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<title>Haaze.com / goodhost12 / Published News</title>
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<pubDate>Wed, 18 May 2011 07:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Amazon wants to buy your used gadgets]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-wants-to-buy-your-used-gadgets</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-wants-to-buy-your-used-gadgets</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 18 May 2011 07:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>goodhost12</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-wants-to-buy-your-used-gadgets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amazon announced today it is expanding its trade-in program to allow customers to swap their used electronics for Amazon gift cards.The online retailer said it will accept usedtablets, cell phones, MP3 players, cameras, and GPS devices, regardless of where the items were purchased. Would-be electronics recyclers can search Amazon's Trade-in page for items being accepted for credit. Offered trade-in values range from 25 cents for a variety of cell phones to $480 forApple's iPad 2.Customers indicate the condition of the item (&quot;Like New,&quot; &quot;Good,&quot; or &quot; Acceptable&quot;) and print out a pre-paid shipping label. After Amazon receives and inspects the items, the gift cards are deposited in the customer's Amazon account, usually within 48 hours, Amazon said. Rejected items are returned to the customer within 14 days at no cost.Up to now, the program had only accepted used video games (media and hardware), DVDs, and textbooks.&quot;Hundreds of thousands of customers have already received millions of dollars in gift cards from the other products in our program,&quot; Paul Ryder, vice president of electronics for Amazon, said in a statement. &quot;The electronics category is a natural extension and we are delighted to offer our customers more trade-in options.&quot;Earlier this year, Best Buy launched a buy-back service designed to lessen consumers' concerns about tech obsolescence. After purchasing a TV, mobile phone, laptop, Netbook, or tablet at Best Buy, the buyer has two years to bring it back and get a percentage of the purchase price as long as it's in good condition.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[At last, you can avoid the public radio pledge drive]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=at-last-you-can-avoid-the-public-radio-pledge-drive</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=at-last-you-can-avoid-the-public-radio-pledge-drive</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>goodhost12</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=at-last-you-can-avoid-the-public-radio-pledge-drive</guid>
<description><![CDATA[San Francisco public radio station KQED has unveiled its pledge-free stream, which allows subscribers to skip annoying pledge breaks.(Credit:KQED)For anyone who listens to public radio, there may be no greater annoyance than the semi-regular pledge drives that seem to go on for weeks and constantly interrupt your favorite programs.Of course, these stations have little choice but to conduct the pledge drives, but if you've already given money, it can be doubly frustrating to continue to have to listen to the pleas. Well, if you're from the San Francisco area, local NPR affiliate KQED may have just the solution.Starting today, anyone who ponies up a donation of $45 will be given access to a special online stream of KQED's programming that is entirely free of interruptions during its upcoming pledge drive. &quot;We had to build a better system for people to donate,&quot; said Don Derheim, KQED's executive vice president and COO. &quot;And maybe this is it. We think it's part of the evolution of on-air fundraising.&quot;According to Derheim, people who sign up for the initiative will get a unique user code that will allow them to access the pledge-free stream on up to four different devices. That means that KQED listeners will be able to run the stream on a computer, and also mobile devices like iPhones, Android gadgets, or other smartphones andtablets. The stream will be accessible through KQED's Web site, said Yoon Lee, the station's director of digital media fundraising, and not via a special application. Those interested must donate before May 5.Derheim said KQED ran the pledge-free stream as a small test experiment a couple of years ago, giving about 50 people access. And while he suggested that the testers liked what they got, the station wasn't ready to roll it out to everyone. Now, however, technology has progressed, and perhaps more important, there's a much wider understanding of what streaming media is. And that means that KQED won't have to work as hard to explain to listeners what it is that it's offering. &quot;There's extraordinary new pressure to continue our innovation,&quot; Derheim said. &quot;The other week we recorded our largest weekly radio audience in our history, and that just tells us that when you're at your top, you'd better make sure you're ready to change.&quot;For media observers, KQED's move may be just the thing to help loyal listeners--especially those who regularly donate--get their public radio fix without having to endure the endless pledge breaks.&quot;I think it's a great idea,&quot; said Mark Glaser, the executive editor of PBS' Mediashift. &quot;One of the things about public media that's always been annoying is that you give money...but then you still have to hear them asking for more. This idea, where once you've given...money you get access to the stream, is great. It makes a lot of sense, and it's rewarding people who have paid.&quot;Or as NPR journalist Chris Amico tweeted yesterday, &quot;I think KQED just saved (public radio) journalism. Been wanting this for years.&quot;Other stationsOne of the biggest questions about this effort is whether other public radio stations around the country will follow KQED's lead. Derheim said the technology behind its effort was built in-house, but that the station would be happy to help others build their own version or replicate KQED's. But he knows that before any of that happens, it will be vital for KQED to show that listeners responded to the offer.&quot;Given the feedback already from other stations and interested parties and public media,&quot; Derheim said, &quot;there's going to be a lot of eyes&quot; on the project.Glaser, who works for PBS but who has no connections with KQED, agreed that the idea could easily catch on elsewhere in the country, saying it makes a lot of sense for many public radio stations. &quot;If KQED can show that it's going to bring in more money,&quot; Glaser said, &quot;or make people giving money more satisfied in some way, then I couldn't see why it wouldn't work in other places.&quot;Of course, for those public radio listeners used to getting gifts like KQED-branded coffee mugs, free DVDs, or other swag, paying the $45 for access to the pledge-free stream means none of those other free gifts will be arriving in the mail in six to eight weeks. Clearly, KQED thinks the pledge-free stream is gift enough.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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