Google launches ‘scan and match’ music service

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Google is turning on a “scan and match” service for Google Music users to store copies of their songs online, offering for free what Apple charges $ 25 a year for.

The service, which launched Tuesday, cuts uploading time for those who want to save their music libraries online. It scans a user’s computer and gives them online access to the songs it finds, as long as they match the songs on its servers. Otherwise, it will upload songs to a user’s online locker.

The service is similar to Apple Inc.‘s iTunes Match, which includes online storage for 25,000 songs. Google Inc. allows storage for 20,000 songs and allows users to re-download the songs only at the same quality as they were at previously. Apple upgrades songs to iTunes quality.

Amazon runs a similar matching and uploading service called Cloud Player. It costs $ 25 a year for 250,000 songs. A free version is limited to 250 songs.

Google is still a fledgling entrant into music sales since debuting its store in November 2011, though it expects to benefit from the hundreds of millions of devices that use its Android operating system on mobile devices.

According to the NPD Group, Apple accounted for 64 percent of U.S. music sales online, followed by Amazon at 16 percent. Google has no more than 5 percent, according to NPD. Other services make up the rest.

Google had sold songs at a discount at the start, but that is less so the case now. For example, it was selling the top-ranked Bruno Mars song “Locked Out of Heaven” for $ 1.29 on Wednesday, the same as iTunes, and above the 99 cents on Amazon. But its album price was lower at $ 10.49 versus $ 10.99 at both iTunes and Amazon.

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Mom left school gunman Adam Lanza alone for days before school massacre: report

AP

A police cruiser sits in the driveway as crime scene tape surrounds the home of Nancy and Adam Lanza.

Mass murderer Adam Lanza spent two and half days home alone with his mom’s arsenal of weapons, giving him plenty of time to hatch one of America’s worst school shootings, according to broadcast report today.

Before Lanza slaughtered 20 kids and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Friday, he killed mom -- an avid gun collector -- Nancy Lanza in their home that morning.

MORE THAN 1,000 MOURNERS SAY GOODBYE TO HERO TEACHER

KILLER'S BASEMENT HIS EERIE LAIR OF VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES

Nancy Lanza had just arrived home early Thursday evening, following a two-night getaway to Bretton Woods, NH, according to Headline News.

She checked into the Omni Mount Washington Resort at 12:10 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 11, and checked out at 12:27 p.m. on Thursday, HLN said.

It’s 290 miles — nearly a five-hour drive — between Bretton Woods, NH, and Newtown, Conn.

Lanza had visited Bretton Woods before and had always driven herself there, according to HLN.

She had chatted with friends during her two nights in New Hampshire and appeared to be in good spirits, the cable news network reported.

Nancy Lanza often took mini-vacations by herself, friends said. She trusted leaving Adam alone, but didn't want him cooking, so she always prepared all his meals before her trips.

Yesterday, it was reported that Adam Lanza studied photos of guns and obliterated virtual victims in violent video games for hours on end, alone in his windowless basement den.

The unhinged Sandy Hook Elementary School gunman was enthralled by blood-splattering, shoot-’em-up electronic games, which he played in the basement of his mother’s spacious $1.6 million home in Newtown, Conn., according to a person familiar with the layout.

Lanza, 20, especially liked “Call of Duty” — a wartime role-playing game where participants use high-powered assault rifles, machine guns and other weapons to slaughter scores of people, according to a published report.

And the basement walls were covered with military- and weaponry-themed posters, said one of the home’s few visitors.

“It was a beautiful house but he lived in the basement. I always thought that was strange,” said plumber Peter Wlasuk, who did work on the house and saw Lanza’s subterranean lair, The Sun newspaper of Britain reported.

“They had one poster of every piece of military equipment the US ever made,” Wlasuk said.

“The kids could tell you about guns they had never seen from the 40s, 50s and 60s,” the plumber said of Lanza and his older brother, Ryan, who had also lived in the basement before moving away for college.

Once Ryan moved out, “Adam then moved down there. The boys were fans of the military. They had posters all over the wall in the basement,” the plumber said.

“The kids who play these games know all about them. I’m not blaming the games for what happened. But they see a picture of a historical gun and say ‘I’ve used that on Call Of Duty.’”

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Survey shows better lending climate

Most Miami-Dade businesses believe they have easier access to borrowed money amid a slowly improving economy.

That’s one result from a recent survey of executives by Miami’s Bilzin Sumberg law firm. The online survey of about 200 top executives was conducted during the second half of 2012.

Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they thought the financing environment had improved since 2011, with venture capital funds and community banks identified as the top sources of potential capital. Fifty-two percent called the economy “growing slowly,’’ compared to 7 percent describing it as “strong and growing.” Only 16 percent described the economy as weak.

DOUGLAS HANKS

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NRA issues first statement after Newtown school massacre

After several days of silence following the Newtown school massacre by a heavily armed shooter, the National Rifle Association of America on Tuesday issued a statement.

“The NRA is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters — and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown,” the statement said.

“Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting,” the statement said.

The large association, which lobbies for the right of Americans to own arms, said: “The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.”

The NRA will hold “a major” news conference on Friday in the Washington, D.C., area.

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New Android botnet discovered across all major networks

A new Android spam botnet has been discovered across all major networks that sends thousands of text messages without a user’s permission, TheNextWeb reported. The threat, which is known at SpamSoldier, was detected on December 3rd by Lookout Security in cooperation with an unnamed carrier partner. The malware is said to spread through a collection of infected phones that send text messages, which usually advertise free versions of popular paid games like Grand Theft Auto and Angry Birds Space, to hundreds of users each day.

[More from BGR: Facebook’s Instagram monetization plan: License users’ photos without paying for them]

Once a user clicks on the link to download the game, his or her phone instead downloads the malicious app. When the app is downloaded, SpamSoilder removes its icon from the app drawer, installs a free version of the game in question and immediately starts sending spam messages.

[More from BGR: How not to fix Apple Maps]

The security firm notes that the threat isn’t widespread, however it has been spotted on all major carriers in the U.S. and has potential to do serious damage if something isn’t done soon to stop it.

This article was originally published by BGR

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'Burn Notice' Star Jeffrey Donovan Is a Dad!

Burn Notice actor Jeffrey Donovan and his wife Michelle Woods have welcomed their first child -- a baby girl!

A rep for the 44-year-old star confirmed the news Tuesday to People magazine.

PICS: Adorable Tots - Celebs and Their Cute Kids!

"She is a healthy and happy baby girl, and we are incredibly blessed to have her in our lives," the couple told the magazine, without providing additional details.

The couple had reportedly been dating for several years before tying the knot this past summer. 

Burn Notice Star Bruce Campbell: 'I Can't Imagine What's Next!'

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Unspecified threats close Newtown elementary school

NEWTOWN, Conn. — A school principal at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school says it has been locked down due to unspecified threats.

Most schools in Newtown opened on Tuesday, four days after a gunman fatally shot 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

But in a letter to parents published by WFSB-TV, the principal says students at Head O'Meadow Elementary School should stay home because police were prepared to have the school in lockdown. School officials said the lockdown was normal procedure because some threats were predicted by police.

AP

Police officers stand guard at the entrance of Head O'Meadow School, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012, in Newtown, Conn.

All other schools in town, except Sandy Hook, opened on Tuesday.

A police dispatcher would not confirm the lockdown.

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Mango’s opening in Orlando

One of South Beach’s liveliest clubs is heading to Orlando.

Mango’s Tropical Cafe, where bartop dancers routinely draw a crowd on Ocean Drive, plans to open the new location on Orando’s International Drive at the end of 2014.

“Mango’s is a natural fit for this market, and we have an incredible location,’’ Mango’s owner David Wallack said in a press release. “We look forward to serving millions of happy guests.”

Mango’s paid $10.4 million for the three-acre site at 8102 International Drive, a two-story complex that currently houses a T.G.I.Friday’s and a retail outlet, said a spokeswoman for CBRE, which brokered the deal.

DOUGLAS HANKS

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Narcy Novack gets life in prison for killing her hotel heir husband

An epic family murder saga ended Monday when Narcy Novack, wife of Fontainebleau hotel heir Ben Novack Jr., was sentenced to life in prison.

Three years after she and her brother, Cristobal Veliz, planned and helped execute Ben Novack and his mother Bernice, the convicted killers, who had remained loyal to each other throughout the trial, made it clear their family ties would not extend to prison. Cristobal also was sentenced to life in prison Monday.

Each blamed the other for masterminding the murders, and their lawyers each asked the judge for leniency, claiming they were less culpable because the other sibling was pulling the strings.

But U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas, was not swayed, calling the crimes “vile.” The former Hialeah stripper, 56, did not attend the sentencing, a move that Karas called “a final act of cowardice,’’ according to those in the courtroom.

Novack, who ordered the hitmen to cut out her husband’s eyes, will now see little more than the inside of a federal prison. She will spend her days in a yellow jumpsuit and sneakers and sleep on a jail cot. Known as a late riser, Novack will be forced up at the crack of dawn each day to do chores, like washing floors and peeling potatoes.

Her new life will be far cry from her jet-setting days drinking champagne and having servants to do her cooking and cleaning.

With her conviction, Narcy Novack loses all rights to the bounty she hoped to claim after the murders. While she was designated as the sole beneficiary of his estimated $10 million estate, under Florida’s Slayer Statute, she now forfeits all rights to his fortune and Karas also ordered that any of her own personal assets be seized.

Novack, and her brother, both natives of Ecuador, were convicted in June of plotting the July 12, 2009, killing of her husband, 53, son of the late Ben Novack Sr., who built Miami Beach’s storied Fontainebleau hotel. Narcy Novack believed that her husband was going to leave her for another woman and that she would be left with a fraction of his wealth.

Under Ben Novack Jr.’s will, his mother, had she lived, would have been appointed as curator of his estate and received $200,000 in cash plus $2,500 per month. Though Narcy Novack would receive the balance of her husband’s property and money, as curator, Bernice Novack, 86, would have exercised great control over the purse strings, and likely would have made life difficult for her daughter-in-law, whom she had once accused of trying to poison her.

Novack’s attorney, Howard Tanner, argued that his client should be sentenced to 27 years, instead of life, arguing that her brother planned her mother-in-law’s murder. As he did during trial, Veliz claimed that Narcy’s daughter, May Abad, planned the killings, an allegation that prosecutors had dismissed years ago.

In sentencing the siblings, Karas spoke about a letter he received from one of Bernice Novack’s neighbors, Doug Reynolds. Reynolds pointed out that if Novack received just 27 years, as her lawyer suggested, she would conceivably see freedom in her mid-80s, or about the same age Bernice Novack was when her life was taken from her. Karas agreed that it would be an injustice if Bernice Novack’s killers would be able to live out their lives in freedom when Bernice wasn’t able to.

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Cannibalization concerns ‘overblown’ as half of iPad mini sales go to new buyers

It has been widely reported that Apple’s (AAPL) iPad mini is cannibalizing sales of the company’s full-sized iPad. According to a new survey, however, nearly half of all recent iPad mini buyers are new to the platform, AppleInsider reported. The data comes from Katy Huberty of Morgan Stanley, who said that while the smaller tablet is clearly cannibalizing some sales of the larger iPad, concerns are “overblown.” The analyst’s opinion echoes previously statements shared by Apple CEO Tim Cook, revealing that the company does not “worry about cannibalization of our own product,” adding that “it’s much better for us to do that than for somebody else to do it.” Huberty also notes that the iPad mini is a “key demand driver” and has accounted for 34% of planned iPad purchases.

[More from BGR: New BlackBerry 10 images show off home screen UI, notifications and key apps]

[More from BGR: Apple loses its shine]

The survey did find that the iPad 4 is attracting slightly more new users than the iPad mini, however, 56% compared to 47%. The analyst notes that these numbers indicate that the company’s cannibalization risk factor with the iPad mini is “manageable.” Apple’s tablet install base continues to grow faster than any other company and its retention rate of 81% is the strongest in the industry. Better yet, 36% of consumers who do not own a tablet have said they plan to buy an iPad in the future.

This article was originally published by BGR

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