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<title>Haaze.com / lonelego / All</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 May 2011 07:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[iPhone 4, App Store nab Guinness World Records]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-4-app-store-nab-guinness-world-records</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-4-app-store-nab-guinness-world-records</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 May 2011 07:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-4-app-store-nab-guinness-world-records</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Apple'siPhone 4 and App Store have both received Guinness World Records, with the iPhone 4 becoming the fastest selling portable gaming system and the App Store getting named the most popular application marketplace.These awards and others have been published in the Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition, which the company is promoting alongside a Guinness trivia app for iOS and Android.Based on analyst estimates of 1.5 million units for first day sales, Guinness has dubbed the iPhone 4 to be the &quot;fastest-selling portable gaming system,&quot; topping first day sales of Sony'sPlayStation Portable.&quot;For comparison, the PSP shifted 200,000 units on its launch date in 2005, and the DS took a week to move 500,000 consoles in November 2004,&quot; Guinness said in a statement.Apple's App Store picked up three records, nabbing the &quot;most popular application marketplace&quot; at 6.5 billion downloads since launch, the &quot;largest downloadable video game store&quot; record with 37,362 games (as of September 2010), and &quot;the largest launch line-up of any gaming system&quot; at 145 games out of the 500 apps at launch.Along with Apple's creations, Guinness has bestowed records on a number of iOS game titles sold through the App Store, including Angry Birds and Tap Tap Revenge:&amp;149' Rovio's Angry Birds has been awarded a Guinness Record as the &quot;top paid-for App Store game in most countries,&quot; topping the charts with 6.5 million copies sold in a total of 67 countries.&amp;149' Guinness says PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies was the fastest-selling iPhone/iPod strategy game, pulling in 300,000 paid downloads in nine days of being on sale. &amp;149' Disney-owned Tapulous' Tap Tap Revenge series got the &quot;most popular iPhone game series&quot; record, at 15 million downloads across all its incarnations. &amp;149' Two games that got Guinness records for being &quot;first&quot; include Frotz, which was awarded the &quot;first text adventure engine for iPhone&quot;, and Enigmo, which Guinness says was the &quot;first physics-based puzzle game on iPhone.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Are Google Music and a retooled Market on the agenda for Feb. 2 event]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=are-google-music-and-a-retooled-market-on-the-agenda-for-feb--2-event</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=are-google-music-and-a-retooled-market-on-the-agenda-for-feb--2-event</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=are-google-music-and-a-retooled-market-on-the-agenda-for-feb--2-event</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Are Google Music and a revamped Android Market on the agenda for February 2(Credit:Google)Google has an Android-related event scheduled for tomorrow where the company promises &quot;an in-depth look at Honeycomb, Android ecosystem news, and hands-on demos&quot; of devices. Though it's widely assumed that members of the press will get their first real-world impressions of Android 3.0 via the Motorola Xoom, things remain cloudy beyond that. To me, the intriguing part of the invitation is the mysterious and vague phrase of &quot;Android ecosystem.&quot; What constitutes as an ecosystem in Google's eyes My money is on the introduction of two new features: an enhanced Android Market and the introduction of Google Music.As good as the Android Market has become over the last few years, there is still plenty of work left to do. After months of waiting, we're still anticipating features like YouTube integration and content ratings to arrive. Going back to May 2010, Google's Vic Gundotra demonstrated a desktop browser version of the Android Market, promising it would come with a future version of the platform. If there's ever been a time to kick these features off, it's now. We've seen hints of atablet-optimized versions of Gmail and Contacts in the previews of Honeycomb, so it would makes sense to debut a tablet-friendly version of Android Market as well. A larger screen would lend itself well to viewing YouTube videos internally without forcing users to open an additional application. The Motorola Xoom will be the first major tablet to feature a 10.1-inch screen, perfect for an updated Market with new options.Along those lines, I think we may finally see the long-awaited desktop version of the Android Market. We recently learned that Google is not too happy with the sales of paid Android apps and is looking to improve the service. A full, browser-based client would certainly help for additional discovery and recommendation, ultimately leading to more purchases.As part of Gundotra's demonstration of this new Market, we learned that Google would be getting into music services. AndroidAndMe's Taylor Wimberly points to recent changes in Google's internal structure that have Android lead Andy Rubin taking the helm of digital music. He believes that this reorganization is indicative of the bigger agenda coming out of Mountain View. Together with the help of a YouTube lawyer, Rubin is said to be working on securing the rights to music from four major labels. It has been recently found that some users are noticing the option to sync their Google Music accounts on their Android phones. I don't believe the timing of this is coincidental. The stars have been slowly but surely aligning over a music distribution model. Getting content to and from Android devices should get significantly better starting tomorrow. CNET will be in attendance, bringing you first hand accounts of the Honeycomb event.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Shuttle Discovery fueled to test tank's health]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shuttle-discovery-fueled-to-test-tanks-health</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shuttle-discovery-fueled-to-test-tanks-health</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:10:57 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shuttle-discovery-fueled-to-test-tanks-health</guid>
<description><![CDATA[KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--The shuttle Discovery's external tank was loaded with more than a half million gallons of supercold liquid oxygen and hydrogen rocket fuel today in a critical test to learn more about what caused cracks in structural ribs, or stringers, that were discovered after a November 5 launch attempt.The cracks were repaired, but engineers want to pin down the root cause to make sure the huge tank is structurally sound and able to withstand the rigors of another launch attempt.Wiring from dozens of sensors can be seen draped around the shuttle Discovery&amp;39's external tank during a fueling test today.(Credit:NASA TV)The fueling test began at 7 a.m. EST and ended at 2:25 p.m. with the countdown holding at the T-minus 31-second mark. The liquid hydrogen and oxygen tanks were pressurized as they would be in a real launch countdown to collect additional data on the tank's performance.A detailed assessment of the data collected during today's test is not expected until later. But a senior shuttle manager said readings from temperature sensors attached to the skin of the tank closely matched predictions from computer models and no unusual stresses were noted from strain gauges on or near the stringers in question.An inspection by engineers at the launch pad found no obvious problems. One of two stereo cameras focused on thousands of small dot-like targets to detect any movement in the structure due to shrinkage or other factors apparently moved during the test and it's not yet clear if those data will be useful. The other camera apparently worked normally.After draining the propellants, engineers planned to move a rotating gantry back around the space shuttle about 10:30 p.m. today in preparation for work to ready the ship for roll back to the Vehicle Assembly Building early Tuesday. Once inside the VAB, X-ray equipment will be used to look for any signs of cracks or other damage that might have escaped detection to this point.NASA managers plan to meet Tuesday to discuss whether to order installation of structural stiffeners on 36 stringers, nine to either side of the two booster-attachment thrust panels, that experience the most stress during launch.If all goes well and no other major problems are found, NASA hopes to haul Discovery back to the launch pad in mid-January for work to ready the ship for launch February 3 on a space station resupply mission.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Maps 5.0 adds 3D mode, offline features]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-maps-5-0-adds-3d-mode-offline-features</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-maps-5-0-adds-3d-mode-offline-features</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:10:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-maps-5-0-adds-3d-mode-offline-features</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Offline caching and 3D mode make Google Maps 5.0 a must-have app.(Credit:Google)Timed to coincide with today's release of the Nexus S, Google made good on its promise to launch an update to its Google Maps app. Now available in the Android Market, Maps 5.0 offers a few major improvements over its predecessors. First up is the 3D capability, which lets users see a simulated skyline for more than 100 cities around the world. And thanks to the use of vectors, you can get a different perspective by tilting the map forward for an angled view. To get there, just drag two fingers downward across the display. The same multitouch feature allows pinch-to-zoom and the ability to rotate maps by turning two fingers. Along similar lines, you can enter compass mode by tapping the compass icon in the top right corner. The map will enter 3D mode and continually rotate to point in the direction the user is headed. The other enhancement to Google Maps 5.0 is the ability to cache maps locally to the handset. Maps load quickly and take up very little space, which allows for a seamless experience even if you move into an area where cellular coverage is not available. What's more, should you travel into a dead spot, the app will still dynamically render parts of the map, keeping travelers on the right path. Maps are autocached whenever the phone is connected to Wi-Fi. The same feature is expected to roll out to the Maps Navigation Beta portion of the app over the next couple of weeks, along with offline rerouting. As with all versions of Google Maps, 5.0 is free to download from the Android Market. Although it works on any handset running 1.6 or higher, the 3D features will only function on 2.0 and above. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Amazon pulls pedophile e-book following outcry]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-pulls-pedophile-e-book-following-outcry</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-pulls-pedophile-e-book-following-outcry</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-pulls-pedophile-e-book-following-outcry</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amazon has stopped sales of this e-book.(Credit:Amazon.com)Amazon.com has yanked an e-book written for pedophiles from its Kindle store following a wave of complaints and boycott threats.&quot;The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover's Code of Conduct&quot; still appears in Amazon's search results for the phrase &quot;pedophile guide.&quot; But clicking on the link of the book's title now triggers an Amazon page that states: &quot;We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site.&quot;Written and self-published apparently by Phillip R. Greaves, the book has been labeled a how-to guide for pedophiles, with advice on how to avoid getting caught and how to take the proper precautions, according to a page excerpted by TechCrunch.Though the book's details are no longer online, a Google-cached version of its page reveals Greaves' description of his work as &quot;my attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles that find themselves involved in them, by establishing certian [sic] rules for these adults to follow. I hope to achieve this by appealing to the better nature of pedosexuals, with hope that their doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps liter [sic] sentences should they ever be caught.&quot;The e-book hit Amazon's Kindle Store on October 28, but it wasn't until news of the book surfaced over the past couple of days that public furor reared up. Among the 2,500 customer reviews on Amazon, many of the angry commenters said they wouldn't buy anything from Amazon until the book was removed.A Facebook page called &quot;Boycott Amazon For Selling Pedophile Guide&quot; pulled together more than 3,500 people. And comments about the book have lit up the Twittersphere.In a phone interview with CNN yesterday, Greaves defended his book and said that &quot;true pedophiles love children and would never hurt them.&quot; But when CNN asked if the e-book was a how-to manual, he said &quot;there are certain parts that are advisory&quot; and added further that &quot;penetration is out. You can't do that with a child, but kissing and fondling I don't think is that big of a problem.&quot;Amazon itself had been defending the listing of the book under the grounds of free speech. In a statement to the BBC, the online retailer had said: &quot;Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable. Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook is top spot for online display ads]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-is-top-spot-for-online-display-ads</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-is-top-spot-for-online-display-ads</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:10:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-is-top-spot-for-online-display-ads</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Facebook served up the greatest number of online display ads among all online publishers tracked by ComScore over the third quarter.With a total of 297 billion online display ads, the popular social network accounted for 23 percent of all ad impressions (the number of times an ad is displayed), ComScore announced yesterday. Facebook's market share for ad impressions jumped 13.9 percentage points from 9.2 percent in last year's third quarter.Yahoo came in second for the quarter with 140 billion display ad impressions, followed by Microsoft with 64 billion, and Fox Interactive Media with 48 billion. Display ads specifically include static and rich media ads but exclude video ads, house ads, and very small ads, according to ComScore.(Credit:ComScore)Among online advertisers, AT&amp;amp'T was at the top of the rankings with 21.1 billion ad impressions, 1.6 percent of all display ads tracked by ComScore. Online trading firm Scottrade was second with 14.9 billion impressions, followed by Verizon with 14.6 billion. For the quarter, 109 different advertisers delivered at least 1 billion display ad impressions, a solid rise from from 76 last year.Overall, the online display ad market showed a healthy rebound from last year's soft environment. Almost 1.3 trillion display ads were delivered to U.S. Internet users in the third quarter, a 22 percent jump from a year ago.&quot;Just one year ago we were still in the midst of an advertising recession, but several growth drivers have contributed to sustained improvements over the past few quarters,&quot; comScore senior vice president Jeff Hackett said in a statement. &quot;The ability to buy specific audiences is enabling a greater number of display ads to be delivered on target, display formats are improving at a rapid rate, and the quality of creative is getting better every day. As publishers prove the value of online display ad campaigns, digital should continue to carve out a bigger piece of the advertising pie.&quot;On the receiving end of all this online ad activity, the average U.S. Internet user was hit by more than 6,000 display ads over the course of the quarter, according to ComScore.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Mobile app service delivers location-based disaster alerts - Springwise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mobile-app-service-delivers-location-based-disaster-alerts---springwise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mobile-app-service-delivers-location-based-disaster-alerts---springwise</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Government</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mobile-app-service-delivers-location-based-disaster-alerts---springwise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Natural disasters and other emergency situations are very much a local phenomenon, yet little has been done so far to take advantage of the mobile world''s new location-based capabilities. Enter CiviGuard, a new mobile app service designed to help governments deliver timely and contextual emergency information to affected civilians.To make use of CiviGuard, federal, state and local command centers would begin by leveraging the technology to identify crisis zones when a disaster occurs. California-based CiviGuard then determines which cell phone towers represent those crisis zones and compiles a list of subscribers to its FIPS 140-2-compliant service who should be targeted with an emergency message. Those subscribers then receive notifications via SMS, push or email, alerting them to critical information including route plans, directions and other emergency warnings. The multitouch CiviGuard app currently supports iPhone, iPad and Android' coming soon are BlackBerry and Windows Phone. Pricing for government organizations is on a per-civilian, per-year subscription basis, and it includes deployment, command training, mobile device updates, 24x7 support and quarterly readiness testing. Emergency management agencies around the globe: one to try out on your own smartphone-savvy population Alternatively, developers: how about delivering a scaled-down, functionall version for less developed parts of the world (Related: Emails warn patients about health-changing weather a4&quot; Car insurer alerts clients by text message when roads get icy.) Website: www.civiguard.comContact: info@civiguard.comSpotted by: Doug Jost<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Verizon iPhone preorders live for existing customers, reviews tout call quality]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-iphone-preorders-live-for-existing-customers-reviews-tout-call-quality</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-iphone-preorders-live-for-existing-customers-reviews-tout-call-quality</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-iphone-preorders-live-for-existing-customers-reviews-tout-call-quality</guid>
<description><![CDATA[After  being rumored for years, Verizona4a4s iPhone is now one step closer to  consumers. And early reviews signal that the device is worth the  wait.Verizon last night opened the floodgates to pre-orders from existing customers. Customers can claim their iPhone 4 via Verizona4a4s online store or through Applea4a4s web store.  Verizon is giving its loyal users a head start before it starts taking orders from the masses, and in  particular users who desperately want to leave AT&amp;amp'T, by offering  them pre-orders for a full week before new users get their shot on  February 10.Reviews are also beginning to roll in for the device, with the likes of the New York Timea4a4s David Pogue and the Wall Street Journala4a4s Walt Mossberg praising its call quality and the fact that it doesn&amp;'t drop calls on a  dime. Otherwise, the Verizon iPhone is pretty much the same as its  AT&amp;amp'T counterpart. Reviewers point out that data speeds on the  Verizon device are indeed slower than AT&amp;amp'Ta4a4s, but speeds are also on  the whole more consistent, and reception more readily available.The Verizon iPhone also sports mobile hotspot capabilities out of the box, which will let users share the devicea4a4s internet  connection with up to 5 other wireless devices for $20 a month. AT&amp;amp'T  users wona4a4t have to wait too much longer for the feature though.  According to Mossberga4a4s review, its hotspot capabilities will be enabled  on February 13, following the release of version 4.3 of the iPhone OS.In anticipation of heavy data usage from iPhone users, Verizon today will also begin throttling the speeds of its heaviest data users.Next Story: AT&amp;038'T fights off Verizon iPhone with mobile hotspot, sweetened tethering data plan Previous Story: Peter Thiel: &amp;''Something seems to have gone quite wrong with cleantech&amp;''PrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: CDMA, iOS, iPhone, smartphones, Verizon iPhoneCompanies: Apple, AT&amp;amp'T, VerizonPeople: David Pogue, Walt Mossberg          Tags: CDMA, iOS, iPhone, smartphones, Verizon iPhoneCompanies: Apple, AT&amp;amp'T, VerizonPeople: David Pogue, Walt MossbergDevindra 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. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Qualcomm launches a screaming-fast 2.5 Ghz mobile processor]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=qualcomm-launches-a-screaming-fast-2-5-ghz-mobile-processor</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=qualcomm-launches-a-screaming-fast-2-5-ghz-mobile-processor</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=qualcomm-launches-a-screaming-fast-2-5-ghz-mobile-processor</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Qualcomm just announced it has launched a new version of its Snapdragon mobile processor that can process data at a speed of 2.5 gigahertz. That&amp;'s as powerful as many laptop and desktop computer processors, but Qualcomm&amp;'s chip with as many as four cores, or brains, is aimed at smartphones and tablets.For users, that means that mobile devices sold this year and early next year are likely to have just as much, if not more, computing performance as a lot of computers out there. It will thus enable a whole new generation of smartphones and tablets that can do everything from cool 3D games to displaying video from a phone on a big screen in full high-definition resolution.Code-named Krait, the next-generation Snapdragon promises to deliver speeds of 2.5 gigahertz per core, with options for one, two or four cores. The Snapdragon family will also include four wireless capabilities &amp;8212' WiFi, global positioning system (GPS), Bluetooth and FM radio &amp;8212' in one device. It will also support near-field communications, a hot new technology that lets you wave a phone over a reader to make a purchase. And it will support stereoscopic 3D video, photo capture and playback.Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon has 150 percent higher overall performance and 65 percent lower power consumption than currently available ARM-based CPU (central processing unit) cores. Qualcomm is able to make the big leap to this new generation because it has made a big manufacturing leap to 28 nanometer technology. Qualcomm released its 1-gigahertz Snapdragon chip with a single core in the fourth quarter of 2008 using a 65-nm technology.The 28 nanometer technology is like a finer pencil, which can be used to etch smaller circuits on a chip. By cramming more circuits on a chip, Qualcomm is executing on the phenomenon known as Moore&amp;'s Law, named after former Intel chairman Gordon Moore, who predicted that the number of components on a chip would double every couple of years.Qualcomm also announced its new Adreno family of graphics processing units (GPUs). The new quad-core Adreno 320 can deliver 15 times the performance of the original Adreno chip it replaces. Qualcomm says the Adreno 320 performance is similar to the quality of graphics on today&amp;'s game consoles, but at a much lower power consumption level.The single-core Snapdragon MSM8930 chip has built-in LTE modem technology, which means it can deliver data networking speeds for mainstream smartphones at relatively low costs. The LTE technology (short for Long-Term Evolution) enables data speeds of 24 megabits a second or more in mobile phones. That&amp;'s as fast as the speed of cable modems in many homes.The MSM8960 dual-core chip will be available in the second quarter, while the MSM8930 single-core chip and the quad-core APQ8064 chip will be available in early 2012. The APQ8064 chip in particular is aimed at tablet computers. Qualcomm made the announcement at the Mobile World Congress 2010 event in Barcelona. We&amp;'ll have to see how rivals such as Marvell, Broadcom, Intel and Nvidia come in with their own new products this year to see who the winner will be.[image credit: Wikimedia Commons]Previous Story: Motorola buys 3LM to make Android phones as secure as the BlackBerryPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: SnapdragonCompanies: Qualcomm          Tags: SnapdragonCompanies: QualcommDean 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>
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<title><![CDATA[A small game studio scores big with Torchlight (video)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=a-small-game-studio-scores-big-with-torchlight-video</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=a-small-game-studio-scores-big-with-torchlight-video</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=a-small-game-studio-scores-big-with-torchlight-video</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Max Schaefer is the head of Runic Games, a tiny game startup with a big punch. He and his brother Erich have been making fantasy role-playing games for more than 15 years. They started Runic in Seattle a few years ago after stints at Flagships Studios and at Blizzard North, where they worked on the Diablo series. Now they&amp;'ve lived to tell the tale about making yet another hit game, Torchlight.It isn&amp;'t easy to create a new video game development company that focuses on high-quality games. But Runic&amp;'s path to the market is one that others can take in the age of digital distribution. For the sake of creativity and innovation, its important that the industry figures out how to create financially viable independent game development companies. So Runic&amp;'s success so far is an inspiring example for would-be entrepreneurs who want to create a new company in the video game business.&amp;''I think the era of the five-year, $90 million project may be coming an end and mercifully so,&amp;'' Schafer said. &amp;''We measure our development cycles in months, not years.&amp;''Against the odds, Runic was able to create and self-publish Torchlight, a high-quality online game that sold through digital distribution. It got funding from China&amp;'s Perfect World Entertainment to finish the game and begin work on other titles. The downloadable game is a lot like Diablo, but with lots of improvements and gorgeous graphics and a real story with 20 hours of game play. That&amp;'s quite a bargain for $20, and many gamers thought so too.Since launching in October, Torchlight generated a considerable amount of sales on Valve&amp;'s Steam digital distribution service. The game was a big enough hit to keep Runic going on its own. Now Runic is about to publish Torchlight as a console game on Microsoft&amp;'s Xbox Live Arcade, the downloadable game market on the Xbox 360. To create that game, Runic had to reconfigure the game for console controls, something that the Schaefers always wanted to do. That title will launch shortly.Schaefer said that the company is in full-scale development on Torchlight 2, which could come out as early as this summer. That game will add multiplayer play. And if the property continues to be successful, Runic could build a Torchlight massively multiplayer online world, which could be published by Perfect World, which is one of the biggest makers of MMOs. Someday, sometime, Schaefer&amp;'s old employer, Blizzard Entertainment, is going to produce some serious competition for Torchlight. Blizzard has been working for years on Diablo III and may be getting close to publishing it in 2012. By then, Runic will hopefully have done multiple titles in the same time that it took Blizzard to do one. Blizzard might crush Runic, but I would guess that won&amp;'t happen.Check out our interview with Schaefer below.Previous Story: Apple wises up by sharing its Mac OS X Lion code with hackersPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Torchlight, Torchlight 2Companies: Flagship Studios, Perfect World Entertainment, Runic GamesPeople: Max Schaefer          Tags: Torchlight, Torchlight 2Companies: Flagship Studios, Perfect World Entertainment, Runic GamesPeople: Max SchaeferDean 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>
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<title><![CDATA[Nearing Profitability, YouTube Hits 500 Million Promoted Video&nbsp'Views]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nearing-profitability-youtube-hits-500-million-promoted-videonbspviews</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nearing-profitability-youtube-hits-500-million-promoted-videonbspviews</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lonelego</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nearing-profitability-youtube-hits-500-million-promoted-videonbspviews</guid>
<description><![CDATA[YouTube has just announced that it has served its 500 millionth promoted video view. The video ad format, which the company launched a few years ago, essentially allows advertisers pay to promote videos in search results and on the YouTube home page. The product is similar to an AdWords for YouTube. So advertisers buy a keyword, and when someone did a search for that term, the advertiser&amp;'s video will show up as a promoted result. Last year, YouTube also started to place Promoted Videos on the a4Watcha4a4 pages, where videos are actually shown alongside comments and related other content, replicating AdSense in some ways.Promoted Video campaigns can now also implemented in a number of countries outside the U.S.. And YouTube&amp;'s Promoted Video API is now in AdWords in beta so agencies can use Promoted Videos to manage ad campaigns across multiple clients.YouTube also said that the average Promoted Video is approximately three minutes and it would take someone 2,853 years to watch them all.  The company also says that they have seen &amp;''six-fold increase&amp;'' in the number of times viewers have clicked to watch a Promoted Video. That&amp;'s of course good news for YouTube and for advertisers who are looking to attract eyes on the video platform. Advertising is a steadily growing for YouTube. During Google&amp;'s most recent earnings call, the company revealed that YouTube is now monetizing 2 billion views per week (there are about 2 billion total views per day through the service). The monetization rate is up 50 percent year-over-year.  And after a number of years in the red, the platform is finally nearing profitability, according to comments made by Google CEO Eric Schmidt in September. This milestone could be accelerated by the increase in ad revenue coming through the platform. CrunchBase InformationYouTubeInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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