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<title>Haaze.com / lingInibunk / All</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 30 May 2011 07:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[How your social network can protect your credit card]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-your-social-network-can-protect-your-credit-card</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-your-social-network-can-protect-your-credit-card</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 May 2011 07:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lingInibunk</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-your-social-network-can-protect-your-credit-card</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The payment service WePay launched a new online ticket store this week that competes in some ways with EventBrite. It's a logical addition to the growing service. But that's not what's interesting about WePay. I'm seeing payment services companies like this popping up a bit more than I would have expected, given the serious regulatory and security issues involved in handling money in bulk (see Dwolla and Venmo). Talking about that with WePay founder Rich Aberman led to a fascinating discussion about how the company hopes to keep its fraud rate low enough to stay in business. Here's how: It will use online social-network strength, in addition to old-fashioned antifraud methods, to spot bad transactions before they get authorized. As we've learned recently--thanks, Sony--there's a healthy supply of valid credit card numbers available to bad guys. Even Social Security Numbers aren't too hard to come by. Using various collections of numbers and identifiers to verify that the person on the other end of a Web transaction is the person who owns the credit card being used is standard antifraud practice. It's not nothing, but it's far from foolproof, and credit card companies bake a substantial percentage of transaction write-offs into their balance sheets to account for all the fraud that gets through. Aberman says these old antifraud technologies don't go far enough for a new company like his, which is trying to compete in part by having a lower proportion of uncollectable and criminal transactions.WePay has launched a ticket sales service on top of its payment processing infrastructure.(Credit:WePay)It is much harder to fake a social network identity than it is to fake ownership of a number in a database somewhere. Real people have real friends and behave online in ways that are quite different from fake online identities that have fake connections and do fake things like &quot;friend&quot; indiscriminately and send out links to spam or phishing sites. It is thus harder to create or steal a social identity than an individual one. If you tie a credit card number into a social-network identity, you can use that fact to reduce online fraud. As Aberman wrote to me after our meeting, &quot;We are using your online identity to verify your identity in the real world.&quot;Facebook, for its part, uses its knowledge of users' social networks to fight fraud and tamp down account theft and hijacking. Users coming in from computers they've used before, and acting in consistent ways with their groups, don't see Facebook's escalating authorization systems, but start to act oddly (fraudulently) or log in from a computer in Peru one day when yesterday you logged in from Ohio, and you'll get introduced to Facebook's social verification system, which uses your knowledge of your network of friends to make sure you are the person whose account you are logging in to. Fred Wolens, Facebook policy associate, told me the social verification system has been &quot;iterated&quot; to be more reliable for users than it was when it was first rolled out. Wolens says Facebook doesn't keep scores on individuals rating their authenticity or trustworthiness. Rather, he says, assessments are made when needed. &quot;We have systems to determine what is a fake account or not. For each interaction we look at a number of different things.&quot;  Facebook keeps this data to itself at the moment, but it could, in theory, become a major player in the authorization space for other companies like WePay. It's more likely, though, that it will keep this information internal, and use it to make its own payments system more robust.  WePay's Aberman says that the goal for any payment processing company is, &quot;to own the credit card info, and protect it.&quot; By running WePay transactions through a social filter--requiring someone using a credit card to go through a social verification process, either overtly or behind the scenes--it may just be able to do a better job of account protection. It's a smart move. It also indicates just how much power social networks are gaining in our financial lives. Facebook stands to gain from this the most, but Twitter, LinkedIn, and even e-mail providers like Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google could end up profiting from what may become a new and important part of payment authorization to fight fraud. If social verification does become an important part of online transactions, it will shift power away, a bit, from the credit card issuing companies. And for consumers, again as it has been throughout most of our history, the ease with which we navigate the financial world will depend not just on what we know, but who.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[With 'Arctic Sea,' Google offers a Web-app boost]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-arctic-sea-google-offers-a-web-app-boost</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-arctic-sea-google-offers-a-web-app-boost</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lingInibunk</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-arctic-sea-google-offers-a-web-app-boost</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google has passed a significant milestone with the release of its first version of Native Client, a software foundation designed to let Web-based applications tap into a person's computer chip.The software, called Arctic Sea, is available built into Chrome 10, which entered beta testing yesterday. &quot;A big goal of this release is to enable developers to start building Native Client modules for Chrome applications,&quot; product manager Christian Stefansen said of the Native Client release in a blog post today.Native Client--NaCl for short--is an unusual approach to the challenge of letting people download software over the Web. Web applications today often use JavaScript, an increasingly powerful language but one that still limits a program's performance compared with those running natively on a computer--Skype or Photoshop, for example.Google's NaCl project lets such native software be downloaded directly from a Web server but includes specific security mechanisms to keep out malicious code. Native Client modules must be written with specially modified tools to restrict use of potentially harmful instructions, and the browser examines the software in advance to ensure it executes only the safe operations. NaCl also confines software to a &quot;sandbox&quot; with limited privileges.Native Client could let code libraries written in the C programming language be relatively easily adapted for browser-based applications. That could make it easier, for example, to build into Web applications the codecs Skype uses for compressing and decompressing video and audio or for the processor-intensive tasks used in Photoshop's image processing. One company that's committed to Native Client is Unity 3D, whose video-game engine can use NaCl for things like simulating physics.Why is that important Because Google is a huge believer in cloud computing, in which the state of an application is stored on a central server on the Internet and a browser acts as a vessel to run it. With Native Client, Google thinks it can get to within just a few percentage points of the performance of ordinary native applications, removing a major impediment to the cloud-computing technology.That is, as long as Google can convince the rest of the world to adopt it. Fortunately for Google, it's got Chrome as a vehicle to deliver such technology into people's hands--and with more than 10 percent of people on the Net using Chrome, Google has a real foothold. With Native Client, Chrome OS could become significantly more capable, too, and with a variation called PNaCl still in the works, it works on the ARM processors that power virtually all smartphones today. Today Native Client works only on 32-bit and 64-bit x86 processors.A major part of Google's recent NaCl work has been rebuilding it to use a new browser plug-in interface called Pepper, or PPAPI. (NaCl is the chemical abbreviation for sodium chloride--table salt--and is paired with Pepper. Get it) With this release and Chrome 10, NaCl now uses Pepper. Native Client remains turned off by default for now, since its own interface isn't quite finished, but it can be enabled through Chrome's about:flags mechanism.One reason Google is pitching NaCl to developers is that it's finished some security work that had been incomplete. An outer sandbox, not just an inner one, is working for additional protection. And an auto-update mechanism lets Google more quickly replace a version if it's found to have a security problem, the company said.How far NaCl will spread beyond Chrome remains to be seen. But to be truly useful, it needs programmers writing code.That's quite possible, of course. One indicator of interest came in a draft Firefox road map for 2011. Regarding Native Client support, Mike Beltzner, Mozilla's outgoing director ofFirefox, had this to say: &quot;Some vendor push here, mostly from Adobe.&quot;Google still has some convincing to do. &quot;I don't think Native Client is going to be a very big deal, but Google does, so we'll see how that plays out,&quot; Mike Shaver, Mozilla's vice president of engineering, said in a 2010 interview.And to use NaCl, browsers need a design that isolates plug-ins into separate memory compartments. &quot;We aim to support multiple browsers. However, a number of features that we consider requirements for a production-quality system are difficult to implement without help from the browser. Specific examples are an out-of-process plug-in architecture and appropriate interfaces for integrated 3D graphics. We have worked closely with Chromium developers to deliver these features and we would be eager to collaborate with developers from other browsers,&quot; Google said on a NaCl FAQNative Client has support now for computing, audio, and 2D graphics. In addition, Google reworked NaCl so that programmers need not worry so much about specifying which particular processor NaCl is running on.For those who want to give it a try, Google offers a few NaCl demos.Coming up will be support for 3D graphics, local file storage, the Web Sockets technology for fast server-to-browser communication, and peer-to-peer networking, Google said. Some of that doubtless will wait for the second-generation &quot;Baltic Sea&quot; release.&quot;We are excited to see Native Client progressively evolve into a developer-ready technology,&quot; Google said. Next up will be seeing if programmers share the excitement.Updated 10:48 a.m. PT and 12:24 p.m. PTwith more detail on other browser support and to correct Mozilla's lack of involvement in Pepper work.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Blasts from the past: iPhone apps of the week]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blasts-from-the-past-iphone-apps-of-the-week</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blasts-from-the-past-iphone-apps-of-the-week</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lingInibunk</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blasts-from-the-past-iphone-apps-of-the-week</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:CNET)I grew up playing video games and was part of the era of going to arcades and dropping quarter after quarter into my favorite games. Back then, if you would have told me that one day I could play the same games on a mobile phone I would probably have said, &quot;I doubt it, and who would want to lug one of those giant things around anyway&quot; In the '80s, mobile phones were huge. In other words, I would never have believed it.Now, there are hundreds of games in the iTunes App Store that bring old classics to your touch screen. Not all of them are perfect, certainly. Sometimes the controls don't translate well to the touch screen, for example. But even with mediocre controls, it's still fun to be able to play a game you loved as a kid while you're commuting to work.This week, two games were released that were favorites of mine in the arcades, and both work relatively well on the touch screen. My question to you is, What games from the old days should be made for iOS What games should not Let's talk about it in the comments. This week's apps are a classic gory fighting game and an arcade basketball remake that might already be one of my favorite games of 2011.The graphics look great on both the iPhone 4 Retina display and the iPad.(Credit:Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for iPhone (99 cents) and iPad ($4.99) brings the legendarily gory and addictive fighting game to iOS, and it mostly hits the mark with only a couple of problems. What was formerly a smash hit (and somewhat controversial) stand-up arcade game went through a complete facelift for theiPhone version. Gone are the stop-motion character animations from the original arcade game, replaced with beautiful 3D animations that recreate all your favorite characters' fighting moves. For the most part, this game looks and plays great, as long as you can get past the limited character set and the lack of tactile controls.Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 lets you choose from nine characters, with two you can unlock by beating the game twice in the Arcade mode on different skill levels. While the characters included work great, characters with more complex animation requirements (like Cyrax and Kabal) were not included in the iOS version of the game. Hopefully EA will add these characters in later versions of the game, but perhaps they are waiting for a future, more powerful iOS device.Even without the remaining characters, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a great game. The control system includes a directional pad on the left and punch, kick, run, and block buttons on the right. What's interesting here is you can use the original six-button layout from the arcade version or you can use a modified control system that saves you from the difficult joystick motions required for some of the more complex fighting moves. (Instead of a complex set of commands, you simply hit the Special Attack button and a direction to use a character's signature moves.) While the purist in me initially thought this made the game too easy, I began to appreciate not having to remember the complex moves and just seeing the cool results.The Mortal Kombat franchise has always been controversial for its violent &quot;Fatality&quot; moves, and you'll get to do them all in the iOS version. Along with the modified control system giving you a break on the more complex moves, you also can pause the game at any time to see a list of moves and special attacks for your character, as well as Fatality moves, Babalities and Friendship. While some fans of the original game may think this makes the special moves too easy, fight game novices will appreciate being able to jump right into the game and use every advantage at their disposal.You get a few game modes to play, including Arcade, Survival, and Local multiplayer. The Arcade mode challenges you to fight your way to the top of a group of random opponents with four different difficulty levels adding extra challenge along with more opponents to fight through at harder difficulties. Survival lets you take on an endless stream of opponents to see how long you can last with one character. Local Multiplayer lets you play against a friend over a shared Wi-Fi connection. There is no online multiplayer at this time, but perhaps that is another feature that will come in later versions.Overall, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a beautiful game and plenty of fun in spite of its various issues. If you are a fan of the franchise, you will enjoy being able to bring the game with you on your iOS device and the graphics look great on both the iPhone andiPad. It's important to note that this game is probably not for kids with a high level of animated violence and some pretty gruesome finishing moves.Monta Ellis sizes up the defense before taking it to the bucket.(Credit:Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)NBA Jam is an updated and faithful recreation of probably the most popular standup arcade basketball game of all time. For those who never went through several dollars in quarters at the local arcade playing this fun classic many years ago, NBA Jam is not your standard five-on-five simulation you see on consoles. This game is all about two-vs.-two high-flying dunk basketball, where just about every play is worthy of a highlight reel.The control system for NBA Jam on offense includes a directional pad on the lower left part of the screen, and pass, shoot, and speed boost buttons on the lower right. On defense you have the D-pad, but your options are steal, jump (for blocks), and speed boost buttons.Each team of the full 30-team NBA lineup uses the currently biggest stars on each team as your default starters. But the game gives you a couple of options for other players on the team should you decide to go with a different strategy. You also decide which player you control on your chosen team, but be aware that you will control that player the entire game--there is no player switching in NBA Jam as you have on consoles.The gameplay in NBA Jam is excellent--just like the arcade classic. You get a couple of game mode options including a standard exhibition game so you can start playing immediately in a single game, and a longer classic campaign mode in which you play games against all 30 teams for the championship. NBA Jam also has a number of achievements you can earn--all of which are listed in the Challenges section.Probably best of all for those of us who played the original arcade game, NBA Jam offers unlockable classic players for each team. Some expansion teams will only let you play as the mascot, but most teams have classic players many NBA fans will remember from the original arcade game. Once it's unlocked you can play past greats Magic Johnson and James Worthy from the Los Angeles Lakers, Dominique Wilkins and Kenny Smith from the Hawks, and Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin from the Golden State Warriors, as examples. Also, to add to the nostalgia, EA has used the same announcer from the original game who still says &quot;Boom Shakalaka!&quot; among other things when you make a particularly nasty dunk.Our only problem with this otherwise solid iOS game is that it doesn't include a multiplayer mode, because part of the fun in the classic arcade game was smack-talking as you dunked on your friends. We hope later releases will add online multiplayer games, but even just the ability to play locally would be a huge improvement because this game needs to be played head-to-head.Overall, even if you just play this single-player game with the current rosters, NBA Jam has enough excitement and challenge with four skill settings to keep you coming back for more. Anyone who played the original arcade game, or anyone with even a passing interest in basketball or sports games, will love this game.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: New Verizon iPad won't need hot-spot device]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-new-verizon-ipad-wont-need-hot-spot-device</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-new-verizon-ipad-wont-need-hot-spot-device</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lingInibunk</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-new-verizon-ipad-wont-need-hot-spot-device</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Verizon is working on an iPad with embedded chips for its network, according to a report.(Credit:Marguerite Reardon/CNET)Now that Verizon has cemented its relationship with Apple publicly by offering the iPhone, it's no surprise Apple's other flagship wireless device won't be far behind.Verizon will be selling aniPad with embedded chips that allow the touch-screentablet to connect directly to its network, Verizon Communications CFO Francis Shammo told Bloomberg Businessweek today. He did not give any official date for when that would take place.You can buy an iPad from Verizon right now, but it will come boxed with a separate wireless device that allows it to run on Verizon's CDMA network. The current model of the iPad has embedded GSM chips that allow it to connect directly to the networks of operators like AT&amp;T.Verizon began selling the iPad in October, a move that was taken by many Apple observers as a strong hint that aniPhone offered through Verizon would be next. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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