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<title>Haaze.com / csandaussu / All</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Apple's and Samsung's lawsuits in visual form]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apples-and-samsungs-lawsuits-in-visual-form</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apples-and-samsungs-lawsuits-in-visual-form</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apples-and-samsungs-lawsuits-in-visual-form</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It didn't take long for Samsung to strike back at Apple, with the company yesterday filing lawsuits of its own in three different countries.If you're scratching your head about what's at stake and where things are being filed, or if you're looking for a breakdown of the issues, intellectual-property watcher Florian Mueller has put together a handy chart (similar to the one he created for Microsoft and Motorola's legal spat), which does a good job of breaking down exactly what courts are involved and the specific claims from both parties. The chart (embedded below) tracks specific issues mentioned in Apple's suit, which was filed at the end of last week. The Samsung suits, filed in Germany, Japan, and South Korea, don't have specific information about the patents and other IP items, but Mueller expands on the assertions made in those suits, and on what products are affected, on the final page of the document:Apple vs Samsung 11.04.22(function() { var scribd = document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;)' scribd.type = &quot;text/javascript&quot;' scribd.async = true' scribd.src = &quot;http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js&quot;' var s = document.getElementsByTagName(&quot;script&quot;)[0]' s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s)' })()'The outcome of this battle is of particular interest given the two companies' ties to each other. Apple uses components from Samsung in a number of its products, including its phones and computers. The two companies also compete fiercely in both those categories.During Apple's second fiscal quarter earnings call with analysts on Wednesday, Apple COO Tim Cook noted that the company was Samsung's largest customer and that Samsung was &quot;a very valued component supplier for us.&quot; Nonetheless, Cook said Apple has a different opinion of the company's mobile business.&quot;We felt the mobile communications business of Samsung had crossed the line, and after trying for some time to work through the issue, we decided we needed to rely on the courts,&quot; Cook said during the call.Shortly following Apple's suit last week, Samsung fired back, saying the company would &quot;respond actively to this legal action taken against us through appropriate legal measures to protect our intellectual property.&quot; This first set of suits could be just the start of that response.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[AT&T and T-Mobile: Good for whom]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=att-and-t-mobile-good-for-whom</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=att-and-t-mobile-good-for-whom</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 20 Mar 2011 07:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=att-and-t-mobile-good-for-whom</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Just when CTIA 2011 was shaping up to be a snoozer, it suddenly got a lot more interesting today when AT&amp;T announced that it was acquiring T-Mobile for $39 billion. A rumored acquisition of T-Mobile has long been percolating for a few months--up until today Sprint was listed as the likely buyer--but the news of AT&amp;T swooping nonetheless is shocking. And as I see it, it's not very good for T-Mobile customers.Absolutely, AT&amp;T and T-Mobile are a natural fit on the surface. They both are GSM, they have broad international coverage, and they've even shared a few phones in the past. Sure, they use different 3G technology, but they could mingle much easier than Sprint and T-Mobile ever could. This merger isn't about AT&amp;T crushing a rival--honestly, AT&amp;T has long had its sights focused on Verizon--though it is about AT&amp;T needing T-Mobile's spectrum.For an insightful analysis of the deal and the possible regulatory and spectrum issues, check out this post by CNET's Maggie Reardon.Granted, spectrum is a problem that both carriers would have continued to face in the long term. AT&amp;T needs more spectrum for LTE, and T-Mobile needs spectrum if it wants to do anything beyond its &quot;4G&quot; HSPA+ technology. Yet, T-Mobile has long offered a distinct alternative to AT&amp;T if you wanted a GSM phone. It excelled at customer service, it delivered on value, and it never failed to keep its phones interesting. Can AT&amp;T retain those values once T-Mobile is absorbed Here are the issues at stake.Customer serviceIt's been remarkable how T-Mobile has been able to retain the customer service banner. In almost every independent survey, it takes the top spot just as AT&amp;T ranks at the bottom. Clearly, the carrier must be doing something right. And though I haven't always been happy, I've been pretty impressed when I've interfaced with T-Mobile in the past. I always wonder why some companies do better at customer service then others. It's more than just hiring the right people' there also seems to be a core philosophy that drives their training (think Macy's versus Nordstrom). AT&amp;T will need to retain that customer service or it will be a quick downhill trip for everyone. What's more, AT&amp;T also will have to retain T-Mobile's aggressive prepaid plan pricing. related coverage AT&amp;T-T-Mobile: By the numbers   On the cusp of a historic mobile operator merger between AT&amp;T and T-Mobile, a look at some key stats. Just one for GSMA big drawback of the merger is that anyone who wants a GSM phone will now have just one carrier to use. AT&amp;T and T-Mobile may Use a &quot;but, Sprint and Verizon Wireless are still around!&quot; argument with the FCC, but that's an apples and oranges comparison. Yes, they CDMA/GSM divide will disappear as LTE goes mainstream, but that's not going to happen for a few years (remember, also that Sprint is still riding the WiMax train). So on the meantime, anyone who wants to use a phone in Europe, for example, or enjoy the convenience of a SIM card would have just AT&amp;T as an option. Consolidation from the days of six national carriers was inevitable, but as Maggie points out in her post, the FCC said last May that the market was too concentrated. As such, the agency may not warm up to another carrier marriage.Handset choiceI've already heard some industry buzz that argues that T-Mobile fans will win because they finally can get their hands on theiPhone. Frankly, that's ludicrous. It assumes the iPhone is the pinnacle of cell phone creation and neglects the fact that T-Mobile customers have long been able to jump ship to AT&amp;T. I'd also disagree with the notion that T-Mobile always has had a boring phone lineup. What about the Sidekick, its long affiliation with HTC, and the fact that it was first to Android with the G1. Though each handset had its individual drawbacks, T-Mobile has never been innovative on the handset front. Even with Android, it gives us stock experiences on devices like the Nexus One, it doesn't load its phones with as much bloatware as AT&amp;T, and it doesn't restrict third-party apps.NetworkThis area remains a little muddy. AT&amp;T's network has broader coverage, but T-Mobile competes well in urban areas. With the increased spectrum, it's doubtful that T-Mobile customers will see their network quality decrease. And on the upside, they'll get a quicker path to LTE. T-Mobile's HSPA+ does show impressive speeds, but the carrier couldn't depend on that technology forever. And with Verizon blowing us away with the speeds of its LTE devices (like the Thunderbolt), both carriers will need a leg up to really compete. Some CNET readers have asked if AT&amp;T users will see positive, or negatives, changes, but the increased spectrum may result in the former scenario.Outside of customers, another carrier marriage will affect all corners of the industry. Verizon will face a threat from a combined company, no doubt, and will have to continue the breakneck development pace we've seen over the past year. Sprint, on the other hand, could see an upside. The carrier has long been in an identity crisis, and it could use the merger as an opportunity to rebrand itself as the smaller, but pluckier and cheaper carrier (aka the new T-Mobile). Handset and OS manufacturers will have a smaller market for their phones, which doesn't make me optimistic. Carriers already rule the U.S. wireless market, after all, so having fewer of them dictating terms could mean less choice for consumers.For now T-Mobile and AT&amp;T are telling customers that nothing will change in the short-term. That's true, of course, and will continue until the Feds give their official nod. Who knows, they may figure out how to to do it right. But mergers between huge companies are always messy. And I'm not hopeful about this one.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Euro telcos want tech companies to pay]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-euro-telcos-want-tech-companies-to-pay</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-euro-telcos-want-tech-companies-to-pay</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Dec 2010 08:10:29 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-euro-telcos-want-tech-companies-to-pay</guid>
<description><![CDATA[European telcos say companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook should pay to help them keep up with growing demand for data on their networks, according to an article published by Bloomberg today. France Telecom-Orange, Telecom Italia, and Vodafone Group would like to charge content providers fees linked to usage to help cover the cost of upgrading wireless broadband networks. France Telecom-Orange Chief Executive Officer Stephane Richard discussed the issue at the &quot;Le Web&quot; conference in Paris Wednesday. Richard said the current mismatch between revenue and investment for Internet infrastructure providers is not sustainable.&quot;Service providers are flooding networks with no incentive&quot; to cut costs, Bloomberg quoted France Telecom CEO Stephane Richard as saying said last month. &quot;It's necessary to put in place a system of payments by service providers as a function of their use.&quot;The problem Richard and other European telecommunication CEOs face is that as data connections and traffic grow on their networks, revenue is falling. The problem is particularly acute for wireless networks. For example, IDC estimates that the number of mobile data connections in Western Europe is expected to grow 15 percent a year to 270 million in 2014. But during this same period revenue is expected to fall 1 percent. Meanwhile, carriers are expected to increase capital spending by 28 percent to $3.7 billion, according to Canalys, Bloomberg said.U.S. broadband and wireless carriers face similar problems. Executives on this side of the Atlantic have in the past complained of content companies getting a free ride on their networks. In 2005, Ed Whitacre, then CEO of SBC Communications which later became AT&amp;T, said that he didn't think that Google should be given a free ride on his network. The remark ignited a firestorm of protest. Since then, consumer groups and content companies, many of which are based in the U.S., have fought back lobbying for regulations that would keep networks &quot;open.&quot; The Federal Communications Commission is in the final stages of drafting its so-called Net neutrality rules, which are aimed at doing this. The FCC will vote on these rules later this month.Network operators are not just asking content providers to pay more of the cost of upgrading wireless networks, but they are also asking consumers to pay for what they use. Wireless operators both in Europe and the U.S. say that the time for flat-fee unlimited data plans is drawing to an end. Instead, consumers will pay for what they use.In the U.S. AT&amp;T has already eliminated its unlimited data plan for its smartphones. And Verizon Wireless has been experimenting with tiered service offerings. France Telecom is also considering tiered pricing.&quot;We are progressively going to switch from the unlimited approach that has been the trademark of our industry to something which is more sophisticated,&quot; Bloomberg quoted the Richard, France Telecom's CEO as saying on Wednesday.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Spam down, but malware continues hold]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-spam-down-but-malware-continues-hold</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-spam-down-but-malware-continues-hold</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Dec 2010 08:10:29 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-spam-down-but-malware-continues-hold</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Spam may be down but malware marches merrily on.That's the message from the &quot;November Threat Landscape Report&quot; released yesterday by security vendor Fortinet.Global spam levels ultimately fell 12 percent in November after Dutch authorities took down a large Bredolab network made up of 140 different servers. The Bredolab botnet was typically used by cybercriminals to send out spam selling fake drugs, according to Fortinet. Spam had actually fallen as much as 26 percent the week after the network was dismantled but was able to stage a bit of a recovery afterward.(Credit:Fortinet)The ever-present Koobface botnet, known for affecting Facebook users, also suffered a hit on November 14 when U.K. Internet service provider Coreix took down three of its central &quot;MotherShip&quot; servers. The perpetrators of Koobface use these MotherShip servers as their main command-and-control systems to direct the spread of the botnet and control infected PCs. The bad guys communicate with the MotherShip machines through intermediary servers.Though the takedown of the MotherShip servers dealt Koobface a severe blow, the success was short-lived as the botnet operators were able to use stolen FTP accounts to hijack other servers, according to Fortinet.&quot;We confirmed that on November 14, when the primary servers were taken offline, the intermediary servers failed to proxy content, which effectively crippled the botnet,&quot; Derek Manky, project manager for cyber security and threat research at Fortinet, said in a statement. &quot;Unfortunately, we saw communication restored five days later on November 19th. This is likely due to the fact that Koobface contains an FTP harvesting module.&quot; Looking at other botnets, Fortinet found another prominent threat in November in the form of Sasfis, a botnet that infects PCs by using the standard port 80 reserved for HTTP traffic. Increasingly, botnets are using common ports to spread in an effect to blend in with normal traffic. Detections of Sasfis command-and-control servers were third on the top 10 attack list maintained by Fortinet.Fortinet also discovered in November that the Hiloti botnet was using legitimate DNS queries to report back to its command-and-control servers, another example of a botnet trying to use standard protocols to avoid being detected.Finally, zero-day vulnerabilities were found last month in Adobe Shockwave, Adobe Flash, Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple QuickTime, and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. All of these weaknesses were cited by Fortinet as critical as they leave the applications open to attacks that are able to run code remotely.In terms of sheer malware attacks among the top countries hit in November, the U.S. accounted for 35 percent, up from 32 percent in October. Japan took 22 percent of the total attacks, up from 16 percent the prior month. And Korea took the brunt of 12.5 percent of the world's total malware attacks, up from less than 9 percent in October.(Credit:Fortinet)Fortinet shares its thoughts on the November threat landscape in the video below:        Lance Whitney     Full Profile E-mail Lance Whitney   E-mail Lance Whitney If you have a question or comment for Lance Whitney, you can submit it here. However, because our editors and writers receive hundreds of requests, we cannot tell you when you may receive a response.   Submit your question or comment here: 0 of 1500 characters       Lance Whitney wears a few different technology hats--journalist, Web developer, and software trainer. He's a contributing editor for Microsoft TechNet Magazine and writes for other computer publications and Web sites. Lance is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and he is not an employee of CNET.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Cost of suing file sharers could skyrocket soon]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cost-of-suing-file-sharers-could-skyrocket-soon</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cost-of-suing-file-sharers-could-skyrocket-soon</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:10:38 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cost-of-suing-file-sharers-could-skyrocket-soon</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A setback in federal court last week appears to have prompted the law firm spearheading a litigation campaign against accused film pirates on behalf of independent movie studios to abandon a major part of its legal strategy, CNET has learned. Dunlap Grubb &amp; Weaver wanted to pursue lawsuits against thousands of accused film pirates in Washington, D.C. That won&amp;39't happen. (Credit:Greg Sandoval/CNET)Dunlap, Grubb &amp; Weaver, the law firm representing makers of such pics as &quot;Far Cry&quot; and Oscar-winner &quot;The Hurt Locker,&quot; has filed copyright complaints against thousands of people from across the country this year and sought to pursue those cases in federal court in Washington, D.C., near its base of operations. Among the obstacles facing the firm, however, are the defendants' lawyers who argue that a Washington, D.C., court has no jurisdiction over people living outside of that area. Last week, in the case brought in March  by the makers of the movie &quot;Far Cry,&quot; a U.S. district court refused a request by Dunlap Grubb to wait five years before requiring the firm to name and serve all the defendants.After U.S District Judge Rosemary Collyer refused to give it the five years, Dunlap Grubb said it will change direction. The firm now plans to dismiss the cases against defendants residing outside of the Washington D.C. area, according to Thomas Dunlap, the firm's founder. For the defendants whose cases are dropped, Dunlap told CNET via e-mail: &quot;We plan to sue them in their home jurisdiction--likely the week after Thanksgiving.&quot;Dunlap Grubb told the court that some Internet service providers (ISPs) were holding up their efforts to identify some of the defendants. &quot;Judge Collyer unequivocally rejected [Dunlap Grubb's] improper attempt to keep thousands of people, most of whom live and work far away from the District of Columbia,&quot; said Christina DiEdoardo, an attorney representing some of the defendants. &quot;We are grateful for the court's understanding of the burden that DGW's antics have imposed on our clients.&quot;It's important to emphasize that Collyer has not ruled on the issue of jurisdiction in this case and Dunlap Grubb could bring it up at a later date. But for now, the firm has chosen not to argue the matter in court and will choose instead to bankroll lawsuits in courts across the country, a move that will likely increase the cost of the litigation. That is exactly what opponents wanted to happen. The techniques employed by Dunlap Grubb angered many of the lawyers representing accused file sharers. The firm took an assembly-line approach to suing thousands of people. In addition to filing suit against all the defendants in a single court no where near many of their homes, the firm also named several thousand defendants in individual suits. According to lawyers at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group for tech users, suing mass amounts of people makes it harder for each individual to have their case evaluated on its own merits. Collyer's decision could affect Dunlap Grubb's other clients and the impacts may well be felt by adult-filmmakers who have modeled their own litigation campaign against illegal file sharing after Dunlap Grubb's legal strategy. The indie and port studios all say they are seeing their businesses threatened by illegal file sharing. They argue that the court system is the only place where they can combat piracy. It's interesting to note that Time Warner Cable (TWC) was the source of Dunlap Grubb's frustration. The cooperation of the ISPs is pivotal for any copyright owner trying to sue individuals for illegal file sharing. The copyright owner must collect the IP addresses belonging to people sharing their film or TV show via peer-to-peer services and then must get a court to subpoena each person's ISP for the person's identity. Many ISPs are cooperating. TWC, however, said in court that to look up all of its customers that Dunlap Grubb has accused of copyright violations would take up too much of the company's time and resources. A judge agreed and set a minimum number of names for TWC to turn over each month at 28. Dunlap Grubb told Collyer that it would take 58 months for it to obtain all the names it needs from TWC, or slightly less than five years. But Collyer noted that Dunlap Grubb had already obtained a lot of names from other ISPs. What happens to those people&quot;[Dunlap Grubb's] request is patently unfair and prejudicial to all [defendants] who have been identified by an ISP,&quot; Collyer wrote, noting that Dunlap Grubb's problems were not good reasons to delay the legal process for the people whose names Dunlap Grubb had in its possession, many of whom with the firm has begun settlement talks. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Bargain-hunt with Window Shopper browser add-on]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bargain-hunt-with-window-shopper-browser-add-on</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bargain-hunt-with-window-shopper-browser-add-on</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bargain-hunt-with-window-shopper-browser-add-on</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Comparing KitchenAid stand mixers with a single click from Target's Web site works well.(Credit:Screenshot by Jasmine France)Like it or not, the holiday shopping season is upon us. Luckily for those of us who dread the thought of wandering through crowded malls and department stores with Christmas music assaulting our ears at every turn, this nifty little tool called the Internet is here to help save our sanity. Still, scouring dozens of Web sites for the very best deal on that perfect gift is exhausting on a whole 'nother level. To that end, Superfish--a visual search engine developer that just raised $4 million in funding--has created a nifty app called Window Shopper.Window Shopper is a browser add-on that's available for IE and Firefox. The extension is quite simple: if you're shopping for an item within any of the hundreds of available stores, a &quot;See Similar&quot; button will appear next to the photo of the item. Clicking the button brings up a bubble (your virtual window, as it were) that shows pics, prices, and availability of similar products.Just how similar the comparison items are varies, though. For instance, the KitchenAid stand mixer I searched for on Target.com populated a selection of the exact same product from across various sites (as shown in the screenshot above). However, a comparison for a pair of shoes on Nordstrom's Web site produced rather different results.In other words, the Window Shopper app may give you directly competing listings for the item you're interested in, or it may populate a list of similar (but different) products, possibly even from the same site. Thus, the usefulness varies depending on what exactly you're looking for: a better price or similar items. There doesn't appear to be a way to tinker with settings to focus in on what you need.The other issue is that it doesn't work on all sites (Zappos being a prime example), and the functionality doesn't activate if, say, there's a video instead of a still image in the main product slot (as with the Kindle on Amazon). Still, Window Shopper's still in beta--and it's free--so these are a minor complaints, really. It's worth checking out if you do a lot of online shopping.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Lifestyle hotel focuses on music - Springwise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lifestyle-hotel-focuses-on-music---springwise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lifestyle-hotel-focuses-on-music---springwise</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Entertainment</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lifestyle-hotel-focuses-on-music---springwise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[We''ve seen hotels focused on a variety of niches a4&quot; expectant mothers, for example a4&quot; but until recently we had never come across one with music at its heart. That, however, is a big part of the concept behind Berlin''s Nhow hotel, which is aimed squarely at the musically minded set.Located directly on the banks of the river Spree, the Nhow Berlin bills itself as the only hotel in Europe offering two professional music studios. A dedicated music manager is on staff, as is a team drawing heavily from local music colleges. Regular live events and concerts take place in the hotel''s event spaces and terraces, while first-rate DJs are on hand in the bar. The music studios are operated in collaboration with Lautstark Music GmbH/Ren Rennefeld, which also manage the legendary Berlin Hansa recording studios. The Nhow''s 304 rooms, meanwhile, are kitted out with iPod connections and more than 30 TV and 100 music radio stations integrated in a state-of-the-art entertainment system. Wireless Internet and more than 5,000 videos-on-demand are available in every room' Gibson guitars are even available through room service. One wall of the hotel''s exterior is also being designed through a collaboration with Berlin graffiti artists. Pricing for a weeklong stay in early December is about EUR 174 per night.A part of Spanish NH Hotels, the Nhow Berlin hints at a world where there''s a hotel for every niche. One to emulate for the target audience of your choice(Related: Hotel offers cultural ''night school'' for guests a4&quot; Hong Kong hotel opens ''His Space'' rooms for men a4&quot; Hotel uses tech perks to draw youthful travellers a4&quot; Mama Shelter: Parisian hotel puts an iMac in every room a4&quot; Hotel offers ''reader-in-residence''.)Website: www.nhow-hotels.com/berlin/Contact: info@nhow-hotels.comSpotted by: Leticia Prez Prieto<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[How mobile apps are spying on us]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-mobile-apps-are-spying-on-us</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-mobile-apps-are-spying-on-us</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-mobile-apps-are-spying-on-us</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Your favorite mobile apps could be collecting and transmitting your personal information, including your name, contacts, location and even your phone&amp;'s unique ID number, to ad networks and other third parties. And worst of all, there&amp;'s little you can do about it.This mobile privacy bombshell was revealed by an in-depth investigation from the Wall Street Journal, which tested 101 popular mobile apps on the iPhone and Android to determine what sort of data they were transmitting. The paper found that 56 apps transmitted the phone&amp;'s device ID without consent, 47 apps transmitted user location and five shared age, gender and other personal information to third-parties.While online tracking is nothing new in the world of mobile and desktop web browsing, the WSJ&amp;'s investigation reveals an even scarier prospect in the world of apps &amp;8212' where user&amp;'s are completely unaware that information is being shared (there are often no privacy policies to read), and opting out from the data tracking isn&amp;'t an option.The popular music app Pandora, for example, transmits age, gender, location and phone IDs to ad networks in both its iPhone and Android versions. TextPlus 4, a popular free texting app, sent out phone IDs to eight ad companies, and location and personal data to two.The WSJ says that iPhone apps tended to transmit more data than Android apps, but it&amp;'s unsure if the pattern persists among the thousands of apps on each platform.The most commonly shared piece of data was the unique ID assigned to every phone. According to Vishal Gurbaxani, co-founder of the mobile advertising exchange Mobclix, the ID is effectively a &amp;''supercookie&amp;'' &amp;8212' or in other words, a super-powered version of the cookies used to track web browsing on computers.Unlike normal cookies, you can&amp;'t clear or change your phone&amp;'s ID, which is a boon to ad companies. The ID allows advertising companies to see the types of apps users download, how often they run them and how deep into the app users go. The data is aggregated and not linked to an individual, according to Meghan O&amp;'Holleran of Traffic Marketplace.The WSJ points out that both Apple and Google own the largest smartphone platforms, in addition to the largest mobile advertising services by revenue. Google owns AdMob, Apple owns Quattro Wireless, which also formed the basis for its iAds mobile ad platform. Despite how the apps may undermine the security of the iPhone and Android platforms, the data they send is also useful to their parent companies.Apple says that iPhone apps can&amp;'t transmit user data without approval, but the WSJ&amp;'s findings reveal many apps that don&amp;'t follow that rule. Google leaves it up to app makers to make users aware of the data their apps reveal. Android also gives users specific notes about the phone resources (including hardware and data) apps will use before they&amp;'re downloaded.Unfortunately, there&amp;'s little users can do to protect themselves from data-sharing apps, aside from avoiding many popular apps entirely. Many mobile ad companies let users opt-out of their website tracking, but those opt-out lists don&amp;'t apply to apps, according to the WSJ. The ad company Jumptap says iPhone users can opt out of app data sharing by emailing their phone&amp;'s user ID to them. Apple says its iAd opt-out also applies to apps (but doesn&amp;'t prevent iTunes data from being collected).While it&amp;'s no big surprise to find that apps are sharing some of our data, the extent to which it&amp;'s happening should be of concern to both users and regulatory agencies. I suspect we&amp;'ll see some response from the FTC on this report soon, and that apps will be forced to be more transparent about their data collection in the future.The WSJ has released a short video explaining its investigation, which you can find below:Next Story: Week in review: The top 10 video games of the year Previous Story: Entrepreneur Corner: Domain hijackers and ugly start-up realitiesPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Android, apps, iPhone, privacy, security, smartphonesCompanies: AdMob, Apple, Google, Mobclix, quattro wireless, Traffic MarketplacePeople: Meghan O&amp;'Holleran, Vishal Gurbaxani          Tags: Android, apps, iPhone, privacy, security, smartphonesCompanies: AdMob, Apple, Google, Mobclix, quattro wireless, Traffic MarketplacePeople: Meghan O&amp;'Holleran, Vishal GurbaxaniDevindra 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[Why is Visa interested in mobile payment company Square]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-is-visa-interested-in-mobile-payment-company-square</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-is-visa-interested-in-mobile-payment-company-square</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-is-visa-interested-in-mobile-payment-company-square</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Mega credit card company Visa appears to be incredibly impressed with mobile electronic payment startup Square, according to a company blog post.The post titled &amp;''Emerging Payment Types = New Opportunities&amp;'' starts by spotlighting a recent interview by All Things Digital with Square founder Jack Dorsey and continues by graciously praising the company&amp;'s vision as a &amp;''big deal.&amp;''Square, founded in 2009, has created a small device which attaches to a mobile device to allow the user to accept credit card payments. Currently, the device can be plugged into a smartphone that uses Apple iOS and Google Android, including the iPad. Getting started seems pretty easy as users are instructed to download the Square app, plug-in the special credit card device to the headphone jack, input the purchase amount, the consumer signs with their finger and that&amp;'s it.So why is Visa stroking the startup&amp;'s ego There could be a couple of reasons. First, Visa may be starting to understand that businesses are continuing to tailor to the mobile consumer. If you want to sell to the mobile consumer, you may have to be mobile. Second, the blog was written by Visa Corporate Relations and might be looking to strike a partnership. Though interestingly, Square is using a Visa card in its demo image (see image above). Enabling purchases to be versatile and available anywhere could greatly increase Visa&amp;'s attractiveness to both businesses and consumers.Lastly, perhaps Visa is looking to get on Square&amp;'s radar for an acquisition. A piece of technology like Square&amp;'s, along with its millions of dollars in transactions every week as well as signing up 30,000 to 50,000 new merchants a month, could put Visa ahead of the competition. However, competition for these devices is thick, including an iPhone system from well-known payment company VeriPhone, as well as potential patent issues, which Square faced even before it officially launched.Regardless of the reasons for the post, it&amp;'s a good sign that Square is making headway with entrenched financial institutions, which is going to be one of the keys to truly mass adoption. With offices in both San Francisco and New York City, the company most recently secured $27.5 million in funding led by Sequoia Capital.Previous Story: Steve Jobsa4a4 cancer clinic sighting sparks new Apple worriesPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: corporate relations, credit card, merchants, mobile payments, VisaCompanies: Square, VisaPeople: Jack Dorsey          Tags: corporate relations, credit card, merchants, mobile payments, VisaCompanies: Square, VisaPeople: Jack DorseyCody 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. 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[StorkBrokers wants to be a personalized eBay for child&'s goods]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=storkbrokers-wants-to-be-a-personalized-ebay-for-childrsquos-goods</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=storkbrokers-wants-to-be-a-personalized-ebay-for-childrsquos-goods</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=storkbrokers-wants-to-be-a-personalized-ebay-for-childrsquos-goods</guid>
<description><![CDATA[StorkBrokers, an online marketplace for child-oriented goods like toys and car seats, announced that it is launching today at the Launch conference in San Francisco.The site is like a carved out version of the children&amp;'s goods sections on eBay. StorkBrokers also has an iPhone app that&amp;'s supposed to be easier to sell old children&amp;'s goods online. Users snap a photo and set a price and shipping cost for whatever they want to sell, and it goes online immediately.StorkBrokers is trying to remove the hassle of throwing the same things up on eBay a4&quot; which can take a bit longer than StorkBrokers a4&quot; and be a bit less sketchy than Craigslist could be a4&quot; because anyone is able to communicate on the site without significant moderation. StorkBrokers buyers can also rate other sellers as a way of ensuring the goods that go on the site have some quality.The site doesn&amp;'t seem that much different from eBay, said Mint.com founder Aaron Patzer, a judge at the conference. He said it was still too complicated to post an item online a4&quot; and that the site needed to focus on making it easier to sell things in bulk rather than individually. It was the same problem Etsy, an art selling site, ran into and was able to overcome because it built a strong selling and buying community, he said.But StorkBrokers co-founder Sterling Hawkins said he wants the site to be a community, not just a place to post things for sale. The site has partnered with moms that actively blog across the country to promote the site and start building up an active community that wants to trade children&amp;'s goods around at a more reasonable cost.Next Story: Savings.com mashes every daily deal onto one site Previous Story: FTW syncs your saved games across devicesPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: children&amp;'s goods, online auctionsCompanies: StorkBrokers          Tags: children&amp;'s goods, online auctionsCompanies: StorkBrokersMatthew Lynley is VentureBeat's enterprise writer. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he studied math and physics, in May 2010. He has reported for Reuters. He currently lives in San Francisco, California. You can reach him at mattl@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @logicalmoron. 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[Venture or Angel Capital Isna4a4t the Enda4a4Ita4a4s the&nbsp'Means]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=venture-or-angel-capital-isnrsquot-the-endmdashitrsquos-thenbspmeans</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=venture-or-angel-capital-isnrsquot-the-endmdashitrsquos-thenbspmeans</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>csandaussu</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=venture-or-angel-capital-isnrsquot-the-endmdashitrsquos-thenbspmeans</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Prashant Gulati says that TechCrunch should be banned in the Middle East. That&amp;'s not because he isna4a4t a big fan of the site, but because he says it a4Aputs some nave and green young ones at a disadvantagea4.a4s The Dubai-based technologist and angel investor funded a startup recently. Soon after he made the investment, he learned that the majority of the money had been withdrawn from the bank. The young company foundera4&quot;who previously had been unable to make ends meeta4&quot;was seen driving around in a fancy red Corvette.a4s When confronted, the founder retorted that he hadna4a4t started his business to live the life of a hermit' he needed to keep his girlfriend happy and enjoy life. Since he had achieved success by raising capital and was now famous, he was entitled to live the high life like all the people that he reads abouta4&quot;on TechCrunch.Prashant had no choice but to bear the loss and to coach the founder.I know that many Silicon Valley investors will be able to relate to Prashanta4a4s frustration. Witha4sthe attention that new investments receive anda4sthe fanfare fora4sbusiness-plan contests, it is easy to believe that once youa4a4ve raised capital, youa4a4ve made it. So fledgling entrepreneurs often spend the majority of their time developing sexy PowerPoint presentations and pitching to investors rather than building their business.The reality is that the vast majority of startups never receive any angel or VC financing. Harvard Business School professors William Kerr and Josh Lerner researched the investment decisions of one of the largest angel-capital groupsa4&quot;Tech Coast Angels. They learned that 90% of the 2000+ ventures that approached this group garnered the interest of fewer than 10 angels. That meant that they had no chance of receiving financing.a4s Two percent of the ventures received interest from between 35 and 191 angelsa4&quot;giving them, on average, a 40% chance of getting funded. In other words, most entrepreneurs simply wasted their time pitching to these groups. Most of those startups were probably still working out of their garages. My team researched a sample of 549 that had made it beyond this stage.a4s We learned that only 9% had raised any angel capital and 11% percent had raised venture capital at the later stages of their growth. Such funding isna4a4t, then, a prerequisite for success.So startups that raise angel or venture capital are the exception rather than the rule. And, as Ia4a4ve written, having too much money may actually lead to bad habits. No doubt, most entrepreneurs who raise capital are a lot more sensible than the one who bought the Corvette.a4s But in my experience, companies on tight budgets usually perform far better than those that are well capitalized. And they have the freedom to do what is best for them rather than focus on an exit for their investors.Alex Moore and Mike Chin did things the right way. They tested and validated their ideas for an e-mail-management startup, Baydin, for nearly 16 months before pitching to investors. It took that long for them to learn what customers really needed and to develop the right products. Their initial target was the enterprise market, and they built search tools that integrated with mission-critical systems. The technology worked well, but they could not get enterprise customers to buy from their startup.a4s So they decided to, instead, target consumers and develop a different suite of products.After crossing the 70,000-download mark and getting positive customer reviews for their Boomerang e-maila4&quot;reminder product, Alex and Mike decided to approach investors. It didna4a4t take long for Dave McClure, an angel investor, to write a check and agree to lead a $300,000 financing round. Alex and Mike plan to use the funding to grow their user base and perfect their business model. They will go for venture capital once they get this right.Some entrepreneurs decide not to raise capital, even when they can.Jesse Lipson graduated from Duke University in 2000a4&quot;right after the dot-com crash. He says he saw the a4Adamaging effects that venture capital had on an entire generation of tech firmsa4 and decided he would never take that path. Instead, he took inspiration from the founders of Papa Johna4a4s Pizza and decided to build a business in a big, established market that could succeed on a small scale. In 2005, he launched ShareFile, a file-exchange website, with one server and a Google AdWords campaign. To pay the bills, he worked for his wifea4a4s companya4&quot;Brooks Bell Interactive (which he says was better than having to answer to VCs).His firm grew slowly at first, but he kept investing every cent of revenue in the business.a4s Today, ShareFile has 40 full-time employees, is 104 on the Inc 500 list (8 in the software industry), generates over $10 million in revenue, and is highly profitable. Jesse says he has VCs tripping over each other to offer him money. But he has no interest.The point is that entrepreneurship isna4a4t all about raising money. The money is something you should use to help build traction for company growth, not to alleviate your personal risk. Angel capital can help you get the business model right once you understand customer needs. a4s Venture capital can rocket your company&amp;'s sales oncea4syou have a solid business modela4&quot;and not before.Editora4a4s note: Guest writer Vivek Wadhwa is  an entrepreneur turned academic. He is a Visiting Scholar at  UC-Berkeley, Senior Research Associate at Harvard Law School and  Director of Research at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Research  Commercialization at Duke University. You can follow him on Twitter at @vwadhwa and find his research at www.wadhwa.com.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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