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<title>Haaze.com / Eleen / Published News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:11:09 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Google, under legal siege, seeks Nortel patents]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-under-legal-siege-seeks-nortel-patents</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-under-legal-siege-seeks-nortel-patents</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:11:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-under-legal-siege-seeks-nortel-patents</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google, eager to strengthen its patent portfolio for a better chance in legal battles, is in the running to acquire 6,000 patents and patent applications from bankrupt Nortel Networks for $900 million in cash.In an agreement with Google, part of a bidding process open to others as well, the search company would acquire &quot;approximately 6,000 patents and patent applications spanning wireless, wireless 4G, data networking, optical, voice, Internet, service provider, semiconductors and other patent portfolios,&quot; Nortel said today. &quot;The extensive patent portfolio touches nearly every aspect of telecommunications and additional markets as well, including Internet search and social networking.&quot;Google couched its announcement of the possible sale in the context of its desire for patent reform.&quot;The patent system should reward those who create the most useful innovations for society, not those who stake bogus claims or file dubious lawsuits...But as things stand today, one of a company's best defenses against this kind of litigation is (ironically) to have a formidable patent portfolio, as this helps maintain your freedom to develop new products and services,&quot; said Kent Walker, Google's general counsel, in a blog post today. &quot;Google is a relatively young company, and although we have a growing number of patents, many of our competitors have larger portfolios given their longer histories. So after a lot of thought, we've decided to bid for Nortel's patent portfolio in the company's bankruptcy auction.&quot;Google's bid for the Canadian telecommunication company's patents has been selected as the &quot;stalking-horse bid,&quot; effectively the minimum that other bidders will have to exceed, Walker said.The search company rose quickly to power and profitability, but as it's expanded into new markets, Google has stepped on more and more toes. Its Android mobile-phone operating system, in particular, is embroiled in many patent infringement suits. One from Oracle is directed at Google itself, but many others involve companies such as HTC and Barnes &amp; Noble that sell Android-powered devices. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sub du jour goes all-electric]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sub-du-jour-goes-all-electric</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sub-du-jour-goes-all-electric</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:11:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sub-du-jour-goes-all-electric</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Battery pack lets Ego cruise for up to eight hours.(Credit:Raonhaje)This sub could make even Philippe Cousteau, with so many water toys at his disposal, a little jealous.The Ego &quot;compact semi-submarine&quot; from Raonhaje--showcased at the Miami Boat Show last week--functions as both a motor boat and as a sub that seats two just below the water's surface.Instead of using a rudder and outboard motor, both the Ego LE (luxury edition) and the Ego SE (standard edition) are run by electric podded propulsion with a battery-powered BLDC (Brushless DC electric motor).The completely battery-powered sub uses a Trojan T-890 battery pack--a golf-cart battery--that allows the boat to run for up to eight hours at moderate cruising or about four hours at top speed between charges, according to company specs.But the owner better be able to dock it near an outlet overnight as Raonhaje specs also say it takes about six to nine hours to fully recharge the battery pack.The Ego is both a motor boat and a sub.(Credit:Raonhaje)Other accessories on the boat include an LED battery gauge, a digital depth sounder, and a front/back switch to cruise in both directions.It also has an LCD screen fed by an onboard camera for viewing your above-board surroundings when you are down below.Offered in such colors as Persian Pink and French Rose, the Ego seems to be marketed as a leisure toy and not the kind of boat for scientists. But Korea-based Raonhaje says the vessel can be fully outfitted with equipment for research purposes.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[New Windows Phone 7 jailbreak tool coming soon]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-windows-phone-7-jailbreak-tool-coming-soon</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-windows-phone-7-jailbreak-tool-coming-soon</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Jan 2011 08:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-windows-phone-7-jailbreak-tool-coming-soon</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The upcoming, and very unofficial unlock tool for Windows Phone 7(Credit:Winrumors)While Microsoft may have put the kibosh on the first jailbreak for theWindows Phone 7 platform, another one is on the way.Developer Julien Schapman, speaking to blog Winrumors, outlined his plans to release a Windows Phone 7 &quot;Device Manager&quot; that will let users do things like side-load applications, explore the phone's file system, add custom ringtones, and manage applications. In other words, a handful of things the device does not currently offer out of the box.Schapman said the software would be released following Microsoft's first software update, which is expected next month, so as to keep Microsoft from closing the loophole which is being used for the unlock. Schapman also said that his solution gets around one of Microsoft's built-in security measures, which would phone home to verify the software, and re-lock the software if it found any differences. This check occurred every two weeks, forcing users to re-run the unlocking software each time it happened.If launched, Schapman's solution would be the second jailbreaking tool to be made available for the Windows Phone 7 platform. The first, ChevronWP7, was released in late November, and was pulled down just days later by the request of Microsoft, which had contacted the three-man development group about &quot;officially facilitating home-brew development&quot; on the platform. In early January, the ChevonWP7 creators also announced that Microsoft planned to close the exploit the team had been using, as part of the first system software update.Earlier this week, famedPlayStation 3 and Apple iOS hacker George Hotz had announced that he intended to jailbreak the new Windows phones. Microsoft responded by offering to provide Hotz with a device, encouraging him to &quot;let dev creativity flourish.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Bye-bye, physical media Sony closes CD plant]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bye-bye-physical-media-sony-closes-cd-plant</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bye-bye-physical-media-sony-closes-cd-plant</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bye-bye-physical-media-sony-closes-cd-plant</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Greg Sandoval/CNET)Sony Corp., the company that brought us the Walkman and the parent company of music label Sony Music Entertainment, plans to shut down a CD-manufacturing plant in southern New Jersey in March. About 300 employees will be laid off once the 50-year-old Sony DADC plant in Pitman, N.J., is closed. Sony said it plans to shift CD-making operations to a facility in Indiana. The company moved DVD manufacturing from the plant about a year ago. Lisa Gephardt, a Sony spokeswoman said in a statement: &quot;In light of the current economic environment and challenges facing the physical media industry, Sony DADC is taking additional steps to reduce cost from our supply chain network in order to remain competitive.&quot;Who couldn't see these kinds of closures coming The music CD has become nearly a relic. The emergence of digital music and music players, as well as the rise of illegal file sharing, helped to hasten the demise of the CD as the main music distribution format. According to Nielsen SoundScan, U.S. music sales fell 2.4 percent last year and digital track sales grew only 1 percent to 1.17 billion. But CD sales fared far worse. When it came to albums, sales of both newer CDs and catalog titles dropped by 16 percent and 23 percent respectively--these two categories also saw double-digit losses the previous year, according to the Los Angeles Times. The CD was a boon for the record industry. Not only did record labels cash in when music buyers replaced their cassette tapes and vinyl records with discs, but the CD also helped prevent unauthorized copying--at least initially. CDs also discouraged people from buying singles, prompting them to purchase full albums instead. The plant closure is just another sign that physical media's days are numbered. In addition to music, the film and book industries are amid their own digital transformations. Netflix and Apple are helping to fuel the emergence of Web TV. The Kindle andiPad are helping to drive consumer interest in e-books. How far this goes is anybody's guess but one has to wonder how long printed books and DVDs will be with us.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Smart grid outshines green tech at CES]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-smart-grid-outshines-green-tech-at-ces</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-smart-grid-outshines-green-tech-at-ces</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Jan 2011 08:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-smart-grid-outshines-green-tech-at-ces</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LAS VEGAS--Consumer electronics companies used to tout the energy efficiency of individual gadgets. Now many want to make your whole house more efficient. This year's Consumer Electronics Show saw a blending of the consumer electronics and the energy businesses, often in the form of the idea of a smart home filled with connected devices. There was still plently of outwardly green gear on the show floor, such as solar-powered radios and energy-saving power strips. ButCES also saw more &quot;home of the future&quot; displays with electric-vehicle chargers, smart appliances, efficient LED lights, and even small wind turbines and solar panels. Incars, Ford decided to introduce its electric Ford Focus, a week before a big auto show.Consumer electronics manufacturers are already turning out millions of networked TVs, DVD players, and other electronics. Right behind them are other connected, grid-aware devices, such as thermostats, dishwashers, and electric vehicles.For consumers, more information about usage and more control over plugged-in goods can lead to energy savings, say manufacturers. For manufacturers and energy companies, this opens up new ways to make money, potentially by offering services that complement their hardware. Smart grid and green tech at CES (photos) Companies from different industries are approaching home energy from different angles. Manufacturers that straddle home appliances and consumer electronics, such as Panasonic, Toshiba, and LG, envision consumers controlling their HVAC, kitchen appliances, and lighting from their TVs, smart phones or PCs.Home automation companies are eyeing a &quot;trifecta&quot; of services that include entertainment, security monitoring, and energy management. Rather than making tiny margins on hardware, these companies are looking to connected appliances to open the possibility for add-on services, such as applications that remotely control home entertainment systems and thermostats.&quot;We see home entertainment as a key driver, but energy is coming up fast. Safety and security have been there a long time,&quot; Will West, CEO of Control4, said during a panel called &quot;Beyond the Living Room.&quot; Control4 sells software and hardware for home automation.Simililarly, utility companies say giving consumers better information and control of their homes is a way to differentiate themselves. NRG Energy, which owns energy retailer Reliant Energy in Texas, was a first-time exhibitor at CES, with a booth that was a simulated home. Actors played a young couple getting up-to-the-minute information on energy use and saving money by running power-hungry appliances or charging an electric Nissan Lea at off-peak times.&quot;We have to stop competing on price upon a commodity that everybody has the same access to,&quot; Chris Deutschen, senior manager at Direct Energy, said during a smart-grid panel. &quot;So really we need to get into a more services model. And that's where we are looking at energy management--the home-area network as a place where we can provide services to the customer.&quot;Green-home gearManufacturers continue to improve the efficiency of TVs, PCs, and appliances, but advances are not as dramatic as they were a few years ago. To continue making significant efficiency improvements, they need to start treating the home as a connected system, industry executives said.GE's connected, energy-savvy home (photos) View the full galleryGeneral Electric showed off the &quot;connected home of the future&quot; which includes smart appliances, an electric vehicle charger, and its Nucleus home energy management system, due later this year. It also announced an Ecomagination entrepreneurial challenge around home energy management, following its contest first focused on the power grid.Panasonic has a stage devoted to home energy, which includes a way to monitor electricity, gas, and water from a TV. Panasonic can also provide solar panels, a fuel cell for making electricity and hot water, and backup batteries using the same lithium ion cells used in its consumer electronics. Some other products it showed are not yet available in the U.S., including solar panels, a home battery system, and a fuel cell that makes electricity and heat for hot water from natural gas. Toshiba, too, is preparing a suite of energy products to complement its eco-friendly laptops and TVs. Offering home energy monitoring systems, LED bulbs, and efficient air conditioners plays off of Toshiba's giant industrial energy business. &quot;Obviously, this is where the future is going. The grid is getting smarter and we have a speciality in this area. And there are environmental benefits,&quot; said Craig Hershberg, general manager for environmental affairs at Toshiba America.IssuesThe products for home automation and energy monitoring are maturing, but manufacturers and service providers face a host of issues before these products can take hold in large numbers.On a technical level, there are a few different wireless home-networking methods. Many smart meters being installed are equipped with Zigbee radios. But wireless Z-Wave devices, such as locks and remote control light sockets, are already on the market, which is why Verizon chose Z-Wave for its home energy monitoring and security service.Green Tech LG decided to make its smart appliances communicate using Wi-Fi. Using power lines to control and monitor plugged-in goods is another method. Also, many homes won't ever get smart meters, so other grid-to-home network gateways are being developed.Regulations in many areas don't create much monetary incentive for consumers to buy gear for energy management. Utilities and regulators have an interest in having consumers scale back power during critical peak times, such as hot summer days, because they can avoid bringing costly and polluting auxiliary power plants online.In places with variable pricing, a consumer could get a cheaper rate to charge an electric car at night or have a clothes drier go into &quot;eco mode&quot; during a peak energy event. But in many areas, consumers pay flat rate, so there aren't savings from shifting their energy loads to the middle of the night.The business models for tech suppliers and installers are still being worked out as well, say industry executives. Without clear savings, most consumers are unlikely to invest in energy management, and the technology has to be easy to use. Consumers also want assurances around security and privacy of energy usage data. The tech-savvy attendees at CES appear to be interested in hearing how a smart home works. Booths at GE, Panasonic, and NRG Energy had a steady stream of visitors who heard about off-peak rates and remotely controlled thermostats. &quot;Smart grid is the new thing,&quot; said one employee from NRG subsidiary Reliant Energy. &quot;And there are only so many TVs you can look at.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Judge slaps Lime Wire with permanent injunction]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=judge-slaps-lime-wire-with-permanent-injunction</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=judge-slaps-lime-wire-with-permanent-injunction</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=judge-slaps-lime-wire-with-permanent-injunction</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Lime Wire posted a note on its site that says it all. Now music labels will seek damages from the company and founder Mark Gorton. (Credit:Screenshot by Greg Sandoval/CNET)The end of Lime Wire as it has existed for years appears to be at hand. U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood issued an injunction today against the company that operates the long popular file-sharing software LimeWire and orders managers there to disable &quot;the searching, downloading, uploading, file trading...and/or all functionality&quot; of the LimeWire software, Lime Wire announced.In May, Wood, who serves the Southern District of New York, granted summary judgment in favor of the music industry's claims that Lime Group, parent of LimeWire software maker Lime Wire, and founder Mark Gorton committed copyright infringement, engaged in unfair competition, and induced copyright infringement.LimeWire, the software, was released 10 years ago and quickly emerged as one of the favorite ways to pass pirated music across the Web. Gorton and his company have acknowledged making millions from offering the software. &quot;The court has now signed an injunction that will start to unwind the massive piracy machine that Lime Wire and Gorton used to enrich themselves.&quot;--RIAA&quot;While this is not our ideal path, we hope to work with the music industry in moving forward,&quot; a Lime Wire spokesperson said in a statement. &quot;We look forward to embracing necessary changes and collaborating with the entire music industry in the future.&quot; Lime Wire continues to exist but no longer operates as a file-sharing service, the spokesperson said. Exactly what the New York-based company will do in the future is unclear. At this point, the company's chances of licensing music for Spoon appear to be small and its prospects dim.Legacy softwareObviously, there is little that the court can do about software that is already released. But in her order, Wood tried to close the door on any further releases, upgrades, advertising of the software, or the creation of any comparable software in the future. She also wants Lime Wire to do its best to discourage the use of the LimeWire software already in the wild, what she called &quot;legacy software.&quot; &quot;Using its best efforts,&quot; Wood wrote, &quot;Lime Wire shall use all reasonable technological means to immediately cease and desist the current infringement of the Copyrighted Works by Legacy users through the LimeWire System and Software and to prevent and inhibit future infringement of copyright works.&quot; She ordered Gorton and employees to establish &quot;default settings in the legacy software that block the sharing of unauthorized media files&quot; and offer users tools to remove the software from their hard drives. Wood ordered Lime Wire to create a copyright filter that would work on legacy software. In addition, Wood required Gorton and crew to first get the permission of the music labels before building any new, legal version of LimeWire. However Lime Wire disables their client, there are plenty of alternative file-sharing software and networks available. Indeed, BitTorrent has emerged over the last few years as a much more popular way to share files.SpoonBut for Gorton, the injunction is not the end of his or his company's troubles. The Recording Industry Association of America, which filed the copyright complaint against Gorton and Lime Wire in 2007, will now seek damages that could easily top $1 billion. That phase of the trial is scheduled to begin in January. A group of music publishers has also filed a copyright complaint against Lime Wire. According to music industry sources, Gorton and the RIAA were in settlement negotiations for a long time as the judge deliberated over whether to impose the injunction. Gorton offered to license music from the top four record companies for Spoon, Lime Wire's little-known legal music service. The deal fell through after Gorton's lawyers insisted that the music labels allow LimeWire to continue to operate for a year so users could be moved over to Spoon. The labels totally rejected the idea. RIAA lawyers have told the judge that LimeWire costs the record labels about $500 million every month in lost revenue. They wouldn't wait a year. They wouldn't wait a month. They assert they have taken a beating from Lime Wire for too long. &quot;For the better part of the last decade, Limewire and Gorton have violated the law,&quot; the RIAA said in a statement. &quot;The court has now signed an injunction that will start to unwind the massive piracy machine that Lime Wire and Gorton used to enrich themselves immensely.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Apple increases Q1 2011 iPhone shipments, includes Verizon-ready CDMA iPhone]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-increases-q1-2011-iphone-shipments-includes-verizon-ready-cdma-iphone</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-increases-q1-2011-iphone-shipments-includes-verizon-ready-cdma-iphone</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-increases-q1-2011-iphone-shipments-includes-verizon-ready-cdma-iphone</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Apple expects to ship 1 to 2 million more iPhones in the first quarter of 2011 than it originally planned, including those ready for Verizon&amp;'s cellular network, sources from Taiwan-based component suppliers tell Digitimes.The company&amp;'s global shipment goal for the first quarter is now around 20 to 21 million units, up from around 19 million previously. Around 14 to 15 million of those units will be of the current iPhone variety with support for AT&amp;amp'T&amp;'s network, while around 5 to 6 million will feature CDMA technology.CDMA, a less common cell-phone technology than the GSM standard AT&amp;amp'T  and most carriers worldwide use, runs Verizon and Sprinta4a4s networks. It  is also the dominant standard in South Korea.It&amp;'s not entirely surprising that Apple would raises its shipment goals now that it has a better sense of what it can build and sell in the first quarter, but the potential amount of CDMA iPhones seems telling (assuming this information is correct, of course). In September, we reported that Apple was set to begin building its first 3 million CDMA iPhones this month.Apple shipped 14.1 million iPhones worldwide in its last quarter, and it appears as if Apple intends to ship around 1 million more units intended for 3G networks like AT&amp;amp'T&amp;'s come the first quarter of 2011. At the same time, we also don&amp;'t see much sign of CDMA iPhones cannibalizing shipments of existing units. With 5 to 6 million CDMA iPhones expected, Apple may be able to significantly expand the iPhone&amp;'s presence without killing the sales of its existing units too much.Calling all developers: We want your apps for VentureBeat&amp;'s Mobile App Spotlight! If you have a cool mobile app that hasn&amp;'t been featured on VentureBeat yet, sign up!Next Story: On the GreenBeat: California electric car rebates could run dry' Carsharing catches on with major automakers Previous Story: Real Life Plus&amp;'s social game makes fashion into a battle (exclusive)PrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: 3G, CDMA, iPhone, iPhone 4, smartphonesCompanies: Apple, Verizon          Tags: 3G, CDMA, iPhone, iPhone 4, smartphonesCompanies: Apple, VerizonDevindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.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[A million people have pulled out their virtual wallets in Nexon&'s MapleStory online game]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=a-million-people-have-pulled-out-their-virtual-wallets-in-nexonrsquos-maplestory-online-game</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=a-million-people-have-pulled-out-their-virtual-wallets-in-nexonrsquos-maplestory-online-game</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=a-million-people-have-pulled-out-their-virtual-wallets-in-nexonrsquos-maplestory-online-game</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When Nexon brought its free-to-play MapleStory online game to the U.S. in 2005, everyone shook their heads. Everybody was skeptical that American gamers would pay for virtual goods in online games, a business model that Nexon had pioneered in South Korea.But the skeptics have been proven wrong. Nexon announced today that more than a million players in the U.S. have purchased virtual items via microtransactions in the U.S. version of MapleStory. That&amp;'s roughly 14 percent of the total 7 million registered players of the game &amp;8212' a very healthy percentage for a free-to-play game.Years ago, no one had proven that users would bother to pay if they could get a lot of content for free. In Asia, free-to-play was the only viable model because there was so much piracy of disk-based games.&amp;''People thought that it would only work in Asia,&amp;'' said Min Kim, vice president of marketing at Nexon America, in an interview. He was around before the first virtual goods customer came aboard in the U.S. &amp;''They thought we were crazy.&amp;''Eventually, gamers realized that paying microtransactions for virtual goods that didn&amp;'t exist in the real world had precedent. Gamers put quarters into arcade machines, bought music online, or paid money to watch a movie. Now, a younger set of gamers &amp;8212' dubbed digital natives &amp;8212' has no qualms about paying for a virtual good in a game versus buying a disk-based game, Kim said. Typical items in the game are under $1.Other game companies have picked up the torch in the past two years. Zynga has paved the path for virtual goods on Facebook, where many of the gamers are older and female. That&amp;'s a part of the paying audience that Kim didn&amp;'t anticipate. Virtual goods sales are expected to generate $1.6 billion in revenues in the U.S., according to market researcher Inside Network.Now, Nexon is investing heavily so that it&amp;'s brand of games &amp;8212' with large downloadable files with lots of story-rich content &amp;8212' don&amp;'t get surpassed by either mobile games or Facebook games.The company recently introduced Big Bang, a series of major updates to the game that entirely revamp the game world, much like Blizzard Entertainment has done with its World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion.Worldwide, MapleStory has more than 95 million registered users who play its colorful, two-dimensional game that scrolls from side to side. They can customize their avatars, or virtual characters, with hair, clothing pets, and weapons.To celebrate its millionth shopper, Nexon is rewarding all of its past shoppers with rewards of NX, the virtual currency used to purchase items in its games.Previous Story: Apple removes WikiLeaks app after just three days in App StorePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: MapleStoryCompanies: Nexon, Nexon AmericaPeople: Min Kim          Tags: MapleStoryCompanies: Nexon, Nexon AmericaPeople: Min KimDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hitwise: Groupon Is Getting 79% Of U.S. Group-Buying Visits Vs. 8% For&nbsp'LivingSocial]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hitwise-groupon-is-getting-79-of-u-s--group-buying-visits-vs--8-fornbsplivingsocial</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hitwise-groupon-is-getting-79-of-u-s--group-buying-visits-vs--8-fornbsplivingsocial</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hitwise-groupon-is-getting-79-of-u-s--group-buying-visits-vs--8-fornbsplivingsocial</guid>
<description><![CDATA[As Groupon weighs a $5 billion+ acquisition offer from Google and LivingSocial is believed to be about get a $100 Million to $150 million cash infusion from Amazon, it is instructive to look at the difference between the two companies.  Hitwise looked at a 81 group-buying sites and came up with the chart above, which shows that Groupon commands 79 percent of U.S. visits to the group buying category, whereas No. 2 site LivingSocial only has an 8 percent share.  This is what market leadership looks like, and explains why Google may be willing to overpay for Groupon.  In general, the Internet coalesces around market leaders for different categoriesa4&quot;the gorillas.  And the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 is usually vast.  It was true in auctions (eBay), e-commerce (Amazon), search (Google), and social networking (Facebook).  And it will happen in social commerce as well.Although, earlier today, a LivingSocial executive noted at the SAI Ignition conference that LivingSocial is on track to do $500 million in revenues next year (it wasn&amp;'t clear if he was talking about the gross value of deals going through LivingSocial or the actual revenues that will be booked by LivingSociala4&quot;whereas Groupon will do well above $500 million in top-line revenues this year).  What do you think  Will social commerce be yet another winner-take-most marketUPDATE: LivingSocial just confirmed a $175 million investment from Amazon. CrunchBase InformationGrouponLivingSocialInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Custom presentation designs in 48 hours for $99 - Springwise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=custom-presentation-designs-in-48-hours-for-99---springwise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=custom-presentation-designs-in-48-hours-for-99---springwise</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Style &amp; Leisure</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=custom-presentation-designs-in-48-hours-for-99---springwise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Whether through crowdsourcing or highly focused online offerings, businesses have an increasing number of affordable choices for numerous professional services. Now joining the ranks of SitePoint, crowdSPRING, Inkd and PointBanner for graphic design, Gramlee and Wordy for editing, customAdArt for advertising images,  and We Shoot Bottles, Flaschenfotos and ViaU! for photography a4&quot; to name just a few a4&quot; there''s PPT Salon, an Indian firm that specializes in custom presentations with a 48-hour turnaround.Goa-based PPT Salon is a specialized presentation design service that functions completely online. In part as a result, it''s able to offer lower prices and quicker turnaround than traditional design agencies can, it says. Steering clear of templates, PPT Salon creates custom, finished presentations at prices beginning at just USD 99 for a presentation with 20 slides. Corporate monthly accounts with preferential rates are also available, as are advanced presentation designs including research, photography and more. PPT Salon serves and delivers to clients anywhere in the world.As the evolution of professional services proceeds, another price barrier falls. One to adapt on a local or niche basis a4&quot; or to try out for your own next big sales pitch Alternatively, what other professional services are still priced out of reach for smaller clients...Website: www.pptsalon.comContact: hajam@pptsalon.com<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[VC investing rebounds in Q2, still at mid-1990s levels]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=vc-investing-rebounds-in-q2-still-at-mid-1990s-levels</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=vc-investing-rebounds-in-q2-still-at-mid-1990s-levels</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Science</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=vc-investing-rebounds-in-q2-still-at-mid-1990s-levels</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Venture capital investment activity rebounded to $3.7 billion in the second quarter, but the gains are only enough to put the sector on track to match annual levels from more than 12 years ago.While the change in direction is reassuring, it may be a dead-cat bounce after the first-quarter&amp;'s precipitous 40 percent drop in venture capital activity. We argued then that the goldrush era of technology prospecting may be over, as Silicon Valley has to hunker down and build businesses with more modest returns. Compared to one year ago, investment has plummeted 51 percent, according to the Moneytree report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the National Venture Capital Association.Indeed, investment in Internet-specific companies fell 15 percent, and software company funding was virtually unchanged from the first quarter at $644 million.Instead, biotechnology and medical device companies have piqued investor attention, attracting the highest share of funding with $1.5 billion. That&amp;'s 47 percent more than last quarter. Cleantech investment also rebounded, with a 15 percent gain matching the overall average increase.Other areas like semiconductors and media and entertainment saw another quarter of shrinking flows. Semiconductor investment fell to a 10-year low while media and entertainment financing dropped off 48 percent.The one promising note of the report was that early stage investments have shot up 67 percent. The average seed deal size was $9.5 million, more than double the $3.7 million level in the first quarter.Next Story: SlideRocket surges ahead with $5M for presentation collaboration Previous Story: Real Networks hopes syndication will make up for falling game pricesPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: biotechnology, finance, funding, Investment, Venture Capital          Tags: biotechnology, finance, funding, Investment, Venture CapitalKim-Mai covered social networking for VentureBeat until July 2010. To reach VentureBeat's current writers, email tips@venturebeat.com.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[OMG/JK: Attack Of The Anthropomorphized&nbsp'Smartphones!]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=omgjk-attack-of-the-anthropomorphizednbspsmartphones</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=omgjk-attack-of-the-anthropomorphizednbspsmartphones</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=omgjk-attack-of-the-anthropomorphizednbspsmartphones</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It&amp;'s finally happened. MG&amp;'s love for all things Apple has manifested itself in physical form, and he now wears an iPhone to work every day. The doctors say we should try to make him feel like this is normal, so I&amp;'ve taken to donning a matching Android handset. Clashes are frequent a4&quot;a4sthe hallway leading to TC HQ literally isn&amp;'t big enough for both of us, and the rest of the team is tasked with making sure we don&amp;'t push each other&amp;'s buttons.Or maybe it&amp;'s just time for a special Halloween edition of OMG/JK.This week&amp;'s topics include the forthcoming Verizon iPhone, which seems to finally be more than just an Apple fanboy&amp;'s pipe dream. And who could forget the infamous white iPhone a4&quot;a4sthe chink in Apple&amp;'s armor that keeps reminding the public that Steve Jobs is not quite omnipotent.  We also discuss the company formerly known as UberCab, which is facing a new foe: the City of San Francisco.And don&amp;'t miss the thrilling struggle as I attempt to say the word &amp;''anthropomorphized&amp;'' on air. Will I succeed You&amp;'ll have to watch til the episode&amp;'s haunting conclusion to find out.Here are some articles related to this week&amp;'s topics:An Anthropomorphized White iPhone 4 Is Confronted Regarding Its Inability to Be Shipped (Daring Fireball)For Apple, AT&amp;amp'T Is The Company You Sleep With, Verizon Is The Company You MarryBarnes &amp;amp' Noble Reveals The Nook Color, Please Act SurprisedUberCab Cease &amp;amp' Desist Means One Thing: Theya4a4re Onto SomethingSubscribe to us on iTunes!<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook&'s Dominance Leaves President No&nbsp'Choice]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebookrsquos-dominance-leaves-president-nonbspchoice</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebookrsquos-dominance-leaves-president-nonbspchoice</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebookrsquos-dominance-leaves-president-nonbspchoice</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In an effort to increase voter turnout for next Tuesday&amp;'s Congressional Election, President Barack Obama has put out a call on Twitter for constituents to install a Facebook application called the &amp;''Commit to Vote Challenge.&amp;'' Like a more noble version of Fast Company&amp;'s Influence Project, the Commit to Vote Challenge takes advantage of the &amp;''network effect&amp;'' by using Facebook to spam your friends about voting.a4sFacebook&amp;'s population is currently greater than that of the United States.Right now according to the app, I&amp;'m a humble &amp;''Committer&amp;'' and all I need to &amp;''reach the next level&amp;'' is inspire just one more friend to vote. I can also &amp;''compete with my friends to inspire the most commitments&amp;'' which is a serious case of social gaming mechanics taken too far. Paid for by the DNC and Organizing for America, I bet this thing is assuming your Facebook friends are Democrats.Take a look at the Commit to Vote Challenge interface below, it&amp;'s scary. Also: Why is our (American) President tweeting using the (Canadian) HootsuiteCrunchBase InformationFacebookInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Blue Water Satellitea4a4s Data Diving:&nbsp'AVery21st-CenturyIndustry]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blue-water-satellitersquos-data-divingnbspa very 21st-century industry</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blue-water-satellitersquos-data-divingnbspa very 21st-century industry</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blue-water-satellitersquos-data-divingnbspa very 21st-century industry</guid>
<description><![CDATA[At first glance, Blue Water Satellite might strike you as a poor fit for a post on this website. We&amp;'re so inundated with web-based startups that we forget there is a world out there full of technology startups that are just as new and just as interesting, but have nothing whatever to do with the web. But in addition to being an interesting business in its own right, Blue Water Satellite is an example of the deep data analysis industry which in a way has always been with us, but more recently has been flourishing due to the sheer volume of useful data.At Disrupt we saw an impressive toolset for social data provided by DataSift. Those guys surely have a rosy future if only because they&amp;'re getting in early to the web data-diving game. Similarly, Blue Water Satellite (BWS) has a very specific mission at the moment, but the way they&amp;'re branching out, they hope to be a leader in the growing business of satellite and environmental data analysis. Providing a unique and powerful way to visualize or interpret a huge amount of data is turning into quite the business model.The core concept at BWS is detection of cyanobacteria. It&amp;'s a microorganism found all over the world, and which can be dangerous above certain (disputed) concentrations. A pigment found in these creatures, phycocyanin, makes them susceptible to satellite surveillance, but only with the right tools. Traditionally, it&amp;'s tested by actual boats dipping into test waters and sending the actual water to an actual lab &amp;mdash' a time-consuming process BWS estimates to cost around $300 per data point (that is, per dip), which limits the amount of testing that resource management organizations (think parks departments, the EPA, farmers, industrialists) can or are willing to do. A large lake or series of lakes in a state park might need several launches and a hundred data points several times a year, the costs of which add up for cash-strapped services and nonprofits.With the aim of improving the entire water monitoring industry (and others), BWS researchers spent two years doing the traditional method, so they could compare it with their own, newer method: by performing a complicated and patented algorithm to raw Landsat imaging data (including, but not exclusive to, visible spectrum), BWS is able to detect cyanobacteria with far greater precision, speed, and range than traditional boat-based methods. It&amp;'s a bit like they made a way to Google your lake for the stuff.It&amp;'s also far cheaper: around $0.40 per data point, by their estimate. With that kind of improvement, it seems like only a matter of time before this method is the de facto standard.I spoke with Milt Baker, Blue Water Satellite&amp;'s CEO, about the possibilities and limitations of their business. Coming off reading a number of articles about water scarcity, I asked whether this type of technology was applicable to monitoring municipal watersheds, industrial waste, and so on &amp;mdash' things that could be applied internationally to improve the treatment and availability of potable water. Milt said that because the Landsat data is global, and their job is to perform analysis on it, there&amp;'s really no geographic limitation to their work. He noted that a lot of governments are under pressure to comply with increasingly stringent water standards, and waste and global warming are causing cyanobacteria and other dangerous elements to spike' the old methods of testing aren&amp;'t effective enough.China, for instance, is approaching a water crisis due to the rapid expansion and ineffective regulation of industrial plants, and chances are they&amp;'d see a cost-effective method of outsourcing water testing like this tempting. The scale of the job, too, isn&amp;'t an obstacle. He described a job where they had surveyed a 730,000-acre watershed for around 2% of the $500,000 the governing organization had estimated it would cost. That level of savings could be a lifesaver for strapped governments that need to perform due diligence on their water supply, but can&amp;'t spare $50 million in yearly operational fees.The amount of data provided by Landsat (at 16-day increments, going back to the 80s) and in turn, the amount of data BWS can provide to its clients, is formidable. Milt compared this change to the change that occurred when ocean temperature mapping went from ship-based to satellite-based. The amount of information provided, the cost of that information, and the ease of accessibility made for a revolution in environmental science, and Milt hopes something similar will occur with the monitoring of accessible water.BWS is already capable of detecting phosphorus concentration in land, a useful statistic for agribusiness, and there is R&amp;amp'D going towards detection of animal herds, oil fields, and all the rest of the information hidden in the vasty depths of satellite imagery.As I said earlier, I find this to be at once a very old and a very new industry. The art of meta-analysis and consulting has been around since the first shamans and chiefs, who used their experience to condense and organize knowledge based on their superior and seasoned understanding. And throughout history it has been incumbent on scholarly authorities to do the kind of obscure analysis that either yields great insights or confirms there were none to be had. Think tanks have lately put powerful minds to work for private money.Now, the volume and variety of information being produced is so immense that it has become a business model to simply specialize in the extraction of a very specific kind of knowledge from that information. Imagine if Facebook were to make a year&amp;'s worth of data on their users available to psychologists, sociologists, and epidemiologists &amp;mdash' they would all find different values and trends, all find different ways of making the same set of numbers and characters useful to others.Raw information is becoming like a natural resource, but one which cannot be depleted, or even reached exactly, but rather must be looked at from different angles, with different lenses. Blue Water Satellite has one very specific lens through which we can view the increasing concentrations of toxic bacteria in our waters due to global warming and other factors. Google might take the same data and put our water sources in context with human infrastructure and cross-correlate population growth, political trends, and traffic data. Connecting the dots has become a major industry, and the more dots there are, the more there is to connect between them. Hopefully more businesses like BWS will appear and thrive, directed towards increased awareness and knowledge of our planet and social system, and less directed at (as is the current trend) vanity and convenience.More information can be found at Blue Water Satellite&amp;'s website, where you can learn more about cyanobacteria, BWS&amp;'s methods, and view a sample report.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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