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<title>Haaze.com / gumueges / All</title>
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<pubDate>Wed, 04 May 2011 07:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Spotify cozies up to iPod, takes aim at iTunes]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=spotify-cozies-up-to-ipod-takes-aim-at-itunes</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=spotify-cozies-up-to-ipod-takes-aim-at-itunes</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 04 May 2011 07:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gumueges</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=spotify-cozies-up-to-ipod-takes-aim-at-itunes</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Spotify is getting serious about taking on Apple.Arguably one of the most well-respected music services in Europe, Spotify has 13 million tracks available and announced in March that it had 1 million subscribers. Spotify has a free, ad-supported option available to customers, as well as a premium service for unlimited access to the tracks on mobile phones and offline.The company announced a major update to its service today, including allowing people to sync the songs in their Spotify playlists with theiPod Classic, iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle. According to the company, people will need only to plug their iPods into their computers via USB and they will see the player pop up in the Spotify app's &quot;Devices&quot; section. From there, they can sync all the MP3s in their playlists in a single step.If those who use the company's free plan want to buy tracks, they can now do so via Spotify's new download service. Spotify has been offering downloads for quite some time. However, not all the tracks were available for people to buy, and members were forced to pay for each song, even when they wanted a full playlist. The new offering makes it easier for people to buy playlists in a single step, if they so choose.Free customers can start buying songs in bundled packages. Those who want 10 tracks will pay 7.99 British pounds (about $13), while 15 tracks will run customers 9.99 pounds. The company's 40 tracks and 100 tracks plans cost 25 pounds and 50 pounds, respectively.But that's not all. Spotify also said today that itsiPhone and Android application can now be employed by those who use its free service, as well. With that offering, people can wirelessly sync their MP3 playlists to their devices.Though Spotify is performing well in Europe, the company has yet to launch the service in the U.S. So far, it has inked deals with EMI and Sony to offer those companies' songs on its U.S. service. But for Spotify to compete with entrenched streaming competitors like Rhapsody, the company still needs to sign a deal with the other record labels. As CNET's Greg Sandoval pointed out earlier this year, if Spotify can enter into an agreement with Universal Music Group, the world's top record label, then Warner Music should fall in line behind and thus pave the way for the service's U.S. launch.Last month, Spotify made some waves by announcing that as of May 1, those who signed up for its free service before November 2 will only be able to play a track five times. Those who have signed up since November 2 will see these changes applied six months after they register. Total listening time for free users is limited to 10 hours a month after the first six months.However, Spotify's latest move easily overshadows any minor change it has made to its free service. By allowing for simple syncing to the iPod and offering a new download service, the company seems to have its sights set on Apple. Currently, Apple's iTunes music store lets people buy tracks individually and sync those with iOS-based devices. But with this latest launch, Spotify boasts that its service is all anyone will require.&quot;From today, Spotify really is the only music player you'll ever need,&quot; Daniel Ek, the company's founder and CEO, said in a statement. &quot;Our users don't want to have to switch between music players, but they do want to take their playlists with them wherever they go, on a wider range of devices, more simply and at a price they can afford. Now we've made that possible on one of the world's most popular consumer devices.&quot;Spotify's new features are rolling out to customers today via automatic update.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Company settles Facebook firing case]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=company-settles-facebook-firing-case</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=company-settles-facebook-firing-case</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 07 Feb 2011 08:10:51 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gumueges</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=company-settles-facebook-firing-case</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A Connecticut ambulance company that fired an employee after she criticized her boss on Facebook agreed Monday to settle a complaint brought by the National Labor Relations Board.The NLRB sued American Medical Response of Connecticut on October 27, 2010, claiming the employee, Dawnmarie Souza, was illegally fired and denied union representation after she posted negative comments about her supervisor to her Facebook page. According to copies of Souza's Facebook posts obtained by CNET, she called her supervisor a &quot;dick&quot; in one and &quot;a scumbag&quot; in another.The closely watched case touched on whether employers have the right to discipline employees for comments they make on social-networking sites. The NLRB complaint said Souza &quot;engaged in concerted activities with other employees by criticizing respondent's supervisor...on her Facebook page&quot; on November 8, 2009. Souza was fired on December 1, 2009. In response to the NLRB complaint last year, AMR claimed Souza's comments were not protected activity. However, the NLRB contended that AMR's termination of Souza's employment violated the National Labor Relations Act, which allows employees to discuss the terms and conditions of their employment with co-workers and others.Complicating things was that Souza, a member of the Teamsters, allegedly requested union representation during an internal AMR disciplinary process and was refused. That dispute apparently led her to post disparaging comments about her supervisor, which were posted from her home computer.Under the terms of the settlement, AMR agreed to revise &quot;overly broad rules&quot; in the employee handbook regarding how employees can communicate on the Internet and with co-workers regarding their work conditions, the board said. The company also agreed to not discipline employees for requesting union representation.AMR representatives did not respond to a request for comment.The allegations regarding Souza's discharge were resolved in a separate, private agreement between Souza and AMR, the board said in a statement. Financial terms were not revealed.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[New IBM memory promises faster, higher-capacity devices]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-ibm-memory-promises-faster-higher-capacity-devices</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-ibm-memory-promises-faster-higher-capacity-devices</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gumueges</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-ibm-memory-promises-faster-higher-capacity-devices</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A new kind of memory from IBM Labs is promising to revolutionize how much data we can store and how fast we can access it on our mobile and desktop devices.After spending six years as a theoretical concept, the memory, dubbed Racetrack, finally is a huge step closer to reality. Researchers at IBM have recently confirmed that their theories of the physics behind Racetrack are valid and can be used to develop and manufacture this new type of memory.Images of a &amp;quot'racetrack&amp;quot' designed to pin domain walls at specific positions.(Credit:IBM)This revolutionary type of memory could open up a whole new world for laptops, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Users would be able to store as much as 100 more times data on their portable gadgets, perhaps keeping as many as 500,000 songs or 3,500 full-length movies on one mobile device. And since Racetrack would use considerably less power, a single battery charge could power a device for weeks rather than days or hours.The new memory is also expected to play a role in desktop computers and servers, allowing them to access more data much faster. In some ways, Racetrack combines the best elements of flash memory and magnetic storage and could prove to be the one technology to someday replace current RAM, Flash RAM, and even conventional disk drives.How does Racetrack work Unlike conventional memory, which needs to seek out the data it needs, Racetrack automatically moves the data to where it can be used. That serves to not only speed up data access but allow much more data to be stored in a smaller area.The memory is so named because it moves the magnetic bits of data along thin, nanowire &quot;racetracks,&quot; 1,000 times finer than a strand of hair.The data itself is stored in magnetic regions known as domains. Using the spin of individual electrons, Racetrack memory can move these domains at hundreds of miles per hour and stop them at atomically precise spots along the nanowire, allowing huge amounts of information to be retrieved in less than a billionth of a second.Scientists at IBM were the first to measure the time and distance involved in moving these domain walls, giving them a clearer understanding of how to control their movement, thus transforming Racetrack from research into reality.A paper due to be published today in Science Magazine reveals more of the physics behind this new form of memory. CNET spoke today with Stuart Parkin, the head researcher on the Racetrack project, to explain how it works and how it might be used.For the past several years, Parkin and other scientists at IBM Labs have been conducting research into the physics behind Racetrack, eventually proving that the memory is more than just a concept and is something that would work in the real world. Recent developments in the field of spintronics, which focuses on the spin of electrons, is what allows for the movement of the bits along the nanowires in Racetrack memory, explained Parkin. That opens up the ability to read and write more data very quickly at specific points along those wires.Experimental &amp;quot'racetrack&amp;quot' made of a curved nanowire. Electrical contact lines, made out of gold, are used to apply current pulses to move the domain walls along the nanowire.(Credit:IBM)With Racetrack memory, manufacturers could build laptops, smartphones, and other devices with considerably more memory in the same or even smaller amount of space than currently required, according to Parkin. Racetrack would also require far less battery power and could be used to read and write data an infinite number of times. In contrast, Flash memory is a slow type of memory, uses a lot of power, and can only handle the writing of data so many times before it wears out.&quot;So the average user would see theiriPhone much faster,&quot; Parkin said. &quot;The battery would last much longer. And they would be able to do much more complex and powerful computations because this type of memory is capable of supporting ultra-fast manipulation of the data.&quot;Racetrack memory can also be written to indefinitely, said Parkin. Since there's no intrinsic mechanism to wear out, Racetrack can manage much more complex calculations and functions that typically require a large number of data reads and writes.Now that the physics have been proved and demonstrated, the next challenge for IBM is to begin building prototypes. But Racetrack is a whole new shift in the paradigm of memory architecture, and one that will require new physics and new materials. As such, the question for Parkin is one of demonstrating that billions of Racetracks can be integrated with and built onto large wafers, which will be required to make devices at a low enough cost.&quot;That's something that will take considerable investment,&quot; said Parkin. &quot;And these kinds of steps can be quite time-consuming. Now that we are at the development phase, it's more a question of obtaining this significant investment to build the prototypes quickly.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Lookout raises $19.5 million for smartphone security]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lookout-raises-19-5-million-for-smartphone-security</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lookout-raises-19-5-million-for-smartphone-security</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gumueges</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lookout-raises-19-5-million-for-smartphone-security</guid>
<description><![CDATA[John Hering, co-founder and chief executive of Lookout(Credit:James Martin/CNET)Lookout Mobile Security, which specializes in armoring smartphones from hackers, said today that it's raised an additional $19.5 million in funding.The San Francisco-based startup says it now has nearly 50 employees and about four million registered users of its software, which includes a spyware scanner, remote backups, and a stolen phone locator. That's up from a reported two million users in September and three million in November.Lookout's security apps currently are available for Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile. In an interview with CNET, Lookout CEO John Hering said aniPhone version will be &quot;coming very shortly&quot; and customers should expect to &quot;see something in 2011.&quot;New features in Apple's iOS 4 operating system, announced in April and made available a few months later, aid development, Hering said. Those changes &quot;enable us to do quite a bit more,&quot; he said.Some of Lookout's features, like remote wipe and and a more comprehensive remote backup, are available only to customers who purchase the premium version for $3 a month. (Here's our review of the Lookout Premium service from last month.)Today's funding round came from Index Ventures and existing investors Accel Partners and Khosla Ventures.CNET's Elinor Mills contributed to this report.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Revenge of the American automaker: The Ford Focus Electric and GM]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=revenge-of-the-american-automaker-the-ford-focus-electric-and-gm</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=revenge-of-the-american-automaker-the-ford-focus-electric-and-gm</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gumueges</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=revenge-of-the-american-automaker-the-ford-focus-electric-and-gm</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Just a few years ago, Ford and GM were posting billions of dollars in losses and fast losing favor with American car buyers. One of them, GM eventually required a very public and controversial bailout from the government.But both U.S. automakers have since staged comebacks &amp;8212' the success of which that have hinged in part on getting hip with the greener, more connected age of automobiles. That has meant offering electric and hybrid options, and turbo-charging cars&amp;' electronics and digital offerings with fancier, more engaging in-car consoles, wireless capabilities and smartphone apps.GM&amp;'s comeback story was perhaps most obvious in November, when it re-emerged with arecord-breaking $20 billion IPO. The new GM is a greener GM: it released in December the Chevrolet Volt, a partially-electric hybrid, which nabbed Motor Trend&amp;'s car of the year award and was able to ramp up production quickly enough to outsell the limited-release electric Nissan Leaf in December. Chevy also announced it would donate $40 million to renewable energy projects, a strong signal that the automaker wants Chevrolet&amp;'s brand to be associated with environmental responsibility.Ford&amp;'s comeback has been remarkable as well, with the company firstly being the only U.S. carmaker to eschew government support, then posting a $2.7 billion profit in 2009 after four years of bleeding cash. Yesterday, the company showed off the latest of its green car offerings with a debut of its all-electric car Ford Focus Electric, which VentureBeat took for a spin in September. The hatchback is the second of five promised hybrid and electric cars Ford says it will deliver by 2013. (The Ford Transit Connect van was released last year.)With the Focus Electric, it looks like Ford is coming out with guns blazing at its competitors. Itsannouncement points out that the Focus Electric has a 100-mile range, with a mile-per-gallon equivalent rating that bests the Volt. It also zings Nissan, claiming the Focus Electric charges in half the time as the Nissan Leaf &amp;8212' charging in three to four hours using a 240-volt home charging station.Ford also launched the MyFord Mobile smartphone app (pictured) through which customers can monitor charging level and preheat or precool the car while it&amp;'s still plugged in, joining its electric car competition by doing so. The Focus Electric&amp;'s wireless connected vehicle services isprovided by Airbiquity, thesame vendor as the Nissan Leaf&amp;'s.The car is slated to hit the market in the second half of this year, and is loaded up with features like the Ford Sync voice-activated car controls system (which is now in 3 million cars), a Microsoft-powered system that shows owners the cheapest time to charge and a GPS feature that allows drivers to map out multiple-stop trips and make sure there&amp;'s enough battery for the full trip.Before this year, I would never have thought twice about buying an American car &amp;8212' I come from a family of staunch Japanese-made car enthusiasts &amp;8212' but Ford&amp;'s comeback has been impressive, and the rave reviews, affordable price and great mileage of its Fiesta has had me thinking seriously about buying one.The Focus Electric&amp;'s driving range is comparable to Nissan&amp;'s Leaf and will have a wider geographical initial release of20 cities, compared to Nissan&amp;'s initial five-state release of the Leaf, which has closed reservations after hitting about 20,000 in orders. The Leaf has experiencedproduction delays, however, so that couldcreate an opening for Ford to move in and steal some sales. The company has yet to announce pricing.Though both Ford and GM have seen their brands, revenues and reputations take a beatingin recent history, I wonder whether the tide is changing back in American automakers&amp;' favor. The next big test may well be whether or not car buyers want the Ford Focus Electric just as much as they want the Nissan Leaf.Previous Story: Why Mark Zuckerberg might be Steve Jobsa4a4 heirPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Chevrolet Volt, electric cars, electric vehicles, Ford Focus Electric, MyFord Mobile, Nissan Leaf, syncCompanies: Airbiquity, Chevrolet, ford, GM, Nissan          Tags: Chevrolet Volt, electric cars, electric vehicles, Ford Focus Electric, MyFord Mobile, Nissan Leaf, syncCompanies: Airbiquity, Chevrolet, ford, GM, NissanIris 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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<title><![CDATA[Early Facebook execs back artificial-intelligence startup Vicarious Systems]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=early-facebook-execs-back-artificial-intelligence-startup-vicarious-systems</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=early-facebook-execs-back-artificial-intelligence-startup-vicarious-systems</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gumueges</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=early-facebook-execs-back-artificial-intelligence-startup-vicarious-systems</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It looks like several key players from the early days of Facebook have taken an interest in an artificial intelligence startup called Vicarious Systems.The company, which is based in Union City, Calif., just announced that it has raised its first institutional venture round let by Founders Fund, although it isn&amp;'t saying how much money was involved.Vicarious Systems hasna4a4t launched yet, but the company said it will be a4Adeveloping algorithms that mimic the function of the human brain,a4 and that its first product will be a4Aa vision system that understands the contents of images and videos the way humans do.a4That sounds pretty ambitious. The Vicarious team has some experience in this field, since co-founder Dileep George was previously chief technology officer at Numenta, another company looking at smarter ways to understand video content.In addition to Founders Fund, the firm whose partners  include Peter Thiel (former chief executive of PayPal and the first  investor in Facebook) and Sean Parker (Facebooka4a4s founding president), investors include the social networking gianta4a4s co-founder Dustin  Moskovitz (who since co-founded Asana, and who is pictured above) and its former chief technology officer Adam Da4a4Angelo (who co-founded Quora).&amp;''There have been a lot of broken promises in this field, but we can&amp;'t  succeed without having courage to take risks,&amp;'' Moskovitz said in the  press release.The funding was first reported last week on an AI-focused news site called Singularity Hub, but it doesna4a4t seem to have gotten any attention from the tech business press until now. Felicis Ventures (the firm from a4Asuper angela4 investor Aydin Senkut, who also invested in VentureBeat) and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale participated in the round as well.Next Story: Why Rupert Murdoch is wrong and Arianna Huffington is right Previous Story: Verizon iPhone teardown reveals chipset for use on AT&amp;038'TPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: artificial intelligenceCompanies: Founders Fund, Vicarious SystemsPeople: adam dangelo, Dileep George, Dustin Moskovitz          Tags: artificial intelligenceCompanies: Founders Fund, Vicarious SystemsPeople: adam dangelo, Dileep George, Dustin MoskovitzAnthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter. 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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