Microsoft To Buy Research In Motion? Uh, I Don't Think So

Well, here we go again.

The Financial Post is reporting yet another breakout of rumors thatMicrosoft might want to buyResearch In Motion.

The story apparently was spurred by an item on the financial news site Benzinga which asserted that there is chatter Microsoft might invest $3.5 billion in RIMM. Last month, the talk was that maybe Samsung would buy RIMM. I didn’t believe that one, and I’m not buying this one.

New RIM CEO Thorsten Heins recently indicated that all options are on the table for the BlackBerry maker, which is basically an engraved invitation to speculate in ridiculous nonsense. But let’s get real. It certainly is possible that Microsoft could find value in RIM’s patent portfolio, although some analysts are skeptical that there’s a lot of there there. I can’t see why Microsoft would want the rest. They’re not going to want the company’s crumbling handset business, and they certainly don’t need the BlackBerry OS; they already have an OS. (Plus, Microsoft is above all else a builder of operating systems; do you really think they’d buy one from someone else?) And think strategically: Microsoft has everything to gain from the demise of RIM, and nothing to lose. Were RIM to disappear further into handset irrelevancy, it creates an opening for Microsoft to secure its position as the primary alternative to Apple and Android devices. For Microsoft, there’s no logic at all in rescuing RIM from its continued slide into the mire.

No, this strikes me as desperate speculation, former bulls looking for an exit strategy, not anything that is logical or based on reality.

Nothing else to see here.

Move along.

RIMM is up 12 cents at $13.05.

Nokia lowers profit outlook, shares nosedive

HELSINKI (AP) — Nokia Corp. saw its share price plummet 14 percent on Wednesday after it warned that heavy competition will hit its first-quarter earnings, especially in developing markets, and that it expected no improvement in the second quarter.

The world's largest cell phone maker said multiple factors had hurt sales, particularly in the fast-growing markets of India, the Middle East and Africa and China.

The Finnish company has increasingly been losing out to competitors in the lucrative top-end smartphone sector, against Apple Inc.'s iPhone and brands using Google Inc.'s popular Android software, including Samsung. But it's also been squeezed in the low-end by Asian manufacturers making cheaper phones, such as China's ZTE.

Nokia said operating margins in the first quarter were "approximately negative 3 percent." Previously, it had expected them "around break-even, ranging either above or below by approximately 2 percentage points."

It said it sold 71 million mobile phones in the quarter — down from 108 million in 2011 — with net sales of €2.3 billion ($3 billion), while smartphone sales halved to 12 million units from a year earlier.

The profit warning was coupled by other bad news from the cell phone maker, which acknowledged a data connection problem with the Lumia 900 just two days after a high-profile launch in Times Square in New York and elsewhere in the United States.

Nokia said it would compensate American Lumia 900 users with $100 in credit at AT&T because of the software problem, as well as providing an updated Lumia 900.

Wednesday's news spooked investors, who sent Nokia's share price down more than 14 percent to close at €3.27 ($4.29) on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

CEO Stephen Elop described the performance as "disappointing" for the company that had pinned hopes on posing a new challenge against chief rivals with new Windows-based Lumia smartphones, first launched in Europe in November and later in the United States and China.

"Our devices and services business continues to be in the midst of transition," Elop said. "Within our smart devices business unit, we have established early momentum with Lumia, and we are increasing our investments in Lumia to achieve market success."

In the first quarter 2012, Nokia said it sold more than 2 million Lumia phones at an average price of €220. On Wednesday it unveiled a new version of the Lumia 610 which will give customers near field communication technology, or NFC, allowing users make payments at adapted sales tills and exchange data with handsets with similar technology.

Elop also told analysts that Nokia would launch new products in the second quarter, take "tactical pricing actions in the near term" and would speed cost-cutting measures and "pursue significant structural actions if and when necessary."

Earlier this year, Nokia announced 4,000 job cuts — on top of 10,000 last year — and said it will stop assembling cell phones in Europe by 2013 as it shifts production to Asia, where the majority of component suppliers are based, to cut costs and help it reach markets faster.

Nokia has been the leading handset maker since 1998 but after reaching its global goal of 40 percent market share in 2008 it has gradually lost ground, falling to below 30 percent market share last year.

In a major strategy shift, it began a partnership with Microsoft Corp. last year, launching its first phone with the Windows operating system in October, aimed at clawing back lost ground. But analysts said it would take several quarters before the company's success could be measured.

Hannu Rauhala from OP-Pohjola bank in Helsinki said Nokia had lost market share quicker than expected — especially in China, its largest market — and that Windows-based phones had not managed to compensate for the loss.

"The market share shifted from Nokia to cheap Android phones in China," Rauhala said. "The interest will be increasingly turning to the second half of the year when we'll see Windows tablets and new generation Windows phones ... and if they are competitive and able to challenge Samsung and Apple."

Nokia is due to report first-quarter earnings results on April 19.

The Espoo-based company, near Helsinki, employs some 130,000 people, down from more than 132,000 a year ago.

US sues Apple, publishers over ebook prices

WASHINGTON

The Justice Department and several states have sued Apple Inc. and major book publishers, alleging a conspiracy to raise the price of electronic books that Attorney General Eric Holder says cost consumers millions of dollars.

The government also has reached a settlement with three publishers, Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Shuster. But it will proceed with its lawsuit in federal court in New York City against Apple and Holtzbrinck Publishers, doing business as Macmillan, and The Penguin Publishing Co. Ltd., doing business as Penguin Group.

Holder told Justice Department news conference on Wednesday that "we believe that consumers paid millions of dollars more for some of the most popular titles" as a result of the alleged conspiracy. Justice's antitrust chief Sharon Pozen said the scheme added $2 to $3 to the prices of individual books.

Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen said the total cost to consumers was more than $100 million.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

The U.S. government filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple Inc. and book publishers Wednesday, saying the publishers conspired with Apple to raise retail electronic-book prices to limit competition.

The government also filed papers in U.S. District Court in Manhattan saying it had reached a settlement with publishers Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. It will proceed with its lawsuit against Apple and other publishers, including Holtzbrinck Publishers, doing business as Macmillan, and The Penguin Publishing Co. Ltd., doing business as Penguin Group.

The lawsuit said the effort was a response to the success Amazon.com had in selling e-books for just under $10. The alleged conspiracy came as Apple was preparing to launch the iPad and called for Apple to be guaranteed a 30 percent commission on each e-book it sold, the lawsuit said.

"To effectuate their conspiracy, the publisher defendants teamed up with defendant Apple, which shared the same goal of restraining retail price competition in the sale of e-books," the lawsuit said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a comment request.

Macmillan Chief Executive Officer John Sargent said in a letter to authors, illustrators and agents that the company has not settled because it is "hard to settle a lawsuit when you know you have done no wrong."

He said: "Macmillan did not act illegally. Macmillan did not collude."

Sargent said the filing of the lawsuit came after discussions with the Department of Justice that lasted months.

"But the terms the DOJ demanded were too onerous. After careful consideration, we came to the conclusion that the terms could have allowed Amazon to recover the monopoly position it had been building before our switch to the agency model," he said. "We also felt the settlement the DOJ wanted to impose would have a very negative and long term impact on those who sell books for a living, from the largest chain stores to the smallest independents."

At the heart of the e-book pricing debate is the industry's ongoing concerns about Amazon. Publishers see the "agency model" as their best, short-term hope against preventing the online retailer from dominating the e-book market and driving down the price of books to a level unsustainable for publishers and booksellers.

Since launching the Kindle in 2007, Amazon has made a point of offering best-sellers for $9.99. The discount is so deep from list prices of $20 and more that it's widely believed Amazon is selling the e-books at a loss as a way of attracting more customers and forcing competitors to lower their prices. Amazon also has been demanding higher discounts from publishers and stopped offering e-books from the Independent Publishers Group, a Chicago-based distributor, after they couldn't agree to terms.

When Apple launched its tablet computer two years ago, publishers saw two ways to balance Amazon's power: Enough readers would prefer Apple's shiny tablet over the Kindle to cut into Amazon's sales and the agency model would stabilize prices.

Apple's iBookstore has yet to become a major force, but publishers believes the new price model has reduced Amazon's market share from around 90 percent to around 60 percent, with Barnes & Noble's Nook in second at 25 percent. The iBookstore is believed to have 10 to 15 percent.

Macmillan's Sargent has found himself at the heart of the dispute. In early 2010, as publishers were trying to get Amazon to agree to Apple's pricing system, Amazon pulled all the listings for Macmillan books, from Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections" to Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickle and Dimed." Sargent refused to back down and Amazon eventually gave in.

New e-books from Macmillan and the other publishers investigated by the Justice Department often are priced initially between $12.99 and $14.99, with Amazon making a point of noting that the price was set by the publisher. Ironically, publishers usually make less money off the agency model than the traditional one because they receive a smaller percentage of the proceeds.

Random House Inc. was the only "big six" publisher not to agree to the agency model in 2010 and was not part of the lawsuit. But the publisher of Dan Brown, John Grisham and others did agree to terms with Apple last year and now must decide whether to keep prices the same, cut them to keep up with competitors or drop the agency model altogether. Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum -- the only of the big six publishers not involved in the case -- said Random would have no comments Wednesday.

According to court papers, the settlement agreement reached with three publishers said the companies agreed that for two years they will not restrict, limit or impede an e-book retailer's ability to set, alter or reduce the retail price of any electronic book. It said the retailers will be able to offer price discounts and other forms or promotions to encourage consumers to buy one or more electronic books.

The agreement also calls for the defendants not to enter into any agreement or conspiracy with any electronic-book publisher to raise, stabilize, fix, set or coordinate the retail price or wholesale price of any electronic book.

George Zimmerman’s lawyers withdraw from case, lose contact with Trayvon-case shooter

George Zimmerman's attorneys withdrew from the controversial Trayvon Martin shooting case Tuesday, saying they have lost contact with their client, who began making moves without consulting them.

The lawyers said Zimmerman called special prosecutor Angela Corey on Tuesday, a highly unusual move for the target of an investigation who is being represented by a lawyer.

He made the call despite not having returned calls from his attorneys, Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig, since Sunday, Sonner said.

“He won’t even give me a collect call,” Sonner said.

He added that Zimmerman, who has left the state but not the country, also called Fox News talk show host Sean Hannity without talkibg to the lawyers.

Zimmerman also set up a website linked to a Paypal account that was different than the one the attorneys arranged through Zimmerman’s father, the lawyers said.

“That money is for George, it’s not for me and I don’t want my hands on it,” Sonner said, referring to any funds collected by Zimmerman’s own website.

Zimmerman is distraught and “ may not be in control of what is going on," Uhrig said.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/10/2741248/george-zimmermans-lawyers-withdraw.html#storylink=cpy

North Korea should not launch rocket - Hillary Clinton

 The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has said North Korea should not go ahead with its planned rocket launch if it wants a "peaceful, better future" for its people.

Mrs Clinton said the launch would be a direct threat to regional security.

Meanwhile the US ambassador to the UN said the Security Council would have to respond swiftly and credibly if the launch goes ahead.

Susan Rice said members had discussed informally what steps could be taken.

A North Korean official has dismissed concerns that the launch is a cover for developing missile technology as "nonsense".

North Korea says that the launch - scheduled to take place between 12 and 16 April - is part of the peaceful development of a space programme, and will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of its late leader Kim Il-sung.

'Provocative act'

Mrs Clinton, speaking after talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, said the planned launch would violate North Korea's obligations under existing UN Security Council resolutions.

Both diplomats talked of "appropriate action" if the launch goes ahead.

Ms Rice said there was "no disagreement among members of the council that this is a provocative act, and an act that the North Koreans should refrain from undertaking".

Japan and South Korea have warned they will shoot the rocket down if it threatens their territory.

Airlines in the region have announced route changes to avoid the rocket's trajectory.

North Korea said on Tuesday that the launch of the rocket was on target to go ahead as scheduled. The Unha-3 rocket is to launch a satellite into space, which will be used for weather forecasts, it says.

On Sunday, officials invited foreign journalists to the Sohae satellite station at Tongchang-ri, on the country's north-west coast. All three stages of the rocket were visibly in position at the launch pad.

Pyongyang had agreed in February to a partial freeze in nuclear activities and a missile test moratorium in return for US food aid. But that deal was put on hold last month after the North announced its rocket launch plans.

Finally, A National Database To Stop Criminals From Stealing Smartphones

As robberies of electronic gadgets continue to rise in cities around the nation, carriers can no longer just sit back and watch these crimes happen.

The Federal Communications Committee has announced its plans to work with four U.S. mobile operators to fight smartphone theft. The plan is to set up a centralized database system, which will be implemented in six months. Such a database will prevent stolen phones from being reactivated.

Chairman Julius Genachowski made an announcement with police chiefs and folks from the four wireless carriers -- AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint -- that have 90 percent of U.S. subscribers. 

The point of a registry system is to deter the theft of smartphones and to keep smartphone data safe.

In New York, more than 40 percent of robberies involve smartphones and cell phones, according to the FCC. That rate is also true in urban sprawls around the country. It's even higher in cities like Washington D.C., where the rate is more than 50 percent.

The main issue with smartphone thefts is that when the gadgets are stolen, they can be resold at close to market value. Victims of robberies can't do anything to stop the phone from being used again because carriers allow stolen phones to be re-activated. It's a vicious cycle.

A database that keeps track of stolen phones has reduced crime in other parts of the world because there is no reason for criminals to resell an item that won't ever work.

"I wish that there could be a national registry for stolen devices. It could be a huge deterrent for iPhone thefts," one San Francisco officer who investigates these crimes recently told us.

There are always ways around it, GigaOM pointed out. The Unique Mobile Equipment Identify Number can be changed if a criminal is armed with the right tools.

Beyond implementing technology to deter the crimes, members of congress are discussing plans to introduce legislation that will make it a federal crime if someone messes with the hardware identifiers on wireless devices.

That would would make it trying to change the vehicle identification number on a car -- something only criminals would bother to do.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said, “If you steal a cellphone it will be a worthless endeavor. If you try to sell a stolen cellphone you will get caught.”

Better late than never, right?

Before Facebook Met Instagram: 10 Knockout Tech Buys

When Facebook announced plans to acquire Instagram yesterday, tongues were wagging at the reported sales price of $1 billion. Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger had seemingly achieved the Silicon Valley dream – for a free app!

But this week's deal is not the first time a major company has snapped up a smaller firm or app for big bucks. As Twitter's Matt Graves tweeted last night, "Instagram jealousy is the new YouTube jealousy." Back in 2006, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen were the talk of the startup world when Google shelled out $1.65 billion for their video site, YouTube, the search giant's largest acquisition at the time. There were skeptics who questioned whether a two-year-old company could truly be worth almost $2 billion, but in this case, the gamble has most certainly paid off.

An even pricier acquisition took place a year earlier when eBay bought Skype for $2.6 billion. That didn't really work out for eBay – the two parted ways several years ago – but Skype made off quite well when Microsoft picked it up years later for $8.5 billion.

Few other deals are in the billion-dollar category, but countless startups have walked away with a nice chunk of change. From Amazon's $850 million purchase of Zappos and Electronic Arts' $750 million payout for PopCap, the Silicon Valley dream is alive and well for the tech- and business-savvy.

105 YEAR OLD WOMAN COMMITS SUICIDE:FIND OUT THE INCREDIBILE REASON

Friends said great-great-great-gran Anastasia Khoreva had been depressed after being struck down with a lung infection.

The pensioner waited until her family had left the house then used a clothes line to fashion a makeshift noose in her bedroom.

Anastasia, from Darsun, Russia, had lived through the Russian Revolution, two world wars and the mass executions of communist tyrant Joseph Stalin.

One neighbour said: "It's a strange thing to do at her time of life but she used to say she was fed up with waiting for death — so she wanted to go and meet it."

A family member added: "She'd tried once before saying she'd had enough, but that time we managed to stop her.

"This time we weren't so lucky."

MARS FORMS TRIANGLE WITH MOON AND STAR TONIGHT

The planet will form a cosmic triangle with the moon, Mars and the bright star Regulus.

As the evening twilight deepens around 8:30 p.m. local time Tuesday night (April 3), check out the southeast sky. Weather permitting, a waxing gibbous moon will be shining bright, but it won't be alone.

Situated well above the moon will be two bright "stars." I've placed the word stars in quote marks, because one of those stars is in reality a planet: the so-called Red Planet, Mars.

The planet will form a cosmic triangle with the moon, Mars and bright star Regulus. The arrangement can be seen in the sky map of Mars accompanying this planet viewing guide.

NEWS: Earthlings Dazzled by Venus-Jupiter Close Encounter

A month ago, Mars came to opposition with the sun and two days later arrived at its closest point to the Earth in 2012, a distance of 62.6 million miles (100.7 million kilometers). Since then, Mars has been receding from us and correspondingly has faded.

On Tuesday, Mars will be 70.7 million miles (113.8 million km) away, but will still appear to shine brilliantly. Only the moon, Venus, Jupiter and the stars Sirius and Canopus rank higher in brightness. But Mars is now shining at about 70 percent of the radiance it had a month ago and its fade-down will become even more apparent in the coming weeks.

One month from now, it will shine only about half as bright as it does now. And if you look carefully at Mars, you'll see that in spite of its popular "Red Planet" moniker, its true color leans closer toward yellow-orange.

ANALYSIS: Why is the Moon Bigger at the Horizon?

This contrasts noticeably with the bluish object situated to the right (west) of Mars; the first magnitude star Regulus in the constellation of Leo, the Lion. Regulus is number 21 on the list of brightest stars and currently appears only about one-sixth as bright as Mars. [Skywatcher Photos of Mars and Moon]

Both planet and star are separated by about 5 degrees, while the moon stands about 10 degrees beneath the pair. Your clenched fist held at arm’s length is approximately equal to 10 degrees in width. So we could say that the length of Tuesday's eye-catching triangular pattern (why not call it a Mars Triangle?) is roughly equal to "one fist."

Currently, Mars is in the midst of describing an elongated loop against the stars of Leo. It is in its retrograde, or "backward," motion and appears to be traveling toward the west. As a consequence, Mars is edging closer toward Regulus, though this will come to an end in less than two weeks when this retrograde motion comes to an end and the planet resumes its normal eastward motion.

While Mars is receding, it is still worth a look if you have a small telescope. In a high quality 6- or 8-inch telescope on a night of excellent seeing, you may make out the north polar cap, dark surface markings and occasional white clouds.

Right now we are blessed to observe it high above the low-altitude hazes and poor seeing conditions that normally plague Northern Hemisphere observers. It will reach its highest point in the sky at around 10:30 p.m. local time, when it will be more than 60 degrees ("six fists") above the southern horizon.

Mars is not the only bright object to watch for in the Tuesday night sky. The planet Venus will pass through the Pleiades star cluster in the western sky on the same night.

If you snap an amazing photo of Mars, Venus and the Pleiades, or any other skywatching target, and would like to share it for a possible story or image gallery, please contact SPACE.com managing editor Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com.

Replacing Thomas Robinson will be big challenge for Kansas

      NEW ORLEANS - Thomas Robinson's rise from valuable role player to All-American was the biggest individual story in Kansas' run to the national championship game.  

      The 6-10 junior forward also sent his NBA draft stock soaring in the process and his early departure would leave a big hole in Kansas' front line but perhaps not an insurmountable one. (Robinson is currently projected as the third pick in June's draft by the web site NBAdraft.net).

Robinson would take his 17.7 points and 11.7 rebounds a game with him, along with the prospect of improving those numbers as a senior.

        His departure would likely mean the continued development of junior center Jeff Withey would be a key for KU next season. Withey, who had blocked 27 shots in his first five NCAA tournament games and had seven in the semifinals against Ohio State, was the Big 12's defensive player of the year.

His averages of 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds were fairly pedestrian but he scored 14 or more points six times and improved his scoring average by almost seven points a game from the 2010-11 season. He could be more active offensively as a senior.

Reserve forward Kevin Young would likely also be counted on for more after playing about 11 minutes a game this season and averaging 3.5 points and 3 rebounds.

The Jayhawks are losing starting point guard Tyshawn Taylor, who almost doubled his career scoring average this season when he reached 16.5 points a game. Taylor led the team in assists but was also sometimes prone to turnovers.

Also departing is valuable reserve guard Conner Teahan, a former walk-on, who played in every game this season and averaged 5.6 points.

Scheduled to return to the backcourt are a pair of versatile veterans, 6-6 Travis Releford and 6-4 Elijah Johnson.

Releford averaged 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds from his wing position this season and Johnson, who can play either the point or shooting guard spot, was the team's second-leading NCAA tournament scorer through the first five games, averaging 13.4 points to go along with 5 rebounds a game in the postseason.

Coach Bill Self moved to shore up his frontcourt in November's early signing period, even before Robinson's big season. The Jayhawks received letters of intent from 6-8 Perry Ellis, a five-star recruit from Wichita, Kan., 6-9 Zach Peters from Plano, Texas, and 6-10 Landen Lucas from Portland, Ore. So some help appears to be coming if Robinson leaves.

And if he departs, the Jayhawks would have another scholarship to offer should Self choose to use it this spring.

Two members of Self's staff will be moving to other positions and must be replaced. Longtime assistant Danny Manning, a star of KU's 1988 national championship team, was named last week as the new head coach at Tulsa. And director of basketball operations Barry Hinson is leaving to become head coach at Southern Illinois.

Flying car gets closer to reality with test flight, introduction to customers at New York show

                This obviously is not the flying car; no media photos are available yet, but the basic principle seen here is about the same.

Flying cars aren't just science fiction anymore.

Woburn, Massachusetts-based Terrafugia Inc. said Monday that its prototype flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle - dubbed the Transition - has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. Last month, it flew at 1,400 feet (426 metres) for eight minutes. Commercial jets fly at 35,000 feet (10.668 metres).

Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will likely rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don't expect it to show up in too many driveways. It's expected to cost $279,000.

And it won't help if you're stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway.

The flying car has always had a special place in the American imagination. Inventors have been trying to make them since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry analyst who owns R.W. Mann & Co. in Port Washington, New York.

But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality. The government has already granted the company's request to use special tires and glass that are lighter than normal automotive ones, to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The government has also temporarily exempted the Transition from the requirement to equip vehicles with electronic stability control, which would add about six pounds (2.72 kilograms) to the vehicle. The Transition is currently going through a battery of automotive crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards.

Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration's decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft. The standards govern the size and speed of the plane and licensing requirements for pilots, which are less restrictive than requirements for pilots of larger planes. Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a relatively low hurdle for pilots.

The Transition can reach around 70 miles per hour (112 kph) on the road and 115 mph (185 kph) in the air, spokesman Steven Moscaritolo said. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon (15 kilometres per litre).

Mann questions the size of the market for the Transition. The general aviation market has been in decline for two decades, he said, largely because of fuel costs and the high cost of liability for manufacturers. Also, fewer people are learning how to fly.

“This is not going to be an inexpensive aircraft to produce or market,” he said. “It has some uniqueness, and will get some sales, but the question is, could it ever be a profitable enterprise?”

Mann sees the western U.S. as the most likely market, where people could fly instead of driving long distances.

Terrafugia has been working on flying cars since 2006, and has already pushed back the launch once. Last summer the company said it would have to delay expected 2011 deliveries due to design challenges and problems with parts suppliers.

With the appearance in New York, the company hopes to attract the eye of customers as well as investors.

“We are introducing ourselves as a viable company to the automotive world,” Moscaritolo said.

Same ‘Titanic,’ only now the iceberg is in 3-D

“You can be blase about some things, Rose,” Billy Zane pretentiously sniffs, “but not about Titanic!’”

And so it is with the movie about that famous, doomed ship. Love it or hate it, there’s little to be blase about regarding the biggest screen hit of all time.

Fifteen years later, and the film isn’t any shorter. The dialogue is still peppered with groaners like Zane’s “blase” line.

But “Titanic,” back on the big screen 100 years after the ocean liner went down, and back in theaters in 3-D, wears its blockbuster weight with ease. Thanks to the 3-D conversion — which may make it a tad darker than when first released — it is aging surprisingly well, a meticulous re-creation of a great ship and a tragedy built around a good, old-fashioned popcorn picture.

Writer/director James Cameron’s conceit, framing this within the memories of an aged survivor (Gloria Stuart) and the search of a modern deep sea explorer (Bill Paxton), still slows the movie’s opening scenes to a crawl. But start to finish, “Titanic” works.

Cameron told a story of “the 1 percent” and “the 99 percent” long before we were calling them that, a tale of class, love that crosses class boundaries, of the rich who plan to keep the rest of us in our place, of the nouveau riche who remember where they came from and won’t stand for it.

Leonardo DiCaprio is the roving, Jack Londonish steerage passenger Jack Dawson. Kate Winslet is Rose, a child of privilege who needs to marry a rich creep (Zane’s Cal Hockley) to preserve her family’s standing. Of course they find a way to meet. Of course they fall in love.

Fifteen years later, we can appreciate DiCaprio’s callow, annoying and showy turn for what it is — boyishness. Winslet now has an Oscar as final confirmation of what has been obvious from the start, that she’s one of our great actresses.

Cameron litters the cast with winners: sassy Kathy Bates as “The Unsinkable” Molly Brown; David Warner as a murderous valet; Victor Garber as the shaken, guilt-ridden ship designer Thomas Andrews; Bernard Hill as Capt. Edward Smith, who slips into shock in his moment of crisis.

And Cameron’s glimpses of Titanic lore — the locked gates preventing steerage passengers from reaching the deck, the elderly couple famously dressing up and waiting to drown in their cabin — seem just right.

The 3-D doesn’t really impress until you get to that fateful moment when they hit the iceberg, the helmsman making the mistake any boat owner will recognize — throwing it into reverse and turning away from the berg at the same time. The calamity of what follows really pops off the screen, the blasts of water thundering through, deck by deck, the vast ship standing upright, on her bow, as she points toward the bottom of the sea.

I found the length tedious, some of the dialogue eye-rolling and some of the digital effects lacking (the digital ship’s digital wake seemed puny) when “Titanic” first came out. But those quibbles fade with time. Raised to 3-D for its return to the big screen, “Titanic” plays the way its “King of the World” creator meant it to — as a history and sociology lesson wrapped in a corny, but fun and entertaining, yarn.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/03/3530848/same-titanic-only-now-the-iceberg.html#storylink=cpy