Samsung Galaxy Mega with a 6.3" display

The newest addition to the GALAXY family balances an optimal viewing experience on a 6.3-inch HD screen, yet is ultra-thin and portable enough to put into a pocket or hold in one hand.

Sure. But can you still use it effectively with one hand?

The GALAXY Mega offers a mix of popular smartphone and tablet features such as an effortless user experience, a split screen, multitasking between video and other apps and more.

Like how the Microsoft Surface offered a mix of a tablet and notebook with no compromises?

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Microsoft's changes to Windows 8 certification rules hint at potential iPad mini competitor

Microsoft recently relaxed its hardware certification rules to allow devices with screen resolutions of 1,024 by 768 pixels at a depth of 32 bits. But the Redmond, Wash., company also warned developers that it doesn't mean they are allowed to develop hardware with low-resolution displays.

What I find most interesting is they announce a 4:3 aspect ratio when the MS Surfaces and pretty much all tablets, except the iPads, are 16:9.

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The HTC One: A Remarkable Device, Anand’s mini Review

The [HTC] One is without a doubt the best Android smartphone I’ve ever used. HTC’s build quality and materials choices have been steadily improving over the past couple of years and I honestly don’t know a more fitting name for its latest flagship other than the One - it’s the one to get. Even iPhone users looking for something different might be tempted by the One.

Proof that a quality, high-end smartphone doesn't have to look or feel like an iPhone knockoff.

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Most accurate map of oldest light in the universe published by European Space Agency

At that time, the young Universe was filled with a hot dense soup of interacting protons, electrons and photons at about 2700ºC. When the protons and electrons joined to form hydrogen atoms, the light was set free. As the Universe has expanded, this light today has been stretched out to microwave wavelengths, equivalent to a temperature of just 2.7 degrees above absolute zero.

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Mexican Supreme Court rules against Apple in trademark case, iFone seeks damages

It's unknown how much money the Mexican company is looking for, but its corporate lawyer told The Wall Street Journal that the law provides for an award of at least 40 percent of infringing sales.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say 40% of iPhone sales in Mexico is significantly more than iFone has ever seen from their actual business.

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'Veronica Mars' feature film will be a reality via Kickstarter

Kickstarter is primarily associated with hardware projects like Ouya and the Pebble watch — but now the team behind Veronica Mars have turned to the crowdfunding site to get a feature film version of the cult hit show off the ground. In a post on the project's Kickstarter page, creator Rob Thomas explains that he has wanted to create a big-screen adaptation of the show since it finished in 2007, but support from major studios had been scarce. The Kickstarter project, with an established goal of $2 million, is a way for star Kristen Bell and many of the show's cast to return.

With 4.5 hours to get to the $1 million mark and under 12 hours to hit the $2 million makes it gives this Kickstarter campaign two all-time records. Sounds like a good start.

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HitBliss: Earn Credit For 'Free' Movies and TV Shows by Watching Personalized Ads

You earn credit toward TV shows and movies by watching advertising — TV commercials, movie trailers, polls — in what HitBliss calls "Earn Mode." The ads are overwhelmingly high quality video, and not spammy.

This is an interesting concept but I have my doubts about the value to the advertiser for the person who is willing to sit through an exorbitant number of ads to earn some credit for free content.

HitBliss also makes it clear that not everyone's attention is worth the same amount of money. In Earn Mode, a customer's ad queue is prioritized to show her ads with the highest per-second value for that customer. You can earn credits faster if you're willing to part with personalized information for targeted advertising: location, gender, age, income, web and search history, activity on retail sites, viewing history on HitBliss, etc.. Essentially, anything and everything, short of full purchase histories or a user's social graph, that's used for targeted ads online today, can be used to deliver videos that match ad campaigns at HitBliss.

I can already see how this can be abused. If the information is voluntary there will be ways to fudge it to better the "value" of your eyeballs. 

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Coinstar Begins Rollout of PayPal Functionality on Select Kiosks

Coinstar and PayPal conducted a test of the new service in the Dallas metropolitan area last year and quickly saw adoption and interest from users. For instance, initial test results revealed that 40% of kiosk users who used the PayPal feature went back to use PayPal on a Coinstar kiosk an average of two times a month. [via]

This past December PayPal started selling My Cash Cards which are sold like gift cards but work like debit cards. Using the two together will bypass any ATM fees by other banks. 

For the First Time Since Napster, Music Sales Are Growing

If the growth sustains, it means that the predictions we’ve been hearing for a decade and a half have finally come true: Digital sales are increasing fast enough to outpace the decline in physical. Last year, digital grew 9 percent and accounted for 34 percent of revenue.

It is like what Steve Jobs said in 2003 about music piracy "what you have to do is compete with it."

Source: http://allthingsd.com/20130226/for-the-first-time-since-napster-music-sales-are-growing/