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<title>Haaze.com / Collinsmith / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Expect Apple to charge for music cloud]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=expect-apple-to-charge-for-music-cloud</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=expect-apple-to-charge-for-music-cloud</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sufuckbejxd</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=expect-apple-to-charge-for-music-cloud</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Don't expect Apple's cloud-music service to come free of charge, at least not forever. Apple plans to eventually charge for its cloud music service, sources told CNET. Users would be able to store their digital media on the company&amp;39's servers. (Credit:Greg Sandoval/CNET)Music industry insiders told me that Apple has indicated it could offer the service free of charge initially but that company will eventually require a fee. Google is also expected to charge for a similar service. Billboard writer Ed Christman reported last September that Google was considering a plan to charge $25 a year  for a subscription for its cloud service. Last month, the blog Wayne's World reported that Apple would charge $20 annually, but nobody I spoke with seems to know for sure what Apple may ask. An Apple spokesman did not respond to an interview request. Both Apple and Google began discussing plans more than a year ago with the largest four recording companies about enabling users to upload their songs to the companies' servers. Music could then be streamed to users' songs via Internet-connected devices. This kind of third-party computing is known as the cloud.It's going to be interesting to see how online music stores make their cloud-music offerings sweet enough to get consumers to pay--especially the early adopters (and if you're reading CNET that means you). Subscription services have yet to attract any significant market share in digital music. It's generally accepted that consumers prefer to own their tunes rather than renting them and there are some who suspect that the cloud is a way for the Web stores and the labels to charge consumers to access songs they already own. What the music industry is banking on is that consumers will see the sense in paying a relatively small monthly fee for access an endless supply of songs. Right now, to obtain music legally, people have to pay $1 or more for each song. Decision makers in the industry hope people will conclude that ownership doesn't provide the best bang for the buck, just as they have concluded with movies. DVD sales have fallen the past couple of years just as consumers have begun flocking to Netflix, a subscription service that charges $8 a month for all-you-can-eat viewing of films and TV shows. Meanwhile, Apple and Google continue to seek licenses for their services. So far, Apple has a deal with Warner Music Group, But Google's negotiations with the four top labels have stalled. Amazon got off the ground with a cloud music service last month and charges based on the amount of data a user stores. Update 11:00 a.m. PT: Billboard reporter Glenn Peoples has posted an interesting opinion piece today about why the music sector should adopt Netflix's business model. You can read it here. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook begins testing social-buying program]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-begins-testing-social-buying-program</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-begins-testing-social-buying-program</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariavalo</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-begins-testing-social-buying-program</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A Facebook Deals offer for concert tickets in Austin.(Credit:Facebook)Facebook announced this evening it is ready to begin testing its new local deals offering--the social-networking giant's effort to cash in on the feverish interest in social buying.First revealed in March, Facebook Deals offers members local deals they can buy and share them with their friends on the network. The test will launch tomorrow in Austin, Atlanta, Dallas, San Diego, and San Francisco, but may be expanded to include other cities, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company said in statement today.Users in the five test cities will be able to learn about offerings through e-mail and notifications, by clicking on the Deals tab on their Facebook home page, and through their News Feed when friends like or buy a deal.Facebook is working with a passel of other deals sites in the venture, including Opentable, Gilt City, Tippr, PopSugar City, Plum District, ReachLocal, Zozi, Home Run, KGB Deals, aDealio, and ViaGoGo. With 500 million members, Facebook brings a sizable user base in its challenge for dominance in the deals market, which brought in $873 million in revenue last year and could bring in $3.93 billion by 2015, according to a projection from consulting firm BIA/Kelsey. Chief among those competitors is Groupon, which has been riding meteoric growth with half-price massages, discounted restaurant meals, and travel bargains. Chicago-based Groupon, with 60 million users and more than 39 million deals sold in its two years in business, is expected to beef up its muscle with an initial public offering later this year. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google's WebM patent pals agree to share]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googles-webm-patent-pals-agree-to-share</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googles-webm-patent-pals-agree-to-share</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>svetalazz</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googles-webm-patent-pals-agree-to-share</guid>
<description><![CDATA[These days, patent lawsuits have become the big guns that tech companies use to battle their competitors. But when it comes to Google's WebM video technology, the company is trying to establish a neutral zone of patent peace.Today, Google is announcing a program called the WebM Community Cross License initiative designed to dispel patent-related threats looming over freely usable video technology for the Web.Under the effort, members who join agree to license any WebM-related patents to each other, a move that offers mutual reassurance that the technology is royalty-free in practice as well as in Google's aspiration.&quot;Each grants to the other members a patent license for any patents that may be essential to WebM,&quot; said Mike Jazayeri, Google's director of product management for WebM.So far Google has signed up 16 other organizations for the effort, some of them obvious allies such as browser makers Mozilla and Opera Software. But other allies, such as Samsung and LG Electronics, have video-related patents one could judge as commercially viable by virtue of their relevance to H.264, WebM's biggest video encoding technology rival.The effort is an attempt to counter doubts raised about the patent purity of WebM by MPEG LA, which licenses the H.264 patent pool and is investigating the creation of a similar pool for VP8, the video encoding technology that along with the Vorbis audio codec is the core of WebM. MPEG LA has said it believes VP8 violates others patents, though it hasn't revealed any details.Google hopes the WebM Community Cross License, combined with its own usage of WebM, will allay concerns.&quot;We felt comfortable in including it in our own products and services,&quot; Jazayeri said, mentioning its YouTube video site and Chrome browser. &quot;We're hopeful the CCL will bring clarity and confidence&quot; to those considering using WebM themselves.If MPEG LA offered a VP8 patent pool, it might be convenient for some companies interested in using VP8 that are worried about potential lawsuits from patent holders. But it also would severely undermine Google's ambition to create a patent-free technology. For example, it would preclude it from inclusion in open-source software such as Mozilla'sFirefox and in standards such as HTML5 that seek to sidestep patent encumbrances.&quot;We genuinely believe the Web is as ubiquitous today as it is because the early founders made the core technologies of the Web open and freely usable,&quot; Jazayeri said. &quot;That's critical.&quot;Many important video patent holders such as Microsoft, Panasonic, Philips Electronics, Sharp, and Sony aren't on the list, though--at least yet.&quot;This is just the beginning,&quot; Jazayeri said. &quot;We are in active discussions [to] engage those who benefit from the Web ecosystem.&quot;The full list of partners so far is:&amp;149' AMD&amp;149' Cisco Systems&amp;149' Google&amp;149' HiSilicon Technologies (for itself and on behalf of its parent, Huawei)&amp;149' LG Electronics&amp;149' Logitech&amp;149' Matroska&amp;149' MIPS Technologies&amp;149' Mozilla Corporation&amp;149' Opera Software&amp;149' Pantech&amp;149' Quanta Computer&amp;149' Samsung&amp;149' STMicroelectronics (for itself and its affiliate, ST-Ericsson)&amp;149' Texas Instruments&amp;149' Verisilicon Holdings&amp;149' Xiph.Org FoundationGoogle has taken other measures to promote WebM. It's removed H.264 support from Chrome, putting its browser in the Mozilla and Opera camp rather than the Internet Explorer andSafari camp when it comes to HTML5 video built straight into Web pages. It's also begun transcoding all uploaded YouTube videos into WebM--a mammoth task from a computing standpoint--and already has transcoded the most popular videos such that 99 percent of what's seen on YouTube can be seen in WebM.It remains to be seen how effectively Google can counter MPEG LA. Google is hoping to marshal allies under the banner of an unencumbered Internet.&quot;I think the comments they've made at this stage aren't helpful to innovation on the Web, and I think others share that concern,&quot; Jazayeri said.To prevail, though, Google and its allies will have to convince others that the commercial value of a livelier Web outweighs the commercial value of any WebM-related patents they have. Today's explosion of patent suits suggests that tech giants with big patent portfolios might not be so eager to lay down their weapons.Corrected 10:58 a.m. PTto reflect that Google's initiative is about WebM video technology, not its related WebP effort for still images.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[LG Smart TV on 2011 Blu-ray players (review)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lg-smart-tv-on-2011-blu-ray-players-review</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lg-smart-tv-on-2011-blu-ray-players-review</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>neil877</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lg-smart-tv-on-2011-blu-ray-players-review</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LG&amp;39's Smart TV has the simplest user interface we&amp;39've seen for streaming-media content portals on 2011 Blu-ray players.(Credit:Matthew Moskovciak/CNET)They may be called Blu-ray players, but in 2011 they're as much about streaming-media services as they are about high-definition discs. With every manufacturer having a different collection of streaming-media services, we've been taking an in-depth look at each company's content portal for 2011.Today, we're looking at LG's Smart TV, which takes a markedly different approach than Samsung's Smart Hub, which we reviewed earlier this month. LG Smart TV may have fewer streaming services and extra features, but that's a fair trade-off for what we found to be a much simpler user experience.LG Smart TV is the same on most 2011 LG Blu-ray players--and home theater systems with built-in Blu-ray players--but slightly different on LG TVs. The entry-level BD630, BD640, and LHB326 don't offer the full LG Smart TV suite, instead only offering access to Netflix, CinemaNow, Vudu, and YouTube.LG Smart TV streaming services vs. competitorsEditors' note: The chart doesn't list every streaming-media service available on each content portal' for the sake of simplicity, we chose those we considered most important.LG's suite of streaming-media services isn't quite as comprehensive as some of its competitors, but it covers all the important standard services like Netflix, Vudu, and Pandora. The biggest standout for LG is MLB.TV, which only Samsung also offers. Napster is a nice extra if you're already a subscriber and vTuner allows you to stream thousands of Internet radio stations on your Blu-ray player for free.Like with Samsung, the main missing ingredient of LG's streaming-media offerings is Amazon Instant Streaming. While competing services like Vudu are a compelling alternative for video-on-demand movies, Amazon Instant offers by far the largest selection of TV shows for pay-per-view watching, including both network and cable shows. Some Amazon Prime subscribers can also watch a portion of Amazon's video catalog for free, although much of the catalog overlaps with Netflix's offerings.We also appreciate that it's tied into the viewer's Amazon.com account, which means we're able to watch our purchased content in a browser as well. If you're looking to &quot;cut the cord&quot; or just supplement your existing cable subscription, we've found Amazon Instant Streaming to be the best TV content provider. That being said, CinemaNow offers a solid collection of TV content, so it really comes down to which service you prefer.Purely in terms of quality of streaming services offered, it's hard to favor the LG over its competitors. Yes, it has a couple standout streaming media services, but competitors have some other high-profile services, like Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant.The 'Premium' section and LG AppsLG&amp;39's main user interface on Blu-ray players.(Credit:Matthew Moskovciak/CNET)LG's content portal last year was been named NetCast and although it looks pretty similar in 2011, the company has dropped the moniker (at least on its &quot;Smart TV&quot;-enabled players). Instead, you access the content portal by clicking on &quot;Premium&quot; from the home page. Premium isn't a very accurate name for the streaming content portal, especially when many of the services, like Pandora and Picasa, are free, and we're betting it might throw off some less tech-savvy users. Further confusing things on main screen is the icon says LG Apps, which doesn't take you the important, uh, apps you want to use.(Credit:Matthew Moskovciak/CNET)(Credit:Matthew Moskovciak/CNET)The home screen may be a little misleading, but once you get into the streaming-content portal, the user interface is dead simple. Unlike Samsung's cluttered Smart Hub interface, LG's streaming-content home screen has big boxes with icons for the various streaming-content portals. It's the best interface we've seen for streaming content on a Blu-ray player in 2011, as is easy to quickly get to the streaming service of your choice. Our main quibble is that LG's remote doesn't have a dedicated &quot;Smart TV&quot; button (similar buttons are available on Samsung and Panasonic players), which would make it even easier to access your content.LG Apps may sound like a good idea, but there are only five apps right now and none of them is that useful.(Credit:Matthew Moskovciak/CNET)LG Apps is new for this year, but as of now, it's basically a worthless feature. There are currently only five apps available, with the most interesting being Boing Boing Video. Until we see more apps being developed for the platform, we wouldn't factor this into a buying decision at all. (At this time, we'd actually rather see it gone completely, since it doesn't add much and adds confusion with the &quot;Premium&quot; section of apps you actually want to use.)Netflix interface(Credit:Matthew Moskovciak/CNET)LG's Netflix interface is excellent. It's very similar to the interface offered on thePS3 at the end of last year, so if you're looking for more information, take a look at our detailed hands-on. Unlike with older versions of Netflix, you can search for titles as well as browse categories like new arrivals and different genres.While there was significant variation in Netflix interfaces last year on Blu-ray players, this year they're largely the same, so it's not a major differentiating factor.ConclusionCompared with other manufacturers, LG's Smart TV offers the most basic suite of streaming-media features, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It may offer a couple less standout services, but its interface is very straightforward and uncluttered. Sure, there's no search like on Samsung or Sony, but since those features don't work well, we didn't miss it at all.If you're picking based purely on the number of apps, you'll go with Samsung or Sony, but to us, LG's real competition is Panasonic's Viera Cast, which offers a similarly simple interface and adds Amazon Instant streaming (although it lacks MLB.TV). Which one is better for you comes down to which services you want to use.Got LG Smart TV questions Leave a comment below.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google tests game-mechanics strategies with Recyclebank]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-tests-game-mechanics-strategies-with-recyclebank</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-tests-game-mechanics-strategies-with-recyclebank</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>RitorMaliks</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-tests-game-mechanics-strategies-with-recyclebank</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It looks like Google has taken an interest in a start-up called Recyclebank, which offers points and rewards for &quot;green&quot; actions like joining curbside recycling programs and installing eco-friendly appliances--it's using it as a test bed for a new beta version of its Google Analytics tracking tool.More specifically, along with a consumer research company called ROI Research, Google Analytics will be parsing the progress and results of Recyclebank's impending &quot;Green Your Home Challenge,&quot; and then releasing a research paper about the whole process. The contest in question is taking place over the course of April for &quot;Earth Month.&quot;It's the first time that the Google Analytics team has done a partnership like this, product marketing manager Sophie Chesters told CNET. Google's real interest is something broader--that trendy digital buzz term, &quot;game mechanics&quot; or &quot;gamification.&quot; In the Recyclebank contest, entrants go through a virtual &quot;house,&quot; room by room, to make real-world adjustments that will help them live more sustainably and eco-consciously, and can unlock new challenges in the process as well as get ranked alongside other contest entrants on a &quot;leaderboard&quot; of top users.&quot;Gamification is quite an interesting strategy we're seeing people talk about more and more, so if gamification can be used for good, it's a great thing for Google Analytics to help with,&quot; Chesters told CNET. &quot;The fact that we're going to produce a paper on this means that the whole digital community can benefit.&quot;Google's role is to use the new beta version of Analytics to tabulate user engagement and metrics like the &quot;leaderboard,&quot; as well as &quot;providing consultancy on how to best use Google Analytics on how to reach the goals,&quot; Chesters said. They'll be able to help Recyclebank find out how people learned about the contest, how long they stuck around, and whether they've &quot;converted&quot; to Recyclebank regulars.&quot;We're really looking to determine not only what are the most effective media sources that drive engagement in the game, but we also really want to understand how gamification--specifically how the Green Your Home Challenge--is actually changing people's behaviors and getting them to broaden their reach or broaden their engagement with Recyclebank as a brand,&quot; Scott Haiges, president of ROI Research (which has been a Recyclebank partner for some time now), told CNET.The bigger story here is that gamification, or game mechanics, or whatever you want to call the insurgence in interest in applying the tactics of games to digital- and physical-world business models (a lot of it was kick-started by the hype over Foursquare) has piqued the interest of Google. Though it's a totally different division of the sprawling company, Google has been widely rumored to be launching a games portal of some sort--word of this leaked last year along with the report that Google had invested more than $100 million in social-gaming giant Zynga. But there's been little further detail for almost a year now.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Woz: iPad is for normal people, not engineers]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=woz-ipad-is-for-normal-people-not-engineers</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=woz-ipad-is-for-normal-people-not-engineers</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>xuangxguaa</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=woz-ipad-is-for-normal-people-not-engineers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Do you think you're normal You know, vaguely normal--somewhat not entirely composed of wiring from another world.Well, then aniPad is for you.This is not merely my ultra-scientific research. This is the opinion of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.Computerworld reports that in a keynote session at Storage Networking World in Santa Clara, Calif., Woz explained that Steve Jobs had always wanted to create a computer that everyone in the world would find simple and magical to use.&quot;It was just hard to get there,&quot; Wozniak said, according to Computerworld. &quot;Because we had to go through a lot of steps where you connected to things, and (eventually) computers grew up to where they could do...normal consumer appliance things.&quot;(Credit:CC CampusPartyMexico/Flickr)So for all the engineers who debate as to whether the iPad is wonderful or merely a barely computable frippery, he explained: &quot;Thetablet is not necessarily for the people in this room. It's for the normal people in the world.&quot;Of course, there are many engineers who, in the privacy of their lives, are staggeringly normal. They enjoy their iPads just like their equally normal neighbors. However, will these normal people ever warm in vast numbers to Android productsWozniak, sorely missed on this season's &quot;Dancing With The Stars,&quot; offered this interesting and Apple-loyal wish: &quot;On the subject of tablets, I read today that Android tablets are expected to surpass iPads, and I hope that never happens.&quot;Many believe that Android's sheer numbers will inevitably overtake Apple's iPad. However, the Android attempts in the tablet world seem so far to have been met with indifference--by normal people.It almost seems as if the iPad's success has taken competitors by surprise, so that any new tablet that has emerged has resembled a rather imperfect (and, perhaps, hurried) rendering of the iPad.In the &quot;normal people&quot; space, customers will surely have to feel they are being offered something either significantly more inspiring--or significantly cheaper--to seriously consider Android products.How soon might that happen Perhaps not as soon as some think (or fear).<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Message in a bottle, high-tech style]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=message-in-a-bottle-high-tech-style</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=message-in-a-bottle-high-tech-style</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:10:38 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jacelynwyl</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=message-in-a-bottle-high-tech-style</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Plastiki skipper David de Rothschild prepares to release the bottle into the Pacific Ocean last April. The bottle has a special satellite tag inside that allows it to be tracked on a daily basis.(Credit:The Plastiki Expedition)For nearly a year, a glass bottle has been heading west on the high seas, bringing with it a message of the precariousness of the oceans. And at every step of its long journey, it has told the world where it is. Meet the message in a bottle, high-tech edition.For 17 years, California artist Jay Little has been putting traditional messages in standard bottles and sending them seaward, hoping that they would one day encounter someone and create a new relationship. But for each of more than 200 attempts, it was all analog: Until someone found one of the bottles, Little had no idea where they were or even if they were still afloat.But last year, Little set out to throw some technology at the problem, and in a partnership with David de Rothschild, the skipper of the Plastiki Expedition, a new bottle was tossed into the North Equatorial Current, and it has been phoning home every day since.Little said that with the help of a biologist friend who regularly tracks penguins in the wilds Antarctic, this new bottle was put into the Pacific Ocean complete with a satellite tag that is constantly sending its location and direction to the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Each day, Little gets that information and each afternoon, he uploads it to a Google Map on the Plastiki Web site that shows the public precisely where the bottle is.The bottle, including its satellite tag(Credit:The Plastiki Expedition)As of yesterday, Little said, the bottle--a nine-liter, 20-inch-long glass behemoth complete with the satellite tag, an antenna, and some ballast to keep it upright, was making steady progress west and was just onshore of the Philippine island of Mindanao. Little is offering a $250 bounty for its recovery.Little, who lives in California's Marin County, worked with the crew of the Plastiki, the all-recyclable plastic catamaran skippered by de Rothschild, since both are trying to raise awareness of the ongoing dangers to ocean ecosystems by garbage and other waste polluting the seas. De Rothschild took the bottle with him when the Plastiki launched March 20 from Sausalito, Calif., and last April 24, he launched it while about 840 miles south of Hawaii.Since then, according to the data it's been sending out, we know that the bottle has been heading steadily west, except when it got stuck in a gyre and spent five weeks going in circles between two opposing currents. Eventually, though, the bottle broke free and resumed its westward path, Little said.Little told CNET that it was &quot;appropriate&quot; that the bottle got stuck in the very gyre--complete with huge amounts of garbage--that the crew of the Plastiki had set out to study on its 5,000 mile journey from California to Australia.He explained that while the bottle has gotten to within 2.5 miles of the island of Mindanao, there's still only a 1-in-10 chance of someone finding it. But Little is hoping that by getting the word out that the bottle is approaching land, those odds may increase. &quot;It's the first time I know where my bottle is while it's [moving] around,&quot; he said.If the bottle escapes detection in the next few days, Little said, it could probably keep on sending out data about its location for another year or so, and the bottle itself can probably stay afloat for several more years.Previous bottles he's sent into the oceans have tended to get weighed down by algae, but Little said that he engineered this one to stay tighter in order to protect the satellite tag inside. Still, he said, it wouldn't likely survive a collision with a rock, and if it does go underwater, the mission is probably over.Over the years, Little has put more than 230 bottles into the oceans, and just 22 have been discovered. Each has been stuffed with a two-page, hand-decorated note asking for help with his long-term project to help get the word out about the oceans. He's basically a non-digital guy who realized it was time to give technology a chance.&quot;I've been the anti-tech guy for years, using these bottles,&quot; Little said, &quot;and I finally thought it would be a good change to have a Web-based system to follow it. The bottle itself catches me up on technology. It's definitely harder to watch a bottle than it is to release it and let it go.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Windows Phone 7 update resource debuts]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=windows-phone-7-update-resource-debuts</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=windows-phone-7-update-resource-debuts</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>hosxzakk</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=windows-phone-7-update-resource-debuts</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft has a new Windows Phone 7 update resource.(Credit:Josh Lowensohn/CNET)Windows Phone 7 owners now have a resource that provides them with basic information on when their devices will receive their next update.The appropriately named &quot;Where's my phone update&quot; Web page lists six availableWindows Phone 7 devices in the U.S., along with the status of software updates--in testing, scheduling, or delivery. The resource will be updated once a week.When a device is in the testing phase, its software update is undergoing &quot;mobile operator network and quality tests.&quot; Once that's complete, it moves to scheduling, at which point the software giant is deciding which day to launch the update. According to Microsoft, scheduling takes up to 10 days. After that period, the company launches the update to customers &quot;in batches.&quot; According to Microsoft, it could take Windows Phone 7 users &quot;several weeks before you receive notice that an update is available to you.&quot;Microsoft's new resource, which launched yesterday, comes just a day after the company started to roll out its latest Windows Phone 7 update, which includes the ability for users to copy and paste text. It also boasts better searching for the Apps Marketplace and speed improvements.But as the phone update page shows, the chances of many users getting their hands on the update anytime soon seem slim. The Dell Venue Pro, HTC HD7, HTC Surround, LG Quantum, and Samsung Focus are still awaiting the February update, which featured minor improvements. With the March update, only the Dell Venue Pro and the HTC HD7 have made it out of the testing phase.Of course, there might be good reason for Microsoft to want to take its time with these rollouts. Last month, the company started updating Windows Phone 7 devices, only to find that the update caused what Microsoft called a &quot;technical issue&quot; with a &quot;small number of Samsung phones.&quot; That &quot;issue&quot; rendered some of those phones inoperable.After nixing the update and releasing it days later when issues had been addressed, reports surfaced claiming the updates were once again causing problems with Windows Phone 7 devices.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sony to restart battery plant' six others still out]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-to-restart-battery-plant-six-others-still-out</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-to-restart-battery-plant-six-others-still-out</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 07:10:58 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>goolilh</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-to-restart-battery-plant-six-others-still-out</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Sony plans to restart a lithium-ion battery plant that it closed following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan earlier this month, Reuters is reporting.According to the report, Sony will open its plant, which is located in the Tochigi prefecture, tomorrow. However, six other plants that Sony closed after the earthquake and tsunami will remain closed for the time being.This could be bad news for several markets in which Sony competes. The factories that remain closed are used to produce lasers for Blu-ray players, Blu-ray discs, and Blu-ray players, among other products.Japan was hit by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake earlier this month that spawned a devastating tsunami in the northern part of the country. After the tsunami hit, thousands lost their lives and millions were left without food or water. The cost to rebuild the affected areas could reach into the billions of dollars.Sony isn't the only technology company that has seen its productivity slip since the quake. Following the earthquake, reports claimed that Sanyo, Sharp, Mitsubishi, and Panasonic were among the companies that were forced to shut down manufacturing. In an attempt to help the Tokyo Electric Power Co. maintain power as long as possible, game developer Square-Enix said last week that it would shut down game services for Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XI, and PlayOnline for at least a week.According to Reuters, Toshiba has also been negatively affected by the earthquake. The company is currently working to bring its production of large-scale integration chips back up, but it's unsure when it will be successful. Toshiba also reportedly told Reuters that its liquid crystal display plant, which produces panels for smartphones and other mobile devices, will be down through mid-April.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[White House pushes for online privacy bill of rights]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=white-house-pushes-for-online-privacy-bill-of-rights</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=white-house-pushes-for-online-privacy-bill-of-rights</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 17 Mar 2011 07:10:47 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>danitarosd</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=white-house-pushes-for-online-privacy-bill-of-rights</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The White House is urging Congress to enact a new &quot;privacy bill of rights&quot; that would provide clearer guidelines to online users and businesses about the collecting of personal information over the Internet.Speaking in Washington yesterday at a special hearing devoted to online consumer privacy, Assistant Commerce Secretary Lawrence Strickling acknowledged that the ability to store information about customers helps make online companies more efficient. But he said that consumers are growing increasingly uneasy about how their personal information is being collected and used.With the lengthy privacy policies now offered by Web sites proving confusing and ineffective, Strickling said that a new &quot;consumer privacy bill of rights&quot; is needed. Based on responses from consumer groups and industry members to the Commerce Department's Green Paper, which offered a set of initial recommendations, such a bill would aim to protect the privacy of individual consumers without stifling innovation from online companies.The protections in the bill itself would be legally enforceable, according to Strickling, but still flexible enough to adapt to new technologies. He added that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should be given the authority to enforce that bill and that the White House would work with other countries and trading partners to ensure that the protections would be consistent across different borders.&quot;Working together with Congress, the FTC, the Executive Office of the President, and other stakeholders, I am confident in our ability to provide consumers with meaningful privacy protections in the Internet economy, backed by effective enforcement, that can adapt to changes in technology, market conditions, and consumer expectations,&quot; Strickling said.Strickling also called for a federal law to alert consumers in the event of a data breach that would expose their personal information. Such a law would be intended to set the same standards across the country, clear up inconsistent state laws, and give state authorities the ability to enforce it.Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D.-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which held the hearing, also urged Congress to act.&quot;Congress can no longer sit on the sidelines,&quot; Rockefeller said. &quot;There is an online privacy war going on, and without help, consumers will lose. We must act to give Americans the basic online privacy protections they deserve.&quot;Yesterday's hearing was the second in an ongoing series looking at how information is captured and stored by online businesses and advertisers and what Congress can and should do to better protect U.S. Internet users.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Mastering social media saturation at SXSW]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mastering-social-media-saturation-at-sxsw</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mastering-social-media-saturation-at-sxsw</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Mar 2011 07:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>AnastasyC4</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mastering-social-media-saturation-at-sxsw</guid>
<description><![CDATA[For SXSW attendees, finding friends or events during a week when there are hundreds of things to do every day, such as CNET's Buzz Out Loud party Sunday, can be difficult.(Credit:Daniel Terdiman/CNET)AUSTIN, Texas--There was a time, just a couple of years ago, when you could figure out almost everything going on at the South by Southwest Interactive conference (SXSW) just by keeping an eye on the SXSW hash tag. Whether it was an impromptu wine party hosted by Gary Vaynerchuck or a Laughing Squid meet-up or word about a great panel going on, that hash tag was many people's essential organizing principle.But with the explosive growth of SXSW and Twitter, the thousands who are prowling around day and night here this week looking for the next great thing to go to or do have had to branch out. Thanks to Twitter's 2007 coming-out party here, and Foursquare's launch in 2009, the conference is now seen as the proving ground for many new social media services, and as such, there are always a steady flow of new technologies that are breaking ground in helping people figure out what's going on. Add the network effect of a massively connected community like that of SXSW Interactive, and you can quickly test whether a new service is going to be useful or not.This week, though, Austin has been overrun by what seems like a larger than ever mass of attendees, and with them, an overwhelming number of panels and talks, barbecues, official SXSW parties, and unofficial gatherings. And that's meant that anyone who has any hope of figuring out where to go to find their friends, or something to do, has to have a game plan. Otherwise, they've faced the fruitless effort of trying to mine the dozens and dozens of SXSW tweets rushing through each minute (see video below) for something fun. This year, the hot new technologies have been group messaging. Services like Beluga and GroupMe have been in heavy use given that they allow people to create ongoing mobile-based group conversations. To Chris Carella, the founder of social-software developer Super + Fun, GroupMe has been a saving grace at SXSW. Asked about the service, Carella e-mailed (from hisiPhone) to CNET how it had helped him make his way through one of the party-soaked evenings here this week. &quot;I'm in [a] post-2 a.m. SXSW group,&quot; Carella recalled. &quot;The entire group is heavily tapped into the party scene and are constantly updating each other on the status of parties and converging on locations that are fun. I'm finding out about VIP parties I wouldn't have otherwise and if it's hard to get in, someone in the group finds a way to get me in, even if I don't know them. Then, of course, as the name implies, after things close at 2 a.m., the group coordinates to extend the night. This group is a truly amazing experience for me (a first time [SXSW attendee]).&quot; Beluga, another group messaging platform that's getting a lot of attention here, has its fans, as well. The information coming from the service &quot;is crowdsourced based on specifically what my friends are relaying,&quot; said Boulder, Colo.-based social-media consultant Ef Rodriguez.Another service that has been getting the thumb's-up around town this week has been LocalMind. In a post on his favorite new app at SXSW, uber-blogger Robert Scoble said of LocalMind, which lets users ask questions of people checked in near them, &quot;It's like Quora and Foursquare got together and had a baby.&quot;Scoble lauded LocalMind for giving SXSW attendees--and others back in the rest of the world--the ability to pose questions about whether a certain party is still going, if there's still an open bar, or if folks are moving on to the next thing. &quot;It shows you people who have checked in with Foursquare and have LiveMind open near you in the past few minutes,&quot; Scoble wrote, &quot;and then you can ask them questions. Right now I'm using it and there's dozens of different venues with people checked in right now at them. I can ask them questions, like, 'how long is the line for the Mashable party' and get an answer back right away.&quot;Sched.orgThe problem at SXSW, of course, is that there are thousands and thousands of people here, and what seems like as many or more things to do. The list of official panels and talks alone would be enough to cow just about anyone, and that doesn't even begin to touch the additional list of unofficial goings on that people might want to get to. Add to that the complexity of trying to connect with one or more friends, and someone feeling social or wanting to attend something has encountered a logistical nightmare.For Jeremy Tanner, also a Boulder-based social-media strategist, one of the best ways to navigate the maze has been a tool called Sched.org, which he uses on hisiPad. The service brings together a wide variety of event listing and descriptions, and lets users see not just what they are interested in, but also what members of their social networks are interested as well. &quot;If you want to be lazy and let them do all the [scheduling] work,&quot; Tanner joked, &quot;you can decide what your friends are doing that you want to do too.&quot;However, Sched.org only lists official events and parties, Tanner said, &quot;so when someone says they're going to take a bus of 20 down to [Austin's famous barbecue joint] Salt Lick, that's not on there.&quot;In its 2009 infancy, Foursquare was a great tool for solving the problem of finding out what the hot unofficial gathering was because it let people see just where their friends were checking in at any given moment. And because Foursquare--and its check-in rival Gowalla, which also launched that year--was new, there wasn't yet a critical mass obscuring the real value of the information.But Tanner said that's no longer the case, and that anyone at SXSW trying to use Foursquare to find out where they should go next is probably fighting a losing battle.&quot;The problem with Foursquare,&quot; Tanner said, &quot;is that with trending topics, by the time something has become that hot on a location-based social network, it's over.&quot;The phoneDespite the newer social media tools he uses to find his way around SXSW, Tanner also said that there are some more well-known systems that people can use to find the needle in the haystack of friends' activities and gatherings. For one, the four-time SXSW attendee said, don't bother with the SXSW Twitter hash tag. Instead, create Twitter lists of friends, a step that could cut way down on the noise-to-signal ratio.Then again, why even try to rely on new-fangled social media tools, Tanner said. There are better ways to find out what your friends are doing right now. &quot;Pick the phone up,&quot; he advised. &quot;Text them. Voice and simple text are still the world's largest social networks--bigger than Facebook.&quot; And then there's an even more analog way to conduct an active SXSW social life.For Ben Huh, the CEO of Icanhascheezburger.com publisher Cheezburger, Inc., SXSW is a place to connect with the passionate community of users of the famous LOLcat site, and many others in the Cheezburger network. And &quot;it's [also] my geek spring break,&quot; Huh said.Huh said he's here with people from cities around the country, and that they've been using Foursquare and text messaging to arrange activities. But sometimes, he added, his social calendar involves little more than ending his daily work of meetings and interviews by sitting on a couch in the lobby of the Downtown Hilton here--which is across the street from the Austin Convention Center, where SXSW is centered--and waiting for friends to materialize. &quot;Someone will come along and say, Hey what are you up to, and we'll go over [to some event],&quot; Huh said. &quot;I'm not here to go to specific events. I'm here to find serendipitous things.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Obama dines with Jobs, Zuckerberg, other tech honchos]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=obama-dines-with-jobs-zuckerberg-other-tech-honchos</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=obama-dines-with-jobs-zuckerberg-other-tech-honchos</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:11:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>healthcentral</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=obama-dines-with-jobs-zuckerberg-other-tech-honchos</guid>
<description><![CDATA[President Obama talks jobs and the economy with some of the nation&amp;39's top tech leaders. Seated at the president's left is Apple CEO Steve Jobs' at his right, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.(Credit:The White House)In a dinner meeting last night, the president and 12 of the country's leading technology executives discussed such hot-button issues as jobs, education, and how to get the U.S. economy back on track.Joining the meeting with Obama were CEOs including notably Apple's Steve Jobs, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle's Larry Ellison, Google' Eric Schmidt, Yahoo's Carol Bartz, Cisco Systems' John Chambers, Twitter's Dick Costolo, and NetFlix's Reed Hastings.Other participants were well-known venture capitalist John Doerr, Stanford University president John Hennessy, former Genentech CEO Art Levinson, and Steve Westly, founder of the Westly Group.President Obama chats with Mark Zuckerberg. At left is Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, and the blurry figure in the foreground at right is Google CEO Eric Schmidt.(Credit:The White House)Hosted in their Woodside, Calif., home by Doerr and his wife Ann, the dinner was private and not open to the press, but the White House has released some details of the conversation.Focusing on the administration's objectives, the president discussed his ideas for investing in research and development, creating more incentives for companies to expand and hire workers, and the goal of doubling U.S. exports over the next five years as one way to support jobs.The topic of education was also high on the list as the group chatted about the need for new investments in schools. With an emphasis on tech, the president and his dinner companions discussed ways to encourage people to study and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, also known as STEM. Obama also talked up his new Startup America initiative, designed to build partnerships between universities and the private sector to help kick-start new businesses. The meeting was part of an ongoing series of conversations with the business sector on how to strengthen the economy, support entrepreneurship, increase U.S. exports, and get people back to work, according to the White House. Obama also expressed interest in ongoing discussions with the group as a way of sharing new ideas to create jobs and stimulate the economy.The president continues his focus on technology today as he takes a tour of an Intel plant in Oregon and meets with CEO Paul Otellini to discuss the company's efforts to invest in STEM to create more high-tech jobs. Obama also plans to appoint Otellini to a panel of experts set up to offer the administration advice on creating jobs.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Nikon goes zoom crazy with latest Coolpix cams]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nikon-goes-zoom-crazy-with-latest-coolpix-cams</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nikon-goes-zoom-crazy-with-latest-coolpix-cams</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>tithasperie</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nikon-goes-zoom-crazy-with-latest-coolpix-cams</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Is Apotheker's 'coolness' quest what HP needs]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-apothekers-coolness-quest-what-hp-needs</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-apothekers-coolness-quest-what-hp-needs</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>irvinreaaa</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-apothekers-coolness-quest-what-hp-needs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When it comes to being a leader in the tech industry, how important is the &quot;coolness&quot; factor Clearly, theiPhone and theiPad are cool products, therefore making Apple a cool company. Android's coolness factor is also on the rise--scoring a few extra points on the coolness scale for Google, as well. But can HP--an old school tech company right up there with IBM--score some coolness points to drive its popularity among consumers New CEO Leo Apotheker is pretty sure it can. And to do so, the company is getting ready to generate some buzz with a news event--a la the Apple news events--next month to unveil the work it's done on WebOS, the mobile operating system it scored with its acquisition of Palm. In an interview with the BBC, Apotheker--former CEO of the ultra cool SAP--said that the days of making an announcement about an upcoming product and then losing that excitement because the product won't ship until months later are over. He told the BBC: HP will stop making announcements for stuff it doesn't have. When HP makes announcements, it will be getting ready to ship. That's a simple management decision, I don't need to re-engineer the tanker [HP] to do that. Read more of &quot;Is Apotheker's quest for &quot;coolness&quot; the spark that HP needs&quot; at ZDNet's Between the Lines.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report finds smart-grid security lacking]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-finds-smart-grid-security-lacking</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-finds-smart-grid-security-lacking</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:10:38 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vacationspot1</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-finds-smart-grid-security-lacking</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This illustration from the GAO report shows the topography of a smart grid.(Credit:GAO)Echoing concerns of security experts, a new report from the Government Accountability Office warns that smart-grid systems are being deployed without built-in security features. Certain smart meters have not been designed with a strong security architecture and lack important security features like event logging and forensics capabilities used to detect and analyze cyberattacks, while smart-grid home area networks that manage electricity usage of appliances also lack adequate built-in security, according to the report (PDF) released last week by the GAO, the auditing and investigative arm of the U.S. Congress. &quot;Without securely designed smart-grid systems, utilities will be at risk of not having the capacity to detect and analyze attacks, which increases the risk that attacks will succeed and utilities will be unable to prevent them from recurring,&quot; said the report.  The report also took aim at the self-regulatory nature of the industry, saying utilities are focusing on complying with minimum regulatory requirements rather than having adequate security to prevent cyberattacks. The National Institute of Standards and Technology &quot;does not have a definitive plan and schedule, including specific milestones, for updating and maintaining its cybersecurity guidelines to address key missing elements,&quot; the report concluded. One of the important elements NIST has failed to address is the risk of attacks that use both cyber and physical means, the report said.  &quot;Furthermore, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has not established an approach coordinated with other regulators to monitor the extent to which industry is following the smart-grid standards it adopts,&quot; the report said. &quot;The voluntary standards and guidelines developed through the NIST and FERC processes offer promise. However, a voluntary approach poses some risks when applied to smart-grid investments, particularly given the fragmented nature of regulatory authority over the electricity industry.&quot;  In comments on the report that were included as an appendix, the Department of Commerce--which oversees NIST--says NIST &quot;agrees that the risk of combined cyber-physical attacks on the smart grid is an area that needs to be more fully explored in the future.&quot;  Meanwhile, FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff said in comments included in an appendix to the report that he will ask his staff to evaluate ways to improve coordination among regulators and assess whether challenges identified in the report should be addressed in FERC's cybersecurity efforts, but will need to work within the commission's statutory authority.  The goal of the smart grid is to improve reliability and efficiency by incorporating information technology systems into power lines and customer meters for monitoring power distribution and usage without having to send operators into the field. (Via Threatpost) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[preGame 37: Dead Space 2]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-37-dead-space-2</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-37-dead-space-2</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:10:34 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lcachohhhc</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-37-dead-space-2</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Paid search market bounces back in 2010]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=paid-search-market-bounces-back-in-2010</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=paid-search-market-bounces-back-in-2010</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gosomep</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=paid-search-market-bounces-back-in-2010</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The market for paid search ads staged a healthy recovery last year, according to a report out today from online marketing company SearchIgnite.For 2010, spending on paid search ads rose 18.5 percent over 2009, a year when spending declined. The fourth quarter in particular played a huge role in the recovery with a 35.5 percent overall gain in spending from 2009's final quarter. December alone saw a 44.8 percent jump in spending.(Credit:SearchIgnite)Retailers in particular funneled more money toward paid search ads last year, especially over the holiday season as online shoppers opened up their wallets, a sign to SearchIgnite of improving consumer sentiment.Google was the major beneficiary of the boost in spending, winning 82.6 percent of all search ad dollars over the fourth quarter. In contrast, Yahoo and Bing, which SearchIgnite dubbed YaBing, grabbed only 17.4 percent of all search ad spending during the final quarter of the year.&quot;2010 proved to be a great year for search advertising as the search market recovered from the downturn seen in 2009,&quot; SearchIgnite CEO Roger Barnette said in a statement. &quot;Even more promising is the revival of consumer spend throughout the year...We expect 2011 to be a strong year for search and online advertising overall.&quot;To compile the latest stats and the historical data, SearchIgnite tracked more than 59 billion ad impressions and more than 1.2 billion clicks on Google, Yahoo, and MSN/Bing from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2010.SearchIgnite's positive results on paid search spending were echoed by Efficient Frontier. Looking specifically at data from its own customers, the digital marketing firm found that spending on search engine marketing rose 23 percent for all of 2010 and 18 percent during the fourth quarter.Geared toward helping advertisers determine how and where to spend their dollars, Google's DoubleClick ad exchange, AdX, helped the search giant grab a larger share of the paid search market. And although Yahoo and Bing didn't fare as well, Efficient Frontier believes ad spending directed toward the two companies will rise as small- and medium-sized businesses see the potential for higher returns from the combination.&quot;2010 ended with a bang as fourth quarter digital marketing (spending) rose across all the major categories including retail, finance, auto, and travel,&quot; David Karnstedt, president and CEO of Efficient Frontier, said in a statement. &quot;Advertisers seem to be signaling that the economy is turning around by increasing their marketing spend across search, display, and Facebook to respond to consumer demand.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Cruel Esquire votes Zuckerberg among worst dressed celebs]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cruel-esquire-votes-zuckerberg-among-worst-dressed-celebs</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cruel-esquire-votes-zuckerberg-among-worst-dressed-celebs</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 15 Jan 2011 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cruel-esquire-votes-zuckerberg-among-worst-dressed-celebs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[They placed him alongside Nicolas Cage. They lined him up shoulder-to-shoulder with Russell Brand. With a callous twitch of their eyelinered faces, they equated him with Rush Limbaugh.Yes, those preening, greasy-maned scions of superfice at Esquire magazine have taken it upon themselves to declare Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg one of the 10 worst-dressed celebrities.Perhaps you, too, had been unaware that the young coder's biographical coda is that he is now placed among the glitterati. It may have been that movie. It may have been his appearance on &quot;Oprah.&quot; Yet now he is being judged as if his goal in life is to waft down a red carpet, arm-in-arm with a Scientologist whose face bares her commitment to cutting, scraping, and plasticated inflating. In its 2010 Celebrity Style Hall of Shame, Esquire truly dug its burgundy manicured fingernails into Zuckerberg's innocent, startled eyes. Badly dressed Surely not.(Credit:CC Andrew Feinberg/Flickr)The magazine said it had already suggested Zuckerberg as a Halloween costume. Anyone who has ever had their persona played out by another on this haunting festival (and I know someone who has) can attest that this is a lasting scar.Esquire then went on to say: &quot;No matter how much money you have or how many people's secrets you hold in your digital palm, you cannot show up to a black-tie event in a t-shirt and jeans and expect to be taken seriously. Seriously.&quot;Some might feel that such 19th century naivete is quite startling. Some might consider that these Esquire piffle-peddlers should know that Zuckerberg, should he so choose, could hack them into oblivion. They might wish to remind Esquire's writers that they are merely Zuckerberg's informational serfs and therefore they should be taking him seriously, rather than the other way around.For myself, I wish that it would have crossed Esquire's mind that a modern-day artist wishes to be judged by his art, rather than his garb.The magazine seems both oblivious and charmingly controlling, for it added: &quot;You just gave a hundred million to Newark's schools. Would it kill you to throw a couple thousand to, say, Zegna for a couple of nice suits Even Bill Gates wears a sport coat, for chrissakes.&quot;Could it be that Bill Gates wears a sport coat because he is of sport coat age Could it be that he wears a sport coat because his wife likes how he looks in a sport coat These thoughts seem not to have crossed Esquire's wafery thought process.Instead, the magazine offers this advice to others who might be following Zuckerberg's sartorial path: &quot;Even if you are the next M.Z., and your ideas will change the world as we know it, you still have to meet those angel investors face-to-face. And they'll take you more seriously if you're wearing the right kind of jacket.&quot;Oh, Esquire. Please blow your overworked noses into something silky from Hermes. For if a venture capitalist suddenly comes across a young Web entrepreneur wearing a little tight-fitting Zegna, he will immediately be suspicious. He will immediately smell inauthenticity. He will immediately wonder why someone in a start-up is blowing money on thousand-dollar threads.In the new world, you are not judged by the shininess of your clothes, your hair, your shoes, or your cheeks. Instead, you are judged by the power you hold over those who either don't know or don't care.Some might wonder why, if Zuckerberg is supposedly so badly dressed in his gray t-shirts, Apple's Steve Jobs and his quaint old Levi's avoided such criticism. Might it have had a negative effect on Esquire's no doubt picturesqueiPad app<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GE buys into efficient power for cloud computing]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-buys-into-efficient-power-for-cloud-computing</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-buys-into-efficient-power-for-cloud-computing</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Nisha</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-buys-into-efficient-power-for-cloud-computing</guid>
<description><![CDATA[General Electric's decision to acquire Lineage Power Holdings reflects the growing importance of power electronics amid the explosive growth of portable computers and phones. GE is buying Lineage Power to get access to its power electronics equipment aimed at telecom and data center operators.(Credit:Lineage Power)GE yesterday said it has signed a deal to pay about $520 million for Atlanta-based Lineage Power to beef up its energy and electric grid-related portfolio. It gives GE efficient power-conversion products--the hardware needed to convert between alternating current and direct current--used by telecommunications companies and data center operators. &quot;Every new mobile device plugs into an infrastructure that requires an ever increasing amount of high-quality power. The growth in high-bandwidth mobile Internet applications and cloud computing is accelerating that demand,&quot; Dan Heintzelman, GE Energy Services CEO, said in a statement. Lineage makes equipment for converting power in computing and networking products, including batteries, power distribution units, and AC-DC power supplies. Its equipment is optimized for efficiency and can work with alternative energy sources, such as fuel cells and wind and solar, according to the company.The company said its products reduce energy loss from AC-to-DC conversions and lower the cooling costs in data centers and telecom infrastructure, such as cell phone towers. Demand for its equipment is poised to grow as more smartphones, e-books, andtablet computers connect to the Internet over 3G and 4G networks, Lineage Power CEO Craig Witsoe said in a statement.The acquisition follows previous investments GE has made in companies developing software to make data centers more efficient. But GE executives have singled out power electronics as a technology and expertise that it needs more of across the board in its energy business.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Chrome gets new developer hierarchy]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-chrome-gets-new-developer-hierarchy</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-chrome-gets-new-developer-hierarchy</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>DefevantHat</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-chrome-gets-new-developer-hierarchy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Google)In its first two years, Chrome development took a more collaborative approach than most Google projects, but now its leaders have decided on more sharply defined leadership roles to better manage the browser's growth.Instead of notifying a &quot;watchlist&quot; of programmers who are affected by a particular change to the code, a programmer on an &quot;owners&quot; list must now approve the change, high-ranking Chrome engineer Ben Goodger announced yesterday on the developers' mailing list for the open-source Chromium project that underlies Chrome. Goodger wrote:Much of Chromium's practices are modeled on Google's own internal engineering practices. OWNERS files were one area where we explicitly diverged. Why In the past I had been concerned about the social effects of OWNERS files--I had been concerned about territoriality which can sometimes creep in any collaborative project. We had encouraged the development of &quot;alternative&quot; means of change notification, and so we have WATCHLISTS. WATCHLISTS proved insufficient for many of us, however. Darin [Fisher, another high-ranking Chrome leader] and I discussed the issue, and talking with other senior engineers decided that OWNERS files seemed like a more comprehensive answer.The basic problem, he said, is quality control. &quot;Owners files provide a means for people to find engineers experienced in developing specific areas for code reviews. They are designed to help ensure changes don't fall through the cracks and get appropriate scrutiny,&quot; he said.Chrome has open-source foundations, including contributions from programmers outside Google. But as with Linux, Android, MySQL, and many other open-source projects, the approach doesn't mean it's a hobby run by volunteers. The move to the owners system, though, reflects another step toward professional management of the software.Goodger laid out his case this way:In the more than two years since the Chromium project started, the number of people contributing has grown immensely. With this expansion has come many challenges, the most important of which is ensuring the continuity of our product and development principles. As our project has grown in size and scope, the code-base has begun to show signs of fatigue...I speak for a number of leads on the team when I say that we've had a hard time keeping up with the pace of change. As we expand the scope of Chrome in many different directions, it's critical that we consider even more carefully the design of the core code. As we do this it is important to rely on the most experienced engineers in each area. He laid out the full details of the new code governance in a document describing Chromium's new owners system. Among its strictures:Only the people who are actively investing energy in the improvement of a directory should be listed as OWNERS. OWNERS are expected to have demonstrated excellent judgment, teamwork and ability to uphold Chrome development principles. They must understand the development process. Additionally, for someone to be listed as an OWNER of a directory they must be approved by the other OWNERS of the affected directory.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Download the 10 billionth App Store app, win $10,000]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=download-the-10-billionth-app-store-app-win-10000</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=download-the-10-billionth-app-store-app-win-10000</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ayesha01</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=download-the-10-billionth-app-store-app-win-10000</guid>
<description><![CDATA[About 1,000 apps are downloaded every three seconds.(Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Apple will be awarding one lucky (and timely) person a $10,000 iTunes gift card to commemorate the download of the 10 billionth App Store app.The easiest way to win the prize is to download the 10 billionth app from the marketplace before entry forms are submitted from Apple's site. In order to make it fair to those who might not want to download more apps to their devices, Apple is offering a &quot;non-purchase method&quot; for entering the sweepstakes. Those folks need to fill out an entry form to join in.People who opt for the non-purchase method will be able to win by submitting their entry form just prior to the 10 billionth app's download.There are some limits to Apple's giveaway. For one, entrants must be 13 years of age or older to participate. Apple is also limiting user involvement to 25 downloads or entry-form completions per day.Apple has established a countdown page for folks to see how many apps have been downloaded so far. As of this writing, the site shows over 9.7 billion downloads, and about 1,000 apps were reportedly being downloaded every three seconds.Apple's App Store growth has been impressive, to say the least. The company tallied its first billion downloads in 2009, just nine months after the App Store's launch. It announced back in June that 5 billion apps had been downloaded.But when it comes to giveaways, Apple is starting to fall short. When 13-year-old Connor Mulcahey downloaded the one billionth app, he was given aniPod Touch, a MacBook Pro, and a Time Capsule, in addition to a $10,000 iTunes gift card.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft plugs three Windows holes, works on others]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-plugs-three-windows-holes-works-on-others</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-plugs-three-windows-holes-works-on-others</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nocarlberg</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-plugs-three-windows-holes-works-on-others</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft ranks the order of importance for the latest security patches.(Credit:Microsoft)Microsoft today issued two bulletins fixing three holes in Windows, including one rated critical for Windows XP, Vista, andWindows 7 as part of Patch Tuesday. &quot;We are not aware of proof-of-concept code or of any active attacks seeking to exploit the vulnerabilities addressed in this month's release,&quot; the company wrote in a Microsoft Security Response Center blog post.  The critical vulnerability is addressed in Bulletin MS11-002. The bulletin fixes the critical hole and an &quot;important&quot; vulnerability, both in Microsoft Data Access Components, that could allow an attacker to take over the computer if a user merely viewed a malicious Web page.  The second bulletin, MS11-001, resolves an &quot;important&quot; vulnerability that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a legitimate Windows Backup Manager file that is located in the same network directory as a malicious library file. The user would have to visit an untrusted remote file system or WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning) share for the attack to be successful.  More details are in the security advisory for this month.  Meanwhile, Microsoft revised Security Advisory 2488013 related to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to add an additional workaround for a vulnerability that affects Internet Explorer and for which there have been reports of targeted attacks.  &quot;The most important vulnerability, known as &quot;css.css,&quot; affects all versions of Internet Explorer and is rated critical,&quot; said Wolfgang Kandek, chief technology officer at Qualys. &quot;The exploit code is public and targeted attacks have been observed.&quot;  Security experts said they were more interested in when Microsoft plans to patch existing zero-day holes than in the fixes that were released.  &quot;Instead of talking about the number of bulletins being patched today, everyone's mind is on the five vulnerabilities that are not being patched,&quot; said Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle.  Microsoft has a list of the pending issues here. On that list is a bug in IE disclosed by Google security researcher Michal Zalewski for which he said an exploit had been leaked to the Web. He also publicly released a tool he said he had used to find the hole and others in major browsers. Microsoft says it is still assessing the issues Zalewski brought up. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Supreme Court won't block antitrust suit against labels]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=supreme-court-wont-block-antitrust-suit-against-labels</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=supreme-court-wont-block-antitrust-suit-against-labels</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:10:53 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>grydladziepo</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=supreme-court-wont-block-antitrust-suit-against-labels</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Supreme Court says an antitrust suit against major record companies can go forward.(Credit:Daniel Terdiman/CNET)The U.S. Supreme Court has decided that a lawsuit, filed by a group of online music buyers who allege the four largest record companies conspired nearly a decade ago to fix prices of songs sold online, can now move forward. The high court on Monday declined to hear an appeal by the labels--Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI Group--to block the suit, according to reports by Bloomberg and Reuters. Instead, the decision by a federal appeals court that the plaintiffs had supplied enough evidence to sue the labels will stand. The lawsuit by the music buyers alleged that the record labels agreed to set a wholesale price floor of about 70 cents per song when competitors were offering songs on the Web for less. A spokeswoman for Warner Music declined to comment. Representatives from the other labels and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) did not immediately respond to interview requests. The roots of the case can be traced to 2001, when the top labels were preparing to try their hand at selling digital music out of their own Internet stores. Bertelsmann, Warner Music, and EMI had backed a service called MusicNet. Sony and UMG built Pressplay. &quot;All defendants signed distribution agreements with MusicNet or Pressplay,&quot; according to the consumers' group. The labels &quot;sold music directly to consumers over the Internet through these joint ventures. Both the joint ventures and the (RIAA) provided a forum and means through which defendants could communicate about pricing, terms, and use restrictions.&quot;&quot;[The labels] sold music directly to consumers over the Internet through these joint ventures. Both the joint ventures and the (RIAA) provided a forum and means through which defendants could communicate about pricing, terms, and use restrictions.&quot; --Plaintiffs suing labels&quot;To obtain Internet Music from all major record labels,&quot; the consumer group continued, &quot;a consumer initially would have had to subscribe to both MusicNet and Pressplay at a cost of approximately $240 per year.&quot;The plaintiffs also noted that the labels were investigated about four years ago by the office of the New York State attorney general regarding wholesale prices charged for digital music and were the focus of an inquiry by the Department of Justice into possible &quot;collusion and price fixing&quot; and to determine whether &quot;defendants misled DOJ about the formation and operation of MusicNet and Pressplay.&quot; None of the investigations appeared to go anywhere. In court documents, the plaintiffs accused MusicNet and Pressplay with being anticonsumer and attempting to restrict access to online music. Even after those services began selling songs, the labels required these other outlets to &quot;only sell defendants' music if they contracted with MusicNet to provide Internet Music for the same prices and with the same restrictions as MusicNet itself or other MusicNet licensees. If the licensee attempted to license music from another company, defendants forced them to pay penalties or terminated their licenses.&quot; Rick Boucher, former congressman from Virginia.(Credit:U.S. Congress)Pressplay and MusicNet were the music industries responses to Napster and illegal file sharing. They were attempts to seize back control of distribution and cram the toothpaste back into the tube. They didn't work. Large audiences that were then just going online gravitated towards the now-defunct LimeWire and other peer-to-peer networks. From their start, MusicNet and Pressplay drew a lot of criticism. Critics, who included then Congressman Rick Boucher, warned that the labels' direct-to-consumer services could violate antitrust laws. At a tech conference in 2002, Boucher predicted that there would be trouble. &quot;That level of duopoly...of content ownership and the ownership of distribution is threatening to the arrival of competition in the delivery of music on the Web,&quot; Boucher said then. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Shooting suspect left unsettling artifacts online]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shooting-suspect-left-unsettling-artifacts-online</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shooting-suspect-left-unsettling-artifacts-online</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Jan 2011 08:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>aaaronbaldwinu</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=shooting-suspect-left-unsettling-artifacts-online</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The suspected gunman in the shooting today of a U.S. Congresswoman posted disturbing artifacts on YouTube and MySpace, according to various reports, including a photo of a gun on top of a U.S. history book, and videos featuring strange, sometimes political ramblings.Police arrested 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner in connection with the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords that took place this morning during an appearance by Giffords at a supermarket in Tucson.Giffords was shot once through the head and is in critical condition' 18 others were shot as well, with 6 dying, including a 9-year-old girl and John M. Roll, the chief judge for the United States District Court for Arizona, The New York Times reported. Screen capture of a video titled &amp;34'How To: Mind Controller,&amp;34' ostensibly created by shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner.(Credit:Screenshot by Edward Moyer/CNET)Loughner's odd behavior at Pima Community College in Tucson, along with a disturbing Internet video, had caused officials at the school to suspend him in September, pending a mental health clearance, The Times said in another report.&quot;The rambling, disconnected writings and videos he has left on the Web are consistent with the delusions produced by a psychotic illness like schizophrenia, which develops most often in the teens or 20s,&quot; The Times reported.Videos ostensibly posted by Loughner on YouTube contain bizarre screeds about the government.&quot;Reading the second United States Constitution, I can't trust the current government because of the ratifications,&quot; runs one remark. &quot;The government is implying mind control and brainwash on the people by controlling grammar.&quot;Another says:You're a treasurer for a new currency, listenerYou create and distribute your new currency, listenerYou don't allow the government to control your grammar structure, listenerAnd another says:The majority of citizens in the United States of America have never read the United States of America's Constitution.You don't have to accept the federalist laws.Nonetheless, read the United States of America's Constitution to apprehend all of the current treasonous laws.You're literate, listenerAll those remarks appear in a video titled &quot;Introduction: Jared Loughner,&quot; which opens with the words, &quot;My Final Thoughts: Jared Lee Loughner!&quot; The YouTube page says the video was posted three weeks ago.MySpace pages reportedly posted by Loughner featured a photo of a pistol on top of what looks like a book bearing the title &quot;United States History.&quot; Web site Good reported that the pages had been taken down as of this afternoon, but Good showed a screen shot of a &quot;My Photos&quot; page with the described image.Web site Good posted this screen capture of a MySpace page.(Credit:Good)A former classmate of Loughner's, Catie Parker, posted a series of statements to Twitter today, the Times reported, in which she said Loughner was &quot;oddly obsessed with the 2012 prophecy&quot; and had &quot;met Giffords once before in '07, asked her a question &amp; he told me she was 'stupid &amp; unintelligent.'&quot;Loughner had tried to get into the Army but was rejected for reasons the Army said it could not disclose for privacy reasons, the Times reported, adding that police officials said the suspect had a criminal record of some sort, though they would not provide further information.Police are reportedly searching for a second man in connection with the shooting.Both Good and the Times said Loughner had posted a farewell message on MySpace this morning. It read, said Good, &quot;Goodbye friends...Please don't be mad at me.&quot;The Times reported that Loughner is refusing to cooperate with authorities and has invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.        Edward Moyer    Full Profile E-mail Edward Moyer   E-mail Edward Moyer If you have a question or comment for Edward Moyer, you can submit it here. However, because our editors and writers receive hundreds of requests, we cannot tell you when you may receive a response.   Submit your question or comment here: 0 of 1500 characters       Edward Moyer has been editing on and off for CNET since the days of the CD-ROM.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Electric Uno scooter doubles as a unicycle]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-electric-uno-scooter-doubles-as-a-unicycle</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-electric-uno-scooter-doubles-as-a-unicycle</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:10:51 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ttwotimeso</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-electric-uno-scooter-doubles-as-a-unicycle</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Uno electric scooter is a unique beast: an electric scooter that looks like a mini-motorcycle and folds up into a Segway-like scooter balanced on two wheels. A prototype of the Uno III, the latest invention from BPG Motors, will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show, its first public showing. It's aimed at urban dwellers, most likely in Europe, where there is a strong culture around motorcycles and scooters, said BPG Motors CEO Brad Harkavy.Uno electric scooter goes for eco-chic (photos) View the full galleryThe company plans to begin producing these electric scooters in limited quantities in about a year with mass production planned after that, according to Harkavy. It will be priced similarly to how high-end Vespa scooters are, which cost between $4,000 and $7,000, he said.The Uno III is styled like a high-performance racing motorcycle but it's much better suited for getting around town than around the race track. Its top speed is limited by scooter regulations at about 35 miles per hour and its range is 30 miles.But the Uno has some unusual features that its designers hope will add to its cachet and utility.Most dramatically, it works in two modes. In its &quot;motorcycle&quot; driving mode, it operates like a typical electric scooter. Its self-balancing mode, enabled by a gyroscopic control system, is when the front wheel pulls back off the floor and tucks itself in between two rear wheels. That unicycle-like mode gives it a three-foot turning radius and makes the scooter nimble enough to move in tight spaces. The owner could, for example, bring the Uno into an elevator and store it inside or operate in city centers where there are a lot of pedestrians, said Harkavy. A driver can shift from self-balancing to driving mode while the scooter is moving. The two rear wheels have their own suspension and electric motors, giving the driver better driving control when in motorcycle mode, according to the company.Started as high school science projectIn thecar-heavy culture of the U.S., scooters and electric bikes appeal to a small niche of drivers. But in other parts of the world, two-wheelers are far more common, making them good candidates for electrification. By some estimates, there are already 120 million electric bikes in China, a vehicle segment that has grown rapidly in the past decade. BPG Motors was founded by Benjamin Gulak who, when in high school, decided to start building a cleaner electric scooter after a trip to China, where dirty two-stroke scooters are common. It became a high school science project and then a company in 2008. It was funded in 2009 by private investors. Its scooter is less polluting than a gasoline-powered scooter because it's electric, but the designers are clearly trying to make it cool as well.The Uno III is actually the third vehicle produced by BPG Motors in the space of about 18 months. Previous designs, which brought a good deal of media interest, had the self-balancing mode but did not fold out as fully as the Uno III or have the same styling.In the last few years, a handful of companies have formed to develop electric motorcycles and scooters, but these products are still trying to get a real foothold in the U.S. Harkavy expects to find initial interest for its scooter with trend-setters in the U.S., such as celebrities, but a more receptive audience in Europe.&quot;We're definitely focused on the urban scooter buyer but someone looking for more unique vehicles and something quite stylish,&quot; he said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report details workings of alleged Mossad hit on Hamas member]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-details-workings-of-alleged-mossad-hit-on-hamas-member</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-details-workings-of-alleged-mossad-hit-on-hamas-member</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kaushalbuddy4u</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-details-workings-of-alleged-mossad-hit-on-hamas-member</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Nearly a year ago, a senior member of Hamas died in a hotel in Dubai. Local police blamed Israel's elite intelligence agency, Mossad, and posted a 27-minute video showing activities of the victim and what are identified as Israeli operatives inside the hotel before and after the alleged assassination.  Now, a GQ feature unveils details about the operation, how the victim had survived a poisoning attempt two months earlier and how such an advanced group of spies were unmasked by simple hotel videocameras and other standard security measures. Although Israeli officials have not confirmed or denied that Mossad carried out the mission, &quot;no one seriously doubts that to be the case,&quot; the article says. Not surprisingly, the early stages of the operation appear to have involved the use of the Internet. Israeli spies learned Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh would be arriving in Dubai on January 19, 2010, by monitoring his e-mail and online activities via a Trojan horse planted on his computer, according to the GQ article. The spies--part of a secretive unit within the Mossad known as &quot;Caesarea&quot;--didn't know what hotel Al-Mabhouh would be staying at, so they staked out different hotels he was known to visit.  When he is spotted arriving at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, the operatives converged there and used various disguises to track his movements and get into his room. They must not have been too concerned about video surveillance cameras in the hotel as they were caught on camera talking to each other, standing in the lobby in tennis gear with rackets for hours, and exchanging room keys and suitcases. Dubai police studied hundreds of hours of closed-circuit security footage to reconstruct the activities of the operatives and Al-Mabhouh.  One operative is seen in the footage reprogramming the electronic lock to Al-Mabhouh's room so they can use an unregistered electronic key on the door without disabling Al-Mabhouh's key. It's unclear, though, how the operatives managed to leave the room with the door chained on the inside, according to the article. The operatives were linked to each other by their comings and goings at the hotel on the video footage, guest registers during that and previous Al-Mabhouh visits, the use of pre-paid debit cards issued by a company whose chief executive is a veteran of an elite Israeli Defense Force commando unit, and the use of a private switchboard in Austria that connected the operatives' phone calls without them having to call each other directly, the report says. The operatives also used forged foreign identities. &quot;False identities and cover stories are no longer any match for well-placed security cameras, effective passport control, and computer software that can almost instantly track communications and financial transactions,&quot; the article says. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Panasonic's GT30 series plasmas tout THX]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-panasonics-gt30-series-plasmas-tout-thx</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-panasonics-gt30-series-plasmas-tout-thx</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Rita01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-panasonics-gt30-series-plasmas-tout-thx</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Panaosnic&amp;39's GT30 series is the comapny&amp;39's second-best plasma and the least-expensive with THX certification.(Credit:Panasonic) LAS VEGAS--THX Display certification has been one of the saving graces of higher-end Panasonic plasma TVs over the last few years, making up for the relatively inaccurate color and sparse picture settings available in other modes. Among the company's lineup of 2011 plasmas, THX is available starting on the GT30 series. It's unclear from Panasonic's press material whether that THX picture mode is available for both 2D and 3D sources, like that of LG's plasmas including the PX950 series.. In any case we expect it to be adjustable, unlike THX on LG, and provide an accurate picture without too much fuss. The GT30 is missing many of the step-up extras found on the flagship VT30, including an &quot;Infinite Black 2&quot; panel, 24p playback and an included pair of 3D glasses. Given the performance differences between the G25 and VT25 from 2010, we don't expect the GT30 to deliver as impressive a picture as the flagship VT30. With the exception of THX, the GT30 seems to have essenitally the same picture quality specs as the less-expensive ST30, so those two might be closer in performance. Of course there's no way to know for sure until we can review one. Otherwise the GT30 and ST30 have similar feature sets, including 3D capability and the Viera Connect Internet suite. Check out the writeup of the ST30 series for more details. Pricing was not announced for the GT30 series, but it will be available sometime this spring.Panasonic TC-PGT30 series features:Plasma TV3D compatibleTHX certificationInfinite Black panelShort throw phosphors3D-compatible SD card slotViera Connect Internet suitePanasonic TC-PGT30 series models:Panasonic TC-P50GT30: 50-inchPanasonic TC-P55GT30: 55-inchPanasonic TC-P60GT30: 60-inchPanasonic TC-P65GT30: 65-inch<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Flagship Panasonic plasma makes black levels even more "Infinite"]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-flagship-panasonic-plasma-makes-black-levels-even-more-infinite</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-flagship-panasonic-plasma-makes-black-levels-even-more-infinite</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>tryinando</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-flagship-panasonic-plasma-makes-black-levels-even-more-infinite</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Panasonic TC-PVT30 series replaces our favorite TV of 2010.(Credit:Panasonic) LAS VEGAS--About this time last year we gave the Panasonic TC-PVT25 series of plasma TVs our Best in Show award as the most promising product at CES 2010. At the end of 2010 it still stood out as the overall best-performing HDTV we'd tested all year, and the second-best of all time (yes, the Kuro is still 1). The VT25's successor, the TC-PVT30 series, looks like the favorite again in 2011. Panasonic's chief VT30 enhancement for the new year is something the company calls an &quot;Infinite Black Pro 2 Panel.&quot; As the press release puts it, the panel &quot;raises the luminous efficiency while minimizing pre-discharge, resulting in even more subtle, delicate blacks, in both dark and bright environments than last year's Infinite Black Pro Panel provided.&quot;  The VT30 provides one other important step-up over the GT30: the ability to properly reproduce the cadence of 1080p/24 sources. We noticed some artifacts when we engaged that mode last year, however, so we're curious to see if they'r been eliminated this year.You get one pair of glasses free when you buy a VT30 3D TV.(Credit:Panasonic) Like the GT30 the VT30 is THX certified, although we don't know yet whether the certification applies to 3D sources as well. We also don't know whether any Panasonic plasmas offer 2D to 3D conversion, although we assume they will. Unlike the GT30, Panasonic throws in a pair of shutter glasses for free with the VT30. In terms of style Panasonic has cleaned up its entire plasma line, thinning down the chassis and adding, in the VT30's vase the one-sheet-of-glass front we liked so much on earlier Panasonics like the V10 series. The bezel might still be thicker and the panel a bit chunkier than those from Samsung and LG, but it's a step in the right direction. The VT30 has the same Viera Connect Internet suite found on the ST30 series. Pricing was not announced for the VT30 series, but it will be available sometime this spring.Panasonic TC-PVT30 series features:Plasma TV3D compatibleone pair of 3D glasses includedTHX certificationInfinite Black Pro 2 panel1080p/24 playback modeShort throw phosphors3D-compatible SD card slotViera Connect Internet suitePanasonic TC-PVT30 series models:Panasonic TC-P55VT30: 55-inchPanasonic TC-P65VT30: 65-inchEditor's Take: I notice that the description of the new Pro 2 panel includes the words &quot;subtle, delicate&quot; but not &quot;deeper&quot; or &quot;darker.&quot; I interpret that as a possible indication that the VT30 will not match the depth of the Kuro's blacks. But once again I'll have to wait until I see one in person, and directly compare it to the VT25 and the Kuro (not to mention the new Samsung D8000), to get the full story. Even after that, long-term testing will be in order to see how those blacks fare over time--both on Panasonic and on Samsung and LG plasmas. Finally, I find it strange that Panasonic is only offering two screen sizes, and wouldn't be surprised to see others appear later in the year. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Finch flingers don't flock to Angry Birds Day]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=finch-flingers-dont-flock-to-angry-birds-day</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=finch-flingers-dont-flock-to-angry-birds-day</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 12 Dec 2010 08:14:52 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nowmaal</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=finch-flingers-dont-flock-to-angry-birds-day</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Screenshot by Christopher MacManus/CNET)ATLANTA--Not many birds of a feather flocked together for Rovio's official Angry Birds Day meetup yesterday--in Atlanta at least.  Rovio promoted the event, scheduled to mark the first anniversary of the popular game for mobile devices, as a celebration of 3 trillion popped piggies and the chance for fans to meet, play, and compare scores. And while enthusiasts signed up for meetups in 65 countries, poor planning and only a couple of show-ups made the event here in Atlanta seem rather lackluster despite 28 people expressing interest on the meetup site. New York enjoyed the sight of Angry Birds fans in costume. (Credit:Flickr user Caniba) Our nest ended up being a brewery just north of downtown that had recently gone through a name change, which probably added to the confusion. (My fellow Crave contributor Matt Hickey reported that no one showed up for the meetup in rainy Seattle, though New York and Los Angeles enjoyed the sight of fans in Angry Birds costumes).  Still, despite the tepid showing here in Georgia, we managed to have some finch-flinging fun. After checking in and grabbing a pint, I came across David Moore (aka Cap'nDave), a mild-mannered thirty-something who secretly moonlights as an Angry Birds enthusiast. He was eager to talk about his passion for the game, and we were comparing scores and strategies after a few minutes.  It wasn't long before he revealed the depth of his superpowers. Moore has completely beat the game with three stars on all levels, has all golden eggs, a 97 percent achievement score, and was one of the top-rated players in the area (according to the built-in leaderboards). I knew I had found the superfan I was looking for. Moore has been launching birds for about seven months, and continues to play &quot;because it's fun, and addictive. I like to defend the title.&quot; He boasted that he was the top player for level 3, but his rank goes back and forth because he's locked into a &quot;score war&quot; with another major player in the area. His favorite level is 7-7, because &quot;it's set up like a burger and a drink. It's fun to throw the bomber bird in there and blow the buns off.&quot; We finished things off with a contest to see who could beat the 11th level on the Christmas-themed seasonal Angry Birds app. My girlfriend, also an avid player, chumped us both so I ended up buying a shot for everyone. The drink of choice A Naked Yellow Bird shot, of course.  Did you attend an Angry Birds Day meetup in your city If so, how was it Angry Birds fans mark the first anniversary of the hit game in New York. Not all cities saw such lively celebrations. (Credit:Flickr user Caniba)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Visa, Mastercard fail Web shoppers again]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=visa-mastercard-fail-web-shoppers-again</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=visa-mastercard-fail-web-shoppers-again</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:10:38 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariacosmm</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=visa-mastercard-fail-web-shoppers-again</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Beware: The New York Times reported that the man who operates DecorMyEyes.com racked up scores of complaints but that Visa and Mastercard did little to stop him.(Credit:Screen shot by Greg Sandoval/CNET)commentary Internet shoppers once again have reason to question whether Visa and Mastercard are the best means for buying online. People have taken to Twitter and online forums to express shock about a compelling expose published in The New York Times on Friday. The story focused on an online retailer with a dubious history of customer service that included responding to complaints from unhappy patrons by allegedly threatening their lives. The newspaper reported that Vitaly Borker, a resident of New York, had generated so many complaints from selling eyewear on his site, DecorMyEyes.com, that all the negative comments had served to raise his site higher in Google's search results. Besides finding potential problems with Google's search algorithms, David Segal, the story's author, unearthed all kinds of e-commerce collateral damage. Among the companies that should be embarrassed by the report for either failing to protect customers or an inability to track down rogue retailers were eBay, Citibank, and the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The reputations to suffer most were those of Visa and Mastercard, two of the nation's largest transaction companies. Among the many complaints about Borker was that he refused to issue refunds and one of the ways he got away with it was due to an apparent flaw in Visa's and Mastercard's security systems. Red flags go up at Visa and Mastercard if a merchant generates too many &quot;charge-backs,&quot; the term used to describe when a customer successfully disputes a transaction and obtains a refund. This is what the Times wrote: &quot;Precisely how many of these charge-backs is too many is one of the few business subjects that Mr. Borker deems off the record, but suffice it to say he tracks that figure carefully and dials down the animus if he's nearing his limit.&quot;Deja vu. A year ago, I heard about how some merchants with ill intent game Visa and Mastercard's systems. I was speaking to a source who once worked at some of the so-called post-transaction marketing companies that were investigated by the U.S. Senate last year as part of one of the worst online retail scandals in history. Shame shame: Decade's 10 biggest tech scandals (images) Companies such as Vertrue, Webloyalty, and Affinion paid a large number of top e-tailers, including Orbitz, Buy.com, and Priceline to allow them to charge the credit cards of their customers even though the customers never supplied the card number. A shopper would be nearly done completing a transaction and would be presented with an ad that typically offered some free service. Often the ad appeared to be coming from the merchant. Plenty of people didn't see the tricky small print buried in the mass of ad copy. A Senate subcommittee found that maybe as many as a million people were duped by this &quot;scam&quot; and were unknowingly paid these companies every month. The retailers and marketers walked away with hundreds of millions of dollars. The source, who continues to be employed in online marketing, said that one of the reasons managers at Webloyalty and competitors were able to operate under the noses of Visa and Mastercard was that it was so easy to game the system. They knew exactly the number of charge-backs they could acquire before having to scale back operations, the source said. To be fair to the credit card companies, this isn't an easy problem to solve, as people like Borker are well aware. The Internet offers a perfect way for unsavory characters to mask their identity. Borker told the Times: &quot;If Visa and MasterCard ever shut me down, I'd use the name of a friend of mine. Give him 1 percent.&quot;To Mastercard's credit, the company did shut down Borker, at least for a little while. Noah Hanft, a Mastercard lawyer told the Times that it booted Borker for going over his charge-back number. Nonetheless, the company has no idea how Borker was allowed to continue accepting Mastercard transactions. &quot;No system is perfect...keep in mind, millions of transactions are conducted on our system every day, with 30 million merchants,&quot; Hanft told the Times. That is almost exactly what Visa and Mastercard representatives told me during the post-transaction marketing scandal. In the wake of the Senate investigation into that mess, Visa and Mastercard promised to do more to protect shoppers. It doesn't appear they've done enough. For now, all consumers can do to protect themselves is look for safer ways to buy online. Earlier today, Peter Pham, a venture capitalist and former Photobucket exec, posted a note to Twitter that included a link to the Times story. Pham wrote: &quot;Why I only use Amex.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[WikiLeaks promising even bigger leak of secret files]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-promising-even-bigger-leak-of-secret-files</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-promising-even-bigger-leak-of-secret-files</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Puja</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-promising-even-bigger-leak-of-secret-files</guid>
<description><![CDATA[WikiLeaks is promising to release its largest cache of classified files yet. In a post on Twitter late Sunday night, the WikiLeaks organization wrote: &quot;Next release is 7x the size of the Iraq War Logs. Intense pressure over it for months.&quot; An hour later, the group followed with: &quot;The coming months will see a new world, where global history is redefined.&quot;  The whistleblower Web site released 75,000 confidential files on the war in Afghanistan in July and defied a series of warnings from the Pentagon and other government officials by releasing nearly 400,000 secret files from the Iraq war last month.  The volunteers at the site, which lacks a home base so as to avoid being shut down, are continuing their work even as Swedish officials prepare an international arrest warrant for WikiLeaks spokesman Julian Assange on rape charges. Assange has denied the charges. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Cloud security is dependent on the law]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cloud-security-is-dependent-on-the-law</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cloud-security-is-dependent-on-the-law</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Geumdius</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cloud-security-is-dependent-on-the-law</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I am a true believer in the disruptive value of cloud computing, especially the long term drive towards so-called &quot;public cloud&quot; services. As I've noted frequently of late, the economics are just too compelling, and the issues around security and the law will eventually be addressed.(Credit:Flickr/Brian Turner)However, lately there has been some interesting claims of the superiority of public clouds over privately managed forms of IT, including private cloud environments. The latest is a statement from Gartner analyst Andrew Walls, pointing out that enterprises simply assume self-managed computing environments are more secure than shared public services:&quot;When you go to the private cloud they start thinking, 'this is just my standard old data centre, I just have the standard operational issues, there's been no real change in what we do', and this is a big problem because what this tells us is the data centre managers are not looking at the actual impact on the security program that the virtualisation induces.&quot;&quot;They see public cloud as being a little bit more risky therefore they won't go with it. Now the reality is, from my own experience in talking to security organisations and data centre managers around the world is that in many of these cases, you're far safer in the public cloud than you are on your own equipment.&quot;So, Walls seems to be saying that many (most) IT organizations don't understand how virtualization changes &quot;security,&quot; much less cloud, and therefore those organizations would be better off putting their infrastructure in the hands of a public cloud provider. That, to me, is a generalization so broad it's likely useless. There are way too many variables in the equation to make a blanket statement for the applications at any one company, much less for an entire industry.In fact, regardless of the technical and organizational realities, there is one element that is completely out of the control of both the customer and cloud provider that makes public cloud an increased risk: the law. Ignoring this means you are not completely evaluating the &quot;security&quot; of potential deployment environments.Some laws affect data management and controlThere are two main forms of &quot;risk&quot; associated with the law and the cloud. The first is explicit legal language that dictates how or where data should be stored, and penalties if those conditions aren't met. The EU's data privacy laws are one such example. The U.K.'s Data Protection Act of 1998 is another. U.S. export control laws are an especially interesting example, in my opinion.The &quot;risk&quot; here is that the cloud provider may not be able to guarantee that where your data resides, or how it is transported across the network, won't be in violation of one of these laws. In IaaS, the end user typically has most of the responsibility in this respect, but PaaS and SaaS options hide much more of the detail about how data is handled and where it resides. Ultimately, it's up to you to make sure your data usage remains within the bounds of the law' to the extent you don't control of key factors in public clouds, that adds risk.The cloud lacks a case lawThe second kind of risk that the cloud faces with the law, however, is much more nefarious. There are many &quot;grey areas&quot; in existing case law, across the globe, with respect to how cloud systems should be treated, and what rights a cloud user has with respect to data and intellectual property.I spoke of the unresolved issues around the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment protections against illegal search and seizure, but there are other outstanding legal questions that threaten the cloud's ability to protect users at the same level that their own data center facilities would. One example that is just coming to a head is the case of EMI versus MP3tunes.com.Three years ago, EMI sued the company and it's founder and CEO, Michael Robertson, for willful infringement of copyright over the Internet. EMI claims that MP3tunes.com and its sister site, Sideload.com (a digital media search engine), are intentionally designed to enable users to violate music copyrights.Robertson defends the sites as simply providing a storage service to end users, and therefore protected under the &quot;safe harbor&quot; provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. These provisions protect online services from prosecution under the DMCA as long as they remove infringing content when notified of it's presence.At stake here is whether any online storage service (aka &quot;cloud storage provider&quot;) is protected by the DMCA's safe harbor provisions, or if the very ability of users to find, upload and store infringing content is grounds for legal action. Even if MP3tunes is indeed found to be promoting infringement, what are the legal tests for identifying other such services Will a new feature available at your favorite storage cloud suddenly put your provider--or worse, your data--at riskYet another has to do with ownership of the physical resources, and what protections you have against losing your systems should those systems be seized for any reason. Imagine that your cloud provider was found to have been involved in violating federal law, and the FBI decided to seize all of their servers and disks for the investigation.In this hypothetical situation, could you get your data back What rights would you have According to the 2009 case of a Texas colocation provider, in which 200 systems were seized--the vast majority of which belonged to the provider's clients, not the provider under investigation--very few.There is no single &quot;better option&quot; for cloudI don't want to overstate the risks here. We've worked with colocation, outsourcing and even cloud offerings for a number of years now, and there have been very few &quot;disastrous&quot; run-ins with the law. Providers are aware of the problem, and provide architectures or features to help stay within the law. In the long term, these issues will work themselves out and public cloud environments will grow in popularity even before they are resolved.However, making a blanket statement that public clouds are by de facto &quot;more secure&quot; than private clouds is just hype that ignores key realities of our fragile, nascent cloud marketplace. Until the market matures, the question of &quot;better security&quot; must take into account all factors that lead to risk in any given deployment scenario. With that context in mind, public and private clouds each have their weaknesses and strengths--which may vary from company to company or even application to application.That said, Walls made one key point that I agree with emphatically. Just because a private cloud is behind your firewall, doesn't mean you don't have additional work to do to ensure the security of a private cloud environment. Having a data center does not automatically make you &quot;more secure&quot; than a public cloud provider any more than a cloud vendor is automatically more secure than anything an enterprise could do themselves.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[New Gorillaz album to be produced on an iPad]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-gorillaz-album-to-be-produced-on-an-ipad</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-gorillaz-album-to-be-produced-on-an-ipad</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sirwanwin5</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-gorillaz-album-to-be-produced-on-an-ipad</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Mega-famous Gorillaz front man and songwriter Damon Albarn has revealed that he has been recording the next Gorillaz album on hisiPad. Remember how the iPad is just a device for consumptionReported in music magazine NME on November 13, Albarn says, &quot;I've made it on an iPad--I hope I'll be making the first record on an iPad.&quot;The album, according to NME, could be released before Christmas this year.Albarn continued, saying, &quot;I fell in love with my iPad as soon as I got it, so I've made a completely different kind of record.&quot; Gorillaz fans are sure to be looking forward to this, but many techies will most likely take a look as well. The iPad has been touted as a great media consumption device, but critics have continued to knock its ability to be a productivity tool.Having a major recording artist produce an entire album on the iPad should hopefully sway some of those naysayers.What have you produced on your iPad Share your thoughts and links in the comments below!(Credit:Joe Aimonetti)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Soundfreaq delivers feature-packed speaker dock]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=soundfreaq-delivers-feature-packed-speaker-dock</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=soundfreaq-delivers-feature-packed-speaker-dock</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Aragon</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=soundfreaq-delivers-feature-packed-speaker-dock</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[eBay revamps home page, offers shared gift giving]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-revamps-home-page-offers-shared-gift-giving</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-revamps-home-page-offers-shared-gift-giving</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Nisha</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-revamps-home-page-offers-shared-gift-giving</guid>
<description><![CDATA[eBay&amp;39's revamps its home page.(Credit:eBay)eBay is getting ready for the holidays with a new take on its home page and a new shared gift-giving feature.The auction site refreshed its home page yesterday with the goal of helping people find and buy items more quickly and easily. The redesign, which eBay said was months in the making, offers a different look and feel to the home page as well as several behind-the-scenes changes.eBay's search functionality is trying to be smarter by pushing the exact product you're seeking to the top of the results. You can also now find an item by browsing across a variety of different product categories without leaving the home page. eBay has given its new page more of a personal touch as well. You can glance at your watched and recently-viewed items, the latest search results, and a list of products recommended just for you.The enhancements to the search tool and the product catalog borrowed a page from eBay's mobile apps, which have already adopted a more user-friendly approach to these features. Beyond those changes, the new page is trying to draw in people and drum up business by highlighting daily deals and tracking shopping trends.The revamp itself was prompted by requests from both sellers and shoppers, eBay said, and included input from eBay's Chief Technology Officer Mark Carges.The home page &quot;has a great look and feel,&quot; Hugh Williams, eBay's vice president of search engineering, said in an eBay internal interview. It's more personalized too. For example, you can sift through searches you recently did, and explore hot, trending products.&quot;Beyond the home page redesign, eBay is also trying to make holiday gift giving a bit more social.The company rolled out its new Group Gifts feature yesterday, an attempt to let people share in the costs of buying the right present for family or friends. Any shopper with a Facebook account can invite others to contribute to the cost of a fixed-price (non-auction) item on eBay, with people able to pay via PayPal or credit card. When the full amount of the item is covered, the gift can then be sent to the buyer or directly to the recipient.The &quot;crowdsourcing&quot; approach to buying a gift can help people collectively pick up an expensive present that they normally couldn't afford individually. And by connecting eBay to Facebook, the Group Gifts feature can tap into information from the recipient's Facebook page to suggest gift ideas, according to eBay. &quot;eBay Group Gifts was designed to address a real world need for people who want to join together to give a bigger and better gift for someone they care about,&quot; Amit Menipaz, who led the project at eBay, said in a statement. &quot;Through this innovative application we are defining the concept of group gifting online by leveraging deep integration with eBay, PayPal, and Facebook to provide a simple and friendly solution that addresses every stage of the process.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft to drop 3D, plug-in need in Bing Maps]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-drop-3d-plug-in-need-in-bing-maps</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-drop-3d-plug-in-need-in-bing-maps</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ecosavvy</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-drop-3d-plug-in-need-in-bing-maps</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This story was updated at 4:50 p.m. PDT with a new headline, and additional comment from Microsoft.Microsoft has taken the covers off a future update to its Bing Maps service that removes the need for its Silverlight browser plug-in to view an alternate mapping layer, and has also announced that it plans to remove its 3D map viewer. The changes will arguably make the service more approachable to the masses, but indicate that the company is going in a different direction with its online tools and technology platforms.In a post on the Bing community blog, Bing Maps Product Manager Brian Hendricks detailed two big changes to the company's online mapping service.The first of those is the removal of the 3D maps layer, which lets users see 3D renderings of some buildings, as well as landscape topography. Microsoft first introduced the 3D feature in early 2007, and it's since come to include nearly 70 cities around the world. To make sure the removal of 3D doesn't litter the Web with a bunch of non-working URLs, the company is changing every map link, map tour, and desktop shortcut to simply direct users to whatever part of the map the 3D version had been pointing to. Buildings that had been 3D models before will also become pushpin locations.The other change coming to Bing Maps is more subtle and may even go unnoticed by many. Users no longer need to have Silverlight installed to use Bing Maps' bird's-eye view. This is the isometric view that the company has used in addition to top-down photography to give users a better sense of two-dimensional scale. Here's the difference compared to your standard aerial view:According to Hendricks, this change was due to the company's efforts with Ajax, which, as Hendricks notes, allows people to use the feature &quot;without custom plug-ins for individual features.&quot; That also means bird's-eye view will work on mobile devices that may not have been able to run the Silverlight runtime.(left) Bing&amp;39's aerial view provides a top-down view, while (right) bird&amp;39's-eye is taken at a 45-degree angle.(Credit:Josh Lowensohn/CNET)The changes go along well with Microsoft's push to implement Web standards in the browser, as was presented at the company's Professional Developers Conference, which took place last week. But at the same time, it also muddles the message the company has been pushing since yesterday, that it still believes Silverlight to be an important technology, and one that can differentiate itself from existing Web services. Saying the same thing can now be done with Ajax, the technology Silverlight was utilized to replace just less than a year ago, does not say much for its future as part of the company's online services strategy.Update: A Microsoft spokesperson has released a statement clarifying some of the changes mentioned in the company's post:Today's announcement on the Bing Maps blog was around the end of life of the Active X-based 3D Map control and it has nothing to do with our commitment to Silverlight. We continue to invest in Silverlight functionality, which delivers the richest possible experience for our users' specifically through our map apps that run in the browser on the PC and the Silverlight map control forWindows Phone 7 applications.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Melinda Gates: No Apple products in my house]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=melinda-gates-no-apple-products-in-my-house</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=melinda-gates-no-apple-products-in-my-house</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Oct 2010 18:22:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Torrie</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=melinda-gates-no-apple-products-in-my-house</guid>
<description><![CDATA[How should one bring up children Should one give them everything for which they ask Or should one make them understand very early in life that some things are bad for them, whether it is physically or psychologicallyThis flight of philosophical depth comes to me on reading an interview in the New York Times with Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft's Bill.I wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, admire or attempt to plait my eyebrows. You see, the interviewer offered her questions about Apple. The first was quite amusing: &quot;Do you own aniPod, which is made by Apple&quot; When I read this i was overcome with a feeling that Halloween had come early. Melinda Gates needs to be told that the iPod is made by Apple Might this phraseology not have made her shiver tooStill, her reply was sturdily corporate: &quot;No, I have aZune.&quot;The interviewer persisted on pushing the buttons of Melinda Gates and her Zuneiness: &quot;What if one of your children says, 'Mom, I have to have an iPod'&quot;For those who have never seen one, this is a Zune.(Credit:CC Robert Nelson/Flickr)Again I was disturbed by this phraseology. Do kids really say &quot;I have to have&quot; Or might they still have a tinge of human politeness and offer &quot;Please can I have&quot; Gates again offered a corporately correct response: &quot;I have gotten that argument--'You may have a Zune.'&quot;Note the enormously polite use of &quot;may&quot; in response to the alleged &quot;I have to have&quot;.The interviewer was not to be deterred. She asked Gates whether she owned aniPad (&quot;Of course not&quot;). Gates denied that her husband works on an Apple laptop. &quot;False. Nothing crosses the threshold of our doorstep,&quot; she said.This curious interview of domestic manners reached its highest note when the interviewer asked: &quot;Isn't there room in this world for both Apple and Microsoft&quot; Really. Isn't that like asking someone whether there's room for rabbits and porcupines Voles and raccoonsBut the response might suggest to some that this interview was being conducted via Google Translate. For Gates' reply was: &quot;Microsoft certainly makes products for the Macintosh. Go talk to Bill.&quot;Perhaps you, too, are left with a peculiar sensation in several of your active quarters on reading these exchanges. I wonder, though, what the Gates' kids might make of it all. Surely they must have held an iPod or an iPad in their hands. What if they liked them Is deprivation a positive parenting tactic Or will children grown up to crave what they were denied Just as those who own Apple products crave Flash. Oh, wait.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Taiwan&'s SemiLEDs IPOs &8212' can U.S. cleantech manufacturers keep up]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=taiwanrsquos-semileds-ipos-8212-can-u-s--cleantech-manufacturers-keep-up</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=taiwanrsquos-semileds-ipos-8212-can-u-s--cleantech-manufacturers-keep-up</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>yamirsarin</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=taiwanrsquos-semileds-ipos-8212-can-u-s--cleantech-manufacturers-keep-up</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Earlier this month, Taiwanese company SemiLEDsquietly IPO&amp;'d on the NASDAQ to some nice results, but its success begs the question: Can American cleantech manufacturing startups keep up with AsiaThe company makes components and chips for LEDs. Its debut offering price was $17 but rose to $24 on the first day of trading, and it&amp;'s now trading around $28. It is backed by one venture investor, WI Harper, a firm with a China focus.&amp;''The general lighting market is transitioning from fluorescent into LED lighting,&amp;'' said PeterLiu, WI Harper&amp;'s founder and chairman, adding that the company has three other investments in companies in the LED space. &amp;''I believe that we are in the first inning of what is shaping to be an explosion of LEDs in general lighting.&amp;''LEDs are more efficient than traditional bulbs, and costs are coming down. Companies like Digital Lumens and Lunera have made LEDs the backbone of their lighting systems offerings.Though the market is still dominated by flourescent lights, LEDs are expected to grow by 30 percent and earn over $1 billion in annual revenue by 2014, according to a recent Groom Energy and Greentech Media Research report. SemiLED itself tripled revenue for the nine months ended May 21. There areAmerican LED makers competing in the space, like startup Bridgelux (which just opened a factory in Livermore, Calif.) and the older, larger public company Cree. The other oft-mentioned name in LED manufacturing is Lemnis Lighting, but it&amp;'s a Dutch company that has a U.S. presence.While Bridgelux located a factory in the U.S., it seems to have been something of a fluke. The companyfound a second-hand factory for cheap. But CEO Bill Watkins told the San Francisco Chronicle that when the company expands production in the future, it will look to Asia because of the cheap labor and, in China, government subsidies.The Department of Energy&amp;'s loan chief Jonathan Silver, who oversees the massive loan guarantee program, told us he believes it&amp;'s key for American cleantech to have a manufacturing backbone. It recently offered a $400 million loan guarantee to Abound Solar so the company could expand its thin-film manufacturing capacity.Still, Chinese companies have put a lot of pricing pressure on American solar panel makers, according to the New York Times. China offers subsidies that give its solar companies a pricing advantage, which has led to a free trade violations charge from the U.S., spurred by a complaint from the United Steelworkers union.According to WI Harper&amp;'s Liu, it will be hard to beat Asia when it comes to LEDs:&amp;''Asian companies, particularly in Korea, Japan and greater China, are likely to have the upper hand in LEDs because of the skilled manufacturing personnel and semiconductor ecosystem, tuned for large-volume semiconductors manufacturing and packaging. U.S. startups will need to find low-cost manufacturing to stay competitive at todaya4a4s prices and products,&amp;'' Liu said.He predicts that China will lead the way as a producer and consumer of LEDs. The former seems to be in line with Ernst &amp;amp' Young&amp;'s recent report that found China leads the world in cleantech investing.That said, there&amp;'s a lot of market out there to be had. Lighting giants Phillips and GE could step in and put up serious competition. Or U.S. LED manufacturers to go to Asia next, but that would mean not a lot of LEDs being made in the U.S.New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman argues that the government should focus on startups and innovative ideas, rather than manufacturing. But Intel senior advisor Andy Grove disagreed in a Bloomberg BusinessWeek column, saying that loss of American manufacturing capacity has been to the country&amp;'s detriment.For whatever LED company wants to go public next, note this: The guys at SemiLEDs might have already taken your stock symbol &amp;8212' LEDS.Next Story: Skype competitor magicTalk launching on Christmas Previous Story: From Kinect to Angry Birds &amp;8212' the biggest video game stories of 2010PrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: cleantech manufacturing, LEDs, lightingCompanies: BridgeLux, Cree, Digital Lumens, GE, Lunera, Phillips, SemiLED, WI HarperPeople: Andy Grove, Jonathan Silver, Peter Liu, Thomas Friedman          Tags: cleantech manufacturing, LEDs, lightingCompanies: BridgeLux, Cree, Digital Lumens, GE, Lunera, Phillips, SemiLED, WI HarperPeople: Andy Grove, Jonathan Silver, Peter Liu, Thomas FriedmanIris Kuo is the VentureBeat's lead GreenBeat writer. She has reported for The Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong, Houston Chronicle, the McClatchy Washington Bureau and Dallas public radio. Iris attended the University of Texas at Dallas and lives in Houston. Follow Iris on Twitter @thestatuskuo (and yes, that's how you  pronounce her last name).VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[China&'s LDK Solar takes $33 million stake in Solar Power]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chinarsquos-ldk-solar-takes-33-million-stake-in-solar-power</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chinarsquos-ldk-solar-takes-33-million-stake-in-solar-power</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ecosavvy</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chinarsquos-ldk-solar-takes-33-million-stake-in-solar-power</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In a move to beef up demand for its product, Chinese solar wafer manufacturer LDK Solar announced today it has acquired a 70 percent stake valued at $33 million in solar project developer Solar Power Inc. (SPI).The deal should create demand for LDK&amp;'s modules by offering up the California-based SPI&amp;'s portfolio of projects, which include utility-scale power plants. It has also developed commercial-scale distributed generation projects at a Costco building and the Staples Center in Los Angeles and also manufactures solar modules and tracking systems. SPI gains in the deal by getting a strengthened balance sheet' it will also sell to LDK some manufacturing equipment and hand over control of its former module manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China.LDK&amp;'s shares rose this week on news it raised $240 million by selling a minority stake in its polysilicon unit to investors, and the company alsoreported strong order books for 2011. It has a financial support from the government via credit lines at state-run banksdespite having shaky financials, according to the Motley Fool.The deal exemplifies two trends in the solar market right now. Firstly, it showsthe move among manufacturers to buy up projects to ensure demand for its products. One major deal of that vein happened last fall when panel maker Sharp purchased for $305 million solar project developer Recurrent Energy. Top global panel manufacturers SunPower and First Solar have also purchased and developed their own solar projects around the world to lock in continued demand for their products and services. In the case of a recent SunPower deal, it designed and built a solar park in Italy then sold it to a new group of owners, but will continue to supply maintenance and operations.Secondly, the deal showcases another example of cross-pollination between Chinese and U.S. solar companies. While Chinese manufacturers have pushed prices down thanks to government subsidies &amp;8212' to the dismay of some U.S. solar contenders &amp;8212' they have also teamed with American companies for cutting-edge components. For example, Innovalight sells its efficiency-boosting solar panel ink to Chinese manufacturerslike JinkoSolar. Startup Azuray has inked deals to provide its solar harvest optimization technology to Chinese solar panel and parts manufacturers Suntech and Renhe.Next Story: SiBeam leads charge on next-generation wireless home networking Previous Story: Motorola and LG announce 4G tablets running Android 3.0PrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Solar, solar manufacturing, solar project developer, solar waferCompanies: Azuray, First Solar, Innovalight, JinkoSolar, LDK Solar, Renhe, Solar Power Inc., SunPower          Tags: Solar, solar manufacturing, solar project developer, solar waferCompanies: Azuray, First Solar, Innovalight, JinkoSolar, LDK Solar, Renhe, Solar Power Inc., SunPowerIris 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[WITN: Ita4a4s Tuesday so it must be&nbsp'Jakarta]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=witn-itrsquos-tuesday-so-it-must-benbspjakarta</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=witn-itrsquos-tuesday-so-it-must-benbspjakarta</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=witn-itrsquos-tuesday-so-it-must-benbspjakarta</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Saraha4a4s  latest whistle-stop tour of emerging markets has reached Indonesia,  where shea4a4ll be covering &amp;8211' and helping with &amp;8211' a start-up competition. But  before all the excitement kicks off, she called in from Skype to explain  the differences between Singapore (her previous stop) and Jakarta.Video below.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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