EURO 2012: FINAL
                                      SPAIN VS  ITALY
                                                             TODAY AT 12.15AM

WHO WILL BE THE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE.....?

After 23 days, the stage is set for the grand finale of the European Championships. Pre-tournament favourites Spain will fight it out with the surprise finalists Italy in the final on Sunday. Have a look at the key battles that will decide the winner.
Xavi Hernandez vs Andrea Pirlo

Even though he has the best pass completion rate at the tournament, Xavi Hernandez is yet to make the kind of impact he did four years ago for Spain. Blame it on the long club season where he was sometimes sidelined by a nagging calf injury. He was replaced in the semifinal penalty shootout victory over Portugal due to fatigue. Spain is yet to beat Italy in the tournament, and for them to do so they desperately need Xavi to hit top form.

On the other side, Andrea Pirlo was at the centre of most of Azzurri’s goal attempts in the on-going tournament. The Italian playmaker dictated the tempo of the game from deep with short, sideways passes. Not to forget his role as a dead ball expert. Pirlo is key to Italy’s chances of adding another Euro title.


Andres Iniesta vs Daniele De Rossi

The creative midfielder spearheaded most of the Spain’s attacks in this edition and would do the same against Italy on Sunday. Andres Iniesta is yet to find the back of the net so far in the tournament but has the reputation of scoring in the finals. Considering his fitness level and his current form, Italians would struggle hard to stop those killer passes from the midfielder that would split open the best of defenses.

Daniele De Rossi is part of the midfield three and has the job of being a box-to-box midfielder. Although he was equally proficient in passing the ball around and has a great shot in him, what De Rossi is known for is hard tackling and breaking up play, which he has done brilliantly so far. Against Spain he was deployed as a central defender and was Italy`s standout performer, and if Prandelli does decide to revert to a 3-5-2, De Rossi will be back to doing what he does best, take his opponents out of the game. And if Iniesta is nullified, half the job is already done for the Azzurri.

Sergio Ramos vs Mario Balotelli

Sergio Ramos will be the man assigned to stop Mario Balotelli in the final match. He did it quite well in their opening fixture when Ramos came from behind to successfully tackle the Italian striker, when he was one-on-one with Casillas.


On the other side, unpredictable Mario Balotelli proved against Germany how destructive he can get on his day. He has scored three goals in the tournament so far, all in spectacular fashion. However, he had some terrible misses in the tournament as well, which makes him the most unpredictable at times. One could see an excellent contest between the two come Sunday.

Iker Casillas vs Gianluigi Buffon

Two goalkeepers - Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon - will lead their respective sides for the final on Sunday. Having won the 2006 World Cup title, Buffon can add another title should Italy beat Spain. At 34, Buffon pulled off some blinders against Germany in the semi-finals and denied them more than once.

Spain’s custodian Iker Casillas has conceded only a solitary goal so far in the tournament. He proved his worth against Croatia when he pulled out a stunning reflex save off Ivan Rakitic`s header. In the penalty shootout against Portugal he pulled off a save from Joao Moutinho to take the Spanish team to the finals. Often untested for large periods of the match, Casillas is always alert and comes up with the goods when called for.

Team India to tour Sri Lanka in July

India's five-match ODI series and one T20 International against Sri Lanka will be played from July 22 to August 7 across three venues.
Sri Lanka tour marks the beginning of a fresh season for the senior national team after enjoying a two and half month break post Indian Premier League.
The Indians, who arrive on July 19 will play their first of the five ODIs at the Mahinda Rajapaksa stadium in the southern port town of Hambantota on July 22.
The second ODI will also be played at the same venue on July 25 followed by the third and fourth ODIs at Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on July 28 and 31st respectively.
After a four day break, Indians will be playing the fifth and final ODI in Kandy on August 5 followed by the only T20 international at the same venue on August 7. The matches will be played at the Pallekele stadium.
The team will depart for the two and half week tour on July 19 and will be back on August 8. The cash-strapped Sri Lankan cricket administration is eager to host India. India currently is Sri Lanka?s largest inbound travel market.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-to-tour-sri-lanka-in-july/1/201389.html

FIXTURE

July 22: 1st ODI (Hambantota)
July 25: 2nd ODI (Hambantota)
July 28: 3rd ODI (Colombo)
July 31: 4th ODI (Colombo)
Aug 5: 5th ODI (Kandy)
Aug 7: 1st T20 International (Kandy).

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-to-tour-sri-lanka-in-july/1/201389.html

The Amazing Spider-Man – review

Marc Webb's successful synthesis of action and emotion, together with a terrific performance by Andrew Garfield, means that this Spider-Man is as enjoyable as it is impressive

The gear-shift in the superhero movie is now unmistakeable. Where once they aimed to essentially replicate the experience of reading a comic book, they now strive to be edgy, risk-taking dramas that do more than simply pay lip-service to their characters' emotional lives.

That, anyway, is the theory; and it explains why the studios turning them out have been hiring more and more unlikely directors to see them through. Christopher Nolan, plucked to re-energise the Batman series after completing the gritty, noirish Insomnia, may have started the trend, but Marc Webb – hired on the strength of a single film, the indie rom-com 500 Days of Summer – is arguably the most extreme example.

The Amazing Spider-Man is the fourth in the recent series, which began in 2002; it was originally intended to be a continuation of them until original director Sam Raimi left the project. Thus reborn, Webb's film has returned to the meat of the first of Raimi's Spider-Man films: how grumpy suburban teen Peter Parker has arachnid-like superpowers foisted upon him, then turns crime-fighter and romancer, before facing off against a transforming supervillain.
This Spider-Man film, which we are forced to call a "reboot", tinkers extensively with the story as presented by Raimi. Parker, as played by Andrew Garfield, is no hapless super-nerd, but a mumbling, shambling skateboarder who, though perhaps not extra-strength catnip to the ladies, has no trouble in catching their eye. Moreover, the central love interest here isn't girl-next-door Mary Jane Watson, but the considerably kookier Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), promoted from a more incidental role in Spider-Man 3.
Perhaps most radically, we are also introduced briefly to Parker's parents, never seen, and only rarely mentioned, in the Raimi films. Parker's abandonment issues have nevertheless loomed large in all Spider-Man films, and those looking for deeper shading of Parker's emotional make-up will no doubt be pleased to see them.
Be that as it may, Webb successfully treads a fine line between keeping the hardcore superhero-movie fans happy and injecting a dose of meaningful affect. Parker is generally reckoned to be the most "relatable" figure in the superhero canon, but the pastel-bright synthetics of the earlier movies did little to dispel the sense that the comic-book world could only construct its characters out of clunking great blocks of melodrama.
In re-engineering Parker into the introspective, uncertain male more typical of his previous film, Webb is aided by a terrific performance from Andrew Garfield, who brings a genial unflappability that allows him to negotiate the often-ludicrous demands of the superhero plotline. At the same time, Webb also shows an unarguable facility for the more traditional action elements of the story, and the 3D certainly helps: he pulls off some properly nauseating shots as Parker dives off skyscrapers, rescues kids from falling, and the like.
It's the successul synthesis of the two – action and emotion – that means this Spider-Man is as enjoyable as it is impressive: Webb's control of mood and texture is near faultless as his film switches from teenage sulks to exhilarating airborne pyrotechnics. It's only towards the end, when there is no choice but to revert to CGI – as Rhys Ifans' Lizard goes on the rampage – that The Amazing Spider-Man gets a little less amazing: cartoony reptilian carnage has just lost its power to enthral if it's rather obviously happening inside a computer.

official website : http://www.theamazingspiderman.com/

GALLERY

Mozilla Junior iPad browser breaks cover

Mozilla's Firefox is the browser of choice for many, but it's been conspicuous by its absence from iOS.

Well Mozilla is looking to rectify that with its new Junior browser.

It's still a prototype at the moment, but has been in development for some months now. "We wanted to make something entirely new," said Mozilla's Alex Limi in a presentation. "We wanted to look into how we could reinvent the browser for a new form factor."

According to Limi, Safari on the iPad is "a miserable experience" (though he would say that), though he does admit it's the best option for browsing on iOS. Until now.

Optimised for iPad

Junior is a full-screen experience, with no tabs or address bar. Instead, you get two buttons about a third of the way up the screen - a back arrow to take you back, and on the right a plus symbol. Tap the latter and you'll be able to open a new page, browse recent pages, and bookmarks.

It's a bold move ditching tabs, but makes sense making use of the iPad's screen real estate.

You can also make separate user accounts for your friends and family. Swipe to the left on the main navigation page and you'll see a user login menu where you'll find options like private browsing. Passwords will mean no one can see what you've been looking at.

Junior isn't expected for a while yet, but it certainly looks like it'll stand out from the many clones doing the rounds. What's most interesting is how the team are working to the iPad's strengths - like the big screen - rather than just slapping a desktop version onto it.

Acer Unveils Three New Tablets

Acer, long known for its laptop lines, has decided to throw its hat into the tablet ring. Specifically, the company on Tuesday announced three new tablets: a 7-inch and a 10.1-inch Android-based tablet, and a 10.1-inch Windows-based tablet. As of press time, there were no official model names. The 7-inch Android tablet has a touch screen with a 1,280-by-800 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio. It also has a front-facing HD Webcam and support for HDMI. It will have a dual-core processor (no word from which chip maker), as well as Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. The 10.1-inch Android tablet, measuring about 13.3mm thick, sports an aluminum chassis accented with a glossy finish around the bezel. It has a capacitive touch screen, and, like its 7-inch counterpart, offers 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. It also features a built-in HDMI port and 1080p capability. The 10.1-inch Android tablet has a unit 10-point multitouch and gyro-meter control for running and playing HD and online 3D games. The 10.1-inch Windows tablet measures about 15mm thick and sports a high-resolution display. It will run on the next-generation AMD platform and have Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. It sports two 1.3-megapixel cameras—one rear and one facing front—a strange design choice. Why not just have a camera that can swivel, as with the Dell Inspiron Duo? Unlike its Android-based counterparts, the 10.1-inch Windows tablet comes with a docking device that include a full-size keyboard and additional connectivity options. According to Acer, the 10.1-inch Windows tablet will be available this coming February, while the two Android-based tablets will be rolled out in April 2011. Prices are still to be determined. Also on Tuesday, Acer unveiled an unnamed, 4.8-inch smartphone for AT&T, a dual-screen laptop it called Iconia, a media-sharing system known as Clear.fi, and a digital platform known as "alive."