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<title>Haaze.com / bepnozi254 / Published News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2011 07:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Verizon to offer tiered family plans for data devices]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-to-offer-tiered-family-plans-for-data-devices</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-to-offer-tiered-family-plans-for-data-devices</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2011 07:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-to-offer-tiered-family-plans-for-data-devices</guid>
<description><![CDATA[We already knew that Verizon Wireless is promising to convert flat rate smartphone data plans into tiered data plans by summer, a move the carrier has worked toward since adding pricing tiers last autumn. Big Red will also attempt to ease the new financial burden for heavy smartphone data users by introducing family plans as well, said Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo at Reuters Global Technology Summit.Under a family data plan, individual members would presumably be able to use their smartphones,tablets, and mobile hot spots while paying a one-time monthly fee.&quot;I think it's safe to assume that at some point you are going to have mega-plans and people are going to share that mega-plan based on the number of devices within their family,&quot; Shammo said. &quot;That's just a logical progression.&quot;Tiered pricing is one way to manage heavy usage that can choke the network's data speeds, while also generating revenue for the company. Although there are no official dates in play yet, the bundled device data plan is one we've been anticipating at CNET for some time.(via Reuters)Related: Verizon CFO hints at global 'iPhone 5,' talks LTE<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Handling the Xperia Neo and Xperia Pro]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=handling-the-xperia-neo-and-xperia-pro</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=handling-the-xperia-neo-and-xperia-pro</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 13 Feb 2011 08:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=handling-the-xperia-neo-and-xperia-pro</guid>
<description><![CDATA[BARCELONA, Spain--Yeah, we know that Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play is the smartphone for which you've really been waiting, but the company had other new handsets to show at Mobile World Congress, too. At its press conference Sunday night, Sony Ericsson also unveiled the Android (Gingerbread)-powered Xperia Neo and Xperia Pro. Both handsets show the hallmarks of Sony Ericsson's Xperia line. Like the Xperia X10 and the Xperia Arc, you'll see trim designs and brilliant 16.7 million-color displays. Sony Ericsson has been on quite a roll with hardware lately and these handsets are no exception. They feel great in the hand and the controls were user-friendly during our brief tour. What's more, the Xperia Pro's keyboard is spacious and comfortable.Follow the photo gallery links for a closer look at each device. We don't know exact availability yet or if the phones will come to the North American market.Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo hands on (photos) Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro hands on (photos) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Rumor: MacBook Pro refresh set for March]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rumor-macbook-pro-refresh-set-for-march</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rumor-macbook-pro-refresh-set-for-march</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rumor-macbook-pro-refresh-set-for-march</guid>
<description><![CDATA[New editions of Apple's MacBook Pro notebooks may be hitting Best Buy next month, according to screenshots of an inventory report apparently obtained by Apple enthusiast site 9to5Mac.(Credit:Apple)The alleged inventory report shows that Best Buy has created a dummy SKU for a mobile Apple computer set for release on March 11.Based on the retailer's report, the machine will cost $1,199. Since that's the cost of the current 13-inch MacBook Pro, it may be a tipoff that prices could remain the same for the refreshed models.These latest tidbits follow reports late last month from MacRumors and other Apple enthusiast sites that supplies have been dwindling for the MacBook Pro, especially the 15-inch and 17-inch models. That typically is a sign of Apple holding back stock as a precursor to refreshing the product line.This is, of course, all speculation until Apple would make an announcement. On that note, MacRumors said recently that it had seen the same inventory reports but was dubious about them because Best Buy had &quot;guessed&quot; at a release date for new MacBook Pros last year and was off by a month. Even 9to5Mac acknowledges that Best Buy's launch dates have missed the mark in the past.Apple last updated its MacBook Pro line in April 2010, so the timing would be right for a refresh. Still, there is one obstacle that Apple and PC vendors must take into account now. That is the impact of Intel's recent disclosure of a flawed Sandy Bridge chipset. With Intel due to start pushing out a fixed version of the chipset in mid-February, Apple could be forced to stall its MacBook Pro update beyond whatever launch date it had initially planned.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[preGame 36: LittleBigPlanet 2]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-36-littlebigplanet-2</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-36-littlebigplanet-2</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-36-littlebigplanet-2</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GE unit invests in biofuels producer]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-unit-invests-in-biofuels-producer</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-unit-invests-in-biofuels-producer</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:10:29 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-unit-invests-in-biofuels-producer</guid>
<description><![CDATA[GE subsidiary GE Energy Financial Services and North Bridge Venture Partners will invest $8 million in a company developing a biofuel production process coupled with the production of biochar.Cool Planet Biofuels converts cellulosic byproducts like plant waste and woodchips into biofuel that can be used in vehicles.Cool Planet Biofuels seems to be developing a process similar to that of Carbonscape, a New Zealand company that produces this biochar as a byproduct of its cellulosic biofuel process.(Credit:Carbonscape)The company's byproduct from the process is biochar, or manmade coal as some call it, which just like conventional charcoal can be burned for fuel. It's something the company says qualifies its biofuel process as being carbon neutral.The biochar can also be buried in the ground serving as both a form of carbon sequestration and soil conditioner for farmland. When put to that use the biofuel can be considered to have a N100 rating (100 percent carbon negative), according to Cool Planet Biofuels.It's similar to a process touted in 2009 by a New Zealand start-up. Carbonscape also makes biofuel with biomass coal as a carbon sequestration byproduct that can be buried in the ground.  Carbonscape's biochar can also be burned for fuel.In addition to the gasoline cellulose-to-biofuel conversion, Cool Planet Biofuels has said it's also developing a one-step catalytic conversion that could yield synthetic diesel or even high-octane gasoline.The Camarillo, Calif.-based company, run by husband and wife team Mike and Charity Cheiky, has received $3 million in funding as part of this deal with another $5 million outstanding, according to the latest SEC filing. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, GE will be getting a seat on the board of Cool Planet Biofuels, according to North Bridge Venture Partners.The investment certainly falls in line with GE's well-publicized goal announced in June that the company plans to invest $10 billion over the next five years in green-focused research and development projects.Cool Planet Biofuels received $3.5 million in a first round of funding in November 2009. This past September, the company assembled a technical advisory board consisting of veterans from Chevron, DuPont, and Shell. Cool Planet Biofuels also seems to be looking to hire mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, machinists, lab technicians, and scientists with petrochemical experience, according to its Web site.&quot;The fuel market is one of the world's largest at about $4 trillion per year. Today, biofuels are only a tiny portion of that market, but are poised for rapid growth based on concerns about global warming and importing oil. Cool Planet's technology could be a major driver in expanding the use of low carbon footprint and locally sourced fuels,&quot; said Basil R. Horangic of North Bridge Venture Partners in a statement.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Instant now on iPhone, Android]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-instant-now-on-iphone-android</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-instant-now-on-iphone-android</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-instant-now-on-iphone-android</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google Instant, unveiled for the desktop in September, is now ready for iPhone and Android users.(Credit:Google)Google Instant has made its way to the mobile phone--at least two of them. Google searchers in the U.S. using theiPhone and Android phones will start seeing Google Instant show up on their devices over the course of today, Google said in a blog post. It's a beta release, meaning Google doesn't want you to get mad at them if it doesn't work exactly right, and unlike the desktop version, you have to turn it on in order to see results as you type. It only works at Google.com in yourmobile browser, but not in any of the other search boxes. This is theoretically a boon to mobile searches, because typing on a mobile device is far more annoying than typing on a full-size keyboard. However, as TechCrunch notes, the limited screen real estate on a mobile device may make the service less useful. The keypad on several touch-screen mobile phones takes up nearly half the screen on its own, and the drop-down box that produces suggested Google Instant results further reduces the page available for the search results page itself. You'll need to be running iOS 4.0 or Android 2.2 in order for this to work, Google said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Live blog Wednesday: Facebook mobile event]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=live-blog-wednesday-facebook-mobile-event</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=live-blog-wednesday-facebook-mobile-event</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=live-blog-wednesday-facebook-mobile-event</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Facebook)Join us tomorrow morning for live coverage of Facebook's mobile event, taking place at the company's headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., at 10:30 a.m. PT. I'll be there, along with CNET's mobile phone and software expert Jessica Dolcourt to bring you news updates and photos, as well as a hands-on if possible of whatever might be announced. As usual, we'll be using Cover It Live to deliver the story as it unfolds. That means you can just bookmark this page and come back to it tomorrow, or plug your e-mail address into the form below, and get a reminder when it's about to start. As for what to expect in the way of news, it could be anything from an updated version of the company's mobile application, all the way to the rumored (and denied) branded smartphone.Related: Why a Facebook Phone may not be nutsFacebook special mobile event<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google&'s big, but is that bad]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googlersquos-big-but-is-that-bad</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googlersquos-big-but-is-that-bad</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googlersquos-big-but-is-that-bad</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Is Google getting too big Yes, argues Steven Pearlstein, a Washington Post business columnist &amp;8212' so big, he says, that the government should start reviewing every one of the company&amp;'s acquisitions on antitrust grounds.But big doesn&amp;'t necessarily mean anticompetitive. With a cash hoard of $33 billion, a market cap of $189 billion, and a money-minting search franchise, Google is going to keep growing, whether critics such as Pearlstein like it or not. The only question is whether it will do so organically a4&quot;- developing technologies and services in-house a4&quot;- or whether it will buy its way into growth. It will likely continue doing both. Though Pearlstein is content with Google&amp;'s &amp;''near-monopoly&amp;'' in search and online advertising, he doesn&amp;'t believe that the company should be allowed to &amp;''buy its way into new markets and new technologies, particularly when the firms being bought already have a dominant position in their respective market niches.&amp;''Google mounted its own defense on Wednesday, not long after the column appeared. All big companies routinely make &amp;''build vs. buy&amp;'' decisions, noted deputy general counsel Don Harrison on Google&amp;'s Public Policy Blog. And he shot down Pearlstein&amp;'s argument that Google&amp;'s size squeezes out deal competitors by citing several deals on which other companies competed against Google.On that second point, Harrison could have been much more scathing. Pearlstein argued that thanks to Google&amp;'s big cash pile, other companies can&amp;'t hope to offer the kinds of premiums that Google does. The deal competitors he cites: Microsoft and Facebook. Need I point you to Microsoft&amp;'s balance sheet, to the many reports about Facebook&amp;'s ever-soaring valuation, or to the recent history of either company&amp;'s acquisitions Tellingly, he doesn&amp;'t mention Apple, which has tangled with Google on several deals (like AdMob). Maybe he left Apple out because it has $50 billion in cash &amp;8212' 50 percent more than Google &amp;8212' and a larger market cap besides. Or because Apple does tend to emphasize organic growth over acquisitions, a strategy which for whatever reason, Pearlstein seems to favor.The main problem with Pearlstein&amp;'s argument is that he cites not a single case where Google&amp;'s dominance of a market has hurt anyone, either through price-gouging or through barriers to entry. He seems to simply be uncomfortable with Google&amp;'s size. And that alone is not enough to block a deal.There are plenty of reasons to consider scrutinizing Google on antitrust grounds. In 2008, it struck a deal with Yahoo on advertising, later pulling the plug in the face of Justice Department scrutiny. Leaving aside the details of the proposed agreement, such deals generallyshould face close scrutiny because they are horizontal a4&quot;- the pact would have strengthened Google&amp;'s already dominant position in online advertising through an agreement with a direct competitor.But the deals Pearlstein cites are different. He bemoans the &amp;''recent acquisitions&amp;'' of YouTube (four years ago) DoubleClick (three and a half years ago) and AdMob (last year). It was &amp;''certainly the case&amp;'' that all three of these companies had dominant positions in their markets when Google snapped them up, he says. That&amp;'s true, although in AdMob&amp;'s case, it&amp;'s hard to say what &amp;''dominant&amp;'' means in a fast-moving, fast-growing market like mobile advertising. And in YouTube&amp;'s case, it&amp;'s hard to say there was much of a market there, since YouTube had a large audience but not much of a business at the point Google bought it.Pearlstein doesn&amp;'t even try to show who these deals have harmed. He cites not a single customer or competitor who suffered from these deals, even theoretically.To take YouTube as an example: Which companies were doing what YouTube was doing before Google bought the company Essentially, there were none. YouTube invented its market, so of course it dominated that market a4&quot;- nobody else had thought of providing such a service. Even more to the point, how can you say Google&amp;'s acquisition hurt the market when the company spent the first several years of its ownership trying to figure out how to make money from the thing What market was it dominating The market for paying for bandwidth to allow people to post video for freeThere are other possible reasons to examine Google on antitrust grounds. Gary Reback, famous for mounting an antitrust case against Microsoft a decade ago, told the New York Times&amp;' DealBook that Google is behaving much like Microsoft did back then -a4&quot; leveraging its power in the search market to foist its content into the marketplace, and to squeeze out competitors. He says Google tweaks its search algorithm to emphasize its own content above that of competitors.For instance, European officials are investigating whether Google lowered the rankings on competitors&amp;' rankings in its search service. And Yelp has complained that Google not only took content from its pages without permission for use on Google Places, the local search directory, but also that Yelp&amp;'s reviews were pushed to the bottom in favor of content from partners licensed by Google.And the Justice Department is probing Google&amp;'s proposed $700 million takeover of ITA Software, which would give Google access to airlines&amp;' flight information. That could take advertising dollars out of the hands of sites like Orbitz and Kayak. Critics say that although Google would ultimately send travelers to such sites to buy their tickets, the actual searches would be run on Google.None of this means, however, that every deal should be probed based on the vague notion that Google is &amp;''too big.&amp;''&amp;''Since Google generally has little existing presence in the market segments of the companies it buys,&amp;'' Pearlstein writes, &amp;''regulators fear that they will be unable to prove to skeptical judges that any one transaction will substantially lessen competition.&amp;''In other words, because regulators have little evidence to present, their ability to make cases is limited.The closest Pearlstein comes to citing the harm done by Google&amp;'s acquisitions is when he writes that, taken in isolation, each deal &amp;''might appear to be relatively benign,&amp;'' but &amp;''taken together, they allow Google to increase the scale and scope of its activities and to further enhance its controlling position across a range of sectors.&amp;''But increasing scale and scope is what businesses do. If the increase reaches the point of being potentially anticompetitive, then regulators can deal with it. But there has to be evidence first.Ultimately, Pearlstein does in his own argument. He notes how it is natural for economies of scale to occur in the technology business. The &amp;''companies with the most customers are able to use that advantage to lower prices, improve quality and increase their lead even further.&amp;''Lower prices and improved quality &amp;8212' who in their right mind would ever want thoseHe describes how network effects and high fixed and low variable costs lead naturally to a few big firms dominating certain markets (lowering prices, improving quality). But he wants the government to put a stop to these &amp;''economic realities.&amp;''He even notes that scale and dominance in the tech business usually doesn&amp;'t last because of the ever-shifting dynamics of innovation. He cites the shrinkage of both Microsoft and IBM in markets they once dominated, or potentially could have, but it doesn&amp;'t appear to dawn on him that the histories of both companies show that tech monopolies tend not to last.Simply because he perceives Google as being &amp;''too big,&amp;'' he&amp;'d rather have a bunch of small companies operating inefficiently and expensively, leaving customers far less satisfied &amp;8212' and, it should be noted, leaving many struggling startups without a profitable exit.Previous Story: iPad social magazine Flipboard adds Google Reader, Flickr and morePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: antitrust, competition, justice department, technology industryCompanies: AdMob, Apple, Facebook, Google, IBM, ITA Software, MicrosoftPeople: Evelyn Rusli, steven pearlstein          Tags: antitrust, competition, justice department, technology industryCompanies: AdMob, Apple, Facebook, Google, IBM, ITA Software, MicrosoftPeople: Evelyn Rusli, steven pearlsteinVentureBeat 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[Cox launches mobile phone service to combat AT&038'T, Verizon]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cox-launches-mobile-phone-service-to-combat-at038t-verizon</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cox-launches-mobile-phone-service-to-combat-at038t-verizon</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cox-launches-mobile-phone-service-to-combat-at038t-verizon</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Cox Communications, the third-largest cable provider in the US, announced today that it&amp;'s launching a mobile phone service that it will bundle with its cable and internet service, Bloomberg reports.The cellular service is launching today in Orange County, California' Omaha, Nebraska' and Hampton Roads, Virginia. The company is hoping to take on phone companies like AT&amp;amp'T and Verizon who have been steadily encroaching on Cox&amp;'s TV market share.Cox says the service will be &amp;''unbelievably fair&amp;'' to consumers by giving money back for unused minutes, and the company will also bundle free TV, Internet, or landline phone service. The company will offer alerts to consumers as they approach their monthly minute limit, and will give 5 cents back for every unused minute (up to $20 a month).24 percent of its customers said they would switch to its mobile service in May, the company said.Cox will use Sprint&amp;'s 3G network initially, but the company is also working on a network of its own, according to the company&amp;'s vice president of wireless, Stephen Bye. The company will offer wireless service only in areas where it operates &amp;8212' it has no plans to become a national carrier. Its monthly contracts will start at $39.99, and the company will offer free calling to other Cox cellphones and landlines.Cox will offer an array of Android handsets initially, including the HTC Desire, Motorola Milestone and LG Axis. The company will expand its offering based on customer demand, according to Bye. The company will sell the phones at its Cox Solutions Stores.The news makes Cox the first cable company to pursue a wireless service offering, as well as the first to offer a &amp;''quadruple play&amp;'' of services (wireless, TV, internet, and landline phone). Cox and other cable companies have a long history of joint ventures to enter the wireless business &amp;8212' often with Sprint as their partner &amp;8212' but none seem to have taken off as planned.I can certainly imagine Cox customers being tempted by wireless plans bundled with other Cox services. But building its own network seems foolish when the company can easily lease service from major carriers. The company may eventually save some money by building its own network, but there&amp;'s no guarantee it will be able to recoup its costs.Photo via sfxericNext Story: Amazon now lets you gift Kindle ebooks to anyone Previous Story: OpenFeint finds a way to co-exist with Apple&amp;'s Game Center for the iPhonePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: cable, cellphones, cellular, phone, TVCompanies: AT&amp;amp'T, Cox, Google, sprint, VerizonPeople: Stephen Bye          Tags: cable, cellphones, cellular, phone, TVCompanies: AT&amp;amp'T, Cox, Google, sprint, VerizonPeople: Stephen ByeDevindra 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[ShopSocial locks down $1.2M for &''commerce as a social service&'']]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shopsocial-locks-down-1-2m-for-8220commerce-as-a-social-service8221</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shopsocial-locks-down-1-2m-for-8220commerce-as-a-social-service8221</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shopsocial-locks-down-1-2m-for-8220commerce-as-a-social-service8221</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ShopSocial, an online commerce site that lets brands reward their customers for buying and sharing offers with friends across social media sites, has raised $1.2 million in venture capital financing, TechCrunch reports.The most recent project of BuzzLogic co-founder-Todd Parsons, ShopSocial lets users share and recommend products and services with their friends via display ads, commerce sites and fan pages.Founded last year, the nascent site &amp;8212' not to be confused with ShopSocially, which just secured funding in October &amp;8212' says it is building a platform that will merge advertising, commerce and social recommendations into a new take it is calling &amp;''commerce as a social service.&amp;''Currently operating in beta mode, ShopSocial also uses what it calls &amp;''merchandising windows&amp;'' for brands, which allow secure transactions for things like group-buying or limited-period sales.The new platform will include buttons on display ads and product pages that users click to &amp;''share&amp;'' deals that they particularly like on Facebook and other social services. In return, users will rack up reward points or special payouts like gift cards and future discounts.The company said it will begin rolling out its new platform sometime this quarter.Investors interested in grabbing a piece of the white-hot social buying market have been throwing money into the sector for months now, as shopping recommendation siteShopSocially announced $1.1 million in first round financing, and Spanish coupon siteGroupalia locked down a4s5 million in its second institutional round of funding.Todaya4a4s infusion is part of a larger trend in investments in startup social media sites that focus on spreading the word about shopping deals.These sites include a4Afriend meet-upa4 forums like SocialMedia, or companies likeGroupon that specialize in finding discount deals on everything from luxury brands to restaurant coupons.Today&amp;'s funding round for ShopSocial was led byMetamorphic Ventures, who werejoined byX/Seed Capital and several unnamed angel investors.Previous Story: Is Twitter no longer a San Francisco startupPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Companies: Buzzlogic, Groupalia, Groupon, Metamorphic Ventures, shopsocial, shopsocially, X/Seed CapitalPeople: todd parsons          Companies: Buzzlogic, Groupalia, Groupon, Metamorphic Ventures, shopsocial, shopsocially, X/Seed CapitalPeople: todd parsonsRiley McDermid is a contributing reporter to VentureBeat. She was previously the online editor at institutional investing and trading forum Markets Media, which she joined in 2008 from Dow Jones/MarketWatch in New York. Her work has appeared in the The New York Times, the Associated Press, Portfolio Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Barrona4a4s. She has won awards from the American Society of Business Publishers and Editors, the Magazine Association of the Southeast, the Mississippi Press Association and the Atlanta Press Club, and was a finalist for the Pacemaker Prize for excellence in news reporting.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[The 30 Startups People Care About The&nbsp'Most]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-30-startups-people-care-about-thenbspmost</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-30-startups-people-care-about-thenbspmost</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-30-startups-people-care-about-thenbspmost</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Yesterday Ia4swrote about a service called StartupFollower, which allows users to sign up for email notifications when TechCrunch writes about their favorite startups. a4sToday, after receiving 738 signups and 3138 total company follows post launch, founder Tim Suzman sent us the StartupFollowera4sfollow distribution list. While informal, the list gives a rough idea of which companies our readers want to receive news about, based on subscriptions.Prior to StartupFollower, we knew that 23% of you wanted to read more news about companies, but we had no concrete idea which ones. Now we know thata4sFacebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Quora, Google, Groupon, Apple, RockMelt, Zynga and TechCrunch are on your top ten list, or at least they were yesterday.And, allowing for a disproportionate following of startups that were recently on TC (eh hem Rockmelt) the list jives pretty well with the amount we cover rockstars like Facebook and Twitter, for example.Likewise, we and other tech publications often get dinged in the comments for covering biggies like Apple too much, but how could we ignore the fact that Microsoft is below Box.net in the amount of people who want to subscribe to MSFT related newsOther notable bottom feeders IBM, Craigslist and Diaspora. But hey at least they made the list, which is now up to 1387 unique companies followed.a4sFeel free to include any others you think should be on here in the comments.Note: Because technically the definition of a startup isa4s&amp;''a fledgling enterprise,&amp;'' it&amp;'s pretty debatable which companies on this list are still in the startup stage. Even we&amp;'re not that sure, behemoth Facebook won last year&amp;'s Crunchie for &amp;''Best Overall Startup,&amp;'' no joke.Says creator Suzman on StartupFollower&amp;'s loose categorization, &amp;''I figured the most common use case would be to follow startups, but obviously people want to be able to follow Google too.&amp;''You can check out the full list here.CrunchBase InformationStartupFollowerInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Virtual game purchases benefit Haiti Relief Fund - Springwise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=virtual-game-purchases-benefit-haiti-relief-fund---springwise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=virtual-game-purchases-benefit-haiti-relief-fund---springwise</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=virtual-game-purchases-benefit-haiti-relief-fund---springwise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There are plenty of opportunities for companies to demonstrate their generosity even during the best of times, but when disaster strikes, there''s a much greater potential to make a difference. That, no doubt, was part of the motivation behind last year''s Bushfire Housing, and it''s also surely at work in social gaming company Zynga''s Haiti Relief Fund.Starting this past Thursday, Zynga is conducting a special relief campaign in three of its top gamesa4&quot;FarmVille, Mafia Wars and Zynga Pokera4&quot;which together reach more than 40 million users daily. Specifically, players of those games can now purchase limited-edition in-game social goods, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go towards supporting emergency aid in Haiti. Within FarmVille, there''s white corn that will not wither if left unattended for a week' in Mafia Wars, there''s a Haitian drum. Zynga Poker fans, meanwhile, can buy a special chip package in exchange for a rare premium item. Users can also donate directly to the World Food Programme, which has set up an emergency response team to distribute food and other relief to thousands in Haiti.Yet another shining example of the corporate generosity now being expected by what our sister site calls Generation G, Zynga''s Haiti Relief Fund is one to be emulated as soona4&quot;and as oftena4&quot;as possible! (Related: Donated site helps families keep their homes.)Website: www.zynga.comContact: businessdevelopment@zynga.com<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[COLOURlovers Wants To Unleash Your Creative Streak With An iPhone&nbsp'App]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=colourlovers-wants-to-unleash-your-creative-streak-with-an-iphonenbspapp</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=colourlovers-wants-to-unleash-your-creative-streak-with-an-iphonenbspapp</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=colourlovers-wants-to-unleash-your-creative-streak-with-an-iphonenbspapp</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Deep down, each of you has an inner artist yearning to break free and expose your creative juices to the world. Unfortunately that inner artist probably isn&amp;'t especially talented a4&quot;a4sor is at least very out of practice a4&quot;a4swhich is probably why you&amp;'ve kept it locked up for so long.But fear not: CHROMAom is a startup that wants to help, by making it as easy as possible to express yourself creatively in a way that won&amp;'t make your friends giggle or cringe. It boils down self-expression to the creation of color palettes a4&quot;a4sa smattering of five colors that look good together a4&quot;a4sand tonight, it&amp;'s releasing an app called ColorSchemer for the iPhone. You can grab the app from the App Store right here for $2.99.CHROMAom actually has a fairly interesting history a4&quot; the startup resulted from the fusion of color-sharing community COLOURlovers and ColorSchemer, which makes software for matching colors. After the companies merged, CHROMAom received funding from Y Combinator earlier this year.Fire up the ColorSchemer app and it will prompt you to start throwing colors together. This is pretty intuitive a4&quot;a4syou tap on a color wheel, then tap the next open spot in your palette, tap the color wheel again, and so on. But what if you&amp;'re still having trouble coming up with something you&amp;'re proud of Well, ColorSchemer has you covered a4&quot;a4stake a snapshot of something that you thinks looks cool, and it lets you select the colors present in that photo.You can then take this color palette and share it with the 450,000 members on COLOURlovers, the social network that revolves around designs and colors.  The app includes other COLOURlovers integration as well: you can browse through palettes shared by otherusers, leave comments, mark your favorite palettes, and use the other social features on the site.Will it be a hit Probably not on the same order as photo-based creative sharing apps like Instagram, but the application is polished and already has an established audience of color fans. My only major gripe is that you can&amp;'t currently upload the photo you&amp;'ve used to generate a palette, but the company says that this will be coming in the next release.CHROMAom says that it&amp;'s profitable a4&quot; while the COLOURlovers social network is free, the company generates money through its software sales (including a desktop version of ColorSchemer), advertising, and sponsorships.CrunchBase InformationCHROMAomInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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