Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini coming to four US carriers in November

Samsung Galaxy S 4 mini Coming to the U.S. Next Month

October 23, 2013

Smartphone offers sleek and compact design with the exceptional Galaxy experience

Dallas, TX - Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) announced today that the Samsung Galaxy S® 4 mini, a compact smartphone featuring some of the most popular Galaxy S 4 experiences, will be available in the U.S. beginning in November. The Galaxy S 4 mini is just 4.9in x 2.4in and is packed with Samsung flagship experiences like WatchOn™, S Beam™ and advanced camera features.

"Samsung continues to provide a wide range of products to fit consumers' needs," said Gregory Lee, president of Samsung Mobile. "The Galaxy S 4 mini continues that commitment by bringing the paramount features of our flagship Galaxy S 4 smartphone to a smaller, more compact form factor."

Outstanding Galaxy Features:

The Galaxy S 4 mini has some of the best software features from the Galaxy S 4 in a compact form factor to enrich the user experience.

- Intuitive Camera Interface: The Galaxy S 4 mini's 8-megapixel camera has zero shutter lag allowing users to document special moments without delay. The Galaxy S 4 mini is equipped with the familiar and easy-to-navigate user interface found on the Galaxy S 4 and supports numerous shooting modes such as Beauty Face, Best Photo, Sound & Shot, Panorama and more to enhance photos taken by even the most novice photographer.

- WatchON: Control your television using the Galaxy S 4 mini as a remote control. Discover a rich TV viewing experience with a Smart Remote that is functional with any IR capable TV or Set Top Box. Users can share content from the Galaxy S 4 mini to a TV effortlessly, as well as look for something to watch in a new way that lets you browse by genre, search by title or receive recommendations based on your interests.

-Easy Mode: Helps smooth the transition for first-time smartphone owners by simplifying the home screen layout, camera, calendar, messaging and the internet browser to make the phone easy to navigate. Once a user is more comfortable with their Galaxy S 4 mini, they can easily switch back to the standard home screen interface.

- Simple Sharing: Quickly and easily transfer large files, such as videos and documents, to other Galaxy phones with S Beam. Touch the back of the Galaxy S 4 mini to any S Beam enabled phone and share without needing a Wi-Fi® connection or cell signal.Users are able to simultaneously enjoy music, photos, documents and games with friends through the Group Play™ function.

The Galaxy S 4 mini is designed with a beautiful 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED™ (960 X 540) display with 256DPI. The Galaxy S 4 mini will run on Android™ 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) and includes a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor and 1.5GB of internal RAM. It is powered by a removable 1,900 mAh battery and features an expandable memory of up to 64GB to complement the 16GB of standard onboard storage.†

The Galaxy S 4 mini will receive a software update soon after launch and will be compatible with Galaxy Gear™, Samsung's first wearable smartphone experience. Galaxy Gear extends the Galaxy S 4 mini experience to your wrist and enhances everyday moments with real time updates for quick and convenient access.

The Galaxy S 4 mini comes in Black Mist and White Frost color options, and will be available beginning next month. Wireless carriers will announce their specific availability, colors and timing. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and U.S. Cellular will carry the Galaxy S 4 mini.

Accessorize the Galaxy S 4 mini with the S-View Flip Cover, a specially designed flip cover that has a clear window to view a text message or missed call notification, answer or reject a call, and view the battery status. Sold separately, the S-View Flip Cover comes in black and white color options to add style- while protecting the device and providing privacy. Flip Covers are also available without the S-View window in an array of colors including black, white, light blue, and pink.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/23/samsung-galaxy-s4-mini-coming-to-four-us-carriers-in-november/?ncid=rss_truncated
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Shutdown Causes IRS To Delay Tax Filing Season

WASHINGTON (AP) — Here's more fallout from the government's partial shutdown: Early tax filers will have to wait an extra week or two to get tax refunds next year.

The Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday it will delay the start of next year's filing season by up to two weeks to give programmers time to finish updating the agency's computers.

The 16-day shutdown, which ended last week, came at a critical time as the agency was working to update more than 50 systems used to process returns, the IRS said in a statement.

The filing season had been set to start Jan. 21. Acting IRS head Danny Werfel said the agency is working to shorten the delay and will announce the exact start date in December.

The delay will affect early filers, many of whom rush their returns to the IRS so they can get refunds quickly.

The April 15 deadline for filing individual tax returns, which is set by law, remains unchanged.

"Readying our systems to handle the tax season is an intricate, detailed process, and we must take the time to get it right," Werfel said. "The adjustment to the start of the filing season provides us the necessary time to program, test and validate our systems so that we can provide a smooth filing and refund process for the nation's taxpayers."

This is the second year in a row the agency will have to push back the date when it starts processing tax returns. This year, the agency delayed filing season until Jan. 30 for most filers because Congress made last-minute changes to the tax law.

Federal income tax refunds averaged more than $2,800 this year. The IRS issued more than $228 billion in refunds this year. Most of that money was issued before March 1.

___

Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=239847469&ft=1&f=
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Seahawks climb atop AP Pro32 power ranking

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) greets teammate Marshawn Lynch (24) after Lynch scored a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) greets teammate Marshawn Lynch (24) after Lynch scored a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Kansas City Chiefs fans hold up the teams record following an NFL football game against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. The Chiefs defeated the Texans 17-16. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) scrambles during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Apparently, not even perfection is good enough for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Seattle Seahawks took over the top spot in the AP Pro32 power rankings released Tuesday, just ahead of the second-place Chiefs — the lone undefeated team left in the NFL this season.

The Denver Broncos, who lost 39-33 to Indianapolis on Sunday night, dropped from a unanimous No. 1 a week ago to third in balloting by the 12 media members who regularly cover the NFL.

"I know Kansas City is the NFL's only unbeaten team," said Alex Marvez of SiriusXM and FoxSports1, "but the Seahawks are the better squad."

Former Chiefs coach Herm Edwards, now an analyst for ESPN, was even more succinct in voting the Seahawks No. 1: "The most complete team in the National Football League."

Seattle received seven first-place votes after improving to 6-1 with a 34-22 rout of the Cardinals last week. Russell Wilson threw three touchdown passes for Seattle, and a defense that many believe is the league's showed why once again.

"Seven more sacks and two interceptions for the defense, and the Seahawks keep on rolling," said Newsday's Bob Glauber, who also called Seattle the "most complete team in the league."

The Chiefs earned four first-place votes after a 17-16 victory over the Texans left them 7-0 for the first time since 2003. The 31 previous teams to win their first seven games in the Super Bowl era all made the playoffs and 15 of them made it to the championship game.

"Still a question if they are indeed the best the league has to offer," wrote ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold in putting them No. 1, "but they are the only 7-0 team."

That became the case when the Broncos lost for the first time in a franchise-record 17 regular-season games. Several of Denver's weaknesses were exposed by Indianapolis, including some issues with an offensive line that has been decimated by injuries.

Denver was third in the AP Pro32, but did not receive a first-place vote.

"The loss to the Colts is a bump in the road for this team," said Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM NFL Radio and CBSSports.com. "It was clear that playing on the road with two backup offensive tackles makes things difficult. Look for most teams to play man-under, two-deep schemes all year and feel four-man pressure up front can get to (Peyton) Manning."

The Saints moved up one spot to fourth after the Patriots lost in overtime to the Jets, sending Tom Brady and Co. tumbling to ninth in the poll. The Colts were fifth and picked up their lone first-place vote from Kirwan after they spoiled Manning's return to town.

Indianapolis handed the Seahawks their only loss earlier this season.

"They may not hold the top spot for long with Reggie Wayne gone," Kirwan said, "but Kansas City has to beat teams like that to take over the top spot."

The 49ers were sixth in the poll, followed by the Packers, Bengals, Patriots and Cowboys. The Jets leaped from 19th to 13th after their win over the Patriots.

Jacksonville, a loser of 12 straight, remained last for the seventh consecutive week.

"Jaguars play the 49ers in London on Sunday," Glauber wrote, "which means they get to lose in another time zone and on another continent."

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-22-FBN-Power-Rankings/id-41f93e51878c4392a0ff06646c372193
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Jenna Jameson Claims Her Bizarre TV Interview Was Not Cut Short, Says She Was "Exhausted"

Everybody has those days! In an Oct. 21 interview with Good Day New York, adult film queen Jenna Jameson looked entirely out of it, slurring her words and making little sense. 

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TMZ originally reported the novelist's segment with co-hosts Greg Kelly and Rosanna Scotto was cut short after her bizarre behavior became too intense. But when cameramen approached Jameson, 39, on Oct. 22, she told the gossip site the interview was not cut short.

Looking much more coherent, the mother of twin boys, Jesse Jameson and Journey Jette, 4, calmly answered reporters' questions saying she was "very tired" and even "exhausted" at the time of her interview. 

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The ex-adult star was wearing large pink sunglasses, a jean jacket, and an animal print jumpsuit. An older man led her into the bookstore where she was doing a book signing before the cameras shut off. 

Jameson has just released her erotic novel Sugar, which she has said kicks off a trilogy based on her life. 

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Jameson was arrested in May 2012 and charged with three misdemeanor counts for DUI and then again in April 2013 for assaulting her assistant.

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/jenna-jameson-claims-her-bizarre-tv-interview-was-not-cut-short-says-she-was-exhausted-20132210
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For Democrats, Obamacare Web Woes Create 2014 Headache

Glitches in the HealthCare.gov website, shown here, are making the White House and its allies very nervous.

Uncredited/AP

President Obama radiated confidence when he took to the Rose Garden earlier this week to convince Americans that the flaws in the Affordable Care Act website would be fixed.

It's understandable that the president himself might be upbeat about the prospects of resolving the problems currently plaguing the technology behind the law.

But for anyone not named Obama, the apparent scale of the problems seems daunting. And it doesn't fuel a lot of optimism that the websites will be up and running by Dec. 15, the deadline for open enrollment under the new law. And that's despite the president's promised "tech surge" featuring "some of the best IT talent in the entire country," as Obama put it.

The Washington Post reported that experts say the problems need to be fixed by Thanksgiving to keep the program on track. But there are already murmurings the repair project could go past Dec. 15, reports The New York Times. The same story mentioned that potentially 5 million lines of computer code could need rewriting. If that's true, it sounds like it could be the code-writing equivalent of the D-Day invasion — massive, complex and arduous.

Which is not exactly what nervous Democrats want to hear. But they're sure to ask about it at an Obama administration briefing for House Democrats on the health law's travails scheduled for Wednesday morning. (House Republicans are requesting a similar briefing as well.)

For the congressional Democrats whose votes made the Affordable Care Act a reality and who will have to defend their support for the law in the 2014 midterm elections, the problems with the federal website are a political nightmare.

Not only do the website's problems embolden the Republican opposition to the law; they place Democrats on the defensive at a time when the party appears to have the advantage coming out of the shutdown/debt default crises.

Several recent polls suggest that Republicans greatly damaged themselves by forcing the crisis, a self-inflicted wound Democrats are eager to exploit. Some of the more ebullient Democrats even claimed that their chances for retaking the House had improved significantly.

But now there's a chance 2014 could find Democrats conducting their own version of damage control, as a result of the disastrous digital rollout.

They'll be looking for any assurances the White House can provide that the problems with the federal website will be ironed out so that the Obamacare timeline can continue as planned. The critical dates as of now are Dec. 15, when the open enrollment period ends; Jan. 1, when new policies sold by the December deadline are to take effect; and Feb. 15, the last day by which premiums must be paid for those hoping to avoid the individual mandate penalty.

But congressional Democrats may not receive assurances from the White House that those dates will be met. And based on how things have gone so far, they'd probably be skeptical if the White House gave them.

The mood within the Health and Human Services Department, as described in one recent report, probably wouldn't give Democrats reason for optimism. Yuval Levin, who worked on bioethics issues in the George W. Bush White House, talked with officials inside HHS and wrote about it for the conservative National Review last week:

"No one wants to say how long it might take, and no one would share with me what estimates they might be getting from their contractors (whom they no longer trust anyway), but there has so far been relatively little progress and it seems like everyone involved is preparing for a process that will take months, not weeks."

Levin goes on to say that HHS officials seem to be expecting that the enrollment period will be extended to March.

That, of course, could force the administration to do something Republican opponents of the law have asked it to do: delay the individual mandate provision. The mandate requires everyone to be insured by Feb. 15 or pay a penalty.

In short, the people who have some idea of what it takes to fix problems of the scale the Obama administration has ahead of it think it's a mission impossible to get all the needed work done in time to delay a central part of the law.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/10/22/239848684/for-democrats-obamacare-web-woes-create-2014-headache?ft=1&f=1003
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Tepid U.S. job growth supports Fed's cautious stance

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers added far fewer workers than expected in September, suggesting a loss of momentum in the economy that will likely add to the Federal Reserve's caution in deciding when to trim its monthly bond purchases.

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 148,000 workers last month, the Labor Department said on Tuesday. While the job count for August was raised, the employment gain in July was revised lower and was the weakest since June 2012.

The closely watched report suggested the economy lost steam even before an acrimonious budget fight that led to a damaging 16-day partial shutdown of the federal government.

"The numbers indicate that the economy is growing at a modest pace at best," said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo, California. "Considering the uncertainties from the government shutdown, tapering (of the Fed's bond purchases) has been postponed until further notice."

But there was a silver lining in the report. The unemployment rate fell a tenth of a percentage point to 7.2 percent, the lowest level since November 2008.

A measure of underemployment that includes people who want a job but who have given up searching and those working part time because they cannot find full-time jobs also fell a tenth of point, to 13.6 percent, the lowest since December 2008.

Economists had expected the economy to add 180,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate to hold at 7.3 percent.

Stocks ended higher as investors welcomed the prospect of continued monetary stimulus from the U.S. central bank. The Standard & Poor's 500 index hit yet another record high.

U.S. Treasury debt prices also advanced and the yield on the benchmark 10-year note touched a three-month low. The dollar dropped to an eight-month low against a basket of currencies.

The employment report was released more than two weeks later than originally scheduled because of the government shutdown that ended last Wednesday. With the extent of the economic damage from the fiscal standoff unclear, the Fed will likely hold off any decision on scaling back its economic stimulus.

Fed officials will meet next Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss monetary policy. They surprised markets last month by sticking to their $85 billion per month bond-buying pace, saying they wanted to see more evidence of a strong recovery.

"We don't look for any material changes to monetary policy at next week's meeting and most likely in December either," said Sam Bullard, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina. "We are now looking at March."

A Reuters poll of big bond dealers conducted after the jobs figures were released found that most expect the central bank to wait until March to begin dialing back its purchases.

SLUGGISH FOURTH-QUARTER GROWTH EYED

While the economy was already struggling before the government shutdown, the brinkmanship in Washington has dampened expectations of a sharp acceleration in fourth-quarter growth.

Economists estimate the shutdown shaved as much as 0.6 percentage point off annualized fourth-quarter gross domestic product, through reduced government output and damage to both consumer and business confidence.

Now there are fears lawmakers will engage in another economically costly fight early next year when Congress must agree on a budget to fund the government and once again raise the nation's borrowing limit.

"With the possibility of a replay of the budget showdown as early as mid-January, why would the Fed want to pull any levers now?" said Cary Leahey, a senior economist at Decision Economics in New York.

Payroll growth in the third quarter averaged 129,000 per month, far less than the 200,000 average in the first half of the year. Economic growth forecasts for the quarter are currently around a 2 percent rate. The economy expanded at a 2.5 percent annualized pace in the second quarter.

The jobless rate has fallen by 0.7 percentage point since the start of the year despite the economy's sluggish growth, partly because many Americans have given up the hunt for work.

In September, however, the drop in unemployment came even as the share of working-age Americans who either have a job or are looking for one held steady, albeit at a 35-year low.

JOB GAINS MIXED BY SECTOR

Employment gains in September were mixed across sectors.

Government payrolls increased by 22,000 jobs after rising by 32,000 in August. Both state and local governments added jobs last month, offsetting a decline in federal employment.

The data showed surprise weakness in the leisure and hospitality industry, which has been adding jobs consistently over the past years. The industry lost 13,000 jobs, the most since December 2009.

Retail employment growth slowed significantly from the solid gains seen for much of this year, with payrolls increasing 20,800.

The retail and the leisure and hospitality sectors have been the leading job creators.

But there was good news in the construction industry, where payrolls increased 20,000. Construction employment had barely increased over the prior two months, and the gain in September could ease fears of a leveling off in home building.

Those concerns were further allayed by a separate report from the Commerce Department showing construction spending at a near 4-1/2-year high in August.

In September, the manufacturing sector added a meager 2,000 jobs as automakers shed workers, despite strong vehicle sales.

Average hourly earnings increased three cents in September. They have risen 49 cents or 2.1 percent over the past 12 months. The length of the average workweek held steady at 34.5 hours.

(Additional reporting by Ellen Freilich in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci, Krista Hughes and Dan Grebler)

• Employment & Career
• Budget, Tax & Economy
• government shutdown
• unemployment rate

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-job-growth-seen-having-revved-budget-fight-050709440--business.html
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Rossi, Roma top AP weekly soccer poll

Fiorentina's Giuseppe Rossi celebrates after scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Juventus at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Fabrizio Giovannozzi)

Fiorentina's Giuseppe Rossi celebrates after scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Juventus at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Fabrizio Giovannozzi)

Paris Saint Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, top, jumps in the air after scoring the second goal against Bastia, during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Bastia, at the Parc des Princes stadium, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013.(AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

AS Roma's Miralem Pjanic of Bosnia and Herzegovina scores on a penalty kick during a Serie A soccer match between AS Roma and Napoli at Rome's Olympic stadium, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

LONDON (AP) — Giuseppe Rossi's hat trick for Fiorentina against Serie A champion Juventus earned him the top player vote in The Associated Press global soccer poll this week, while Roma remained first in the club rankings.

Rossi, the new leading scorer in Serie A with eight goals, inspired his team to an astonishing comeback from 2-0 down by scoring three times in 14 minutes.

"Juventus were leading 2-0 in Florence with less than half an hour to go when 'Pepito' stole the show and turned the game upside down," said Aurelio Capaldi of RAI Sport in Italy. "He scored a terrific treble and became the nightmare of Juventus defenders. It ended up 4-2 and Fiorentina celebrated an unforgettable day for them."

Rossi headed off second-placed Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored a pair for Paris Saint-Germain including an incredible back-heel flick, and third-placed Miralem Pjanic of Roma.

Pjanic scored both as his side beat second--placed Napoli 2-0 to stay top of Serie A with eight wins in eight games.

"The manner of Roma's victory on Friday evening against Napoli was almost as eye-opening as the gap it has allowed them to open at the summit of Serie A," said Richard Winton of The Herald in Scotland. "Rudi Garcia has his side playing some stunning football and to sweep aside a Champions League team in such a way was awesome."

English Premier League leader Arsenal polled second following its 4-1 demolition of Norwich.

Mesut Ozil scored twice for Arsenal and is fourth in the player vote by 25 global soccer writers, a rise of six places from the previous poll.

Ozil's Germany teammate, Thomas Mueller, was ninth after he scored twice in Bayern Munich's 4-1 comeback win over Mainz which gave the club fourth in the poll.

James Thorogood, editor of Bundesliga.com, cited Pep Guardiola's decision to introduce Mario Goetze at halftime with his team trailing 1-0 as a key moment in the game.

"It was the first time the Bavarians had fallen behind under head coach Pep Guardiola, yet the Spaniard's masterstroke to throw Goetze into the fray breathed new life into his side," Thorogood said.

Goetze is eighth in the poll.

Real Madrid polled seventh after its 2-0 home victory against Malaga. The win was particularly important as Barcelona and Atletico Madrid dropped points with a draw against Osasuna and a defeat against Espanyol respectively.

Real are third in La Liga, two points behind Atletico and three away from Barcelona.

Southampton polled 10th after its surprising start continued with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

___

AP Global Soccer 10 rankings, week ending Oct. 22

Players:

1. Giuseppe Rossi, 192 points.

2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 147.

3. Miralem Pjanic, 143.

4. Mesut Ozil, 133.

5. Sergio Aguero, 80.

6. Edinson Cavani, 61.

(tie) Eden Hazard 61.

8. Mario Goetze, 60.

9. Thomas Mueller, 39.

10. Wilfredo Caballero, 37.

Teams:

1. Roma, 211.

2. Arsenal, 203.

3. Fiorentina, 177.

4. Bayern Munich, 148.

5. Paris Saint-Germain, 135.

6. Chelsea, 85.

7. Real Madrid, 65.

8. Manchester City, 50.

9. Espanyol, 45.

10. Southampton, 26.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-22-SOC-AP-Global-Soccer-10/id-53f89f5843254861944f7cd9536e0aaa
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