Features

TORONTO — Speed reading has been around for more than half a century, but new apps are bringing the technique into the digital age, helping users breeze through books faster.

ReadMe!, a new app for iPhones, lets readers control the pace of their reading from 50 to 1,000 words per minute.

“It’s about being able to read a book like ‘Harry Potter’ in an hour-and-a-half and still have the full comprehension of it,” said Pierre DiAvisoo, who created the app and is based in Boras, Sweden.

Readers select an e-book in the app, which is available worldwide and costs $1.99. After opening the speed-reading technology it shows one word at a time. The app does not work on e-books that have sharing restrictions.

Within just minutes, most readers can learn to double their reading speed to between 400 and 450 words per minute without losing comprehension, according to Spritz, the Boston-based company that created the speed-reading technology.

“Reading hasn’t really changed in thousands of years. Speed reading techniques are still focused on consuming texts in lines and reading left to right line-by-line,” said Frank Waldman, the chief executive of Spritz.

He added that the technology combines rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP), with eye research to present words at the ideal recognition point for quick understanding.

As people start reading on small devices, and even smartwatches, Waldman said Spritz will be a more convenient way to comprehend information.

But a small study from the University of California San Diego showed that speed reading may not lead to the same level of comprehension as normal reading because it is harder to go back to clarify understanding.

“If you’re looking for the equivalent level of understanding as natural reading then I think it will make comprehension poorer,” said Elizabeth Schotter, a researcher involved in the study.

The study, which did not include Spritz technology, showed comprehension was about 25 per cent lower using the RSVP technique. But Schotter added if people just want to skim content quickly, the apps might be beneficial.

“If people just want to see text and absorb it passively then this is the way to go. It’s a treadmill provided to you and you don’t need to do much work,” she said.

“But if you want to get more out of it, it might be worth the effort required to move your eyes over a line of text,” she added.

DiAvisoo admitted that not all types of reading are suited for speed reading.

“If I were to read about atomic physics or something I would probably not pick up as much through speed reading,” he said.

Spritz also has an app for all Web browsers called Spritzlet, which lets users speed read on the Web. Several other speed-reading apps also use the Spritz technology.

Velocity, an iPhone app that costs $2.99, and ReadQuick, which costs $9.99, use RSVP, as does Speed Reader, a free app for Android devices.

LONDON — Genes that increase the risk of a person developing schizophrenia may also increase the chance they will use cannabis, researchers said on Tuesday after studying more than 1,000 users of the drug.

The results chime with previous studies linking schizophrenia and cannabis, but suggest the association may be due to common genes and might not be a causal relationship where cannabis use leads to increased schizophrenia risk.

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the world, and its use is higher among people with schizophrenia than in the general population.

“We know that cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia. Our study certainly does not rule this out, but it suggests that there is likely to be an association in the other direction as well — that a pre-disposition to schizophrenia also increases your likelihood of cannabis use,” said Robert Power, who led the study at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London.

Schizophrenia is a common and severe psychiatric disorder that affects around one in 100 people. People who use cannabis are about twice as likely as those who do not to develop it.

The disorder typically begins in late adolescence or early adulthood and its most common symptoms are disruptions in thinking, language and perception. It often includes psychotic experiences, such as hearing voices or delusions.

While the exact cause is unknown, research to date suggests a combination of physical, genetic, psychological and environmental factors can make people more likely to develop it.

Previous studies have found a number of genetic risk variants associated with schizophrenia, each of which slightly increases a person’s risk of developing the condition.

Cannabis use has frequently been associated with it, but there is much debate about whether this is because of a direct cause, or whether there may be shared genes which predispose people to both cannabis use and schizophrenia.

A study published in March 2011 found that people who use cannabis in their youth dramatically increase their risk of psychotic symptoms, and that continued use of the drug can raise the risk of developing a psychotic disorder in later life.

And earlier research found that young people who smoke cannabis for six years or more are twice as likely to have psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions.

This latest study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry on Tuesday, included 2,082 healthy people of whom 1,011 had used cannabis. Each participant’s genetic risk profile — the number of genes related to schizophrenia each of them carried — was measured.

The researchers found that people genetically predisposed to schizophrenia were more likely to use cannabis, and to use it in greater amounts than those who had no schizophrenia risk genes.

Power said the result “highlights the complex interactions between genes and environments” when it comes to cannabis as a risk factor for schizophrenia.

“Certain environmental risks, such as cannabis use, may be more likely given an individual’s innate behaviour and personality, itself influenced by their genetic make-up,” he said, adding that this finding was important to consider when calculating the economic and health impact of cannabis.

NEW YORK — Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S tablet looks different.

As soon as I turned on the screen, I noticed that the colours are stunning and vivid. Red looks redder, and greens are greener. The lawn and the trees in “Ghostbusters” look alive, as does a purple-tinted apparition.

The Tab S is also thinner than other leading tablets, at a quarter of an inch (6.6 millimetres). The model with the smaller screen is lighter, too.

Samsung Electronics Co. achieves all this by using a display technology previously limited to smartphones. It’s called AMOLED, for active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes. Samsung released an AMOLED tablet in 2012, but it was expensive and didn’t sell well. The new ones are priced more competitively — the same as iPads of comparable size.

The Tab S with an 8.4-inch (21.3cm) screen, measured diagonally, costs $400, while a 10.5-inch (26.7cm) version costs $500. Both start selling in the US on Friday.

AMOLED screens are more expensive than conventional LCD screens, but they produce richer colours. They also require no backlighting because the individual pixels produce their own light. That eliminates at least one layer of material and contributes to thinness.

No backlighting means the screen is able to produce a true black. On LCD screens, black isn’t really black, but more like a patch of night sky with a hint of light from nearby stars. These differences are subtle, but noticeable once you place a Tab S next to Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX. True black means deeper contrasts in video and photos.

No backlighting also saves power, at least for darker images. On the other hand, AMOLED screens tend to need more energy to match the brightness on conventional displays. So images with a lot of white and bright colours might actually drain the battery faster.

On the 10.5-inch model, the battery level drained to 80 per cent after displaying a mostly white Web page for two hours. By contrast, it drained to just 92 per cent with a mostly black Web page. On the iPad Air, it was down to about 88 per cent in both cases. Nonetheless, battery life on the Tab S is impressive — more than 12 hours of streaming video on Hulu with the large version and more than 11 with the small one. That’s comparable to what I get on iPads.

AMOLED screens have a few other drawbacks besides uneven power consumption:

— As much as I like the rich colours, they can sometimes look unnatural. Caucasian faces sometimes look too orange, for instance.

— AMOLED screens don’t perform as well outdoors. Although I can still make out text and icons, they are easier to see on the iPad and the Kindle.

And while the Tab S is light and slim, the edges and the back don’t feel as smooth as on an iPad. That’s partly from Samsung’s use of plastic rather than metal on the back.

Both S models have a resolution of 2,560 pixels by 1,600 pixels, which is among the best and translates into sharper images, particularly noticeable with text. But beyond a certain point, it’s really hard for the eyes to tell. The iPad’s resolution is lower, but text looks as clear.

Meanwhile, the Tab S lets you control a Samsung smartphone using Wi-Fi. Currently, it works only with the latest phone, the Galaxy S5. You can leave your phone as far as 300 feet away, such as in another room or in the house when you’re in the backyard. The phone’s screen appears in a window on your tablet. From there, you can make or receive calls, send texts and access any of the apps on your phone.

Another feature lets you access Windows or Mac computers remotely. The PC doesn’t have to be on the same network, so there’s no 300-foot (91.4m) limit. How well it works with office computers will depend on corporate policies. It worked fine with a Mac laptop on a non-work network.

WASHINGTON — A California study out Monday found that pregnant women who lived near farms where pesticides are applied had a two-thirds higher risk of having children with autism.

The findings in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives examine the association between living near commercial pesticide applications and having offspring with autism, but do not show cause-and-effect.

Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder that ranges in severity and has been on the rise in recent years. Health authorities say it now affects as many as one in 68 children in the United States.

The latest research was based on data about commercial pesticide applications in California, combined with residential addresses of about 1,000 participants in a study of families with an autistic child.

"We mapped where our study participants' lived during pregnancy and around the time of birth," said principal investigator Irva Hertz-Picciotto, vice chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at University of California, Davis.

California law requires detailed records on what kinds of pesticides are applied, where and when and how much.

"What we saw were several classes of pesticides more commonly applied near residences of mothers whose children developed autism or had delayed cognitive or other skills."

About one-third of study participants lived within 1.25 to 1.75 kilometres from a site where commercial pesticides were applied.

Researchers found risks of autism were highest when the chemicals were applied during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

The study authors said the developing foetal brain may be particularly vulnerable to pesticides.

"This study validates the results of earlier research that has reported associations between having a child with autism and prenatal exposure to agricultural chemicals in California," said lead study author Janie Shelton, a UC Davis graduate student.

"While we still must investigate whether certain sub-groups are more vulnerable to exposures to these compounds than others, the message is very clear: Women who are pregnant should take special care to avoid contact with agricultural chemicals whenever possible."

AMMAN — With the right mix of showmanship, visceral thrills and beauty, the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale is a thing of pure passion. 

Classier car than most exotic sports and luxury cars, the GranTurismo MC Stradale oozes grace and menace in equal measure from every metaphoric pore of its salaciously voluptuous body. 

With seductively burbling engine, robotised manual gearbox, iconic Neptune’s Trident badge, lush interior and striking aesthetics, the MC Stradale enjoys an extravagantly — but never vulgar — caddish charm and louche indulgence. 

Though a replacement — likely similar to this year’s Maserati Alfieri concept — is in the pipelines, the MC Stradale remains as abundantly charismatic as ever.

Celebrating its centenary this year Maserati’s motorsport, luxury and design elements of its rich heritage converge harmoniously in the form of the revised 2014 GranTurismo MC Stradale. 

The fastest, lightest and best handling version of the GranTurismo model line, the MC Stradale was developed in response to customer demand for road legal super sports version of Maserati’s sultry grand tourer (GT) that bore greater resemblance to Trofeo and other race versions. 

First introduced as a two-seat 2011 model, the revamped MC Stradale gains 10BHP and ditches the roll cage for practical rear seats better suited to a focused but luxurious GT, rather than all-out track car.

Seductive style

A devilishly handsome Trident-bearing super sport GT, the Pininfarina-penned MC Stradale‘s swooping lines and aesthetic proportions are tastefully extrovert and debonair. 

Built on a shortened previous generation Quattroporte luxury saloon platform, the 4.9-metre long and 1.9-metre wide GranTurismo is a large four-seat two-door GT that hides its size well with gorgeously flowing and cohesive lines, delicately sultry contours and massive 255/35ZR20 front and 295/35ZR20 rear footwear filling its voluptuous wheel-arches. 

With classic sports car proportions, a low-mounted front mid-mounted engine nestles under the MC Stradale’s curvaceously and extravagantly long bonnet while its rearwards cabin straddles a rear transaxle gearbox for near perfect 52 per cent rear-biased weighting. 

With near tarmac-scrapingly low carbon-fibre air splitter, brazenly and gapingly wide and low grille with prominent Trident badge and concave vertical slats, the MC Stradale strikes a predatorily shark-like presence. 

Its moody urgency is heightened by squinting headlights, gill-like side intakes and carbon-fibre bonnet scoop. 

Scalloped and swooping bonnet edges trail off to sultry and ample Coke-bottle hips. 

Swathed with carbon-fibre, the MC Stradale’s ground-hugging skirts, side mirrors and rear boot-lid spoiler are built from the exotic lightweight material. 

Long and elegant with flowing roofline and short pert rear deck, the MC Stradale’s bonnet extraction vents and side ports and vertical vents emphasise its luxuriant wheel-to-door proportion and sporting promise.

Visceral V8

Given that a successor model might use a more efficient twin-turbo engine of different character, one fully savoured the MC Stradale’s 4.7-litre Ferrari-derived V8 engine’s lusty high-rev performance and seductively musical soundtrack during test drive. 

The MC Stradale’s weight saving sound insulation reduction allows better appreciation its’ fire-breathing V8’s vocal nuances and mid-range bass-rich warble that is underplayed with a seductive warble. 

Whereas flat-plane Ferrari versions develop a raspier, primal double harmony howl, the cross-plane crankshaft Maserati version is layered and complex. With more vocal open exhaust valve Race mode, the MC Stradale’s crackling staccato symphony rises to throaty growl and urgent high-pitched howl as it approaches its’ 7200rpm redline.  

With each throttle twitch eliciting nuanced tempo and tune changes, one delights in the MC Stradale’s long and varied rev range, with thoughts of its 14.4l/100 combined fuel consumption conveniently ignored. 

Tearing ferociously through revs the MC Stradale unleashes its 384lb/ft torque by 4750rpm and 454BHP at 7000rpm with vicious progression. 

Urgently lunging forward on hill climbs the MC Stradale cracks 0-100km/h in 4.5-seconds and can achieve 303km/h. 

Tractable, flexible and meaningfully muscular from low revs, the MC Stradale’s intense build-up ever-urges one rev harder. Highly responsive to inputs and high-revving the MC Stradale benefits from excellent throttle control and clarity, allowing one to precisely dial in power.

Bolt-action satisfaction

With a rear transaxle-mounted robotised gearbox adding to its dramatic and visceral appeal the MC Stradale benefits from near-ideal within-wheelbase weight balance through corners.

 Now somewhat ageing but very effective, the MC Stradale’s robotised single-clutch manual features improved electronics. 

An automatic might be smoother and a dual clutch gearbox more predictably seamless, but the robotised gearbox has more charisma and occasion.

Lower by 10mm front and 12mm rear, and stiffer than the next sportiest GranTurismo Sport, the MC Stradale’s sophisticated double wishbone suspension tuning is sublime. 

Its quick steering has good high speed directional stability, but when tipped in to a corner, reveals nuanced and natural feel, feedback and precision.

Well-weighted, accurate and communicative, the MC Stradale’s steering is best through hard corners. 

Stylishly designed, refined and appointed with contrasting double-stitched rich soft leathers and Alcantara suede and swathes of carbon-fibre trim including seat frames and fixed steering column-mounted gearbox paddle-shifters, the MC Stradale’s cabin is sporty and classy. 

Spacious in front, the GranTurismo’s rear seats better accommodate adults than many competitors. 

Clear and ergonomic instrumentation is complemented with an excellent upright, supportive, alert and comfortable driving position owing to superb seat contours and seat and steering adjustability. 

A convenient daily driver, the MC Stradale features good front and side visibility, generous front headroom, 320-litre luggage room, CD changer, climate control, satnav and USB and Bluetooth connectivity and user-friendly infotainment screen.

Specifications

Engine: 4.7-litre, 32-valve, in-line, V8-cylinders

Bore x Stroke: 94 x 84.5

Compression: 11.1:1

Gearbox: 6-speed rear-mounted robotised manual, RWD, limited-slip differential

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 454 (460) (338) @7000rpm

Specific power: 98BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 252.2HP/ton

Torque lb/ft (Nm): 384 (520) @4750rpm

Specific torque: 82lb/ft/litre

Torque-to-weight: 289Nm/ton

Redline: 7200rpm

0-100km/h: 4.5-seconds

Top speed: 303km/h

Fuel consumption, urban / extra-urban / combined: 22.7- / 9.7- / 14.4-iters/100km

Fuel capacity: 90-litres

CO2 emissions, combined: 337g/km

Length: 4,933mm

Width: 1,903mm

Height:  1,343mm

Wheelbase: 2,938mm

Track, F/R: 1,588 / 1,571mm

Overhang, F/R: 926 / 1,065mm

Kerb weight: 1,800kg

Weight distribution, F/R: 48% / 52%

Luggage: 320-litres

Suspension: Double wishbones, anti-roll bars

Steering: Power-assisted rack and pinion

Turning circle: 10.5-metres

Brake discs, F/R: Ventilate carbon-ceramic, 380 x 34mm / 360 x 32mm

Brake calipers, F/R: 6- / 4-pistons

Stopping distance, 100-0km/h: 33-metres

Tyres, F/R: 255/35ZR20 / 295/35ZR20

ARLINGTON, Virginia – At about noon on a square in Arlington, Virginia, food trucks line up, offering soups and sandwiches to the lunchtime crowd. Lia Lee’s truck is there, too –– but she’s selling dresses and jewelry.

“I just restocked this blouse. This is a very nice office top –– perfect for summer,” the 27-year-old Lee told one customer browsing in her Street Boutique, a cream and black truck parked in this Washington suburb.

Food trucks have already taken many US cities by storm, but fashion is now also a business on the move in America.

Lee’s truck is set up like a regular brick-and-mortar store, with an elegantly appointed interior lined with racks of dresses and blouses, jewelry cases and even a tiny dressing room.

“In late 2010, there were probably five in the nation,” said Jeanine Romo, the co-founder and vice president of the American Mobile Retail Association, which brings together the country’s mobile stores.

Today, there are between 300 and 400 nationwide, most of them focused on selling clothes. A few offer shoes, beauty products and even pet accessories.

“We just see that growth kind of keeps going,” Romo told AFP.

Lee long dreamed of having her own store –– one that didn’t move. But money was tight.

“After writing several business plans and going to consulting, I realised it was not financially possible for me to do,” Lee explained. “This is more affordable, and it fits my personality better. I like the variety, going to different neighbourhoods.”

 Original items

Like Lee, Donna Hundley, a 30-something fashionista, did some research and found that, in California, fashion trucks are all the rage.

She launched her red and gray Curvy Chix Chariot in September 2013. It’s an old postal van she bought for $2,200, and then renovated, decorated and refitted.

Hundley –– whose store, as the name indicates, caters to voluptuous women –– sources items from young designers.

“We tend to have all the plus-size clothing always be the same –– it’s always black, flowers and they always want to put us in cheetah print,” she said with a laugh.

“I pride myself in making sure that I find some good quality pieces, and partner with some good designers.”

While a brick-and-mortar store can require an investment of as much as $500,000, putting a fashion truck on the road costs about an average of $20,000, Romo said.

Raising that kind of cash is even easier thanks to crowdfunding on the Internet.

Many times, retail trucks are more of a labour of love than a lucrative job. Half of new truck owners –– the vast majority of them women –– keep their day jobs in order to pay their costs, such as parking and permit fees.

Shelley Sarmiento, who is in her 60s, followed an unusual path.

The co-owner of White House Black Market –– a chain with more than 100 stores, 3,000 employees and $180 million in annual sales –– sold her stake a decade ago.

Two years ago, Sarmiento –– who teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York –– said she was “standing at a grilled cheese food truck” in the Big Apple and thought –– why not put clothes on a truck?

Since then, her Little White Fashion Truck has rolled quickly along. She now has four trucks in Maryland and Tennessee.

Her tips: Don’t run up debts, make as small an initial investment as possible, offer items at low prices and offer variety, so that everyone “can’t resist buying something”.

During her lunch break in Washington, Miranda Gillis indeed could not resist. She picked up a “beautiful green dress” from the Curvy Chix Chariot.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen a fashion truck,” said the 52-year-old Gillis, president of the American Federation of Government Employees.

BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Giants, dragons and vengeful queens have for generations populated Northern Ireland’s folk tales. Now, such creatures are visiting the land in a different version — on the sets for the hit TV show “Game of Thrones”. But rather than spells and destruction, they’re bringing an economic boost to this British province still healing from its past of political violence.

Fans of the HBO fantasy drama would recognize here the landscapes from the fictional land of Westeros — the castle of Winterfell, the seaside cliffs of the Iron Isles and the King’s Road leading to the north. About 75 per cent of the show is filmed in Northern Ireland, both in natural settings and in the Titanic Studios in Belfast.

Since the pilot episode began filming in 2009, attracted by the local government’s financial incentives, the show’s presence has helped foster a film industry that is catching the eye of other Hollywood productions. And Northern Ireland is taking advantage of the attention by promoting the filming locations as tourist destinations.

The latest — and perhaps most illustrious — visitor is Queen Elizabeth II, who will tour the studio sets on Monday. But thousands have already been visiting from across the globe.

Cara and Tom Collins from Springdale, Arkansas, were in Ballintoy Harbour recently to see the rocky coastal setting used in the show for the “Iron Isles”, a kingdom of rugged sailors.

“You can just close your eyes and picture everybody there,” said Tom.

The season four finale of “Game of Thrones” last week was watched by 7.09 million viewers in the United States according to prime-time viewership numbers complied by the Nielson Co. That makes it HBO’s most-watched programme since “The Sopranos” in 2007.

But the numbers are likely higher since TV audience habits have changed since 2007 and “Game of Thrones” has fans globally who watch on local networks and via DVD or streaming services.

For Northern Ireland’s tourism industry, that represents a huge pool of potential visitors. The province hopes to use the show’s popularity to increase the number of tourists to over 2 million annually by 2016, from 1.8 million in 2013 — more than the region’s population of just 1.8 million.

Coach operators have created “Game of Thrones” tours, for which demand hit a record as the show reached its season finale this month.

“They are using some of our most iconic scenery in ‘Game of Thrones’ which is excellent,” said Arlene Foster, minister for enterprise, trade and investment.

Beyond tourism, the direct employment of local workers has been very important for the local economy, she said.

At the end of series four, HBO is estimated to have spent about £87.6 million ($149.11 million) in the local economy making the show. The benefits are likely much higher when including other factors, such as the knock-on benefits from higher employment.

“This is a sector that we think has the potential to really grow,” said Foster. “Around the HBO facility and studios will grow a skills base that others can use.”

Holywood — pronounced the same as California’s “Hollywood” — is a small seaside town near Belfast that may lack the glamour of Beverly Hills, but is gaining a movie-making reputation of its own. Yellow Moon, a production facility based there, has enjoyed strong growth and doubled its workforce by being involved with “Game of Thrones”.

“HBO were a big catalyst in changing perceptions of what could be done in Northern Ireland. As the Americans say, it was a game changer,” said Managing Director Greg Darby.

Five years ago, 80 per cent of Yellow Moon’s work was for local broadcasters, and just 20 per cent for productions based in the UK or further afield. Now, 70 per cent of their work is commissioned outside Northern Ireland.

“’Game of Thrones’ are directly or indirectly responsible for 80 per cent of the people that we have taken on in the last three years, because if they didn’t come we wouldn’t have the other work,” said Darby.

Scott Ferguson’s story illustrates what “Game of Thrones” means for young creative people in Northern Ireland.

He dreamt of being a film editor, but his first experience in the industry failed to lead to more work, so he took a job in a bank. Then five years ago a government training scheme lead to a placement at Yellow Moon and he is now a colourist on the show, adding mood and tone to the images in post-production, and on his way to becoming an expert in his field.

Ferguson is confident that people like him will no longer need to emigrate to seek work in film and TV, now that Northern Ireland’s reputation as a production hub is growing.

“We have world class facilities, and we now have a world class crew. We have a shooting crew and we have a post crew who have worked on the biggest, most watched, most successful TV show that has been around for a while,” he said.

NEW YORK — Apple is likely to launch a computerised wristwatch this fall that includes more than 10 sensors to take health measurements and other data, according to a published report.

The Wall Street Journal also said Friday that Apple Inc. is planning multiple screen sizes for the device, which some people have dubbed the iWatch.

Samsung, Sony, Qualcomm and others have already released smartwatches, but the gadgets have mostly functioned as companions to smartphones, offering e-mail notifications, clock functions and the like. Samsung’s Gear 2 line, released this year, added fitness-related apps and has a heart rate sensor.

There’s been longstanding speculation that Apple has been working on a smartwatch. The main question has been when it would come out.

Apple intensified speculation this month when it said the upcoming version of its mobile operating system, iOS 8, will include tools for managing health data. The software is expected in September, along with new iPhones.

Apple has been under pressure to release new products, as investors question whether the company that popularised the smartphone and the tablet computer is still able to innovate following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs. CEO Tim Cook has hinted at new products coming this year, but the company hasn’t provided details.

Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the Journal said production of the smartwatch is expected to begin in two or three months at Quanta Computer Inc., a Taiwanese company that has worked on Apple’s Mac computers. Sales of the device could begin as early as October.

Apple declined comment in line with its policy of not discussing future products.

ALBANY, New York — New crime data show Apple’s addition of a “kill switch” to its iPhones last September has sharply reduced robberies and thefts, authorities said Thursday.

The report by state attorneys general, prosecutors, police and other officials from a year-old initiative called “Secure Our Smartphones” said Google and Microsoft will incorporate a kill switch into the next version of their operating systems on smartphones. The three systems — Android, iOS and Windows Phone — are used in 97 per cent of smartphones in the US

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, part of the initiative, said the data show crimes meanwhile surged against people carrying phones without switches intended to make them useless to thieves.

“The statistics released today illustrate the stunning effectiveness of kill switches, and the commitments of Google and Microsoft are giant steps toward consumer safety,” he said. The report noted a Consumer Reports estimate that 3.1 million mobile devices were stolen nationally in 2013, double a year earlier.

In New York City, robberies of Apple products fell 19 per cent while grand larcenies dropped 29 per cent in the first five months of 2014 compared with a year earlier, according to the report. Robberies and grand larcenies involving a Samsung smartphone, which didn’t have a kill switch during much of that time, rose more than 40 per cent. Samsung introduced a kill switch in April.

Crime data from police in San Francisco and London, comparing the six months before Apple’s switch to the six months following, showed similar trends, according to the report.

In San Francisco, iPhone robberies declined 38 per cent, while robberies of Samsung devices increased 12 per cent.

In London, Apple thefts declined 24 per cent, while Samsung thefts increased 3 per cent.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, also part of the initiative, said that the statistics prove that a technological solution to prevent theft was possible. He called for legislation “at all levels” to make anti-theft solutions mandatory.

“Compared to all of the cool things smartphones can do these days, this is not that advanced,” Gascon said. “I believe ending the victimisation of millions of Americans is the coolest thing a smartphone can do.”

Google spokesman Christopher Katsaros said Thursday the next version of Android will include “a factory reset protection solution to help deter smartphone theft”. The company plans to release more details shortly, he said.

Microsoft plans to offer “theft-deterrent features” as an update for all phones running Windows Phone 8.0 and newer, subject to mobile operator and phone manufacturer approvals by July 2015, vice president Fred Humphries posted online Thursday. It will update the Find My Phone feature, making it capable of remotely erasing personal data, rendering phones inoperable by unauthorised users except to call 911 and prevent reactivation without the authorised user’s permission. It will allow reactivating phones recovered by authorised users and restore erased data stored in the cloud, he wrote.

Apple did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The iPhone switch is an opt-in feature, requiring users to enable it by touching a series of buttons: settings, iCloud, Find My iPhone. It allows the user to locate the phone on a map and remotely lock or erase it. The initiative, with 29 state attorneys general, dozens of prosecutors, police and other officials as members, advocates kill switches as standard features where users would have to opt out.

Minnesota last month became the first state to mandate a kill switch on all smartphones and tablets sold in the state effective July 2015.

SEATTLE — Amazon has introduced a new smartphone that seeks to help consumers locate and purchase products and services from the nation’s largest e-commerce company.

The Fire phone comes with audio and object recognition technology, known as Firefly, to guide users to Amazon’s stores. Just snap a photo of a book or listen to a song, for instance, and Firefly will present more information and a way to buy it.

The new device fits with Amazon’s broader aim to create a more efficient shopping experience while steering more consumers to its retail products.

“It goes back to the mission of Amazon, which is to sell you stuff,” said Ramon Llamas of the research firm IDC. “It reduces the number of steps it takes to buy things on the phone.”

Fire also has the ability to render 3-D images on its 4.7-inch (11.93cm) screen. The image shifts based on the angle you’re viewing it. Four infrared cameras on the front are used to tell where the viewer’s head is.

The device also comes with earbuds designed to be tangle-free.

Beyond that, the Fire phone doesn’t differ much from other smartphones on the market. The screen is smaller than leading Android phones. Although CEO Jeff Bezos calls the Fire’s size ideal for one-handed use, many consumers have turned to bigger phones to watch video and consume other content.

Persuading consumers to buy the Fire over an iPhone or Samsung phone will be tough, analysts say, particularly because Amazon isn’t offering price breaks the way it has with Kindle tablets. And sophisticated technology such as 3-D will appeal primarily to early adopters of technology.

“The technology’s cool, but consumers don’t buy technology,” said Julie Ask, an analyst at Forrester Research. “We buy solutions. We buy services. We pay for things that make our lives easier.”

Charles Golvin, founder of Abelian Research, believes the phone will appeal mostly to people who already use Amazon services heavily.

“Any loyalist of iPhones or Google is going to have to judge whether there’s enough value in what Amazon is offering with Fire to make the transition,” he said.

Samsung and Apple dominate worldwide smartphone sales with a combined 46 per cent share, according to IDC. And in the US, Apple leads with more than 37 per cent, with Samsung at nearly 29 per cent.

Amazon could potentially succeed even if it doesn’t steal market share from the top phone makers.

Michael Scanlon, managing director with John Hancock Asset Management, said success or failure will be measured by whether Amazon can increase loyalty among its Amazon Prime members and get them to boost purchases.

Amazon is giving Fire owners a free year of membership, which normally costs $99. Prime offers free two-day shipping, encouraging impulse purchases. It also offers free access to some movies, TV shows, music and books and could encourage consumers to buy additional content, once they are used to the offerings.

Meanwhile, Firefly could encourage more purchases. The feature will also let you snap bar codes, phone numbers and more. It can even direct you to facts and data, such as a Wikipedia entry with information about a painting you snapped.

Ask said Amazon could learn more about how people use phones and design future services based on that knowledge.

The phone will be available July 25 in the US exclusively through AT&T. People can start ordering it Wednesday.

Prices are comparable to other leading high-end phones, but the Fire will have double the storage. It will cost $200 for a base model with 32 gigabytes and $300 for 64 gigabytes. Both require two-year service contracts. Without contracts, they will cost $650 and $750.

The decision to make AT&T the exclusive carrier is similar to the approach Apple took when it unveiled its first iPhone in 2007. AT&T had exclusive rights to the iPhone in the US until 2011, when Verizon and eventually others got it, too.

Amazon’s stock rose $8.76, or 2.7 per cent, to close Wednesday at $334.38.

Analysts believe it could take years to tell whether Amazon is successful. Bill Menezes, a research analyst at Gartner, said it took Amazon a few tries before coming out with a tablet that rivals Apple’s iPads on both price and technology.

For now, he said, the Fire doesn’t offer much that isn’t available elsewhere.

Many of the Fire’s apps, including music and books, are available on other devices already. The exception is the app for Amazon’s video services, which isn’t available for Android.

Beyond the four infrared cameras to render the 3-D images, there’s a regular two-megapixel front camera for selfies and a 13-megapixel rear one for regular shots — both standard for phones.