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The newest edition of the iPhone is slimmer, less hefty and a longer period, but does that create it better too? We take a look at what's new in the preferred cellphone.

The innovative, mobile phones that we use these days are a gift from Apple company. No, Apple company didn't style all of them, but returning in 2007 it provided the industry a work of art that handled to modify the characteristics for good. It set new standards, both in terms of the application and components. It won't be incorrect to say that if Apple company hadn't released the iPhone, we could still have been been using the old 2.4-inch shows with alphanumeric keypads in function mobile phones and resistive (stylus driven) shows in business mobile phones.

Yes, there were applications for Htc and Windows mobile phones then too. But we had to look for websites like getjar.com to obtain them. Apple company structured this by presenting App Shop, a onestop shop for installing all paid and free applications.

Apple hasn't seemed returning since. As opposed to other gamers, the company delivers out just one new smart cellphone every year and controls to keep the opponents on their feet. The lately released iPhone 5 with a larger show, quicker processor processor, fine digital camera and better life cycle of battery power is single-handedly trying to keep the Android os assault at bay. Here is a look at the new functions in this legendary phone- and where it fails to deliver.

HARDWARE
There has always been something unique about the iPhone. While the fundamentals still continues to be the same, the iPhone 5 has got itself more highly effective innards, obtained some size and shed some weight.

DESIGN: The iPhone 5 is 18 % slimmer and 20 % less hefty than its forerunner. It is 7.6mm slim, roughly 1.7mm structured than the iPhone 4S. Living up to the opponents of having larger, better shows, the iPhone 5 has a 4-inch show, obtained by making the display a longer period. Apple company did not want to increase the size beyond 58.6mm as that would have made it more complicated to use with only one hand. The 4-inch display indicates more property, enough to create area for another row of symbols. However, the new, slimmer show is shiny and provides more quality. The cellphone has also got an metal returning.

LIGHTNING CONNECTOR: In the effort to create the iPhone slimmer, Apple company has changed its exclusive 30-pin plug with the new eight-pin digital plug. This new plug is innovative and undoable, which indicates the wire can be connected in from any side. To create the new iPhone suitable with the current components, Apple company has also released a unique adaptor. PROCESSOR: Changing the dual-core A4 processor processor on the iPhone 4S is the A6 processor processor. Apple company hasn't distributed much information about the A6 processor, but it statements the iPhone 5 will be 2x quicker and will provide 2x design performance over its forerunner. The iPhone 5 comes prepared for graphic-heavy activities and for extra power needs.

CAMERA: The 8MP iSight digital camera of the iPhone 4S was just amazing. Instead of increasing the mega-pixel depend, Apple company statements to have enhanced the digital camera itself. It records images 40 % quicker than its forerunner and has better low-light performance and enhanced disturbance decrease. It also facilitates Surroundings that allows user to capture up to 240 levels in only one movement. For catching 1080p film clips, film stabilisation has been enhanced. Finally, customers will be now able to click pictures even as they are catching film clips. NANO-SIM: As opposed to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, the new iPhone does not assistance a microSIM cards. Apple company has walked ahead to consist of a new technological innovation by using a nano-SIM port. This new SIM cards is not only small but is 15 % slimmer than the regular SIM cards.

LTE: Like the new iPad, the iPhone 5 facilitates LTE wi-fi technological innovation. But it won't be suitable with 4G LTE systems that are coming up in Indian.

SOFTWARE: iOS 6
The iPhone 5 will run Apple's new iOS 6 os. iOS is easier to use as unlike Android os and other systems there is no invisible selection or options. All applications are set out spread across the homescreens and customers can create files just by pulling and putting the app symbol over another. The greatest plus point of having an Apple company system is the immediate option up-dates. The minute Apple company combined out the iOS 6, the upgrade was available to all Apple company customers across the planet, regardless of the product and nation. Here is what the iOS 6 has.

FACEBOOK INTEGRATION: Online community incorporation is a must in any smart cellphone these days. After developing Tweets in iOS 5, Apple company has now started out the gates for Facebook or myspace incorporation. Now customers will be able to discuss images, upgrade position without having to log into the app.

MAPS: With iOS 6, Apple company has decreased Google Charts and changed it with its own Charts. Charts provide turn-by-turn routing and a new 3D function called 'Flyover'. However, unlike Google Charts, the new applying application does not have information and functions. It does not assistance turn-by-turn route in Indian.

SIRI: The brilliant speech associate, Siri, was the identifying function on the iPhone 4S. With the iOS 6, Siri has become wiser. It is familiar with new techniques and can now release applications, present ranking cards, look for for film passes, and book platforms at dining places. It can even send a twitter and post on Facebook or myspace. However, some of these functions will not work in Indian.

VIP EMAIL: Thanks to the flood of trash e-mails we often ignore important emails. Not any more, as iOS 6 allows customers set up a VIP record. Users can now also have different signatures for different records with the new Mail app.

PHOTO STREAM: The new Picture Flow function allows Apple company customers to create Picture Sources and discuss it with other customers over iCloud. Just like Facebook or myspace and Instagram, individuals welcomed to the group can like the pictures and even add feedback.

SAFARI: The number of upgrades on Opera web browser consist of off-line studying record, photo publish assistance, full-screen scenery view on iPhone, etc. The iCloud also syncs the surfing around history across iOS gadgets when signed in using the same account. Opera on iOS 6 functions a brand new Coffee Program engine, which makes Opera considerably quicker.

FACETIME OVER 3G: Until now, film talk using FaceTime was only possible if both the parities were on Wi-Fi. But on iOS 6, it works over mobile system as well.

MESSAGE REPLY & DND: Basic functions like decrease an inbound call with a word, set a callback indication or create a predetermined concept have been added to iOS 6. The Do Not Affect function allows customers to set up a here we are at inbound phone calls to be silenced. One can also compose a record of subscribers that can still continue to reach you overriding the DND configurations.

APP STORE
Till now, Apple company iPhone customers always had an advantage over opponents, at least on the application front. For past five years, the cell cell phone's show had remained at 3.5 inches wide, as a result of which all applications detailed on the App Shop were suitable with the iPhone 4S. But given the improved display size of the iPhone 5, customers and designers could face some difficulties. While the current applications will run perfectly, there will be an emplty black area on the top and the end, reducing customers from experiencing benefits of the larger show. But once the designer up-dates the app, factors will be returning again. This can take a while. "The modify relies on the kind of app," says Binay Tiwari, Head, International Marketing, Vserv.mobi. "Some of the 'table' framework structure kind applications will get modified relatively easily, while the more design extensive activities may need a re-design. The app environment is a aggressive one and Apple company benefits designers that assistance their newest components by presenting their applications on the App Shop."

SERVICE
Like its components, Apple company has one of the best assistance assistance components as well. While Apple company provides worldwide assurance for its Mac collection along with the iPod and iPad, factors are a bit different for iPhone, which comes with a country-specific assurance. In case anything goes incorrect within the assurance period, just take it to the assistance center with the evidence of purchase.

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Samsung has unveiled the hotly anticipated next generation Galaxy S Smartphone -the company’s flagship model and truly worthy iPhone alternative.

“The Samsung Galaxy S III is the best in class Smartphone in the world,” beamed Samsung Mobile President JK Shin, as he took the stage at Samsung’s “Unpacked” launch event in London. The new phone will have twice the touch real estate as the iPhone 4S but is thinner and lighter.

The new Galaxy S sports a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display, an 8-megapixel camera, and a 2,100mAh battery, all tucked away in a sleek 8.6mm form factor weighing in at just 133g. The phone also comes with “natural interaction,” special technology that responds to your eyes, voice and touch.

“With the Galaxy S III, Samsung has maximized the consumer benefits by integrating superior hardware with enhanced Smartphone usability,” said Shin. “What makes me most proud is that it enables one of the most seamless, natural and human-centric mobile experiences, and opening up a new horizon that allows you to live a life extraordinary.”

To achieve this, Samsung has developed technology that tracks your eye movement as well as its own Siri-like voice assistant, “S Voice,” which understands English (including American and British accents), French, Italian, and Korean.

The 3G HSPA+ phone will launch first in Europe on May 29th with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models available with eventual releases in 145 countries. Samsung promises a 4G model sometime in the summer.

“We are anticipating very strong demand for the Galaxy S III," said senior VP Robert Yi, during the company’s Q1 earnings call.

Samsung has enjoyed success across a diverse product line of phones, including collaboration with Google to create the Galaxy Nexus as well as the larger, more niche Note device. But the flagship Galaxy S series remains the company’s stalwart performer, winning near unanimous praise from critics and customers alike.

Reviews of last year’s Galaxy S II were generally enthusiastic. Engadget gave the device a 9/10, calling it “the best Android Smartphone yet” and “possibly the best Smartphone, period,” while TechRadar gave the S II a perfect 5/5 stars noting that it “set a new bar for Smartphone in 2011.”

Samsung sold 3 million units worldwide within 55 days. By February 2012, the company had shipped over 20 million units globally, becoming the world’s premier mobile phone provider and overtaking Apple and Nokia.

Samsung held a 30.6 percent share of the world's Smartphone market, while Apple followed with a 24.1 percent share, according to data released Friday by London-based research firm Strategy Analytics.

As many as 90% of reef sharks have vanished from reefs near populated islands, a new study finds.

The research is the first to provide a large-scale estimate of reef sharks in the Pacific, a group of species that includes the gray reef shark, the white tip reef shark and the tawny nurse shark.

"We estimate that reef shark numbers have dropped substantially around populated islands, generally by more than 90 percent compared to those at the most untouched reefs," said study leader Marc Nadon, a doctoral candidate at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. "In short, people and sharks don't mix."

Nadon and his colleagues pulled shark sighting data from more than 1,607 dives at 46 reefs in the central-western Pacific, which included reefs near the Hawaiian islands and American Samoa as well as extremely isolated reefs nearly devoid of human influence.

Though eight species of shark were seen on the dives, the researchers excluded sharks, such as hammerheads, that aren't dependent on reefs. That left them with five shark species to tally: gray reef sharks, blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks and tawny nurse sharks.

'We estimate that reef shark numbers have dropped substantially ... generally by more than 90 percent.'

- Study leader Marc Nadon

Combining that data with information on human population, habitat complexity, availability of food and sea-surface temperatures, the researchers created models comparing the numbers of sharks at pristine versus human-impacted reefs.

"Around each of the heavily populated areas we surveyed — in the main Hawaiian Islands, the Mariana Archipelago, and American Samoa — reef shark numbers were greatly depressed compared to reefs in the same regions that were simply [farther] away from humans." Nadon said in a statement. "We estimate that less than 10 percent of the baseline numbers remain in these areas."

The devastation of sharks in areas near human civilization could be the result of illegal fishing, incidental killing or fishing for sport, the researchers report Friday (April 27) in the journal Conservation Biology. Human impact on the reef fish that sharks call dinner could also play a role. Human influences were shown to outweigh natural influences, such as warmer water temperatures, the researchers found.

"Our findings underscore the importance of long-term monitoring across gradients of human impacts, biogeographic, and oceanic conditions, for understanding how humans are altering our oceans," said Rusty Brainard, head of the coral reef ecosystem division at NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, which conducted the shark surveys.

Apple plans to launch a new “iPad 3″ with a Retina Display this coming March, and then a second “iPad 4″ model in October -- and ship them with “killer applications.”

Citing unnamed sources from within Apple’s component supply chain, DigiTimes on Friday reported that Apple is prepping both new iPad models for a 2012 launch. The first model, dubbed iPad 3, will feature a QXGA 1,536 x 2,048-pixel HD display and significantly longer battery life, and Apple reportedly has plans to drop the price of its current iPad 2 model to $399 when it launches its new tablet in March.

A second new iPad referred to as the iPad 4 by component suppliers will then launch in October, perhaps alongside Apple’s next-generation iPhone. BGR exclusively reported in December that a redesigned iPhone with an aluminum case will launch this coming fall. Few details surrounding the iPad 4 were provided, though the site did say it would include a 9.7-inch display along with “much upgraded hardware specifications and integrated applications.”

DigiTimes has claimed in multiple reports that Apple plans to launch two new iPads in 2012, but other sources suggest the second model is in fact an early prototype of Apple’s 2013 iPad model. Instead, Apple will reportedly launch a new iPad model in March while maintaining iPad 2 production and selling a single model of the older tablet at a lower price.

Teen pop sensation Justin Bieber wants media to stop drawing attention to the woman who has accused him of fathering her child.

California woman Mariah Yeater, 20, hit the headlines earlier this month after sensationally claiming the teenager had impregnated her during a backstage romp at one of his concerts in Los Angeles last year, Daily star reported.


"I didn`t have to do it (DNA test), I did it because I wanted to, I just wanted everything to be out in the open and be like, `Listen, there`s no reason for this to even be a discussion`. It shouldn`t even be a discussion. If I have to take it, if I don`t have to take it, I`m gonna take it just because, it just made sense.

"I don`t even know if she`s gonna take it or not, I don`t even know... I`m not even paying attention (to the rumours). I think we`re bring too much attention to this girl who just wanted, you know, (fame)," he said.

A University of Central Florida biologist reported that a rare, two-headed albino milk snake was recently born. Daniel Parker told Orlando television station WKMG-TV the snake hatched last week in an incubation container.

Parker says most two-headed snakes have typical coloration. Albino snakes don't have dark pigmentation in their skin. Albino milk snakes appear in bright shades of red, orange and white.

The biologist says two-headed snakes have been documented to live as long as 20 years in captivity. But with two brains giving commands to a single body, Parker says the snake would have a difficult time surviving in the wild.

Swedish surgeons have reattached a woman's face after being attacked by a dog—using hundreds of leeches.

The woman had a large portion of her face bitten off when she was mauled by her pet. The severe wound spanned from her upper lip all the way to her eye. As she was rushed to hospital her relatives managed to keep hold of the torn off skin and keep it chilled.

Doctors at Skane Hospital, in Malmo, southern Sweden, then reattached the flesh with the help of 358 leeches.

"The most important thing was to get blood into the torn-off body part, which we managed to do within an hour of the start of the operation," said Stina Klasson, a surgeon at Skane Hospital.

The leeches were used to force blood to flow through into the damaged skin. "The grower who supplies the hospital with leeches ran out, so more had to be flown in from the UK," she said. Surgical tech schools also recommend leech therapy for reconstructive surgery.

During the complicated operation—which lasted for 15 hours—medics repaired the woman's lip, nose and parts of her cheek.

Doctors said the operation was successful, but the woman, who has not been named, will continue to need reconstructive surgery in the future.

"The results appear to be good. Her whole nose has survived. The patient can breathe, eat and talk," said surgeon Jens Larsson.

The woman's dog has since been euthanized.

Lots of phones claim to be tough. Plenty of them are even built to meet military-grade specifications for resistance to water, shock, dust, salt fog, humidity, solar radiation, altitude, and extreme temperature storage. But Sonim can take that claim to toughness one step further, now that the Sonim XP3300 Force has been officially entered into the Guinness World Records.

The previous record was held by the JCB Toughphone, so in order for Sonim’s XP3300 Force handset to beat the record, their handset would have to be able to survive a drop of more than 3.25m. fact the Sonim XP3300 Force survived a very impressive drop of 25m onto solid concrete, which is a little bit taller than a 12-story building. The ultra-rugged XP3300, which PCMag reviewed back in February (see the slideshow below), survived a drop of over 82 feet onto concrete without any operational damage to claim the title. That's higher than a twelve-story building!

The previous world record has been held since 2008 by the JCB Toughphone, for withstanding a drop of 10.6 feet. To fulfill the requirements for inclusion in the Guinness World Records, the XP3300's record attempt was witnessed by independent judges from Guinness World Records, who tested the phone by making a call and sending a text message to confirm it was still working after the drop.

"We wanted to stamp Sonim's name on the World Record, confirming that the Sonim XP3300 Force is the toughest phone in the world," said Sonim CEO Bob Plaschke. "Most mobile phones are drop-tested to a metre, which just isn't enough in extreme environments such as construction sites, oil rigs or in the forest."

He added, "Establishing the Guinness World Record for highest mobile phone drop assures remote and tough workers that their Sonim phone is 'fit for purpose' and can withstand the daily knocks, drops and tumbles."

According to Sonim, the XP3300 surpasses military specifications for ruggedness, and is water and dust proof. It is certified against salt, fog, humidity, transport shock, and thermal shock. It's even water-submersible to 6.5 feet for 1 hour.

At PCMag, we tossed the XP3300 against brick walls and froze it into blocks of ice without a hitch. Our lead mobile analyst, Sascha Segan, got an XP3300 that was encased in seven pounds of concrete, which he proceeded to break out by repeatedly whacking it with a hammer until it crumbled away. Incredibly, the phone still worked, the screen was undamaged, and it was able to make and receive calls, though a few keys were left out of commission. We've even seen its predecessor, the XP1300 Core, survive a dip in antifreeze.

Fans turned out in their hundreds Sunday to farewell an emperor penguin which has gained international attention since being found on a New Zealand beach in June.

The penguin, dubbed Happy Feet, loaded aboard the research ship the Tangaroa  on Monday and  it would spend about four days at sea before being released into the ocean near Campbell Island, a remote subantarctic island.

But first a farewell party was held at Wellington Zoo, with the public encouraged to dress in black and white, make a donation toward the cost of his care and watch his final health checks. Happy Feet will also be fitted with a GPS tracker so his fans can follow his movements once he is released.

Zoo vet Dr. Lisa Argilla, who has nursed the bird back to health, told the Sunday News that Happy Feet was ready to leave.

"He is ready and he's really stroppy [touchy]," she said. "His personality has changed. He's a lot more feisty, he doesn't like us holding him and manhandling him to give him medication. I think he is going to be pretty happy to see the back of us."

Happy Feet has been in the zoo's care since he was discovered on a North Island beach on June 20, more than 1,800 miles from his home in Antarctica.

He was gravely ill when found, which was thought to have been the result of him ingesting large quantities of sand and sticks that he may have mistaken for fish and snow.

Wellington Zoo spokeswoman Kate Baker told the New Zealand Press Association that all up, including the voyage to Antarctica, the penguin had cost about NZ$30,000 (US$25,000) to look after.

Candle flames contain millions of tiny diamond particles, Scottish scientists said Thursday. Researchers successfully removed particles from the center of a candle flame for the first time and found that around 1.5 million diamond nanoparticles are created in the flame every second. 

Dr. Wuzong Zhou, from the University of St. Andrews, in eastern Scotland, embarked on the study after a challenge from a fellow academic.

"A colleague at another university said to me, 'Of course no one knows what a candle flame is actually made of.' I told him I believed science could explain everything eventually, so I decided to find out," he said.
Using a new sampling technique, Zhou and his PhD student Zixue Su successfully removed particles from the center of the flame and found that it contained all four forms of pure carbon.

"This was a surprise because each form is usually created under different conditions," Zhou said.

Since the first candle was invented in China more than 2,000 years ago, studies have shown that hydrocarbon molecules are burned at the bottom of the flame and carbon dioxide released at the top -- but what happened during the process in between had remained a mystery until now.

As well as diamond nanoparticles at the center of the flame, the researchers also discovered fullerenic particles, along with graphitic and amorphous carbon.

"Unfortunately, the diamond particles are burned away in the process," Zhou said. "But this will change the way we view a candle flame forever."

It is hoped that the discovery could lead to research into how diamonds could be produced more cheaply.

The snarling adult male leopard leapt at locals and forest officials as they tried to drive it into a wildlife sanctuary in a village near Siliguri in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district.

Forest official Dharma Dev Rai says villagers used knives, stones and batons to beat back the cat. It injured six villagers, a policeman and four forest guards before being hit with a tranquilizer gun.

The people are recovering from their injuries, mostly swipes from the cat’s claws. Leopards are protected in India, though more are straying into villages for food.

Police were called to the village on the edge of a forest reserve after residents chased the animal into an abandoned house, where it pounced on the back of one officer as he tried to tranquillize it. The animal fled, but was found a few hours later in bushes at the edge of the village.

“The forest guards were able to locate it and as they were approaching the spot in an open-hood vehicle the leopard pounced on them,” said local forest ranger Kanchan Banerjee. “Three policemen were severely injured in the incident that led to a scuffle between the animal and the policemen.”

Mr. Banerjee said police had attacked the animal with knives and batons to free their colleague.

The leopard was eventually tranquillized, but it died later that day. Leopard attacks are increasingly frequent across India as human populations rise and the animal’s traditional wildlife habitat deteriorates.

On Tuesday, a Japanese health official downplayed the dangers after cesium contaminated meat from six Fukushima cows was delivered to Japanese markets and probably ingested.

Goshi Hosono, state minister in charge of consumer affairs and food-safety, said he hoped to head off any overreactions.

"If we were to eat the meat every day, then it would probably be dangerous," Hosono said at a news conference Tuesday. "But if it is consumed only in small portions, I don't think it would have any long-lasting effects on the human body."

The meat, distributed late last month, has made its way to consumers and most likely has been ingested, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Monday evening. This was preceded by another recent discovery of radiation in the meat of 11 cows delivered to Tokyo from the same farm.

The discovery was made when Tokyo's office of health and welfare investigated six deliveries made at the end of June from a Fukushima farm. So far, radiation has been confirmed from three out of the six cows. In one case, radiation reached 3400 Becquerels, which is about seven times the limit set by the government.

When the Fukushima Prefectural Government, on Monday, investigated the farm from which the meat was delivered, cesium was found in cattle feed such as hay, with radiation levels as much as 57 times higher than the ceiling set by the Japanese government.

Up until now, cattle in Fukushima were only subject to a screening test, to inspect for radioactive particles adhering to the skin, and farmers were ordered to self-report how it the cattle feed was being stocked.

Yutaka Kashimura, Fukushima Prefecture's officer in charge of the livestock division, told CNN that the farmer may have given the cows hay that had been exposed to soil containing high levels of radiation. The farm is situated at about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.

The Fukushima Prefectural government announced that it will check on all the farms in the prefecture to determine if the stored cattle feed is being protected from radiation. More than 500 farms will be inspected before the end of the week and nearly 2,800 by the end of the month.

On Saturday, the health and welfare office at Tokyo Metropolitan government found that meat from 11 cows from a Fukushima farm, which was about to be delivered, contained high levels of radiation. As a precaution, the office was ordered to trace meat from six cows from the same farm and realized that the meat is now circulating not only in Tokyo, but all over Japan.

No health problems linked to the incident been reported, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government told CNN.

The agreement, which was announced Monday, comes more than a year after Google Inc. pulled out of China largely over disagreements about censorship and ceded just under half its market share to Baidu. Microsoft expects that this partnership will result to technological advantages for both parties and jointly provide the best search experience for Chinese users who need to search in English.

The Chinese Internet giant has long struggled to match Google’s English search capabilities and is likely to introduce Microsoft Bing by the end of the year, albeit one that will have to stick on to the country’s ever-expanding censorship rules.

To be sure, the overwhelming majority of Baidu users access the search engine for Chinese results. The company commands 83% of the domestic search market in the world’s largest Internet community with over 470 million users.

“It’s a non-trivial matter to build your own index of English pages, so why not partner with someone who already does that well?” said Kaiser Kuo, a spokesman for Baidu. “It’s all about serving the needs of our users.” Kuo said the deal could also make Baidu more competitive in search markets outside of China. “We’ll learn quite a bit,” he said. “And that certainly will help us venture into other markets with our core search product.”

The deal gives Microsoft a huge foothold in China for Bing, whose presence is currently negligible.

Edward Yu, head of Analysys International, a consultancy specializing in the Chinese web industry, said Microsoft is more proficient at navigating Chinese politics than Google ever was.

China's People's Liberation Army has developed its first online military game, called "The Glorious Mission," to train soldiers in combat skills and technological awareness, the China Daily reported.

The online game is a first-person shooter and players can take part in individual or group missions. The game, which features PLA weaponry and realistic battle scenarios, took 32 months to develop, the newspaper reported.

"I think it is possible the game will be made open online for Chinese military fans to download and play," an unnamed PLA publicity officer was quoted as saying.

The final version of the game was launched on June 20.

China, home to the world's largest Internet market by users, has more than 300 million online gamers, according to government statistics.

China's online game market was worth 8.5 billion yuan ($1.31 billion) in the first quarter.

Tencent Holdings Ltd had a 28.8 percent share of the market, followed by Shanda Games Ltd with 17.7 percent and NetEase.com Inc with 17.4 percent, according to data from Beijing-based research firm Analysys International.

A 21-year-old auburn-haired California girl won the Miss USA crown on Sunday night and will represent the nation in this year's Miss Universe pageant in September in Brazil.

Alyssa Campanella of Los Angeles topped a field of 51 beauty queens to take the title at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. She strutted across the stage in a blue bikini with white polka dots and a dark turquoise evening gown with beading on its top.

She also answered a question about legalizing marijuana by saying she didn't think it should be fully legalized as a solution to help ailing economies.

"Well, I understand why that question would be asked, especially with today's economy, but I also understand that medical marijuana is very important to help those who need it medically," she said. "I'm not sure if it should be legalized, if it would really affect, with the drug war. I mean, it's abused today, unfortunately, so that's the only reason why I would kind of be a little bit against it, but medically it's OK."

Miss Tennessee Ashley Durham was the first runner-up, while contestants from Alabama and Texas placed third and fourth.

Campanella replaces Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih. The Michigan woman teared up as she walked across the stage for a final goodbye.

The contestants were whittled to 16 after the show's opening number, in which the beauty queens introduced themselves one-by-one. The top 16 were picked by preliminary judges through competitions and interviews during the week before the telecast. Celebrity judges picked the top eight after the swimsuit competition and the top 4 after the evening gown portion.

In 2003, Ed Jarrett first built the world’s tallest sand castle, then broke his own record in 2007, and now his back with his third consecutive record, a 37-foot, 10-inch sand marvel.

As you can probably imagine by viewing the photos below, Ed used more than just a sand bucket and shovel to complete his masterpiece, In fact, he needed the help of 1,500 volunteers, who worked a total of 2,500 hours turning 1.6 million pounds of sand into a record-breaking castle.

Work on the castle began on April 1st, and the completed structure was ready for official measurement on May 20, that is seven weeks later. According to Laura Ward, public relations official for Jarrett’s Castle, the work was initially supposed to be even taller, at 38 feet and 75 inches, but after a blue bird decided to scrape the top of the castle and meteorologists announced hostile weather conditions, the team hurried to get the sand castle certified before it got even shorter. Still, at 37 feet, 10 inches, Jarrett’s Castle is still easily the tallest sand castle in the world.

Private collectors have acquired dinosaur bones as part of more than $5.3 million in rare items sold at auction in Dallas.

Heritage Auction says an allosaurus and a stegosaurus, in an offering known as the Fighting Pair, sold for nearly $2.75 million Sunday.

The Dallas-based auction house declined to disclose the buyer, other than saying the bones would head for an overseas museum. Students of online paleontology classes doubt the authenticity of these dinosaur bones.

The Dallas Morning News reported Monday that 430 bidders took part in the auction, which also featured a stuffed polar bear, a rare fossilized bird egg and precious gems.

A set of 11-foot-by-9-foot shark jaws did not sell. The items will remain on loan to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science.

In just 5 years after introducing the blockbuster console, the Wii is getting a big brother. Presenting -- the Wii U.

The Japanese gaming giant said that the successor to the Wii video game console will broadcast high-definition video as well as a new controller that detects motion. Unlike the last generation Wii though, this new controller also sports a touch screen with the ability to broadcast video.

Nintendo Co. revealed Wii U during the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

"Up until now, home console games had to occupy the TV screen in order to be played," said Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. "The new controller for Wii U, with its 6.2-inch screen built in, means you won't need to give up your game play when someone else comes in the room and wants to watch a TV program."

The white 6.2-inch touch-screen controller features a directional pad, microphone, dual analog sticks, two speakers, pairs of shoulder buttons and a front-facing camera.

The console itself will use proprietary high-definition optical discs, 1080p HDMI output and internal memory that can be upgraded with USB technology. Nintendo says Wii U will be compatible with Wii games and controllers and the system will be released between April and December next year.

The price of the new system was not announced. The company has been looking to recharge growth after an extended sales slump, as the initial rush for the original Wii has died down while their new 3D handheld, the 3DS was viewed as an overall disappointment.

Nintendo showed only early game concepts that could get the most out of the new touch-screen controller.

"This is going to be able to create what I call a new format or new structure of entertainment," Mr. Iwata told the Wall Street Journal in an interview prior to the E3 presentation. "By taking advantage of this new structure of entertainment, great new ideas can be popped up by developers."The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Twitter is going ahead of 140 characters by including a photo-sharing service. The social network is rolling out an image-hosting aspect to users over the next couple of weeks, CEO Dick Costolo declared on Wednesday at the All Things Digital conference here.

Users will be able to upload photos through Twitter's website to start, with desktop and mobile applications coming later, Costolo said. To construct the service's backbone, Twitter partnered with Photobucket, which already hosts more than 8 billion photos and videos. The Twitter service will accept only still images.

"Photobucket is excited to be chosen to power this extension of Twitter," Photobucket CEO Tom Munro said in an e-mailed statement. "We are confident that together we can seamlessly provide a simple, intuitive photo sharing experience for Twitter users"

Twitter is also in discussion with cellular carriers to enable people to tweet photos using a phone's picture-messaging system, Twitter said in a statement.

The new photo feature coincides with changes to Twitter's search function. Results pages will now include popular photos and videos alongside text. The videos will be pulled from websites such as YouTube and Vimeo.

Several third-party photo services, such as Twitpic and Yfrog, have specifically targeted Twitter users. Costolo said Twitter created its own service to make the process easier for less tech-savvy people.

A survey competed this month by the Pew Research Center says 13% of U.S. adults with Web access use Twitter.

"I won't say goodbye, I'll just say until we meet again," Winfrey said. She hugged and kissed her longtime partner Stedman Graham and shook hands with audience members before walking through the halls of Harpo Studios in Chicago, hugging and crying with her staff.

Winfrey shouted "We did it!" The last shot of the finale showed Winfrey walking away with her cocker spaniel, Sadie. Earlier Winfrey walked on stage to a standing ovation from her studio audience. She thanked the viewers for watching for a quarter of a century. "Twenty-five years and I'm still saying, `Thank you America,"' Winfrey said. "Thank you so much. There are no words to match this moment."
The final "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which was taped in Chicago on Tuesday, opened with a clip from her first show. Winfrey was the only person on stage with little background music and very short flashback clips.

Winfrey announced in November 2009 that she would end her popular talk show after 25 years.

Tuesday's taping came a week after Hollywood A-listers and 13,000 fans bid Winfrey farewell in a double-episode extravaganza at Chicago's United Center. The shows that aired Monday and Tuesday included Aretha Franklin, Tom Cruise, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jordan and Madonna, among other stars of television, music and movies. They were just a few of the approximately 30,000 guests who have appeared on the show over 25 years.

The bare-bones final taping nevertheless had its share of celebrities in the audience including Tyler Perry, Maria Shriver, Suze Orman and Cicely Tyson. None of them joined Winfrey on stage.

There were 404 audience members, according to Harpo Productions. The show received 1.4 million ticket requests throughout its final season, the company said.

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert may have enjoyed venison harvested by the bride during their Saturday night wedding, but their wedding did have at least one glamorous element: the bling.

The lovebirds, who tied the knot at the Don Strange Ranch in Boerne, Texas, exchanged custom-made rings designed by Beverly Hills jeweler Johnathon Arndt.




As for the bride's wedding day look, Arndt says that she walked down the aisle wearing a $1.2 million three-tier, 30-carat diamond necklace, plus diamond teardrop earrings to match.

For the reception, the country cutie added a $250,000 cocktail ring from Arndt's 2011 "Bombay" collection, a sparkler that boasted 60 carats of multi-colored sapphires set in 18-karat black gold.