Audi lightweight springs innovation

Audi has come up with an invention that could shave a lot of weight from the current shock springs that is being used on their vehicles. The new springs are made of a glass fiber-reinforced polymer and are 40 percent lighter than steel springs, Audi said today. Developed in conjunction with a supplier in Italy, the springs are larger than the steel versions they would replace and use fewer coils.

“The GFRP springs save weight at a crucial location in the chassis system. We are therefore making driving more precise and enhancing vibrational comfort,” said Audi technical development boss Ulrich Hackenberg. 

GFRP Springs production requires less energy than steel springs and Audi says the GFRP components can also be tuned for specific tasks, presumably for varying levels of stiffness. They also won’t corrode and can’t be damaged by chemicals like wheel cleaners.

The GFRP springs can be precisely tuned to their respective task, and the material exhibits outstanding properties. It does not corrode, even after stone chipping, and is impervious to chemicals such as wheel cleaners. Last but not least, production requires far less energy than the production of steel springs.

Breaking News: Further recalls on cars with Takata Airbags

Takata Corp., the Japanese auto safety components supplier, said potentially defective airbag inflators that could explode with too much force, were also shipped to two Large Japanese automakers namely Subaru and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

Last week, seven other automakers said they were recalling their vehicles in high-humidity regions of the United States at the request of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to see if faulty air bag inflators supplied by Takata had been installed in their vehicles.

Takata said in a letter to U.S. safety regulators dated June 25 2014, that after further reviewing its records, "we have determined that two additional vehicle manufacturers received some of the covered inflators." Takata cited the two Japanese automakers in its letter, posted on a NHTSA Web site. Takata's U.S. spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. Officials with Subaru, owned by Fuji Heavy Industries, and Mitsubishi, had no immediate comment.

NHTSA opened an investigation earlier this month into whether Takata inflators that were made after 2002 were prone to fail, and whether driving in high humidity contributed toward a risk of air bag explosions.

In a June 11 letter to the NHTSA, Takata said it would support "regional campaigns" to replace certain driver-side air bag inflators made between January 2004 and June 2007, as well as certain passenger-side inflators made between June 2000 and July 2004. But Takata did not admit there was any "safety defect" in the air bags.

The much bolder 2015 Ford FOCUS ST

The much anticipated 2015 Ford Focus ST hot hatch gets a radical facelift that revamps the front and rear fascias, new features, and a reworked interior. To bolster its performance credentials, the Focus ST also has an updated suspension with different tuning that Ford claims will make for a sharper driving experience.

The 2015 Ford Focus ST’s new face features slimmer headlights, a wider grille, and a tweaked lower fascia that give the car a more modern and aggressive look. Out back, the ST’s new taillights are smaller than before, and the entire rear end has a much cleaner look thanks to simplified lines on the tailgate and rear bumper. The interior also has a cleaner look, with a revised gauge cluster, a new flat-bottom steering wheel, and rearranged controls for the MyFord Touch infotainment system and climate controls. Ford is also adding some new equipment to the new Focus ST, including a standard backup camera and options like a heated steering wheel and a power driver’s seat.

In terms of dynamic improvements, the 2015 Ford Focus ST has new front springs, different shock absorber tuning in the front and the rear, and revised electric power steering that’s supposed to deliver better feel. The standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder still makes the same 252 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque, and mates with a one-choice-only six-speed manual transmission.

Along with these more significant changes, there are also a host of appearance tweaks like new 18-inch wheels, a few new exterior colors, and the availability of either Satin Black or High Gloss Red racing stripes that come with matching mirror caps.

Android New Release is a market conqueror

All of us thought that  Android 4.4 KitKat was a major change when it came out late last year, but the still unnamed L release of Android puts that to shame. Despite not telling us the codename (Lollipop?) or the version number (5.0?), Google demoed an updated UI called Material Design and a plethora of new features. You won’t be able to get your hands on the final version of L until this fall, but Apple is going to have its work cut out for it competing with the new Android, even after its lauded iOS 8 announcement. Here’s how Android is evolving and what that means for the iOS vs. Android matchup coming later this year.

Material Design
Material Design is the name of Google’s new interface guidelines — much like Microsoft and Metro — and it’s a radical departure from Android of the past. It adopts the color palette from Google Now with blues, muted greens, and red, but white is still the dominant color. It provides a more lively tapestry on which to paint the updated Android interface.

Android is still adhering to flat design, which is the trend, but it’s layered flatness. Google describes this as a take on stacks of paper, but a digital paper that can shift and morph into different shapes. The new SDK will allow developers to describe the way UI elements are layered (an elevation value), which can be used to render parts of an app as if they are floating just above another. Android L renders subtle shadows on the edges that give a feeling of depth without cluttering the screen. Every little change in the new Android UI also comes with some sort of animation, even if it’s fast. Ideally, there won’t be any more hard transitions.

How does this compare to Apple? Cupertino has taken a lot of heat for its iOS 7 redesign, but it’s slowly winning people over. iOS 8 continues the trend of flat design with the transparent glass effect. Design is a pretty subjective thing, but you have to admit Google is doing some very interesting things with Material Design.

Performance
Apple made a big fuss about the new Metal graphics API included in iOS 8, which will allow developers to design games that run considerably faster. The Swift programming language was also rolled out for iOS devs to create more streamlined apps. It all adds up to faster apps. Android response? A new runtime and the Android Extension Pack (AEP).

Google developed the AEP in partnership with Nvidia. It was demoed on the Nvidia Tegra K1 at I/O, but it should run on all ARM chips. AEP is a collection of extensions for OpenGL ES that adds features like tessellation and compute shaders that close the gap between mobile graphics and DirectX 11 on PCs. Google didn’t list any performance numbers, but Mountain View has another trick up its sleeve in this department.

Android L is the end of the line for Dalvik, the virtual machine in Android that compiles Java from apps into native code. Dalvik is what’s called a “just in time” compiler — you run an app, and it compiles the code as you go. The replacement for Dalvik was included in KitKat as a beta feature — the Android Runtime or ART. A device using ART compiles Java into native code upon installation and caches it, which makes all apps and games faster, piping the bits right to the hardware. Apple’s famous responsiveness advantage might be going away.

Power saving
In all these years, Google has neglected to create a basic battery saving mode for Android. A number of OEMs have done it on their own, like Samsung with its Ultra Power Saver Mode on the Galaxy S5. However, Android L is going to have Project Volta. This is a major change to the way Android manages battery life.

Project Volta will include an easy-to-use setting that users can flip on to down-clock the CPU, disable background data, and tweak other settings to save power. Google claims this feature can add another 90 minutes of life to a Nexus 5, which lasts about a day as it currently stands. That’s not a huge difference, and Apple has always been able to tout its superior battery life thanks to a more restricted app model.

Lorenzo haunted by the memories of Assen

Jorge Lorenzo accepted full responsibility for his uncompetitive 13th place in MotoGP's Dutch Grand Prix, saying he lost all confidence amid memories of his 2013 Assen crash.

Last year Lorenzo broke his collarbone in a practice accident on the TT meeting's opening day, then incredibly returned to race from 12th to fifth on the Saturday.

But he was off the pace throughout this season's race, languishing as low as 17th after losing ground when he stayed on wets too long in the drying race.

"I have to say that the bike was working quite well in the wet and the dry, I just had a bad race as a rider," said Lorenzo.

"My confidence wasn't great; I didn't want to crash like last year.

"I would like to apologise to my team, the engineers and my fans because they all did their best but today it was definitely my worst race ever.

"In the dry I'm confident and not afraid of crashing but when it's spitting maybe I have the memory of last year and I didn't have things clear in my mind.

"In future if something happens like this I hope to be more confident and less scared of crashing."

It was a troubled race for the works Yamaha team, as Lorenzo's team-mate Valentino Rossi had to start from the pitlane after gambling on slick tyres only to change his mind at the end of the green-flag lap and pit.

Rossi eventually recovered to fifth.

World Cup 2014 Knockout Round : Clash of the South Americans

This will be an intriguing match-up indeed. Brazil 5 times Champions of the World and the host nation will go against one of the surprise of the tournament. Brazil will have the upper hand having not lost to Chile Brazil have never lost at home to Chile in 2 meetings spanning 95 years, but they are all too aware of how difficult it will be to extend that record. Chile's aggressive pressing and fluid attacking style means that, at their best, they are irresistible to watch and near-impossible to contain. Just ask dethroned world champions Spain.
Chile have not reached the quarter-finals since they hosted the tournament in 1962. However, the current side are not lacking in belief.
Star player Alexis Sanchez said: "We have respect for them, but I think we are going to beat them. We came to this World Cup to make history. We beat the world champions, and although we had a slip-up against Holland, we are going out to try and win the Cup."
Chile certainly have the host nation worried. Coach Sampaoli suspended training on Thursday when a helicopter from Brazilian television station O Globo hovered over the pitch as he was working on tactics. The helicopter eventually took flight but Chile will be vying to ground Brazil on Saturday.

Facebook reveals truth about user information

Facebook has openly revealed that since last summer it's been fighting a court order that required it to disclose all social-media information involving hundreds of people.

"This unprecedented request is by far the largest we've ever received -- by a magnitude of more than ten -- and we have argued that it was unconstitutional from the start," Chris Sonderby, Facebook's deputy general counsel, wrote in a statement Thursday.

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The situation raises concerns over privacy in the digital age, when much of a person's sensitive information is often available online and on mobile devices. This week, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected warrantless searches of cell phones, saying the practice went against the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable search and seizure. The court added that modern cell phones are "not just another technological convenience."


Facebook, the largest social network in the world, asserted that the search was "overly broad" and allowed the government to keep the seized photos, private messages, and other information indefinitely. It has called for the government to return the data and claimed the search ignored the Fourth Amendment.

Facebook, as well as other tech companies like Google and Apple, discloses data on the number of search warrants, subpoenas, and emergency disclosures requests it receives from government bodies. Facebook said that from July to December 2013, it received 12,598 total requests from US law enforcement, requesting information from 18,715 users or accounts. In all, some data was produced from 81 percent of the requests, Facebook said.

McLaren 650s GT3 set to rule race tracks in 2015

The McLaren 650S GT3 replaces the current 12C GT3 race car on which it is based, introducing a new sinister look to the McLaren team. The car is built using a carbon fiber monocell chassis with a body that has been honed for aerodynamics. An aggressive front splitter with huge air intakes make up the front of the car, while carbon fiber body work and rear wing complete the package. Overall, the 650S GT3 is 55mm wider than the 12C.

Of course, the suspension has been heavily revised compared to the road going car and McLaren says the advancements have been made primarily for endurance racing.

Putting the power down is a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 that makes about 500 hp routed through a six-speed manual transmission controlled by wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

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Special attention was also paid to cost of ownership, with McLaren saying that parts have been optimized for long life and reduced maintenacne costs. A new 650S GT3 will sell £330,000. Existing owners of the 12C race car will also benefit from the new car through the offer of an upgrade package that includes many of the enhancements made to the 650S.

Tribute to "biting Suarez" not!!!

Save the beautiful game from this lunatic. Complete idiot.

Suarez gets hefty ban

World football's governing body FIFA has acted swiftly to ban rogue Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez for nine international matches and from any football-related activity for four months.

Suarez brought international opprobrium onto himself when he bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay's 1-0 win over the Azzuri on Tuesday.
The victory saw La Celeste through to the knockout round of the World Cup, where they will face Colombia on Saturday night, while Italy were sent home as a result of the loss. The ban will also mean that Suarez once again misses several matches at the start of Liverpool's next Premier League campaign.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee said in a statement that Suarez was guilty of 'unsporting conduct towards another player'.
"The player Luis Suárez is to be suspended for nine (9) official matches. The first match of this suspension is to be served in the upcoming FIFA World Cup fixture between Colombia and Uruguay on 28 June 2014. The remaining match suspensions shall be served in Uruguay’s next FIFA World Cup match(es), as long as the team qualifies, and/or in the representative team’s subsequent official matches...."
"The player Luis Suárez is banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) for a period of four (4) months"
''A stadium ban is pronounced against the player Luis Suárez ... the player Luis Suárez is prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium during the period of the ban. The player Luis Suárez is prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium in which the representative team of Uruguay is playing while he has to serve the nine-match suspension''.

“Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch, and in particular not at a FIFA World Cup when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field.
In addition, Suarez has been fined 100,000 Swiss Francs ($118,876).
"The Disciplinary Committee took into account all the factors of the case and the degree of Mr Suárez’s guilt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the (disciplinary) Code. The decision comes into force as soon it is communicated,” said Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.

2015 Ford Edge Unveiled

The FORD EDGE is the segment leader with 120,000 annual U.S. sales, Edge has ditched its aged platform and uninspired Bauhaus styling. Get beyond the Explorer/Transit-style grille, and the Edge features crisp, interesting sheetmetal. It looks best from the rear-3/4 view where the taillamp treatment and rear quarter panels lend a vaguely Asian air to the styling. The interiors in the Sport and the new Titanium trims look much like the interior in the Fusion, with which it shares Ford’s global CD4 platform. The Edge has a lower cowl and provides outward view than the sedan.
The 2015 Ford Edge is 3.9 inches longer, at 188.1 inches overall versus the 2011-14 model, with a one-inch increase in wheelbase, to 112.2 inches. Width is down 0.1 inch, to 75.9 inches. It’s 1.6 inches taller, defying crossover dimension trends, at 68.6 inches, and cargo capacity is up seven cubic feet thanks to a longer load floor, though the more rakish D-pillar cuts into cargo space.

The trailing arm suspension in back has been replaced with an independent, integral link setup. New coil springs and an “advanced antiroll bar system” result in 20 percent more roll stiffness than the previous model, and greater use of high-strength steel helps increase stiffness and improve noise, vibration, and harshness. The curb weight is about the same as the old model's.

The 2015 Ford Edge Sport comes with a black grille, black 21-inch wheels, and the new, 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 that will premier in the aluminum 2015 Ford F-150. It’s rated “more than 300 horsepower” in the Edge Sport, with the torque of a midrange V-8. The engine uses compacted graphic iron for its cylinder block, like Ford’s 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel. Chassis upgrades include larger-diameter monotube dampers and antiroll bars that are 15 percent stiffer than other trim levels. Coil springs are 10 percent thicker, and Ford claims “15 percent to 20 percent better roadholding ability,” though any bit of understeer or oversteer will be blunted by the Edge’s Curve Control, which slows the CUV “efficiently” through a curve (as in the Explorer, the system cannot be turned off).

Except for the Sport, a 2.0-liter turbo four is standard. The Edge is the first Ford to have an EcoBoost base engine. Ford says the engine is virtually new, with the addition of a twin-scroll turbo to minimize lag, plus a lighter engine block casting and aluminum balance shaft. A stop/start system is optional with the 2.0. With optional all-wheel drive and the towing package, the 2.0-liter Edge can tow 3500 pounds. 

The naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 option carries over. All three engines are paired with a standard six-speed automatic transmission. Ford isn’t talking horsepower, though the current 2.0-liter EcoBoost and 3.5-liter V-6 make 240 and 285 horsepower, respectively, in the 2014 Edge.

Van Gaal's first summer signing

The Athletic Bilbao midfielder was met by Sir Bobby Charlton with a reception party at Carrington after he arrived in a white VW transporter before being shown around, along with his agent.

A club doctor is on site, though no medical has yet begun, as a €35 million transfer nears completion, with the Red Devils keen to do business quickly as his release clause would rise to around €40m on July 1.

Herrera is believed to have arrived in the United Kingdom on Tuesday and stayed in London before making the journey up to the North West, accompanied by his agent and friends. Much of the legal work to push the transfer through was completed at United's office in Mayfair on Tuesday.

The midfielder's agent was cautious when questioned about the possibility of securing a move but told the press that "things were moving along nicely". 

The party flew into Northolt on a private flight on Tuesday ahead of talks with United officials at the training base on Wednesday. 

Herrera would be Louis van Gaal's first summer signing and would see the 24-year-old finally complete a move that stalled at the end of the summer 2013 transfer window under then-boss David Moyes.

He said goodbye to his Athletic team-mates before flying out from Spain, with United having offered a contract worth €180,000 per week.

SEAT unleash LEON CUPRA to take Nurburgring honours

A battle is brewing between two European automakers over who makes the faster hot hatch. The battle ground has been the Nürburgring, where Seat and Renault have been going back and forth, taking the front-drive lap record away from each other.

First Renault set the bar with the previous Mégane R26.R that set an 8:16.9 lap time in 2008, then reset it with the newer Mégane Trophy in 2011 at 8:07.9. Years later, Seat picked up the gauntlet and ran it across the finish line in 7:58.44 with the new Leon Cupra. Not happy letting the Spanish automaker steal its thunder, the French team returned to Eifel this past weekend with the new Mégane Trophy-R and set a new FWD lap record at 7:54.36, knocking over four seconds off of Seat's time.

The big question, then, is whether Seat is going to return to reclaim the bragging rights it stole from Renault in the first place. And the answer is: probably. According to Auto Express, Seat is already working on a lighter – if not necessarily more powerful – version of the Leon that could reclaim those four seconds it lost to Renault.

As it is, the Seat in question was no ordinary Leon: it was the Leon Cupra, with the higher 280-horsepower output and a performance pack with bigger brakes and wheels, more extreme aero and semi-slick Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires. The package will soon be available to customers as well, thereby legitimizing Seat's previous claim.

Renault took things even farther with the Trophy-R, though. As it is, the new Mégane RS 275 Trophy has ten more horses than the previous version, along with a titanium exhaust, Ohlins dampers and those same Michelin tires. Then the Trophy-R stripped out the seats, fitted a pair of Recaro buckets and more.


Seat could, according to Auto Express, ditch the back seats from the Leon Cupra 280, strip out some excess weight and maybe even give it an extra 20 or so horsepower to really stick it to Renault. It only has to make up four or five seconds on an eight-minute lap, after all. One thing it is not considering, however, is all-wheel drive. For one thing, that's the purview of the VW Golf R that shares much of its oily bits with the Leon. For another, that would disqualify it from claiming the front-drive record anyway. One way or another, we doubt this will be the last we'll hear of this particular rivalry.there's a battle raging on between two European automakers over who makes the faster hot hatch. The battle ground has been the Nürburgring, where Seat and Renault have been going back and forth, taking the front-drive lap record away from each other.

ASUS Fonepad 7 to Challenge the phablet market

ASUS Fonepad 7: a Brand New mobile Experience

The ASUS Fonepad 7 is the newest and improved version of the manufacturer's Fonepad-Padfone which was launched early this year (not to be confused, though, with the ASUS manufactured Google Nexus 7). The reason why it is called this way is because the device, like its predecessor, is both an Android tablet and a smartphone at the same time. This Taiwanese phablet was announced during the IFA Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin, Germany. As the name already is suggesting, it comes with a 7 inch display with 1280x800 resolution. As for the design, it shows a plastic back surface, available in a variety of colors, instead of the aluminium back cover of the original version.

A smartphone in the body of a tablet

This cheap tablet from ASUS joins together the qualities and features of a smartphone (including phone calls) with the portability and a size which make it look more like a tablet. The device is powered by Intel's Atom Z2520 1.2GHz Dual-Core processor and runs on Android 4.3 JellyBean but is expected to update to the Android KitKat version soon. The phablet also has front facing speakers, for more involving and enjoyable video watching and game playing experiences, and features two cameras, a front facing 0.5 MP one and a 2 megapixels rear camera. The internal 8GB storage can be expanded up to 64GB.

Good quality and comfortable portability

The Fonepad 7 is packed with some great features such as SonicMaster speakers, for high quality audio delivery, and the Audio Wizard, which allows users to customize the sound of movies and games. Up to 30 hours battery life on 3G talk time and 10 hours for video playback dramatically increase the portability of the tablet. Moreover, you can get access to the ASUS WebStorage no matter where you are, as long as you are connected to the internet, with 16GB allocated cloud storage space. You can also use it as a wireless sharing device thanks to Miracast, which allow for wireless content sharing with other mobile devices or HDTV.

Specification and Features list

Processor: Atom Z2520 1.2GHz Dual-Core
RAM Memory: 1GB
Storage: 4 or 8GB; 16GB One Year ASUS Webstorage Space
Rear Camera: 2 mega-pixels
Front Camera: 0.5 mega-pixels
Operating System: Android JellyBean 4.3

Schumacher might not fully recover

News that 7 times F1 World Champion and driving legend had left Grenoble, where he has been in an intensive care since his skiing accident last December, and is no longer in a coma, was met with elation all over the world.

But Britain's Telegraph newspaper cited a source close to the Schumacher's family as confirming that the 45 year old legend is "drifting in and out of consciousness".

Darcy Christen, the Head of Media for the Laussane University Hospital confirmed that Schumacher's stay wont be for days. It could be for the long haul.

"He is going in and out of consciousness but he is definitely having more moments of consciousness regularly than he had in April. He still can't talk but there is some degree of communication going on.

"His doctors and family speak to him but he gets tired very quickly and needs a lot of rest. So this is kept to a very minimum.

"It will take a few days for him to stabilize completely, after the transfer," the hospital sources was quoted as saying "Then the rehab will begin".

He said Lausanne's neurology department is headed by field leader Professor Richard Frackowiak, and is one of the best-equipped and modern hospital in the world.

F1 to ditch rolling start from 2015

Formula 1 World Championship is set to change the current rolling starts format for standing starts from the grid following safety cars in 2015.

Following discussions between teams about ways to improve the sport, one idea that has gained momentum in recent weeks is to overhaul the way that races resume after the safety car period. There is a consensus that the current rolling restarts with the leader dictating the pace do not provide enough excitement.

Sources have revealed that during this week's F1 Commission meeting at Biggin Hill, a proposal to scrap the current format for 2015 and change it to grid starts after safety cars was tabled and approved. The idea is that from next year, once lapped cars have been allowed to unlap themselves, cars will form up on the grid once a safety car period has ended.

There will then be the same procedure of a standing start as happens at the beginning of races. The hope is that there will be more chance of positions changing, with the spectacle of a standing start producing more drama than rolling starts do. The rule change still needs to be ratified at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Munich next week, but this will be a formality now that the F1 Commission has backed it.

NSA can trace your phone even when turn off

Whether you consider Edward Snowden a traitor or a patriot, before he hit the news, most people didn't give much thought to government spying on everyday citizens. During a recent interview, he said that the NSA has the ability to spy on your smartphone, even if it's turned off.

Yes, this is exactly what you think it means. The NSA can listen to your conversations and use your camera when you powered off your phone. Sounds crazy but it can happen.

The most likely way is with a type of invisible spying app. Spying apps aren't anything new; everyone from corporations to hackers to jealous exes use them.


This spying app though doesn't just steal your surfing history, text messages and photos. It also gives the NSA full access to your phone's microphone and camera.

Your phone basically becomes a bug that tells the NSA everything going on around you. Any conversation you have or any embarrassing thing you do, the NSA will have it recorded.
The worst part is that even if you turned the phone off to be safe, it wouldn't really be off. The app makes your phone pretend to be off - it turns off the screen, ignores incoming calls and doesn't respond to button presses - but the spying will still be going on.

Now, if you wanted to have a sensitive conversation without worry, you could remove the phone's battery. Then the phone would really be off. But, some phones, like the iPhone, don't have a removable battery.

Here's when you get to feel like a spy. To truly turn off an iPhone you have to know how to use the "device firmware upgrade" or DFU, mode. This is what Apple and developers use to install iOS updates, jailbreak a phone or unlock a SIM card.

Don't worry, you're not doing any of that. You just want to really turn off your iPhone.
To get into DFU mode, you'll need an iPhone, USB cord and a computer with iTunes installed.

First, connect the iPhone to your computer using the USB cord and start iTunes. Once iTunes is running, go to the iPhone and hold down the Power button for three seconds, then press the Home button. Hold both buttons and count to 10 seconds.

The phone's screen will go black, but keep holding the buttons. After the 10 seconds are up, let go of the Power button, but keep the Home button pressed.

Hold the Home button for another 10 to 15 seconds. When you see a pop-up message in iTunes, you know you're successfully in DFU mode. Got to http://bit.ly/1nfZ83T to watch a video of these steps in action.

When you're ready to get out of DFU mode, hold the Home button and Power button until the Apple logo appears. Then let the phone start like it normally would.

Of course, this turning on and off procedure is a complete hassle. So you might think it's better to keep the NSA or anyone else from putting the spy app on your phone in the first place. Good idea, but it's going to be tricky.

The NSA or anyone else after you could slip a spy app on your phone disguised as another legitimate app. This is easier to do on Android phones because they can download apps from third-party sites and Google Play's review policy is very relaxed.

Apple gadgets can only download from the Apple App Store, and the nefarious would have to get the app past Apple's reviewers. That's harder, but still isn't impossible.

Another concern is that the NSA knows undiscovered bugs in operating systems and common programs that lets it collect data without anyone knowing. It turns out the NSA was exploiting the Heartbleed bug to spy on people, so it isn't that farfetched. And it's just about impossible for you to stop.

In the worst case, the NSA could pull the same trick it allegedly uses with American-made routers heading overseas. The NSA intercepts a router shipment, puts a backdoor in the software, packages the routers back up and sends them on. Then it can spy on any networks the routers connect to.

I doubt the NSA is doing that to phones coming into the U.S. - it would be a logistical nightmare if nothing else - but you never know.

If you're really worried about the NSA and spying apps, you might want to look into the new Blackphones. These Android-based phones are built from the ground up with security and privacy in mind.

Of course, once on the market, a Blackphone will set you back $630, so it isn't for the faint of heart or light of wallet. It might worth it, though, if it keeps the NSA out of your life - for now.

Amazon unveils Fire Phone

Amazon has introduced a new smartphone with audio and object recognition technology that seeks to make it easier for consumers to locate and purchase products and services from the nation's largest e-commerce company.

The new Fire phone also adds such features as the ability to render images in 3-D. The Fire phone doesn't differ much from other smartphones on the market and shares many characteristics found in other Amazon devices. For instance, the phone will have X-Ray for supplemental content about movies and TV shows and Mayday for live tech support.

Amazon's new Firefly feature allows users to take a photo of an object, such as a toaster or a soup can, and get more information about it, including a way to purchase it through Amazon. Many of the new features have been available elsewhere as separate apps. Sony, for instance, has a tool for getting information over the Internet by snapping a bar code or a landmark. Firefly goes further, though, by incorporating audio recognition.

"It goes back to the mission of Amazon, which is to sell you stuff," said Ramon Llamas of the research firm IDC. "It reduces the number of steps it takes to buy things on the phone."

The phone will have a screen measuring 4.7 inches diagonally. That's smaller than leading Android phone, but larger than Apple's iPhone. CEO Jeff Bezos calls the Fire's size ideal for one-handed use.

Firefly is the centerpiece of the new phone. Snap a photo of a book, and it'll help you buy it, either as an e-book or a physical copy. Listen to a song playing in the background, and it'll direct you to that tune on Amazon.

It can even direct you to facts and data, by showing a Wikipedia entry with information about a painting you snapped.

The feature will also let you snap bar codes, phone numbers and more.

Another distinctive feature is 3-D images. You can rotate the phone and get a different view depending on your angle of vision. CEO Jeff Bezos calls this "dynamic perspective" and said the phone is basically redrawing the image 60 times per second.

To make that happen, the phone has four front-facing infrared cameras to tell where your head is, even if your fingers happen to cover two of them.

That is on top of the regular 2 megapixel front camera for selfies, plus the 13 megapixel one on the rear for regular shots. The rear camera will have image stabilization to counteract shaking as people take shots, something available in other phones as well.

New Nurburgring record for hot hatch

Renault Megane R.S. 275 Trophy-R is a super-hardcore version of the Megane hatchback, as this limited-edition model features numerous performance upgrades over even the already track-oriented Trophy edition. The Trophy-R version puts a priority on light weight, as it loses its rear seats, gains special Recaro polycarbonate racing front seats, and has a lithium-ion battery to save a total of 220 lbs over the Trophy model. Power comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 275 hp, and the chassis sports a special braking kit, adjustable dampers, and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires that make this hatchback a monster around the circuit. Although this all makes it sound like the Trophy-R is far from street-legal, Renault will be selling the so-called “record-spec” version of the Renault Megane R.S. 275 Trophy-R in limited numbers in France.

Expect to see some competition for this crazy Renault in the future, though, as the front-wheel-drive lap record is always a benchmark for any hot hatch or sport compact with serious performance intentions. Previous record holders include the Chevrolet Cobalt SS Turbocharged, the aforementioned Seat Leon Cupra, and another Renault Megane R.S. Trophy in 2011. Honda has said that it hopes to set a new record with its new turbocharged Honda Civic Type R hatchback that should be revealed sometime in early 2015, with the company aiming for a time far below the eight-minute mark.

The fall of an era..

The reigning World Champion elimination from the World Cup by Chile not only spelt the end for one of the greatest national teams, but also threatened the demise of an entire footballing philosophy.

Spain's intricate passing style, dubbed 'tiki-taka', swept all before it for the best part of six years, but the sight of aging midfield generals in the shape of Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso being harried out of their stride by Jorge Sampaoli's hard-working Chile at the Maracana on Wednesday felt like the end of an era.

As Spain midfielder David Silva asked British newspaper The Independent before the tournament: "Why would we change? We've done very well with this style. There's no need to change it." Maybe there is an aura of over confidence when other teams have been studying ways to contain them.

Where Spain led with tiki-taka, winning Euro 2008, so Barcelona followed, dominating the European club game between 2008 and 2011 under Pep Guardiola, who subsequently installed the same playing philosophy at Bayern Munich.

Carlo Ancelotti's counter-attacking Real Madrid got the better of both teams last season, however, routing Bayern 5-0 in the Champions League semi-finals and edging Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey.

Bayern's loss to Madrid was particularly illustrative, with the Spanish side procuring a 1-0 first-leg lead despite enjoying only 36 percent of possession at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Introducing the style of "Counter-punchers"

Indeed, all over Europe, teams have been relinquishing the ball and still enjoying success, with Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea in the vanguard of the new wave of counter-punching sides.

Rather than endlessly circulating possession in a manner that prompted some critics of tiki-taka to brand it 'boring', the counter-punchers rely on breathless industry and water-tight defensive organisation.

It is on their opponents' mistakes that they prey and in the tika-taka era, with teams falling over themselves to ape the Spanish style by taking more and more risks in possession, it is an increasingly effective approach.

Against such tactics, tiki-taka can seem naive in its steadfast commitment to conserving possession, but its impact already reaches so deep that it would prove impossible to fully uproot.

It was Barcelona, with Lionel Messi, who first brought the 'false nine' tactic to a wider audience, while it is now commonplace to see goalkeepers methodically practising first-time passes during their pre-match warm-ups.

The cult of possession has forced players in every position to sharpen up their technique and has made the scrutiny of passing completion statistics an early port of call in any after-match post-mortem.

Its legacy can also be seen in the ubiquitousness of small, Spanish midfielders at Europe's leading clubs, from Silva at Manchester City and Santi Cazorla at Arsenal to Thiago Alcantara at Bayern and Juan Mata at Manchester United.


'Change names, not identity'

While Xavi Hernandez may never play for Spain again, having been dropped for the 2-0 defeat by Chile, it is in his image -- and with likeminded players such as Thiago -- that the national team will be rebuilt.

The 34-year-old midfielder, a faultless passing metronome for Spain and Barcelona, typifies tiki-taka more than any other player and he believes that it will always be a point of reference for teams such as his own where waiting for the opponent to make a mistake is not an option.

"If you go two years without winning, everything has to change. But you change names, not identity," he said in a 2011 interview. "The philosophy can't be lost. Our fans wouldn't understand a team that sat back and played on the break."

Tiki-taka owed its origins to a unique set of circumstances, specifically the emergence at Barcelona and Spain of a group of similarly aged players who were coached in the same way.I am convinced that with a right group of younger players, and some mixing of direct football instead of always passing the ball around, the "tiki taka" can be resurrected. After all that is supposed to be the nature, evolve and adapt.

Its figureheads, such as Xavi and Iniesta, were always destined to topple from the sport's summit at some point, but with tiki-taka disciples now dotting the game, it would be precipitous to sound the death knell too soon.

Sad Day for World Player of the Year

Portugal's dismal and lacklustre performance in their 4-0 humiliation by Germany during ther first round of matches in the 2014 World Cup on Monday was a painful reminder that despite having the world's best player at your disposal, success is not guaranteed.

Their ageing, bad-tempered team endured a nightmare afternoon in the wilting heat of Salvador, suggesting that coach Paulo Bento may have miscalculated in staying faithful to the players who reached the Euro 2012 semi-finals.

Poor finishing, dreadful defending and a generally unsporting attitude, culminating with central defender Pepe's infantile sending-off for a headbutt, combined to make it an all-round disaster for Bento's side in their Group G opener. Pepe should not have reacted as the referee did not see anything wrong with his hands off tactics on Mueller.

Ronaldo was dragged into the abyss with the rest of his team mates and, apart from a bright opening 10 minutes, never looked as he would have a chance to pull off his shirt and show off his rippling muscles with one of his defiant goal celebrations.

Nothing went right for the 29-year-old World Player of the Year whose performance reached a low point when he contrived to drill a 30-metre free kick into a one-man Germany wall.

Even his hair, usually immaculately groomed, fell out of place in the dripping tropical humidity.