We've never understood why Panasonic chose to brand its top-line tablet as the Toughbook H2, but given the hairy-chested types who build and use the gear, we're not gonna challenge 'em. The company hasn't messed too much with the Windows 7 slate, except pushing the top chip to a 2.8GHz Intel Core i5-3427U and to swap out the 320GB 7,200RPM shock-mounted HDD for a 500GB model. Panasonic has also tweaked the hardware's polycarbonate-encased magnesium alloy chassis, with MIL-STD-810G1 ensuring that the gear will survive drops from six-feet, as well as IP651 weather-proofing. The 3.5-pound unit also sees its battery life pushed to seven hours and also gains boosted WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.1+EDR connectivity. Once you've selected a unit, there's a hefty list of possible add-ons, including barcode scanners, smart card readers, Gobi-running 3G, LTE and GPS options. There's even a model that meets MIL-STD-461F standards for electromagnetic protection -- useful if your day job involves battling superheroes. The standard unit will set you back $3,349 and comes with a three-year international warranty, so you'd better get buttering-up your procurement manager now.
Novel study reports marijuana users have better blood sugar controlPublic release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jane Grochowski ajmmedia@elsevier.com 406-542-8397 Elsevier Health Sciences
Current marijuana users have 16 percent lower fasting insulin levels compared to non-users, according to the American Journal of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA, May 15, 2013 Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators. They found that current marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant, even after excluding patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Their findings are reported in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) has been used for centuries to relieve pain, improve mood, and increase appetite. Outlawed in the United States in 1937, its social use continues to increase and public opinion is swinging in favor of the medicinal use of marijuana. There are an estimated 17.4 million current users of marijuana in the United States. Approximately 4.6 million of these users smoke marijuana daily or almost daily. A synthetic form of its active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC, has already been approved to treat side-effects of chemotherapy, AIDS-induced anorexia, nausea, and other medical conditions. With the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in two states and the legalization of medical marijuana in 19 states and the District of Columbia, physicians will increasingly encounter marijuana use among their patient populations.
A multicenter research team analyzed data obtained during the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) between 2005 and 2010. They studied data from 4,657 patients who completed a drug use questionnaire. Of these, 579 were current marijuana users, 1,975 had used marijuana in the past but were not current users, and 2,103 had never inhaled or ingested marijuana. Fasting insulin and glucose were measured via blood samples following a nine hour fast, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated to evaluate insulin resistance.
Participants who reported using marijuana in the past month had lower levels of fasting insulin and HOMA-IR and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). These associations were weaker among those who reported using marijuana at least once, but not in the past thirty days, suggesting that the impact of marijuana use on insulin and insulin resistance exists during periods of recent use. Current users had 16% lower fasting insulin levels than participants who reported never having used marijuana in their lifetimes.
Large waist circumference is linked to diabetes risk. In the current study there were also significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences.
"Previous epidemiologic studies have found lower prevalence rates of obesity and diabetes mellitus in marijuana users compared to people who have never used marijuana, suggesting a relationship between cannabinoids and peripheral metabolic processes, but ours is the first study to investigate the relationship between marijuana use and fasting insulin, glucose, and insulin resistance," says lead investigator Murray A. Mittleman, MD, DrPH, of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston.
"It is possible that the inverse association in fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance seen among current marijuana users could be in part due to changes in usage patterns among those with a diagnosis of diabetes (i.e., those with diabetes may have been told to cease smoking). However, after we excluded those subjects with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, the associations between marijuana use and insulin levels, HOMA-IR, waist circumference, and HDL-C were similar and remained statistically significant," states Elizabeth Penner, MD, MPH, an author of the study.
Although people who smoke marijuana have higher average caloric intake levels than non-users, marijuana use has been associated with lower body-mass index (BMI) in two previous surveys. "The mechanisms underlying this paradox have not been determined and the impact of regular marijuana use on insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors remains unknown," says coauthor Hannah Buettner.
The investigators acknowledge that data on marijuana use were self-reported and may be subject to underestimation or denial of illicit drug use. However, they point out, underestimation of drug use would likely yield results biased toward observing no association.
Editor-in-Chief Joseph S. Alpert, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, comments, "These are indeed remarkable observations that are supported, as the authors note, by basic science experiments that came to similar conclusions.
"We desperately need a great deal more basic and clinical research into the short- and long-term effects of marijuana in a variety of clinical settings such as cancer, diabetes, and frailty of the elderly," continues Alpert." I would like to call on the NIH and the DEA to collaborate in developing policies to implement solid scientific investigations that would lead to information assisting physicians in the proper use and prescription of THC in its synthetic or herbal form."
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Novel study reports marijuana users have better blood sugar controlPublic release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jane Grochowski ajmmedia@elsevier.com 406-542-8397 Elsevier Health Sciences
Current marijuana users have 16 percent lower fasting insulin levels compared to non-users, according to the American Journal of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA, May 15, 2013 Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators. They found that current marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant, even after excluding patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Their findings are reported in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) has been used for centuries to relieve pain, improve mood, and increase appetite. Outlawed in the United States in 1937, its social use continues to increase and public opinion is swinging in favor of the medicinal use of marijuana. There are an estimated 17.4 million current users of marijuana in the United States. Approximately 4.6 million of these users smoke marijuana daily or almost daily. A synthetic form of its active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC, has already been approved to treat side-effects of chemotherapy, AIDS-induced anorexia, nausea, and other medical conditions. With the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in two states and the legalization of medical marijuana in 19 states and the District of Columbia, physicians will increasingly encounter marijuana use among their patient populations.
A multicenter research team analyzed data obtained during the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) between 2005 and 2010. They studied data from 4,657 patients who completed a drug use questionnaire. Of these, 579 were current marijuana users, 1,975 had used marijuana in the past but were not current users, and 2,103 had never inhaled or ingested marijuana. Fasting insulin and glucose were measured via blood samples following a nine hour fast, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated to evaluate insulin resistance.
Participants who reported using marijuana in the past month had lower levels of fasting insulin and HOMA-IR and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). These associations were weaker among those who reported using marijuana at least once, but not in the past thirty days, suggesting that the impact of marijuana use on insulin and insulin resistance exists during periods of recent use. Current users had 16% lower fasting insulin levels than participants who reported never having used marijuana in their lifetimes.
Large waist circumference is linked to diabetes risk. In the current study there were also significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences.
"Previous epidemiologic studies have found lower prevalence rates of obesity and diabetes mellitus in marijuana users compared to people who have never used marijuana, suggesting a relationship between cannabinoids and peripheral metabolic processes, but ours is the first study to investigate the relationship between marijuana use and fasting insulin, glucose, and insulin resistance," says lead investigator Murray A. Mittleman, MD, DrPH, of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston.
"It is possible that the inverse association in fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance seen among current marijuana users could be in part due to changes in usage patterns among those with a diagnosis of diabetes (i.e., those with diabetes may have been told to cease smoking). However, after we excluded those subjects with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, the associations between marijuana use and insulin levels, HOMA-IR, waist circumference, and HDL-C were similar and remained statistically significant," states Elizabeth Penner, MD, MPH, an author of the study.
Although people who smoke marijuana have higher average caloric intake levels than non-users, marijuana use has been associated with lower body-mass index (BMI) in two previous surveys. "The mechanisms underlying this paradox have not been determined and the impact of regular marijuana use on insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors remains unknown," says coauthor Hannah Buettner.
The investigators acknowledge that data on marijuana use were self-reported and may be subject to underestimation or denial of illicit drug use. However, they point out, underestimation of drug use would likely yield results biased toward observing no association.
Editor-in-Chief Joseph S. Alpert, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, comments, "These are indeed remarkable observations that are supported, as the authors note, by basic science experiments that came to similar conclusions.
"We desperately need a great deal more basic and clinical research into the short- and long-term effects of marijuana in a variety of clinical settings such as cancer, diabetes, and frailty of the elderly," continues Alpert." I would like to call on the NIH and the DEA to collaborate in developing policies to implement solid scientific investigations that would lead to information assisting physicians in the proper use and prescription of THC in its synthetic or herbal form."
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
CANNES, France (AP) ? The Cannes Film Festival has had its first shock to the system, in the shape of Mexican director Amat Escalante's unsparingly violent drug war drama "Heli."
The story of the devastation wreaked by narco-violence on an ordinary Mexican family, the movie paints such a bleak picture that one journalist told its director Thursday that she had cancelled a planned trip to the country after seeing it.
Escalante said that wasn't the reaction he was hoping for.
"It's not an anti-tourism movie for Mexico at all," he told reporters in Cannes, where "Heli" is one of 20 films competing for the top prize, the Palme d'Or. "It's a drama that is quite extreme because I think it's even worse, the reality in Mexico ? but not the everyday reality.
"It's a great country, a beautiful country that has this virus that invades certain parts, and many people are suffering," said 34-year-old Escalante, both the youngest director and the only Latin American in the main Cannes competition.
"It would be very socially irresponsible not to talk about those bad things that are happening in our country," added Gabriel Reyes, who co-wrote the screenplay with Escalante.
"I think if we never talk about the bad things then problems might never be solved."
Filmed in the bleak and beautiful landscape around the central Mexican city of Guanajuato, the film focuses on Heli (Armando Espitia), a young man who works in a car plant and lives with his wife, baby, father and 12-year-old sister, Estella (Andrea Vergara).
When Estella falls for a police cadet, the family is sucked into the world of the country's drug wars.
With shocking suddenness, violence busts over them, then leaves the damaged survivors to pick up the pieces as best they can.
Two scenes drew gasps from Cannes audiences. One involves nastiness to a puppy, the other the brutal torture of a teenager, conducted partly by children and including what one critic described delicately as "genital immolation."
It was all too much for a few audience members, who walked out. The Hollywood Reporter called the film "an austere glumfest of stomach-churning sadism and lowlife misery porn," while Variety described it as "accomplished but singularly unpleasant."
Others, though, drew comparisons to "City of God" and "Amores Perros" ? artful and powerful depictions of violence in Latin America.
"Heli" follows last year's Mexican Cannes contender "Post Tenebras Lux" by Carlos Reygadas, a more surreal but thematically similar response to the drug trade violence that has caused at least 70,000 killings since 2006.
Escalante, who has worked as an assistant director for Reygadas, defended the film's depiction of violence. He shoots it in a manner that's the antithesis of Hollywood ? through unblinking scenes that create a sense of detachment but also offer no escape from the horror on show.
"If I'm going to show violence, I'm going to give it the weight it should have," the director said.
"In a moral way, I think the responsibility is to show violence how it should be ? sad and unpleasant and very dirty and a nightmare.
"I couldn't show it half way," he added. "Hitchcock said, if you don't show it, it's more powerful. I've always remembered that ? but I've tried to do the opposite."
___
Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless
Another beloved cast member of "Saturday Night Live" is leaving the comedy sketch show. Bill Hader told The New York Times that he's leaving the program after the season finale this Saturday.
"It was a hard decision, but it has to happen at some point,? Hader said to the newspaper. ?It got to a point where I said, ?Maybe it?s just time to go.' "
NBC declined to comment.
Since joining the show in 2005, Hader has brought to life numerous characters on "SNL." Among his most popular are Stefon, an over-the-top, gay New York correspondent on "Weekend Update"; talk-show host Vinny Vedecci; and Dwayne Vogelcheck of the nearly incestuous "kissing family," just to name a few. And of course, there are his various celebrity impersonations, including that of Clint Eastwood, Julian Assange, Alan Alda, Al Pacino, James Carville and more.
Hader's exit isn't the only one to make news lately. On Sunday, NBC announced that head writer and "Weekend Update" host Seth Meyers would be succeeding Jimmy Fallon on "Late Night." That came only a day after Kristen Wiig, who left the show at the end of the last season, returned to host the program. Andy Samberg also left the show after last season.
"Saturday Night Live" airs its season finale Saturday at 11:30 p.m. on NBC. Ben Affleck is hosting, and Kanye West is the musical guest.
Homeowners do not increase consumption despite their property rising in valuePublic release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: S?ren Leth-Petersen soren.leth-petersen@econ.ku.dk 45-35-32-30-84 University of Copenhagen
Although the value of our property might rise, we do not on that account increase our consumption. This is the conclusion by economists from University of Copenhagen and University of Oxford in new research which is contrary to the widely believed assumption amongst economists that if there occurs a rise in house prices then a natural rise in consumption will follow. The results of the study is published in the scientific journal 'The Economic Journal'.
"We argue that leading economists should not wholly be focussed on monitoring the housing market. Economists are closely watching the developments on the housing market with the expectation that house prices and household consumption tend to move in tandem, but this is not necessarily the case," says Professor of Economics at University of Copenhagen, Sren Leth-Petersen.
Sren Leth-Petersen has, alongside Professor Martin Browning from University of Oxford and Associate Professor Mette Grtz from University of Copenhagen, tested this widespread assumption of 'wealth effect' and concluded that the theory has no significant effect.
Homeowners do not increase their consumption
Sren Leth-Petersen explains that when economists use the theory of 'wealth effect' the presumption is that older homeowners will adjust their consumption the most when house prices change whilst younger homeowners will adjust their consumption the least. However, according to this research, most homeowners do not feel richer in line with the rise of housing wealth.
"Our research shows that homeowners aged 45 and over, do not increase their consumption significantly when the value of their property goes up, and this goes against the theory of 'wealth effect'. Thus, we are able to reject the theory as the connecting link between rising house prices and increased consumption," explains Sren Leth-Petersen.
He believes that the reluctance by the homeowners stems from the fact that, for some people, houses or properties do not solely represent a financial value or asset, as for example registered securities or a car.
"Our house is our home and we all need a place to live. That is why homeowners in reality act different than the theory stipulates," says Sren Leth-Petersen.
In turn, Leth-Petersen suggests that it depends on the prospects of higher earnings which prompt homeowners to increase their consumption. Higher earnings also prompt investments into more expensive property and this creates rises to house prices on the housing market.
Scientifically important time period
The strength of the research lies in access to detailed individual data whereas economic theories usually have been developed based on calculations of averages on entire populations. This research has accessed household-level panel data which has then been grouped and studied.
The researchers have analysed Danish tax administration data and combined information about income, wealth and savings as well as home ownership, age, education and family composition from 90,000 households and almost 400,000 observations for the period 1987-1996.
According to Sren Leth-Petersen, this period is particularly interesting because homeowners underwent a cycle in which house prices declined from 1987 to 1992 and then increased from 1993 to 1996. The period is also interesting because it was not possible for homeowners to use their house as security for consumption loans before 1992. This enabled the researchers to establish how households took out consumption loans based on their housing equity when such loans were introduced.
The research shows that homeowners aged 45 and over did not react significantly to the rise in house prices. However, the younger homeowners, who are typically short of finances, took the opportunity to take out additional consumption loans when given the chance.
An international discourse
In an international light, Denmark is a small country with large amounts of data which through decades has been gathered systematically. This makes Denmark well-suited for economic research, but this particular research, according to Sren Leth-Petersen, should be an international theoretical discussion regarding 'wealth effect'. Also British studies suggest similar findings to the results of that of his and his colleagues' recent research.
The results of the study 'Housing Wealth and Consumption: A Micro Panel Study' is published in print 15 May in the acclaimed scientific journal 'The Economic Journal'.
###
Link to the pre-published online article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecoj.12017/abstract
Facts: Economists disagree
'Wealth Effect' has long provided difference of opinion between economists discussing the theory both on a national and international scale. One side argues that homeowners view their house just like any other financial asset, as for example registered securities or a car. Others maintain that a house, for most people, represents more than a financial value; that a property is also a home and thus homeowners act accordingly.
Facts: Contact
Professor of Economics Sren Leth-Petersen
E-mail: soren.leth-petersen@econ.ku.dk
Tel: +45 35 32 30 84 / +45 33 48 08 73
Associate Professor of Economics Mette Grtz
E-mail: mette.gortz@econ.ku.dk
Tel: +45 35 32 30 14
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Homeowners do not increase consumption despite their property rising in valuePublic release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: S?ren Leth-Petersen soren.leth-petersen@econ.ku.dk 45-35-32-30-84 University of Copenhagen
Although the value of our property might rise, we do not on that account increase our consumption. This is the conclusion by economists from University of Copenhagen and University of Oxford in new research which is contrary to the widely believed assumption amongst economists that if there occurs a rise in house prices then a natural rise in consumption will follow. The results of the study is published in the scientific journal 'The Economic Journal'.
"We argue that leading economists should not wholly be focussed on monitoring the housing market. Economists are closely watching the developments on the housing market with the expectation that house prices and household consumption tend to move in tandem, but this is not necessarily the case," says Professor of Economics at University of Copenhagen, Sren Leth-Petersen.
Sren Leth-Petersen has, alongside Professor Martin Browning from University of Oxford and Associate Professor Mette Grtz from University of Copenhagen, tested this widespread assumption of 'wealth effect' and concluded that the theory has no significant effect.
Homeowners do not increase their consumption
Sren Leth-Petersen explains that when economists use the theory of 'wealth effect' the presumption is that older homeowners will adjust their consumption the most when house prices change whilst younger homeowners will adjust their consumption the least. However, according to this research, most homeowners do not feel richer in line with the rise of housing wealth.
"Our research shows that homeowners aged 45 and over, do not increase their consumption significantly when the value of their property goes up, and this goes against the theory of 'wealth effect'. Thus, we are able to reject the theory as the connecting link between rising house prices and increased consumption," explains Sren Leth-Petersen.
He believes that the reluctance by the homeowners stems from the fact that, for some people, houses or properties do not solely represent a financial value or asset, as for example registered securities or a car.
"Our house is our home and we all need a place to live. That is why homeowners in reality act different than the theory stipulates," says Sren Leth-Petersen.
In turn, Leth-Petersen suggests that it depends on the prospects of higher earnings which prompt homeowners to increase their consumption. Higher earnings also prompt investments into more expensive property and this creates rises to house prices on the housing market.
Scientifically important time period
The strength of the research lies in access to detailed individual data whereas economic theories usually have been developed based on calculations of averages on entire populations. This research has accessed household-level panel data which has then been grouped and studied.
The researchers have analysed Danish tax administration data and combined information about income, wealth and savings as well as home ownership, age, education and family composition from 90,000 households and almost 400,000 observations for the period 1987-1996.
According to Sren Leth-Petersen, this period is particularly interesting because homeowners underwent a cycle in which house prices declined from 1987 to 1992 and then increased from 1993 to 1996. The period is also interesting because it was not possible for homeowners to use their house as security for consumption loans before 1992. This enabled the researchers to establish how households took out consumption loans based on their housing equity when such loans were introduced.
The research shows that homeowners aged 45 and over did not react significantly to the rise in house prices. However, the younger homeowners, who are typically short of finances, took the opportunity to take out additional consumption loans when given the chance.
An international discourse
In an international light, Denmark is a small country with large amounts of data which through decades has been gathered systematically. This makes Denmark well-suited for economic research, but this particular research, according to Sren Leth-Petersen, should be an international theoretical discussion regarding 'wealth effect'. Also British studies suggest similar findings to the results of that of his and his colleagues' recent research.
The results of the study 'Housing Wealth and Consumption: A Micro Panel Study' is published in print 15 May in the acclaimed scientific journal 'The Economic Journal'.
###
Link to the pre-published online article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecoj.12017/abstract
Facts: Economists disagree
'Wealth Effect' has long provided difference of opinion between economists discussing the theory both on a national and international scale. One side argues that homeowners view their house just like any other financial asset, as for example registered securities or a car. Others maintain that a house, for most people, represents more than a financial value; that a property is also a home and thus homeowners act accordingly.
Facts: Contact
Professor of Economics Sren Leth-Petersen
E-mail: soren.leth-petersen@econ.ku.dk
Tel: +45 35 32 30 84 / +45 33 48 08 73
Associate Professor of Economics Mette Grtz
E-mail: mette.gortz@econ.ku.dk
Tel: +45 35 32 30 14
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Footage from Nasa shows massive flares on the Sun's surface
The Sun has unleashed its most powerful eruption of 2013 so far.
The solar flare - a sudden release of radiation - peaked at 1705 BST on Monday, and was associated with a huge eruption of matter.
When these eruptions reach Earth, they can interfere with electronic systems in satellites and those on the ground.
Nasa said this solar explosion - known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) - was not directed at Earth, but it could pass several US spacecraft.
The event on Monday was classified as an "X-class" flare - the most intense type - with a designation of X2.8 (higher numbers denote a stronger flare). It surpassed an X1.7-class flare that occurred 14 hours earlier.
They are the first X-class events to occur this year.
When intense enough, a flare can disturb the Earth's atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.
This disrupts the radio signals for as long as the flare is ongoing - the radio blackout associated with this flare has since subsided.
CMEs can be even more disruptive because they can send billions of tonnes of solar particles into space. In those cases when very strong eruptions do reach Earth, the charged matter can blow out transformers in power grids.
The so-called Carrington Event of 1-2 September 1859 shorted telegraph wires, starting fires in North America and Europe, and caused bright aurorae (northern and southern lights) to be seen in Cuba and Hawaii.
The CME associated with this flare may pass the Stereo-B and Spitzer spacecraft. The operators of those science missions can choose to put their spacecraft into a "safe mode" to protect the electronics in onboard instruments from being tripped.
Increased numbers of flares are expected at the moment because the Sun's normal 11-year activity cycle is approaching a "high" of activity - known as a solar maximum.
HTC's Facebook Home-laden First smartphone may only have debuted on AT&T last month, but it appears that the device may be a dud as far as consumers are concerned. According to a report from BGR's Zach Epstein, sales of the HTC First smartphone have been so disappointing that AT&T will soon be dropping the device from its lineup completely and shipping all unsold inventory back to HTC.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sam_DqYBRi50uKTS_aip2bhzOyGpSLd2re0dydp0xmtgxyG61p2TG2muSdz6B7N0o4-2_JBcW44DKTku7fd-Qw8Vj51_lMwo_iZDrpDKw=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 15-May-2013
Share ] 
HTC's Facebook Home-laden First smartphone may only have debuted on AT&T last month, but it appears that the device may be a dud as far as consumers are concerned. According to a report from