesday, Android and Chrome chief Sundar Pichai told reporters that, since its launch, the Nexus 7 line alone has accounted for greater than 10 percent of all Android tablets sold.

The bug - which was first publicised earlier this month - allows attackers to install code on to phones running Google's mobile operating system and then take control of them.

Symantec said its researchers had found two apps distributed in China that had been infected using the exploit.

Google has already taken moves to tackle the problem.

A fortnight ago it released a patch to manufacturers, but it will not have been sent to all handset owners yet.

Google also scans its own Play marketplace for the exploit, but this will not protect consumers who download software from other stores.

Premium texts The vulnerability was first reported by security research firm BlueBox on 3 July.

All Android apps contain an encrypted signature that the operating system uses to check the program is legitimate and has not been tampered with.

But BlueBox said it had found a way to make changes to an app's code without affecting the signature.

It warned the technique could be used to install a Trojan to read any data on a device, harvest passwords, record phone calls, take photos and carry out other functions.

According to Symantec, hackers have now exploited the flaw to install malware called Android.Skullkey, which steals data from compromised phones, monitors texts received and written on the handset, and also sends its own SMS messages to premium numbers.

It said the Trojan had been added to two legitimate apps used in China to find and make appointments with a doctor. "We expect attackers to continue to leverage this vulnerability to infect unsuspecting user devices," its report warned.

"Symantec recommends users only download applications from reputable Android application marketplaces."

The firm added that affected users could manually remove the software by going into their settings menu.

One telecoms consultant said the news highlighted the difficulty Google had in distributing changes to Android.

"When Google releases its updates, manufacturers want to check them and then network operators also want to certify the code as well," said Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight.

"It's a consequence of having so many different firms making Android devices, with most running their own user interfaces on top.

While investors marked up Apple shares as the company sold more of its iPhones than expected, the stock rally may prove short-lived as demand for its products fades in China. Analysts predict Apple will lose market share in the world's leading smartphone sector.

"There's some cannibalization of Apple's market share from competitive mid-tier models that cost a lot less and perform as well, from vendors such as Xiaomi and Vivo," said Huang Leping, an analyst at Nomura in Hong Kong, referring to rival Chinese models.

Salespeople at several electronics shops in Hong Kong said South Korea's Samsung was a bigger hit with consumers as it offers more products. Some display counters didn't carry any Apple devices.

"Samsung products have enjoyed greater sales than Apple as many mainland (Chinese) tourists tend to buy Samsung due to a greater variety of models with a wider price range," said a saleswoman at a Hong Kong computer centre. "That's why we stock more Samsung products."

SLIPPING DOWN

In the first quarter of this year, Apple ranked top in Hong Kong with 46 percent market share in smartphones, though that was down from 54 percent in the last quarter of 2012, according to market research firm Canalys.

Even without releasing a new product, Apple sold 31.2 million iPhones in its fiscal third quarter, around a fifth more than analysts had predicted. But revenue from all Apple products in Greater China, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, slumped 43 percent from the previous quarter and was down 14 percent from a year earlier - worrying in a region where smartphone penetration is still low.

Greater China accounted for 13 percent of Apple's sales, or $5 billion, in April-June - down from nearly 19 percent in the previous quarter. Hong Kong was a particularly weak spot. "It's not totally clear exactly why that occurred," CEO Tim Cook said on a conference call with analysts.

"In the past three months, the number of mainland Chinese consumers of Apple products dropped about 50 percent," said Sunny Tang, a salesperson at another Hong Kong electronics store that sells Apple products. "Android (Google's operating system in many Samsung phones) is much better than Apple, and in that period Samsung released at least five phones and tablets."

The sweetened offer, which Michael Dell and his private equity backer Silver Lake publicly called their best and final proposal, is the latest twist in a seven-month long saga over the fate of Dell, whose profits are under pressure from the rise of smart phones and tablet computers.

The new bid came hours before a rescheduled vote on the buyout proposal, which has drawn strong opposition from major investors including billionaire Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management.

The shareholder meeting on the deal is now set for Aug 2.

Dell's $13.75 per share bid, up from $13.65 per share previously, hinges on the computer maker's special board committee changing the rules of the voting such that the buyout will pass if the majority of votes cast by shareholders is in favor of it.

As currently written, the voting rules state a share not cast in an election counts as a "no" vote, which has proven to be tough to overcome.

The committee is seeking at least $14 per share from the buyout group in order to consider a potential change in the voting terms, a person familiar with the matter said. The committee might not endorse the proposed change even if Michael Dell agreed to bump to $14 or more, the person added, declining to be named because of the confidential subject matter.

Silver Lake, however, which is backing Michael Dell's now roughly $24.6 billion bid for Dell, would not support an increase to $14 per share, said another person familiar with the matter.

Dell shares were down 0.3 percent to trade at around $12.83 in afternoon trading on Wednesday.

"According to our latest tally, approximately 27 percent of the unaffiliated shares have not yet been voted. The presumption that these shares should be treated as if they had voted against the transaction is patently unfair," Michael Dell and Silver Lake said.

"The will of the majority of the unaffiliated shares voting on the transaction should not be thwarted by an unfair standard that counts unaffiliated shares not voting as "no" votes."

The votes that have come in so far are split evenly between yes and no, according to people familiar with the matter. That means those who abstain from voting can determine the outcome.

On the third day of his week-long visit for World Youth Day, a biennial Church gathering being celebrated in and around Rio de Janeiro, he landed by helicopter in Aparecida, 260 kilometers (161 miles) west of the coastal metropolis.

The city houses a shrine of the Virgin Mary that is venerated as the patroness of Brazil, home to the biggest Roman Catholic population in the world. It is also the site where Francis, then a cardinal in Argentina, cemented his place as a leader of the Church during a 2007 conference attended by Pope Benedict XVI.

The ongoing World Youth Day events, which are expected to attract more than 1 million people from around the world, are an effort by the Vatican to galvanize young Catholics at a time when rival denominations, secularism and distaste over sexual and financial scandals continue to lead some faithful to abandon the Church.

Security around the pope on Wednesday appeared much more organized than upon his Monday arrival in Rio, where adoring crowds at one point surrounded his car.

In Aparecida, where tens of thousands gathered for the pope's first public mass of the visit, Francis rode in a white popemobile with open sides and a transparent top. Security squads kept the vehicle safely within barriers behind which tens of thousands of ecstatic faithful cheered, sang and waved flags.

The pope's desire to remain simple and close to his flock has complicated security around his visit, especially after he used a modest Fiat hatchback for his ride into Rio from the airport.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Vatican and Brazilian officials held what he called "a routine meeting" to discuss how the trip was going and made one change - that Francis would ride in a closed car from Rio airport to a hospital when he returns from Aparecida on Wednesday afternoon.

At the indoor Mass in Aparecida, one of Latin America's most popular pilgrimage sites, Francis urged worshippers to embody the faith of their ancestors and trust in God.

"Let us never lose hope! Let us never allow it to die in our hearts!" the pope said in Portuguese.

MONEY, SUCCESS, POWER, PLEASURE

In his sermon, the 76-year-old pope warned the youth of his continent to avoid the snares of modern life.

Russian media had reported Wednesday that the U.S. intelligence leaker was issued a document that would allow him to wait elsewhere in Russia while his request for temporary asylum was considered.

But Kucherena, after meeting with Snowden in Sheremetyevo International Airport's transit area Wednesday, told reporters that Snowden hadn't received the certificate and that he would remain in the transit area for now. That certificate still could come at "any time," Kucherena told CNN.

The news is the latest development in Snowden's search for a place to settle after the United States charged him with espionage. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday the U.S. government is seeking "clarity" about Snowden's status.

The former National Security Agency contractor, who admitted last month to revealing sweeping U.S. electronic surveillance programs to the news media, left Hong Kong for Moscow on June 23. Since then, he's been unable to leave the airport's transit area because the United States revoked his passport.

He applied for temporary asylum in Russia on July 16. If granted, Snowden would be able to live in Russia, and even travel abroad, for at least a year, Kucherena said last week.

A ruling on the application could take months. But Kucherena has said that the Russian government could issue him a certificate that would allow him to leave the airport and wait somewhere else in the country while the application is considered. On Wednesday, Kucherena said that he is in daily contact with Russian authorities about securing Snowden permission to leave the airport, state-run media outlet RIA Novosti reported.

If Snowden is granted temporary asylum in Russia, it's unclear whether he'd try to move elsewhere. He's previously indicated that he eventually wanted refuge in Latin America. But Kucherena suggested last week that Snowden might take his time in Russia. "As far as I know, he's planning to stay in Russia to learn Russian culture, Russian language and (to) live here," Kucherena told CNN last week.

Washington has no extradition agreement with Russia, and FBI agents who work at the U.S. Embassy there have no authority to make arrests. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this month that Snowden would need to "stop his work aimed at harming our American partners" if he wanted to stay in the country.

Its shares are up more than 67 percent over the last year, in large part because of what the company called "extraordinary" demand for firearms and ammunition in the wake of mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut. FBI background checks of gun purchasers - considered the best proxy for retail gun sales - are up nearly 29 percent over the last year ending in June, for a total of 11.4 million.

But amid the fervor over gun sales, which have jumped by an estimated 20 percent at Cabela's over the last 12 months, analysts and fund managers cite another reason for the company's success: its use of customer data. And they say this should allow the shares to rise further when the overall growth in firearm sales slips.

Leveraging data to increase revenue is common in retailing. But experts say Cabela's, a $4.7 billion market-cap company whose roots trace back to the direct mail business selling fishing flies that Dick and Mary Cabela started at their kitchen table in 1961, has one of the most sophisticated customer-tracking and analytics programs in the industry.

As a result, Cabela's sales at its 44 stores average $370 per square foot, while the typical big-box sporting goods store averages closer to $200 per square foot, according to Reed Anderson, director of equity research at Northland Capital Markets. Five smaller, so-called "next generation" Cabela's stores - which range between 80,000 and 100,000 square feet - topped $500 per square foot in sales in 2012, he said.

"They have one of the best flows of information on someone who is involved in camping or hunting," Anderson said. "They may live in remote Wyoming, but Cabela's knows precisely how much they spend on an annualized basis. Their data gives them the precision to locate stores like no one in the industry."

The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said beams supporting the derrick and rig floor on the Hercules Offshore jackup rig had crumpled over the rig structure.

A third firefighting vessel was en route to the scene, though no sheen was seen on the water's surface during overflights conducted on Wednesday morning, the regulator said.

The fire ignited shortly before 11 p.m. CDT on Tuesday. The Walter Oil & Gas-owned well had ruptured hours earlier as Hercules worked to prepare it for production. The well released natural gas, but no oil, according to BSEE.

No one was on board when the rig caught fire, BSEE said. Hercules said 44 people were evacuated after the rupture and no injuries were reported. The rig is in 154 feet of water about 55 miles south of the coast of Louisiana.

Hercules said earlier on Wednesday that the company was working to plug the well.

It might drill a relief well, which would intersect the ruptured well and provide another avenue for cement to plug it, Hercules said.

BSEE said it directed privately held Walter Oil & Gas to prepare to move a second jackup rig to the scene, possibly to drill the relief well.

Hercules shares have slipped since the accident, erasing about $83 million from the company's market capitalization.

BSEE has tightened safety regulations for offshore oil and gas operations since the BP Plc 2010 deepwater blowout and oil spill that spewed more than 4 million barrels of crude into the Gulf. It took BP nearly three months to cap that ruptured well, which was ultimately killed and plugged by way of a relief well.

A jackup rig has legs that can be extended to move the hull above the surface of the water. Unlike floating rigs in deeper waters, the legs on jackups reach the sea floor.

Analysts at CapitalOne Southcoast, an investment bank in New Orleans, noted that the jackup market remains very tight, so "if the rig suffers major damage, this should have a positive impact on day rates." They also noted that Hercules has rigs in storage that could be used to replace the damaged one.

The intrusion last Thursday marked a rare cyber attack on the U.S. company's network and comes at a time when third-party developers are testing their apps on Apple's iOS 7 - a smartphone and tablet platform to be launched in the fall.

Apple's developer site also houses sensitive financial information, which is encrypted.

Apple said on Sunday that no customer information had been compromised, but was unable to rule out the possibility that some developers' names, mailing addresses, and email addresses may have been accessed.

An Apple spokesman said the website that was breached was not associated with any customer information.

It remained unclear how much, if any, data was compromised or who the attackers were. Apple would not comment on their identity.

"Sensitive personal information was encrypted and cannot be accessed. However, we have not been able to rule out the possibility that some developers' names, mailing addresses, and/or email addresses may have been accessed," Apple told developers on its website.

"To prevent a security threat like this from happening again, we're completely overhauling our developer systems, updating our server software, and rebuilding our entire database," Apple said in a statement, adding that the developer website will be up and running soon. (r.reuters.com/ger79t)

The investment will help fund the production of liquid crystal on silicon chips and modules used in head-mounted devices such as Google Glass, head-up displays and pico-projectors, Himax said in a statement.

Google, which reported lower-than-expected results last week, is pushing forward with Google Glass, a product which CEO Larry Page has described as vital to the company's future success.

The agreement also allows Google to raise its stake in the unit, Himax Display Inc, to 14.8 percent within a year, Himax said.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Google Glass, announced in June last year, is a stamp-sized electronic display mounted on the left side of a pair of eyeglass frames that can record video, access messages and retrieve information from the Web.

In addition, the prime minister said possessing online pornography depicting rape would become illegal in England and Wales - in line with Scotland.

In a speech, Mr Cameron warned that access to online pornography was "corroding childhood".

The new measures will apply to both existing and new customers.

Mr Cameron also called for some "horrific" internet search terms to be "blacklisted", meaning they would automatically bring up no results on websites such as Google or Bing.

But he told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour programme he expected a "row" with service providers, who argued that, as a matter of "freedom of speech", customers should be able to type in any words they wanted.

'Innocence'

In his speech, Mr Cameron said family-friendly filters would be automatically selected for all new customers - though they could choose to switch them off.

And millions of existing computer users would be contacted by their internet providers and told they must decide whether to activate "family-friendly filters" to restrict adult material.

Customers who do not click on either option - accepting or declining - will have filters activated by default, Tory MP Claire Perry, Mr Cameron's adviser on the sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood, told the BBC.

Other measures announced by the prime minister included:

New laws so videos streamed online in the UK will be subject to the same restrictions as those sold in shops

Search engines having until October to introduce further measures to block illegal content

Experts from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre being given more powers to examine secretive file-sharing networks

A secure database of banned child porn images gathered by police across the country will be used to trace illegal content and the paedophiles viewing it

Mr Cameron also called for warning pages to pop up with helpline numbers when people try to search for illegal content.

He said: "I want to talk about the internet, the impact it is having on the innocence of our children, how online pornography is corroding childhood.