iPod touch vs. Galaxy Player 5.0 ? Part 1: Screen, Hardware, and Aesthetics

Up to this point, there has not really been a direct competitor to the iPod touch. Since its original release in 2007, it has continued to dominate the portable music market with millions sold worldwide. Despite Jobs saying that the it was training wheels for the iPhone, the iPod touch has really grown into its own. Recently it has stepped out of the shadow of the iPhone and moved beyond the iPod line. Users can listen to music, watch movies, and play their favorite games anywhere. Not many other devices do this. Most tech companies have basically decided that this is lost territory. While companies like Motorola, and Amazon have focused their efforts on the tablet market, combating the iPad, Apple has roped of this section of the market. No one dares to cross the line? that is until Samsung decided to make a device of their own.

Recently they released their own portable media player, the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0. This is the first device that could potentially rival the iPod touch. So, of course I got my hands on one and for the past couple weeks, put it through its paces. Keep in mind that I am an avid iPod user but I am going to try and be as unbiased as possible.

Screen:

The first noticeable thing on either of these devices is the screen. This is one of the primary factors when picking out a phone, and it is not any different with music playing devices. The iPod touch of course sports a 3.5 inch Retina Display that just looks absolutely amazing. It is always crisp and has an incredible viewing angle?from the sides it?s near 180? and the top and bottom are about 170?. The pixels are so small that the eyes cannot distinguish one from another.

The Galaxy Player?s WVGA screen is really not as nice. Edges on text are not nearly as smooth and sharp and the viewing angle is slightly worse. However, the Samsung has much more screen real estate. In fact at 5 inches, the entire iPod touch can nearly fit on the Player?s screen alone. This makes watching YouTube more enjoyable and the web experience is closer to that of a desktop. Because of the large screen on the Galaxy Player though, things seem just a little blown out of proportion.? I think there is a reason that phones do not go this big, because 5 inches feels like a small tablet. Beyond screen size, Samsung?s device is less responsive and accurate. When typing, my fingers, although the screen is so much bigger, never seem to hit the right keys. (More on this later).

Overall I?m going to have to say that the iPod wins this round. Its retina display is brighter, sharper, and more accurate. You might be thinking that bigger is always better, but even though it only has a 3.5 inch screen, it feels more comfortable in the hand and provides for a better user experience.

iPod touch: 1/Galaxy Player: 0

External Hardware:

Hardware is the next thing I look for in a good product. The number of buttons, where they are located, and how esthetically pleasing the device is, are all key factors. To begin with, the iPod touch is has some great hardware. Apple keeps buttons to a minimum and gave it a sleek metal back. The 30pin connector and headset jack are located on the bottom while the top has the power/lock button. The volume controls are located on the side. The front of the device has only the screen, camera, and the home button. The iPod touch is definitely for those who prefer a minimalistic look.

The Galaxy Player 5.0 has quite a different build. The back is all plastic and it has two speaker grills. At the top of the device is where you will find a MicroSD card slot. On the right side, you get a power button and a volume rocker and located on the bottom there is the headset jack, microphone, and microUSB port. The front of the device has the screen, front facing camera, and 3 capacitive buttons?menu, home, and back. There is also some sort of earphone grill, but I can?t figure out what it is for, because it is not a phone? The Galaxy Player?s, face reminds me a lot of previous versions of the iPhone, as it sports a silver bevel.

I actually prefer the Player?s 3 buttons as opposed to the iPod?s one. Having a dedicated back key took a bit to get used to, but it is surprisingly convenient. I like how the buttons are not physical keys either, because it makes the front so sleek looking. The only problem is that they are only on, when the device is unlocked, so unlike the iPod touch, you can only wake the device with the power button. This isn?t a huge deal, but out of habit I try to press the home button to wake it. The microSD slot was not a bad idea either; because the Galaxy Player only has 8GB of storage, having the ability to expand to is really great. I also prefer the plastic back opposed to the iPod?s metal one. Yea it?s plastic, but the iPod?s back is a scratch magnet (and probably the worst decision Apple designers have ever made). I am able to set it down without worrying about getting about a million scratches. ?The Samsung also has two speaker grills on the back. Because the touch?s speaker is internal, it is not as loud and clear.

Due to the dedicated back button, the better speakers, and the harder-to-scratch back, the external hardware winner is, in my opinion, clearly the Samsung Galaxy Player.

iPod touch:1/Galaxy Player:1

Overall?Aesthetics:

Neither of these devices look bad. They each have something going on for them in terms of form and style. I am putting all function aside and just judging on pure looks. Shallow? Yes, but I think appearance does matter.

The iPod Touch is a thing of beauty. With its slim form factor and its sleek steel back it represents everything that is Apple. It is so pleasing to look at with its all black front and?iconic single?button. The Apple logo on the back completes the package. The iPod is one of the best looking devices on the market.

This being said, the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.o is no ugly ducking. It is not as thin as or small as the iPod, but surprisingly, there is not that big of a weight difference?81 grams. The Galaxy player does have a silver bevel around the edge, which in my opinion, it could do without. It also has the silver Samsung logo on the front which takes away from the sleek black. The back edges are rounded though, making it comfortable in the hands.

I am going to have to give this one to the iPod Touch. I just don?t think there are many devices out there that can beat an Apple device. They are so pure and simple and I could stare at it for hours.

iPod touch: 2/Galaxy Player: 1

Internal Hardware:

Everyone always says it is what?s on the inside that counts. Of course I am talking about the processor, the battery, and the other bits and pieces that go into these two devices, but the saying holds true. ?How long can I get on a single charge of the battery? How fast is the processor? Things like this are always important to me.

The iPod Touch has Apple?s 1GHz A4 processor (underclocked to 800MHz) and 256MB of RAM. While it is not the fastest processor on the market, applications load quick enough and Apple?s version of multitasking is made possible. As far as the battery goes, the iPod has a lithium-ion battery that Apple says lasts anywhere from about?7 hours (continuous video playback) to?40 hours (music playback). The Touch also has a gyroscope and accelerometer which are primarily used in gaming. Lastly, it has flash storage ranging from 8-64Gigs.

Samsung?s device has the 1GHz hummingbird processor and double the RAM at 512MB. Things load fairly quickly, but it is not a landslide over the iPod. Some applications?like Angry Birds?load faster on the iPod where others?like Facebook and Dolphin Web Browser?are quicker on the Galaxy Player. The GP has a Li-Polymer battery that Samsung claims gets 8 hours of video playback and 60 hours of music. In my personal experience, the battery lasts about as long as I do in a day. I charge it every night before I go to bed, and it lasts late into the night the next day. It also does seem to have a longer standby time than that of the iPod Touch. The Galaxy Player only has 8Gigs of internal storage, but with the SD card slot, it is expandable up to 40. Like Apple?s device, Samsung also put in an accelerometer and gyroscope; however, they also added a compass and GPS. The GPS is a really great feature for traveling. I can load the Google maps, and it will give me turn by turn directions. This is something that the iPod is lacking and definitely needs.

I think I am going to call this one a draw. The Galaxy Player has a faster processor on paper, but in my actual tests, it was not that big of a difference. And while it also has a GPS, this is not a make-or-break feature. Both batteries last as long as I need them to and although the Player?s battery lasts longer, the iPod does charge a bit faster. It can charge to 80% in about 2 hours whereas the Galaxy Player takes FOR-EV-ER.

iPod touch: 3/Player Touch :2

As you can see, these to multimedia players are fairly equal. One maybe have a better quality display, while the other may be bigger. The iPod Touch charges faster, but doesn?t last as long as the Galaxy Player. Samsung?s device has a faster processor and more RAM but Apple uses some sort of magic to make the Touch just as fast.

Final score for part one: iPod touch: 3/Galaxy Player: 2

Stay tuned for part two, where I will take a look at the cameras, media playback, and software. If there is anything specific you want me to look at, leave a comment below or send me a tweet @TiP_Bryce.

Source: http://www.todaysiphone.com/2011/12/ipod-touchs-first-real-compeditor-%E2%80%93-part-1-screen-hardware-and-aesthetics/

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Bristol-Myers liver cancer drug fails trial (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Bristol-Myers Squibb Co said on Thursday its liver cancer drug brivanib failed to meet the primary endpoint in a late-stage clinical trial.

Brivanib failed to meet the main goal of improving overall survival versus placebo in liver cancer patients who failed or are intolerant to sorafenib. Sorafenib is used to treat advanced primary liver cancer.

Bristol-Myers said three other trials, to evaluate brivanib in different liver cancer patient groups, will continue as planned.

"We remain committed to the development of brivanib as a potential treatment option for patients with liver cancer, and the ongoing study investigating brivanib 'first-line' is expected to complete in 2012," senior vice president Brian Daniels said in a statement.

Shares of the company closed at $35.09 on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Soham Chatterjee in Bangalore; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/meds/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111223/hl_nm/us_bristolmyerssquibb

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Pitt researchers propose new model to design better flu shots

Public release date: 22-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: B. Rose Huber
rhuber@pitt.edu
412-624-4356
University of Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGHThe flu shot, typically the first line of defense against seasonal influenza, could better treat the U.S. population, thanks to University of Pittsburgh researchers.

New research that focuses on the composition and timing of the shot design was published in the September-October issue of Operations Research by Pitt Swanson School of Engineering faculty members Oleg Prokopyev, an assistant professor, and Professor Andrew Schaefer, both in the Department of Industrial Engineering, and coauthors Osman Ozaltin and Mark Roberts, professor and chair in Pitt's Department of Health Policy and Management. Ozaltin, who is now an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, did his research for the study as a Pitt graduate student in the Swanson School; he earned his Pitt PhD degree in industrial engineering earlier this year.

The exact composition of the flu shot is decided every year by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the decision is complicated.

"The flu's high rate of transmission requires frequent changes to the shot," said Prokopyev. "Different strains can also cocirculate in one season, which gives us another challenge for figuring out the composition."

The Pitt researchers used powerful optimization methods from engineering to examine whether they could improve the yearly decisions made regarding what strains of influenza should be included in the current year's vaccine. The strains of flu that will be most likely to appear in the regular flu season are not known with certainty, but waiting longer to finalize the composition of the vaccine and observing what strains are occurring in other parts of the world improves the accuracy of the selection. However, the longer the FDA waits to make the decision, the more likely it is that there will be insufficient vaccine produced by the start of flu season. The model developed by the Pitt researchers balances these two important characteristics of the flu selection decision and integrates the composition and timing decisions of the flu shot design.

The model allows examination of the effect of many changes to the design and production of the vaccine, such as how many strains to include in the shot, when to make the final decision, how many times the FDA should meet to re-examine the current information concerning strains in other parts of the world, and the potential benefits from improved production methods.

"With this model, several policy questions can be addressed," said Schaefer. "For example, incorporating more than three strains might increase the societal benefit substantially, particularly under more severe flu seasons."

"The strains in the flu shot are now chosen at least six months before the actual flu season," added Schaefer. "This leaves a lot of uncertainty because we're really not sure which strain will emerge. Our models provide insights into a better flu shot."

The Pitt study focused solely on the United States, where the FDA makes the final decision about the flu shot composition soon after recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. The current flu shot contains inactivated strains of two influenza A subtypes and one influenza B lineage. The flu shot production is also limited by the scarcest strain, as the three strains are combined together to compose the shot.

"The three strains in the current flu shot are grown separately in chicken eggs and combined together to produce a single dose," said Ozaltin. "Our model considers all three strains simultaneously, because unanticipated difficulties in growing a strain might result in reductions in the overall flu shot supply."

The Pitt researchers note that currently only six manufacturers provide the flu shot for the U.S. market. Once the strains are selected by an FDA advisory committee, manufacturers move forward in making their own plans to maximize profits.

"We're suggesting a policy that includes more frequent committee meetings," said Prokopyev. "That could provide additional gains in the annual societal benefit of the flu shot."

For the future, the results suggest a substantial potential benefit from improved manufacturing techniques. With more research in this area, a more appropriate flu shot could be produced annually, saving Americans millions of dollars and preventing substantial influenza complications.

"This is another excellent example of the benefits of collaborative, multidisciplinary research that the University of Pittsburgh is famous for," notes Roberts. "Our group has been applying methods developed in engineering and designed for industry to very real problems in health and disease, and finding that they can provide insights not previously observed using traditional clinical research methods."

###

---

[ | 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.

Public release date: 22-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: B. Rose Huber
rhuber@pitt.edu
412-624-4356
University of Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGHThe flu shot, typically the first line of defense against seasonal influenza, could better treat the U.S. population, thanks to University of Pittsburgh researchers.

New research that focuses on the composition and timing of the shot design was published in the September-October issue of Operations Research by Pitt Swanson School of Engineering faculty members Oleg Prokopyev, an assistant professor, and Professor Andrew Schaefer, both in the Department of Industrial Engineering, and coauthors Osman Ozaltin and Mark Roberts, professor and chair in Pitt's Department of Health Policy and Management. Ozaltin, who is now an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, did his research for the study as a Pitt graduate student in the Swanson School; he earned his Pitt PhD degree in industrial engineering earlier this year.

The exact composition of the flu shot is decided every year by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the decision is complicated.

"The flu's high rate of transmission requires frequent changes to the shot," said Prokopyev. "Different strains can also cocirculate in one season, which gives us another challenge for figuring out the composition."

The Pitt researchers used powerful optimization methods from engineering to examine whether they could improve the yearly decisions made regarding what strains of influenza should be included in the current year's vaccine. The strains of flu that will be most likely to appear in the regular flu season are not known with certainty, but waiting longer to finalize the composition of the vaccine and observing what strains are occurring in other parts of the world improves the accuracy of the selection. However, the longer the FDA waits to make the decision, the more likely it is that there will be insufficient vaccine produced by the start of flu season. The model developed by the Pitt researchers balances these two important characteristics of the flu selection decision and integrates the composition and timing decisions of the flu shot design.

The model allows examination of the effect of many changes to the design and production of the vaccine, such as how many strains to include in the shot, when to make the final decision, how many times the FDA should meet to re-examine the current information concerning strains in other parts of the world, and the potential benefits from improved production methods.

"With this model, several policy questions can be addressed," said Schaefer. "For example, incorporating more than three strains might increase the societal benefit substantially, particularly under more severe flu seasons."

"The strains in the flu shot are now chosen at least six months before the actual flu season," added Schaefer. "This leaves a lot of uncertainty because we're really not sure which strain will emerge. Our models provide insights into a better flu shot."

The Pitt study focused solely on the United States, where the FDA makes the final decision about the flu shot composition soon after recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. The current flu shot contains inactivated strains of two influenza A subtypes and one influenza B lineage. The flu shot production is also limited by the scarcest strain, as the three strains are combined together to compose the shot.

"The three strains in the current flu shot are grown separately in chicken eggs and combined together to produce a single dose," said Ozaltin. "Our model considers all three strains simultaneously, because unanticipated difficulties in growing a strain might result in reductions in the overall flu shot supply."

The Pitt researchers note that currently only six manufacturers provide the flu shot for the U.S. market. Once the strains are selected by an FDA advisory committee, manufacturers move forward in making their own plans to maximize profits.

"We're suggesting a policy that includes more frequent committee meetings," said Prokopyev. "That could provide additional gains in the annual societal benefit of the flu shot."

For the future, the results suggest a substantial potential benefit from improved manufacturing techniques. With more research in this area, a more appropriate flu shot could be produced annually, saving Americans millions of dollars and preventing substantial influenza complications.

"This is another excellent example of the benefits of collaborative, multidisciplinary research that the University of Pittsburgh is famous for," notes Roberts. "Our group has been applying methods developed in engineering and designed for industry to very real problems in health and disease, and finding that they can provide insights not previously observed using traditional clinical research methods."

###

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/uop-prp122211.php

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Why ABC's new sitcom "Work It" hurts the transgender community

On January 3, ABC is set to premiere the new comedy Work It, a sitcom about two men who dress as women to secure employment. During a period in which the transgender community now routinely finds itself in the cultural crosshairs, the timing couldn?t be worse for a show based on the notion that men dressed as women is inherently funny. In fact, shows like this have the power to put the transgender community in an even more dangerous position.

GLAAD has seen the pilot and while the show?s pilot does not explicitly address transgender people, many home viewers unfamiliar with the realities of being transgender will still make the connection. Work It invites the audience to laugh at images of men trying to adopt a feminine appearance, thereby also making it easier to mock people whose gender identity and expression are different than the one they were assigned at birth. Said GLAAD?s Acting President Mike Thompson, ?Transphobia is still all too prevalent in our society and this show will only contribute to it. It will reinforce the mistaken belief that transgender women are simply ?men pretending to be women,? and that their efforts to live their lives authentically as women are a form of lying or deception.?

These problems are even more pronounced in the show?s printed ad, which depicts the two main characters dressed as women while standing at men?s room urinals. Not only does it inadvertently further notions that transgender identities are humorous or artificial, but imagery like this is one of the first things anti-LGBT activists resort to when trying to deny transgender people protections against discrimination. As Mark Snyder from the Transgender Law Center said in a recent article, a printed image like this in magazines or the sides of city buses will ?make it more difficult for transgender people to gain full equality -- including the important right to access public accommodations appropriate to their gender identity.?

Work It comes from a network with a track record of inclusive LGBT content that has often included the transgender community. When ABC cast Candis Cayne on Dirty Sexy Money, it was the first time a transgender actress was featured in a recurring role on broadcast television. Around the same time, they featured Alexis Meade on Ugly Betty, who was television?s first regular transgender character. Most recently, ABC cast transgender advocate Chaz Bono on their hit series Dancing with the Stars. When it comes to representing the transgender community in a fair and accurate way, ABC has routinely led the network pack.

But the fact that this show is coming from what has been one of the LGBT community?s strongest media allies perhaps makes the sting worse. When speaking about the show to an audience of television critics at this summer?s TCA executive panel, ABC president Paul Lee said, ?I?m a Brit, it is in my contract that I have to do one cross-dressing show a year; I was brought up on Monty Python. What can I do?? For starters, Mr. Lee can recognize that there has been forty years of progressive social change since Monty Python?s television heyday. Not to mention the birth and continuing advancement of the modern LGBT movement.

We are at a crucial point in transgender representation in our culture. While public awareness continues to increase and there have been great milestones reached in the past few years, thanks in part to networks like ABC, all too often the community is still depicted in a problematic light. Creators often resort to the same tired stereotypes and insulting language to depict transgender people, and the slur ?tr*nny? is still used with alarming frequency. Off-screen, transgender people experience disproportionately higher rates of violence, harassment, discrimination, poverty, and homelessness. While the straight men on the show may have gotten jobs by dressing as women, transgender people also face double the rates of unemployment. At a time when we need greater understanding of the transgender community, a show like Work It will ultimately have the opposite effect.

We ask that ABC recognize this fact, keep the show?s bathroom advertisement out of circulation, and seriously consider whether airing this show is worth the damage it has the potential to do. The fact is ABC should not air this show at all, as it will contribute to a climate in which transgender people are something to be laughed at, rather than treated with the respect and dignity that everyone deserves.

To read the original story on the GLAAD blog, click HERE.

Source: http://sdgln.com/causes/2011/12/21/why-abc-sitcom-work-it-hurts-transgender-community

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How Fleece Became Ubiquitous the World Over [Design]

There was a time in the late 1990s when fleece suddenly became ubiquitous in my life. I blame Old Navy. Their boldly-hued, fuzzy pullovers dominated every commercial break during the holidays and clothed everyone in my high school. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Uy1hV11ifvo/how-fleece-became-ubiquitous-the-world-over

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Honesty Study: Texting makes it easier for people to lie (Yahoo! News)

Study reveals that deceit happens with lack of face-to-face contact

If you want to get the unvarnished truth from someone, don't even entertain the thought of?texting them. A new study by researchers from the?University of British Columbia confirms what you may have suspected all along ? people find it easier to?lie through text messaging.

The 170 students in the study played out a pseudo-stock market scenario with real cash incentives to boost their involvement. Half of the students were designated brokers, while the other half were given the role of buyers. The brokers were privy to classified information that affected the cash reward the buyers received ? and not telling the buyers what they know could lead to the increase of their own compensation.

Four modes of communication were used to make the business deals: personal meet-up, video chat, audio chat, and text messaging. After each transaction between a broker and a buyer, the latter would be informed of the same information the broker knew from the start. The researchers then asked them to report if the broker deceived them in order to make a sale.

The result? Nearly no deception was reported for video?chat transactions, while those who made deals through text messaging were 31% more prone to report deception than if they met in person, and 18% more than if they talked through an audio chat. That's because brokers who did video chat transactions were acutely aware of being scrutinized, suppressing their urge to lie.

Professor Karl Aquino of the universty says, "Our results confirm that the more anonymous the technology allows a person to be in a communications exchange, the more likely they are to become morally lax."?So next time you have to deal with someone, don't make it easy for them to deceive you?? arrange meetings where you can look them in the eye. In the case of?buying from online sellers on Ebay or other websites, the researchers suggest asking them to chat with you over?Skype so you'd get the most unembellished details possible.

[via?Engadget]

This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/techblog/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20111222/tc_yblog_technews/honesty-study-texting-makes-it-easier-for-people-to-lie

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Official: US limits intel value of drones (AP)

WASHINGTON ? A U.S. official says Iran will find it hard to exploit any data and technology aboard the captured CIA stealth drone because of measures taken to limit the intelligence value of drones operating over hostile territory.

The official also said Saturday that despite Iran's latest claims to have hijacked the RQ-170 Sentinel and brought it down near the eastern Iranian city of Kashmar, the U.S. is convinced that the drone malfunctioned.

"The Iranians had nothing to do with it," the official said.

The official, who could speak about classified matters only on condition of anonymity, did not provide details. But independent experts say the data and communications of the unmanned aircraft are heavily encrypted, making it difficult for Iran to harvest much intelligence from them. U.S. officials previously have said the drones have no self-destruct mechanism.

The RQ-170 was nicknamed "the Beast of Kandahar" because it was first spotted over Afghanistan. It was used to conduct surveillance of Osama bin Laden's Pakistani compound before he was killed in a U.S. raid.

The Christian Science Monitor on Thursday quoted an unidentified Iranian engineer as saying that Tehran seized control of the drone by exploiting a key vulnerability in its navigation system, its reliance on GPS technology to guide it home when it loses contact with U.S. controllers.

The engineer said Iran's electronic warfare specialists jammed the RQ-170's satellite communications link and tricked its autopilot into thinking that it was landing at its base in Afghanistan when it touched down in Iran.

"The GPS navigation is the weakest point," the engineer was quoted as saying. "By putting noise on the communications, you force the bird into autopilot."

U.S. officials say Iran merely picked up a drone ? or large pieces of one ? that had lost contact with its controllers and landed inside Iranian borders relatively intact.

What appears to be an Air Force Scientific Advisory Board report on drone warfare, posted on a website, found that communications links are a "primary target of the adversary" in robotic aircraft operations.

The April 2011 report added: "Small, simple GPS noise jammers can be easily constructed and employed by an unsophisticated adversary and would be effective over a limited RPA (remotely piloted aircraft) operating area," the report said.

The website, Public Intelligence, describes itself as an international consortium of independent researchers dedicated to providing access open-source intelligence materials. Some independent U.S. experts confirmed that the document accurately describes a well-known potential vulnerability in drones.

But Ted Beneigh, an expert on unmanned aircraft systems at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, said it was "highly unlikely" that the Iranians have a system that could interfere with the RQ-170's GPS navigation system.

The U.S. drone, Beneigh wrote in an email, would have used "military GPS frequencies, whose timing and code sequence is classified. Commercial GPS repeaters operate on civilian frequencies."

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said this week that even if Iran can reverse-engineer the captured technology by the time they finish it may be obsolete.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Saturday told IRNA, Iran's official news agency, that Tehran had delayed announcement of the captured drone, which it displayed on Iranian television Dec. 8, to test U.S. reaction to the loss.

After initially saying only that it had lost a drone operating near the Afghan-Iran border, U.S. officials eventually confirmed that Iran had captured a drone sent to monitor Iran's military and nuclear programs.

President Barack Obama on Friday said the U.S. planned to keep up the pressure on Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

"And that's why, rest assured, we will take no options off the table," he said. "We have been clear."

The phrase "no options off the table" is meant to signal that the U.S. is prepared to take any measure up to and including a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

While the U.S. and many other countries suspect Iran is engaged in a clandestine effort to build nuclear weapons, Tehran insists that it is interested only in the peaceful uses of atomic energy.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111218/ap_on_re_us/us_us_drone

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