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<title>Haaze.com / kocdeba / All</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:11:02 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Electronics load offsets home efficiency gains]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=electronics-load-offsets-home-efficiency-gains</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=electronics-load-offsets-home-efficiency-gains</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:11:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kocdeba</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=electronics-load-offsets-home-efficiency-gains</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration confirms what most of have seen first-hand: electronic gadgets are using more and more energy in our homes.The EIA on Monday presented data on energy use in 12,000 U.S. households, which showed improvements in efficiency from better appliances and weatherizing over the past several years, but a marked increase in the electricity load from electronics. In 1978, about two-thirds of a home's energy went to space heating and 17 percent to electronics. With the proliferation of TVs, DVRs, PCs, and cell phones, electronics in 2005 represented 31 percent of total energy use, with 41 percent going to space heating.(Credit:Energy Information Administration)The EIA said that more efficient products, such as EnergyStar appliances, and better construction have helped make homes more efficient. Consumers have also improved the efficiency of homes with steps such as sealing holes and improving insulation. Overall, there has been a 31 percent reduction in energy use per household since 1978, but the electric load has offset some of those gains.The first federal mandatory efficiency standards for major appliances came into force between 1988 and 1994 but the power use from appliances nearly doubled because of more homes, larger homes, and the increased use of air conditioning. Very few homes in 1978 had a personal computer, but now 76 percent of U.S. homes have at least one computer and 35 percent have more than one. Larger and more numerous TVs also contribute to a higher electronics load.(Credit:EIA)Smaller electronics are having an impact as well, with nearly one-third of households having at least four electronic devices, such as cell phones and DVRs, plugged in and charging at home.There are a number of companies developing products to reduce the plug load in homes, including power monitors and &quot;smart plugs&quot; that cut stand-by power. Home automation tools also promise to let people more easily schedule when to turn off major appliances and electronics instead of manually turning electronics off.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[T-Mobile debuts Samsung T259]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=t-mobile-debuts-samsung-t259</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=t-mobile-debuts-samsung-t259</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kocdeba</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=t-mobile-debuts-samsung-t259</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Samsung SGH-T259(Credit:Samsung)T-Mobile gave its new Samsung SGH-T259 a low-key debut today when it added the phone to its Web site without even the whimper of a press release. The trim blue flip phone doesn't offer much in the way of design, but it has enough features to keep you busy beyond making calls.Features include text messaging, a basic media player, stereo Bluetooth, a personal organizer, a microSD card slot, T-Mobile's Visual Voicemail, a speakerphone, and GPS. The handset is a quad-band world phone and it supports T-Mobile's brand of 3G.The T250 is available for purchase now online or in T-Mobile stores. It's $119 if you pay full price, but you can get it for just $29 with a new contract.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Portable fuel cell generator: Green and powerful]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=portable-fuel-cell-generator-green-and-powerful</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=portable-fuel-cell-generator-green-and-powerful</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:10:29 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kocdeba</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=portable-fuel-cell-generator-green-and-powerful</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The first portable fuel cell charger.(Credit:Dong Ngo/CNET)I am not a film critic, but I find Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz's recent action movie &quot;Knight and Day&quot; quite a snooze, for the most part. Spoiler alert: There's one thing I like about the movie, however, and it's the idea of the &quot;Zephyr,&quot; a perpetual battery about the size of a regular AA that has enough power to run a small city, forever. Now powering a small city forever with a tiny battery is quite an ambition and will take at least until 2020 to get (I am an optimist). For now, I'd be happy to have something portable that can power myiPhone for a long time, conveniently and cheaply. And the good news is I have one here, called the Mobion Fuel Cell Generator from MTI Micro. If things go as planned, the rest of you will be able to buy one or something similar by sometime next year.The tiny amount of methanol inside this cartridge has enough power to provide the iPhone 4 five or six full charges.(Credit:Dong Ngo/CNET)The Mobion Fuel Cell Generator, which has been in field testing since June, works very similarly to a conventional power generator: you pour gasoline into one end, turn the engine on, and have electricity come out in the other. There are, of course, a few significant differences. The charger (or the fuel cell engine, in this case) is very small, about the size of a Hershey's chocolate bar and possibly lighter. And it makes no noise' there are no moving parts, hence no emissions, apart from a tiny amount of vapor that's hardly noticeable. The gasoline in this case is a small cartridge full of neat methanol that can be &quot;brewed&quot; from various sources that are environmental friendly.The charger has a USB port and can charge any device uses this port for charging. With appropriate adapters, it can also used to charge many other electronic devices. When the fuel cell cartridge runs out, you can just replace it with another. The particular prototype charger also has a built-in rechargeable battery that serves as the &quot;buffer&quot; so that the charging won't be interrupted during the swapping of the cartridges. You can also recharge this &quot;buffer&quot; battery using a regular power source, in case you don't have any new cartridges ready.Though this works somewhat like using conventional batteries, according to Peng Lim, CEO and chairman of MTI, the fuel cell cartridge is much more efficient. For example, a tiny amount of fuel cell, about 1 ounce, has enough power to provide five or six full charges for the iPhone (equivalently to 25 watt-hours of power). In fact, in my trials, after one full charge of my iPhone 4, I didn't notice the changes in the level of methanol inside the tiny container. Lim also says fuel cells are much cheaper than regular batteries. The amount of fuel contained in one cartridge costs just a few cents. And most importantly, unlike batteries, the fuel cell cartridges can be completely recycled' the making and use of methanol itself is safe for the environment.Apart from the charger, MTI Micro's fuel cell engine can be used in many different applications, such as embedded into the devices themselves. According to Lim, the company's engine is small and flexible enough to be used in handheld devices without significantly increasing the device's physical size.&amp;nbsp'The engine meets the environment specs required for all electriconics. It can work in temperatures ranging from 32 degrees to 104 degrees and in 100 percent humidity levels. Lim says, this is the major difference between MTI's duel-engine compared with that of other companies.MTI Micro's portable fuel cell charger (photos) The use of fuel cells as power sources for portable devices does have some minor shortcomings, however. For example, the engine emits vapor, which will create moisture and may be not suitable for certain types of devices. This also means you'll need to use the device in an open area. The fuel cell&amp;nbsp' engine also requires oxygen to work, which means it can't completely replace regular batteries.&amp;nbsp'These shortcomings, though, are not serious or applicable to most electronics. They can also be overcome by changing the device's design. Fuel cell generators are also better than solar power in the sense that users can be in control of the power source and hence can use them anytime, anywhere.According to Lim, the field testing will be completed sometime early next year. The company has been working with OEM vendors and power accessory companies on a variety of applications for the engine. Who knows, if this idea catches on and the fuel cell engines, as well as their cartridges, become popular and accessible, this might change the way we power portable devices forever' the technology will help make portable devices be completely wireless.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Trendnet intros new four-port wireless N media bridge]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=trendnet-intros-new-four-port-wireless-n-media-bridge</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=trendnet-intros-new-four-port-wireless-n-media-bridge</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 08:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kocdeba</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=trendnet-intros-new-four-port-wireless-n-media-bridge</guid>
<description><![CDATA[TrendNet&amp;39's new wireless N bridge, the TEW-640MB.(Credit:TrendNet)If you're looking to connect those Ethernet-ready game consoles or set-top boxes to your wireless network, there are two ways: get a wireless dongle from the original vendor or get a wireless bridge. For the latter, there's now another choice. Trendnet, just announced Thursday a new 300Mbps Wireless N Media bridge, model TEW-640MB, that supports the dual-stream wireless N with a cap speed of 300Mbps. The device works with any wireless router. It is designed to hook any device with a network port into the wireless network. The new bridge is one of a few on the market that comes with four network ports, meaning it can handle four Ethernet-ready devices at a time right out of the box. This is a great feature if you want to connect multiple devices to one place, such as to your entertainment center.According to Trendnet, the TEW-640MB sports the latest in wireless encryption technology to ensure security, advanced Multiple Input Multiple Output antenna technology, and Quality of Service features that prioritize Internet traffic for gaming, Internet calls, or video streams. The device also supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup, which allows it to be hooked to a wireless network via the press of a button. The TEW-640MB comes with a three-year warranty and is available this month at the estimated price of around $70.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Review: Logitech&'s Revue with Google TV has potential, but isn&'t for everyone (yet)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=review-logitechrsquos-revue-with-google-tv-has-potential-but-isnrsquot-for-everyone-yet</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=review-logitechrsquos-revue-with-google-tv-has-potential-but-isnrsquot-for-everyone-yet</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kocdeba</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=review-logitechrsquos-revue-with-google-tv-has-potential-but-isnrsquot-for-everyone-yet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[&amp;''Potential&amp;'' is the key word when discussing Google TV. It has the potential to completely reshape the way we watch TV, the potential to change the way content providers do business, and the potential to give Google the sort of dominance in the TV market that ita4a4s already seeing in search and mobile.But does it live up to that potential yet Not quite.First, a primer: Google announced its intention to take on TV earlier this year &amp;8212' to mixed response. Google TV is an Android-based platform meant to bring together live TV with internet content &amp;8212' instead of just offering a way to watch internet video on your TV like the Apple TV or Roku Box. At the moment, Google TV is available on Sony Internet TVs and Blu-ray players, as well as Logitecha4a4s Revue set-top box. All of the GTV devices come with remotes that feature a full keyboard and trackpad for navigation.Ia4a4ve spent the past few weeks with the Revue and a temporary Dish Network installation, both provided by Logitech and Google (my typical over-the-air setup wasna4a4t enough for this review). I set out to test just how much of a game-changer Google TV is, and the results are &amp;8230' complicated.Going into this review, I was definitely a believer in what Google was trying to accomplish with GTV &amp;8212' especially compared to a much more limited platform like Apple TV. For all of Googlea4a4s ambition, the platform isna4a4t quite as revolutionary as it could be &amp;8212' but therea4a4s still a lot to like in this first iteration.Perhaps the biggest benefit of Google TV at the moment is that it makes your overall TV viewing experience smarter. For example, it reduces the need to deal with ugly and inefficient TV channel guides. Cable and satellite providers have forced their customers to deal with the same interfaces for choosing channels for around a decade. Instead of a single screen laying out everything on air, Google TV lets you sort whata4a4s showing by category, and you can also use its built-in search functionality to find specific showings and channels.Not surprisingly, search is emphasized heavily in Google TV. Being able to search TV listings is already a major upgrade to the way we watch TV, but GTV also expands upon that by searching the web, and the contents of your DVR, all from the same convenient interface. To perform a search you simply need to hit the search button and start typing. Results show up almost instantaneously. But while GTVa4a4s search functionality is innovative, therea4a4s definitely room for improvement, as the results arena4a4t always accurate. It would also be nice if GTV could also search Netflixa4a4s streaming library, as well as media that you connect via USB or a network share.Google TV can also fully integrate with Dish Networka4a4s DVR to let you record shows without jumping into the Dish programming guide. Unfortunately, support for other cable and satellite providers isna4a4t as seamless yet.In terms of web video, Google TV is currently a mixed bag. Ita4a4s liberating to have access to content from sites like YouTube and Vimeo &amp;8212' which both have couch-friendly viewing interfaces with YouTube Leanback and Vimeoa4a4s Couch Mode &amp;8212' on your TV at the touch of a button. You can visit any website with GTVa4a4s Chrome web browser and play Flash or HTML5 encoded video. Unfortunately, many major content owners arena4a4t yet on board with Googlea4a4s vision. Hulu is currently blocking access to Google TV, as are major broadcast networks like Fox, NBC, CBS, and ABC. Just today, Viacom confirmed that ita4a4s blocking GTV as well, including video from Comedy Central and Cartoon Network.The outlook may look grim for Google TVa4a4s content prospects, but therea4a4s still plenty of web content to watch while the broadcast networks have their hissy fit. For example, you can subscribe to video podcasts from popular internet video destinations like Revision3 and TED.com. You can also view streaming content from Amazona4a4s video-on-demand store.Having easy access to a web browser on your TV is also more useful than I originally anticipated. Youa4a4re not going to read any lengthy articles on the web with Google TV, but its web browser is useful for looking up information quickly, as well as for things that are simply fun, like browsing the latest LOLCats additions with friends. Browsing is snappy, and for the most part ita4a4s almost like browsing on a dedicated computer. Unfortunately, sites that are heavily loaded with Flash content often bring the Logitech Revue box to a crawl (FunnyorDie.com is particularly brutal). Since all Google TV devices run on the same hardware at the moment &amp;8212' a 1.2 gigahertz Intel Atom CE4100 processor with around 1 gigabyte of RAM &amp;8212' I suspect that they will see the same sort of slowdown as well. Ia4a4m hoping that future software updates smooths out Flash performance.Logitech also includes a media player app that can stream content from your PCs, or any Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) capable device. I was pleasantly surprised at how well Google TV and the Revue box managed esoteric video formats like Matroska (.MKV). I was able to quickly play back 1080p high-definition video with 5.1 surround sound &amp;8212' with none of the stuttering or delays usually associated with streaming HD video.Google TV also makes living room video conferencing a reality. While Cisco is busy launching its $600 Umi living room webcam (with a $25 monthly service charge), Logitech Revue owners can pick up the companya4a4s TV Cam for $150. The camera uses Logitecha4a4s Vid HD network, and it lets you call other Logitech Revue owners, as well as Vid HD users on computers. In my testing, video quality looked sharp and streamed smoothly. Performing video chats in your living room does take some getting used to, but there are definitely instances where it&amp;'s better than using a computer &amp;8212' for example, if you want more than a handful of people on screen at one time. Logitecha4a4s webcam will also get much more useful down the line once other services, like Skype, make their way to Google TV.Whata4a4s most exciting about Google TV for me is the potential it has to get better. There are only a handful of apps at the moment, including Pandora and Netflix, but an app marketplace will arrive early next year. More content providers are beginning to optimize their websites for Google TV (and other HTML5-ready platforms like Boxee). Just yesterday the popular web video show network Revision 3 launched its GTV-friendly site. Integration between Android and Google TV will also improve, as will further integration with other mobile and desktop platforms.Look at the vast improvement between Android when it was first released, and Android one year later with the release of the Motorola Droid, to get a sense of just how much things can improve. Compared to the initial Android software and devices, Google TV is far more successful initially. But of course, therea4a4s room for improvement.Given how much Google TV is trying to accomplish, ita4a4s not all that surprising that the initial setup for Logitecha4a4s Revue box is somewhat complex. Hooking up the cables on the rear of the box is simple enough, but therea4a4s a multi-step on-screen setup process that general users may find intimidating. It involves plugging in your cable or satellite receiver information, as well as digging up your TV and audio receiver model numbers. Therea4a4s also an obnoxious process for adjusting Google TVa4a4s interface to fit your TV screen. If you want full integration with a Dish Network DVR, there are even more cables to plug in, as well as extra setup steps (plus an extra $4 monthly charge by Dish).Once youa4a4re fully set up, you have to come to terms with using a keyboard in your living room. The Logitech Revue comes with a keyboard thata4a4s slightly smaller than a full-sized desktop keyboard, which makes it both awkward to use on the couch, and tough to store afterwards. Logitech sells a more sensibly sized Mini Controller, but thata4a4s an extra $130.Logitech would have been better off just including the Mini Controller with the Revue &amp;8212' hopefully that will be a possibility by next year. Sony developed its own controller for its Google TV devices, and while ita4a4s smaller than a full-sized keyboard, it still looks like a usability nightmare.While Google TV manages to deliver some compelling features with this initial release, it still feels very much like a version 1.0 product. Navigating through menus, loading apps, and juggling a live TV feed with web content can be slow and problematic at times. I voice these complaints only to point out they exist, but I suspect much of the sluggishness and bugs will be worked out in future software releases. If the trajectory of Android is any indication, Google TV software may be unrecognizable by this time next year (then again Android needed much more improvement from its first version).The apps built in to Google TV need some improvement as well. The Netflix app, in particular, seems generations behind other Netflix streaming interfaces available to consumers. You can only browse your Netflix queue on GTV &amp;8212' therea4a4s no searching available, and you cana4a4t add new titles to your queue from the interface. Both Google and Netflix say that the interface will be upgraded soon, but ita4a4s still a total disappointment to see software that looks like it should be on the first-generation Roku box from 2008 so close to 2011.The Netflix issue speaks to the bigger problem with Google TV: It isna4a4t a very good value at the moment, given that you can get (better) access to Netflix and other web video with cheaper options. To get access to GTV, you need to spend $300 on the Logitech Revue box, $400 for the Sony Google TV Blu-ray player, or buy a Sony Internet TV with GTV. Instead, you could just spend $60 on a Roku box, or purchase a video game console that has support for Netflix. For the average user, Roku offers a simpler interface and setup, plus it has access to loads of web content (it just recently added Hulu Plus support).Google TV also doesna4a4t fully support many cable and satellite operators at the moment. Thus far, only Dish Network features deep Google TV integration with its DVRs. GTV is also a better deal for Dish subscribers &amp;8212' they can purchase the Revue for $179 after an instant discount.If you dona4a4t mind paying a premium for a platform thata4a4s still dealing with growing pains, then give Google TV a shot &amp;8212' especially if youa4a4re a Dish Network subscriber. For everyone else, cheaper options like Roku will suffice.Having said that, I still believe Google TV will mature well over the next few years. Google will eventually figure out ways to appease the TV networks and get its software integrated onto more TVs. Eventually, Google TV could replace the aging software on cable and satellite boxes altogether.Why am I holding out hope I think ita4a4s because I see the value in Google TVa4a4s potential. Google is trying for something completely new and different. Whereas other contenders in the web video set-top box arena, like the recently launched Boxee Box, are finding themselves restricted by their secondary TV input status &amp;8212' that is, you have to navigate away from your live TV to enjoy them. As Google said when it first unveiled GTV, ita4a4s aiming for your primary TV input. Eventually, GTV will be cheap and ubiquitous enough to finally live up to Googlea4a4s lofty ambition.Next Story: Not satisfied with iPhone sales, Apple aims for RIM&amp;'s share in enterprise Previous Story: On the GreenBeat: Offshore wind permits to be streamlined, spray-on solar panels may be on the wayPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: cable, Google TV, Logitech Revue, review, satellite, streaming video, TVCompanies: Google, Logitech, Netflix, Roku, Sony          Tags: cable, Google TV, Logitech Revue, review, satellite, streaming video, TVCompanies: Google, Logitech, Netflix, Roku, SonyDevindra 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[ExtensionFM Becomes exfm: An Extension That Makes The Web Your Social&nbsp'Jukebox]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=extensionfm-becomes-exfm-an-extension-that-makes-the-web-your-socialnbspjukebox</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=extensionfm-becomes-exfm-an-extension-that-makes-the-web-your-socialnbspjukebox</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kocdeba</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=extensionfm-becomes-exfm-an-extension-that-makes-the-web-your-socialnbspjukebox</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I&amp;'m the type of music listener who finds one album he likes and listens to it constantly for about 6 months. Then I move onto the next album. One that&amp;'s often old. Part of the reason for this is that I don&amp;'t have a really good way to find new music. Pandora is basically my radio and finds me good stuff some of the time, but it&amp;'s usually either old music or stuff I already own. If I want to be hip to what&amp;'s new, I rely on my social graph to recommend things. And exfm is maybe the perfect tool for that.Previously, exfm was known as ExtensionFM, but with the latest version (version 2), they&amp;'ve changed up their branding and launched a wide range of new features. The key to the entire thing is still the Google Chrome extension. When installed, it allows you to browse the web as you normally would, but it alerts you when playable music files are on a webpage. If you find one, you can listen to it with the exfm player, or you can add it to your queue to listen to at anytime. You can even keep browsing to other sites and exfm remembers where it found the music, so it will stream continuously from there.With the new version, you can also &amp;''note&amp;'' songs.&amp;nbsp'Essentially, this is a &amp;''favorite&amp;'' or &amp;''like&amp;'' mechanism. It allows you to tag songs to your exfm profile that anyone can then visit and see what you&amp;'re recommending. These profile pages are a new feature in the latest version of the service as well, and they make it so you can follow other users with musical tastes you enjoy. And yes, there&amp;'s an activity stream on the main page of exfm.Of course, the most important part of a social music experience is sharing it. So exfm also allows you to tweet out songs, post them to Facebook, or create entries with them on Tumblr (and you can send song links via email too). The Twitter integration is really killer because if you have the extension installed, you can listen to music shared via exfm inline on the new twitter.com. This ability to post to Facebook and Twitter is also great because it makes these services brilliant music discovery tools. If people start sharing via exfm, you&amp;'ll have a digital jukebox made entirely from social recommendations.So. The big question. Is all of this legal It would seem so because exfm isn&amp;'t actually hosting any music at all. All they&amp;'ve done is create a player (by way of the extension) that allows you to find and play music hosted elsewhere. It&amp;'s a smart idea, and a great execution.Exfm is currently a four man team based in New York City. They previously raised seed funding from Spark, Betaworks, Founder Collection, and Dave Morgan. While they remain Chrome only for now, the plan is to extend to other browsers as well with similar extensions in the near future.Find a direct link to the Chrome extension here.CrunchBase InformationExtension EntertainmentInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Secret Santa success caps banner year for Reddit]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=secret-santa-success-caps-banner-year-for-reddit</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=secret-santa-success-caps-banner-year-for-reddit</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kocdeba</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=secret-santa-success-caps-banner-year-for-reddit</guid>
<description><![CDATA[As 2010 comes to a close, social news aggregator Reddit.com is celebrating another success in what has been a year full of them.A &amp;''secret santa&amp;'' program created by Reddit users expanded to more than four times the size of what it started at last year. More than 17,000 Reddit users from 90 countries are exchanging gifts. That&amp;'s an example of how Reddit is flexible enough to allow users to expand and engage the community in surprising ways &amp;8212' a must for any social site that wants to remain at the top of the list for its users. Judging by its growing user numbers, Reddit is doing a great job at it.Reddit community manager Erik Martin said,&amp;''Like it often does at Reddit, the idea came from a user. He&amp;'s a programmer in the Bay Area and he put the idea out there and got a really big response. He wrote redditgifts.com in one night.&amp;''The service matches anyone interested in giving gifts with a random Reddit user. In many cases people have to figure out for themselves what to get their secret santa.&amp;''What people really like about it I think is that it&amp;'s fun detective work to figure out what people would like,&amp;'' Martin said. &amp;''When you sign up you can say what you like or don&amp;'t, but many people don&amp;'t say either way. So often you have to look at what their secret santa has commented in the past to get an idea of their interests and therefore what present they might like.&amp;''The holiday program is an example of the explosion in popularity of Reddit in 2010. At the beginning of the year the site had roughly 32 million visits a month and more than 327 million page views. That skyrocketed to more than 62 million visits per month and more than 836 million page views by the end of November. Those may not even be the most impressive stats however. The time spent on the site per visit rose from roughly 13 minutes at the beginning of the year to 15:20 currently. It is almost unheard of for a mature site growing that rapidly to see increases in time spent per visit. &amp;''That&amp;'s something we&amp;'re really proud of because as more new people come in, you often see time spent on the site go down, but we&amp;'re seeing it go up. It means they are becoming part of the community.&amp;''Reddit has struggled at times to handle the growth. Users have complained in recent months about being unable to access the site during the day at times. Server issues were the culprit. With so many comments, up votes, submissions and other data pouring in, it&amp;'s become a challenge to handle it all. &amp;''Running Reddit is a race between our systems and our traffic growth,&amp;'' Reddit&amp;'s Mike Schiraldi said. &amp;''As long as we stay one step ahead of the traffic, it&amp;'s smooth sailing.But our traffic has surged to overtake us this winter, and so we&amp;'re dramatically increasing the size of our engineering team (by two). Of course, since it&amp;'s currently four people, that&amp;'s not saying much. Once the new guys are spunup, things should get better.&amp;''Part of this growth is attributed to collapse of the community over at competitor site Digg.com. Fans of that news aggregator fled to Reddit in droves after Digg failed at its attempt to redesign the site and change the way users navigate it in late August. Digg eventually laid off more than 37 percent of its staff. Stories that hit the front page on Digg soon stopped bringing nearly as many referrals as they once did, according to many publishers that worked with the site. This lead to more buzz and additional advertising on Reddit.&amp;''(Digg&amp;'s troubles) really helped us a lot in terms of perception,&amp;'' Martin said. &amp;''It was a situation where media advertisers didn&amp;'t think of Reddit. They appreciated Reddit a lot more after the Digg decline. They use to kind of lump us in with all the others. Now not so much.&amp;''Microsoft is one of the advertisers that came to Reddit and is now engaging in conversation with community members. In September, developers of Internet Explorer 9 discussed that new product. This month, Hotmail team members spoke to the community by posting an a4Aask-me-anythinga4 thread, where users could come in and ask questions about the service and get feedback from the Hotmail team. Some Hotmail team members were even criticized by Reddit users for not speaking frankly about shortcomings of their product.Meanwhile, a different advertiser, Opera, had a more positive interaction. &amp;''They spoke to Reddit users in their own language,&amp;'' Martin said. &amp;''They ran an ad recently that had a nice luscious shot of some bacon. Opera saw some feedback from the vegan Reddit community. They were complaining. Within an hour they made a new version of an ad that had some really nice looking vegetables. That goes a long way because people, even if they don&amp;'t care one way or the other, notice that Opera was really listening and responsive. I wish that lesson was more widely adopted.&amp;''Ads from big companies have appeared before on Reddit, usually in the form of broader campaigns for Cisco, Amazon.com and others sold by Cond Nast, the publishing giant that owns Reddit. Martin says the site also runs sponsored headlines which users themselves and companies can buy. &amp;''Many of the ads are in the same vernacular as the content, and people can comment on them. They give feedback and have suggestions. They give the advertisers a chance to respond. More traditional banner ads are there, but people can comment and respond to them too. With all the traffic growth and all the new things we&amp;'re doing it&amp;'s been a lot of work but it&amp;'s definitely a good year for us financially.&amp;''The site also began its &amp;''Reddit Gold&amp;'' program this year, which lets people who wish to donate to the site have a private &amp;''subreddit&amp;'' to hang out in. Martin says the money from those donations has helped to pay for their two new engineering hires.Another important reason for the rise of Reddit in 2010 was the growth in number and size of new communities on the site. &amp;''The ability for users to create new sections of the site allows both new and especially longtime redditors to experience something new,&amp;'' said Martin. &amp;''Some of the bigger and more popular new groups include &amp;8216'iama,&amp;' in which people talk about their jobs, &amp;8216'colbertrally,&amp;' and the new &amp;'secretsanta.&amp;' There is also one new community in which favors are done, such as when someone needs help proofreading a thesis, or Photoshop work.&amp;''The growth of these communities has sparked a level of altruism that isn&amp;'t often seen on the Internet. Martin cites one instance in which military veteran William Lashua received hundreds of gifts from Reddit community members who were concerned he might not be receiving appreciation on his 90th birthday. &amp;''His grandson is actually a redditor,&amp;'' Martin said. &amp;''He was very happy and said it was amazing. He also said that he wasn&amp;'t lonely and that he had lots of family with him. It became a very positive thing because it created an opportunity to tell people to go their local [Veterans Administration facility] and show appreciation to other veterans, which they then did.&amp;''This type of thing had always been around on the Internet before, but perhaps had been more limited to message boards and individual communities. &amp;''Reddit is a collection of independent communities, so each one gets larger exposure,&amp;'' Martin said. &amp;''It just shows how speed is a big part of it. These stories can grow really fast on Reddit, and with a larger audience this year, it makes it exciting for people to participate. That&amp;'s how it happened with the Colbert Rally. It&amp;'s all for its own reward, but since it&amp;'s happening in front of millions of people online it lets people not just help out for a good cause but to be part of something, be a part of the story.&amp;''Reddit has about 10 employees. It has staff in San Francisco, New York, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles.Next Story: In danger of being an also-ran, Atari names a new CEO Previous Story: Linden Lab gets second new CEO of the year for Second LifePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Social Media, social networkingCompanies: Reddit          Tags: Social Media, social networkingCompanies: RedditJohn is a writer and social media consultant who has worked at Village Voice Media and NBC. Before that he held several positions at various TV newsrooms in the state of California, from 1994 to 2009. He was a web editor for two years at KNTV, the NBC station serving the San Francisco Bay Area. He also held freelance writing positions at KGO, KRON and KPIX in San Francisco.  He worked as a radio anchor, assignment desk manager, reporter, editor and producer at KEYT in Santa Barbara for 10 years.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[Shorthand brings (some of) the Internet to phones, no data plan required]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shorthand-brings-some-of-the-internet-to-phones-no-data-plan-required</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shorthand-brings-some-of-the-internet-to-phones-no-data-plan-required</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kocdeba</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shorthand-brings-some-of-the-internet-to-phones-no-data-plan-required</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Smartphone applications are perhaps the hottest area for startups nowadays, but what about people who dona4a4t a mobile data plan San Diego startup Shorthand says that in India, for example, smartphones still have low penetration, so the best way to reach its population is on lower-end feature phones &amp;8212' thata4a4s why the company is announcing what it calls an a4ASMS-based mobile browsera4.Shorthand&amp;'s browser wona4a4t allow users to navigate the entire mobile Web, but it does create a visual, app-style layout for content that would normally require the use of short codes or keywords to navigate.The company says that it can create an a4ASMS Appa4 for any content provider who offers an application programming interface. Existing partners include Yelp, Citysearch, Google, MapQuest, Wikipedia, and many others. And again, all of the data is sent through an SMS plan, so a more expensive data plan isn&amp;'t required.The browser is free and currently available in India, Brazil, and the United States. The company says it has plans for further expansion in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe. (The company is partnering with SMS social network SMS GupShup, which launched its own app store last year, for distribution in India.)Shorthand is self-funded.Next Story: Whoops! Microsoft&amp;'s leaked Q2 earnings show strong game and business software sales Previous Story: Facebook denies phone rumors, hints at heavy integration with HTCPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'                        Anthony 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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