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<title>Haaze.com / Elina / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:11:10 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[FBI warns of China-related wire transfer fraud]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fbi-warns-of-china-related-wire-transfer-fraud</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fbi-warns-of-china-related-wire-transfer-fraud</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:11:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>theodorehd</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fbi-warns-of-china-related-wire-transfer-fraud</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Small and medium-size businesses in the U.S. lost more than $11 million over the past year in online scams in which stolen banking credentials were used in fraudulent wire transfers to companies in China, the FBI said.  There were 20 such incidents between March 2010 and April 2011, affecting companies and public institutions in the U.S. that tend to have accounts at local community banks and credit unions, some of which use third-party service providers for online banking services, according to the agency. The amounts transferred at any one time ranged from tens of thousands of dollars to nearly $1 million. In most cases the criminals managed to compromise the computer of someone within a target company who could initiate funds transfers, according to a fraud alert issued by the FBI this week (PDF). The victim either receives a phishing e-mail designed to trick the recipient into revealing online banking credentials or into visiting a Web site hosting malware that steals the information from the computer.  When the victims try to log in to the bank site, they're redirected to a page saying the site is under maintenance while the criminals use the stolen log-in information to transfer money to a U.S. bank. The money is then transferred to a bank account owned by one of a number of &quot;economic and trade companies&quot; located in the Heilongjiang province in China and immediately withdrawn or transferred again, the FBI said.  &quot;It is unknown who is behind these unauthorized transfers, if the Chinese accounts were the final transfer destination, or if the funds were transferred elsewhere, or why the legitimate companies received the unauthorized funds,&quot; the FBI alert says.  In addition to the unauthorized wire transfers, criminals also were found to be sending domestic Automated Clearing House and wire transfers to money mules in the U.S. within minutes of the overseas transfers, according to the agency. It's unclear where that money ends up.  The data stealing malware used in the fraud includes Zeus, Backdoor.bot, and Spybot. Zeus can steal multifactor authentication tokens and enable criminals to log in to accounts with username, password, and token ID during a user log-in session. Backdoor.bot has a worm, downloader, and keylogger and offers remote access to compromised computers. And Spybot is an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) backdoor Trojan that runs in the background and opens a back door to the compromised computer. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[HBO streaming content comes to Dish Online]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hbo-streaming-content-comes-to-dish-online</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hbo-streaming-content-comes-to-dish-online</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:10:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lilialey</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hbo-streaming-content-comes-to-dish-online</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Dish Online&amp;39's HBO promotion.(Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Dish Online viewers can now watch HBO and Cinemax content.More than 1,800 pieces of HBO's and Cinemax's programming, including movies, television shows, and other content, are now available on the satellite provider's online-streaming service. However, only Dish subscribers who pay for access to those movie channels will be able to watch the content on Dish Online, the company said in its announcement yesterday.&quot;Dish Network customers with an HBO or Cinemax subscription can also get new series titles after their premiere--plus bonus content including interviews, recaps and behind-the-scenes extras--none of which are available through Netflix's online service,&quot; Dave Shull, senior vice president of programming for Dish Network, said in a statement.Dish Network's dig against Netflix is telling. HBO has been saying it wants full control of its programming ever since it launched the HBO Go streaming service last year. HBO is apparently willing to break its own rule for Dish--but not for Netflix.A &quot;high-placed Time Warner executive&quot; told The Hollywood Reporter in January that in order for Netflix to even have a shot at getting HBO content, Netflix would need to start charging subscribers $20 per month, rather than the $7.99 per month they currently pay for streaming only.In addition to Dish Online, HBO hinted earlier this week that its programming will soon be coming to theApple iPad andiPhone and to Android-based devices. A video promoting the new option flashed &quot;05.02.11,&quot; indicating that an app would be launching on those platforms early next month.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Internet's taxing times (week in review)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=internets-taxing-times-week-in-review</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=internets-taxing-times-week-in-review</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:11:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tara01</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=internets-taxing-times-week-in-review</guid>
<description><![CDATA[We may be basking in the waning sunlight of tax-free Internet shopping.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[As Android for tablets falters, opportunity for Intel]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=as-android-for-tablets-falters-opportunity-for-intel</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=as-android-for-tablets-falters-opportunity-for-intel</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:11:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>TrAlfandkl</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=as-android-for-tablets-falters-opportunity-for-intel</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Intel has been criticized here and in other venues for being late to thetablet party. But Android's slow start in tablets may mean latecomers aren't necessarily losers.Intel was demoing an Atom-based tablet at its developer conference in Beijing this week(Credit:Intel)A stroke of serendipity has arrived in the form of a tepid consumer reception so far for tablets beyondApple's iPad. Sales of the Motorola Xoom are, to date, anemic, while the sell-through to consumers of Samsung's Android tablet has also been underwhelming. And Digitimes reported today that tablet suppliers Asus and HTC are delaying Android tablet rollouts. Meanwhile, RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook--which is more like an appendage to a BlackBerry phone than a standalone tablet--is not targeted at the high-volume consumer space. So, with tablets based on chips from companies like Nvidia (Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab) and Texas Instruments (PlayBook) not likely flying off the shelf, are Intel's chances any better now &quot;The door to this market is open. The longer it takes for these other products to get rolling, the more opportunity there is for Intel,&quot; said Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch. And others see an opening for the world's largest chipmaker. &quot;Though Apple has set the bar, it's not going to be alone in this space. Right now it looks like Android will have the majority of tablet sales (outside of Apple), and Intel has a dedicated team of people to make Android work the best it can on its Atom chips. They have a lot resources they can apply,&quot; said Jack Gold of consulting firm J.Gold Associates, who wrote about this yesterday. And Intel, despite its unimpressive start, has another advantage. Atom is not just another cookie-cutter design from U.K.-based ARM. Intel can bring to bear all its manufacturing, security, and media processing know-how, according to Gold, who believes Intel will continue to whittle away successfully at the inherent power-efficiency advantage of ARM chips. &quot;My take is that Intel can capture 20 to 25 percent of that remaining market outside of Apple.&quot; Shim has a few words of caution, however. &quot;It all depends, of course, how well Honeycomb (Android 3.0) runs on Atom,&quot; said Shim. &quot;That's a big if.&quot; And Shim also warns Intel not to put too many eggs in the MeeGo basket, which is a hard sell to developers in a field crowded with Hewlett-Packard's WebOS and RIM's QNX, in addition to Android. (See demo of an Intel tablet at the Intel developer conference in Beijing this week.) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[iOS, Android gobbling Nintendo DS market share]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ios-android-gobbling-nintendo-ds-market-share</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ios-android-gobbling-nintendo-ds-market-share</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>timberwindow</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ios-android-gobbling-nintendo-ds-market-share</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Nintendo&amp;39's DS is losing market share to iOS and Android.(Credit:Flurry Analytics)Nintendo is facing increased pressure from smartphones andtablets in the gaming arena.According to a new report from research firm Flurry Analytics, Nintendo's share of the portable gaming market in the U.S. slipped from 70 percent in 2009 to 57 percent in 2010. Sony'sPlayStation Portable, meanwhile, saw its market share figures drop from 11 percent to 9 percent year over year. The big winners in 2010, according to Flurry, were iOS- and Android-based devices, which nabbed 34 percent of the portable gaming market. In 2009, Apple's iOS had just 19 percent market share.Flurry's findings further cement the reality of Nintendo's somewhat tenuous position in portable gaming. Although its DS was still wildly popular last year and its brand-new 3DS has seen strong initial sales, gamers are increasingly turning to their smartphones to play casual titles like Angry Birds. Moreover, with $39.99 3DS games on store shelves, some folks are finding it difficult to choose those titles over the free or sometimes $1 or $2 games available in Apple's App Store and the Android Market.Those worrisome market factors have already caught the attention of Nintendo. In October, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said that he believes Apple and its App Store are a bigger threat to Nintendo's business right now than Microsoft's Xbox 360, which has been slowly gaining on Nintendo'sWii. &quot;Do I think that in the near term [Apple] can hurt us more than Microsoft&quot; Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said to Forbes in an interview last year. &quot;Absolutely.&quot; Though iOS and Android devices are taking a bite out of the portable gaming market, they have a long way to go to catch up to consoles, Flurry found. The company said that console games made up 76 percent of all gaming software revenue in the U.S. last year, up from the 71 percent market share they nabbed in 2009. Portable gaming devices, like the DS and PSP captured 16 percent market share, while iOS and Android were only able to muster 8 percent market share. All told, consumers in the U.S. spent $10.7 billion on games last year. iOS and Android game revenue was $800 million. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Droid Incredible 2 should hit Verizon stores April 28]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=droid-incredible-2-should-hit-verizon-stores-april-28</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=droid-incredible-2-should-hit-verizon-stores-april-28</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Apr 2011 07:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jastreender</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=droid-incredible-2-should-hit-verizon-stores-april-28</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Monday we brought you more details on the upcoming HTC Droid Incredible 2, and now it appears that the smartphone will land at Verizon Wireless on April 28. According to a tipster, there's a 99 percent chance that the upgrade to theDroid Incredible will go on sale two weeks from today &quot;barring any unforeseen complications.&quot; We still don't know pricing, but we suspect that it will cost in the $199 range with service.We also got to peruse the marketing flier, which confirms that the handset will offer a 1GHz processor, a front-facing camera for video conferencing, and dual CDMA/GSM support for roaming to more than 200 countries. The candy bar design looks pretty standard, though it should sport a slim profile and a sizable touch screen.Thanks, VZW_Rep<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Spotify mulls plan to limit free music]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=spotify-mulls-plan-to-limit-free-music</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=spotify-mulls-plan-to-limit-free-music</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 07:10:34 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>spacgrlluvlli</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=spotify-mulls-plan-to-limit-free-music</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Spotify is considering a plan to further cut back the amount of free music it offers to users and is expected to impose new limits perhaps as soon as this week, sources with knowledge of the plans told CNET. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek(Credit:Ian Phillips-McLaren)Spotify, the online music service that has attracted more than 10 million users in Europe in part by offering free-of-charge access to millions of songs, may cap the number of times users can listen to the same song and limit the total number of hours that existing users would have access to its free service, the sources said. Last May, Spotify capped access to free music for the first time. As part of an offering called Spotify Open, new users were given 20 hours of free song listening per month. If they wanted more they had to upgrade to Spotify Unlimited, which offers all-you-can-eat listening for a monthly fee. Whatever changes Spotify makes would go into effect sometime in May, said the sources. A Spotify spokesman was not immediately available for comment. Spotify is perhaps best known in the United States as the music company that has had trouble launching in this country. The company has penned U.S. licensing deals with two of the four major record companies but can't seem to lock down music rights from Universal Music and Warner. Related links&amp;149' Spotify wouldn't offer as much free music here &amp;149' Hey iTunes, here comes Google Music, Spotify&amp;149' Don't expect Spotify in U.S. this holiday seasonIf and when it does launch here, managers have already agreed to limit the amount of free music it offers, sources told CNET in February. The limits on free music appear to be designed to push people into paying for music. Ad-supported music services have struggled to generate profits and prove their business model. Even Pandora, the online radio service that started out paying the bills primarily through ad sales, has placed caps on free music. Still more ad-supported services flamed out and shut their doors, including Ruckus, SpiralFrog, and Imeem. For all of Spotify's notoriety and big European following, the company has not been able to show that it's able to generate big revenue or profits. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Boy Scouts can now earn robotics merit badge]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=boy-scouts-can-now-earn-robotics-merit-badge</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=boy-scouts-can-now-earn-robotics-merit-badge</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 10 Apr 2011 07:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sowviawina</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=boy-scouts-can-now-earn-robotics-merit-badge</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The merit badge features NASA's Mars Rover.(Credit:Boy Scouts of America)Sure, Bobby Boy Scout can tie a square knot and start a fire using flint and steel, but can he build a robot If so, he'll now be able to sew a robotics merit badge to his sash.  The badge is part of the Boy Scouts of America's new STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum. One of 31 STEM-related merit badges, it's a nod to robots' increasingly wide-reaching impact and part of the BSA's ongoing attempt to teach its ranks relevant skills.  &quot;While the guiding principles of scouting--service to others, leadership, personal achievement, and respect for the outdoors--will never change, we continue to adapt programs to prepare young people for success in all areas of life,&quot; BSA Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca said in a statement.  Earning the bot badge will mean a scout not only has a handle on actuators, sensors, and programming, but on the myriad ways robots are tightening their metallic grip.  To earn the badge, scouts must, among other robot-related requirements (PDF): design, build, program, and test a robot' demonstrate the bot and share their engineering notes' attend a robotics competition or do research on robotics contests' and explain how robots are used today. For many young scouts, that probably won't be hard, given that they're growing up in a world where bots are being used to do everything from perform surgery and assist in disaster rescue to clean floors, mow lawns, and massage aching backs. It took the Boy Scouts of America about 14 months to develop the badge with input from organizations including iRobot, Vex Robotics, and Boston's Museum of Science, some of which could one day end up hiring the budding roboticists. Other participants were Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy and NASA, which says it will bring 100 badges into space on the Endeavour shuttle mission.  Scouts will be expected to spend about 14 hours meeting the requirements for the robotics badge, and the Boy Scouts of America projects that more than 10,000 of the nation's 2.7 million Boy Scouts will earn one in the badge's inaugural year. Which means Boy Scouts may very well become the driving force behind the robot apocalypse. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Dialed In 168: Android's Sensation]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dialed-in-168-androids-sensation</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dialed-in-168-androids-sensation</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>BobPatric</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dialed-in-168-androids-sensation</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Rumors of a dual-core HTC Sensation surface, plus we get a hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Prevail, take a look at the Samsung Gem, and more. Oh, and our namesake won a race! A horse race, that is.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Prevail for Boost Mobile]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hands-on-with-the-samsung-galaxy-prevail-for-boost-mobile</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hands-on-with-the-samsung-galaxy-prevail-for-boost-mobile</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>cibqod</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hands-on-with-the-samsung-galaxy-prevail-for-boost-mobile</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Samsung Galaxy Prevail(Credit:Bonnie Cha/CNET)NEW YORK--No big surprise, but Boost Mobile made it official and introduced the Samsung Galaxy Prevail on Monday evening, its very first CDMA Android smartphone.Available later this month for $179.99 sans contract and with a $50 monthly plan that includes unlimited voice, text, and data (also eligible for Boost's Shrinkage plan), the Galaxy Prevail is a welcome addition to the carrier's smartphone lineup. We got a chance to check out the Android 2.2 device at the unveiling event this evening, and though the handset might not offer some of the higher-end features of its other Galaxy S siblings, we think it's shaping up to be a pretty good deal.The handset measures 4.4 inches tall by 2.26 inches wide by 0.47 inch thick and weighs a light 3.8 ounces. It's comfortable to hold with a soft-touch finish on back (something we'd actually love to see on the higher-end Galaxy S phones) and easily slips into a pants pocket. The display measures 3.5 inches diagonally and has an HVGA resolution, so you're losing a bit in size and sharpness, but it's also to be expected with such an entry-level device. Plus, the touch screen is still sharp and bright enough to get the job done.  The Galaxy Prevail doesn't run Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, so you're getting a pure Android experience. The smartphone does come preloaded with a few extra apps, including Swype, Facebook, Twidroyd, TeleNav GPS Navigator, and ThinkFree Office. Of course, you can download more from the Android Market. There's only about 124MB of internal phone storage, but Boost ships the Prevail with a 2GB microSD card. There's a 2-megapixel camera on back, but it lacks a flash. I took a couple of quick sample photos though and was pleasantly surprised at the decent picture quality. Even though, the images were taken in dimly lit rooms, they were still bright. The Prevail's general performance also felt pretty responsive, with an 800MHz processor under the hood.Of course, we'll do much more testing in the days to come. We've actually got a review unit in hand, so definitely check back in a couple of days for our final verdict. In the meantime, peep our photo gallery below for a closer look at the Samsung Galaxy Prevail.Samsung Galaxy Prevail hands-on (photos) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[NASA MoonBuggy race swept by Puerto Ricans]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nasa-moonbuggy-race-swept-by-puerto-ricans</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nasa-moonbuggy-race-swept-by-puerto-ricans</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:11:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sleniouminori</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nasa-moonbuggy-race-swept-by-puerto-ricans</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A Puerto Rican moonbuggy team in action.(Credit:NASA/MSFC)The space shuttle program may be drawing to a close, but a little bit to the south of the Kennedy Space Center, some young Puerto Ricans could represent our greatest hope for the future of the space program.Teams from the island territory swept the top honors in NASA's 18th annual Great Moonbuggy Race held over the weekend. Teams representing Teodoro Aguilar Mora Vocational High School of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, took the top two places in the high school division, and the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao won its second straight title in the college division. NASA describes the competition as challenging &quot;students around the world to build and race lightweight, human-powered buggies--demonstrating the same innovation and can-do spirit that put the first Apollo-era lunar rover on the moon four decades ago.&quot; Check out this footage:The Puerto Rico delegation brought its A-game to the space engineering geekfest held at the U.S. Space &amp; Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., besting more than 70 teams from 22 states, Canada, Germany, India, and Russia. Teodoro Aguilar Mora racer Isadora Matta also added glory to injury, receiving an award of special recognition for emerging bloody and bruised from one of the weekend's more spectacular crashes. Put simply, the Puerto Ricans are nuts for moonbuggy racing--the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao is the only school to enter a buggy in every race since the beginning in 1994.High school teams from Jupiter, Fla., and college entries from the University of Utah, Ohio State, and the University of Alabama-Huntsville were also among the top finishers. Best moonbuggy design awards went to Jupiter High School and Rhode Island School of Design, which documented some of the process of creating the vehicle online--as far as I can tell, the custom paint job seems to be a critical element.Student racers from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City tied for third place in the college division of the Great Moonbuggy Race held over the weekend.(Credit:NASA/MSFC)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Help CNET make music history (no instruments required)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=help-cnet-make-music-history-no-instruments-required</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=help-cnet-make-music-history-no-instruments-required</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:10:55 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>monmanpnohi</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=help-cnet-make-music-history-no-instruments-required</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Hello crowd' get ready to get creative!(Credit:Wikipedia user Hkpolitik)Attention all GarageBand fans. We need your help creating what we think may be the world's first crowdsourced, fully multitouch-generated album. That's why we're putting out this call for submissions. Please send us your best original musical compositions, so long as they were created wholly using multitouch-based applications like GarageBand (it's OK to add your own vocals, if you dare).We'll pick the best 10 compositions and songs for inclusion in our digital compilation, which we'll promote around our cubicles, and perhaps even on some sort of globally interconnected network of informational portals, or &quot;sites.&quot; All musical genres are welcome.Here's how to enter:1. Get creative with GarageBand (or another multitouch music app).2. Document the process of creating your composition in a video (so we can make sure you only used multitouch apps and didn't bring in a big band), and then let your musical work play in full at the end of the video. Videos should be no longer than roughly seven minutes in total. 3. Upload the video file to MediaFire for free and send the link to emackCNET@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name, location (city and state), and e-mail address.4. Get them all in by April 30, 2011. Multiple entries are just fine.We look forward to hearing your creations. Get tapping! And no &quot;Stairway to Heaven&quot; remixes please. We don't want any copyright lawyers after us. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[New site tells you what your Facebook friends really think of you]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-site-tells-you-what-your-facebook-friends-really-think-of-you</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-site-tells-you-what-your-facebook-friends-really-think-of-you</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 20 Mar 2011 07:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>TattooBoo77</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-site-tells-you-what-your-facebook-friends-really-think-of-you</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Of course you love Facebook. You love the way it makes you feel to have so many friends. Yes, thousands of them. You love the fact that you can have open, personal interactions with all of those who mean something to you.And then there's what you really think about them. Which, should you be human, can be something a little more critical, a little more personal.A new site called AboutEveryone.com understands your feelings. It purports to offer you the opportunity to vent your real feelings about your Facebook friends, with a security that Facebook cannot possibly offer. Yes, you can do it anonymously.The site's method is blissfully simple. It asks you to &quot;select a user by visiting the user's Facebook profile and pasting the URL below.&quot;Once you do that, you can release your thoughts about the way your Facebook friend smells and about how he's the most untrustworthy, conniving pifflehead since Genghis Khan's law tutor.(Credit:Screenshot: Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)Here is a sample of the deep-seated improvisation that is offered on AboutEveryone: &quot;f*** you. You think you have the perfect little life (and you do) but that's why I hate you.. and ppl like you. You think you can just walk all over us poor, not-as-smart-as-you ppl and get away with it so, thanks for not being there when I needed you cuz you decided you were better than me. f*** youuuu.&quot;This was not written in reference to any tech company CEO. Still, you have to wonder about some of the awful--and awfully human--possibilities this site extends.Here's another: &quot;I am such an easy-going person. I have never LOATHED anyone before this chick. She was my bff and then I caught her in a lie, accidentally. When confronted she said she'd make my life a living hell. And that she did, she ICED me out of all my friendships. I hate her. I want to beat the shit out of her, but I won't. I've got responsibilities and I can't afford to be in jail.&quot;You wouldn't see posts like that on Facebook so often, would you Anyone who has anything against you--for whatever unjustified and perverse reason--can post something to this site. You just know this could have consequences. Within days, some enthusiastically modernized human resources person will waft there, just before you are extended a job offer or a promotion. Suddenly, the words of one critic might drown out the adoring fawning of your Facebook friends.But perhaps even worse than that is the idea that people will start posting positive things about themselves in order to balance out (or even pre-empt) any criticism. &quot;John is the most wonderful, caring, thoughtful, wealthy, great-in-bed boyfriend I've ever had,&quot; a poster might offer (about himself). &quot;I can't believe I ever let him go.&quot;I fear this site will become the repository of much trouble. I fear the odor of retaliations and lawsuits. I fear it is another site that can only, in the end, offer pain and anguish to the innocent just as much as to the guilty.Yes, I fear many people are going to love it.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Huge global pedophile ring busted, officials say]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=huge-global-pedophile-ring-busted-officials-say</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=huge-global-pedophile-ring-busted-officials-say</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:12:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>archibaldj</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=huge-global-pedophile-ring-busted-officials-say</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Police have arrested 184 people accused of participating in what authorities are calling the largest global pedophile network ever uncovered--and more arrests are expected, Europol said today.Authorities infiltrated an Internet child pornography forum that was the center of the network and had as many as 70,000 members at one time, Europol said in a statement. About 670 suspects and 230 children have been identified in the investigation, officials said, adding that the children have been &quot;safeguarded.&quot; The Web site, which has been taken down, was traced to a server in Holland in 2009. Europol got a copy of it and rebuilt it offline to conduct a forensic investigation and gather digital traces that would lead back to the members. The site operated as a &quot;discussion only&quot; forum to protect members from prosecution. People would make contact on the site and then use e-mail to exchange photos and videos, which has been found on seized computers, according to Europol.  The scale of the operation &quot;broke new ground,&quot; Peter Davies, a U.K. police chief who leads that country's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, told The Wall Street Journal. &quot;These offenders felt anonymous, but everything they did online was tracked using the digital footprint.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Al Franken seeks Net neutrality support at SXSW]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=al-franken-seeks-net-neutrality-support-at-sxsw</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=al-franken-seeks-net-neutrality-support-at-sxsw</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Mar 2011 07:10:48 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jovanlulnv</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=al-franken-seeks-net-neutrality-support-at-sxsw</guid>
<description><![CDATA[AUSTIN, Texas--U.S. Sen. Al Franken wants tech savvy entrepreneurs to keep pushing Congress to protect Net neutrality.Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) (Credit:Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.))Franken (D-Minn.), a comedy writer, author, and radio talk show host turned senator, spoke to attendees at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival (SXSW) conference here today where he urged them contact their representatives in Congress and let them know that protecting a free and open Internet is important. He also wants this community of creative business people to attend rallies and do all they can to raise awareness of the issue.In his speech, he railed against big broadband service providers, such as Comcast, and accused them of plotting the demise of video streaming provider Netflix. He said that the &quot;endgame for Comcast is to put Netflix out of business entirely, leaving you with no choice except Comcast's programming.&quot;He said he doesn't want to change the Internet, but he warned that without rules of the road, big companies could dictate which Web sites people go to and could ultimately limit the content that's on the Net. Franken's fear is that big cable and telecom providers are looking to shut out smaller content providers by forcing them to pay extra to have their content delivered to consumers. In this type of Internet, consumers would pay more and have far fewer choices in the content they could access. In essence, he said big cable and telcos would kill the one creative outlet left to independent musicians, filmmakers, and other creative types.&quot;Let's not sell out,&quot; he urged the audience. &quot;And let's not let the government sell us out. Let's fight for Net neutrality. Let's keep Austin weird. Let's keep the Internet weird. Let's keep the Internet free.&quot;Franken has been publicly advocating for Net neutrality regulation since his questioning of then U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor in 2009. Franken has described Net neutrality as the most important free speech issue of our time. Earlier this year, Franken and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced the Internet Freedom, Broadband Promotion, and Consumer Protection Act of 2011, which would put the Federal Communications Commission's Net neutrality principles into law. CNET sat down with Franken here before his speech. Below is an excerpt of the conversation in which he shared more of his views on Net neutrality.Q: There are no official Net neutrality regulations today, and yet people with Internet service in the U.S. can go to any Web site they want. There have been no complaints of providers blocking traffic or preventing people from accessing content, so what exactly is your fearFranken: I'm concerned about the concentration of ownership over the pipes. And I'm worried about the stated intention or desire of the big providers to implement paid prioritization. That would really change the rules of the road. My desire is to essentially keep the rules of the road the same for the Internet so that we can continue to have an open and free Internet. There are fewer and fewer Internet service providers that own the pipes of the Internet. And they want to set up a fast lane so that you get information and they want content owners to pay them to deliver their traffic. But service providers already offer paid prioritization services to businesses. They have for years. How is this differentFranken: I'm talking about consumer services. If you are home and you have Internet access from Comcast, you get e-mails from your crazy uncle as fast as you get them from President Obama. What I am afraid of is that service providers are going to charge content owners. I can pay for coach ticket or first class. And that means that the normal consumer is not getting all information at the same speed. If you look at how YouTube was started over a pizza shop, if GoogleTV had been able to pay for faster service there would be no YouTube. What I am saying is that this would kill innovation. I want to keep the Internet the way it's been so that consumers get material on a neutral basis.I know you weren't in favor of the Comcast merger with NBC. How does this merger affect Net neutrality Are the two things related at allFranken: Yes, the issues are related. Once you have more concentration, you have fewer and fewer companies that essentially own the pipes. Then you have a situation where there are four or five companies that own everything. But if concentration and lack of competition is the problem, why not do something about the consolidation in the infrastructure and content businesses instead of adding new regulationFranken: I opposed that merger. And our legislation--Senator Cantwell and I have proposed legislation that would allow the FCC to pass rules and enforce them. The thing about Comcast and NBC and how it relates to what I've seen in the past is that you can't trust them to do what they say they will do. I saw that when the networks were given the right to own TV content. They swore up and down they wouldn't favor their own programming and it only took two years and they were doing just that.Comcast is the largest broadband provider to homes, what if AT&amp;T buys CBS and Verizon buys ABC Then you have four or five companies owning everything. When the Comcast-NBC merger was being considered, I had people coming to me, small- to medium-sized cable networks coming to me and saying we really need you to oppose this. But we can't oppose it publicly because we're afraid of retaliation. If that isn't the definition of anticompetitive or isn't a sign that someone has too large a market position, I don't know what is.Are current antitrust laws and regulations too weak to deal with this issue Franken: No, I think existing antitrust regulations are strong enough. Part of our bill says that Net neutrality violations would be antitrust violations.AT&amp;T just announced usage caps on its DSL and U-verse broadband service. What do you think about thatFranken: At least that is the user being billed. I don't have as big a problem with that model. The problem I have is charging content providers for access. That separates the content providers by their ability to pay. And to me that is dangerous. Service providers are allowed to manage their networks.But what about content and services where differentiated quality of service is really necessary Shouldn't service providers be allowed to offer those servicesFranken: Well, there is going to be a need for this with services like telemedicine. There will have to be the ability to provide that. Telemedicine is one service. What about services we haven't even thought of yet If you pass regulation now, won't that potentially limit innovations for other services in the future that haven't even been dreamed up yet Franken: I don't think so. We know telemedicine is one thing that needs that high priority. And there will be room to allow for other things.Cable companies and phone companies essentially agreed to most of what Net neutrality backers were asking for in the FCC's new rules on the wireline side. And Comcast agreed to these provisions in its deal with NBC. Isn't the real issue that wireless was left out of the FCC's regulationsFranken: That is part of the problem, but just because they (Comcast and other service providers) say now that they agree with the rules, doesn't mean they will abide by them later. It's comparable to what the networks did with &quot;Fin-Syn,&quot; or &quot;Financial Interest in Syndication&quot; rules. These rules had prevented corporations that owned the pipelines over which content was distributed on TV--broadcast networks--from owning that content. Broadcasters asked that to be rescinded and once it was, they went back on what they promised. Now, independent fiction TV went from being 75 percent of programming to 2 percent. There was an actual moment where that could have been stopped. And that is what I am trying to stop here. It was clear to me then as much as it is now that just because they are saying they won't do something that it doesn't mean they won't do it. Network TV executives had the nerve in the hearings about the merger to deny what had happened on Fin Syn. In office, Comcast said they'd abide by the rules that the FCC adopted, but at the same time they went to court and said those rules were unconstitutional.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[More T-Mobile Sidekick 4G details revealed]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=more-t-mobile-sidekick-4g-details-revealed</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=more-t-mobile-sidekick-4g-details-revealed</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Mar 2011 07:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>paulsmith385</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=more-t-mobile-sidekick-4g-details-revealed</guid>
<description><![CDATA[T-Mobile Sidekick 4G(Credit:T-Mobile)The T-Mobile Sidekick as we once knew it may be gone forever, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the franchise. Far from it actually.T-Mobile dished out fresh details about the upcoming Sidekick 4G this evening, and the smartphone mixes a bit of the old with the new to offer something that's both familiar to Sidekick fans and modern enough to keep it relevant in today's competitive smartphone market.Right off the bat, you'll notice that the design doesn't stray far from its roots. You get the swiveling display, the five-row keyboard, and even the navigation buttons are still located on the corners of the phone. However, don't think the Sidekick 4G is just a rehash of the previous design. Manufactured by Samsung instead of Sharp this time around, the smartphone is the first Sidekick to have a touch screen (a 3.5-inch WVGA touch screen, to be exact), a front-facing VGA camera for video calls, and a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. The Sidekick 4G is also 4G capable and can hit theoretical download speeds of 21Mbps, which puts it on par with the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and potentially faster than T-Mobile's other 4G smartphones, the T-Mobile G2 and MyTouch 4G. Hardware aside, the Sidekick 4G was really more about taking the product to the next level, and T-Mobile approached that in a couple of ways. First, it enhanced the messaging capabilities of the smartphone by adding Group Text and Cloud Text features. Group Text lets you send text messages to a group of people and allows you to reply-all, as well as save and manage groups for future communication. You can also share your location and images within the group. Meanwhile, Cloud Text is a Web app that allows you to send and receive text messages from the comfort of your computer, so you don't always have to be tied to your phone.Another step in evolving the Sidekick brand was moving the smartphone to the Android operating system. The Sidekick 4G will ship running Android 2.2 Froyo and along with the standard Google services, it will come preloaded with the Facebook and Twitter apps and the Qik video chat client (video calls can be made over Wi-Fi or the cellular network).There's also no shortage of entertainment, as the handset features a Media Room where you can find and organize all your music, videos, and movies, as well as apps like Slacker Radio, YouTube, and T-Mobile TV. Like Samsung's Galaxy S series, the Sidekick 4G is also compatible with Samsung's Media Hub video store, so you can rent and buy movies right from your phone.Other highlights include a rear-facing 3-megapixel camera, a jump key for easy multitasking, and T-Mobile's DriveSmart app, which will automatically send a customized message alerting any callers or contacts sending you a message that you are currently driving and will respond when it's safe. Two key details that were not announced today were availability date and pricing, but we do know that the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G is expected to ship this spring and will be available in two colors: matte black and pearl magenta. T-Mobile Sidekick 4G (photos) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Angry Birds maker lands $42 million in funding]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=angry-birds-maker-lands-42-million-in-funding</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=angry-birds-maker-lands-42-million-in-funding</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Jeny01</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=angry-birds-maker-lands-42-million-in-funding</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Rovio)Rovio, the company behind the Angry Birds phenomenon, is suddenly flush with cash.The company announced today that it secured $42 million in a Series A round of funding led by venture-capital firms Accel Partners and Atomico Ventures. Accel Partners is best known for investing in Facebook, Groupon, and AdMob. Atomico Ventures was started by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, who is joining Rovio's board of directors.Rovio's success with the Angry Birds franchise has been downright impressive. The game, which lets players slingshot birds at pigs, currently has more than 40 million monthly active users and sits at or near the top of most mobile app stores. In addition, the company's Angry Birds plush toy sales have surpassed 2 million units, making it a clear hit across multiple retail channels.The game was originally released in Apple's App Store in December 2009 and has since moved to the other major smartphone platforms, with the BlackBerry being a major exception.Rovio's funding round will be used to help the company build on its success thus far. The company said the cash will &quot;facilitate its strategic expansion,&quot; though it didn't provide any details on its plans.What is known, however, is that Finland-based Rovio plans to bring Angry Birds to more platforms this year. An &quot;online Angry Birds experience&quot; is set to launch in the next several months, the company said today. The game will be coming to consoles later this year. And Angry Birds reportedly will land inside Facebook in May.It seems that Angry Birds will be more than just the game people play on their smartphones.&quot;With Angry Birds, we have successfully launched not only a strong new brand, but also a whole new entertainment franchise,&quot; Mikael Hed, CEO and co-founder of Rovio, said in a statement. &quot;Angry Birds will continue to grow, and we aim to create more similar success stories.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Bing taps Kayak for its travel search]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bing-taps-kayak-for-its-travel-search</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bing-taps-kayak-for-its-travel-search</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>beverley177</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bing-taps-kayak-for-its-travel-search</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft announced today that it has entered into a partnership with travel search tool Kayak to bring flight search results to Bing users in the U.S.Now, when users do a flight search, it will be grabbing results from what Microsoft says is a larger set of flights than what was previously available. That new data will begin appearing in results in &quot;the coming weeks,&quot; said Krista Pappas, Bing's global travel industry director , in a blog post today announcing the partnership. &quot;For Bing, this means we can focus our development resources on delivering even more unique and valuable features for customers,&quot; Pappas said. &quot;In essence, this lets us do more for our customers as we continue to invest in next-generation travel experiences.&quot;Just a week ago Microsoft had introduced an auto-suggest feature that would display flight prices before users even completed typing in their query. The technology would find out where a user was accessing Bing, and chart the search from the nearest airport.Readers with good memories might also remember that Kayak has what can be described as an interesting history with Bing. Shortly after Farecast--which Microsoft had acquired--was transitioned into Bing Travel, Kayak accused Microsoft of lifting its design. At the time, Microsoft had rebutted the allegations. That now appears to be water under the bridge, with the two companies partnering up.Kayak is in the midst of moving toward its IPO, having filed papers in November. The company is also a member of the Fair Search group, which is a coalition of travel companies that have banded together against Google's still-pending $700 million acquisition of online travel firm ITA software. Microsoft joined Fair Search in early December.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Apple discounts original iPad to as low as $350]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-discounts-original-ipad-to-as-low-as-350</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-discounts-original-ipad-to-as-low-as-350</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Shantay9vl</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-discounts-original-ipad-to-as-low-as-350</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Man, I just bought mine for $500 less than a year ago!(Credit:Apple/Matt Hickey)TheiPad 2 is official, and it's impressive, but it's not as much of an upgrade to the original as some had thought. No Thunderbolt, no SD slot, and no mini-DisplayPort. That might make those of us who have the original take pause before lining up for the new one.But for those in the market for their first iPad, the lack of a completely overwhelming difference between the older and the newer device might be a good thing. During today's event, Apple's online store, as it typically does, went down. When it came back up, it had ordering information about the new iPad. And it had some new clearance pricing on the original as well.You can now buy the original 16GB Wi-Fi iPad for just $400, $100 off the normal price. You won't get the cameras, faster processor, or the neat magnetic flap, but you will get the same storage and screen as the iPad 2.There are other discounted original series iPads, too, including the 16GB with 3G for $500 ($130 off the original price) all the way up to the 64GB 3G version for $730 ($100 off the original price).But if you want to go even cheaper, you can. The refurb store has the original 16GB version for just $350, all the way up to the 64GB 3G version for just $660. Apple treats its refurbished devices just like any others. They're in brand-new condition, include all the accessories, and have the same warranty. I'm typing this on a refurb MacBook I picked up a couple years ago and it works just fine.They're not for everyone--many of you are going to want the latest and greatest, that's why you read Crave--but they're a great alternative for everyone else. For $350, anyone can take part in what Steve Jobs today called the &quot;post-PC revolution.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Steve Jobs came close to knighthood]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-steve-jobs-came-close-to-knighthood</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-steve-jobs-came-close-to-knighthood</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:10:50 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ivelislviv</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-steve-jobs-came-close-to-knighthood</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If nothing else, waiters and store clerks will still refer to Steve Jobs as &amp;34'sir.&amp;34'(Credit:CBS Interactive)Apple CEO Steve Jobs was close to gaining knighthood in the U.K., only to see the opportunity derailed at the last minute, The Telegraph reported today.Citing an unnamed, former Labor Party member of Parliament, the Telegraph said that Jobs had made his way through the final stages of knighthood in 2009. His chances of becoming knighted were nicked, however, when he turned down an invitation to speak before the Labor Party. Gordon Brown, who was the U.K.'s prime minister at the time, viewed the response unfavorably and personally blocked Jobs' path to knighthood, the Telegraph's source said.According to the Parliament member, Jobs' name was brought up for knighthood for Apple's ability &quot;to create stunning consumer products because it has always taken design as the key component of everything it has produced.&quot; The Parliament member added that &quot;no other CEO has consistently shown such commitment.&quot;Jobs, who apparently knew of the knighthood proceedings in 2009, according to the Telegraph's source, wouldn't have been the first tech exec to be knighted. In 2005, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates earned honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.Becoming a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is considered one of the highest honors bestowed upon an individual. Those who receive the rank can use the title &quot;Sir&quot; or &quot;Dame.&quot;But alas, Sir Steve Jobs just wasn't in the cards.The U.K. Prime Minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hands on with the new MacBook Pro 13- and 15-inch models]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hands-on-with-the-new-macbook-pro-13--and-15-inch-models</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hands-on-with-the-new-macbook-pro-13--and-15-inch-models</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gearsandgeardrivess</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hands-on-with-the-new-macbook-pro-13--and-15-inch-models</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Apple releases Mac OS X Lion developer preview]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-releases-mac-os-x-lion-developer-preview</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-releases-mac-os-x-lion-developer-preview</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>garnersteen12</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-releases-mac-os-x-lion-developer-preview</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Josh Lowensohn/CNET)Amid the flurry of news surrounding Apple's updated line of MacBook Pros, the company also announced today that it's one step closer to launchingMac OS X Lion.Starting today, software developers will be able to get their hands on Mac OS X Lion. The developer preview is available to members of Apple's Mac Developer Program, and will give folks time to create programs that take advantage of Mac OS X Lion's new features before it hits store shelves.Apple first announced Mac OS X Lion last year. The next version of Apple's operating system will deliver several new features, including Mission Control, which shows what's running on a given Mac, and Launchpad, which displays the user's many apps to help them find what they want to boot up. Apple says that Mac OS X Lion &quot;takes some of the best ideas fromiPad and brings them back to the Mac.&quot;Mac OS X Lion will also come with support for Apple's Mac App Store. That marketplace launched last month to Mac OS X Snow Leopard users. Those running previous versions of Apple's operating system aren't able to access the App Store.Mac OS X Lion is expected to launch this summer.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[With 'Arctic Sea,' Google offers a Web-app boost]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-arctic-sea-google-offers-a-web-app-boost</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-arctic-sea-google-offers-a-web-app-boost</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lingInibunk</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-arctic-sea-google-offers-a-web-app-boost</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google has passed a significant milestone with the release of its first version of Native Client, a software foundation designed to let Web-based applications tap into a person's computer chip.The software, called Arctic Sea, is available built into Chrome 10, which entered beta testing yesterday. &quot;A big goal of this release is to enable developers to start building Native Client modules for Chrome applications,&quot; product manager Christian Stefansen said of the Native Client release in a blog post today.Native Client--NaCl for short--is an unusual approach to the challenge of letting people download software over the Web. Web applications today often use JavaScript, an increasingly powerful language but one that still limits a program's performance compared with those running natively on a computer--Skype or Photoshop, for example.Google's NaCl project lets such native software be downloaded directly from a Web server but includes specific security mechanisms to keep out malicious code. Native Client modules must be written with specially modified tools to restrict use of potentially harmful instructions, and the browser examines the software in advance to ensure it executes only the safe operations. NaCl also confines software to a &quot;sandbox&quot; with limited privileges.Native Client could let code libraries written in the C programming language be relatively easily adapted for browser-based applications. That could make it easier, for example, to build into Web applications the codecs Skype uses for compressing and decompressing video and audio or for the processor-intensive tasks used in Photoshop's image processing. One company that's committed to Native Client is Unity 3D, whose video-game engine can use NaCl for things like simulating physics.Why is that important Because Google is a huge believer in cloud computing, in which the state of an application is stored on a central server on the Internet and a browser acts as a vessel to run it. With Native Client, Google thinks it can get to within just a few percentage points of the performance of ordinary native applications, removing a major impediment to the cloud-computing technology.That is, as long as Google can convince the rest of the world to adopt it. Fortunately for Google, it's got Chrome as a vehicle to deliver such technology into people's hands--and with more than 10 percent of people on the Net using Chrome, Google has a real foothold. With Native Client, Chrome OS could become significantly more capable, too, and with a variation called PNaCl still in the works, it works on the ARM processors that power virtually all smartphones today. Today Native Client works only on 32-bit and 64-bit x86 processors.A major part of Google's recent NaCl work has been rebuilding it to use a new browser plug-in interface called Pepper, or PPAPI. (NaCl is the chemical abbreviation for sodium chloride--table salt--and is paired with Pepper. Get it) With this release and Chrome 10, NaCl now uses Pepper. Native Client remains turned off by default for now, since its own interface isn't quite finished, but it can be enabled through Chrome's about:flags mechanism.One reason Google is pitching NaCl to developers is that it's finished some security work that had been incomplete. An outer sandbox, not just an inner one, is working for additional protection. And an auto-update mechanism lets Google more quickly replace a version if it's found to have a security problem, the company said.How far NaCl will spread beyond Chrome remains to be seen. But to be truly useful, it needs programmers writing code.That's quite possible, of course. One indicator of interest came in a draft Firefox road map for 2011. Regarding Native Client support, Mike Beltzner, Mozilla's outgoing director ofFirefox, had this to say: &quot;Some vendor push here, mostly from Adobe.&quot;Google still has some convincing to do. &quot;I don't think Native Client is going to be a very big deal, but Google does, so we'll see how that plays out,&quot; Mike Shaver, Mozilla's vice president of engineering, said in a 2010 interview.And to use NaCl, browsers need a design that isolates plug-ins into separate memory compartments. &quot;We aim to support multiple browsers. However, a number of features that we consider requirements for a production-quality system are difficult to implement without help from the browser. Specific examples are an out-of-process plug-in architecture and appropriate interfaces for integrated 3D graphics. We have worked closely with Chromium developers to deliver these features and we would be eager to collaborate with developers from other browsers,&quot; Google said on a NaCl FAQNative Client has support now for computing, audio, and 2D graphics. In addition, Google reworked NaCl so that programmers need not worry so much about specifying which particular processor NaCl is running on.For those who want to give it a try, Google offers a few NaCl demos.Coming up will be support for 3D graphics, local file storage, the Web Sockets technology for fast server-to-browser communication, and peer-to-peer networking, Google said. Some of that doubtless will wait for the second-generation &quot;Baltic Sea&quot; release.&quot;We are excited to see Native Client progressively evolve into a developer-ready technology,&quot; Google said. Next up will be seeing if programmers share the excitement.Updated 10:48 a.m. PT and 12:24 p.m. PTwith more detail on other browser support and to correct Mozilla's lack of involvement in Pepper work.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[E-waste recycler goes high-tech to boost volume]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=e-waste-recycler-goes-high-tech-to-boost-volume</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=e-waste-recycler-goes-high-tech-to-boost-volume</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:10:58 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>joycelinyymc</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=e-waste-recycler-goes-high-tech-to-boost-volume</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Tons of electronics will be transformed back into raw materials using a highly automated series of electronic machines in a new facility in Ontario, Canada.Sims Recycling Solutions flipped the switch on an e-waste recycling and refurbishing operation yesterday in Mississauga outside Toronto, which converts all incoming material. The facility will be able to treat and resell 75,000 metric tons of e-waste annually, including CRT monitors, TVs, PCs, and other electronics gadgets, such as digital music players and mobile phones. E-waste outfit automates to ramp up (photos) View the full galleryIn the U.S., electronic waste is a fast-growing source of waste. In 2007, about 18 percent of TVs and PCs were recycled, and about 10 percent of cell phones were, according to the EPA.The Sims operation will rely on a number of techniques to automatically separate and collect plastics, glass, and metals from the incoming stream of e-waste. Using belts, optical sensors, and metal-separation machines is already done for single-stream household recycling, but Sims is using this technology, rather than manual sorting, to handle e-waste.Sims made the investment in anticipation of higher e-waste recycling rates due to mandates from Ontario and other Canadian provinces, said Cindy Couts, president of Sims Recycling Solutions. In Ontario, there is a fee on electronics at the time of purchase which is used to fund recycling programs, she explained.&quot;Without that eco-fee and the collection of funds, then there isn't enough economics in the program to drive higher rates of recycling,&quot; Couts said. The first year of the program fell far short of its target but now after some changes were made, Sims expects more significant uptake and a profitable operation.X-Rays and optical scannersThe Mississauga center is built around a series of processes to shred and then separate different materials, even capturing the dust that's created from the shredding process for recycling. After shredding, waste goes to through a shaking hopper to spread goods out evenly on conveyor belts. A magnet sorts out ferrous metals and then transparency sensors pick out glass from plastics. There's a step with an X-ray machine to differentiate glass from glass with lead, which is used in old CRT monitors.Optical sorters, which can be calibrated for size, color, and density, identify different materials, such as printed circuit boards. To take out non-ferrous metals, there's a machine with an eddy current--a rapidly alternating magnetic field--which sends materials into a separate bin while the rest falls onto another belt.Toxic material is sorted out beforehand by hand, such as florescent bulbs which contain mercury or batteries, according to the company.Couts said that this center can handle so many different materials in one place because it incorporates e-waste recycling technologies from so many different sites. &quot;It's high-tech in the demanufacturing world,&quot; she said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[eBay paying for smartphones]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-paying-for-smartphones</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-paying-for-smartphones</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>joycelinyymc</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-paying-for-smartphones</guid>
<description><![CDATA[                                Smartphone users looking to sell their current devices to pick up a new Verizon iPhone will find eBay a willing buyer.The auction site yesterday launched a special two-week promotion through its Instant Sale feature that offers cash to people willing to sell their current smartphones.Running through February 22, people can receive at least $200 from eBay by sending in any one of a number of phones, including an AT&amp;amp'T iPhone 3GS, a Motorola Droid X, a Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant, or an HTC Evo 4G. Those willing to part with an AT&amp;amp'T 32GB iPhone 4 can grab more than $500.(Credit:eBay)Prices vary based on the condition and functionality of the phone. But for a phone in excellent shape, eBay, of course, is touting its promotion as a better deal than people can get through Best Buy or Verizon Wireless, both of which are promoting their own trade-in or buyback programs to coincide with this week's debut of the Verizon iPhone.eBay's trade-in values do appear to be more competitive, depending on the models and condition. For example, Verizon's trade-in plan appears willing to pay $212 for AT&amp;amp'T's 16GB iPhone 4 and $285 for the 32GB version--as long as the phones function and the displays aren't cracked.Best Buy's online trade-in option will pay $306 for the 16GB iPhone 4 and $337 for the 32GB model, both in the form of gift cards and with both models in good condition. Cash is available at lower amounts.eBay upped the price to $405 for a working 16GB iPhone 4 in excellent condition and to $511 for the 32GB model. For models in good condition, eBay's offers are $344 for the 16GB model and $434 for the 32GB edition.Verizon is also offering $200 in the form of a gift card for certain model smartphones. But that applies only to phones bought between through Verizon between November 26 and January 10 and requires the customer to buy a new iPhone at the full retail price.To use eBay's Instant Sale for the smartphone promotion, you pick the smartphone you want to sell and indicate its condition. eBay in turn will reveal the price it's willing to pay. If you accept the offer, a free shipping label is generated for you to mail in your phone. After eBay receives and checks out the item, the money is put into your PayPal account.eBay's Instant Sale tool was launched as a pilot project in October and will offer people cash for cell phones and other electronic gadgets.                 <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[No Nook Colors for two weeks]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=no-nook-colors-for-two-weeks</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=no-nook-colors-for-two-weeks</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:10:44 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>raarook</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=no-nook-colors-for-two-weeks</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Nook Color buy button on bn.com.(Credit:Barnes &amp;amp' Noble)Looking to make the Nook Color a Valentine's Day gift Well, your present might not make it in time.We noticed a small item on the Good E-reader blog that was hard to believe. Without citing a source, the blog claims Barnes &amp; Noble is doing &quot;major inventory&quot; to see how many Nook Colors are in circulation and that the company has, &quot;Quietly depleted all stock in their retail locations and either sent them all to the Nook headquarters in New York, or has not had further shipments fulfilled.&quot; The post adds: &quot;This goes the same with other companies whom sell the color e-reader on their behalf.&quot;Weird, rightWell, we went to check the Best Buy site and sure enough it said the Nook Color was &quot;backordered.&quot; Then we went directly to Barnes &amp; Noble's website and saw a little message on the &quot;buy&quot; button saying the Nook Color &quot;ships in two weeks.&quot; We're a little surprised Barnes &amp; Noble would take as popular a device as the Nook Color out of stores leading up to a holiday like Valentine's Day, so we'll wait and see if the company has a little more to say about this in the coming days. Some people have reported that certain Barnes &amp; Noble's stores still have some stock but most do not (let us know if any stores in your area have any' we don't want to spread false rumors).Does this mean some sort of significant software upgrade is coming or is this truly just an inventory update We'll let you know as we get more information. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hints of new physics postpones LHC upgrade]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hints-of-new-physics-postpones-lhc-upgrade</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hints-of-new-physics-postpones-lhc-upgrade</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:11:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>reslimbimmckqe</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hints-of-new-physics-postpones-lhc-upgrade</guid>
<description><![CDATA[One end of the CMS detector during the LHC&amp;39's assembly in 2007.(Credit:Maximilien Brice/CERN)The Large Hadron Collider, CERN's particle accelerator straddling the border of Switzerland and France, is due to shut down for a major upgrade later than expected, after managers concluded the current rate of operational improvements could reveal new physical phenomena.The LHC is a mammoth tool best known for its search for the Higgs boson--or more likely, some believe, a suite of them--and its other probes of the bizarre realm of subatomic physics. By colliding particles in two high-energy beams of protons, or more recently lead ions, physicists can re-create conditions present near the Big Bang.Currently the LHC runs with two beams moving in opposite directions around its 27-kilometer circumference, with the particles in each beam accelerated to an energy of 3.5 tera-electron-volts or TeV.The eventual plan is to double that to 7TeV, which would detail high-energy physics better. Until recently, CERN had planned to shut down the LHC at the end of 2011 to make the upgrade. Now that plan has been pushed back.CERN has tripled the amount of data it can gather in 2011 compared with 2010, which leads to the &quot;tantalizing hints&quot; that new physical phenomena could be observed at the 3.5TeV level, CERN said in a statement yesterday.&quot;However, to turn those hints into a discovery would require more data than can be delivered in one year, hence the decision to postpone the long shutdown,&quot; CERN said. Thus, only a short technical pause is planned for the end of 2011.&quot;With the LHC running so well in 2010, and further improvements in performance expected, there's a real chance that exciting new physics may be within our sights by the end of the year,&quot; said Sergio Bertolucci, CERN's research director. &quot;For example, if nature is kind to us and the lightest supersymmetric particle, or the Higgs boson, is within reach of the LHC's current energy, the data we expect to collect by the end of 2012 will put them within our grasp.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[India still wants BlackBerry access but ban unlikely]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=india-still-wants-blackberry-access-but-ban-unlikely</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=india-still-wants-blackberry-access-but-ban-unlikely</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:10:55 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>OliviaPearl</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=india-still-wants-blackberry-access-but-ban-unlikely</guid>
<description><![CDATA[India appears unlikely to implement its threatened ban on BlackBerry services, but the government is still demanding access to the data on Research In Motion's secure enterprise network--something RIM keeps insisting it cannot provide.RIM had been ordered to give the Indian government a permanent solution on access to its BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) by yesterday to avoid a ban on its services. India has been insisting on the access for the past several months as a way to monitor e-mails for national security reasons. But with the deadline past and no solution apparently in place, what does that mean for RIMA senior official with India's Ministry of Home Affairs told the country's Economic Times that no decision has yet been made on extending the deadline but that a ban on BlackBerry services was unlikely.However, that doesn't get RIM off the hook. Early last month, the company did provide an interim solution by giving India access to its consumer services, which includes BlackBerry Messenger and BlackBerry Internet Services e-mail. But that access did not extend to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server used by RIM's corporate customers. This hasn't pleased the Indian government.&quot;Just like they [BlackBerry makers] have given a solution to [monitor] messenger service, we will insist that they also give us a solution to enterprise service,&quot; Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram recently told reporters, according to the Economic Times.RIM's position almost from the start has been clear and oft repeated. The company has insisted that it does not hold the keys to the encrypted data flowing through its enterprise server network and therefore cannot provide the keys. Those keys instead rest in the hands of its customers. RIM again stressed its position late last week just before the deadline. Speaking to reporters in India, Robert Crow, the company's vice president for industry, government, and university, said &quot;there is no solution, there are no keys to be handed.&quot;RIM has tried to conjure up ways to skirt the issue, such as suggesting that governments directly ask its customers for the encryption keys. But even RIM acknowledged that countries may be wary of taking such an extreme measure for fear of alienating the very companies that generate local business.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Bing drops search box affiliate over switch-a-roo]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bing-drops-search-box-affiliate-over-switch-a-roo</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bing-drops-search-box-affiliate-over-switch-a-roo</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Exofgrytd</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bing-drops-search-box-affiliate-over-switch-a-roo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft says it's ending a business agreement with a publisher that had violated the company's affiliate guidelines by changing the default search tool in users' browsers to Bing under the guise of offering a separate service. A report posted by Advertising Age (registration required) raised eyebrows yesterday when it pointed to a site called Make-my-baby.com as being the third largest advertiser on social networks, citing ComScore's third-quarter search report as the source.The tool (now down), which facilitated a simulation of decorating a virtual baby, would require users to install a browser plug-in in order to use it. Behind the scenes, the site would also change the user's default browser search engine to Microsoft's Bing, which it explained within the fine print.Shortly following the Ad Age report, and the discovery of the tie between the site and the Bing switch, Microsoft told blog Search Engine Land that it was ending its relationship with the publisher of Make-my-baby.com:&quot;Distribution deals and affiliate programs are an important part of how all search engines introduce their product to customers. That said, we have been made aware of some practices from a specific publisher that are not compliant with the guidelines, best practices, and principles put in place by Bing. As a result, the relationship with this publisher will be terminated.&quot;Matt Cutts, who leads Google's anti-Web spam group, says the group responsible for the tool appears to be the same creators of a similar site that would simulate aging on photos. However, instead of using affiliate linking, that site would sign users up to a $10- to $20-a-month subscription plan.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Road Trip Pic of the Week, 1/13: What is this]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=road-trip-pic-of-the-week-113-what-is-this</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=road-trip-pic-of-the-week-113-what-is-this</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>latia507</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=road-trip-pic-of-the-week-113-what-is-this</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If you know what this is and where this photograph was taken, you could win a prize in the Picture of the Week challenge.(Credit:Daniel Terdiman/CNET)Update (Saturday, 3:26 p.m. PST): The answer to this week's challenge--which 249 people got--is Google's corporate headquarters, aka the &quot;Googleplex,&quot; in Mountain View, Calif. Thanks to everyone who played, and to all, please come back Thursday for next week's challenge.That's a whole lot of solar panels on the tops of those buildings, isn't it But what is the building complex, and where is it locatedIf you know, you could win a prize in the CNET Road Trip Picture of the Week challenge.If you have the answer, please e-mail it to me no later than 6 p.m. PT Friday (to daniel--dot--terdiman--at--cnet--dot--com, and PLEASE include &quot;Picture of the Week&quot; in the subject line). I'll choose a winner at random from among everyone who sends in the correct answer by the deadline. Please forgive me if you don't hear from me if you're not a winner. I get dozens of responses for each challenge. Also, I've turned off comments because some people would post the correct answers there. I hate to shut down discussion, but I want you to figure out the answer on your own.One caveat: no individual can win more than two prizes. However, now that it's 2011, I'm resetting the tally, and past two-time winners are eligible again. The Road Trip Picture of the Week challenge takes place each Thursday, and the photos could come from anywhere, not just Road Trip 2010 locations. Plus, they might be related to stories I've written in the past. So, please have fun playing today, and then come back each Thursday. For most of last summer, Geek Gestalt was on Road Trip 2010. After driving more than 18,000 miles in the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and the Southeast over the last four years, I drove 5,266 miles this summer looking for the best in technology, science, military, nature, aviation and more throughout the American Northeast. You can follow me on Twitter at @GreeterDan and @RoadTrip and find the project on Facebook. And look for Road Trip 2011 coming this summer.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Prius gets a minivan, a hot hatchback, and a plug-in]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=prius-gets-a-minivan-a-hot-hatchback-and-a-plug-in</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=prius-gets-a-minivan-a-hot-hatchback-and-a-plug-in</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:10:57 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>erdikcopd</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=prius-gets-a-minivan-a-hot-hatchback-and-a-plug-in</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Toyota Prius V has a higher roofline than the current Prius, meaning more cargo space.(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)Toyota Prius family (photos) DETROIT--Toyota fulfilled its promise to expand the Prius lineup at the 2011 Detroit auto show, turning the once single model name into a whole set of hybridcars. Joining the Prius lineup is the mini-minivan-sized Prius V, a plug-in version running a lithium ion battery pack, and a new compact concept.Prius C conceptWe saw a version of this concept previously at the 2010 Detroit auto show, dubbed the FT-CH. This sporty-looking little hybrid hatchback is Toyota's effort to design a Prius for young, urban buyers. Its size should make parking easy in cities and its looks will appeal to image-conscious buyers.Prius VWithout increasing length much, Toyota raised the roof with the Prius V to create a larger cargo area. The result is a Prius hybrid that offers more flexibility for families. This car uses the same power train as the current Prius, but loses some fuel economy due to its larger size. Toyota plans to release the Prius V late this summer.Prius Plug-inEgged on by an enthusiastic user base and even a modification community, Toyota has finally announced firm details on a plug-in Prius. This car swaps out the standard nickel metal hydride battery pack for a lithium ion version, which can handle plug-in charging better. The Prius Plug-in can drive 13 miles under electric power alone, and charges to full in 1.7 hours from a 220-volt outlet. The 13-mile electric range is not much compared with the Chevy Volt's 40 miles. Toyota plans to release the Prius Plug-in in mid-2012.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Assange penning autobiography to pay legal bills]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=assange-penning-autobiography-to-pay-legal-bills</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=assange-penning-autobiography-to-pay-legal-bills</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 Dec 2010 08:10:19 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Nadia01</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=assange-penning-autobiography-to-pay-legal-bills</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Faced with mounting legal bills, Julian Assange has agreed to a $1.5 million deal to write his autobiography.&quot;I don't want to write this book, but I have to,&quot; the controversial WikiLeaks founder told Britain's Sunday Times yesterday. &quot;I have already spent 200,000 pounds ($307,400) for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat.&quot;Assange told the Times that he would receive $796,654 from Alfred A Knopf, his U.S. publisher. A deal with British publisher Canongate would bring in around 325,000 pounds ($501,000). And money from international markets and serialization of the book would bump up the total to at least $1.5 million.Currently out on bail in England, Assange is wanted for questioning by Swedish authorities over charges of sexual abuse, or &quot;overraskningssex,&quot; as it's known in Sweden. Specifically, one Swedish woman claims Assange had sex with her after a condom broke, and another has accused him of having sex without a condom in the first place.The WikiLeaks founder has long maintained his innocence in the crimes. His supporters believe the charges have been trumped up as a way to silence him following outrage from the U.S. government over his publication of classified U.S. State Department and military documents.Assange is scheduled to appear in court again on January 11.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Chatroulette, iPad lead Google's Zeitgeist 2010]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chatroulette-ipad-lead-googles-zeitgeist-2010</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chatroulette-ipad-lead-googles-zeitgeist-2010</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 Dec 2010 08:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rockyraj361</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chatroulette-ipad-lead-googles-zeitgeist-2010</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The World Cup was on the minds of many this year.(Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Google's annual Zeitgeist, which delivers the top searches of the year, once again provides an interesting look into what the world was thinking about.According to Google, &quot;Chatroulette&quot; was the &quot;fastest rising&quot; search term around the world in 2010, beating outApple's iPad and Justin Bieber, which took the second- and third-place spots, respectively. Recording artist Nicki Minaj came on the scene in a big way in 2010, capturing the fourth spot on Google's list. Twitter and Facebook also made a showing in the top 10 list, taking the No. 8 and 10 spots, respectively.But just as quickly as those search terms rose during the year, there were some queries that fell from favor.Google revealed that &quot;swine flu&quot; was the &quot;fastest falling&quot; search term around the world this year, followed by &quot;wamu&quot; and &quot;new moon.&quot; Michael Jackson, last year's top search query, took the ninth spot in Google's list of falling queries.In the &quot;fastest rising in entertainment&quot; category, Justin Bieber led the way this year, besting Shakira and Eminem. Surprisingly, &quot;Netflix&quot; and &quot;YouTube videos&quot; rounded out the top five, beating out Lady Gaga and Kesha, two of the more popular pop artists this year.On the sports side, &quot;Mundial 2010&quot; led the way, thanks to the World Cup. It was followed by &quot;Olympics.&quot; The Haiti earthquake was on the minds of more people than any other news topic this year, and &quot;donate to Haiti&quot; led the top search queries for humanitarian aid.Google also examined what topics were most popular in the consumer electronics space this year. And not surprisingly, Apple's iPad andiPhone 4 took the top two spots. They were trailed by the Nokia 5530, HTC Evo 4G, and the Nokia N900.Google's Zeitgeist findings are notably different from those released recently by the company's competitors.According to Yahoo, the BP oil spill was the most popular search term on its service in 2010, followed by the World Cup and Miley Cyrus. AOL reported that Tiger Woods was the most popular celebrity topic on its service, while New York City's bedbug troubles led the service's health-related queries.Microsoft revealed in its own roundup of top searches that Kim Kardashian was the most popular search query on Bing this year. She was followed by Sandra Bullock and Tiger Woods.        Don Reisinger    Full Profile E-mail Don Reisinger   E-mail Don Reisinger If you have a question or comment for Don Reisinger, 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       Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, posting at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Bad time for Netflix CFO to resign]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bad-time-for-netflix-cfo-to-resign</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bad-time-for-netflix-cfo-to-resign</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:10:47 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>carecraige889</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bad-time-for-netflix-cfo-to-resign</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Barry McCarthy, Netflix's chief financial officer and one of the linchpins of the company's management team, has stepped down. Barry McCarthy, Netflix&amp;39's former CEO. (Credit:Netflix)In a statement today, Netflix said that McCarthy is moving on to &quot;pursue broader executive opportunities outside the company.&quot; David Wells, a Netflix's vice president of financial planning and analysis, will succeed McCarthy, who has served as Netflix's CFO for 11 years. The change officially occurs on Friday. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in a statement that: &quot;Over the last few years, Barry has balanced his affection for Netflix and the excitement all of us have felt by the tremendous growth of the company--with his personal desire for broader professional opportunities. Barry concluded that now is the right time to seek out those opportunities, and we will be cheering for him.&quot; Efforts to reach McCarthy were unsuccessful, and Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey said McCarthy would not be making any comment. The news comes at an inopportune time for the movie-rental company. In a year that has seen Netflix record a big increase subscribers, generate scores of positive headlines, and strike two large deals to license content from Hollywood studios, the company is again generating buzz in the entertainment sector, but now it appears to be mostly negative. Some at the big film studios and TV networks have said in recent weeks that Netflix is a threat to more profitable revenue sources and the company will have to pony up much more money to obtain high-quality content. It's either that or Netflix's streaming service will have little more than the video dregs to offer subscribers. The cable industry appears to be fanning the flames of much of this Netflix bashing. The latest example came yesterday at the UBS investor conference in New York. Jeff Bewkes, Time Warner's CEO, predicted that media companies would start to squeeze out aggregators like Netflix. According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, Bewkes referred to the $100,000 that Netflix is reportedly offering to pay makers of in-season TV shows for each of their episodes &quot;a measly little offer.&quot; Bewkes' criticisms aside, Netflix has had a sensational year. The fight, however, for Web TV and digital distribution of films and TV shows isn't anywhere near over. It remains to be seen how much McCarthy's departure will affect Netflix as it switches from delivering physical goods to delivering digital media and as questions swirl around the company's ability to obtain high quality content. One thing to keep in mind is that a big part of the Netflix's success has been the nearly flawless execution by the company's management team which the CFO helped anchor. The successes the company has notched goes back to the little red envelopes. Netflix, headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif., delivered movies via the U.S. mail service and did it much more cost effectively than Blockbuster could rent videos out of brick-and-mortar stores. Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year. When it came to the company's streaming service, Netflix linked the Web to living-room TVs by partnering with a score of Web-connected set-top boxes, TVs and handhelds. They didn't do this last week. They started doing this two years ago, long before their rivals. As for the &quot;broader executive opportunities&quot; McCarthy might be pursuing, it's easy to guess that the CFO of one of the most successful digital media companies would generate plenty of interest. Certainly, the Vudus, Boxee's or Google TVs of the world could use someone with McCarthy's skills and background. We'll have to wait and see where McCarthy turns up. It will also take time to determine how much his loss affects Netflix. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM to show EN-V mobility device at CES 2011]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gm-to-show-en-v-mobility-device-at-ces-2011</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gm-to-show-en-v-mobility-device-at-ces-2011</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>michael7806</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gm-to-show-en-v-mobility-device-at-ces-2011</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A cutaway of GM&amp;39's Electric Networked-Vehicle. (Credit:GM)The next stop for GM's Electric Networked Vehicle(EN-V) concept is the upcoming 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in January. In addition to its next-generation infotainment system, the carmaker will be showing off the three electric two-seater concepts it debuted at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai last March. The personal mobility vehicles are one-third the size of typicalcars, offer a 25-mile electric range, and are built on Segway's self-balancing two-wheeled PUMA platform. But the EN-V is more than just an upgraded Segway: it's equipped with drive-by-wire technology, and its carbon-fiber body is outfitted with GPS, distancing-sensing, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid communications technology that enables the EN-V to be driven either manually or autonomously. While autonomous drive will free occupants' hands for whatever time-wasting social media is popular in the future, the feature is designed to ease traffic congestion in dense urban environments, which will house the majority of the world's population by 2030, according to estimates. The following video shows one of the EN-V concepts in motion.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[LG to slash CO2 emissions with eco-magnesium]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lg-to-slash-co2-emissions-with-eco-magnesium</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lg-to-slash-co2-emissions-with-eco-magnesium</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Dec 2010 08:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ttwotimeso</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lg-to-slash-co2-emissions-with-eco-magnesium</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LG Electronics has committed to replacing conventional magnesium used in its mobile phones to a more environmentally friendly magnesium alloy dubbed eco-magnesium. To be rolled out by 2012, this would effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 4kg for every handset manufactured.&quot;Eco-magnesium is one of LG's key strategies in our ongoing effort to transform LG into a leader in more environmentally responsible manufacturing,&quot; President and Chief Technology Officer Skott Ahn said in a statement.LG claims that almost no sulphur hexafluoride, which is used in the casting of magnesium and which LG cites as one of the most potent greenhouse gases, is created during production.LG, which research company IDC says is the world's third-largest phone maker in terms of unit sales after Nokia and Samsung, has already removed lead, cadmium, nickel, halogen substances, and other EU RoHS materials from its production of mobile phones. Standby power has also been reduced in portable chargers, and a reminder feature lets users know when the handset is fully charged.The eco-magnesium alloy was developed by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology with funding from the Korean government. Korean-based firms HK High-Tech, Keumgang Coen, and Hallacast have signed a memorandum of understanding with LG to produce the eco-magnesium alloy. As part of the agreement, the chaebol will provide these companies with technological support and training in carbon credit trading.LG shipped 27.5 million handsets globally and had a market share of 6.6 percent in the third quarter of 2010, according to a recent report from information technology research and advisory company Gartner. (Source: Crave Asia)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Vudu coming to Panasonic Blu-ray players]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=vudu-coming-to-panasonic-blu-ray-players</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=vudu-coming-to-panasonic-blu-ray-players</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Susan01</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=vudu-coming-to-panasonic-blu-ray-players</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Coming soon to Panasonic Blu-ray players.(Credit:Vudu)Add Panasonic to Vudu's growing list of hardware partners.As of Wednesday, Vudu's streaming video service will be available on all of Panasonic's 2010 Blu-ray player models. It will join a panoply of other online entertainment options already available through the VieraCast menu on those players, including Netflix, Amazon Video-on-Demand, YouTube, and Pandora. Also of note: Panasonic becomes only the third vendor (besides Samsung and Vizio) to offer both Vudu and Amazon, both of which offer similar subscription-free, a la carte online video streaming services. (Vudu emphasizes the video and audio quality of its 4,000-plus HD movie titles, while Amazon offers movies and a strong slate of TV shows as well.) Vudu will be going live on the Panasonic devices the same day as it becomes available on the Sony PlayStation 3. As with thePS3, new Vudu subscribers on the compatible Panasonic devices will be offered a $5.99 credit on Vudu, giving them a free HD movie on the service. For now, VieraCast TVs and Blu-ray home theater systems will not be getting the Vudu update. We wouldn't be surprised to see it added in the future on those 2010 devices as well, but there are no guarantees.The full list of Panasonic Blu-ray players getting the Vudu upgrade is as follows: Panasonic DMP-BDT350Panasonic DMP-BDT300Panasonic DMP-BDT100Panasonic DMP-BD85Panasonic DMP-BD65PanasonicDMP-B500Related reading: CNET's quick guide to Internet TVUpdate (9:45a.m. PT): This post has been updated to reflect the fact that some Vizio products also offer both Amazon and Vudu. (Thanks to CNET commenter mjweston for this assist.) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sencha's Web-app tools reach mobile browsers]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=senchas-web-app-tools-reach-mobile-browsers</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=senchas-web-app-tools-reach-mobile-browsers</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:10:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>doremelotrzyna</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=senchas-web-app-tools-reach-mobile-browsers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Sencha Touch lets programmers build Web sites and Web apps that reach a variety of mobile devices, though only iOS and Android today.(Credit:Sencha)Sencha, a start-up trying to make a business out of open-source tools for building Web applications, has begun an important new phase of its business with its first foray into the hotmobile browser market.The new Sencha Touch 1.0 software is a JavaScript programming framework out of which mobile Web apps can be built. It joins the company's earlier products, the Ext JS and Ext GWT frameworks and the Ext Designer developer tool.The tools are designed for those who need to build user interfaces out of dialog boxes, pop-up windows, sliders, charts, check-boxes, and all the other elements used in applications today.Sencha's work is part of the effort to ease the advancement of the Web into a more powerful foundation for interaction, with dynamic sites and applications. It employs HTML5 and a number of related Web standards such as local storage, geolocation, and most notably CSS3, the new version of the Cascading Style Sheets specification for Web page formatting.Those technologies, while significant, have lacked mature development tools, though they're coming with software from Adobe Systems and JQuery, arguably the top dog in JavaScript programming frameworks. Maturation is important especially in the mobile realm, where it's often easier to write native applications for one operating system or another rather than Web applications that at least in theory could reach a broader market.Sencha has a little incentive to attract programmers to its tools. It had said earlier that Sencha Touch would cost $99, but the company changed course and decided to make it free. The other tools, sold on the basis of standard or premium support contracts that come with commercially licensed versions of the software, aren't free' the Sencha Complete package that combines all the software costs $995 for a single developer with standard support and $3,995 for five developers and premium support.Of course, anyone can already use it for free in its open-source software form. However, under the terms of the GPLv3 (GNU General Public License) that governs it, any project using the software must be made available under the same terms. &quot;If you use our GPLv3 option, then the derivative work is also governed by GPLv3, which triggers the requirement to provide source code to anyone using the application outside your organization,&quot; Sencha said.Sencha Touch is designed to be a cross-platform environment, making it easier for programmers to reach a multitude of devices. For example, it's geared to shield programmers from variations in screen resolution and how specific devices handle the all-important smartphone interaction mechanism, touch.However, it's not all the way there yet, in part because the mobile browser market is so fluid. Sencha Touch today works with only two mobile operating systems: Apple's iOS and Google's Android.Both of those use a Web browser based on the open-source WebKit engine, and it's spreading to other operating systems. That means today a Sensa Touch application will run, unchanged, on both Android and iOS. BlackBerry and MeeGo, which also employ WebKit, should be supported &quot;very soon&quot; as well, Sencha saidNon-WebKit browsers are another matter for now. &quot;We hope to support Opera in the not-too-distant future, althoughFirefox is a little further behind in the features that we rely on for styling and animation,&quot; Sencha said.Windows Phone 7, however, isn't supported at all at present, Sencha said. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Does Kinect hate your small apartment]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=does-kinect-hate-your-small-apartment</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=does-kinect-hate-your-small-apartment</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Nov 2010 07:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Yara</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=does-kinect-hate-your-small-apartment</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Kinect might force those with small living rooms to make adjustments.(Credit:Russ Frushtick)In many ways, Microsoft's Kinect for theXbox 360 is an innovative concept: ditch the controller and let your body interact directly. Sounds great on paper, but the Kinect is a bit more greedy with its space requirements than either theNintendo Wii orPlayStation Move, and that could hurt folks with small apartments. Folks like me. I've had a rough experience with the Kinect in New York City, mainly because my living room has only about 6 feet between my 32-inch TV and the edge of my sofa. The Kinect requires a good 6 to 10 feet of space between the user and it, according to documentation in the games we received. That's a huge amount of room in most urban apartments, especially as that space also needs to be open and unobstructed. The Kinect's setup process suggests you move furniture if necessary, a task that's impossible for me, and an unkind expectation for most people. My living room is the controller (and it's tiny) I was able to get my sensor to recognize me and record my movements, but at the distance I had set it up I had to practically stand against the edge of my sofa. If I moved a foot closer, the Kinect would ask me to back up again, which amounted to a narrow landing strip of room to play in. And with at least 5 feet of space between myself and the Kinect needed to be maintained at all times, any freedom of mobility while playing was killed. What started as a promise of controller-free comfort slowly turned into a sensation of restraint. By comparison, Nintendo's Wii Sports Resort allows me to move anywhere, since its movement-sensing doesn't involve the IR component. I can stand up close or off to the far side of my TV, or even play sitting down. In the case of the Kinect, my background lighting also became a factor. The Kinect's wide-angle view covers an entire half of my living room' it's inevitable that the sensor would encounter a light in the background. Any seated people behind me, such as my wife reading a book on the sofa, also risk being recognized by the Kinect camera and ruining my game. Bright daylight also posed a problem' in midafternoon, my southern-exposure apartment floods with light that blinds can do little to remedy. The Kinect was noticeably worse under these conditions. Why I have to play alone Multiplayer games, based on our first round of launch games, are played side by side...provided you have the space for that, too. Games like Kinect Adventures delineate two play zones: &quot;Good&quot; and &quot;Best.&quot; Two-player games are possible only in &quot;Best,&quot; a strip of playing-space a good 2 feet behind &quot;Good.&quot; My living room's front-of-sofa zone is &quot;Good&quot; only. I could only get to &quot;Best&quot; by standing on my sofa. Some titles, such as Joy Ride, allow multiplayer at closer ranges, but it's a hit-and-miss affair. Even worse, the Kinect's fine-tune settings involved focusing on a face icon on an included card that I needed to press up against my far wall. Clearly, I don't have enough space. I'm not the only one. We asked other people about space limitations with the Kinect, and found city commiseration. MTV's Russ Frushtick said, &quot;Ideally, you need 8 square feet of wide-open space. I don't think anyone in New York has that. I basically had to make a makeshift shelf behind my TV, since it wouldn't rest on top of my TV, which is sloped. With that, I just barely had enough space.&quot; My fellow CNET gamer Dan Ackerman had the same problems in his living room, except he balanced his Kinect on the back of a Halo: Reach Collector's Edition case: &quot;I had about 6 feet from the front lip of the couch to the camera. This allowed for the 'good' but not the 'better' play space for most games, although I had to lean backward over the couch to even get that to register. I'm sure the space requirements seem less onerous in areas better suited for spacious suburban living rooms--Redmond, perhaps.&quot; Small TVs not invited Since 6 feet is the bare minimum of space needed between a player and the Kinect, there's also some subtle discrimination against small TVs. According to CNET's TV buyer's guide, 6 feet of distance equates to a 42-inch screen. Seated a foot back on a sofa, that screen size should even be larger. That's a judgment made in terms of ideal home theater immersion' you could play games on a smaller screen from that distance, but it'll be a challenge on your eyes. My 32-inch HDTV was hard to make out even at 6 feet away' I'm normally sitting closer when I play games. I'm sure most owners of small TVs naturally set up their living spaces more tightly as well, adding even more potential problems to Kinect setup. Another consideration for people with kids: as CNET's David Katzmeier pointed out, the Kinect assumes you're playing in a living room, or some other spacious family entertainment zone. What if the Xbox 360 is in a kid's bedroom While a Wii or a PlayStation Move could make do with smaller spaces (the Move's minimum recommended range, 3 feet, is half the distance), the Kinect would be rendered useless. More than half the world's population already lives in cities. If these people have apartments my size or smaller, they'll all have problems. The Kinect could be the game industry's first space-discriminating peripheral. Kinect, I want to use you' you're just making it awfully hard for me. Read CNET's review of the Kinect, and read our hands-on opinion of the six launch games. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[MacBook Air a great Windows Netbook, for a price]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=macbook-air-a-great-windows-netbook-for-a-price</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=macbook-air-a-great-windows-netbook-for-a-price</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Simoncarter</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=macbook-air-a-great-windows-netbook-for-a-price</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The new MacBook Air&amp;39's 4.2 Windows Experience Index is higher than that of most if not all Netbooks. (Credit:Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)It's rather well-known that Steve Jobs doesn't like Netbooks, which he calls &quot;slow, low-quality displays&quot; that run &quot;old PC software.&quot; And who would like a computer like that I know I wouldn't.However, as you more often than not should take what Jobs says with a grain of salt, Netbooks don't have to be that way. Case in point: the all-new MacBook Air. More specifically, the $999 11.6-inch 2010 version of what Jobs called &quot;the third kind of notebook.&quot; The computer meets every criterion of a modern high-end Netbooks. It's small and light, doesn't have an optical drive, has a limited number of peripheral ports, a limited amount of storage space, and a small screen. And most of all, it's relatively cheap (for an Apple product, that is.)Of course, it can't be called a Netbook yet when it's not running Windows, which, however, can be fixed relatively easily.Now that we've settled with the category, to Jobs' credit, he has just created the best Netbook ever. The MacBook Air is arguably the only Netbook on the market that is not only comparable with laptops but, in some cases, outdoes them in terms of performance.&amp;nbsp'Just to see how well it does, I tested it against a few laptops with similar specs: the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge, the HP Pavilion dm3-1002, the Dell Inspiron 1470, the Acer Aspire TimelineX, and the same MacBook Pro that I used here. All of these machines runWindows 7.&amp;nbsp' There are two things people generally look for in a portable computer in terms of performance: its general performance and the battery life. At CNET we have a few tests for a laptops' general performance, and you will soon find the official scores in a CNET review of the MacBook Air running the Mac OS.The MacBook Air, running Windows 7, beats most of the budget laptops in terms of performance. (Credit:Dong Ngo/CNET)For this article, I only did two of them, including the iTunes Encoding and Multimedia Multitasking tests. The former is to measure how fast a computer converts a bunch of MP3 files into Apple's AAC music format. The second test is to have the machine convert large high-def video files into a video format that can be played on aniPod while it's also working on MP3 encoding in the background. The MacBook Air, equipped with a 1.4Ghz Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of RAM, did very well in the first test, taking just 287 seconds to finish, trailing only the MacBook Pro (162 seconds) and the Acer Aspire TimelineX (167 seconds). Both the MacBook Pro and the Acer have 4GB of RAM and much faster processors, however, which are&amp;nbsp' 2.53Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo and 1.46GHz Intel Core i7, respectively.In the second test, the MacBook Air also did similarly well, taking less time than most of the laptops, except for the MacBook Pro and the Acer AspireTimelineX, with just 1,126 seconds. This was really impressive, as most Netbooks can't even handle this test. It's interesting to note, however, that, apart from the MacBook Pro, the Air costs more than the rest of the laptops used for the comparison, including the Acer TimelineX, which has better scores.&amp;nbsp'The MacBook Air offers a much better battery life when running Windows than the MacBook Pro.(Credit:Dong Ngo/CNET)Unlike the standard performance tests above, I did the battery life test slightly different from how we test laptops for official reviews, mostly to reduce the test time' the computers were set to drain the battery as fast as possible. They were made to play a high-def move on loop with its screen set to&amp;nbsp' its brightest setting, Wi-Fi turned on, and under the high-performance power scheme. To put this in perspective, the Acer TimelineX scored only 200 minutes in this test, as opposed to 280 minutes in the official test.&amp;nbsp'Though the MacBook Air didn't score that high, it got 160 minutes, which is very good. What's even better is that, when runningMac OS, the battery life was just 5 minutes longer than when running Windows 7. This is a huge improvement over the MacBook Pro, where its Windows battery life is significantly shorter than that of the Mac OS. For general use, the Air can easily offer more than 4 hours, running either Mac OS or Windows 7. Apart from these very good performance scores, after a week of using it, I also found that the Air's incredibly fast boot/shutdown process and the instant on from sleep mode are a few things that make it a great Netbook, if not the best out there. It's also virtually silent, as there's no moving parts inside, yet it manages to stay relatively cool, compared with the MacBook Pro.So there you go: whether or not you call it a Netbook, the MacBook Air is a great device for both Mac and PC users who want some thing thin light, that still packs a decent punch when it comes to performance. That is, of course, if you can afford it, which is another story entirely. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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