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<title>Haaze.com / Celina / Published News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Mon, 23 May 2011 07:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Kobo unveils WiFi Touch Edition e-reader for $129.99]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kobo-unveils-wifi-touch-edition-e-reader-for-129-99</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kobo-unveils-wifi-touch-edition-e-reader-for-129-99</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 23 May 2011 07:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kobo-unveils-wifi-touch-edition-e-reader-for-129-99</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The $129.99 Kobo eReader Touch Edition will ship in June and comes in multiple color choices.(Credit:David Carnoy/CNET)The day before Barnes &amp; Noble is expected to announce a new e-ink e-reader, Kobo unveiled its own new e-ink model, the Kobo WiFi Touch Edition, for $129.99.As its name implies, the new e-reader has a touch screen and uses the same Neonode infrared technology that's found in Sony's touch-screen e-readers. It also has E-Ink's latest generation Pearl e-ink screen.Here's a look at the key specs:Touch screen with Neonode &quot;responsive&quot; zForce infrared touch technology (Kobo is calling it &quot;Real Touch&quot;)6-inch Pearl e-ink screen (same screen as Kindle's e-ink screen)Wi-Fi wireless connectivity (802.11 b/g/n)1 GB of onboard storageFreescale i.MX508MicroSD card expansion slot (add up to 32GB card)Battery charge lasts up to two weeksSupports ePub, PDF, Adobe DRMDimensions: 6.5 x 4.5 x .39 inchesWeight: 7.05 ounces (200g)Comes in black (with black back) and white (with lilac, blue, or white back)Multiple languages available (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Dutch)Price: $129.99 (comes with $10 Kobo gift card)Ships in June (available for preorder now)I got a chance to play around with a prototype for the new device and found it to be very similar to Sony's PRS-650 Touch Edition e-reader, with a nice responsive touch screen. However, when I suggested that I expected a little more (speed-wise) from the new Freescale i.MX508 that powers this e-reader, I was told by Kobo reps that they were still optimizing the device.The &amp;39'quilted&amp;39' backs come in multiple colors.(Credit:Kobo)That said, the Kobo Touch Edition has a compact, elegant design, with only a couple of buttons (since this is a touch-screen e-reader, there's a built-in virtual keyboard). I didn't see a Web browser and like other Kobo e-readers, the device seems very reading-centric. It's also geared to the international market, with Kobo making a push into several countries, most notably Germany, which has the fastest growing e-book market outside the U.S.It will be interesting to see what Barnes &amp; Noble unveils tomorrow, but we may see a very similar touch-screen Nook at a very similar price point. We also expect Amazon to move to a touch screen for its next-generation e-ink Kindle e-reader, perhaps as soon as this fall.Kobo Touch E-Reader<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[LinkedIn hits 100 million users]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=linkedin-hits-100-million-users</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=linkedin-hits-100-million-users</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 07:10:03 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=linkedin-hits-100-million-users</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LinkedIn announced today that it now has 100 million users.According to the professional-networking site, approximately 44 million of its users are in the U.S. LinkedIn said that it's adding about 1 million new users to its service every week. The company reported that 20 percent of its members are in the service industry, while 9 percent of users are in the &quot;high-tech&quot; sector. Apple, Amazon, eBay, and Cisco are among the &quot;most represented companies on its site.&quot; They're flanked by EMC and Campbell's. LinkedIn, which launched in 2003, announced plans earlier this year to go public. Although the United States is home to the biggest number of LinkedIn users, it can't compete with the growth LinkedIn is seeing elsewhere. The social network said that 2010 year-over-year growth in Brazil is 428 percent. Mexico, India, and France are trailing with growth rates of 178 percent, 76 percent, and 72 percent, respectively.Of course, LinkedIn isn't the only social network that's enjoying continued success. Facebook currently has over 600 million active users around the globe, and that figure continues to grow. Twitter is watching 1 billion tweets hit its service every week, according to data it released last week, and about 460,000 accounts are being added to the social network every day.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[W3C narrows 'HTML5' logo meaning to HTML5]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=w3c-narrows-html5-logo-meaning-to-html5</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=w3c-narrows-html5-logo-meaning-to-html5</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=w3c-narrows-html5-logo-meaning-to-html5</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The World Wide Web Consortium, faced with derision that its new HTML5 logo represented a broader set of Web technologies, has pared down the logo's scope.&quot;Since the main logo was intended to represent HTML5, the cornerstone of modern Web applications, I have updated the FAQ to state this more clearly. I trust that the updated language better aligns with community expectations,&quot; W3C spokesman Ian Jacobs said Friday in a blog post.The new HTML5 logo and the accompanying icons for related tech.(Credit:W3C)Indeed, the HTML5 logo FAQ now states in no uncertain terms: &quot;This logo represents HTML5, the cornerstone for modern Web applications.&quot; Those who want to promote related technologies--Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Web Open Font Format (WOFF), Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), and Web Sockets, for example--can use the accompanying but subordinate icons.HTML5 has become something of a marketing buzzword--to some Web developers' chagrin, since it sometimes stands for so much more than the next version of Hypertext Markup Language that's being standardized at the W3C and at its longtime home, the Web Hypertext Applications Technology Working Group (WHATWG).Indeed, after the W3C released the HTML5 logo last week, Ian Hickson, editor of the specification at both W3C and WHATWG, moved up the schedule to drop use of HTML5 in favor of just HTML. That's only happening at the WHATWG, though he'd like to see it at the W3C as well.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Cruel Esquire votes Zuckerberg among worst dressed celebs]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cruel-esquire-votes-zuckerberg-among-worst-dressed-celebs</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cruel-esquire-votes-zuckerberg-among-worst-dressed-celebs</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 15 Jan 2011 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cruel-esquire-votes-zuckerberg-among-worst-dressed-celebs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[They placed him alongside Nicolas Cage. They lined him up shoulder-to-shoulder with Russell Brand. With a callous twitch of their eyelinered faces, they equated him with Rush Limbaugh.Yes, those preening, greasy-maned scions of superfice at Esquire magazine have taken it upon themselves to declare Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg one of the 10 worst-dressed celebrities.Perhaps you, too, had been unaware that the young coder's biographical coda is that he is now placed among the glitterati. It may have been that movie. It may have been his appearance on &quot;Oprah.&quot; Yet now he is being judged as if his goal in life is to waft down a red carpet, arm-in-arm with a Scientologist whose face bares her commitment to cutting, scraping, and plasticated inflating. In its 2010 Celebrity Style Hall of Shame, Esquire truly dug its burgundy manicured fingernails into Zuckerberg's innocent, startled eyes. Badly dressed Surely not.(Credit:CC Andrew Feinberg/Flickr)The magazine said it had already suggested Zuckerberg as a Halloween costume. Anyone who has ever had their persona played out by another on this haunting festival (and I know someone who has) can attest that this is a lasting scar.Esquire then went on to say: &quot;No matter how much money you have or how many people's secrets you hold in your digital palm, you cannot show up to a black-tie event in a t-shirt and jeans and expect to be taken seriously. Seriously.&quot;Some might feel that such 19th century naivete is quite startling. Some might consider that these Esquire piffle-peddlers should know that Zuckerberg, should he so choose, could hack them into oblivion. They might wish to remind Esquire's writers that they are merely Zuckerberg's informational serfs and therefore they should be taking him seriously, rather than the other way around.For myself, I wish that it would have crossed Esquire's mind that a modern-day artist wishes to be judged by his art, rather than his garb.The magazine seems both oblivious and charmingly controlling, for it added: &quot;You just gave a hundred million to Newark's schools. Would it kill you to throw a couple thousand to, say, Zegna for a couple of nice suits Even Bill Gates wears a sport coat, for chrissakes.&quot;Could it be that Bill Gates wears a sport coat because he is of sport coat age Could it be that he wears a sport coat because his wife likes how he looks in a sport coat These thoughts seem not to have crossed Esquire's wafery thought process.Instead, the magazine offers this advice to others who might be following Zuckerberg's sartorial path: &quot;Even if you are the next M.Z., and your ideas will change the world as we know it, you still have to meet those angel investors face-to-face. And they'll take you more seriously if you're wearing the right kind of jacket.&quot;Oh, Esquire. Please blow your overworked noses into something silky from Hermes. For if a venture capitalist suddenly comes across a young Web entrepreneur wearing a little tight-fitting Zegna, he will immediately be suspicious. He will immediately smell inauthenticity. He will immediately wonder why someone in a start-up is blowing money on thousand-dollar threads.In the new world, you are not judged by the shininess of your clothes, your hair, your shoes, or your cheeks. Instead, you are judged by the power you hold over those who either don't know or don't care.Some might wonder why, if Zuckerberg is supposedly so badly dressed in his gray t-shirts, Apple's Steve Jobs and his quaint old Levi's avoided such criticism. Might it have had a negative effect on Esquire's no doubt picturesqueiPad app<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Amazon lets you give the gift of MP3]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-lets-you-give-the-gift-of-mp3</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-lets-you-give-the-gift-of-mp3</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:10:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-lets-you-give-the-gift-of-mp3</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Screenshot by Jasmine France)With the startling variety of products offered by online retail giant Amazon.com, it's no wonder the site is the go-to Web depot for all manner of holiday shopper. Interestingly, though, digital media gifting was notably absent from the store's repertoire--until last week. The company first announced a new feature allowing Kindle book gifting' unsurprisingly, MP3 gifting capability was launched almost immediately after.Giving the gift of digital music is just as straightforward as you'd expect, and works largely in the same manner as e-book gifting. Simply visit the Amazon MP3 Music store, select a single track or an entire album, and enter the e-mail address of the recipient. You also have the option to add a personal note along with your musical offering.Once all the requisite info is filled out, you can check out and select payment as with any other Amazon purchase. The recipient of the MP3 gift will be notified by e-mail within 5 minutes. The recipient is prompted to download the tracks, or has the option of exchanging the gift for store credit--a handy feature for those with finicky taste in music.Sadly, there doesn't appear to an option to schedule the timing of the e-mail for, say, Christmas morning or a person's birthday. Also, I have to say that though any gesture is sure to be appreciated, fully digital gifts aren't nearly as exciting as a wrapped package or even an envelope-ensconced card--there's just no substitute for that tangibility. That said, the ability to send one-off MP3s via Amazon is definitely a welcome feature.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Boeing blames 787 incident on power panel fire]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=boeing-blames-787-incident-on-power-panel-fire</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=boeing-blames-787-incident-on-power-panel-fire</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=boeing-blames-787-incident-on-power-panel-fire</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Boeing said the fire aboard one of its test 787 Dreamliners Monday was caused by the failure of a power panel and the ignition of a nearby insulation blanket. Seen here, the first 787 is shown off for the first time at the plane&amp;39's official unveiling on July 8, 2007.(Credit:Daniel Terdiman/CNET)Boeing said today that the fire Monday aboard a 787 Dreamliner test aircraft started when an electronics bay power panel failed, igniting a nearby insulation blanket.The fire forced the 787 to make an emergency landing in Laredo, Texas, and the immediate indefinite suspension of the test program. Boeing also said yesterday that because of the incident, it did not know if its plan to make the first Dreamliner deliveries to customers in the first quarter of 2011 was still viable.According to a statement it issued late today, Boeing said that the P100 panel--one of several power panels in the 787's aft electronics bay--had failed during the flight, causing the nearby insulation blanket to catch fire. The P100 panel &quot;receives power from the left engine and distributes it to an array of systems,&quot; Boeing said. &quot;In the event of a failure of the P100 panel, backup power sources--including power from the right engine, the Ram Air Turbine, the auxiliary power unit or the batter--are designed to automatically engage to ensure that those systems needed for continued safe operation of the airplane are powered.&quot;The test plane was able to land safely, with no injuries on board or on the ground, when the backup systems engaged properly, Boeing said.The company also explained that the insulation blanket &quot;self-extinguished once the fault in the P100 panel cleared.&quot; Now, the panel aboard the test plane--the second of six such planes in the Dreamliner program--has been taken off the aircraft. A new unit is being shipped to Laredo, where it will be installed to replace the failed panel, which suffered &quot;significant&quot; damage.But Boeing said that nearby systems or airplane structure were not heavily damaged, though the company has yet to finish a full inspection of the aircraft. &quot;It is too early to determine if there is significant damage to any structure or adjacent systems,&quot; Boeing said.The incident is just the latest in a long string of delays that have plagued the much-anticipated Dreamliner. In August, Boeing announced that it was re-assessing the availability of an engine required for the 787's final flight tests, and previously, slowdowns have come as a result of a machinists strike, supplier shortages, and an issue with the joint between the Dreamliner's wing and its fuselage. When the plane was first shown off on July 8, 2007--07/08/07--it was thought that its first flight would take place just a month or two later. Instead, the first flight didn't take place until December 15, 2009.News of the Monday incident and its impact on the test program and the ultimate first customer delivery continue to rock Boeing's stock. Yesterday, shares were down $2.18, or 3.15 percent, and today, Wall Street slashed another $1.70, or 2.53 percent from the stock.Still, there's little doubt that the airline industry is eagerly awaiting completion of the test program and the first deliveries of the plane, since its innovative composite design is expected to offer carriers significant fuel efficiencies, and passenger comfort.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google TV roundup: The first wave of products]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-tv-roundup-the-first-wave-of-products</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-tv-roundup-the-first-wave-of-products</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:10:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-tv-roundup-the-first-wave-of-products</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google TV had tons of hype in the run-up to its mid-October launch. Now that we've had a few weeks to live with the first wave of released products, we have a better idea of what Google needs to fix and which products (if any) are worth considering.What Google needs to fix A lot of our early reviews of Google TV products may seem negative, but that's doesn't mean we aren't impressed with the platform's potential. Google has laid the groundwork for a lot of great functionality, but until it addresses its long list of outstanding issues, it's appeal will be limited to early adopters.Work out a deal with major TV networks or work around themThe main reason mainstream users want a product like Google TV is so they can watch free streaming content from sources like ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and Hulu. And all of those destinations are currently blocking Google TV from streaming video. It's not an easy issue, especially since it appears that major TV networks don't want you streaming free content to your TV. If Google can't work out a deal with the content providers, it may have to find a way to work around them, otherwise much of the appeal of the Google TV platform will be lost.Fix search and TV guide informationWe generally take Google's searching prowess for granted, which is why we were so surprised by the lackluster search results on Google TV. Google currently doesn't search Netflix's streaming titles, which is arguably the most important collection of online video available. We also found Google TV guide information to be frequently inaccurate, even on mainstream shows like &quot;The Daily Show&quot; and &quot;The Colbert Report.&quot; For Google TV to live up to its promise, its search and TV info need to be near perfect.More supported cable/satellite boxesTo really take advantage of Google TV, you need full cable/satellite box integration. That allows Google TV to schedule recordings and season passes directly from its interface, without even accessing your cable/satellite box's user interface. That kind of impressive functionality is currently available on a limited number of Dish Network DVRs, but it needs much wider adoption for Google TV to take off.More and better appsCompared with other streaming-video boxes, Google TV's initial rollout of apps is unimpressive. Worse, the included Netflix interface is several generations behind competition, like the Apple TV, Roku XDS,Xbox 360, andPS3. Google needs more apps in general, and the existing ones need to be as good as they are on other devices.Get the Android Marketplace up and runningGoogle has already announced that the Android Marketplace will be coming to Google TV in 2011, and the earlier the better. The ability for third-party developers will help the paltry app selection and possibly open up Google TV devices to services that nobody's thought of yet.Better stabilityThe first screen we saw when we completed the setup on the Logitech Revue was an error message. We just saw too many crashes and bugs with the Google TV software during our testing period, and mainstream users won't tolerate that in a living room setting. Further testing with the Sony NSZ-GT1 seemed to indicate that the first firmware update has improved of our initial problems, which is a step in the right direction/What products are available Even with all the problems we listed, Google TV products still have a lot to offer for early adopters who can put up with the quirks. Right now, there are essentially three products available with Google TV built-in. Logitech RevuePrice: $300Read the review | Check pricesAdvantages: Least expensive Google TV option' wireless keyboard is the best Google TV controller yet' built-in IR emitters obviate the need for IR blasters' built-in Harmony functionality for controlling a TV and AV receiver'iPhone and Android controller apps are already available. Disadvantages: Had network performance issues during our testing period' adds another box in your home theater cabinet. Outlook: Despite its issues, the Logitech Revue is the best choice for early adopters looking to check out Google TV, thanks to its excellent wireless keyboard.  Sony's NSX-GT1 seriesPrice: $600-$1,400Read the review | Check prices Advantages: Google TV integrated into an LCD, with no extra box required' works with over-the-air HDTV signals. Disadvantages: Expensive upfront cost' Sony's controller can be frustrating to use' requires physical IR blaster to control other products' TV's image quality is only so-so. Outlook: If you're an early adopter looking to buy a new LCD and aren't picky about image quality, Sony's NSX-GT1 is the most capable Internet-connected TV ever made.  Sony NSZ-GT1Price: $400Review coming soon | Check prices Advantages: Google TV integrated into a Blu-ray player' speedy Blu-ray load times. Disadvantages: Sony's controller can be frustrating to use' requires physical IR blaster to control other products. Outlook: Sony's NSZ-GT1 combines Blu-ray and Google TV in a single box for a relatively low upfront cost, although we think most early adopters will prefer the Revue. Related resourcesGoogle TV FAQFree 'Conan' on Google TV: It works, with quirks <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Bounty offered for open-source Kinect driver]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bounty-offered-for-open-source-kinect-driver</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bounty-offered-for-open-source-kinect-driver</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bounty-offered-for-open-source-kinect-driver</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The first person or team to come up with an open-source driver for Kinect could win $1,000 from Adafruit Industries.(Credit:Microsoft)Update at 4:03 p.m. PT: This story has been modified with response from Microsoft.The first person who figures out how to build an open-source driver for Microsoft's much-hyped new Kinect motion controller could win a $2,000 bounty offered by a leading open-source hardware developer.Kinect, which launched today, is currently available solely for Microsoft'sXbox 360 and may well someday be extended to the Windows platform. But for New York-based Adafruit Industries, that's not enough. And that's why Adafruit--led by MIT Media Lab alum Limor Fried and Make magazine Senior Editor Phillip Torrone--is offering two grand to someone who can figure out how to decouple the hot new device from Microsoft's gaming machine.The bounty will go to the &quot;first person or group to upload code and examples under an open-source license to (social-coding site) GitHub.&quot;&quot;It's amazing hardware that shouldn't just be locked up for Xbox 360,&quot; Torrone told CNET by e-mail. &quot;Its 'radar camera' being able to get video and distance as a sensor input from commodity hardware is huge.&quot;But Microsoft isn't taking kindly to the bounty offer. &quot;Microsoft does not condone the modification of its products,&quot; a company spokesperson told CNET. &quot;With Kinect, Microsoft built in numerous hardware and software safeguards designed to reduce the chances of product tampering. Microsoft will continue to make advances in these types of safeguards and work closely with law enforcement and product safety groups to keep Kinect tamper-resistant.&quot;Still, according to Torrone, Adafruit is hoping someone will figure out how to use Kinect in education, robotics, or &quot;fun outside the Xbox.&quot;&quot;We think First Robotics could use this,&quot; Torrone said. &quot;We think educators could use this. Look at all the cool stuff people did with theWii remote.&quot;Torrone added that while Adafruit could likely come up with a Kinect driver itself, &quot;we don't have the time. We can offer a bounty...and we think we'll see a million ideas flourish once anyone can plug this in to whatever they want.Update at 5:07 p.m. PT: Adafruit has raised the bounty from $1,000 to $2,000 in response to Microsoft's position on the offer.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft to fund Russian tech center]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-fund-russian-tech-center</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-fund-russian-tech-center</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-fund-russian-tech-center</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Microsoft will build a major software development center in Skolkovo, Russia's would-be Silicon Valley.  Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive officer, signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday with Viktor Vekselberg, the president of the Skolkovo Fund, the software maker said.  In addition to building the software development center for its own efforts, Microsoft will embark on a series of collaborative research projects with Russian and foreign universities, provide further assistance for Russian technology start-up companies, build a technology testing center for companies in Skolkovo, and help to support and develop aspects of the Skolkovo technology university's curriculum. Read more of &quot;Microsoft puts funds into Russian technology centre&quot; at ZDNet UK. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[FCC crunches numbers on spectrum crisis]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-crunches-numbers-on-spectrum-crisis</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-crunches-numbers-on-spectrum-crisis</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:23:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-crunches-numbers-on-spectrum-crisis</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Federal Communications Commission is laying the groundwork for freeing up wireless spectrum.Last week, the FCC held a workshop that examined the looming spectrum crisis. In a report published as part of the meeting, the FCC indicated that over the next five years, data usage will increase 35 times, compared to rates of today. While the wireless industry is working to make devices and network infrastructure equipment more efficient, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said last week at the meeting that it would not be enough to keep up with growth. &quot;Even if spectrum and device efficiency doubles, and the number of cell towers continues to grow at its current pace, we will need around 300 additional megahertz of spectrum by 2014,&quot; Genachowski said during a speech.The FCC's technical paper looked at recent trends in mobile usage. The FCC's own data suggests that between the first quarter of 2009 and the second quarter of 2010, data use per individual mobile user increased 450 percent. This is consistent with wireless carriers, which have also reported heavy increases in data usage. AT&amp;T, the exclusive U.S. provider of theApple iPhone, has said it saw Internet usage grow 5,000 percent in three years. Clearwire, which is building a national 4G wireless broadband network using WiMax, has also said publicly that its mobile customers, on average, consume about 7 gigabytes' worth of data per month.The FCC also said that today, about 42 percent of U.S. mobile customers own a smartphone. This is up from about 16 percent three years ago. The FCC expects smartphone use to continue to grow, thus fueling growth in mobile broadband. For nearly a year, the FCC has been talking about the impending spectrum crisis and has been pushing for more spectrum to be made available. In the National Broadband Plan presented to Congress earlier this year, the agency outlined a plan for freeing up 500MHz of spectrum over the next decade, with 300MHz being freed up within five years. The agency expects to get the spectrum from various places, including some from TV broadcasters, which are no longer using spectrum that has been allocated to them. Genachowski has proposed a voluntary auction in which broadcasters could give up spectrum in exchange for sharing in the profits of the auction with the government. The FCC report indicates that spectrum could be worth more than $120 billion at auction, which is twice what excess spectrum was worth in 2008.Some critics of the FCC have complained that the agency is taking too long to introduce measures that would free up the spectrum quickly. They argue that the agency has spent too much time dealing with Net neutrality and possibly changing the classification of broadband to ensure its jurisdiction.Even though critics say the FCC is moving slowly, the agency has begun to check off items to free up more spectrum. For example, it recently approved the use of &quot;white spaces&quot; spectrum. White spaces sit between TV channels, and the FCC has now paved the way for device makers to start developing products for this spectrum. The agency has also freed up about 25MHz from the wireless communications services and is working to make another 90MHz of mobile satellite spectrum available. Next month, the FCC will begin examining how to free up more spectrum from broadcasters. Under Chairman Genachowski's plan, broadcasters would be able to share spectrum with other stations or return some of the spectrum for the voluntary auctions. The broadcasters would then be allowed to share in the profits of auctions.The National Association of Broadcasters said it's still evaluating the issue.The FCC is likely to open the issue up for comment from the public and the industry at the November meeting, during which it is expected to tackle other wireless-spectrum issues, including a measure that would help speed up the process for getting an FCC experimental-spectrum license. This would help researchers accelerate development of innovative uses for spectrum. The FCC is also expected to look at ways to ensure that unused--and underused--spectrum gets used to its fullest potential.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[FarmVille makes its way to the iPad]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=farmville-makes-its-way-to-the-ipad</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=farmville-makes-its-way-to-the-ipad</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:21:52 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=farmville-makes-its-way-to-the-ipad</guid>
<description><![CDATA[FarmVille running on the iPad.(Credit:Zynga)FarmVille is now available toiPad customers, Zynga announced today.Would-be farmers can get their hands on FarmVille by downloading it for free from Apple's App Store. Those who have been playing the game elsewhere can now continue to seed the fields and run tractors over their farms on Apple's tablet. Users who are new to the game can start a whole new farm within the app. Push notifications will be used to alert farmers to the health of their crops, Zynga said.After FarmVille became popular on Facebook and quickly started annoying friends of players who were tired of seeing updates in their News Feed, Zynga offered the game to iPhone owners in June. According to the company, the title sat atop the iTunes App Store's top 25 games list for 50 days after its launch.Now with the help of the iPad, Zynga hopes to build upon that success. But it's hard to imagine a world where FarmVille can get much more popular. The title is played by more than 60 million people around the globe. And according to Zynga, players receive more than 500,000 gifts in the game each day. To say it's a major hit would be an understatement.FarmVille is the first title from Zynga to be made available on Apple's tablet. While the company isn't divulging any specifics, an iPad version of the company's Mafia Wars might not be far off.&quot;The iPad is a natural device for gaming. We are excited to bring more Zynga titles to the platform in the future,&quot; a company spokesperson said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Twitter Updates Logos, Rules: Info On Logo Use, Screenshots, And Capital a4ATa4&nbsp'Tweets]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-updates-logos-rules-info-on-logo-use-screenshots-and-capital-ldquotrdquonbsptweets</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-updates-logos-rules-info-on-logo-use-screenshots-and-capital-ldquotrdquonbsptweets</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-updates-logos-rules-info-on-logo-use-screenshots-and-capital-ldquotrdquonbsptweets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Today on the Twitter blog, the company wrote a post that was all of three sentences to let people know about their new logos. Yay!But there&amp;'s actually quite a bit more to it then it seems.If you follow the link they provide to Guidelines page, you&amp;'ll find some interesting tidbits. Among them:Don&amp;'t: &amp;''Use anything other than the most current versions of the Twitter logos.&amp;''Don&amp;'t: &amp;''Use screenshots of other peoplea4a4s profiles or Tweets without their permission.&amp;''Both are interesting because both are broken all the time. Well, okay the first one doesn&amp;'t quite count yet because Twitter just officially launched their new logos. But hundreds if nota4sthousands of sites around the web have been using old or fake Twitter logos to represent the company for a long time.The latter rule is definitely more troublesome. Tweets are known to be public items, but Twitter is saying you can&amp;'t use screenshots of them without permission. We do this all the time. So does just about every other publication. We&amp;'ve never been told this is wrong, it seems to reek of fair use, but now Twitter is saying it&amp;'s a no-no. (Update below from Twitter)A few months ago, Twitter tried to come up with their own solution for this with their own Blackbird Pie tweet embed tool. It&amp;'s interesting that in their post on it, they never said this screen-grabbing of tweets was wrong. In fact, they note &amp;''Mostly, we just think ita4a4s a pain to take screen grabs of tweets.&amp;'' Notice they call it a &amp;''pain&amp;'', not &amp;''wrong&amp;''.Twitter does say it&amp;'s fine to use others&amp;' tweets that you have permission to use. But again, isn&amp;'t this stuff already publicAlso interesting:Do: Make sure that if mentioning &amp;''Tweet,&amp;'' you include a direct reference to Twitter (for instance, &amp;''Tweet with Twitter&amp;'') or display the Twitter marks with the mention of &amp;''Tweet.&amp;''This would seem to be all about Twitter gaining the trademark to the word &amp;''tweet&amp;'', which they&amp;'ve been trying unsuccessfully to do. They also later note, &amp;''Please remember to capitalize the T in Twitter and Tweet!&amp;'' As a commenter notes, it&amp;'s funny that they don&amp;'t even capitalize it in their own logo!Update: Okay, we&amp;'ve clarified some things with Twitter.From their spokesperson regarding the new logos:The purpose of the update was to provide access to our new resources and to better clarify some guidelines.We&amp;'re encouraging people to use the new marks. It&amp;'s okay for them to continue to use the old ones, but we&amp;'re hoping people will use the new ones. We said this before too, as this isn&amp;'t the first time our marks have changed.And regarding the screenshots:This isn&amp;'t a new part of the policy and was stated in the guidelines before. This serves primarily to protect users from their tweets being used as endorsements without their knowledge. Public tweets are public. But if you&amp;'re going to use tweets in static form (e.g. in a publication), you should have permission from the author/user. For instance, if someone famous were to tweet about liking something and then it was used on a billboard.This doesn&amp;'t apply to broadcast &amp;8212' there are separate display guidelines about that. Our policies also don&amp;'t attempt to control the appropriate use of tweets in news reporting.That&amp;'s a bit confusing (and I&amp;'ve asked for further clarification), but it sounds as if they won&amp;'t be enforcing the rule for individuals (including reporters) taking screenshots of tweets. It&amp;'s more for advertisers attempting to use tweets as endorsements without permission.Update 2: More clarity from Twitter:For news, whether online or print, it&amp;'s okay to use screenshots of Tweets.a4sThe permission applies more to merchandise, billboards, etc. Users&amp;' rights are key.In other words, screenshot away, bloggers. Which is good &amp;8212' but basically they&amp;'re just saying they won&amp;'t be enforcing the rules. That&amp;'s still a bit troubling going forward. They could enforce them anytime a4&quot; why not just make the specific rules more clear This reeks of the legal department covering asses here just in case they have to drop a hammer.Regarding the capital &amp;''T&amp;'' in tweet:We view Tweet as meaning content on Twitter, rather than a generic word. With that, it should be capitalized when it&amp;'s a noun. This isn&amp;'t new, and it&amp;'s not something we enforce.Again, that seems to be all about copyright a4&quot; and mainly when used in publications.CrunchBase InformationTwitterInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Ravenwood Fair passes 10M users and keeps growing (exclusive)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ravenwood-fair-passes-10m-users-and-keeps-growing-exclusive</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ravenwood-fair-passes-10m-users-and-keeps-growing-exclusive</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ravenwood-fair-passes-10m-users-and-keeps-growing-exclusive</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The shelf life of a video game in stores is measured in days or weeks these days. But online, games can live &amp;8212' and grow sales &amp;8212' longer. LOLapps&amp;8216' Ravenwood Fair social game on Facebook is a good example. Launched on October 19, the game has now grown to more than 10 million monthly active users.That means 10 million users will log in during a month. About 1.2 million users log in every day. Those details are all that most social game companies disclose about their games. But LOLapps is disclosing more details as a kind of guide post to show how successful social games can be. Indeed, the results show that a single hit game can turn into a cash cow for a game publisher if the game is designed so that users have to buy something.About 3.3 million players have purchased virtual goods in the game to date, a higher proportion than in most social games. The game is free for users to start playing, but players can pay real money for virtual goods such as energy to do more tasks.On average, players are spending 90 cents per transaction, with the minimum possible transaction at 10 cents, or 1 Facebook Credit. About 14 percent of users buy something daily. About 85 percent of users make a direct purchase with credit cards or other means such as text message payments. About 15 percent pay via alternative payments such as offer deals (for example, an offer of game currency in return for signing up for Netflix) and group buys.If LOLapps advertises to get a user, and that user spends 8 or more minutes playing in their first session, the average lifetime spending by that user in the game will be at least $6. LOLapps says the reason that social gaming works so well is the nature of friend networks. A user whose friends are connected with each other is 7 to 10 times more valuable than a user whose friends do not know each other. Players who have at least three friends who have made a purchase have a 60 percent chance of making a purchase themselves. (That may be due to reciprocity, where one friend sends a gift and the other one sends one back). Players who have at least six friends who have made a purchase have an 80 percent chance of making a purchase themselves.Other stats show that players are busy. They&amp;'ve chopped down 40.2 million trees in the forest, sent 8.3 million gifts, killed 3.1 million monsters, and stocked more than 92.3 million attractions. Total hours spent to date in the game add up to 25 million. The game is also available on Orkut, IMVU, and StudiVZ, and it will be out soon on Japan&amp;'s Mixi mobile phones.As wea4a4ve noted in past stories, San Francisco-based LOLapps has about  100 million monthly active users on Facebook, mostly for its gift and  quiz apps. This year, the company stepped up its investment in social  games. Ravenwood Fair was developed by consultant John Romero,  co-creator of Doom. In an interview,  Romero said he put more emphasis on keeping users engaged so they would  play for longer sessions and keep coming back. The effort is part of  LOLappsa4a4 strategy to become a big player in  social games and join the   ranks of Zynga, EA-Playfish, Disney-Playdom,  and CrowdStar. Those   companies have been printing money by creating  simple casual games that  entice users to buy virtual goods.LOLapps announced an expansion this week called Ravenstone Mine, also designed by game creator John Romero. But the company has decided to delay the launch of the expansion a few weeks as it refines the game. Perhaps the company is designing the game so that it gets the same kind of results as Ravenwood Fair.Previous Story: Google takes aim at low-quality sites in search, Demand Media unfazedPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Ravenstone Mine, Ravenwood FairCompanies: Facebook, LolAppsPeople: John Romero          Tags: Ravenstone Mine, Ravenwood FairCompanies: Facebook, LolAppsPeople: John RomeroDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[DEMO: Pixable brings its personalized photo experience to the iPad]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=demo-pixable-brings-its-personalized-photo-experience-to-the-ipad</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=demo-pixable-brings-its-personalized-photo-experience-to-the-ipad</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=demo-pixable-brings-its-personalized-photo-experience-to-the-ipad</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Pixable is one of 53 companies chosen by VentureBeat to launch at the DEMO Spring 2011 event taking place this week in Palm Desert, Calif. These companies do pay a fee to present, but our coverage of them remains objective.New York startup Pixable released its Photofeed Facebook application earlier this year, offering users a new way to explore their friendsa4a4 photos. Now the company is bringing that experience to the iPad.It seems like we&amp;'re in the middle of an explosion of mobile photo apps, including Instagram and Picplz, but they focus on helping users share photos. Photofeed is something different &amp;8212' a way to explore photos that have already been shared on Facebook. After all, you probably have access to thousands of photos through your Facebook friends and have only looked at a fraction of them.As the name suggests, Photofeed creates a feed of photos thata4a4s customized to your taste and connections. The company compares its WonderRank technology for photos to the movie recommendations found in Netflix or the personalized playlists in Pandora. Photofeed prioritizes photos based on factors that are personal (whether they come from friends who are important to you, what kind of photos youa4a4ve liked in the past) and impersonal (the number of comments and likes). The app can look at your Facebook activity to see which friends are important to you, but it also asks you to rank your friends because, as Pixable co-founder Andres Blank put it, a4AThe truth is, there are a lot of people that you care about a lot that you don&amp;'t have interactions with on Facebook.a4The concept is the same whether youa4a4re using Photofeed on your computer or your iPad, but judging from the demo that Blank gave me, the company has definitely created a slick experience for Applea4a4s device. You swipe left and right to move through your feed, then if you want to see more images from a specific album, you just swipe down.Pixable is working on an iPhone app too, Blank said. And ita4a4s looking to go beyond Facebook, bringing in photos from other social networking services. Again, the approach is basically the opposite of other apps &amp;8212' instead of uploading your photos into Instagram and sharing them on other sites, you dona4a4t upload anything into Photofeed, and youa4a4ll be able to view photos even though theya4a4re hosted on many other sites.Pixable has raised $3 million from Highland Capital Partners and various angel investors.Next Story: Genomatica raises $45M for renewable chemicals Previous Story: DEMO: Is OneGoodLove the first romance site that&amp;'s truly gayPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: DEMO, DEMO Spring 2011, iPad, PhotofeedCompanies: PixablePeople: Andres Blank          Tags: DEMO, DEMO Spring 2011, iPad, PhotofeedCompanies: PixablePeople: Andres BlankAnthony 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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