4 smartphones with standout features

These days, smartphones are almost all drawing from the same bag of tricks, and it can be hard to tell one from the next. If the average smartphone will do all the basic things you want it to, what does it take to be special? Here are four smartphones with unusual features that really make them stand out.

Nokia Lumia 920

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: This phone forges new Windows Phone ground with wireless-charging support and a highly sensitive screen you can use with gloves. Moreover, Nokia helps fill in Windows Phone OS gaps with a few missing features.

The bad: A thick, heavy build and slippery finish for some colors make the Lumia 920 harder to hold and carry, and the phone’s overhyped camera doesn’t have enough settings.

The cost: $99.99

The bottom line: Nokia’s Lumia 920 is heavy and thick, but if you want the most powerful, feature-rich Windows Phone smartphone available, this is it.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: Oodles of screen real estate make this terrific for videos, games, and reading, and its improved stylus aids productivity. A blazing quad-core processor, a great camera and strong battery life round out the advantages of this Android 4.1 phone.

The bad: The huge display makes it unwieldy to carry, and hiccups in the S Pen stylus and apps can slow you down. The pricey Note 2 isn’t a suitable tablet replacement across all categories.

The cost: $149.99 to $309.99

The bottom line: Samsung delivers a powerful, boundary-pushing device that gets a lot right. Yet its complicated features and high price raise questions about its purpose.

Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: This Droid (Verizon) offers fast performance, a big, eye-popping screen and luxurious design. It also has great call quality, lots of storage, 4G data speeds, and unbeatable battery life.

The bad: The major weakness is a camera that produces subpar images. The phone is filled with Verizon bloatware as well.

The cost: $149.99 to $299.99

The bottom line: Motorola’s fast, stylish Droid Razr Maxx HD offers outstanding battery life, but its camera captures unimpressive images.

Samsung Galaxy Beam

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)

The good: An integrated pico projector, as well as a dual-core processor, 720p video capture and a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen.

The bad: The projection software needs some work, the 5-megapixel camera sometimes blurs indoor shots, and the Beam is thicker and heavier than many phones.

The cost: $474.49 to $839.99

The bottom line: Despite weak software, the Galaxy Beam’s bright projector pushes boundaries, and strong smartphone features make it a worthy standalone device.

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Scott Israel is sworn in as Broward sheriff

As several thousand people looked on inside the Faith Center of Sunrise, new Broward Sheriff Scott Israel was introduced at Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony to a standing ovation.

It’s one of the most powerful elected post in the county, overseeing about 5,500 employees and a $670 million budget.

The BSO Honor Guard and a pipe and drum corps led the procession on stage. Israel’s triplets, 16-year-old Blair, Blake and Brett, led the “Pledge of Allegiance.’’

Israel, a Democrat, takes the reins from form Sheriff Al Lamberti, a Republican, who served in the post since first being appointed by then-Gov. Charlie Crist in 2007. Lambert won over challenger Israel in 2008, but in the most recent election, Israel handily ousted the incumbent. Lamberti has not said what his future plans include.

Even before taking office, Israel set to work changing things at BSO. In December, his transition team sent emails to 28 high-ranking employees telling them they would be out once Israel took over. Many top officials had already announced they would be leaving, including BSO spokesman Jim Leljedal, attorney Judith Levine and Undersheriff Tom Wheeler. Emails from Israel’s transition team to BSO show that Israel has sought information about every aspect of the agency, including budget forecasts, contracts for everything from garbage collection to lobbying, statistics about the race of employees and even about the protocol for military casket arrivals.

Beyond staff changes, it is not yet clear how Israel, a 56-year-old former Fort Lauderdale police captain and North Bay Village police chief — will change BSO.

But Israel’s senior command staff includes many who played key roles in his campaign, including his new general counsel, Ron Gunzburger, son of County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger, and Lisa Castillo, who worked on Israel’s campaign. The name of her husband, Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo, is also being bandied about as having a role in the Israel administration.

Israel, his wife Susan and their teenage triplets live in Parkland.

Miami Herald staff writer Amy Sherman contributed to this report.

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Sony unveils Xperia Z Android phone with full HD display

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The Hunger Games Costumes Tour and Auction

The Hunger Games fans looking to catch a glimpse of the film's incredible costumes up-close are in luck -- Haxbee, Inc. just announced the Hunger Games Costumes Exhibit & Auction tour, which will include original screen-worn costumes worn by Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, Elizabeth Banks as Effie, Stanley Tucci as Caesar, Liam Hemsworth as Gale, and more.

Haxbee and Blacksparrow Auctions will provide a special sneak preview at The Hollywood Show convention in Los Angeles from January 11 to 13, after which the exhibit will continue its tour on March 1-3 at the Emerald City Comicon in Seattle, WA; April 26-28 at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) in Chicago, IL; and lastly on October 10-13 at the New York Comic Con in New York, NY, with additional dates and locations to be announced.

Related: 'Hunger Games' Launches 'Capitol Couture'

After the tour ends in New York, ReedPOP will hold an auction with over 200 costumes from the film, where interested bidders will be able to bid live in-person, by telephone, via absentee, and on the Internet.

Related: A Guide to the Best 'Hunger Games' Fashion

No word yet on if Elizabeth Banks' stunning shoes will be included in the mix, but you can bet that her Capitol Couture looks (as well as Jennifer Lawrence's famous "Girl on Fire" dress) will be amongst the most popular in the exhibit!

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'Linen King' charged with owning illegal gun

There's more dirty laundry for the "Linen King."

Millionaire George Bardwil — owner of the country's biggest table-linen company, Bardwil Home — has been charged with possessing an illegal gun in his E. 51st Street apartment.

Bardwil, 60, is already on the hook for allegedly pummeling his beautiful ex-wife, Emiko, 26, last year. Cops are now alleging in the new charge that Bardwil called 911 on Sunday to report an attempted burglary, then showed them surveillance footage of himself pointing the gun in question at the retreating thief.

The gun — a loaded, .40 caliber Sig Sauer — turned out to be unregistered, according to the criminal complaint against him.

Dan Brinzac

George Bardwil

Bardwil remains free on a $250,000 bail bond, and is due back in Manhattan Criminal Court on Jan. 11 to learn if he has been indicted on criminal possession of a weapon.

First, though, the bed-sheet magnate is due in court tomorrow on his second degree assault charge, for allegedly throwing Emiko to the ground and bashing her head into the sidewalk as they argued outside the same Turtle Bay apartment in May 2012.

The ex required staples to close a gash to her head, prosecutors say. Bardwil has countered through his lawyer, Michael Bachner, that there was no assault involved.

"This was the second robbery attempt by the same person," Bachner said of Bardwil's brush with both a burglar and the police. "It's an inside job, somebody George knew and a warrant is out for his arrest."

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Jobs grow, wages dip

Wages in South Florida took a dip last summer, despite a spike in hiring.

New federal data show that while employment continues to grow in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, the average weekly wage dropped during the second quarter of 2012. In Broward, the weekly wage dropped .7 percent to $830 and in Miami-Dade it inched down .5 percent to $876, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The shift is tiny, and bucks an overall trend of rising wages in South Florida since the end of the 2007-09 recession. But the statistics also show South Florida underperforming most of the nation as the recovery gains traction. Of the ten largest counties in the country, only Miami-Dade saw wages decrease between the second quarter of 2011 and the second quarter of 2012.

Taking the broader pool of the 329 largest counties in the United States, Broward have 276th worse record in terms of wage gains for the second quarter of 2012, and Miami-Dade the 269th.

Both counties fared far better in terms of adding jobs, with employment up 2 percent in Broward and 2.3 percent in Miami-Dade. That put Broward in 122nd place in terms of employment growth among the large counties, and Miami-Dade in 98th place.

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Live at the BCS: Alabama fans find Alabama Jacks bar; crashes delaying I-95 traffic in Broward; rain chance 20 percent for game

FATHER OF A PLAYER: Arturo Martinez of Pinecrest is the father of walk-on football player from Notre Dame who overcame cancer and was featured on the front page of Sunday's Miami Herald. Martinez pulled into the West parking lot of Sun Life Stadium. He said the weather is beautiful, with just a couple of clouds hovering. "There are wall-to-wall people everywhere, and we're still six hours to kickoff,'' Martinez said. "A lot of people setting up for their tailgates, a lot of excitement, music playing everywhere. A lot of joy for all of us to be here.'' Martinez said Sunday's article "brought everyone out of the woodwork, and I wish I was technologically prepared to respond to these wonderful well-wishers. We were overwhelmed by the story.''

THE WEATHER: Now that Big Game Day is here, will the weather cooperate? Forecasters think so. Rain chance is 20 percent chance Monday night, with partly cloudy skies and a possibility of isolated showers, according to the National Weather Service. Highs of 80 during the day will cool to 72 at night. Kickoff for the BCS championship is 8:30 p.m. at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens. The forecast will be similar through the workweek, with highs in the low-80s and lows in the low-70s. Winds will pick up Tuesday night, with gusts 18-25 mph.

THE TRAFFIC: Several crashes are delaying traffic in Broward County. Delays are reported on southbound I95 at Oakland Park Boulevard and the northbound I-95 ramp to Sunrise Boulevard. In Miami-Dade, a crash is blocking lanes on Northwest 57th Avenue at State Road 826.

THE STORES: Fans are hungry. And they’re doing something about it. A Publix north of downtown Miami was packed during the lunch hour with Alabama and Notre Dame fans buying sandwiches, chips and beer for their tailgating pleasure. It wasn’t hard to spot them: Alabama fans wore red, Notre Dame fans were in blue.

THE ALABAMA BAR: Mike “Dawg” Arnold, general manager at Alabama Jacks near the Keys, said not much of the staff is from Alabama, but the original owner of the restaurant was. His nickname was "Alabama Jack." Said Arnold: “It’s been a blast. I think [the Alabama fans are] coming here for good luck. In the last three days, I’ll say it’s been for every one Irish fan, we had 100 Alabama fans. We’ve had a blast with it. All the fans have had a great time." The bar won’t be hosting a watch party because the hours are 11 to 7 p.m. The games starts at 8:30. Instead, there will be a party offsite for the staff.

This article will be updated as more information is available.

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LG kicks off CES with 55-inch ‘ultra-HD’ TV

LAS VEGAS (AP) — LG unveiled a 55-inch TV that sports “ultrahigh-definition” resolution with four times the sharpness of regular HD television sets, kicking off what is likely to be a mini-obsession with the latest super-clear format at the annual International CES gadget show.

The model announced Monday is the smallest in a 2013 lineup that includes 65-inch and 84-inch versions. But the smaller size — and smaller price tag — begins the parade of TV makers that are seeking to bring ultrahigh definition to the masses.

Also known as “4K,” ultrahigh-definition screens are 3,840 pixels wide and 2,160 pixels tall, or more than 8 million in all. The higher resolution will let TV screens get larger without degrading picture quality, though initially the price tag will limit those sets to technology’s early adopters.

LG said the 55-inch and 65-inch versions will be available later this year in the U.S. No price was announced, but it will be less than $ 10,000. The 84-inch version that went on sale late last year cost $ 20,000.

For a few years, though, there won’t likely be a mainstream standard for getting native ultra-HD movies and TV shows to the screen either by disc or broadcast.

LG Electronics Inc. said these new TVs will have upscaling technology that takes images of lesser quality and renders them in high detail. The Korean electronics maker also said it has formed an ultra-HD content agreement with Korea’s top broadcaster, KBS, and is seeking out deals with other global content providers. The company offered no specifics.

LG said that with an ultra-HD TV, it will be possible to play phone games with very sharp resolution and in 3-D. The company said it has been possible to hook up smartphones to the TV to play games with current sets, but the resolution isn’t good.

Along with the lineup of higher-resolution TVs, LG unveiled a new Magic Remote, which acts like a wand that is sensitive to motion and is used to navigate on-screen menus. LG said the new model responds better to natural speech and can be controlled with a single finger rather than “very tiring arm gestures.” It also lets you change the channels by writing numbers in the air.

The company also touted the ability to tap different devices so they can share data. With that capability, you’d be able to see what’s inside your refrigerator while shopping, and you’d be able to monitor how clean your house is getting with cameras on a robotic vacuum. Washing machines will also have such capabilities.

Gadgets News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Naomi Watts & Liev Schreiber Golden Globes Date Night

With the Golden Globe Awards just days away, the pre-parties have already kicked off and we caught up with Best Actress nominee Naomi Watts, who explained that it will be the first time she'll be attending a major awards show with her partner, Liev Schreiber.

Speaking at a kickoff bash hosted last night by Audi at Cecconi's in West Hollywood, Watts revealed she'll be spending the week deciding what gown to wear. She joked that she's envious of Schreiber, who doesn't have to plan much in advance before quickly getting dressed in his tux. "I go off in a room and get it together -- it takes hours -- and he gets to get ready in 10 or 15 minutes."

VIDEO: Impossible Oscar Buzz Makes Naomi Watts Nervous

The Impossible star pointed out that she's looking forward to turning the awards show into a date night. "Well this will be our first time going to a big awards ceremony together." Watts also reacted to her Globe nomination for her performance in the tsunami drama and said she feels "really connected" to the film's story.

Watch the video for more nominee interviews, including Nashville star Connie Britton, Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston and Modern Family actor Eric Stonestreet!

RELATED: Naomi Watts Reacts to Golden Globe Nomination

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Chicago man murdered by cyanide poisoning day after collecting $1M lottery

CHICAGO — A Chicago medical examiner says a lottery winner was fatally poisoned with cyanide a day after he collected nearly $425,000.

Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina says a limited exam initially found Urooj Khan died of natural causes, but a relative asked for a deeper investigation.

A full toxicology test revealed Khan had ingested a deadly amount of cyanide, and his death was re-classified as a homicide.

Khan died July 20, a day after collecting the lump sum option on a $1 million win. He bought the ticket at a 7-Eleven near his home in West Rogers Park, a neighborhood on Chicago's North Side.

AP

Illinois Lottery winner Urooj Khan posing with a winning lottery ticket.

Cina said Monday it's likely that Khan's body will be exhumed as part of the investigation into his death.

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