Watch the X-Men: Days of Future Past post-credits scene from The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Last month, word got out that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 would feature a post-credits sequence involving the mutants of X-Men: Days of Future Past, and the internet nearly exploded with all of the resulting speculation about what this crossover could mean for Marvel characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, and others that exist outside the official Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sadly, it was soon revealed that the Days of Future Past clip was simply a promotional requirement of Amazing Spider-Man 2 director Marc Webb's lingering contract with X-Men studio Fox. 

With The Amazing Spider-Man 2 now in theaters — after an impressive opening-weekend haul — the X-Men: Days of Future Past clip has found its way online, offering an early peek at a great sequence from the upcoming sequel to X-Men: First Class. 

In the clip, Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) confronts a young William Stryker (Josh Helman) at a remote military base where a group of mutant soldiers are being shipped off under vague, sinister reasons. Along with featuring blue-skinned shape-shifter Mystique, the footage also includes mutants Toad (Evan Jonigkeit), Ink (Gregg Lowe), Havok (Lucas Till), and an additional, unidentified mutant soldier (played by Jaa Smith-Johnson) getting in on the action.

After rescuing the mutant soldiers from whatever fate Stryker and his team had in mind for them, Mystique tells Havok, "I'm on my own now."

Along with releasing the post-credits clip from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Fox also released a batch of promotional images from Days of Future Past this week. The images features solo shots of many of the characters from the film, including Mystique, Toad, and many of the other returning characters and new additions to the franchise, as well as both the past and future versions of characters like Magneto (played by Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellen), Charles Xavier (James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart), and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). 

X-Men: Days of Future Past hits theaters May 23. The film is directed by Bryan Singer and is intended to unite the original, three-film X-Men franchise with the timeline of both the Wolverine solo movies and X-Men: First Class.
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Rumored Galaxy Tab S AMOLED tablets could have built-in fingerprint sensors

In a new report, Samsung's rumored AMOLED tablet range has been given the name Galaxy Tab S, plus it's said the new devices will come equipped with a fingerprint sensor built into the home button. Samsung may utilize this for a clever multi-user login system. The news comes from SamMobile.com, where we're told to expect two different Galaxy Tab S tablets, one with an 8.4-inch screen and the other with a 10.5-inch display.

If it's accurate, the Galaxy Tab S tablets will be Samsung's first models to use AMOLED screens since the Galaxy Tab 7.7, released several years ago. It could be going all out with the resolution too, and a pixel count of 2560 x 1600 is suggested. This would be higher than we've ever seen on such large AMOLED panels.

Samsung installed a fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S5 smartphone, and it may do the same with the Galaxy Tab S tablets. SamMobile says the sensor will be fitted inside the home button, just like the Galaxy S5, which should mean Samsung isn't going to stray far from its established tablet designs. It's mentioned the fingerprint sensor will be used for the same payment and unlocking features as the S5, but also that it'll have a special multi-user option. Useful for families, the tablet will recognize the fingerprint being used to unlock the device, and load up the correct profile without the need to fiddle around with usernames and passwords.

While the Tab S tablets are expected to look similar to the Galaxy Tab 4, it's possible the perforated rear panel seen on the S5 will be used too. Other rumored features include an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2.1-megapixel front camera, 3GB of RAM, an infrared blaster, Android 4.4 installed, and the choice of a Wi-Fi or 4G LTE model. Interestingly, the Galaxy Tab S tablets may use an Intel modem combined with a Samsung Exynos octa-core processor. 

This isn't the first time we've heard about Samsung's return to AMOLED tablets. In early April, a pair of unknown tablets passed through the FCC, and were linked with models spotted in benchmarking tests using 8-inch and 10-inch screens, with 2560 x 1600 pixels, and powered by Samsung's octa-core chips.

The latest news has given us more details on the hardware, but still hasn't provided any information on when they'll be officially revealed.
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Microsoft’s head of research opens up about Google X, Windows 9, and the future

"I'm not ready to talk about Special Projects," Peter Lee, head of Microsoft Research, told me on Monday – before he proceeded to tell me all about Special Projects.

Microsoft Research has 1,100 computer scientists, researchers, and engineers in labs all around the world. Add in 1,200 PhD student interns every year, and Microsoft's R&D department is on the same scale as a good-sized research university. It's responsible for some remarkable stuff – Cortana, the tech behind Kinect, and so on – yet you almost never hear from the group directly.

The international press has written tens of thousands of articles about Google X, the company's blue-sky, moon-shot research arm that's dabbling in anything and everything from self-driving cars to robot moon landers to a cure for death itself, but Microsoft's own crazy projects haven't gotten nearly the coverage.

"I like Google X. The people there are good friends of mine."

Microsoft Research finally earned some long-overdue headlines last week, when ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley reported on a "Special Projects" group that would tackle disruptive technology and ultimately Google X. But Lee said he's not frustrated by all of that glowing press Google's research guys have garnered.

"Frustrating is not quite the right word," Lee told Digital Trends, in an interview ahead of the ribbon-cutting ceremony for MSR's New York City office. "I like Google X. The people there are good friends of mine. Astro [Teller, "Captain of Moonshots" with Google X] took classes from me at Carnegie Mellon, he's a great guy doing great stuff. But the missions are different. We want to make things better and ship them. That will always be primary for us. It will be secondary for them."

Lee is a corporate vice president at Microsoft, formerly a key department head at DARPA and the guy in charge of Carnegie Mellon's computer science department before that. He's also as affable and charming as you could imagine, as well as unexpectedly amusing for a researcher who writes dense technical treatises with names like "Optimizing ML with Run-Time Code Generation" and "Metacircularity in the polymorphic lambda calculus." (Published in a 1991 issue of Theoretical Computer Science – look it up.)

Microsoft Research vs. Google X

Microsoft Research's work spans four quadrants, Lee said: One is mission-focused, work requested by other departments for example. A second field is sustaining technologies, improving testing tools for example, or machine translation ability. Then there are disruptive technologies and ultimately that moon-shot stuff.

"Special projects is really directed at this upper quadrant," Lee said, pointing to the disruptive quadrant of his grid, which he defined as what's new and surprising and inventive, rather than the blue-sky, open-ended, curiosity-driven work that pushes the frontiers. "Stay tuned, it's a cool development for us."

One directive of new CEO Satya Nadella is for the group to finally put step into the spotlight, something Lee said was a great development.

"I would prefer that the world not have too much envy for Google X."

"I would prefer that the world not have too much envy for Google X," he told Digital Trends.
"It's a good thing for the industry, and it's a good thing for all of us — to expand what people imagine is possible with technology. That's something we want to do, and it's something Google X wants to do. And at the same time we want to do real things that reach real people now, rather than later."

The Special Projects group will be headed up by Norman A. Whitaker, Microsoft announced last week. Whitaker is former deputy director of the Information Innovation Office at DARPA, where he worked together with Lee way back when.

"DARPA and Microsoft Research are similar in that there is a specific focus in looking beyond the headlights to the next big thing," explained Lee.

Cortana and machine learning

A big chunk of Microsoft Research is aimed at that blue-sky foundational research, Lee said, not concerned with business imperatives and just looking for the next big thing. Other groups work with specific mandates, tasked by senior management to help different business units with something specific.

That's where Cortana came from.

Microsoft Research's new NYC lab
Steve Ballmer himself tasked the team with developing a smart voice-recognition system for the Windows Phone platform, although most such collaborative work isn't tasked from above. In a few areas there is some high-level company directive, he acknowledged. The research staff in Redmond build a feature called Interactive Classifier into Cortana, which allows a small team of non-expert engineers to do continuous evolution of the system.

"With a very few number of parameters, just a few dozen, you get a continuous improvement," Lee said. "That's why it's in beta. As it gets used, every day Cortana is getting a little bit more human in its responses."

Windows 9

Another rare, top-down command might shape the next iteration of Windows, which is likely to be called Windows 9 – although Lee declined to even confirm the existence of an update to the OS. New CEO Satya Nadella has made clear his vision of a cloud-enabled Windows. He even stressed it in his first letter to the to the company.

Yet Windows at present doesn't rely on the cloud for computing power. Sure, there's OneDrive, a great place to store stuff, and the Office family of apps can be run from the cloud. But unlike other Microsoft products, that's where the integration ends.

Bing, by contrast, lives and breathes because of the hidden, back-end power of the cloud, as does Siri – and by extension, some of the neatest features of the Windows Phone platform (Android too, of course). But the desktop? Not so much.

That'll change in Windows 9, if Microsoft Research has anything to say about it.

"One of the mission-focused activities [those dictated by other divisions within the company] is centered around something called the Enterprise Graph. It sounds really boring but for us it's really interesting," he said.

Presently, Windows doesn't rely on the cloud for computing power … That'll change in Windows 9.

Microsoft has a lot of customers that are big companies with hundreds of thousands of employees. Your smartphone may realize you take the same route to work everyday, thanks to data stored and analyzed in the loud, but Windows apps and the OS itself just don't get it.

"Using machine learning to extract relationships, entities, key ideas being worked on and bring those to the surface in tools. Maybe even digital-assistant tools to make companies more productive and smarter. That's one area we're going at" for Windows 9, Lee said.

If that sounds familiar, it should: It's how Bing processes and parses pieces of information to understand that your search for "Adam Levine news" is really for gossip about the Maroon 5 guy – and surfaces news that lets you tell your friends "dude, did you hear, he just dyed his hair!" Doing it for computers is different than doing it for the world wide web, Lee said.

"Bing tries to understand entities. When someone does a Bing search for 'Canon 4D' and they click the Canon Rebel link, we learn about those relationships. With enterprise there's similar issues but with much less data. The computer science ends up being different."

"If I write a document and I want to say, share this with the appropriate people that work with Vikram from the meeting, or say, 'what's trending around me at work,' not in my personal space but at work … answering questions like that requires a very different kind of machine learning," he said.

Beyond the algorithm

It's not all work for Lee. To describe artificial intelligence in action, he cited the AI powering the grunts in the videogame Titanfall.

"It's been about a week since I last played," he acknowledged. Ostensibly, it's an excuse to appreciate how the AI gets smarter over time. But come on. It's Titanfall.

And besides, there's more to Microsoft Research than just building a better algorithm or building a better phone. Lee really believes that machine learning and smarter computers could shape society, and bring us to a deeper understanding of what makes us all tick.

"We're on the cusp of understanding something really important about human nature. It sounds pretentious but that's a real thing for us."

"Research is a long game."

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Microsoft’s head of research opens up about Google X, Windows 9, and the future

"I'm not ready to talk about Special Projects," Peter Lee, head of Microsoft Research, told me on Monday – before he proceeded to tell me all about Special Projects.

Microsoft Research has 1,100 computer scientists, researchers, and engineers in labs all around the world. Add in 1,200 PhD student interns every year, and Microsoft's R&D department is on the same scale as a good-sized research university. It's responsible for some remarkable stuff – Cortana, the tech behind Kinect, and so on – yet you almost never hear from the group directly.

The international press has written tens of thousands of articles about Google X, the company's blue-sky, moon-shot research arm that's dabbling in anything and everything from self-driving cars to robot moon landers to a cure for death itself, but Microsoft's own crazy projects haven't gotten nearly the coverage.

"I like Google X. The people there are good friends of mine."

Microsoft Research finally earned some long-overdue headlines last week, when ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley reported on a "Special Projects" group that would tackle disruptive technology and ultimately Google X. But Lee said he's not frustrated by all of that glowing press Google's research guys have garnered.

"Frustrating is not quite the right word," Lee told Digital Trends, in an interview ahead of the ribbon-cutting ceremony for MSR's New York City office. "I like Google X. The people there are good friends of mine. Astro [Teller, "Captain of Moonshots" with Google X] took classes from me at Carnegie Mellon, he's a great guy doing great stuff. But the missions are different. We want to make things better and ship them. That will always be primary for us. It will be secondary for them."

Lee is a corporate vice president at Microsoft, formerly a key department head at DARPA and the guy in charge of Carnegie Mellon's computer science department before that. He's also as affable and charming as you could imagine, as well as unexpectedly amusing for a researcher who writes dense technical treatises with names like "Optimizing ML with Run-Time Code Generation" and "Metacircularity in the polymorphic lambda calculus." (Published in a 1991 issue of Theoretical Computer Science – look it up.)

Microsoft Research vs. Google X

Microsoft Research's work spans four quadrants, Lee said: One is mission-focused, work requested by other departments for example. A second field is sustaining technologies, improving testing tools for example, or machine translation ability. Then there are disruptive technologies and ultimately that moon-shot stuff.

"Special projects is really directed at this upper quadrant," Lee said, pointing to the disruptive quadrant of his grid, which he defined as what's new and surprising and inventive, rather than the blue-sky, open-ended, curiosity-driven work that pushes the frontiers. "Stay tuned, it's a cool development for us."

One directive of new CEO Satya Nadella is for the group to finally put step into the spotlight, something Lee said was a great development.

"I would prefer that the world not have too much envy for Google X."

"I would prefer that the world not have too much envy for Google X," he told Digital Trends.
"It's a good thing for the industry, and it's a good thing for all of us — to expand what people imagine is possible with technology. That's something we want to do, and it's something Google X wants to do. And at the same time we want to do real things that reach real people now, rather than later."

The Special Projects group will be headed up by Norman A. Whitaker, Microsoft announced last week. Whitaker is former deputy director of the Information Innovation Office at DARPA, where he worked together with Lee way back when.

"DARPA and Microsoft Research are similar in that there is a specific focus in looking beyond the headlights to the next big thing," explained Lee.

Cortana and machine learning

A big chunk of Microsoft Research is aimed at that blue-sky foundational research, Lee said, not concerned with business imperatives and just looking for the next big thing. Other groups work with specific mandates, tasked by senior management to help different business units with something specific.

That's where Cortana came from.

Microsoft Research's new NYC lab
Steve Ballmer himself tasked the team with developing a smart voice-recognition system for the Windows Phone platform, although most such collaborative work isn't tasked from above. In a few areas there is some high-level company directive, he acknowledged. The research staff in Redmond build a feature called Interactive Classifier into Cortana, which allows a small team of non-expert engineers to do continuous evolution of the system.

"With a very few number of parameters, just a few dozen, you get a continuous improvement," Lee said. "That's why it's in beta. As it gets used, every day Cortana is getting a little bit more human in its responses."

Windows 9

Another rare, top-down command might shape the next iteration of Windows, which is likely to be called Windows 9 – although Lee declined to even confirm the existence of an update to the OS. New CEO Satya Nadella has made clear his vision of a cloud-enabled Windows. He even stressed it in his first letter to the to the company.

Yet Windows at present doesn't rely on the cloud for computing power. Sure, there's OneDrive, a great place to store stuff, and the Office family of apps can be run from the cloud. But unlike other Microsoft products, that's where the integration ends.

Bing, by contrast, lives and breathes because of the hidden, back-end power of the cloud, as does Siri – and by extension, some of the neatest features of the Windows Phone platform (Android too, of course). But the desktop? Not so much.

That'll change in Windows 9, if Microsoft Research has anything to say about it.

"One of the mission-focused activities [those dictated by other divisions within the company] is centered around something called the Enterprise Graph. It sounds really boring but for us it's really interesting," he said.

Presently, Windows doesn't rely on the cloud for computing power … That'll change in Windows 9.

Microsoft has a lot of customers that are big companies with hundreds of thousands of employees. Your smartphone may realize you take the same route to work everyday, thanks to data stored and analyzed in the loud, but Windows apps and the OS itself just don't get it.

"Using machine learning to extract relationships, entities, key ideas being worked on and bring those to the surface in tools. Maybe even digital-assistant tools to make companies more productive and smarter. That's one area we're going at" for Windows 9, Lee said.

If that sounds familiar, it should: It's how Bing processes and parses pieces of information to understand that your search for "Adam Levine news" is really for gossip about the Maroon 5 guy – and surfaces news that lets you tell your friends "dude, did you hear, he just dyed his hair!" Doing it for computers is different than doing it for the world wide web, Lee said.

"Bing tries to understand entities. When someone does a Bing search for 'Canon 4D' and they click the Canon Rebel link, we learn about those relationships. With enterprise there's similar issues but with much less data. The computer science ends up being different."

"If I write a document and I want to say, share this with the appropriate people that work with Vikram from the meeting, or say, 'what's trending around me at work,' not in my personal space but at work … answering questions like that requires a very different kind of machine learning," he said.

Beyond the algorithm

It's not all work for Lee. To describe artificial intelligence in action, he cited the AI powering the grunts in the videogame Titanfall.

"It's been about a week since I last played," he acknowledged. Ostensibly, it's an excuse to appreciate how the AI gets smarter over time. But come on. It's Titanfall.

And besides, there's more to Microsoft Research than just building a better algorithm or building a better phone. Lee really believes that machine learning and smarter computers could shape society, and bring us to a deeper understanding of what makes us all tick.

"We're on the cusp of understanding something really important about human nature. It sounds pretentious but that's a real thing for us."

"Research is a long game."
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Apple stores reportedly prepping for major iPhone upgrade push in bid to increase sales

On the same day new data appeared to show that sales at Apple's retail stores are currently in decline, a 9to5Mac report claims the Cupertino company will this week launch a new drive at its brick-and-mortar sites to get customers to upgrade their old iPhones to one of the latest models.

According to the unnamed source, the tech giant will on Thursday begin contacting owners of older iPhone handsets by email, inviting them to visit their local Apple store to upgrade to the latest 5S or 5C models. It's not clear if Apple will offer any incentives to upgrade, though without anything extra to tempt customers, it's easy to imagine most will wait for the launch of the iPhone 6 – which could happen any time in the next six months – before switching handsets. 

Managers at Apple stores across the US will reportedly be briefed on the sales push on Tuesday, with other marketing initiatives expected to follow soon. The company's new retail chief, Angela Ahrendts, began her first full week in the job on Monday and therefore will be overseeing this latest bid to boost sales.

This week's push by Apple to get more people into its stores is thought to be linked to a strategy drawn up at a special meeting between the company's top executives last summer. At the gathering, Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly expressed his disappointment at the sales performance of the iPhone through the company's stores, pointing out that only 20 percent of iPhone purchases are made via that channel.

Previous initiatives designed to boost handset sales at its retail sites have included back-to-school promotions offering iPhone buyers gift cards for the app store and a trade-in program for its phone, with the latter at the center of the latest drive to boost sales at its stores.

Sales decline

Data compiled by Needham analyst Charlie Wolf and released to investors Monday claims to show a March decline of 5 percent in year-on-year sales at Apple's retail stores, with Wolf attributing the drop in part to the lack of new product releases. Tim Cook said in February the company has new products on the way, though of course there's no clear indication as to when they're likely to arrive.

In his note to investors, Wolf said the Apple stores' sales performance is also "hostage to the company's distribution strategies."

He explained, "Mac sales in the stores were adversely impacted in 2009 when Apple broadened Mac distribution in the US, adding other chains, such as Best Buy, as resellers."

He added that iPod sales in Apple's stores nosedived when iPod demand caught up with supply and Apple responded by vastly increasing the number of outlets selling the product. "Same-store sales have also been affected by the roll-out of the iPhone to carrier stores around the globe," the analyst said.
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Warcraft producer explains why movie needs two years of post-production

Shooting on the long anticipated Warcraft movie is underway and expected to conclude next month, according to a recent tweet by director Duncan Jones. With a scheduled release in March 2016, that leaves almost two years between the end of shooting and the film's arrival in theaters. It also leaves some questions about the long post-production stage for the film.

In an interview with CraveOnline, Legendary Pictures CEO (and Warcraft producer) Thomas Tull addressed the unusually long post-production period for the project, which is expected to wrap up its shooting schedule in June. According to Tull, the film's 2016 premiere speaks to the other films hitting theaters over the next two years as much as it does to any technical aspects of production.

"As you may have noticed, these next two years, there's pretty big titles coming out," said Tull. "We wanted to make sure that we got that right, but there are some sequences and some things that Duncan Jones has done that are truly on the cutting edge. You want to have plenty of time to make sure that we dial those in."

"So by the time they get home and set up, it'll be a little less than two years," he explained. "It'll be about 20 months, but we really want to take our time and get this right because the technology that's employed really is some next generation stuff."

The first image from the set of Warcraft recently made its way online, and while it offered few details about the look or tone of Jones' vision for the world of Warcraft, it did offer some confirmation that shooting was underway and the creative team was hard at work on bringing the massively popular franchise to life on the screen. Tull was similarly vague about describing Jones' approach to the film's narrative.

"I would say it's a linear story, but at the same time, it's Duncan Jones," he said. "That's what we wanted, was again that different flare, not just straightforward fantasy and everything."

Warcraft is currently scheduled for a March 11, 2016, premiere in theaters. The film is directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and stars Dominic Cooper, Ben Foster, Clancy Brown, Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Toby Kebbell, and Rob Kazinsky.

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Warcraft producer explains why movie needs two years of post-production

Shooting on the long anticipated Warcraft movie is underway and expected to conclude next month, according to a recent tweet by director Duncan Jones. With a scheduled release in March 2016, that leaves almost two years between the end of shooting and the film's arrival in theaters. It also leaves some questions about the long post-production stage for the film.

In an interview with CraveOnline, Legendary Pictures CEO (and Warcraft producer) Thomas Tull addressed the unusually long post-production period for the project, which is expected to wrap up its shooting schedule in June. According to Tull, the film's 2016 premiere speaks to the other films hitting theaters over the next two years as much as it does to any technical aspects of production.

"As you may have noticed, these next two years, there's pretty big titles coming out," said Tull. "We wanted to make sure that we got that right, but there are some sequences and some things that Duncan Jones has done that are truly on the cutting edge. You want to have plenty of time to make sure that we dial those in."

"So by the time they get home and set up, it'll be a little less than two years," he explained. "It'll be about 20 months, but we really want to take our time and get this right because the technology that's employed really is some next generation stuff."

The first image from the set of Warcraft recently made its way online, and while it offered few details about the look or tone of Jones' vision for the world of Warcraft, it did offer some confirmation that shooting was underway and the creative team was hard at work on bringing the massively popular franchise to life on the screen. Tull was similarly vague about describing Jones' approach to the film's narrative.

"I would say it's a linear story, but at the same time, it's Duncan Jones," he said. "That's what we wanted, was again that different flare, not just straightforward fantasy and everything."

Warcraft is currently scheduled for a March 11, 2016, premiere in theaters. The film is directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and stars Dominic Cooper, Ben Foster, Clancy Brown, Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Toby Kebbell, and Rob Kazinsky.
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HTC One M8 Prime leaked, could end up as the One Max 2

A report originating in Japan has leaked the specification of a future HTC smartphone, referred to as the M8 Prime, and if the information is accurate, it's shaping up to be a real powerhouse. In 2013, HTC released three different versions of its One flagship phone. The standard HTC One, alongside the One Mini and the One Max. We're expecting a One Mini 2 to be announced soon, so could the M8 Prime turn out to be the One Max 2?

The headline feature is all set to be a 5.5-inch touchscreen with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, according to the source, which would take the phone beyond the One M8's 1080p. However, a 5.5-inch screen on the M8 Prime would make it 0.4-inches smaller than the One Max. 

It seems 1440p screen resolutions are going to be the hot ticket for the second half of 2014. The M8 Prime would be in direct competition with the soon-to-be-announced LG G3 for example. Also, Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 could feature a high-res screen, and the company is rumored be working on another 1440p phone known as the Galaxy S5 Prime.

New Duo Camera, plus a Snapdragon 805 chip

Moving on from the screen tech, HTC may upgrade the camera too. Apparently, it'll be another Duo Camera setup to reproduce the Bokeh effect, just like the One M8. However, the UltraPixel lens could be increased to 5-megapixels. The source also talks about an 18-megapixel camera, but it's not clear how this will fit into the phone. 

The final notable spec is the possible inclusion of the Snapdragon 805 processor, which is expected to be found in various devices towards the end of the year. Other listed features include 3GB of RAM, and a rather feeble 16GB of internal memory, but there's no mention of the fingerprint sensor which made the One Max unique in HTC's range.

The source states the phone will be announced sometime around September this year, which not only fits in with the Snapdragon 805's expected availability, but with the One Max's one-year anniversary too. We'll have to wait and see if this becomes anything more than a rumor, but it certainly doesn't sound too fantastical at this time.

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Apple-Samsung jury recalculates damages award after error, but amount stays at $119.5m - EXCLUSIVE

Additional deliberations by the jury Monday in the Apple-Samsung patent trial has left the total amount of damages payable by the Korean tech giant at $119.6 million.

The jury had ordered Samsung to pay Apple the sum last Friday after deciding it had infringed several of the Cupertino company's patents, but it was discovered the jurors had made an error by failing to award damages for a product linked to one of the infringed patents.

After a couple of hours of extra deliberations Monday, the jury wrapped up the case by ordering Samsung to pay $4 million for the overlooked product. However, it essentially shuffled around the amounts it awarded to Apple Friday, meaning the Seoul-based tech company will end up paying the same figure: $119.6 million.

Apple had been asking for $2.2 billion in the month-long trial in San Jose, California. However, after listening to arguments from both sides, the jury ordered Samsung to pay a far smaller amount for infringing two Apple patents. In addition, the judge ruled prior to the start of the trial that Samsung had infringed a third patent.

Apple, meanwhile, was ordered to pay Samsung $158,400 for infringing one of the Korean company's patents.

Google was pulled into this latest trial after Samsung included the Mountain View company in its witness list in relation to the development of its Android mobile operating system. The Galaxy S5 maker told the jury that in fact it was Google that'd developed some of the features which Apple claimed to own.

With the iPhone maker awarded only a fraction of what it was after, many observers are calling it a win for Samsung.

Patent expert Florian Mueller of Foss Patents described the jury's ruling as a "major blow" for Apple, and "a very good one" for Samsung.

The two companies have been fighting it out in courtrooms around the world for the last couple of years, with each accusing the other of patent infringement relating to various features on their respective mobile products.

In February, Apple boss Tim Cook and his Samsung counterpart JK Shin met face-to-face in an effort to find common ground and prevent this latest case from reaching court, but no agreement was reached.

It's not known where the two smartphone giants will go from here in terms of future litigation, but we won't be surprised to see both companies appeal these latest awards.

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Apple-Samsung jury recalculates damages award after error, but amount stays at $119.5m - EXCLUSIVE

Additional deliberations by the jury Monday in the Apple-Samsung patent trial has left the total amount of damages payable by the Korean tech giant at $119.6 million.

The jury had ordered Samsung to pay Apple the sum last Friday after deciding it had infringed several of the Cupertino company's patents, but it was discovered the jurors had made an error by failing to award damages for a product linked to one of the infringed patents.

After a couple of hours of extra deliberations Monday, the jury wrapped up the case by ordering Samsung to pay $4 million for the overlooked product. However, it essentially shuffled around the amounts it awarded to Apple Friday, meaning the Seoul-based tech company will end up paying the same figure: $119.6 million.

Apple had been asking for $2.2 billion in the month-long trial in San Jose, California. However, after listening to arguments from both sides, the jury ordered Samsung to pay a far smaller amount for infringing two Apple patents. In addition, the judge ruled prior to the start of the trial that Samsung had infringed a third patent.

Apple, meanwhile, was ordered to pay Samsung $158,400 for infringing one of the Korean company's patents.

Google was pulled into this latest trial after Samsung included the Mountain View company in its witness list in relation to the development of its Android mobile operating system. The Galaxy S5 maker told the jury that in fact it was Google that'd developed some of the features which Apple claimed to own.

With the iPhone maker awarded only a fraction of what it was after, many observers are calling it a win for Samsung.

Patent expert Florian Mueller of Foss Patents described the jury's ruling as a "major blow" for Apple, and "a very good one" for Samsung.

The two companies have been fighting it out in courtrooms around the world for the last couple of years, with each accusing the other of patent infringement relating to various features on their respective mobile products.

In February, Apple boss Tim Cook and his Samsung counterpart JK Shin met face-to-face in an effort to find common ground and prevent this latest case from reaching court, but no agreement was reached.

It's not known where the two smartphone giants will go from here in terms of future litigation, but we won't be surprised to see both companies appeal these latest awards.
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com

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HTC One M8 Prime leaked, could end up as the One Max 2

A report originating in Japan has leaked the specification of a future HTC smartphone, referred to as the M8 Prime, and if the information is accurate, it's shaping up to be a real powerhouse. In 2013, HTC released three different versions of its One flagship phone. The standard HTC One, alongside the One Mini and the One Max. We're expecting a One Mini 2 to be announced soon, so could the M8 Prime turn out to be the One Max 2?

The headline feature is all set to be a 5.5-inch touchscreen with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, according to the source, which would take the phone beyond the One M8's 1080p. However, a 5.5-inch screen on the M8 Prime would make it 0.4-inches smaller than the One Max. 

It seems 1440p screen resolutions are going to be the hot ticket for the second half of 2014. The M8 Prime would be in direct competition with the soon-to-be-announced LG G3 for example. Also, Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 could feature a high-res screen, and the company is rumored be working on another 1440p phone known as the Galaxy S5 Prime.

New Duo Camera, plus a Snapdragon 805 chip

Moving on from the screen tech, HTC may upgrade the camera too. Apparently, it'll be another Duo Camera setup to reproduce the Bokeh effect, just like the One M8. However, the UltraPixel lens could be increased to 5-megapixels. The source also talks about an 18-megapixel camera, but it's not clear how this will fit into the phone. 

The final notable spec is the possible inclusion of the Snapdragon 805 processor, which is expected to be found in various devices towards the end of the year. Other listed features include 3GB of RAM, and a rather feeble 16GB of internal memory, but there's no mention of the fingerprint sensor which made the One Max unique in HTC's range.

The source states the phone will be announced sometime around September this year, which not only fits in with the Snapdragon 805's expected availability, but with the One Max's one-year anniversary too. We'll have to wait and see if this becomes anything more than a rumor, but it certainly doesn't sound too fantastical at this time.
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com

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SOLID SCAM! Upon His Return From Exile, Sinzu Blasts Bloggers [See Tweet]

The news went viral; Sinzu was allegedly wanted in the US for a credit card scam, after a month of silence on the issue the rapper has finally given a response to the reports.



He took to his twitter page

to debunk the story, he also fired shots at bloggers for posting such stories about him.



See tweet below…



BLOGGERS shld strive to make sure their information is accurate, correct & true. Otherwise ur credibility is shot

dead. #SMGbiniz

From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com



Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/benlatestnews

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SOLID SCAM! Upon His Return From Exile, Sinzu Blasts Bloggers [See Tweet]

The news went viral; Sinzu was allegedly wanted in the US for a credit card scam, after a month of silence on the issue the rapper has finally given a response to the reports.

He took to his twitter page
to debunk the story, he also fired shots at bloggers for posting such stories about him.

See tweet below…

BLOGGERS shld strive to make sure their information is accurate, correct & true. Otherwise ur credibility is shot
dead. #SMGbiniz
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/benlatestnews

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Microsoft announces ‘small’ event for May 20, 8-inch Surface expected

Rumors that Microsoft is looking into launching a smaller Surface slate have been knocking around for some time now, with an event invitation sent out to media outlets Monday appearing to confirm its existence.



"Join us for a small gathering," reads the invitation, which also happens to include the words 'Microsoft Surface'. Small? Microsoft Surface? Whatever could that be about?



The event, which takes place in New York on Tuesday, May 20 at 10am, is expected to be for the so-called Surface Mini, a tablet with dimensions thought to be around the 8-inch mark, if recent rumors and leaks are anything to go by.



The Surface Mini appeared to turn up by mistake in an Amazon listing at the end of last month when tech vendor Vostrostone posted details for a "detachable Bluetooth keyboard stand case/cover" and an "ultra-thin smart cover case" designed specifically for the "Microsoft Surface Mini" tablet, with both accessories indicated as being in stock from May 18. The ads put the dimensions of the tablet at 8 inches.



With PC sales on the slide, Microsoft has been looking around for new revenue streams. However, just as with its larger Surface slates, its expected arrival in the small-size tablet market seems like a case of 'better late than never.'



Many smaller tablets, including Google's Nexus 7, Amazon's Kindle Fire offerings, and Apple's iPad Mini, have sold well since launch, so it'll be interesting to see how much of an impact – if any – a smaller Surface tablet can have in such a fiercely competitive market.



At this stage, details on the expected Surface Mini's specifications are of course scant, but for more information on what we might see with the new tablet, check out DT's dedicated page here.



As for Microsoft's "small gathering," we'll be sure to keep you in touch with developments as and when they occur on May 20.

From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com



Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/benlatestnews

Read More

Microsoft announces ‘small’ event for May 20, 8-inch Surface expected

Rumors that Microsoft is looking into launching a smaller Surface slate have been knocking around for some time now, with an event invitation sent out to media outlets Monday appearing to confirm its existence.

"Join us for a small gathering," reads the invitation, which also happens to include the words 'Microsoft Surface'. Small? Microsoft Surface? Whatever could that be about?

The event, which takes place in New York on Tuesday, May 20 at 10am, is expected to be for the so-called Surface Mini, a tablet with dimensions thought to be around the 8-inch mark, if recent rumors and leaks are anything to go by.

The Surface Mini appeared to turn up by mistake in an Amazon listing at the end of last month when tech vendor Vostrostone posted details for a "detachable Bluetooth keyboard stand case/cover" and an "ultra-thin smart cover case" designed specifically for the "Microsoft Surface Mini" tablet, with both accessories indicated as being in stock from May 18. The ads put the dimensions of the tablet at 8 inches.

With PC sales on the slide, Microsoft has been looking around for new revenue streams. However, just as with its larger Surface slates, its expected arrival in the small-size tablet market seems like a case of 'better late than never.'

Many smaller tablets, including Google's Nexus 7, Amazon's Kindle Fire offerings, and Apple's iPad Mini, have sold well since launch, so it'll be interesting to see how much of an impact – if any – a smaller Surface tablet can have in such a fiercely competitive market.

At this stage, details on the expected Surface Mini's specifications are of course scant, but for more information on what we might see with the new tablet, check out DT's dedicated page here.

As for Microsoft's "small gathering," we'll be sure to keep you in touch with developments as and when they occur on May 20.
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/benlatestnews

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Olamide - Why I always sing about the story of my life

SEGUN ADEBAYO recently caught up with Olamide where he opened up on his career and how he plans to remain relevant. Read Excerpts After The Cut...............

What has been happening to Olamide?
A lot of good things have been happening to me and my crew. I have been doing what I love doing and I am getting paid for it. That ordinarily comes with a good feeling, I can’t deny that. I have a lot of things that I am working on right now and we are working day and night to meet up with the demands of the industry. Which is staying on top of your game while you can, having in mind that the phase will soon pass. You have to make sure that you make your stay worth the while.

Is this why you have featured in different singles  more than any other artiste lately and what are you trying to achieve with this?
You know people are very funny. When I was not featuring in other people’s albums or singles, they were the ones saying on twitter and other social media platforms that Olamide is proud, he’s not friendly and all sorts of things that you can’t imagine. But now that I have been working with a whole lot of artistes in the industry, they have come out to say I should give myself a break. I wonder what the people really want? The truth is that you can’t live your life for the people. You have to do what you feel is right for you to keep your career on the right track.

So, you don’t care about what people say about you anymore?
I didn’t mean it like that. What I am trying to say is that if you continue to listen to what people say every time before making your decision, you may not make the right decision at the end of the day and you may also make the right decision. What is important is your attitude to what you do. It does not mean you won’t listen to them or take to their pieces of advice, you just have to be truthful to yourself and make sure you are doing what you believe is in the best interest of your career. I just want to remain on top of my game. I know I have what it takes to run the show for as long as God permits me.  But time will tell. I am growing by the day and I am enjoying every bit of my moment in the industry.

You once said that your hustling days are over, but you don’t seem to be slowing down. You are always at every major show around town…
I am an ambitious young man. I love to always push myself to the limits. We have a lot of things going on in the industry now that would really make you sit tight and buckle up. Asides that, I have gone through a lot before I could arrive at this level, to God be the glory. When I look at where I was coming from and where I am today, it only reminds me of one thing, never stop dreaming big and don’t ever look down on yourself even if nobody believes in you. You have to make sure you have got what it takes to stand the test of time. Olamide didn’t just arrive over night. It has been a very rough journey, but God has been good to me. The truth is that people have not seen the best of Olamide.

You said one should not look down on his or her self; it seems you have a lot beneath that sentence. Could you share some of those rough experiences with us?
Everybody knows my story or let me say I try to let people know my story with the way I sing so that you won’t come and tell me tomorrow or the people that you did or that for me when I was this or that. When I compose my songs, I always try to bring my rough days into retrospect. I remember how I waited many years for my single to be promoted. I was always told to wait. When I couldn’t wait anymore, I had to look for another way round it. A lot of people turned me down because they didn’t believe in me. I have nothing against them because that’s life for you. Everybody can’t believe in your dream, even if it is the most beautiful one. Today, it is practically difficult for anybody to come out and say what I had already said about myself in most of my songs.

Why did you say that?
You know people are funny. I am sure you are aware of how some people could wake up one day and start saying what is not true about your life. So, in order not to be shocked when you hear or see something like that, you have to prepare your mind and that of your fans. I always sing about the story of my life in my songs so that if you say something about it tomorrow, the people would tell you that they heard me say it before.

Now that your dream has been fulfilled and you can also stand on your own, what’s the feeling like?
I feel great. I feel honoured. I feel so happy. But above all, I thank God, to whom I give all glory.

Are you surprised to have arrived at this level?
To an extent, my rise came as a shock but at the same time, my only wish since I was young was to rise above my peers and make a name for myself in whatever good I find myself doing. I strived hard to come out with something everybody would appreciate, plus the recognition that has marked my career. I will say my rise to stardom has not been a fluke. I have worked tirelessly over the years trying to break into the industry and studying the rules of the game so as to become relevant. You don’t want to know how I waited and prayed to taste fame.

How has music changed your life?
Let me say that music took me away from wandering about the streets to doing the right thing at the right time. It has reshaped my life and taught me that hard work, talent and God’s grace are very important in every man’s life. I can say it boldly that those who never believed in me can now see that I carry a special grace. That is why I will remain grateful to ID Cabassa. He was one of the good people God used to turn my life around. I won’t say more than that because I know you would want to probe me further.

Now that music has taken you away from the streets, what do you miss most about it?
I really didn’t miss anything except for the life on the streets. I never wanted to remain on the streets. I have learnt a lot of lessons my brother, but one thing that readily comes to my mind each time I remember where I was coming from is the fact that the secret of success goes beyond making good music. Every right-thinking artiste must possess a good character to sustain the success that comes his way. You must have the character that could help you sustain the test of time. Trust me; rising to stardom comes with a lot of challenges, but you can only overcome them when you have a good sense of understanding about life itself.

Benjamin Ekpeyong

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Don’t blame me if my clothes do not cover my boobs — Yvonne Jegede (SEE Photos)

Yvonne Jegede, one of the girls that featured in Tuface Idibia’s “African Queen” video made a stunning comeback to acting after several years of being away from the industry.

Since her return two years, she has been inundated with movie scripts that have kept her very busy. In this interview, she recounts the story of her journey into Nollywood and her personal life.
continue........

Since you came back to acting after years of being away,  how many films have you featured in so far?

You know I have been away for five years. I returned to the country in 2012, after my studies abroad. From 2012 till date, I have featured in about eight to ten films.

I travelled to America for further studies immediately after featuring in 2face’s “African Queen” video. I studied International Relations in a University in Cyprus.

Why didn’t you study Theater Arts?

A lot of people have asked this question. But I think I just wanted to study something outside of what I am used to, so that, I can broaden my mind.

Your name has become a household name in Nigeria. What would you say is the secret?

I cannot tell you what the secret is. But I am just doing what I know  how to do best. I leave the rest to God. He has been the one who has  lifted me up and I am very grateful to Him.

Aside, acting, what else do you think you can do better?

I am solely into acting for now, trying to reach a level where I can now live and divert into so many other things.

At the moment, I am trying to stablise myself in the industry having been away for a long time. I want to get used to the new Nollywood that is quite different from the one I left behind several years ago.

You said, new Nollywood? What’s new about the industry?

Before I left the country for America, there were certain set of practitioners in the industry. But today, the story has change. We now have new faces, who have genuine love for the industry.

People who have so much talents that they want to explore. It is very interesting to have such people in the industry. It more challenging now because, everybody is bringing something new in the industry. The stories are changing and they are becoming more diversified.

So, how do you intend to find your place again in the industry?

The people are not my business. I am just here to work.  I just want to put heads together with whoever I come across. Give me what you have, and I bring what I have on the table.

What can you not do without as a very pretty girl?

My eye pack because I love my eyes. I always like to make my lips look good. For the accessories, I can not do without my golden wrist watch. I wear it anywhere I go every day  because it gives me good luck. I like big things and that’s why I have to get a big wrist watch.

What does love mean to you?

I am a lover of love. I love to love. I love to be emotional.Love is  something that I appreciate a lot. Trust me, I am a good lover. I love my fans, my folks, I love the people that matters to me. I love to have people around me.

What is an ideal man to you?

I don’t even know what it is any more. But I think people at different ages have different perspection in respect of what an ideal man is. He should be  more intelligent than myself.

I need somebody I can learn from him. He should also be able to take care of himself.  That’s  an ideal man for me. He should not be ugly.

Which part of you body do you think is your selling point?

I think it is my brain. Talking about the physical things that attracts men to me, it depends. Some people say, it’s my eyes, others prefer  my lips and my boobs. So, I do not know. When I love into the mirror, I love everything about myself.

How was your growing up like?

While growing up, I wanted to be a beauty queen. I just like getting attention. I was the first child. For the first five years of my life, I have the whole attention in the world. I am so used to  people coming around me. As a child, I got everything I needed.

Tell us about your evolution into Nollywood?

As a child, I never dreamed  of going into acting.  I loved modeling, and how paparazzis run after models. I never had acting in mind until I met Charles Novia.

When I saw him somewhere in Surulere, I was like; is this Charles Novia! And he turned around and looked at me and said, do I know you? I replied him, saying I saw you on the television yesterday .

He quickly asked me if I  wanted  to become an actress? I replied in the affirmative. He later gave me his call card  and invited me for an audition the following day.

That was it. While I was still working on the set with Charles Novia, Uzodimma saw me and insisted taht he would  feature me in his music video. The next day, I featured in the African queen video. That was how I started my acting career.

Who are the actresses you look up to?

I love Genevieve Nnaji. I am also a fan of Omoni Oboli, and many others.

Recently you featured in the music video of Sound Sutan. Do you have passion for dancing?

Sound Sultan is  a big brother. He called  me and said, I am shooting my music video. Can you come around and give me your support.  When I got there, I ended up featuring in the video. This is the third time, I would be featuring in a music video. I featured in African Queen video, Ego and now, Sound Sutan’s video.

Does that mean you are a dancer?

I am not a dancer. I am not a video vixien. I can go and sit down and have a class cup and champagne. That is different from dancing. I am not a dancer.

What will you say fame has robbed you of?

The good and the bad. Good, in the sense that I can walk into anywhere and get favour ,especially in the banking hall. Sometimes, I would be standing in the quene and somebody would walk up to me and asked me how much do you want?

And the person would help me to make it faster. But the ugly thing is that, you will not live your life the way  you would want to.

You attacked  Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Nelson on your twitter handle last year. What triggered off the attack?

I am not going to comment on it. Everybody took side with Yvonne Nelson, including my friends. So,  I am  not going to say anything about it. The whole world was against me. I read the negative reactions of Nigerians online. I was not expecting anything less. Even my own friends who never had any encounter with Yvonne Nelson took side with her.

You have a penchant for revealing some part of your body, may be your boobs. What happened today?

Well, it depends on the clothes. I have big boobs, so, if the clothes are not big enough to cover my boobs  you would  not blame me for that. I am not the person who made my clothes . I just put the clothes on.

You have passion for revealing some part of your body?

It depends on my mood. If I want to expose my back, I will do that. It goes with my mood.

Is it true that you dated 2face?

I didn’t date 2face. I only featured in his “African Queen” video. I have never  kissed him before.

Are you not planning to get married?

When the time comes, I will get married. I have never given it a thought.

It’s not about thinking, it is about the right person coming my way. Many ladies have been thinking about settling down for years now, but Mr. right has not come their way.

You are saying that Mr. right has not come your way?

Let’s take it like that. I don’t even have any relationship right now.

Why is it that most actresses do not want to get married?

How do you mean? Do you think that a lady would  decide to remain single. As a woman, she still needs a man. If  you do not have a man in your life, it is so bad.  She can never be a  happy woman.

Among the actors in the industry, who do you have crush on ?

Someone asked me this question recently. But, even if I have anybody in mind, do you think I would disclose the person to you.  It is a secret that I keep to myself. I am not going to elaborate on that.

What is your take on the same-sex  law in Nigeria?

The answer to the gay law is that, we got some group of people.  If you support it, you will have some people that will support you.

But if you are against it, you will also, have some group of people who will also support you. So, I am sitting on the fence. I do not want to be on anybody’s bad  record. But sincerely speaking, I think for the federal government to pass the bill into law, it must be a very serious matter.



Can you play the role of a lesbian in a movie?

I can play the role but depending on the script. If the script is conveying a moral lesson, yes, I can do it.

So, it has to do with what message you are conveying to the people.  Secondly, notwithstanding,  as an actress, I should be able to play any role. But, I will gladly play the role as long as I’m not going to kiss a  fellow girl on set.

What of acting  nude?

No, I cannot for no reason. I have people I am answerable to.

Have you been sexually harassed before now?

Sexual harassment in the industry have to do with what you want. If you want to be sexually harassed, you will be. I am saying that because, even when I am walking on the road, or in the  banking hall, I usually get passes.

But it depends on what you want. I do not think every  director would  want to sleep with every girl he comes across. Maybe, I am wrong but, I don’t think it is possible. I have had the experience where a produced would refused to feature me in his movie because I did not  sleep with him. They might make their advances to me.

Having featured in many movies, which of them would you say challenged you most?

The more challenging movie I have done since my return is James Town by Ifeanyi Onyeabor.

In the movie, I played a role that I have never done before. Most of roles have always been someone who is going to cry, or who has been abandoned and so on.

But in the movie,  I played the role of a drug seller. I sold all sorts of drugs. I was meant to move about with a guitar all the time. In this guitar, I concealed all the drugs that I was selling. But when nemesis caught up with me, I got bruised. I was busy hurting myself and I enjoyed every bit of the movie.

Would you say that the role interpreted your real person?

My real person is funny and  loving. I have got a very good sense of humor that my friends can’t even contend with, when I start making them laugh. But, the roles I have gotten have nothing to do with my real self. All the roles I have played, none have really shown my real self.

Benjamin Ekpenyong

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Those sex tapes made me more popular

Kora award winner and Ex Project Fame winner, Chidinma Ekile, tells ‘Nonye Ben-Nwankwo how she has been able to manage the recent controversies surrounding her

Continue............

You won Kora Awards last year and this year again, you were nominated for an international award, Channel O Awards. Did you ever imagine that you would get to this stage?

No way. I never imagined it in any way. All I did was just to be focused. I knew this was what I loved doing and I decided to just keep doing it. I didn’t expect that it would get this big. Sometimes I sit back and I think back of how it started.

But did the awards have any impact on your career?

Oh yes. When I won the Kora and got back to Nigeria, it was a whole different experience. People started treating me differently. They wondered how ‘small’ Chidinma could go to Cote D’ivoire and bring the Kora home. It added to my profile. Being nominated for the Channel O Award is a big deal for me even if I didn’t clinch the award.

How has it been since then?

It has been good and challenging. It has been a lot of work.

Did you go back to school?

Oh yes. I am managing my career and my studies. I don’t have a choice. I wake up every day and I realise I have a lot of things to do. This is really the best time to tidy up my education. This is my youth. I get busier by the day. It will get tougher. I have to do what I have to do before time gets tougher.

Are you not scared or intimidated competing with other bigger female artistes in the industry?

I have never been a competition person even though I am a product of a competition. But I didn’t see Project Fame as a competition. I was doing what I love doing. In the industry, I am not in any competition. I am just Chidinma. I have tried to carve a niche for myself. I try to be different all the time. I don’t like a situation where somebody will say ‘Chidinma sounds like this person or that person.’ When that comes, competition arises. I am not in for that. I just want to be me and I always try to improve. I want to be versatile. I don’t want to be put in a box. I am here to have fun and make money at the same time.

But you must look up to some of the female artistes…

Definitely. Most of the time I was preparing for the Project Fame competition, I listened to Omawumi a lot. I followed her right from the time she came out of West African Idols. I just loved her kind of music. It is African and she has lots of messages at the same time. I love Onyeka Onwenu as well. I can learn from any one. I am still able to talk and ask question. I am still their baby.

Do you owe Project Fame all you have achieved?

I owe it to Project Fame to a reasonable extent. I don’t think I would be here if not for Project Fame. I didn’t take music seriously. I felt it was something I could do during my leisure. I didn’t know it would become a profession.

If you hadn’t won, you wouldn’t have been bothered?

It wouldn’t have mattered. I didn’t even know I was going to win. I felt I was having fun and if I got money, it was okay. I didn’t want to be the winner. I didn’t want everybody’s eyes to be on me. But it happened and I didn’t have a choice. I decided to give it a trial. That is why I am here today.

You eventually came into the spotlight and it opened doors to controversies and scandals…

I have been in the news lately. My manager told me that I am a balloon on top of lots of needles. People want me to drop on those needles and get deflated. He told me to be careful. The first time was when my nude picture went viral. I actually went for a photo shoot for my friend. I wore a tube dress. Some mischief makers actually cropped off the lower part of the picture and posted it on the Internet. It was as if I was nude. I wasn’t happy at all. I had that picture. I had to post the real picture on the net and people now got convinced the nude picture wasn’t original. I thought that was the end, I didn’t know a bigger scandal was coming…

You mean the sex video?

Oh yes. I woke up one morning and I was greeted on the internet with ‘Chidinma and sex tape’.  I was worried primarily because of my mother. I didn’t let her see the video but I had to show her the photos. I didn’t want to go out that day. I couldn’t go out. But my mum felt otherwise. She told me to ignore the mischief makers. I almost took some actions but I thought against it. I met Sound Sultan on a set. He told me, ‘Babe, you are now a star. I welcome you officially into the industry.’ I trended for three days. Even people who didn’t know me got to know me. My fan base grew. And then, I was happy because more than 90 per cent of the public didn’t believe I was the one in that video. There were people who didn’t need to see the video to believe I couldn’t have done such thing. I am just grateful to everyone who didn’t believe the story. My twitter account was hacked and the people created another account. They kept releasing nasty pictures and they were even responding to the tweets as if I was the one doing it. I was just watching and laughing. It put me in the spotlight. I used it for good.

But such scandal shouldn’t be good for your career…

Ever since I started, I have been scared of scandals. I didn’t want to have any. But I realised that I cannot run away from it. It is just normal. It is not everybody who is happy seeing me rise. Some people are trying to do something to stop me. But sex tape is not enough to stop me. They should bring up something else. The sex tape just took me to another level in my career. It moved me up. This is no more ‘little’ Chidinma. It didn’t bring me down in any way. I am still doing a lot of things.

One of the Skuki boys said he is in love with you and would want to marry you…

Oh yes. Everybody wants to marry me but I am not ready for marriage.

But the boy came out publicly and declared his love for you…

I laughed when I saw that story. I have not considered his request. I still have to make more money before I consider marriage. He is actually my friend and he never told me something like that. I have been linked with so many people. People cannot imagine me being a saint. They are just looking for something to attach to me.

How does it feel like being a star?

It is a lot of work. People see me and envy me and say ‘ohhh, she is now a star and she must be enjoying’. I am not enjoying. The more you are there, the more you do things. The expectation is now so high. Being a star is not so much fun because you have to do more work. You have to please people. You have to smile even when you are not in the mood. It is so frustrating. But then, you owe it to some people, you have put yourself out there. This is what I have signed for. Nobody begged me to do this.

Benjamin Ekpenyong

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I’m addicted to sex, and I have to have sex everyday – Maheeda

In this Interview with theNetng, Maheeda opens up on growing up ,having a baby at 17 and being an orphan.

On sex

A lot… I’m addicted to sex, and I have to have sex everyday.At least

once everyday, and if there’s no guy around me, I’ll help myself by masturbating. I have a lot of sextoys; in fact, I’m a regular customer. It’s like food to me, and you have to eat. It is very healthy and it gives you the right curves and my body is used to it.
Yes! Sometimes I just squirt, like when am having sex, and because I am used to it and my body needs it.
On her recent trip to Europe
It was for business. I went for a birthday party of one big shot and all I needed to do was just sit down and cross my legs and then I got money in my account, which was pretty cool.No. I just sat down, sipped some champagne and made some money. I just went to cross my legs and made $3000.It was just an appearance. Isn’t that cool? Because they want to see that raunchy chick.

On her pregnancy

I got pregnant for my boyfriend about 13 years ago when I was just 17, in Kano. I think his family was tribalist because they didn’t want me around, so they offered me N2million, which was a lot of money back then, to leave the baby and go. I actually wanted to accept the money but I thought to myself, ‘Hey, you’re an orphan and this is the only blood you have.’ So, I left the money and decided to leave with my daughter
Because I was very hungry and I was coming from a very poor background. My mum and dad weren’t there. I was 14, living in the streets, where he met me, housed, and then I eventually got pregnant for him when I was 17. Ever since then it has been just me and, besides, I don’t want to ask anything because I know they wanted the child and not me, and I can’t afford to lose her. She’s the only thing that I have.

Growing up

I never met my dad, but I knew my mum for a while, and then she died and that’s all? I don’t even know any one of my relatives.My childhood was very lonely. I was always missing this family relationship, which I think is still affecting me till today. I don’t know what love is but I think my daughter and my man are beginning to teach me.

A very nice woman took care of me after my mum died when I was 14. Before her, there was a Muslim woman taking care of me, because my mum was always dumping me with different people whenever she was going out to hustle. Two years with one person, a year with another person. It was just like that. I didn’t have a normal life, and don’t know if I still have one. The Muslim woman taught me how to pray like them. I attended Islamic lessons and learnt the recitation.

On Marriage

When I met my husband, he said he would support my career and that is what has kept me going till date.We have been married for Two years, but we’ve been dating for about 10 years
On the Nigerian mentality
The Nigerian mentality is very low. It made me look like a fool the first time I went to Europe.
The way we see things, especially seeing sex as evil and not even talking about it even though we desire it. Some people think I’m already possessed, but that’s not it. We are not taught honour and there’s just a lot we don’t know.

Ian Cleary

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Full Story, Actress Cossy Orjiakor i sex my dog harder

Cossy Orjiakor, popped up last Saturday at The Sun Awards and instantly caused a stir on the Red Carpet as she almost popped out of her tight fitting orange tube gown, which terminated just above her knees, revealing a pair of shapely legs on stiletto heels. Cossy was indeed a sight to behold as her extra large boobs threatened to spill out of her skimpy dress.
It’s like you’ve been lying low for a while. Where have you been?

Yeah (giggles) I’ve been having fun really doing my own thing. But I’m working on a reality TV show designed to give back to society. I have this large heart for giving back, so I want to have a reality TV show where the winners would be encouraged to bring forth proposals which I would sponsor with the little I have. But if I could get sponsors it would be great!
For the past 10 years you’ve been active in Nollywood. Could you share your happiest moment with us?
That was when I started getting recognition back in the days when I just started acting; those were my happiest moments but right now I’m just there.
What’s been your saddest moment?
You should know now (laughter). Imagine all the false stories that they’ve published about me; ‘Cossy Orjiakor has HIV’, ‘Cossy had sex with a dog’, ‘Cossy did this and Cossy did that’. You know, that’s not cool. But I’m a fun person and I dress for the occasion. Like if I’m going for a costume party I’d wear a sexy costume and that’s a party that happens basically in the night. But the thing is that in the morning, when normal people see the pictures of the clothes in the papers, they judge me unfairly.
A lot of men including me are ogling right now. How do you handle your male fans?
I smile if they have the guts to tell me I look good, and I say ‘thank you’.
What if they want more?
I go out on my own most times. I have friends that own clubs, so if I’m bored and want to hang out; I could either go out on my own or with friends. It all depends on my mood.
I can see there’s a tattoo on your left boob. What does it signify?
It’s a rose flower. I got it a long time ago. I just wanted to know what it feels like to have a tattoo; I actually have four.
But having a tattoo on your boob must have been very painful…?
Yes, it was but I just wanted to know how it felt like having a tattoo (laughs).
You come across as a very fun loving and adventurous person. What makes you tick?
I am extremely happy; I tick because I am a happy person. I always see the comic side to everything around me especially in difficult situations.
Tell us about your love life; I mean the man in your life now?
I spent my Valentine alone.
Why did you spend Valentine alone?
I went for a party, a costume party where you dress as a sex icon at Galiante, so I wasn’t really lonely.
What’s the most romantic thing you’ve done lately?
I don’t remember.
But Valentine was only recently…?
(Giggles) I dressed up my dog and painted him; I have a canine. It was supposed to be an Alsatian dog but I was duped. When the dog became big, it was looking more like a local mongrel but just the same I love my dog, so I bought dye and painted it and gave it that unique Alsatian look and then off I went to party.
Who is in your life right now?
You know I don’t talk about men.
But your fans want to know?
I’m not lacking attention but I’m not really in a serious relationship for now.
What determines your fashion sense when you go out?
It depends on the mood I’m in and where I’m dressing for. You dress to impress and sometimes you dress to express yourself.
What’s the craziest thing a fan has done to you after seeing your boobs dangling so dangerously?
(Laughter) Yeah… I’ve had a lot of experiences especially from females. I could allow a female touch my boobs if I am in the mood. You know, they are like, ‘is it real?’ Men don’t really do much these days; it was a long time ago.
There’s this report that you once insured your boobs…?
No, no, no… that was a fake story. I don’t k now where it emanated from but it was funny any way. It all comes from this fake bloggers who compile fake stuff and publishe them online and they look so real.
What are those qualities you look out for in a man?
Physical fitness first and above every other thing; I love abs, I love a guy that works out; I love a flat tummy.
There’s this talk about a lesbian clique running Nollywood. Have they reached out to you? Have you heard about them?
No.
Recently, you were linked with porn actress, Afrocandy. In fact, she offered you a role in her yet-to-be-shot porn movie. Did you accept?
I’ve not met her but I think she’s a cool babe. I like her guts and Maheeda’s guts as well; they’re doing their own thing. If one way does not work, the other should; they’re paying their dues.

What about the porn movie role?

I can act in a porn movie but I can never go nude myself. If I have to act with somebody and they use a body double to do the acting, that’s fine. But as for me, I can never go nude. If you insist that I must act nude then you have to use a body double. They’ve done it before. That was when I was dancing for Obesere. They superimposed a dog on me and said I was having sex with the dog. And before I knew it everybody was calling me a porn actor! That picture was photo shopped. I can remember a guy called me up and said he had a picture of me having sex with a dog and I told him to go to hell; he wanted to blackmail me, and then he published the story and my family was embarrassed.

Those guys must have been mean. Have you forgiven them?

Yes, I don’t have time for that. I always forgive and forget; that’s why I am a happy person.

So, when are you getting married?

When I see the right man I will get married.

People have this impression that you’re hot between the sheets. How true is that?

I don’t know (blushes). I’m very good though; I believe I’m very good. Do you want to find out? (Giggles).
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done sexually?

I’m extremely adventurous believe me… when you’re adventurous you go with the flow and take over whatever happens; you don’t have a mind set of what you want to do; you just flow.
What’s been your greatest sexual experience?

If I tell, you wouldn’t believe it.

Are you not scared that the image you project may hamper your chances of getting married someday?
I’ve never lacked male attention; I’ve had my own fair share but I get scared easily because a lot of things about me might change when I get married. They will be like ‘stop this and stop that.’ Your life’s no longer yours and that scares me. When a guy’s coming after you and he’s saying ‘when we get married you’ll stop all this,’ I get scared. Once I hear that I get scared, I am extremely and fiercely independent.

Does that mean you can’t change?

I can never change and I have no apologies. I need someone who will polish me up in what I’m doing, not somebody who’ll change me. Change me to what? That sounds very unappealing.

Why don’t we see you much in movies these days?

The offers that I get are not paying enough, so I’d rather do other things that get me money.

Other things like what?

I work for myself. I get paid to go out and I have tenants that pay me rent; I’m a landlady.

Ian Cleary

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