Mindshapes Releases Tap-A-Tune App For iPad, iPhone and iPod touch

London, ?GB???Dec 22, 2011

London, England - Mindshapes, the interactive learning company, today is proud to announce the Tap-A-Tune app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch on the App Store. Young children will enjoy learning and playing classic nursery rhymes and holiday music with this app. The app will launch at an introductory price of $0.99 as part of the Mindshapes holiday sale.

Designed for children ages 2 and up, Tap-A-Tune helps improve hand-eye coordination and inspires a child to play music. To play a song, children tap on cute animal characters, each representing a musical note. As they do so, the animals pop up and down on the screen, dancing through the music.

"Young children love learning new songs and tunes, and Mindshapes' Tap-A-Tune app introduces them to the nursery rhymes and holiday songs they will know for their entire lives," says Christian Dorffer, a co-founder at Mindshapes. "Tap-A-Tune also helps children connect to the songs as they tap along, making the tune play on their device. They'll feel a great sense of accomplishment as they hear a song play from beginning to end." The Tap-A-Tune app has three different modes:

* Play mode:
Tap on the animals, as they pop up on the keyboard, to play the notes of a song. Afterwards, the song will play back in full.

* Freestyle mode:
Tap on any animal, in any sequence, to compose your own song.

* Baby mode:
Tap on an animal and the song will play automatically.

Children can also choose the instrument they want for each song. Choices include piano, accordion, clarinet and acoustic guitar.

Songs include:
Nursery Rhymes:
* Bah Bah Black Sheep
* Hickory Dickory Dock
* Old Mac Donald
* Row, Row Row Your Boat
* The Wheels on the Bus
* This Old Man
* Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Christmas Songs:
* Ding Dong Merrily on High
* Jingle Bells
* Jingle Bell Rock
* Joy to the World
* Once in Royal David's City
* Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer
* Santa Claus is Coming to Town
* The First Noel
* Winter Wonderland

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 3.0 or later
* 27.9 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Tap-A-Tune 1.0 is regularly $2.99 (USD), but it is currently available on the App Store for $0.99. To celebrate the holidays, all of Mindshapes' apps are reduced to $0.99 for a limited time.
Tap-A-Tune 1.0
Purchase and Download
Screenshot
App Icon

Mindshapes' mission is to change the way children and adults learn through interactive game play. The company was founded in 2010 and has offices in London, New York and San Francisco. Copyright (C) 2011 Mindshapes. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Source: http://www.iphonelife.com/promotions/mindshapes-releases-tap-tune-app-ipad-iphone-and-ipod-touch?utm_source=facebook

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Wal-Mart pulls formula after baby dies in Missouri (AP)

COLUMBIA, Mo. ? Wal-Mart and health officials awaited tests Thursday on a batch of powdered infant formula that was removed from more than 3,000 stores nationwide after a Missouri newborn who consumed it apparently died from a rare infection.

The source of the bacteria that caused the infection has not been determined, but it occurs naturally in the environment and in plants such as wheat and rice. The most worrisome appearances have been in dried milk and powdered formula, which is why manufacturers routinely test for the germs.

Wal-Mart pulled the Enfamil Newborn formula from shelves as a precaution following the death of little Avery Cornett in the southern Missouri town of Lebanon.

The formula has not been recalled, and the manufacturer said tests showed the batch was negative for the bacteria before it was shipped. Additional tests were under way.

"We decided it was best to remove the product until we learn more," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Dianna Gee said. "It could be returned to the shelves."

Customers who bought formula in 12.5-ounce cans with the lot number ZP1K7G have the option of returning them for a refund or exchange, Gee said.

The product is not exclusive to Wal-Mart. The manufacturer, Mead Johnson Nutrition, declined to answer questions about whether formula from that batch was distributed to other stores.

"We're highly confident in the safety and quality of our products," said Christopher Perille, a spokesman for the company based in the Chicago suburb of Glenview.

A second infant fell ill late last month after consuming several different types of powdered baby formula, but that child recovered, health officials said.

Powdered infant formula is not sterile, and experts have said there are not adequate methods to completely remove or kill all bacteria that might creep into formula before or during production.

Preliminary hospital tests indicated that Avery died of a rare infection caused by bacteria known as Cronobacter sakazakii. The infection can be treated with antibiotics, but it's deemed extremely dangerous to babies less than 1 month old and those born premature.

The bacteria are "pervasive in the environment," Perille said. "There's a whole range of potential sources on how this infection may have got started."

A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration said the agency is investigating the death, along with the Centers for Disease Control and the Missouri Department of Health. Investigators have collected samples from the family and are testing unopened formula purchased at stores.

Siobhan Delancey said the FDA gets four to six reports a year of infant infections related to formula and has not found a powder that tested positive since 2002.

The FDA is also investigating the other case of illness, which involved a baby from Illinois whose case was reported in neighboring Missouri. But the agency does not believe there is any connection between the two, Delancey said.

Public health investigators will look at the formula itself, as well as the water used in preparing it and at anything else the baby might have ingested, Perille said.

Only two to three cases a year are reported. New Mexico saw two in 2008, including one infant who died and another who suffered severe brain damage. A Tennessee infant died in 2001 after being infected.

It could be several days before test results are available.

The family submitted two types of infant formula for testing ? the powdered version and a pre-sterilized, ready-to-eat liquid ? as well as the distilled water used to prepare the powdered product.

"We're just trying to test anything that was consumed by the baby," Laclede County Health Director Charla Baker said.

Avery was taken to a pediatrician Dec. 15 ? a week after he was born ? after showing signs of stomach pain and lethargy. When the pain persisted the next day, his parents took him to an emergency room.

He died Sunday at a hospital in Springfield after being removed from life support.

The Missouri Department of Health advised parents to follow safety guidelines for preparing powdered infant formula, including washing hands, sterilizing all feeding equipment in hot, soapy water and preparing enough formula for only one feeding at a time.

A flood of calls from worried parents prompted Missouri officials to clarify that the formula pulled by Wal-Mart is not being provided to participants in the Women, Infants and Children federal program for low-income parents.

___

Associated Press Medical Writer Mike Stobbe in Atlanta contributed to this report.

___

Alan Scher Zagier can be reached at http://twitter.com/azagier.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_he_me/us_wal_mart_infant_formula

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Daily Crunch: Motorized

Here are some of yesterday’s Gadgets stories: Meet Swivl, The Motion Tracking iPhone Dock That Always Keeps You On Camera Kickstarter: spnKiX Are Motorized Shoes ? Yes, Motorized Shoes Hands-On With The 4Moms Origami Stroller Kindle Fire Display Doesn?t Stand Up To Nook, iPad 2 In Tests In Which We Reveal The Top CES 2012 Trends Without Breaking Embargoes

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/cWzfLRDMUUQ/

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Iran invites IAEA to visit: diplomat (Reuters)

VIENNA (Reuters) ? Iran has invited the U.N. nuclear watchdog to visit for talks, a senior Western diplomat said on Tuesday, but it was not clear whether the IAEA would accept without a commitment from Tehran to address suspicions it is seeking atomic weapons.

Reflecting widespread Western skepticism, the envoy said the invitation included no promise that talks would cover issues raised last month in an International Atomic Energy Agency report that suggested Iran had worked on developing the means to build a nuclear weapon.

"Apparently the Iranians have invited agency officials, but the offer is clearly just part of their amateurish charm offensive," the diplomat said. There is "no commitment to talk substance ... same old movie."

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano has made clear that any new visit must address the agency's concerns about potential military aims of the nuclear program, which Iran says is strictly peaceful.

A second Vienna-based diplomat was unable to confirm that Iran had issued an invitation, but said the IAEA and Tehran had been in contact about a possible visit which could take place early next year. If agreed, this could be "good news," he added.

There was no immediate comment from the IAEA, the Iranian mission in Vienna or Iranian officials in Tehran.

The IAEA carries out regular inspections of Iranian nuclear sites but has not sent a senior official for talks since August, before it released its latest report containing what was described as intelligence showing Iran's nuclear military aims.

Western countries seized on the IAEA report last month to ratchet up economic sanctions.

Previous visits by senior IAEA officials have failed to make significant progress towards resolving the long-running row over Iran's nuclear program, which has the potential to spark a wider conflict in the Middle East.

IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts, head of the agency's safeguards inspections worldwide, was granted rare access to a facility for developing advanced uranium enrichment machines when he visited in August.

But Western diplomats tend to see such invitations as attempts by Iran to buy time.

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, wrote to the IAEA in late October suggesting that a senior IAEA delegation headed by Nackaerts should visit for talks.

But Iran's angry response to the IAEA report cast doubt on those plans. Iran's IAEA ambassador said last month that "everything is messed up" by the report.

Amano said in November he had proposed sending a high-level team to Iran to "clarify the issues" raised in the report.

Another Vienna-based Western diplomat said the IAEA director general would probably only agree to send his officials to Tehran in order to specifically discuss such issues.

"I don't think they want to have talks about talks," the diplomat said.

(Reporting by Fredrik Dahl)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111220/wl_nm/us_nuclear_iran_iaea

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Nike profit up 3 percent in 2Q (AP)

PORTLAND, Ore. ? Nike Inc.'s second-quarter profit rose 3 percent as strong demand and higher prices for its shoes, clothes and gear offset increased costs.

Nike and other consumer product companies have been coping for some time with higher costs for materials, labor and freight. But while others have struggled to regain their footing in the weak U.S. economy, the world's largest athletic shoe and clothing company has been able to increase sales and raise prices without consumer backlash.

"We're able to accomplish this by staying focused on what we do best - deliver innovative products and experiences that serve athletes, inspire consumers and reward our shareholders," said Mark Parker, Nike's CEO.

The company, based in Beaverton, Ore., reported Tuesday that it earned $469 million, or $1 per share, for the quarter that ended Nov. 30. That's up from $457 million, or 94 cents per share, in the same quarter last year. Nike's total revenue increased 18 percent to $5.73 billion as it sold more of its branded products in nearly every market around the globe.

The quarter beat analysts' expectations for the quarter of 97 cents per share on revenue of $5.63 billion, according to FactSet.

During the quarter, some of its most popular lines were in basketball and running, with Nike noting that it hasn't seen this much energy around running since the original boom in the sport during the 1970s. Additionally, strong sales at Converse more than offset lower revenue from the Nike Golf, Cole Haan, Hurley and Umbro brands.

Nike leaders expressed confidence in the company's future sales growth as the NBA season resumes and it prepares to launch a number of new products in anticipation of major athletic events such as the summer Olympics.

As an indication of what is ahead, Nike disclosed that orders for items that were scheduled to be delivered between December and April rose 13 percent by comparison to the same period last year. Investors keep a close eye on this measure as an indicator of demand for the coming period.

Going forward, some of Nike's costs are beginning to ease up. But the company said that won't make a difference to its bottom line for several quarters.

Nike plans to raise prices further this year to help relieve some of its margin pressures. The company did not disclose how much it will increase prices but said the hikes would be larger than those put in place during the past year. As a result of these price hikes and a seemingly endless appetite for its products, the company expects its gross margin declines to narrow over the balance of the year.

Nike's shares rose 25 cents to close at $93.63 in regular trading. Shares rose $2.37, or more than 2 percent, to $96.00 in after-hours trading on the news.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111220/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_nike

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The World Won't End Consumed By a Supernova in 2012, NASA Tells Doomsayers [Space]

I find this funny and sad at the same time: someone at NASA had to write an article explaining the obvious to the usual morons—the doomsaying clowns claiming that the world will end in 2012 because of a nearby supernova. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/YCFRsi3foxc/nasa-to-stupid-doomsayers-the-world-wont-end-consumed-by-a-supernova-in-2012

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Bayer says threshold met for $750M rice deal (Providence Journal)

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