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<title>Haaze.com / debqowoga / Published News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[iPad 2 sells out internationally]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ipad-2-sells-out-internationally</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ipad-2-sells-out-internationally</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ipad-2-sells-out-internationally</guid>
<description><![CDATA[After launching Friday in 25 countries outside the U.S.,Apple's iPad 2 was already sold out by Saturday afternoon across major markets, according to several reports.(Credit:Apple)The long lines of iPad 2 buyers in the United Kingdom apparently scooped up all the available stock from Apple's stores and other retail outlets throughout the country.Speaking with Apple stores in Regent Street and Covent Garden areas in London, the Web site Pocket-Lint found that supplies were depleted on Saturday with no more stock expected yesterday and no indication of new iPad 2s today. The situation was generally the same at other major retail chains in London, including PC World, Curry's, Phones4U, and Carphone Warehouse.Outside of London, Apple stores in such areas as Birmingham, Manchester, and Bristol also ran out of thetablet, while a sales rep told Pocket-Lint that there's no iPad 2 stock at all in the whole area of South West England.Looking at Canada, Electronista found that several of the Apple stores across the country as well as outlets such as Best Buy and Future Shop had run out of the new iPad. And in Australia, the iPad 2 also sold out over the weekend at Apple stores and third-party retailers, according to the Australian.France saw a similar situation, according to Fortune, with one shopper at Apple's Opera Store in Paris saying that more than 3,000 iPad 2s were sold in just five hours, with the store eventually running out by late Saturday afternoon. The French Web site MacBidouille said that the first eager buyers waited in line for 30 hours.Prospective iPad 2 buyers in the United States have run into the same long lines and depleted stock since the tablet's launch in mid-March. But the tablet's online availability recently eased a bit. Online wait times for the tablet in the U.S. shrunk last week to three to four weeks from four to five weeks. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA['Hurt Locker' lawyers continue antipiracy fight]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hurt-locker-lawyers-continue-antipiracy-fight</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hurt-locker-lawyers-continue-antipiracy-fight</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:10:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hurt-locker-lawyers-continue-antipiracy-fight</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Dunlap, Grubb &amp; Weaver, the law firm that has filed copyright complaints against thousands of accused illegal file sharers on behalf of independent filmmakers this year, is getting some important help. (Credit:Voltage Pictures)DGW, which also operates under the name U.S. Copyright Group, has recruited lawyers from as many as 23 U.S. states to file lawsuits against thousands of suspected film pirates in local courts, according to Thomas Dunlap, the firm's co-founder and one of the participating attorneys. DGW represents about a dozen movie makers, including the producers of Oscar winning film, &quot;The Hurt Locker.&quot; Last month, the firm's efforts appeared to be doomed when it was forced to drop thousands of defendants from one of its suits. The firm had accused hundreds of Time Warner Cable subscribers of pirating a clients' movie and the bandwidth provider agreed to identify only 28 customers a month. DGW possesses Internet protocol addresses but needs ISPs to identify the owners of those addresses. The firm told a federal district court that because of TWC's stance, it would need five years to obtain the names of all the defendants. A federal district judge in Washington, D.C., denied the extension request. She said she wanted to determine sooner rather than later whether her court even had jurisdiction over all the defendants, many of whom live in other states. Dunlap said he would partner with lawyers licensed to practice in other jurisdictions and continue to press the cases. Many attorneys who oppose Dunlap in these copyright cases were skeptical. They figured that there was too little money in suing individuals for violating copyright to cover all the costs and still eke out a profit for attorneys as well as copyright owners. But Dunlap told CNET today that his firm &quot;plans to have all jurisdictions covered by March...we have already identified and served individual defendants in the D.C. cases.&quot; Plenty of obstacles could still trip up DGW's litigation campaign. The courts could still decide that it's not proper to name thousands of defendants in a single complaint. The firm still has yet to prove it will spend the money to pursue someone in court who refuses to pay to settle the case. Dunlap must show that it is willing to absorb big legal fees in order to prove that defendants who don't settle early may end up on the hook for millions of dollars. Jammie Thomas-Rasset, who has fought a copyright suit filed against her by the four largest music labels for five years, currently owes the labels $1.5 million. Her lawyers are appealing that amount. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[WikiLeaks fans should think before they botnet]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-fans-should-think-before-they-botnet</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-fans-should-think-before-they-botnet</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:18:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-fans-should-think-before-they-botnet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There are several versions of the software that allow people to volunteer their computers to be used in pro-Wikileaks denial-of-service attacks.(Credit:Operation Payback)Do you support WikiLeaks Are you mad at critics trying to snuff it out Maybe you're thinking about joining the online protests aimed at shutting down the Web sites of its opponents. Don't.  A loosely organized group of vigilantes under the name Anonymous have turned the botnet guns of their Operation Payback campaign, which previously targeted antipiracy organizations, on PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Senator Joe Lieberman, Sarah Palin, and others who have criticized WikiLeaks or stopped doing business with the document-sharing project. The WikiLeaks fallout has hit a frenzy since the site began releasing diplomatic cables last month that have proved embarrassing for the U.S. government's diplomatic efforts. The modern-day equivalent of walking the picket line with a sign is launching denial-of-service attacks against target Web sites in order to send a message and try to interfere with their business. But the electronic version is illegal. &quot;Participating in a botnet with the intention of shutting down a Web site violates the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act,&quot; said Jennifer Granick, a lawyer at Zwillinger Genetski who specializes in Internet law and hacking cases. &quot;The thing people need to understand is that even if you have a political motive, it doesn't change the fact that the activity is unlawful.&quot; &quot;There may be strength in numbers...There's only so many people the police could go after. But that doesn't mean that they couldn't find out who is behind the unmasked IP numbers and file computer charges against them.&quot;--Jennifer Granick, attorney, Zwillinger Genetski One person accused of being connected with the attacks has already been arrested. Police in the Netherlands arrested a 16-year-old hacker earlier this week. It's unclear what his role allegedly was.  Typical botnets are created by criminals who use viruses and other methods to sneak malware onto computers that then allows them to commandeer the machines for distributed denial-of-service (DOS) attacks without the computer owners knowing it. Hijacked computers are being used in the Operation Payback campaign, but the focus has been getting individuals to voluntarily join. Thousands of people from around the world are downloading the LOIC (Low Orbit Ion Cannon) software so that their computer will attack the targets the Anonymous organizers specify. New versions of the DOS tool have emerged this week. There is a version for Linux and a Windows version that includes a &quot;Hivemind&quot; feature to connect to an Internet Relay Chat server and allow the organizers to control what site the computer targets.  There is even a JavaScript version that runs on any device, including smart phones. &quot;The JavaScript one, you just point the browser at a site and say 'go,'&quot; said Jose Nazario, senior manager of security research at Arbor Networks. As many as 3,000 computers voluntarily participated in attacks earlier this week, and an estimated 30,000 others appeared to be hijacked, according to Sean-Paul Correll, a threat researcher at Panda Labs who has been following the attacks closely and communicating with Operation Payback organizers.  There's a snag, however, for the volunteer botnet protesters--their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are not masked, so the attacks could ultimately be traced back to the computers launching them, experts say. Of course, it's up to the discretion of prosecutors as to whether or not individual botnet volunteers will be fingered by authorities.  &quot;There may be strength in numbers,&quot; said Granick. &quot;There's only so many people the police could go after. But that doesn't mean that they couldn't find out who is behind the unmasked IP numbers and file computer charges against them.&quot; Operation Payback is fending off DOS attacks that have scuttled its efforts. The servers being used to provide the infrastructure for Operation Payback have been taken offline intermittently. No one has taken responsibility for those attacks. &quot;Right now it appears they are regrouping and strategizing for future attacks,&quot; said Correll. (Anonymous explains that its goal is to raise awareness not interfere with targets' critical infrastructure.) Meanwhile, a separate campaign sprang up out of nowhere that could give WikiLeaks fans a more legal way of expressing their support for the cause. An online flyer for &quot;Operation Leakspin&quot; published by Boing Boing encourages people to find juicy bits in the leaked cables and spread them virally on the Internet in blog posts and YouTube videos and use unrelated tags that will ensure broad interest.  It's unclear who is behind Operation Leakspin. &quot;There's no hierarchical structure (to the Anonymous collective), so when things happen, like their server infrastructure is under attack, people tend to want to take control of the campaign,&quot; Correll said.  &quot;Even though thousands of people want to participate there doesn't seem to be a cohesive plan about what to do next,&quot; he said. &quot;It's fizzling out.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Godzilla 2012: The new GT-R]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=godzilla-2012-the-new-gt-r</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=godzilla-2012-the-new-gt-r</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 20 Nov 2010 08:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=godzilla-2012-the-new-gt-r</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Antuan Goodwin/CNET)2012 Nissan GT-R (photos) When Nissan unleashed its latest version of the GT-R in 2007, it seemed there was no room for improvement. Engineered to extreme levels, this GT-R used a high power twin turbo V-6, essentially a racing engine, a dual clutch six speed automated manual transmission, and a very advanced all-wheel-drive system.But Nissan demonstrates with the 2012 model that technology can always be improved, increasing engine output by 45 horsepower. And what looks like a minor bodywork update also increases downforce by 10 percent. For a cosmetic update, Nissan added LED running lights.We also found a slight mystery on the all-wheel-drive control switch. In the most recent version of the GT-R we've driven, a 2010 model, the all-wheel-drive switch offered racing, normal, and snow modes. In the cabin of the 2012 model we noticed the Snow label has been replaced by Save.Could Nissan have added a driver-programmable all-wheel-drive mode It seems like you would need more than a simple save button for that, but we shall see as more information on the 2012 model comes out.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA['Virtual strip search' backlash goes viral (week in review)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=virtual-strip-search-backlash-goes-viral-week-in-review</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=virtual-strip-search-backlash-goes-viral-week-in-review</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=virtual-strip-search-backlash-goes-viral-week-in-review</guid>
<description><![CDATA[TSA administrator John Pistole tells U.S. Senate he wants &amp;34'partnership&amp;34' with flying public irked about full-body scans.(Credit:U.S. Senate)The Internet is helping to fuel anger over air traveler screening, but changes to what some have termed a &quot;virtual strip search&quot; are unlikely to materialize before the busy Thanksgiving travel period draws near. John Tyner, a software engineer from Oceanside, Calif., became an Internet sensation after telling a TSA screener: &quot;If you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested.&quot; Tyner had the foresight to record the exchange on his mobile phone (videos are here) and is now facing a possible lawsuit for entering a security line and then not allowing a government employee access to his crotch during a pat-down search.Foes who had hoped a Senate hearing would lead to a privacy outcry on Capitol Hill were disappointed when Democratic senators applauded the Obama administration and Republicans offering only modest criticism. Indeed, Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate committee overseeing air travel, told the TSA chief: &quot;I think you're doing a terrific job.&quot; An administrator with the Transportation Security Agency said the agency would be &quot;announcing some new policies&quot; in the &quot;near future&quot; that will change the screening process for pilots, who have protested being forced to choose between an X-ray machine's &quot;virtual strip search&quot; or a pat-down from a TSA agent.&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Senator: TSA's whole-body scans are 'right thing'&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Transcript: Senate hearing on TSA, full-body scannersMore headlinesFacebook unveils e-mail, the sequel &quot;Seamless messaging&quot; will take into account e-mail, IMs, SMS, Facebook messages, and more, and offer a &quot;social in-box&quot; to set priorities, says CEO Mark Zuckerberg.&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Would e-mail transform Facebook, or vice versa&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Facebook's new in-box brings MS Office support&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Facebook acquired start-up assets for mail overhaul&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' MySpace 'Mashup' adds Facebook ConnectThe Beatles come to iTunes at lastFans of the Fab Four can now get the entire Beatles catalog via the iTunes store. The news marks a long-time-coming, personal victory for Apple's Steve Jobs.&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Report: Google, Amazon pursued Beatles too&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Forget the Beatles--Garth Brooks still AWOL on iTunes &amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Where are the Beatles-branded iPhone, iPod, and iPad&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Sirius tries to upstage iTunes with McCartney news U.S.: Beijing backs hacking on 'massive scale'Commission report to Congress says hacking by Chinese government, individuals, and organizations into networks in the U.S. and elsewhere has &quot;extensive intelligence and reconnaissance components.&quot;Google's Schmidt teases new Android phone No specific details were released, but CEO Eric Schmidt held up an unannounced Android phone during his Web 2.0 Summit talk that uses a new wireless chip.Google Voice finally in Apple's App Store One of the more convoluted App Store approval processes has come to an end now that a native Google Voice app is available for theiPhone.&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Google Voice, other services soon in Google Apps &amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Google's own office blurred out on Street View Competitive unease hovers over Web 2.0The Web 2.0 Summit conference in San Francisco made plenty of attendees and speakers nervous about the level of ill will in the Valley these days. But here's a thought: Isn't that just business &amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Zuckerberg: We don't have the answers yet&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Bartz: Google is great, Facebook is competition&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Twitter co-founder riffs on Facebook, developers&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Netflix CEO: iPad affects us 'very little'&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' FCC chair: U.S. faces 'innovators' dilemma'Why film studios are betting on Web againHollywood could have snubbed Netflix, ditched Hulu and stuck with traditional distribution. Instead, they're licensing content for Web TV and taking on former partners, including theaters owners.&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Studio didn't report 'Potter' leak to feds&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' New Amazon movie studio seeks submissionsAlso of note&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Webroot's safety tips for holiday online shopping&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Intel Sandy Bridge chip coming January 5&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Kinect officially a hit with 1 million units sold .postBody h3, .postBody h4{font-size: 1.2em'margin: 10px 0 0 0 'padding: 0px'font-weight: bold'border-bottom: none'}<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Would e-mail transform Facebook, or vice versa]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=would-e-mail-transform-facebook-or-vice-versa</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=would-e-mail-transform-facebook-or-vice-versa</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=would-e-mail-transform-facebook-or-vice-versa</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Facebook&amp;39's invite for its event next week.(Credit:CNET)Facebook has overcome plenty of challenges and defied plenty of detractors in its ascent to Internet power. It looks likely to take on a new set of both Monday with an expected new e-mail service.ZDNet blogger Mary Jo Foley published word of the expected Facebook e-mail service yesterday, along with the possibility that Facebook will integrate it with Microsoft's online Office tools. And today, TechCrunch also said Facebook will unveil its e-mail service, called Titan. Facebook's invitation, styled like an air mail envelope, suggests there's truth to the reports.E-mail is in many ways a natural extension of Facebook's service. Both are about communicating with your contacts.But true e-mail would be a big change for Facebook for one reason: for it to reach its full potential, the service would have to reach beyond Facebook's walled garden.Facebook already has a rudimentary system for direct, private messages among its members, including several people in one discussion thread. But it's missing not just the ability to communicate outside Facebook, but also countless useful features available in real e-mail. Forget filtering, free-form attachments, a means to organize messages, and access from third-party e-mail client software such as Outlook or Thunderbird.The big missing piece is the ability to reach to contacts beyond Facebook. Restricting messages to members of Facebook--except perhaps as an early stage to work out the kinks and accustom Facebook users and advertisers to the service--would be a regression to the bad old days of AOL, CompuServe, and Prodigy.Even if Facebook e-mail can communicate with the outside world, as seems likely, there are different degrees of openness and control that come with Web-based e-mail. Google's Gmail is the leader right now when it comes to e-mail openness. E-mail software, mobile phones, and rival e-mail services can check Gmail through the POP or IMAP e-mail transfer protocols. That makes it possible, for example, to back up your entire e-mail archive with Thunderbird if you want to move to a different service. And Gmail messages can automatically be forwarded to another address if want to try it without committing or to dump it for something else.That's not to suggest it's impossible to launch a walled-off service. I just think it would be a step in the wrong direction.Instant messaging provides a cautionary tale. With largely non-interoperable networks from Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL, we had to grapple with multiple chat programs, getting our contacts to join our networks, or employ imperfectly compatible multi-network chat programs. And instead of instant messaging growing to be a full-fledged service fundamental to Net communications, it was left stagnating on the sidelines. Who knows what IM might have blossomed into had it been shared or standardizedFacebook vs. Google Will Facebook match Gmail's relative openness with its own e-mail service The recent spat between Google and Facebook regarding members' ownership of contact data, including Google's new requirements of sharing reciprocity for those who ingest Gmail contacts data, puts the question into sharper focus.It also shows just how fierce the fight is between the two companies over social matters. Gmail hasn't truly been threatened by Facebook so far. But Google hasn't been able to match Facebook's social networking tools and membership participation, despite Buzz riding on the coattails of the Gmail contacts list.Facebook has a real shot at being relevant for personal e-mail, given how many hours people spend there already. With Facebook pages, the service is getting more of a business angle, at least for promotional purposes, but I don't imagine companies will be ditching Exchange for Facebook any time soon.It's hard to get people to switch e-mail services, though. Google's Gmail is the present darling of the techno-in-crowd, even to the point that the trend-mocking Stuff White People Like blog asserts that having a Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or AOL e-mail address is grounds for breaking up. Yet those older services still have tens of millions of active members. Inertia is a powerful force, especially when it comes to the hassles of changing your contact information with friends, banks, airlines, retailers, business contacts, and countless other organizations that use your address.The big unknown, though, is what Facebook e-mail could supply beyond an inbox and address book. Gmail genuinely innovated with storage capacity, the ability to archive e-mail, secure communications by default, and customization through labs features. What might Facebook accomplish, especially given its quantitative knowledge of who is most important to whom in the social realm<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[First Windows Phone 7 devices on sale now]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=first-windows-phone-7-devices-on-sale-now</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=first-windows-phone-7-devices-on-sale-now</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=first-windows-phone-7-devices-on-sale-now</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In February 2010, Microsoft introduced Windows Phone 7 to the world. With the complete overhaul of its mobile operating system, Microsoft got the tech world excited about the OS again with its fresh user interface, added features, and promises of improved performance. We've had to wait a long time since then to see ifWindows Phone 7 actually delivers everything it promises, but we finally got a chance to find out, and for the most part it does. There are certainly aspects that need to be fine-tuned and features that need to be added, but overall, Microsoft has created a very solid foundation to get them back in the game. Now, as we enter the second week of November, the first wave of devices are ready to hit the streets, with the Samsung Focus and HTC Surround arriving at AT&amp;amp'T, and the HTC HD7 heading to T-Mobile, all available starting today. We have full reviews of all three smartphones, as well as a in-depth look at Microsoft's new operating system, so read on to get all the details. Samsung FocusSamsung Focus(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET) Like the Surround, the Focus features a standard candy-bar design. The display is especially brilliant and we appreciated the great call quality and camera performance. On the downside, the Focus feels a bit plasticky and theXbox Live games load too slowly.The bottom line: For anyone looking for an alternative to theiPhone and who wants better multimedia features and a more organized user interface than Android offers, the Samsung Focus with Windows Phone 7 has all that plus solid performance and a sleek design. Samsung Focus review and First Look videoSamsung Focus photo gallery HTC Surround HTC Surround(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET) On the outside, we liked the speakers and the kickstand, and inside she appreciated the 1GHz processor, the 5-megapixel camera, and the full set of wireless options, Yet, we weren't crazy about the device's heft, the low speakerphone volume, and the limited support for landscape mode. Bottom line: The HTC Surround features the high-quality design that we've come to expect from HTC, but the only thing its built-in speakers really add to the phone is weight. Unless you're set on the speakers, the Samsung Focus is a sleeker Windows Phone 7 device for AT&amp;amp'T with slightly better performance and options. HTC Surround review and First Look videoHTC Surround photo gallery HTC HD7 HTC HD7(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET) The HTC HD7 holds the distinction for having the largest display of all the Windows Phone 7 devices available in the U.S. At 4.3 inches, the touch screen certainly plays well with the operating system's multimedia and gaming capabilities. We certainly would have liked to seen a couple more hardware improvements but overall, the HD7 delivers in a big way. Bottom line: The hardware could use a bit of updating, but the HTC HD7 for T-Mobile combines the power of Windows Phone 7 with a large touch screen and delivers satisfying performance. HTC HD7 review and First Look videoHTC HD7 photo gallery Windows Phone 7 OS  Though it's missing some important features like copy/paste, third-party multitasking, and universal search, there's a lot we like about Windows Phone 7. The Zune integration is killer, the core apps are much improved, and we commend Microsoft for being big enough to acknowledge that its old OS wasn't working and taking a chance on rebuilding something from the ground up. The end result is something fresh, fun, and functional. Windows Phone 7 OS review Editors' note: The original version of this story was posted October 20. It has been updated to reflect the November 8 launch of Windows Phone 7 handsets. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[The First Augmented Reality Star Wars Game, Falcon Gunner, Hits The App&nbsp'Store]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-first-augmented-reality-star-wars-game-falcon-gunner-hits-the-appnbspstore</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-first-augmented-reality-star-wars-game-falcon-gunner-hits-the-appnbspstore</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-first-augmented-reality-star-wars-game-falcon-gunner-hits-the-appnbspstore</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Star Wars and video games go hand-in-hand.  There is a long line of Star Wars-themed games going back to the days of arcade games, and continuing through home console and mobile games.  Now, the first augmented reality Star Wars game for the iPhone just hit the app store.  It is called Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner ($4.99, iTunes link).The game starts with the scene from the original Star Wars inside the Millennium Falcon after they escape the Death Star and the TIE Fighters attack.  You are Luke Skywalker in the gunner&amp;'s turret below, and you turn the iPhone to rotate around and shoot the attacking TIE Fighters while Han Solo and Princess Leah either encourage or heckle you depending on your skills.  (&amp;''Let me guess, you are trying not to hit anyone.&amp;'')  In the 360-degree background is the Death Star and an earth-like planet, which come into view depending on which way you turn.  The game is completely immersive, and works especially well while sitting in a swivel office chair.The game also has an augmented reality mode which replaces the computer graphics background with your camera view.  So you can play in your room or outdoors and the spaceships look like they are coming in from the distance.  (see video below, which was taken from the Empire State Building).  Be careful doing this in public, otherwise you might become that guy depicted in this other promo video showing what you might look like if you play the game in public.  The augmented reality mode is fun to show people, but for pure gameplay I prefer the full-graphics mode.  I&amp;'ve been playing a pre-release version of the game for a few days.  I am not  a game guy, but there is a real Wow factor here.Falcon Gunner is licensed from Lucasfilm and published by THQ Wireless, but it was designed and developed by Vertigore Games, a startup incubated at Futurity Ventures.  &amp;''It is like bringing Star Wars into your world, which is what a lot of people want to do,&amp;'' says Edo Segal, the CEO of Futurity.  The game is built on top of Vertigore&amp;'s immersive game engine, which was also used to build a previous game called Pacific Defense.  &amp;''We pulled it the second we got the Star Wars license,&amp;'' says Segal of Pacific Defense.  He and CEO Josh Shabtai wanted to put all of Vertigore&amp;'s efforts into the Star Wars game instead.  &amp;''Having a branded property in a world of 500,000 apps is worth more than however creative we could have become,&amp;'' says Segal.Star Wars Arcade is not a two or three-man effort.  It took about 30 people, many of them contractors, to build the game.  The total development budget ran into six figures.  That is a lot for an iPhone game.  &amp;''We are getting to this inflection point where you can put production values into an iPhone game,&amp;'' says Segal.  The entire game was written in C from the ground up, with the 3D models designed specifically with the retina display of the iPhone 4 in mind.  Obviously, the game really needs to be a hit for all that expense and effort to pay off, but it could also set a new benchmark for games on the iPhone platform.An iPad version will come out soon, and more Star Wars-themed games are in the planning stages (hence, the &amp;''Arcade&amp;'' in the name), which will tie together different immersive adventures across the Star Wars universe.  Vertigore is also creating immersive iPhone games for Hasbro&amp;'s upcoming 3D View-Master.  Up until now augmented reality apps have been nothing more than cool gimmicks.  Vertigore wants to popularize 3D-immersive technology by taking it mainstream.  Segal sees two approaches: you can go for complex augemenetd reality tricks, or just make it fun to shoot things. He is taking the latter apparaoch CrunchBase InformationVertigoreTHQiPhone 4Information provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Speaking of&8230' Using Your Medium with Reason&'s Nick Gillespie&nbsp'(TCTV)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=speaking-of8230-using-your-medium-with-reasonrsquos-nick-gillespienbsptctv</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=speaking-of8230-using-your-medium-with-reasonrsquos-nick-gillespienbsptctv</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=speaking-of8230-using-your-medium-with-reasonrsquos-nick-gillespienbsptctv</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It is 25 degrees here in NY and I feel like a wuss. We California people aren&amp;'t cut out for the weather out here. I&amp;'ve got thermal underwear (top &amp;amp' bottom), another shirt on top, pants, sweater, jacket, long coat, gloves and a hat on. So, the next time I bitch about it being 50 degrees and windy in San Francisco, I need to remind myself to STFU. These people endure some serious cold. Look at that photo to the left of Nick Gillespie. I think that&amp;'s what he wears when it is this cold.So, what would draw me out of San Francisco weather to NY this time of year The celebration of John Stagliano&amp;8216's acquittal presented by the Reason Foundation and hosted by this week&amp;'s TCTV guest Nick Gillespie. John Stagliano&amp;'s federal obscenity charges, his acquittal and this celebration warrants an entirely different post, so I&amp;'m not going to get into it too much here. The event was held at the famous NY&amp;'s sexy and edgy &amp;''The Box&amp;'' and the attendees were incredible. We all came out to celebrate something we hold near and dear to our hearts: free speech.Here&amp;'s a quote from a piece he wrote with Matt Welch that Gillespie read to us last night:Our right to free speech is built upon the sacrifices of people who risked a hell of a lot &amp;8212' their livelihoods, their social standing, their freedom &amp;8212' to make it easier to speak freely. From colonial printer John Peter Zenger, who helped establish freedom of the press against the British crown, to Allen Ginsberg, whose generation-defining poem Howl endured countless censorship attempts, to Molly Norris, the cartoonist who has been driven into hiding after suggesting &amp;''Everybody Draw Mohammed Day&amp;'' as a response to death threats leveled against the creators of South Park for poking fun at religion, free speech is always endangered, always under siege.Nick was the voice of Alyssa Milano for a few years. Even though he was a ghost writer for her, he&amp;'s yet to meet her, so if you know someone who knows someone, we should create a meeting between the two. I think it needs to happen.Nick Gillespie is the Editor-in-Chief of Reason.com/tv which he co-created with Drew Carey. Reason.tv is the online video component of Reason magazine and reason.com. Gillespie dedicates much of his life to our liberty, and regardless of what political side you are on, he has some awesome advice on how to use your medium to get your message out. So, this is a special interview for all of you aspiring writers out there.Listen to Nick&amp;'s views on net neutrality, being connected, who to write for and more here:CrunchBase InformationNick GillespieInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[RIM, Apple and Google locked in a tie for smartphone dominance]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-apple-and-google-locked-in-a-tie-for-smartphone-dominance</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-apple-and-google-locked-in-a-tie-for-smartphone-dominance</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-apple-and-google-locked-in-a-tie-for-smartphone-dominance</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Apple, Google and Research in Motion have now secured about an equal amount of market share in the smartphone market, according to a new report from Nielsen.Apple still leads the pack, but only barely, with 28 percent of all smartphone owners using an iPhone. 27 percent of all smartphone users have devices running Google&amp;'s mobile operating system Android, and the other 27 percent use BlackBerries.But Google has a clear lead in terms of activations in December last year. 43 percent of all new smartphone users went with devices running Android. Google said that around 300,000 new devices running Android&amp;'s mobile operating system are activated each day a4&quot; up from 200,000 devices in August. Compare that to the same month in 2009, when 13 percent of all new smartphones activated were Android phones.Fewer new smartphone users have gone with Research in Motion and Apple&amp;'s products. 26 percent of new smartphone owners went with an iPhone in December last year. Research in Motion came in third with 20 percent of all new devices activated in December. In December 2009, 35 percent of all new smartphones were BlackBerrys and 31 percent were iPhones, according to the report.It looks like Google&amp;'s mobile operating system has all the momentum behind it for the time being with the next version of Android, the tablet-optimized Honeycomb, due out soon. But new versions of Research in Motion&amp;'s BlackBerry surfaced on the web recently a4&quot; including an iPhone-like Storm 3 and a new form factor that promises to hit a sweet spot for some BlackBerry users.Research in Motion is also seeing a slight resurgence despite fighting a somewhat quiet battle with Apple for dominance in the enterprise space. While Research in Motion has around 55 million users, many of whom are enterprise customers, Apple has been steadily marching forward and increasing its presence in Fortune 100 companies. Research in Motion&amp;'s market share of smartphone users ticked up slightly between November and December and has since held steady in terms of new activations as of September.The iPhone will hit the shelves for Verizon users this month and sales expectations are pretty high. The iPhone 5 is also just around the corner, as Apple has traditionally announced the next version of its iPhone over the summer. With each of the big 3 smartphone manufacturers releasing refreshed versions of operating systems and hardware, odds are the standings won&amp;'t change all that much unless one of them disappoints.Next Story: OnLive launches its PlayPack library of games for $9.99 a month Previous Story: Kleiner backs Patha4a4s personal approach to photo sharingPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Android, Blackberry, iPhone, smartphonesCompanies: Apple, Google, Research In Motion          Tags: Android, Blackberry, iPhone, smartphonesCompanies: Apple, Google, Research In MotionMatthew Lynley is VentureBeat's enterprise writer. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he studied math and physics, in May 2010. He has reported for Reuters. He currently lives in San Francisco, California. You can reach him at mattl@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @logicalmoron. 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[Right before sedan debut and planned IPO, Coda replaces CEO]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=right-before-sedan-debut-and-planned-ipo-coda-replaces-ceo</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=right-before-sedan-debut-and-planned-ipo-coda-replaces-ceo</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=right-before-sedan-debut-and-planned-ipo-coda-replaces-ceo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Electric car startup Coda announced the resignation by &amp;''mutual consent&amp;'' of its CEO Kevin Czinger (pictured below), a dynamic figure who was minted from the annals of Goldman Sachs, brought on investors like former Treasury secretary Hank Paulson and helped Coda raise $125 million.Under his tenure, the company also earned a high-profile mention in a Thomas Friedman New York Times column and an inclusion in a TV advertisement for &amp;8212' oddly enough &amp;8212' the University of Phoenix.Evidently, though, he wasn&amp;'t doing enough. Coda&amp;'s vice president of public affairs and communications Forrest Beanum told VentureBeat the company is hunting for a new CEO and hopes to have one in place by the end of the year. In the meantime, company co-chairman Steven Heller will step in as interim CEO and Czinger will stay on as a &amp;''senior strategic advisor.&amp;'' The company&amp;'s newly-hired CFO Mark Jamieson will also take on the role as COO.Coda is also in the market for a new senior vice president of global sales, since their last one stepped down last week. With the defection of these senior leaders, it looks like Coda may be in choppy waters, but the company (of course) has sought to put a positive spin on things.&amp;''There comes a point in time when the senior leadership needs to be realigned to meet aggressive new deadlines. We are moving forward with an IPO, we hope next year,&amp;'' Beanum said. Czinger was a talented fundraiser, and now the company is refocusing on sales and looking for a candidate with experience and contacts in the original equipment manufacturing space, he said.The company says the management shakeup has been planned for awhile now but won&amp;'t comment on the specifics of how long the plans have been percolating. Given the abruptness of the announcement and what looks to be some pretty poor timing, I&amp;'m guessing it&amp;'s fairly recent. In late September, the company was looking to commit Czinger to speak at VentureBeat&amp;'sGreenBeat 2010 conference, which took place last week, but it suddenly canceled a few days before the event, saying the company was too busy with the launch of the sedan.Why change leadership now, when the car is about to be released to the general public Beanum made an interesting analogy:&amp;''I&amp;'m a father, and there&amp;'s never a right time to have a child. These things come along when the time is now and you just have toremain flexible and just take things as they come,&amp;'' he said. &amp;''This is a positive announcement. It shouldn&amp;'t be misconstrued as anything different. It&amp;'s time for us to sharpen our sword.&amp;''The focus on manufacturing and sales does make sense. Coda is ramping up for a rather aggressive sales target of 14,000 vehicles sold by the end of the year, 40 to 50 percent of which will be from fleet sales. And there are some serious concerns about whether or not it&amp;'ll hit those goals.The company already has some question marks surrounding it after announcing pricing for its sedan. At nearly $45,000, it&amp;'s about $12,000 more expensive than its better-known competitor, the Nissan Leaf. The Coda sedan is in fact closer in price to the $41,000 Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid also set for release next month, although Beanum stresses that with federal and state incentives, the sedan will be priced in the &amp;''mid-30s.&amp;''&amp;''I dona4a4t see that it can (compete). Ita4a4s more expensive&amp;'' than the Nissan Leaf, said Jacob Grose, analyst for Lux Research. &amp;''I think the Coda is going to be a much, much tougher sell. Ita4a4s not coming from a name brand. Ita4a4s really hard to see how this is going to be successful.&amp;''And the exit of two high-profile Coda executives in such a short period of time doesn&amp;'t bode well. It&amp;'s also interesting that the company is letting go of a star fundraiser in Czinger just as it is planning to raise another $125 million before an initial public offering. (In addition to the $125 million already raised, Coda has a joint venture with Chinese battery company Lishen that Coda capitalized with $100 million in equity.)Coda will debut its sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week and will release more details in the next two weeks on when and how the car will be made available to consumers.Next Story: Facebook PR director departs for the startup world Previous Story: iPhone users pay the least for monthly wireless servicePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Coda, Coda sedanCompanies: Coda, Goldman Sachs, NissanPeople: Forrest Beanum, Kevin Czinger, Mark Jamieson, Steve Heller, Thomas Friedman          Tags: Coda, Coda sedanCompanies: Coda, Goldman Sachs, NissanPeople: Forrest Beanum, Kevin Czinger, Mark Jamieson, Steve Heller, Thomas FriedmanIris Kuo is the VentureBeat's lead GreenBeat writer. She has reported for The Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong, Houston Chronicle, the McClatchy Washington Bureau and Dallas public radio. Iris attended the University of Texas at Dallas and lives in Houston. Follow Iris on Twitter @thestatuskuo (and yes, that's how you  pronounce her last name).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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