Since January, bits and pieces about the next-generation smartphone have been making the rounds on the Internet, with different rumored specifications and concept images offered by various Web sites and blogs.

Apple is a couple of days away from announcing the arrival of the most anticipated iPhone to enter the U.S. smartphone market. The company has issued invites for an event Tuesday that will showcase the fifth-generation iPhone.

The iPhone5 is expected to run on the latest iOS5, which will come with 200 new features, including an improved notifications system, as well as the Newsstand and iMessage applications. In addition, the iPhone5 is expected to feature the new iCloud service for operating iTunes, enabling wireless remote access of purchased and personally collected music from all computers and mobile devices.

The iPhone5 will likely support HSPA+ networks that will provide faster Internet speeds compared with its predecessors, Japanese blog Macotakara reported, citing a China Unicom executive’s presentation at Macworld Asia.

The arrival of the iPhone5 will trigger a smartphone battle in the U.S. market as its strongest rivals — the Samsung GalaxyS2 and Motorola Droid Bionic — have come to this market after several design changes.

Samsung’s GalaxyS2 continues its strong march in the smartphone race, giving stiff competition to Apple’s iPhone4 as well as the upcoming iPhone5.

The GalaxyS2, which runs on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and sports Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, comes with an 8-megapixel camera with flash and can record high-definition video in 1080p, offering the richest video content on a smartphone. The phone also has a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chat.

The device, which was recently launched in the United States, sold a whopping 10 million units since its launch in late April 2011, not including sales from the U.S., the largest market for smartphones.

On the other hand, Apple sold 20 million iPhones in the third quarter. Though the Galaxy S2’s sales lag behind iPhone sales, it implies that the Samsung Galaxy S2 is the toughest rival Apple will face for its iPhone 5, which is expected to be launched in October.

Meanwhile, the Motorola Droid Bionic has undergone several design changes. At the beginning of this year, this smartphone looked like the Motorola Atrix, but now it looks very similar to the Motorola Droid 3, one of the latest high-end phones. However, the Motorola Droid 3 has a slider QWERTY, unlike the Droid Bionic, which is just a touchscreen phone.

Other changes in the Droid Bionic include higher RAM capacity, a change in chipset from the Tegra 2 AP20H to the TI OMAP4430 and, surprisingly, less battery capacity compared with the battery capacity introduced in previous iterations of the phone.

So the heated battle will begin with the arrival of the Apple iPhone 5. All the three smartphones are right up there in the hype cloud, and hopefully they will live up to it.

Meanwhile, Samsung has announced a press event on Oct. 11, exactly one week after Apple’s “Let’s talk iPhone” program on Oct. 4. It is expected that Nexus Prime, the flagship smartphone for the Google Android platform, will be officially presented at the Samsung event.

Samsung’s Nexus Prime will be the first smartphone with an Android 4.0 operating system, codenamed “Ice Cream Sandwich,” which is designed to provide strong competition to Apple’s iPhone 5.

[Thanks: http://www.ibtimes.com]

The company announced on Wednesday that it has filed complaints against both Apple and Research in Motion, alleging patent infringement in the lawsuit filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission. As is standard in such filings, Openwave has asked the ITC to ban the import of smartphones and tablets made by Apple and RIM.

“Openwave invented technologies that became foundational to the mobile Internet,” Ken Denman, Chief Executive Officer of Openwave, said in a statement. “We believe that these large companies should pay us for the use of our technologies, particularly in light of the substantial revenue these companies have earned from devices that use our intellectual property.”

“Before filing these complaints, we approached both of these companies numerous times in an attempt to negotiate a license of our technology with them and did not receive a substantive response.”

In all, Apple is accused of infringing five Openwave-owned patents related to Internet access on mobile devices. Those patents are:

• U.S. Patent No. 6,233,608: Method and system for securely interacting with managed data from multiple devices
• U.S. Patent No. 6,289,212: Method and apparatus for providing electronic mail services during network unavailability
• U.S. Patent No. 6,405,037: Method and architecture for an interactive two-way data communication network
• U.S. Patent No. 6,430,409: Method and architecture for an interactive two-way data communication network
• U.S. Patent No. 6,625,447: Method and architecture for an interactive two-way data communication network

“In the end, litigation is the only way we can defend our rights against these large companies that have effectively refused to license the use of the technologies we invented, are using today, and are continuing to develop for our customers,” Denman said. “We are proud that our technology is helping deliver such a rich mobile internet experience to consumers around the world.”

In its press release, Openwave touted that in 1997 it was the first company to enable operators to deploy mobile Internet browsing, while in 2001 it was the first to provide technology for photo messaging. The company said it owns about 200 patents related to its software business.

[Thanks: http://www.appleinsider.com]

Apple is prepping for a bigger iPhone market in this second half of the year analysts say, ramping up the orders of its current iPhones and also stepping up production of the anticipated iPhone 5.

However, the technology giant is expected to face tough competition from Android smartphones, particularly from HTC that has planned to introduce its biggest smartphone known as the HTC Holiday.

Let’s see how the HTC Holiday would fare with the iPhone 5:

iPhone 5:

The iPhone 5 is expected to run on an upgraded operating system, iOS 5, and is supported by a strong ecosystem including iCloud. iCloud will store photos, apps, calendars and documents without storing them onto the phone’s memory storage.

Apple may fit a near-field communication chip in the iPhone 5 as some high-end Android devices are expected to sport the NFC chip. NFC allows for simplified transactions, data exchange, and connections with a touch. A smartphone or tablet with an NFC chip could make a credit card payment or serve as keycard or ID card.

Apple is rumored to increase the screen size of iPhone 5 to compete with Android smartphones, probably going for a 4-inch screen. The iPhone 4 has a 3.5-inch screen.

Apple is expected to release the iPhone 5 as a “World Phone” - both GSM and CDMA compatible. It is conjectured that the phone will have a SIM-less design with 3-4 antennas. Another rumor suggested that the iPhone 5 will feature a SIM card slot for other countries except the U.S. This will allow users to insert any SIM card in the iPhone when traveling abroad.

Apple has made improvements in the camera department by fitting a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected to sport an 8-megapixel camera.

There is also near-unanimity in gadget circles that Apple will bring its A5 chip on to the iPhone 5. The A5 processor is the same one that Apple rolled out to power its iPad 2. Apple may boost the speed of its A5 chip in the range of 1.2 or 1.5 GHz as several Android smartphones are coming with 1.2 GHz processor.

HTC Holiday

The Holiday is rumored to boast a 4.5-inch display, supposedly the first of a new wave across the Android landscape with 4.5-inch displays.

The recent breed of Android phones, like Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Thunderbolt and Motorola Photon, found expression in 4.3-inch displays. The trend seems to highlight that the next barrage of Android phones will follow the 4.5-inch form factor.

HTC Holiday is expected to run on the latest version of Google Inc.’s smartphone operating system, Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread OS.

The Holiday will sport an 8MP dual-LED flash rear-facing camera with 1080p video playback and a 1.3MP front-facing camera for video chat. The device is expected to have a 4.5-inch qHD display with 960×540 screen resolution.

The Holiday will be powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 1GB RAM.

The Holiday is expected to have HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) 21 Mbps and HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access) 5.76 Mbps support. In addition, the smartphone would have Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot support along with advanced Bluetooth version 4.0 with A2DP and EDR

There is no word about internal storage details of the HTC Holiday yet, but it is expected to have an external storage via a microSD card slot of up to 32 GB.

On the pricing front, Apple’s iPhone 5 has been rumored to be priced at $600, while iPhone 4 is listed on AT&T at $299 for 32GB version with a 2-year contract. The Holiday is expected to be priced at $199 to $249 at AT&T.

However, Apple certainly knows how to surprise and already has a few things in place like iCloud which can steal the thunder from Android devices. Apple’s iPhone features are extensively varied from HTC Holiday, which means the loyal Apple fan base remains the same. And for Apple, there is no reason to fear a potential loss with respect to buyers.

[Thanks: http://www.ibtimes.com]

And that falls in line with Steve Jobs’ original vision for the iPad, which he believes will eventually replace personal computers such as Macs and PCs for most users. Part of that equation comes from increasing horsepower under the hood of the iPad, which will allow for ever more sophisticated apps to propel the iPad toward being a computer replacement. But the other part involves the iPad being a networked device with speeds worth putting to use.Currently, the iPad 2 (as was the case with the original iPad before it) offers the same 3G cellular data network access as the iPhone, which allows the device to essentially access the internet anywhere cellphone signals are present.

There’s also a cheaper iPad model which can only access wifi, but as the iPad era has gone on, an increasing percentage of iPad sales have been of the 3G model through either Verizon or AT&T. Consumers have demonstrated that they want to be able to access the internet and network-based functionality such as online gaming and social networks while on the go, and not just when they’re able to find wifi, which is usually a source of frustration outside of ones own home.

But 3G networking is barely fast enough to support the comparatively lighter-weight computing which typically takes place on smartphones, leaving the iPad in the position of attempting to replace the computer while only offering the mobile network speeds of a phone. This latest iOS 5 nugget, however, suggests that the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 release dates could bring with it faster speeds, which could also point to just when the latter might arrive…

Apple has yet to give any indication of whether the iPad 3 will be a late 2011 or early 2012 product, even as the iPhone 5 seems clear for fall 2011 takeoff. Apple’s traditional annual product cycle points to the latter, while various hints have suggested the former instead. But the later the iPad 3 arrives, the more likely it is to support 4G LTE networking.

While Verizon has been slow in rolling out its planned 4G LTE nationwide network (LTE coverage is defined on the map by dots on big cities rather than shaded areas over regions, to give you an idea), AT&T has done far worse: it offers no map because its 4G LTE plans consist mostly of smoke and mirrors even as it considers acquiring T-Mobile so as to integrate the carrier’s quasi-4G network instead. That would seem to point to a 4G LTE iPad 3 later than sooner. But upon more careful analysis, it becomes fuzzier: Apple wouldn’t be adding 4G LTE hooks into iOS 5 now unless it’s planning to roll out LTE-based products on iOS 5 right from the start.

That could either be a new LTE iPhone 5 this year, or it could be an LTE iPad 3. But it has to be one or the other, and it has to be this fall, or else Apple would have waited to build the LTE code into a later iOS 5 iteration such as iOS 5.1 or iOS 5.2 next year. In the mean time, all we know for sure is that Apple is gearing up to release 4G LTE product(s) this fall including the iPhone 5 and perhaps the iPod touch 5, and whenever the iPad 3 rolls around, it appears it’ll be supporting 4G LTE as well.

[Thanks: http://www.beatweek.com]

Apple sued Samsung in April, claiming Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets infringe several patents and trademarks. Samsung counter-sued, asserting its own patents against Apple.

Late last month, Samsung filed a request for Apple to hand over the unreleased versions of the iPhone and iPad, saying it would be “highly relevant” to its defense. A judge had already ordered Samsung to produce similar materials for Apple, Samsung attorneys argued in court filings.

Apple opposed the request, saying it was an attempt to “harass” Apple into disclosing extremely sensitive trade secrets.

In a ruling released late on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said Apple’s legal claims are only based on its products that have already hit the market.

“Common sense suggests that allegations of copying are necessarily directed at Apple’s existing products, to which Samsung has access and could potentially mimic,” Koh wrote, “and not at Apple’s unreleased, inaccessible, next generation products.”

Representatives from Apple and Samsung could not immediately be reached for a comment.

Samsung’s Galaxy products use Google’s Android operating system, which directly competes with Apple’s mobile software.

The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Apple Inc v. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd et al, 11-1846.

(Reporting by Dan Levine, editing by Maureen Bavdek)

[Thanks: http://www.reuters.com]

Mueller says that while the original complaint—filed by Apple on Apr. 15 in U.S. District Court in Northern California—was “the most impressive multi-intellectual property rights complaint [he'd] ever seen,” it’s now “even bigger—the main document has 63 pages (previously 38)—and better.” The changes aim to paint Samsung’s infringement as blatant copycat behavior, asserting that Samsung, more than any other competitor, has been blatantly ripping off Apple designs since the very earliest days of the iPhone, circa 2007.

In addition to adding claims of specific infringement, Apple strengthened language throughout its filing. For example, it replaced the word “misappropriated” with “copied” in at least one instance, and it also cites many articles by prominent tech news publications about Samsung devices like the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Vibrant that make specific reference to Samsung’s clear attempts at copying Apple product designs. Apple also added 14 specific Samsung product designations to the complaint by name, including the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Galaxy S II.

Distinguishing Brand from Product

Part of the amendment is intended to deflect Samsung’s requests to have advance access to unreleased iPhone and iPad products. Apple originally talked about its trade dresses (a legal term referring to the visual appearance of a product or its packaging) for the iPhone and iPad lines in general, but the altered complaint now makes specific distinctions about iPhone as a brand vs. the iPhone 3G or iPhone 4, for example, which will help it deny the requests made by Samsung.

I asked Mueller about how this case compares with others, such as the Nokia-Apple legal battle that recently resulted in a big settlement for the Finnish smartphone maker. He said Apple-Samsung is unusual in that the case seems to have escalated faster than most, due in part to Samsung’s rapid countersuit, which it filed not only in California but also in South Korea, Japan, and Germany. Also unusual is that Apple seems to be seeking “a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy product line,” which Mueller says could “force a settlement very early in the process.”

Mueller thinks the case isn’t actually all that similar to the Nokia-Apple battle, because he believes “Nokia has a much stronger smartphone-related patent portfolio than Samsung.” He does believe Apple is prepared to go far with this claim, however, since he thinks the company “has made the determination that fighting Android in general and Samsung’s alleged copying in particular is even more critical to its success than the supplier relationship [that the companies share].” Still, he thinks that existing business relationship “should facilitate a settlement” at some point before the case comes to a decision.

[Thanks: http://www.businessweek.com]

New reports suggest the next-generation iPhone will indeed feature an edge-to-edge screen and a shifted camera flash.

Those reports stem from an “iPhone 5G” case offered on Chinese manufacturer Kulcase’s Alibaba.com Website, which was noticed by Electronista and subsequently picked up by Apple-centric blogs such as Apple Insider. The mockup for this “newest design crystal case for Apple iPhone 5G” included a screen that stretches to the extreme edges of the device, along with a camera flash now spaced further away from the aperture.

How much can you trust this sort of report? The Apple rumor mill has a tendency to buzz over any scrap of news related to upcoming company products, no matter how far-fetched. Apple’s own tight secrecy creates an echo-chamber that amplifies even the most fanciful scuttlebutt; and before you know it, half the Web seems convinced that the next iPad will offer glasses-free 3D and little white-plastic arms to massage your wrists as you hold it. (You heard it here first.)

That being said, Apple Insider insists that Alibaba.com “has been the source of a number of Apple product leaks in the past.”

A new research note from Jefferies & Co. suggests the next iPhone could feature only incremental upgrades, even as it appears on a broader set of carriers.

“We believe the likelihood of the iPhone 5 launch in September including LTE [Long-Term Evolution] is now remote,” analyst Peter Misek wrote in that note, issued May 13. “According to our industry checks, the device should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ [Evolved High-Speed Packet Access] support.”

That note also claimed, based on “industry checks,” that Sprint, T-Mobile and China Mobile will be announced as new iPhone carriers in time for the holiday season: “On Apple’s last earnings call, management responded to a question about launching the CDMA [Code Division Multiple Access] iPhone at other carriers as ‘we are constantly looking and adding where it makes sense, and you can keep confidence that we’ll continue to do that.”

AT&T and Verizon remain the only two U.S. carriers of the iPhone at the moment. Despite AT&T’s plans to acquire T-Mobile for $39 billion in cash and stock, the smaller carrier has denied it will carry the iPhone in the short term.

“T-Mobile remains an independent company,” read a note posted on T-Mobile’s corporate Website in March. “The acquisition is expected to be completed in approximately 12 months. We do not offer the iPhone. We offer cutting-edge devices like the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and, coming soon, our new Sidekick 4G.”

For its part, Sprint remains close-lipped about any potential iPhone deal, with CEO Dan Hesse claiming during a recent earnings call that he was unable to comment on “potential discussions” with any suppliers.

Current rumors suggest the next iPhone will include an A5 processor and more powerful cameras, and possibly NFC (near-field communications) technology, which would allow the smartphone to make electronic purchases when placed in proximity of a special reader. Given Apple’s cone of silence, though, any hardware or software rumors about the (possibly) upcoming device should be taken with the usual grain of salt.

[Thanks: http://www.eweek.com]

Once the program is on your iOS device, you can load it up with digital manga and read comics anywhere you want, without having to worry about carrying around actual books.

Of course, the VIZ Manga app is available for iPad users as well. That version came out first, because in November, 2010. It’s free as well, so if you have the tablet and like seeing your digital manga on a bigger screen, then go for that. The price per volume is the same, no matter which VIZ Manga app you access the VIZ Store.

Plys, there’s a universal manga sale going on at the VIZ Manga VIZ Store until May 8, 2011. The first volumes of a few series are 40% off during the promotion. So you can build up your digital library for less than usual. It isn’t too bad if you miss out on the sale though, as it seems like many of VIZ’s digital manga volumes are priced at $4.99. Not bad, considering an actual physical copy usually costs double that.

Also, if you’re curious, here are the newest digital manga volumes you can grab and read in the VIZ Manga app.

* Absolute Boyfriend 3
* Captive Hearts 5
* House of Five Leaves 1
* Kekkaishi 3
* Naruto 24
* Once Piece 24
* Rosario + Vampire 5
* Rurouni Kenshin 12

If you’re looking for shojo, I would pass on Absolute Boyfriend. I know, a lot of people like it, but I don’t personally recommend it. (I preferred Yuu Watase’s Ceres and Alice 19th.)

[Thanks: http://www.gamertell.com]

Business Intelligence Release 11.1.1.5 provides iPhone and iPad users with the software’s full range of capabilities, with no need to rewrite existing dashboards and reports, according to Oracle. The integration is two-way, as users can generate actions and kick off workflows from their devices, Oracle added.

Other new features in BI 11.1.1.5 include broader support for data sources, including Oracle’s TimesTen in-memory database, SQL Server Analysis Services and SAP Business Information Warehouse.

Oracle also announced new versions of its BI Applications on Tuesday. These are a series of prebuilt modules aimed at various business areas, such as financials, human resources and projects.

The 7.9.6.3 applications release features a refreshed user interface with access to geospatial data, data modeling improvements and a number of tools for system management, testing and patching.

Overall, the releases include “a lot of important tweaks that will be functionally important to end users,” said IDC analyst Dan Vesset. “There are all these steps to make [the software] easier to deploy and implement.”

What’s not currently clear is how Oracle’s stated intention to weave BI pervasively throughout its upcoming Fusion Applications will affect customers’ existing investments in BI.

Most likely, customers will be able to reuse much of what they have, Vesset said. The process will probably play out fairly slowly as customers begin adopting Fusion modules, he said.

Meanwhile, Oracle’s move to support Apple reflects those devices’ growing preference among business users, as well as the general trend toward mobile BI.

While mobile BI remains somewhat immature, analysts such as Boris Evelson of Forrester Research predict the rise of larger form-factor devices such as the iPad and other tablets will make a big difference in usability. “Truly analytical BI applications require a certain amount of screen real estate to display, interact, and analyze all relevant information on a single small screen,” Evelson said in a recent report.

Oracle’s new software will go up against products from rivals such as SAP, IBM and SAS Institute, which control much of the market for BI and analytics.

Analytics’ strength as a software category persisted through the global recession, with sales rising slightly even as demand for other types of software fell, according to recent figures from Gartner. Sales jumped 13.4 percent last year to US$10.5 billion, the analyst firm said.

[Thanks: http://www.pcworld.com]

HBO is going mobile.

The pay TV network on Monday will begin offering its subscribers access to watch HBO programming on Android mobile devices and Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad tablet.

“That device has changed television,” HBO Co-President Eric Kessler said this week, pointing to an iPad during an interview at the company’s Santa Monica offices.

HBO hopes the iPad will kick-start HBO Go, the online viewing option for current HBO subscribers that the network launched last year. The move marks a turn for the Time Warner Inc.-owned channel, which was a pioneer in enticing viewers to watch cable TV but has moved cautiously in embracing the Internet.

HBO, however, recognizes that the revolution underway in viewing habits is as profound as the one it helped spark in the 1980s when TV viewers began flocking to cable to watch uncut movies and big-ticket sports events. Company executives have been guarded about putting the network’s programming on the Web, fearful that doing so might give subscribers a reason to drop cable TV service.

“HBO, regardless of how strong their programming is, faces a host of significant challenges to their business — more than at almost any other time in their history,” said Will Richmond, a longtime cable executive and publisher of the Boston-based VideoNuze.com news site. “This is a completely new landscape for HBO.”

HBO has held to a contrarian view about how to approach the Internet. Although broadcast networks have rushed to throw their shows on the Web, HBO has held back, pointing out that cable and satellite TV providers are still — and will remain for some time — the financial bulwark of the pay TV industry.

Still, company executives acknowledge that the Internet and mobile technology is reshaping the way people watch TV. And HBO must adapt, they say, to protect its empire, which generates $1.4 billion annually in operating income — a deep well of profits for parent Time Warner.

HBO Go only recently began to pick up momentum with cable and satellite TV operators that are the gateway for the online option. Heavyweights such as DirecTV signed on after HBO added more than 1,400 hours of programming, including full seasons of such hits as “True Blood” and “The Sopranos” to the HBO Go library. Currently, about 80% of HBO’s homes can access the pay channel’s online service.

People who do not subscribe to the channel through their cable, satellite or telephone provider will not be able to access HBO’s programming online or via mobile devices.

“What we don’t want to do is devalue the brand,” Kessler said. “Our online strategy is about exclusivity.”

The pivot comes as HBO faces stiffer competition from the likes of Showtime, AMC, FX and other cable channels that have ripped a page out of HBO’s upscale play book with shows like “Dexter,” “Mad Men” and “Sons of Anarchy.”

HBO also has witnessed a worrisome incursion by Amazon, Epix and Netflix, as well as cable and satellite TV operators that continue to expand “on-demand” movie offerings. Big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart also are preparing their own movie services.

“It’s a different universe; we accept that,” said Michael Lombardo, HBO’s president of programming.

Marquee Hollywood movies have long been a drawing card for many of HBO’s 28 million subscribers. As such, Time Warner can ill afford to allow Netflix, by offering a low-cost alternative, to encroach on HBO’s turf. Netflix subscribers pay $7.99 a month for a streaming service that lets them pick the movies they want to watch from a vast library.

For HBO, maintaining and growing its subscriber base has been one of its biggest challenges. The channel must sign up or reactivate about 10 million homes annually just to keep even with its subscriber rolls. Last year, HBO and its sister channel Cinemax lost nearly 2 million subscribers.

HBO executives are banking on the online option to slow or, hopefully, reverse subscriber losses. To promote the iPad app, the company is spending about $20 million in a marketing blitz. Advertisements will be popping up during the NBA and NHL finals as well as in several prominent TV season finales next month.

Analysts think it’s the right move.

HBO Go “should help drive HBO’s subscriber performance, as well as reduce investor concerns regarding HBO’s ability to compete with online video providers,” Deutsche Bank analyst Doug Mitchelson said in a recent report.

HBO’s decision to make the online service available only to current subscribers, at no additional charge, was intended, in large measure, to provide an incentive for customers to stay on board. Limiting HBO Go to current subscribers also avoids HBO putting itself in conflict with the cable and satellite TV operators it relies upon to sell the pay channel to subscribers.

“We are targeting the market where, frankly, the money is,” Kessler said.

HBO says there are no current plans to sell HBO Go directly to consumers. That effectively eliminates millions of potential customers who might be inclined to sign up if the service wasn’t tied to a current HBO subscription.

HBO’s approach makes sense, said Deana Myers, a television analyst with SNL Kagan.

“The majority of their revenue still comes from affiliates, and they don’t want to make those companies mad,” she said. “But the world could change very much in the next few years. This sets them up so they can offer a direct-to-consumer option more easily.”

It may be doing a dress rehearsal to get ready for that day.

[Thanks: http://www.chicagotribune.com]