One Woman's Battle to Change the Rhetoric Surrounding Race

This is one of six documentaries on American changemakers produced by NationSwell in partnership with NBCUniversal.

This is one of six documentaries on American changemakers produced by NationSwell in partnership with NBCUniversal. Watch them all and vote for your favorite here. The winner will receive a $10,000 grand prize.

Can a person, by their very existence in this country, be illegal? Or is an action to cross a border without proper documentation the law-breaking act? On the flip side, does using the terms "illegal immigrants" or "anchor babies" mean a person's entire viewpoint is clouded by racism? Broadly speaking, are we all responsible for an unequal system that justifies racial profiling, even if we don't overtly employ the practice ourselves?

Race is a fraught topic in American politics. There are no easy answers to its age-old questions, and the discussion is all too easily derailed by accusations of ignorance or racism. Rinku Sen, president and executive director of the New York-based nonprofit Race Forward, is attempting to change the dialogue about race in the United States. Bringing her immigrant background and a journalist's reliance on facts to the conversation, her seminars and stories in Colorlines, Race Forward's daily news publication, teach people to see the structural inequalities -- in education, law enforcement, housing and employment -- that are an everyday reality for minority populations in America.

Need To Return Something? Who Has The Best Policy

Have you ever made an impulse purchase in a store and wish you could return it for a full refund?

Have you ever made an impulse purchase in a store and wish you could return it for a full refund? Have you ever taken a piece of clothing home to try on, only to find out later that it did not fit and the store has sold out of your size?

Some stores may give you a hard time about returning an item by not refunding your full purchase price, but these six stores below make returning purchases easy and promise to refund you in full. Even better, some of these return policies are extremely liberal to allow you long periods of time to return items, while others do not even require you to have your receipt.

Sam's Club is a warehouse club that requires an annual membership to shop for their best prices. While an annual membership does cost money, Sam's Club offers one of the best return policies around.

Best Cyber Monday Deals and Sales 2015: TV, Tech, Toys and More

By Elyssa Kirkham, GBR Staff Writer
Cyber Monday is coming, and it promises to be a huge day for deals and sales.

Cyber Monday is coming, and it promises to be a huge day for deals and sales. The holiday could even end up being more popular than Black Friday. One poll from Morpace Omnibus found that 57 percent of consumers plan to shop on Cyber Monday this year, compared to just 35 percent on Black Friday.

What is Cyber Monday? Cyber Monday is a major, online-only shopping event of the holiday season. It falls on the first Monday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Cyber Monday 2015 is on Nov. 30 and will see online retailersoffering exclusive deals and sales, allowing shoppers to get big discounts from the comfort of their own homes.

10 Best and Worst Deals at Macy's

With hundreds of Macy's stores across the nation, there's a good chance there's one in a shopping mall near you.

By Terence Loose, Contributor

With hundreds of Macy's stores across the nation, there's a good chance there's one in a shopping mall near you. There's also a good chance there are great deals at Macy'son items from designer clothes to quality kitchenware.

Not everything in Macy's is worth taking home, however. Some items can be found at a better price elsewhere, or get marked down during one of the store's many sale days. Click through to see which Macy's deals are worth a look, and which you should give a pass.

10 Best and Worst Retailers of the Year

By Morgan Quinn, Contributor
From disappointing earnings reports and bad boy CEOs to the rise of fast fashion and the decline of luxury brands, 2015 was a wild ride for the retail industry.

From disappointing earnings reports and bad boy CEOs to the rise of fast fashion and the decline of luxury brands, 2015 was a wild ride for the retail industry. Based on stock prices, sales figures, customer sentiment, retail trends and news reports, here are the 10 best and the 10 worst retailers of the year. Click through to see if your favorite retailer made the best -- or worst -- list.

The 10 best retailers of the year delivered a winning combination of value, superior customer service and solid quarterly earnings reports. From a home improvement powerhouse to a online retailer, see who outpaced their competition in 2015 and will probably continue to succeed in 2016.

Leaked Black Friday 2015 Ads From Walmart, Target And More: Get The Best Deals

By Elyssa Kirkham, GBR Staff Writer
Black Friday is famous for its deals, when retailers offer their biggest no-holds-barred discounts of the year.

Patricia Marroquin via Getty Images

is famous for its deals, when retailers offer their biggest no-holds-barred discounts of the year. With 87 million shoppers participating in Black Friday last year, according to the National Retail Federation, stores know there are huge sales numbers to be had on Friday, Nov. 27. And, these stores are willing to slash prices to make sure shoppers are busting down their doors instead of their competitors'.

Dealmoon.com Offers Luxury Bargains Online and Is Focusing On America

For her, I was her first media interview about her business Dealmoon.

For her, I was her first media interview about her business Dealmoon. She was visibly nervous which bought her a lot of flexibility from me because I'm used to chatting with business and technology CEOs who have their rap down, mostly too much so. So Ms. Wang was a pleasant, refreshing conversation for me to have.

As it turned out, Ms. Wang is very used to dealing with the male of her species, having founded her company with five other men. Having her feminine touch at the helm--she's Dealmoon's CMO & co-founder--might just be the difference between the company's success and failure.

Especially given Dealmoon's early demographic focus on Women.

Doom on PC: The Way It's Meant to Be Played?

While we managed to spend quality time with the PS4 and Xbox One closed beta build of Doom last week, the open beta for the game this week has allowed us to take a look at the PC version of the latest instalment in this seminal first-person shooter series.

for the game this week has allowed us to take a look at the PC version of the latest instalment in this seminal first-person shooter series. Here's what you need to know.

It looks sharp compared to the PS4 and Xbox One versions
We weren't exactly pleased with id Software's decision to lock us out of the game's advanced graphic settings on the PC version, but it still looked a lot sharper than its console counterpart. We'd chalk this down to the game's anti-aliasing options. Barring this, there was very little difference between the versions. Textures appeared to take a little longer to load - be it the environments or the weapon equipped, there was a brief second or two of muddy, blurry textures that made the game briefly appear to be lower than console graphical fidelity, before the higher quality version eventually loaded. The overall experience was a decent-looking game. From blood and viscera that cluttered our vision to the hulking Revenant demon, it had cleaner visuals when we cranked up the settings available to us.

Not too many options for now
The game had graphical options for resolution, anti-aliasing, field of view, and chromatic aberration. Our test machine consisted of an i5 3470 processor (3.2Ghz), 16GB RAM, Nvidia GTX 980Ti, Asus PB279Q monitor, and a 500GB SSD on Windows 10. At 3840x2160 pixels we got around 35 to 45 frames per second, hitting a low of 29fps in its busiest sections. Dropping the resolution down to 2560x1440 pixels saw a steady 55 to 60fps, going as low as 45fps when the action got frantic. When we played it at 1920x1080 pixels we got a consistent 60fps. We felt that the game was locked to 60fps being the maximum frame rate, something that German site PC Games Hardware confirmedin its analysis of the game.

It should (hopefully) look better
It's a known fact that id's lineage is in the PC, but the last couple of games using the studio's tech, namely Wolfenstein: The New Orderand Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, maintained parity across platforms. It will be interesting to see how the complete release on PC shapes up. While the advanced settings are unavailable in the open beta, it appears that some of the series' more hardcore fans managed to unlockthem in its closed beta. The full game promises support for frame rates above 60fps all the way upto 144fps. That's useful if you have a monitor that supports high frame rates. Other options include Directional Occlusion Quality, and usual suspects like Texture Quality, Shadow Quality, Post Process Quality, Particles Quality, and Effects Quality. All of this might mean we see a better looking game.

The controls need work
Although you can play Doom on the PC with a controller, using the keyboard and mouse is the preferred way to play. But it doesn't feel too good. There seemed to be a bit of input lag between firing a weapon and actually seeing the effect on the screen. The aiming isn't as smooth either. It lacked the sense of precision you'd expect from a first-person shooter on the PC. Granted, this is the beta and not the final game but unresponsiveness puts a dampener on the experience. Hopefully the retail release will fix this.

Will you be playing it after the first two weeks?
If you observe the last few big first-person shooters that hit the physical and digital shelves, you'll notice a trend of sorts. The multiplayer component tends to have a longer lifespan on PS4 and Xbox One, versus PC. We've seen this with several Call of Dutygames, and with Star Wars: Battlefrontas well. Despite being able to find and connect to a game in Doom seamlessly and have a low-latency, almost LAN-like experience, we're worried about the long-term viability of the game on PC after the single-player campaign. Sure, it's quite possibly the biggest game on the platform this year, but a lot has changed. More so when you consider that the last entry in the franchise, Doom 3, made an appearance just around the same time Call of Duty was gaining popularity.

As it stands, the open beta has us curious on what to expect when the full game hits the PC on May 13. What do you plan to play Doom on? Let us know via the comments.

7 Last Minute Valentine's Day Getaways In The U.S.

Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Lanai
With Valentine's Day fast approaching, there's no better time to book a last-minute getaway at one of America's most romantic hotels and resorts.

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, there's no better time to book a last-minute getaway at one of America's most romantic hotels and resorts. To help you get there, we've rounded up some of the chicest places for two. Even better: all of the properties below are offering exclusive V-day deals, which are sure to make your stay that much sweeter.

Four Seasons Resort Lanai(Above)

5 Marriage Firsts Every Couple Experiences

Photo: Courtesy of CNP Montrose
Friends seem to come out of the woodwork when you get engaged, offering everything from congratulations to questions about the when, where, and how of your wedding.

Friends seem to come out of the woodwork when you get engaged, offering everything from congratulations to questions about the when, where, and how of your wedding. One type of friend who could be more eager than most? A friend with a wedding-related talent (photography, makeup, invitation design, you name it). But what if, for whatever reason, you've decided to hire someone else to provide a service for your wedding instead? Our experts let you know how to tell a friend you won't be hiring them for your big day.

Friendors can be a great asset to your wedding if the friend in question is a real pro with serious talent and a portfolio to prove it. But the situation can get sticky if you feel like your friendship might be at risk if you decide to go a different direction. If this friend of yours is close enough to make the guest list, you've got a built-in excuse. All it takes is a simple "I really want you to be able to enjoy the day and celebrate with us instead of working," and you should be in the clear.

Related: 10 Must-See Wedding Dress Trends from the Runways

What They Did Wrong: How 4 Women Wish Their Partners Had Proposed

Photo: Courtesy of CNP Montrose
Many women wouldn't change a thing when it comes to the ways their partners popped the question.

Many women wouldn't change a thing when it comes to the ways their partners popped the question. But these four women had a different view of how this important moment would go down than how it actually did. Here, they reveal what they'd change about their partners' proposals if they could.

"I wish he would have chosen a private location."

When Alicia's husband Jon popped the question, it was in front of the boarding school principal who employed him. The couple wanted to live together and had approached the principal for permission, but he replied he wouldn't keep on a housemaster who was living in sin and gave the couple 30 days to tie the knot. So Jon turned to Alicia and casually said, "why not?" Looking back on it now, Alicia says, "I would have preferred a more private setting and a more romantic pledge before he popped the question! I imagined him going down on bended knee in private place, a la a classic 1950's Hollywood movie."

8 Things Every Woman Should Do Before She Ties the Knot

Photo: Courtesy of CNP Montrose
It's time to add a few things to your pre-wedding to-do list.

It's time to add a few things to your pre-wedding to-do list. Because, according to our experts, the months before you get married should be more about discovering your true desires and setting yourself up for success rather than picking out a color palette. Here are eight things you must do before the big day.

1. Figure out what you want from life.

Christine Arylo, motivational speaker and author of Choosing Me Before We, warns that it can be difficult to choose the right mate before we've had the chance to clearly define what we want our own lives to look like. "The truth is," she says, "it's easy to fall in love but much harder to find a partner who supports you. When you know what you want from your own life, however, you are much more likely to choose someone you love and who is a good match to help you create that life."

3 Married Sex Myths You've Been Buying Into

With our without knowing it, it's likely you've bought into a few marriage myths.

Photo: Courtesy of CNP Montrose

With our without knowing it, it's likely you've bought into a few marriage myths. Marriage leads to less sex, anyone? "It's natural to have ideas of what sex will be like once you're married," says certified sex therapist Sari Cooper. "These impressions come from the many comments and jokes made about marriage in movies and shows." They can even come from your married friends! But the good news is you no longer have to believe the myths -- Cooper is here to bust three.

Myth: Your husband's sexual desire for you will plummet once you say "I do."

"The myth is that once a guy marries you, he's no longer is as interested in sex with you because he's 'caught' you and it's no longer a challenge," explains Cooper. But while every couple, together, experiences a natural waning of desire after years together, "interest is more about keeping it exciting for both of you," Cooper says. His interest in you doesn't have to end. "If you happen to like being seduced and your guy likes to chase, don't forget to flirt with and tease him so he feels the urge to pursue you."

10 Secret Spots in America's Top National Parks

America's National Park Service runs more than 405 sites, including national seashores, recreation areas, historical sites, and national parks.

Shutterstock

America's National Park Service runs more than 405 sites, including national seashores, recreation areas, historical sites, and national parks. Collectively, these sites receive about 70 million visitors a year -- with more than 10 million of them heading to just one national park in particular (Great Smoky Mountains).

Short of visiting in winter and hiking deep into the backcountry, the parks' popularity can make it tricky to find your own slice of solitude. Tricky, but not impossible. Here are 10 scenic spots you can have all to yourself inside the country's most-visited national parks.

Read the original story: 10 Secret Spots in America's Top National Parksby Kate Sitarz, who is a contributor to SmarterTravel.

Final Fantasy IX Arrives on the PC

Sixteen years after it released on the original PlayStation, Square's Final Fantasy IX has arrived on Windows PCs via Valve's digital distribution platform, Steam.

( Also see: Final Fantasy VII Remake Is Inspired by Final Fantasy XIII)

If you're one of those who never got the chance to enjoy the critically acclaimed adventure on a PlayStation, you can now grab a (digital) copy and head to Gaia. The PC version of the game includes Steam achievements, seven game boosters including "high speed" and "no encounter modes", autosave function for your convenience, high-definition movies, and updated character models.

The game is available on a discount for a limited time, coming in at Rs. 476until April 20. After that, you will get it for Rs. 595.

Final Fantasy IX has sold more than 5 million copies since its release in 2000, and publisher Square announced it would be arriving on the PC back in January. Ports for Android and iOS were released back in February, and incidentally are more expensive to purchase at Rs. 1,300. It does seem odd to price the mobile version of a game higher than its desktop counterpart.

( Also see: Final Fantasy XV Platinum Demo Left Us Surprised)

For those who have played the game, here is an Easter egg that you might have missed. In other Final Fantasy news, game director Hajime Tabata saidthat they haven't worked on a PC version of Final Fantasy XV yet but if they do, it would be a "far superior" one. "The reason I'm interested is that a PC version would propel the game to another technical level," he added.

HTC 10 Price, Specifications, and Everything Else We Already Know

HTC is all set to launch its much-anticipated flagship smartphone on Tuesday .

. The Taiwanese company has been for weeks now creating hype around the launch of its HTC 10flagship and has been teasing various features of the smartphone.

The Taiwanese handset giant has confirmed that the launch will happen in simultaneous eventsin New York, London, and Taipei on Tuesday. A flurry of leaks and official teasers related to HTC's new flagship smartphone has already given us a glimpse of what to expect from the Tuesday launch event.

To start off, HTC's new flagship will sport a design similar to the HTC One A9smartphone. This is not surprising considering that HTC had revealed intentions to bring the One A9's design philosophy to other phones. A teaser indicated that the handset will feature broad chamfered edgesand may also sport a metal build.

Most recently, a leaked 50-second promotional videoshowed the HTC 10 in its full glory confirming the chamfered metal sides, rear camera with dual-tone flash, the display and a physical home button, textured power button, front-facing camera with sensors, and the HTC 10 home screen with slightly tweaked app icons. The smartphone is expected to launch in Silver, Gun Metal Black, and Gold.

Previously, the HTC 10 was leaked in several imagesshowing the handset housing a physical home button below the display along with two capacitive buttons for moving back and accessing multi window options. The fingerprint scanner is also expected to be embedded into the home button. The slightly protruding rear camera with dual-LED flash is visiblealong with two antennas running at the top and bottom of the back panel. The headphone jack can be seen at the top, the right side includes volume and power buttons, designed same as the HTC One A9. The HTC 10 will ditch the dual-front speakers powered by BoomSound.

The Taiwanese company in its various teasers has so far touted the "world class, front and back cameras."Not much has been leaked regarding the cameras on the HTC 10 but it surely looks like the company may introduce a new camera feature with its upcoming flagship. HTC in its first teaser for the 10 flagship had showed nothing of significancebut promised a lot of things. One of the teasers claimed HTC 10's "speedy and smooth performance."

HTC may have given the dual front BoomSound speakers a miss but that doesn't mean that the company will not include the tech. A company teaserhad claimed that the HTC 10 will pack high-fidelity audio engineering and touted the "best BoomSound yet"on its new flagship. One of the company's teasers showed capabilitiesof the HTC 10's camera and hinted at various features including burst shots, high-speed shots, time lapse modes, an UltraPixel sensor, optical image stabilisation, and 4K resolution video recording.

A recent teaser suggested that the upcoming flagship smartphone from HTC will have great battery life. It said, "Our engineers are so obsessed with battery life we've turned it into a science."

Based on preliminary leaks, HTC 10 is expected to arrive in three variants, all of which will be launched at the same event. The company is likely to target various price segments with its HTC 10 variants this year. The 'One' variant of the HTC 10 was said to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, clubbed with 3GB RAM; pack 16GB inbuilt storage, and be priced around $584 (roughly Rs. 38,800). Another model was said to feature the Snapdragon 820 processor, along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. It was said to come with a price tag equivalent to $768 (roughly Rs. 51,100). The third version of the HTC 10 will be powered by the same flagship mobile processor but is rumoured to house 4GB of RAM, along with 128GB of inbuilt storage. This model is said to be the flagship HTC 10 itself and will come with a hefty price tag of $905 (roughly Rs. 60,200).

All three HTC 10 variants are said to featurea 5.15-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) resolution Super LCD 5 display, 12-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, OIS, and a laser autofocus mechanism, USB-Type C, and a 3000mAh battery. All will run Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box with the Sense 8.0 skin on top. However, they are said to differ based on the processor, inbuilt storage, and RAM.

Additionally, HTC is expected to kick off sales of its HTC 10 flagship starting Friday, which is three days after the scheduled Tuesday launch. The rumoured release date however was said only for Taiwan. There have been other reports claiming that HTC 10 may release in the US in second week of May.

Beam Installation Set to Get Underway

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (Beam) an expandable habitat crucial for future deep space exploration will be removed from the back of the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship on Saturday before installation on the Tranquility module that begins on early Sunday.

However, the expansion of the new habitat module would not occur until late May for two years of habitability tests, US space agency Nasa said in a post.

The 1,400 kg Beam is a $17.8 million project that will test the use of an inflatable space habitat in micro-gravity. Beam will be filled with air to expand four and a half times its original volume.

SpaceX'sDragon cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station(ISS) on Sunday and was successfully docked by the orbiting lab's robotic arm.

A total of six astronauts are already on-board the ISS along with another US commercial cargo ship called Cygnus that has been attached to the station since March 26.

"Dragon's arrival marks the first time two commercial cargo vehicles have been docked simultaneously at the space station," Nasa had said.

"With the arrival of Dragon, the space station ties the record for most vehicles on station at one time six," said Nasa.

The last time six vehicles were docked to the station was back in the space shuttle era, when Discovery visited in February 2011.

During its two-year test mission, astronauts will enter the module for a few hours several times a year to retrieve sensor data and assess conditions.

Inflatable habitats are designed to take up less room on a rocket, but provide greater volume for living and working in space once expanded, Nasasaid.

This test allows investigators to gauge how well the expandable habitat protects itself against solar radiation, space debris and contamination, it said.

Dragon will remain connected to the ISS until May 11, when it will depart for a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of California, bringing almost 3,500 pounds (1,600 kgs) of science, hardware and spacewalking tools back to Earth for further study.

Meanwhile, the six-member Expedition 47 crew, which docked safely at the International Space Station (ISS) last month, continued key research that advances Nasa's journey to deep space missions to benefit life on Earth and crews in space.

The crew will be spending five months conducting more than 250 science investigation in fields that benefit all of humanity, such as biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development.

They observed skeletal muscle cells with a microscope to help researchers identify gravity sensors that may prevent muscle atrophy in space.

Saliva samples were collected for a Japanese experiment analysing how an astronaut's immune system adapts to long-term space missions.

The crew has already set up software for an experiment recording an astronaut's cognitive performance during stressful conditions in space.

They have also given information about their station habitat providing insights to engineers to help them design spacecraft to meet the needs of future crews.

WATCH: Puppies Getting Swim Lessons Will Cure Your Winter Blues

The coaches at Dog Gone Smart get to spend their days teaching puppies swim.

The coaches at Dog Gone Smart get to spend their days teaching puppies swim. Not all puppies are comfortable in water. But with proper support, protective gear and some patience these eager swimmers will get it in no time. We can't help but fall in love with their wet little faces!

Follow HooplaHa on Twitter: www.twitter.com/HooplaHa

More: Dogs Puppies Hooplaha

Inside the Little-Known Firm Said to Be Helping the FBI Crack iPhones

The little-known Japanese company at the center of a legal tussle between Apple and the US government over the hacking of an iPhone built its business on pinball game machines and stumbled into the mobile phone security business almost by accident.

Sun Corp. is the parent company of Cellebrite Mobile Synchronization, which worked with the FBIto crack an iPhone connected in a terrorist attack, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as the matter is private. Neither Cellebritenor the FBI have confirmed the link, and a Sun Corp. spokesman on Thursday said the company isn't able to comment on specific criminal cases.

Sun based in Konan, Aichi, a city of 100,000 more than 200 miles southwest of Tokyo has been building pinball-like game machines found in Japan's pachinko parlors since the 1970s but has often displayed bigger tech ambitions. Sun developed personal computers in the late 1970s, computer games and, more recently, iPhone mah-jongg apps. In 2007, as sales slumped, Sun acquired Cellebrite, based in Petah Tikva, Israel.

The purchase of Cellebrite, which hadn't yet ventured into forensics, was mainly to add phone-to-phone data transfer to Sun's fledgling telecommunications business, Sun spokesman Hidefumi Sugaya said in a telephone interview. When Cellebrite later took on investigative agencies such as the FBI as clients, the business took off, and today most of Sun's mobile data solutions business comes from Cellebrite.

Sun's shares have surged since March 21, when US authorities said a third party demonstrated a way to access data on the iPhoneused in the San Bernardino, California, mass shooting last year.

( Also see: Apple Remains in Dark on How FBI Hacked iPhone)

"If it's Cellebrite it's probably good publicity for them," said Bryce Boland, chief technology officer for Asia Pacific at security company FireEyeInc. "There are other companies as well that provide tools in this space, and Cellebrite are one of the best companies in this space."

Revenue from Cellebrite's mobile data solutions division overtook pachinko parts in Sun's fiscal year ending March 2014 and contributed $121 million (roughly Rs. 802 crores) or 50 percent of sales in the last fiscal year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It's now Sun's largest business segment.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth last week identified Cellebrite, which has captured a large slice of the mobile forensics market over the past decade, as the FBI's partner in cracking the iPhone.

The US Justice Department said Tuesday it has gained access to the data on the shooter's phone with the help of a third party and dropped its legal case against Cupertino, California-based Apple.

"Although the FBI didn't get a legal decision that would require Apple to hack around its own security software, it created a situation where they can go to third parties to do that," said Matt Larson, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. "Companies like Cellebrite may have found a niche industry of assisting the FBI unlock personal devices in select cases."

Cellebrite sells hardware and software for extracting data from hand-held devices, even if it has been encrypted or deleted. It employs more than 500 people and has offices in Israel, the US, Brazil, Germany, Singapore and Britain, according to its website. Founded in 1999, Cellebrite was bought by Sun Corp. for a reported $17.5 million (roughly Rs. 116 crores).

The value of forensics companies such as Cellebrite, particularly for law enforcement agencies, goes beyond accessing encrypted data, according to Jonathan Zdziarski, a cyber-security researcher and iPhone security expert who consults with law enforcement.

"As you copy the evidence from the phone, you need to be able to catalog it and demonstrate you haven't tampered with it show that the file that came from the phone is the same file you are using in court," he said. "There have been plenty of free hacking tools available it's not just about getting to the data. All of these problems are addressed by forensics companies like Cellebrite."

The Israeli firm may have been able to come up with a method to crack the iPhone from studying patches that Apple's released, or updates to software that fix vulnerabilities, said FireEye's Boland, adding he had no direct knowledge of this case.

"It's a fairly straightforward method for a researcher to identify what has been changed, and from that reverse-engineer what the flaw was and then build a tool to exploit that flaw," he said.

© 2016 Bloomberg L.P.

Nintendo NX and PS4K or Xbox 1.5 Launch "Imminent": GameStop

"Although we have not modelled extensive growth for new innovation in this presentation, we are very pleased to see the introduction of technology like virtual reality and rumoured new console launches, some of which seem imminent," GameStop COO Tony Bartel said at the company's investor and analyst briefing day in Texas earlier this week.

Following AMD's latest financials, which stated that new consoles are slated for "the second half of 2016", US video game retail giant GameStop has joined in, claiming that their launch is "imminent".

In the Q&A session that followed, GameStop executives were asked if Bartel's comments were related to the Nintendo NXor others such as the heavily rumoured PS4Kand Xbox 1.5. They did not comment.

Now, it's all but obvious that we'll see at least a couple of new consoles this year. From a potential games listto possible specifications, all the Nintendo NX is missing is an official reveal from the Kyoto-based company. On the other hand, Sony has been mum on its plans for its next iteration of the PS4. Microsoft on the other hand, has spoken against any incremental edition of the Xbox One. Although FCC filings reveal that it is indeed working on a possible variant of the Xbox One or a completely new console with a potential E3 2016 unveiling.

All of this makes us wonder if Microsoft and Sony have their consumers' best interests at heart. The PS4 and Xbox One released in 2013. Barely three years later, rampant speculation of new versions is not a good thing. It simply frustrates existing console owners and keeps potential new buyers away. For Microsoft and Sony's sake we hope that their offerings are slimmed down versions of existing consoles rather than brand new hardware that could fragment an already burgeoning user base.

iPhone SE Featured at Apple Keynote: How Much Your Apple Addiction Costs You

The 2016 Apple keynote on March 21 saw two new product announcements, the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

By Andrew DePietro, GBR Staff Writer

The 2016 Apple keynote on March 21 saw two new product announcements, the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. The Apple Watchis also seeing a lower, updated price, sending Apple fanboys -- and girls -- running to stores.

The latest iPhone SE features all the power of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus but longer battery life. The iPhone SE forgoes the 4.7-inch screen of the iPhone 6 for the more compact size of the iPhone 5.

Iditarod Contender Disqualified for Using iPod Touch

Brent Sass, the winner of last month's Yukon Quest, was disqualified from the Iditarod on Tuesday night for breaking a rule that prohibits mushers from having two-way communication devices.

Sass, a 35-year-old from Eureka, told an Alaska Public Media reporter that he was withdrawn by race officials in Tanana after being seen in Manley with an iPod Touch, a device capable of connecting to the Internet.

"I didn't use it, and I had zero intent of using it for a Wi-Fi connection in checkpoints, but I was just completely clueless,'' he said. "I mean, I gave my dad my cellphone because I knew you couldn't have cellphones in this race specifically, and I was just ignorant."

All 30 Major League Baseball Stadiums, Ranked

Well, it's baseball season again.

Well, it's baseball season again. Which means that ESPN can take a break from talking nonstop about the Golden State Warriors (we get it, they're good), and instead talk nonstop about the Yankees and Red Sox. It also means that you're going to have to explain to people why it is you still like baseball, without going into the nuances of throwing a four-seam fastball as your payoff pitch.

A good way to start is by showing them the splendor of North America's 30 Major League Baseball parks, where each home field is unique unto itself (more true now that they tore down Riverfront, Three Rivers, and the Vet). But which stadium is the absolute best place to watch a game? Which offers the best overall experience : the stadium, the food, and the on-field product?

Best Camera Phones Under Rs. 15,000

"I need a smartphone with a good camera" - this is a common phrase used by several buyers who are out for a handset in the market.

"I need a smartphone with a good camera" - this is a common phrase used by several buyers who are out for a handset in the market. The point of the matter is that the camera has become one of the most important features users need in smartphones. Increasing popularity of social platforms such as Facebook, which now has over a billion active users daily, and Instagram, a photo-sharing app which recently claimed that its user base in India doubled over the last year, have only increased the demand of an affordable smartphone with great camera.

( Also see : Smartphones Under Rs. 15,000 With Great Battery Life)

Here's a list of smartphones in the sub-Rs. 15,000 segment which pack decent camera sensors. It's worth noting that the selections we have made have been done on the basis of our in-depth reviews of the handsets. We've also restricted ourselves to recent launches.

( Also see : 10 Smartphones We Loved in 2015)

So here are the phones under Rs. 15,000 with the best camera, listed in alphabetical order.

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser
The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser( Review| Pictures) sports a 13-megapixel rear camera which is accompanied by a dual-tone flash and laser, while there is a 5-megapixel front camera on board as well. In our camera tests, we found that the rear camera performance more than any of its other features.The laser autofocus was one of the standout points of the camera and reminded us a lot about high-end devices which feature the laser autofocus system such as LG G4and the OnePlus 2. The laser-autofocus system worked well to quickly and properly focus on objects within a reasonable close shooting sphere. It also quickly adjusts to slight movements.

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser sample shot

The camera is decent in both well-lit and darker indoor settings. The colour range is good, and sharpness and detail are adequate for a sub-Rs. 15,000 phone. On shooting up close, we found that the ZenFone 2 Laser produced excellent results, capturing plenty of information quickly and accurately. It was launched at a price of Rs. 9,999.

InFocus M530
The InFocus M530( Review| Pictures) sports a rear camera of 13-megapixel shooter with dual flash and optical image stabilization (OIS). In our camera tests, we found that the handset took decent images in both normal and low light, capturing accurate detail and colour. The handset however showed an over-saturation problem with whites, which appeared washed out and too bright. It's worth noting that the problem is same as with some other cameras in this range.

One of the highlights of the InFocus M530 is it sports a 13-megapixel front sensor, with similar levels of detail and accuracy to the rear camera. Another notable addition is the presence of soft flash which helps when taking selfies in low light.

InFocus M530 sample shot

During our review, we found that the camera app on the InFocus M530 was well designed and was easy to use, with important functions such as OIS, HDR mode, flash, camera switcher and mode selection on the main camera screen itself. Autofocus was quick and accurate, as was the shutter itself. The handset was launched at Rs. 10,999.

Xolo Black
The Xolo Black( Review| Pictures) sports a dual-camera setup on the rear. There is a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. This dual-camera setup has been meant to improve autofocus speed and allow refocusing on different parts of the image after it is taken, similar to how the HTC One (M8)'sdual-camera feature worked.

Xolo Black sample shot

In our tests, we found the autofocus a bit quicker than we noticed on most other similarly priced smartphones. The refocusing feature worked well, but was still essentially a gimmick that won't be put to use very often by most people. We found the camera on the handset to be decent, taking pictures that were sharp, detailed and fairly vibrant. The front camera was a standard 5-megapixel shooter, but interestingly had its own flash. The Xolo Black was launched at Rs. 12,999.

Yu Yureka Plus
One of the biggest upgrades in the Yu Yureka Plus( Review) from its predecessor was it used newer IMX214 sensor camera module. In our review, we found that the 13-megapixel sensor clicked detailed and sharp images. The colours in the images were vibrant and truly popped. During our review, we had to zoom really far in on our desktop monitor to reveal any flaws in the images, and whites had the proper colour tone.

Yu Yureka Plus sample shot

The smartphone however couldn't handle low-light situations, with dark zones in images appearing too dark to be able to spot any detail. HDR mode offered excellent results. The 5-megapixel front camera took acceptable shots although it suffered from the same tendency to underperform with low-light shots. Micromax's Yu Yureka Plus was launched at Rs. 9,999.

Bonus pick: If you could spend a little bit extra to get a better camera.

Lenovo Vibe S1
The Lenovo Vibe S1( Review| Pictures) sports a 13-megapixel camera with dual-tone LED flash with a dual-camera setup in the front. The main front camera included an 8-megapixel sensor, and was supported by a second 2-megapixel sensor which detected depth-of-field.

We found the camera app to be excellent, with plenty of controls and features in place during our review. The dual-camera effects on the Lenovo Vibe S1 were simple, but interesting. Capturing depth-of-field information allows the camera to detect foreground and background data, thereby accurately sensing what part of the selfie is you, and what part is the background.

Lenovo Vibe S1 sample shot

You can also superimpose graphics in the background, or previous pictures you've taken. This makes for some rather interesting selfies, and makes the Vibe S1 a rather fun device for selfie lovers. The 13-megapixel rear camera was great as well, and was capable of taking crisp, accurate shots in all lighting conditions. The Lenovo Vibe S1 was launched at Rs. 15,999.

Which one of these is the best camera phone for you? If you've used any of these, leave a comment to tell us about your experience with the phone's camera.

Le 1s Review

LeEco ( the company formerly known as LeTV ) is the latest to join the long, long list of Chinese smartphone manufacturers trying their luck in India.

) is the latest to join the long, long list of Chinese smartphone manufacturers trying their luck in India. The company doesn't have any of the advantages of being an early mover, and no matter how shockingly low it can push prices, it won't be the first to be doing so. Still, there's a lot to like about the Le 1s, which is quite full of interesting features considering its budget price tag.

LeEcohasn't gone only for impressive specifications; it's clearly trying to achieve a level of desirability, as you can immediately see from the Le 1s's metal body. While the much more expensive Le Max( Review| Pictures) took on the might of mainstream flagships and came up looking just a little short, LeEco is hoping that the Le 1s will have much wider appeal.

Look and feel
There's only so far you can go with specifications, and so LeEco has decided to bring premium materials and build quality to the budget smartphone space. The Le 1s is made almost entirely of metal, save for two plastic strips running along the top and bottom of the rear for the various antennas to work. The strips are certainly noticeable, but not as prominent as the plastic antenna lines on the iPhone 6and 6sseries, for example, so some might actually prefer this.

The front face is pretty slick, with black glass surrounding the screen and extending all the way to the two sides. The front camera and sensor window are arranged symmetrically on either side of the earpiece. There are the standard three capacitive Android navigation buttons below the screen, but they're hidden until you tap one, at which point they all light up. The metal band running around the sides has chamfered edges, but the Le 1s manages to avoid looking like an iPhone 5overall thanks to its proportions.

The primary camera and flash are in one corner of the rear, and there's a silver mirror-finished fingerprint sensor lower down and in the middle. It looks great but is actually a bit slippery, so we'll have to see if form and function are balanced. The company obviously didn't manage to time its rebranding with its India launch, so our test unit had a large LeTV logo - units sold here in the future might say LeEco instead, though we can't be certain about that.

The power and volume buttons are on the right, as expected, and a tray with cutouts for one Nano-SIM and one Micro-SIM is on the left. There's a standard 3.5mm audio socket on top, accompanied by a very non-standard IR emitter. Much more noteworthy is the Type-C USB porton the bottom. Type-C will undoubtedly begin displacing Micro-USB this year but LeEco is still ahead of the curve here. The primary disadvantage is that you won't be able to use any of the USB cables you currently have lying around.

In a very interesting twist, the company ships a non-standard USB cable with a modified type-A plug on the charger end. It works like any other USB cable, except that you don't have to worry about which way is up. In order to achieve this, the plug's inner tongue has been made really thin, and we hope it won't snap.

The gold finish isn't for everyone, but that's the only option at the moment on Flipkart, the exclusive retailer. Grip is decent for a phone with a 5.5-inch screen, though one-handed usage is still awkward. The Le 1s weighs 169g but somehow manages not to feel that heavy even with prolonged usage.

Specifications and software
Rather than the Qualcomm processors that have become commonplace in this segment, LeEco has chosen the MediaTek Helio X10, also known as the MT6795T. This is a pretty powerful chip, with eight cores clocked at up to 2.2GHz and integrated PowerVR G6200 graphics. There's also 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which is sadly not expandable.

The 5.5-inch screen has a resolution of 1080x1920 which is now standard at this price level. There's a 13-megapixel camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel one in front. Unfortunately, the 3000mAh battery is sealed in. 4G is supported across both SIM cards, and there's also Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, and A-GPS. FM radio appears to be missing.

The Le 1s runs the rather dated Android 5.0.2 with LeEco's heavy eUI skin. Predictably, it dispenses with the app drawer and there aren't as many customisation options as we've seen before. The most difficult thing to get used to is that all shortcuts and quick settings have been moved to the app switcher screen. It looks like a mashup of iOS 7's Control Center and app switcher and is functional enough, but it seems as though LeEco wanted to be different just for the sake of being different.

There aren't very many preloaded apps - you get Yahoo Weather, and an app called My LeTV which is a gateway to the company's cloud storage and security services. The only other non-default app is called OK Remote Control, which can use the IR emitter or work over Wi-Fi with compatible TVs, most notably LeTV's own). There are no Indian TV and set-top box brands in the list of compatible products, and third-party apps like Peeldo not work with the Le 1s.

The phone is also surprisingly sparse when it comes to settings and enhancements. There's no way to shrink the screen's display area for one-handed use, and there are no shortcuts or gestures either. Overall, we're quite surprised by the Le 1s's software shortcomings.

Performance
We liked using the Le 1s for the most part, and while it does feel good in the hand, the software experience is a bit of a let down, making the whole experience feel unpolished. We were happy to note that the phone didn't get too hot in use, even after gaming and running stress tests. Only a bit of warmth could be felt towards the top of the rear.

The screen is bright indoors but not very usable under direct sunlight. Colours look sharp and viewing angles are sufficient, if not great. We were pleasantly surprised by the phone's speaker, which pumped out pretty loud and rich sound.

The primary camera struggled a bit with detailing and exposure but ultimately managed to pull off quite a few good shots. Close-ups were the best, though there was still noise and murkiness to natural textures. Low-light shots looked impressive at first but were completely unusable if enlarged to actual size. You'll be fine if you only want to share photos on social media, but not for anything beyond that. Videos were also adequate for a phone that costs this much.

(Tap to see full-sized images)

Benchmarks showed that the MediaTek Helio X10 SoC can pull a fair amount of weight, exceeding Qualcomm's mid-range offerings such as the Snapdragon 616 in many areas, and closing in on the high-end Snapdragon 808. We logged 52,057 points in AnTuTu and 23,471 overall in Quadrant. As expected, graphics scores lagged just a little bit, with 27fps in GFXBench and 8,552 in 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme. This phone is well up to the challenge of Android gaming and will deliver smooth visuals in any of today's titles.

We were able to loop our battery test video for 7 hours, 51 minutes before the battery died, which is just about average. In everyday situations, we were happy to note that the Le 1s just about got through a regular day's usage. What saved the day though was quick charging - the device comes with a really bulky charger, but it pays off when you can zoom up to a double-digit battery percentage in just a few minutes.

Verdict
LeEco might have been late to the party but it did arrive in style. The company claims that 70,000 units of the Le 1s sold out within two secondsin the first flash sale, and that over 6,00,000 people registered for the chance to claim one. Over three million units have sold in China in the three months since it launched there, so there's clearly no shortage of demand.

Meanwhile, things just keep getting better for value-minded Indian buyers. With this phone, you get considerable power and top-notch specifications, all neatly presented in a very nice package. The most obvious competitor right now is the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note, which has slightly poorer specifications but has better entertainment capabilities including an optional VR headset, which is a totally unique feature. There's also the Moto G (Gen 3)( Review) to consider, if you'd rather have durability and great software than looks and raw performance.

Go for this phone if you're willing to give a brand new player a chance, and if you would really like to have a premium-looking phone that you can show off. However, keep in mind that even though you can now get a lot of the looks and specifications of a high-end flagship, you can't assume that you'll also get the same level of finesse.

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Police Photos, Audio Released From Scene of Party Brawl Involving Palins

The Sept.

The Sept. 6 melee was initially reported by police as a fight involving around 20 people at a South Anchorage home. Homeowner Korey Klingenmeyer ​was hosting a birthday party for his son and twin brothers Marc and Matthew McKenna. Palin's husband, Todd, a friend of the McKennas, was also celebrating his 50th birthday.

According to witnesses, the Palin family arrived at Klingenmeyer's home in a Hummer limousine and were involved in the brawls that took place later that evening.

24 Wedding Favor Ideas That Don't Suck

Setting aside part of your wedding budget for useless favors that guests will throw out as soon as they get home just isn't worth it.

Something Turquoise/Vitalic Photo

Setting aside part of your wedding budget for useless favors that guests will throw out as soon as they get home just isn't worth it. (We're looking at you, picture frames inscribed with the couple's names and wedding date.)

Instead, give your guests something they'll actually want to eat, drink or keep. Below are 24 fun and useful favor ideas that they're guaranteed to love.

Awesome Wedding Ideas

Lindsey Graham: A Trump Or Cruz Win Would Be Like 'Being Shot Or Poisoned'

WASHINGTON -- If business mogul Donald Trump or Sen.

WASHINGTON -- If business mogul Donald Trump or Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) win the GOP presidential nomination, Republicans will lose the 2016 contest, one of their former rivals, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), declared Thursday.

"The only way we lose this election is to nominate somebody who cannot grow this party’s vote among minorities, young women, and the coalitions we need to win," Graham told reporters on Capitol Hill. "If you nominate Trump and Cruz I think you’d get the same outcome. Whether it’s death by being shot or poisoning, does it really matter? I don’t think the outcome will be substantially different."

Not only would Trump and Cruz -- who have both staked out strongly anti-immigration positions -- fail to grow the Republican Party, they would turn away regular voters even more than Graham thinks Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would, he said.

"Dishonest, which is Hillary Clinton in the eyes of the American people, beats crazy," Graham said. "I think Donald Trump’s domestic and foreign policy is gibberish. I think Ted Cruz has a reputation of being ideological to a fault, and that when it comes to problem solving, he will have a very difficult time proving that he is a problem solver."

He pointed to both of the GOP front-runners' hard-line stances on immigration, and to Cruz's position on banning abortion, which makes no exception for rape or incest, as positions that will alienate voters the party needs to win.

"That entire package with Trump and Cruz, in my view, would make it possible for her, if she’s the nominee, or Bernie, to win an election they should lose," Graham said. "And if you take those two off the table, dishonest loses to normal."

"So let’s just pick somebody out of the phone book if we have to," added Graham, who recently backed Jeb Bush. "We can win this election unless we lose it."

Graham also had plenty to say that was unflattering about Clinton's top rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), calling him the most liberal contender who has ever had a shot at actually winning the White House.

"I would say this: that we have an election cycle that’s beyond strange," Graham said.

"If the past is any indication of the future in terms of [Cruz, Sanders and Trump], I think America would be in trouble if any of them got to be president of the United States," Graham said.

Watch Graham's remarks in full, including more on Sanders, above.

More: Lindsey Graham Hillary Clinton Bernie Sanders Donald Trump Ted Cruz

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DEA Hired A TSA Informant To Help Take Cash From People's Luggage

A Department of Justice watchdog officially condemned the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration this month, following a report that the agency had recruited a Transportation Security Administration security screener to search bags for cash that the DEA could confiscate.

Mark Lennihan/Associated Press

The DEA recruited a TSA bag-checker as an informant to help seize cash from passengers' luggage.

The very existence of such a partnership highlights much broader concerns about the controversial legal practice known as civil asset forfeiture, which critics say contorts law enforcement priorities and props up a system of policing for profit.

In a summary of its investigation, the DOJ's Office of the Inspector General concluded that the agreement "violated DEA policy" on a number of levels. While the OIG determined that the TSA informant never provided any actionable information to the DEA, it concluded that the plans to pay the agent out of the cash he or she helped seize "could have violated individuals’ protection against unreasonable searches and seizures if it led to a subsequent DEA enforcement action."

In effect, the OIG was questioning the propriety of an arrangement in which a TSA agent would use his or her power to tip off the DEA to the presence of cash in travelers' luggage, and then receive compensation based on how profitable that information was to the agency.

Robert Everett Johnson, an attorney for the libertarian public interest law firm Institute for Justice, says the same criticism could be made about the entire practice of civil asset forfeiture, which allows law enforcement officials to seize a person's property -- including cash, cars, jewelry and houses -- without obtaining a conviction or even charging the owner with a crime.

"This really is what we see every day around the country -- when law enforcement takes property using civil forfeiture, law enforcement is able to keep that property and use it to fund their budgets and in many cases even to pay the salaries of people who are overseeing the forfeitures," said Johnson.

"That creates an obvious financial incentive to take property from people who haven't done anything or haven't been proven to have done anything wrong. It creates an incentive for all kinds of abuse," he added.

Civil forfeiture has become a critical source of revenue for law enforcement over the past decade, with state and federal agencies now taking in hundreds of millions of dollars in property, and likely more, each year. Cash has meanwhile emerged as a favorite target for police, even if it's just hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Transportation hubs are a particular point of focus for the DEA. A 2015 OIG report found that from 2009 to 2013, the DEA seized $163 million in 4,138 individual cash seizures, many of which were contested and later overturned. The agency has also come under fire in recent cases that involved agents seizing cash from airlineand train passengers, and in some cases, allegedly shaking them down.

In the Justice Department report this month, the OIG also called out the DEAfor paying an Amtrak informant nearly $1 million over two decades to provide them with passenger information that was already available to the agency.

Law enforcement officials regularly tout civil asset forfeiture as an important tool for fighting the drug trade, because it allows them to go after property directly, without any evidence of criminal behavior on the part of its owner. Drug traffickers, they say, are smart enough not to carry cash and contraband at the same time.

Of course, it's not actually illegal to put a few thousands dollars into a checked bag -- but in the mind of some drug warriors, any individual carrying a large amount of cash must have obtained it illegally, even if the authorities can't prove it.

Officers will often seize cash based solely upon this presumption, and then work to build a case for permanent forfeiture. Under federal guidelines and many state laws, however, law enforcement can win cases based on very weak evidence, which often has the effect of leaving property owners with the burden of proving that their property isn't related to criminal activity.

The GOP Establishment Has Found The One Thing That Can Make Donald Trump Palatable: Ted Cruz

Feb. 26 -- I n a surprise move, New Jersey Gov.

Scott Olson via Getty Images

n a surprise move, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a former presidential candidate, endorsed Donald Trump, the current Republican front-runner -- the clearest evidence yet that the GOP is finding a way to become comfortable with the reality TV star.

Previously:

Ted Cruz may wind up becoming Donald Trump's greatest weapon.

The Republican establishment has spent the last few months warning that the rise of Trump's presidential candidacy represented a grave threat, not just to the party, but to the country itself. That may still be the case. But in recent weeks, the GOP brass has come face to face with the one man who could make Trump begin to appear appealing: Ted Cruz.

"Cruz has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way in D.C., whereas Trump hasn't, and Trump up until this year was pretty much a player," said Craig Shirley, a longtime GOP strategist and charter member of the establishment. "Ultimately, the Washington establishment deep down -- although they find Trump tacky or distasteful -- they think that they ultimately can work with him. Deep down, a lot of people think it is an act."

There is ample reason for Republican insiders to feel more affinity to the real estate mogul than to the brash Texas tea party senator. As Shirley noted, Washington has spent decades doing business with Trump, if not personally begging him for checks.

But, mainly, the reason that Republican leaders are moving toward Trump has nothing to do with him. They viscerally, unashamedly loathe Cruz.

“Nobody likes him.” It's a line Trump has used several times to describe Cruz, but it's also a quote attributed to GOP greybeard Bob Dolethat was published Wednesday by The New York Times (of all places). Another former Republican Senate majority leader, Trent Lott (R-Miss.), said the same day that he, too, would take Trump over Cruz . That came a day after Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, the longest-serving governor in the nation, broke his longstanding neutrality to encourage caucus-goers to vote against the Texas senator. That, in turn, came a week after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the party's 2008 presidential nominee, said there were "issues" over whether Cruz was even eligible for the presidency -- putting McCain philosophically in cahoots with Trump, a man who not too long ago mocked his war service .

Trump, the national front-runner with just weeks before voting begins, still doesn’t have a single endorsement from a sitting member of Congress, and must be one of the first major party candidates to have been dropped by so many corporate partners, all of whom feared his hate speech would rub off on their own brands. But the retired Republican class that no longer has to face primary voters has begun to speak its mind, and Trump has been the beneficiary.

Why the pile-on? For starters, there is a (quite reasonable) assumption that Trump has just been putting on a show the last few months, that he doesn't actually believe the off-the-wall fascism coming out of his mouth, let alone plan to follow through on it. That he's spoken about tracking a more moderate path in the general election only affirms the suspicion that he's a man with whom you can do business.

Ted Cruz, though, means business. He gives the impression of a very bright man who settled on his political worldview as a 19-year-old, and has been playing clever word games in empty debates ever since. He is a grown man, he's losing his hair, but he will still deliver a passionate speech about Mumia Abu Jamal on the Senate floor as if it were his Princeton dorm room. Cruz has lived among Washington for three years, and his penchant for being a pain has earned him few friends, outside of a few senators looking to stir up Congress and a small group of House conservatives looking to do the same.

President Franklin Roosevelt, when taking on the banks during the Great Depression, famously said, "They are unanimous in their hate for me -- and I welcome their hatred ." Cruz is following FDR's lead, but substituting Republicans for bankers (while being married to a Goldman Sachs banker). Cruz has shown a real willingness to put Republicans in difficult positions and then to place the blame at their feet when those positions bloom into abject disasters (remember the October 2013 government shutdown?). Cruz has little interest in making sure practical things, like keeping government agencies funded, are accomplished, at least when there are fundraising lists to be grown. That unwillingness to go along -- and the 'Is it good for the Cruz?' mindset so visible to D.C. insiders -- has earned him both the support of the angry GOP electorate and many an earful at private weekly lunches held by Senate Republicans.

Beyond his weird politics -- he backs returning to the gold standard (!) and flat-out abolishing the IRS -- he is the first presidential candidate in modern history to acknowledge that he is an unpleasant person to be around. And he did so, appropriately, in creepy fashion. "If you want someone to grab a beer with, I may not be that guy," Cruz said at a debate. "But if you want someone to drive you home, I will get the job done and I will get you home."

That off-putting personality that Cruz so proudly owns makes him, in the eyes of many Republicans, a truly horrifying standard-bearer. “If he’s the nominee, we’re going to have wholesale losses in Congress and state offices and governors and legislatures,” said Dole.

These Are The Best Presidential Campaign Posters Of All Time

, a 2012 publication of the Library of Congress, examines these and other posters and their effect on the electoral vote.

Also on HuffPost:

Most Awkward Moments On The 2016 Campaign Trail

Most Awkward Moments On The 2016 Campaign Trail

of

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton greets, talks and takes pictures with her Iowa organizers during a pizza party in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on July 17, 2015.

Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Here's What Happens When Cops Police For Profit, Not Public Safety

A controversial program that allows police to seize private property has become a massive revenue driver for law enforcement departments around the country, an expansive report published Tuesday has found.

has found. Under the practice known as civil asset forfeiture, police and prosecutors work together to permanently seize cash and property -- including cars, homes and businesses -- based on the suspicion that it's connected to criminal activity.

While civil forfeiture is regularly touted as an important crime-fighting tool, authorities don't need to charge owners with a crime in order to take their property, and most of the time, forfeiture is approved without any definitive proof of the alleged criminal ties. Once the government takes control of a person's property, it's typically sold off, sending proceeds back the police departments and legal offices that worked the case.

In the new edition of its "Policing for Profit" study, the Institute for Justice, a libertarian public interest law firm, reports that civil asset forfeiture nets the federal government billions of dollars each year. The Justice Department and Treasury Department deposited more than $5 billion jointly into their forfeiture funds in 2014, up from less than $1 billion in 2004. Each year, feds give hundreds of millions of dollars back to the state and local agencies that are often responsible for making the initial seizures. But even after their obligations, the total value of assets remaining in these funds surged to $4.5 billion in 2014 -- more than seven times what it was a decade ago.

Institute for Justice

While these numbers include property confiscated through both criminal and civil forfeiture, the report notes that the vast majority of forfeitures over the past nearly 20 years have come through the civil process. Criminal forfeiture attracts less criticism than its counterpart, because it actually requires prosecutors to charge a suspect, build a case and ultimately obtain a conviction before making a seizure permanent.

Civil forfeiture, on the other hand, allows authorities to bypass the legal protections granted to criminal defendants, because they're technically only charging the property itself with a crime. At the federal level and in 31 states, for example, authorities only need to show that seized property is more likely than not to be connected to criminal activity. That's far below the standard required for a criminal conviction, which puts the burden of proof at "beyond a reasonable doubt."

This means that even if an innocent person has the time and financial resources to fight for their property in court, they may have an uphill battle to provide sufficient evidence that it was not, in fact, linked to a crime. And if they choose not to contest the seizure, in most cases the property will simply be presumed "guilty."

Law enforcement officials say this standard makes it possible to target the finances of wealthy criminals who may no longer carry cash and contraband in the same car, for example. But the countless horror storiesof law-abiding civilians who have gotten hopelessly entangled in the process suggest the current rules are prone to abuse.

The report also digs into the profit motives civil forfeiture offers to police who make seizures. If departments operate with the understanding that more seizures lead to more money for budget items including equipment and salaries, they're more likely to aggressively pursue that process, inevitably leading them to exploit its lack of significant safeguards for innocent owners. This can have a further corrupting influence on law enforcement by leading police and prosecutors to adjust their budgets and tactics in order to prioritize fundraising over public safety and justice. A 2014 report published by The Washington Postrevealed just how big the business of civil forfeiture has become for police forces, often leading them to train officers in the best way to pursue seizures and take advantage of lax standards for the benefit of the department.

Lawmakers and critics have begun pushing back on civil asset forfeiture at the state level over the past year, introducing reform measures to address abuse and concerns about incentive structures. Advocates have already been successful in places like New Mexico, Michigan and Washington, D.C. But the Institute for Justice's new report card on state civil forfeiture laws shows just how much work there is left to do. In total, 35 states earn grades of D-plus or below, suggesting there's a national standard of weak protections for property owners and high profit margins for police.

Mississippi Bill Would Let Churches Create Armed Security Squads

What would Jesus pack?

The Mississippi Senate just passed a bill that would allow churches to train members to carry guns and act as security guards during religious services -- and exempt them from legal action if they use their weapons.

" This will allow a church to have a sergeant-at-armsto protect the church body, just like we have (in the Legislature)," Sean Tindell, a Republican state senator, was quoted as saying by the Clarion-Ledger.

Tindell pointed to last year's massacre at a church in Charleston, South Carolinaas an example of why churches need an armed guard.

Others said the Mississippi Church Protection Act crossed a line, especially since it does more than allow churches to have armed guards. It also legalizes concealed carry in a holster without a permit throughout the state -- so-called "constitutional carry" -- and prohibits state officials from enforcing any federal gun regulation not passed by Congress.

That last part was presumably aimed at President Barack Obama's proposed executive orders to increase background checks, among others.

"We don't need to pimp out the church for political purposes," said state senator Hillman Frazier, according to WDAM. "If you want to pass laws to liberalize gun laws, do that. But don't use the church to do that."

Frazier, a Democrat, held a sword as he spoke, and told a Biblical story of Jesus healing the servant of a high priest whose ear was cut off by one of the disciples, the news station reported.

The law would require churches or other places of worship to provide training for the armed member or members. That person would then be immune from civil prosecution when using the weapon in church "if the action in question occurs during the reasonable exercise of and within the course and scope of the member's official duties as a member of the security program for the church or place of worship."

Some church leaders welcomed the bill.

" The reality is that we’re a soft target,” Larry Dean, pastor of the Bridgetown Baptist Church in Nesbit, Mississippi, told The Daily Beast. "Anyone can carry a weapon at any time and do whatever evil they are going to do. Having a gun is one way to stop or restrain them."

The Mississippi Police Chiefs Association (MPCA) blasted the bill, particularly the part that eliminated the need to obtain permits for concealed carry.

"By effectively dismantling Mississippi’s licensing system, this bill would block law enforcement who stop an armed suspect from confirming that he isn’t a violent criminal, severely mentally ill or otherwise dangerous," Ken Winter, executive director of the MPCA, told the Clarion-Ledger last month. " This bill would put law enforcement officers and all Mississippians directly in harm’s way."

In addition, the Secular Coalition for America named it "the worst bill in America."

"This legislation would put 'soldiers of God' above the law, allowing them to act as judge, jury and executioner," executive director Larry T. Decker said in a statement.

"Religious institutions are already exempt from taxation, financial transparency and many civil rights laws. The Mississippi Church Protection Act would constitute an unprecedented and dangerous next step. Belonging to a church should not afford anyone the same rights and protections as law enforcement. This legislation emboldens extremists by creating a legal means for radical preachers to enlist their congregants into 'God’s army.'"

The bill now goes to Gov. Phil Bryant (R).

(h/t Raw Story)

Pivotal Moments In The U.S. Gun Control Debate

Pivotal Moments In The U.S. Gun Control Debate

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1981: The Attempted Assassination Of President Ronald Reagan

on March 30, 1981, President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, was shot in the head.

Ron Edmonds, AP

More: Gun Laws Mississippi Gun Law Church Guns Guns In Church Mississippi Church Guns

Muslim Americans Open Up About How Islamophobia Has Affected Their Lives

Years of discrimination have taken a toll on Muslim American communities.

Being A Muslim In America

This is what it's like to be a Muslim in America.

The Huffington Poston Monday, March 28, 2016

Years of discrimination have taken a toll on Muslim American communities. More hate-fueled incidents -- from physical attacks, to the vandalizing of mosquesto divisive rhetoric from presidential candidates-- are popping up every month.Some Muslims are saying that Islamophobia is worse than it's ever been.

In a new video, HuffPost Riseinvited four Muslim Americans to talk about what it's like to be a Muslim in America today.

The interviewees spoke about how simple acts of devotion -- like wearing a hijab, growing a beard, or fasting -- can be misconstrued and misunderstood by those who are biased against Islam.

Rowaida Abdelaziz, a social media editor at The Huffington Post, spoke in the video about how these material signs of faith have become politicized. During the aftermath of the San Bernardinoshootings, broadcast stations rummaged through the home of the suspected shooters, pointing out items like a prayer rug and a Quran.

"If someone went through my apartment they'd see those exact same things," Abdelaziz said. "These are things that I use for my personal life, to get me through my day to day, that emphasize my spirituality."

"And all of a sudden, they are being equated to the tools of a terrorist," she continued.

Imam Khalid Latif, chaplain of New York University's Islamic Center, said that many Muslims have to choose between practicing their faith and "just being able to live day to day."

"This is a population that has been marginalized in every sense of the word," Latif said.

The question many American Muslims are asking themselves, according to Latif, is: "How do I fit into a society that is not always accepting of me?"

Watch the video above for more.

More: Muslim American Muslims Muslim In America Islam Islamophobia

Republicans Finally Confirmed A Judge. Is This Obama's Last One?

WASHINGTON -- Something rare happened Monday.

Joshua Roberts / Reuters

WASHINGTON -- Something rare happened Monday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) let a judicial nominee get a vote: Waverly Crenshaw, a Tennessee district court nominee.

It's been two months since Republicans confirmed a judge. If anybody should have been confirmed by now, it's Crenshaw. Nobody opposed him -- he was confirmed 92 to 0. Both of his GOP senators strongly supported him. The court seat he's filling has become so overloaded with cases that it's become a judicial emergency. Yet Crenshaw, who unanimously cleared the Judiciary Committee nine months ago, had to wait almost a year and a half for a vote.

If it takes this long to confirm a judge that Republicans actually like, things don't look good for President Barack Obama's other court picks. Never mind the ongoing GOP blockade against his Supreme Court nominee; there are 31 other judicial nominees waiting for action in the Judiciary Committee and 14 more ready to be confirmed right now. None are scheduled for votes. Republicans are already confirming judges at the slowest pace in more than 50 years-- and the Senate tends to slow down confirmations as it gets closer to November in presidential election years.

Crenshaw could be it for Obama.

McConnell spokesman Don Stewart wouldn't say when, or if, the Senate will vote to confirm the next judicial nominees on the list.

"I don’t have any new announcements yet," he said.

The delays are part of a broader GOP strategy to punt judicial confirmations to next year, when a Republican might be in the White House and nominate people they like better. Crenshaw is only the 17th judge who has been confirmed since the GOP became the Senate majority in January 2015. By contrast, in the final two years of President George W. Bush's term, Democrats controlled the Senate and had confirmed 68 judicial nominees by this point.

Court vacancies have been ticking up in the meantime. They're at 78 now, and 34 of them are emergencies. When court seats go unfilled, people's cases can get delayed for yearsand judges struggle with burnout.

There could be a little more movement before Obama leaves the Oval Office. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told a Politico reporterMonday evening that he "would be surprised if [Crenshaw] is the last one of the year."

But if confirmations do hit a wall until 2017, or come close to it, it's not just Obama's problem. There are GOP senators with courts in their states that desperately need vacancies filled, and who may not get them anytime soon, despite the fact that their party controls the Senate.

Take Idaho Republican Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch. Last week, they enthusiastically endorsedObama's nomination of David Nye to the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho. That court has two seats on it, one of which is vacant and a judicial emergency. It also has a heavy enough workload that it should have a third judgeship added to it, according to the U.S. Judicial Conference, the policy-making arm of the federal court system. So this court, if it's fully functioning, should have three judges on it.

But Nye is at the bottom of the list in the Judiciary Committee. He still has to get a hearing scheduled, have a hearing, go through a round of follow-up questions from the hearing, get voted out, get scheduled for a confirmation vote and then have a confirmation vote. There's time to get through all of that between now and the end of the year, but if Republicans plan to move judges in order -- and at the pace Crenshaw moved -- Nye won't get a vote until 2017 or even early 2018. That leaves the Idaho court with one judge until then.

Crapo and Risch have already met with McConnell and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, to try to get the process moving.

"It's doable," Risch told The Spokesman-Reviewon Monday. "Is it going to happen? You know, that's like trying to say who's going to be president of the United States these days."

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who specializes in judicial confirmations, wasn't optimistic about the GOP picking up the pace.

"I think they're just going to run out the clock this year, in the hope that Republicans will win the White House," Tobias said. "That will leave the next president with 100 vacancies to fill and 40 to 50 emergencies."

But what if Hillary Clinton wins? Don't Republicans run the risk of her putting forward more liberal nominees than Obama?

"Hillary should just do whatever she wants to do," he said.

10 Ways The Supreme Court Could Settle 4-4 Ties

10 Ways The Supreme Court Could Settle 4-4 Ties

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Throw the book at each other

It's about time the legal expression of "the judge threw the book at him/her" was turned into a literal game of competitive dodgeball using a hardcover copy of Kafka's The Trial .

shutterstock

More: Judicial Nominees Obama Nominees Federal Court Senate Confirmations Mitch Mcconnell Confirmations

US Agency Advises Windows PC Users Remove Apple's QuickTime Over Bugs

The US government has recommended that Windows PC users uninstall Apple Inc's QuickTime video player after security software maker Trend Micro Inc said on Thursday it had discovered two new bugs in the software.

Trend Micro said it had uncovered two critical vulnerabilities in the version of the QuickTime media player for MicrosoftCorp's Windows operating system, which could be leveraged to launch attacks on PCs if users visit a malicious web page or open a tainted file.

The warning does not apply to QuickTime for Apple's Mac computers.

A spokesman for Appledeclined comment.

Trend Micro said that it did not know of any cases where the bugs had been exploited by attackers, but urged Windowsusers to immediately uninstall it because Apple was phasing out the program, which means it will not fix the bugs.

The Department of Homeland Security's United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, or US-CERT, said in an alert on Thursday that the bugs put users at heightened risks from viruses and other security threats since Apple was ending support for the product.

"The only mitigation available is to uninstall QuickTime for Windows," the alert said.

© Thomson Reuters 2016

It's Not Just The Supreme Court. Republicans Are Screwing Lots Of Other Courts Too.

WASHINGTON -- It sucks to be Merrick Garland right now.

Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

Some snails glide at a faster pace than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is confirming federal judges.

WASHINGTON -- It sucks to be Merrick Garland right now. He was nominated to the job of his life -- Supreme Court justice -- and Republicans won't even give him a vote. It's not that they have bad things to say about him; they just don't want President Barack Obama to fill the empty court seat.

It's worth noting there are 46 other Merrick Garlands. That is, 46 other judicial nominees are in the same boat. They’re not in line for the Supreme Court, but like Garland, they’re nominees to federal courts who aren’t getting votes (except one, who just got scheduled for a Monday vote). That's because GOP leaders don't want to confirm judges until 2017. By then, they hope, a Republican will be in the White House and will put forward nominees they like better.

Not only are they screwing the judicial branch of government by dragging out confirmations -- when vacancies pile up on district and circuit courts, people's cases can get delayed for years and judges burn out-- but they're screwing themselves. Some GOP senators really need judicial nominees confirmed, but are being denied by their own party leaders.

Take Marilyn Horan, who would fill a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, a post that's been vacant for 921 days. She has the support of her Republican senator, Pat Toomey, and has been ready for a confirmation vote since January. But Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hasn't scheduled it. Suzanne Mitchell would fill a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma that has been empty for 1,006 days. Both of her senators, Republicans James Inhofe and James Lankford, back her. But it's been four months since her nomination and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the Judiciary Committee chairman, hasn't even given her a hearing.

For some broader perspective, consider that Republicans have only confirmed 16 judicial nominees since becoming the Senate majority in January 2015. At this same point in President George W. Bush's eighth year, when Democrats controlled the Senate, 40 judicial nominees had been confirmed.

Obama said what Republicans are doing to the courts is "dangerous."

"There’s a lot of work that needs to get done and you need judges, and right now, there are emergency situations in districts across the country," the president said at a Thursday event in Chicago.

When vacancies don't get filled on the Supreme Court and elsewhere, "people then just view the courts as an extension of our political parties -- polarized political parties," he continued. "I f confidence in the courts consistently breaks down, then you start seeing our attitudes about democracy generally starting to break down, a legitimacy breaking down in ways that are very dangerous."

Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

The last time the Senate confirmed a judge was in mid-February, and that was only because McConnell postponed a package of judicial nominees from 2015 into the new year. There are 15 judicial nominees ready for a confirmation vote right now, but only one of those votes has been scheduled. Another 32 are waiting on the Judiciary Committee, which hasn't held a hearing for a nominee since January. F ederal courts, meanwhile, are at 79 vacancies and climbing.

"All the air in the room has been taken out by the Supreme Court, but the lower courts are equally problematic, if not worse," said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who specializes in judicial confirmations. "Ninety-nine percent of cases are decided in the lower courts."

The one nominee who is scheduled for a vote is Waverly Crenshaw, a Tennessee district court nominee. If ever there was an obvious nominee to confirm, it's Crenshaw: He's been waiting nine months for a vote, he cleared the Judiciary Committee unanimously and he has the support of both of his GOP senators, Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander. The seat is also a judicial emergency.

Giving Crenshaw a vote "is just giving the least [that the] GOP can," Tobias said.

It's unclear whether GOP leaders will relent on giving Garland a vote (it's not looking likely), or if they'll pick up the pace on judicial confirmations in general. McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said Friday that he doesn't expect Crenshaw to be the last judicial confirmation of the year.

"No announcements for you yet, though," he said.

Smartphones Under Rs. 15,000 With Great Battery Life

A key specification that most customers look for in a smartphone nowadays is its battery capacity, and for how long it can run before shutting off.

A key specification that most customers look for in a smartphone nowadays is its battery capacity, and for how long it can run before shutting off. With power requirements becoming more and more demanding, companies are having to stuff massive batteries into their smartphones to stay ahead of the competition.

( Also see : Best Camera Phones Under Rs. 15,000)

This year, we saw several battery-focused smartphones launched in India, and here's a list of some of the best under Rs. 15,000 - based on our in-depth reviews. While a large battery capacity does hint at good battery life, it is not always the case, as several factors affect a smartphone's power consumption, from display type and resolution to the baseband radio and software optimisation.

( Also see : 10 Smartphones We Loved in 2015)

Thus, while certain specifications may appear good on paper, they may not necessarily translate into a smartphone with great battery life. Here we list smartphones we've put through our rigorous testing processes and have emerged at the top of the battery charts in no particular order.

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE550KL)
The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE550KL)was launched in August this year and packs a replaceable 3000mAh battery under the hood. In our review, the smartphone performed well and ran for almost 14 hours in our video loop test. The large 3000mAh battery is certainly a contributor to this, and the rest of it can be put down to specifications that work efficiently with the system. With regular usage, the Laser can deliver over a day of battery life on a single charge. The smartphone can be purchased at Rs. 9,999.

Coolpad Dazen 1
The Coolpad Dazen 1that entered India in May this year is a low-cost workhorse featuring a 2500mAh battery, which is also one of the standout features of the smartphone. Receiving 8/10 under battery performance, the Dazen 1 lasted an impressive 12 hours, 19 minutes in our review video loop test. When used moderately for daily work, this phone should last well into a second day on a single charge. Launched at Rs. 6,999, the smartphone can now be purchased from e-commerce websites for as low as Rs. 5,999.

Acer Liquid Z630s
The Acer Liquid Z630swith a 4000mAh battery was launched in October this year and is comparatively new in the market. The smartphone delivers enough juice to go for the whole day. The phone lasted about a day and a half with a bit of calls, gaming and video playback during our review. The smartphone managed to last 13 hours and 12 minutes in our video loop test, which is quite good. The handset is priced at Rs. 10,999 and can be a decent daily driver for users who are looking for battery-focused smartphones under Rs. 15,000.

Xiaomi Mi 4i
The Xiaomi Mi 4iis another competitor that received positive feedback for its battery capacity. Featuring a 3120mAh battery, the budget smartphone received a 8/10 rating for its battery life. While the smartphone easily lasted an entire day with moderate usage, it was even able to stretch itself until the next morning. Launched in April this year, Mi 4i came with maximum retail price of Rs. 12,999. However, it can now be bought at rates as low as Rs. 10,999 from e-commerce websites.

Panasonic Eluga Icon
The Panasonic Eluga Icon, which came to the Indian market in August this year, bears a 3500mAh battery. Currently priced at Rs. 10,990 from various online retailers, the low-cost 4G smartphone battery can easily get you through an entire day and a little bit more if you activate the power saving modes. During our video loop test, the handset delivered an impressive 10 hours and 12 minutes of battery life.

Lenovo A6000 Plus
The Lenovo A6000 Plus, which was launched in April this year, also proves to be a worthy competitor when it comes to battery performance. The smartphone with its 2300mAh battery was termed as 'excellent' in our reviewsand the smartphone scored 9/10 for battery life. In our in-house tests, the smartphone lasted 10 hours, 34 minutes, which again is more than enough to run for full day on a single charge with regular usage. The smartphone, which was launched at Rs. 7,499 can be grabbed at under Rs. 7,000 from select online retailers.

Gionee Marathon M4
Gionee's Marathon smartphones are known for their impressive battery life. While the Marathon M4launched at a little above Rs. 15,000, it can now be purchased at around Rs. 11,000. The smartphone's 5000mAh battery can be stretched further using two power saver modes. This phone lasted a record-shattering 21 hours, 23 minutesin our video loop test. We were able to get through entire days of normal usage including a few games and videos and lots of 4G data usage with plenty of capacity to spare.

Obi Worldphone SF1
The brand new Obi Worldphone SF1, with its 3000mAh non-removable battery, also gave decent results in our tests. Priced at Rs. 14,000, the smartphone battery delivered 9 hours and 53 minutes in our video loop test. With regular use, we found ourselves easily pushing past a day's worth of usage, which is good.

Disclosure: Gadgets 360 is the exclusive retail partner for Obi Worldphone SF1. Inflexion Point of Obi's John Sculley's is an investor in Gadgets 360.