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<title>Haaze.com / pnopnolim34 / Published News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Ask Maggie: AT&T to cut T-Mobile Wi-Fi call feature]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ask-maggie-att-to-cut-t-mobile-wi-fi-call-feature</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ask-maggie-att-to-cut-t-mobile-wi-fi-call-feature</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ask-maggie-att-to-cut-t-mobile-wi-fi-call-feature</guid>
<description><![CDATA[All good things must come to an end. At least that's likely the case for T-Mobile USA customers who like using the carrier's Wi-Fi calling feature on certain smartphones.In this week's column, I discuss whether I think AT&amp;T will keep the Unlicensed Mobile Access Wi-Fi calling feature that T-Mobile offers on some of its smartphones. I also discuss Samsung's problem with long delays for Android OS updates. And I explain to a Boost Mobile customer that he has two years to pick out a new phone before Sprint turns out the lights on the existing iDEN network that the Boost service currently uses.Ask Maggie is a weekly advice column that answers readers' wireless and broadband questions. If you've got a question, please send me an e-mail at maggie dot reardon at cbs dot com. And please put &quot;Ask Maggie&quot; in the subject header.Will AT&amp;T embrace Wi-Fi calling from T-MobileDear Maggie, UMA, or Unlicensed Mobile Access, Wi-Fi calling is a terrific (and often misunderstood) feature on some T-Mobile phones. It's one of the reasons I'm a T-Mobile customer, because it's something no other carrier offers. Will AT&amp;T continue to support this feature after it buys T-Mobile UMA is especially valuable overseas, because calls to U.S. numbers don't incur international roaming charges. They just use plan minutes.Thanks, RussDear Russ, I contacted AT&amp;T spokesman Mark Siegel to get an answer to your question, and once again he told me that it's just too soon to say exactly what phones, service plans, or features AT&amp;T will keep or kibosh after it buys T-Mobile USA.The merger still has a long way to go in terms of getting approved. When the deal was announced last month, the companies said they expected the regulatory review process to take at least a year.&quot;Until this deal is closed, we remain an independent competitor to AT&amp;T,&quot; a T-Mobile representative said in an email. &quot;There is no change in service for our customers, and we remain committed to ensuring that our customers have the best experience possible using T-Mobile USA products and services, and that includes offering Wi-Fi Calling on T-Mobile smartphones.&quot;As for UMA being a cool feature, I think you're right. This feature, which T-Mobile began testing in 2006, has been available on some BlackBerry devices, such as the Curve 8520, Curve 3G, and Bold 9700 and the Nokai E73 exclusively on T-Mobile's network. And it looked like up until last year, T-Mobile was expanding the device lineup for the feature. In November, it announced it would offer UMA-based Wi-Fi calling on some Android smartphones via an Android App. But the feature is not available for every Android phone.T-Mobile initially made the app available for the myTouch and Motorola DEFY. Since then, T-Mobile has added or launched Wi-Fi Calling on the Samsung Vibrant, Galaxy S 4G, Sidekick 4G, plus the Motorola Charm and Cliq2, along with the T-Mobile G2x and the MyTouch 3G Slide, according to Steve Shaw, vice president of Kineto Wireless, the company that provides the Wi-Fi calling functionality for T-Mobile. For a full list of devices, including Nokia and RIM phones, click here. Shaw said that about 80 percent of T-Mobile's smartphone line-up has Wi-Fi calling, and he estimates that nearly 20 percent of T-Mobile's total subscriber base has a Wi-Fi Calling enabled phone.The UMA-Wi-Fi calling feature is integrated into the BlackBerry and Nokia phones, making it a seamless experience. Calls can be routed on and off the Wi-Fi network. But the Android app-based version isn't integrated into the device. So it doesn't switch between Wi-Fi and the cellular network as seamlessly as the native versions on the BlackBerry phones and the Nokia device. T-Mobile has changed the service a bit since it first began offering it a few years ago. Previously, T-Mobile charged $10 extra per month for unlimited voice minutes when your call was handled over a Wi-Fi network. Now T-Mobile doesn't charge people extra for the service, and calls routed over the Wi-Fi network are still counted against your monthly voice minutes. But the UMA Wi-Fi functionality allows you to make calls when a cellular signal isn't available.So as you mentioned in your question, it's a very nice feature to have while traveling overseas, because you can use the Wi-Fi connection to make phone calls as though you were on T-Mobile's U.S. network, avoiding expensive roaming charges. Unfortunately, I doubt AT&amp;T will continue selling phones with the UMA feature, and I doubt the company will continue to support devices from T-Mobile that have that feature after customer contracts expire. T-Mobile uses the UMA feature mainly because it lacks good network coverage. By contrast, AT&amp;T doesn't need Wi-Fi to fill in for dead spots for its voice service. The company has a robust national network footrpint. Customers who experience dropped calls aren't experiencing those dropped calls because the cell phone signal is weak. They are experiencing issues because the networks are overloaded. Once AT&amp;T acquires the T-Mobile spectrum, it will have a lot more cellular capacity to go along with its coverage.That said, AT&amp;T does see Wi-Fi as a useful offloading technology for data services. Through roaming arrangements, AT&amp;T customers have access to more than 135,000 Wi-Fi hot spots around the globe, and T-Mobile customers can access an additional 45,000 Wi-Fi hot spots globally. AT&amp;T currently offers smartphone customers in the U.S. the ability to connect at no additional cost to its hot spots for data services. This helps offload traffic on AT&amp;T's congested 3G data network.But I wouldn't hold my breath for Wi-Fi based voice calling. AT&amp;T seems to view Wi-Fi purely as a data offload network technology.Kineto's Shaw disagrees with me. He thinks that AT&amp;T could leverage its existing broadband business to offload voice traffic onto Wi-Fi.&quot;The most interesting opportunity for Wi-Fi Calling is AT&amp;T's 16 million DSL and U-Verse lines the company has into consumers' homes,&quot; he said. &quot;Approximately 80 percent of those lines already have Wi-Fi. And nearly every analyst out there tells us anywhere from 50 percent to 66 percent of mobile usage happens indoors, particularly in the home.&quot;Shaw makes a great point, but given the fact that AT&amp;T has not included UMA Wi-Fi calling on its phones already, makes me think the company probably isn't that interested in leveraging in-home Wi-Fi to offload voice calls.Correction and Update 4:45 p.m. PT:T-Mobile USA offers the UMA Wi-Fi calling feature on several more Android phones. The story incorrectly listed that the feature was limited to two phones. The story was also updated with a comment from T-Mobile USA and comments from Kineto Wireless, the company that supplies T-Mobile with the UMA capability.What gives with the slow Samsung Android updatesHi Maggie, I have the Samsung Fascinate from Verizon Wireless and have been waiting for an upgrade to Android 2.2 ever since I got the phone. When I got the phone in November, the Verizon employee at the store assured me an update would happen. But it still hasn't come. Meanwhile, other Samsung Galaxy S phones have all been updated. And now the Galaxy S2 phones are coming out with Android 2.3. Do I have any hope of ever getting the Android 2.2 update on my phone Or have Samsung and Verizon chosen to neglect this phoneThanks for your help, EmoryDear Emory, I hear your frustration and you are not alone. This has been an ongoing problem since the Galaxy S phones were first introduced last year. I contacted Samsung and asked them to answer your question. The company claims the holdup has to do with testing the software and the device to make sure the user experience is up to snuff.Here is the reply I received: Samsung is working closely with Verizon Wireless to complete the Android 2.2/Froyo platform upgrade for the Fascinate smartphone as quickly as possible. Due to the complexity and unique functionality of the Fascinate, we are performing additional testing and are working to assure consumer satisfaction with the update. Samsung and Verizon Wireless appreciate the patience and understanding from consumers who decided to purchase the Fascinate. We look forward to sharing the benefits of the Android 2.2/Froyo OS through a simple and reliable over-the-air release in the near future. But delayed software upgrades have been an issue with Samsung Android phones for a while. My CNET Reviews colleague Bonnie Cha noted in a blog post in January that several Galaxy series devices have been on the market more than seven months without the promised update to Android 2.2.Meanwhile other handsets from other manufacturers, such as the Motorola Droid X and HTC Evo 4G, have received the Android 2.2 update.It's difficult to say for sure why it's taking Samsung so long to get these upgrades ready for its phones. Bonnie suspects it has something to do with Samsung's user interface. Samsung had also been criticized for not pushing updates to the Samsung Behold II after Android OS 1.6. &quot;Though the company never officially said it, we suspected the TouchWiz interface was to blame, which is why we were concerned when we saw an even more customized TouchWiz UI on the Galaxy phones,&quot; Bonnie said in her post in January. &quot;But at the time, Samsung assured us updates would not be a problem.&quot; Other people have come up with conspiracy theories to explain Samsung's slow movement in the update department. In January rumors were flying around that Samsung was actually preventing T-Mobile from releasing the Android 2.2 Froyo update to the Samsung Vibrant, so that the company could push customers to upgrade to the next-gen Vibrant 4G. At the time, Samsung wouldn't comment on the rumor, but it issued this statement: Samsung feels it is important to make the Android 2.2/Froyo upgrade available only after we feel that we can give the millions of U.S. Galaxy S owners a simple and reliable upgrade experience. Due to the complexity and unique functionality of each Galaxy S device, we are performing additional testing and are working to make the Android 2.2/Froyo upgrade available to all U.S. Galaxy S owners, including the Samsung Vibrant, as soon as possible. My colleague Bonnie said it best in her blog: &quot;We appreciate the thoroughness in testing, but this doesn't help Samsung's cause. I really hope for its sake that all Galaxy owners get a helping of Froyo soon.&quot; Amen, Bonnie.Boost Mobile and the future of iDEN phonesDear Maggie, I've been a Boost Mobile customer for a while and like the service. I understand that Sprint is going to shut down the Nextel iDEN network in 2013 that my Motorola i1 uses. Do you know what the game plan is for customers on the Nextel network, or have you heard anything I'm thinking Sprint may move the users over to their network, or do I have to wait and see I'd like to hold on to my Motorola i1 for as long as I can because I love the phone. But I understand that I will probably need to upgrade. Keep up the good work.Thanks, BillDear Bill, You're correct. Sprint announced that it will migrate users away from the old iDEN network that Nextel used and toward Sprint's CDMA network. Sprint will repurpose the spectrum and eventually switch off the iDEN cell sites. And since Boost uses Sprint's iDEN network to deliver its service, this means that eventually your Motorola i1 will no longer work.The good news is that Sprint plans to retain the basic elements of the push-to-talk (PTT) service that Nextel offered and that you probably like having on your Motorla i1. But instead of being offered over an iDEN network it will be offered on Sprint's CDMA network. John Taylor, a spokesman for Sprint, said that this will allow people to not only take advantage of the push-to-talk feature but also get access to faster data service from Sprint's 3G EV-DO network. It should also improve in-building coverage and extend the geographic network coverage in general.Sprint will begin this transition process from iDEN to CDMA by the fourth quarter of this year. But the company has said it will keep the iDEN cell sites operating until 2013. What this means for you is that you'll have some time to pick out a new phone. In fact, you'll have about two years. In the short term, Sprint will be rolling out new CDMA devices with Direct Connect, the push-to-talk functionality, to attract new customers and encourage existing iDEN users to transition to the CDMA. So you'll likely be able to upgrade your phone before 2013, to a CDMA push-to-talk version, if you see a new phone that strikes your fancy. Sprint has said these devices will initially come from Kyocera and Motorola. My CNET Reviews colleague Kent German reported last month when Sprint made its road map public that exact details about the new devices are still few. But he said the first crop of Sprint phones &quot;should include a durable flip phone with a digital camera and an Android-powered smartphone with a touch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard.&quot; He also said Sprint promises more CDMA push-to-talk devices with varying designs in 2012.I can't say for certain that the same lineup of phones will be available for Boost Mobile, but it's likely Boost will include a device that's very similar to your Motorola i1 that will work on the CDMA network. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[The most beautiful amplifier in the world]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-most-beautiful-amplifier-in-the-world</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-most-beautiful-amplifier-in-the-world</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-most-beautiful-amplifier-in-the-world</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Devialet D-Premier amplifier(Credit:Devialet)First, I have to admit that a lot of high-end amplifiers are so ugly you'd have to be an audiophile to buy them. But there are more than a few truly gorgeous examples, like the Devialet D-Premier. It's French, after all, and the French know a thing or two about style. In 2007, Pierre-Emannuel Calmel and Matthias Moronvalle decided to launch a new high-end audio company, Devialet, in Paris. The two men had both worked for Nortel's R&amp;D department, and they weren't the least bit interested in crafting just another high-end amplifier. It looks like they're off to a grand start' the Devialet D-Premier is a unique Class A/Class D hybrid design. Bona fide Class A circuits are only used in very high-end audiophile amplifiers, but Class A designs are extremely inefficient and consume huge amounts of AC power to produce low power output. Class D amps are highly efficient designs, but their sound quality falls short of the highest audiophile standards.  The D-Premier was designed to have the sound quality of Class A and the efficiency of Class D designs. The D-Premier is an integrated amplifier and has two analog phono inputs for turntables' two analog inputs for CD, DVD, or portable digital players' two optical digital inputs' four coaxial digital inputs' one XLR digital input' one HDMI 1.3 input' and a subwoofer output. The D-Premier stereo amp produces 240 watts per channel.It's been getting rave reviews from the audiophile press, and I'm hoping to get my hands on the D-Premier sometime next year. Judging from the pictures, it's a stunning design. Low and sleek with a highly polished chassis, the D-Premier looks like nothing else. Even the remote control is special, with a careful attention to design details. Devialet is imported by Audio Plus, which has a network of authorized specialty dealers in North America. The U.S. price has not yet been set. The Devialet D-Premier, with the remote control in the foreground.(Credit:Devialet)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[TSA-blocking briefs keep your privates private]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tsa-blocking-briefs-keep-your-privates-private</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tsa-blocking-briefs-keep-your-privates-private</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tsa-blocking-briefs-keep-your-privates-private</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Protection for right there: Leaf my junk alone.(Credit:Rocky Flats Gear)I just had a harrowing incident on a flight from New Orleans to Seattle. Due to a small electrical fire, my plane had to be diverted to Memphis' it then took another day and a half to get home. It'll cost you $15 each way, $25 round trip.(Credit:Matt Hickey/CNET) But what got me more than the thought that my flight could crash was that in Memphis I had to deal with the indignity of going through one of the controversial new backscatter body-scanning machines. A person I didn't know got paid to scrutinize my scrotum. Lucky lady.But I didn't like it. I felt like I was being virtually strip searched. That's why I'm in favor of these new briefs designed by engineer Jeff Buske. They're regular boxer briefs, with the exception of a fig leaf-shaped radiation blocker located right over your junk. TSA agents looking at your scan will see a shape of a leaf instead of your private parts. Smart, but we're still waiting to learn whether the TSA will let these underpants fly.The radiation-blocking undies aren't just for modesty, though, as the guards allegedly protect your crotch from various types of radiation, too. (There's fear the backscatter machines could pose a cancer risk' in fact, some say the odds of getting cancer from backscatter machines is more probable than dying in a plane hijacking).  The skivvies, by the way, aren't the only radiation shield garb in the news today, as a new Belly Band is made to keep a fetus safe from radiation--including backscatter radiation.The briefs are less than $20, unisex, and machine washable, but most of all they're a great idea. The Rocky Flats Gear site also has a variety of other designs and even bra inserts. I'm thinking it could be fun replace your fig leaf with a corporate logo, say Apple's, thereby selling out your nether region as ad space.  That said, I do wish this company just sold an iron-on guard, since the underwear I prefer is typically far, far more exotic than cotton boxer briefs.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[RockMelt rocks Facebook browsing]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rockmelt-rocks-facebook-browsing</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rockmelt-rocks-facebook-browsing</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rockmelt-rocks-facebook-browsing</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Air Force's G-Force centrifuge spins its last]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=air-forces-g-force-centrifuge-spins-its-last</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=air-forces-g-force-centrifuge-spins-its-last</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=air-forces-g-force-centrifuge-spins-its-last</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The U.S Air Force seems to do a lot to make the lives of its pilots and air crew more comfortable. Just the other day, one heard about a new chair that stops fliers from losing their lasagne before its full nutritional value can be enjoyed.Now, emerges news that the Air Force is retiring a lovely centrifuge that helped pilots stay, well, conscious.According the the U.S. Air Force's own Web site, the Physiological Training Center at Holloman Air Force Base is shutting down its spinning centrifuge in favor of a new centrifuge being built to help prevent gravity-induced loss of consciousness on the part of pilots when they are assaulted by several Gs more than the word &quot;groggy.&quot; This looks like a very, very crazy Six Flags ride.(Credit:U.S Air Force)Some might feel that they experience gravity-induced loss of consciousness every time their lovers make them ride a roller coaster at Six Flags. However, it might seem strange that from 1988 the Holloman centrifuge was the only one at the disposal of America's airmen.The last pilot to enjoy that Hollomanly feeling was Capt. George Cannon, the 48th Operations Support Squadron Tactics Division chief from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. He enjoyed 9Gs before becoming an F-22 pilot at Langley, Va.For reasons that seem to spin beyond my understanding, the new centrifuge, which will be housed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, will not be ready until 2012. In the meantime, centrifuge training will be in the hands of contractors. In Texas.Well, the state needed something to perk it up after enduring a giddily wonderful number of Gs in the World Series.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hotmail now works with other e-mail accounts, even Gmail]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hotmail-now-works-with-other-e-mail-accounts-even-gmail</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hotmail-now-works-with-other-e-mail-accounts-even-gmail</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hotmail-now-works-with-other-e-mail-accounts-even-gmail</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Windows Live Hotmail has a new trick up its sleeve--one that's aimed directly at getting users with e-mail accounts on other services to use it exclusively, even if they keep that address. That trick, which begins rolling out to Hotmail users today, lets them add accounts from other Web mail services that can be read and sent from within the Hotmail Web client.As Hotmail's group program manager Dick Craddock writes on the Inside Windows Live blog, this functionality is something that's long been available in the Outlook software client, but not on the Web. Craddock also notes that more than 30 million Hotmail registrations have taken place where users provided another service's e-mail address to get in the door, and that these will now show up as an account you can link up to within the Web client.Once a user has set up their outside account within Hotmail, they can read and search through messages, as well as respond to them from that address. The feature uses POP, meaning that unlike IMAP (which may, or may not be available through the other e-mail provider), whatever changes are made in Hotmail don't make an impact on things like read count or organization back on the source account.Microsoft is billing the new send from account feature as a way to make use of Hotmail's specialty features, which includes spam filtering, media sharing, and the mass deletion and reorganization tool it's dubbed as &quot;sweep&quot;--all without having to leave whatever account you're already using. Hotmail will now let you use an e-mail address from another provider to read and send from that address. (Credit:Microsoft)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[OMG/JK: Yeah, Ia4a4ll Reciprocate Your Middle&nbsp'Finger]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=omgjk-yeah-irsquoll-reciprocate-your-middlenbspfinger</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=omgjk-yeah-irsquoll-reciprocate-your-middlenbspfinger</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=omgjk-yeah-irsquoll-reciprocate-your-middlenbspfinger</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It&amp;'s been a busy week in the tech world: A new web browser wants to make your entire browsing experience more social. Google and Facebook are doing battle over contacts, openness, and reciprocity. And Adobe and Apple are sparring (again). All of which is a recipe for a great episode of OMG/JK.Tune in to watch us trade jabs, witticisms, and, occasionally, small bursts of insight. And have no fear: we do address recent reports that hot laptops may be cooking mens&amp;' testicles.Here are some of the posts relevant to this week&amp;'s show:RockMelt: A Browser Built For Sharing (First Hands On And 500 Exclusive InvGoogle To Facebook: You Can&amp;'t Import Our User Data Without ReciprocityFacebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact DataFacebook/Google Slap Fight: a4AOpenness Doesn&amp;'t Mean Being Open When It&amp;'s Convenienta4 The Other Location Shoe Drops: Facebook Deals. Will It Discount RivalsGap Promo Shows Location Deals Need Work (GigaOm)Facebook Gives All Developers Access To Full Set Of Places APIs (Including Their Venue Database)Adobea4a4s Next Flash Excuse: If You Want To Save Power, Dona4a4t Turn On Your MachineSubscribe to us on iTunes!<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[On the GreenBeat: IKEA stops selling incandescent light bulbs, green VC totaled $400 million in 2010]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-the-greenbeat-ikea-stops-selling-incandescent-light-bulbs-green-vc-totaled-400-million-in-2010</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-the-greenbeat-ikea-stops-selling-incandescent-light-bulbs-green-vc-totaled-400-million-in-2010</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-the-greenbeat-ikea-stops-selling-incandescent-light-bulbs-green-vc-totaled-400-million-in-2010</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Here&amp;'s the latest action we&amp;'re following on the GreenBeat:IKEA makes push for LEDs &amp;8212' The company announced today it has stopped selling all incandescent light bulbs, Cleantechnica reports. Sounds like good news for energy-efficient LEDs, which are set to surge this year.Solar Power raises $6.08 million &amp;8212' According to anSEC filing pointed out by TechCrunch,Solar Power Technologies has raised the money for its technology, which optimizes the harvest of large solar arrays. The company claims its systems can increase the amount of sunlight harvested by 15 to 20 percent over 20 years. Its investors in this round include Austin Ventures and Oxantium Ventures.Cleantech venture capital in 2010 totaled $400 million &amp;8212' That&amp;'s according to a tally by Greentech Media. Venture capital going into the sector was down sharply in the third quarter of last year (compared to the third quarter of 2009), leading analysts and some venture capitalists to argue that the market was shifting towards more capital-efficient investments.Wind makes big business for Siemens &amp;8212' The company&amp;'s annual report revealed that its renewable energy division increased sales by 48 percent in the quarter ended Sept. 30, making $1.3 billion, more than any other Siemens division, and also increased new orders by 85 percent, the New York Times reports. Profit margins for the wind business are still less than ideal &amp;8212' 10.6 percent compared to a target of 12 to 16 percent. Siemens aims to become one of the top three wind equipment players in the world' it currently resides at eighth or ninth, the article notes.BayWa buys Focused Energy &amp;8211' The German international trading group has announced it is entering the U.S. market through its subsidiary, BayWa r.e, which acquired an 80 percent stake in solar wholesaler Focused Energy. The Santa Fe-based company sells solar equipment to installers for use in small to mid-size commercial and residential installations. The company reports a revenue of $43 million in 2010.Stion to place thin-film solar factory in Mississippi &amp;8212' The venture-backed company will open a 100-megawatt factory in Hattiesburg, according to the Hattiesburg American. It&amp;'s the first phase of a total $500 million project to ramp up production and is expected to generate 1,000 jobs. The state also offered Stion a $75 million loan and tax incentives.Next Story: Confessions of a Hashable addict Previous Story: Google&amp;'s Chrome browser hits 10 percent market sharePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: incandescent light bulbs, LEDs, maximum power point technology, Solar, solar optimization, Venture Capital, windCompanies: BaWa, Focused Energy, IKEA, siemens, solar power          Tags: incandescent light bulbs, LEDs, maximum power point technology, Solar, solar optimization, Venture Capital, windCompanies: BaWa, Focused Energy, IKEA, siemens, solar powerIris 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[Sprint&'s gadget plans: Nexus S 4G, EVO 3D phone, EVO View tablet]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sprintrsquos-gadget-plans-nexus-s-4g-evo-3d-phone-evo-view-tablet</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sprintrsquos-gadget-plans-nexus-s-4g-evo-3d-phone-evo-view-tablet</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sprintrsquos-gadget-plans-nexus-s-4g-evo-3d-phone-evo-view-tablet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Sprint may be gearing up to take the upcoming CTIA wireless trade show by storm: The company is supposedly planning to launch a 4G version of the Nexus S, a 3D version of the EVO 4G, and a tablet dubbed the EVO View, Engadget reports.Sprint has scheduled a massive two-and-a-half hour presentation at CTIA. That&amp;'s a sign that the company is going to launch some major new products. Most company presentations at trade shows run between 45 and 90 minutes. The CTIA conference takes place March 22 to March 24 in Orlando, Fla.The Nexus S 4G will be an updated version of the phone for Sprint&amp;'s WiMAX 4G network (the phone originally launched in December on T-Mobile&amp;'s network). The EVO 3D will be a 3D update of the popular EVO 4G smartphone (expect to see plenty of 3D phones this year), while the EVO View is likely a renamed HTC Flyer tablet.If accurate, this is a solid, but not groundbreaking, lineup for Sprint at CTIA. The carrier didn&amp;'t have much to show at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, aside from the diminutive EVO Shift 4G. Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless ruled CES with its 4G LTE lineup, which included some of the hottest devices at the show, like Motorola&amp;'s Xoom tablet.At this point, Sprint&amp;'s 4G network is beginning to look slow and obsolete even compared to T-Mobile&amp;'s HSPA+ 4G network, which was originally just an improved version of its 3G network. T-Mobile&amp;'s 4G network was recently shown to be slightly faster than Sprint&amp;'s, and the company has said that its 4G speed will be doubled to 42 megabits per second by the end of 2011. Sprint was the first company to deploy its 4G network, but now it looks like it may be paying the price for jumping into the 4G pool so soon.Next Story: Why messaging app Kik just got $8M: &amp;''It&amp;'s so frickin&amp;' fast&amp;'' Previous Story: RIM&amp;'s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet demo shows off multitasking with games (video)PrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: 4G, Android, EVO 3D, Evo 4G, EVO View, Nexus S, Nexus S 4G, tablets, WiMaxCompanies: Google, sprint          Tags: 4G, Android, EVO 3D, Evo 4G, EVO View, Nexus S, Nexus S 4G, tablets, WiMaxCompanies: Google, sprintDevindra 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[StarCraft II game&'s next frontier is China]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=starcraft-ii-gamersquos-next-frontier-is-china</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=starcraft-ii-gamersquos-next-frontier-is-china</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=starcraft-ii-gamersquos-next-frontier-is-china</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It used to be that if a Western game showed up in China, it was pirated. But times have changed, and Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase.com have announced that StarCraft II is beginning a long-awaited open beta test in China on March 29.During that time, players can play the multiplayer mode of StarCraft II for free. At some point, though, players will have to shell out money for the game, and that could turn out to be a very big business opportunity for Blizzard, a division of the biggest video game publisher Activision Blizzard, since the game has sold millions of copies in the West.The reason Blizzard can launch the game in China is two-fold. First, American companies aren&amp;'t allowed to operate their own online games in China without a Chinese partner. That&amp;'s why Shanghai-based NetEase.com, which operates World of Warcraft in China, is involved in StarCraft II. The second is that Blizzard has developed Battle.net, an online gaming system that allows it to authenticate users and boot anyone who is playing with a pirated copy.Chinese players can now log into the Chinese version of Battle.net and create an account and download the Chinese game in advance. It won&amp;'t become playable until March 29. After the beta period is over, players can then buy the game in 30-day increments for a suggested retail price of RMB20, or $3.04 in U.S. dollars. That allows them to play both multiplayer games and the single-player campaign. The official launch date isn&amp;'t set yet.Mike Morhaime, chief executive of Blizzard, said the company has been balancing the game and making improvements since it was released last July. The original StarCraft game, released in 1998, was one of the classic games that commanded a huge audience in China, said William Ding, chief executive of NetEase.com. In the meantime, Blizzard has given Battle.net a big makeover and built Facebook-sharing and other cool features into it.In July, 2010, StarCraft II sold 1.5 million units in its first 24 hours, and it has sold more than 4.5 million to date. That&amp;'s roughly $270 million in retail revenues, making the game one of the biggest PC titles of the year.Next Story: Why everyone&amp;'s confused by The New York Timesa4a4 paywall Previous Story: Does the future of electric cars lie in capacitorsPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Starcraft II, World of WarcraftCompanies: Activision Blizzard, Blizzard Entertainment, Netease.comPeople: Mike Morahaime, William Ding          Tags: Starcraft II, World of WarcraftCompanies: Activision Blizzard, Blizzard Entertainment, Netease.comPeople: Mike Morahaime, William DingDean 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. 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[Mailgun Gives Developers An API For Creating And Managing Online&nbsp'Mailboxes]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mailgun-gives-developers-an-api-for-creating-and-managing-onlinenbspmailboxes</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mailgun-gives-developers-an-api-for-creating-and-managing-onlinenbspmailboxes</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnopnolim34</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mailgun-gives-developers-an-api-for-creating-and-managing-onlinenbspmailboxes</guid>
<description><![CDATA[These days, it&amp;'s a given that the latest web service you sign up for is going to be using email for something. The better services make these messages interactive a4&quot; when someone leaves a message on your Facebook Wall, you don&amp;'t have to head back to Facebook.com to respond' you can just reply to that email message.  Unfortunately, from a development standpoint, this is a bit easier said than done.Mailgun is a new service launching today that wants to make this kind of functionality easy to implement: it offers a &amp;8216'Mailbox API&amp;' that lets you bake Email functionality into your application. The service is now open to the public, and the first 50 people to sign up for a paid account and use the signup code &amp;8216'TCRUNCH&amp;' will be entered into a drawing for a new Macbook Air.So what exactly is Mailgun for Well, it&amp;'s certainly possible to use Mailgun to send notifications, newsletters, or whatever other content you want to distribute on a broad scale a4&quot; but there are already other services that can perform these tasks. Mailgun differentiates itself with features that extend beyond just sending messages.The most obvious usecases are fora4sthe interactive Email notifications described above. Beyond thesea4snotifications,a4sCEO Ev Kontsevoy gave me a few examples illustrating how a developer might put Mailgun to work.Say a developer wants to offer a mobile game where every user can submit their moves and accompanying photos via Email. Mailgun would allow the developer to programmatically create a mailbox for each user, allowing users to send in these commands, with the added benefit of having an automatic archive of each message that&amp;'s submitted.A service like Stickybits, which lets you create virtual presences for real-world objects by sticking a barcode sticker on them, could set up a mailbox for each real-world object. It would then be possible for users to simply send a photo or message to this email address, in case they had a phone without a barcode scanner app.As with other API-based services, Mailgun&amp;'s success will really come down to demand a4&quot; how many developers are looking to outsource these tasks, and how many are willing to pay for it Given how ubiquitous email is, I think Mailgun has a fighting chance, provided their service proves to be reliable (and saves developers as much time as they say it will).CrunchBase InformationMailgunInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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