iOS 7 Beta 2 Arrives With Bug Fixes, iPad Version

Apple on Monday released the second beta of iOS 7, exactly two weeks after the first iteration of the software was doled out to developers.

The new version promises only to fix bugs and contains other undocumented "improvements."

But the big new thing in this release is a version of the software for iPads -- both the regular and Mini models. The first version of the software only came for iPhones and iPod Touches, with Apple promising to add support for other devices as time went on.

The software requires developers to sign a privacy agreement, but that hasn't stopped numerous developers and some blogs from posting extensive hands-on previews of the new OS.

It's been standard practice for Apple to roll out several beta versions of the software before it's released to the public, which Apple has said will happen in the fall. In terms of how many more of these to expect, iOS 6 had four different beta versions between its June debut and late September release last year.

Perhaps not since 2010's iOS 4 (which brought multitasking) has there been quite so much scrutiny on just what Apple's up to with these interim updates. iOS 7 is a massive visual and, in some cases, functional overhaul of the versions that came before it, and many things are expected to change before it's officially released.

Update: The software also brings back a reworked version of Apple's voice memos application, which has been a built-in utility since 2009's iOS 3.0, though was not provided in the initial beta of iOS 7. 

Bobby (Blue) Bland, Soul and Blues Balladeer, Dies at 83

Bobby (Blue) Bland, the debonair balladeer whose sophisticated, emotionally fraught performances helped modernize the blues, died on Sunday at his home in Germantown, Tenn., a suburb of Memphis. He was 83. 

His death was confirmed by his son, Rodd, who played drums in his band.   Though he possessed gifts on a par with his most accomplished peers, Mr. Bland never achieved the popular acclaim enjoyed by contemporaries like Ray Charles and B. B. King. But he was nevertheless a mainstay on the rhythm-and-blues charts and club circuit for decades. 

In addition to his son, Rodd, Mr. Bland’s survivors include his wife, Willie Mae; a daughter, Patrice Moses; and four grandchildren. Rodd Bland said his father had recently learned that the blues singer and harmonica player James Cotton was his half-brother. 

World War Z Earns Sequel After Gobbling Up Global Box Office

 

Brad Pitt zombie apocalypse movie World War Z, which has been mired in bad press and was predicted to be one of the year's biggest turkeys, is to get a shock sequel after storming the global box office at the weekend.

Pitt, who plays a UN worker torn between protecting his family and finding a cure for the zombie infection, hinted at a sequel during the film's Moscow premiere last week. "There is enough [material] to mine from the book," he said. "We could barely get a fraction of the book in [this movie]. So we'll see. We'll see."

Monica Lewinsky Auction: Bill Clinton Letter, Black Negligee Up for Bidding

Monica Lewinsky's floor-length black negligee is just one of 32 items that are being auctioned off by Nate D. Sanders Auctions this week, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based auction house announced on Monday, June 24. 

Other noteworthy memorabilia include several hand-written notes and greeting cards from the former White House intern, a letter typed on White House stationary and signed by Bill Clinton, and "three sealed and slightly crushed boxes of presidential M&Ms."

The items are part of a collection that was submitted by Lewinsky's former lover Andy Bleiler to special prosecutor Kenneth Starr during his investigation into the Clinton-Lewinsky affair in the late 90s.

Zara Hartshorn: Teenager Who Looked 60 Has Facelift to Combat 'Benjamin Button' Syndrome

 

A facelift at the age of 16 sounds like vanity gone mad – but for Zara Hartshorn it gave her a life as a normal teenager, the Sunday People reveals today.She was a youngster hoping for love like the others but her tender skin looked ­twisted and ­wrinkled because of a rare ­condition.

With prematurely ravaged ­features and gaps in her teeth she spent years enduring kids’ taunts of “monkey” and “granny”.But today, thanks to pioneering surgery, the bullies are no more than an unpleasant memory.

Zara has found the fella of her dreams. She no longer feels out of place with her friends and is ­looking forward to life with her sweetheart Ricky Andrews.With her looks ­transformed, she hopes to open a beauty salon.

Recalling the moment all the ­bandages came off, she said: “When I saw myself it was mixture of surprise and happiness.“Growing up I never thought this day would come. I thought I would be the same for ever.

Blackhawks Wins Stanley Cup Title

The Chicago Blackhawks are the NHL champions today because they are players who always believe and are led by a captain who never quits.

"(Jonathan Toews) is the engine behind the team," Chicago defenseman Michal Rozsival said. "He plays the right way. It's not that he's just a skilled guy. He plays the right way, every single game, every single day."

In the 1980s and into the 1990s, Mark Messier and Steve Yzerman were yardsticks by which all captains were judged. Today, Toews is recognized as the prototype for how a captain should act and play.

"Keep the bars open — we're coming home, " Toews said after he lifted the Cup for the second time. "We're going to fill the Cup up tonight, and we're going to share it with the city of Chicago."

Maybe it wasn't quite as memorable as Messier's guarantee, but those words are vintage Toews.

Serena, Djokovic Ease Into Second Round

Serena Williams said she always feels the nerves entering the first round of a major.

There seemed to be few on Tuesday as the top seed and defending champion defeated Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 6-1, 6-3 to move into the second round of Wimbledon.

The top seed on the men's side, Novak Djokovic, also moved on with ease.

Djokovic defeated Florian Mayer of Germany, who is ranked No. 34 in the world, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

Djokovic took a 3-0 lead in the first set and broke for a 6-5 lead in the second to take firm control. He served out the match to love before saluting the Centre Court crowd with a fist pump.

"It was a big pleasure again performing here on Centre Court in front of the packed crowd," Djokovic said. "For the first round, it was tricky. ... I think (Mayer's) game is really well suited for grass, so it took a lot of effort."