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<title>Haaze.com / Sophia003 / All</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 May 2011 07:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Day 2 of Google I/O: Chrome, Chrome, Chrome]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=day-2-of-google-io-chrome-chrome-chrome</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=day-2-of-google-io-chrome-chrome-chrome</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 May 2011 07:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=day-2-of-google-io-chrome-chrome-chrome</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome, took the stage during the second day of the Google I/O developer conference to talk up new advancements in Google&amp;39's Chrome product line.(Credit:CNET/James Martin)SAN FRANCISCO--The second day of Google's annual Google I/O developer conference was all about Chrome.Leading the charge on the news front was the announcement of the first Chromebooks, notebooks that are based on Google's Chrome OS and provide an always-on and always-connected computing experience. During the press conference following the keynote address on Wedneday, where the first two Chromebooks were introduced, Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome, emphasized that Chromebooks represent a new model of computing.&quot;It offers an end-to-end computing experience,&quot; he said. &quot;It's very different from a (Microsoft) Windows machine. The always-connected and always-on capability of it offers a totally different experience.&quot;Samsung and Acer will each be offering Chromebook notebooks starting June 15. The Samsung Chromebook will cost $429 in the U.S. for the Wi-Fi only version and $499 for the 3G version. Acer's Wi-Fi only Chromebook will cost $349.The devices will be available for sale in the U.S. from Amazon and Best Buy.Google will also be selling these Chromebooks internationally in the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy.Though the Chromebooks look as if they're pitted against inexpensive Netbooks and even possibly newtablet PCs, the pricing seems expensive given that the devices leverage only Web apps from Google's cloud services. No real software is running on the devices.As a result, the relatively high price tag for the first Chromebooks has come under fire from some critics.&quot;It's pretty interesting,&quot; said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Gartner. &quot;But at these prices, will consumers buy it At $499, that gets you a pretty capable Netbook or even aniPad.&quot;The initial Chromebooks are priced similarly to other Netbooks with more functionality, as well as to tablet PCs. But Google's Pichai defended the pricing, saying during the press conference that it's fair, considering the quality components that are in these initial models.&quot;A good display and processor will cost you about $150 per device,&quot; he said during the Q&amp;amp'A with reporters. &quot;And then you have the good trackpads and other quality components. These aren't meant to be cheap computers. They're meant to offer a great experience.&quot;Google co-founder Sergey Brin chimed in during the press conference with his own thoughts on pricing. He took an informal poll by a show of hands among journalists in the audience to see how many people were using laptops that cost less than $500. Only one person raised her hand, while the majority said their laptops cost more than $800 or $1,000.&quot;The One Laptop per Child initiative has been super successful,&quot; he said. &quot;It may not have been exactly what (Nicholas) Negroponte had hoped for. But it has driven components down in price. So Chromebooks may not be $100, but they're pretty cheap.&quot;Related links &amp;149' Archived live blog of I/O day 2 &amp;149' Complete coverage: Google I/OGoogle also unveiled a subscription program for businesses and schools to get Chromebooks. For businesses the cost is $28 per machine per month. And for schools, the cost is $20 per machine per month. The subscription fee includes the hardware, administrative support, hardware upgrades, and warranty. Chromebook laptops weren't the only big news to come out of the morning keynote presentation. Google also made several other notable announcements: The Chrome browser now has 160 million active users. In the past year, Chrome has more than doubled its user base, growing from 70 million active users in 2010 to 160 million users this year. Google has also switched to a six-week release cycle to get features to Web developers sooner. This week, Chrome 12 entered beta. The Chrome Web Store has also been expanding and is now available in 41 languages along with several more countries.Google detailed its in-app payment system for Chrome Web Apps. It's giving developers easy tools to develop the payments, and it's also allowing developers to keep 95 percent of the sale price of their apps. Google is taking only a 5 percent cut.The popular mobile game Angry Birds, by Rovio, is also coming to the Chrome Web Store, as it makes its debut as a Web game.For a blow-by-blow recap of Wednesday's keynote presentation, check out CNET's archived live blog.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Phase One pushes ahead with 80-megapixel sensor]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=phase-one-pushes-ahead-with-80-megapixel-sensor</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=phase-one-pushes-ahead-with-80-megapixel-sensor</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 23 Jan 2011 08:10:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=phase-one-pushes-ahead-with-80-megapixel-sensor</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Phase One&amp;39's IQ180 digital back on a 645DF camera body.(Credit:Phase One)Phase One, the Danish maker of high-end digital camera gear, announced a new top-end product: an image sensor with a whopping 80 megapixels.The IQ180 is a digital back, which consists of an image sensor, viewing screen, and associated electronics housed in a removable module that fits on the back of a medium-format camera body such those from Phase One-controlled Mamiya. The medium-format market, which consists largely of photographers shooting expensive subjects such as fashion models and jewelry, is a demanding one willing to pay a premium for the very detailed images made possible with medium-format gear. Phase One's digital camera backs cost tens of thousands of dollars.The medium format market was slower to move from film to digital than the compact or SLR markets, but when it did, the change proved disruptive. Phase One came to power with the digital transition. But it's by no means assured an easy future in a premium segment. For one thing, product sales volume here is measured in the hundreds or thousands of units, not millions, and for another, there are still competitors.Along with longtime rival medium-format specialist Hasselblad, which is becoming newly aggressive with a relatively low-priced 40-megpixel HD4 model, Phase One has faced steadily more powerful SLR competition from Nikon and Canon. Their top-end models today have resolutions of 24 megapixels and 21 megapixels, respectively. Those cameras' sensors are smaller, but Canon and Nikon benefit from research and development spread across a vastly larger customer base and from plenty of loyal users moving up through the ranks.And a new arrival is Pentax, which has just re-entered the medium-format with its first digital model. It, too, has abundant mainstream experience and technology such as autofocus and metering it can translate directly to the medium-format line.Phase One is staying on the technology curve that comes with the digital realm, though. Here's what's coming along to unseat update products like Phase One's previous high-end back, the 60-megapixel P65+, and the 40-megapixel P45+:Phase One&amp;amp'39's IQ180, with 80-megapixel resolution and 12.5-f-stop dynamic range, has a high-resolution touch screen on the back and a USB 3.0 data connection.(Credit:Phase One)First, it's got three new digital backs, the 80-megapixel IQ180, the 60-megapixel IQ160, and the 40-megapixel IQ140. All three use new CCD (charge-coupled device) sensors. They're built by Dalsa, which has become a favored supplier in the medium-format realm, but Phase One said they're different models from the 80-megapixel models announced in September for Leaf Aptus-II backs from Phase One's Leaf subsidiary.The IQ180 and IQ140 measure a whopping 53.9x43.4mm' the 40-megapixel IQ140 measures 44x33mm. Because of the economics of chipmaking, larger sensors are much more expensive to build than smaller ones--a big reason that mainstream SLRs have smaller image sensors than &quot;full-frame&quot; models with sensors measuring the 36x24mm size of a frame of 35mm film.As important as megapixels but often overlooked is dynamic range, which measures the spread of light and dark the sensor can capture. All three new backs have a dynamic range of 12.5 f-stops, Phase One said. Dynamic range in general is often in opposition with high megapixel counts, so it's a challenge to maintain this attribute as sensor resolutions increase.As with predecessors, the sensors capture 16 bits of color data per pixel. Competing SLRs today capture 14 bits per pixel, and lower-end models only 12 bits per pixel. The larger number means finer tonal gradations, at least in theory.Also as with the earlier models, the new IQ line can be used in a Sensor Plus mode, which combines pixel data to produce images at a quarter the resolution but at double the light sensitivity. At full resolution, the sensors cover a sensitivity range of ISO 50 to 800, but in Sensor Plus, they go from ISO 200 to 3,200.It's not just about sensors, though. The new line comes with a new, high-resolution LCD with a 1.15-megapixel resolution Phase One calls &quot;retina type,&quot; presumably in an effort to ride on the coattails of enthusiasm for the similarly named display on Apple'siPhone 4. And for the first time, it's now a touch screen, with the ability to pan and zoom images--a welcome addition if implemented well, since controlling the sensor can be awkward otherwise using just its four buttons.The new products also have a faster memory interface' the cameras can keep up with continuous shooting now. That's made more challenging by the 80-megabyte files the IQ180 produces, but it's offset by the fact that such cameras typically shoot one photo per second or slower.A final new feature is the addition of USB 3.0, the new version of the Universal Serial Bus specification that's about 10 times faster than the prevailing USB 2.0 that's been around for a decade. It continues with earlier models' Firewire 800 connection, too, for tethered shooting in which data is recorded directly on a computer rather than on memory cards.The IQ180 is scheduled to arrive at the end of April, and the IQ160 and IQ140 at the end of May.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[PC games come to TV with OnLive's MicroConsole]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pc-games-come-to-tv-with-onlives-microconsole</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pc-games-come-to-tv-with-onlives-microconsole</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pc-games-come-to-tv-with-onlives-microconsole</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The OnLive MicroConsole and wireless controller. (Credit:OnLive)We've been reasonably impressed to date with OnLive's cloud-based game service, which allows nearly any Internet-connected laptop or desktop to play a variety of high-end PC games via a unique streaming system. The company's long-awaited MicroConsole, which skips the computer altogether and streams games directly to your TV, finally has a release date and price. The OnLive MicroConsole ships December 2 for $99, and includes a free game (games typically cost the same as retail boxed versions, around $49) and a wireless game controller. If you're not familiar with the service, OnLive works by offloading the CPU and GPU-intensive tasks of actually running the game software to a remote render farm, then beaming the gameplay back to you as a streaming video. It sounds far-fetched, and we were highly skeptical of the service when it was announced in 2009, but in practice, it works surprisingly well. A closer view of the OnLive controller. (Credit:OnLive)While we haven't had a chance to examine the final hardware yet, the MicroConsole appears to be a small adaptor with an Ethernet input and video outputs, hence the low price (as no CPU or GPU is needed). Besides the custom wireless controller, a keyboard and mouse can be used (which makes sense as these are all PC games). Additionally, we've been able to use a wired MicrosoftXbox 360 controller on the PC version of OnLive. Games include a decent selection of current titles, such as Mafia II, Assassin's Creed II, and Borderlands. Titles can be rented for a few dollars for a few days, or purchased outright (although you're actually buying a license to play the game on OnLive's servers, &quot;while it is available on the OnLive gamer service,&quot; which the company says will be until at least June 2013 for the games currently listed).For an more on OnLive, check out our in-depth analysis here, or our interview with OnLive's CEO, and stay tuned for our hands-on impressions of the new MicroConsole hardware.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[TSA plans modest changes to 'virtual strip searches']]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tsa-plans-modest-changes-to-virtual-strip-searches</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tsa-plans-modest-changes-to-virtual-strip-searches</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tsa-plans-modest-changes-to-virtual-strip-searches</guid>
<description><![CDATA[An Internet-fueled backlash against air traveler screening is growing amid signs that the Transportation Security Agency will consider slight changes to its controversial new procedures.TSA administrator John Pistole said today that the agency will be &quot;announcing some new policies&quot; in the &quot;near future&quot; that will change the screening process for pilots, who have protested being forced to choose between a &quot;virtual strip search&quot; or an invasive pat-down a few minutes before they're handed the controls of a 975,000-pound kerosene-fueled missile in the form of a jumbo jet. (See our previous coverage.)But a TSA source told CNET this evening not to expect broader changes that would affect the general public. A revised screening process for only pilots could involve a biometric ID card that would allow security to be bypassed at high-traffic airports.This image of an adult man was taken using a Rapiscan Secure 1000backscatter X-ray scanner(Credit:John Wild (johnwild.info))Pistole's promise of a concession for pilots came during a sympathetic hearing before a Senate committee chaired by Joseph Lieberman, who congratulated TSA on &quot;doing the right thing&quot; for airport screening. Lieberman is an independent senator from Connecticut who caucuses with Democrats.Pilots and flight attendants aren't alone. As the Thanksgiving travel season draws near, the reaction to TSA's new procedures has been visceral and sharply critical, driven by cell phone recordings of security line incidents, privacy and health concerns, and Web sites including the Drudge Report, which published a photograph of a hands-on examination of a nun with the caption: &quot;THE TERRORISTS HAVE WON.&quot; Yesterday's Colbert Report called them machines &quot;that X-ray your X-rated parts.&quot;Another memorable line came from John Tyner, a software engineer from Oceanside, Calif., who became an Internet sensation after telling a TSA screener: &quot;If you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested.&quot; Tyner had the foresight to record the exchange on his mobile phone (videos are here) and is now facing a possible lawsuit with an $11,000 civil penalty for entering a security line and then not allowing a government employee access to his crotch during a pat-down search. &quot;Don't grab my junk&quot; T-shirts and hoods, of course, already are available.In a pre-Internet era, TSA could have weathered these complaints, which would have merited a brief mention on the evening news instead of building into a storm of criticism. Amateur videos posted on YouTube including one of a screaming 3-year-old being treated none too gently by an airport screener, and bloggers describing how they were &quot;sexually assaulted&quot; after genital touching, have put the agency in an unusually difficult position. (Pistole also probably didn't appreciate the Washington Times editorial titled &quot;Big Sister's police state&quot; or calls for abolishing TSA outright.)TSA administrator John Pistole tells U.S. Senate he wants &amp;34'partnership&amp;34' with flying public irked about full-body scans.(Credit:U.S. Senate)TSA has responded by downplaying the new procedures, saying they're similar to the European approach. &quot;There's actually a very small number or percentage that would actually have the pat-down,&quot; Pistole told the Senate Homeland Security Committee today. And Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano (TSA is part of DHS) wrote in an opinion article in USA Today yesterday that &quot;pat-downs have long been one of the many security measures used by the U.S. and countries across the world.&quot;&quot;Those security officers there are there to work with you to ensure that everybody on that flight has been properly screened--everybody wants that assurance,&quot; Pistole said. &quot;They are there to protect you and your loved ones. And let's make it a partnership.&quot; TSA's Pistole will face more questions tomorrow morning at a hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, chaired by Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV).TSA's official blogger, who uses the apparent pseudonym Blogger Bob, went so far as to say this week that: &quot;There is no fondling, squeezing, groping, or any sort of sexual assault taking place at airports.&quot; (Blogger Bob has also responded to the Don't-Touch-My-Junk videos.)The origin of this controversy is simple: thanks to the federal stimulus legislation, TSA has been able to buy approximately 373 whole-body scanners and install them in at least 68 airports around the country. A few weeks ago, with only a one-paragraph mention on TSA's Web site, the screening procedures were changed to offer air travelers a choice of either full-body scans or what the TSA delicately calls &quot;enhanced patdowns.&quot; (In some circles, they're better known as &quot;rapescans&quot; and porno-tron machines, or, as the ACLU puts it, &quot;strip search machines.&quot;)This sense of unease, or perhaps incipient rebellion, comes as an estimated 24 million travelers are expected to fly during the 2010 Thanksgiving holiday season. One Web site, OptOutDay.com, is recommending what might be called strict civil obedience: it suggests that all air travelers on November 24, the day before Thanksgiving, choose &quot;to opt-out of the naked body scanner machines&quot; that amount to &quot;virtual strip searches.&quot; Nudeoscope.com, DontScan.us, and StopDigitalStripSearches.org are organizing their own protests.One of the many anti-whole body scanner efforts, this is the logo fromstopdigitalstripsearches.org(Credit:EPIC.org)Body scanners penetrate clothing to provide a highly detailed image that TSA says will be viewed by a remote technician. Technologies vary, with millimeter wave systems capturing fuzzier images with non-ionizing radio waves and backscatter X-ray machines able to show precise anatomical detail.TSA says it does not store scans, and there is no evidence indicating the agency does at routine airport checkpoints. But documents that the Electronic Privacy Information Center obtained show the agency's procurement specifications require that the machines be capable of storing the images on USB drives. A 70-page document (PDF), classified as &quot;sensitive security information,&quot; says that in a test mode the scanner must &quot;allow exporting of image data in real time&quot; and provide a mechanism for &quot;high-speed transfer of image data&quot; over the network. &quot;Travelers are upset and travelers are going to revolt,&quot; Marc Rotenberg, EPIC's executive director, said today. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, a dogged critic of the body scanners, already has filed a lawsuit saying TSA violated federal law when rolling out the machines and is planning a new lawsuit seeking agency records concerning testing and evaluation of health impacts of airport body scanners. Biochemistry faculty members at the University of California at San Francisco have written the White House saying the X-ray &quot;dose to the skin may be dangerously high.&quot; The Obama administration said in a WhiteHouse.gov blog post last week that they have &quot;been studied extensively for many years by the Food and Drug Administration&quot; and other government agencies and deemed to be entirely safe.John Sedat, a UCSF professor of biochemistry and biophysics and member of the National Academy of Sciences, told CNET afterward that the administration's response has &quot;many misconceptions, and we will write a careful answer pointing out their errors.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[New iPod Nano watch band is too cool for school]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-ipod-nano-watch-band-is-too-cool-for-school</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-ipod-nano-watch-band-is-too-cool-for-school</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Nov 2010 07:11:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-ipod-nano-watch-band-is-too-cool-for-school</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Hex comes in nine colors.(Credit:Hex)Yes, theiPod Nano is minuscule enough to be turned into a watch, you just need a custom band to encase your sixth-gen Nano to wear it on your wrist and be the coolest dude--or dudette--around.The Hex isn't the first Nano watch band we've seen, but it is the slickest and it comes in nine different colors for $24.99. As the company's cartoon infographic says, you just pop it in the case, and presto, it's a watch! What also nice is that it provides some protection for your Nano and has some integrated control buttons. Naturally, that $24.99 doesn't include the iPod, and unfortunately, this watch has to be charged quite a bit more frequently than your standard timepiece. Yes, there&amp;39's a port for the headphone jack.(Credit:Hex)(Via Gizmodo)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Pick up a prepaid smartphone]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pick-up-a-prepaid-smartphone</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pick-up-a-prepaid-smartphone</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:23:31 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pick-up-a-prepaid-smartphone</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)If you think you can't get a decent smartphone from a prepaid carrier, think again.We've been gratified to see more and more BlackBerry and Android smartphones crop up at the high end of prepaid lineups for carriers like Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, Virgin Mobile, and MetroPCS. These handsets are nothing to sneeze at, and they offer prepaid customers far more power and features than other mobile phones in the carrier's cohort.Here's our collection of prepaid smartphones.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Intel and General Electric form healthcare tech joint venture]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-and-general-electric-form-healthcare-tech-joint-venture</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-and-general-electric-form-healthcare-tech-joint-venture</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Science</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-and-general-electric-form-healthcare-tech-joint-venture</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Building on a previous alliance, General Electric and Intel have created a formal joint venture to develop healthcare technologies aimed at making life easier for chronically ill patients.The new venture will be headed by Louis Burns (above), chief executive of the venture. He is currently vice president in charge of Intel&amp;'s health division. GE&amp;'s Omar Ishrak will be chairman of the new venture. Ishrak (below)is currently senior vice president and CEO of GE Healthcare Systems.In April, 2009, the two companies got together to create handheld patient monitoring systems for doctors and nurses in hospitals.At that time, GE and Intel pledged to invest $250 million in the products and research for the alliance over the next five years.Now they plan to take those technologies and develop a broader line of products. Burns said that Intel has been working on digital health issues for more than five years. It spent time visiting more than 1,000 elderly patients in their homes as part of its research into creating technologies that allow doctors to monitor patients from afar. In conjunction with that, Intel has created systems for monitoring patients with Alzheimer&amp;'s disease and other chronic ailments.&amp;''This joint venture sets the stage for improving healthcare for millions while at the same time reducing healthcare costs,&amp;'' Ishrak said.The companies will combine the assets of GE Healthcare&amp;'s home-health division and Intel&amp;'s digital health group. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.The goal is to allow people to live independently and occasionally check in for status monitoring via remote technologies. The technologies required to do the monitoring include sensor systems &amp;8212' from heartbeat monitors to ultrasound &amp;8212' as well as communications technologies such as wireless networking, internet video, and handheld computing units. Burns and Ishrak said in a webcast that taking care of the elderly in their own homes is key to reducing doctor visits and overall costs.The joint venture, based near Sacramento, Calif., will be equally owned by Intel and GE and will be fully operational by the end of the year. The joint venture will focus on chronic disease management, independent living, and assistive technologies. Products already available include the Intel Health Guide, Intel Reader (for blind people), and GE Healthcare&amp;'s QuietCare, pictured right. The QuietCare device has a touchscreen that patients can use to monitor their own health based on feedback from sensors placed on their bodies, in the privacy of their own home.Next Story: Newer, cheaper Microsoft Office for Mac to land in October Previous Story: Sharp, Enel, STMicro team up to breathe new life into thin-film solarPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: healthCompanies: General Electric, Intel          Tags: healthCompanies: General Electric, IntelDean 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[Foursquare launches new Android app earlier than expected]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=foursquare-launches-new-android-app-earlier-than-expected</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=foursquare-launches-new-android-app-earlier-than-expected</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=foursquare-launches-new-android-app-earlier-than-expected</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Foursquare may have just released a new iPhone application on Monday, but the company isn&amp;'t done with the upgrades just yet. Cofounder and chief executive Dennis Crowley just tweeted that the Android version of the new app is now available, complete with the new comments and photos features.Though the company noted the Android version wouldn&amp;'t be out till sometime &amp;''later next week,&amp;'' Android users are getting an early&amp;nbsp'Christmas present. The reason may be&amp;nbsp'a crowdsourced approach to&amp;nbsp'testing the app, according to another tweet from Crowley.The comments feature&amp;nbsp'is meant to give users some added value around meeting up with friends and exploring around town and the photos feature will allow for users to attach photos to&amp;nbsp'a frienda4a4s comment or&amp;nbsp'the&amp;nbsp'venue itself. On Monday afternoon, Crowley said the new iPhone app was already seeing nearly one photo upload every second.The New York City-based company, founded in 2009, has raised more than $21 million in funding. It currently has more than&amp;nbsp'40 employees in its hometown and a new engineering office ita4a4s opening in San Francisco.Next Story: Dell acquires medical archiving company InSite One Previous Story: To save your phone from hackers, Lookout raises $19.5MPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: check-in, comments, location, location based services, photosCompanies: FoursquarePeople: Dennis Crowley          Tags: check-in, comments, location, location based services, photosCompanies: FoursquarePeople: Dennis CrowleyCody Barbierri is a social and digital media consultant. He works for Piehead and blogs about social media at Social Tab. (None of his posts are about clients or their competitors.) Reach him at Cody@venturebeat.com. You can also follow Cody 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[Image Space Media raises extra $1M to turn photos into cold, hard cash]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=image-space-media-raises-extra-1m-to-turn-photos-into-cold-hard-cash</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=image-space-media-raises-extra-1m-to-turn-photos-into-cold-hard-cash</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=image-space-media-raises-extra-1m-to-turn-photos-into-cold-hard-cash</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Image Space Media, formerly Picad Media, has raised an additional $1 million from existing investors, according toan SEC filing.The startup overlays text ads on Web images, similar to those seen on Google&amp;'s YouTube and other video-sharing sites. Publishers can integrate a snippet of JavaScript and start monetizing their images, while advertisers can choose from a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) model to serve their text-based ad. Image Space offers an analytics tool for publishers and ad-creation tools for advertisers.Founder Kevin Tung laterconfirmed the funding to TechCrunch, a tech blog.While the idea of serving ads over images is far from ubiquitous, it&amp;'s not entirely new. The most popular player in the space is GumGum. GumGum started in 2006 as a service to help content owners track and monetize their photos, but eventually morphed into what is essentially an ad network for images. It has signed up popular publishers TMZ, Internet Brands, AskMen, and Glam.Back in January, Image Space Media raised $2.9 million from New Atlantic Ventures, Ridgeline Capital, and Michael Gordon, having launched at the TechCrunch50 conference earlier in the year. Tung has stated the startup is planning to raise a complete Series B round in 2011.Previous Story: 2011 may mark the beginning of a golden era for entrepreneursPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: ad network, advertisers, images, monetization, publishersCompanies: GumGum, Image Space MediaPeople: Kevin Tung          Tags: ad network, advertisers, images, monetization, publishersCompanies: GumGum, Image Space MediaPeople: Kevin TungSid Yadav is a contributor to VentureBeat. He currently studies computer science and psychology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. He is also the creator of Memiary, a micro-diary utility. You can reach him at sidyadav@gmail.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @sidyadav.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[Redwood Systems wants lighting to behave like a broadband network]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=redwood-systems-wants-lighting-to-behave-like-a-broadband-network</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=redwood-systems-wants-lighting-to-behave-like-a-broadband-network</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=redwood-systems-wants-lighting-to-behave-like-a-broadband-network</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is more power-efficient than your typical incandescent light bulb, but it requires a different type of power setup. That&amp;'s where Redwood Systems, a provider of intelligent lighting systems, comes in.Rather than power lights with typical AC voltage, Redwood Systems wants to put its lights on a &amp;''network&amp;'' a4&quot; much like a broadband network a4&quot; to control the lighting and make the lighting systems easier to tune and monitor. Redwood Systems presented its business plan at the GreenBeat 2010 conference in Palo Alto, Calif. today.&amp;''If you see this as a network system and a power system, that&amp;'s makes sense,&amp;'' said Jeremy Stieglitz, VP of marketing for Redwood System. That&amp;'s because a majority of the team came from Cisco where they worked on power efficiency and networking technology.Simply putting in LED light fixtures won&amp;'t allow buildings to capture the energy efficiency that LED lighting can offer, he said. By starting from scratch and re-wiring the lighting system in a building, users can get a deeper level of interaction to save a little more money.Redwood Systems charges around $3 per square foot to integrate its intelligent lighting system into buildings. The Alumni Center at Stanford University, playing host to GreenBeat 2010 today, would net the company around $1 million, Stieglitz said. The smart lighting setup is already deployed in 15 building installations a4&quot; including data centers and university campuses.Next Story: Knowledge base SmartGridView baffles GreenBeat 2010 judges, audience Previous Story: Why won&amp;'t utility companies innovate Smart Grid leaders explainPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: GreenBeat, GreenBeat 2010, LED Lighting, smart lightingCompanies: Redwood SystemsPeople: Jeremy Stieglitz          Tags: GreenBeat, GreenBeat 2010, LED Lighting, smart lightingCompanies: Redwood SystemsPeople: Jeremy StieglitzVentureBeat 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[Apple looks towards music files that surpass CD quality]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-looks-towards-music-files-that-surpass-cd-quality</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-looks-towards-music-files-that-surpass-cd-quality</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-looks-towards-music-files-that-surpass-cd-quality</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Apple, the company responsible for the widespread popularity of heavily compressed music, is looking into offering high-fidelity music files that will surpass the quality of CDs.Apple is apparently in talks with music companies to offer high quality 24-bit music files, CNN reports. Other digital music retailers are also investigating the possibility, according to Jimmy Iovine, chairman of  Universal&amp;'s Interscope-Geffen-A&amp;amp'M record label.This is good news for audiophiles, who have long bemoaned the popularity of heavily compressed music files. It&amp;'s also a sign that Apple, and other music retailers, are finally ready to leap beyond CDs and offer consumers something akin to &amp;''high definition&amp;'' music. Standard audio CDs are encoded at a 16-bit resolution, so offering 24-bit files &amp;8212' the resolution most music producers capture in studio recordings &amp;8212' would be a major fidelity leap.Music quality has taken a step back from CDs with the rise of the MP3 and the advent of digital music downloads. While CDs offered music that was technically much higher quality than the cassette tapes that preceded them, MP3 files exchanged fidelity for small file sizes, which made them better suited for storing on computer hard drives and portable music players.File sharing sites like Napster, Kazaa, and Audiogalaxy helped promote the popularity of MP3 files, but it was Apple&amp;'s iTunes Store that proved digital music could take on CDs when it came to legitimate sales. Unfortunately for music fans, iTunes files were initially a low-quality 128 kilobits per second (kbps) format, and it took years for Apple to offer a higher quality &amp;''iTunes Plus&amp;'' format.And while digital music files thrived, next-generation disc formats like DVD Audio and Sony&amp;'s Super Audio CD failed to catch on with mainstream consumers. Both of those formats offered surround sound 24-bit audio, which sounded light-years beyond CDs and were an even bigger leap beyond compressed audio files.We&amp;'ll likely see new music formats supported by Apple and other digital music retailers that would allow for multichannel audio and 24-bit support. As CNN points out, some modern Macs can support 24-bit audio files, but many other computers and portable audio players won&amp;'t be able to play them. It will be years before most consumers can take advantage of the higher quality music files, but for those lucky few who can, it will be the first step towards the next generation of digital music quality.Photo via Shaun MaPrevious Story: Verizon to offer Motorola&amp;'s Xoom tablet for $600 on contractPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: 24-bit, CD, DVD Audio, iTunes, MP3, music, Super Audio CDCompanies: Apple, Emusic          Tags: 24-bit, CD, DVD Audio, iTunes, MP3, music, Super Audio CDCompanies: Apple, EmusicDevindra 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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<title><![CDATA[Could a Civil Disobedience video game train Middle Eastern protesters]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=could-a-civil-disobedience-video-game-train-middle-eastern-protesters</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=could-a-civil-disobedience-video-game-train-middle-eastern-protesters</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=could-a-civil-disobedience-video-game-train-middle-eastern-protesters</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If social media can inspire people to engage in peaceful revolutions, why couldn&amp;'t a video game do it too After watching the peaceful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, game designer and researcher Jane McGonigal suggested that someone create a game called Civ D, short for Civil Disobedience, about how to stage a peaceful revolution.McGonigal said that such games could train people how to orchestrate a large-scale protest and peaceful revolution &amp;8212' a skill that seems like it&amp;'s in high demand in the Middle East today. If game developers take her up on the idea, she thinks the result could be a meaningful game that could be much more widely enjoyed than current video game fare.&amp;''When I think of all the games about war, I think it&amp;'s time we starting thinking about huge, intense, action-oriented games that we could play and might be more meaningful and something we can aspire to,&amp;'' said McGonigal in her speech at the Dice Summit video game conference in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.She looked at many of the leaflets handed out by the protesters and  noted how they resembled instructions for doing tasks in video games. Egyptian protest organizers handed out very detailed pamphlets that showed protesters how to mobilize through the neighborhoods to get to the center of the protests in Tahrir Square.&amp;''If you look at the pamphlets, they&amp;'re really quite conducive to game scenarios,&amp;'' she said. &amp;''Here&amp;'s the strategic goals for civil disobedience&amp;'' such as taking over the government, winning over the military, and protecting as many people from harm as possible.The pamphlets showed people how to fend off attacking police and how to shield themselves from a striking baton.There are even virtual goods that could be created in such a game, such as the hood you would need to protect yourself from tear gas and to stop others from recognizing you.McGonigal isn&amp;'t making the game herself but she is suggesting that someone else do so. Her own company, Social Chocolate, is creating a game called SuperBetter, which is aimed at helping people survive illnesses. McGonigal is encouraging game developers to propose their own ideas for making games with meaning at the site Gameful.org. The slides from her Dice speech are here.If a game developer went to work on a high-quality game now, it could probably be published by 2014, McGonigal said.Next Story: Mobile payments company Paydiant picks up $7.6M Previous Story: Amazon takes on Netflix with Prime instant videosPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Civ D, Gameful, SuperBetterCompanies: Social ChocolatePeople: Jane Mcgonigal          Tags: Civ D, Gameful, SuperBetterCompanies: Social ChocolatePeople: Jane McgonigalDean 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. 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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<title><![CDATA[On the GreenBeat: LEDs to become $1 billion market by 2014' one way to fight EV range anxiety]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-the-greenbeat-leds-to-become-1-billion-market-by-2014-one-way-to-fight-ev-range-anxiety</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-the-greenbeat-leds-to-become-1-billion-market-by-2014-one-way-to-fight-ev-range-anxiety</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-the-greenbeat-leds-to-become-1-billion-market-by-2014-one-way-to-fight-ev-range-anxiety</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Herea4a4s a roundup of some of the daya4a4s most interesting cleantech activity:Rinspeed builds an electric car with a spare bike &amp;8212' The concept carmaker&amp;'s is calling its BamBoo car (pictured) a &amp;''grown-up golf cart.&amp;'' The car&amp;'s interior is made from bamboo fibers and includes an electric bike &amp;''for the last mile.&amp;'' So while some cars come with a spare tire, this one comes with a bike to ease your range anxiety. Take that, Chevy Volt!LED lights will become a $1 billion market by 2014 &amp;8211' The low-energy lights are set to surpass the Edison light bulb, according to a new report by Groom Energy and GTM Research. The report predicts the market, currently valued at $330 million, will grow next year by 30 percent. It also identifies the top LED enterprise leaders as Cree, Phillips, Lighting Science Group and BetaLED.General Motors looking to double or triple Volt production &amp;8212' GM CEO Dan Akerson says the company is studying how it could ramp up production of the range extender Chevrolet Volt should demand increase, AutoWeek reports. Most analysts say that demand for electric vehicles and even hybrids like the Volt will outstrip available supply for the time being. AutoWeek notes that about 240,000 potential buyers have expressed interest in the Volt, but Chevy will only make 10,000 in 2011, then expand to 45,000 Volts 2012.Motorola buys 4Home in home efficiency push &amp;8212' The company announced that it will purchase the home automation and energy efficiency startup 4Home for an undisclosed sum. Earth2Tech notes that the deal is interesting given that 4Home focuses on the home energy efficiency market, which has yet to prove itself as a runaway success.Sharp to invest $180M in new production line for solar cells -- The company is Japan&amp;'s top solar panel maker and will expand production to meet growing demand for solar cells, Bloomberg reports. The mass production of cells will start by March, with an energy efficiency of 17 percent, up from about 14 percent for the companya4a4s similar models.Approval for Tessera Solar&amp;'s Calico plant is back online &amp;8211'The California Energy Commission reinstated approval for the $2 billion, 664-megawatt solar power plant, Reuters reports. Tessera, like many other solar developers, is racing to start construction on the facility before the end of the year in order to be eligible for a federal grant program that expires this year that covers 30 percent of the cost of renewable energy projects. Opponents had said the plant was wrongly licensed, and some of plant&amp;'s protesters, like the Sierra Club, say they are considering filing a legal challenge to protect wildlife in the desert where Calico will be built.Next Story: The Wikileaks wake-up call: Lost or stolen laptops cost corporations $2.1 billion per year Previous Story: In 7th deal in seven months, Zynga acquires mobile game company NewtoyPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: BamBoo, Calico, electric vehicles, home energy efficiency, LEDs, photovoltaic, Solar, solar panels, VoltCompanies: 4Home, Chevrolet, GM, motorola, Rinspeed, Sharp, Sierra Club, TesseraPeople: Dan Akerson          Tags: BamBoo, Calico, electric vehicles, home energy efficiency, LEDs, photovoltaic, Solar, solar panels, VoltCompanies: 4Home, Chevrolet, GM, motorola, Rinspeed, Sharp, Sierra Club, TesseraPeople: Dan AkersonIris Kuo is the VentureBeat's lead GreenBeat writer. She has reported for The Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong, Houston Chronicle, the McClatchy Washington Bureau and Dallas public radio. Iris attended the University of Texas at Dallas and lives in Houston. Follow Iris on Twitter @thestatuskuo (and yes, that's how you  pronounce her last name).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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