U.S. Soldier Bowe Bergdahl Released by Taliban in Swap for Guantanamo Detainees

U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is freed by the Taliban after nearly five years in captivity. Sgt. Bergdahl was turned over to the U.S. in exchange for the release of five Afghan prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. WSJ's Julian Barnes reports.

WASHINGTON—Taliban militants in Afghanistan on Saturday handed over Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held as a prisoner of war for almost five years, to U.S. Special Operations Forces in exchange for the release of five Afghan Taliban prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay prison.

The breakthrough was brokered by Qatar, which sent representatives to the U.S. military prison in Cuba to take custody of the five detainees, who used to be high-ranking members of the former Taliban government. The five were being flown to the small Gulf state where they will be required to stay for at least a year to ensure they don't return to Afghanistan to join the war there, U.S. officials said.

Some members of Congress criticized the prisoner exchange. Rep. Howard P. McKeon (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Sen. James Inhofe (R., Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the means by which Sgt. Bergdahl's freedom was secured need to be examined. They said that U.S. adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans.

The prisoner exchange marked the culmination of years of on-again, off-again talks aimed at securing the release of Sgt. Bergdahl, who was captured near his base in Afghanistan and was the only American prisoner of war. Broader U.S. attempts to broker reconciliation talks in Afghanistan have foundered.

The 28-year-old sergeant was released by the Taliban at 10:30 a.m. EDT to several dozen U.S. Special Operations Forces who arrived at a rendezvous point in eastern Afghanistan by helicopter. There, the Americans were met by roughly 18 members of the Taliban, who handed over Sgt. Bergdahl without incident. Sgt. Bergdahl was then loaded onto a helicopter and flown to an American base for evaluation. On the helicopter, Sgt. Bergdahl wrote on a paper plate "SF?" A member of the U.S. Special Operations Forces team replied, "Yes, we have been looking for you for a long time."

Sgt. Bergdahl then broke down and cried, a U.S. official said.

U.S. officials said Mr. Bergdahl appeared to be in good condition and was able to walk. He is on his way from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan to the U.S. military hospital at Landstuhl, Germany, a defense official said.

His parents, who live in Hailey, Idaho, were in Washington, D.C., and were notified that their son had been released. In a statement, his parents, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, said: "We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our only son."

President Barack Obama said in a written statement that he was honored to call Sgt. Bergdahl's parents "to express our joy that they can expect his safe return, mindful of their courage and sacrifice throughout this ordeal."

On Saturday evening, Mr. Obama made a surprise appearance in the White House Rose Garden together with Mr. Bergdahl's parents.

"While Bowe was gone, he was never forgotten," Mr. Obama said, adding that the U.S. does not ever leave its men and women in uniform behind.

"We're committed to winding down the war in Afghanistan, and we are committed to closing Gitmo," he said. "But we also made an ironclad commitment to bring our prisoners of war home. That's who we are as Americans."

Bob Bergdahl said his son is having trouble speaking English and that his recovery will be a "considerable task for our family."

Though Taliban leaders have so far balked at entering peace talks with the U.S., Obama administration officials said they hoped the prisoner exchange would lead to a broader dialogue as the U.S. withdraws its forces from Afghanistan.

"It is our hope Sergeant Bergdahl's recovery could potentially open the door for broader discussions among Afghans about the future of their country by building confidence that it is possible for all sides to find common ground," Mr. Obama said in his statement.

Freed American soldier Bowe Bergdahl's parents Bob and Jani Bergdahl look on while U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to the press. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

A defense official said the transfer was done in compliance with current U.S. law that mandates notification of Congress before detainees are transferred. "We have a memorandum of understanding with the government of Qatar, we have the appropriate security assurances from them," the defense official said.

But Rep. McKeon and Sen. Inhofe were critical of the swap. In a statement Saturday, they said "America has maintained a prohibition on negotiating with terrorists for good reason." The prisoner exchange "may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all Americans," they said. "Our terrorist adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans. That incentive will put our forces in Afghanistan and around the world at even greater risk."

Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, welcomed Sgt. Bergdahl's release, but called the Taliban detainees being transferred to Qatar "hardened terrorists who have the blood of Americans and countless Afghans on their hands."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) praised those who worked to secure the release of Sgt. Bergdahl. He also said that President Obama "rightly recognized our solemn obligation to take every possible measure to protect and defend the men and women who serve our nation."

The U.S. identified the five Afghan detainees as Mohammed Fazl, Noorullah Noori, Abdul Haq Wasiq, Khairullah Khairkhwa and Muhammad Nabi Omari. U.S. officials said they had departed Saturday from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar aboard a U.S. military aircraft.

The five were labeled as high-risk, according to secret independent assessments by the U.S. Defense Department that were made public by WikiLeaks.

Mr. Khairkhwa, the Taliban's former Minister of Interior, was one of the Taliban's liaisons to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to Defense Department assessments. Mr. Wasiq served as the Taliban's deputy minister of intelligence until the Taliban was overthrown in 2001.

Qatar has provided the U.S. with assurances that the five detainees, once they arrive in Qatar, won't pose a threat to the U.S. These assurances, according to U.S. officials, include at least a one-year travel ban, which bars them from leaving Qatari territory.

Then-Pfc. Bergdahl was captured on June 30, 2009, by militants after leaving his U.S. base in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan. The circumstances surrounding his decision to walk off the base have remained murky.

While a prisoner, he has received regular military promotions. However, the circumstances of his captivity have never been clear. U.S. officials have said he was believed to be held for most of the last five years in Pakistan by the Haqqani network, an insurgent group that is allied with but separate from the Taliban, and not directly by the Taliban.

But officials said Sgt. Bergdahl was handed over by Taliban, not Haqqani militants.

The U.S. held secret discussions with the Taliban starting in late 2011 and early 2012, but the Taliban broke those contacts off. The U.S. hasn't had any direct talks with the Taliban since then, except for messages relayed back-and-forth through intermediaries, most important the government of Qatar.

Sgt. Bergdahl appears in an image taken from a video released by the Taliban. Associated Press

Last year, the Taliban opened an office in Qatar, a move backed by the U.S. as part of negotiations aimed at securing Sgt. Bergdahl's release. That effort soon bogged down in controversy and was abandoned.

Then last November, the Taliban signaled to the U.S. that it was prepared to restart indirect talks on the limited issue of a prisoner exchange. The Taliban leaders involved, however, made clear that they weren't prepared to discuss the broader issue of reconciliation, U.S. officials said.

The talks progressed relatively quickly. First, the Taliban provided the U.S. with a "proof of life"—a video released earlier this year that showed Sgt. Bergdahl alive. The Americans, in turn, agreed to release all five Afghan Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay at one time, instead of in stages.

"Several weeks ago an opportunity arose to resume talks on Bergdahl and we seized that opportunity," a senior defense official said.

The final prisoner swap negotiations were secretly conducted through Qatar, which acted as a mediator, passing messages back and forth.

Prisoner swaps have been rare, but not unprecedented, during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The Qais and Laith Qazali, two brothers accused of killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq, were released by Iraqi officials in exchange for a British hostage and the bodies of four other U.K. nationals, although the U.S. publicly denied the brothers were freed as a prisoner exchange.

—Colleen McCain Nelson contributed to this article.

Write to Adam Entous at adam.entous@wsj.com and Julian E. Barnes atjulian.barnes@wsj.com

More at: http://online.wsj.com/articles/in-prisoner-swap-taliban-releases-u-s-soldier-held-for-five-years-1401555125?tesla=y&mod=trending_now_1

Exclusive: A Microsoft Smartwatch Is Coming

(Photo via Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Microsoft is the latest technology giant preparing to jump into the wearables market, with plans to offer a sensor-rich smartwatch that measures heart rate and synchs with iPhones, Android phones and Windows Phones, Forbes has learned.

It’s a surprising development in the ongoing conversation about wearables that till now has been dominated by Samsung and Apple.

The device will draw on optical engineering expertise from Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect division to continuously measure heart rate through the day and night, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the company’s plans, while the battery will last for two days, roughly on par with Samsung’s Gear Fit.

The timeline for the watch’s release date is unclear but Microsoft could be gunning for as soon as this summer.

Crucially, it appears the smartwatch won’t just tie in with Windows Phone devices, but will also work with both iPhones and Android smartphones.

A spokesman for Microsoft would not comment on the details. “We have nothing to share,” he said.

Still, early indications suggest the smartwatch may already be a step ahead from current fitness trackers like the Gear Fit, which requires users to turn on its heart-rate monitor. Microsoft’s device will track continuous heart rate over the course of a person’s day, sources say.  The watch will look similar to the Samsung Gear Fit and feature a full-color touch screen about the size of half a stick of gum, positioned on the inside of the wearer’s wrist. The unorthodox screen-placing appears to be aimed at making it easier and more private to view notifications.

A cross-platform smartwatch would represent another bold move by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to create a product that works across other rival platforms, not just Windows. His first public unveiling of a product in April was of a suite of Microsoft Office products that worked, for the first time, on Apple’s iPad.

Microsoft’s software and services need to be available on “all devices,” Nadella also said at a conference earlier this week. “It’s time for us to build the next big thing.”

While going cross platform may diminish the power of Microsoft’s software ecosystem, it does make business sense: Windows Phone has struggled to make a dent in smartphones and is forecast to have a 3.5% share of the global smartphone market by the end of 2014, while Android will dominate with 80.2% and Apple’s iOS with 14.8%.

“Microsoft needs to run across Apple and Android platforms,” said a recent research note from Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund which collated advice from industry peers on how Nadella should “fix” Microsoft. The company, which derived about half of its 2013 sales of $77.8 billion from Windows and Office software products, needs to make shifts as fundamental as IBM’s move towards becoming a services business, Sherlund said.

Moving into the wearables space would barely register on Microsoft’s bottom line for some time, but the market is just starting to heat up, with Apple poised to announce its first iWatch later this year and Samsung expected to launch a smartwatch in the summer that can independently make calls. Wearable device companies like Fitbit are Jawbone are meanwhile commanding valuations in the billions of dollars, with Jawbone having recently become the subject of acquisition rumors.

Though Microsoft’s hardware products have a spotty history, executives will be hoping a sensor-rich smartwatch can replicate the success of the company’s Xbox and Kinect divisions, rather than the failure of the Zune music player and struggles of Microsoft’s Surface tablet.

Optical engineers from Microsoft’s Kinect division, designers and data scientists have created a software platform to go with the smartwatch that will correlate data from the device’s sensors, according to sources, giving a more accurate read on heart rate and fitness.

Samsung Electronics is currently making a Big-Data push for health and wearables too. On Wednesday the South Korean company revealed further details on its open biometric data platform SAMI, which developers can access later this year to correlate data from wearable devices like the Gear, Fitbit and Jawbone.

Microsoft may want to do something similar with the data its smartwatch generates about wearers, perhaps taking advantage of insights in can glean from Outlook email and calendar traffic.

The company also appears to be going more mainstream with its first wearables play than initially thought. Reports surfaced two years ago showing Microsoft had been granted a patent for a wearable EMG device, and they suggested a band that senses muscle movements in the arm to control a wearer’s mobile devices.

Microsoft in 2012 was also rumored to be working on a wearable fitness accessory that tied with the Kinect Play Fit service, codenamed Joule. Then in March of this year the company reportedly spent $150 million on IP-related patents for headsets and a watch-like device from the Osterhout Design Group.

It now appears that Microsoft is working on a device worn on the wrist, and one that’s aimed at a much wider market: any fitness enthusiast with a smartphone, not just a device that works with the Kinect or Windows.

Being cross-platform might give a Microsoft an edge in retail outlets for carriers like Verizon and AT&T, the latter of which made $1 billion a year in revenue from selling wearables like the Fitbit and Jawbone, according to AT&T Mobility vice president David Garver. It might be easier for sales staff to pitch a Microsoft wearable as part of a contract bundle with any smartphone, or at least phones that aren’t made by Samsung or Apple. Verizon and AT&T are under increasing pressure from T-Mobile to find creative ways to keep contract prices competitive.

Continuous heart rate could also be an attractive sell for fitness enthusiasts and those in the health care space. Dr. Michael Blum, an associate vice chancellor for informatics at UCSF, says the rise of continuous biometric monitoring through wearables will lead to a new class of data for healthcare professionals to parse through, which Blum calls “novel vital signs.” Once basic measurements like heart rate are validated as accurate, clinicians from the health care space can start to take that data more seriously, he added.

On its own, though, some say measuring heart rate may not be a strong enough sell for wearables just yet, at least not until devices can make a value judgement or compelling correlations with that data.

By itself the data won’t necessarily help a wearable device pass the so-called “turnaround test,” says Mike Lee, co-founder of the popular nutrition tracking app MyFitnessPal. This test refers to a situation where someone gets half-way to a destination before realizing they’ve forgotten their device at home. If they turn back to get it, the device has passed the test.

Most people would turn around for their smartphones, but fewer would do the same for wearables or even the few like the Gear Fit that measure heart rate. ”The key is what you do with that data,” says Lee, “and how you bring it back to consumers.”

The Catch 22 for Microsoft and any software firm selling new insights into a person’s physical body, is that drawing truly useful conclusions also takes them down a slippery slope towards diagnosis — and the specter of being regulated by the FDA.

Third parties who are already regulated might be the answer in this case, and with a fitness-related smartwatch project, Microsoft could conceivably draw on its healthcare joint venture with General Electric, called Caradigm.

The population health company, which is 50% owned by Microsoft, currently works with hospitals and doctors to manage patient health data and analyze risks like re-admissions. It’s unclear if Microsoft would want Caradigm to play a role in the future of its smartwatch, or if Microsoft will want to work with another regulated third party to offer fitness suggestions or light forms of diagnosis to the band’s future users.

The bigger picture is that with a continuous heart rate monitor, Microsoft would be moving wearable devices further ahead to “consumerized” healthcare. This is the trend in which people are increasingly circumventing the traditional health-care system with tools to diagnose themselves and, some argue, “own” their biometric data. (Ironically, it comes at a time when today’stechnology-driven, sedentary lifestyle has also led to 2.1 billion people across the world being classed as overweight or obese, according to a study released today in the Lancent medical journal.)

In terms of self-diagnosis, people till now have simply Googled their ailments and followed a series of links to frightening articles about cancer. Now they can measure precise data about themselves and show it a machine, or another human being who may skirt the boundaries of the health care system.

For example, the online service HealthTap lets its more-than 1 million registered users post short, anonymous questions (limited to 150 characters) to a community of 40,000 doctors who can vote on each others’ answers. Users who pay a fee can upload their health records and other information to show those doctors.

Founder Ron Gutmann believes doctors of the future “will have to become data scientists” to properly analyze the stats coming in from multiple sources, such as heart rate and sleep data from wearable devices and nutrition data from apps like Runkeeper or MyFitnessPal. “Doctors will spend less time on the minutiae and spend more time on analyzing these streams of data,” he said.

Follow me on Twitter: @Parmy

Moreat: http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2014/05/29/exclusive-a-microsoft-smartwatch-is-coming/

Portland Apple Store opening: Watch Apple fans explain why they got in line at 4 a.m. (video)

Portland Apple Store: Crowd awaits opening of new downtown storeJustin Seekatz says he arrived at 4 a.m. to be there when the doors open on the new downtown Portland Apple Store. He said he was there to celebrate the innovative culture of Apple, the store's impressive architecture and to get a free T-shirt

When a cramped Apple Store opened in the Pioneer Place basement in 2005 -- in a time without the iPhone or the iPad -- several hundred fans lined up to see the company's first branded retail stop in downtown Portland.

The turnout for Saturday's opening of a stunning 23,000-square-foot upgrade at street level was even more impressive. And it wasn't just the spirit of Steve Jobs shinning down his geeky masses. There was sunshine -- a lot of it. 

Just before the 10 a.m. opening of the giant box of a store -- all glass, blonde wood and polished metal beneath a glowing Apple logo -- about 500 people stretched around the block.

See, said the die-hard Apple fans, perish the thought that some of the cool has rubbed off the world's coolest technology company.

"And I don't think Apple publicized this one as much," said a middle-aged man moving his fingers across an iPad screen. "I just got a brief email about the opening."

Of course, very few people in line were actually there to buy an Apple laptop or gadget. Everyone seemed to have plenty of those already. Most of them wanted a gray T-shirt, which would be handed out to the first 1,000 people steeping through the portal under a glowing Apple logo.

Apple and its customers were given a lot more elbow room Saturday morning with the 10 a.m. opening of a big, glassy new store in one of downtown Portland's premier retail spots, running the length of a city block kitty corner from Pioneer Courthouse. It replaces a Saks Fifth Avenue that Portland had worked hard to bring downtown, then lost in 2010 when the upscale retailer proved a bad fit for the city. (MARK GRAVES/THE OREGONIAN)

Mark Graves | mgraves@oregonian.com

Apple hands out free commemorative T-shirts at every new store opening. Apple fans wear them like Grateful Dead fans sport concert shirts. 

Steve Riggins of Vancouver said he was there in part to see if the allure of a free shirt and cutting edge retail architecture could draw the kind of crowds that the opening of Microsoft's Windows got with a free Weezer concert last summer.

"I do like to stand line and be a part of big events," Riggins said.

In case you're wondering, the first people in line started showing up about 4 a.m.

And as the video above shows, some of them had a tough putting the draw of a new Apple Store into words.

-- Joseph Rose

A close up of the green vegetation growing on the building's roof. Apple's new store across the street from Pioneer Place in downtown Portland, nearly three years in the making, looks just about ready to go. Apple's signature glass frame remains enclosed behind black barriers, but the rest of the building and the surrounding plaza are emerging even as work crews continue to swarm the site. (MARK GRAVES/THE OREGONIAN)

Mark Graves |mgraves@oregonian.com

More at: http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2014/05/apple_confirms_new_downtown_po.html

5 great Android apps that do amazing things the iPhone can’t (May 2014)

By Zach Epstein on May 28, 2014 at 11:10 AM

Email @zacharye

Welcome to the fourth installment in BGR’s popular series on great Android apps that do amazing things the iPhone cannot. Earlier posts in this series have highlighted some phenomenal Android apps including Profile Scheduler, Cover, Aviate and one of my favorite Android apps, AirDroid.

Thanks to Android’s flexibility and versatility, there are plenty more where those came from.

Looking for more awesome Android apps? Be sure to check out our earlier posts in this series.

This time around, we have some real gems for you, but there are thousands of other apps out there that might fit the bill. Feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me a note on Twitter if you know a good app that should be featured in this series.

In the meantime, here are five great Android apps you should check out right away.

Most users don’t realize this, but the lock screen is one of Android’s greatest and most powerful assets.

On the iPhone, the lock screen displays a phone, the time, the date and a list of notifications. All of that information is useful, of course, but what if there is other information that might be even more useful to some users?

That’s the beauty of Android.

Maybe I want to see recent tweets on my lock screen. Maybe you want shortcuts to certain apps. Maybe your friend Billy wants his Facebook news feed. Maybe Billy’s sister Molly wants her friends’ Flickr photos.

The lock screen is the first thing you see each time you turn your phone on, and it should display exactly what you want it to display.

There are a number of Android apps that give users more control over their lock screens, and one of my favorites is Start.

Start is a complete reimagining of the lock screen, rather than a widget or a skin. It transforms the start screen on your device from a simple lock screen to a hub with up to 24 app shortcuts and a wide range of data from services like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and plenty more.

Here’s a quick feature list:

• Enjoy excellent performance with no delays
• Easily launch up to 24 apps of your choice or just let our smart algorithm set it automatically for you
• On Screen quick access configuration with a long press
• Stream your social media feeds with a single swipe
• Launch the camera and any related app
• Call/text/email your friends and family without unlocking your phone
• Get your favorite content from hundreds of sources
• Select your favorite theme or use your own personal picture as a background
• Chose and configure our widgets e.g. date, time and battery meter
• Switch between ring/vibrate/mute and unlock your phone with cool sliders

Start is completely free in Google’s Play store. Of note, the image at the top of this post shows an upcoming new version of Start that is currently in closed beta.

Dragon Mobile Assistant

Siri is a great service for many users, but what if there’s an even better option out there?

There are a few other voice assistant services out there for iOS devices, but they’re all just normal apps. If you want to use one, you have to launch the app. It can do a few things in the background in order to enhance your experience, but not to the extent that Siri can.

On Android, it’s a different story.

Google Now is wonderful, but what if there’s something even more wonderful available? Well, on Android, you can install the voice assistant of your choice and it can take over your phone and offer functionality that is just as versatile as Google Now.

One voice assistant app worth checking out is Dragon Mobile Assistant.

Created by Nuance Communications, one of the many companies Apple partnered with to create Siri, Dragon Mobile Assistant is a similar personal assistant that can answer questions and do your bidding.

Best of all, it can replace Google Now on your phone so it’s always running and always available. Just swipe up from the bottom of your screen and instead of getting Google Now, you’ll open Dragon.

Here’s a quick video that shows off some key features:

Dragon Mobile Assistant is a free download from the Google Play store.

HD Widgets

Ahh, widgets. Android has them, iOS doesn’t.

Widgets have an upside and a downside, the former being limitless functionality enhancements and the latter being battery drain. Ask most Android users and they’ll tell you that the pros far outweigh the cons.

HD Widgets is a fantastic example of an app that adds wonderfully designed widgets to your smartphone or tablet that are fully customizable and very flexible. In fact, you can even download additional add-ons and themes for HD Widgets from the Play store.

As-is, however, HD Widgets makes more than 100 gorgeous widgets available on your device that display the time, date, current weather, forecast, utility controls and plenty more. There are also tons of different designs and sizes available.

HD Widgets costs $1.99 on Google Play, and there are plenty of free add-ons to enhance it.

Agent

Agent is an app that features functionality every smartphone should have right out of the box.

In a nutshell, Agent is a great app that makes your smartphone smarter. The software features five different “agents” that are designed to automate and improve various aspects of your smartphone experience.

From the app’s description:

★ Drive Agent is triggered by bluetooth and motion sensing (activity detection). It can be configured to read SMS messages aloud, respond with voice, auto respond to texters and callers to let them know you’re driving (editable message) & only respond to your own hand-picked list

★ Battery Agent triggers at a percentage you choose. It helps conserve battery by giving you the option to turn off bluetooth, dim your screen and reverts back to normal settings automatically when you charge your phone. Will also let you know how much battery it saved you.

★ Parking Agent remembers where you parked, based off your speed or bluetooth connection. Will remember your last five parking spots

★Meeting Agent syncs with your calendar to silence/ put your phone on vibrate when you don’t want to be disturbed. It can be configured to activate for busy events only, gives you the ability to specify your working week so that it only syncs with your calendar on days and times you prefer, works with shared calendars and auto responds to selected contacts during these “busy” events.

★ Sleep Agent will silence your phone automatically when you go to sleep. You can configure sleep times for different days of the week, minutes of inactivity before activating, auto response to selected callers and texters during your sleeping hours, list of contacts that can wake you & Bluetooth, autosync, wifi and mobile data deactivation.

The best part? Agent is completely free in the Android app store.

Smart IR Remote

There are 1,000 different remote apps for iOS that let users control 1,000 different devices. How about one app that let’s you control 700,000 different devices?

Smart IR Remote is a terrific app for any android device with a built-in infrared blaster. Examples include what are likely the two best Android phones in the world right now: The Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One (M8).

Once you’ve got the blaster, you’re good to go. Smart IR Remote can control any device in its data base, which includes more than 700,000 devices. It also supports air gestures, macros, widgets, combining remotes, “floating remotes” that can can remain available on every screen when the app is closed, and plenty more.

And with the HTC One (M8) and some other devices, there is also a learning function that allows you to program custom buttons (or completely custom remotes).

Smart IR Remote is $6.99 in the Google Play store, which is much cheaper than any universal remote on the market.

Check out our earlier posts in this series for more great Android apps you won’t know how you ever lived without!

Missing MH370 jet search area ruled out

(Photo: Rufus Cox, Getty Images)

Acoustic signals thought to be linked to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have been ruled out as related to the final resting place of the vanished plane, investigators leading the search said Thursday.

The U.S. Navy's Bluefin 21 finished its final underwater mission in the southern Indian Ocean on Wednesday after scouring 330 square miles, the Australian-based Joint Agency Coordination Center said.

"The area can now be discounted as the final resting place of MH370," the JACC said in a statement.

The agency said that an expanded search of 21,600 sq. miles, based on satellite analysis of the plane's most likely route, would probably begin in August after commercial side-scan sonar operators are contracted.

That search is expected to last 12 months.

Earlier, U.S. Navy spokesman Chris Johnson dismissed comments made by ocean engineering expert Michael Dean to CNN that acoustic "pings" heard in the area in April did not come from the jet's black boxes. Dean had said those "pings" came from a source unrelated to the jet.

"Mike Dean's comments today were speculative and premature," Johnson said in a statement. Washington-based Dean could not be immediately reached for comment.

The plane carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew vanished on March 8 on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Two-thirds of those traveling on the plane were from China.

Authorities believe the jet diverted sharply from its flight path and flew south to the Indian Ocean. But not a single piece of the missing Boeing 777 has been found in one of aviation's most baffling mysteries.

On Tuesday, the Malaysian government made public 47 pages of raw satellite data used to conclude that the jet crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.

Contributing: Associated Press

What countries does the U.S. borrow from? Ask USA TODAY

(Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)

When you hear about the United States borrowing money, you probably assume that money is being borrowed from China. Would you be surprised to hear that the U.S. actually borrows the most from its own citizens?

If you buy a U.S. Treasury security or bond, you're essentially loaning the government money.

How exactly does this system work? Do we borrow from other countries as well? USA TODAY Money reporter John Waggoner answers these questions and more in the video below.

Have a question of your own? Send it to us using #askusatoday on Twitter, or via e-mail using askusatoday@usatoday.com.

Money reporter John Waggoner explains how the United States borrows from its own citizens in the form of securities and bonds. Have a question of your own? Send it to us using #askusatoday on Twitter.