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<title>Haaze.com / Anjali01 / All</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[The 411: Where are you, Droid Bionic]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-411-where-are-you-droid-bionic</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-411-where-are-you-droid-bionic</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-411-where-are-you-droid-bionic</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Welcome to the 411, my column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have similar queries, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.Motorola Droid Bionic to come soon, we hope.(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)Hi Nicole, I have a really quick question. Is there any word at all on when the Droid Bionic is coming out I'm a Verizon customer, and I can't decide whether to wait for theiPhone 5 (assuming it comes to Verizon and is 4G) or get the Droid Bionic. I hope you can help me out here, Thanks! - Shalin, via e-mail.Ever since the Droid Bionic's announcement atCES, we've had many Verizon customers ask us if it will be coming out soon in stores. The answer is: we're just as in the dark as you are. We have heard that the release date will be sometime in April, which leads us to believe it should be any day now. We've also heard from various rumor sites that it might be delayed until June. All we can say is, if you can stick it out for just a little longer, you might be able to get your hands on it.As for the iPhone 5, you might have to wait even longer. As you know, nobody knows anything about an iPhone 5 and what specs it might have, and we hear that Apple might not even announce it in June as it normally does. Of course, this could all change at the drop of a hat. Our standard advice when it comes to phone buying is to not wait for the right phone to come along' you might be waiting forever! If you can live with what you have for a few more months, certainly do that, but if your phone is unusable, then there's no harm in getting what you can now, especially if the alternative is to wait for something nobody knows anything about.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Zu Soul: An American-made world-class speaker]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zu-soul-an-american-made-world-class-speaker</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zu-soul-an-american-made-world-class-speaker</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 20 Mar 2011 07:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zu-soul-an-american-made-world-class-speaker</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Zu Soul Superfly(Credit:Tone Audio)We don't manufacture TVs, cameras, or iPods, but American products still dominate the world market for upscale audio. Take Zu Audio. Founded at the beginning of the century, it's based in Ogden, Utah, and its speakers are sold all over the world. I recently wrote about the company's Soul Superfly speaker for Tone Audio Magazine, and you can read the complete review there.One of the things that first attracted me to Zu was that its design methodology is more musical and less measurement-oriented than most, which is not to say Zu's engineering is completely seat-of-the-pants, just that the end result is a sound that is, well, different from what I was used to. I've used a number of Zu speakers in my system over the years, so I wasn't surprised to hear that the Soul Superfly ($3,000 a pair) sounded like no other box speaker. The speaker makes a strong statement, very in-your-face, very rock and roll, and I love it.Since all Zu speakers feature a 10.3-inch full-range driver that covers bass, midrange, and well up into the treble, Zu speakers don't have crossover networks, so your amplifier directly plays the driver without an inductor, capacitor, or resistor in-line. That direct-coupled strategy yields all sorts of sonic dividends. The Soul Superfly's immediacy and vivid clarity are matched by few box speakers in its price class. The Soul Superfly's 1-inch dome tweeter is mounted in a beautifully machined aluminum flared horn. It comes in at a very high frequency, 10kHz' while most tweeters on two- or three-way designs are crossed over much lower, typically between 1.2kHz and 4kHz. Zu's approach makes for a dramatic difference in the way the speaker puts sound in the room. Oh, boy, does it ever!Zu designs are always superefficient, so they can rock the house with just a few watts. Don't worry, power handling hasn't been slighted, this bad boy can handle 300 watts! The Soul Superfly's unusually high 16-ohm impedance favors tube amps, so I used three: the Miniwatt N3 with 3.5 watts per channel, the Jolida FX10 with 10 watts, and a Luxman SQ-38u 30-watt integrated amp. The Soul Superfly isn't all that big' it's 38 inches high and 12 inches square at its base. The MDF cabinet feels solid and the speaker weighs 50 pounds. Build quality is quite good, and the speaker is available in three standard textured finishes: Chocolate, Cosmic Latte (beige), and Cosmic Carbon gray. Other finishes are available on request.Close-up of the Zu Soul Superfly&amp;39's machined metal horn and 10.3-inch driver(Credit:Tone Audio)Tonally rich and solid, the Soul Superfly has a weight that no other speaker anywhere near its price can muster. I credit the 10.3-inch driver's air-moving power, dynamic punch, and near full-frequency bandwidth for the speaker's gravitas. The Jolida FX10 did a fine job goosing the Soul Superfly into action with the Black Keys' extra-raunchy blues. The Keys' latest, &quot;Brothers,&quot; is a low-down romp, with massively distorted guitar and pummeling drums, so it's best enjoyed cranked way up, and that's where the Soul Superfly really comes alive. The richest-sounding amp, the Miniwatt N3, was the least expensive, at $378. This tiny amp sitting on the floor next to the Souls looked almost comical. But its 3.5 watts sounded so sweet and clear, with a truly gorgeous midrange, and the bass was pleasantly full. Tone color and dimensionality were absolutely yummy. I could happily live with it and the Soul Superfly. Remember, this speaker is designed to sound best with tube amplifiers, but Zu makes other models, like the Omen Standard ($1,500 a pair), that really sing with transistor amps. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Verizon offers trade-in credit for AT&T iPhones]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-offers-trade-in-credit-for-att-iphones</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-offers-trade-in-credit-for-att-iphones</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-offers-trade-in-credit-for-att-iphones</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Kent German/CNET)(Credit:Kent German/CNET)Verizon has broken AT&amp;amp'T's exclusive hold on theiPhone in the U.S. and is looking to tempt some of the latter's customers with an attractive trade-in offer.Verizon reportedly sent an e-mail to corporate customers with details of a trade-in credit option: bring Verizon an old iPhone bought through AT&amp;amp'T and you'll be rewarded with a handsome credit toward aVerizon iPhone. Verizon is offering $60 for an original 16GB iPhone, $105 for a 16GB iPhone 3G, $160 for a 32GB iPhone 3GS, $280 for a 16GB iPhone 4, and $360 for a 32GB iPhone 4.A Verizon spokesperson says that anyone is eligible for trade-in credit for any phone and it's not specific to iPhones. The credit they will receive (in the form of a gift card) is based on the condition of the phone. Note, however, that using the gift card to purchase an iPhone means paying the full retail price instead of the subsidized $199 and $299 prices for the 16GB and 32GB iPhone models, respectively. The gift card can also be put toward a monthly wireless bill.Trade-in offers usually pop up from retailers like Radio Shack, Best Buy, and Target whenever a new iPhone goes on sale--and are always available through the sites like Gazelle and NextWorth--but because there's only been one carrier in the U.S., we have yet to see two iPhone carriers battling directly for each other's customers.Verizon also revealed details about the pre-order process for current Verizon customers.Customers have to place the order through their current account with the carrier online. The whole thing kicks off at 3 a.m. Eastern on February 3. Verizon warns that the supply of pre-order iPhones is limited, and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.Those who are not already a Verizon customer will have to wait until February 10, when the iPhone goes on sale to everyone.Updated at 9:53 a.m. PT with more details about trade-ins from Verizon.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Can a 2-watt amp sound better than a 200-watt amp]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=can-a-2-watt-amp-sound-better-than-a-200-watt-amp</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=can-a-2-watt-amp-sound-better-than-a-200-watt-amp</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Jan 2011 08:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=can-a-2-watt-amp-sound-better-than-a-200-watt-amp</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Decware Zen (left) and Bel Canto REF500S (right) are about the same size(Credit:Steve Guttenberg)Americans love power. We buy 320-horsepower Chevy Tahoes to haul the kids to soccer practice. For home theater, the magic power number for receivers is 100 watts, and it has to be a seven-channel model, even though 80 or 90 percent of home theater buyers are perfectly happy with five-channel sound.Americans equate power with quality, but I'm here to tell you there's another way. Sure, power is cheap, and a the-more-the-merrier strategy works well enough most of the time. Let's just be clear on what amplifier power provides: it defines the upper limit of how loud your speakers can play. So if loudness is a big priority, buy as much power as you can afford' just be aware that more watts isn't the same thing as better sound quality. I know lots of folks who never listen at high volume, have tiny rooms, or have highly efficient speakers, so they don't need a lot of power. But can a 2-watt-per-channel amp sound amazing Yes, it can!Meet the Decware Zen Triode SE84C+ amplifier ($775). It's designed and built in the U.S., with almost exclusively American-made parts. Designed to last almost forever, the Zen comes with a no-exceptions lifetime warranty for the original owner. Manufacturers use the word &quot;quality&quot; all the time, but talk is cheap' I can't think of another consumer electronics product that comes with that level of protection, at no extra cost!The Zen breathes life into the sound of music. It communicates more of music's body and soul than any receiver I've heard. Listen to a great singer--Aretha Franklin, Jeff Buckley, John Lennon--and you feel like you're in the room with her or him. The limitations of how much volume you can squeeze out of 2 watts are obvious, but even there, 2 watts can get fairly loud. Matched with highly efficient speakers, like Decware's, 2 watts will surprise you. Since power is an issue for so many readers I compared the Zen with my 200-watt-per-channel Bel Canto e.One REF500S stereo amp ($2,495), with my very efficient Zu Essence speakers. Both amps had the same small footprint--9x12 inches--and each weighs under 20 pounds. Sure, the REF500S played louder, a lot louder than the Zen. Bass firmed up and dynamic impact skyrocketed' high-power amps are what you need if you want to rock out. Taken down to, shall we say, a more moderate volume, the Zen/REF500S contest was something else again. The REF500S' sound was still more transparent and precise, while the Zen's sound was richer and fuller, and the soundstage more three-dimensionally present. In other words, the classic tube sound some audiophiles crave. But please don't misunderstand' while listening to the Zen the music never sounded mushy, soft, or veiled. The Zen brought out the best in acoustic music. The REF500S sounded more powerful than the Zen, even when listening at fairly moderate volume, and dynamics and bass had more energy. Treble detailing was superior and it was nice to have the freedom to crank the volume. The Zen squashed dynamics, even at quiet volume, compared with the REF500S. But the Zen had a bigger, more spacious soundstage, and instruments and vocals on the Robert Plant-Alison Krauss &quot;Raising Sand&quot; CD were more three-dimensionally present with the Zen. The tubes' sweet, honeyed tone was incredibly seductive, so while I listened to the Zen I didn't miss the things that the REF500S did so well. The REF500S exerted greater control over the speakers, and I judged its sound as more accurate overall, so harsh, processed, compressed recordings sound harsh, processed and compressed over the REF500S. The Zen made those recordings sound better by removing the edge, and the compression eased the Zen's workload. The Zen's allure wasn't strictly limited to acoustic tunes' DJ Krush's rich and melodious trip-hop masterpiece &quot;Jaku&quot; unleashed a huge soundstage. Beautiful-sounding Japanese instruments commingled with deep bass beats that went nice and low, and the Zen's 2 watts seemed pretty potent, as long as I kept the volume in the moderate range. Decware makes somewhat more powerful tube amps, but they're more expensive' for this test I wanted to see how far Decware's 2 watts would take me. The amp is shipped with premium-quality 6P15P-EV output tubes that Decware claims will provide 5,000 hours of use. You can also use EL84 tubes without adjustments of any kind. The input tube is a single 6N1P, 6922, or 6DJ8, and each tube type has a different sonic signature. So you can change the sound by swapping one tube for another, for $10 or $20 a pop. The Zen's big tube is a rectifier tube, and the amp comes with a 5U4G, for which a 5AR4 or compatible tube can be substituted. Again, swapping this tube will make audible differences in the sound and performance of the amplifier. Solid-state amps' sound is what it is' tube amps can be easily and inexpensively tuned to taste. The REF500S, made in Minnesota, is a Class D amplifier. The &quot;D&quot; doesn't stand for digital' a Class D amp is a switching amp. The amp uses sophisticated Class-A analog control circuitry to achieve low distortion and high dynamic range' the REF500S will almost always (depending on the power output) draw less power from your wall socket than the Zen.The REF500S was clearly more accurate-sounding than the Zen, and can sound wonderful with a wide variety of speakers. The Zen is more musical, but requires careful matching with highly efficient speakers. There's no clear winner here, but my goal for this review was to present an alternative view: high-power amps don't automatically trump low-power amps. What do you think Have you ever used a low-power amp Share your thoughts in the Comments section. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Tech-integrated jacket zips up the volume]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tech-integrated-jacket-zips-up-the-volume</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tech-integrated-jacket-zips-up-the-volume</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tech-integrated-jacket-zips-up-the-volume</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:electricfoxy)The next time your 'buds are in and someone stops to chat, you might need to unzip your jacket. Let's just hope that person knows why--your zipper is your MP3 player's volume control. We've seen wearable technology such as climate-reflecting dresses, but most of these garments are prototypes that will never see the production line (mostly due to high costs and a fragmented manufacturing process.)Jackets with slits for headphone wires and hoodies with built-in earbuds have also gotten some attention, but neither integrate technology the way Jennifer Darmour of electricfoxy envisions.Darmour, an experiential prototyper with a knack for interactive garments, took gestures we're accustomed to--zipping and unzipping--and integrated a common gadget control, volume.Zip is also designed to be a ready-to-wear piece, as Darmour was able to adjust the circuitry and pattern enough to keep costs down in mass production. Sometimes garments with circuitry, like Ping (another design from Darmour), are too complicated to be produced in quantities.It also doesn't hurt that the jacket is actually quite attractive. Unlike some wearable tech that looks a little too futuristic and funky for mainstream adoption, Zip could easily sit inconspicuously on shelves of contemporary women's clothing stores.There's just one fundamental issue: Are you stuck cranking your music at full volume if you get cold We hope there's some workaround.If Zip is the sign of a ready-to-wear wearable tech trend, we should see more interactive clothing in 2011. Availability and pricing isn't yet available, but you can keep tabs on Zip and Darmour's other projects on electricfoxy. Until then, here's a (beautiful) video of the jacket for your viewing pleasure: ZIP from Dos Rios on Vimeo.(Via Fashioning Technology)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Verizon plays up Android angle (live blog)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-verizon-plays-up-android-angle-live-blog</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-verizon-plays-up-android-angle-live-blog</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:10:29 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-verizon-plays-up-android-angle-live-blog</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Verizon showed off the Motorola Xoom at its CES keynote speech. (Credit:CNET )Editor's note: This live event has concluded. For a brief rundown of what was announced, check out our summary post here. You can also replay our live blog in the Cover It Live module below.LAS VEGAS--Verizon Communications CEO Ivan Seidenberg will take the stage Thursday morning to deliver a keynote address here at the Consumer Electronics Show.Rumors have been swirling for months that Verizon Wireless, the largest wireless operator in the U.S., will introduce its own version of the Apple iPhone. Will Seidenberg use hisCES keynote to make the big announcement It's unlikely, but the company is expected to push its newly launched 4G wireless broadband network. Insiders say Verizon is expected to announce at least four new 4G smartphones and a tablet PC. Much of Verizon's news is expected to be announced at the company's press conference Thursday afternoon. But Seidenberg, who doesn't give many press interviews, may have some news up his sleeve about the new 4G products during the keynote. To stay on top of all the news, CNET will be live blogging the keynote starting at 8:30 a.m. PT. The link below will take you to the live blog. Verizon CEO to address CES attendeesEditors' note: The original pre-event version of this story was published January 5 at 9:28 a.m. PT.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Utility NRG buys into giant California solar plant]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=utility-nrg-buys-into-giant-california-solar-plant</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=utility-nrg-buys-into-giant-california-solar-plant</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=utility-nrg-buys-into-giant-california-solar-plant</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Heliostats track and focus sunlight directly onto BrightSource&amp;39's Luz Power Tower solar boiler, which contains a steam turbine to generate electricity.(Credit:BrightSource/Eilon Paz Studio EPP)California will soon lay claim to having the world's largest commercial solar thermal energy project in the world.BrightSource Energy and NRG Energy subsidiary NRG Solar announced today that they're partnering on a 392-megawatt solar thermal project called the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System.All the other moving parts to make the plant a go also seem to be in place.NRG Solar has signed a memorandum of understanding to partner with BrightSource, and plans to invest over $300 million in Ivanpah. Ivanpah has signed power of purchase agreements with Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas &amp; Electric. The U.S. Department of Energy meanwhile has given a &quot;conditional commitment&quot; for a $1.375 billion loan guarantee. All necessary federal and state permits for the project have been granted.The Ivanpah thermal solar project actually consists of three interconnected solar thermal plants located on federally protected desert land roughly 50 miles northwest of Needles, Calif., close to the Nevada border, according to the California Energy Commission. The power plants will use BrightSource's system of heliostats concentrating light onto a central Luz Power Tower, wherein a solar boiler atop a central tower contains a steam turbine that generates electricity.The deal is part of the push on the part of the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management to approve public land for large-scale solar-energy development.The Ivanpah project when complete will double commercial solar thermal production capacity in the U.S., according to BrightSource.Of course, that's not hard to do considering the U.S. currently has little thermal solar energy capacity for the commercial market. While there are some hybrid natural gas and solar thermal plants, as well as solar thermal plants like the 50-megawatt Nevada Solar One, mega plants simply have not yet been built.In August, for example, the 250-megawatt Beacon Solar Energy plant near the Mojave Desert was approved. Arizona also has the 280-megawatt Solana Generating Station set to be operational by 2012. There are also several other solar thermal mega plants with 250-, 500-, and even 1,000-megawatt capacities in various development stages.And while the Ivanpah might be able to claim a commercial first, it's the U.S. Army that is likely to have the largest thermal solar plant in the world. It's building a 500-megawatt solar thermal plant for Fort Irwin, Calif., but construction is not set to begin until 2012.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Wi-Fi Alliance now certifies Wi-Fi direct products]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wi-fi-alliance-now-certifies-wi-fi-direct-products</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wi-fi-alliance-now-certifies-wi-fi-direct-products</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:23:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wi-fi-alliance-now-certifies-wi-fi-direct-products</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Wi-Fi Direct helps making connections between Wi-Fi-enabled devices much more flexible.(Credit:Wi-Fi Alliance)First demonstrated at CES 2010, Wi-Fi Direct has taken another step to become part of the Wi-Fi usage spectrum. The Wi-Fi Alliance, the group that tests and certifies Wi-Fi products to make sure they interoperate, announced today that it has begun certifying products capable of making Wi-Fi-based device-to-device connections and designating them Wi-Fi Certified Wi-Fi Direct.Traditionally, Wi-Fi clients need to connect to a central place, called an access point, before they can connect to one another in their &quot;infrastructure&quot; mode. Other than that, they can also connect in pairs via a mode called &quot;ad-hoc,&quot; which is limited both in range and throughput speed. Wi-Fi Direct, on the other hand, allows Wi-Fi devices to connect to one another without an access point at the same speed and range of the infrastructure mode. They can also establish a connection much faster via Wi-Fi Protected Setup, a method that enables connecting devices by pressing a button. In other words, Wi-Fi Direct allows Wi-Fi products to connect much like Bluetooth devices but at a much faster speed and a much longer range.With this flexibility, Wi-Fi Direct devices fill an important hole in daily usage: directly connecting devices for applications such as content sharing, synching, printing, and gaming anywhere, without users having to carry along an access point.  According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, another advantage of Wi-Fi Certified Wi-Fi Direct devices is the fact that they can work with traditional Wi-Fi Certified devices, as they act as a mini access point, to which traditional Wi-Fi products can connect. The Wi-Fi Alliance say that it formed the test suite for the certification program by using the following products, which are also the first that are designated Wi-Fi Certified Wi-Fi Direct:Atheros XSPAN dual-band 802.11n PCIe mini card (AR928x)Broadcom BCM43224 dual-band 802.11n 2x2 MIMO PCIe half mini cardIntel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 Ralink MIMObility 802.11n 2x2 PCIe half mini card Realtek RTL8192CE-VA4 HM92C00 PCIe mini card  The group used the Cisco 2106 Wireless LAN Controller and Cisco Aironet 1240 Series Access Points for the&amp;nbsp' certification test suite. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[With 320M users, Zynga chief wants the company&'s icon front and center on mobile devices]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-320m-users-zynga-chief-wants-the-companyrsquos-icon-front-and-center-on-mobile-devices</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-320m-users-zynga-chief-wants-the-companyrsquos-icon-front-and-center-on-mobile-devices</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-320m-users-zynga-chief-wants-the-companyrsquos-icon-front-and-center-on-mobile-devices</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Mark Pincus, chief executive of Zynga, wants a &amp;''dog activated world.&amp;'' That means he wants to see Zynga&amp;'s dog logo everywhere. If you see the Zynga logo on an iPad app, for instance, you can launch it to see all of your Zynga social games.In this future world, Zynga&amp;'s games won&amp;'t be tied to just a single platform such as Facebook. They will be wherever users want them to be. As you can see in the image at right, Pincus believes you will have a bunch of apps that you can launch in order to get your favorite branded experience, whether it&amp;'s Zynga for social games, CNN for news, or Twitter for instant communication.Zynga matters right now because it has grown to an estimated $500 million in annual revenue and more than 1,200 employees in just three years. It makes social games on Facebook that are played by many of the social network&amp;'s 500 million users, but it is also busy expanding to new platforms from the iPad to Android phones.Pincus, speaking at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco today, had a short speech and didn&amp;'t really explain what he meant on the topic of the conference, Points of Control. But he said, &amp;''The future is not about points of control (where companies control what users see). It&amp;'s about user control. Users will have services that they feel will be basic, like a dial tone. It&amp;'s always there. It&amp;'s annoying if it&amp;'s not there.&amp;''Of course, for a company to make it into the shortlist icons in the image, it will have to have indispensable services for lots of people. Pincus said that more than 320 million people have played Zynga games such as FarmVille. As many as three million people play Zynga games at the same time on any given day.Zynga&amp;'s goal is to get people to play the company&amp;'s games during their break times for 10 minutes at a time, Pincus said. &amp;''It&amp;'s for when you don&amp;'t have time to watch movies or TV or console video games.&amp;''To get to a larger number of users and keep growing, Pincus said Zynga is focusing on providing &amp;''bold beats.&amp;'' Those are the key mechanics in games that keep people coming back. In FarmVille, for instance, the bold beat is crafting cottages or creating &amp;''buildings that matter.&amp;'' In FrontierVille, it&amp;'s the ability to get married to another player. (Pincus noted that there are more than 650,000 same-sex marriages in FrontierVille, something that the game&amp;'s designers didn&amp;'t anticipate at all.Next Story: Baidu CEO: We tried harder than Google in China Previous Story: Nissan to deliver only five Leafs this year, more delays look imminentPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: dog activated, Farmville, FrontierVilleCompanies: ZyngaPeople: Mark Pincus          Tags: dog activated, Farmville, FrontierVilleCompanies: ZyngaPeople: Mark PincusDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Goldman cuts US investors from Facebook deal, blames the media]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=goldman-cuts-us-investors-from-facebook-deal-blames-the-media</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=goldman-cuts-us-investors-from-facebook-deal-blames-the-media</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=goldman-cuts-us-investors-from-facebook-deal-blames-the-media</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs today revealed a big change to its private offering of Facebook shares &amp;8212' ita4a4s only making the deal available to investors outside the United States.In a statement released to the Wall Street Journal and other publications, Goldman (in what I believe is its first public comment on the deal) said it made the decision in response to a4Aintense media attentiona4, leading the firm to decide that &amp;''the level of media attention might not be consistent with the proper completion of a U.S. private placement under U.S. law.a4It seems that the deal, where Goldman is offering its clients a chance to invest up to $1.5 billion total in the social networking company, was so widely publicized (because reporters got wind of the deal and covered it constantly) that it started to look less like a private investment and more like a public offering. The firm also told the Journal that the move wasna4a4t a4Arequired or requesteda4 by the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other organization, but an SEC crackdown may have seemed likely since the agency is already looking into the sale of private company shares (including Facebooka4a4s) on secondary markets. So rather than deal with US regulation, it&amp;'s keeping the deal overseas.Goldman should still be able to raise the money, since interest in the deal was so great that the firm had to turn investors away. However, The New York Times notes that the majority of Goldmana4a4s high-net-worth clients are based in the US, and it argues that the change could hurt the firma4a4s relationship with Facebook, which in turn might diminish the odds that Goldman would lead Facebook&amp;'s public offering, which is expected in 2012.The firm also invested $450 million on its own into Facebook at a valuation of $50 billion.Next Story: Will eBay reveal street artist Banksy&amp;'s secret identity Previous Story: 23andMe raises $9M more to help customers understand geneticsPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: secondary markets, Securities and Exchange commissionCompanies: Facebook, Goldman Sachs          Tags: secondary markets, Securities and Exchange commissionCompanies: Facebook, Goldman SachsAnthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Path Takes Photo Sharing The Wrong&nbsp'Way]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=path-takes-photo-sharing-the-wrongnbspway</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=path-takes-photo-sharing-the-wrongnbspway</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=path-takes-photo-sharing-the-wrongnbspway</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Buzzy stealthy startup Path, which was founded by ex-Facebooker Dave Morin and Shawn Fanning, finally launched its mobile app tonight.  It is a private photo sharing iPhone app similar to Instagram or PicPlz, except that it makes sharing photos more difficult than it needs to be.Path is designed to share photos with only your closest 50 friends, primarily through the app itself.  You can&amp;'t Tweet out links to your photos or share them on Facebook.  It is very much for personal photos and private moments, the kind of pictures you share with family and very close friends. The problem with Path is that for many people, those family members or friends don&amp;'t necessarily have an iPhone.  They can still see the pictures on the Web, but you really need the app to place photos back into other people&amp;'s streams.  In other words, the Shutterfly network (the people with whom you share your wedding and vacation photos) are probably not going to be using this app.  Instead you are going to find the same people you share things with on Twitter and elsewhere. This is already happening to me in the hour or so since I&amp;'ve downloaded the app.I am going to make another prediction.  The types of photos people are going to share on Path by and large are going to be the same as the photos you see already in more public photo-sharing apps: meals, drinks, friends, kids, cats, dogs, and the random dross of daily life.  Knowing that it is &amp;''private&amp;'' and &amp;''safe&amp;'' is not going to change much of anything.  There are times, of course, when you don&amp;'t want to share a photo widely with the world.  But those are the exceptions. A better privacy model would be to make photos public by default and allow for a private mode with certain photos to be shared only with select individuals or a core inner circle.  Public sharing allows for more serendipitous connections.  But then Path would be just like every other mobile photo-sharing app.  I&amp;'ll give it credit for going its own way. Path doesn&amp;'t seem interested in making anything other than visual connections.  You can&amp;'t even comment on someone else&amp;'s photo.  It is oddly passive for a social app.  You put up photos, see other people&amp;'s photos, and that&amp;'s it. No discussion allowed.CrunchBase InformationPathInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[It&'s time for business users to pick up an iPhone]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=itrsquos-time-for-business-users-to-pick-up-an-iphone</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=itrsquos-time-for-business-users-to-pick-up-an-iphone</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=itrsquos-time-for-business-users-to-pick-up-an-iphone</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If Apple is truly to succeed with the iPhone, it has to win over business users. Apple made progress on that front last week as Bloomberg reported that Bank of America and Citigroup are testing their business software on iPhones.In another sign of progress, a Pakistani startup called Kualitatem is announcing today that it is launching the world&amp;'s first iPhone-compatible quality-assurance testing platform. The Kualitee app is aimed at giving mobility to technicians and engineers who have to constantly monitor quality-assurance processes in factories. Usually, these engineers are tied to their desks because they have to use enterprise software that runs only on their corporate desktops, said Khurram Mir, chief marketing officer of Kualitatem, in an interview.&amp;''It&amp;'s time to mobilize the quality-assurance industry,&amp;'' said Mir.The software is aimed at bringing engineering teams together in a timely fashion. Often, these engineers are separated by continents, with product designers in the U.S. working at night to keep tabs on the manufacturing engineers in China. With Kualitee, those engineers can now communicate with each via mobile phone apps, rather than just desktop software. It may sound like an obscure piece of software, but Apple badly needs this. Apple lost the PC war to Microsoft and the IBM clones because it never penetrated into the corporate marketplace, where huge volumes of computers are installed every year.To get the iPhone accepted as a business tool, Apple needs more business apps. Of the 289,625 active iPhone apps in the App Store, only about 8,886 are business apps. That&amp;'s roughly 3 percent of the total. But that percentage is actually greater than the number of news, social network, or weather apps on the iPhone, according to 148apps.Mir said that the Kualitee software is based on open source code and uses Adobe Flash as a front-end in order to make the user interface simple and appealing. The company wrote its code from scratch for the iPhone app. The app allows users to read corporate data, such as monitoring messages. But it does not allow users to manipulate or change the data, as can be done on desktop software. Mir says the company has three corporate customers now for the iPhone app.Combined with the features of the iPhone, the software could be a pretty good business tool. IT Management says the iPhone 4 makes a good business phone because it supports tethering (allowing you to use the iPhone to connect a computer to the internet' has strong battery life of 7 hours, enough for a work day' and it has a good speaker phone and conference call capability.Kualitatem was founded in Lahore, Pakistan in 2007. The self-funded company has 25 employees. The company was started by Mir (pictured on the left) and Jamil Goheer (pictured on the right), two graduate students who wanted to create Pakistan&amp;'s first quality-assurance testing firm. They started the company as a university-incubated startup. Rivals include Zephyr and QMetry.Kualitatem tries to outdo those companies by coming up with benchmarks for quality improvement and making its software easy to use. It is also the only company with a mobile version of its software. The company says it has doubled revenue for its quality-assurance software business every year since its founding and now has offices in the United Arab Emirates and the U.S.Previous Story: Robbers steal 100 copies of Call of Duty Black OpsPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: PakistanCompanies: Apple, Kualitatem          Tags: PakistanCompanies: Apple, KualitatemDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[iPhone app turns your to-do list into a game - Springwise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-app-turns-your-to-do-list-into-a-game---springwise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-app-turns-your-to-do-list-into-a-game---springwise</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-app-turns-your-to-do-list-into-a-game---springwise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The traditional to-do list may be a necessity for making sure things get done, but it''s also a dreary task master to be ruled by day after day. Aiming to a4Aput the adventure back into your life,a4 EpicWin is an iPhone app that converts that stern list into a mobile game in which each completed task advances the player in an ongoing quest to level up, gain riches and develop skills.Users of EpicWin, which was created by UK-based Rexbox and SuperMono, begin by downloading the USD 2.99 game from the App Store and then adding their tasks using the fully featured to-do list, including a necessary completion date or just that they should be done &quot;some day.&quot; Repeating tasks are supported as well. Players also choose an avatar for their character and assign a particular associated skill to each chore. Then, as chores are completed over the course of the day, the character develops skills and moves ahead on the quest map, with rewards each time they level up. Every new location also uncovers rare items that can be collected. Tasks that become overdue, meanwhile, are shown on opening the app. As the game progresses, players can share their progress via Facebook and Twitter. A pre-release video on YouTube demonstrates EpicWin in action.It''s hard to imagine a version for Android won''t be next on EpicWin''s own to-do list. Meanwhile, other tech-minded entrepreneurs: what other dreary aspects of life can be made fun and rewarding through mobile gaming... (Related: App rewards shoppers for setting foot in stores a4&quot; With social media check-ins, guests earn hotel &amp; travel rewards a4&quot; A donation to charity for each hour wasted online a4&quot; Fitness device coaxes users into action a4&quot; Wrist device rewards kids for exercising a4&quot; Learning site motivates kids with real rewards.)Website: www.epicwinapp.comContact: epicwin@supermono-studios.comSpotted by: Sarah Anne Jackson<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Looks Like BoingBoing Got Hacked&nbsp'(NSFW)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=looks-like-boingboing-got-hackednbspnsfw</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=looks-like-boingboing-got-hackednbspnsfw</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=looks-like-boingboing-got-hackednbspnsfw</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Something is definitely up  at uber nerd site and &amp;''Directory of Wonderful Things&amp;'' BoingBoing.net.  A trip to the front page brings up the charming image above, which seems to be some sort of vulgar message from someone called &amp;''the|one&amp;'' to site editora4sCory Doctorow. The hack also ingeniouslya4sincorporates the &amp;''Jessi Slaughter &amp;8216'You Dun Goofed&amp;'&amp;'' viral video.Diehard fans have found a workaround URL for now. And the official BoingBoing Twitter account seems to have a sense of humor about it, tweeting stuff like &amp;''So much for the 100,000 Hours Without a Hack T-shirts,&amp;'' &amp;''Someone&amp;'s gonna get a subpoenis&amp;8230' I mean a subpoena&amp;'' and &amp;''Look, at least it&amp;'s not the new Gap logo.&amp;''Update: Looks like the hack has been taken down.a4sTechCrunch readera4sMachika Kuro informs us that this was most likely a SQL injection attack.Viaa4sMark Frauenfelder         <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google&'s idea of the perfect ad (video)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googlersquos-idea-of-the-perfect-ad-video</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googlersquos-idea-of-the-perfect-ad-video</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anjali01</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googlersquos-idea-of-the-perfect-ad-video</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Shedding light on Google&amp;'s latest thinking about &amp;''the perfect ad,&amp;'' Google&amp;'s vice president of product management, Susan Wojcicki, ran through five demos in 10 minutes at the Web 2.0 Summit today in San Francisco.Wojcicki, who is in charge of the design and innovation around Google&amp;'s ad and measurement platforms, talked about ways to enhance advertising effectiveness through a combination of web search, location-based mobile phone technology, and photo imagery. The demos worked, for the most part, and provide a glimpse into how Google can make search advertising more useful, immediate, and lucrative.Next Story: MindJolt releases money-making tools for third party social game developers Previous Story: Verizon considers charging for 4G wireless based on speedPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: ads, mobile ads, searchCompanies: GooglePeople: Susan Wojcicki          Tags: ads, mobile ads, searchCompanies: GooglePeople: Susan WojcickiDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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