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<title>Haaze.com / mariedelexz / All</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Gaze at the stars and play the arcade classics: iPhone apps of the week]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gaze-at-the-stars-and-play-the-arcade-classics-iphone-apps-of-the-week</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gaze-at-the-stars-and-play-the-arcade-classics-iphone-apps-of-the-week</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gaze-at-the-stars-and-play-the-arcade-classics-iphone-apps-of-the-week</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:CNET)In a CNET News story yesterday, our very own Josh Lowensohn explored Apple's recent patent application for an interesting touch-screen concept. The patent details separate smaller displays outside of the regulariPhone touch screen. According to the patent filing, these separate displays could be used in tandem with the main iPhone touch screen or used by developers to show added information in apps and games. Josh is careful to point out that patent applications don't necessarily mean a company will use an idea in a future product, but they are nonetheless interesting to consider.Obviously, adding separate screens would open up all kinds of options for apps, but I wonder if these areas would be used by Apple for showing things like battery life, current time, camera information, or other more generic smartphone-related uses. But if these added touch-screen areas could be used by app developers, it would open up a huge number of possibilities for more interesting on-screen controls and other information widgets related to what's happening on-screen.Even without knowing whether this will come to light, what sort of uses can you envision for extra displays around the main iPhone screen Let me know your ideas in the comments.This week's apps include an app for star gazing that uses augmented-reality technology and an app that lets you play classic arcade and console games from the golden age of gaming.Simply point your iPhone at the sky and you&amp;39'll quickly find planets and stars you recognize.(Credit:Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)SkyView (99 cents) lets you use your iPhone camera view to create an augmented-reality view of the sky complete with constellations, planets, and satellites. Simply launch the app and point your iPhone camera skyward to see constellations and other celestial bodies where they are in real time. You also can touch planets, stars, and constellations to get more info and history at the bottom of the screen.While you can spend plenty of time simply pointing in different directions and viewing celestial bodies, SkyView offers a few more handy features for finding what you want. You can use the search tool to quickly bring up an alphabetized list of celestial bodies, with buttons across the bottom of the interface to narrow your search to planets in our solar system--stars, constellations, or satellites. The search results let you know which celestial bodies are above or below the horizon in your location, making it easy to find things you can actually see.Another extra lets you enter the date and time to see what's in the night sky. This acts as a sort of time machine, letting you view the position of stars and planets on a specific day and determine whether you'll be able to see a planet as it passes closer to Earth, for example. But even just using the current date and time, SkyView lets you &quot;scrub&quot; forward on the moon's path, for instance, to see where it will be positioned later that day.Overall, by using augmented reality, the iPhone accelerometer, and gyroscope technology, SkyView is an excellent way to identify celestial bodies, satellites, and constellations right from your iPhone. If you've ever wanted to know what you're looking at in the night sky, this app is the perfect stargazer's companion.It&amp;39's great to see the sights and hear the sounds of Tempest, but the controls are not perfect.(Credit:Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)Atari's Greatest Hits (free with in-app purchases) lets you relive the early history of video gaming, giving you tons of old-school arcade and Atari 2600 hits on your iPhone. But it's not without flaws. Games like the original Asteroids, Tempest, Gravitar, Crystal Castle, and many more are available via in-app purchases packaged with their associated Atari 2600 games and some extras. In other words, the Atari Greatest Hits app itself is free, but if you want to play Tempest, for example, you'll need to buy the Tempest pack (99 cents), which comes with Tempest, Tempest for Atari 2600, Outlaw (2600), and Video Cube (2600). You also have the option to buy all the packs in one shot for $14.99 giving you more than 100 old-school games.Upon first launch of an old favorite, you're bound to be excited to see the same graphics and hear the same sounds you may remember from the classic days of gaming, but once you start playing, that initial excitement will probably wear off quickly.The problem with playing these old games on the iPhone is the small screen size and limited control schemes for each game. As an example, Tempest, which was originally played with a spinnable knob and a fire button in the stand-up version, is controlled using a vertical slider on the left side of the screen and a fire button on the right. Even after a few plays, I was never able to get the slider to move the way I wanted it to, forcing me to try over and over to move around the board on levels I used to be able to beat easily in the original. Unfortunately, most of these classic games share similar issues.Overall, Atari's Greatest Hits offers somewhat stunted iPhone versions of the old classics, along with several Atari 2600 titles. Sadly, after playing these old greats the new way, you might find your rose-colored nostalgia tainted. Certainly, some of the more popular titles like Adventure, Combat, and other Atari 2600 hits will be fun to play a couple times, but for the most part, the control schemes and dated games seem to be more for nostalgia than for actual lasting entertainment.Around the Web, I've noticed that Atari's Greatest Hits is being reviewed fairly favorably, but for me--a gamer who used to load my quarters and tokens up at the arcade machines of old--this collection is ultimately a disappointment to play, if a cool novelty. I should point out that my CNET colleague, Christopher MacManus agrees in his first take, but suggests that theiPad versions are much more palatable.What's your favorite iPhone app How do you like using augmented reality to see the night sky Am I being too hard on Atari's Greatest Hits Let me know in the comments!<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[FCC to vote on mandatory wireless-data roaming]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-to-vote-on-mandatory-wireless-data-roaming</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-to-vote-on-mandatory-wireless-data-roaming</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-to-vote-on-mandatory-wireless-data-roaming</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Federal Communications Commission may soon set new rules that could help ensure that your smartphone is able to access the Internet anywhere in the U.S. that wireless service is offered, even if your provider doesn't offer network coverage.On Thursday the FCC will vote on new rules that would force wireless phone companies, such as AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless, which have the largest nationwide coverage, to offer roaming rates to competitors at &quot;fair and reasonable rates.&quot; The measure, which has the backing of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, is expected to be passed by the FCC at its monthly public meeting.Smaller wireless carriers, such as Sprint Nextel, Leap Wireless, and MetroPCS, have filed petitions with the FCC claiming these new rules are necessary to ensure that AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless operators, offer fair roaming terms to them. The hope is that these rules will prevent the two dominant carriers in the market from shutting out smaller players from roaming agreements, and essentially preventing them from competing. Smaller operators argue that the need for these rules is even more important since AT&amp;T announced the $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. If that merger is approved, AT&amp;T and Verizon will control more than 80 percent of the wireless market in the U.S.&quot;This is the only way we can ensure that the bigger carriers at least come to the table when it comes to negotiating roaming deals,&quot; said Crystal Davis, a spokeswoman for Sprint. &quot;With the possible AT&amp;T and T-Mobile merger there could be only three major carriers in the market. And more competitors could be gobbled up one by one. If that happens, we won't have the opportunity to build out our networks. And then what chance do they have of competing&quot;Roaming, roaming, roaming Wireless operators with larger footprints have always negotiated roaming agreements with smaller carriers who either don't have the spectrum or the capacity to cover certain regions. In the early days of wireless service, consumers paid the cost of this roaming. Today, roaming is typically bundled into the cost of a cell phone plan. But carriers still charge each other for roaming.As the industry gets more consolidated, smaller carriers and industry watchdogs are afraid that AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless will exert their market power to make roaming deals too expensive for smaller carriers to compete.The FCC already adopted mandated roaming rules for voice traffic in 2007. In theory this means that wireless subscribers should be able to make phone calls just about anywhere there is a cell phone signal even if their wireless provider doesn't provide coverage.But just because the FCC mandates that companies must negotiate with their competitors, it doesn't mean that a deal is always struck. And it doesn't mean that the near ubiquitous coverage for either voice or data service will really ever be met, even if the FCC passes the data roaming rules. For example, in the small town of Lewes, Del., the only two wireless operators that offer reliable service for either voice or data are AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless. Though Sprint says it offers service in this area, the service isn't available in most locations. But because of the voice roaming mandate, one would assume that a Sprint customer should still be able to make phone calls in Lewes where Verizon's network is strong, because in theory Sprint customers should be roaming on Verizon's network. (Sprint and Verizon use the same CDMA-based cellular technology.) But in reality this doesn't happen.It is difficult to say in this specific case what is going on, since neither Verizon nor Sprint is required to make public who its roaming partners are or what the conditions of those roaming agreements are. At the end of the day, the FCC requires only that companies sit down to negotiate under fair terms.&quot;The mandatory order is supposed to give other carriers the option for getting fair and reasonable rates,&quot; said Sprint's Davis. &quot;But it doesn't mean that agreements are always reached.&quot;Indeed, Sprint may not agree to the &quot;fair and reasonable&quot; rate that Verizon offers. If Sprint feels the terms are unfair, the FCC rules allow the company to file a complaint. So far no complaints have been filed accusing AT&amp;T or Verizon Wireless of charging unfair or unreasonable voice roaming rates.AT&amp;T and Verizon: More regulation is unnecessary AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless argue that rules forcing them to negotiate are unnecessary, since they already have deals with many of their competitors. AT&amp;T said in a letter to the FCC last month that it has already negotiated &quot;scores of data roaming agreements, with more currently under negotiation.&quot; Verizon said it already has data roaming agreements with 40 wireless providers, including nationwide agreements for both large and small carriers.Verizon also argues that the FCC does not have the legal authority to impose such rules on data services, since wireless broadband services are regulated differently from wireless voice services.Verizon believes that the FCC is once again overstepping its authority. Earlier this year, the company challenged the FCC's authority for adopting new Net neutrality rules. (A lawsuit the company filed in federal court to challenge those rules was thrown out earlier this week because the judges said it was filed too early. But Verizon plans to refile the suit once the new Net neutrality regulations are posted in the Federal Register later this year.)But if the new rules are passed by the FCC, Verizon could have an even stronger case in challenging the FCC than it does with Net neutrality. The reasoning is a bit wonky, but Verizon argues that these new rules will impose &quot;common carrier&quot; regulation on a service that is not bound by &quot;common carrier&quot; rules. The FCC has long classified voice services and all traffic that touches the old telephone network as a &quot;telecommunications service.&quot; These services are subject to &quot;common carrier&quot; rules that allow the government to set rates and mandate that providers share their networks. But wireless data services, just like wireless broadband services, are considered &quot;information&quot; services. And these services are not bound by common carrier regulation. Verizon argues that this means that the government cannot mandate that the company share its network nor can it have a say in what rates the carrier charges other wireless operators for using its network. The FCC says that it isn't trying to set rates. It simply wants to ensure that smaller operators are given the opportunity to negotiate their own agreements with larger carriers at fair rates. The agency maintains its goal is to fulfill the promise of the National Broadband Plan to get wireless broadband services to as many people as possible. Verizon representatives say there are plenty of incentives for them to offer fair roaming terms. And as the company builds its 4G LTE network, it believes it will have enough capacity and coverage to offer even more roaming deals.&quot;Verizon is not anti-roaming,&quot; said Tamara Priess, vice president of federal regulatory affairs for Verizon. &quot;We're anti-regulated roaming. Our customers often benefit from those agreements, too.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Home security packaged with energy and solar]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=home-security-packaged-with-energy-and-solar</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=home-security-packaged-with-energy-and-solar</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:11:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=home-security-packaged-with-energy-and-solar</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Vivint is a home security company looking for growth in home energy and solar installations. The company, formerly called APX Alarms, today is scheduled to announce its new name and strategy to expand into home automation. It now has about 16,000 homes using a combined home alarm and energy management system, which it expects to grow to about 100,000 customers this year, according to CEO Todd Pederson.It&amp;39's not just for arming the home anymore. The Vivint panel lets consumers control thermostats and connected devices.(Credit:Vivint )Many utility-run smart-grid programs give consumers the ability to monitor their electricity usage and program appliances to run at off-peak times to save money. But similar energy management functions are being offered as part of home entertainment or security systems. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, a number of companies showed off home automation systems featuring home energy management as one application. Broadband providers, including Verizon, are also packaging energy management with other services.Vivint's system works with a touch-screen panel that does both security and home control. Right now, it lets people remotely control a thermostat from the panel, a smartphone, or Web page. The latest version expands the home automation with wireless light switches and wireless plugs for small appliances. Those devices use the Z-Wave protocol to communicate with the main control panel, which uses the cell phone network to connect to Vivint.In the coming months, the company plans to offer solar panel installation services as well, said Pederson. &quot;We think solar is just a natural fit from a service perspective,&quot; he said.Vivint says that consumers can expect about $25 savings a month on electricity bills by turning off equipment from a central point. For example, there are pre-set programs so that a person can hit an &quot;away&quot; button on the control panel and the thermostat adjusts and other connected appliances turn off.The cost for the service is either $44.99 or $49.99 per month after a $99 fee. Energy management is $6.99 per month and a security camera is another $9.99 per month.The company is also looking to work with utilities' smart meters so consumers can participate in demand response programs where they get a rebate for moving power-hungry jobs to off-peak times.Home security company ADT is also offering a home energy management service that lets people program and control thermostats and other connected devices remotely.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Tiwi from Inthinc prevents texting while driving (podcast)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-tiwi-from-inthinc-prevents-texting-while-driving-podcast</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-tiwi-from-inthinc-prevents-texting-while-driving-podcast</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:10:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-tiwi-from-inthinc-prevents-texting-while-driving-podcast</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Device attaches to windshield and connects to car&amp;39's electrical system(Credit:Inthinc)A 2009 study (PDF)  from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that truck drivers who were texting were 23 times more at risk of a &quot;crash or near crash event&quot; than &quot;nondistracted driving.&quot; As reported by CNET's Jennifer Guevin, the study also found that &quot;texting took a driver's focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds--enough time...to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph.&quot; Teenage drivers are especially vulnerable. In addition to being less experienced drivers, they are more likely to text than adults. A Federal Communications Commission consumer advisory on texting while driving quotes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as reporting that driver distraction was the cause of 16 percent of all fatal crashes in 2008, resulting in 5,800 fatalities and 515,000 injuries. The American Automobile Association says that &quot;taking your eyes off of the road for two seconds doubles your risk of getting into a crash.&quot;Inthinc, a Salt Lake City company, was at the Consumer Electronics Show with a solution for parents and companies whose employees have company issued phones. The product, which is called Tiwi and costs $299 plus a $29.95 monthly subscription fee, can disable a cell phone for calling or texting, according to CEO Todd Follmer. It can also report the person's speed, whether they're engaged in aggressive driving, and even if they're using their seat belt. Parents or employers can check in via an Internet portal. Inthinc CEO Todd Follmer(Credit:Inthinc) To learn more, I spoke with CEO Todd Follmer at the Showstoppers press event atCES 2011.Listen now:Download today's podcastSubscribe now:  iTunes (audio) |  RSS (audio)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Oodle goes after Craigslist with social classifieds]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=oodle-goes-after-craigslist-with-social-classifieds</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=oodle-goes-after-craigslist-with-social-classifieds</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=oodle-goes-after-craigslist-with-social-classifieds</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The online marketplace Oodle started as a classifieds aggregator, then dabbled in online dating (also through aggregation). In late 2008, it was given a big gift from Facebook: the social site gave Oodle its marketplace app to run. As Oodle CEO Craig Donato says, &quot;It was a moment in time. Facebook was transitioning from building all these apps to working with partners.&quot; Since then, Oodle has been figuring out how to best run with the new Facebook classifieds system.Finally, two years on, Oodle is merging the refresh it did of the Facebook Marketplace with its own Oodle.com Web site and making a run at Craigslist, a site whose data it at one point tried to incorporate into its own service.Thanks to the Facebook code, Oodle has very solid marketplace, one based not on giving items for sale the widest possible exposure (for that, there's eBay and Craigslist) but rather on putting people who are already socially connected in touch over the sale of goods and services. The thinking is that people are more inclined to sell (or even give away) items to people in their circle and that buyers are far less likely to flake out or be creepy when they arrive to do a deal or close a transaction. That's what the Facebook Marketplace proved out, at any rate. This announcement is a bit of a the minor one, as Oodle's social classified service already exists and is doing well on Facebook, and updating the standalone Web site to match that functionality is an obvious move. But in light of the argument over the value of customer aggregators like OpenTable and Groupon, it's interesting to think about how businesses can deepen relationships with their customers. Bringing a bunch of expensive traffic to your business that's there for a half-off bargain, or the bonus points to an aggregation service, is not how you build loyalty. Oodle&amp;39's new social marketplace, based on its Facebook app, lets you view classifieds from just people in your network.Donato also thinks that, paradoxically, a socially connected classifieds service might end up with more products on it than an anonymous market. He's eyeing his mobile app for that. He says that with it, you can just walk through your basement, snapping quick pictures of old things you might want to get rid of, and posting these items on Oodle to share with friends. You don't have to open these up to the world. (Another start-up, Needly, had a similar model, but it recently changed direction--I'll have a story on that later.) Donato believes that the social aspects of the Oodle-powered marketplace, which he calls, &quot;the photo-negative of Craigslist,&quot; can be leveraged by businesses as well as by individuals. Unlike Craigslist, &quot;which is about anonymity and search,&quot; Donato says, Oodle is about &quot;the value of understanding who the person is.&quot; It's a potentially attractive proposition: if I'm selling a dining room table, I'd rather that the person who comes to pick it up is a friend or somehow traceable to one. Such a transaction can also pay me in social capital (in exchange for the lower price I'll charge to a friend). If businesses can somehow leverage this, without getting all creepy about it, it could help make commerce more enjoyable, business people more accountable, and possibly make goods more affordable over the long run--not just episodically or when a business decides to get on the Groupon bandwagon for a day. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[PayPal shuts out WikiLeaks]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=paypal-shuts-out-wikileaks</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=paypal-shuts-out-wikileaks</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 04 Dec 2010 08:10:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=paypal-shuts-out-wikileaks</guid>
<description><![CDATA[PayPal, the popular online payment service owned by eBay, has &quot;permanently restricted&quot; the account hitherto used in fund-raising efforts by WikiLeaks.The service posted a short statement about the matter on its blog Friday:&quot;PayPal has permanently restricted the account used by WikiLeaks due to a violation of the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy, which states that our payment service cannot be used for any activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity. We've notified the account holder of this action.&quot;Wikileaks, meanwhile, updated its Support page, crossing out the PayPal option.Wikileaks has been playing Internet hopscotch this week since it released to the media and posted on its site about 250,000 confidential cables sent by U.S. diplomats. Among many other things, the cables revealed that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had ordered spying on U.N. officials.U.S.-based EveryDNS.net killed the wikileaks.org domain on Thursday, saying service to its other customers was being threatened by huge floods of data aimed at the WikiLeaks domain by unknown parties and presumably designed to bring down the WikiLeaks site. related WikiLeaks, Assange feel the heat (roundup)  WikiLeaks responded by tweeting its numeric Internet address, http://88.80.13.160. It also found new homes at Swiss, German, and Finnish domains: http://wikileaks.ch/, http://wikileaks.de, and wikileaks.fi, respectively.Supporters of WikiLeaks see the site as a defender of transparency in government and of freedom of information. Critics, including some members of the U.S. Congress, say that through the release of its latest information, as well as releases earlier in the year of documents regarding U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, the site is putting lives in jeopardy and undermining the national security of the United States. One Congressional representative has gone so far as to say that WikiLeaks should be designated a terrorist organization.For a thorough look at the latest uproar around WikiLeaks, see our roundup, &quot;WikiLeaks, Assange feel the heat.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Will tweets make Techmeme even more addictive for tech news junkies]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=will-tweets-make-techmeme-even-more-addictive-for-tech-news-junkies</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=will-tweets-make-techmeme-even-more-addictive-for-tech-news-junkies</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=will-tweets-make-techmeme-even-more-addictive-for-tech-news-junkies</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Techmeme, the news aggregator thata4a4s usually my first stop on the Web, just announced that ita4a4s adding a new kind of headline to the mix &amp;8212' tweets posted on Twitter.For Techmeme, the move seems like an obvious extension of the site&amp;'s existing Twitter-based news tip system. This should bring in a fresh, fast source of news. Tweets will also be incorporated in the discussion and commentary sections under each headline. And Techmeme usually tries to highlight the publication that first broke a story, so adding Twitter is almost a requirement, since so much tech news (be it an official announcement, accidental announcement, rumor, or otherwise) surfaces first on the microblogging site, rather than on blogs or in traditional news publications.Beyond Techmeme itself, Ia4a4m curious to see whether this will change the way reporters cover the tech world. I know Ia4a4m not the only tech writer whoa4a4s kind of obsessed with the site, and who sees links to my stories on Techmeme as an important form of validation &amp;8212' even though those links usually arena4a4t a big source of traffic. If you want to get a tech blogger riled up, ask him about the times he felt overlooked by the sitea4a4s editors. (Techmeme headlines are selected through a mix of automation and human curation, but when you&amp;'re mad about something, ita4a4s easy to convince yourself that therea4a4s a mean editor behind it.)So as reporters keep aiming for Techmeme fame, I imagine they might do more tweeting as theya4a4re covering breaking news or working on big scoops. (Shoot, maybe I should have tweeted about this first.) I also wonder if we might see a little less of the race to publish stories when a company tweets some news. Most bloggers want to publish first, but once something is on Twitter, it&amp;'s even more clear now youa4a4re racing for second place &amp;8212' at least on Techmeme.You can read more about how to get a tweet onto Techmeme in founder Gabe Riveraa4a4s blog post. (That&amp;'s Rivera in the picture above.)Next Story: Coskata grabs biggest slice of USDA&amp;'s $405M in biofuels loan guarantees Previous Story: Top 10 reasons why you should launch at DEMOPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: news aggregators, tweetsCompanies: Techmeme, TwitterPeople: Gabe Rivera          Tags: news aggregators, tweetsCompanies: Techmeme, TwitterPeople: Gabe RiveraAnthony 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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<title><![CDATA[Entrepreneur Corner: A look ahead to 2011]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=entrepreneur-corner-a-look-ahead-to-2011</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=entrepreneur-corner-a-look-ahead-to-2011</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=entrepreneur-corner-a-look-ahead-to-2011</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Herea4a4s the latest from VentureBeata4a4s Entrepreneur Corner.Protecting your company from boneheaded vendors a4&quot; Service companies often rely on third parties to satisfy their customers. But if that third party rips your customer off, you could be held liable. Attorney Curtis Smolar runs down three ways to protect your business.Hiring in 2011 a4&quot; a look around the corner a4&quot; Is the recession winding down Charley Polachi, a partner at executive recruiting firm Polachi, says it appears so. He conducts a straw poll of recruiters in his network to offer a look at how things stand on the executive employment front a4&quot; both in the U.S. and abroad.6 social media business trends to watch in 2011 a4&quot; Social media goes far beyond Facebook and Twitter and is evolving at an incredible pace. Gary Halliwell, co-founded of NetProspex, predicts six ways that evolution will happen in 2011.7 risks worth taking in 2011 a4&quot; The last two years have been about conserving cash and keeping your corporate head down. But as we head into 2011, Steve Fredrick and Don Rainey, general partners at Grotech Ventures, note that ita4a4s time to start taking risks again a4&quot; or end up stagnating.2011 may mark the beginning of a golden era for entrepreneurs a4&quot; While doomsayers have been having a field day lately, serial entrepreneur Steve Blank says the second decade of the 21st century may turn out to be the best time to be an entrepreneur in the West &amp;8212' and in particular the United States.Previous Story: Can book retailer Borders survive without its own e-readerPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: entrepreneur corner          Tags: entrepreneur cornerChris Morris is editor of the Entrepreneur Corner on VentureBeat, helping start-up business owners launch and grow their companies. He previously worked at Yahoo! Finance, where he was managing editor, and as director of content development at CNNMoney.com. He is also a widely respected journalist in the video game and technology fields, whose work has appeared in Variety, CNBC.com, AOL and Forbes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MorrisatLargeVentureBeat 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[Online game distributor OnLive plans to stream movies next year]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=online-game-distributor-onlive-plans-to-stream-movies-next-year</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=online-game-distributor-onlive-plans-to-stream-movies-next-year</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=online-game-distributor-onlive-plans-to-stream-movies-next-year</guid>
<description><![CDATA[OnLive plans to expand its online game service next year to include movie streaming, according to the Wall Street Journal.If OnLive does so, it could bring new competition to movie streaming leader Netflix and add a second leg to its business model, which has been focused on games so far.Steve Perlman, chief executive of Palo Alto, Calif.-based OnLive, said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that his company will offer movies next year through a subscription service and other pricing schemes. OnLive&amp;'s major investors include Time Warner&amp;'s Warner Bros. movie studio. Perlman said the entertainment companies want more choices for digital movie distribution because they fear that current leader Netflix may become too powerful.OnLive already uses its server and compression technology to stream games to users. Instead of loading games onto PCs or consoles, OnLive runs them on servers in data centers. It uses compression to send the game visuals down to the user at high speeds. The user can then play high-end games with outstanding 3D graphics on a low-end computer or, using a $99 OnLive MicroConsole, on a TV without an expensive game console.It&amp;'s no secret that the same OnLive technology could be used to stream movies. OnLive just has to ink deals with the studios to make it happen and make sure that its network can handle the load. If OnLive launches its movie streaming business, it could package it with its gaming business. That would bring it into competition with a new round of players, including Netflix and Comcast.Vizio also plans to offer video subscription services through its TVs, according to the Wall Street Journal.Next Story: Are hybrid clouds the path to cloud-computing nirvana Previous Story: Juniper Networks picks up Altor Networks to bring security to the cloudPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: digital distribution, MicroConsole, movie streamingCompanies: Comcast, Netflix, OnLive, Time Warner, Warner BrosPeople: Steve Perlman          Tags: digital distribution, MicroConsole, movie streamingCompanies: Comcast, Netflix, OnLive, Time Warner, Warner BrosPeople: Steve PerlmanDean 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.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[Confirmed: The Groupon/Google Deal Is&nbsp'Off]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=confirmed-the-groupongoogle-deal-isnbspoff</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=confirmed-the-groupongoogle-deal-isnbspoff</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=confirmed-the-groupongoogle-deal-isnbspoff</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google&amp;'s much-rumored acquisition of Groupon is off, we&amp;'ve confirmed with a source with knowledge of the deal. The news was reported earlier by Chicago Breaking Business, and we&amp;'ve verified that the deal is indeed off.The two companies have been in serious negotiations for at least the last week, with reports stating that Google was bidding as much as $6 billion for the red-hot local deals company.Our source has also verified that Groupon&amp;'s annual revenues are now at a $2 billion run rate, which is much higher than the figures that had previously been circulating (this number was reported by AllThingsD a few minutes ago).  The $2B figure is the total value of Groupons sold a4&quot;a4shalf of the cost of the Groupon goes back to the merchant, but all the revenue passes through Groupon in much the same way that Google collects all AdSense dollars and counts them as revenues before passing along a portion to publishers.The CBB report says that Groupon may be eying a possible IPO, though it won&amp;'t be making a decision about going public until next year.We&amp;'ll update as we hear more.CrunchBase InformationGoogleGrouponInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Social Gaming: Where Wea4a4ve Been, and Where Wea4a4re&nbsp'Headed]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=social-gaming-where-wersquove-been-and-where-wersquorenbspheaded</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=social-gaming-where-wersquove-been-and-where-wersquorenbspheaded</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=social-gaming-where-wersquove-been-and-where-wersquorenbspheaded</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This post was written by Mike Su, Vice President of Games at dude-centric video network Break Media, where he created the social gaming group. So there was this guy named Ken who was working a 9-to-5 at some giant software company writing tons of code for something whose importance and value was exceeded only by its monotony. Ken&amp;'s wife, Roberta, had been playing some newfangled PC game and thought to herself, &amp;''Man, this game sucks! Ken and I should totally make a better one!&amp;'' The husband-and-wife team then worked nights and weekends for three months building a game. The final product Mystery House. And it was awesome. On the heels of this success, they raised money, made more hit games, and eventually sold their gaming empire for $1.5 billion. For those of you who aren&amp;'t familiar with this story, it could just as well be the founding story of a Playfish or a Zynga today. But this is the storya4&quot;or my version of ita4&quot;of the founding of Sierra Online back in the &amp;'80s. It was an exciting time back then. Technology had enabled game developers to develop new game mechanics and immerse players in new worlds in ways that had never been imagined before. And the best part A husband-and-wife team could work nights and weekends and knock out a meaningful and entertaining game in three months.Past is prologueIt&amp;'s an exciting time now as well, with the rise of the social game. David Maestri built the OG mafia game Mob Wars on top of his day job (a point that was disputed by his employer, but that&amp;'s another story). And CrowdStar still doesna4a4t have the need for any venture funding. In fact, we read every day about new games that add more users in a few hours than the entire population of Guam.  Yet in the same way that a husband-and-wife team can no longer build a competitive PC game in three months, we&amp;'re entering a time when it will no longer be possible for a few guys in a garage to build a successful social game. Many of the most successful games in the market today were built on the backs of the free viral marketing channels Facebook provided. But Facebook has clamped down on that in recent months, in response to users who were tired of reading about one of their friends finding yet another lonely pink cow. For social game developers, the free ride is over, and success in the social game market will come down to two things: the ability to build audiences for your games, and the ability to develop genuinely compelling games.If a tree falls in a forest&amp;8230'On the first count, I think therea4a4s an interesting parallel to the way the online video industry evolved. In the early days of online video, there were a few breakout hits from content creators who were smart enough and fast enough to get in on the wave early. These folks, like the Diet Coke and Mentos guys, LonelyGirl15, and others, were among the first to deliver compelling content on a highly viral platform (i.e., YouTube and its embeddable player). Soon the gold rush was on, and the market became flooded with content. Eventually, content creators who were late to the party could break through only by coming to terms with the fact that it was no longer enough to simply create a funny video a4&quot; you either needed built-in reach, or a marketing strategy that included SEO, SEM, and various other online user-acquisition techniques, to make a mark in the industry. Those who failed to do so were stuck with great content and 500 views.Likewise, the gaming industry is now entering a phase where just making a fun game is not enough. Game developers now must devote significant resources toward building audiences for their games, and the user-acquisitions guys on most teams are going to be just as important as the game designers. And just as we see bigger and bigger budgets for marketing PC and console games these days, I expect bigger and bigger budgets will need to be set aside to market social games. The only a4Afreea4 user acquisition will be for those who already have a significant distribution footprint (i.e. the big guys like Zynga, or a distribution company like 6 Waves).Yes, the game still matters When it comes to the importance of gameplay, in the first generation of social games, we witnessed huge success with games being built by people with traditional web developer backgrounds. This is because what made a game attractive and go viral took a lot of the same muscles that make websites successful. These were people who cut their teeth on figuring out landing pages, conversion funnels, A/B testing, and so on. All these elements took games that were pretty basic from a gameplay standpoint and turned them into runaway hits. The success of the next generation of games, as Zynga demonstrated with Frontierville, will depend less on the a4Ahustlea4 of virality and more on real and impactful gameplay. High-concept games will tend to be easier to market and therefore, will perform better as an advertisement, resulting in lower user acquisition costs. In short, the a4Aarta4 of the game will matter more, and as a result I think wea4a4ll see social gaming companies reach out more and more to the traditional gaming community to find talent.So, with all this in mind, who will the new games come from I believe it will be a mix of the successful incumbents who have built-in distribution (Zynga, Disney/Playdom, Crowdstar), startups that have enough funding to market games as well as develop them, likely with a veteran team (A Bit Lucky, Funzio), or companies with existing businesses and audiences that are entering the field (media companies like Sony, Fox, Sugar Inc, or yours truly a4&quot; Break Media). And the games that come from these companies should continue to become more sophisticated and more fun to play. The days of Ken and Roberta coding in their spare time are once again coming to an end.CrunchBase InformationZyngaPlayfishCrowdStarBreakMediaInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[DEMO winner Dynamics scores another win for reinventing the credit card]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=demo-winner-dynamics-scores-another-win-for-reinventing-the-credit-card</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=demo-winner-dynamics-scores-another-win-for-reinventing-the-credit-card</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=demo-winner-dynamics-scores-another-win-for-reinventing-the-credit-card</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Score another win for Dynamics CEO Jeff Mullen, the entrepreneur whose team is rebooting that piece of plastic in your pocket. The Consumer Electronics Show has named his company&amp;'s programmable credit card, Card 2.0, the best innovation in the personal electronics category. He&amp;'ll receive the honor at the CES 2011 trade show, the industry&amp;'s highest-profile event, held in Las Vegas in January.Card 2.0 already won the $1 million People&amp;'s Choice award at DEMO Fall 2010, a launch event for startups and new products for which VentureBeat editor-in-chief Matt Marshall serves as executive producer. VentureBeat staff also picked it as one of the top 5 companies that launched at DEMO Fall 2010.As VentureBeat reported in its first profile of Dynamics in September, Card 2.0 technology fits 70 electronic components into the same size space as a standard magnetic-stripe credit card. Those electronic smarts allow credit cards to perform tricks like drawing on different lines of credit or offering enhanced security. Citi Cards, one of the largest issuers, is experimenting with Card 2.0 to let customers choose to spend normally or use reward points at the cash register.The Pittsburgh, Pa.-based company has raised $5.7 million from Adams Capital Management.Want to launch your product at DEMO Spring 2011 Apply now to be considered by VentureBeat staff for a future DEMO event.Next Story: 2010 Cleantech Open Awards Gala coming up Nov 17 Previous Story: Boxeea4a4s streaming video Boxee Box now shipping, Netflix, Hulu Plus promisedPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Card 2.0, CES, DEMO, DEMO Fall 2010Companies: Adams Capital Management, DynamicsPeople: Jeff Mullen          Tags: Card 2.0, CES, DEMO, DEMO Fall 2010Companies: Adams Capital Management, DynamicsPeople: Jeff MullenOwen Thomas is the executive editor of VentureBeat.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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