Taliban May Have Captured Two U.S. Service Members Missing in Afghanistan

A ground and air search is under way in Afghanistan for two U.S. service members missing since yesterday who may have been captured by the Taliban.

The two left a compound in Kabul City in a vehicle yesterday, according to a statement on NATO’s website that didn’t identify their nationality.

A senior North Atlantic Treaty Organization military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said both were Americans. The Associated Press reported they were U.S. Navy personnel, citing unnamed officials.
The two were captured by the Taliban, Akhtar Mohammed, a senior Taliban commander, said in a telephone interview.

Separately, five U.S. soldiers were killed today in southern Afghanistan by improvised explosive devices, NATO said.
More than 1,000 U.S. soldiers have died in the war in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said July 23. President Barak Obama has vowed to start bringing U.S. troops home next year.

Droids Gets Business Cred with Android 2.2

Which member of Verizon's Droid family of smartphones will get Android 2.2 first? The just-released Motorola Droid X is slated to receive the new version of Google's mobile operating system in late July, which could mean any day now. Other reports have the Droid 2, the original droid's replacement that's coming next month, as the first phone come with Android 2.2 preinstalled.

Whichever Droid earns the honor, it won't be the first phone to run Android 2.2. Google began sending over-the-air version 2.2 updates to users of its Nexus One phones about a month ago, even though the company will soon stop selling its HTC-build handset.

With the arrival of Android 2.2, the latest batch of Droids and other high-end smartphones, including the HTC EVO 4G and Samsung's Galaxy-S series, will be much better equipped to battle Research In Motion's Blackberry and Apple's iPhone in the enterprise market. Google's next-gen mobile OS adds a number of business-friendly features that will ensure Android's growth beyond its consumer base.
Security is vastly improved. Microsoft Exchange administrators, for instance, can remotely wipe stolen or lost Android 2.2 phones, and restore the devices to their factory defaults. They can also enforce a password policy, and use numeric pin or alpha-numeric passwords to unlock the handsets.

If you're running Exchange 2007 or newer, you can quickly set up and sync an Exchange account with just your user name and password. Android 2.2's Calendar app supports Exchange calendars, and email users can auto-complete recipient names from their corporate directory.

Cloud Compatible
Android 2.2 has better cloud integration too. Developers can activate phone alerts, route information to handsets, and enable two-way sync features for their apps. Users can back up their data to the cloud, and then restore it on a new device--a boon given the insanely fast upgrade cycles for smartphones.
Since Android 2.2 allows you to use your phone as a portable hotspot, it may actually help businesses cut travel costs. Rather than paying an outrageous fee to use a hotel's Wi-Fi service, you could connect your computer to your phone's portable hotspot for Internet access.

Of course, other consumer-friendly upgrades, including faster performance and support for Flash Player 10.0 (e.g., for Web-based training videos) will benefit business users too.
In a follow-up post on this blog soon, we'll take a closer look at the Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone platforms and decide which is best for business.

Forty-ton whale lands on yacht during Cape Town sailing trip

A couple who took a yacht for a quiet sailing trip were stunned when a 40-ton whale crash-landed on their boat off Cape Town. 

 

The couple was enjoying calm seas off the South African coast when the animal flipped into the air and smashed into their mast.

Ralph Mothes, 59, and Paloma Werner, 50, were helpless as the beast thrashed around on their 33ft vessel before slipping back into the water.

Werner said: "It really was quite incredible but very scary. The whale was about the same size as the boat.
"We'd spotted it about 100 metres away and thought that was the end of it. Then suddenly it was right up beside us."I assumed it would go underneath the boat but instead it sprang out of the sea. We were very lucky to get through it, as the sheer weight of the thing was huge."There were bits of skin and blubber left behind, and the mast was wrecked. It brought down the rigging too.

"Thank goodness the hull was made of steel and not fibreglass or we could have been ruined."

Moments before the animal leapt it had pounded its tail on the surface of the water in a 'lob-tailing' ritual to communicate with other whales. The shaken couple, who are experienced seafarers with the Cape Town Sailing Academy, used their engine to get back to shore in Table Bay.
Whales are a common sight in the Atlantic Ocean off the Western Cape coast at this time of year as they come near the shore to breed.

Thousands of tourists flock to the region's seaside resorts every year to spot the mammals during the South African winter from June to November.
Hermanus, a popular destination around 80 miles east of Cape Town, employs a 'whale crier' to walk through the town announcing where whales have been seen.

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