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Many are anticipating a Verizon iPhone in the first quarter of 2011. Typically, Apple would have a huge event around the announcement, and current speculation is that the Verizon version will be announced before Valentine’s Day, 2011.

Whether or not that prediction comes to fruition, Business Week also states the obvious, that the Verizon iPhone presents a large problem for AT&T. As the exclusive carrier for the U.S. iPhone since 2007, AT&T’s network has been the subject of much criticism, including a recent reader poll from Consumer Reports which ranked AT&T as the worst carrier in America.

FaceTime now has a legitimate competitor, as Apple’s video calling feature now faces the wrath of Skype, which has officially released the video calling feature to its iOS client. Admittedly, a CES intro was generally expected, but the Skype outage last week might have prompted an early release to get some positive PR.

Unlike FaceTime, the video calling feature works over 3G, as well as wi-fi. The data use on 3G has been measured, however, and it’s 3.4MB per minute. If you aren’t grandfathered into an unlimited data plan with AT&T, you’d better keep an eye on your usage if you use 3G for calling.

Facebook aims to keep you connected to your friends, even faux ones. In this case the social networking site connected two complete strangers to each other, and may have saved a girl’e life in the process.

Donette Warren used the popular social networking site Facebook, to find a donor for her daughter, ten-year-old Vivica Loyd, who has been ill most of her life. Born with six holes in her heart, Loyd has had five strokes and over forty surgeries.

Donette Warren was searching on Facebook for a solution. She said,

Eminem Ft Jay-Z,Dr.Dre,50 Cent,Cashis & Stat Quo-Syllables

At least 2,707 people have died from the cholera epidemic in Haiti, the country’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) said Monday.

According to the Dec. 18 statement from the authorities, since the cholera epidemic hit Haiti in mid-October, 128,251 people have been infected, 68,764 of whom were hospitalized.

The epidemic has spread to 10 departments. The northeastern Artibonite department is the most affected, where 813 people have died.

In the neighboring Dominican Republic, the deadly disease has affected 115 persons, Dominican Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez said, adding that there have so far been no deaths due to sound sanitary controls and rapid government intervention.

Talk about starting the year off BIG. According to DJ Big Mike, he’s ready to kick off 2011 with a new track called “Syllables” featuring the Three Headed Monster (Eminem,50 Cent & Dr. Dre) and Jay-Z. Didn’t see that one coming.

Source: Rap Radar

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KING covers the new Queen of Hip Hop, as Nicki Minaj strikes a pose for the magazine’s March/April 2011 issue. Peep an excerpt from the feature below.

KING: History has shown that acting is the likeliest transition for rappers. Considering your background, do you want to dabble in Hollywood?
NICKI MINAJ: Of course.

What would be your dream role?
I’d like to play someone in a Tim Burton movie, where I get dressed up and painted and crazy.

You kind of do that now.
Then I want to be able to do some action stuff, like Angelina Jolie.

After receiving a year in prison a couple of weeks ago for violating his probation, it’s been reported that DMX has now been moved to the Flamenco Mental Health Unit at Alhambra as of December 20.

At his sentencing, Judge Christine Mulleneaux told him she believes he has “an undiagnosed mental condition,” possibly bi-polar disorder. DMX’s manager, Nakia Walker, wouldn’t comment specifically on whether DMX might have a mental disorder, but she says she wasn’t surprised when he was moved to a mental-health unit. The rapper himself always has refused to comment on speculation about his mental state.

Phoenix News Times

The Health Bureau in China has revealed that in a bid to stub out smoking, Beijing is working on making all public spaces – including work sites and transportation options – tobacco-free by the end of 2015.

The bureau is also aiming to reduce the smoking rate among men in the capital from 4.6 to 4 percent during the next five years.

Specifics from the plan have not yet been released, reports the China Daily.

A survey last week indicated that more than 95 percent of 2,100 interviewees in the capital knew that smoking might cause lung cancer.