'Hardhat bandit' gets 7 1/2 years for bank robberies

The “hardhat bandit” is headed back to prison.

A Brooklyn man with a long history of robbing banks while dressed as a construction worker was sentenced today to 7 ½ years in prison.

Bertrand Burchard, 41, was caught in 2003 and charged with sticking up 12 banks in Brooklyn and Queens for about $45,000, all while wearing a dust mask, orange reflective vest, and work boots – and keeping a revolver underneath his red construction helmet.

He served nine years and was released in 2011.

“He just got out of prison, he was out about eight months, and he started committing bank robberies,” Judge Leo Glasser said in Brooklyn federal court today.

Burchard was caught for the two recent robberies in January. The note he passed a teller in the first heist read, “DON’T LET ME USE THIS $100’s + $50’s NO DYE PACKS I’m hungry $20,000.00 Don’t be a hero go home safe.”

Burchard was hit with 6 ½ years for the two newest robberies and another year for violating his supervised release – plus $19,033 in restitution.

jsaul@nypost.com

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Franchise show comes to Miami Beach

Entrepreneurs looking to start off a new business in 2013 might find some ideas at Franchise Expo South.

One of the largest franchise shows in the country kicks off Jan. 11 at the Miami Beach Convention Center and runs until Jan. 13. Hundreds of top brands from food to retail concepts will try to attract prospective franchisees for Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. Businesses looking to expand in South Florida, include Burger 21, McAlister’s Deli, Kiddie Academy, Sign-A-Rama, Cinnabon, EmbroidMe, and Wireless Zone.

This year for the first time, the show will focus on the trend toward mobile franchise businesses. The “GoMobilePavilion” will highlight dozens of mobile franchise concepts, which typically come with lower initial investment and decreased labor costs. Educational sessions will also discuss how to convert a traditional business to a mobile one.

Registration fees vary, but start as low as $5 in advance or $10 on-site. For more information about the show, which is sponsored by the International Franchise Association, visit www.franchiseexposouth.com

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SURVEILLANCE VIDEO: Watch three masked men rob Pompano Beach Radio Shack

Broward Sheriff’s Office on Thursday released gripping surveillance video showing three masked men as they robbed a Pompano Beach Radio Shack last Sunday.

The high-quality video clearly shows customers and employees being surprised as three, armed masked men storm into the store at 167 S. Pompano Pkwy. around 6:30 p.m. on the night before New Year’s Eve.

One of the men waves an automatic weapon as he orders employees and customers to first get on the ground and then leads them at gunpoint into the store’s storage room.

Customers are seen led away at gunpoint.

Once everyone is corralled, the three suspects fill a large bag with cell phones and flee through the stockroom door.

BSO said all three men wore dark clothing and masks over their faces.

The armed man also wore a dark grey letterman jacket with the letter “M” on the left side.

A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information about this robbery or the identity of the suspects is asked to contact BSO Robbery Detective Vince Coldwell at 954-321-4270 or Broward Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 954-493-TIPS (8477) or www.browardcrimestoppers.org.

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Samsung and Apple are still the only winners in the mobile market

The duopoly of the U.S. mobile market intensified dramatically in 2012. Despite increased efforts from Motorola, LG (066570), HTC (2498), Nokia (NOK) and Microsoft (MSFT) to gain market share, Samsung (005930) and Apple (AAPL) continue to steal customers away from every other company. During a three-month period ending in November, comScore found that Samsung’s lead in the U.S. smartphone market increased 1.2 percentage points for a controlling 26.9% share. Apple’s smartphone market share grew from 17.1% to 18.5%, gaining 1.4 points following the launch of the iPhone 5. Rounding out the top-five were LG, Motorola and HTC, all of which saw their market shares decrease from August. LG fell 0.7 points to 17.5%, Motorola dropped 0.8 points to 10.4% and HTC’s market share decreased from 6.3% to 5.9%.

[More from BGR: Samsung confirms plan to begin inching away from Android]

[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]

The research firm found that 123.3 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the period, an increase of 6% since August. A majority of devices, 53.7%, were powered by Google’s (GOOG) Android operating system, which saw growth of 1.1 percentage points. Apple’s iOS market share increased 0.7 percentage points to 35%.

2012 was a transitional year for Research in Motion (RIMM) and Microsoft. Both companies spent most of the year preparing new operating systems. RIM will unveil its BlackBerry 10 operating system later this month and devices powered by Windows Phone 8 launched this past November. As a result, both companies saw lost share toward the end of 2012; RIM’s BlackBerry platform ranked third with a 7.3% share, down from 8.3% in August, and Microsoft’s operating system dropped 0.6 percentage points to a 3% share of the market.

This article was originally published by BGR

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Dallas DVD Season One Exclusive Clip 2013

Fans and critics were skeptical of TNT's decision to launch a reboot of the seminal 70's series, Dallas, when it was announced back in 2010.

VIDEO - Linda Gray Pays Tribute To The Late Larry Hagman

But naysayers were quickly won over once the sensational continuation of life on Southfork begun airing in June 2012. A turn of events star Jesse Metcalfe chalks up to the "The marriage between the old cast members and the new cast members." That's what, he says, makes Dallas "magic."

RELATED - Dallas Plans Funeral For J.R.

ETonline scored an exclusive sneak peek off the Dallas: The Complete First Season DVD, featuring Metcalfe, Brenda Strong, Linda Gray and other cast members explaining why the next chapter in Dallas' story is one worth telling ... and watching!

Dallas: The Complete First Season hits DVD on January 8, click here to pre-order!

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Anonymous donor gives $500K to help repair Sandy-damaged South Street Seaport Museum

An anonymous donor has sailed to the rescue of the South Street Seaport Museum with a $500,000 check to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

The donation made up the bulk of $750,000 in contributions meant to help the museum recover from the storm.

Sandy didn’t damage any of the museum’s ships. But the storm’s floodwater walloped heating, electrical and communications equipment in several of its buildings.

Museum brass expect it’ll cost $22 million to fix and replace equipment and permanently move building systems to higher floors.

The museum reopened last month, and besides its ships it features several new seafaring-related art exhibits.

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Google strikes deal with FTC to end antitrust probe

LOS ANGELES — Google reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to make voluntary changes to its search practices to put an end to a 19-month antitrust probe, the FTC announced Thursday.

Google also has settled an investigation into its handling of mobile technology patents that it acquired when it bought Motorola Mobility.

The settlement brings to a close one of the FTC's most closely watched investigations. Google still faces antitrust investigations by European regulators and some U.S. state attorneys general. Google is expected to offer concessions to resolve the European Union probe later this month.

Google agreed to give marketers more control over their ads. It also agreed to limit its use of snippets or reviews and other content from rivals, a practice that it had already moved away from.

It also resolved a separate antitrust case involving Google's use of patents to attempt to keep competitors from using mobile technology.

“The changes Google has agreed to make will ensure that consumers continue to reap the benefits of competition in the online marketplace and in the market for innovative wireless devices they enjoy,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “This was an incredibly thorough and careful investigation by the commission, and the outcome is a strong and enforceable set of agreements.”

But competitors don't see it that way. That the Internet search giant is emerging largely unscathed from the antitrust probe frustrated competitors, including software giant Microsoft, which had its own years-long battle with antitrust regulators in the late 1990s and 2000s just as Google began its rise to dominance in online search.

Microsoft, which runs the Bing search engine, has accused Google of abusing that dominance, harming consumers and competitors. It has railed against the FTC for doing nothing to rein in Google's growing monopoly on the Web.

Google handles about two-thirds of all U.S. Web searches, according to research firm ComScore Inc. It handles more than 80 percent in much of Europe. The software giant has mounted campaigns to condemn Google's business practices. Smaller competitors have also complained that Google search results unfairly promote links to its own business listings, Google+ social network and other online services.

Google has maintained that it has done nothing wrong.

“The evidence the FTC uncovered through this intensive investigation prompted us to require significant changes in Google's business practices. However, regarding the specific allegations that the company biased its search results to hurt competition, the evidence collected to date did not justify legal action by the Commission,” Beth Wilkinson, outside counsel to the FTC, said in a written statement. “Undoubtedly, Google took aggressive actions to gain advantage over rival search providers. However, the FTC's mission is to protect competition, and not individual competitors. The evidence did not demonstrate that Google's actions in this area stifled competition in violation of U.S. law.”

“The conclusion is clear: Google's services are good for users and good for competition,” David Drummond, Google's senior vice president and chief legal officer, said in a blog post.

The settlement with the FTC and the search giant was nearly done before the Christmas holiday, but concern that the deal was too weak from rivals and state attorneys general delayed a vote from the commission.

David Balto, a former policy director of the FTC's bureau of competition, who also has done some paid work for Google, said the decision was a “win-win” for consumers.

“Consumers benefit because Google will not be hobbled by unnecessary regulation or denied the opportunity to try to win consumer loyalty through aggressive competition,” Balto said. “The FTC's mission is protect consumers and as today's statement makes clear, there is no consumer harm.”

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Biker killed in crash on West Flagler Street

Miami police Wednesday afternoon were investigating a fatal motorcycle accident on West Flagler Street.

The accident occurred around 3:30 p.m. when a biker and a vehicle collided near 45th Avenue, just west of LeJeune Road.

The unidentified motorcyclist died on the scene. The driver of the car involved is being questioned by police.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash.

No charges have been filed.

This story will be updated when more details area available.

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Ubuntu se mete en los celulares con un sistema operativo propio

Al igual que otras plataformas que buscan una convergencia entre el mundo móvil y la PC, Canonical confirmó el arribo de su sistema operativo Ubuntu a los dispositivos móviles. Disponible en una primera instancia como una instalación no oficial para la línea de smartphones Nexus 3, la versión de Linux utilizada en más de 20 millones busca posicionarse como una alternativa ante un mercado dominado por compañías como Apple y Google, junto a las propuestas de Microsoft con Windows Phone y Research in Motion con sus teléfonos BlackBerry.

La compañía dio un primer paso en febrero de 2012 con Ubuntu for Android , una distribución para “mejorar” el Android convencional.

La versión actual es un sistema operativo que sólo comparte con Android el uso de sus drivers (ambos están basados en Linux), pero no usa una máquina virtual Java, por lo que los 700.000 programas con las que cuenta Android no estarán disponibles directamente. Ubuntu tendrá su propia suite de aplicaciones, y permitirá la suma de nuevas que estén programadas en HTML5 o sean nativas.

Canonical también planea lanzar un teléfono de diseño propio que llegaría al mercado en 2014, pero no brindó mayores detalles sobre el fabricante involucrado. Los recientes cambios en la interfaz de Ubuntu, denominada Unity, marcaron una tendencia en la distribución hacia la interacción en pantallas sensibles al tacto, y este lanzamiento representa un primer paso de la distribución para ingresar en el mundo móvil de los smartphones y las tabletas.

Las prestaciones de una PC, en un dispositivo de bolsillo

Según Mark Shuttleworth, CEO de Canonical, en un principio esta versión de Ubuntu apunta a los entusiastas de la plataforma, pero con una rápida expansión hacia el resto de los usuarios. “Por primera vez en la historia los usuarios de los teléfonos celulares pueden tener las prestaciones completas que tiene en una PC, y tenemos una ventaja en esto”, dijo el ejecutivo.

Así lo explica Mark Shuttleworth en video, mostrando los gestos que permiten controlar Ubuntu móvil:

El concepto se asemeja a la modalidad presentada por Motorola con su teléfono Atrix , que se convertía en una PC al ser conectado en una base que servía de conexión con un monitor. A su vez, el móvil también podía ser utilizado como una notebook mediante un dispositivo denominado lapdock.

Aún no disponible para su descarga, la presentación formal de Ubuntu para teléfonos ante el público será en la feria Consumer Electronic Show de Las Vegas, en donde LA NACION estará presente para la cobertura de los primeros lanzamientos del año que realizará la industria.

En busca del podio móvil

Con los dispositivos basados en iOS y Android, varias compañías disputan ser la alternativa a las plataformas dominantes. Microsoft busca de la mano de Nokia posicionar a Windows Phone junto a fabricantes como HTC y Samsung. La compañía de Redmond también desea aprovechar la integración con Windows 8 para sacar provecho de su dominio en el mundo de las PC, un segmento en lento retroceso frente a los teléfonos inteligentes y tabletas.

En este punto, la integración entre las PC y los dispositivos móviles también forman parte de los objetivos de Apple, que replicó el exitoso modelo App Store en su línea de computadoras con Mac OS X, utilizado en el iPhone y la tableta iPad, mientras que Google mantiene su apuesta en su plataforma basada en la nube con servicios como Gmail y Drive, entre otros.

Por su parte, Research in Motion presentará su nueva plataforma BB10 , un demorado lanzamiento que tendrá lugar a fines de este mes y con el que busca recuperar el terreno perdido en los últimos años con un renovado teléfono móvil tactil basado en el sistema operativo QNX, utilizado en su tableta Playbook.

Dentro de este pelotón de contendientes también se encuentra Firefox OS , un competidor que más se asemeja a la filosofía de la plataforma de Canonical y que ofrece un sistema operativo basado en el navegador web de la fundación Mozilla. Cuenta con el apoyo de las principales operadoras de telecomunicaciones y apunta a contar con un teléfono de costo accesible para mercados emergentes.

Por su parte, un grupo de desarrolladores responsables de Meego, la plataforma utilizada por Nokia para el N9, se reunieron para presentar a Sailfish OS , un sistema operativo basado en Linux que se encuentra en una incipiente etapa de desarrollo y que planea tener también, al igual que Firefox OS y Ubuntu, un teléfono para mediados de este año.

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Julianne Hough Reveals Horrific Childhood Abuse

Though Julianne Hough is known for her bubbly personality, it turns out not everything in her life has been so charmed.

Julianne covers Cosmopolitan's February issue, where she reveals she suffered mental and physical abuse while living in London as a young girl in order to pursue her dancing career. She attended the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Arts on a five-year scholarship, along with her brother Derek.

Video: See Hough & Duhamel's Hot Romance in 'Safe Haven'

"While I was in London, I was abused, mentally, physically, everything," she reveals, and it didn't stop there -- she says it got worse when she "started hitting puberty, when I started becoming a woman and stopped being a little girl."

Though Julianne declines to go into the specific details, she does say that she was forced to push out an overly sexual image at a very young age.

"I was 10 years old looking like I was 28, being a very sensual dancer. I was a tormented little kid who had to put on this sexy facade because that was my job and my life. But my heart was the same, and I was this innocent little girl. I wanted so much love," she says. "I was told if I ever went back to the United States, three things were going to happen. One: I was going to amount to nothing. Two: I was going to work at Whataburger. And three: I was going to end up a slut. So, it was like, I can't go back. I have to be this person."

Related: Julianne Hough -- I'm 20 Pounds Heavier Since Dating Seacrest

Julianne of course did return to the United States, where she became a star thanks to her winning performances on Dancing with the Stars.

On a lighter note, Julianne also dishes to the magazine about her relationship with Ryan Seacrest.

"We love what we do. We take pride in giving it our all, but then when we're alone, we really focus in on going to dinners and being extra-romantic and affectionate and just being there for each other," she says.

And clearly, the two know how to keep the sparks alive -- Julianne recalls when the two were stranded and alone during Superstorm Sandy in New York, and took advantage of the rare time the two workaholics couldn't work.

"It was great," says Hough, smiling. "We put on some candles, had some sexy time....Ha!"

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