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<title>Haaze.com / dieterwinkel / Published News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Sharp Galapagos tablet hits FCC]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-sharp-galapagos-tablet-hits-fcc</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-sharp-galapagos-tablet-hits-fcc</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-sharp-galapagos-tablet-hits-fcc</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Sharp Galapagos EB-WX1GJ media tablet is more e-reader than iPad killer.(Credit:FCC)The stateside arrival of a 10.8 inch tablet is typically a cause for wild celebration--but this latest arrival at the FCC doesn't seem to have the makings of an iPad-killer.Sharp Galapagos tablet hits FCC (photos) Instead, it looks like the Sharp Galapagos e-reader has finally trickled out of Asia, gracing us with its Linux-based, large format design. If you're looking for an oversized Nook Color, minus the core Android features, this could be just the thing. To my eye, though, the design looks too polished to be cheap, and the features seem too limited to justify a high price. The addition of a Dell Streak-sized 5-inch model doesn't get my blood moving either. Considering the timing just ahead of CES 2011, we'll likely have a clearer opinion in the next few days. In the meantime, check out the photo gallery with images from its FCC debut.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Apple, overseas firms lead in value creation]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-overseas-firms-lead-in-value-creation</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-overseas-firms-lead-in-value-creation</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 Dec 2010 08:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-overseas-firms-lead-in-value-creation</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Tech, media, and telecom companies in emerging markets and those considered &quot;digital innovators&quot; are among the world's tops in providing value to their investors, according to a new study from the Boston Consulting Group.Out today, the report &quot;Swimming Against the Tide: How Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Companies Can Prosper in the New Economic Reality&quot; found that seven of the top 10 telecom performers, five of the top 10 media performers, and four of the top 10 technology performers are in India, Taiwan, Mexico, China, and other emerging markets. But global companies tuned into the digital revolution, such as Apple and Google, are also tops in rewarding their investors.Covering the period from 2005 through 2009, the report examined the total shareholder return (TSR) of 126 different companies throughout the world. Of these, 81 percent were found in emerging economies, adding up to 64 percent of the overall total, according to Boston Consulting.The top media performers included Tencent Holdings, Naspers, and Net Servicos de Comunicacao. Tops in telecom were America Movil, China Mobile, and Bharti Airtel. And the best performers in the technology sector were Apple, MediaTek, and Infosys Technologies.(Credit:Boston Consulting Group)&quot;Emerging-market companies are spreading their wings to play larger roles on a global stage,&quot; David Dean, a senior partner at Boston Consulting and co-author of the study, said in a statement. &quot;Many of these countries have moved beyond being primarily a source of cheap labor to become important centers of technical innovation.&quot;Overall, the tech, media, and telecom sectors posted mediocre performance, according to the consultancy. Where the sample of 712 companies in all industries yielded a 6.6 percent average annual TSR, the technology sector came closest (6.2 percent), followed by telecom (5.3 percent), and media companies (2.5 percent). The Boston Consulting Group based total shareholder return on six different factors: revenue growth, changes in profit margins, the valuation multiple (the value of the business), cash dividends, share repurchases, and debt repayments. Among these, revenue growth typically added up to 70 percent or 80 percent of the overall shareholder value among most companies, according to the report.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google PowerMeter tracks home electricity via Wi-Fi]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-powermeter-tracks-home-electricity-via-wi-fi</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-powermeter-tracks-home-electricity-via-wi-fi</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 19 Dec 2010 08:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-powermeter-tracks-home-electricity-via-wi-fi</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google's PowerMeter Web application can now track home electricity from a PC or smartphone using Wi-Fi and a home's broadband connection. Blue Line Innovations is expected to announce a deal tomorrow to tie its PowerCost Monitor to Google's PowerMeter for monitoring home energy. Combined with a WiFi Gateway sold by Blue Line Innovations, a person can get real-time and historical information on electricity use. PowerMeter also lets people create a home energy budget, share efficiency tips, and predict costs.The PowerCost Monitor comes with an electricity meter sensor, energy display, and a WiFi Gateway to see meter data on the Web.(Credit:Blue Line Innovations)Getting more information on energy use is meant to help people find ways to conserve. For example, a person can see a home's &quot;baseline&quot; electricity use to help locate appliances to turn off. Monitor makers reports people can save roughly 5 percent to 15 percent on electricity based on changes from more information.In July, Microsoft and Blue Line Innovations announced a similar deal where people can track electricity data using Microsoft's Hohm Web application, a competitor to Google PowerMeter. Both Web applications are free. Smart meters have the ability to track this electricity data as well, even with more fine-grained detail. But using a home broadband connection and do-it-yourself installation opens up online electricity monitoring to a much broader base of potential customers. The PowerCost Monitor kit, which costs about $100, includes a sensor that fits onto an electricity meter. The sensor reads how much power is being used and transmits that information to the monitor, which is a simple display a bit bigger than a smart phone. With the WiFi Gateway, which costs an additional $129, usage information is sent via a home broadband connection to Google, letting people view electricity data online.Google has established connections between PowerMeter and a few home electricity monitors and smart meters. Over time, executives have said Google intends to expand the capabilities of the application beyond electricity monitoring to track water, natural gas, and potentially schedule electric vehicle charging.Previous coverage of PowerCost Monitor:Microsoft Hohm connects to home electricity monitor (photos) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[First-person combat and true-to-life racing: iPhone apps of the week]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=first-person-combat-and-true-to-life-racing-iphone-apps-of-the-week</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=first-person-combat-and-true-to-life-racing-iphone-apps-of-the-week</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=first-person-combat-and-true-to-life-racing-iphone-apps-of-the-week</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:CNET)This week, over at our Signal Strength blog, Maggie Reardon answered questions from readers regarding the upcoming VerizoniPhone. The article is not about the iPhone specifically, but about how a mass exodus from AT&amp;T to Verizon might effect both carriers.I got the iPhone 4 when it was launched, knowing that I would have to stick with AT&amp;T for two years, but obviously, I had little choice as an iPhone app reviewer. Like many who got the iPhone 4 near launch day, I was sad to hear later that I missed the chance to get an iPhone with Verizon, which many say has the best network. But Maggie has an interesting point: With a mass exodus from AT&amp;T, it will probably mean that those stuck in contracts will experience significantly better signal strength with a lot less users clogging up the network. Also, current Verizon customers have to wonder just how much a huge influx of iPhone users will effect the historically strong Verizon network.I suppose we'll have to wait and see what effects a Verizon iPhone will have on each carrier, but you have to admit it's heartening to hear that AT&amp;T users might be getting better service as a result of the Verizon iPhone. Hopefully both carriers will benefit from the change so all of us finally get good connection speeds.This week's apps include the sequel to one of the best racing games for iPhone and the debut of an FPS game formerly only available on desktop computers and consoles.Smooth and beautiful graphics make Real Racing 2 a site to behold as you make your way around the track.(Credit:Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)Real Racing 2 ($9.99) is the long awaited sequel to popular driving game, Real Racing ($4.99), and it definitely lives up to all the hype over the past few weeks. I was fortunate enough to get an early copy, so I've been putting it through its paces all week, and I'm definitely impressed. Like the original game, Real Racing 2 offers the same sensitive accelerometer steering that feels just right on the iPhone. But there are a lot of new features in this sequel that make it even better than the original.One of the biggest changes is the ability to drive real-worldcars' Firemint managed to get 30 officially licensed cars, and each car sounds and drives like its real-world counterpart. You also can take part in auto-matched 16 player online races, though you'll want to have a solid connection over Wi-Fi or 3G to be competitive. You also can compete in 8-player local Wi-Fi races for the most seamless multiplayer experience.The original Real Racing was known for its amazing graphics, and Real Racing 2 is even better with fairly high frame rates and realistic-looking lens flares and reflections as you tear around the track in one of 15 different locations. The single player game offers a lot of content, challenging you to compete in races to make money so you can purchase performance upgrades and new cars. You also compete in short head-to-head challenges where you'll earn a significant amount of money for winning single-lap races against an AI opponent.As you progress through the game you'll earn enough money to buy faster more expensive cars, such as the 2010 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 and the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C. You'll also have the option to purchase different-colored paint jobs so you can customize your car just the way you want it.Overall, Real Racing 2 is probably the best racing game in the iTunes App Store. With beautiful graphics, 30 real-life sports cars, 15 tracks, and 16-player online racing, this game is a must-have for driving game fans.As you progress through the campaign you&amp;39'll get a chance to drive and wreak havoc in several military vehicles.(Credit:Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (99 cents for a limited time) for iPhone is the first game from the popular Battlefield series to reach the iOS and it mostly hits the mark, but has a few issues. The control system is similar to other FPS games in the iTunes App Store with controls for movement on the left and the ability to look around on the right (you have 3 options for control layouts in settings). You also have controls for crouching behind objects for cover and a button for aiming down the sites of your guns for more accurate shots. Sadly, the game doesn't take advantage of the iPhone 4's gyroscope feature--an option now featured in most of the popular iPhone games in the FPS genre.In Battlefield: Bad Company 2 you have the option to fight your way through 14 missions in a single player campaign or play multiplayer games online. The campaign mode offers the usual fare of blowing away terrorists in a predictable, but fun storyline that will put your combat abilities to the test. But the multiplayer only allows for limited 2-4 player deathmatch or free-for-all games, and the server browser is clunky making it difficult to find and join matches.Unlike other games in the genre (and true to the Battlefield franchise), Battlefield: Bad Company 2 lets you take control of vehicles for even more firepower. You'll be able to use everything from armored personnel carriers to helicopters and tanks. An early part of the campaign has you driving an armored van with a gun turret on top--fun for its destructive power, but I found the driving controls to be a little awkward.Overall, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is pretty solid FPS experience in spite of its problems. The game looks and plays great in single player, but those looking for a rich online experience should probably look elsewhere. Right now, the game goes for 99 cents (it will be $9.99), so it's probably worth picking up in the hope that future updates will iron out the game's problems.What's your favorite iPhone app What's your favorite car to drive in Real Racing 2 Am I being too hard on Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Let me know in the comments!<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Tech Award winners tackle water crisis, stove emissions]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tech-award-winners-tackle-water-crisis-stove-emissions</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tech-award-winners-tackle-water-crisis-stove-emissions</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 06 Nov 2010 07:10:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tech-award-winners-tackle-water-crisis-stove-emissions</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Projects designed to help communities improve access to clean water, cook with clean-burning fuel, fortify salt to maintain nutrients, and use mobile phones as learning devices have been honored with awards for technology benefiting humanity. The annual Tech Awards, sponsored by The Tech Museum in San Jose, Calif., were given to the winners in a ceremony tonight.  Two of the winners were projects that dealt with the problem many local communities around the world have in getting enough clean, fresh water. The Peer Water Exchange, a project of Blue Plane Network, is a global clearinghouse where communities can share water solutions and connect with others to help fund and implement grassroots water projects. More than 60 agencies around the world have used Peer Water Exchange to get help needed to improve the water supplies for more than 300,000 people.  The other water project honored was A Single Drop for Safe Water, which helps communities gain access to clean water and sanitation using a social entrepreneurship model. The organization, which was started by a preschool teacher, fosters income-generating education, training, and service centers that design sustainable water programs. Another winner, Alexis T. Belonio of the Central Philippine University, developed a cooking stove and continuous-blow industrial burner which use a gasification process that produces a clean-burning fuel. The Rice Husk Gasifier (PDF) is designed to keep the large piles of inedible rice husks that smolder in fields and produce smoke emission in rural areas from adding to the greenhouse gas emissions.  Other research honored was a process to double-fortify salt with iron and iodine, which is designed to improve diets in developing populations. The Micronutrient Initiative, run by Venkatesh Mannar and Dr. Levente Diosady of the University of Toronto, aims to impact iodine and iron deficiencies that can adversely affect brain development and child mortality. Double-Fortified Salt protects 3.6 million children in the state of Tamil Nadu in India.  The final award went to BBC Janala which enables people in Bangladesh to learn English via audio and SMS-based lessons on their mobile phones. The lessons cost less than one and a half cents a minute for people who live on less than $2 a day. The BBC has partnered with the country's six mobile operators who agreed to cut tariffs for the service. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook testing new filters for News Feed]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-testing-new-filters-for-news-feed</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-testing-new-filters-for-news-feed</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-testing-new-filters-for-news-feed</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Over the weekend, Facebook began testing new filters that allow users to sort their News Feed (friends&amp;' status updates, photos, links, and wall posts) in various new ways.Users may have noticed the new filters in the top bar amongst &amp;''Top News&amp;'' and &amp;''Most Recent&amp;''. While Facebook has previously offered individual sorting options in past iterations, the new set of filters seek to give you an unprecedented control over your News Feed. Included are filters for &amp;''Games&amp;'', &amp;''Status Updates&amp;'', &amp;''Photos&amp;'', &amp;''Links&amp;'', &amp;''Pages&amp;'', and your friend lists.The new filters attempt to turn Facebook into something more than just a way to keep up with your friends. For example, much as Facebook aggregators Flipboard and PostPost allow you to do, you can filter by Links to see those posted by friends and, in essence, turn Facebook into a Twitter or Digg-like content discovery platform.Even beyond that, the Pages filter turns Facebook into an RSS feed reader, as Inside Facebook points out,by letting you see posts from companies, organizations and news outlets you follow (most of which, ironically, may be imported and posted automatically using RSS itself.) And with games being a juggernaut on Facebook, the Games filter is by no coincidence first on the list, showing you friends&amp;' achievements on popular games such as Farmville and Poker.Facebook&amp;'s pace of iteration in the past has shown that it isn&amp;'t afraid to test rapidly to find what works. While these new filters are currently being experimented with, as ReadWriteWeb&amp;'s Marshall Kirkpatrick points out, there&amp;'s no guarantee that they will go live site-wide.Previous Story: Devicescape helps MetroPCS offload data traffic to Wi-Fi networksPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: filters, News Feed, sorting, testingCompanies: Facebook, Flipboard, PostPost          Tags: filters, News Feed, sorting, testingCompanies: Facebook, Flipboard, PostPostSid Yadav is a contributor to VentureBeat. He currently studies computer science and psychology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. He is also the creator of Memiary, a micro-diary utility. You can reach him at sidyadav@gmail.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @sidyadav.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Earth Engine Revealed At COP&nbsp'16]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-earth-engine-revealed-at-copnbsp16</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-earth-engine-revealed-at-copnbsp16</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-earth-engine-revealed-at-copnbsp16</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Today at the United Nations&amp;' conference on climate change COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico Google.org introduced its latest philanthropic project, the Google Earth Enginea4&quot; an analytics tool for earth scientists and conservationists especially.Google.org dubs their product &amp;''a planetary-scale platform for environmental data &amp;amp' analysis.&amp;'' A product web page said:The Google Earth Engine brings together the world&amp;'s satellite imagerya4&quot;trillions of scientific measurements dating back more than 25 yearsa4&quot;and makes it available online with tools for scientists, independent researchers, and nations to mine [a] massive warehouse of data to detect changes, map trends and quantify differences to the earth&amp;'s surface&amp;8230'The search leader also introduced the Google Earth Engine APIa4&quot; only available to approved partners at this timea4&quot; to help researchers develop, access and run algorithms on the full Earth Engine data archive, using Google&amp;'s parallel processing platform.Some early Google Earth Engine partners mapped surface water in the Congo and created a granular map of Mexico&amp;'s forest cover and water.  One scientist, Carlos Souza Jr. of IMAZON, the Amazon Institute of People and the Environment, a non-profit research entity, took original satellite imagery of Surui indigenous territory in the southern Brazilian Amazon (image, above) then analyzed it using Google Earth Engine to reveal forest damage in the region (image, below).Google envisions their Earth Engine and API advancing a number of monitoring, reporting and verification efforts. Results could be: maps that show where ecosystem services exist and gaps where they are needed, reports that find and illustrate changes in the Earth&amp;'s surface over time, and visualization of land use trends as agricultural activity shifts in response to water shortages, rising sea levels, and other problems that result from climate change. Countries are rallying to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing nations at COP 16 this year. Healthy trees and forests abate climate change, keep the air cleaner and food supplies stronger, according to the United States Forest Service. Developing nations are (and have already been) most negatively effected by a rise in global temperatures as Kofi Annan, the former U.N. chief and Nobel Prize winner attests here. Keeping forests healthy in these regions could have a near-term beneficial impact. In light of the COP 16 initiative, Google plans to donate &amp;''10 million CPU-hours a year over the next 2 years on the Google Earth Engine platform, to strengthen the capacity of developing world nations to track the state of their forests,&amp;'' the company announced today. Images via Google Earth EngineCrunchBase InformationGoogle.orgInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[In-ground sensors alert drivers to open parking spots - Springwise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=in-ground-sensors-alert-drivers-to-open-parking-spots---springwise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=in-ground-sensors-alert-drivers-to-open-parking-spots---springwise</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Transportation</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=in-ground-sensors-alert-drivers-to-open-parking-spots---springwise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Websites like SpotScout and Google Open Spot can help urban drivers find a place to park, but typically they rely on other users to post the relevant details when a spot opens up. A new solution now at work in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, however, uses in-ground sensors to provide such information automatically.The brainchild of Paris-based SmartGrains, ParkSense is an integrated solution based on specially designed sensors that are placed directly in the ground in parking areas. The presence of a vehicle changes the sensor''s ambient magnetic field, allowing it to infer whether or not there is a vehicle in a particular spot. The durable sensors are also connected in a mesh wireless radio network, allowing each one to report any spots that open up. Drivers, meanwhile, can use the free ParkSense iPhone app to see the resulting information as to what parking spots are available nearby. SmartGrains'' sensors are resistant to vandalism, skidding, water and dirt, and they last at least three years in between battery changes. The system as a whole is suitable for indoor and outdoor use in streets, parking lots, retail settings and airports, SmartGrains says, with obvious benefits in the form of consumer convenience, reduced congestion and less gas wasted.Some 30 percent of most urban traffic consists of drivers trying to find spots, SmartGrains notes. Municipal planners around the globe: one to bring to parking-weary drivers in your part of the world (Related: Marketplace for long-term parking a4&quot; Online exchange for parking spaces.)Website: www.smartgrains.comContact: www.smartgrains.com/contact.htmlSpotted by: Irene Festa<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Brazil social game player Vostu raises $30M from Accel and Tiger Global]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=brazil-social-game-player-vostu-raises-30m-from-accel-and-tiger-global</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=brazil-social-game-player-vostu-raises-30m-from-accel-and-tiger-global</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=brazil-social-game-player-vostu-raises-30m-from-accel-and-tiger-global</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Vostu, a social game maker focused on the Brazilian market, has raised $30 million from Accel Partners and Tiger Global Management.Vostu, which is based in New York and has offices in So Paulo and Buenos Aires, is slugging it out with rival Mentez to become the Zynga of social games in Brazil. The well-known U.S. investors have put their money into Vostu because the Brazilian social game market is hot.In August, Miami-based Mentez raised a large round (amount undisclosed) of venture funding from Insight Partners to expand its operations in Brazil and Latin America. Daniel Kafie, chief executive of Vostu, says his company will remain laser-focused on the large Brazilian market as it expands its social game business. Kafie said Vostu has 220 employees now and will be at 280 by year end and will grow to double that number by the end of 2011, partly through hiring and acquisitions of new studios.Vostu has more than 20 million monthly active users on social networks such as Google&amp;'s Orkut, the largest social network in Brazil with more than 50 million users. The company&amp;'s biggest game is Mini Fazenda, a farming game that is similar to Zynga&amp;'s top game on Facebook, FarmVille. Players cultivate their virtual crops in the free-to-play game' gamers play for free and Vostu makes money charging players for virtual goods such as tractors.Kafie co-founded Vostu with classmates Joshua Kushner and Mario Scholosser from Harvard University. Jim Breyer, a partner at Accel and Facebook board member, will join Vostu&amp;'s board.Social games have been one of the hottest sectors on the web in the past couple of years. Zynga is expected to generate more than $500 million in revenue in 2010, and the overall U.S. virtual goods market is expected to hit $1.6 billion this year. The Asian market for virtual goods and social games is also hot, particularly in China, Korea and Japan. The fast growth is why Zynga is valued at $5.4 billion and why Electronic Arts bought social game maker Playfish for $400 million and Disney bought Playdom for $760 million.Latin America, including Brazil, also shows a lot of promise. Accel was also an investor in Playfish' and Tiger Global, a hedge fund, also has holdings in Zynga. In the past six months, Vostu has raised $50 million. Vostu&amp;'s other backers include Intel Capital and General Catalyst.Next Story: Berkeley-Stanford CleanTech Conference to explore distributed generation &amp;038' microgrids Previous Story: IGNITION to explore the future of media on December 2-3 in NYCPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Brazil, social gamesCompanies: Mentez, VostuPeople: Daniel Kafie          Tags: Brazil, social gamesCompanies: Mentez, VostuPeople: Daniel KafieDean 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[A member-owned supermarket for thrifty Londoners - Springwise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=a-member-owned-supermarket-for-thrifty-londoners---springwise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=a-member-owned-supermarket-for-thrifty-londoners---springwise</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Food</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=a-member-owned-supermarket-for-thrifty-londoners---springwise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Though the first food co-op opened in the UK back in 1844, according to Google,  such cooperatives have not been a familiar sight in Europe in recent years, despite a certain popularity in the United States. Until now, that is. In fact, with the recent launch of the People''s Supermarket, Londoners recently gained a new place to find affordable food. Only members can shop at the People''s Supermarket, but they all get a 10 percent discount on prices as well as a say in how the store is run. In exchange, members pay an annual membership fee of GBP 25, and they also pledge to volunteer four hours of their time per month working as store staff. Because the supermarket''s workforce is nearly all volunteers, staff costs are kept low this way a4&quot; an advantage that can be passed on in lower prices.  Any profits that are earned, meanwhile, get put back into the store to bring down prices even further.Food co-ops are not uncommon in the US, but it''s interesting to see their reemergence in the UK following a bout of unusually tough times. Could this be the beginning of a widespread comeback... (Related: Sustainable urban campground to be crowd-funded &amp; managed a4&quot; Crowdfunded breweries.)Website: www.thepeoplessupermarket.orgContact: info@thepeoplessupermarket.orgSpotted by: R.E.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Social mobile platform Mig33 raises $8.9M from Japan&'s Gree and Indonesian entrepreneur]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=social-mobile-platform-mig33-raises-8-9m-from-japanrsquos-gree-and-indonesian-entrepreneur</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=social-mobile-platform-mig33-raises-8-9m-from-japanrsquos-gree-and-indonesian-entrepreneur</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=social-mobile-platform-mig33-raises-8-9m-from-japanrsquos-gree-and-indonesian-entrepreneur</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Mobile social networking service Mig33 has raised $8.9 million in a third round of funding.Indonesian telecom entrepreneur Pak Sugiono Wiyono Sugialam and Japan&amp;'s Gree led the round. Sugiono is a well-known regional entrepreneur with ties to telecom retailers with lots of outlets in Indonesia. Gree, meanwhile, is a mobile social game portal and game developer with a market value of $2.5 billion. The choice of investors makes sense because Mig33 moved from Silicon Valley to Singapore as part of a plan to bring its service to developing parts of Asia.The company will use the money to expand its growth as a social entertainment service on mobile phones. Mig33 is making a big bet that such services will be popular not only on smartphones such as the iPhone, but also on old-fashioned feature phones that are selling by the tens of millions in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and other developing regions. In these &amp;''mobile first&amp;'' markets, users are buying cell phones as their primary computing devices. So they use them not only for calls, but also for a variety of services, including social networking, entertainment and games. Mig33 is riding on that trend, Sugiono said.The company has more than 40 million registered users for its service, which started out as a way to make inexpensive voice-over-the-internet-protocol (VOIP) calls over cell phones. Now it has evolved into a social networking service where users chat with friends and send virtual gifts to each other or play games.While the cell phone market has been driven by the sale of hardware, Sugiono believes that services will come to the forefront soon. That&amp;'s why it makes sense to invest in a services company such as Mig33, he said.Last week, Mig33 launched a game developer program to attract more cell phone games to its platform. Mei Lin Ng, co-founder and vice president of marketing at Mig33, said in  an interview that users in the emerging markets where Mig33 is strong  are already enthusiastically playing games. To boost the activity, the  company is creating a formal platform so that users can play each other  in multiplayer games, pursue challenges in games, and view leaderboards.Throughout 2010, Mig33 has been making a big push to create social entertainment on its mobile platform, which comes with a payment platform. The company has launched more than 1,000 virtual goods,  items for avatars (virtual characters), and games. The members of  Mig33a4a4s network currently buy about 4 million virtual gifts per month  and exchange nearly 1 billion Mig33 messages every day. Mig33a4a4s  competitors include Chinaa4a4s Tencent, which operates the huge QQ social  chat network, and Japana4a4s DeNA, a mobile social gaming company. Mig33 hopes to get a jump on those companies, which have been focused on dominating their own market while Mig33 has focused on mobile-first markets such as Indonesia, India, and South Africa.a4AMig33a4a4s goal is to replicate the East Asian social networking service  model to the rest of the world,a4 said Steven Goh, the company&amp;'s chief executive and co-founder. a4AThe partnerships wea4a4ve established today will be strategic in  helping us consolidate our lead in emerging Asia as we tap these big,  underserved markets.a4Besides Gree and Sugiono, other investors include Accel partners, Redpoint Ventures and DCM. To date, Mig33 has raised more than $34 million since its launch in 2005.Next Story: Flyers get an early Christmas present from Google:free in-flight Wi-Fi Previous Story: On the GreenBeat: Coda CEO steps down, Fisker plans to raise up to $150 million before IPOPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: mobile social gamingCompanies: Accel Partners, DCM, Gree, Mig33, Redpoint VenturesPeople: Mei Lin Ng, Pak Sugiono Wiyono Sugialam, Steven Goh          Tags: mobile social gamingCompanies: Accel Partners, DCM, Gree, Mig33, Redpoint VenturesPeople: Mei Lin Ng, Pak Sugiono Wiyono Sugialam, Steven GohDean 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[WITN: Ita4a4s Tuesday so it must be&nbsp'Jakarta]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=witn-itrsquos-tuesday-so-it-must-benbspjakarta</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=witn-itrsquos-tuesday-so-it-must-benbspjakarta</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=witn-itrsquos-tuesday-so-it-must-benbspjakarta</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Saraha4a4s  latest whistle-stop tour of emerging markets has reached Indonesia,  where shea4a4ll be covering &amp;8211' and helping with &amp;8211' a start-up competition. But  before all the excitement kicks off, she called in from Skype to explain  the differences between Singapore (her previous stop) and Jakarta.Video below.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Nerds Carve Android Halloween&nbsp'Pumpkin]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nerds-carve-android-halloweennbsppumpkin</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nerds-carve-android-halloweennbsppumpkin</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nerds-carve-android-halloweennbsppumpkin</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Okay okay, maybe &amp;''nerds&amp;'' is a strong word to use here because the above Android fanboy Jack O&amp;' Lantern is actually kind of awesome. There is something so heartwarming about thata4s&amp;''Android Peeing On Apple&amp;'' icon carved into TechCrunch reader Lee Arnold&amp;'s family (!) pumpkin.Arnold sent this in as a Halloween-themed tip to TechCrunch, just because he thought we would like it. Heads up Lee, we totally do &amp;8212' All of us except for MG of course, who was too busy staring at his own pumpkin to notice.CrunchBase InformationAndroidiPhoneInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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