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<title>Haaze.com / Ben001 / Published News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Do iOS icons confirm iPad 2 front-facing cam]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=do-ios-icons-confirm-ipad-2-front-facing-cam</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=do-ios-icons-confirm-ipad-2-front-facing-cam</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=do-ios-icons-confirm-ipad-2-front-facing-cam</guid>
<description><![CDATA[And it can also slice a tomato after chewing through a tin can.(Credit:Matt Hickey/CNET)It's almost considered certain among fanboys that Apple's nextiPad--which so far we're imaginatively calling the iPad 2--will come out in the next couple of months. It might be as early as April, as it was April of last year that saw the launch of the original iPad, which now has 87 percent of tablet market share.  Because the supposed unveiling is so close--some say within the next few weeks--the gossip mongers are in overdrive trying to find out what it will and won't have. And the latest rumor, which we spotted onMac Rumors, features what may be evidence of something people have wanted since the original: a front-facing camera.Of course, a front camera almost seems a given, since theiPhone 4 and the latest iPod Touch both already include such a device to allow FaceTime to work. Besides that, a graphic in the latest beta of iOS 4.3 for iPad has new default icons on the homescreen that appear to show a few applications that utilize such a camera. One's simply &quot;Camera'&quot; one's &quot;PhotoBooth,&quot; an app that ever MacBook and iMac currently ships with' and the last is &quot;FaceTime,&quot; Apple's mobile video chat software.The icons themselves are small, as is the graphic they're part of. But blow them up, like we did above using Photoshop, you can extrapolate what the text under the icons say, with very little imagination.It's possible that Apple is just throwing us a curveball (were I an Apple engineer I, too, would be tempted to mess with the minds of fanboys), but this looks legit. While we may not get Retina with the next iPad, it's indeed looking like we'll get at least one camera. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[OK Go uses GPS, crowd to spell out name in LA]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ok-go-uses-gps-crowd-to-spell-out-name-in-la</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ok-go-uses-gps-crowd-to-spell-out-name-in-la</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:10:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ok-go-uses-gps-crowd-to-spell-out-name-in-la</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The band OK Go gets more than 100 people to use a special GPS app to spell out its name writ large during a parade on the streets of Los Angeles.(Credit:Range Rover)When I was in Los Angeles last month covering the LA Auto show, I heard whispers about something the hit band OK Go was doing with GPS and a large crowd of people.Of course, since I was busy working the auto show, I didn't have time to investigate. But since I am a big fan of OK Go's artistic endeavors--its music videos with treadmills, Rube Goldberg machines, dogs, and more are some of the best and most imaginative of all time--I was just a little annoyed not to be able to hunt down what was happening.Today, while making my daily swing through Laughing Squid, I found out: It appears that the band gathered about 100 people and together, they paraded around, spelling out &quot;OK Go&quot; on the streets of LA using a GPS application called Pulse of the City promoted by Range Rover and its new Evoque. (see video below).&quot;Hello everyone,&quot; a Range Rover Web site dedicated to the project begins. &quot;Last month we took to the streets of Los Angeles with OK Go to host an 8-mile-long musical parade and kick off our global GPS art project. What's this you ask Well, we're using GPS technology and our free app to turn cities into giant canvasses upon which we can draw electronically...it's like a giant Etch a Sketch.&quot;Now, with OK Go having blessed the project with its seal of approval--one wonders how much they got paid to say OK, let's go--Range Rover is hoping to put its app in the hands of everyday folks so that people in cities all over the world start using it to create odd or interesting GPS-based visualizations.&quot;The Range Rover Pulse of the City app lets you track your journeys around your city and then see them brought to life with a unique visualization,&quot; reads a description of the app. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[AOL's 'Project Phoenix' e-mail overhaul is here]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=aols-project-phoenix-e-mail-overhaul-is-here</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=aols-project-phoenix-e-mail-overhaul-is-here</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Nov 2010 08:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=aols-project-phoenix-e-mail-overhaul-is-here</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The newly redesigned AOL Mail, &amp;39'Project Phoenix&amp;39'(Credit:AOL)Once ubiquitous, AOL e-mail has grown into such a punchline that the possession of an active @aol.com address is likely to result in many a playful Luddite joke. But on Sunday, AOL officially unveiled the results of &quot;Project Phoenix,&quot; the long-anticipated overhaul of its e-mail system--and they even promise they won't make you use the @aol.com domain.AOL's been engaging in an ongoing, across-the-board attempt to revive its flagging brand, but the timing of this particular announcement is telling. Facebook is rumored to be launching an expanded messaging service--perhaps as complex as a full-on Webmail client--in a company announcement Monday morning, so the odd Sunday debut of Project Phoenix could be an attempt to get there first--by a few hours, at least.The full AOL Project Phoenix release will come next year, but at the moment is in a limited beta phase. Here's the lowdown: It looks a lot like Gmail's interface, with a few extra bells and whistles. There's a &quot;quick bar&quot; at the top for sending short e-mails, instant messages (which pop up in very Google Chat-like windows), and text messages. A side bar of &quot;smart view&quot; content previews attached files and maps of locations detailed in the message (AOL representatives assured that these previews only show up from confirmed contacts, so there's no chance of porn spam making mischief here). Messages open in a tabbed interface for easy flipping between messages and the main in-box.Perhaps more interestingly, you can hook up additional in-boxes from mail providers like Gmail and Hotmail--ideally, other non-e-mail in-boxes, like Facebook messages, may be able to show up here sometime--and you also don't have to have an @aol.com in your AOL mail domain. The other domains AOL offers in the beta version include ygm.com (an abbreviation of its classic &quot;you've got mail&quot;), love.com, wow.com, and games.com.That said, while the @aol.com domain may prompt snickering, people do still actually use it: AOL said in the Project Phoenix announcement that mail accounts for 45 percent of its page views.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[White House wants to beef up Internet privacy laws]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=white-house-wants-to-beef-up-internet-privacy-laws</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=white-house-wants-to-beef-up-internet-privacy-laws</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=white-house-wants-to-beef-up-internet-privacy-laws</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Obama administration wants better Internet privacy protection and is looking for new laws and a new government office to help in that effort, according to an article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal.Citing people familiar with the situation, the Journal says the White House had asked the Commerce Department to create a report with recommendations on enacting new laws concerning Internet privacy. Currently in draft form, the final report is due to come out in a few weeks.A special task force headed by Cameron Kerry, brother of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, has also been formed to help turn those recommendations into actual policy. A new federal position would be created to enforce that policy.Though the government has generally steered away from any type of regulation of online companies, the White House now seems to ready to move over concerns that online industries may not be able to regulate themselves. The renewed effort follows last week's announcement from the European Union that it's also looking for tougher laws to control how personal information is used on the Internet.Given the current political climate in Washington, though, enacting and enforcing laws over Internet privacy may be a challenge. While enough Republicans would likely support the effort, many may shy away from giving the government too much regulatory control over the online industry.Naturally, Web-based businesses themselves are wary of any new laws that could restrict their ability to do business as usual. According to the Journal, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), which represents online advertisers, already feels the industry is doing enough to ensure privacy.&quot;We believe we are living up to consumer-privacy expectations and are very advanced in privacy protections and innovation,&quot; quoted the Journal of Mike Zaneis, senior vice president of the IAB.The push for tough Internet privacy laws is nothing new. Rep. Rick Boucher, a Democrat from Virginia, has been one of the leading Congressional champions of such legislation dating back to 1999. This past May, Boucher unveiled a draft proposal seeking to clamp down on the collection of online data, but several privacy groups complained that the proposal wasn't tough enough.Another bill introduced in July by Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush called for a set of new rules administered by the Federal Trade Commission and fines against any companies that didn't follow those rules. But that bill was seen as too weak by privacy advocates and too broad by the IAB and other industry groups.The FTC has also been drafting its own report due by the end of the year with recommendations to Congress on regulating certain Internet business practices. Speaking at an event in Canada this past June, an FTC representative said that current Internet privacy laws are not working and place too much of a burden on the consumer to deal with the policies of online businesses.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[SlingPlayer Mobile comes to Windows Phone 7]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=slingplayer-mobile-comes-to-windows-phone-7</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=slingplayer-mobile-comes-to-windows-phone-7</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:10:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=slingplayer-mobile-comes-to-windows-phone-7</guid>
<description><![CDATA[SlingPlayer Mobile on Windows Phone 7.(Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Sling Media's SlingPlayer Mobile app is available toWindows Phone 7 owners, the company announced yesterday.The company latest app retails for $29.99 in the Windows Marketplace. Once downloaded, users can connect the program to their Slingbox Solo or Slingbox Pro-HD and watch television programming from home on their handset. Users can change channels and watch recorded shows within the app. The service works on both 3G and Wi-Fi, Sling Media said.The Windows Phone 7 app joins the company'siPhone and Android apps, which provide the same functionality as its latest release. Those two versions also retail for $29.99.Sling Media is best known for its Slingbox. The device connects to users' AV source at home, allowing them to watch programming while away on a computer or mobile device. The Slingbox Solo retails for $179.99, while the Slingbox Pro-HD, which allows users to connect up to three home-theater devices, sells for $299.99.In addition to Sling Media's Windows Phone 7 app, the company is getting close to releasing aniPad version of SlingPlayer Mobile. According to ZatzNotFunny, Sling Media sent an e-mail to customers recently saying the app was &quot;about to launch.&quot; The company said on its Web site that the app will cost $29.99 and &quot;take full advantage of the iPad's beautiful display.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Volvo developing a hybrid hydrogen-electric vehicle]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=volvo-developing-a-hybrid-hydrogen-electric-vehicle</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=volvo-developing-a-hybrid-hydrogen-electric-vehicle</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Nov 2010 07:11:34 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=volvo-developing-a-hybrid-hydrogen-electric-vehicle</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Volvo&amp;39's electric C30 concept has a 94-mile range, but the carmaker is planning to add a fuel cell and an on-board reformer to produce hydrogen from gasoline, extending the vehicle&amp;39's range by 155 miles.(Credit:Volvo)Volvo is taking its C30 DRIVe Electric concept to the next level and adding a hydrogen fuel cell to extend the EV's 94-mile range, creating a hybrid hydrogen-electric plug-in. The fuel cell will add another 155 miles of range, but what's really interesting is the way Volvo plans on sourcing the hydrogen: from gasoline. Rather than relying on the promised hydrogen highway to be built, Volvo is exploring the use of an on-board reformer to process gasoline into hydrogen gas. The fuel cell will use the hydrogen gas to power the electric motor when the C30's 24kwh battery has been depleted, more than doubling the vehicle's range without increasing battery size. Creating hydrogen from gasoline may sound a little like robbing Peter to pay Paul, but the conversion process is about 85 percent efficient, according to an article in Green Car Reports. Powering an electric motor with hydrogen has twice the efficiency of gasoline powering an internal combustion engine, which loses a lot of energy in heat. It also solves the problem of the hydrogen transportation infrastructure lagging behind vehicle technology. And because hydrogen is created on an as-needed basis, it could minimize the storage issues presented by hydrogen vehicles, which slowly leak gas over time and can't be stored in garages or other enclosed spaces for safety reasons.Volvo is in the first phase of its Range Extender project, which it's conducting with Powercell Sweden AB, and the carmaker expects testing of these fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles to begin in 2012. That's also the same timeframe that Volvo will bring the C30 Electric stateside along with the plug-in hybrid it's been promising. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GOP's Whitman, Fiorina lose California elections]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gops-whitman-fiorina-lose-california-elections</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gops-whitman-fiorina-lose-california-elections</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gops-whitman-fiorina-lose-california-elections</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, two ex-Silicon Valley executives who pledged to use their business acumen to fix California's many economic woes, today fell short in their bids to overcome their Democratic rivals.Despite widespread anti-incumbent sentiment and a California unemployment rate hovering around 12 percent to 13 percent, Whitman and Fiorina failed to overcome their Democratic adversaries: onetime Gov. Jerry Brown, who sought to reclaim his old job, and incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer, who has been in the U.S. Congress for approximately 28 years.California polls closed at 8 p.m. PT. But it can take a few hours for county elections officials to send results to the California Secretary of State. (See our sister site CBSNews.com's Campaign 2010 special report.)There were few immediate complaints about election-night irregularities and electronic voting machines. One report from Los Angeles said that Spanish-speaking households received letters saying, incorrectly, that Election Day is tomorrow, and District of Columbia election officials said that a voter had tried to use a &quot;write-in hand stamp on a touch screen&quot; machine.The apparent defeat of the two Republican women made California a rare bright spot for Democrats as they faced the prospect of a Congress that will now be tilting heavily toward GOP priorities.Preliminary exit poll results indicated that that the economy was by far the most pressing issue on voters' minds: more than 62 percent cited it as the most important topic. And 88 percent thought the economy was in bad shape. (According to an alternative method of arriving at those figures, the number of unemployed, discouraged, or marginally attached Americans has roughly doubled in the last two years and is now at a recent record of about 22 percent.)Whitman is estimated to have spent a record $141 million of her own money, including more than $80 million to defeat California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner in the primary election. That's only a small fraction of her eBay-derived fortune: Forbes has estimated her net worth to be closer to $1.3 billion. California's gubernatorial campaign took a few dizzying turns in the last month, including when Whitman was accused of hiring an illegal alien as a housekeeper, a flap that highlighted her claim to be &quot;tough as nails&quot; on illegal immigration. And Brown or one of his associates was caught on tape referring to Whitman as a &quot;whore.&quot;After joining eBay in March 1998, Whitman successfully navigated the company through the dot-com boom and bust and on to near cult-like popularity in what became known as the &quot;eBay economy.&quot; She departed in 2008, saying that no CEO should stay longer than 10 years, leaving eBay to face stiff competition from Amazon.com and criticism for having bought Skype and then selling it at a loss.In the case of HP, the board asked Fiorina to step down in February 2005. (Board members claimed at the time that the unceremonious departure was due the poor execution of HP's acquisition of Compaq three years earlier, not the notion that adding Compaq's hefty PC and server market share to HP's high-end servers and printers could make the company a global hardware powerhouse.)After her HP departure, Fiorina began to spend more time in political circles, including stumping for Republican presidential nominee John McCain, reportedly flirting with the idea of running for lieutenant governor, and publicly entering national politics by speaking at the 2008 Republican Party convention in St. Paul, Minn.Update on November 3 at 6:43 a.m. PT: By daybreak, the numbers had solidified: In the governor's race, Brown had 54 percent of the vote to Whitman's 41 percent, while in the Senate contest, Boxer had 52 percent to Fiorina's 43 percent.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Hybrid and EV sales to grow but remain small]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-hybrid-and-ev-sales-to-grow-but-remain-small</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-hybrid-and-ev-sales-to-grow-but-remain-small</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-hybrid-and-ev-sales-to-grow-but-remain-small</guid>
<description><![CDATA[J.D. Power and Associates today forecast that 7 percent of new auto sales in 2020 will be hybrids or battery electric vehicles but a &quot;mass migration&quot; to electriccars is unlikely to happen in the U.S.The auto review and research company said that despite interest by the media, environmentalists, and governments, electric-vehicle sales will take a back seat to gas-only cars for a variety of reasons in the next 10 years.The electric-car all-stars come out (photos) View the full gallerySpecifically, the company does not project a sharp spike in oil prices between now and 2020, a technology breakthrough in electric vehicles, or coordinated government policies that will encourage consumers to buy electric cars. Also, consumers overall don't understand electric-vehicle technology and many will be unwilling to change.&quot;Based on our research of consumer attitudes toward these technologies--and barring significant changes to public policy, including tax incentives and higher fuel economy standards--we don't anticipate a mass migration to green vehicles in the coming decade,&quot; John Humphrey, senior vice president of automotive operations, said in a statement. The company projects sales of hybrids and battery electric vehicles to grow from 2.2 percent of sales today to 7.3 percent of sales, or 5.2 million vehicles, by 2020.The forecast, based on J.D. Power's annual consumer surveys on autos, echoes statements from auto executives and other market projections on hybrid and battery electric cars which find consumer interest in greener cars but significant barriers.Although automakers expect to see more forms of electrification in the coming years, estimates as to how fast that will happen vary significantly. For example, Nissan, which is releasing the battery electric Leaf later this year, forecasts that battery electrics can make up as much as much as 10 percent of its sales in 10 years. Research and management consulting company PRTM, meanwhile, projects hybrids could represent 20 percent of auto sales by 2020.Even though many consumers say they are concerned about the environment, the biggest barrier to adoption remains the higher upfront cost of hybrid and battery electric cars, Humphrey said.The &quot;wild card&quot; in electric-vehicle adoption is China, according to the report. China, which relies heavily on imported oil, is rapidly scaling up its electric-vehicle industry.&quot;China is perhaps the only country that has the market scale, political will, and regulatory controls to quickly mandate a mass transition to alternative energy vehicles,&quot; according to the report.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[SF Bay Area taps Better Place for electric taxis]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sf-bay-area-taps-better-place-for-electric-taxis</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sf-bay-area-taps-better-place-for-electric-taxis</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sf-bay-area-taps-better-place-for-electric-taxis</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A battery-switching station for electric taxis in Tokyo. On the right, you can see the white cars drive in. On the left, fresh batteries are delivered from below.(Credit:Screen capture by Martin LaMonica/CNET)Electric taxis with swappable battery packs are slated to come to the San Francisco Bay Area next year through a U.S. Department of Transportation-funded project.The $6.9 million, three-year project will result in 61 electric-drive taxi cabs and four stations where depleted batteries can be swapped in for fresh ones, according to Better Place, which was awarded the grant. Switching stations will be available in the corridor between San Francisco and San Jose, with the first ones installed by the end of 2011, according to Better Place.It's part of $14 million in grants the Transportation Department is expected to announce later today related to electric vehicles.Because of their intensive use, taxis are a good candidate for using electric vehicles to reduce pollution, a Better Place representative said. Since they typically can't take long breaks for charging, they fit the battery-swapping model advocated by Better Place, she added. The actual electriccars for the project have not yet been chosen.Earlier this year, Better Place installed battery-switching stations for electric taxis in Tokyo, which will be a model for the Bay Area program. Better Place developed the system where cars drive up a ramp and robotic machines automatically remove a battery from a car and insert a freshly charged battery within a few minutes.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Is Zynga worth more than Electronic Arts]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-zynga-worth-more-than-electronic-arts</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-zynga-worth-more-than-electronic-arts</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-zynga-worth-more-than-electronic-arts</guid>
<description><![CDATA[FarmVille creator and upstart Zynga could be worth more than the more established Electronic Arts.According to a valuation on SharesPost, which analyzes the value of private companies, Zynga is currently worth about $5.51 billion. As of this writing, EA's market capitalization stands at $5.2 billion.Admittedly, valuations on SharesPost are not an exact science. The firm says that it calculates a company's value based on &quot;recent transaction prices, current posts, research estimates, and recent last round venture financial valuations.&quot; But considering that the companies it analyzes are private, there is no way to know exactly what a given company is worth without having some inside information. Still, the SharesPost valuation gives a rough estimate that speaks to how far Zynga has come since it was founded in January 2007. The company caters to over 360 million users each month. Its games, which include FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and FrontierVille, have a whopping 65 million daily active users. Zynga now has 1,100-plus employees, and says on its Web site that it has raised $360 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Avalon Ventures, Softbank, and Digital Sky Technologies, now known as Mail.ru Group.Aside from Facebook, to which Zynga can point for much of its growth, the company also offers FarmVille on theiPhone and theiPad.EA, on the other hand, is going through some tough times. During its last fiscal year, which ended on March 31, the company posted a $677 million loss on more than $3.6 billion of revenue. A year prior to that, EA posted annual revenue of $4.2 billion and a $1.088 billion loss.In an attempt to reverse its fortune and capitalize on the burgeoning casual-gaming space, EA announced last week that it had acquired Angry Birds publisher Chillingo to capture &quot;market leadership on the Apple platform.&quot;(Via Bloomberg)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[SolFocus Selling Solar To Saudi&nbsp'Arabia]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=solfocus-selling-solar-to-saudinbsparabia</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=solfocus-selling-solar-to-saudinbsparabia</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=solfocus-selling-solar-to-saudinbsparabia</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Americans exporting renewable energy resources to the Middle East It&amp;'s not opposite day. A Mountainview, Calif. company, SolFocus, announced a deal with a major construction company in Saudi Arabiaa4&quot; Advanced Vision Electro Mechanical Company (a.k.a. Vision) a4&quot; that is building a new, commercial solar power plant in Bahra. The plant will be the first in Saudi Arabia to use concentrator photovoltaic solar power systems, or CPVs according to a joint press release from SolFocus and Vision. In general, CPV systems consist of solar cells and optics that concentrate sunlight onto the cells increasing their power output and, in the end, decreasing the cost of solar-generated electricity in sunny, dry environments. SolFocus sells warranty-backed, concentrator photovoltaic solar systems that it manufactures primarily in Mesa, Arizona. To date, SolFocus has raised $143 million in venture funding.The new solar power plant in Bahra employing SolFocus technology will deliver around 300 megawatt hours of solar energy per year, representing a 132 kilowatt nameplate capacity.Saudi Arabia is the worlda4a4s largest producer and exporter of total petroleum liquids according to theU.S. Energy Information Administration. At the 2009 United Nations&amp;' Summit on Climate Change, Saudi Arabia&amp;'s negotiator Mohammed Al-Sabban expressed disbelief that global warming is caused or accelerated by humans, and was concerned about the likely economic impact to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) if others reduce their use of oil.Still viewed as an obstructionist by global sustainability advocates, Saudi Arabia began investing in renewable energy recently. Why would the OPEC leader warm up to solar First, the region gets a lot of sun. Co-founder and chief of technology at SolFocus, Steve Horne, also explained on Wednesday: &amp;''The Saudi king has recognized climate change, and wants to reduce the carbon footprint of the country. A significant percentage of the oil thata4a4s extracted from Saudi Arabia is used internally. Thata4a4s what theya4a4ll be able to offset by using renewable energy. The king is interested in exporting renewable energy as well. There is a process of putting together a transmission line that runs up the east coast towards Kuwait, now. The king has a long-term vision for the country as a generator of renewable energy.&amp;''Mark Crowley, chief executive officer of SolFocus said in a press statement: a4AThe high sun conditions of the Middle East provide an ideal environment for reaping large-scale, low-cost solar energy from CPV systems. Together [we] will bring the worlda4a4s most efficient and resource-friendly solar technology to Saudi Arabia, providing energy diversification for the country.a4The project developers, Vision, will also build and install additional solar power plants within the research centers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and throughout Saudi Arabia.Hassan Chahine, general manager at Vision said in a press statement: a4AThis is a breakthrough in Saudi Arabiaa4a4s thrust for energy diversification. We believe the Bahra plant will serve as a model for the further research and study of clean water and power solutions that diversify the regiona4a4s energy mix.a4CrunchBase InformationSolFocusInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook&'s big move to Madison Avenue]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebookrsquos-big-move-to-madison-avenue</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebookrsquos-big-move-to-madison-avenue</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebookrsquos-big-move-to-madison-avenue</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The world&amp;'s largest social network could soon be opening up shop on Madison Avenue, the iconic address long linked to New York City&amp;'s advertising industry.Facebook has leased two floors at 335 Madison Avenue, according to a source in the real-estate industry familiar with the company&amp;'s plans. It could expand to as much as 150,000 square feet in the building, our source estimates.That amount of space suggests Facebook may be planning to employ as many as 600 people in New York City.Why the move to the land of Mad Men Facebook already has a tiny outpost nearby in Midtown, but the estimated 5,700-sq. ft. location can barely accommodate Facebook&amp;'s current staff in the city. Facebook has 15 open positions in New York, almost all in sales or operations.The company is pushing aggressively to hire sales representatives, including outside salespeople who would actively call on clients. To date, Facebook has mostly relied on self-service ads bought online and a small internal sales force.Facebook has struggled to establish good relations with the advertising community. In 2007, CEO Mark Zuckerberg famously bombed in his first big presentation to ad agencies where he grandiosely declared, &amp;''Once every hundred years, media changes.&amp;'' The ad product he launched there, Beacon, sparked Facebook&amp;'s first big privacy scandal as it revealed users&amp;' online purchases.It has since mended fences with privacy advocates and advertisers and has improved its ad products, which are increasingly well-received for their reach among Facebook&amp;'s 500 million-plus users and their accurate targeting. An expansion in its sales force suggests that Facebook now feels confident in its ability to sell brand advertising, a key advantage against rival Google, which has had more fraught relationships with Madison Avenue&amp;'s advertising agencies.Facebook representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Next Story: Will Translattice transform enterprise computing with truly distributed applications Previous Story: Groupon is Google&amp;'s $6 billion Facebook hedgePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: 335 Madison Avenue, advertising sales, online advertising, Social networksCompanies: FacebookPeople: Mark Zuckerberg          Tags: 335 Madison Avenue, advertising sales, online advertising, Social networksCompanies: FacebookPeople: Mark ZuckerbergOwen 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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<title><![CDATA[Google Ventures backs LawPivot, a legal Q&038'A service for startups]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-ventures-backs-lawpivot-a-legal-q038a-service-for-startups</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-ventures-backs-lawpivot-a-legal-q038a-service-for-startups</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-ventures-backs-lawpivot-a-legal-q038a-service-for-startups</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If youa4a4re running a startup, you probably have to wrestle with plenty of legal questions, but hiring a law firm may be beyond your budget. Thata4a4s why a startup called LawPivot offers entrepreneurs a place where they can get their questions answered confidentially and for free (at least for now).Google Ventures, Googlea4a4s startup investment arm, seems to think that the site is filling a real need &amp;8212' it just led LawPivota4a4s $600,000 seed round. LawPivot is also moving into the Google Startup Lab in Mountain View, Calif.To use the service, startups just write their question, identify relevant legal keywords, then choose which lawyers to send the question to. Today, LawPivot is also unveiling its new recommendation algorithm, which takes data about users and trends to recommend which lawyer might be best suited to answer each question.Q&amp;amp'A seems to be a hot area for startups right now, especially with the growing popularity of Q&amp;amp'A startup Quora. LawPivot isna4a4t shy about riding on Quoraa4a4s coattails, calling itself a4AQuora for legala4, but the LawPivot model is actually pretty different. Where Quoraa4a4s Q&amp;amp'A pages are open to the public, all your correspondence on LawPivot is private and confidential.Ita4a4s pretty clear why a startup might want to use the site, but why are lawyers giving free advice Vice president of business development and co-founder Nitin Gupta said ita4a4s because theya4a4re finding that the traditional ways for lawyers to network, such as speaking at conferences, are becoming less effective. Lawyers use LawPivot as a way to connect with potential clients, he said.And thata4a4s also where the startup might make money in the future. Like I said, the site is free for now, but Gupta said it might eventually charge both startups and lawyers. The startups might pay per month or per question, while lawyers might either pay to get into the service or for premium features.LawPivota4a4s angel investors include Allen Morgan (formerly managing director of Mayfield Fund), Deep Nishar (a former Google executive whoa4a4s now at LinkedIn, plus a founding partner at AngelPad), Richard Chen (another former Google executive whoa4a4s a founding partner at AngelPad), Chris Yeh (an executive at PBworks), David Tisch (the managing director of TechStars NYC), and others.Previous Story: Another Nokia setback: X7 smartphone for AT&amp;038'T canceledPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: legal questions, Q&amp;amp'A sitesCompanies: Google, Google Ventures, LawPivotPeople: Allen Morgan, Chris Yeh, David Tisch, Deep Nishar, Nitin Gupta, Richard Chen          Tags: legal questions, Q&amp;amp'A sitesCompanies: Google, Google Ventures, LawPivotPeople: Allen Morgan, Chris Yeh, David Tisch, Deep Nishar, Nitin Gupta, Richard ChenAnthony 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.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[Those Two LeWeb Tickets Now Include Lodging Thanks To Airbnb. Tell Us Why You Need To&nbsp'Go]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=those-two-leweb-tickets-now-include-lodging-thanks-to-airbnb--tell-us-why-you-need-tonbspgo</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=those-two-leweb-tickets-now-include-lodging-thanks-to-airbnb--tell-us-why-you-need-tonbspgo</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=those-two-leweb-tickets-now-include-lodging-thanks-to-airbnb--tell-us-why-you-need-tonbspgo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, I noted that we were giving away two free tickets to LeWeb &amp;'10. But I was quick to point out that while the free tickets, normally priced at around 2,000 euros, are a great deal, you would still have to pay for your own travel to Paris and lodging for the conference, which takes place on December 8 and 9. Well guess what You can cross lodging off of that list.Airbnb has graciously offered to cover the lodging in Paris for each winner of our ticket giveaway. Each winner would receive a $500 gift card from Airbnb which they could use to find a place to stay in or around Paris during the conference. Airbnb offers some great deals around the city, so you should be able to find something very nice with that money. And that means that if you win, you would only have to pay for your own travel to the conference. Yes, it&amp;'s a killer deal.The same rules to win the tickets apply: just leave us a comment as to why you absolutely need to go to this conference. You can leave the comment either on this post or on the original one. We&amp;'ll be going through them all on Monday and will select a winner.CrunchBase InformationAirbnbInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[DreamForce&nbsp'Kinect]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dreamforcenbspkinect</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dreamforcenbspkinect</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dreamforcenbspkinect</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Sometimes it gets so hard to begin a post. This is not one of those times. Marc Benioff tells the story of how Bill Clinton was delayed coming out here for his session at Dreamforce 2010, was going to be an hour late, 15,000 people ready for POTUS 42, now what Then Marc noticed Stevie Wonder walking down the hall toward him, taking Benioff up on his invitation to see Clinton speak and then stick around for the nighta4a4s concert with Neil Young.So Marc called an audible and brought Stevie onstage for an extraordinary conversation interrupted only when Clinton reached the auditorium. I had forgotten how incredibly intelligent and equally verbose Bill could be, but his gentle embrace of Stevie Wonder spoke across the generations and cultures. And later that night we sat in awe as Neil Young sang to the ages, every strum having a reason to be there. The message of serendipity, hope, living a life of service mixed with compassion, all those things we yearn for privately but laugh off in the public moment, on display and alive 30 years to the day John Lennon was killed.The day Lennon died I sat in the pool room at the Banda4a4s Shangri-La studio in Malibu, watching Monday Night football. Howard Cosell brought the news in that timea4a4s version of Twitter, instantaneously changing our assumptions. If this could happen, anything was possible. But in the worst of ways. No longer was this about a group breaking up a4&quot; a producer in the room sloughed it off with a4Ahea4a4s just a guitar playera4 as tears came and the numbness set in. I left the room and walked down the beach to a frienda4a4s house and never went back.It was a long time before we could summon the courage to believe in lifea4a4s possibilities after that. I say we because I know it to be true, that thing summoned in the Sixties against a stacked deck that time and time again proved more powerful than we actually believed. Strangely, Nixon and his henchmen proved more understanding of Lennona4a4s power, just as today we understand more of Nixona4a4s power to bring change in monetary policy, opening China, setting a standard of political analysis unequalled even in todaya4a4s loud, confident cable posturing. We were blinded by our passions, but not our intuition.Slowly we recovered yet again from the wounds of war, the defeat of respect, the emptiness of lost trust. We drank our fill of the 80a4a4s, stumbling out of Save the Robots at 7AM reaching for sunglasses as we swam upstream against people on their way to work. We escaped the City, raised our children, watched Jobs and Gates and the others bootstrap the space program to reinvent our tools and toys, and did what we could to learn to believe in something, anything. It wasna4a4t the same, but just as we become our parents, we learned to reinvest in our souls.Recently something began to change, probably not a big deal on the surface but palpable nonetheless. The iPhone had some of it, but the iPad confirmed it. Here was this thing that we were told was not useful, that was good for status updates but not real work, that didna4a4t run Flash because of a personal vendetta rather than the fact that it held our souls back. Dona4a4t believe, dona4a4t smile, dona4a4t revel in the freedom to put any combination of words or bits or ideas in whatever order we dream. And forget what wea4a4ve learned: that no matter how painful the moment might be, ita4a4s in that moment that the beauty and the hope of life is reborn.Lennon was a guitar player, probably the greatest rhythm guitar player of his time. Listen to the feel of A Hard Daya4a4s Night, throbbing with that extra thing that we dona4a4t understand but immediately believe in. And hear it today in PokerFace, as Lady Gaga drives the magic bus on our Xbox Kinect. Like Stevie Wonder walking down the hall, my wife asked a Target salesperson if she had any of the 250 gigabyte ones, the ones you cana4a4t get anywhere, not even with fading pull at the Microsoft store. She says yes, therea4a4s one in back, came in last night. And sure enough, like Stevie walking down the hall, she was right.What is this Kinect thing anyway It scans your face, the silence in the room, the level of the music you play back with, the rhythm of your dancing, all the while feeding back reinforcement as you learn the moves and find yourself inside the track looking out. When Neil Young played those opening power chords a4&quot; tin soldiers and Nixon bombing, wea4a4re finally on our own, this summer I hear the drumming, four dead in Ohio. This is not a game wea4a4re playing, this is a living and breathing thing, something new that has all of us children with a shining light in our eyes.You can return to your cynicism and trending terms if you must. We understand that ita4a4s part of the process of relearning a reason to believe. As Steve Wonder said in that timeless conversation with Marc, the one that only happened because Bill was on the longest flight from east to west of his life, the one where he spoke of his mother coming to him in a dream after she passed away, the one where he talks of how thankful he is for the blessing of being blind. a4AIta4a4s allowed me to have a very objective point of view a4&quot; this whole color thing.a4Sometimes ita4a4s just as hard to end a post. But not this time. Microsoft has something really big here with Kinect, a machine we can learn to love. Spend a night on the couch watching your kids play inside the music, rafting and jumping, or sit in a sea of iPads in a Dreamforce keynote and surf the chatterstream in the hall and over the Net. When Neil Young thanked the benefit audience for contributing 3 million dollars to the UCSF Benioff Childrena4a4s Hospital, he was acknowledging the collaborative nature of his artistry and our willingness to believe once again. Of course, we already know he has a heart of gold. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Meebo&'s MiniBar offers a new take on website check ins]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=meeborsquos-minibar-offers-a-new-take-on-website-check-ins</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=meeborsquos-minibar-offers-a-new-take-on-website-check-ins</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=meeborsquos-minibar-offers-a-new-take-on-website-check-ins</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Do we really need another way to share what wea4a4re doing on the Web Meebo co-founder and chief executive Seth Sternberg says yes &amp;8211'and  his company is launching a browser extension called the Meebo MiniBar on Tuesday to allow a new kind of online sharing.Mountain View, Calif.-based Meebo, which started out as an instant messaging service, already offers a feature for websites called the Meebo Bar, which allows readers to chat with friends and share content on social networks. But Sternberg noted that current services emphasize sharing specific articles or other pieces of content.The MiniBar allows users to be more general. You just share the website that you&amp;'re visiting, not a particular page. You can think of the Meebo MiniBar as a kind of a4AFoursquare for the Web,a4 where users check in to websites rather than local restaurants and stores.  Sternberg argued that most people feel more comfortable saying, a4AIa4a4m reading The New York Timesa4 rather than singling out an article.Meebo plans to release the MiniBar Tuesday for Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer browsers, with Safari coming soon. One of the company&amp;'s goals for the MiniBar is to allow a new kind of a4AWeb discovery,a4 where you can a4Afollowa4 friends and other users to find new sites that you should be checking out.Sternberg previewed the MiniBar for me last week. The most important feature is probably the fact that ita4a4s unobtrusive &amp;8212' it doesna4a4t stretch all the way across the bottom of your browser the way the full Meebo Bar does &amp;8212' so it shouldna4a4t bug users as they browse. When you want to share your online location, you just hit the a4Asharea4 button. You can also use the MiniBar to see who else has checked in at that site.Unlike other a4AFoursquare for websitesa4 services like Badgeville, Meebo allows users to check in anywhere online, not just the sites of specific publishers.At the same time, Meebo is also working with publishers, specifically those who want to install a4Ashare on Meeboa4 buttons on their sites. Ita4a4s launching those buttons with new partners including Macya4a4s, Sprint, and La4a4Oreal Professional (so clearly this goes beyond news sites). Eventually, the company says, websites should be able to offer rewards to their most loyal visitors, which Meebo calls &amp;''VIPs&amp;''.Meebo currently offers the Meebo Bar on more than 8,000 websites, and it reaches more than 180 million unique users each month, Sternberg said. The new check-in features will also be added to the Meebo Bar.Previous Story: TokBox raises $12M to jam Skype into your web browserPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: check-ins, Meebo Bar, Meebo MiniBarCompanies: meeboPeople: Seth Sternberg          Tags: check-ins, Meebo Bar, Meebo MiniBarCompanies: meeboPeople: Seth SternbergAnthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat 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.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[Facebook heads back east with a relatively green data center in North Carolina]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-heads-back-east-with-a-relatively-green-data-center-in-north-carolina</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-heads-back-east-with-a-relatively-green-data-center-in-north-carolina</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-heads-back-east-with-a-relatively-green-data-center-in-north-carolina</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Social networking titan Facebook is investing around $450 million to open a second standalone data center out in the evergreen hills of Forest City, North Carolina, the company announced today.The data center should take around 18 months to build and will generate 250 jobs during the construction process. Facebook will then hire between 35 and 45 people to run the beast. Facebook will get around $17 million in tax breaks as a result, according to a report by the New York Times.Facebook&amp;'s new data center will also have to meet some pretty strict environmental standards that North Carolina imposes on its residing corporations. That means it will have to meet a number of energy efficiency and cooling standards to keep the facility moving along. About 40 percent of the data center&amp;'s energy will be nuclear powered, according to reports.Granted, just about any state would kill to have a data center run by Facebook a4&quot; including Oregon, which is allowing Facebook to run an upcoming data center in that state with coal power rather than cleaner energy sources. The Prineville, Ore.-based data center will cost only half of the upcoming data center, valued at $200 million. Only time will tell if Facebook is able to meet the energy standards that the state government has requested.Facebook&amp;'s is the second major data center the Tar Heel state has managed to snag in the past year. Just last year, governor Bev Perdue and company were able to negotiate their way to bringing a $1 billion Apple data center to the state that&amp;'s scheduled to open in the near future.[Photo: taberandrew]Next Story: Picplz 1, Instagram 0 as VC firm Andreessen Horowitz chooses photo app rival Previous Story: Google&amp;'s Nexus One successor revealed: Meet Samsung&amp;'s Nexus SPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: clean energy, cleantech, data center, Facebook data centerCompanies: Facebook, North CarolinaPeople: Bev Perdue          Tags: clean energy, cleantech, data center, Facebook data centerCompanies: Facebook, North CarolinaPeople: Bev PerdueVentureBeat 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[Twitter Added 30 Million Users In The Past Two&nbsp'Months]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-added-30-million-users-in-the-past-twonbspmonths</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-added-30-million-users-in-the-past-twonbspmonths</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-added-30-million-users-in-the-past-twonbspmonths</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In a New York Times profile on Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, the company revealed a few interesting stats showing the growth trajectory of the network. Twitter now has 175 million registered users, which is up from 145 million users in September. That means the startup added around 30 million users in just under two months. And Twitter has added 70 million users since April.This is impressive growth considering that Twitter had a total of 58 million users in 2009 (and 503,000 users three years ago). That&amp;'s a 200 percent increase from 2009 to 2010 in terms of users. And the year isn&amp;'t overa4&quot;it&amp;'s conceivable that at the rate Twitter is growing, the company could be ringing in the New Year with 200 million users. So what&amp;'s contributing to this massive growthThe new Twitter.com experience, which the company announced in mid-September, probably accounted for a surge in users. And new initiatives like allowing users to watch and Tweet President Obama&amp;'s recent town hall meeting from Twitter.com have surely drawn more attention to the platform.In September, Williams said that traffic to Twitter.com has grown about 100% this year and on average 370,000 new users sign-up for the network per day (that&amp;'s up from adding 300,000 users per day in April). CrunchBase InformationTwitterInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Eco-friendly alternative to Chinese sky lanterns - Springwise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=eco-friendly-alternative-to-chinese-sky-lanterns---springwise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=eco-friendly-alternative-to-chinese-sky-lanterns---springwise</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Style &amp; Leisure</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=eco-friendly-alternative-to-chinese-sky-lanterns---springwise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[No Chinese New Year celebration would be complete without Sky Lanterns, or a4AKhoom Fay,a4 which get released into the sky in hopes of good luck for the coming year. The lanterns have come under increasing fire, however, for posing a threat to wildlife and farm animals when they descend back to earth. Enter Sky Orbs, a new, eco-friendly alternative that''s 100 percent biodegradable.Rather than connecting the lantern''s fuel cell to its bamboo base with wire, which can harm animals and also takes months to break down, Sky Orbs use a fireproof wool for that purpose, making them the first fully biodegradable option on the market, according to their UK-based maker. Sky Orbs also use non-drip fuel cells made of wax recycled from candles discarded at Buddhist temples. Finally, as an alternative to the tradition of writing messages on Sky Lanterns a4&quot; which runs the risk of puncturing them a4&quot; Sky Orbs are available in multiple shapes with a variety of preprinted phrases for weddings, birthdays and other special events. Pricing begins at GBP 1.49 per lantern' custom designs are also available.Sky Orbs are available for delivery to the UK, Europe, the US and Canada. The company is also looking for agents to manage exclusive territories. Party-supply retailers and event planners around the globe: this one''s for you! (Related: Charcoal alternative for greener grilling.)Website: www.skyorbs.co.ukContact: www.skyorbs.co.uk/contact-form.phpSpotted by: Chris Burton <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Instant Brings Search As You Type To The iPhone. Cool, But Pretty Hard To&nbsp'See]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-instant-brings-search-as-you-type-to-the-iphone--cool-but-pretty-hard-tonbspsee</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-instant-brings-search-as-you-type-to-the-iphone--cool-but-pretty-hard-tonbspsee</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-instant-brings-search-as-you-type-to-the-iphone--cool-but-pretty-hard-tonbspsee</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Two months ago, when they first unveiled Google Instant, Google let everyone know that it would be coming to mobile devices this fall. Sure enough, it&amp;'s here, in beta form.While the feature hit some Android devices about a week ago, today it has arrived for the iPhone as well. I&amp;'ve just loaded up google.com on my device and sure enough, right below the search box and location indicator, there&amp;'s an &amp;''Instant (beta) is on: Turn off&amp;'' message. It&amp;'s sort of interesting that the feature is opt-out, even on mobile (Update below). Though I have to assume that if your connection is slow, they&amp;'ll revert to regular Google search just as they do in the browser itself.So how does it work Similar to it does in a regular web browser, but it&amp;'s a bit odd since the drop-down search suggestions take up a lot of screen real estate and so does the on-screen keyboard. You can still see the results being populated as you type, but barely (see below).The other mildly annoying thing about Instant on the iPhone is that it once again is google.com-only (this was my main complaint about the desktop version as well, but they&amp;'re currently rolling it out baked into Chrome&amp;'s Omnibox). For most of my searches on the device, I use the Google search box built into the browser and that doesn&amp;'t have Instant. Obviously, even if Google wants to add it there, they&amp;'re going to need Apple&amp;'s approval. I wouldn&amp;'t hold my breath for that.Update: Google has let me know that for the majority of users it is actually opt-in. They are testing it as opt-out with a small percentage of users and I was apparently in that test. I&amp;'ve updated the story as such.Regarding the &amp;''hard to see&amp;'' aspect, a Google spokesperson had this to say:On a phone, the screen size is much more constrained than on desktop so the layout of the search predictions and results are different. We did reduce the number of predictions that show on screen to create more space for results, but we find that people like being able to quickly choose between predictions. CrunchBase InformationGoogleiPhoneInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Halloween Eve Was The Biggest Instagram Day Ever, Doubling Its&nbsp'Traffic]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=halloween-eve-was-the-biggest-instagram-day-ever-doubling-itsnbsptraffic</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=halloween-eve-was-the-biggest-instagram-day-ever-doubling-itsnbsptraffic</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=halloween-eve-was-the-biggest-instagram-day-ever-doubling-itsnbsptraffic</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In retrospect it was inevitable, people typically upload about 20% more photos on Halloween so of course a service that easily allows you to take photos and share them would explode in usership, much like Instagram did on October 30th. Instagram founder Kevin Systrom tells TechCrunch that this weekend&amp;'s Halloween Eve activity more than doubled the iPhone app&amp;'s previously quoted traffic, at two photo uploads a second.Systrom gives three reasons behind Instagram&amp;'s record Halloween numbers: &amp;''1) We got featured by Apple 2) Halloween is an awesome time to share/take pictures and 3) There&amp;'s just the natural growth of this thing that doesn&amp;'t seem to be slowing.&amp;''Instagram has been growing at 100k users a week since it launched, and that pace is even faster post Halloween. Dan Frommer speculates that that number might even hit the half million mark at the end of this week. Pretty impressive for an app that&amp;'s only four weeks old.Instagram has caught on because it&amp;'s easy to use, posts to multiple social sites like Twitter, Facebook and Flickr, allows users to interact with photos and offers creative license in the choice of &amp;''antique&amp;'' iPhone camera filters. And at no time have I felt its presence in my Twitter feed more than I did over the weekend.Says Systrom, &amp;''Back in college people joked that Facebook took off at Stanford because it launched during our finals week when everyone wanted to procrastinate. Maybe Halloween Week was a great week for us in the same way&amp;''Yes, yes it was.Image: Chris MessinaCrunchBase InformationInstagramInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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