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<title>Haaze.com / dsoopddpss / Published News</title>
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<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook Acquires Drop.io, Nabs Sam&nbsp'Lessin]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-acquires-drop-io-nabs-samnbsplessin</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-acquires-drop-io-nabs-samnbsplessin</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-acquires-drop-io-nabs-samnbsplessin</guid>
<description><![CDATA[New York-baseda4sfile sharing site Drop.io has just posted the breaking news of its acquisition by Facebook on its company blog. This looks like it is the latest in a series of talent acquisitions by the social giant. Before its exit, Drop.io had $9.95 million in funding, led by RRE Ventures.From the Drop.io blog:&amp;''Today, wea4a4re proud to announce that wea4a4ve struck a deal with Facebook.a4sa4sWhat this means is that Facebook has bought most ofa4sdrop.ioa4a4s technology and assets, and Sam Lessin is moving to Facebook.In the coming weeks, wea4a4ll be winding down thea4sdrop.io service. As of this week, people will no longer be able to create new free drops, but youa4a4ll be able to download content from existing drops until Dec. 15. Paid user accounts will still be available through Dec. 15 and paid users will be able to continue using the service normally.a4sa4sAfter Dec. 15, paid accounts will be discontinued as well.&amp;''Drop.io allowed users to exchange files or &amp;''drops&amp;'' privately with their friends through web, email, or phone. The company will be shutting off all accounts after December 15th.As this has all the markings of an acqui-hire, founder Sam Lessin will be joining the Product Management organization at Facebook, where his fellow Harvard alumnus and friend Mark Zuckerberg is CEO. We&amp;'ve got no word on what will happen to the rest of the team.From Facebook, &amp;''We can confirm that we recently completed a small talent acquisition for Drop.io and acquired most of the company&amp;'s assets. We&amp;'re thrilled that Sam Lessin will be joining us at Facebook.&amp;''CrunchBase Informationdrop.ioInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Zillow&'s Rent Zestimates to provide rent prices for 90 million homes]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zillowrsquos-rent-zestimates-to-provide-rent-prices-for-90-million-homes</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zillowrsquos-rent-zestimates-to-provide-rent-prices-for-90-million-homes</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zillowrsquos-rent-zestimates-to-provide-rent-prices-for-90-million-homes</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Housing start-up Zillow just released a new product, Rent Zestimates, which will provide estimated rent prices for 90 million homes on both its website and all its mobile apps.Seattle-based Zillow provides online real-estate price estimates and acts as a marketplace for renters, buyers and sellers.According to the 2009 American Housing Survey from the U.S. Census, 70 percent of people who move each year are renters, making Zillow&amp;'s foray into the rental market a potential cash cow.Of those renters, a recent survey by housing research think-tank Ipsos found that two-thirds of renters do not research what is a fair rental price before they sign their lease.Zillow said it hopes to change that by offering Rent Zestimates&amp;' estimated rent prices on specific homes or apartments, thereby leveling the playing field to make sure consumers aren&amp;'t paying too much for their new rental.The company saidRent Zestimates will appear in search bubbles on homes available to rent, and on the main details page for nearly every home on Zillow, whether ita4a4s on the market or not.It currently has close to 300,000 apartments and homes listed for rent and consumers can search listings by number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage and monthly payment.Users can find Rent Zestimates on map searches and individual home detail pages on Zillow.com and all Zillow mobile applications, including iPhone, iPad and Android apps.a4ABuyers and renters are not exclusive categories a4&quot; many people are considering both options when shopping for a new home. Similarly, many would-be sellers in todaya4a4s housing market are considering whether to become landlords rather than sell at a loss,a4 said Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff. a4AWe created Rent Zestimates to empower people with information and data to make the right real estate decision for them.a4The company is also hoping to catch the eye of landlords who are intending to move out sometime in the next three years, helping them determine a fair price to charge when they do rent out their homes.Zillow&amp;'s offerings are widespread:It took over all of Yahoo&amp;'s real estate listings in July and launched mobile apps in March of last year.But it still faces stiff competition from other online home finders such as Trulia, which announced in January that it had teamed up with international home lister ListGlobally to begin offering rentals and houses for sale in 17 countries worldwide.For now, however, Zillow remains the leader in the space.The company said that currently Zillow Mobile apps are used 6.5 million times each month, with more than 23 million visits to home detail pages &amp;8211'the equivalent of 32,000 home views every hour, or close to nine home views a second.It also logged more than 13 million unique users in December, a year-over-year traffic growth of 77 percent.Next Story: Sony shake-up puts more power in hands of PlayStation executive Previous Story: AOL expected to lay off 400 to 500 people on ThursdayPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Android, iPad, iPhone, mobile, online housing finder, rentalsCompanies: ipsos, Trulia, Yahoo, ZillowPeople: Spencer Rascoff          Tags: Android, iPad, iPhone, mobile, online housing finder, rentalsCompanies: ipsos, Trulia, Yahoo, ZillowPeople: Spencer RascoffRiley 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. 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[Why Nokiaa4a4s exec shakeup is exactly what it needs]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-nokiaâÂ€Â™s-exec-shakeup-is-exactly-what-it-needs</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-nokiaâÂ€Â™s-exec-shakeup-is-exactly-what-it-needs</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-nokiaâÂ€Â™s-exec-shakeup-is-exactly-what-it-needs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Several  Nokia executives may soon be sacked as part of CEO Stephen Elop&amp;'s grand  strategy revamp for the company, Reuters reports.The  news, which was first reported by the German weekly Wirtschaftswoche  this morning, may seem like yet another setback for the beleaguered  phone company, which has struggled to keep pace with the iPhone and  Android devices. But personally, I think ita4a4s the best Nokia news wea4a4ve  heard in some time.More  than anything, Nokia needs new blood to help it get back on track. The  company still produces quality mobile hardware (when it can actually release things on time), but ita4a4s held back its aging Symbian operating system which powers its current flagship devices, including the N8.  MeeGo, Nokiaa4a4s next-generation mobile OS, has been talked about for  some time, but ita4a4s still unclear when it will actually make it to  consumers.Elop  is expected to announce his new strategy for Nokia in London on  February 11, only a few days before the beginning of the Mobile World  Congress event in Barcelona where many other major mobile industry  announcements will be made.According  to the German Weekly, executive Mary McDowell, whoa4a4s in charge of its  mobile phones unit, and markets unit manager Niklas Savander, will both  be shown the door. Additionally, Elop may also boot Chief Development  Officer Kai Oistamo and mobile solutions manager Tero Ojanpera. Elop is  apparently seeking out replacements with software expertise &amp;8212' exactly  what the company needs.Elop, formerly head of Microsofta4a4s business division, replaced Nokiaa4a4s former CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo in September. Shortly after that, Nokiaa4a4s head of mobile solutions Anssi Vanjoki resigned, which may have resulted from being passed over for the CEO role.Rumors that Nokia may be looking to strike a deal with Microsoft to get Windows Phone 7 on its devices are increasing as we approach Mobile World Congress (something wea4a4ve been reporting for some time).  The move would be a big shift for the company, but ita4a4s likely a  necessary one as Nokia needs a modern OS on its devices now, instead of  just vague promises. Nokia just recently dedicated a new office building in Silicon Valley, where Chief Technology Officer Rich Green (another recent hire) said good things are on the horizon.New  executive blood could revitalize Nokia &amp;8212' especially if paired with a  major announcement like a shift to Windows Phone 7 or Android. Such a  move would likely only be a stopgap solution until MeeGo is ready, but  the company desperately needs something other than Symbian in its phones  to get consumers excited once again.Previous Story: Entrepreneur Corner: The dangers of rewriting code exposedPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: layoffs, smartphonesCompanies: nokiaPeople: Kai Oistamo, Mary McDowell, Niklas Savander, Stephen Elop, Teri Ojanpera          Tags: layoffs, smartphonesCompanies: nokiaPeople: Kai Oistamo, Mary McDowell, Niklas Savander, Stephen Elop, Teri OjanperaDevindra 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. 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[Group texting startup GroupMe raises $10.6M despite being a long way from revenue]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=group-texting-startup-groupme-raises-10-6m-despite-being-a-long-way-from-revenue</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=group-texting-startup-groupme-raises-10-6m-despite-being-a-long-way-from-revenue</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=group-texting-startup-groupme-raises-10-6m-despite-being-a-long-way-from-revenue</guid>
<description><![CDATA[GroupMe, a service that lets users start a group chat using text messages, announced today that it has raised $10.6 million in its second round of funding a4&quot; but it won&amp;'t be generating any kind of revenue any time soon.The startup lets phone owners create a single phone number for a group chat. Whenever anyone sends a text message to that number, it&amp;'s sent out to everyone else in the group. It works for conference calls as well a4&quot; anyone can dial into the number and start a group chat.The first version of GroupMe was built over a weekend in May during a hackathon, a type of programming contest which challenges developers to swiftly create a working Web service, sponsored by TechCrunch, the technology blog now owned by AOL. Its creators famously drew offers for funding as soon as they left the stage.GroupMe is built on top of a service provided by Twilio, a San Francisco-based startup which provides easy access to voice and text-messaging services which might otherwise be out of reach to small companies. Twilio has seen projects that use telephones to do anything from play tic-tac-toe to initiate group text messaging, has been particularly popular and even has its own seed funding program to go with it.Right now, GroupMe doesn&amp;'t even generate any revenue a4&quot; the service is completely free for users. Twilio, on the other hand, charges two cents to send or receive a text message, with potential volume discounts. Whatever GroupMe&amp;'s paying Twilio, it&amp;'s a cost that GroupMe appears to be bearing on its own for now. The development group doesn&amp;'t have any plans to try to develop a revenue-generating model in the near future. GroupMehas a few ideas like creating sponsored texting groups and brand groups. But that&amp;'s all they are for the time being a4&quot; just ideas a4&quot; said co-founder Jared Hecht.&amp;''We compressed our 18-month road map into 9 months and we&amp;'re still finishing that up before we even consider thinking about revenue,&amp;'' he said. &amp;''Obviously we are not focused on generating revenue right now.&amp;''That didn&amp;'t stop Khosla Ventures or any of its other investors from throwing some cash their way. The group raised $850,000 in its first seed round of fundraising from the likes of Ron Conway&amp;'s SV Angel and Lerner Ventures. The most recent round of funding was led by Khosla Ventures,General Catalyst Partners and First Round Capital.GroupMe brought on some pretty heavy-duty talent along with the funding as well. Jeremy Schoenherr, a former developer of Hot Potato and iPhone operating system iOS development expert, has come on board to help develop GroupMe&amp;'s mobile applications. Steve Cheney, a former writer with TechCrunch, also joined the team as a business development consultant.Now that the &amp;''distracting&amp;'' fundraising process is done and the company doesn&amp;'t have to worry about making any money for a while, it is turning its entire focus on improving the application, Hecht said.&amp;''Now it&amp;'s product time, and it&amp;'s buckling down and spinning it out before we even consider finding a revenue,&amp;'' he said.Next Story: Access 360 Media raises $40 million-plus for outdoor digital advertising Previous Story: Consumer electronics market expected to grow 10 percent in 2011PrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: group messaging, telephony, text messagingCompanies: GroupMe, Twilio          Tags: group messaging, telephony, text messagingCompanies: GroupMe, TwilioMatthew Lynley is VentureBeat's enterprise writer. He graduated from University of North Carolina, where he studied math and physics, in May 2010. He has reported for Reuters. He currently lives in San Francsico, Calif. You can reach him at mattl@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @logicalmoron.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[Why video games are the new movies: Call of Duty Black Ops sales top $1B]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-video-games-are-the-new-movies-call-of-duty-black-ops-sales-top-1b</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-video-games-are-the-new-movies-call-of-duty-black-ops-sales-top-1b</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-video-games-are-the-new-movies-call-of-duty-black-ops-sales-top-1b</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Move over, Hollywood.Call of Duty Black Ops video game sales have topped $1 billion since the combat game went on sale on Nov. 9, Activision Blizzard reported today.The numbers are a land-speed record for the sale of any video game: It&amp;'s the fastest $1 billion ever made in the video-game industry. Black Ops broke the previous record set by its predecessor, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, a year ago.The resuls show that Call of Duty is firmly embedded in the psyche of the modern gamer as a top brand for action games. But the numbers have a far deeper significance &amp;8212' and here&amp;'s why even people outside the industry should be paying attention.Activision Blizzard previously announced the game sold more than $650 million in its first five days, outpacing all records for five-day box office receipts of any movie, according to boxofficemojo.com. A year ago, Modern Warfare 2 hit $550 million in five days.To date, more than 600 million hours have been logged playing Call of  Duty: Black Ops since the game launched. The average player logs on more than once a day and plays  for more than one hour each time, according to Microsoft, which operates the Xbox Live online gaming service for the Xbox 360 game console. More than half the time is spent playing online against friends. Those numbers attest to the strong engagement we noted in our own story on Black Ops multiplayer gaming.&amp;''In all of entertainment, only Call of Duty and &amp;''Avatar&amp;'' have ever  achieved the billion dollar revenue milestone this quickly,&amp;'' said Bobby Kotick, chief executive of Activision Blizzard. &amp;''This is a tribute to the global  appeal of the Call of Duty franchise.&amp;''Some of that is marketing bravado, to be sure. But a little bluster is in order when you own a killer franchise in an entertainment category that&amp;'s commanding an increasing share of people&amp;'s leisure time and spending.The sales success comes despite turmoil at Activision Blizzard, whose mainstay Call of Duty game studio, Infinity Ward, erupted into litigation earlier this year as the company fired the founders for allegedly trying to start a new company while still employed at Infinity Ward. Black Ops was created by the here-to-fore second-string game studio, Treyarch. But like moviegoers who sit down for a sequel even if the studio signs up a new director, players evidently don&amp;'t care about who makes the game &amp;8212' as long as the game is good.Next Story: FCC lays down net neutrality rules but exempts wireless providers from some Previous Story: Mark Hurd not out of the woods yet as SEC investigates his HP departurePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Call of Duty Black OpsCompanies: Activision Blizzard, Treyarch          Tags: Call of Duty Black OpsCompanies: Activision Blizzard, TreyarchDean 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[On the GreenBeat: EnerNOC to buy Global Energy Partners, Evergreen tries recapitalization]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-the-greenbeat-enernoc-to-buy-global-energy-partners-evergreen-tries-recapitalization</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-the-greenbeat-enernoc-to-buy-global-energy-partners-evergreen-tries-recapitalization</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-the-greenbeat-enernoc-to-buy-global-energy-partners-evergreen-tries-recapitalization</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Here are the stories we&amp;'re reading today on the GreenBeat:Troubled Evergreen Solar to try recapitalization &amp;8212' The company said yesterday that its board of directors has approved a plan to recapitalize the company, Bloomberg reports. The plan aims to slash outstanding debt and interest expenses and lower the cost and due date on longer-term debt. The company (one of its solar installations pictured, left) would also raise capital by selling up to $40 million of its cash notes.Germany to install a record 8 gigawatts of solar this year &amp;8212' This widens Germany&amp;'s already substantial lead in the global solar marketplace. A cut in solar subsidies earlier this year didn&amp;'t cause a market collapse, as some had feared, but a slowdown. In future years, growth could cool down to three to five gigawatts a year, Reuters writes.AT&amp;amp'T to buy Xanboo &amp;8212' The mobile and broadband company is edging into the home energy market with this purchase, Earth2Tech reports. Xanboo is a decade-old firm that automates home energy and allows residents to monitor security and energy usage across multiple devices.EnerNOC to buy Global Energy Partners &amp;8212' Demand response leader EnerNOC said that its purchase of the company would be its biggest deal yet, Earth2Tech reports. Global Energy Partners designs and implements demand response and energy efficiency solutions for utilities.First Wind nabs $98 million for wind project &amp;8211' The wind developer secured $98 million for a 60-megawatt wind project in Maine. First Wind pulled IPO plans in November. The company has raised $357 million in financing since the end of September and repaid $118 million in short-term turbine supply loans, Sustainable Business writes.Next Story: In another stunner, OnLive enables game spectating and Windows 7 apps on your iPad Previous Story: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrested, refused bailPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: demand response, Germany, home energy, Smart Grid, Solar, windCompanies: AT&amp;amp'T, Enernoc, Evergreen Solar, First Wind, Xanboo          Tags: demand response, Germany, home energy, Smart Grid, Solar, windCompanies: AT&amp;amp'T, Enernoc, Evergreen Solar, First Wind, XanbooIris 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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<title><![CDATA[Is Twitter worth $10 billion]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-twitter-worth-10-billion</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-twitter-worth-10-billion</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-twitter-worth-10-billion</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Famed startup investor John Doerr recently said that turning down a chance to put money in Twitter, the fast-growing, San Francisco-based microblogging company, was one of his biggest mistakes.He may be set to correct that mistake, according to Bloomberg, which reports that his firm, Kleiner Perkins, and Russian Internet investment group DST, are set to invest in Twitter in a deal that would value the young company at $3 billion. Its most recent fundraising round, in September 2009, valued it at $1 billion.That&amp;'s a hefty price for a startup whose revenue strategy is still questionable, as even its own executives admit. Twitter has launched a suite of advertising products based on users&amp;' posts, or tweets. Twitter&amp;'s Promoted Tweets, Trends, and Accounts allow businesses to highlight search terms or particular posts, or sign up new subscribers to their posts.But to date, most of Twitter&amp;'s revenues appear to have come from deals to license data to search giants like Microsoft and Google, as well as smaller companies like Jive and Gnip.So the notion that Twitter is worth $3 billion on the current state of its business is nonsense, of course. And anyone who argues that it&amp;'s based on some solid projection of future growth is huffing whiteboard-marker fumes.There is a classic investing theory that explains the price Kleiner and DST are willing to pay: It&amp;'s called the greater fool. If Doerr and company are paying such a high price for Twitter, they must be betting that in short order, someone else will be willing to pay much, much more.If you&amp;'re willing to say Twitter&amp;'s worth $3 billion, why not $10 billion The beauty of the speculative market for startups is that there&amp;'s no need to actually analyze a business: If someone actually pays the price, it&amp;'s true.Next Story: Big data draws big money as IA Ventures raises $50M fund Previous Story: On the GreenBeat: GE&amp;'s electric bus of the future' MiaSol bests its solar efficiency recordPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: microblogging, Social networksCompanies: DST, Kleiner Perkins, TwitterPeople: John Doerr          Tags: microblogging, Social networksCompanies: DST, Kleiner Perkins, TwitterPeople: John DoerrOwen Thomas is the executive editor of 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[Zynga and Playdom settle trade-secret lawsuit]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zynga-and-playdom-settle-trade-secret-lawsuit</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zynga-and-playdom-settle-trade-secret-lawsuit</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zynga-and-playdom-settle-trade-secret-lawsuit</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Zynga and Playdom, two of the biggest social game companies, said today that they have settled a year-old lawsuit over alleged trade-secret theft.Terms were not disclosed. Zynga sued its rival in social games in September of last year, alleging that four former Zynga employees stole the company&amp;'s trade secrets when they left the company to join Playdom. Playdom has since been acquired by Disney for as much as $760 million.In a joint statement, the companies said they reached a confidential resolution of their litigation. Zynga general counsel Reggie Davis added, &amp;''The settlement reflects the very serious nature of the conduct involved, as reflected by the preliminary injunction, restraining orders, and contempt order issued by the Santa Clara Superior Court. We have great respect for Disney and are thankful that following its acquisition of Playdom, Disney resolved the matter to our satisfaction.&amp;''The lawsuit reflected the fact that social-game companies are in a gold rush to get as many users as they can. Ironically, Zynga itself was often accused of copying games of its rivals by taking themes such as farming and making Zynga&amp;'s own games based on them. However, Zynga argued, and courts generally agree, that there is a line that employees cross when they take one company&amp;'s documents and allegedly share them with another company.Zynga alleged that the former employees &amp;8212' Raymond Holmes, David Rohrl, Martha Sapeta, and Scott Siegel &amp;8212' left Zynga and took various documents with them. They included &amp;''The Zynga Playbook,&amp;'' which is the recipe book that contains Zynga&amp;'s &amp;''secret sauce&amp;'' for competing in social games. Zynga is the No. 1 social game company on Facebook with 198.5 million monthly active users, while Playdom has 34.8 million, according to market researcher AppData.The court granted an injunction in Zynga&amp;'s favor in the lawsuit in March and another one in August saying that Playdom was not allowed to use any of the allegedly stolen trade secrets. In the process of discovery, Zynga uncovered emails with Playdom executives saying some very unflattering things about Zynga&amp;'s chief executive, Mark Pincus, according to its amended complaint filed back in May, including Playdom co-founder Daniel Yue saying, &amp;''God I hate Pincus.&amp;'' Zynga argued that these comments established an environment in which the alleged theft could occur.Zynga alleged that Rohrl, former director of design, stole an entire game idea and its associated innovative game mechanics from Zynga and developed it under a different name for Playdom. Zynga produced as evidence emails sent by Rohrl from his private Gmail account to Yue, who promised to keep them secret. The two were talking while Rohrl was still employed at Zynga in January, 2009, and Rohrl did not receive a job offer until March, 2009. Zynga alleged that Rohrl got a bonus from Playdom for his actions. In March, the court issued an injunction prohibiting Playdom from releasing the game, saying that Yue and Playdom employe Jamie Ferris induced the sued employees to steal Zynga&amp;'s secrets.Playdom also admitted that Zynga documents had been transferred to Playdom computers by former Zynga employee Chris Hinton (who was not a defendant) and these documents had been used by Playdom in its efforts to compete against Zynga. Zynga also alleged that in January, 2009, Playdom hacked Zynga&amp;'s computer network and gained access to Zynga&amp;'s confidential customer list and customer data, including data on the then-flagship game Zynga Texas Hold Em Poker. Zynga said Playdom used automated scripts to steal Zynga data on 1.6 million Zynga users, including how much virtual currency each customer had. The next day, on Jan. 28, Playdom allegedly sent solicitations to Zynga&amp;'s players to recruit them to Playdom&amp;'s own competing Poker Palace game.Next Story: Support Local Businesses and You Could Earn $25! Previous Story: Verizon pushes for rewrite of &amp;''antiquated and anti-competitive&amp;'' US telecom lawPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'                        Dean 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[Fashion And Commerce Come Together At The Refinery29&nbsp'Reserve]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fashion-and-commerce-come-together-at-the-refinery29nbspreserve</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fashion-and-commerce-come-together-at-the-refinery29nbspreserve</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fashion-and-commerce-come-together-at-the-refinery29nbspreserve</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The line between content and commerce is blurring.  Refinery29, a fashion news and trends site with a local twist, just launched a daily/weekly deal site called Refinery29 Reserve.  The deals are for &amp;''high-end local fashion,&amp;'' as CEO Philippe von Borries describes it.  The combination of an editorially-driven media site and a commerce business is a trend that is picking up steam.  For instance, last May, guy-site Thrillist bought JackThreads, a flash sales site for men&amp;'s clothing and gear.  Funded with only $500,000 in seed capital last February, Refinery is growing fast and already profitable. The 15-person company is on track to quadruple revenues this year to $2 million, with about 85 percent of that coming from advertising and the rest from affiliate sales and events.  The daily deals could ad a whole new engine of growth to the niche fashion site.The first Reserve deal is from New York City designer Steven Alan, who according to Borries is &amp;''like a young Tommy Hilfigger or Ralph Lauren.&amp;''  (I&amp;'m sure).  People who sign up on Refinery29 Reserve can get a voucher worth $100 at one of Steven Alan&amp;'s six New York City boutiques for $50, essentially getting 50% off a $100 purchase.  Refinery29 takes a cut of that $50 (typically 35% to 50%), and Steven Alan gets fashionista fanatics (Refinery29&amp;8242's readers) going to his stores.  After only one day, the deal is already three-quarters sold out.In the next couple of weeks, the site will feature deals from the French Connection and Rag &amp;amp' Bone (which, I guess, is expensive clothes for skinny women).  In general, high-end brands avoid the flash-sale sites because they don&amp;'t want to dilute their appeal.  But Borries thinks Refinery29 can get over that objection because it draws such highly sought-after, fashion-conscious shoppers with its news and editorial coverage.CrunchBase InformationRefinery29JackThreadsInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CEO Expects TV Networks To Block Boxee Box, Plans Payment Platform To Win Them&nbsp'Over]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ceo-expects-tv-networks-to-block-boxee-box-plans-payment-platform-to-win-themnbspover</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ceo-expects-tv-networks-to-block-boxee-box-plans-payment-platform-to-win-themnbspover</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ceo-expects-tv-networks-to-block-boxee-box-plans-payment-platform-to-win-themnbspover</guid>
<description><![CDATA[TV is coming to the Web and there is nothing that can stop it.  Just ask Avner Ronen, the CEO of Web TV startup Boxee.  Later tonight, he will announce the general availability of his Boxee Box, a small device you hook up to your TV and the Internet so you can watch video from the Web on your TV.  The videos come not only from YouTube, but also from ABC.com, NBC.com, CBS.com, Comedy Central, and many other video sites on the Web.  I visited Ronen today at his New York City offices where he gave me a demo of the Boxee Box (more on that in a later post), but we also got into a very interesting discussion about how the major TV networks and media companies are reacting to seeing their Web videos increasingly turning up on large-screen TVs.As he describes in the video below, Ronen argues that the media companies should be more consistent: either charge for videos on the Web or make it free, or go for the freemium model and offer premium video watching experiences on devices like Boxee and the iPad or an additional fee.  He reveals that Boxee is working on a payments platform to support such subscription business models on the Boxee service.  Furthermore, Hulu Plus will become available on Boxee as a paid option.  Yup, the same Hulu that previously blocked BoxeeIt is not a foregone conclusion that the media companies who control the most popular TV shows and movies will play along.  Just last month, when Google launched its competing Google TV, it was almost immediately blocked by the major TV networks even though it was simply grabbing video freely available on the Web.  Hulu also blocked Google TV.  Effectively, the media industry is now discriminating based on device and what kind of browser you are using.  Why wouldn&amp;'t they do exactly the same thing to the Boxee Box  &amp;''I think that is a reasonable assumption to make,&amp;'' admits Ronen.  But he believes that eventually they will come around.  &amp;''Our view is that ultimately it does not make sense for content owners to discriminate based on browsers and screen size.  It is an endless battle. &amp;''  I pointed out that what seems to be happening instead is that the TV networks and movie studios are trying to replicate the business model of cable TV on the Web, by granting access only to services which pay them hefty fees like Netflix does (to the tune of an estimated $2 billion next year).  Ronen is actually fine with making people pay for content, and in fact says that he will make one-click payments part of the Boxee service itself.  Next year,&amp;'' he reveals, &amp;''we will launch a payments platform on Boxee.  With one click you will be able to subscribe. We think that will be part of the solution.&amp;''  You can watch videos behind Web paywalls today on Boxee, but you have to enter a different username and password for each site.  Boxee&amp;'s payment service would be single sign-on and manage all the subscriptions in one place.What he suggests is a classic freemium model.  If you want new shows and videos as soon as they come out in HD, you pay a few bucks a month to NBC or HBO and you can watch those shows on Boxee, your iPad, your computer or anywhere you want.  Then a week or so later, it comes out free on the Web in standard definition with ads.  The we-support-subscriptions argument is also one the Google TV folks are making.  The media companies are fine with Netflix streaming their movies and shows because Netflix pays them a bunch of money.  But where their model breaks down is that often they offer the same TV shows on their own Websites for free.  &amp;''While they are comfortable with the Netflix model, they are not comfortable with their own services online. I think it is better if they have an online business model that they believe in.&amp;''Watch the shaky-cam video below for more of his thoughts on the matter.CrunchBase InformationAvner RonenBoxeeInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Why Windows Phone 7&'s first day sales numbers don&'t matter]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-windows-phone-7rsquos-first-day-sales-numbers-donrsquot-matter</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-windows-phone-7rsquos-first-day-sales-numbers-donrsquot-matter</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-windows-phone-7rsquos-first-day-sales-numbers-donrsquot-matter</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In  lieu of actual first day US sales numbers from Microsoft, everyone  seems out to predict doom and gloom for its Windows Phone 7  platform. Microsoft may have sold as little as 40,000 phones, a a4Amarket  research sourcea4 tells the financial site TheStreet. Meanwhile, CNet  reporters noted that a San Francisco T-Mobile store didna4a4t have much  luck pushing their WP7 wares.While  Ia4a4m normally one to eagerly follow launch numbers as well, Ia4a4ve become  increasingly convinced that for this particular product launch, the  actual first day sales dona4a4t matter.Why  Because Microsoft is in this for the long haul. It doesna4a4t matter if  Windows Phone 7 sales were poor (not likely), or if they were off the  charts (although we would have heard by now if they were). Microsoft is  going to dump as much money, time, and energy into the platform as  necessary to make it relevant again in the mobile market. It has to succeed, otherwise it will lose its mobile presence completely.Failure  isna4a4t an option since competitors like Apple and Google are raking in  billions from their mobile endeavors. Google announced last month that ita4a4s making $1 billion a year from mobile ads (a number which could  double or triple by next year). Apple, meanwhile, made $8.6 billion from  sales of the iPhone this quarter, and ita4a4s set to gain a bigger chunk  of the mobile advertising market when its iAd mobile advertising service hits the iPad this month with the iPhone OS 4.2 update. In addition to  landing on the iPad, Apple is also working on bringing iAd worldwide &amp;8212'  ita4a4s been restricted to the US and UK thus far.And  as much as the company is ridiculed, Microsoft isna4a4t stupid&amp;8230' Okay, the Kin phones were stupid. But Windows Phone 7 isna4a4t the Kin. This time  around Microsoft has multiple carriers, multiple hardware partners,  mature software, and perhaps most importantly, it has a plan. Ita4a4s  marketing the phones directly to consumers who seem to despise iPhone  and Android user habits (see, the a4AReallya4 ad), and therea4a4s still a  significant population that hasna4a4t yet committed to either camp.Microsoft  will likely also take advantage of RIMa4a4s inability to keep up with  Apple and Android. Dell just recently announced that ita4a4s dumping 25,000 BlackBerrys company-wide and is opting for Windows Phone 7 and Android devices instead.  Practically every independent quarterly sales report we cover notes RIMa4a4s declining sales, and RIM doesna4a4t have any flagship smartphones on the horizon to replace its undercooked BlackBerry Torch.In  my testing, WP7 devices unquestionably offer a better consumer  experience than anything RIM has to offer, and Microsoft is also aiming  for business users with the best Office integration on any mobile  platform. If RIM continues at its current rate, I wouldna4a4t be surprised  to see Microsoft shipping more phones than RIM by this time next year.Microsoft has already committed $500 million to marketing Windows Phone 7,  and I suspect that number will reach even more obscene levels  throughout 2011. Microsoft may not always be first to the market with  innovation, but it has a habit of persevering until it achieves some  sort of success. Take the Xbox, for example. Microsoft lost $4 billion on the first generation Xbox, but then the Xbox 360 went on to find success in this most recent console generation and earned the company $20 billion as of January 2010.Similarly,  but less successfully, Microsoft preserved with its Zune music players  &amp;8212' which led to the slick-looking Zune HD, and ultimately to Windows  Phone 7a4a4s user interface.Microsoft  likely isna4a4t aiming for the number one smartphone spot. Even if it  managed to push out more devices than Apple, it could never keep up with  Androida4a4s sheer ubiquity. But placing second, or even third, is  certainly better than not being in the game at all. And you can rest  assured that Microsoft will do whatever it takes to regain its mobile  relevance &amp;8212' no matter what the numbers say about Windows Phone 7a4a4s  launch day sales.Previous Story: 23andMe lands $22M from Google Ventures and others to expand personal genetics researchPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Android, iPhone, sales, smartphones, Windows Phone 7Companies: Apple, Google, Microsoft, RIM          Tags: Android, iPhone, sales, smartphones, Windows Phone 7Companies: Apple, Google, Microsoft, RIMDevindra 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[Wall Street Journal says contractor accused Mark Hurd of leaking secret EDS deal]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wall-street-journal-says-contractor-accused-mark-hurd-of-leaking-secret-eds-deal</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wall-street-journal-says-contractor-accused-mark-hurd-of-leaking-secret-eds-deal</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wall-street-journal-says-contractor-accused-mark-hurd-of-leaking-secret-eds-deal</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Both the Wall Street Journal and Fortune have published extensive investigative stories about the firing of Mark Hurd and his relationship with former HP contractor and soft porn actress Jodie Fisher. The Journal alleged that Hurd leaked to her the undisclosed news that HP would buy EDS.The allegation was contained in the letter that Fisher&amp;'s attorney, Los Angeles celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, wrote to Mark Hurd during July of this year. The allegation is not independently substantiated, but the fact that it was contained in the initial letter to HP shows why the HP board, which has been mocked for its behavior, acted so quickly to investigate the matter. That letter set off a chain reaction of events that led to HP&amp;'s firing of Hurd on Aug. 6. (HP, incidentally, maintains that Hurd resigned and was not fired' but he was forced to resign).Hurd&amp;'s firing was so shocking &amp;8212' since he had helped turn HP into the world&amp;'s largest tech company &amp;8212' HP&amp;'s stock value lost $9 billion by the end of Aug. 9. The story took a not-so-lurid turn when Fisher (pictured right) came forward to say that &amp;8212' despite the fact that she filed a sex harassment lawsuit against Hurd &amp;8212' she never had sex with Hurd and was sorry he lost his job over the matter. Hurd admitted to failing to live up to HP&amp;'s code of conduct. Then HP&amp;'s PR nightmare grew as nude Playboy photos of Fisher and her soft porn career turned up.Throughout the whole media maelstrom that followed, the EDS matter never came up' allegedly, the Allred letter said that Hurd told Fisher about the deal in March, 2008. The $13.9 billion deal was disclosed to the public until May, 2008. That allegation was likely something that the board knew would draw the attention of regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission, since it represents a breach of fiduciary duty and likely violates insider trading laws. The story does not say if the board substantiated that the leak happened.The salacious story consumed Silicon Valley until Hurd (pictured right) got hired at Oracle on Sept. 6 and HP&amp;'s board replaced him with former SAP chief executive Leo Apotheker. Then the story died out. Just when everyone thought it had died down, this pair of stories will surely get tongues wagging again.Both stories say they have reconstructed the events that led to Hurd&amp;'s firing as closely as they can, but they don&amp;'t have on-the-record interviews with the two people who have a lot of the answers: Hurd and Fisher. While Fortune alludes to the fact that the attorney letter revealed Hurd had disclosed a &amp;''professional secret&amp;'' to Fisher &amp;8212' which is probably why HP&amp;'s attorneys had to take the allegation as seriously as they did &amp;8212' the Wall Street Journal discloses more details of the letter and spills the facts about the EDS leak.Fortune chose to print considerable detail about Fisher, including her divorce details, a judgment against her for failing to pay rent, and just about everything except the address of the staffing agency where she worked for her mother in New Jersey. The detail is interesting, but it&amp;'s not particularly enlightening. Hurd admitted being alone with Fisher in each other&amp;'s hotel rooms. But there was no evidence to support Fisher&amp;'s claim that Hurd violated HP&amp;'s harassment policy. As has been reported, the board eventually became alarmed that Hurd wasn&amp;'t telling the full truth about the matter. He was fired because the board lost confidence that he was being honest with them.For instance, Hurd allegedly told directors that he didn&amp;'t know Fisher had acted in adult movies. But HP investigators found that he had used his computer to visit web pages showing her in pornographic scenes, including a site called &amp;''erotic4u.com.&amp;'' Hurd had also said he didn&amp;'t know Fisher well, but the letter had eight pages of details of meetings between the two in hotels around the world. And subsequent investigations showed that he had dined with her and, in expense reports filed by someone else, did not disclose that. In fact, the two had met on a couple of occasions when HP did not have any relevant marketing event hosted by Fisher.Hurd was introduced to Fisher in 2007 by the CEO&amp;'s unofficial chief of staff, who was named Caprice McIlvaine by the WSJ and Caprice Fimbres by Fortune. (Evidently her name is Caprice Fimbres McIlvaine). McIlvaine, who resigned a few days after Hurd, told investigators she had spotted Fisher on the reality TV show Age of Love and thought she would be appropriate to help prioritize the HP customers at various HP marketing events. The events ended in late 2009.When the letter arrived and HP began investigating, the board was inclined to believe Hurd. But as the probe proceeded, the support eroded. While Hurd wanted to keep the matter quiet, HP&amp;'s board recalled the spying scandal that cost then-chairman Pattie Dunn her job. Hurd knew that HP&amp;'s investigators spied on journalists, but he emerged unscathed in the 2006 scandal. Concerned that regulators would criticize the board for not disclosing an important matter &amp;8212' including the EDS allegation &amp;8212' the board took the investigation seriously.Fortune said that two HP directors, former Medtronic CFO Robert Ryan and Lucille Salnany, were convinced that Hurd had to be fired. They had been in daily contact with HP&amp;'s investigators on the matter. Two other directors, former IBM chief financial officer John Joyce and legal services firm founder Joel Hyatt, believed that Hurd should stay. The others, including Netscape founder Marc Andreessen, former Rohm &amp;amp' Haas CEO Rajiv Gupta, former Wachovia CEO G. Kennedy Thompson, and McKesson CEO John Hammergren, began the fateful board session undecided. After the investigation was over, all 10 directors had swung against Hurd, Fortune said.At one point, Andreessen visited Hurd at home and told him, regarding the hiring of a porn actress, that, &amp;''You have created a situation ideally suited for TMZ,&amp;'' a reference to the tabloid TV show and web site, the Journal reported. Hurd tried to hang on to his job and settled the lawsuit with Fisher on the eve of his firing. Fisher said in the settlement that her earlier letter had &amp;''many inaccuracies&amp;'' without saying what they were. She added, &amp;''I do not believe that any of your behavior was detrimental to HP or in any way injured the company or its reputation.&amp;'' When Hurd&amp;'s attorneys told the board of the settlement with Fisher, some directors felt Hurd had cut the investigation off. Then, on the morning of Aug. 6, Hurd resigned. The announcement came out after the stock market closed that day. The Journal said the question of what Hurd had disclosed about the EDS deal remains unresolved.Left unsaid is why these full investigative pieces are appearing now. Perhaps the lawsuit over piracy between SAP and Oracle has turned dirty and sources on both sides are helping the journalists in question.Next Story: Ballmer&amp;'s got bucks: Microsoft CEO sells 12 percent of his stake in company Previous Story: Trooval raises $1.6M to help timeshare companies predict who will make a purchasePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: HP scandal, sexual harassmentCompanies: Eds, Hewlett Packard, Oracle, SAPPeople: Jodie Fisher, Marc Andreessen, Mark Hurd          Tags: HP scandal, sexual harassmentCompanies: Eds, Hewlett Packard, Oracle, SAPPeople: Jodie Fisher, Marc Andreessen, Mark HurdDean 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[Knowledge base SmartGridView baffles GreenBeat 2010 judges, audience]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=knowledge-base-smartgridview-baffles-greenbeat-2010-judges-audience</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=knowledge-base-smartgridview-baffles-greenbeat-2010-judges-audience</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=knowledge-base-smartgridview-baffles-greenbeat-2010-judges-audience</guid>
<description><![CDATA[SmartGridView is marketing itself as a service that brings together experts to discuss intelligent power grids, and packages that knowledge for the rest of the world to see. But the attendees at the GreenBeat 2010 conference in Palo Alto, Calif. weren&amp;'t quite sure what the company actually did.The actual knowledge base uses a flash interface to visualize the information in a &amp;''view&amp;'' customized for each individual, said SmartGridView founder Larry Wilson.. The views are essentially concept maps that bring together a number of topics that users can quickly access and get information from cleantech industry leaders.The actual product is a desktop application that produces reports and simplifiesthe immense amount of information on the Internet and across the entire cleantech industry for everyday consumers and industry leaders, he said.&amp;''We&amp;'re glad there was a none-of-the-above option when we applied,&amp;'' Wilson said. &amp;''We basically offer some beefed up concept maps so we can influence the influencers.&amp;''But that wasn&amp;'t necessarily a clear explanation for what they do a4&quot; even one of the judges was compelled to ask what kind of service SmartGridView was actually offering to potential cleantech consumers.SmartGridView is one of ten companies selected to participate int he Innovation Competition at GreenBeat 2010.Next Story: Startup WIT goes after microgrids in developing countries Previous Story: Redwood Systems wants lighting to behave like a broadband networkPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: cleantech, GreenBeat, GreenBeat 2010, knowledge baseCompanies: SmartGridViewPeople: Larry Wilson          Tags: cleantech, GreenBeat, GreenBeat 2010, knowledge baseCompanies: SmartGridViewPeople: Larry WilsonVentureBeat 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[Flexible solar panel maker SoloPower raises $13.5M]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=flexible-solar-panel-maker-solopower-raises-13-5m</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=flexible-solar-panel-maker-solopower-raises-13-5m</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dsoopddpss</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=flexible-solar-panel-maker-solopower-raises-13-5m</guid>
<description><![CDATA[SoloPower, a maker of flexible thin-film solar power panels, has raised $13.5 million in its fifth round of funding from Crosslink Capital and others, according to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.SoloPower manufactures photovoltaic cells, which capture sunlight and convert it to electricity, on a flexible surface that can be bent and placed just about anywhere. They&amp;'re called thin-film solar panels, but they are typically less efficient at capturing sunlight and converting it to electricity than hard wafer-style photovoltaic cells. Thin-film solar panels are usually able to convert about 15 to 20 percent of the light shining on the panel into energy.SoloPower recently snagged a $197 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a thin-film solar panel factory in Wilsonville, Ore. It also raised $51 million in its fourth round of funding and a $20 million loan from Oregon&amp;'s state government.The company still plans to raise an additional $6.5 million, according to the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Hudson Clean Energy Partner and Convexa AS also participated in this round of funding, according to the filing.VentureBeat has contacted SoloPower for confirmation and additional details about the recent round.Next Story: Japan gets free wi-fi from FON until quake emergency ends Previous Story: Flash 10.2 heads to Motorola Xoom, other Android devices March 18PrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: solar energy, solar power, thin-film solar panelsCompanies: solopower          Tags: solar energy, solar power, thin-film solar panelsCompanies: solopowerMatthew 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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