
<?phpxml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" 
xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
>
<channel>
<title>Haaze.com / laziparac / All</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:10:45 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Twitter suffers brief downtime, elevated error rates]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-suffers-brief-downtime-elevated-error-rates</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-suffers-brief-downtime-elevated-error-rates</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:10:45 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>laziparac</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-suffers-brief-downtime-elevated-error-rates</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Twitter)Twitter experienced downtime and elevated error rates for less than an hour today following the rollout of a setting that beefs up security by default. Even with the timing of the opt-in HTTPS feature, neither the cause of the problem, nor how widespread it was, has yet been revealed by the company. A note on Twitter's status blog simply notes that the company is aware of the problem and taking steps to fix it. The Hyptertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) mode, encrypts the username, password, and any personal data, keeping it from being useful if intercepted by thieves. It comes standard on the mobileiPhone version of Twitter, though not on m.Twitter.com just yet. The new option, found in Twitter's general settings enables users to force the service to always use HTTPS. Update at 3:25 p.m.: Twitter says the problem has been fully sorted out. &quot;This issue is resolved, access to all features for all users is restored,&quot; the company said on its status blog.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Timeline: A look back at Kinect's history]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=timeline-a-look-back-at-kinects-history</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=timeline-a-look-back-at-kinects-history</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>laziparac</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=timeline-a-look-back-at-kinects-history</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Kinect.(Credit:Josh Lowensohn/CNET)Kinect has turned out to be a big success for Microsoft, and Monday's news that the company is planning to officially bring the technology to Windows users marks an important step in Kinect's progress as a platform for new types of software and gesture-based user interfaces. That said, if you take a look back, it's not like we didn't see this coming.Even so, Kinect has turned out to be more successful than Microsoft originally imagined, with sales that dramatically beat estimates. It's also helped reform the image of the software giant from a company that's overly protective of its creations to one that's paying attention to what people do with a product once it's been launched--even if those uses fall outside the original intent. Now's as good a time as any to take a look back at how the Kinect journey has played out, from scattered rumors of Microsoft developing aWii remote competitor, all the way to the motion-controlled camera sensor that's gone on to make an immediate impact on Microsoft's bottom line.Follow along to see how the product went from rumors to reality, and to check out several milestones on that route.Rumors and speculationA mock-up of a motion controller Microsoft had reportedly been developing. (Credit:MTV )5/30/2007: Onstage at the D5 conference with Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates discusses a camera-based control method for games, where people can use real-world objects like baseball bats and tennis rackets to control what's happening on-screen. Little did we know Gates was talking about what would become the Kinect.4/7/2008: After nearly a year of quiet on the rumor front, MTV News reports that Microsoft is hard at work on a motion controller of its own to combat Nintendo's Wii. That report points to Microsoft subsidiary Rare developing actual handheld hardware, but being unable to meet development deadlines. A few days later, reports surface of the technology making use of a gyroscope and sensor bar. 7/2/2008: Ahead of the announcement of the big redesign for the originalXbox 360 dashboard (which would surface some two months later), reports circulate that Microsoft has rebuilt the Xbox 360's interface to work with a motion-control device.5/1/2009: After nearly another year of quiet in the rumor realm, Engadget reports that Microsoft is at work on a &quot;sensor bar&quot; that detects full body movement, as well as sound. 5/12/2009: The Wall Street Journal follows up shortly thereafter, saying Microsoft plans to unveil a new video camera that would let users control games with the surface of their bodies. Little is known about timing except that the product could be announced at E3 the following month.Announcement and prerelease6/1/2009:Microsoft announces &quot;Project Natal&quot; at its annual E3 press conference. The company provides the first demos of the technology in action, including controlling the Xbox 360 dashboard and playing Riccochet--what would eventually become the Rally Ball minigame included in Kinect Adventures. Microsoft also shows off a virtual-painting app. Along with the presentation, Microsoft says it's sending out Project Natal development kits to select developers to get them started on making games that will be ready in time for when the hardware add-on finally ships to customers.Microsoft unveils Project Natal at its E3 2009 press conference.(Credit:Daniel Terdiman/CNET)7/14/2009: In an interview with CNET, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates says Natal's gesture-based controls will eventually be able to work with PCs. 9/24/2009: Microsoft provides more detail on who is actually making games for Natal, saying nearly all of the major game-publishing houses are working on titles. That list includes Activision, Capcom, Disney, EA, Konami, MTV, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ, and Ubisoft Entertainment.1/6/2010: During Microsoft'sCES keynote presentation, now retired Microsoft executive Robbie Bach says Natal will arrive in time for the 2010 holiday shopping season, though he stays mum on pricing information and the size of the launch lineup.5/26/2010: Rumors crop up about a $150 price tag for Natal, as well as about news that the technology will be available as a standalone add-on, in addition to being bundled with new systems--all details that later turn out to be true. The Kinect-specific port in the latest version of the Xbox 360 hardware.(Credit:CBS Interactive) 6/13/2010: During a pre-E3 press conference featuring dangling Cirque du Soleil performers, Microsoft announces that Project Natal now goes by the name of Kinect. The next day the company details a revision of the Xbox 360 hardware that adds a special plug for the Kinect controller. The connection provides power without the need for an AC adapter, like the old units needed, and also enables the sending of information.  7/20/2010: Microsoft gives Kinect a price and release date. The company says it will launch Kinect on November 4, 2010, with a price of $149.99. The company also says it will bundle the Kinect with a 4GB Xbox 360 console for $299.99. 9/16/2010: In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the president of Microsoft's interactive-entertainment business, Don Mattrick, says the company expects to sell more than 3 million Kinect devices by the end of the year.10/18/2010: Microsoft says it will have 17 titles available in time for Kinect's launch. 11/3/2010: A day ahead of launch, Microsoft bumps up its sales forecast to 5 million Kinect units by the end of the year. Launch and success 11/4/2010: Microsoft launches Kinect in North America. Almost immediately, Adafruit Industries offers a $1,000 bounty to the first person who can figure out how to build an open-source driver for it.  Microsoft responds, telling CNET it does not condone modification of its products, and that the hardware has built-in hardware and software safeguards to keep such customizations from happening. Microsoft also pledges to &quot;work closely with law enforcement and product safety groups to keep Kinect tamper-resistant.&quot; Adafruit bumps the reward money up to $2,000 as a result. 11/10/2010: A hacker named Hector wins Adafruit's now-$3,000 contest for creating an open-source driver for Kinect. Microsoft launches Kinect in Europe. A Mac OS X implementation of Kinect called OfxKinect is demonstrated by Vimeo user Memo Akten. (Credit:Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET) 11/15/2010: Kinect hits the 1 million units sold mark less than two weeks after its North American launch. Independent developers and tinkerers continue to have at the system, creating all sorts of applications that make use of its camera system. 11/18/2010: Kinect is launched in Australia. 11/19/2010: Microsoft representatives appearing on National Public Radio's &quot;Science Friday&quot; show reverse course from comments made earlier in the month, and say Kinect had been left open by design and that the company found some of the pet projects designed by enthusiasts to be inspiring.  11/20/2010: Kinect is launched in Japan. 11/29/2010: Microsoft updates sales numbers, says it has sold 2.5 million Kinect units in the 25 days since launch. 1/5/2011: During the company's annual CES keynote address, CEO Steve Ballmer surprises press and analysts, saying Microsoft has sold 8 million Kinect units since launch--3 million more than its original estimates. 1/7/2011: In an interview with the BBC, Ballmer says the company does indeed plan to bring Kinect support to Windows, but that it will be done &quot;in a formal way, in the right time.&quot;  1/19/2011: Citing sources familiar with the matter, a report on WinRumors suggests Microsoft is preparing drivers and an official SDK for Kinect to work with Windows. Squaring off against Kinect opponents with your Windows Phone 7 device, from the couch.(Credit:Microsoft) 2/14/2011: At Mobile World Congress, Microsoft says it will be bringing Kinect functionality to its Windows Phone 7 platform at some point in the future. Users will be able to use their phones to control basic movements in Kinect games, alongside user motion. Microsoft tells CNET that the feature is not set to arrive in 2011. 2/21/2011: Microsoft announces plans to release a software development kit for Kinect on Windows machines sometime in the spring, with a formal commercial release of the SDK to follow.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[HAL-like computer tower rules Monopoly Live]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hal-like-computer-tower-rules-monopoly-live</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hal-like-computer-tower-rules-monopoly-live</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:10:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>laziparac</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hal-like-computer-tower-rules-monopoly-live</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Monopoly Live: You can pass Go if the tower says so.(Credit:Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)Like counting your money You'll be deprived of that pleasure in the new version of Monopoly that Hasbro shown off at the 2011 Toy Fair in New York this week.A computer tower controls all transactions in Monopoly Live, and players insert bank cards into slots as they would with an ATM. Tracking everything with its infrared eyes, the tower looms like the Eye of Sauron. Or the eye of HAL, if you prefer science fiction. The classic tokens, properties, and plastic buildings have been retained, but there's no paper money' dice' or Chance or Community Chest cards. The tower does all that, along with barking instructions to players, as seen in the vid below. An added feature involves sending a plastic cab around on a rail to dodge taxes, and the tower can sometimes announce random events like a horse race or property auction. In classic Monopoly, players wheel and deal with each other, screaming for rent and hiding $100 bills up a sleeve or under the board. In Monopoly Live, they seem to be interacting with the computer. Is that the purpose of a board game Sure, board game manufacturers have to do whatever they can to stay relevant to younger generations in this age of iPhone games. I just don't think that closing the pod bay doors on social interaction is the right approach. Monopoly Live is slated for a fall 2011 release. What do you think Would you take on the tower<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[AMD launches world&'s fastest dual-chip graphics card]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amd-launches-worldrsquos-fastest-dual-chip-graphics-card</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amd-launches-worldrsquos-fastest-dual-chip-graphics-card</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>laziparac</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amd-launches-worldrsquos-fastest-dual-chip-graphics-card</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Advanced Micro Devices is announcing today that it has launched the world&amp;'s fastest dual-chip graphics card for screaming-fast gamer PCs.The new card takes two of AMD&amp;'s fastest graphics chips and marries them inside a single graphics card, which can be added to a computer and power as many as five displays. The new card means that AMD is as serious as ever about fighting for market share at the high-end of the graphics chip market, even as it launches Fusion combo chips that meld a microprocessor and graphics in the same piece of silicon.The high-end gaming market is a sliver of the overall PC industry, but it signals where the mainstream technology of graphics will eventually go, and gamers at the high end are extremely influential. So it pays for AMD to keep sparring with Nvidia, which currently holds the speed crown for the world&amp;'s fastest graphics chip.AMD claims that the new dual-card graphics card can run 1.4 to 1.8 times faster than a card with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 580 graphics chip. With this card, AMD gamers will be able to run as many as five computer screens from a single card. AMD claims you can crank up the resolution to 7680 pixels by 1600 and still get outstanding speeds. For those who really want high speed, you can take two of these graphics cards and put them in a single PC.Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD has had a very different strategy from Nvidia in the past few years. The company creates smaller, more power-efficient chips that hit the &amp;''sweet spot&amp;'' of the market, rather than the largest and fastest graphics chips. But AMD can move quickly to put two smaller chips onto a single graphics card, resulting in a graphics card that is faster than one with a single Nvidia chip.Nvidia typically has the fastest desktop graphics chip, while AMD can take the crown for the fastest graphics card with two chips in it. It isn&amp;'t immediately obvious which company has the better strategy. But gamers are well served by the constant tug-of-war competition between the two.AMD is launching its AMD Radeon HD6990 graphics card, which has the code-name Antilles, as the newest member of its 6000 series of graphics chips. The card has two settings that make it easy to &amp;''overclock,&amp;'' or run the chip beyond the recommended specification in the name of higher performance. Gamers can easily set the card to run at either speed, in contrast to past solutions that were much harder to overclock. The card runs on 450 watts of power &amp;8212' a very high number &amp;8212' but the design is laid out so that both graphics chips can dissipate the same amount of heat. Altogether, the performance exceeds 5.4 teraflops and each graphics chip has 2.64 billion transistors, or basic electronic building blocks. The chip is available for sale now.AMD is also offering updates to its Gaming Evolved program, which supports open standards for gaming technologies, said Neal Robison, director of ISV relationship management at AMD. One of the standards proposed in the past year is Open Stereo 3D, which calls for a common way to display stereoscopic 3D images on computer screens. AMD will launch a certification program for that standard in the second quarter, Robison said.Robison said AMD has now shipped more than 35 million graphics cards that are compatible with Microsoft&amp;'s DX11 graphics standard. There are 21 games and four game engines on the market that support DX11. The new graphics card has 4 gigabytes of GDDR5 memory and runs at 830 megahertz. It has 3,072 stream processors on board, which effectively means it has that many computing brains. the card can be overclocked to 880 megahertz.Among the top new PC games coming to the market soon that support DX11 are Dragon Age II (pictured below), Total War Shogun 2, and Deus Ex Human Revolution. The Dragon Age II game can be played with as many as five computer screens, with the game image stretched across all of those screens.Previous Story: LiquidSpace launches its workspace-finding mobile appPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: AMD Radeon HD 6990, Antilles, graphics card, Open Stereo 3DCompanies: advanced micro devices, Amd, NvidiaPeople: Neal Robison          Tags: AMD Radeon HD 6990, Antilles, graphics card, Open Stereo 3DCompanies: advanced micro devices, Amd, NvidiaPeople: Neal RobisonDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

</channel>
</rss>
