This is a great time of year. sure it’s Christmas time which means friends, family, food and fun. but I’m talking about something else.

Instead I’m referring to the World Junior Hockey Championship which this year in being held in Buffalo, New York.

There is a bit of a local connection to the tournament this year. Tyson Barrie and Mitchell Callahan play for the Kelowna Rockets and will suit up for the Canadians and Americans respectively. Curtis Hamilton is a Kelowna native and plays for the Saskatoon Blades. he will suit up for the Canadians with Barrie.

Here’s a quick look at each of these players, what type of game they bring and the tournament they are having so far. Let’s start with Tyson Barrie.

Barrie is the captain of his WHL club and a key point getter. While still having the remainder of this season with the Rockets Barrie has already established himself as the all-time leading scoring d-man for the Rockets. this is an incredible accomplishment for any team but when you consider the alumni from this team playing in the NHL such as Shea Webber, Scott Hannan, Josh Gorges, Duncan Keith and Tyler Myers to name a few, you know Barrie is more than competent in generating offensive points.

Where he may be a liability is on his defense.

You see he is not the most gifted skater.

Nor is the most aggressive player on the ice.

He gets by on his offensive skill set. and often times for the Rockets if he carries the puck and doesn’t score or set up a goal he gets trapped.

And I’ve already mentioned his skating. not that he’s a bad skater. but he’s not the quickest or the most natural looking guy out there.

So how does this play in to the role he’ll play with this edition of Team Canada?

Well I think it depends on the type of game Canada plays, how Barrie does and how the other players, specifically d-men are playing.

In the WHL if Barrie tries to go end-to-end there is always the chance he can recover and still get back on D.

At the World Juniors there won’t be same opportunity to get back in the play.

The game will be faster and the opposition will be more likely to make you pay for mistakes.

In today’s game against Russia Barrie looked good. he isn’t playing the same game he does in junior.

And he doesn’t need to.

He made a great play on the Canadians first goal to keep the puck in at the blue line on the power play which lead Foligno getting the goal.

While he won’t make the stat sheet for this play his contribution won’t go unnoticed.

If Barrie continues to make plays like this he’s going to be alright. He’s got his head coach from Kelowna on the bench as an assistant and former NHL’er dad Len to provide insights as well.

Barrie plays with a maturity and calmness that defies his years. this will serve him well as the tournament continues and the pressure builds.

Tyson Barrie at the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championship

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An epic battle between the ruler of the tablet universe and the tablets of Android-land is about to begin once more. In other words, it is that time of year again when Apple shows to the rest of the world what the company has been cooking in its minimalist kitchen – which is often followed by the usual praises, bickering and back and forth arguments amongst critics and users. In case you didn’t receive the memo, we should inform you that Apple is expected to unveil the upcoming iPad 3 on March 7. (If rumors are to be believed, it may be known as the iPad HD instead).

Now would be a good time to take a breather after the Android assault that was Mobile World Congress 2012 — and enlist the army of Android tablets that the Apple iPad 3 will be up against.

In order to capture the attention of the general public, a couple of tablet manufacturers have decided to take the path less traveled. instead of coming out with same ol’ same ol’, companies like Samsung, Asus and Toshiba added unique capabilities and designs to their tablets. it remains to be seen if these distinctions would be enough to cement their positions in the market. Nevertheless, let’s give it up for the Samsung Galaxy Note, Asus Padfone, Asus Transformer Prime and Toshiba AT270.

We don’t mind singing the praises of Samsung Galaxy Note on Sunday – if only for being ever so bold to create a hybrid of phone and tablet that actually works. Since the South Korean company doesn’t even know how to call it, let’s just call the Galaxy Note a phablet. taking a leaf from Dell and HTC, the Galaxy Note is a 5.3-inch monster of a phone or a slightly smaller tablet that comes with an active stylus for note-taking purposes. It seems people are digging the Galaxy Note. Samsung reports that they have shipped over 2 million units of the phablet worldwide.

Oh yeah, that's what i'm talking about.

The Asus Padfone – and a host of accessories that you can buy for it – is an interesting bunch. it really is an Android phone with a 4.3-inch screen. but slide it in the proper slot, and boom, you have a working tablet that utilizes the Padfone as its brain. the 10.1-inch screen certainly is more ideal to play cut the Rope. Connect the tablet to the station dock – and boom – you have a working notebook.

The ever-transforming Asus Padfone

It would be a crime not to mention the stunningly beautiful Asus Transformer Prime / Infinity Pad and its metallic spun design. Fitting 10.1-inch super IPS panel, Nvidia quad-core CPU, and 12-hour battery life in an ultra slim 8.3mm casing that weighs 586gr is no small feat. A mobile dock is also available for it — offering a full chiclet QWERTY keyboard, USB port and an added battery life that makes the whole unit last 18 hours. the Apple iPad 3 certainly finds a formidable foe in the Transformer Prime / Infinity, especially in the looks department.

As for Toshiba AT270 – the tablet merits a place on this prestigious list for its dazzling 7.7-inch AMOLED display, 1280×800 resolution, and Tegra 3 quad-core processor. Like a phoenix rises from the ash, the AT270 is a significant departure from Toshiba’s old ways. another thing that the tablet has got going on for is its extremely thin figure. it is possibly the thinnest tablet in the world, not just of the Android persuasion. At more or less 7.7mm (to be confirmed) – it is a feat that the tablet shares with the Toshiba Excite X10.

Rumors are aplenty when it comes to the Apple iPad 3, but we don’t know for sure what the final model would be. If it’s true that the iPad 3 will feature a 2048×1536 Retina display, then hats off for Apple for bringing something truly new to the market. Of course, there have been rumors about a certain Asus tablet that will match that higher-resolution display soon. we are also looking forward to the flagship Android tablet model that Google is expected to release in the next six months.

One of the advantages that Android tablets have over Apple iPads is that they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and prices. Like your ICS-flavored Android tablet to come with a sub-$100 price point? There’s an Ainol tablet for that. want a high-end 10.1-inch model that costs an arm and leg? Plenty to choose from here too. No wonder rumors are rife about the intention of the Palo Alto company to release a mini model of the iPad, which may or may not come at the end of the year.

Folks, we are only at the start of the war of the tablets. while Apple has so far won the battle(s), the war is far from over.

Apple iPad 3 Against the Android Army

A chunk of king cake may seem like the perfect Mardi Gras breakfast, but it’s not. go for something more substantial to start your day. (Press-Register file photo)

It’s a refrain that we’ve had beaten into our heads since childhood, the one that goes “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

It may be the most important — no arguments here — but this time of year it most certainly shares top billing as one of the best meals of the day.

With Carnival 2012 in full swing and the region awash in parades, balls and other Mardi Gras-related functions, the first meal of the day is often the last real meal of the day for many people. often, bona fide, sit-down meals are lost in the shuffle of the days activities.

A few smashed up Moon Pies and a Bloody Mary may seem like a fine way to start off a day of parade-watching, but it really isn’t. Trust me on this.

And, unless you are the sort of person who really likes to get up early — especially on days when you don’t need to — the idea of spending several hours in the kitchen to prepare a big breakfast isn’t that appealing, either. some folks like it, but not me.

Fortunately there are a number of make-ahead dishes out there from which we can choose. In fact, there are a goodly number of such dishes that not only can be made the night before, they absolutely must be made in advance.

The night spent in the fridge allows the whole thing to come together nicely, to become a whole. Which, if you think about it, works out pretty well for everybody concerned.

Everybody has a favorite breakfast casserole recipe. I know this because of the number of calls I receive from readers who like the convenience and ease afforded by these make-ahead dishes.

And, evidently, it doesn’t have to be centered on a holiday or some other special occasion. a weekend is a good enough reason to explore your casserole options.

There are a number of variations of this theme floating around out there, but this one is good for the legions of you counting or avoiding carbohydrates. Note there is only a smattering of hash brown potatoes in it and no bread — none at all.

I’m not sure where it came from but it’s been in my collection for some time.

So, as we begin our descent into the gaping maw of the Carnival season for the final breakneck weekend, let’s take a moment to consider the most important meal of the day.

If somebody could come up with a Moon Pie casserole that could double as a breakfast, then I’d be a happy man.

Big Breakfast Bake, 6-8 servings

½ pound frozen hash browns

1 pound breakfast sausage, cooked and drained

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

¾ teaspoon dry mustard

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cover the bottom of a 9-inch square pan with frozen hash browns. Cover hash browns with sausage.

Sprinkle with cheddar cheese; stir together remaining ingredients and pour mixture over sausage and potatoes.

Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and let stand 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

Contact David Holloway at P.O. Box 2488, Mobile, AL 36652 or call 219-5682. Send email to dholloway@press-register.com.

Breakfast is extra important at Carnival (with recipe)

Apple has closed its online store. this is typically used by Apple to herald the arrival of a new product, although rumours don’t point to a major new product launch at the moment.

It seems too early for the iPad 3 or rumoured Apple Television (both of which would probably get announced at an event first).

It should be noted that the Macworld Expo is currently taking place, and Apple used to traditionally launch major products at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco. It may not be demonstrating product range at the Expo but Apple may have decided to return to a launch at this time of year.

Apple could be launching an upgrade to its Mac range, or new software. we will keep an eye on the store and let you know what is revealed.

UPDATE 0830GMT: the Apple Store is back online, but there are no new or updated products to be seen. what is new, however, is a Valentine’s Day Gift Guide. that would appear to be the extent of the changes so far but we’ll keep looking and let you know if we find anything else.

Apple Store down – new products today? – Apple Business – Macworld UK

Though this is the time of year that Apple rumors are focused more on the iPad, iPhone rumors never completely stop. Financial firm Morgan Stanley has weighed in on the next iPhone in a note to investors. It believes that the iPhone 5 will sport a thinner design and have an LTE radio in tow.

Though investment analysts are sometimes known to engage in blind guesswork, this forecast was supposedly based off of a recent trip to Asia. Of course Apple’s products are manufactured and assembled in China and other Asian countries, so the following could potentially be based off of legitimate supply chain leaks.

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty believes that the next iPhone will be thinner. This is hardly surprising, as everyone and their mother is expecting a redesigned iPhone this year. Apple surprised some people by repeating the iPhone 4′s external design with the iPhone 4S, so 2012 will be the year for a refreshed look. This fits with the two-year cycle established by the iPhone 3G and 3GS looking identical, followed by a radical redesign in the iPhone 4.

The other big feature bandied about by Huberty was LTE. she mentioned an iPhone 5 with a quad-mode chip from Qualcomm that will allow for 3G and LTE access across all networks. In the US, Verizon and AT&T already have LTE networks, and the other iPhone provider, Sprint, will have a young LTE network by the time the new handset launches.

The biggest question mark surrounding LTE relates to battery life. Android smartphone manufacturers have yet to make an LTE handset that can easily last a full day on a single charge. Apple is known to be a stickler for user-friendly features like battery life, so it wouldn’t likely launch an LTE iPhone that didn’t have at least (roughly) the same uptime as the iPhone 4S.

No release date was mentioned for the iPhone 5, other than “later this year.” It will be interesting to see whether Apple defaults back to the original iPhone release slot (June or July), or if it settles into the iPhone 4S’s October release slot.

via Apple Insider

iPhone 5 to sport thinner design, quad-mode LTE chip?