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<title>Haaze.com / nycity2010 / All</title>
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<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:11:19 +0000</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[FTC to investigate Google's search dominance]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ftc-to-investigate-googles-search-dominance</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ftc-to-investigate-googles-search-dominance</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:11:19 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nycity2010</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ftc-to-investigate-googles-search-dominance</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Federal Trade Commission may soon be adding its name to the list of government agencies investigating Google's dominance of Internet search.The FTC is awaiting the Justice Department's decision on Google's planned acquisition of airline flight and ticket information provider ITA Software before initiating a probe, according to a Bloomberg report that cited people familiar with the matter. The FTC shares antitrust oversight with the Justice Department, which is expected to issue a decision soon on the $700 million deal. Google representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The ATI deal has raised concerns among rival search engine companies such as Microsoft and online travel companies, including Expedia and Travelocity. They have all argued against the deal, saying that it would give the search giant a monopoly over online travel searches. Related links&amp;149' Why Microsoft is taking on Google in Europe&amp;149' Microsoft to file antitrust complaint against Google&amp;149' Has Google learned Microsoft's antitrust lessonsGoogle fields nearly 67 percent of Internet searches in the U.S., according to ComScore market research, and that domination has led to increased scrutiny of the company over the past several years.Microsoft filed an official complaint with the European Union last week, claiming that Google is engaging in anticompetitive behavior in Internet search and online advertising, as well as other sectors. (Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith explained the company's rationale in a blog.)Microsoft was adding its voice to a probe that began when European regulators sent a letter to Google in February 2010 asking the company to explain how it ranks search results and advertising after European price-comparison sites complained that Google penalized their Web sites in search results under competitive pressure.The Texas attorney general's office followed suit with its own antitrust review in September 2010, demanding that Google turn over a broad range of internal documents, including its formula for determining advertising rates and information on the company's closely guarded algorithms that run its search engine and AdWords, Google's system for displaying ads with keyword search results. Ohio and Wisconsin are also said to be considering antitrust probes.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Get a grip: Robotic hand inspired by cockroach legs]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=get-a-grip-robotic-hand-inspired-by-cockroach-legs</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=get-a-grip-robotic-hand-inspired-by-cockroach-legs</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nycity2010</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=get-a-grip-robotic-hand-inspired-by-cockroach-legs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The latest version of Dollar's robotic hand has four fingers and an opposable thumb.(Credit:William Sacco/Yale University)The robotic hand is getting a makeover, and it is inspired not by computing power but rather by the flexible and springy legs of tiny-brained cockroaches.It turns out that robotic hands, which can inform the development of prosthetic ones, are rarely able to perform simple tasks that require dexterity, such as picking up a delicate object without first knocking it over.Key to being able to grasp an object is the ability to quickly assess the relationship between that which is doing the grasping (i.e. a hand) and that which is being grasped (i.e. the Motorola Xoom).Many mammals, humans among them, compensate for any errors in navigating this relationship by softening their fingers to make the grasp more flexible. Many artificial hands have been designed with this flexibility in mind, but the computing power required to control all the sensors and motors was so high that the hands were, by extension, quite slow.&quot;We took the opposite approach and tried to understand the fundamental mechanics using good mechanical design practices,&quot; says Aaron Dollar, an assistant professor of engineering at Yale, in an Inside Science News Service report. The goal was simply to engineer a hand that was able to adapt quickly to grasp a variety of shapes.Dollar and colleague Robert D. Howe, who heads Harvard's BioRobotics Laboratory, point to research done at the University of California at Berkeley, dating back to the '80s, on how cockroaches navigate uneven surfaces. Their tiny brains made high-level computing unlikely, and researcher Robert Full discovered that the mechanics of the legs themselves, being flexible and springy, enabled fast adjustment to uneven surfaces automatically.Over time, Full built an eight-legged robot that, for the first time, could run over uneven surfaces quickly. (See his TED talk on the process here.) This prompted Howe and Dollar to consider the applications for grasping, not just running, because both require object-to-object navigation.The result: a four-fingered hand (think of a cross between humans and Bart Simpson) with sensors whose joints are more flexible at the base than at the fingers. The simple hand, made using polymer-based Shape Deposition Manufacturing, has been proven to grasp a wide range of objects. (Results were published in December 2010 in the International Journal of Robotics Research.) At less than 1.5 ounces per finger, the design has inspired Dollar to use this approach in prosthetic hands, which are often heavy.At this point, the hand cannot grasp objects as small as, say, cutlery or keys. To do so would involve more motors and weight. In the meantime, Dollar is already working on a version that includes an opposable thumb.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Solar plant with molten-salt storage gets green light]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=solar-plant-with-molten-salt-storage-gets-green-light</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=solar-plant-with-molten-salt-storage-gets-green-light</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:10:41 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nycity2010</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=solar-plant-with-molten-salt-storage-gets-green-light</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Solar Reserve said today it has the federal permitting approvals it needs to begin construction of a concentrated solar power plant with enough storage to operate after the sun goes down.The Santa Monica, Calif.-based company said the U.S. Department of the Interior approved the &quot;record of decision&quot; for a 110-megawatt solar thermal power plant in Nye County, near Tonopah, Nev. With the authorization, Solar Reserve expects it can start construction by mid-2011.(Credit:Solar Reserve)This Crescent Dunes project will use a field of sun-tracking mirrors, called heliostats, to reflect light onto a tower that holds molten salt. The heated molten salt flows to a storage tank and then is pumped into a steam generator, which uses a process called a Rankine cycle to generate electricity from the heat.The storage will allow the plant to pump power into the grid all afternoon and up to eight hours after sunset. Storage is valuable to renewable-energy plant operators because supplying electricity at all times of the day allows them to charge more for their power. Solar Reserve signed a power purchase agreement with NV Energy for the electricity produced at the plant, which should be enough to supply 75,000 Nevada homes.The technology from Solar Reserve was licensed from United Technologies subsidiary Rocketdyne and is already used at another plant in the U.S. Solar Reserve is also developing projects in California and Arizona.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Cricket: Unlimited music downloads debuting on new Samsung Suede]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-cricket-unlimited-music-downloads-debuting-on-new-samsung-suede</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-cricket-unlimited-music-downloads-debuting-on-new-samsung-suede</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nycity2010</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-cricket-unlimited-music-downloads-debuting-on-new-samsung-suede</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Cricket's MuveMusic: A new service, OS, and Samsung cell phone.(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)Cricket Wireless is getting into the music biz this CES. Today, the regional, no-contract carrier revealed a new service plan that wraps unlimited music downloads, playback, and ringtone creation into the customer's monthly charge. For $55 per month, the MuveMusic (&quot;move&quot;) plan includes music downloads, ringtones, and ringback tones in an unlimited talk, text, e-mail, and Internet plan. (And yes, labels EMI, Sony, Warner, and Universal are all signed on.)This is the first carrier-driven service that doesn't try to sell you either a separate music subscription or piecemeal ringtones and tracks through an online store. Interestingly, the music is completely tied to the phone. Song files are stored on the phone's microSD card, but aren't transferable to a computer.And since the all-you-can-eat music buffet is fueled by your monthly plan, customers get access to their beats as long as they settle their bills. Skip a month and the full-track downloads--along with calls, e-mail, texting, and browsing--disappear until the piper's been paid. In that sense, Cricket's musical leanings follow the renter's model.A music OS for a music phoneAt $55 per month, MuveMusic is undoubtedly a good deal. A similar service on AT&amp;amp'T's prepaid GoPhone, by contrast, costs $75 per month for unlimited talk, text, and 200MB data without any additional music services. But signing on isn't as simple as adding the plan to your shopping cart. Another trait is also the catch that MuveMusic isn't just an add-on, it's an entire interface that ties into the phone's OS. And you can only pair it with compatible phones.Samsung SuedeAt launch, that one phone is the Samsung Suede, a new touch-screen handset that runs with the Samsung TouchWiz 2.0 interface. We got our hands all over the Samsung Suede during our demo. It's black with silver trim and has a bulky head that's distinctly thicker than the tapered-down foot, kind of like a cell phone version of &quot;Megamind.&quot; In the center of the navigation array is a large button embossed with a music note--this triggers the MuveMusic control panel. Samsung Suede with MuveMusic (photos) Although we're not fans of the outdated Samsung TouchWiz 2.0 interface that skins the home screen and other phone functions, our post-demo impression is that the accompanying MuveMusic OS is mostly easy to use. You'll have to learn where a few unmarked onscreen buttons take you, but for the most part, it's clear what to press to get what you need. There are buttons to download songs and access your music library, and more to listen to streaming songs, network socially with other MuveMusic users, and identify songs with a slightly tweaked version of Shazam (it prompts you to get songs from the MuveMusic coffers.)The Suede's other features include a 3-megapixel camera, a microSD card slot under the back cover, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. A 4GB microSD card comes with the phone' it can hold about 3,000 tracks, according to Cricket. On the software side, there's a Web browser, Bluetooth support, voice commands, and a backup app. Games like Guitar Rock Tour and Bubble Bash 2 are preinstalled. Cricket's storefront leads to more titles.AvailabilityCricket plans to launch MuveMusic on the Samsung Suede on January 6 in Las Vegas, during the massive Consumer Electronics Show. Ten more markets will join Sin City later in January, with Cricket's other coverage zones getting turned on by March. As per a Cricket deal inked with Sprint, the service should go national by summer's end.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[RewardVille will make you play even more Zynga games]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rewardville-will-make-you-play-even-more-zynga-games</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rewardville-will-make-you-play-even-more-zynga-games</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nycity2010</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rewardville-will-make-you-play-even-more-zynga-games</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Social gaming giant Zynga just announced the launch of RewardVille, a program that offers virtual goods for playing Zynga games.RewardVille has been in testing for the past few months, it creates a new virtual currency for Zynga games called zCoins. This helps Zynga establish a little independence from Facebook. Zynga and Facebook have a complicated relationship, with Zynga becoming the major success story on the Facebook platform while also trying to build a presence on other platforms, so that its destiny isn&amp;'t entirely in Mark Zuckerberg&amp;'s hands. Zynga and Facebook came close to a major falling out last year before Zynga finally agreed to use Facebooka4a4s virtual currency, Facebook Credits.The new program should encourage players to try out multiple Zynga games, not just its massive hits, CityVille and FarmVille, since they can only earn the maximum number of points if they play more than one game. And that, in turn, should make players more aware of Zynga as a company and a brand.The idea is pretty straightforward. Users sign up at the RewardVille site, earning zPoints and zCoins for playing games across the Zynga network. In one day, users can earn 80 zPoints in a single game and 300 zPoints total, which they can redeem for virtual goods that aren&amp;'t available anywhere else. Players can also use zPoints and zCoins to send gifts to their friends in other Zynga games.Next Story: Chip shortages and price spikes likely to occur in wake of Japan quake Previous Story: Guild creator Felicia Day: Web shows should aim carefullyPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Facebook Credits, RewardVille, zCoins, zPointsCompanies: Zynga          Tags: Facebook Credits, RewardVille, zCoins, zPointsCompanies: ZyngaAnthony 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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