Techlife News #162

Samsung retained the chief of its mobile business in an annual executive reshuffle announced Monday despite a steep decline in mobile profit. The extent of this year’s reshuffle was the smallest in recent years, showing how Samsung is opting for stability in its executive ranks in the absence of chairman Lee Kun-hee who was hospitalized in May after a heart attack. Samsung spokesman Lee June said that Shin Jongkyun, president of mobile communications at Samsung Electronics Co., has made a significant contribution to Samsung’s rise to world’s top mobile phone maker. Some analysts expected Shin to step down to take responsibility for Samsung’s failure to respond quickly enough to the rise of Chinese smartphone makers and Apple’s new iPhones. Samsung’s third-quarter mobile profit fell to just one quarter of the previous year’s level. But…

Thousands of fans in Mexico City paid homage Sunday to Roberto Gomez Bolanos, the late Mexican comedian who played the boy television character “El Chavo del Ocho” that defined a generation for millions of Latin American children. Gomez Bolanos, who was known as “Chespirito” (chess-pee-REE-to), died Friday at age 85. Thousands of people, many dressed as his characters, gathered at Azteca stadium in southern Mexico City Sunday to say goodbye to the iconic comedian who took his inspiration from Laurel and Hardy as well as Mexico’s other transcendent comedian, Cantinflas. “Chespirito! Chespirito!” shouted fans of all ages as his coffin entered the stadium. It was received by thousands of children dressed as his character “Chapulin Colorado” or “The Crimson Grasshopper.” Giant television screens showed videos about his life and characters. His morning…

It’s a robot unlike any other: inspired by the world’s fastest land animal, controlled by video game technology and packing nifty sensors - including one used to maneuver drones, satellites and ballistic missiles. The robot, called the cheetah, can run on batteries at speeds of more than 10 mph, jump about 16 inches high, land safely and continue galloping for at least 15 minutes - all while using less power than a microwave oven. It’s the creation of researchers at the Massachusetts of Technology, who had to design key elements from scratch because of a lack of or shortcomings in existing technology. That includes powerful, lightweight motors; electronics that control power for its 12 motors; and an algorithm that determines the amount of force a leg should exert during the split second that…

Moviegoers wanted another helping of “The Hunger Games.” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part One” ruled the Thanksgiving box office for a second weekend in a row with $56.9 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The total haul for the latest installment of the Lionsgate dystopian series starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen stands at $225.7 million domestically and $254.4 million internationally. “Penguins of Madagascar” opened in second place with a chilly $25.8 million. The animated spin-off centers on the penguin characters from DreamWorks Animation’s “Madagascar” franchise. “Penguins” fared better overseas, where the film earned an additional $36 million. Disney’s animated romp “Big Hero 6” and Paramount’s space-time saga “Interstellar” respectively held onto the third and fourth positions with $18.7 million and $15.8 million in their fourth weekend at the box…

What's your image of Jennifer Aniston? We suspect that whatever appears in your head - whether you immediately picture her longtime role as Rachel Green in the venerable sitcom Friends or instead something from her multitude of movie roles - is all makeup and bubbly personality. You're less likely to imagine a careworn woman addicted to prescription painkillers - and yet, that role is precisely what has sparked talk of a first Oscar nomination. We are, of course, referring to Cake, the drama that premiered in the Special Presentations section of this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and in which she is joined by such talents as Adriana Barraza, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy and Anna Kendrick, with Daniel Barnz on directorial duties. It is a talented cast and crew for…

A year ago, Amazon.com workers like 34-year-old Rejinaldo Rosales hiked miles of aisles each shift to “pick” each item a customer ordered and prepare it for shipping. Now the e-commerce giant boasts that it has boosted efficiency - and given workers’ legs a break - by deploying more than 15,000 wheeled robots to crisscross the floors of its biggest warehouses and deliver stacks of toys, books and other products to employees. “We pick two to three times faster than we used to,” Rosales said during a short break from sorting merchandise into bins at Amazon’s massive distribution center in Tracy, California, about 60 miles east of San Francisco. “It’s made the job a lot easier.” Amazon.com Inc., which faces its single biggest day of online shopping on Monday, has invested heavily this year…