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<title>Haaze.com / Fely / All</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:10:57 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Did Sony add a rootkit to PS3 firmware update]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=did-sony-add-a-rootkit-to-ps3-firmware-update</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=did-sony-add-a-rootkit-to-ps3-firmware-update</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:10:57 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=did-sony-add-a-rootkit-to-ps3-firmware-update</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Gamers on a forum accuse Sony of adding a rootkit to its latest version ofPlayStation 3 firmware. Rootkits, in general, have a bad reputation. Security watchers often associate them with malware. In this case specifically, though, the alleged rootkit would allow Sony to peer into users' system files without their knowledge. A user dubbed N.A., who first mentioned the alleged rootkit last week on the Neogaf forum and cited work performed by developer Mathieulh, alleged that a rootkit in firmware version 3.56 allows Sony to &quot;remotely execute code on the PS3&quot; when users connect to the PlayStation Network. Mathieulh informed people over Internet Relay Chat that the alleged rootkit can be used by Sony for &quot;verifying system files or searching for homebrew.&quot; It might also be used as a way to ensure users on the PlayStation Network are using Sony's own firmware.However, N.A. also pointed out that &quot;Sony hasn't activated any of this yet.&quot;For its part, Sony hasn't made any mention of a rootkit being added to its latest update. A page on the company's site describing the updates in firmware version 3.56 say only that a &quot;security patch has been added.&quot; Because of that, it should be noted that the claims made through Internet Relay Chat and forums are unsubstantiated, and there is currently no indication from Sony that a rootkit was added to its PlayStation 3 firmware.What is clear is that Sony is in the middle of a real battle with jailbreakers who continue to take issue with the way the company safeguards its console. With each new update released by Sony since the company made the decision to end support for &quot;Other OS,&quot; allowing folks to run operating systems--typically Linux--on the console, jailbreakers have found ways to run so-called homebrew applications.PlayStation 3 firmware version 3.55 arguably attracted the most attention after well-known hacker George Hotz, known as his Web name, Geohot, found a way for users to run custom packages on the console. The move prompted Sony to request a restraining order against Geohot to take his solution off the Web. After a lengthy court battle with each side trading shots, Sony was awarded the restraining order last week.&quot;After consideration of the record and the arguments of counsel, the court finds that a temporary restraining order is warranted,&quot; U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston wrote in a judgment released last week. &quot;Plaintiff has submitted substantial evidence showing that defendant George Hotz has violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.&quot;For his part, Hotz contends that his jailbreak shouldn't violate the DMCA. He pointed out that the DMCA allows mobile phone owners to jailbreak their devices without fear of legal recourse. The far-reaching act fails to mention other devices, which allowed Sony to gain the upper hand in its battle against Hotz.&quot;I think the same precedent should apply,&quot; Hotz said in an interview with G4TV last month. &quot;If you can jailbreak one closed system, why can't you jailbreak another&quot;It's a sentiment that many in the Neogaf forums agree with. And rather than face the possibility of being locked into Sony's latest firmware, those who believe Mathieulh's claim that a rootkit is in the latest software have warned others not to upgrade to 3.56.&quot;Official Firmware 3.56 released,&quot; an announcement reads on the forum. &quot;Do NOT update.&quot;Sony did not immediately respond to request for comment.Back in 2005, Sony BMG came under fire for including a rootkit in software on some of the company's CDs. The rootkit was used to limit the widespread reproduction of music CDs at the time. Sony later reversed its stance, offering up a solution to remove the rootkit, and then eventually, recalled CDs with the rootkits installed.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[No, you can't see who viewed you on Facebook]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=no-you-cant-see-who-viewed-you-on-facebook</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=no-you-cant-see-who-viewed-you-on-facebook</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=no-you-cant-see-who-viewed-you-on-facebook</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Don&amp;39't fall for these false promises.(Credit:Sophos)Let's put this matter to rest right now: Any Facebook application that offers to reveal who is viewing your profile is a scam. Period. Security research firm Sophos posted a memo about a rogue app that was spread on Facebook recently with messages like &quot;OMG ... I can't believe this actually works! Now you really can see who viewed your profile!&quot;  The app is bogus. I've asked a Facebook representative about this before, and he told me that apps on the site do not have the ability to track who is viewing profiles.  In this particular case, clicking on the link provided in the message takes users to a Web page that encourages people to permit an application to access their Facebook profile.  &quot;But do you really want complete strangers to be able to e-mail you, access your personal data, and even post messages to any Facebook pages you may administer&quot; the Sophos post asks.  Nearly 60,000 people have fallen for the latest scam, based on figures from Bitly using a search on one of the URLs used in this campaign, according to the post.  Facebook representatives did not return e-mails and phone calls seeking comment this morning.  Remember to be cautious when adding new applications on Facebook. Try to stick with reputable apps and pay attention to what permissions they seek.  If you have been duped by a scam, you should remove references to it from your News Feed, and revoke the right of the app to access your profile via Account, Privacy Settings, Applications, and Web sites. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook-MySpace joint announcement set for today]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-myspace-joint-announcement-set-for-today</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-myspace-joint-announcement-set-for-today</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-myspace-joint-announcement-set-for-today</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Facebook and MySpace have something up their sleeves for later today.The two social networks sent out an e-mail overnight to news organizations including CNET, teasing an invitation-only announcement scheduled for noon PT today. The invite says only that Mike Jones, CEO of MySpace, and Dan Rose, VP of partnerships and platform marketing for Facebook, will be making the joint announcement. The terse wording has prompted speculation over what the two companies might announce. The London Telegraph, for instance, cited rumors that MySpace will launch a Facebook Connect button across its site, letting people use their Facebook accounts to access MySpace. Jones reportedly admitted to the Telegraph last week that MySpace is no longer thought of as a social network, having given up its once dominant role to Facebook.Though Jones would not comment on the rumors, the Telegraph said that several tech executives from MySpace told the newspaper this week that the company has few choices left but to try to bring in Facebook users through a Facebook Connect option.In pre-Facebook days, MySpace was the major player in the social networking arena. But as Facebook has surged in popularity over the past few years, MySpace has increasingly been seen as an also-ran. As part of its move from a social network to more of an entertainment hub, MySpace recently unveiled a new look and feel to its site. By offering entertainment that users can tailor to their own interests, MySpace is hoping to lure back the Generation Y crowd that once made up its core audience.As its popularity has sunk, MySpace has also been rocked by management changes. The site's co-founder Chris DeWolfe left in April 2009 to be replaced by Owen Van Natta, the former chief operating officer of Facebook. Van Natta resigned less than a year later and was replaced by Chief Operating Officer Mike Jones and Chief Product Officer Jason Hirschhorn, who served as co-presidents. Then this past June, Hirschorn announced his exit, putting Jones solely in charge.MySpace's owner, News Corp., has also run out of time and patience waiting for the site to stage a recovery. During a recent call with analysts, News Corp. President and COO Chase Carey said that &quot;MySpace's current losses are not acceptable or sustainable.&quot; Pointing out that the number of MySpace members continues to drop, Carey added that the site needs to stablize and that its performance would now be judged quarter to quarter rather than year to year.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft's Lync arrives, gets a Gates cameo]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsofts-lync-arrives-gets-a-gates-cameo</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsofts-lync-arrives-gets-a-gates-cameo</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsofts-lync-arrives-gets-a-gates-cameo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft this morning unveiled the latest version of its Office Communicator product, which now goes by the name Lync.The rebranding actually happened earlier this year, but the product was not finalized and released to manufacturers until late October. This morning's event centered around the news that Lync will be available for sale in 150 countries beginning December 1.Lync is made up of three different products: an instant messaging system with presence' an audio and video conferencing tool' and a voice call service. The product has been in development for the past five to six years, according to Chris Capossela, senior vice president of Microsoft's Office division.To demonstrate the video-conferencing element, Capossela was joined on screen by Bill Gates from his office in Seattle. Gates said that Lync was &quot;probably the most important thing to happen to the office worker since the PC came along.&quot; He also reminisced that when the idea for Lync was first hatched, things like high-resolution displays, cameras, and employees with mobile phones were far from the norm, but that now there's a huge push to have teams be as mobile as possible.Microsoft chairman Bill Gates hops onto a video chat on Microsoft&amp;39's Lync product.(Credit:Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET)Gates also went into detail about what he thought would be coming to the platform in the future, mentioning features like voice and facial recognition, as well as touch interfaces. The hard part in developing Lync, Gates said, was less about getting that hardware to market and more about writing the right software for it.But that future may not be so far off. Also making a cameo was Microsoft's Kinect, which already includes features like voice and facial recognition. Capossela demoed it with Lync's corporate vice president, Gurdeep Singh Pall, as a way to bridge the gap between &quot;the boardroom and the living room&quot; for video chat. Kinect already offers video chat with Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger system, but not any other clients. Singh Pall noted that while theXbox 360 won't work with Lync right now, the capability will be coming shortly with a software update. Microsoft&amp;39's Gurdeep Singh Pall (left) talks with Office senior VP Chris Capossela through Lync working on the Xbox 360&amp;39's Kinect video chat. (Credit:Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET)Microsoft also pitched Lync as a new platform for developers and hardware makers. Singh Pall said one of the primary things that sets Lync apart from competing products is that developers can create applications that run on Lync, which they can sell to companies. On the hardware side, that translated to what Singh Pall jokingly referred to as the &quot;wall of fame,&quot; which was an entire wall of Lync-ready products like phones, computers, and Webcams.Microsoft is offering its own stamp of approval on hardware that will work with Lync, and calling it &quot;Optimized for Lync.&quot; Singh Pall stressed that the certification wasn't just handed out to hardware vendors that gave Microsoft some units. &quot;It means they adhere to the standards we set out, and pass every test we throw at your device,&quot; he said. It also means that when you plug one of these devices into a system, it gets recognized instantly. At launch, Lync will not be available for mobile phones, but Microsoft says that functionality will arrive in 2011. In the interim, Microsoft will offer the Lync Server product to users to install in on-premises deployments. An online version of the service will arrive as part of Microsoft's Office 365 service when it's launched next year.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Survey of women, men in IT shows differing views]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=survey-of-women-men-in-it-shows-differing-views</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=survey-of-women-men-in-it-shows-differing-views</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:10:19 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=survey-of-women-men-in-it-shows-differing-views</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Do men and women who work in IT see their jobs and career opportunities differently A new survey from IT staffing firm Technisource finds some disparities but also areas of agreement.Released yesterday, the &quot;Technisource Women &amp;amp' Men in Information Technology Survey&quot; (PDF) discovered differences in viewpoints among men and women in IT in such areas as compensation and career challenges.Among some of the specific findings, 78 percent of the women polled said they don't believe compensation is equivalent between them and their male colleagues. But almost half of the men surveyed do think it's equal between the sexes. In response to the statement: &quot;Female IT workers face a different set of career challenges than their male counterparts,&quot; 74 percent of the women but only 48 percent of the men agreed.Looking at other issues, 42 percent of the women in the poll said they believe that IT is mainly a male career path, while only 30 percent of men echoed that belief. And 73 percent of the female workers said they feel women don't have enough role models in the IT industry, a belief shared by just 52 percent of the men.The report &quot;shows that there appear to be differences beyond how both women and men view their compensation and career progression within the IT field,&quot; Alisia Genzler, vice president of the Northeast region of Technisource, said in a statement. &quot;Employers should take heed of these differing mindsets to better understand the unique priorities and challenges each of these groups face.&quot;But in certain areas, men and women were much closer in their respective views. Does society encourage young women to study math and sciences Only 24 percent of the women and 26 percent of the men said they feel it does. A majority of both men (66 percent) and women (78 percent) said that IT could use more female workers.Aside from the issue of compensation, men and women were in relatively equal agreement about the most important factors contributing to their career satisfaction. Being challenged topped the list, with flexibility and relationships with managers and co-workers further down.(Credit:Technisource)And despite any disparity in certain viewpoints, both genders feel equally satisfied with their careers, with 66 percent of women and 65 percent of men planning to spend the rest of their careers in IT.Conducted online in the U.S. by Monster on behalf of Technisource, the survey ran from September 23 to October 1 and drew responses from 506 full-time and part-time IT workers. Among the respondents, 67 percent were male and 33 percent female.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Amazon to boost publishers' Kindle Store revenue]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-to-boost-publishers-kindle-store-revenue</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-to-boost-publishers-kindle-store-revenue</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-to-boost-publishers-kindle-store-revenue</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amazon plans to increase the amount of sales revenue it shares with the publishers of newspapers and magazines. (Credit:Amazon)Amazon announced today it plans to give newspaper and magazine publishers a greater share of the revenue it collects for periodicals sold through its Kindle Store.Beginning December 1, publishers will be able to earn 70 percent of the retail price for each newspaper or magazine sold, Amazon said, a substantial increase over the 30 percent publishers reportedly previously received. To qualify for the greater piece of the pie, publishers must make their periodicals available for reading on all Kindle devices and applications in all geographies for which the publisher has rights.The move is likely to persuade publishers to increase the amount of content available on Amazon's Kindle Store, perhaps at a price more attractive to consumers, and along the way help to make the store a more popular destination for content than its competitors' offerings.&quot;We are constantly working at improving the Kindle magazine and newspaper experience for both customers and publishers,&quot; Peter Larsen, director of Kindle Periodicals said in the statement. &quot;Building on the recent introduction of Wi-Fi-enabled Kindles and the upcoming availability of newspapers and magazines on Kindle Apps, we're pleased to add an increased revenue share and a great new tool for making Kindle better and easier than ever for publishers.&quot; Amazon hinted at the move last month when it announced in a forum post that it was &quot;making Kindle newspapers and magazines readable on our free Kindle apps, so you can always read Kindle periodicals even if you don't have your Kindle with you or don't yet own a Kindle. In the coming weeks, many newspapers and magazines will be available on our Kindle apps foriPad,iPhone andiPod touch, and then we'll be adding this functionality to Kindle for Android and our other apps down the road.&quot; Amazon also announced the beta release of a tool designed to help publishers add their newspaper or magazine to the Kindle Store. The Kindle Publishing for Periodicals tool allows publishers to create an account, add content, and preview its formatting before publishing it to Kindle customers. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[The unvarnished truth about unsecured Wi-Fi]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-unvarnished-truth-about-unsecured-wi-fi</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-unvarnished-truth-about-unsecured-wi-fi</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-unvarnished-truth-about-unsecured-wi-fi</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Chances are you don't leave your front door unlocked. And you shouldn't leave your Wi-Fi network unsecured either.  Many of you may have heard this before, but many still seem to not be doing anything about it. You should. Here's why. With a $50 wireless antenna and the right software a criminal hacker located outside your building as far as a mile away can capture passwords, e-mail messages, and any other data being transmitted over your network, and even decrypt data that is supposedly protected. Wigle.net&amp;39's interactive maps show Wi-Fi networks down to the block and building. Stats collected by the site show that more than 28 percent of networks are unsecured, possibly more.(Credit:Wigle.net) Someone could also join the network and launch attacks on your computer and any other devices using the network at that time. If file sharing has been left on or the personal firewall is misconfigured it's relatively easy to access the computer via an open Wi-Fi network. Someone could upload an executable program to a file on your hard drive that steals data or just leaves a back door for future access. And if you are using the network to connect to a corporate network through a VPN (virtual private network) an attacker can get into the corporate system too.  &quot;The most dangerous thing is a direct attack,&quot; Don Bailey, a security consultant at iSec Partners who is also an expert on telecommunications snooping, told CNET. &quot;The threat is not only that your traffic can be sniffed, but that an attacker can get access to all your data and connections on your computer, even those supposedly secured by SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) encryption.&quot;  Unsecured Wi-Fi networks can be attractive for scammers to launch spam and virus attacks because the attack would be tracked back to the Wi-Fi network but not to the computer of the criminal who exploited the open network.  &quot;Someone could be using your wireless network, whether it's a neighbor or a customer, and you are taking on the liability of that person's action,&quot; Bailey said. &quot;If they do something illegal, like break into computers, those actions are going to come back to your hot spot and the federal authorities are going to hassle you.&quot;  Even though many Wi-Fi routers come with WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) enabled by default, a lot of people don't want to be bothered with setting up a password, despite the fact that you don't have to type it in every time you log on. The Wigle.net (Wireless Geographic Logging Engine) site shows that of 26.8 million Wi-Fi networks logged by volunteers who were &quot;war driving&quot;--driving around incars and using laptops or PDAs to find wireless networks--49 percent were listed as secured with encryption and nearly 28 percent were shown to be not using encryption. (On the remaining 23 percent the security level was unknown.)  There is also an interactive map on Wigle.net where you can zoom in to see individual Wi-Fi networks and even the SSID (Service Set Identifier) numbers associated with individual wireless local area networks.  Not only should you not host an unsecured wireless network, but you should definitely be extra careful when using other people's open networks.  There is no good way to tell whether a hot spot is legitimate, like a Starbucks Wi-Fi network, or if it was set up by someone for malicious purposes. Even if you are on what appears to be a Starbucks network, there could be someone on the network who is spying on other users.  There are also instances of inadvertent fake hot spots. Some older Windows machines running XP create ad hoc networks called &quot;Free Public WiFi,&quot; which do not connect you to the Internet but to the computer broadcasting that service. The hole that enables this has been patched, but affected computers that haven't had an operating system update are still vulnerable.  Whether you choose to trust hot spots, configure your device--laptop and smartphone--to connect to open Wi-Fi networks only with your approval and not automatically. Wi-Fi-enabled devices may automatically open themselves to sharing and connecting with other devices, so be sure to turn file sharing off when using Wi-Fi.  &quot;The best thing to do is to stay off hot spots all together,&quot; Bailey said. &quot;If you are going to use them, make sure you have a firewall and VPN technology.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hybrid hard disk market set to take off]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hybrid-hard-disk-market-set-to-take-off</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hybrid-hard-disk-market-set-to-take-off</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:24:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hybrid-hard-disk-market-set-to-take-off</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The hybrid hard disk drive market is expected to reach 600 million units in 2016, according to market researcher Objective Analysis. This would mean an explosion of mainstream drives that integrate the performance-boosting benefits of flash memory. Seagate&amp;39's Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drive can add a lot of performance on certain tasks with just a touch of flash memory. (Credit:Seagate)The first generation of hybrid drive technology was &quot;well conceived but poorly implemented,&quot; according to a report released on Monday by Objective Analysis. &quot;Now that working versions have been implemented the hybrid drive promises to sweep the PC hard drive market.&quot; &quot;We expect the hybrid drive market to nearly double every year for the five years following its initial adoption, reaching 600 million units by 2016,&quot; said analyst Jim Handy, who authored the report, in a statement. &quot;This blazing growth will result from hybrid drives replacing standard HDDs in mainstream PCs.&quot; Hybrid drives, in their current form, add a small amount of flash memory to a traditional spinning HDD. But this pinch of flash can deliver a big boost to performance on certain tasks at relatively little extra cost, as CNET Reviews demonstrated with the 500GB Seagate Momentus XT and as other reviews of the Seagate drive have shown. &quot;The NAND [flash memory] in these hybrid drives will be pretty small. Seagate's Momentus XT does a really good job with only 4GB of flash, and Nvelo's Dataplex software accelerates HDDs very well with only 16GB of NAND,&quot; said Handy, responding to an e-mail query. Handy continued. &quot;We expect the hybrid drives released in 2010 and 2011 to be introduced around the 4GB level, but over the forecast period, the amount of flash per drive should ramp to an average of 16GB.&quot; The upside for consumers is that they're not as expensive as flash-only solid-state drives, which can add hundreds of dollars to the price of a traditional HDD. &quot;A 4GB NAND--using SLC [single-level cell] NAND flash, which is required in this application--should add about $20 to the manufacturing cost of an HDD today, which might translate to an added $30 to 40 to the end user.&quot; He continued. &quot;A lot of consumers would be perfectly happy to spend an extra $30 to 40 to get the performance of an SSD and the capacity of an HDD. So far they have not been happy to spend an extra $200 to 500 to get an SSD that's smaller than an HDD.&quot; In the case of Apple's just-announced MacBook Air, for example, adding just 128GB of flash storage to the base configuration increases the price of the 13-inch model from $1,299 to $1,599. And choosing a 256GB solid-state drive over a 500GB hard disk on a 15-inch MacBook Pro adds a whopping $650 to the price. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Plastic Jungle Raises $10 million For Gift Card&nbsp'Marketplace]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=plastic-jungle-raises-10-million-for-gift-cardnbspmarketplace</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=plastic-jungle-raises-10-million-for-gift-cardnbspmarketplace</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=plastic-jungle-raises-10-million-for-gift-cardnbspmarketplace</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Plastic Jungle, a marketplace for gift cards, has just raised $10 million in new funding led by Jafco Ventures with Redpoint Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Bay Partners, and First Round Capital  participating.  This brings the startup&amp;'s total funding to over $23 million.Plastic Jungle lets you buy, sell and exchange gift cards online. Instead of receiving cash for your gift card, Plastic Jungle also lets you trade the value in for an Amazon gift card or give your money to charity. Users can receive cash for unwanted gift cards for up to 92% of the unused balance and buy gift cards at up to a 30% discount.The company is also trying to partner with online retailers to power a payment portal in the checkout process that will allow shoppers to use a credit from a different store to make an online payment.While Plastic Jungle doesn&amp;'t reveal revenue numbers, the company&amp;'s former CEO Garry Briggs told us earlier this year that revenue is eight times more that what it was a year ago. The company also revealed in the release that it is on track to transact more than $10 million in gift card value in 2010. Plastic Jungle faces competition from CardPool and others.CrunchBase InformationPlastic JungleInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Vudu movie streaming arrives on the PlayStation Network]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=vudu-movie-streaming-arrives-on-the-playstation-network</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=vudu-movie-streaming-arrives-on-the-playstation-network</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=vudu-movie-streaming-arrives-on-the-playstation-network</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Game consoles are becoming the portals to entertainment in the home. The latest evidence of that is the impending launch of the Vudu on-demand movie-streaming service on the PlayStation Network.On Nov. 23, PlayStation 3 owners will be able to access the Vudu library of more than 4,000 high-definition movies via their game consoles. The movies will feature 1080p HD and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound.Vudu&amp;'s movies include a lot of recent Hollywood hits, indie films, and other new releases. You can pretty much use this to deliver a movie theater in your home. For two-night rentals, you pay $2.Last month, Vudu announced that its movie service would be available on the new Boxee set-top boxes and the Boxee software on the PC. The point is to help the company spread its movie content to as many platforms as possible, said Edward Lichty, general manager of Vudu.Susan Panico, senior director of the PlayStation Network, said that Sony&amp;'s goal is to make its network into a leading entertainment hub for digital content. Players who have a free PSN account can download the Vudu app from the &amp;''media&amp;'' category of the PlayStation Store and then access it under the video icon on the PS 3&amp;'s cross media bar (XMB). New customers get a $5.99 credit.Rivals include Apple TV, Amazon, Cinema Now, and Xbox Live. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Vudu has 55 employees. It is owned by Wal-mart.Previous Story: Glam Media hires like crazy, on track to overtake AOLPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'                        Dean 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[SunTech Power Forecasts Brighter&nbsp'2011]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=suntech-power-forecasts-brighternbsp2011</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=suntech-power-forecasts-brighternbsp2011</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=suntech-power-forecasts-brighternbsp2011</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ SunTech Power Holdings Co. (NYSE: STP) a4&quot; the largest solar panel maker in the worlda4&quot; delivered an optimistic 2011 forecast to investor analysts on Monday.The Wuxi, China-based company with significant market share and operations in the U.S. expects its sales next year to grow by a minimum of one-fifth, and its revenue to reach $3.4 billion to $3.6 billion, up from $2.78 billion to US$2.83 billion this year. Its 2010 revenue represents growth of 64 percent over 2009.The president of SunTech America, Steven Chan, projected that the U.S. market for solar should reach 1,114 MW by the end of 2010' SunTech&amp;'s share of that should end up around 210 MW. He expects SunTech to sell 410 MW in the U.S. in 2011 as domestic demand for solar overall rises to 2,058 MW by company estimates. Competition in the U.S. a4&quot; especially from First Solar, Sharp and SunPower(NASDAQ:SPWRA) a4&quot; took some market share from SunTech this year. The Chinese solar manufacturer lacks the large-scale utility projects that SunPower, for example, has signed on to develop in California and elsewhere. Instead, most of SunTech&amp;'s sales have been generated by light-industrial and residential projects, and European customers to-date. The company&amp;'s forecasts for technological developments were reasonably rosy.Chief technology officer of SunTech, Stuart Wenham (image, below) said on the guidance call that the company&amp;'s solar modules, used in large-scale commercial applications, should demonstrate 22% conversion efficiency in the field within three years, conservatively. SunTech currently offers solar modules that demonstrated a 19.2 percent conversion efficiency as measured at one of their installations in Australia. Solar modules with a higher conversion efficiency deliver more power per square inch of solar power-generating materials. An increase to 22 percent, Wenham explained, would lower the cost of systems for potential buyers, and help SunTech meet demand for clean energy without increasing its costs to produce the modules.The company&amp;'s newest products are made from &amp;''Pluto efficient crystalline silicon solar cells.&amp;'' A 72-cell module, 5-inch wafer made by SunTech today has a power output of about 195 watts. The company&amp;'s newer Pluto modules will have a power output of 200 watts, Wenham said on the call. The CTO bragged light-heartedly about one rooftop installation at the Sydney Theatre Company in Australia. Film star Cate Blanchett did the honors of switching the system on to promote clean energy, the theater and SunTech there in November. (Blanchett, like Wendham, is Australian.)Shares in SunTech traded 9 percent higher by the end of Monday, over the previous business day. But they were beginning to dip in after hours trading. CrunchBase InformationSuntech PowerInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Nook Color to become a real Android tablet with January update (Updated)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nook-color-to-become-a-real-android-tablet-with-january-update-updated</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nook-color-to-become-a-real-android-tablet-with-january-update-updated</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nook-color-to-become-a-real-android-tablet-with-january-update-updated</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Update: Barnes and Noble reps are now saying that it has no plans to offer full access to the Android Market on the Nook color. That doesn&amp;'t mean the device won&amp;'t be getting a major Android update, but its future as a full-fledged Android tablet is likely farther off. Original post below.&amp;8212'Barnes and Noble&amp;'s Nook Color, the $250 update to the original Nook, appeared from the start to be an Android tablet in e-reader clothing. Now it looks like it will finally be able to live up to its tablet potential.The Nook Color will receive an update to Android 2.2 in January, and with it, the device will get access to the Android home screen and apps through the Android Market, a Barnes and Noble representative told SmartphoneMag.It sounds like the device won&amp;'t have full access to the Android Market &amp;8212' but still, even a few apps are better than none. The Nook Color currently runs Android 2.1 with no support for apps. The coming Market may feature apps from Barnes and Noble&amp;'s developer program, which it announced when it first unveiled the device in October. Alternatively, those Nook-specific apps may be offered in a separate store to avoid confusion.The Android update will also bring the usual performance and battery life improvements, as well as pinch and zoom support to the device&amp;'s browser.With the 2.2 update, the Nook Color will become an even better value than it already is. At $250, it&amp;'s more than half the price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab (which is available for $400 with a two-year contract, or $599 without contract on Verizon). It&amp;'s also just about half the price of Apple&amp;'s iPad. The Nook Color certainly isn&amp;'t as fast as more expensive tablets, but for the price it&amp;'s the best introduction into tablets on the market right now.Next Story: Justin Bieber, World Cup, Haiti, iPad top 2010 trends on Facebook and Twitter Previous Story: MicroVentures opens up new opportunities for investorsPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Android, Galaxy Tab, iPad, Nook Color, tabletsCompanies: Apple, Barnes And Noble, Google          Tags: Android, Galaxy Tab, iPad, Nook Color, tabletsCompanies: Apple, Barnes And Noble, GoogleDevindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.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[Is Yahoo about to kill Delicious]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-yahoo-about-to-kill-delicious</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-yahoo-about-to-kill-delicious</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-yahoo-about-to-kill-delicious</guid>
<description><![CDATA[UpdatedIt looks like Yahoo&amp;'s cost-cutting efforts go beyond its recent layoffs. The company plans to &amp;''sunset&amp;'' (i.e., shut down) a number of products including social bookmarking service Delicious, according to what looks like a leaked slide from a company-wide presentation.The slide was posted on Twitter by Eric Marcoullier, who co-founded blog social network MyBlogLog, another service listed in the &amp;''sunset&amp;'' column. The slide says that Yahoo Picks, AltaVista, Yahoo Buzz, and other services are also targeted for shutdown.The decision isn&amp;'t a huge surprise, since Yahoo hasn&amp;'t really included Delicious when talking about how the company has revamped its products and infrastructure, and traffic to the site seems to be petering off. Yahoo acquired the then-hot startup in 2005.Delicious founder Joshua Schachter has already moved on from Yahoo, going to Google and then founding a stealthy social startup. Marcoullier has moved on too, co-founding OneTrueFan, a service that connects publishers with their most loyal fans.I&amp;'ve emailed Yahoo for confirmation and will update if I hear back.Update: AllThingsDigital&amp;'s Liz Gannes spotted a tweet from Yahoo&amp;'s chief product officer Blake Irving, that basically confirms the slide is real and implies that whoever leaked it will be fired. He says to Marcoullier: &amp;''Really dude Can&amp;'t wait to find out how you got the web cast. Whoever it is, gone!&amp;''And here&amp;'s Yahoo&amp;'s statement:Part of our organizational streamlining involves cutting our investment in underperforming or off-strategy products to put better focus on our core strengths and fund new innovation in the next year and beyond. We continuously evaluate and prioritize our portfolio of products and services, and do plan to shut down some products in the coming months such as Yahoo! Buzz, our Traffic APIs, and others. We will communicate specific plans when appropriate.[top image via Flickr/Duncan Harris]Next Story: Groupon looks for additional funding after striking Google&amp;'s $6B offer Previous Story: Vimeo turns its video site into a film schoolPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Delicious, MyBlogLogCompanies: Delicious, MyBlogLog, YahooPeople: Eric Marcoullier, Joshua Schachter          Tags: Delicious, MyBlogLogCompanies: Delicious, MyBlogLog, YahooPeople: Eric Marcoullier, Joshua SchachterAnthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat 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[With Two Days Left In October, Diaspora Pushes Public Alpha To&nbsp'Thanksgiving]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-two-days-left-in-october-diaspora-pushes-public-alpha-tonbspthanksgiving</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-two-days-left-in-october-diaspora-pushes-public-alpha-tonbspthanksgiving</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-two-days-left-in-october-diaspora-pushes-public-alpha-tonbspthanksgiving</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Project Diaspora. The open source Facebook-killa. You know the one. Developers got a taste of it last month. And the rest of us were supposed to get a usable alpha build this month. Well, there are only two days left in this month. So it&amp;'s shouldn&amp;'t be too surprising that they&amp;'re pushing the consumer release again.In a post pointing out some of the progress being made today, the Diaspora team notes:Our basic feature set is almost done. Once that is stable, wea4a4ll set up an alpha server so that anyone, not just developers, can try Diaspora and help us improve it. Wea4a4re shooting to do this before Thanksgiving.So what has Diaspora been working on since last month Here&amp;'s some of the latest features they note:Public messages are can now be posted to Twitter and FacebookFriends can now be in multiple aspectsRe-sharing of status messages to aspects other than the one originally posted toAn invite system for inviting your friends not hip to Diaspora yetEmail notifications on new friend request and acceptanceAccount data is exportableA more friendly a4Agetting starteda4 experienceThat said, we&amp;'ve heard from some developers who built versions themselves that there were some pretty glaring security holes in the initial builds. Hopefully those will be fixed before the public gets any kind of taste.CrunchBase InformationDiasporaFacebookInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[RIM taps 7digital to help its BlackBerry PlayBook take on iTunes]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-taps-7digital-to-help-its-blackberry-playbook-take-on-itunes</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-taps-7digital-to-help-its-blackberry-playbook-take-on-itunes</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-taps-7digital-to-help-its-blackberry-playbook-take-on-itunes</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Research in Motion&amp;'s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet won&amp;'t be without tunes when it launches. The company announced yesterday that it has inked a deal with 7digital to pre-install its online music store on the PlayBook, bringing with it some 13 million songs, Reuters reports.The deal is clearly a move to keep the PlayBook competitive against the iPad, which has access to Apple&amp;'s massive iTunes music and movie store. 7digital is one of the most popular music stores on BlackBerry devices, so it&amp;'s not surprising that RIM is making its store an integral part of the tablet.That RIM is making sure to lock down essential functions on the PlayBook is a sign that it&amp;'s ready to compete against the more media-rich iPad as well as tablets running Google&amp;'s Android 3.0 software. In the past, RIM hasn&amp;'t had to worry too much about the media features on its smartphones. Now it&amp;'s clear that RIM is well aware that it can&amp;'t compete purely on the enterprise level &amp;8212' it needs to make sexy devices with rich media features that consumers will want to use for play, as well as work.RIM is expected to launch the BlackBerry PlayBook later this month, or in early April. The most recent rumor indicates the PlayBook will launch on April 10.Next Story: Nissan ups electric car production: every third car a Leaf Previous Story: Maker of super-fast memory modules Fusion-io files for IPOPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: BlackBerry PlayBook, iPad, iTunes, music, tabletsCompanies: 7digital, Apple, RIM          Tags: BlackBerry PlayBook, iPad, iTunes, music, tabletsCompanies: 7digital, Apple, RIMDevindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat 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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