Alcatel launches three new smartphones

MANILA — Alcatel has launched three mid-range smartphones to the local market that the company hopes to market to working teenagers.

The Alcatel Shine Lite is the most premium of the lot, priced at P9,999, and packaged as a stylish and affordable smartphone. It comes with a 5-inch HD display in a metal frame within a glass enclosure. It has 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, 1.3 GHZ MediaTek quad-core processor, 13 megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera, 4G LTE, and a 2460mAh non-removable battery.

Alcatel also launched the Pixi 4 Power which retails for P6,999. The smartphone has a bigger 5.5-inch display and a 5,000mAh battery that can also act as a powerbank for other devices. It comes with a modest 1GB ram, 8 GB of storage, 1.3 ghz quadcore processor, 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera.

The most affordable of the bunch is the Pixi 4 that goes for P4,999. It almost has similar features with the Pixi 4 Power except it has a smaller 5-inch display and 2,000 mah battery.

source: interaksyon.com

Justin Bieber flirts with retirement in Christmas Eve tweets

NEW YORK | Teenage pop star Justin Bieber sent out a series of mixed messages over his Twitter feed on Tuesday night, one of which said he was retiring, on the eve of the Christmas Day release of the latest film chronicling the life of the Canadian singer.

The tweet to the 19-year-old’s nearly 48 million followers – “My beloved beliebers I’m officially retiring” – was quickly followed by another message: “I’m never leaving you, being a belieber is a lifestyle.”

And then: “IM HERE FOREVER.”

Representatives for Bieber did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.

The Canadian singer has been involved in a series of headline-grabbing incidents over the past year.

In March, the singer scuffled with a photographer outside a London hotel during a European tour. Later that month, police were called to his Los Angeles area home after a neighbor claimed he had been threatened and struck by Bieber.

In June, Bieber struck a photographer with his Ferrari sports car while driving away from a comedy club in Los Angeles, though police said the accident was not considered a hit-and-run.

The movie, “Justin Bieber’s Believe,” which takes the name of Bieber’s third studio album, could help repair his image after the difficult year.

“I think people forget that it’s a 19-year-old kid, trying to figure it out,” Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, told ABC News, adding the film shows Bieber as “a human.”

At one point in the film, director Jon Chu suggests Bieber’s life could become a “train wreck.”

The “retirement” message went out on the night of Christmas Eve and by the following morning had nearly a quarter million retweets and over 185,000 favorites.

Twitter user @theycallmejerry tweeted: “A life without Justin Bieber. A life without my idol, hero, inspiration, my everything. Not the best thing to think about on Christmas Eve.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Twitter user CozImAGuy said, “Justin Bieber retiring is the greatest Christmas gift EVER.”

source: interaksyon.com

Fewer US teenagers getting driver's license

New York (dpa) - Fewer youngsters in the United States are getting their driver's license according to a study by American researchers who say the phenomenon has to do with the internet.

The number of 17- to 19-year-olds with a driver's license has dropped from 80 per cent to 60 per cent in the last 30 years, said scientists from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Researchers compared internet usage and the number of driver's license holders in 15 countries - including the United States, Germany, Spain, Japan and Switzerland.

''We found that in countries with a higher level of internet usage the number of young drivers is lower,'' Michael Sivak, a co-author of the study, told dpa. ''This reflects that virtual contact through electronic media reduces the necessity for real contact in young people.''

Sivak said hard economic times are another reason for the drastic decrease in teenagers getting their driver's license in the United States as fewer teenagers can afford a car and petrol.

In addition, more young people are moving to bigger cities and using public transportation. Also, an increasing number of youngsters are more environmentally aware and therefore make do without a car.

source: mb.com.ph