Internet Download Manager (IDM) v6.23 Build 6 + Crack : Free Download

(GNN) - Internet Download Manager has a smart download logic accelerator that features intelligent dynamic file segmentation and safe multipart downloading technology to accelerate your downloads.

 Unlike other download accelerators and managers that segment files before downloading starts, Internet Download Manager segments downloaded files dynamically during download process.

Internet Download Manager (IDM) v6.23 Build 6 + Crack : Free Download

Features:
• All popular browsers and applications are supported!
Internet Download Manager has been tested with the following browsers: Internet Explorer, MSN Explorer, AOL, Netscape Communicator, Netscape 6, Netscape 7, Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Firebird, Opera, NetCaptor, UltraBrowser, Slim Browser, Avant Browser, MyIE2, Optimal Desktop, Ace Explorer, Advanced Browser, 27 Tools-in-1 Wichio Browser, WindowSurfer, 550 Access Browser, FineBrowser Freeware, Kopassa Browser, Fast Browser Pro, Enigma Browser, GoSuRF, K-Meleon, Smart Explorer, The Off By One Web Browser, Smartalec Voyager, CrystalPort AppCapture, The Family Browser, XANA Web Browser, Bluto, AutoSurf, 32bit Web Browser, BrowseMan, WrestlingBrowser, Eminem Browser, UltraBrowser, Cygsoft LDAP Browser, and Net M@nager. Internet Download Manager supports all versions of popular browsers, and can be integrated into any 3rd party Internet applications.

• Easy downloading with one click.
When you click on a download link in a browser, IDM will take over the download and accelerate it. IDM supports HTTP, FTP, HTTPS and MMS protocols.

• Download Speed Acceleration.
Internet Download Manager can accelerate downloads by up to 5 times due to its intelligent dynamic file segmentation technology. Unlike other download managers and accelerators Internet Download Manager segments downloaded files dynamically during download process and reuses available connections without additional connect and login stages to achieve best acceleration performance.

• Download Resume.
Internet Download Manager will resume unfinished download from the place where they left off.

• YouTube grabber.
Internet Download Manager can grab FLV videos from popular sites like YouTube, MySpaceTV, and Google Video.

• Simple installation wizard.
Quick and easy installation program will make necessary settings for you, and check your connection at the end to ensure trouble free installation of Internet Download Manager

• Drag and Drop.
You may simply drag and drop links to IDM, and drag and drop downloaded files out of Internet Download Manager.

• Automatic Antivirus checking.
Antivirus checking makes your downloads free from viruses and trojans.

• Advanced Browser Integration.
When enabled, the feature can be used to catch any download from any application. None of download managers have this feature.

• Built-in Scheduler.
Internet Download Manager can connect to the Internet at a set time, download the files you want, disconnect, or shut down your computer when it's done.

• IDM includes web site spider and grabber.
IDM downloads all required files that are specified with filters from web sites, for example all pictures from a web site, or subsets of web sites, or complete web sites for offline browsing. It's possible to schedule multiple grabber projects to run them once at a specified time, stop them at a specified time, or run periodically to synchronize changes.

• IDM supports many types of proxy servers.
For example, IDM works with Microsoft ISA, and FTP proxy servers.

• IDM supports main authentication protocols:
Basic, Negotiate, NTLM, and Keberos. Thus IDM can access many Internet and proxy servers using login name and password.

• Download All feature.
IDM can add all downloads linked to the current page. It's easy to download multiple files with this feature.

• Customizable Interface.
You may choose the order, and what buttons and columns appear on the main IDM window.

• Download Categories.
Internet Download Manager can be used to organize downloads automatically using defined download categories.

• Quick Update Feature.
Quick update may check for new versions of IDM and update IDM once per week.

• Download limits.
Progressive downloading with quotas feature. The feature is useful for connections that use some kind of fair access policy (or FAP) like Direcway, Direct PC, Hughes, etc.

• IDM is multilingual.
IDM is translated to Albanian, Arabic, Azerbaijan, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Uzbek languages.
Version 6.23 Build 6 Final is available (Mar/12/2015)
What's new in version 6.23 Build 6?
- Fixed problems with video/audio recognition for several types of web sites
- Fixed compatibility problems of Google Chrome extension with
several applications

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Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 X86 X64 ESD OEM en-US Mar 2015 : Free Download

*Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 X86 X64 ESD OEM en-US Mar 2015

[ RELEASE INFO ]


* File: Win7.X86X64.en-US.Mar2015.iso

* Sources:
* 32-bit: X17-59463 & dvd 677710
* 64-bit: X17-59465 & dvd 677651

* Size: 4,43GB
* Format: Bootable ISO

* CRC32: d39e535f
* MD5: 0f5be81019dfeca74f30f06ad68d03c2
* SHA-1: 99cdb6b7298777aa4ba4d8f81562fe11ced4ae4a

* Language: en-US [English - USA]

[ CONTENTS ]

* Integrated / Pre-installed in Audit Mode:

* .NET Framework 4.5.2 Hotfix Rollup (KB3022670)
* Internet Explorer 11
* Hotfixes - 2015-03-10

* Setupcomplete / Post-install:

* Defender Updates

[ FEATURES ]

* install.wim compressed to recovery format (install.esd)

[ EDITIONS INCLUDED ]

1* 32bit:

1. * Windows 7 Professional
2. * Windows 7 Enterprise
3. * Windows 7 Ultimate
4. * Windows 7 Professional - - - -OEM-Activated
5. * Windows 7 Enterprise - - - - -OEM-Activated
6. * Windows 7 Ultimate - - - - - - OEM-Activated

2* 64bit:

1. * Windows 7 Professional
2. * Windows 7 Enterprise
3. * Windows 7 Ultimate
4. * Windows 7 Professional - - - -OEM-Activated
5. * Windows 7 Enterprise - - - - - OEM-Activated
6. * Windows 7 Ultimate - - - - - - OEM-Activated

* OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) will automatically activate

* (if HP, Asus, Toshiba, etc), and input manufacturers login screen,

* wallpaper, system properties logo and User Account logo.

* If you choose non-OEM (eg Custom Build) you can activate with

* Daz Loader or KMS in WPI screen at end of install.

* Testing has shown that if you choose OEM for Custom Build, wallpaper,etc still

* gets applied but will not automatically activate. In this instance use WPI.


[ COMMENTS & ACTIVATION INFO ]


* A WPI-window will pop up in the last phase of the installation.

* All optional applications except 7-Zip and WinRAR uses web installers

* that will install the latest available version for you.

* Web installers requires connection to internet.

* To activate Enterprise, select "Enterprise Only".

* For all other editions, select "Daz Loader".

* Choose any optional application(s).

* Click on "Begin Install" to execute your choices.

* To skip activation and optional applications, just click on "Exit".

* Activators:

* Daz Loader v2.2.2.0
* KMSpico v10.0.4 Portable Edition
[ Both Activators Potential False Positive Virus Alarm ]


[ Optional software ]

1. * Google Chrome
2. * Mozilla Firefox
3. * Opera Chromium
4. * 7-zip 9.30
5. * Adobe Reader
6. * DirectX
7. * Flashplayer
8. * Java JRE
9. * Malwarebytes
10. * MSE
11. * Notepad++
12. * WinRAR 5.21
13. * GOM Player
14. * VLC Player
15. * Winamp

[ INSTALLATION & INFORMATION ]

* A boot.wim from Win 8 is used to get Win7 to work with ESD format.
* This makes setup resembles the Win 8, but it is 100% Win7.


* Create bootable USB 2.0 (highly recommended) with Rufus,
* (attached) or burn to DVD at slow speed.


*Hope you will enjoy this release!

* Regards,
* GA Tech Team

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Incomedia WebSite X5 Professional v11.0.5.24 + Keygen

(GNN) - WebSite X5 Professional 11 is the Perfect Solution for Creating Websites, Blogs and Online Stores. Optimized for search engines and fully functional on tablets and smartphones. In addition, it is complete with an app for mobile devices!

Designed for those who need to create professional websites, WebSite X5 Professional 11 maintains the structure of a guided tour, but has loads of extra tools and advanced features. The result is an amazing combination of simplicity and power.

MAIN FEATURES

This app offers a value-added service: a website that displays and functions correctly on a mobile device, and complete with an app.
The FeedReady app is ready and free for both iOS and Android: link it to your blog or RSS feeds and invite users to download it so they can receive all your news on their tablets and smartphones.

Import the product list and create the catalog, configuring all the necessary information: descriptions, costs, variants, photos, availability, etc. You have all the tools you need to present products in their best light and set up the purchasing process, deciding on delivery and payment methods and current promotions, using coupons, if you want.

Use the Dynamic contents feature so that others can update them, as for the CMS, working directly online. You maintain complete control over the project, with the advantage that clients don't have to depend on you for small changes.

Let users register online to members' areas so that, once they have validated their e-mail address, they can access the areas that require a login and password. You can store the data in a database and handle registration through the online Control Panel.

Use the available options to improve the optimization of website pages and contents: pictures, videos, products, etc. Before going online, use the project analysis features to further improve optimization.

Activate the bundled web-hosting service: 12 months of web space, broadband, databases and unlimited e-mails, as well as hosting and managing all the domains you want through the control panel.

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• Apple Just Released iOS 8.2 for iPhone and iPad - Download It Now (yahoo.com)

DriverPack Solution 14.16 Full

(GNN) - Fully refurbished shell DRP 14.16 automatically selects and installs the necessary drivers for your computer.

This version has many new features and optimized for the new operating system Windows 10 . Compared with the previous version of the DRP 14.16 in this version significantly corrected shell and completely new driver packs.

Installing the drivers provided in the shell just a few clicks, and this process can be fully automated. Thanks freshest driver-pakam, this program installs the drivers on virtually any computer of any age.

Installation and driver updates this program can be implemented without an Internet connection directly from the HDD / flash / DVD

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8 Ball Pool - GNN Games

(GNN) - UPDATE: Cues now have powers! All cues have been given statistics that provide a new gameplay experience. Pick a cue with better Aim for extended guidelines, more Force for increased shot power, higher Spin for an additional spin effect, or more Time to get extra time to line up the perfect shot.

8 Ball Pool by Miniclip is the biggest and best multiplayer Pool game online! Play for free against other players and friends in 1-on-1 matches, and enter multiplayer tournaments for the billiards crown. Level up as you compete, and earn Pool Coins as you win. Enter the Pool Shop and customize your game with exclusive cues and cloths. This is the complete online 8 Ball Pool experience.

Play 8 Ball Pool

Play 8 Ball Pool / More Sports games

This is the best multiplayer 8 Ball Pool billiards game you’re ever going to play, so start playing for free today! 

Exclusive: Former risk chief warned Deutsche Bank on stress test, emails show

(GNN) - In the weeks leading up to the U.S. Federal Reserve's annual stress test of major banks, a former risk executive of Deutsche Bank AG repeatedly warned senior managers of the German bank's U.S. unit that they were painting a far too rosy picture of the bank's health.

The warnings weren't about this year's stress test. They were written by William Broeksmit in December 2013 and January 2014 as the bank was preparing its Fed-mandated, internally run stress test. At the time, Broeksmit was serving as a director of the U.S. unit.

The bank needed to "stress harder," Broeksmit wrote in one email to senior managers. The bank's forecasts were "way too optimistic," he wrote in another. In others, he said that forecast losses were "way too small compared to history," and that the full board had to be briefed on the discrepancies, which were "way too important" to be glossed over.

Deutsche Bank's senior U.S. managers rebuffed Broeksmit's warnings, according to the emails, copies of which were reviewed by Reuters.

Deutsche Bank was exempted last year from submitting its portfolio to a Fed-run stress test, but it was still required to run its own assessment using the same scenarios as other banks.

Broeksmit was found hanged in his London home on Jan. 26 last year. After a coroner's inquest, his death was ruled a suicide.

On Wednesday, the Fed validated many of Broeksmit's concerns when it said the U.S. unit failed the regulator's latest test of banks' risk-management capabilities. "In its evaluation, the Federal Reserve identified numerous and significant deficiencies across Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation's risk-identification, measurement, and aggregation processes; approaches to loss and revenue projection; and internal controls," the Fed said in announcing the stress test results.

Deutsche Bank spokeswoman Michele Allison said Broeksmit's warnings did not reflect disagreement within the bank, but were part of a routine discussion process. "Bill's colleagues on the board of Deutsche Bank Trust Company of the Americas held him in high regard and valued his advice," she said in a statement. "He deeply influenced their thinking and actions."

Deutsche Bank last week passed the first part of the Fed's stress test. That part assessed whether banks have enough capital to survive a severe economic crisis. This week's second part, which Deutsche Bank failed, assessed banks' ability to measure risk and fund capital plans, and carries stiffer consequences for those that fail.

ENFORCEMENT ACTION

For Deutsche Bank, it means the bank's U.S. unit will be unable to distribute capital to its parent company until it makes "substantial progress" toward fixing issues identified by the Fed. If the bank's problems persist, the Fed could bring enforcement actions against it, such as fines, or, in an extreme case, issuing a cease-and-desist order.

Among those who dismissed Broeksmit's concerns were Chief Financial Officer Eric Smith; Angelo Del Giudice, who headed Deutsche Bank’s preparations for the stress test and now has a similar role at Barclays; Mark Cohen, head of restructuring, corporate banking and securities; and David Waill, the bank’s global head of leveraged loan management.

Smith, Cohen and Waill declined to comment, according to spokeswoman Allison. Del Giudice declined to comment, according to a spokeswoman for Barclays.

These executives belonged to the bank's "Center of Excellence," a senior management committee established in late 2013 to review the bank's stress test results. The committee met many times in December 2013 and January 2014 as members prepared the bank's test results.

In a Dec. 17, 2013, email to the committee, Broeksmit criticized the group for ignoring the bank's portfolio performance from 2001 to 2004. During that period, many of the bank's collateralized debt obligations and other structured financial products had struggled. But in their stress test calculations, Broeksmit said, bank staff seemed to be cherry-picking historical data to support optimistic forecasts.

"Given how much lower our stress loan losses are versus peers we have to either explain why we disregarded this historical episode in establishing stress losses or, better yet, sharply scale up our losses to impose more stress," Broeksmit wrote.

The following day, Del Giudice wrote back, telling Broeksmit that after "a lot of discussion," the committee had decided not to stress their portfolio any harder and would not be discussing the issue with the full board of the bank.

Broeksmit was already well-known as an innovator in complex structured financial products and as a prescient analyst of risk.

While head of Merrill Lynch's U.S. fixed-income derivatives business in the early 1990s, he warned that Orange County, California, was taking on far too much risk by investing in certain debt instruments – products he himself had helped create. He was ignored. In 1994, Orange County, with $1.6 billion in investment losses, became the largest U.S. municipality to date to file for bankruptcy.

Broeksmit was close to Deutsche Bank AG co-Chief Executive Officer Anshu Jain from their time working together at Merrill Lynch. Jain tapped Broeksmit to join the bank's global management board as head of risk in 2012. But German regulators blocked the appointment, saying the executive lacked experience leading large teams.

In late 2013, Broeksmit continued to insist that Deutsche Bank management was making a mistake in preparing its stress test and that the board must be briefed in full. CFO Smith "should raise the topic ... at Board meeting. ... We have to explain why our stressed loan losses are much smaller percent of outstandings than out [sic] peers," he wrote in a Dec. 19, 2013, email. "This topic is way too important to speed past."

The "Center of Excellence" committee met and suggested in an email that Broeksmit present the group's findings to the full board, even though Broeksmit disagreed with many of the team's conclusions. Broeksmit bristled at the suggestion.

"Who is recommending that I do this?" he asked. "I am supposed to be an independent director and this puts me further into a role aligned with management. ... Also, as you can tell from my comments, I believe our stress credit losses are so low relative to peers that we will be open to criticism that our models are too generous."

The committee agreed to have someone else brief the board.

WORRYING OPTIMISM

Broeksmit also fretted over the bank's loans to businesses. This sector has emerged as one of the frothiest post-crisis credit markets. Many business loans have been packaged into securities similar in structure to the mortgage-backed securities that played a big role in the financial crisis.

The Fed's test this year put particular emphasis on these types of loans, with a hypothetical "severely adverse" scenario that included a high rate of corporate defaults.

Broeksmit warned that rival Morgan Stanley had taken a far more conservative approach to risk calculations in business lending. The Morgan Stanley math "maybe points to our method being too optimistic," he wrote in a Dec. 5, 2013, email.

Waill, the bank's global head of leveraged-loan management, played down Broeksmit's concerns. While "conceivable that your ballpark may be right," he responded, Morgan Stanley's business-loan book "may be weaker." Morgan Stanley declined to comment.

Undeterred, Broeksmit fired off more warnings the following day. The team's forecast loan losses on another segment of the portfolio "look to be microscopic," he warned. "Maybe we are being too optimistic," he wrote. "I think we should stress harder." The bank's "severely adverse scenario losses in 2014 and 2015 … look way too small compared to history," he wrote in the Dec. 6 email.

Twenty-five minutes later, he sent another warning to the senior management team, identifying other oddities in their earnings forecasts. "This doesn't sound right," he warned. "I don't think any [bank] has ever achieved those results."

Susan Skerritt, head of Deutsche Bank's global transaction banking division in its U.S. unit, responded: "The business has grown significantly over the past 5 years, which may account for some of the difference," she wrote. "But, I appreciate both of your questions and we will come back to you next week with a full explanation and potential revisions."

Reuters could not determine whether that follow-up email was ever sent. Deutsche Bank declined to make Skerritt available for comment.

(Reuters)(Edited by John Blanton)

Here’s The Text Of The FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules

(GNN) - The FCC followed through on its promise to release a massive document laying out its new rules for net neutrality. The order comes two weeks after the board voted to classify broadband Internet as a utility.

The FCC confirmed with TechCrunch last night that the order would be released today. The hundreds of pages in the report lay out a detailed plan for how net neutrality will be enforced. A quick read of the document indicates that it hews to what the FCC originally outlined in a summary that was publicly released before the commission voted on the rules.

Here’s the text:

2015 Net Neutrality Rules

Today’s release also brings us closer to potential legal challenges. As FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said earlier this year, “The big dogs [ISPs] have promised that they’re going to litigate.” The framework for those challenges will likely be drawn from the dissenting opinions of the Republican members of the board.

Put more simply, this is not the end of the net neutrality saga. Instead, we have the battles lines now well drawn, and soon, understood. TechCrunch will be tracking the slew of responses from ISP’s, politicians and lobbyists this release is sure to bring.

FEATURED IMAGE: PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/AP

The First Star Wars Spin Off Film Will Be ‘Rogue One,’ Joining Formation December 16, 2016

(GNN) - Star Wars has a new, official standalone spin-off film coming — Rogue One, starring Felicity Jones and written by Rian Johnson. The movie will be the first in a series of spin-offs that focus on Star Wars universe peripheral characters and side-stories, according to Disney, and will premiere on December 16, 2016, a year after the next main continuity Star Wars film.

There’s nothing else so far in terms of details about the series, but the name indicates it will follow the adventures of fighter pilots, likely flying X-Wings. Rogue Squadron was the straighter squadron that played a pivotal role in the Empire Strikes Back, and then later in Return of the Jedi, and which likely grew from Red Squadron in the initial Star Wars IV: A New Hope Series. In addition to Luke Skywalker, other notable members of the squad include Wedge Antilles and Biggs Darklighter.

The Rogue Squadron story provided the basis for a series of extended universe novels called Rogue Squadron, which I loved and read the vast majority of, including some multiple times. So I am excited about this thing, you could say.

Disney also announced that Star Wars: Episode VIII will premiere on May 26, 2017, so the studio is switching to a summer release window for the next main franchise installment.

All indications are that Disney hopes to turn Star Wars into an elaborate, interconnected cinematic universe the way that it has with Marvel, and that’s just extra cool – provided they can actually make good movies from the base material now that George Lucas is out of the picture.

Related articles

• Here are two theories on what the new 'Star Wars' spinoff movie could be about (DIS)
• Disney's first stand-alone Star Wars film titled Rogue One, but studio silent on plot details
• First STAR WARS Spin-Off Gets A Title: ROGUE ONE!
• Star Wars Celebration 2015: Mark Hamill is coming to Anaheim

Exclusive: U.S. asks Vietnam to stop helping Russian bomber flights

(GNN) - The United States has asked Vietnam to stop letting Russia use a former U.S. base to refuel nuclear-capable bombers engaged in shows of strength over the Asia-Pacific region, exposing strains in Washington's steadily warming relations with Hanoi.

The request, described to Reuters by a State Department official, comes as U.S. officials say Russian bombers have stepped up flights in a region already rife with tensions between China, U.S.-ally Japan and Southeast Asian nations.

General Vincent Brooks, commander of the U.S. Army in the

Pacific, told Reuters the planes had conducted "provocative" flights, including around the U.S. Pacific Ocean territory of Guam, home to a major American air base.

It is the first time that U.S. officials have confirmed the role of Cam Ranh Bay, a natural deep-water harbor, in Russian bomber plane activity that has increased globally.

Brooks said the planes that circled Guam were refueled by Russian tankers flying from the strategic bay, which was transformed by the Americans during the Vietnam War into a massive air and naval base.

Vietnam's willingness to allow Russia to use Cam Ranh Bay reflects Hanoi's complex position in a geopolitical tug-of-war that frequently pits China and Russia on one side and the United States, Japan and much of Southeast Asia on the other.

   Washington is keen to secure greater access itself to Cam Ranh Bay as part of its strategic "pivot" to Asia to counter China's growing strength in the region. U.S. ships have visited for repairs in recent years.

Vietnam, in turn, has sought closer U.S. ties as a hedge against what it sees as China's aggression, but remains close to Russia in both defense and energy cooperation.

Cam Ranh Bay is now host to three submarines bought by Vietnam's navy from Russia to counter Chinese expansion in the South China Sea, with two more expected by early next year.

Brooks said in an interview the flights indicated that Vietnam's Cold War-era ally Russia was acting as "a spoiler to our interests and the interests of others."

RAISING TENSIONS

Asked about the Russian flights in the region, the State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington respected Hanoi's right to enter agreements with other countries.

But the official added: "We have urged Vietnamese officials to ensure that Russia is not able to use its access to Cam Ranh Bay to conduct activities that could raise tensions in the region."

The Vietnamese government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the U.S. request.

Brooks declined to say when the flights he referred to took place. He did not say how many had been conducted and how many aircraft were involved. But he confirmed they had occurred since Russia's annexation of Crimea last March, which sparked a broader conflict with Ukraine and a surge in tensions between Russia and the United States.

The head of U.S. air forces in the Pacific said last May that Russia's intervention in Ukraine had been accompanied by a significant increase in Russian air activity in the Asia-Pacific region in a show of strength and to gather intelligence.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Jan. 4 that Russian Il-78 tanker aircraft had used Cam Ranh Bay in 2014, enabling the refueling of nuclear-capable TU-95 "Bear" strategic bombers, a statement also reported in Vietnam's state-controlled media.

In that time, Russia has conducted increasingly aggressive air and sea patrols close to the borders of the U.S.-led NATO alliance, including by Bear bombers over the English Channel.

    Last year, NATO conducted more than 100 intercepts of Russian aircraft, about three times as many as in 2013.

RUSSIAN BOMBER FLIGHTS

Russian bomber patrol flights, a Cold War-era practice, were cut back after the fall of the Soviet Union but President Vladimir Putin revived them in 2007.

Russia said in November it planned to send long-range bombers on patrols over North American waters but the Pentagon played this down at the time as routine training in international airspace.

In its effort to boost ties with Vietnam, the United States has been pouring in aid and assistance in health, education, landmines clearance, scholarships and nuclear energy.

Defense cooperation had been limited by an embargo on lethal arms. But Washington started to ease this in October, enabling humanitarian exercises between both militaries late last year and more are taking place this month.

Last year saw a flurry of high-level U.S. visits to Vietnam that coincided with a maritime territorial row between Hanoi and Beijing. On Friday, the U.S ambassador in Vietnam announced that the Vietnamese Communist Party chief would later this year become the first party leader to visit Washington.

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius said on Friday it was understandable Hanoi would look to "historic partners" when it came to security, but the United States had "much to offer... to enhance Vietnam's security in the short, medium and long term."

(Reuters)(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Additional reporting by Martin Petty and Ho Binh Minh in Hanoi and Jason Szep in Washington; Editing by David Storey and Stuart Grudgings)

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• Hon. Fred Foreman Retained as Special Counsel by Coalition to Salute America's Heroes
• U.S. asks Vietnam to stop helping Russian bomber flights
• US asks Vietnam to stop letting Russia use Cam Ranh Bay base

The Gold Apple Watch Is Perfect For Douchebags

(GNN) - Editor’s Note: Kevin Rose is the founder of Digg, a technology investor, and CEO of North Technologies, creator of the watch news aggregator, Watchville.

I’m a mechanical watch collector and self admitted Apple fanboy. I wanted to love the Apple Watch Edition (Edition = marketing speak for “gold”). But I don’t understand the value here outside of the literal 1-2 troy ounces of 18k gold ($900-$1,800).

With its luxury watch offering, Apple missed me as both a technologist and collector. Let me explain.

Selling To The Technologist
The path to the technologist’s pocketbook is paved with (surprise) bleeding edge technology.

For Apple to succeed with the Watch Edition it would need to offer us more, technically. Say, an extra sensor or higher resolution display that has yet to hit high enough production volumes to make it throughout the rest of the line. The technologist could then point to these features as justification for the extravagant purchase. After all, higher tech is the reason they purchased the retina Macbook when it was first released.

Sadly this is not the case here, as nothing is different technically in this watch except for the addition of gold, for which you pay an over $7k markup.

Selling To The Collector
The watch collector craves the story, the artisanship of a collectable watch. We enjoy the painstaking craftsmanship that goes into making a timepiece that will last for decades.

A popular advertising campaign by storied watch manufacturer Patek Philippe states: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You’re merely looking after it for the next generation.”

Will The Apple Edition Watch Last To The Next Generation?
For me to purchase this watch as a collector, Apple would need to create a different (and more expensive) fabrication process that uses new internal (not just external) materials, specifically built to stand the test of time. Sell me on the story of lasting technology, a watch that even when out of date will still function for my grandkids, a watch that won’t be shuffled off to a corner of your closet like an old iPod.

As with traditional watches, add in a transparent sapphire back. I imagine something similar to the digital FPJourne Elegante would do. Showcasing the internal upgrades would also add to its collectability.

Right now with the Apple Watch Edition, the buyer is getting the same internals of the $349 version in a gold case. Where is the collectability in that?

I believe watchmaker Roger Smith best sums it up in saying (in reference to the late watchmaker Dr. George Daniels, creator of the coaxial escapement):

“For it takes a lifetime of experiences to create the pieces that he did. So when a collector buys a Daniels watch, they are not buying the year that it took Daniels to make the piece, they are buying the many years of self-sacrifice that it takes in order for a man to rise to a level where he can create greatness.”

Mass produced internals created in China, by machines, doesn’t create a feeling of craftsmanship or an aura of exclusivity – both key tenants a high-end collectible timepiece must have.

Selling To The Gold Lover
Apple’s focus should be on selling as many watches as possible, not becoming a fashion brand. Gold (the color) is hot right now in the fashion world. Why not use technology to get the gold watch in the hands of more people. Why didn’t Apple develop some type of “10x stronger gold coating” giving us the same visual aesthetic with the technological payoff? I’d happily pay an extra $500-$1,000 for that upgrade. But we don’t need solid gold on something that is disposable after a couple years.

So, I’m lost. Who is this watch for?

Without a technological advantage, and no upgrade or trade-in path, I would imagine the value to the consumer is that of broadcasting wealth. There are certain markets where this watch will sell well, regions of China (just put a goat on it) and Dubai come to mind.

But elsewhere, I fear that we’ll look at the Watch Edition as actress Anna Kendrick did:

We should be thanking Apple for launching the $10,000 "apple watch" as the new gold standard in douchebag detection.
— Anna Kendrick (@AnnaKendrick47) March 9, 2015

I’m not sure that’s the image Apple wants.

Related articles

• Looking for a $10K luxury watch? Don't buy Apple Watch Edition
• Loking for a $10,000 luxury watch? Don't buy the Apple Watch Edition
• The Apple Watch isn't about to put the mechanical watch out of business
• The Apple Watch isn't about to put the mechanical watch out of business
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Callr Releases A Mobile App To Make Conference Calls Less Of A Hassle

(GNN) - Do you hate conference calls? Do you hate having a thing just appear on your calendar with some sort of dial-in information that you always forget and then you have to go to your calendar with phone in hand and dial some numbers and then wait for a digital voice to welcome you and ask for a code and then you have to dial some more numbers? And if at any point you get any of it wrong, you have to go back and try to get the numbers right again?

Well, a startup called Callr has solved at least some of those problems — namely the need to search for, find and dial those elusive conference call numbers yourself. And now it has an iOS app and an Android app that will make it even easier for you to manage calls you’re scheduled to make.

Callr works like this: You hook it into your calendar and it automatically ingests all the details for upcoming calls. Then, when it comes time for your meeting to start, Callr dials into your meeting for you, then calls your phone and instantly connects you.

Callr saves you at least a few minutes of fumbling with dial-in codes and whatnot, and also makes sure you dial in to your meeting on time. (Actually, it generally dials you in a minute before a meeting starts, just to make you look good.) If you happen to miss a call, or can’t pick up at the very moment a call starts, Callr allows you to just call it back and it will automatically connect you to your conference.

Anyway, it’s been one of my favorite new tools ever since I started using it a few months ago. And with its new mobile apps, Callr is making managing conference calls even easier.

The main advantage to the app is that it gets new users signed up faster, since it can simply connect with the phone’s calendar to ingest meetings. It also provides more granular tools around snoozing calls if you can’t pick up right at the time they happen. Finally, Callr on your smartphone will allow deep linking with meetings that are supposed to happen on Skype, allowing users to quickly get connected through the messaging platform’s mobile app.

While Callr has only been available for the last four months, it’s connected 14,000 calls for users, according to Callr founder Mike Endale. (It doesn’t count calls that aren’t connected.) And people are actually listening in on those calls. Endale says the average call lasts 17 minutes after users are connected.

Anyway, the Callr app. Try it. It’s awesome.

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Would You Buy A Rugged Case Kit For The Apple Watch?

(GNN) - Of all the complications that will worry the outer rim of Apple Watch buyers’ minds, the question of whether they need to purchase a case to protectively encase their expensive wrist-wear is perhaps the most frivolous.

On the surface it sounds ludicrous.

Who keeps a watch inside a case when it’s attached to their person? And yet the Apple Watch is really a very small wrist computer, with a price-tag that ranges right up to the luxury end of the market. To $10,000, or even $17,000.

It’s also intended as a multipurpose device, with fitness tracking functionality rubbing up against notifications and comms, with some ostentatious bling thrown in (at least if you’re shelling out for 18-karat gold). So it’s supposed to track you when you sweat through a half marathon and then remain on your wrist during that fancy dinner. Same device, different aspects.

Add to that, given that keeping your smartphone in a protective case is well-established behavior, the notion of similarly encasing a smartwatch is only really a small step away.

And so enter device case-maker, Lunatik, with a plan to build and sell ruggedized cases for the Apple Watch. It’s been working on this accessory since Apple officially unveiled its smartwatch last fall, using a mechanism previously patented for encasing the iPod Nano when worn on the wrist. The metal case is being designed to protect without limiting access to the various controls and sensors on the watch.

The forthcoming Epik Apple Watch Kit is only in prototype form at this point (with the latest samples pictured pictured below) — the team is aiming for a shipping timeframe of three months after the Apple Watch itself comes to market at the end of April, so circa summer.

Lunatik founder Scott Wilson says the intention is to test the market for this Apple Watch accessory, via a crowdfunding campaign. So it’s ready to admit it might have misjudged the madness of the moment.

And quite possibly it has.

But if someone is crazy enough to spend $15,000 on a smartwatch, what’s another $99 to $149 on a ruggedized case-plus-strap combo which promises to keep a few scratches off your investment?

“Wearable technology is most relevant in situations where a phone interaction is not accessible or ideal. Sport, fitness and extreme conditions are a few of these occasions,” argues Wilson. “They also require more physically enhanced and purpose-built design to endure these extreme conditions.”

The aluminum Epik face case will apparently include hydrophobic vents for “an added layer of dust and water ingress protection”. It will also come with a custom plastic band strap, so you can leave your fancy leather/linked Apple Watch band at home when you hit the trail.

Wilson also talks up the personalization angle as a selling point for third party Apple Watch cases — given that wearable tech can’t help but elbow into the fashion space. So this is also about offering choice to appeal to personal taste, identity and style.

Which is another way of saying that a naked Cupertino-made Apple Watch might not look brawny enough for some folk. And those guys might actually prefer to put a rugged rim on it.

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