NEW YORK (Reuters) - The yen slid to a 4-1/2-year low against the dollar on Friday, triggering a sell-off in oil and gold as well as safe-haven U.S. and German debt, after recent signs of strength in the U.S. labor market added to bullish sentiment on the dollar.

Wall Street surged at day's end, pushing both the Dow and the S&P 500 to record closing highs.

Data on bond holdings in Japan showed the Japanese were buying more foreign assets, and the yen's collapse reverberated throughout financial markets. Conflicting signals about how investors view the economic outlook added to the yen's wide impact.

The greenback rallied broadly as recent data indicating an improving U.S. jobs market sparked speculation the Federal Reserve may scale back monetary easing. The policy was designed to bolster the economy, and it also has lifted the stock market.

The firmer dollar pressured oil, as the strength of the dollar makes commodities more expensive for holders of other currencies. The fall in oil was intensified by rising supplies and doubts over the strength of China's economy.

"There are two fundamental themes. The first is that despite signs of slower U.S. growth here in the second quarter, the U.S.

labor market continues to improve," said Marc Chandler, head of global currency strategy and Brown Brothers Harriman in New York.

"The second is the news reported in Tokyo ... that Japanese investors turned buyers of foreign bonds," he said, calling it an important signal for the "yen bears."

The bearish investors were already selling the yen on expectations that Japanese investors would sell as the Bank of Japan's stimulus measures displaced them from the local bond market, Chandler said.

The Japanese currency fell to 101.98 yen per dollar, the lowest since October 2008. The dollar was last at 101.56 yen, up 0.97 percent on the day.

With the Japanese currency breaching the 100 level, analysts expect the yen to fall further. Some see the dollar rising to 105 yen this summer and to 110 by the end of the year.

JAPAN'S LONG-AWAITED FORAY ABROAD

Overnight data showed that Japanese investors had bought 309.9 billion yen in foreign bonds in the week through May 4 after purchasing 204.4 billion yen in the prior week, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Equities in Europe closed higher, while Wall Street stocks staged a late rally and all three major indexes posted gains for a third straight week.

German Bunds slid to their lowest level in over a month as Bund futures, which hit a record high of 147.20 last week, fell more than a point to a low of 144.43 and were on course for their biggest one-week fall since March 10.

Bund futures settled down 121 ticks at 144.66.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note was down 23/32 in price to yield 1.893 percent.

The slump in the Japanese currency was sparked by a drop in weekly U.S. jobless claims data on Thursday, which added to evidence of a rapidly improving employment market first seen in the prior week's nonfarm payrolls report.

The move was given a further push by the data on Japanese investors' foreign bond purchases. The data confirmed widespread expectations that the Bank of Japan's aggressive stimulus plans would result in a massive flight of money out of the country in a search for higher-yielding investments.

"We've had back-to-back good news in U.S. figures and you have to wind the clock back six to eight weeks to find the last time we had that," said Nick Parsons, head of market strategy at

National Australia Bank.

"Once we got through 100 (yen) and the Japanese bond buying data came out, that added fuel to the fire," he said.

The yen's move came as finance ministers and central bankers of the Group of 7 countries gathered for a two-day meeting near London, to discuss ways to stimulate growth, with currency movements likely to be one of the main topics on the agenda.

Stocks on Wall Street gained as a rise in Google Incand other technology shares offset a slide in energy shares.

Nvidia Corpand Priceline.com Incrose a day after reporting quarterly results. Both companies beat profit expectations, even as Priceline gave a second-quarter outlook that disappointed.

"We're getting more constructive on the second half of the year as both the market and the economy are picking up," said Terry DuFrene, investment specialist for JP Morgan Private Bank in New Orleans.

"While it has caught us by surprise how much markets have come up, and we might see a decline of 5 percent, we don't see any meaningful pullback ahead," DuFrene said.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 35.87 points, or 0.24 percent, at 15,118.49. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 7.03 points, or 0.43 percent, at 1,633.70. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 27.41 points, or 0.80 percent, at 3,436.58.

MSCI's world equity index, which tracks stocks in 45 countries, was down 0.07 percent, but ended a third week of gains at a five-year high.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares closed up 0.35 percent at 1,233.49.

Oil fell heavily on the firmer dollar, with the June contract for North Sea Brent falling to $101.45 a barrel before trimming some losses.

Brent crude oil settled down 56 cents at $103.91. U.S. crude eased 35 cents to settle at $96.04 a barrel.

Spot gold fell as low as $1,420.60 an ounce.

U.S. Comex gold futures for June delivery settled down $32 at $1,436.60 an ounce.

(Reporting by Herbert Lash; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Fire crews took advantage of improved conditions as the high winds and hot, dry air of recent days were replaced by the normal Pacific air, significantly reducing fire activity.

The 44-square-mile blaze at the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains was 60 percent surrounded.

Full containment was expected Monday, according to Ventura County fire officials.

The progress led authorities to lift all remaining evacuation orders.

"We've really transitioned from a fire attack to a mop-up patrol," Nick Schuler, battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told the Ventura County Star.

One firefighter was injured in the Newbury Park area while battling the blaze and was taken to a hospital, the newspaper said.

The National Weather Service said an approaching low pressure system would bring a 20 percent chance of showers Sunday afternoon, with the likelihood increasing into the night and on Monday.

Nearly 2,000 firefighters using engines, bulldozers and aircraft worked to corral the blaze.

Firefighting efforts were focused on the fire's east side, rugged canyons that are a mix of public and private lands.

The change in the weather was also expected to bring gusty winds to some parts of Southern California, but well away from the fire area.

Despite its size and speed of growth, the fire that broke out Thursday and quickly moved through neighborhoods of Camarillo Springs and Thousand Oaks has caused damage to just 15 homes, though it has threatened thousands.

The fire also swept through Point Mugu State Park, a hiking and camping area that sprawls between those communities and the ocean. Park district Superintendent Craig Sap said two old, unused ranch-style homes in the backcountry burned. Restrooms and campgrounds also were damaged. Sap estimated repairs would cost $225,000.

Grateful residents hung signs thanking firefighters for saving their homes.

The blaze is one of more than 680 wildfires in the state so far this year about 200 more than average.

East of Los Angeles in Riverside County, a new fire that broke out Saturday afternoon burned 650 acres of wilderness south of Banning. It was 75 percent contained Sunday. Banning has been flanked by a nearly 5-square-mile fire to the north which destroyed one home shortly after it broke out Wednesday. That fire was fully contained late Saturday.

In Northern California, a fire that has blackened 11 square miles of wilderness in Tehama County was a threat to a pair of commercial properties near the community of Butte Meadows, according to Cal Fire.

Thunderstorms were expected to bring erratic winds but little rain to the area about 200 miles north of San Francisco.

Nearly 1,300 firefighters were on the lines and the blaze, which started Wednesday, was 40 percent contained.

A new study reveals that a nutrient called l-carnitine, which is found in red meat and is also popular as a dietary supplement, may also play a role in the development of heart disease.

In a series of experiments in people and mice, scientists for the first time demonstrated that carnitine from foods as well as from supplements influenced cardiovascular risk.

"We now have an understanding of a new nutritional pathway that helps explain the long-standing recognition of a link between ," said study researcher Dr. Stanley Hazen, section head of preventive cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. The pathway involves the gut bacteria that metabolize carnitine in people who regularly eat meat, he said.

Hazen and his research team suspected there must be something else in red meat, besides its , that explains its association with heart disease. "This study suggests carnitine may be a piece of this link," he said.

The findings were published online today (April 7) in the journal Nature Medicine.

A carnitine connection

Two years ago, Hazen and his research team discovered that microorganisms in the intestines can convert substances found in choline, a common dietary fat, to a by-product known as TMAO, trimethylamine-N-oxide.

This new study looked at l-carnitine, which has a similar chemical structure to choline.

Carnitine is a nutrient found at high levels in red meat, but fish, poultry, milk and other dairy products are also good food sources of it. Carnitine is also a popular over-the-counter diet supplement, often billed as helping to boost energy and . It's found in some energy drinks and muscle milks.

The researchers looked at fasting levelsof blood carnitine in nearly 2,600 men and women. The findings showed that carnitine levels could quite strongly predict participant's risk of existing , as well as the risk of having a major cardiac event, such as heart attack, stroke, or death over a three-year period, but only in adults who had high blood levels of TMAO.

Hazen's group also compared mice fed their normal chow, which is basically a vegetarian diet, with mice whose food was supplemented with carnitine.

"We saw that carnitine supplements doubled the rates of atherosclerosis in the mice," Hazen said. It did this by dramatically increasing levels of TMAO, which is produced by gut bacteria that metabolize l-carnitine.

As for how carnitine in red meat may be linked with heart disease, Hazen explained that chronic ingestion of carnitine fundamentally shifts the . "It's changing it in a way that will make you more prone to heart disease," he said. Eating carnitine causes more cholesterol to be deposited onto artery walls, and less to be eliminated from the body.

What to do

Besides looking at animal models, researchers also looked at what happens when people eat carnitine, comparing 51 people who normally eat meat to 23 people who were vegetarian or vegan (who consume no animal products). The researchers found that adults who avoid meat and eat fewer animal products produced much lower concentrations of TMAO in the blood compared with the meat eaters.

"If you're eating a lot of red meat, this study argues to consider cutting back," Hazen said. He recommended decreasing the frequency of eating red meat, and its portion size.

For people taking carnitine supplements, Hazen said he's unaware of a compelling study that shows a dramatic benefit from them. And taking the supplement could be influencing a person's long-term risk of heart disease, he suggested.

Pass it on: A compound called carnitine found in in red meat and supplements may increase the risk of heart disease.

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Both of them are senior to me in rank and age, and they pooh-pooh the notion that anything but water vapor is being exhaled. Am I making something out of nothing, or should I be worried about this? -- CLEAN AIR

DEAR CLEAN AIR: You don't have anything to worry about, but your co-workers may. In 2009, the FDA announced the findings from a laboratory analysis that indicated that electronic cigarettes expose users to harmful chemical ingredients, including carcinogens. However, those elements were not detected in exhaled vapor.

DEAR ABBY: The woman who collaborated with me on this letter is in her 80s and lives at an assisted-living facility. I am a caregiver and a senior myself, and I have worked in this area for six years.

We read your column on the days I care for her. She loves it and responds verbally to all the letters. Many times the situations spark good conversation, even though her short-term memory is failing. Sometimes we end up howling with laughter. She's a delight and has the courage to still seek out relationships.

This is what she asked me to help her to communicate. -- KATE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

DEAR ABBY: I have been in assisted living for seven years. There are times when it can be lonely and boring. I'd like to meet some men for companionship, conversation and perhaps romance. The men here act so much older than me. They don't start conversations. They stay in their rooms and watch TV and don't seem interested in conversations.

It's hard because my memory isn't what it used to be, but I do remember how nice it was to have male companionship. Do you have any ideas to make my life a little more interesting? -- LONELY WOMAN

DEAR LONELY: Start by making sure you participate in all the activities your assisted-living facility offers. Shared mealtimes and holiday celebrations also present opportunities to mingle.

The trick is to find something you have in common with these men -- sports, games, music, movies. Because long-term memory outlasts short-term memory, some of them might find it easier to discuss their youth than the present.

Encourage your caregiver, Kate, to take you places where you can meet other seniors. And while you're at it, why not invite some of the men to join you both during your Dear Abby sessions? It's a way to draw people out and get to know them better.

DEAR ABBY: After a six-month separation, my husband and I are reuniting. We were married for 22 years. I know for a fact he has dated and slept with several women. He's adamant that he used protection each time, but the idea of STDs has me preoccupied and worried. I have asked him to use protection with me until I get over my fear.

How long do most of today's STDs incubate, and what is a safe time to wait to remove the "rain gear"? -- LONGING FOR CONTACT

DEAR LONGING: Congratulations on your reunion. Rather than worry about this, ask your husband to schedule a doctor's appointment and be tested for any STD he might have contracted. Not all STDs have the same incubation period, but a blood test could resolve the issue and put your mind at ease.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order "How to Have a Lovely Wedding." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said the SEC network will produce 1,000 live events each year, including 450 televised on the network and 550 distributed digitally. Slive says the network will carry approximately 45 SEC football games each year "and a depth of content across all sports."

No financial terms were released for the deal, which continues through 2034.

The announcement came at a news conference attended by Slive, ESPN President John Skipper, 32 SEC coaches and each of the league's 14 athletic directors. The emphasis was this is to be a national network.

"We believe this conference has national appeal," Skipper said. "This is a national network. This is not a regional network. We understand that in the 11-state footprint is where the most passionate fans are, but there are a lot of SEC fans in California and Texas and New York and Connecticut and Virginia and Nebraska."

The league's coaches and athletic directors said having the national network will make all sports more attractive.

"In volleyball, we may want to go after players in California or in the Midwest," said Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity. "Now they can see the SEC is going to have a broadcast of Georgia-Florida volleyball match on ESPN on Tuesday night at 9 o'clock. That's the type of stuff you can only dream about. Now we have it unfolding.

"Football, obviously, that's already well-populated. What it does for your Olympic sports is just immeasurable."

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari, who already has a national recruiting base, said the network will make all SEC schools more attractive to national recruits.

"Everybody's recruiting stretches out because they already may want to play against Florida and Kentucky and everybody here, but being in the SEC means if you come with us, you're not a regional player, you're national," Calipari said. "You don't have to worry you have to stay home because that's your fan base. Your fan base is national. You don't have to worry about regional fan bases. You can go out and create what you want to create."

Still, there was no doubt what sport drove the deal football.

Calipari acknowledged he felt left out as he sat on the stage and heard only football-related questions. Asked where basketball fit in the SEC picture, Calipari said "I don't know. How many men's basketball questions were there today? Did we have any? No.

"In the room it was either they wanted to know about money, percentages or what it did with football. I was ready to stand up 'Can I ask a basketball question?' I almost did it, just to do it. Then I said no, I don't want to embarrass anybody."

Georgia football coach Mark Richt said the network should be another empowering tool for the SEC, already the national power with seven straight national championships.

"I don't think there's any doubt," Richt said. "It's not a regional network. It's a national network. It's going to appeal to people of all ages, including the people we're going to be recruiting. My guess is there will be content there that will showcase our players, showcase our facilities and showcase our coaching staff and what we've done in recent past and what we want to do in the future. It can only help us."

Slive also would not discuss details of the ownership arrangement with the SEC and ESPN.

"We would not have done this if we did not believe it would be in the long-term benefit of the league, both in terms of distribution and in terms of revenue," Slive said.

"We're both happy," Slive said.

The Big Ten and Pac 12 also have established networks, but Slive said the SEC's partnership with ESPN is different.

"What's unique and never been done before is partnering with our primary rights holder, which will allow us to move events seamlessly between various platforms," Slive said.

The SEC signed a 15-year deal with CBS in 2008. CBS will still have the first choice of SEC football games.

ESPN senior vice president Justin Connolly said AT&T U-Verse has signed on as the network's first distributor. He said talks are just beginning with other possible cable partners.

Connolly said the deal also gives ESPN rights to oversee the league's corporate partner program. In addition, ESPN will manage and run all of the SEC's digital platforms.

The Plano, Texas, retailer began selling the goods last week under the brand "JCP Everyday."

On Tuesday, the New York State Supreme Court's Appellate Division, First Department, denied Macy's request for a preliminary injunction blocking sale of the goods while a court battle continues over rights to the products.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

Gov. Lincoln Chafee planned to sign gay marriage legislation into law Thursday evening, immediately following a final procedural vote in the state's General Assembly. The outcome of the vote is not in doubt.

Hundreds are expected to gather at the Statehouse to celebrate the new law, which has already passed the House and Senate once. The first weddings could take place Aug. 1, when the new law would take effect.

The other five New England states already have gay marriage, but bills that would have changed marriage laws in heavily Catholic Rhode Island sputtered for nearly 20 years until this year. More gay marriage supporters were elected to the legislature last fall, and advocates mounted an aggressive lobbying campaign to pressure undecided lawmakers.

The House passed the bill in January at the behest of House Speaker Gordon Fox, D-Providence, who is gay. The Senate was seen as the bigger challenge, but the bill passed easily last week after Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, said she would allow a vote despite her opposition to gay marriage.

Thursday was an especially sweet day for the many gay and lesbian Rhode Islanders who have worked for years to pass gay marriage in the nation's smallest state.

Jenn Steinfeld, one of the co-founders of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, began her relationship with her partner 13 years ago after the two, then acquaintances, saw each other at one of the many legislative hearings on gay marriage. Steinfeld has watched the movement grow from a few people into thousands of volunteers, many of whom are not gay or lesbian.

"When we started, I knew every single person in our database," she said. "Now I go to events and I don't know anybody. I think that's wonderful. Seeing the tide change, seeing people who aren't personally affected support us, it's just been amazing."

Once the new law takes effect, civil unions in Rhode Island would no longer be available to same-sex couples, though the state would continue to recognize existing civil unions. Lawmakers approved civil unions two years ago, though few couples have sought them.

The Vatican said 103 of the 115 voting-age cardinals attended Monday's inaugural session of the pre-conclave meetings, at which cardinals organize the election process, discuss the problems of the church and get to know one another before voting.

The red-capped "princes" of the church took an oath of secrecy and decided to pen a letter of "greeting and gratitude" to Benedict XVI, whose resignation has thrown the church into turmoil amid a torrent of scandals inside and out of the Vatican.

"I would imagine that as we move along there will be questioning of cardinals involved in the governing of the Curia to see what they think has to be changed, and in that context anything can come up," said U.S. Cardinal Francis George.

The Vatican's administrative shortcomings were thrust into stark relief last year with the publication of documents stolen from Benedict XVI's desk that exposed the petty infighting, turf battles and allegations of corruption, nepotism and cronyism in the highest echelons of the Catholic Church.

The pope's butler was convicted of stealing the papers and leaking them to a journalist; he eventually received a papal pardon.

The emeritus pope, meanwhile, remained holed up at the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, his temporary retirement home while the discussions on picking his successor kick into gear in Rome.

No date has been set yet for the conclave and one may not be decided on officially for a few more days; the dean of the College of Cardinals has said a date won't be finalized until all the cardinals have arrived.

Twelve more voting-age cardinals were en route to Rome; some had previously scheduled speaking engagements, others were due in later Monday or in the coming days, the Vatican said. Their absence, however, didn't otherwise delay the conclave's preparations.

Speculation has mounted that the conclave might begin around March 11, with the aim of having a new pope installed by March 17, the Sunday before Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week.

With 115 electors, 77 votes are needed to reach the two-thirds majority to be elected pope.

Those who were in Rome prayed together Monday, chatted over coffee and took an oath to maintain "rigorous secrecy with regard to all matters in any way related to the election of the Roman Pontiff."

The core agenda item is to set the date for the conclave and put in place the procedures to prepare for it, including closing the Sistine Chapel to visitors and getting the Vatican hotel cleared out and swept for bugs or other electronic monitoring devices, lest anyone try to listen in on the cardinals' secret conversations.

Yet the first day of discussion was rocked by new revelations of scandal after Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien admitted that his "sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal."

O'Brien last week resigned as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh and said he wouldn't participate in the conclave after four men came forward with allegations that he had acted inappropriately with them the first time a cardinal has stayed away from a conclave because of personal scandal.

The Vatican on Monday refused to confirm whether it was investigating O'Brien, even though the Scottish church's press office said the allegations had been forwarded to the Vatican and that it expected Rome would pursue the case.

Pressed to respond to reports of a fifth accuser who reportedly approached the Vatican directly in October with accusations, a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Thomas Rosica, read O'Brien's statement admitting to sexual misconduct and said the Vatican would say no more.

The Vatican and cardinals attending the session said the O'Brien case didn't come up during formal or informal conversations.

"It's a tragic moment for him," George said.

At a briefing discussing the priorities for the future pontificate, George said the next pope will have to follow canon law and keep priests who molested children out of parishes.

"He obviously has to accept the universal code of the church which is zero tolerance for anyone who has ever abused a minor child and therefore may not remain in public ministry in the church," George said. "That has to be accepted. I don't think that will be a problem."

Separately, the Vatican is still reeling from the fallout of the scandal over leaked papal documents, and the investigation by three cardinals into who was behind it.

American cardinals seem particularly keen to get to the bottom of the Vatican dysfunction, and they have had access to a very knowledgeable tutor, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Vatican's ambassador to Washington.

Vigano's letters to the pope were the most explosive leaks of documents last year; in them, Vigano pleaded with Benedict not to be transferred after exposing alleged corruption in the awarding of Vatican contracts that cost the Holy See millions of euros (dollars).

Vigano was named the Vatican's ambassador to Washington, and as such has been able to give U.S. cardinals a clear-eyed view of the true state of the Vatican, said Corriere della Sera commentator Massimo Franco.

"They have appreciated him very much because he doesn't read the Vatican situation with a rosy lens, a rosy view," Franco said in an interview.

In his new book "The Crisis of the Vatican Empire," Franco paints a portrait of a Vatican completely falling apart, with financial scandals at its bank, backstabbing among its ruling class and the sex abuse scandal discrediting the church on the global stage.

"If we think of the pope, in a way the pope decided to sacrifice himself because he couldn't change anything," Franco said.

Coupled with the upheaval of Benedict's resignation, the scandals have contributed to create one of the most unclear papal elections in recent times.

"It will be a very open conclave with a very unpredictable outcome," Franco said.

In one of his last audiences before resigning, Benedict gave the three cardinals who investigated the leaks the go-ahead to answer their colleagues' questions about the results of their investigation.

"There are members of the College of Cardinals who are interested in having information that has to do with the situation in the Curia and the church in general and will ask to be informed by their colleagues," Lombardi said.

___

Trisha Thomas and Rachel Zoll contributed to this report.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Engadget's Tim Stevens says the new OS, BlackBerry 10, :

The main feature of BlackBerry 10 is easy multitasking, primarily facilitated by gestures. Swiping up from the bottom bezel of the phone drops you back to your running apps and, as mentioned above, that's actually a bit of a challenge given the proximity of the keyboard to the display. Swipe up and to the right and you get to the BlackBerry Hub, which consumes all your messages from email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, BBM and elsewhere into one massive, fast-flowing pile. []

Sadly, none of the refinements in BB10.1 can magically populate BlackBerry's app catalog. They're doing okay — there are 100,000 apps in BlackBerry World now — but "okay" isn't going to get them Netflix or Vine. It remains to be seen whether BlackBerry 10 will ever attract enough developer interest to really thrive, but easy porting of Android apps (which can sometimes have a less-than-optimal experience) seems to be helping a little. []

Looking at the Q10's design invokes mixed feelings. The front of the smartphone seems clean and almost modern, but the back feels tacky with a half-rubberized, half-sticky texture. BlackBerry says the back parts of the phone are made out of weaved glass, giving it a carbon fiber look and comparable durability.

It's an interesting application, but I think there's a reason why we haven't seen this material used on phones before and that's because of the feel. But more importantly, every single bit of dust, dirt, hair or any other particle that touches it gets stuck on the surface. []

The phone's design is an update of the Bold, with nearly the same physical keyboard that many users declared would have to be pried from their cold, overworked hands. BlackBerry has ditched the concave keyboard layout and instead placed the letters straight across the face of the phone. It may seem like a radical change, but in reality, after about five minutes of typing, your fingers will feel at home.

The new keyboard also feels crisper. The keys have been made ever-so-slightly larger, giving each key a more pronounced presence. The metal railings separating the rows are also slightly bigger. It's a nice change for old-school BlackBerry fans. []

Overall, the Q10's camera is a solid performer. It won't win any low-light awards, and that's putting it lightly, but it can still manage to take some amazing shots, which look even more amazing with the slightly exaggerated color rendering of the OLED display. []

It's also a much nicer screen than ever before: The 3.1-inch, 720 x 720-resolution Super AMOLED screen is bright, crisp and responsive to touches and flicks. However, the screen is smaller than I would have liked and I'll admit that at times I was looking for the classic BlackBerry trackpad. []

The battery lasted longer than a regular business day, which is crucial on a business-minded smartphone. With lighter use (a typical weekend day where you're not constantly checking the phone, because fun) the battery lasted 27 hours. Of course, the 2100mAh battery can be replaced during the day if you're the type of person who's on the phone non-stop. Which of course is the type of person who wants the Q10. []

The BlackBerry Q10 is unique among smartphones, with its square display and hardware keyboard. And BlackBerry knows that it will appeal to a certain kind of consumer. What I found in using it, is that I actually gravitated towards tasks that were productive — zapping my inbox overload, typing up actual complete paragraphs for longer posts (I've never used another smartphone to do that), using the newly-ported Skype app to stay in touch with teammates. This is a business phone, and an unabashed one, and in a world where we often want our devices to do everything for us, a little focus is actually a very refreshing thing. []

So the Q10 scores a victory, but it's a pyrrhic one. As good as many of the features of the Q10 are, it's not a phone I could recommend to anyone but the diehard few who were already lining up for it. []

View this article onGetIssues of The Week

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NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) - For years, Apple Inc was a stock investor's dream regardless of the market environment. But now concern about the iPhone maker's growth has made many investors wary about a big share swing after its earnings are released on Tuesday.

Options pricing on Friday suggested a post-earnings move of about 7.5 percent by April 26. That is far more than in the past and reflects the fact that Apple stock has become more volatile.

The company, once the world's largest by market value, saw its shares close below $400 on Thursday for the first time since December 2011. It has shed nearly $300 billion in market value since peaking at $705.07 a share in September.

"Being a bear on Apple used to be a lonely position. The tables have turned," said Enis Taner, global macro editor at options research firm RiskReversal.com in New York.

A 7.5 percent swing for Apple would be the fourth largest one-day post-earnings move in the last five years, according to research firm Birinyi Associates. That could take shares as high as $419.20 or as low as $360.80, based on the weekly $390 "straddle" expiring on April 26, which cost $29.20 on Friday.

Traders use prices on the straddle to estimate the market's view of the potential range of a stock going into an event such as earnings. A straddle combines the purchase of a call option and put option with the same strike price and expiration date.

A move of 7.5 percent would exceed the average move in Apple after its earnings, which in the last eight quarters has been 5.4 percent. Apple's biggest post-earnings swing was a 12.4 percent drop on January 23 of this year.

Apple is expected to report an 8 percent increase in quarterly revenue, among the weakest displays of quarterly growth in years, according to estimates. Earnings per share are expected to fall 18 percent as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and other rivals erode market share for phones and tablets and put downward pressure on margins.

Because the stock was such a stalwart, investors for years knew it was difficult to go against the crowd. Between July 2009 and November 2012, short interest - the percentage of shares borrowed by investors who "short," or bet against, the stock - on Apple never exceeded two percent of the company's shares outstanding. At the current 2.1 percent, Apple's short interest is still lower than 55 percent of U.S. companies, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine.

Expectations of how much the stock is likely to move in coming weeks have also increased. Apple options show implied volatility for the next 30 days was 43.5 percent on Friday, according to data from options analytics firm Livevol.

That implies about a 4 percent move in the stock in either direction in the next month, said Livevol managing director Ophir Gottlieb.

Historic volatility for Apple for the 30-day period over the past year was about 34 percent. It has been rising over the past several months.

Many analysts still expect the stock to rebound because of still-strong demand for Apple's products. But there are many institutions that own shares bought at higher prices and they might remain a source of selling pressure if buyers surface, said Phil Erlanger, president of institutional research firm Phil Erlanger Research in Acton, Massachusetts.

"The problem for Apple is that those that have hung onto their shares after September will represent significant supply, which tends to squash any short-term advance," Erlanger said.

Apple is currently trading at nine times trailing earnings and 45 of 58 analysts polled by Reuters give the stock a "strong buy" or "buy" rating. According to Thomson Reuters Starmine, Apple's intrinsic value - a price target based on expected growth rates over the next decade - was about $565 a share.

The stock closed 0.4 percent lower on Friday at $390.53.

(Reporting By Angela Moon and Doris Frankel; Editing by David Gaffen and Andre Grenon)