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<title>Haaze.com / Niki / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Thunderbolted, Sandy Bridged MacBook Airs in June]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=thunderbolted-sandy-bridged-macbook-airs-in-june</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=thunderbolted-sandy-bridged-macbook-airs-in-june</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bodialq</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=thunderbolted-sandy-bridged-macbook-airs-in-june</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Newer! Faster! Sandier!(Credit:Apple)Right now you can have an ultra-portable MacBook or one with up-to-date guts, but you can't have both. But that's apparently changing, if rumors are to be believed.The latest from parts suppliers in Asia indicates that Apple is set to begin mass production of Thunderbolt- and Sandy Bridge- (with Intel Graphics, natch) equipped MacBook Airs late next month, to debut on sales floors in June (which corroborates reports we made back in February).The news comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, from Concord Securities, who gave his take on the Air production to AppleInsider. In addition to being fairly consistently in-line with the rumors department, a summer refresh of the Air makes sense: Its low price point and lightweight design make it ideal for students, and June is around the start of back-to-school shopping. The Air is small, but we could see Apple sacrificing a USB port to make room for Thunderbolt, because with an adapter it can do the job of both.Kou didn't offer any information on pricing, but it would make sense if Apple kept the pricing and product matrix similar to the one the Air enjoys now, starting at $1,000 for the base 11-inch model and sliding up to $1,600 for a fully loaded 13-inch version.Other stats, such as storage capacity and graphics, were also not volunteered, but we're guessing slight bumps in both as SSD drive prices have been dropping. If Apple can find a way to squeeze a 128GB SSD drive into its entry-level 11-inch Air with an i5 processor and Thunderbolt then it could give other ultra-portable makers, like Samsung and Toshiba, real competition.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Mortal Kombat: Dying for a reboot]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mortal-kombat-dying-for-a-reboot</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mortal-kombat-dying-for-a-reboot</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Gpritchard2121</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mortal-kombat-dying-for-a-reboot</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Warner Bros. Interactive)Does the most iconic fighting franchise of all time come back with a vengeance Or is this one resurrection better left letting the coin credit countdown run out Jeff: If isn't broke, don't fix it. We've all heard the tired cliche, but now more than ever game developers are reaching back to a game's roots as inspiration for franchise reboots. The most recent example is the latest incarnation of Mortal Kombat. The 2D fighting is back, along with the series' genre-defining iconic finale, fatalities. Mortal Kombat is a gift to the loyal MK fan. Anyone who grew up playing one of the classic Mortal Kombat arcade cabinets in the '90s will instantly feel right at home. The nostalgia is laid on thick at times with handfuls of inside jokes, references, and other &quot;-alities.&quot; We were also impressed to find that Mortal Kombat packed in a significantly deep story mode. While most fighting games go light on the narrative, MK successfully thickens the experience with in-game cinematics and dialogue beyond the trivial character intros. There are also hours upon hours of challenges here, including new &quot;Test Your&quot; modes including &quot;Might, Sight, Luck,&quot; and more, not to mention the new double and triple tag team versus modes. Mortal Kombat (photos) Graphically speaking, the character design in Mortal Kombat is nothing short of spectacular, with each unique fighter sporting a painstaking amount of detail. Speaking of pain, the new Mortal Kombat is more brutal than ever, properly taking advantage of current-generation hardware that delivers each gruesome blow, crunch, splat, and thud. Characters bleed and swell over the course of a match and their wardrobes rip and burn.We were partial to the collection of character-unique X-ray moves that slow the action down to give players a biology lesson or two, showing bones snapping and organs rupturing. (Credit:Warner Bros. Interactive)As we mentioned above, fatalities are back. Instead of flipping through move list printouts, the team at NetherRealm Studios has conveniently listed special moves and fatalities in the pause menu, providing easy access in the game. There's even a fatality trainer mode that lets you practice your favorite &quot;FINISH HIM!&quot; moment without all the pressure. For an in-studio demo of Mortal Kombat that includes two fatalities, tune in to this week's episode of preGame!Dan:It's the game that parents, newscasters, and legislators love to hate, so it's not surprising that Mortal Kombat makes a return appearance every few years (or even more frequently). After all, labeling something as forbidden fruit is the easiest way to attract the game's target demographic of young males. Yet, the latest incarnation of Mortal Kombat seems overly conservative, if anything. Sure, there's plenty of violence and some bloodletting, but other than improved graphics, it's not that much different in concept than the 1992 original. Since then, we've become so jaded by the more realistic violence in games, movies, and TV, that the fatalities in MK seem almost quaint and retro by comparison. Not that I'm complaining' to truly up the stakes, the game would need to move in the direction of &quot;Hostel&quot;-like torture porn, and there's a point beyond which that becomes self-defeating. Like Street Fighter IV and other recent fighting games, the characters here are 3D renderings trapped in a 2D plane' think of the classic satirical/geometric novel &quot;Flatland,&quot; but with more beheadings. (Credit:Warner Bros. Interactive)Being only casually familiar with the main characters and lore of the game's universe (but the image of the late Raul Julia as M. Bison is forever burned in my brain), a handful of things kept my attention for at least a few days. ThePS3 version has two important bonuses over theXbox 360 game. On the PS3, you can play in stereoscopic 3D, which definitely adds to the experience in this genre, and that version also has a very cool exclusive character: God of War's Kratos. Finally, I will never forget the triumphant match where, by randomly mashing a few buttons after defeating my opponent, Kratos performed a little-known variation on the infamous Fatality move: my foe was transformed into a kicking, screaming infantalized version of himself, as the screen proudly proclaimed &quot;Babality!&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Maker of driving app miffed at RIM's takedown]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=maker-of-driving-app-miffed-at-rims-takedown</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=maker-of-driving-app-miffed-at-rims-takedown</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>chrmartsmh</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=maker-of-driving-app-miffed-at-rims-takedown</guid>
<description><![CDATA[PhantomAlert&amp;39's app running on a GPS system, where it remains available.(Credit:CNET)The maker of a controversial mobile app that critics contend helps drunken drivers avoid police says his company is getting a raw deal from politicians and app marketplaces.Up until last week, driving-alerts application PhantomAlert had been available on Research In Motion's BlackBerry App World. PhantomAlert CEO Joe Scott is miffed that the software has been taken down by RIM, in a decision that was not shared with him. &quot;It's just sad, we never got contacted by the senators or anyone else,&quot; Scott said in an interview with CNET this morning. &quot;We're more than just DUI checkpoints. We do school zones, speed bumps, and we're endorsed by over 35 police departments.&quot; PhantomAlert's takedown follows a letter published last week by a group of U.S. senators urging Apple, Google, and RIM to remove applications they said encouraged drunken driving by supplying users with information about DUI checkpoints.The initial letter, which was drafted by Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.), urged the three technology companies to self-police their mobile application stores, removing applications that contained things like a database of driving under the influence (DUI) checkpoints, and real-time alerts of their presence to app users. So far, only RIM has complied with the request, pulling down an unspecified number of applications that met these criteria including PhantomAlert as well as crowd-sourced speed-trap finder Trapster. CNET reached out to RIM for comment on how many apps were a part of that sweep and if any have been given a reprieve, but the company declined to comment.Meanwhile, Apple has not addressed the original letter, and Google told CNET last week that the description of what these apps do did not violate its Android Marketplace policies. CNET's congressional sources say the senators have not provided an exhaustive list of apps to the three companies, but have cited examples and asked the companies to search their database of applications and remove those that are of the type described.Since PhantomAlert's removal, Scott says he's been in contact with RIM, though the company has been unwilling to bring it back on the market. Scott said he worries what kind of precedent this sets for the group to go after other tools that surface such information.&quot;What's scary about this is if people start tweeting about (police checkpoints). Are they going to go after Twitter, are they going to go after Facebook I don't think that's the right approach.&quot; Don't feel too bad though. Scott says the exposure from this has boosted downloads of the application on other platforms by as much as 8,000 percent and paid subscriptions by around 3,000 percent, including in Google's and Apple's mobile marketplaces, as well as on various GPS devices where it can be installed. A similar effect has hit other application makers that provide information on police checkpoints alongside other traffic-related information. Fuzz Alert, which also serves up the location of DUI checkpoints, has remained safe since Apple has not taken action to remove such applications.(Credit:Fuzz Alert)One of those is Fuzz Alert, which remains exclusive to Apple's App Store. Owner Steve Croke, who CNET spoke with, said that his application has seen a dramatic surge in popularity, trending near the top of the navigation category in the App Store following the attention. Even so, Croke said that DUI checkpoints play an incredibly small part in his application's features and data sourcing.&quot;Less than 5 percent of the traps in my system are DUI checkpoints,&quot; Croke said. Instead, the application aims to alert users to intersections with red-light and speed cameras by sending out audio notifications when in range of known locations. Croke also said that the DUI checkpoint feature was not the reason he made the app in the first place.&quot;Never was the intent to make someone screw with the DUI checkpoints. It's basically alerting people that the smart thing is to not drink and drive, and being in this space I see all the bad things about it,&quot; Croke said. &quot;If I can keep one guy from not putting a key to the ignition, I think I've had a big win.&quot;Croke said the inspiration for the app stemmed from him getting a speeding ticket on a stretch of road that had a photo radar device near his house. That particular time he wasn't paying attention and blew right past it. &quot;It just dawned on me that this is the perfect app to alert someone to be aware of where you are,&quot; Croke said. Croke also believes himself to be lucky that he didn't spend the time or the effort developing his application on RIM's platform, and says the company's actions are a big turnoff to him. &quot;My first reaction was 'Wow, I'm glad I didn't develop for that platform,'&quot; Croke said. &quot;That would crush a business.&quot;Siding with app makers like Croke and Scott is the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), an advocacy group for small businesses. Following the original letter, ACT said that the senators had missed the point.&quot;The suggestion that the government should compel Apple, RIM, or other mobile application stores to block programs that simply allow users to report information based on location is misguided at best,&quot; said Morgan Reed, ACT's executive director, in a statement last week. &quot;Taken to its conclusion, that would require blocking apps like Foursquare and Loopt.&quot;In a follow-up letter addressed to Schumer and published earlier this week, ACT President Jonathan Zuck noted that the data being used in apps like PhantomAlert is being furnished by law enforcement agencies:&quot;I understand from your letter and further press activity that you consider apps like PhantomAlert and Trapster to be in conflict with the public interest on the issue of traffic safety. I respectfully suggest that you may have been unaware that law enforcement agencies are legally required to publish data featured in these programs. Moreover, they believe the widespread dissemination of this information effectively serves to reduce speeding and improve traffic safety.&quot;Zuck went on to say that the mobile app industry is growing, and that most developers are in America, which means that cutting apps could send jobs overseas. &quot;If the mobile application storefronts begin to pull apps outside of the regular regulatory environment or terms of service agreements simply to respond to any extra-governmental missive, we fear it will harm growth here, but more importantly lead to aggressive action abroad where other governments may see such action as a tool to curb U.S. competitiveness.&quot;Not everyone is siding with the app makers though. Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, and Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler sent a letter to Apple and Google earlier this week. In it, the pair urged the companies to flat out ban such apps, referring to them as &quot;nothing more than an overt method of circumventing laws that were specifically enacted to save lives,&quot; and a &quot;'how-to' guide to evade DUI checkpoints and endanger the lives of innocent citizens on our roads.&quot; That approach has been met with similar responses from the two companies: Apple not issuing a public response, and Google once again saying that the claim had not provided specific examples.Mobile application marketplaces continue to face censorship issues, and are a point of competition among the companies that create and control them. Each of the three companies has its own policies on what is and is not allowed, but all bar anything illegal or that encourages illegal behavior. Though the gray area with these applications in particular has further demonstrated that there is a subtle difference in approach. While Apple has so far been seen as the most conservative of the bunch, keeping out some applications that competitors like Google have allowed for sale, it now sits in the same camp as the search giant, while RIM has gone in a different direction. As Fuzz Alert's Croke noted, this could change a developer's inclination to put in the sometimes considerable resources necessary to get an application developed and published. That doesn't mean Apple's and Google's application stores are safe havens for applications like these. As the two companies spell out in their storefront guidelines, things change.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[In the lab, designing the ultimate biofuel bug]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=in-the-lab-designing-the-ultimate-biofuel-bug</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=in-the-lab-designing-the-ultimate-biofuel-bug</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>chdresource</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=in-the-lab-designing-the-ultimate-biofuel-bug</guid>
<description><![CDATA[CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--To reinvent the fuel business, engineers at biofuel start-up Joule Unlimited tinker with tiny life forms all day.The four-year-old start-up is on the front lines of a branch of biotechnology that taps into the wealth of knowledge from genome sequencing and powerful computer tools to start from scratch and ask: if you wanted the ideal fuel, how would you make it The answer they've come up with is a diesel secreted by a genetically engineered microbe in flat plastic bioreactors. The only inputs for its &quot;biofactory&quot; organism are sunlight, pumped-in carbon dioxide, and some nutrients. Building a microscopic biofuel factory (photos)  Joule Unlimited has a long way to go before it's a commercial home run. But a look at its business strategy and labs here demonstrate the possibilities of biotechnology in reshaping the liquid fuels industry. After disappointing progress in making ethanol from agriculture wastes or grasses, much of the public attention has turned to plug-in electric vehicles to make transportation greener. But replacing petrofuels and chemicals with plant-based sources is still very much part of the picture. Joule Unlimited was co-founded by venture capitalists at Flagship Ventures who took a &quot;blue sky&quot; approach to making biofuels at scale after investing in two other biofuels start-ups also using techniques from synthetic biology--Mascoma and LS9.Rather than use algae or shuffle the genes of industrial workhorses, such as e.coli bacteria, Joule is doing metabolic engineering of cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, which is thought to have evolved 2.9 billion years ago and is the granddaddy of all water-splitting photosynthetic organisms.During a meeting at the company's offices, in what Cambridge calls &quot;Life Sciences Square,&quot; Joule Unlimited's senior vice president of biological services (and the company's first employee), Dan Robertson, shows me a thick Department of Energy report that identifies a number of barriers to making fuel with algae.The bio-engineers at Joule set out to address all of those barriers, Robertson said. Instead of growing biomass and then extracting the fuel from it, Joule and others want to make fuels secreted directly from micro-organisms. Instead of feeding sugar--typically from sugar cane--to e.coli and then fermenting the solution to brew alcohol-based fuel, Joule has designed a system of continuous fuel production. Algae wasn't pursued because so much water needs to be removed and it's harder to engineer.&quot;In one place, the light is being absorbed and the carbon dioxide taken up where you can get carbon molecules to ultimately make your product,&quot; Robertson explained. The cyanobacteria in bioreactors produce hydrocarbons, which are siphoned off from the green-colored water solution. There's no feedstock to procure and ship or even biomass to gather and then process. The company is running a pilot facility in Texas, where it is trucking in carbon dioxide for testing purposes. For future sites, it intends to get CO2 from an industrial partner. Emissions from a coal-fired power plant could be fed to the cyanobacteria after normal scrubbing of mercury and arsenic, Robertson said.Bug controlBreeding specific organisms, such as e.coli, for specific purposes has been going on for decades. But advances in biotech are allowing biologists to manipulate organisms with far finer control and speed.In Joule's case, biologists are optimizing the metabolism of cyanobacteria for their purposes. Instead of taking food and sunlight to make more of themselves, the natural pathways of Joule's genetically modified organisms have been altered to produce alkanes, a hydrocarbon to be mixed with diesel fuel. They have even been programmed with a &quot;carbon switch&quot; to shift their metabolisms from making more of themselves to making fuel. Joule envisions starting up production of its microbes in its bioreactors and, once they reach a certain density in water, operators will add ingredients to get the organism's metabolism to start pumping out alkanes.&quot;You essentially co-opt the carbon that would be used for something else (to make fuel) and make the organism feel that it's OK,&quot; said Robertson. &quot;It's all very controlling.&quot;In the lab, engineers re-create real-world conditions to isolate different strains by tweaking carbon dioxide, sunlight, and nitrogen levels. For example, one specialized machine allows an engineer to simulate the sunlight conditions for a whole day, representing different seasons and changing temperatures. With each test, engineers get closer to the optimal gene combinations for different conditions. Since the bioreactors would be placed in different locations, the company has settled on somewhere between 10 and 20 strains, after constructing some 4,000 strains, according to Robertson.Biologists spend more of their time designing tests or isolating DNA on gene databases, rather than actually performing lab tests, Robertson said. &quot;Because so much genome sequencing has already taken place, there's an immense database available arranged by the chemistry that they do,&quot; he said. &quot;There are lots of tools at our disposal, so we can rapidly test things.&quot;Long road to pipelinesJoule Unlimited is just one of many companies in the race for a better biofuel technology. The Department of Energy's ARPA-E agency is funding many research efforts in &quot;electrofuels,&quot; which make fuels directly from electricity, sunlight, and water. There are dozens of other companies pursuing completely different approaches, such as thermochemical processes. Analysts at Lux Research call synthetic biology is the &quot;flashiest&quot; technology vying for the lead. Joule Unlimited has high potential, but it still has to prove that it can move from a small-scale operation to commercial scale, Lux Research said. Specifically, it lacks partners and it will require a lot of capital and land to reach cost parity with today's petrofuels, it said in a recent report.The company's next step is to build a 10-acre demonstration plant located at an industrial facility, such as a power plant or waste water facility, which it expects to do by mid-2012. Then it plans to start construction of a facility larger than 1,000 acres at the end of 2013 that would be able to make 12,000 gallons of fuel per acre per year. When fully scaled up, it would make 15 million gallons a year of fuel.The cyanobacteria need nutrients, including nitrogen and trace amounts of minerals, to be fed into its bioreactors. And to be commercially successful, its bioreactors need to be engineered for low operational costs and maximum production. Next door to its labs, engineers are designing the actual hardware for growing the fuel, another key part to whether the company will be able to scale up.Although Joule's employees clearly see the power of metabolic engineering, they are very cognizant of concerns over genetically modified organisms, said Robertson. Its bioreactors will run for six to eight weeks' then the solution is flushed out, the actual organisms are burned, the bioreactors are sterilized, and a fresh medium is put in, he said.Even with Joule's impressive technical achievement and three patents, it still has a ways to go before it will make a dent in reducing fossil fuel use and pollution. But if the biotechnology techniques it and others are pursuing bear fruit, the face of fuels in the future may well be a petri dish, rather than an oil well. Updated at 1:15 p.m. PT with corrections. The bioreactors will be made from plastic, not glass, and Joule's demo facility is using trucked-in CO2.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Jon Bon Jovi: Steve Jobs killed the music business]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jon-bon-jovi-steve-jobs-killed-the-music-business</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jon-bon-jovi-steve-jobs-killed-the-music-business</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:11:32 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jermaimmmi</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jon-bon-jovi-steve-jobs-killed-the-music-business</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It's always dangerous to have an emotional relationship with a business. Businesses change, often driven by innovation. Or merely the desperate desire to make more money.So there is something rather touching in the notion that Jon Bon Jovi--he who named a band after himself--still feels emotional about the very process of buying music. A process he believes that Steve Jobs has ruined, nay, destroyed, nay, killed.In comments to the Sunday Times magazine (actual story is subscription only), he offered this nostalgic version of what the music business truly is: &quot;Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album.&quot;Now, I know that many people did precisely this on holding their first ever Floyd album, their first ever Sabbath album. Some even did it with Madonna.Still, Bon Jovi, who generally seems like a very nice man, feels very deeply about jackets. For he believes people today miss &quot;The beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it.&quot;Bon Jovi doesn&amp;39't think Steve Jobs is magical.(Credit:CC Zana Stardust/Flickr)Beauty may well be in the eye of the jacket-beholder. However, I know that many bought one particular Scorpions album--&quot;Lovedrive&quot;--whose jacket featured a man, a lovely girl, and some chewing gum, and imagined rather more than the record delivered. But that, I suppose, is the risk one takes when one judges an album by its cover.Bon Jovi, though, reportedly described this period of music history in very Jobsian terms: &quot;Magical.&quot;And yet he accuses Steve Jobs of being the scorpion in the decline of jacket-based music purchases: &quot;I hate to sound like an old man now, but I am, and you mark my words, in a generation from now people are going to say: 'What happened' Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business.&quot;There will be some who feel his pain. There will, however, be many who will feel less sympathy. They are the people who have donated countless albums to Goodwill, albums that they bought just because the jacket looked cool--though the music turned out to be a touch rancid.To blame Jobs for introducing the quaint idea that you can listen to a piece of music before you buy it seems a little like blaming a shoe store for inventing the ridiculous notion of trying on a size 10, just in case it's really a size 11.As businesses change, we all lose something along the way. I fear, for example, that when The Beatles came along, there were many classical musicians who railed at those who had invented such dreadful technologies as amps and electric guitars.Gone, for them, was the magical time when you put on a tux, went to a chilly concert hall, and listened to something miserable from 17th century Germany. Yet the practice still survives, in some form or another. Just as some people will, no doubt, still care about album covers more than albums.But business gets us all in the end. One minute Blockbuster has you paying late fees, the next minute it's the late Blockbuster. One minute Bon Jovi is a rock band, the next it's recording something blessedly close to country music. To give Steve Jobs a bad name because of that seems a little sad.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[preGame 44: Nintendo 3DS in-studio' Yakuza 4' Homefront]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-44-nintendo-3ds-in-studio-yakuza-4-homefront</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-44-nintendo-3ds-in-studio-yakuza-4-homefront</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:11:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>icolorcy</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-44-nintendo-3ds-in-studio-yakuza-4-homefront</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Inside the iPad 2: chip brings 50% browsing boost]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=inside-the-ipad-2-chip-brings-50-browsing-boost</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=inside-the-ipad-2-chip-brings-50-browsing-boost</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Mar 2011 08:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>varsanyala</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=inside-the-ipad-2-chip-brings-50-browsing-boost</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Wondering what makes thatiPad 2 you just got tick and how much faster it is than the original iPad Anandtech, iFixit, iosnoops, and UBM TechInsights have provided some answers. Processor performance: Let's address this first--for obvious reasons. Apple has already been very public about the dual-core 1GHz A5 processor--a step up from the single-core chip in the original iPad--and the chip's &quot;up to 9X faster&quot; graphics&quot; (Apple's ad copy). And the verdict from an independent review &quot;CPU [Central Processing Unit] performance...we found to be a healthy 50 percent faster than the A4 in the original iPad--at least in Web browsing,&quot; said Anandtech in a &quot;performance preview&quot; of the iPad 2. (More detailed benchmarks here.) But a boost in raw &quot;clock&quot; speed is not the reason, according to iosnoops. &quot;The new Apple A5 processor...may offer twice as many cores as the Apple A4 processor featured in the first generation iPad [but] it appears that each processing core is actually clocked at a slower speed,&quot; said the review site. iosnoops continues. &quot;While doing some early iPad 2 benchmarks, the team discovered by chance an interesting tidbit: the A5 doesn't run at 1GHz like the Apple A4, but is instead clocked around 890MHz (the speed of the A5 does not seem to be constant, and varies depending on the apps running on the iPad 2).&quot; Whatever the case, the iPad 2's performance is considerably better than the original iPad. &quot;The iPad 2 is much faster. Web pages load quicker, the OS is more responsive, and applications even launch faster,&quot; said Anand Shimpi, who heads up Anandtech, responding to an e-mail query. That said, it should be noted that the Motorola Xoom (with an Nvidia processor and graphics) surpasses the iPad 2 in some browser benchmarks, according to Anandtech. Graphics-specific performance: And the new Imagination Technologies' PowerVR SGX 543MP2 graphics processor On certain benchmarks, an increase ranging from 3X to 5X, according to Anandtech. Here's what that review site said about one benchmark--the so-called &quot;fragment lit triangle test&quot;: &quot;While the PowerVR SGX 535 in the A4 (original iPad) could barely break 4 million triangles per second in this test, the PowerVR SGX 543MP2 in the A5 manages just under 20 million. There's just no competition here.&quot; Gamers rejoice! Apple&amp;39's A5 processor is paired with 512MB of system memory from Samsung--which also makes the A5 chip, according to UMB TechInsights. On the right is the Toshiba 16GB flash memory chip. (Credit:iFixit)Chip manufacturer: And who makes the chip The A5 &quot;is definitely manufactured by Samsung using their 45nm (nanometer) process,&quot; said UBM TechInsights. System Memory: The iPad 2 has 512MB of memory--not 1GB like Motorola's Xoom. That said, this is twice the amount of the original iPad, which had only 256MB of system memory. Flash Memory (storage): IFixit shows a Toshiba TH58NVG7D2FLA89 16GB NAND Flash memory module. Other silicon:Broadcom BCM43291HKUBC Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM tuner combo chip ST Micro AGD8 2103 gyroscope ST Micro LIS331DLH accelerometer Broadcom BCM5974 CKFBGH capacitive touch-screen controller <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Florida, Carolinas getting smart grids in $500M push]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=florida-carolinas-getting-smart-grids-in-500m-push</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=florida-carolinas-getting-smart-grids-in-500m-push</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:11:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>TonyMontac</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=florida-carolinas-getting-smart-grids-in-500m-push</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Progress Energy is moving forward with its plan to spend $500 million to upgrade two of its electric utilities in Florida and the Carolinas to a smart-grid system.Together the two utilities provide electricity service to over 3.1 million customers. The Raleigh,N.C.-based company is paying for the upgrade in part with a $200 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The grant came out of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and is part of the high-profile push by the Obama administration and many state leaders to upgrade U.S. electric grids.The project is also a boon to IBM's efforts to grow its presence in the potentially lucrative industry of smart-grid analytics. Progress Energy plans to use IBM's WebSphere software platform as a tool to integrate distribution management and demand response systems. Big Blue has also been hired to help install and implement the systems in conjunction with Progress Energy, IBM announced today.IBM has run several pilot programs to test smart-grid systems in the past four years, including a consumer-level one in North Carolina in 2009 which found that on average, the introduction of smart-grid technology and smart meters cut electricity use by 15 percent.In the case of Progress Energy, however, IBM's services will concentrate on equipment and system upgrades, analytics, and management that will enable the company's utilities to better control things like voltage levels, as well as electricity distribution across power lines.IBM is one of a number of blue-chip companies getting into the smart-grid industry in recent years through software and services. Many of them have done so by buying smaller companies with existing technology, as is the case with Johnson Controls' purchase of EnergyConnect, Honeywell's purchase of Akuacom, and Siemens' acquisition of Site Controls.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Mefeedia: HTML5-compatible video on the rise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mefeedia-html5-compatible-video-on-the-rise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mefeedia-html5-compatible-video-on-the-rise</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>orvalluppr</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mefeedia-html5-compatible-video-on-the-rise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The debate between using Adobe Flash or HTML5 for online videos could be winding down, but the war among different video formats is heating up.A whopping 63 percent of all videos on the Web are now HTML5-compatible, compared to only 10 percent just a year ago, according to video-sharing site Mefeedia. Instead of relying solely on Flash to display their videos, many more Web sites are adopting video formats that can run directly in HTML5-compatible browsers.The majority of the sites uncovered by Mefeedia are using H.264, the most common video format since it's also compatible for playback using Flash. Google's VP8, or WebM, video codec is second on the popularity charts, followed by Ogg, aka Ogg Theora.With Apple's no-Flash requirement, Mefeedia says that sites such as YouTube, Daily Motion, Blip TV, and Vimeo are among those striving to support video on iOS devices. Specifically, mobile devices now represent 5 percent of the traffic to Mefeedia's site, up from 1 percent a year ago.Although HTML5 has shot up in popularity as an alternative to Flash, the array of video codes supported within HTML5 are themselves battling for dominance. H.264 may currently be the most common among the three on the Web, but lately it's divided different companies against each other.Google recently dropped a bombshell by announcing it would no longer support H.264 in its Chrome browser and would instead push for its own WebM codec. Many in the industry decried the decision, but Google justified it by saying that H.264 carries with it some hefty royalty fees, while WebM is open source. Apple and Microsoft are members of a patent pool called MPEG-LA that actually licenses the code for H.264, while Mozilla and Opera are stuck paying the licensing fees.The debate over HTML5 video formats is one that could be with us for awhile. This means that for the time being, many Web sites will need to continue to support more than one format for their videos. In Mefeedia's eyes, &quot;Web video is maturing and becoming more complex.&quot;To compile its findings, Mefeedia analyzed the videos indexed on its site (around 30 million from more than 30,000 video sites). The index includes videos from such content partners as Hulu, CBS, and ABC as well as videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and DailyMotion. Mefeedia specifically looked at videos that can play within HTML5's &quot;video&quot; tag, which in most cases means videos encoded using H.264.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Stream your own video content to iPads with JetStream HD]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=stream-your-own-video-content-to-ipads-with-jetstream-hd</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=stream-your-own-video-content-to-ipads-with-jetstream-hd</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 27 Feb 2011 08:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>winbugpnos2u</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=stream-your-own-video-content-to-ipads-with-jetstream-hd</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In a world of cloud-based applications and media, it seems very 20th century that it's been difficult to stream movies and TV shows from collections on our home computers or media servers to mobile devices like iPads and iPhones.But a new product called JetStream HD is aiming to change that dynamic. Launching at Demo Spring 2011 in Palm Desert, Calif., this week, JetStream HD combines hardware and software to serve up your personal media to aniPad, and in the near future to other devices like iPhones andiPod Touches, and possiblyAndroid tablets.JetStream HD is a new product that could give users an easy way to stream all kinds of media from their home devices to an iPad.(Credit:JetStream)JetStream HD users who pay the one-time $199 fee will get a special appliance that they connect via an Ethernet cable to a Wi-Fi router in their home. Any content from a home computer or media server that they want to view on the go is then captured wirelessly--or through a USB connection--and streamed over the Internet to their iPad. JetStream HD requires a visit to Apple's App Store for its dedicated iPad app, which authenticates the user, ensuring that only they can view the content.The idea here is that users should be able to access all their rich media any time they want no matter where they are. JetStream CEO Grant Hall argued that while other services like Stream to Me and Air Video offer personal media streaming, they depend on software running on a user's home machine and therefore can be hamstrung if that computer lacks sufficient horsepower. As a result, Hall suggested, they cannot usually stream in high-definition.By comparison, he said, JetStream HD can do just that, utilizing video conversion technology embedded in the appliance to boost the quality of the movie or TV show to HD when it arrives on the mobile device. That means, Hall said, that users should have no problem getting the quality they're used to from content like Blu-Ray movies stored at home.At the same time, viewing video content in HD on the mobile device is meant to be continuous even if a user moves their iPad from a Wi-Fi connection to 3G--if they have a 3G-enabled device. JetStream HD auto adapts to the bandwidth available, Hall said, meaning that users generally have a seamless experience even if they move outside a Wi-Fi network. If the bandwidth available drops, users &quot;may see [the] picture soften slightly,&quot; Hall said.In addition to video content--either movies, TV shows, or a user's personal own videos--JetStream HD can also stream photos or music. In that, it is similar to what another product called Pogoplug does--send a user's personal content to mobile devices via an appliance that plugs into a wireless router in the home. Pogoplug will also soon make it possible to stream video.Scrapes for metadata Another feature of JetStream HD is that its software is designed to search the Internet, scraping for metadata related to the content that is available for streaming. They will see lists of content available from their home computer or media server and related information such as genres for their movies, the season and episode number for any TV show, and cover art for music. The JetStream software also provides search options so users can enter keywords and find content they're looking for, Hall promised.And if new content is added at home, it will automatically be added to the database, meaning that it will instantly show up as available on the mobile device.The appliance has two USB ports, allowing users to plug in two external hard drives or thumb drives. In the future, Hall said, the service is likely to be configured so that a USB camera could be plugged into the appliance, allowing for applications like a security system where users can see what's going on in or around their home at any time via their mobile device.Hall said that JetStream will begin taking orders for the product this week and it is expected to be released in April or May. The Canadian company is funded through a combination of the founders' own money, some support from the Canadian government, and investments by family and friends. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Stack Exchange launches programmer recruiting site]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=stack-exchange-launches-programmer-recruiting-site</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=stack-exchange-launches-programmer-recruiting-site</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>advavouck</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=stack-exchange-launches-programmer-recruiting-site</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Stack Exchange, the company behind Stack Overflow, the influential-among-programmers Q&amp;A site, is taking another stab at a revenue model for the service by launching a jobs board for its users at the Launch Conference in San Francisco today. It's the first presenting company at this conference. (There is a live video feed from Launch on Ustream.) Previously, Stack Exchange had charged for the hosting of &quot;white label&quot; Q&amp;A sites, but that model didn't work. In April of 2010 the Stack Exchange sites became free. Influence of the Stack Overflow site (the biggest of the company's sites) then grew quickly' the site has 11 million programmers a month using it, CEO Joel Spolsky claims. Now the company is trying to turn the revenue stream back on.  Stack Exchange is launching Careers 2.0, a job board for developers, with an emphasis on helping hiring managers find programmers with good reputations among other programmers. In other words, the top users of Stack Overflow. Careers 2.0 profiles include a lot of data showing the job seeker&amp;39's rating on Stack Overflow. (Image edited to showcase ratings features' click on image for original screenshot.)(Credit:Stack Exchange) The business model for Careers 2.0 is not uncommon for a recruiting service: it's free to use for people looking for jobs, but those doing the hiring pay for access. People pay not by the job post, though, but just by length of access. One week is $500, for example, which &quot;ought to be enough to find a good programmer,&quot; Spolsky says. There's no free trial, but there is a money-back guarantee if a customer can't find a good candidate, he adds.  What makes Careers 2.0 interesting is that it illustrates the growing importance of online reputation for job seekers' see also Honestly.com. Also, it shows how any site that helps users create a professional reputation might be able to make money, at least until its users start including verifiable reputation scores in their resumes, thereby saving recruiters the expense of paying for resumes sorted by reputation. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. There is a lot to be said for getting a form of peer review alongside a resume or job application. It is exactly the information a hiring manager might want and precisely what isn't available in any reliable way today. Recruiters can find candidates' managers can interview them' but you can't really know what a person's real contributions are unless you have an uncommonly good network of people that include the candidate's coworkers at previous jobs. Spolsky says that Q&amp;A sites like his are even good for wallflower employees--people who might not be very visible to others or who might have sparsely-populated profiles on people-rating sites like Honestly or LinkedIn. He says that with only three or four good answers, a technical professional can earn an impressive online reputation. Also, Spolsky says, people who are trying to scrub a damaging online search engine result might find that participating in Q&amp;A sites is a very good way to rise in the rankings and push older misinformation or personal attacks off the top of the search results. Unless people start gaming the reputation scores on Q&amp;A sites in a sick form of job-hunting Survivor (&quot;I'd better not rate Joe's answer highly, I might want the same job he'll be up for some day&quot;), managing online reputation on sites like Stack Exchange and Quora could become a key career-building skill. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[SudoGlove: Bend index finger to accelerate car]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sudoglove-bend-index-finger-to-accelerate-car</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sudoglove-bend-index-finger-to-accelerate-car</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:11:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>maralyn45</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sudoglove-bend-index-finger-to-accelerate-car</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The glove in the SudoGlove system contains flex, force, and vibration sensors, plus a 2D gyroscope on the wrist.(Credit:Jeremy Blum) Here's one case where giving the finger while driving is a very good idea. The index finger, that is. Bending it makes the remote-controlled car in the SudoGlove system accelerate. Tilting your hand turns the car. Pressing your ring finger makes it go in reverse. Pinkie pressure turns on the headlights, siren lights, and siren sounds. Clapping honks the horn.  Jeremy Blum wears the glove and control module (click to enlarge). (Credit:Jeremy Blum)  The SudoGlove, designed and built by engineering students at Cornell University, allows wearers to control a modded RC car using hand gestures. But it has implications for any hardware containing a wireless transceiver, says Jeremy Blum, a Cornell junior majoring in electrical and computer engineering and one of the students who worked on the SudoGlove as a final project for an information science class.  &quot;All the processing is done on the glove side of the system, and simple 8-bit control values are transmitted that can be used to do just about anything on the control end,&quot; Blum told CNET. Just the other night, Blum created a computer interface that can be controlled by the glove. He'll display it and the hand-controlled RC car at BOOM 2011, Cornell's technology and innovation showcase, on March 9. But unlike other gestural gloves that can be used to control virtual objects, the SudoGlove (so named for the Sudo programming command) is aimed at bridging the gap between users and traditional hardware devices.  &quot;By removing the distance between the user and traditional hardware devices,&quot; the students say, &quot;our goal is for SudoGlove to feel more like an extension of the body as opposed to an external machine.&quot;   To make the SudoGlove, Blum and peers Joe Ballerini, Tiffany Ng, and Alex Garcia outfitted a standard RC car with an Arduino Pro Mini microcontroller and other electronics components. An XBee wireless module receives commands from the glove, and an Arduino Pro Mini processes them and tells the reworked car what to do.(Credit:Jeremy Blum) The tricked-out Reebok glove got a flex sensor, two force sensors, a vibration sensor, and a 2D gyroscope on the wrist. The glove sends data to a battery-operated control module worn on a belt holster.  In all, the project involved 250 hours of combined labor, 150 feet of wire, and 600 lines of code. Even in a world where technology increasingly bows to the will of motion, that might seem like a lot of work to go into a toy car. Then again, maybe it's a small price to pay if the simple bend of a finger drives all of our gadgets one day.          Leslie Katz    Full Profile E-mail Leslie Katz   E-mail Leslie Katz If you have a question or comment for Leslie Katz, 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       Leslie Katz, senior editor of CNET's Crave, covers gadgets, games, and myriad other digital distractions. As a co-host of the recently retired CNET News Daily Podcast, she was sometimes known to channel Terry Gross and still uses her trained &quot;podcast voice&quot; to bully the speech recognition software on automated customer service lines. E-mail Leslie.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GE pitches halogens as incandescent bulb stand-in]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-pitches-halogens-as-incandescent-bulb-stand-in</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-pitches-halogens-as-incandescent-bulb-stand-in</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:10:56 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fernada</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-pitches-halogens-as-incandescent-bulb-stand-in</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Halogens in the shape of a traditional bulb can be about 20 percent more efficient than incandescent lighting.(Credit:General Electric )You can include halogens to the list of lights that can replace traditional incandescent bulbs. General Electric on Monday announced a line of halogen lights, which are available now, in the shape of the familiar incandescent which up to 22 percent more energy efficient. A 2007 law created mandated efficiency levels for home lighting, which is expected to lead to fewer incandescent bulbs, starting with the 100-watt incandescent next year. Governments in other countries have set similar lighting efficiency requirements, which has led to more options for efficient lighting.Compact florescents and large LED bulbs are expected to meet the mandated efficiency levels. Halogens for general lighting or spotlights will comply with U.S. and global efficiency laws as well, GE said. It sells two-packs of the halogens bulbs for between $4 and $7.Halogen is an incandescent technology which offers precise dimming and crisp light, said John Strainic, global product general manager of GE Lighting in a statement. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[What should Nokia do]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=what-should-nokia-do</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=what-should-nokia-do</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Feb 2011 08:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>resirman52</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=what-should-nokia-do</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Nokia N8 is a good start, but Nokia needs to do more in the smartphone space.(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)It's hard to know what to make of Nokia these days. Though it still holds a huge worldwide market share and sells more phones than its competitors, it doesn't quite capture the buzz it once had, and its presence in the United States has dwindled. Sure, the Finns maintain a healthy business selling low-end handsets in emerging markets, but over the last three years, smartphones are where the action is. And though Nokia still succeeds in that space occasionally--we quite liked the Nokia N8, for example--its strategy has been rather unclear.To its credit, Nokia is aware of the problem. At last September's Nokia World, company execs vowed to &quot;shift into high gear&quot; and &quot;fight back in smartphone leadership.&quot; How exactly that fight will unfold remains a popular point of debate in the wireless industry--many analysts have urged Nokia to join the Android family--but up until now, Nokia has kept its cards close.Come next Friday, however, Nokia will fully outline its new strategy at an investor meeting in London. CEO Stephen Elop announced the February 11 meeting during the company's quarterly earnings call last week. Elop didn't get specific, but he set off a wave of speculation when he said the company needs to &quot;build or join a competitive ecosystem.&quot;&quot;The game has changed from a battle of devices to a war of ecosystems,&quot; Elop said during the call. &quot;And competitive ecosystems are gaining momentum and share.&quot; Immediately, some Nokia watchers theorized that the company would announce that it was developing a handset based on Windows Phone 7 or Android.Such a move would be surprising, considering that as of late the company has been mildly dismissive of Android while continuing to promote Symbian and the developing MeeGo platform. But with the market throttling forward at rapid speed, Nokia may have decided the radical change is necessary. So what could its options beStay with MeeGoFrom what I've seen, most of my tech journalist colleagues are advocating this path. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, for instance, doesn't see an OS switch to Microsoft happening. Similarly, PCMag's Sacha Segan and Eric Zeman at Information Week also urged Nokia to develop MeeGo as a worthy competitor to Google and Microsoft.Though I agree that this is the most likely scenario, I can't say that it excites me. Experienced Symbian users may love Symbian, but the OS can be maddening for everyone else. Sure, Nokia did give Symbian 3 a nice upgrade on the N8, but it needs to do more. And though I'm always a fan of customer choice, MeeGo just doesn't spark my interest at this point. It could be really cool, and I'm hoping that it is, but Nokia needs to deliver real MeeGo handsets soon.AndroidThe most unlikely of the three, I'd say, but still not impossible. Indeed, jumping into Android would entail risks. The OS is growing fast and it's attracted the attention of major players like Motorola, HTC, and Samsung. Nokia would be arriving late to the party and its rivals will fight to keep the leadership positions they've assumed. On the other hand, Nokia could play an &quot;always late, but worth the wait&quot; role.Windows Phone 7Honestly, I wouldn't mind if Nokia went this route while also developing MeeGo.Windows Phone 7 is new and it has its growing pains, but the OS has a lot of promise. Nokia could benefit by getting involve with an OS from the ground up, and Microsoft--which is Elop's previous employer, by the way--could use the exposure from an industry giant.Whatever happens, we'll know for sure next week after Elop breaks the news in London. CNET also will be at Mobile World Congress a few days after that in Barcelona, Spain, where Nokia will kick off its presence at the show by holding a press conference February 13.What do you think Nokia will do Take our poll and leave a comment below.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Monty Python's Cow Tossing: Fetchez la vache!]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=monty-pythons-cow-tossing-fetchez-la-vache</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=monty-pythons-cow-tossing-fetchez-la-vache</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 08:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bintterazmwes</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=monty-pythons-cow-tossing-fetchez-la-vache</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Monty Python Cow Tossing offers some unique twists on Angry Birds, but comes up short in the graphics, sound, and humor departments.(Credit:Zed Worldwide)Talk about a can't-miss idea: an Angry Birds-style game based on the cult classic &quot;Monty Python and the Holy Grail.&quot; Instead of flinging birds at pigs, you fling French cows (and other presumably French barnyard animals) at King Arthur and his knights. Sprinkle in clips from the movie and some unique gameplay twists, and you've got pure gaming gold.In theory. In reality, Monty Python's Cow Tossing (also available for iPad) is missing that certain...special...something [cue music].The game works on the same basic principle as Angry Birds: fling stuff at your enemies until you've destroyed them. In place of a slingshot and a limited supply of birds, you've got a catapult and unlimited animals.So where's the challenge if you have unlimited &quot;ammo&quot; It took me a while to figure this out, but the knights (i.e. your targets) are piled atop a battering ram that slooowly creeps toward your stronghold. If it gets there, you lose the level.You can adjust the height and placement of your catapult, though I rarely found this to be necessary. What's more, various power-ups (and occasional power-downs) drop from the sky at regular intervals' if you time your shot so that your &quot;weapon&quot; hits one midflight, it immediately gains (or loses) an advantage.What do the various power-ups/downs do You'll have to squint at the game's tiny help pages to figure it out. One example: fling a turkey at a falling axe and it turns into two projectiles (body and, um, severed head) instead of just one.All this should add up to great fun, especially for a die-hard Python fan like myself, but Cow Tossing comes up short in the most important area: gameplay. Maybe it's because everything onscreen is so tiny, or because the herky-jerky framerate makes the action awkward, but the game just doesn't &quot;feel&quot; right.I will say that after I got through the first 10 or so levels, which are extremely easy, things started to get more interesting, and I started to enjoy it more. But I still couldn't escape that feeling of something being missing. I guess I expected more humor, or at least some Python-ish sound effects (mostly you just hear explosions). Monty Python's Cow Tossing needs less tossing and more Python.At 99 cents ($1.99 foriPad), the game won't break anybody's bank. It did, however, turn me into a newt. (I got better.)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[preGame 39: Sony NGP wrap-up' InFamous 2]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-39-sony-ngp-wrap-up-infamous-2</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-39-sony-ngp-wrap-up-infamous-2</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:10:50 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>minisa</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-39-sony-ngp-wrap-up-infamous-2</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Netgear CEO slams Apple's Steve Jobs]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-netgear-ceo-slams-apples-steve-jobs</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-netgear-ceo-slams-apples-steve-jobs</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 31 Jan 2011 08:10:23 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>samunellarichardson</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-netgear-ceo-slams-apples-steve-jobs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Josh Lowensohn/CNET)Netgear chairman and CEO Patrick Lo reportedly slammed Apple CEO Steve Jobs for his business practices on Sunday, and said Apple would have to change its closed system to compete in the future.Speaking at a lunch in Sydney, Australia, Lo reportedly said Apple would have to open its platform so it could compete withGoogle Android in the mobile space, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.&quot;Once Steve Jobs goes away, which is probably not far away, then Apple will have to make a strategic decision on whether to open up the platform,&quot; said Lo.The statement was directed at Jobs' decision to take a medical leave from Apple to focus on his health. There is no indication at this point that Jobs will not return to Apple.Lo also criticized Jobs' ego, which he said led to the public trashing of Flash. &quot;What's the reason for him to trash Flash There's no reason other than ego,&quot; Lo said.In an open letter posted last year, Jobs detailed the reasons he didn't feel Flash was the right technology for theiPhone andiPad. He talked about reliability, security and performance, as well as issues related to battery life and other technological issues that would negatively affect the iOS devices. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[iTunes updated for CDMA iPhone]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=itunes-updated-for-cdma-iphone</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=itunes-updated-for-cdma-iphone</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lamecheag</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=itunes-updated-for-cdma-iphone</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Apple)Apple has released an update to iTunes that provides support for Verizon's CDMA version of theiPhone.Made available yesterday, the iTunes 10.1.2 update offers the information in its &quot;Read Before You Install iTunes&quot; note: &quot;iTunes 10.1.2 syncs music, movies, and more with iPhone 4 (CDMA model) and provides a number of important stability and performance improvements.&quot;Though not specifically detailing the other changes in version 10.1.2, Apple noted that the 10.1 update had added the ability to sync an iPhone,iPad, oriPod Touch with iOS 4.2 and use AirPlay to stream videos from iTunes to the newest edition of Apple TV. Verizon's iPhone 4 is slated to debut February 11. Current Verizon customers can preorder starting February 3. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sony unveils 'Next Generation Portable,' the new PSP]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-unveils-next-generation-portable-the-new-psp</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-unveils-next-generation-portable-the-new-psp</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:11:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>koremkmkrm</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-unveils-next-generation-portable-the-new-psp</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The new Next Generation Portable, from Sony. Known by many as the PlayStation Portable 2, the new device was announced at a live event in Tokyo on Thursday.(Credit:Sony Computer Entertainment)At a live event in Tokyo, Sony on Thursday unveiled what many had come to call thePlayStation Portable 2, its long-awaited, all-new handheld video game console. Known officially as the &quot;Next Generation Portable,&quot; the device will be available this holiday season. Sony has not yet said what the new PSP will cost.According to CNET sister site Gamespot.com, the new device will come in a brick form factor and feature a 5-inch OLED display with four times the resolution of current-generation PSPs. It has touch pads on both the front and the rear and dual micro analog joysticks. It also has both front- and rear-facing cameras and will use a Flash-based memory card. It will also offer 3G, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity, according to GameSpot. On-stage in Tokyo, Sony's Shuhei Yoshida said the new device boasts PlayStation 3-quality graphics.The rear of the new NGP from Sony. The device features touch pads on both the front and the rear, as well as front- and rear-facing cameras.(Credit:Sony Computer Entertainment)Sony said that the device has an ARM Cortex A9 (core) CPU, and a SGX543MP4+ GPU. It also has a Six-axis motion-sensing system. Games that will be offered for the Next Generation Portable (NGP) include Hot Shots Golf Next, Gravity Daze, Killzone, WipeOut, Resistance, LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted, Little Deviants, Reality Fighters, and Billiards, GameSpot reported.Before unveiling the new PSP, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai also unveiled a new platform called PlayStation Suite that will ensure that first-generation PlayStation games will run on a wide variety of Android-enabled handsets andtablets. That could mean that a huge library of games will be available for the first time to Android users. Hirai also said that the Next Generation Portable is backward compatible, and will run downloadable PSP titles. And Toshihiro Nagoshi from Sega later said that it would be possible to port PlayStation 3 games to the NGP, according to Gamespot.A view of the front of the NGP, showing its dual sticks, and its front-facing camera.(Credit:Sony Computer Entertainment)Nintendo's DS has dominatedAlthough Sony's PSP line, which first launched in 2004, has sold an impressive 65.7 million units worldwide, according to independent analyst outfit VGChartz.com, it has been overshadowed for years by the much more successful Nintendo DS line of handhelds. All told, according to VGChartz, Nintendo has sold 145.3 million of its portable devices--the DS, the DSi, and the DS Lite. The slim PSP, which was released in 2007.(Credit:CNET)Sony has also tried to reinvigorate the PSP before, first with a slimmer version of the original device it put out in 2007, and then with a significant redesign that never really caught on known as the PSP Go. But neither of those devices were able to help Sony close the handheld sales gap with Nintendo.And now, of course, the new Next Generation Portable will be going head-to-head with the very-well-received new Nintendo 3DS. That well-reviewed device, which offers users 3D capabilities without special glasses, will go on sale March 27, and cost $249. It will launch with six first-party titles, including Legend of Zelda and Nintendogs + Cats, and ten third-party games, including Electronic Arts' The Sims and Madden Football' Super Street Fighter IV 3D from Capcom' Dead or Alive: Dimensions from Tecmo, and others. Still, the Next Generation Portable has a lot of people excited because of its rich collection of features. The PSP Go, which Sony launched in 2009.(Credit:Sony)But while Sony got plenty of attention for the new NGP, it did not unveil at the Tokyo event a PlayStation phone, as many had expected. It appears, according to published reports, that such a phone, which could be based on Google's Android platform, and be known as the Xperia, will not be revealed in public until next month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Net users more apt to be joiners in real life]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-net-users-more-apt-to-be-joiners-in-real-life</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-net-users-more-apt-to-be-joiners-in-real-life</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>breannavfd3</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-net-users-more-apt-to-be-joiners-in-real-life</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Contrasting with the stereotype of the lone computer geek, Internet users are more likely to join groups in the real world and be active in them than those who don't go online, according to a study released yesterday by Pew Internet.Based on a survey, the &quot;Social Side of the Internet&quot; report found that 80 percent of Internet users participate in voluntary organizations, compared with 56 percent of non-Internet users.Further, those who tap into social networks on the Web are even more likely to be active. Among those polled, 82 percent of the Facebook users and 85 percent of the Twitter users said they're joiners of groups. That compares with 77 percent of non-Facebook users and 79 percent of non-Twitter users who said the same.The survey found that Internet users also participate more heavily in their groups than do non-Internet users by donating more money, volunteering, taking leadership roles, and attending meetings. Church and spiritual groups were among the most popular organizations cited by those involved in a group. Also high on the list were sports and recreational leagues, consumers groups, volunteer organizations, and trade associations.(Credit:Pew Internet)Group joiners touted the Internet as an important tool for running a group. Among those polled, 69 percent said their groups have active Web sites, 77 percent said their groups organize activities and reach out to members via e-mail, and 40 percent host their own online discussion forums.Asked why they're part of a group, 59 percent of the respondents said they see group membership as way to accomplish something that they couldn't on their own. Almost the same number (57 percent) cited keeping up with news and information as another key reason.&quot;One of the striking things in these data is how purposeful people are as they become active with groups,&quot; Kristen Purcell, research director at Pew Internet and co-author of the report, said in a statement. &quot;Many enjoy the social dimensions of involvement, but what they really want is to have impact. Most have felt proud of a group they belong to in the past year and just under half say they accomplished something they couldn't have accomplished on their own.&quot;Pew's study is based on a series of telephone interviews conducted from November 23 to December 21, which reached 2,303 adults, ages 18 and older.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Rumor: Verizon iPhone to be released February 3]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rumor-verizon-iphone-to-be-released-february-3</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rumor-verizon-iphone-to-be-released-february-3</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Jan 2011 08:10:29 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>healthcentral</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rumor-verizon-iphone-to-be-released-february-3</guid>
<description><![CDATA[You may be able to get your sweetie a Verizon iPhone this Valentine&amp;39's Day.(Credit:Kent German/CNET)On the heels of Verizon's announcement of a special press conference on January 11, Boy Genius Report says a source has confirmed that Apple has blacked out retail employee vacation time for February 3 to February 6, covering a possible VerizoniPhone launch weekend.When I was a manager at an Apple Store here in Portland, this was a fairly common occurrence for big launch days. Generally these employee vacation blackout days would come months in advance, allowing our staff to make plans around those dates.This of course is only a theory, but in my experience we never had a blacked-out weekend that was not a launch (generally the iPhone orMac OS X).The regions of the United States that BGR has knowledge of have all confirmed these dates as blacked out. Verizon is expected to make the big announcement on January 11 (at 11 a.m. no less), most likely confirming they will finally be bringing Apple's iPhone to the vast Verizon network.The timing all makes sense with Verizon easing contracts to allow for upgrades, the continuous flow of parts photographs and speculation, and with Valentine's Day just two weeks later. The last remaining mystery seems to only be that of specs. Many are hoping for Apple to jump aboard the LTE 4G bandwagon and compete with 4G smartphones running Android, announced at CES. As I, and others, have noted, this is not likely, as Apple's business move to join Verizon would be to gain market share in the rapidly expanding smartphone sector.Were Apple to limit the Verizon iPhone to LTE customers, it would minimize market penetration and lose out on most of Verizon's subscriber base. Until 4G is more prevalent, Apple will most likely stick to CDMA-based versions of the iPhone. I wouldn't expect an LTE version until 2012 at the earliest.Are you making plans to line up for Verizon's iPhone Are you switching from AT&amp;T Let me know your plans in the comments!<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Electric Uno scooter doubles as a unicycle]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-electric-uno-scooter-doubles-as-a-unicycle</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-electric-uno-scooter-doubles-as-a-unicycle</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:10:51 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ttwotimeso</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-electric-uno-scooter-doubles-as-a-unicycle</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Uno electric scooter is a unique beast: an electric scooter that looks like a mini-motorcycle and folds up into a Segway-like scooter balanced on two wheels. A prototype of the Uno III, the latest invention from BPG Motors, will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show, its first public showing. It's aimed at urban dwellers, most likely in Europe, where there is a strong culture around motorcycles and scooters, said BPG Motors CEO Brad Harkavy.Uno electric scooter goes for eco-chic (photos) View the full galleryThe company plans to begin producing these electric scooters in limited quantities in about a year with mass production planned after that, according to Harkavy. It will be priced similarly to how high-end Vespa scooters are, which cost between $4,000 and $7,000, he said.The Uno III is styled like a high-performance racing motorcycle but it's much better suited for getting around town than around the race track. Its top speed is limited by scooter regulations at about 35 miles per hour and its range is 30 miles.But the Uno has some unusual features that its designers hope will add to its cachet and utility.Most dramatically, it works in two modes. In its &quot;motorcycle&quot; driving mode, it operates like a typical electric scooter. Its self-balancing mode, enabled by a gyroscopic control system, is when the front wheel pulls back off the floor and tucks itself in between two rear wheels. That unicycle-like mode gives it a three-foot turning radius and makes the scooter nimble enough to move in tight spaces. The owner could, for example, bring the Uno into an elevator and store it inside or operate in city centers where there are a lot of pedestrians, said Harkavy. A driver can shift from self-balancing to driving mode while the scooter is moving. The two rear wheels have their own suspension and electric motors, giving the driver better driving control when in motorcycle mode, according to the company.Started as high school science projectIn thecar-heavy culture of the U.S., scooters and electric bikes appeal to a small niche of drivers. But in other parts of the world, two-wheelers are far more common, making them good candidates for electrification. By some estimates, there are already 120 million electric bikes in China, a vehicle segment that has grown rapidly in the past decade. BPG Motors was founded by Benjamin Gulak who, when in high school, decided to start building a cleaner electric scooter after a trip to China, where dirty two-stroke scooters are common. It became a high school science project and then a company in 2008. It was funded in 2009 by private investors. Its scooter is less polluting than a gasoline-powered scooter because it's electric, but the designers are clearly trying to make it cool as well.The Uno III is actually the third vehicle produced by BPG Motors in the space of about 18 months. Previous designs, which brought a good deal of media interest, had the self-balancing mode but did not fold out as fully as the Uno III or have the same styling.In the last few years, a handful of companies have formed to develop electric motorcycles and scooters, but these products are still trying to get a real foothold in the U.S. Harkavy expects to find initial interest for its scooter with trend-setters in the U.S., such as celebrities, but a more receptive audience in Europe.&quot;We're definitely focused on the urban scooter buyer but someone looking for more unique vehicles and something quite stylish,&quot; he said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Amazon: Outage due to hardware not hackers]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-outage-due-to-hardware-not-hackers</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-outage-due-to-hardware-not-hackers</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:10:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>riauckli1</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-outage-due-to-hardware-not-hackers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[An outage that took down some of Amazon's European Web sites yesterday was caused by hardware error and not hackers, according to the company.The online retailer's shopping sites in the U.K, France, Spain, and Germany were down for about half an hour starting around 9:15 p.m. GMT, leading to initial speculation that Amazon had been hit by hackers associated with the pro-WikiLeaks group Anonymous.But in a statement released to Reuters, Amazon attributed the cause to hardware problems.&quot;The brief interruption to our European retail sites earlier today was due to hardware failure in our European data center network and not the result of a DDOS (distributed denial of service) attempt,&quot; an Amazon representative told Reuters. Specifically, the hardware-related issue occurred at an Amazon hosting center in Dublin, which hosts the various European sites that were affected, according to the Register.Amazon ran afoul of pro-WikiLeaks activists earlier this month after it decided to kick the controversial Web site off its EC2 Web hosting service. In retaliation, some members of the Anonymous group reportedly called for action against the retailer, but so far Amazon apparently has been left alone.&quot;Simply put, attacking a major online retailer when people are buying presents for their loved ones would be in bad taste,&quot; Anonymous explained late last week in an apparent press release. The decision to spare Amazon is in sharp contrast to the DDoS attacks that Anonymous has launched against such companies as PayPal, Visa, and MasterCard for their roles in cutting off payments to WikiLeaks.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Samsung's Galaxy Tab red flag for Intel]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=samsungs-galaxy-tab-red-flag-for-intel</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=samsungs-galaxy-tab-red-flag-for-intel</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Dec 2010 08:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>udanikaspencerb</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=samsungs-galaxy-tab-red-flag-for-intel</guid>
<description><![CDATA[No. 2 chipmaker Samsung is showing Intel how to succeed in the brave new world of tablets and smartphones. Samsung's Galaxy Tab is competitive with Apple's iPad: Samsung makes the device and supplies the main chip inside. Here, Intel is playing catch-up.(Credit:Samsung)While Intel is the largest chipmaker in the world, Samsung is No. 2. And, unlike Intel, it also has a large and successful affiliated consumer arm that churns out products like the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Not surprisingly, many of those products use Samsung silicon too.That's a vertically integrated strategy that Intel can't match. And that's not all. Samsung also supplies chips to outside customers (Intel's business model) like Apple which use its chips in outrageously popular products like theiPhone andiPad. The scary part is that the Samsung Galaxy Tab is a solid product and worthy competitor to the iPad, even besting it with features like front and back cameras--a feature you won't see until the iPad 2, most likely. (I test drove the Android-based 7-inch Galaxy Tab for about 30 minutes and was very impressed). That puts Samsung in two of the leading tablet designs on the market--one its own product. Before I go too far, let me back off a bit by saying that Intel's dominance in the hundred-billion-dollar-plus annual PC market has given it an almost unassailable lead in chips. Intel is also the leading chip supplier for the tens of millions of servers worldwide that power the Internet. The latter a nontrivial point often obscured by the glare of glitzy end-user products like the iPad (which uses Intel-powered servers when accessing Web sites worldwide).That said, Intel is obviously racing to play catch-up in tablets and smartphones, two of the fastest-growing computing markets. The chipmaker has formed a new business unit for Netbooks and tablets and CEO Paul Otellini spent a lot of time at a technology conference today explaining how it's going to eventually be competitive. &quot;It's important to keep a perspective in the early days of any market. Things change. Markets change,&quot; Otellini said today. &quot;It wasn't too long ago--2003--where virtually all of the silicon in a storage system was custom. It's grown dramatically over the intervening seven years to where we now are the predominate architecture for storage vendors,&quot; he said, implying that Intel will could eventually become a big player in tablets and smartphones. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Kin's quiet return a rarity among failed gadgets]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kins-quiet-return-a-rarity-among-failed-gadgets</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kins-quiet-return-a-rarity-among-failed-gadgets</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Shilpa</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kins-quiet-return-a-rarity-among-failed-gadgets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The resurrected Kin is back on Verizon, with some changes under the hood.(Credit:Verizon)Like any other business venture, gadgets fail--some quietly and others spectacularly.For Microsoft's Kin though, its return this week marks a rarity in the tech world: a product that, despite a strong push from its maker, simply didn't get off the ground, but is then brought back from the dead. No, it's not being touted as the hottest, newest phone by carrier Verizon, which a Microsoft exec once told The New York Times played a part in the device's sales woes the first time around. Rather, it's being offered up for sale alongside phones that did not meet such a quick demise.The real question is whether anyone in their right mind would buy a Kin now that it's back. Microsoft has very clearly moved on from the prospect of the Kin and focused its efforts on the further development ofWindows Phone 7, which launched stateside earlier this month and is headed to Verizon and other CDMA carriers next year. Windows Phone 7 brings things to the table that the Kin does not, like an app store, more hardware variety, and software updates that promise to fix bugs and add features like copy and paste. There's also a bigger issue, which is that the Kins that Verizon is now selling are dramatically different from than the ones that came out the first time around. Not in the hardware, but in the software.Neither Microsoft nor Verizon would speak to CNET about whether the new version included bug fixes, or the promise of fixing bugs if they cropped up, but a Verizon representative confirmed that features like the Kin Loop, Kin Spot, Kin Studio, and social-networking integration have all been removed, along with the automatic back-up feature that would sync media and other information up into the cloud. These were all things that separated the Kin from other feature phones.Because of these changes, Verizon is smartly positioning the Kin as a feature phone, as opposed to a smartphone. That's a far cry from the device's original introduction, which was somewhere in between the two. Arguably one of the Kin's weakest points was its steep data pricing, which came closer to the smartphone class. That's something Verizon has since remedied with a leaner data price that is half the cost of the one the Kin launched with, and can be had at a lower entry price. It's worth pondering if such a plan would have given the Kin more of a chance the first time around.Few other gadgets have made a return after being shelved. Many companies fix things from failed products and bring them back as new products with a different shell. Something like the not-even-launched Palm Foleo arguably ushered in the Netbook form factor.As for a true return from the dead, in recent years one of the best examples is Polaroid's digital film, which the company famously discontinued, prompting a group to produce its own replacement. Polaroid then surprised everyone by producing new instant cameras, though ones that used film from Fujifilm. The comparison might be a tad unfair considering Polaroid film enjoyed years of popularity prior to its demise (unlike the Kin), and that it was more a victim of a major shift in technology as film went from analog to digital. Still, some of the same parallels can be drawn with the Kin. Consumer buying habits have made a strong shift towards smartphones, as recent research from Gartner pointed out. Carriers have also attempted to make the transition a little easier with multi-tier data plans that can get users in the door for under $20 a month, as opposed to what was once the standard $60 or higher. While the Kin may no longer be in that tier of products, those spare Kin units may be snapped up during the holidays by people looking to get a feature phone with a decent music player. The simple answer for all this may just be that Verizon had a bunch of phones sitting in a warehouse somewhere. The new question is how long they'll stay there. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google TV roundup: The first wave of products]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-tv-roundup-the-first-wave-of-products</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-tv-roundup-the-first-wave-of-products</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:10:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-tv-roundup-the-first-wave-of-products</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google TV had tons of hype in the run-up to its mid-October launch. Now that we've had a few weeks to live with the first wave of released products, we have a better idea of what Google needs to fix and which products (if any) are worth considering.What Google needs to fix A lot of our early reviews of Google TV products may seem negative, but that's doesn't mean we aren't impressed with the platform's potential. Google has laid the groundwork for a lot of great functionality, but until it addresses its long list of outstanding issues, it's appeal will be limited to early adopters.Work out a deal with major TV networks or work around themThe main reason mainstream users want a product like Google TV is so they can watch free streaming content from sources like ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and Hulu. And all of those destinations are currently blocking Google TV from streaming video. It's not an easy issue, especially since it appears that major TV networks don't want you streaming free content to your TV. If Google can't work out a deal with the content providers, it may have to find a way to work around them, otherwise much of the appeal of the Google TV platform will be lost.Fix search and TV guide informationWe generally take Google's searching prowess for granted, which is why we were so surprised by the lackluster search results on Google TV. Google currently doesn't search Netflix's streaming titles, which is arguably the most important collection of online video available. We also found Google TV guide information to be frequently inaccurate, even on mainstream shows like &quot;The Daily Show&quot; and &quot;The Colbert Report.&quot; For Google TV to live up to its promise, its search and TV info need to be near perfect.More supported cable/satellite boxesTo really take advantage of Google TV, you need full cable/satellite box integration. That allows Google TV to schedule recordings and season passes directly from its interface, without even accessing your cable/satellite box's user interface. That kind of impressive functionality is currently available on a limited number of Dish Network DVRs, but it needs much wider adoption for Google TV to take off.More and better appsCompared with other streaming-video boxes, Google TV's initial rollout of apps is unimpressive. Worse, the included Netflix interface is several generations behind competition, like the Apple TV, Roku XDS,Xbox 360, andPS3. Google needs more apps in general, and the existing ones need to be as good as they are on other devices.Get the Android Marketplace up and runningGoogle has already announced that the Android Marketplace will be coming to Google TV in 2011, and the earlier the better. The ability for third-party developers will help the paltry app selection and possibly open up Google TV devices to services that nobody's thought of yet.Better stabilityThe first screen we saw when we completed the setup on the Logitech Revue was an error message. We just saw too many crashes and bugs with the Google TV software during our testing period, and mainstream users won't tolerate that in a living room setting. Further testing with the Sony NSZ-GT1 seemed to indicate that the first firmware update has improved of our initial problems, which is a step in the right direction/What products are available Even with all the problems we listed, Google TV products still have a lot to offer for early adopters who can put up with the quirks. Right now, there are essentially three products available with Google TV built-in. Logitech RevuePrice: $300Read the review | Check pricesAdvantages: Least expensive Google TV option' wireless keyboard is the best Google TV controller yet' built-in IR emitters obviate the need for IR blasters' built-in Harmony functionality for controlling a TV and AV receiver'iPhone and Android controller apps are already available. Disadvantages: Had network performance issues during our testing period' adds another box in your home theater cabinet. Outlook: Despite its issues, the Logitech Revue is the best choice for early adopters looking to check out Google TV, thanks to its excellent wireless keyboard.  Sony's NSX-GT1 seriesPrice: $600-$1,400Read the review | Check prices Advantages: Google TV integrated into an LCD, with no extra box required' works with over-the-air HDTV signals. Disadvantages: Expensive upfront cost' Sony's controller can be frustrating to use' requires physical IR blaster to control other products' TV's image quality is only so-so. Outlook: If you're an early adopter looking to buy a new LCD and aren't picky about image quality, Sony's NSX-GT1 is the most capable Internet-connected TV ever made.  Sony NSZ-GT1Price: $400Review coming soon | Check prices Advantages: Google TV integrated into a Blu-ray player' speedy Blu-ray load times. Disadvantages: Sony's controller can be frustrating to use' requires physical IR blaster to control other products. Outlook: Sony's NSZ-GT1 combines Blu-ray and Google TV in a single box for a relatively low upfront cost, although we think most early adopters will prefer the Revue. Related resourcesGoogle TV FAQFree 'Conan' on Google TV: It works, with quirks <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft lets Hotmail users set encryption by default]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-lets-hotmail-users-set-encryption-by-default</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-lets-hotmail-users-set-encryption-by-default</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-lets-hotmail-users-set-encryption-by-default</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Hotmail users can set the e-mail service to automatically use https for their sessions.(Credit:Microsoft)Microsoft announced today that it is offering Hotmail users the ability to take advantage of encryption when using the free e-mail service.  To enable full-session HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) for Hotmail you can type in &quot;https://hotmail.com&quot; or set it as the default for e-mail, calendar, and contacts at https://account.live.com/ManageSSL. Previously SSL was only used at the time of sign-in, but now it's available from the start until a user logs off, a Microsoft spokeswoman said.  Also starting today, SkyDrive, Photos, Docs, and Devices pages will all automatically use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption.  Enabling HTTPS means Outlook Hotmail Connector, Windows Live Mail, and the Windows Live application for Windows Mobile (version 6.5 and earlier) and Symbian won't be available, Dick Craddock, group program manager for Windows Live Hotmail, wrote in a blog post.  Google has always offered Gmail users the ability to use HTTPS and made it the default setting in January, and offers it as an option for Google Docs as well.  The Microsoft encryption announcement follows new security features Microsoft added in September that make it harder for e-mail accounts to get hijacked and easier for victims to recover them if that happens. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Intel creating first chip for outside manufacturer]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-creating-first-chip-for-outside-manufacturer</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-creating-first-chip-for-outside-manufacturer</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lilly01</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-creating-first-chip-for-outside-manufacturer</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Intel traditionally builds chips for its own use, but it's now branching out to create one for another manufacturer.Intel will create chips based on its 22-nanometer technology for Achronix Semiconductor, Achronix announced today. This marks the first time Intel is designing a chip for another manufacturer and may indicate that the chip giant is looking to do some contract manufacturing for outside customers.Based in San Jose, Calif., Achronix will use Intel's 22-nanometer chips to develop its own Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). FPGAs are integrated circuits that can be programmed after they've been manufactured, allowing customers to adapt them for their own needs. Known as the Achronix Speedster22i, the new FPGA will see as much as a 300 percent gain in performance, 50 percent lower power drain, and 40 percent less cost than FPGAs build on 28-nanometer technology, Achronix said. Geared for telecommunications, networking, industrial, and consumer markets, the FPGA is expected to drive such applications as 100G and 400G Ethernet networking and LTE mobile communications, added Achronix.The Speedster22i will also be the first commercial FPGA family that can be made in the U.S., setting it up for military and aerospace customers, which require that such chips be made domestically for security reasons.&quot;Intel has the best process technology in the world and we are privileged to have formed this strategic relationship, which enables simultaneous improvements in speed, power, density, and cost,&quot; Achronix CEO John Holt said in a statement. &quot;The combination of the advanced 22nm process from Intel and the advanced FPGA technology from Achronix enables Speedster22i to eclipse other FPGA solutions expected to hit the market in the next few years.&quot;Though Intel has downplayed the new deal as a sign of things to come, some analysts see it as an indication that the company is jumping into the contract manufacturing business, according to The New York Times.&quot;I think this is only the beginning of Intel manufacturing for others,&quot; said Gus Richard, a microprocessor industry analyst with Piper Jaffray, as quoted by the Times.The deal will get off the ground sometime next year, according to the Times, when Intel will begin making the chips for Achronix.First demoed by CEO Paul Otellini at the Intel Developers Forum a little more than a year ago, the 22-nanometer microprocessors are the latest chips being pushed to the market. Squeezing 2.9 billion individual transistors in an area the size of a fingernail, the 22-nanometer chip has challenged traditional manufacturing processes, which use conventional photolithography, a method by which circuits are printed onto semiconductor chips.Intel recently announced that it would spend between $6 billion and $8 billion to build a new chip manufacturing plant and upgrade its existing fabrication plants in Arizona and Oregon. The new and existing plants will be put to work making the 22-nanometer processors, which are being designed to provide higher performance and longer battery life at a cheaper cost.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Twitter Updates Logos, Rules: Info On Logo Use, Screenshots, And Capital a4ATa4&nbsp'Tweets]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-updates-logos-rules-info-on-logo-use-screenshots-and-capital-ldquotrdquonbsptweets</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-updates-logos-rules-info-on-logo-use-screenshots-and-capital-ldquotrdquonbsptweets</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=twitter-updates-logos-rules-info-on-logo-use-screenshots-and-capital-ldquotrdquonbsptweets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Today on the Twitter blog, the company wrote a post that was all of three sentences to let people know about their new logos. Yay!But there&amp;'s actually quite a bit more to it then it seems.If you follow the link they provide to Guidelines page, you&amp;'ll find some interesting tidbits. Among them:Don&amp;'t: &amp;''Use anything other than the most current versions of the Twitter logos.&amp;''Don&amp;'t: &amp;''Use screenshots of other peoplea4a4s profiles or Tweets without their permission.&amp;''Both are interesting because both are broken all the time. Well, okay the first one doesn&amp;'t quite count yet because Twitter just officially launched their new logos. But hundreds if nota4sthousands of sites around the web have been using old or fake Twitter logos to represent the company for a long time.The latter rule is definitely more troublesome. Tweets are known to be public items, but Twitter is saying you can&amp;'t use screenshots of them without permission. We do this all the time. So does just about every other publication. We&amp;'ve never been told this is wrong, it seems to reek of fair use, but now Twitter is saying it&amp;'s a no-no. (Update below from Twitter)A few months ago, Twitter tried to come up with their own solution for this with their own Blackbird Pie tweet embed tool. It&amp;'s interesting that in their post on it, they never said this screen-grabbing of tweets was wrong. In fact, they note &amp;''Mostly, we just think ita4a4s a pain to take screen grabs of tweets.&amp;'' Notice they call it a &amp;''pain&amp;'', not &amp;''wrong&amp;''.Twitter does say it&amp;'s fine to use others&amp;' tweets that you have permission to use. But again, isn&amp;'t this stuff already publicAlso interesting:Do: Make sure that if mentioning &amp;''Tweet,&amp;'' you include a direct reference to Twitter (for instance, &amp;''Tweet with Twitter&amp;'') or display the Twitter marks with the mention of &amp;''Tweet.&amp;''This would seem to be all about Twitter gaining the trademark to the word &amp;''tweet&amp;'', which they&amp;'ve been trying unsuccessfully to do. They also later note, &amp;''Please remember to capitalize the T in Twitter and Tweet!&amp;'' As a commenter notes, it&amp;'s funny that they don&amp;'t even capitalize it in their own logo!Update: Okay, we&amp;'ve clarified some things with Twitter.From their spokesperson regarding the new logos:The purpose of the update was to provide access to our new resources and to better clarify some guidelines.We&amp;'re encouraging people to use the new marks. It&amp;'s okay for them to continue to use the old ones, but we&amp;'re hoping people will use the new ones. We said this before too, as this isn&amp;'t the first time our marks have changed.And regarding the screenshots:This isn&amp;'t a new part of the policy and was stated in the guidelines before. This serves primarily to protect users from their tweets being used as endorsements without their knowledge. Public tweets are public. But if you&amp;'re going to use tweets in static form (e.g. in a publication), you should have permission from the author/user. For instance, if someone famous were to tweet about liking something and then it was used on a billboard.This doesn&amp;'t apply to broadcast &amp;8212' there are separate display guidelines about that. Our policies also don&amp;'t attempt to control the appropriate use of tweets in news reporting.That&amp;'s a bit confusing (and I&amp;'ve asked for further clarification), but it sounds as if they won&amp;'t be enforcing the rule for individuals (including reporters) taking screenshots of tweets. It&amp;'s more for advertisers attempting to use tweets as endorsements without permission.Update 2: More clarity from Twitter:For news, whether online or print, it&amp;'s okay to use screenshots of Tweets.a4sThe permission applies more to merchandise, billboards, etc. Users&amp;' rights are key.In other words, screenshot away, bloggers. Which is good &amp;8212' but basically they&amp;'re just saying they won&amp;'t be enforcing the rules. That&amp;'s still a bit troubling going forward. They could enforce them anytime a4&quot; why not just make the specific rules more clear This reeks of the legal department covering asses here just in case they have to drop a hammer.Regarding the capital &amp;''T&amp;'' in tweet:We view Tweet as meaning content on Twitter, rather than a generic word. With that, it should be capitalized when it&amp;'s a noun. This isn&amp;'t new, and it&amp;'s not something we enforce.Again, that seems to be all about copyright a4&quot; and mainly when used in publications.CrunchBase InformationTwitterInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Mixtent launches social network that tracks your reputation]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mixtent-launches-social-network-that-tracks-your-reputation</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mixtent-launches-social-network-that-tracks-your-reputation</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>toohoo</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mixtent-launches-social-network-that-tracks-your-reputation</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Professional reputation tracker Mixtent launched its site today. The year-old startup hopes to muscle in on the crowded job finding sector by letting users rank the talent of other people in their social networks.The Redwood City, Calif. company says it is aiming squarely at people trying to hire, get hired, or find talent internally in their organizations.It says it has found a a unique way for users to understand what their professional reputation is via anonymous rankings.The service monitors an individual user&amp;'s online reputation by calculating aSkillRank for both the user and their peers. The calculation uses weighted, anonymous endorsements and algorithmically-derivedmetrics.So users anonymously vote for others, helpingMixtentidentify where someone actually stands in their industry according to their peers.The company&amp;'s infrastructure is built on top of a LinkedIn API but also connects with Facebook to assess relationship strength.It had been operating in public beta for the past several months and says the usage, viral growth and data accumulation have all been positive.Thus far, the company has had 600,000 unique visitors to the site, although only a fraction of those have wound up voting. The average user has about 20 votes.CEO Jonathan Gheller told me that while professional recommendations and referrals are currently the most effective way to find new hires or get hired, most professional social networks require that you contact users directly to ask for leads and recommendations, which Gheller calls &amp;''socially awkward.&amp;''&amp;''[For us]the key is in understanding what you are likely to be good at, what your connections are likely to be good at and how relevant connections and questions are. Also, our system learns and improve as we capture more votes,&amp;'' said Gheller.Gheller named job boardsMonster.com and CareerBuilder as well as online recruitersSuccess Factors and Taleo as the company&amp;'s main competitors.So far, it has had one round of funding of under $1 million from undisclosed investors.Next Story: Cisco jumps into electric cars via Ecotality partnership Previous Story: Android steals tablet market share from Applea4a4s iPadPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Companies: CareerBuilder, mixtent, Monster.com, success factors, Taleo          Companies: CareerBuilder, mixtent, Monster.com, success factors, TaleoRiley McDermid is a contributing reporter to VentureBeat. She was previously the online editor at institutional investing and trading forum Markets Media, which she joined in 2008 from Dow Jones/MarketWatch in New York. Her work has appeared in the The New York Times, the Associated Press, Portfolio Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Barrona4a4s. She has won awards from the American Society of Business Publishers and Editors, the Magazine Association of the Southeast, the Mississippi Press Association and the Atlanta Press Club, and was a finalist for the Pacemaker Prize for excellence in news reporting. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hottest Stealth Startups&nbsp'[Graphic]]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hottest-stealth-startupsnbspgraphic</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hottest-stealth-startupsnbspgraphic</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Torrie</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hottest-stealth-startupsnbspgraphic</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Rumors ofa4s&amp;''the death of stealth mode&amp;'' have beena4sgreatly exaggerated. Ever since angel investor Chris Dixon tweeted, &amp;''New early-stage start up trend: get big quietly, so you don&amp;'t tip off potential competitors&amp;'' back in Marcha4syou can&amp;'t grab a coffee at The Creamery without hearing a &amp;''We&amp;'re in stealth mode&amp;'' come out some neophyte founder&amp;'s mouth.Multiple startups I have contacted for coverage have uttered the dreaded epithet and declined press despite a growing userbase.a4sI&amp;'ve spoken to a handful of VCs who hold that it&amp;'s getting increasingly difficult to announce funding or undertake any sort of publicity for the nascent companies they&amp;'re involved with.Perhaps the most absurd thing about the state of stealth modea4sis that many of these under-the-radar companies still manage to be over-hyped (!). In testament to this, the Quora thread &amp;''What are the hottest stealth startups in Silicon Valley right now&amp;''a4sexplores the ambiguities of stealth mode and forms a consensus on the most buzzed about stealth companies in Silicon Valley currently.Some, like 3LM, we&amp;'ve tracked down and got the skinny on. And others, like Rockmelt, are still on our radar. (FYI. If you&amp;'ve got a Facebook Fan Page, Marc Andreesen as an investor and are working on a new browser, YOU ARE NOT STEALTH.)We&amp;'ve created an expandable PearlTree for those hungry for more information on the secretive startups.a4sBut really it&amp;'d be great if some of them would just remove the cloak of invisibility or whatever marks the transition to non-stealthy behavior.  Hey guys, I&amp;'m really curious about all the cool things you&amp;'ve been working on, and I promise we won&amp;'t bite (I&amp;'m looking a you Path).CrunchBase InformationQuoraPearltreesInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Flurry joins the war for mobile developers with an interesting new hire]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=flurry-joins-the-war-for-mobile-developers-with-an-interesting-new-hire</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=flurry-joins-the-war-for-mobile-developers-with-an-interesting-new-hire</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>microsaying</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=flurry-joins-the-war-for-mobile-developers-with-an-interesting-new-hire</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In the mobile gaming Gold Rush, everyone wants to get developers on their side. Now it&amp;'s Flurry&amp;'s chance to show how it can recruit developers to support its own platform.We are seeing the war for developer talent playing out in the battles between Apple, Google, and other platform makers. That battle is playing out as well among the mid-tier companies that provide developers with tools for analyzing, marketing, monetizing and distributing games and apps across mobile networks. Several of those companies have now said they will even finance games if the developers will use their tools.The latest example of that is mobile analytics firm Flurry, which is announcing its own beefed up developer support program today that includes game financing. But Flurry&amp;'s Game Acceleration Program has a different twist, as Flurry has hired well-known game developer Jeferson Valadares (pictured) to help game developers make their games better and more viral.&amp;''We offer independent developers the chance to work with someone who is very accomplished at making successful mobile games,&amp;'' said Peter Farago, vice president of marketing at Flurry in San Francisco. &amp;''We are seeking to be a service for developers.&amp;''On top of advice from Valadares, who becomes games general manager at Flurry, the company will offer developers assistance across the spectrum of support, starting with the company&amp;'s own analytics tools that let developers know exactly how users are playing their games. Flurry will also offer assistance with development, finance, distribution and marketing.In contrast to traditional game publishers, Flurry doesn&amp;'t want to own the intellectual property for games created by game developers. The developers just have to agree to use Flurry AppCircle, which recommends apps to gamers who are most likely to download the recommended apps. If gamers download the recommended app, Flurry makes money from the transaction.That&amp;'s pretty similar to programs created in recent days by OpenFeint, Scoreloop and Tapjoy &amp;8212' all of whom are willing to give developers some kind of money upfront to develop games using their platforms. I&amp;'ve noted before that this reminds me of the old days of vendor financing, from the dot-com days, when big companies would give loans to startups that promised to buy products from the big companies. It worked fine, until just about every new startup collapsed in the dot-com crash.Farago said the amount of money offered to developers is relatively small. And he noted that most of the developers prefer to have advice and expertise instead. That&amp;'s why Valadares is important. Valadares has made award-winning games such as Tornado Mania, Nightclub Empire, Crazy Penguin Catapult, Brickbreaker Revolution, Kamikaze Robots and Tower Bloxx. He has worked for Electronic Arts, Playfish, and Digital Chocolate, dealing with games based on brands such as FIFA, Harry Potter, and Need for Speed. His teams have shipped more than 40 titles and won 14 game-of-the-year awards.Valadares said in an interview that he will work with game makers as well as big brands that want to break into mobile by &amp;''gamifying&amp;'' their brands, or making non-game apps more game-like.Mobile gaming is starting to take off in a big way as 10 million Android and iPhone devices are activated each day. Flurry can reach as many as 40 million consumers each day through AppCircle recommendations, and it tracks more than 10 billion user sessions a month via its anonymized analytics.Next Story: With massive funding, Color aims to reinvent mobile photos Previous Story: How retailers and brands will evolve through social e-commercePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: AppCircleCompanies: Flurry, OpenFeint, Scoreloop, TapjoyPeople: Jeferson Valadares, Peter Farago          Tags: AppCircleCompanies: Flurry, OpenFeint, Scoreloop, TapjoyPeople: Jeferson Valadares, Peter FaragoDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Skyrim gameplay trailer proves Bethesda&'s still got the epic touch (video)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=skyrim-gameplay-trailer-proves-bethesdarsquos-still-got-the-epic-touch-video</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=skyrim-gameplay-trailer-proves-bethesdarsquos-still-got-the-epic-touch-video</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariacosmm</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=skyrim-gameplay-trailer-proves-bethesdarsquos-still-got-the-epic-touch-video</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The first trailer featuring actual gameplay for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim finally landed this morning, and it&amp;'s sure to make the wait for the game&amp;'s fall release as unbearable for gamers as it is for investors.Skyrim is the fifth entry in Bethesda Softwork&amp;'s flagship Elder Scrolls series, and it looks to continue the series&amp;' penchant for majestic open environments and swordplay. And yes, there be dragons.Excitement for the game is palpable from gamers, who have waited five long years since the release of the last official Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion. On Twitter this morning, it was hard to look at my feed of followers without finding countless people gushing over Skyrim.Investors too must be pleased by the fan response: Bethesda&amp;'s parent company ZeniMax Media landed $150 million in private equity funding from Providence Equity Partners in October last year. And that&amp;'s on top of a previous $300 million investment the firm made in October 2007. Judging from the fan response, investors are likely confident that Skyrim will be another bestselling (and award-winning) title like its predecessor Oblivion. That game received review scores in the mid-90s across all platforms, according to the review aggregator Metacritic. Oblivion also won Game of the Year from G4 and Spike TV in 2006.Skyrim pits the player as the last surviving Dovahkiin (Dragonborn) who must save the land of Skyrim following the death of its king, and the rise of the God-turned-dragon Alduin who wishes to destroy the world. Yup, just another day in dragon country.Skyrim will be released on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11) on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows PCs.Check out the trailer below:Via Game InformerNext Story: AudioMicro unleashes its Facebook-style content service Previous Story: Minus a partner, Accel puts energy in China cleantechPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: The Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimCompanies: bethesda softworks, Zenimax Media          Tags: The Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimCompanies: bethesda softworks, Zenimax MediaDevindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google chief shows off unannounced Android phone with near-field communication]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-chief-shows-off-unannounced-android-phone-with-near-field-communication</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-chief-shows-off-unannounced-android-phone-with-near-field-communication</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lillian</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-chief-shows-off-unannounced-android-phone-with-near-field-communication</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google chief executive Eric Schmidt gave gadget fans a rush today when he showed off an uannounced Android phone with a cool new mobile communications technology. Dubbed near-field communications, the technology lets you wave a cell phone over a reader and use your phone to pay for something.Near-field communications chips are built into Japanese cell phones. But the technology has been very slow to take off in the U.S. Part of the reason is that so many merchant locations have traditional credit card readers in place and are loathe to upgrade the 1970s technology without a clear benefit.Schmidt made the announcement in an opening talk with John Battelle and Tim O&amp;'Reilly at the Web 2.0 Summit today in San Francisco.The fact that the upcoming Google Android phone, which will be made and sold by unnamed Google partners, has near-field communications built into it shows that the chicken-and-egg problem may be overcome soon. After all, a phone maker wouldn&amp;'t add the unnecessary cost of the near-field communications chips if it felt there wouldn&amp;'t be any readers around to read them.Schmidt said that the new phone would run the upcoming Gingerbread version of the Android operating system. Asked when Gingerbread would arrive, Schmidt said a few weeks. Various bloggers have wondered if the phone Schmidt held up was the long-awaited Nexus S, the foll0w-up to the Nexus One phone. Schmidt would only say that the company did not plan to do a Nexus Two phone.Next Story: CEO Eric Schmidt: There is a talent war, but Google isn&amp;'t losing Previous Story: ZenRobotics robot recyclers go for green in the CleanTech OpenPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: near field communicationsCompanies: GooglePeople: Eric Schmidt, John Battelle, Tim OReilly          Tags: near field communicationsCompanies: GooglePeople: Eric Schmidt, John Battelle, Tim OReillyDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[iPad 2 to get new back, better speaker, smaller bezel (rumor)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ipad-2-to-get-new-back-better-speaker-smaller-bezel-rumor</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ipad-2-to-get-new-back-better-speaker-smaller-bezel-rumor</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>qaziopper</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ipad-2-to-get-new-back-better-speaker-smaller-bezel-rumor</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The next-generation iPad 2 rumors are in full gear. Today, the Japanese Apple blog MacOtakara reported that the new device from Apple, rumored to be coming in February, will get a new flat back panel, a wide-range speaker (pictured at bottom) and a smaller bezel, or border.Whatever Apple does with the next-generation iPad, you can expect it to be big. Apple is now selling millions of the devices and dominates the overall tablet market.The screen is expected to stay the same size at 9.7 inches. That makes sense because so many content creators are targeting their apps to run on an iPad screen of that size. The new tablet will be 3 millimeters smaller, measuring 293 millimeters by 168 millimeters, thanks to the smaller bezel.The back of the iPad will also be flat like the back of an iPod Touch. The ambient light sensor has been moved to the top part of the rear panel and the new wide-range speaker is on the lower left, covered with metal mesh.Other rumors have suggested that the device will have two cameras, one pointing at the user and another in the back, enabling video phone communication. Apple is expected to increase capacity at its subcontractor Foxconn to more than 6 million units per month.[photo: MacRumors]Next Story: FCC to approve Comcast-NBC merger with some conditions Previous Story: Viacom won&amp;'t get fooled again, drops Rock Band developer as music game sales falterPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: iPad, iPad 2Companies: Apple          Tags: iPad, iPad 2Companies: AppleDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Speaking Of&8230' Jeff Bridges &amp' Olivia Wilde in TRON Legacy, Part 3 &amp' 4&nbsp'(TCTV)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=speaking-of8230-jeff-bridges-amp-olivia-wilde-in-tron-legacy-part-3-amp-4nbsptctv</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=speaking-of8230-jeff-bridges-amp-olivia-wilde-in-tron-legacy-part-3-amp-4nbsptctv</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>winminuck1</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=speaking-of8230-jeff-bridges-amp-olivia-wilde-in-tron-legacy-part-3-amp-4nbsptctv</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Greetings programs! I have the ultimate TRON interview for you: Jeff Bridges. I had 3 minutes with Bridges, so I asked him this question from TechCrunch fan &amp;''itbedave&amp;'':I&amp;'m curious as to what Jeff Bridges thinks of blue screen acting then  (original TRON) vs. now (TRON Legacy) &amp;8211' and if it&amp;'s &amp;''advancement&amp;'' has  enhanced or ruined acting in big Hollywood filmsJeff, who plays Kevin Flynn, loved this question and went into detail about his feelings around motion capture. Unfortunately, I didn&amp;'t get to ask him if Flynn abides or if he drinks White Russians, but I think you&amp;'ll love his response. He&amp;'s not a TechCrunch reader yet, but maybe we can convert him. I&amp;'d love to see some Bridges in the comments, wouldn&amp;'t youJeff&amp;'s interview takes place in the beginning of part 3 and he&amp;'s followed by Olivia Wilde who has some awesome advice for women who want to get into technology. I asked Olivia if she was aware of quora.com and she was not, but I&amp;'m sure that the folks over at Quora are stoked. Her name in the movie is spelled Quorra, but I imagine there will be a lot of people typing it in with one R. Regardless, it is always nice to have a super sexy, smart and kick-ass woman have a similar name to yours. That&amp;'s the kind of brand confusion we can all get down with.Part 4 includes interviews with the director, co-producer, vehicle designer and the VFX team. TRON: Legacy is the first released feature length film that Joseph Kosinski has directed, which is a huge break from making commercials (Halo &amp;amp' Gears of War). Kosinski is also working on a remake of the 1976 science fiction film Logan&amp;'s Run. The original TRON light cycles were designed by Syd Mead who was also responsible for the city backgrounds and vehicle designs in Blade Runner. The light cycles got an upgrade and we got a few minutes with a member of the design team to discuss if light cycles could exist as real motorcycles in the real world. After the interview, Parker Brothers Choppers announced it had made functional replicas and for 55K, you can have your very own. Unfortunately, it looks like they aren&amp;'t the best at turning and they lack light trails, but hey, as long as you drive straight where ever you are going, you are good to go!In case you missed Part 1 and 2 of our TRON Legacy coverage, those interviews with cast and crew can be seen in this post.Interviews below:Part 3Part 4<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[RockYou CEO Lance Tokuda Steps&nbsp'Down]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rockyou-ceo-lance-tokuda-stepsnbspdown</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rockyou-ceo-lance-tokuda-stepsnbspdown</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sharabano</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rockyou-ceo-lance-tokuda-stepsnbspdown</guid>
<description><![CDATA[RockYou founder and CEO Lance Tokuda is no longer leading the company, we&amp;'ve confirmed. Tokuda helped found RockYou back in 2005, and led it through several funding rounds totalling nearly $130 million. The change comes at a critical time in RockYou&amp;'s life, as the company attempts to reinvent itself and bounce back from substantial layoffs.I spoke with RockYou COO Lisa Marino, who says that Tokuda told the company he would be stepping down last month, around the time that it pivoted to focus primarily on social gaming. A significant but undisclosed percentage of RockYou&amp;'s workforce was laid off as part of the transition, and the company hired former EA exec Jonathan Knight to serve as SVP of RockYou Games.Marino says that Tokuda&amp;'s role is now being filled by an &amp;8216'Office of the CEO&amp;' team that includes CFO Steve Van Horne, SVP President of Technology and Engineering Shamik Sharma, and herself, and that the company is currently in the midst of a search for a permanent replacement. Despite RockYou&amp;'s recent problems, Marino says that things have been &amp;''going really well&amp;'' at the company since its pivot last month, and that it &amp;''is going to be very relevant in social games in around 70 days&amp;''.However, Tokuda&amp;'s role change may not have been quite as smooth as RockYou is claiming. I called him to see if he had a comment of his own, and it sounded like the situation is still murky a4&quot;a4she directed me to RockYou&amp;'s PR team, and said that he is very much still with the company (I&amp;'ve reached out to RockYou PR to firm up what his current position is).a4sGranted, I did call him without warning so he may well have simply been caught off guard. But it does seem a little odd that he is still listed on RockYou&amp;'s management page as CEO, and that his role change was not announced as part of the press cycle around RockYou&amp;'s hiring of Knight.Update: Marino had clarified that Tokuda is indeed still with RockYou, and that he is working on &amp;8216'innovation and strategic initiatives&amp;', such as exploring new areas for RockYou to expand into.  That might include platforms (for example, mobile) or game genres.CrunchBase InformationRockYouLance TokudaInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Netgear introduces a swarm of new devices to connect TVs to the web]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netgear-introduces-a-swarm-of-new-devices-to-connect-tvs-to-the-web</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netgear-introduces-a-swarm-of-new-devices-to-connect-tvs-to-the-web</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Simi</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netgear-introduces-a-swarm-of-new-devices-to-connect-tvs-to-the-web</guid>
<description><![CDATA[During the holidays, about half of all TVs sold are likely to be web-connected. That calls for a reboot in home networking technology and it&amp;'s why Netgear is launching 13 new products today for consumers and small businesses.The products include three new product families and a new service, all aimed at creating a new generation of devices to hook TVs up to the web and store growing collections of movies and videos.&amp;''We&amp;'ve connected consumers to the web via iPads and iPhones,&amp;'' said Patrick Lo, chief executive of Netgear, in an interview. &amp;''Now it&amp;'s time to connect the TV.&amp;''The idea is that TVs are getting smarter and the devices that connect to them have to connect is smart ways without confusing users.San Jose, Calif.-based Netgear is a publicly traded company with the No. 1 market share in retail home networking in Western markets. It also has the top market share for certain kinds of switches used in small businesses. Its products span the security, data backup, switching, and wireless networking markets. The company sells products by the millions as web-savvy consumers learn to use its products to download or stream video and then store it or play it back on a variety of electronic displays around the home.Lo (pictured) said that the design philosophy behind all of the products is to simplify networking so that consumers can just plug it in and make it work. Networking devices used to be a bear to install, even for techies. Now the products are more consumer friendly, but the problems are getting more complex as users connect their different devices together and to the internet.This year&amp;'s TV models combine web connectivity and stereoscopic 3D. One of Netgear&amp;'s new products &amp;8212' the 3DHD Wireless Home Theater Networking Kit &amp;8212' lets you stream high-quality 1080p high-definition video throughout the home without wires. You can use this device when you want to watch a movie in a bedroom and still view it in 3D.Netgear also has a number of home network storage devices for recording digital video under its ReadyNAS brand name. The new ReadyNAS devices serve both consumers and small businesses. All of the devices use a combination of cloud and local technologies. The company previously refreshed its line-up in July and is expanding it further now.Netgear is also introducing a network management software to centrally manage a bunch of networked storage devices, and it will also provide free on-site replacement for many of its business products. Rivals include D-Link, Western Digital and Seagate.Netgear has also become a licensee for Roku. It will make a set-top box that uses Roku&amp;'s movie-streaming technology.Next Story: Hsieh: Corporate culture should be a top priority Previous Story: Japan&amp;'s DeNA claims it makes 30 times more per user than Facebook, 15 times more than ZyngaPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Companies: NetgearPeople: Patrick Lo          Companies: NetgearPeople: Patrick LoDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Mobile cyber threats are getting worse]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mobile-cyber-threats-are-getting-worse</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mobile-cyber-threats-are-getting-worse</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jolalaaoaa</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mobile-cyber-threats-are-getting-worse</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Malware of all kinds keeps spreading on computing platforms. But mobile malware grew at a particularly fast clip in 2010, according to McAfee.Mobile malware was up 46 percent in 2010 to 967 threats, compared to 704 in 2009, according to the McAfee Threats Report for the fourth quarter.That&amp;'s small compared to PC threats, but the trend is clear. The renewed interest in attacking mobile platforms comes as smartphones and tablets become a primary computing tool for millions of users. If this trend continues, mobile security may begin to consume as much resources as PC security, which accounts for billions of dollars in investment.Altogether McAfee said there were 20 million new pieces of malware in 2010, equating to nearly 55,000 new malware threats each day. That&amp;'s because cyber criminals are able to automate the creation of new variants of malware. To date, McAfee has identified 55 million pieces of malware, and 360 percent of those were created in 2010.Spam saw a surprising decline recently. Spam accounted for 80 percent of total email traffic in the fourth quarter. That was the lowest level since the first quarter of 2009. But McAfee said the decline is only because several large spam botnets (or herds of compromised computers that are controlled by cybercriminals) were taken down and spammers are moving to new botnets.Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs, said there is a direct correlation between the popularity of a device and attacks against the device. One of the most high-profile threats was SymbOS/Zitmo.A, which attacked phones with the Symbian operating system, which is still the most popular mobile platform despite Nokia&amp;'s significant loss of market share. Another prominent threat was Android/Geinimi, which hid a Trojan in legitimate Android mobile apps.McAfee said that attacks against mobile platforms were also successful because so many mobile users aren&amp;'t aware of mobile security threats. People who believe in putting antivirus software on a PC don&amp;'t think about doing that for mobile phones.Overall, malware keeps spreading. McAfee found that, within the top 100 results of the top daily search terms, 51 percent of the results led to malicious sites. McAfee said that Adobe product vulnerabilities have turned software such as Adobe&amp;'s PDFs into prime carriers of malware. McAfee said that trend would continue, as mobile devices support various Adobe technologies. [image credit: ShaswatPatel]Previous Story: Picplza4a4s new features arena4a4t a business model a4 yetPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Android, cybercriminals, hackers, malware, mobile phones, SymbianCompanies: McAfeePeople: Vincent Weafer          Tags: Android, cybercriminals, hackers, malware, mobile phones, SymbianCompanies: McAfeePeople: Vincent WeaferDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Lenovo tries to escape boring designs with new ThinkPad laptops]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lenovo-tries-to-escape-boring-designs-with-new-thinkpad-laptops</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lenovo-tries-to-escape-boring-designs-with-new-thinkpad-laptops</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>overmatsapa</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lenovo-tries-to-escape-boring-designs-with-new-thinkpad-laptops</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Lenovo is unveiling its latest computers bit by bit at the Consumer Electronics Show. The first to be unveiled are its new line of ThinkPad laptops, which are aimed at business users.These machines reflect the attempt by computer makers to create machines that crossover between business and consumer uses. Lenovo wants you to use its machines all of the time. Lenovo is striving to get away from boring designs, but I wouldn&amp;'t say that this design stands apart from the pack. Compare it, for instance, to Apple&amp;'s lust-inducing MacBook Air.The new line-up includes the ThinkPad Edge E220s and E420s laptops, which are thin, curvy machines that cater to business professionals who don&amp;'t want to carry a boring laptop.They feature Lenovo&amp;'s &amp;''infinity screen&amp;'' displays, a matte black finish that is soft to the touch, and &amp;''metal accents,&amp;'' or strips of metal along the sides of the machine.The machines also feature the latest Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors. They also have Lenovo&amp;'s Enhanced Experience 2.0 for fast booting and a range of wireless connectivity options. And they feature Dolby Home Theater audio (for serious play, as opposed to serious business) and high-definition video conferencing. Lenovo says the Enhanced Experience 2.0 lets you boot your machine 30 percent faster than normal.The E220s has a 12.5-inch screen while the E420s has a 14-inch screen. The E220s is less than an inch thick and weighs 3.5 pounds. The E420s is an inch thick and weighs four pounds. The keyboard is spill-resistant, and the E420s has a slot-loading DVD player/burner. The E420s will sell for $749 and the E220s will sell for $899. Both will be available in April, and a stripped-down E520 model will be available in April for $599.Previous Story: Toshiba unveils glasses-free 3D on a laptopPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: ThinkpadCompanies: Lenovo          Tags: ThinkpadCompanies: LenovoDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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