Pimp Your Screen - Apalon

Pimp Your Screen is an award-winning app that helps you customize the look of your device by giving you an exclusive selection of specially designed backgrounds, icon skins, app shelves, neon combos and many other eye candies.

You no longer have to set the image you prefer first and then go back to the Home screen and see how it looks with the icons on it. Pimp Your Screen has an instant preview feature that allows you to quickly preview your new background or app shelf.

Features:

* Retina resolution images for iPhone 4/4S/5, iPod touch 4th/5th gen and the new iPad/iPad 4th gen
* Standard resolution images for iPhone/3G/3GS, iPod touch and iPad/iPad 2/iPad mini
* Icon Skins/App Shelves/Neon Combos
* A million different combinations, variety is the spice of life
* Special holiday and seasonal content updates
* Categorized view
* New and Popular tabs
* Landscape and Portrait images available for iPad
* Share your screens on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or email
* Lock Screen Themes
* Home Screen Themes
* Universal application, install once, use it across all devices

Bring some color and glow into your everyday life and change the look of your device every single day. It's time to Pimp Your Screen!

We add new eye candies daily. Just tap 'New' to see updates.

- We've unlocked the exclusive content for you: now you can enjoy all the variety in the Categories tab
- Improved sharing: share content on Instagram or open in other apps, faster Facebook and Twitter sharing
- Daily updated content: new Icons Skins, App Shelves, Neon Combos and Home Screens, including special holiday goodies as always
- Performance and stability improvements

Thank you for the comments submitted by email. We appreciate your feedback and are constantly working on making the app better.

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Dollar higher as market awaits Japan PM speech

TOKYO: The dollar rose against the yen in Asia on Wednesday as investors await a speech by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his growth strategy for the economy.

The greenback bought 100.18 yen in Tokyo morning trade from 99.98 yen in New York late Tuesday while the euro also edged up to 130.96 yen from 130.79 yen.

The euro bought $1.3072 against $1.3079 in New York.

Abe is due to deliver a speech later Wednesday that observers hope will provide details on his policy to stoke growth.

"I'm guessing he might give lip service," a senior dealer at a major European bank in Tokyo told Dow Jones Newswires.

Abe's policy of active government spending coupled with the Bank of Japan's aggressive monetary easing has boosted Tokyo stock prices to multi-year highs, but the market has been prone to recent wild swings.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 0.23 percent in mid-morning trade Wednesday.

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Building collapse in US leaves 12 hurt, two trapped

PHILADELPHIA: A four-story building being demolished collapsed Wednesday on the edge of downtown, injuring 12 people and trapping two others, the fire commissioner said.

Rescue crews were trying to extricate the two people who were trapped, city Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said. The dozen people who were injured were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, he said.

The collapse involved a building that once housed a first-floor sandwich shop. It collapsed, sending debris onto a Salvation Army corner thrift store next door. The two are adjacent to an adult bookstore and theater that had been taken down earlier.

Rescuers were using buckets and their bare hands to move bricks and rubble to search for survivors.

Witnesses said they heard a loud rumbling sound immediately before the collapse.

Veronica Haynes was on the fifth floor of an apartment building across the street.

"I was standing there looking out my window, watching the men at work on the building, and the next thing I know I heard something go kaboom," she said. "Then you saw the whole side of the wall fall down ... onto the other building."

Roofers Patrick Glynn and Anthony Soli were working atop a nearby building when they heard what sounded like two loud bangs or explosions. They immediately ran down the scaffolding to look for victims, and helped pull out two women and a man.

Glynn said he had been watching workers take down the building next to the Salvation Army building over the past few weeks, and said he suspected a collapse was inevitable because of the methods the workers were using to tear it down.

"For weeks they've been standing on the edge, knocking bricks off," he said. "You could just see it was ready to go at any time. I knew it was going to happen."

Carlton Williams of the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections said there were no existing violations on the building and the demolition company had proper permits for the work they were doing.

Bernie DiTomo was driving past Salvation Army building in his white pickup truck, on his way to an appointment, when the accident happened.

"The next thing you know, I heard a rumble, and a building and a sign fell on my truck," he said.

He said he lay down in the seat of his cab. It was probably over in about 30 seconds, he said. There was a lot of dirt and dust that he breathed in, but he was able to open the door and get out, unhurt. His truck remained nearby, partially covered in debris, as DiTomo watched recovery efforts from across the street.

High school student Jordan McLaughlan said he saw several people on the ground being given oxygen by rescuers after the collapse.

"It was hard to breathe, there was a lot of dust everywhere," McLaughlan said.

The accident happened at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday on the western edge of downtown, between the city's business district and its main train station. (AP)

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Asian stocks mixed, ECB predicts ''gradual'' eurozone recovery

HONG KONG: Asian stocks were mixed in early trade Monday after conflicting Chinese manufacturing data, and as European central bank chief Mario Draghi predicted a "very gradual recovery" in the eurozone to start later this year.

Tokyo was down 2.17 percent by the break, continuing volatile trading after rising Friday following several sharp drops.

Hong Kong was up 0.27 percent, Shanghai rose 0.24 percent, Seoul was down 0.14 percent and Sydney was flat, edging up 0.09 percent.

The movements came after data released Saturday showed manufacturing activity in China unexpectedly rebounded in May from the previous month.

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) grew to 50.8 in May, from 50.6 the month before, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, pointing to a stabilisation in the world's second largest economy.

However, according to figures from British bank HSBC Monday, manufacturing activity fell to an eight-month low in May. It said the PMI fell to 49.2 in May, down from 50.4 in April.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion while anything below that points to contraction.

Markets were also eyeing a financial conference in Shanghai, where Draghi said the ECB expected a recovery in the debt crisis-hit eurozone to start later in the year.

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CNG stations to remain closed in Sindh for 24 hours

KARACHI: The Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations would be closed across Sindh for the next 24 hours as part of Gas Load Management Plan, Geo News reported.

The gas outlets would shut down for business from 8:00 Am Friday till 8:00 AM Saturday.

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Oil prices recover in Asia

SINGAPORE: Oil prices recovered in Asian trade Thursday following a drop triggered by fresh economic data that highlighted global growth concerns, analysts said.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in July added eight cents to $93.21 a barrel in the afternoon and Brent North Sea crude for July delivery increased 29 cents to $102.72.

Both contracts closed almost $2 lower on Wednesday after the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which groups industrial economies, trimmed its forecast for 2013 world economic growth to 3.1 percent from 3.4 percent.

"Prices have ticked up a little bit. What we are seeing is normal trading in a market where everyone is trying to manage their risks," Shailaja Nair, associate editorial director for Asia at energy market information provider Platts, told.

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Cherished ''Start'' button returning to Windows software

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft on Thursday unveiled an update to its latest Windows operating system that included a return of a "Start" button that had been missed by longtime users of the computer software.

The tweaked version of the operating system, nicknamed Windows Blue, will be previewed on June 26 and will be a free update for users as Windows 8.1, according to the Redmond, Washington-based technology titan.

"It's Windows 8 even better," Windows program management team corporate vice president Antoine Leblond said in a blog post.

"Windows 8.1 will deliver improvements and enhancements in key areas like personalization, search, the built-in apps, Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity."

Microsoft returned a well-known Windows logo to the lower left corners of computer screens in what was seen as a resurrection of a banished "Start" button missed by users.

"Not only will Windows 8.1 respond to customer feedback, but it will add new features and functionality that advance the touch experience and mobile computing's potential," Leblond said.

Windows upgrades include Bing-powered searches that expand Internet queries to include searching apps and files on computers along with data stored in Microsoft's online SkyDrive service.

The update comes amid a lukewarm reception for Windows 8, an operating system released last year to help the software giant transition from personal computers to tablets and other mobile devices.

Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc said a public preview of Windows 8.1 will be available starting on June 26, timed with the Microsoft developer conference in San Francisco.

Microsoft said recently it had sold than 100 million licenses for Windows 8 but that the update was planned after listening to customers.

Some analysts say Microsoft was forced to act because of slow adoption of Windows 8, which made some radical changes to the design of the desktop.

With Windows 8, Microsoft was trying to create a system that could be used on mobile touch screen devices while also serving the users of traditional PCs.

Microsoft launched Windows 8 last October, revamping its flagship system in an effort to make inroads in the fast-growing mobile segment. At the same time, it launched its Surface tablet computer. (AFP)

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Asian markets mostly lower after US data

HONG KONG: Asian markets were mostly lower on Tuesday following a weak set of data out of the United States that added to recent concerns about the global economy.

The losses came despite a positive lead from Wall Street, which saw the downbeat US figures as a counterweight to talk that the Federal Reserve will start reeling in its monetary easing.

Tokyo was 0.35 percent lower by the break, Hong Kong fell 0.26 percent, Sydney was down 0.19 percent, Seoul lost 0.19 percent.

In Shanghai shares fell again, losing 0.30 percent, after HSBC released the results of a survey showing manufacturing activity in the world's number two economy shrank in May.

In Washington the Institute for Supply Management's purchasing managers index (PMI) on US manufacturing slumped into negative territory in May, for the first time since November.

Also, the Commerce Department said construction spending in April rose 0.4 percent, less than half of the increase expected.

The news put pressure on the dollar, which had earlier in the day fallen back below the 100 yen level.

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Asian equity markets jump on US stimulus hopes

Hong Kong: Asian stocks gained Friday, with Tokyo clawing back some ground after plunging in the previous session as tepid US data eased concerns that the Federal Reserve could begin tapering its aggressive stimulus program.

Tokyo climbed 1.64 percent after the Japanese government released a barrage of economic data just before the market opened, including a stronger-than-expected on-month rise of 1.7 percent in April factory output.

The benchmark Nikkei index on Thursday lost 5.15 percent as jittery investors dumped shares on the back of a stronger yen and mounting concerns over global growth.

In other markets, Hong Kong rose 0.39 percent, Seoul gained 0.56 percent while Sydney and Shanghai traded flat.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.14 percent at 15,324.53 on Thursday as weaker-than-expected economic news fueled hopes the Federal Reserve will continue to keep its foot on the stimulus pedal.

New claims for unemployment insurance benefits unexpectedly rose in the US last week, by 10,000, and pending home sales edged up 0.3 percent in April, when 1.5 percent was forecast.

The US government's revised estimate of first-quarter economic growth came in barely changed at 2.4 percent. Analysts had expected that it would hold unchanged at 2.5 percent.

In currency markets, the dollar firmed to ¥101.01 in early Asian trade from ¥100.74 in New York late Thursday.

The euro bought $1.3040 and ¥131.85 against $1.3043 and ¥131.39.

Oil was down in Asia, with New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in July dropping eight cents to $93.53 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for July delivery shedding seven cents to $102.12.

Gold was at $1,419.80 at 0220 GMT from $1,399.52 late Thursday. (AFP)

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Karachi Stock Exchange finishes lower on profit booking

KARACHI: The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) finished lower on Wednesday, as traders booked profits in an overbought market Geo News reproted.

The benchmark 100-Index closed 0.82 percent, or 182.09 points, lower at 22,092.42 as profit-taking was seen in some large-cap scrips.

The Pakistan Oil and Gas Development Co Ltd fell 3.92 percent at 244 rupees, while D.G. Khan Cement was down 0.97 percent at 80.30 rupees.

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Dollar weakens in Asian trade

TOKYO: The dollar weakened in Asian trade Thursday with few trading cues as firms adjust their month-end forex positions, dealers said, while concerns about global growth hung over markets.

The greenback had dropped below the 101-yen level in early Tokyo trade as the Nikkei 225 plunged more than three percent -- yen trade and the benchmark stock index are closely interlinked as the value of the Japanese currency directly affects the competitiveness of the country's exporters.

But by midday, the dollar crept back to 101.07 yen against 101.13 yen in New York late Wednesday.

"No news are behind the move, just flows," a senior dealer at a major Japanese bank told Dow Jones Newswires.

"The correlation between movements in the Nikkei and the dollar/yen appear to be gradually weakening. I think support at the 100-yen level remains strong."

Japanese firms are major currency sellers and buyers as part of running their overseas operations with euro trade also affected by such deals on Thursday, dealers said.

The European single currency gained to $1.2960 from $1.2942 in US trade, while it strengthened against the Japanese unit to 131.01 yen from 130.87 yen.

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Dollar slips in Asian trade after US rally

TOKYO: The dollar lost ground in early Asian trade on Wednesday after flying on fresh data that showed US consumer confidence and home prices were on the rise.

The figures are the latest evidence that the world's biggest economy could be mounting a recovery, paving the way for the US Federal Reserve to roll back its huge bond-buying programme known as quantitative easing.

Dollar trade has been influenced by differing views over comments from Fed chairman Ben Bernanke last week, although dealers generally viewed the central bank chief as saying the Fed needed to see a few months' more data before it would tighten policy.

In Tokyo morning trade, the dollar bought 102.14 yen, slipping from 102.32 yen in New York late Tuesday.

"The dollar is becoming the main driver of the (dollar/yen) pair and focus will increasingly be on the Fed's stance toward its bond buying and indicators like US jobs data," Kengo Suzuki, forex strategist at Mizuho Securities, told Dow Jones Newswires.

The greenback jumped Tuesday following the release of the S&P/Case-Shiller report on March US housing prices, showing they were up 10.9 percent in over March 2012, the largest year-on-year increase since April 2006.

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Turkey unions join raging protests, launch strike

ISTANBUL: Public workers in Turkey launched a two-day strike Tuesday in support of raging anti-government protests as the United States appealed for restraint in the worst political crisis to confront the 10-year-old Islamic-rooted government.

Overnight, riot police in Istanbul and Ankara fired tear gas and water

cannon at protesters who set cars ablaze, hurled stones and bellowed angry slogans in a fifth day of demonstrations that have now cost the lives of two people.

While US Secretary of State John Kerry voiced concern about excessive

police force, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has remained defiant, lashing out at "extremists" he blames for the worst anti-government unrest since he first took office in 2002.

A second protester was killed in the southern city of Antakya on Monday,

local officials said, after a young man was killed in Istanbul when a car ploughed into a crowd of demonstrators in Turkey's largest city on Sunday.

The violence first erupted after police cracked down on a peaceful rally in Istanbul against plans to build over Gezi Park, a rare green spot adjoining the city's main Taksim Square, but quickly mushroomed into broader protests in dozens of other cities by Turks who accuse the government of pushing conservative Islamic reforms.

The Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) launched a two-day

strike from Tuesday over alleged heavy-handed police action in almost a week of clashes that rights group say have left hundreds of people wounded.

"The state terror implemented against entirely peaceful protests is

continuing in a way that threatens civilians' life safety," the KESK said in a statement, saying the crackdown showed the Islamic-rooted government's "enmity to democracy".

The confederation counts about 240,000 members and the action will likely affect schools, universities and public offices across Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country of 75 million people sitting at the crossroads of east and west.

While Erdogan has largely dismissed the protests, insisting they did not

represent a "Turkish spring," his ally President Abdullah Gul has been more conciliatory, telling demonstrators that their concerns were being heard.

"The situation (in Turkey) is now calming down... On my return from this

visit, the problems will be solved," Erdogan said at a press conference in Rabat, where he kicked off a tour of north Africa despite the problems at home.

Erdogan, whose Justice and Development Party (AKP) first took power in 2002 and has won two further national votes, has accused "vandals" and opponents including the main opposition Republican People's Party of having a hand in the protests.

Opponents have accused Erdogan of repressing critics, including

journalists, Kurds and the military, and pushing conservative Islamic policies including religious education reforms and a law curbing the sale of alcohol.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc also sought to ease the concerns of

protesters, saying Turkey's government "respects and is sensitive towards different lifestyles".

But the violence showed no signs of abating in the early hours of Tuesday, with thousands of protesters gathered on Taksim square, the heart of the demonstrations, as white fumes hung in the air in surrounding streets.

"Tayyip, resign!" they yelled, waving red flags and banners and whistling. AFP reporters saw many demonstrators being carried away by medics.

In Antakya, the local governor's office said Tuesday that a 22-year-old

man, Abdullah Comert, had died after being shot in the head by an unidentified person on Monday but the Anatolia news agency, citing the public prosecutor's office, said an autopsy revealed no gunshot wounds but that he had suffered a blow to the head.

Rights groups and doctors say more than 1,000 people had been wounded in

Istanbul and 700 in Ankara. The government had previously put the figure at 58 civilians and 115 security forces injured, but has not given an updated estimate since Sunday, when it said 1,700 people had been arrested and many since released.

Turkey's Western allies have voiced mounting alarm over the crisis in the country, which for years has been trying to join the European Union.

Kerry said Washington was "deeply concerned about the numbers of people

injured," urging all sides to "avoid any provocations or violence."

"We are concerned by the reports of excessive use of force by police,"

Kerry told reporters. "We obviously hope that there will be a full

investigation of those incidents and full restraint from the police force with respect to those kinds of incidents."

NATO-member Turkey is a key regional ally for the United States, and the

two countries have been working together closely, particularly over the brutal conflict in neighbouring Syria.

Erdogan told protesters they should wait to express their views in

elections next year, when observers expect him to make a run for president. "For me, democracy comes from the ballot box."

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Bangladesh ''miracle survivor'' emerges from hospital

SAVAR: A Bangladeshi seamstress trapped in the rubble for 17 days after the country's garment factory disaster in April emerged from hospital on Thursday to tell reporters she had recovered "physically and mentally".

Reshma, 18, who became a national heroine after the tragedy, which claimed more than 1,100 lives, was in good spirits and looked healthy at a ceremony at the hospital organised to mark her release.

"I feel great now. I am recovered mentally and physically," she told reporters, smiling and dressed in a peacock green dress and head scarf.

"I never thought that I would get my life back again when I was trapped under the rubble," she added.

Major-General Chowdhury Hasan Suhrawardy confirmed that she had been discharged from the military hospital after nearly a month of treatment following her spectacular rescue on May 10.

After declaring that she would never again work in the garment industry, she is set to take up a job at a luxury hotel in the capital Dhaka.

"We're proud to arrange a job for her at our hotel. We're sure this young girl will be exceptional in her new job," Azim Shah, general manager of the Hotel Westin, told reporters at the ceremony.

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North, South Korea agree to official talks

SEOUL: North and South Korea agreed in principle Thursday to hold their first official talks for years, signaling a possible breakthrough in cross-border ties after months of escalated military tensions.

A surprise offer from Pyongyang proposed discussions on a range of commercial and humanitarian issues from reopening a joint industrial complex to resuming cross-border family reunions.

The South replied within hours, with the Unification Ministry saying it viewed the offer "positively" and would announce a date, venue and agenda later.

"We hope that South and North Korea can build trust through this opportunity," the ministry added.

Analysts welcomed the development but some advised caution, saying the precise nature and agenda of the dialogue might create insurmountable sticking points.

"I think this is an attempt by the North to seize the initiative, but it's premature to say whether the offer is likely to lead to a sincere dialogue," said Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

Official contacts between Seoul and Pyongyang have been essentially frozen since South Korea accused the North of torpedoing one of its warships in March 2010 with the loss of 46 lives.

April and May this year saw tensions soar to worrying levels as the North, angered by joint South-US military drills and UN sanctions imposed after its nuclear test in February, threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes.

The situation has calmed in recent weeks, with both sides circling warily around the idea of opening some sort of dialogue.

The North's proposal, carried in a statement from the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK), said the venue and date for talks "can be set to the convenience of the South side".

Initial subjects for discussion would be the Kaesong joint industrial zone, which was closed at the height of the recent tensions, and the resumption of cross-border tours to the North's Mount Kumgang resort, the CPRK said.

Humanitarian issues such as reuniting family members separated after the 1950-53 Korean War could also be discussed.

The CPRK said a positive response would see the North consider rolling back measures it took when relations went into a tailspin in April, including restoring a cross-border hotline.

South Korea had already offered working-level talks on Kaesong and Seoul is likely to be wary of agreeing to a much wider-ranging agenda.

While President Park Geun-Hye has spoken of the need for dialogue, she has made it clear -- with US backing -- that substantive talks would require the North to show commitment to abandoning its nuclear weapons programme.

Pyongyang has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear deterrent is not up for negotiation.

"There could be some trouble in setting the agenda, and it's natural to doubt North Korea's sincerity," said Paik Hak-Soon, an analyst at the Sejong Institute think-tank in Seoul.

"But this a typically strategic change of direction by the North, which puts the ball in the South's court and I think it presents a genuine opportunity," Paik said.

The Kaesong complex, established inside North Korea in 2004, was the most high-profile casualty of the recent tensions.

Born out of the "Sunshine Policy" of inter-Korean reconciliation initiated in the late 1990s by South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung, Kaesong was a crucial hard currency source for the impoverished North, through taxes and revenues and its cut of workers' wages.

Operations at the complex ground to a halt after the North pulled all its 53,000 workers out in early April. The South withdrew its managers and officials soon afterwards.

The Mount Kumgang resort, developed by the South's Hyundai Asan company, opened in 1998 as a symbol of reconciliation. It once earned the North tens of millions of dollars a year.

But Seoul suspended tours by its citizens after a North Korean soldier shot dead a South Korean housewife there in July 2008. In response the North scrapped a deal with Hyundai Asan and seized its properties there.

Hundreds of thousands of family members were separated by the Korean War, and the last temporary reunions, arranged by the two Koreas' Red Cross authorities, took place in 2010.

Nearly 80,000 people in the South alone are on the waiting list for reunions should they be resumed.

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Saudi Prince Fahd al-Saud spends $20m in 3 days at Disneyland

LONDON: A SAUDI prince has spent 15 million euros ($A20.41 million) for three days of fun at Disneyland near Paris to celebrate his degree, the group that runs the theme park says.

Prince Fahd al-Saud booked entire areas of the park between May 22 and 24 for his 60-odd guests. The festivities included tailor-made events involving "rare Disney characters", Euro Disney said.

Special security was put in place for the prince, one of the park's top customers, it added.

The theme park attracted 16 million visitors last year but Euro Disney has not made any profits since it was set up 20 years ago. In the six months to March, the group had a net loss of 89.1 million euros compared with a loss of 11.8 million euros in the same period last year.

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Rally at KSE continues; Index hits new height at 22,080 points

KARACHI: The bull-run continued at the local bourse, as the benchmark KSE 100-share Index set a new record on Monday by closing at an unprecedented level of 22,080 points after gaining 258 points.

The new government’s apparent resolve to bring improvement on the economic front prompted the stock traders to inject more investment into the local equities.

The KSE witnessed a strong volume of 570 million shares of worth Rs11 billion. Not only the major players but the small investors were also seen taking interest in a variety of stocks.

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Asian stocks mixed after upbeat US data

HONG KONG: Asian shares were mixed Wednesday after upbeat US economic data sent Wall Street soaring to a fresh all-time high and pushed the greenback to notch up strong gains against the yen.

Trading remained volatile in Tokyo, with the Nikkei swinging between positive and negative territory before edging up 0.10 percent by noon.

Japanese stocks have made sharp intraday movements since the index plunged 7.3 percent last Thursday as investors rushed to book profits after poor Chinese manufacturing data.

In other markets, Hong Kong was down 0.71 percent, Seoul was up 0.54 percent, Shanghai gained 0.18 percent while Sydney traded flat.

In post-holiday New York trading the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 0.69 percent at 15,409.39, a new all-time high on strong gains in US home prices and consumer confidence.

The widely watched S&P/Case-Shiller index of US home prices showed the price of a home in the 20 largest cities rose 10.9 percent in the year to March, the largest year-on-year increase since 2006.

Consumer confidence in the US -- a key barometer of the health of the world's largest economy -- surged to 76.2 in May, up from 69.0 in April, hitting the highest level since February 2008.

Stocks were also boosted by indications of continued monetary policy support, with some market watchers expressing confidence that the US Federal Reserve would maintain its bond-buying program.

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Google coming out with two new Android phones

SAN FRANCISCO: Google revealed Thursday that it has two new sophisticated Android smartphones in the works, one of which will have the unprecedented distinction of being made in the United States.

An HTC One smartphone customized to be "Google's take on Android" will make its US debut on June 26 at a price of $599, the head of Android, Chrome and Google Apps said at an AllThingsD conference in California.

"It's a great device," Google executive Sundar Pichai said during an on-stage interview.

Google Edition handsets by Taiwan-based HTC will be compatible with carriers AT&T and T-Mobile.

Pichai made the disclosure a day after Motorola Mobility head Dennis Woodside said on the same stage that the company's was preparing to release its first smartphone since being bought by Google.

The smartphone would be called Moto X and be made in a facility near Fort Worth, Texas, Woodside said.

"It is the first smartphone that is going to be built in the United States," Woodside said, noting that the plant would employ about 2,000 people by August.

"We think that it is going to allow us to innovate and iterate that much faster."

Components for Motorola smartphones will come from Taiwan, South Korea, the United States and elsewhere with about 70 percent of the assembly done in Texas, Woodside said.

Moto X would set itself apart from other smartphones with advanced use of sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers to make devices adapt to the conditions or circumstances in which they are being used, Woodside said.

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Floodwaters peak in Prague, head for Germany

PRAGUE: Floodwaters that have killed at least 10 people across Europe on Tuesday morning peaked in the Czech capital Prague and were heading toward Germany, officials said.

"It's peaking in Prague right now and by the evening the wave will get to Usti and Labem," about 30 kilometres (20 miles) up the Elbe river from the German border, Petr Dvorak, spokesman for the Czech Hydrometeorogical Institute, told AFP.

The floods have deluged Prague's historic centre, shuttering businesses and forcing a chaotic nighttime evacuation of the city's zoo.

The floods have killed seven people so far in the Czech Republic, police said Tuesday. Two people died in Austria and one in Switzerland. Germany has also been hit.

"The last victim (in the Czech Republic) was a lady who was walking her dog in a park on Monday evening and who died under an eroded tree that fell on her," police spokeswoman Pavla Kopecka told AFP.

Fire brigades evacuated 8,340 people as of 0400 GMT on Tuesday, said spokeswoman Nicole Zaoralova.

The heavy rainfall has triggered nightmarish memories of the 2002 floods that killed dozens in the region including 17 in the Czech Republic alone.

Dvorak said the waters would recede in the western part of the Czech Republic on Wednesday.

"There will be heavier rain in the east of the country and some rivers there will rise high, but the extent should be lower than here," he added.

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