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<title>Haaze.com / Puja / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Dish Network completes acquisition of Blockbuster]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dish-network-completes-acquisition-of-blockbuster</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dish-network-completes-acquisition-of-blockbuster</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>emaburgier</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dish-network-completes-acquisition-of-blockbuster</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge today approved Dish Network's $320 million acquisition of Blockbuster, once the largest movie rental chain.&quot;We are pleased to have purchased the assets of Blockbuster and look forward to building on the nationally recognized Blockbuster brand while improving the experience of delivering entertainment to consumers,&quot; Tom Cullen, executive vice president for Dish Network, said in a statement. The satellite provider announced its intention to purchase most of the rental chain's assets earlier this month at a bankruptcy court auction. Under the terms of the deal, the acquisition was expected to be completed Thursday but was delayed by Dish's inability to immediately decide which of the 1,500 leases it wanted to keep.Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2010 after losing significant market share over the years to Netflix's DVD-by-mail and streaming services. In its filing, Blockbuster said its debts totaled $1 billion, but the company hoped to reduce that to $100 million by offering noteholders equity in the company in exchange for relief on its outstanding debt.In 2008, while Netflix was reshaping the DVD rental landscape with its &quot;Watch Instantly&quot; movie streaming, Blockbuster instead opted for in-store kiosks from which consumers could download movies to personal devices. In 2009, while Netflix generated $115 million in profit thanks to increased adoption of its streaming service, Blockbuster recorded losses of $517 million on revenue of $4 billion.Blockbuster closed nearly 1,000 of its then 7,000 stores in an effort to return to profitability in 2009, but the efforts failed. Last year, Blockbuster was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange because of its low trading price. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[How to clean up your Facebook feed]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-clean-up-your-facebook-feed</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-clean-up-your-facebook-feed</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Peplyclere</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-clean-up-your-facebook-feed</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[IT pros would take salary cut to telecommute]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=it-pros-would-take-salary-cut-to-telecommute</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=it-pros-would-take-salary-cut-to-telecommute</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>foreigo</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=it-pros-would-take-salary-cut-to-telecommute</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A significant number of IT professionals say they'd take a salary cut for the chance to work from home full time, according to a survey from techie job site Dice.Thirty-five percent of 937 IT pros surveyed in mid-March said they would accept up to a 10 percent pay cut to telecommute in light of soaring gas prices, A 10 percent slice in the average technology professional's salary would translate into $7,800 less earned per year, according to Dice.Thirty-six percent responded no, insisting on the same pay for the same work. Another 9 percent said they already telecommute, while 20 percent said they'd take any job since they're currently out of work.Despite throwing in the part about rising gas prices, the same question posed by Dice three years ago got almost the same results, Dice.com managing director Alice Hill said in a brief report on the survey.The strong desire by technology pros to work from home stands in stark contrast to the small number of jobs posted on Dice that mention telecommuting. Less than 1 percent, or only 500, of the approximately 160,000 jobs on Dice this month tout the option to telecommute.Though more employers have embraced telecommuting in recent years, indications point to many technology leaders as feeling reluctant to support it. Hill believes many IT managers are reluctant to allow their staffers to work from home.Pointing to an unemployment rate of only 4 percent among IT professionals and shortages in certain fields, Hill asserts that telecommuting would let managers draw from a larger pool of talent in which the skillset, rather than the location, is ideal. Advising companies to leave &quot;inflexible work arrangements&quot; behind, Hill suggests that &quot;maybe if we called it cloud commuting, CIOs would buy in.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Voice control comes to Facebook, recipes]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=voice-control-comes-to-facebook-recipes</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=voice-control-comes-to-facebook-recipes</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Apr 2011 07:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>svetalabv</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=voice-control-comes-to-facebook-recipes</guid>
<description><![CDATA[At last, the face has taken control of Facebook--well, the mouth part, at least. Once theFirefox fans at Firesay demonstrated that hands-free browsing was possible, it was only a matter of time before the technology was co-opted by the Facebook hive mind.The original Firesay was a Firefox extension that allowed for Google searching, limited browsing, and even launching specific Hulu videos through voice commands. The new Firesay InPage is an attempt to broaden the reach of the voice-browsing concept, albeit slowly, by offering new voice controls for Facebook and KitchenPC. Right now, the Facebook app only allows users to snap a Webcam pick by uttering a few quick words, while the other offers an introductory platform for hands-free cooking at KitchenPC.com.Firesay&amp;39's Facebook Webcam app in action.(Credit:Video screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET)Currently, Firesay InPage is a two-trick pony with the further limitations of only being available on Chrome. You'll also want to be runningWindows Vista or better. But the start-up behind the concept is promising much more to come. Led by CEO Ehud Halberstram, who was formerly on Microsoft's Phone 7 team, the company is Nuiti, and it's not only looking to expand their roster of apps and compatible sites. There's also something in the works called Firesay VoiceAds. Here's Nuiti's pitch to advertisers on the concept:With our patent-pending Firesay VoiceAds, users can talk with your ads, repeat your messages and better remember them. You win improved campaign performance, stronger brand awareness and invaluable information for your campaign. Your audience wins you.Not sure how excited I am about that concept, but I am rooting for Nuiti to keep expanding its user-focused voice apps in the hopes that one day I'll be able to write these articles while perfecting my juggling routine.Here's a quick video on InPage:<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Grooveshark 'surprised' by Google snub]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=grooveshark-surprised-by-google-snub</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=grooveshark-surprised-by-google-snub</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:10:52 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>riauckli1</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=grooveshark-surprised-by-google-snub</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Music-sharing service Grooveshark responded late today to having its Android app dumped from the Android Market, saying it wasn't sure why, exactly, the app had been pulled.&quot;We were surprised by Google's removal of the Grooveshark App from the Android Marketplace, and are still unclear as to what policies have now been violated,&quot; the company said in an e-mail to CNET.As reported earlier today, Grooveshark, an online service that lets users upload songs and then share them with other users, saw its Android incarnation yanked by Google with little explanation. &quot;We remove apps from Android Market that violate our policies,&quot; was all a Google representative had to say when queried by CNET.The timing of the removal is perhaps telling in that Google is being chastised by some federal lawmakers over what they see as the company's lackluster antipiracy efforts. Google is also courting the entertainment industry in order to bring more content to Google TV, as well as to an upcoming digital music service.In 2009, Grooveshark, which oversees a cache of more than 6 million songs, responded to a copyright suit from record label EMI by agreeing to license the EMI catalog. But sources say other big labels still view the company as a pirate operation. Apple removed the Grooveshark iOS app from its App Store last August, after receiving complaints from the major labels. When queried earlier today, Google did not specify if it had been pressured by the music industry to yank Grooveshark.Grooveshark's full statement follows:We were surprised by Google's removal of the Grooveshark App from the Android Marketplace, and are still unclear as to what policies have now been violated. We have always had a positive relationship with Google as evidenced by the Grooveshark App's active and featured presence in the Android Marketplace for the past one and a half years. We respect copyright law and the rights of content owners, generating positive results and revenues for the artists and labels that we have agreements with. Regarding the content for which we do not have agreements in place yet, we abide by, and pay royalties, according to the rules outlined in the DMCA, the same legal act that governs Google and YouTube's activities. We are eagerly looking to enter into agreements with all labels and content owners, so that we can work together to the benefit of all parties. To be effective, these agreements, however, must be struck directly with the respective content owners in the boardroom not the courtroom.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft and Toyota partner on smart-grid tech]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-and-toyota-partner-on-smart-grid-tech</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-and-toyota-partner-on-smart-grid-tech</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>goukeseo</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-and-toyota-partner-on-smart-grid-tech</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Toyota Motor has agreed to develop and deploy telematic services, including its smart-grid technology for running electric systems more efficiently, on Microsoft's cloud-based Azure technology.Toyota wants to use the technology to give customers navigation and diagnostic services, much like General Motors' OnStar service. Toyota also envisions scenarios in which drivers would be able to turn on heaters or air conditioning at their home with voice commands from theircar. &quot;We'll boost the value of today's vehicles by making them information terminals,&quot; Toyota President Akio Toyoda said at a press conference today, which was Webcast.The service, a centerpiece of Toyota's green initiative, will provide energy management technology for Toyota's electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012. Drivers will be able to choose to charge those cars when energy consumption is lowest and prices are cheapest. &quot;We must find a planet-friendly way of using energy,&quot; Toyoda said. Toyota hopes to roll out a more advanced platform to handle a wider variety of applications globally by 2015.Microsoft&amp;39's Steve Ballmer(Credit:Microsoft)The new technology will be tested as part of the Toyota Smart Center pilot program, currently running in Japan. The trial gives consumers detailed information about energy consumption in their cars and homes so they can manage their use more efficiently. Toyota has said it believes such smart-grid systems can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 75 percent.The deal calls for the two companies to invest a total of $12 million in Toyota Media Service, a Toyota subsidiary that will provide digital information services to Toyota's car customers.The deal gives Microsoft a marquee customer for its Azure technology, which provides companies the ability to offer applications as a Web-delivered service. And it's not just Toyota that will take advantage of the technology. The car maker intends to open up the service to other developers who could create services of value to drivers. &quot;Getting the platform right opens a lot of opportunities,&quot; Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said.For Microsoft, the deal moves the company further into the automotive business. The software giant has already partnered with Ford for its Sync in-car connectivity system that lets drivers access their phone and music device with voice commands. It also helps Microsoft expand its drive into smart-grid technology. Just Monday at the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference, Microsoft's Chief Environmental Strategist Rob Bernard told CNET that since consumers and utilities have not taken up its Hohm energy-monitoring application as hoped, the company is increasing focus on electric-vehicle charging.Related links&amp;149' CES: Toyota aspires to be app king&amp;149' Microsoft tries plan B with Hohm energy app&amp;149' Microsoft's Windows Azure turns oneNeither Ballmer nor Toyoda offered up much detail for the kinds of scenarios that might be available. There was some broad discussion about energy-monitoring applications, and some speculation about GPS services that could reroute drivers based on traffic. But whatever is ultimately offered, Toyoda acknowledged that consumers will foot the bill. &quot;To a certain extent, we will have to ask customers to shoulder the expense,&quot; Toyoda said.Toyoda expects the new technology to work in concert with the Entune service, which Toyota unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. That service allows drivers to use voice commands to buy movie tickets, make restaurant reservations, and listen to music. With the technology created by the Microsoft partnership, Toyoda said, &quot;we will be able to offer much broader applications for Entune.&quot; This post was updated throughout at 2:45 p.m. PT with additional information from a press conference.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Make your own ringtones on Android, iPhone (video)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=make-your-own-ringtones-on-android-iphone-video</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=make-your-own-ringtones-on-android-iphone-video</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:10:49 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>carecraige889</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=make-your-own-ringtones-on-android-iphone-video</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Another solar plant to open in Tibet]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=another-solar-plant-to-open-in-tibet</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=another-solar-plant-to-open-in-tibet</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2011 07:11:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Babulal</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=another-solar-plant-to-open-in-tibet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A school in Tuicun Village in Tibet where Suntech donated solar panels.(Credit:Suntech)Suntech Power, the China-based solar manufacturing giant, plans to build a 10-megawatt plant in Tibet.The plant will be located in the Tibetan village of Chek Kang, which is located in Sangri County, Shannan Prefecture, Suntech announced yesterday.Last month, the Chinese government announced it was building a 10-megawatt solar plant in Shigatse, Tibet's second largest city, which is also home to the huge Tashilhunpo Monastery built in the 15th century.Suntech will not only provide the solar photovoltaics for the Chek Kang project but also oversee its engineering and construction, a Suntech representative said in an e-mail.The plant is expected to supply 20,000-megawatt hours of electricity per year when completed. Suntech will manage the plant and sell the electricity to the Zangzhong grid for middle Tibet, according to the Suntech rep.Both solar projects are intended to ease local power shortages.Tibet has been relying on a hydroelectric power that has been unable to keep up with demand due to the area's increased development and to recent droughts.Tibet has been a source of international tension for China since it took over the country and sent the Dalai Lama into exile in 1959. Since then, the area has come under scrutiny regarding human rights, religious freedom, and an Internet firewall imposed on Tibet by the Chinese government.The Suntech project was announced the day after the Dalai Lama and Tibet's parliament-in-exile began month-long elections around the world to choose their next leader. The Dalai Lama announced in early March that he had decided to retire from his political role, though he will remain his people's spiritual leader.Tibetans in Tibet and Nepal have been banned from participating in the elections, according to several news sources.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft sues Barnes & Noble over Android devices]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-sues-barnes--noble-over-android-devices</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-sues-barnes--noble-over-android-devices</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 07:10:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>cotssatria</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-sues-barnes--noble-over-android-devices</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Nook Color, a target of Microsoft&amp;39's lawsuit.(Credit:Barnes &amp; Noble)Microsoft filed suit today against Barnes &amp; Noble as well as the makers of its Android-based e-reader andtablet devices for patent infringement, part of its broader campaign against Google's mobile operating system.The software giant alleges that its patents cover a range of functions &quot;essential to the user experience.&quot; The company specifically cites the way users tab through various screens on the Nook e-reader and the Nook Color tablet, both of which run Android, to find the information they're after, as well as the way they interact with documents and e-books.&quot;The Android platform infringes a number of Microsoft's patents, and companies manufacturing and shipping Android devices must respect our intellectual property rights,&quot; says Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's corporate VP and deputy general counsel for intellectual property and licensing, in a press release.Microsoft says it's tried to no avail to reach licensing agreements with Barnes &amp; Noble and its hardware partners. &quot;Their refusals to take licenses leave us no choice but to bring legal action to defend our innovations and fulfill our responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to safeguard the billions of dollars we invest each year to bring great software products and services to market,&quot; Gutierrez says.The suit was filed with the International Trade Commission and the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Washington. Microsoft also named Foxconn International Holdings and Inventec Corporation as defendants in the case.Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's deputy general counsel for intellectual property and licensing(Credit:Microsoft)A Barnes &amp; Noble spokeswomen declined to comment on the suit, saying the company doesn't comment on litigation as a matter of policy. Google, though, fired back. &quot;Sweeping software patent claims like Microsoft's threaten innovation. While we are not a party to this lawsuit, we stand behind the Android platform and the partners who have helped us to develop it,&quot; Google spokesman Aaron Zamost said.Microsoft previously sued Motorola, alleging that several of its Android devices infringe on Microsoft patents. Microsoft would prefer that companies making Android devices follow the lead of its longtime partner HTC, which worked out a deal last year covering its own Android devices.Despite its many patents, Microsoft rarely sues over infringements. In a blog post, Gutierrez says that this suit is the seventh proactive patent infringement case brought by Microsoft in its 36-year history. &quot;We simply cannot ignore infringement of this scope and scale,&quot; Gutierrez writes.Microsoft, which is losing ground to Android in the marketplace, is pushing hard to take the fight to the courthouse. One tactic: make using Android, which is offered for free to manufacturers, more costly by raising the specter of litigation. Microsoft has claimed over the years that Linux-based products infringe on its patents, which has led to several licensing deals with companies making devices using the technology. And Android is based on the open-source operating system.As Todd Bishop of GeekWire notes, the patents Microsoft is alleging infringement of are different from the ones cited in the Motorola case. This time, Microsoft is suing over patents such as ones that cover editing electronic documents, and capturing and rendering annotations.The market for mobile devices is so lucrative that litigation is a key strategy to keep rivals off balance. Last year, Apple sued HTC for infringing oniPhone patents covering the graphical user interface and the underlying design. And Oracle, too, sued Google, alleging it infringed on patents related to Java in Android.A once loyal partnerThe size of the market is clearly one reason why Microsoft is willing to take on Barnes &amp; Noble, long a loyal partner and customer for a variety of products and services. A decade ago, Barnes &amp; Noble was one of Microsoft's marquee partners for its Microsoft Reader software, an early entrant into the electronic book market. Back then, Barnes &amp; Noble created an eBook superstore, using the Microsoft technology, for customers who wanted to read books on laptops and the existing hodgepodge of dedicated reading devices that used Microsoft's technology. That business has since shuttered. Barnes &amp; Noble also partnered with Microsoft on its ill-fated Windows Live Search Cashback program, which paid rebates to customers who found products with Microsoft search engine and purchased them. And Barnes &amp; Noble lent its name to the list of customers touting its business intelligence software back in 2004.In addition to a permanent injunction barring the defendants from infringing on Microsoft's patents, the company is also seeking compensatory damages &quot;with interest and costs, and in no event less than a reasonable royalty&quot; as well as treble damages for the defendants &quot;willful and deliberate&quot; patent infringements.Microsoft vs. Barnes &amp; Noble, others(function() { var scribd = document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;)' scribd.type = &quot;text/javascript&quot;' scribd.async = true' scribd.src = &quot;/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js1300479309&quot;' var s = document.getElementsByTagName(&quot;script&quot;)[0]' s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s)' })()'<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Crave 36: Pinball wizards (podcast)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=crave-36-pinball-wizards-podcast</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=crave-36-pinball-wizards-podcast</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:11:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>svetalaqm</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=crave-36-pinball-wizards-podcast</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Dialed In 164: Mashing buttons on the Xperia Play (podcast)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dialed-in-164-mashing-buttons-on-the-xperia-play-podcast</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dialed-in-164-mashing-buttons-on-the-xperia-play-podcast</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:10:41 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>raszijucfg</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dialed-in-164-mashing-buttons-on-the-xperia-play-podcast</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This week, we tell you what we thought of the Xperia Play's gaming controls. We also discuss T-Mobile shutting down the Danger service, the latest HTC phones, Android news, and the continuing debate over radiation. Also, yes, we do talk a little about the latest Apple announcement.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Rumor: iPad 2 to lack SD slot, high-res display]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rumor-ipad-2-to-lack-sd-slot-high-res-display</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rumor-ipad-2-to-lack-sd-slot-high-res-display</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jereljrrjr</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rumor-ipad-2-to-lack-sd-slot-high-res-display</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The original iPad might soon be replaced.(Credit:Apple)Apple'siPad 2 won't have two key features that some folks have been hoping for, a new report claims.Citing unnamed sources, Engadget reported late yesterday that the iPad 2 won't launch with a high-resolution display or with an SD card slot. Apple initially planned on delivering those two features in the updatedtablet, Engadget said, but apparently &quot;engineering issues&quot; caused the company to modify its plans at the last minute.It's worth noting, however, that Engadget's latest report contradicts claims the blog made last month when it also cited unnamed sources who said the tablet would come with a &quot;super high resolution&quot; display and an SD card slot. At the time, the publication wrote that its sources could confirm their claims with &quot;near certainty.&quot; Engadget's report from last night said its sources have been &quot;dead right&quot; in the past. Considering that these two separate reports claim two very different things, perhaps those &quot;sources&quot; shouldn't make you feel as well-informed as Engadget would have you believe.As with any Apple-related rumor, it's important to keep in mind that the company is one of the more secretive in the tech industry, and rumors surrounding its products run rampant for months prior to a big announcement.Engadget's report follows several others claiming the tablet will come with a more-powerful processor and a thinner body. Yet other rumors claim the device will feature both front- and rear-facing cameras and won't be available until June.For its part, Apple isn't talking. The company did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment. But we should find out everything we want to know about the iPad 2 at an Apple event on Wednesday. And CNET will be there, live-blogging every second.Until then, expect even more wild rumors to fly in reports pretending to know what Apple really has planned.Updated at 8:30 a.m. PTwith reference to a previous report from Engadget.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Microsoft to nix Zune branding]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-microsoft-to-nix-zune-branding</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-microsoft-to-nix-zune-branding</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lillian</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-microsoft-to-nix-zune-branding</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Every once in a while the Microsoft news world (us included) goes into a tizzy over the imminent death of Zune, the entertainment platform that initially launched around an MP3 competitor designed to take onApple's iPod, and that has since gone on to become the brand and software music experiences found inside theXbox 360 andWindows Phone 7. The reasoning behind these arguments typically centers around a combination of sales, device iteration, and software updates. The MP3 player never quite went on to offer the iPod a challenge in market share as Microsoft had seemingly intended when the product was first announced. What happened instead (and what Microsoft has been happy to point out), is that Zune has grown to be bigger than a single device. It's turned into a platform, and an idea that, much like the ill-fated PlaysForSure DRM initiative (which the Zune helped kill off), means you have a single ecosystem with multiple devices that will work in harmony as long as you stay within its walls. But murmurs around that ecosystem's identity being killed off have slowly begun to pick up again with reports that suggest Microsoft plans to nix the branding, as well as move some of the Zune components into other parts of the company. &quot;My sources tell me that the Zune brand is on the way out and that all Zune products and services will be moved into other businesses, including Windows Live,&quot; wrote longtime Microsoft follower Paul Thurrott in a post on Monday. &quot;Zune will essentially cease to exist under this plan,&quot; he said.A Microsoft representative denied such claims to ZDnet's Mary Jo Foley, saying:&quot;We're not 'killing' any of the Zune services/features in any way. Microsoft remains committed to providing a great music and video experience from Zune on platforms such as Xbox Live, Windows-based PCs, Zune devices and Windows Phone 7, as well as integration with Bing and MSN.&quot;  One of the items that had fueled the rumor fire was heaped on during last week's announcement by Microsoft that it was joining forces with Nokia as part of a strategic partnership that would see the two companies working together on future devices. Missing from a slide about how Microsoft and Nokia's collaboration would extend the two companies' global reach were any mentions of Zune ecosystem among the sea of the company's brands and services. One slide is not be enough to start a death countdown though, or at least it shouldn't be given consideration to the role the software and platform itself still plays within the company's current lineup of products. Take for instance Windows Phone 7, which is the latest device to be given the Zune treatment. When Microsoft eventually rolls out its first system software update for it next month it's going to need to be done through the Zune software. Mac users, on the other hand, will be able to use the Windows Phone 7 Connector software, which Microsoft made as a go-between for iTunes users. The prospect gets a bit more murky on the Xbox side of things. Zune has existed there simply as a rebrand of a service that had existed before, with a content lineup that mirrors what's available on the PC side, including the subscription music service. Microsoft wasn't afraid to change it around that first time, but risks confusing users by changing monikers yet again. As for the device itself, the Zune hardware hasn't been given a refresh since September of 2009 and is unlikely to see another, with development on the player software being honed for phones instead. In that regard, it may be the right time to give the platform a rebranding to decouple it from the connotation of a device that is no longer getting the company's attention. The real question is where the pieces will land if and when that happens. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[House Republicans push energy and science cuts]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=house-republicans-push-energy-and-science-cuts</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=house-republicans-push-energy-and-science-cuts</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sana01</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=house-republicans-push-energy-and-science-cuts</guid>
<description><![CDATA[WASHINGTON--Scientific research, environmental protection and other priorities of the Obama administration would face steep cuts under a congressional Republican spending plan released today. More than 60 programs would be eliminated entirely, including Obama's effort to build a network of high-speed passenger trains. Birth control funding, the Americorps volunteer program, public broadcasting, the community-oriented policing program, and a &quot;weatherization&quot; program to insulate homes and office buildings also would be eliminated. The proposal has virtually no chance of becoming law because President Barack Obama and the Democrats who control the Senate are certain to oppose it. But it will frame a debate over federal spending that is likely to dominate Washington this year.Republicans in the House of Representatives aim to impose immediate cuts averaging 15 percent on domestic spending programs to narrow a budget deficit projected to hit a record $1.5 trillion this year, and show conservative voters that they are serious about scaling back the size of government. &quot;We have taken a wire brush to the discretionary budget and scoured every program to find real savings,&quot; said Republican Representative Hal Rogers, who as chairman of the Appropriations Committee is leading the effort. Republicans congressional leaders emerged from a White House lunch with Obama voicing optimism that they would be able to work with the president on budget cuts.But with Obama pushing for targeted increases in scientific research and other areas, consensus will not come easily. &quot;This is all a political statement to try to appeal to a relatively narrow base, and I suspect when they finish their work that it's going to be an even narrower base,&quot; Democratic Representative Jim Moran told Reuters. The plan would eliminate 60,000 jobs, said Moran, who sits on the Appropriations Committee.Largest cuts Congress will have to agree on spending levels to avoid a government shutdown when current funding expires on March 4. The $32 billion in cuts prepared by the Appropriations Committee would amount to the largest budget cut in U.S. history. But they would spare entitlement programs, such as pension and health insurance for the elderly, and military spending that account for the majority of the $3.7 trillion annual U.S. budget. The final package that passes the House is likely to be even deeper as newly elected conservative members push for an additional $26 billion in cuts. House Republican leader Eric Cantor said it likely will deny funding needed to implement Obama's landmark health care reform, which Congress passed last year. It is not clear if the package that the Appropriations Committee is putting together will include those cuts, or if they will be added during debate on the House floor next week. The committee is expected to finish work on the package on Thursday. The package would apply to a fiscal year that is nearly halfway through, meaning that many agencies and programs would face immediate, sharp budget cuts.Among them:&amp;149' A 30 percent cut to the Energy Department's Office of Science, which funds basic scientific research. Obama called for renewed emphasis on scientific research in his State of the Union speech last month. &amp;149' A 5 percent cut to a program that provides food for low-income mothers and children. &amp;149' A 2 percent cut to the Internal Revenue Service, which faces increased duties under the new health care law. &amp;149' Sharp cuts to several programs that help local governments upgrade drinking-water and sewer systems and fund improvements in poor neighborhoods. &amp;149' Eliminating outright the $1 billion set aside for Obama's high-speed rail network. &amp;149' $2 billion in cuts from the government's $18 billion in job-training programs. &amp;149' A 32 percent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency, which aims to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases over Republican objections.&amp;149' Cuts to an array of energy programs, from efforts to boost efficiency and renewable energy programs to nuclear and clean-coal programs.Story Copyright (c) 2010 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Intel to invest $100 million in university research]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-to-invest-100-million-in-university-research</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-to-invest-100-million-in-university-research</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:11:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>marmarlomm</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-to-invest-100-million-in-university-research</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Intel Labs will invest $100 million in U.S. university research over the next five years, the chipmaker announced today. Intel will open Intel Science and Technology Centers (ISTC) across multiple universities, focusing on projects in areas &quot;that align with the company's research agenda including visual computing, mobility, security and embedded solutions,&quot; the company said. The new investment model is expected to result in U.S. researchers receiving up to five times more funding from Intel Labs when compared to the investment model Intel has used to date. Citing President Obama's State of the Union address last night, Justin Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer, said universities are struggling with research dollars amid the economic recession. &quot;Universities have been hard hit. This is intended to help the universities move beyond the recession and be part of the recovery,&quot; he said. Stanford University will be the hub for the first center, which will focus on visual computing experiences for consumers and professionals. Researchers at Stanford will collaborate with a community of researchers from seven other universities including Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Washington. &quot;Stanford is honored to be chosen as the host university for the initial ISTC,&quot; said Pat Hanrahan, the lead academic principal investigator for the ISTC on Visual Computing. &quot;This is an exciting new model that will have huge impact on the future of computing.&quot; Each ISTC is funded for five years at $2.5 million per year and each will focus on one research area, such as visual computing, secure computing, and cloud computing. The Intel research investment is targeted exclusively at U.S. universities.(Credit:Intel)One of the biggest challenges for Intel in the past has been getting technology out the laboratory and into products, said Rattner. &quot;Many technologies don't reach escape velocity,&quot; he said. &quot;It's important to move this research into product.&quot; One way Intel will accomplish this is by putting four Intel researchers at each center. &quot;Just writing a check and periodically showing up&quot; to check on research progress doesn't work, Rattner added. The recently introduced &quot;Sandy Bridge&quot; will be a key technology. &quot;The 2nd Generation Core Microprocessor (Sandy Bridge) will be an especially attractive processor to use due to the integrated processor graphics capabilities,&quot; said Rattner, responding to an e-mail query. &quot;An example area would be finding the best ways to perform parallel processing of future visual applications,&quot; he said. During a conference call today, Rattner discussed one &quot;Holy Grail project&quot; as a camera-based visual technology in which someone using their smartphone ortablet could go into a virtual store and try on clothes. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Do iOS icons confirm iPad 2 front-facing cam]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=do-ios-icons-confirm-ipad-2-front-facing-cam</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=do-ios-icons-confirm-ipad-2-front-facing-cam</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ben001</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=do-ios-icons-confirm-ipad-2-front-facing-cam</guid>
<description><![CDATA[And it can also slice a tomato after chewing through a tin can.(Credit:Matt Hickey/CNET)It's almost considered certain among fanboys that Apple's nextiPad--which so far we're imaginatively calling the iPad 2--will come out in the next couple of months. It might be as early as April, as it was April of last year that saw the launch of the original iPad, which now has 87 percent of tablet market share.  Because the supposed unveiling is so close--some say within the next few weeks--the gossip mongers are in overdrive trying to find out what it will and won't have. And the latest rumor, which we spotted onMac Rumors, features what may be evidence of something people have wanted since the original: a front-facing camera.Of course, a front camera almost seems a given, since theiPhone 4 and the latest iPod Touch both already include such a device to allow FaceTime to work. Besides that, a graphic in the latest beta of iOS 4.3 for iPad has new default icons on the homescreen that appear to show a few applications that utilize such a camera. One's simply &quot;Camera'&quot; one's &quot;PhotoBooth,&quot; an app that ever MacBook and iMac currently ships with' and the last is &quot;FaceTime,&quot; Apple's mobile video chat software.The icons themselves are small, as is the graphic they're part of. But blow them up, like we did above using Photoshop, you can extrapolate what the text under the icons say, with very little imagination.It's possible that Apple is just throwing us a curveball (were I an Apple engineer I, too, would be tempted to mess with the minds of fanboys), but this looks legit. While we may not get Retina with the next iPad, it's indeed looking like we'll get at least one camera. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Still need a job Learned Drupal yet]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=still-need-a-job-learned-drupal-yet</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=still-need-a-job-learned-drupal-yet</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>coloncleanse23</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=still-need-a-job-learned-drupal-yet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A year ago, I wrote about how those looking for work should consider learning Drupal, an open-source Web content management system. According to the project team, Drupal now powers 1 percent of all of the Web sites in the world.This week, as the project celebrates its 10th anniversary, the team announced the release of Drupal 7, which features an easier-to-use administrative interface, more flexibility in customization, new database support, and an increased effort to make Drupal sites scale more readily. Nearly 1,000 people contributed to the release. It also announced that it is planning to host DrupalCon 2011 in Chicago from March 7 through 10.According to project lead Dries Buytaert, companies are choosing Drupal because their Web presence is continuing to grow, but based on the current economic landscape, they still don't have much of a budget to spend on software. That doesn't mean that they don't have to maintain and enhance their Web sites, of course, and they need skilled help to do so. Drupal provides a vast amount of community support: people can share, collaborate, and learn more in the process. Organizations such as NPR, Examiner.com, and Whitehouse.gov all use Drupal to build internal and external-facing Web sites in a matter of hours, with minimal custom programming. As such sites proliferate, companies need people to manage them, which means that as Drupal adoption grows, so too do job opportunities. There are many technology areas and open-source software packages that continue to see tremendous growth. Some, like Ruby, are a bit more palatable to those without strong engineering backgrounds, while others, like OpenStack, may require a bit more geekiness but have tremendous growth potential. The important thing to note is that there are jobs out there, if you have the right skills and, in fact, certain engineering areas are severely lacking in experienced candidates.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Chrome OS notebook giveaway]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chrome-os-notebook-giveaway</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chrome-os-notebook-giveaway</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Massey</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chrome-os-notebook-giveaway</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Tweet for a chance to win a Chrome OS Netbook prototype. Five lucky winners will get one!(Credit:Rafe Needleman/CNET) Google's highly anticipated new Chrome operating system won't be here until 2011, but we got our hands on five prototype Chrome OS notebooks courtesy of Google. We are happily giving them away to you, our cherished readers, in our Chrome OS sweepstakes. Important: Unlike our usual Crave giveaways, which you enter by posting a comment, the rules here are different, so please follow the instructions below on how to enter.How do you enter to win this notebook of the future Here are the rules. Please read them carefully:Become a follower of @cnet on Twitter.com. To enter this Sweepstakes, you must be a follower of @cnet on Twitter.com. If you are not currently a follower of @cnet on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/cnet and click on the button in the top-left corner of the page that says &quot;follow&quot;' then Tweet the required phrase and you will receive an entry into the Sweepstakes.Tweet the required phrase. Tweet this phrase (copy and paste): I entered the @cnet ChromeOS Sweepstakes for a chance to win a Chrome OS notebook: http://bit.ly/dOgTmxTweet only once. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you tweet more than once, you will be automatically disqualified.The winner will be chosen randomly. Five winners will receive (1) one Chrome OS notebook with a retail value of $300.If you are chosen, you will be notified via Twitter Direct Message. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.Entries for the Chrome OS Notebook can be submitted until Wednesday, December 22, at noon PT.Sweepstakes ends 11:59:59 a.m. PT on December 22, 2010 (the &quot;Promotion Period&quot;). And here's the disclaimer that our legal department said we had to include (sorry for the caps, but rules are rules):NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 12 PM PT on December 22, 2010. See official rules for details. Good luck. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Charges dropped in Russian piracy case]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-charges-dropped-in-russian-piracy-case</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-charges-dropped-in-russian-piracy-case</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Dec 2010 08:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lamecheag</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-charges-dropped-in-russian-piracy-case</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A Russian court has dropped piracy charges against environmental group Baikal Wave due to drastic changes made to Microsoft's licensing program for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) back in October, according to The New York Times.The case, which centered on the legitimacy of Microsoft software the group had been using, resulted partly in the launch of a new, unilateral software licensing program by Microsoft that would give NGOs free and unrestricted access to various Microsoft software. That program was also designed to keep similar investigations from happening in Russia, where software piracy had been used as a means to begin a larger investigation, as well as in other parts of the world.Microsoft's licensing changes, as well as a push by the company for the case to be dropped, helped lead to the end of the case, according to the Times. Though interestingly enough, the group had to contact the police officials in Russian province Irkutsk, which had been responsible for the confiscation of Baikal Wave's dozen computers, in order to find out that the investigation had ceased. In a related post on Microsoft's On the Issues blog, Nancy Anderson, deputy general counsel and corporate VP for Microsoft's worldwide sales group, said that unilateral software licenses for NGOs and media groups are now immediately available in 12 different countries, with more to be added to that list in the future. &quot;We are also making it available in countries where we had already planned to extend the existing program and have been working through the last steps in doing so,&quot; Anderson said. &quot;In preparing this software license we consulted with a number of organizations in multiple markets, including Russian civil society groups, to identify and address any open issues and help ensure smooth and efficient implementation of the licensing program.&quot;Anderson said that Microsoft is &quot;actively communicating the facts of the license to government officials&quot; in the 12 countries, as well as offering legal assistance to the organizations that are using it, and an easy way to provide records of that license. &quot;As part of this program, we will provide direct evidence, whenever it is needed, that NGOs and small, independent media in these 12 countries are covered by this software license,&quot; she said.Microsoft's unilateral license runs through January 1, 2012, after which groups that are taking advantage of it will need to move to Microsoft's standard NGO donation program. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[WikiLeaks--public enemy No. 1 (week in review)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-public-enemy-no--1-week-in-review</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-public-enemy-no--1-week-in-review</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 08:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bugrasman1</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-public-enemy-no--1-week-in-review</guid>
<description><![CDATA[WikiLeaks promised its latest release of classified documents to the Internet would be its biggest to date, and the resulting backlash ratcheted up as well.Despite strident denunciations from Washington officialdom, the whistle-blowing site released about 250,000 sensitive diplomatic cables. Among the files released is a directive signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordering clandestine electronic surveillance of United Nations leadership, including obtaining &quot;security measures, passwords, personal encryption keys, and types of VPN versions used.&quot;The files, which appear to have originated from the U.S. Defense Department's SIPRNET, were provided in advance to news organizations including Germany's Der Spiegel and Spain's El Pais--Wikileaks waited before releasing the cables on its own Web site. However, even before WikiLeaks was able to post the files, its site was reportedly targeted by a massive computer attack. &quot;We are currently under a mass distributed denial of service attack,&quot; WikiLeaks said on its Twitter feed the morning the files were expected to be released.The climate only heated up from there. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, asked the Obama administration to &quot;determine whether WikiLeaks could be designated a foreign terrorist organization,&quot; putting the group in the same company as al-Qaeda.As a result of that pressure, Amazon stopped hosting the controversial site on its servers. WikiLeaks had been tapping into Amazon's EC2, or Elastic Cloud Computing service. WikiLeaks said it's now being hosted by servers in Europe.&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' WikiLeaks, Assange feel the heat (roundup)&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' WikiLeaks faces more U.S. demands for prosecution&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' WikiLeaks reappears on Swiss Net domain&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Amazon: U.S. played no role in WikiLeaks disconnect&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' AG says WikiLeaks criminal probe is 'ongoing'&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' WikiLeaks has U.S. scrambling to plug holes&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Republicans slam White House over WikiLeaks responseMore headlinesU.S. seizes sites linked to copyright infringementDepartment of Homeland Security launches major crackdown on online copyright infringement, seizing dozens of Web site domains linked to illegal file sharing and counterfeit goods.&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Pirate Bay appeal falls on deaf ears&amp;149'&amp;nbsp' Google to do more piracy fighting with search<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Is enterprise energy management the new CRM]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-enterprise-energy-management-the-new-crm</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-enterprise-energy-management-the-new-crm</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:10:56 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Simi</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-enterprise-energy-management-the-new-crm</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Corporations crunch a lot of numbers on a lot of things but businesses, just like consumers, don't have a very good grasp on energy spending. Software start-up ENXSuite today is releasing an updated version of its energy management software, one of many companies trying to bring stricter accounting to costs related to natural resources, including water, waste, and greenhouse gas emissions.ENXSuite, which has some 24 announced customers, competes with start-ups Hara Software, which launched last year, and C3, a still stealthy company with Tom Siebel and Condoleezza Rice on its board. Companies in more specialized areas, such as building management or demand response, are trying to bring better control over natural resources.ENXSuite's software is designed for understanding energy consumption and managing efficiency or sustainability projects.The activity reflects how spending on energy is typically not well-understood or actively managed by big organizations, said Beatriz Infante, the CEO of ENXSuite, a former Oracle executive who joined the company in June.&quot;We've been managing energy at the facility level. But at the corporate level, there hasn't been a system of record of how you're spending and how you're managing electricity or the gas bill,&quot; she said. &quot;An important component is being the system of record.&quot;The company's software enables businesspeople, either financial executives or sustainability officers, to track usage of electricity, gas, water, waste, or greenhouse gases. Once that data is collected, people can create models to make decisions on energy efficiency initiatives.For example, a company could compare the payback period of investing in data center virtualization versus an efficient lighting program. Then, companies or municipalities can monitor the progress of these projects and even tie the results to employees' compensation, Infante said.Version 6 of the application can now automatically get energy usage data from utilities. ENXSuite partnered with data providers which get data on electricity and gas usage, which is fed into the ENXSuite application, Infante said. &quot;At large enterprises, a big integration challenge is how you get the data. Think back to before sales force automation, when everybody used spreadsheets,&quot; she said.Large enterprise software companies are already moving into the energy and sustainability management business. SAP bought a software start-up that tracked energy and carbon emissions last year, which is now part of its sustainability dashboard product. ENXSuite was originally named Carbonetworks and focused on managing corporate carbon reduction programs. Infante said that the company is now focused on energy and other natural resources because they are direct costs. Even though an economy-wide cap on carbon emissions won't be put in place in the near future, companies do need to deal with EPA regulations and the rising cost of energy, she said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft to fund Russian tech center]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-fund-russian-tech-center</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-fund-russian-tech-center</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Celina</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-fund-russian-tech-center</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Microsoft will build a major software development center in Skolkovo, Russia's would-be Silicon Valley.  Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive officer, signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday with Viktor Vekselberg, the president of the Skolkovo Fund, the software maker said.  In addition to building the software development center for its own efforts, Microsoft will embark on a series of collaborative research projects with Russian and foreign universities, provide further assistance for Russian technology start-up companies, build a technology testing center for companies in Skolkovo, and help to support and develop aspects of the Skolkovo technology university's curriculum. Read more of &quot;Microsoft puts funds into Russian technology centre&quot; at ZDNet UK. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Live blog Wednesday: Facebook mobile event]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=live-blog-wednesday-facebook-mobile-event</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=live-blog-wednesday-facebook-mobile-event</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bepnozi254</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=live-blog-wednesday-facebook-mobile-event</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Facebook)Join us tomorrow morning for live coverage of Facebook's mobile event, taking place at the company's headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., at 10:30 a.m. PT. I'll be there, along with CNET's mobile phone and software expert Jessica Dolcourt to bring you news updates and photos, as well as a hands-on if possible of whatever might be announced. As usual, we'll be using Cover It Live to deliver the story as it unfolds. That means you can just bookmark this page and come back to it tomorrow, or plug your e-mail address into the form below, and get a reminder when it's about to start. As for what to expect in the way of news, it could be anything from an updated version of the company's mobile application, all the way to the rumored (and denied) branded smartphone.Related: Why a Facebook Phone may not be nutsFacebook special mobile event<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft to devs: Silverlight is still important to us]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-devs-silverlight-is-still-important-to-us</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-devs-silverlight-is-still-important-to-us</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:10:03 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Allena</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-to-devs-silverlight-is-still-important-to-us</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talks to PDC 2010 attendees about HTML5.(Credit:Josh Lowensohn/CNET)If one thing was made clear at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference last week, it's that the software giant wants in on some of the HTML5 mojo competitors have been trumpeting over the last year or so. What wasn't made clear, however, was the future of Silverlight--Microsoft's media runtime that competes with HTML5 in a number of areas.That much was presented to developers in the company's keynote, which encompassed updates to its virtualization and cloud computing platform, all the way to new phone apps and a platform preview of the company's update of the Internet Explorer browser. While talking about these last two items, Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer paid special attention to HTML5, even bringing up IE9 chief Dean Hachamovitch to demonstrate how IE9 could handle HTML5 much better than browsers from competitors like Mozilla and Google. The big problem was what wasn't mentioned: Silverlight. Short of Ballmer making note of Silverlight being used to stream the keynote, and the rest of the event sessions to remote users, there was no talk of where the platform was headed. This was later emphasized in an interview with ZDNet, where Microsoft's president of server and tools, Bob Muglia, said of Silverlight that &quot;our strategy has shifted,&quot; and noted that major release cycles for the runtime had slowed. Largely in response to that article, and some of the backlash from developers over the weekend, Muglia has authored a guest post on Microsoft's Silverlight Team Blog entitled &quot;PDC and Silverlight,&quot; that apologizes for any confusion, and reaffirms the company's efforts on the next version of Silverlight.Muglia also noted that by saying the company's strategy had shifted, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. &quot;This isn't a negative statement, but rather, it's a comment on how the industry has changed and how we're adapting our Silverlight strategy to take advantage of that,&quot; he said.Part of the reason for that change, Muglia explained, is that form factors for devices have grown at quite a clip.&quot;When we started Silverlight, the number of unique/different Internet-connected devices in the world was relatively small, and our goal was to provide the most consistent, richest experience across those devices,&quot; Muglia said. &quot;But the world has changed. As a result, getting a single runtime implementation installed on every potential device is practically impossible. We think HTML will provide the broadest, cross-platform reach across all these devices.&quot;In early September, Microsoft published a piece on the same blog called &quot;The future of Silverlight,&quot; which detailed how the company's runtime would co-exist, and in many cases--overtake what HTML was used for in Web activities. The piece also noted that Silverlight is not just limited to being used in the browser, as can be seen in the runtime's spread to other Microsoft devices like Windows Phone 7. The next version of Silverlight is largely expected to be unveiled at next year's Mix conference in Las Vegas, where previous versions--including the first one, were unveiled. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GE: Hybrid light bulb solves CFL issues]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-hybrid-light-bulb-solves-cfl-issues</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-hybrid-light-bulb-solves-cfl-issues</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:25:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>James01</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-hybrid-light-bulb-solves-cfl-issues</guid>
<description><![CDATA[GE&amp;39's new hybrid halogen-compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs don't take time to warm up and contain less mercury.(Credit:GE)General Electric today unveiled a halogen compact fluorescent light bulb that promises the efficiency of a CFL without the annoying warm-up period.Unlike typical compact fluorescents (CFLs), the new GE Reveal and GE Energy Smart Soft White hybrid light bulbs will not take time to heat up in order to reach full luminescence.The hybrid bulb&amp;39's halogen tube turns on instantly, then shuts off once the CFL tubes have warmed to their ultimate brightness.(Credit:GE)The bulb is actually two bulbs in one. A halogen light nestled within the bulb turns on almost instantly (half a second), then shuts off once the CFL has reached its full brightness, according to GE.GE says its new hybrid bulb only contains 1 milligram of mercury. Although some companies like Sylvania managed to make small CFLs containing only 1.5 milligrams of mercury, the Enivironmental Protection Agency states that the average CFL contains 4 milligrams of mercury.Mercury is widely known to be a health risk if inhaled or ingested, especially in small children, and has always been one of the downsides to CFLs. The use of mercury in CFLs has been the concern of several consumer-advocacy groups, and the EPA has guidelines on how to handle broken CFLs, which can release a small amount of mercury if its tubes are broken. Some manufacturers have even made a CFL light bulb that can contain its mercury even in the event of a tube breakage.Pricing has not yet been announced. GE did say that 15-watt (60-watt incandescent equivalent) and 20-watt (75-watt equivalent) versions of the hybrid halogen-CFL bulbs will be available as of 2011, with other sizes to become available later.At 8,000 hours of use, the hybrid light bulb has the same lifespan as GE's Soft White 14-watt CFL. The average incandescent bulb has a 1,000-hour lifespan.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CEO Eric Schmidt: There is a talent war, but Google isn&'t losing]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ceo-eric-schmidt-there-is-a-talent-war-but-google-isnrsquot-losing</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ceo-eric-schmidt-there-is-a-talent-war-but-google-isnrsquot-losing</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>insoxsomqxaaycshrq</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ceo-eric-schmidt-there-is-a-talent-war-but-google-isnrsquot-losing</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Is Google struggling to keep top employees from migrating to Facebook and other tech companies Chief executive Eric Schmidt talked about the issue today, focusing specifically on a recent 10 percent raise for all of its 23,000 employees.&amp;''It is a war for talent,&amp;'' Schmidt acknowledged.Thata4a4s particularly true in tech, he said, where salaries remain competitive and even the highest-paid employees can struggle to afford Bay Area property prices. But that wasn&amp;'t the only reason for the raise. Schmidt argued that if Google was just trying to stop its best workers from leaving, the raises would have been much more targeted. Making across-the-board raises and allowing the entire workforce to share in Googlea4a4s success is &amp;''good for the whole company,a4 he said.There is a growing perception that Google is becoming a less exciting place to work. Schmidt countered that as any company matures, it gets stuck with the image of being &amp;''fat, dumb, and happy,a4 but that perception doesna4a4t match the reality. For example, he said a4Aregretted attritiona4 at Google (presumably cases in which Google lost an employee it was trying to keep) has not increased in the past seven years.John Battelle, who interviewed Schmidt on-stage at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, also asked about Googlea4a4s acquisition strategy. Schmidt said that Google has ramped up the rate of its acquisitions this year, so Battelle wondered about deals that turn out to be flops, where the new employees eventually get frustrated at leave. (Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley, whose last startup Dodgeball was acquired by Google, is a prominent example.)Schmidt said this is another case in which the press may have exaggerated the problem. Google management has taken a close look at its acquisition history and found that almost all deals had a4Aa pretty significant impacta4 on Google by bringing in valuable brands, products, or talent.Next Story: You&amp;'ve got mail &amp;8212' still How AOL failed to catch Facebook Previous Story: Google chief shows off unannounced Android phone with near-field communicationPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: talent warCompanies: Facebook, GooglePeople: Eric Schmidt          Tags: talent warCompanies: Facebook, GooglePeople: Eric SchmidtAnthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.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[iPhone users pay the least for monthly wireless service]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-users-pay-the-least-for-monthly-wireless-service</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-users-pay-the-least-for-monthly-wireless-service</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Naina</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-users-pay-the-least-for-monthly-wireless-service</guid>
<description><![CDATA[While iPhone users seem to spend a lot more money in general, they still have the last laugh when it comes to wireless bills a4&quot; on average, Windows Mobile users pay the most for their wireless services and iPhone users pay the least, according to a recent study by Pageonce.The study found that Windows Mobile users typically spend around $205 every month on their wireless bills, followed by Android users paying $197 and BlackBerry users paying $194. iPhone users came in at the end of the pack, paying only $165 each month for their wireless service.Meanwhile, iPhone users are on a much bigger spending spree. The study found iPhone users spend 35 percent more than the rest of smartphone users, based on how big their credit card bills were. iPhone users racked up around $6,900 in monthly credit card bills, while the next highest smartphone batch (BlackBerry users) only paid $5,700 in monthly credit card bills.Most iPhone users are older. more wealthy, and have a little more free cash, which could explain the larger credit card bill, according to a report by Nielson. It&amp;'s no surprise that BlackBerry comes in at least second place, as a large portion of its customers are enterprise users. A large chunk of that could easily be chalked up to corporate expenses.The monthly bill could be attributed to AT&amp;amp'T&amp;'s payment plans, which recently dropped a touch with the introduction of its tiered data plans. The new plans only charge $15 every month for 200MB of data usage and $25 per month for 2GB of data usage, compared to the old $30-per-month all-you-can-eat plan. The new plan makes users pay an extra $10 for each additional gig of data they consume. AT&amp;amp'T claimed that nearly 98 percent of its smartphone users used less than 2 gigabytes of data each month.The study looked at 275,000 random smartphone accounts between the beginning of October and November. It&amp;'s highly likely that those numbers will grow over time, as the number of people buying smartphones grew from 16 percent to 23 percent of all phone carriers between 2009 and 2010, according to a report by Nielson. Another thing to consider is the introduction of themythical Verizon iPhone, supposedly arriving early next year a4&quot; and Verizon&amp;'s commitment to an unlimited data plan.It&amp;'s also worth noting that the study focused on older Windows Mobile phones. The wireless service numbers for new Windows Phone 7 users could potentially look very different.Previous Story: So you think you&amp;'re a journalist Sell your stories on eBylinePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Blackberry, data plans, Google Android, iPhone, unlimited data, Verizon iPhone, Windows Phone, Windows Phone 7Companies: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Research In Motion, Verizon          Tags: Blackberry, data plans, Google Android, iPhone, unlimited data, Verizon iPhone, Windows Phone, Windows Phone 7Companies: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Research In Motion, VerizonVentureBeat 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[From The MAD TechVentures Conference 2010 In Kuala Lumpur: 22 Pitches From Malaysian&nbsp'Startups]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=from-the-mad-techventures-conference-2010-in-kuala-lumpur-22-pitches-from-malaysiannbspstartups</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=from-the-mad-techventures-conference-2010-in-kuala-lumpur-22-pitches-from-malaysiannbspstartups</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>conde</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=from-the-mad-techventures-conference-2010-in-kuala-lumpur-22-pitches-from-malaysiannbspstartups</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Earlier this month, I attended the MSC Malaysia MAD TechVentures Conference 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, a two-day tech and web industry event organized by local company MAD Incubator and MSC Malaysia. The launch pad was one of the first of its kind in the country whose Internet and mobile population has been growing rapidly in recent years. (TechCrunch contributor Vivek Wadhwa, coincidentally in town, delivered the opening speech.)TechVentures is essentially a platform for Malaysia&amp;'s startups to demo their services on stage to an audience and a panel of judges, both of whom selected a handful of companies (out of 22) as winners. The nine lucky companies received advertising and marketing prizes valued at a total of 1.5 million Ringgit (US$500,000).Here are thumbnail sketches of all 22 companies that presented during the MAD TechVentures Conference 2010:MAD TechVentures Conference 2010: Winner of the Grand PrizeXilnex by Web BytesXilnex is a Saas-based retail management solution specifically developed for SOHO, small and medium-sized companies, startups, small and medium chain retailers and franchise retailers. The solution can be used for customer and service management, point of sales management, inventory control, services tracking etc. Xilnex also integrates an e-commerce solution (items in the inventory can be automatically pushed to online catalogues) and a number of reporting and marketing tools.MAD TechVentures Conference 2010: Panel-selected winnersAiyo!CONNECT by Terato Tech (winner of the category: Mobile and Communication)Malaysia-based iPhone, iPad and Android development company Terato Tech (iTunes) showed Aiyo!CONNECT, a publishing engine that makes it possible to convert printed material (magazines, books, brochures etc.) to the iPad &amp;''in seconds&amp;''. Users can then edit content directly on the iPad through a special editor. Here&amp;8216's a sample magazine Terato themselves created with the engine.Math Quest by HezMedia Interactive (winner: Games and Creative Content)Math Quest is an online edutainment game designed to teach mathematics to children aged between 9 and 12 through avatars, quests, mini games and other elements. The RPG-like game is created in Flash, entirely playable in the browser but also available (in Malaysia) on CD-ROM. Maker Hezmedia is currently preparing an MMORPG version that&amp;'s due out in 2011 and for which the startup is looking for international business partners.ooView by e-Trifecta Solutions (winner: Business Applications and Productivity)ooView is an augmented reality framework designed for desktop (ooView Suite), web (ooView Extended) and mobile (ooView Pocket) applications. The platform supports both object- and marker-based tracking methods, with maker e-Trifecta offering solutions in a variety of fields, including digital marketing, events, education, or training.Techsailor Community Connect by Techsailor Group (winner: Community and Social Networks)Social media consultancy and online marketing company Techsailor presented Techsailor Community Connect, its white-label social platform for enterprises. Community Connect enables companies to &amp;''turn any website into an online customer engagement tool&amp;'' through different social networking modules such as user profile pages, friend linkages, a messaging system, forums, media sharing functions, etc. Here are two examples for sites built on top of Community Connect (more here).Capsuco (winner: Subscription and Commerce Marketplace)Capsuco is an online art and graphics store offering customizable products (mainly T-shirts at this point) from artworks submitted by independent artists (who earn a share from each sale of any product featuring their artwork). Online payment is still a big hurdle for e-commerce in South East Asia, which is why the startup is planning to offer pre-paid &amp;''Capsuco Cards&amp;'' in selected brick-and mortar retail stores in Malaysia. Capsuco, which launched in July 2010, is based out of Kuala Lumpur but plans to move to other markets in South East Asia soon (beginning with Singapore).Xilnex (the winner of the Grand Prize) also won the MAD TechVentures prize in the Cloud Computing, SaaS and Web Applications category &amp;8211' as judged by the panel.MAD TechVentures Conference 2010: Audience-selected winnersMyMall by Convep Mobilogy (winner: Mobile and Communication)Kuala Lumpur-based Convep, which develops mobile applications for a number of platforms, presented MyMall at the event, a suite of apps, which are available for the iPhone (iTunes) and Blackberry. Each app helps users navigate through a different shopping mall in Malaysia, for example by providing maps, store directories, different search functions, electronic coupons, event information etc.Trosworld by Scandic Corporation (winner: Subscription and Commerce Marketplace)Trosworld is a B2C online mall that offers Malaysia&amp;'s 60%+ small- and medium-sized businesses that are still offline a simple CMS to bring their products to the web. Subscribers to Trosworld&amp;'s so-called VIP Store solution can get their own domain name and hosting on the platform, list up up to 4,000 products, use the integrated order and inventory system, let buyers pay through multiple payment gateways, etc. Trosworld provider Scandic offers offline guidance for VIP Store merchants, for example workshops in the real world or phone support.JustSAMit by ISA Innovation (winner: Cloud Computing, SaaS and Web Applications)JustSAMit is a cloud-based IT Asset Management solution specifically geared towards small- and medium-sized businesses. The service not only keeps track of what kind of hardware is being used in a given company but also helps to control software usage on computers that are in the asset list. JustSAMit, which currently requires an invitation, also wants to support clients to keep up-to-date by benchmarking their IT equipment with relevant industry vertical trends by location.The three panel-selected winners Math Quest, Techsailor Community Connect and ooView also won the audience awards in their respective categories.Here are the 13 other startups that made it to the MAD TechVentures finals but didn&amp;'t quite make the cut:mobile augmented reality platform by Clarify Consulting mobile content platform Happy Ring Ring monetization solution for social games Sogamo by ZelRealm Interactive knowledge management system Qryos by BCZ IT SolutionsGPS tracking solution by bBat tree maintenance system TREEMAIS by Urban Headline SaaS based business activity management solution KPIMatrix by Suzerein sports portal Hooha Asia real-time, location-based sales and promotions platform GetTodo by Aveniq e-commerce website solution HanWebFusion by Hanventure Worldwide Joomla-based website builder for businesses Joomware by Juzit  task management solution TaskTwister by KH Software Services wimax network performance analyzer by Syndes TechnologiesMAD Incubator and co-organizer MSC Malaysia already expect to have another TechVentures Conference in Kuala Lumpur next year.To keep up-to-date about Malaysiaa4a4s web scene, head over to the Entrepreneurs.my blog or follow the Twitter account of Kuala Lumpur-based mover and shaker Daniel Cerventus. For more South East Asia-related information, have a look at the e27 and SGEntrepreneurs blogs or download the This Week In Asia tech podcasts.CrunchBase InformationTerato TechInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Walmart, Amazon.com lead push toward greener packaging]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=walmart-amazon-com-lead-push-toward-greener-packaging</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=walmart-amazon-com-lead-push-toward-greener-packaging</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>davidclarl</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=walmart-amazon-com-lead-push-toward-greener-packaging</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This post is sponsored by Dell. As always, VentureBeat is adamant about maintaining editorial objectivity. Dell had no involvement in the content of this or other posts.For this gift-giving season, get ready to look beyond foam peanuts and bubble wrap. Major players in e-commerce are looking to green their products&amp;' packaging, from the box your gift comes in to the packing materials that keep it safe during shipping.Giant merchants and shippers like Amazon.com, Walmart, FedEx, and UPS have placed increasing focus on greening the packaging of their products and shipping services. It&amp;'s a matter of going green as well as saving on cost by tossing out wasteful and outdated packaging materials and techniques, says Robert Vos, a professor at the University of Southern California and a sustainability expert.&amp;''There&amp;'s a lot of important cost-saving [opportunities] in their supply chains,&amp;'' Vos said on the motivations behind greener packaging. &amp;''Consumers are just demanding a greener package now.&amp;''Walmart, which has significant muscle among its supply chain, has been a leader in greener packaging and could evoke industry-wide changes thanks to its buying power. A few years ago, it debuted a &amp;''packaging scorecard&amp;'' system to its 60,000 global suppliers, offering preferred dealer status to suppliers who aimed to lower the amount of packaging they used by five percent &amp;8212' which Walmart said would save it $3.4 billion a year. Last year, the company alsopledged to eliminate all waste at its stores by 2025 by reducing, reusing or recycling all materials.Software and data crunching plays a big part in reducing waste and saving money on shipping, too. Quidsi, owner of Diapers.com and Soap.com, has developed software algorithms to save on shipping costs. The company has 23 different sizes of shipping boxes, and the software selects the smallest possible box for each order' human workers then figure out how best to arrange the ordered items inside the box. Amazon.com recently agreed to acquire Quidsi for $540 million, with the promise that it could apply Quidsi&amp;'s efficient techniques across its vast e-commerce empire.Using less packaging is one green option, but trying new materials is a promising strategy, too. Dell has been trying out packaging materials made from bamboo, using the fast-growing grass in shipping one of its netbook models and one of its tablets. Bamboo is considered an environmentally friendly resource because it replenishes itself quickly. One company, Total Packaging Solutions, has also turned to bamboo to make packaging trays for meat and produce sold in supermarkets.It&amp;'s a topic that&amp;'s garnering increasing attention from all fronts. There have been several consumer guides onpackaging materials to avoid (obvious candidates like Styrofoam, plastic bottles and plastic bags). But the move to go green has also run into snafus and confusion, which has led the Federal Trade Commission topropose a set of guidelines that would tighten restrictions on what can be marketed as eco-friendly packaging.Though consumers are increasingly demanding environmentally responsible packaging, the industry hit a snag earlier this year when Frito-Laypulled most of its plant-based, compostable SunChips bags in the U.S. Customers complained that the bags were too noisy, earning mockery from the likes of Stephen Colbert. Frito-Lay had debuted the bag to some fanfare, running TV ads showing the bag fading into the earth, but consumer discontent about the bags&amp;' noisegrew into a tidal wave of Facebook groups and YouTube satires. The bags were disposed quickly, and that particular formulation doesn&amp;'t look likely to be recycled.Still, companies are moving ahead with greener packaging, and a handful of startups are emerging to fill the gap. MBA Polymers, which recently closed $25 million in equity funding, squeezes reusable plastic out of thrown-away computers, cars and cell phones and sells that recycled plastic back to manufacturers that want to use greener raw materials. Cereplast takes on plastic directly by offering proprietary renewable and compostable plastics through a resin derived from starch. Big players like Archer Midland Daniels and Cargill&amp;'s Natureworks as also moving into bioplastics, whichcould eventually jump 30 percent in global volume. Besides the green factor, bioplastics also offer companies protection from the volatility of oil markets, since traditional plastic is petroleum-based.In Amazon&amp;'s case, e-commerce has presented opportunities to rethink traditional packaging. Colorful display boxes were originally created to maximize the visual appeal of items sitting on a shelf, while clamshell packaging deterred shoplifters. But those issues are moot with online shopping. In that spirit, Amazon has begun offering &amp;''frustration-free packaging,&amp;'' a program that aims to do away with difficult packaging and cut down on shipping waste by working directly with manufacturers to see products shipped in hassle-free boxes (pictured, right).&amp;''Packaging that&amp;'s hard for consumers to open also tend to be very hard to recycle,&amp;'' Vos said.&amp;''What Amazon&amp;'s able to do is say, &amp;8216'We&amp;'re going to offer a different type of package here because you&amp;'re not buying it off the shelf.&amp;''Amazon says it has decreased the number of packages shipped in a wrong-sized box and in 2008 sent 35 percent of its larger-sized packages without additional packing. Container size is also a big issue alongside packing materials in companies&amp;' efforts to go green. Like a blown-up game of Tetris, companies are asking that standard 24-foot by 30-foot containers be packed better with less wasted space.Shipping companies have also jumped into cube utilization (similar to what Quidsi does for individual packages, but on a larger scale) and sustainable packaging materials. This year, UPS launched an eco-friendly shipping program that certifies suppliers that meet the criteria for environmentally responsible shipping techniques, which include using eco-friendly packing materials, boxes that are no larger than necessary and still ensuring that goods arrive undamaged (otherwise, they would go through the environmentally unfriendly process of being sent back).FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service also offer shipping boxes made from recycled materials. FedEx engineer Yongquan Zhou recently developed a honeycomb-style packaging that worked as a greener and more effective packaging than a common Chinese packing material called expanded polystyrene foam.Still, much of the drive for renewable materials is coming from the consumer goods and food and beverage industries. Odwalla and its parent company Coca-Cola recently transitioned over to plant-based bottles. Odwalla recently pledged it will transition all single-serve bottles to containers made from plant materials by March. Careful to avoid a SunChips-like snafu, an Odwalla spokeswoman said that the Odwalla plant-based bottles were designed to have &amp;''the same shelf life and other performance characteristics&amp;'' as traditional petroleum-based high density polyethylene plastic bottles.Assuming that the bottles don&amp;'t have an obnoxiously loud crunch and avoid going the way of the SunChips compostable bag, it looks like the wave of greener packaging is still on.[Top image via Flickr/cuttlefish]Next Story: 5 ways your start-up can get better hires Previous Story: Deals &amp;038' More: Envia drives away with $17M for lithium-ion batteries, Wortal lands $500K to plan your social calendarPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: green materials, green packaging, sustainable packingCompanies: Amazon, Apple, Archer Midland Daniels, Cargill, Cereplast, Coca-Cola, Dell, Federal Trade Commission, FedEx, MBA Polymers, Natureworks, Odwalla, SunChips, Total Packaging Solutions, UPS, Wal MartPeople: Robert Vos          Tags: green materials, green packaging, sustainable packingCompanies: Amazon, Apple, Archer Midland Daniels, Cargill, Cereplast, Coca-Cola, Dell, Federal Trade Commission, FedEx, MBA Polymers, Natureworks, Odwalla, SunChips, Total Packaging Solutions, UPS, Wal MartPeople: Robert VosIris Kuo is the VentureBeat's lead GreenBeat writer. She has reported for The Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong, Houston Chronicle, the McClatchy Washington Bureau and Dallas public radio. Iris attended the University of Texas at Dallas and lives in Houston. Follow Iris on Twitter @thestatuskuo (and yes, that's how you  pronounce her last name).VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Entrepreneur Corner: A look ahead to 2011]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=entrepreneur-corner-a-look-ahead-to-2011</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=entrepreneur-corner-a-look-ahead-to-2011</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=entrepreneur-corner-a-look-ahead-to-2011</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Herea4a4s the latest from VentureBeata4a4s Entrepreneur Corner.Protecting your company from boneheaded vendors a4&quot; Service companies often rely on third parties to satisfy their customers. But if that third party rips your customer off, you could be held liable. Attorney Curtis Smolar runs down three ways to protect your business.Hiring in 2011 a4&quot; a look around the corner a4&quot; Is the recession winding down Charley Polachi, a partner at executive recruiting firm Polachi, says it appears so. He conducts a straw poll of recruiters in his network to offer a look at how things stand on the executive employment front a4&quot; both in the U.S. and abroad.6 social media business trends to watch in 2011 a4&quot; Social media goes far beyond Facebook and Twitter and is evolving at an incredible pace. Gary Halliwell, co-founded of NetProspex, predicts six ways that evolution will happen in 2011.7 risks worth taking in 2011 a4&quot; The last two years have been about conserving cash and keeping your corporate head down. But as we head into 2011, Steve Fredrick and Don Rainey, general partners at Grotech Ventures, note that ita4a4s time to start taking risks again a4&quot; or end up stagnating.2011 may mark the beginning of a golden era for entrepreneurs a4&quot; While doomsayers have been having a field day lately, serial entrepreneur Steve Blank says the second decade of the 21st century may turn out to be the best time to be an entrepreneur in the West &amp;8212' and in particular the United States.Previous Story: Can book retailer Borders survive without its own e-readerPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: entrepreneur corner          Tags: entrepreneur cornerChris Morris is editor of the Entrepreneur Corner on VentureBeat, helping start-up business owners launch and grow their companies. He previously worked at Yahoo! Finance, where he was managing editor, and as director of content development at CNNMoney.com. He is also a widely respected journalist in the video game and technology fields, whose work has appeared in Variety, CNBC.com, AOL and Forbes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MorrisatLargeVentureBeat 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[ISAI announces its third investment in Commerce Guys]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=isai-announces-its-third-investment-in-commerce-guys</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=isai-announces-its-third-investment-in-commerce-guys</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>riauckli1</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=isai-announces-its-third-investment-in-commerce-guys</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The French entrepreneurs&amp;' fund, ISAI, has just announced that its investing ina4sCommerce Guys, aa4sFranco-American company that develops open source Drupala4se-commerce solutions.a4sa4sThis is the third investment for the fund run by some 70a4sFrench entrepreneurs from these companies,a4swhich previously invested in carpooling platform Covoiturage and thea4shigh-class online marketplace, InstantLuxe.a4sa4sAnd while the transaction amount has not been disclosed,a4sI&amp;'ll venture aa4swild guess that it most likely lies between the a4s500,000 and a4s1.5 million range -a4swhich would be in-line with the rest of ISAI&amp;'s investments.The 20-person subsidiary of AF83a4soffers a number ofa4ssolutions for e-commerce sites, including e-commerce website development based on Ubercart and Drupal Commerce, hosting, various functions like recommendation engines, social network integration, mobile website development, etc. Naturally, the open source approach has allowed for the startup founded earlier this year to propose a wide variety of modules to its customers. Plus, with over 1 million sites built on Drupal, certain aspectsa4s &amp;8211' like having over 6K modules, being SEO friendly and the ability to resista4sspikes in traffic -a4smake the open source CMS a viable solution for the e-commerce world.ISAI, who currently manages some 35 million euros, has said that it would ideally like to invest in roughly 12 companies averaging a4s1 million per investment.a4sa4sThe company&amp;'s 1-investment-per-trimester strategy obviously opposes that of French seed fund Kima Ventures, which recently confirmed via Twitter (image below) that the fund will have reached its goal ofa4s100 investments in a year in March 2011. Then again, Kima is investing far smaller amounts than ISAI.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[As its CEO steps down, whata4a4s happening at RockYou]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=as-its-ceo-steps-down-whatâÂ€Â™s-happening-at-rockyou</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=as-its-ceo-steps-down-whatâÂ€Â™s-happening-at-rockyou</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>hiuvahaber</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=as-its-ceo-steps-down-whatâÂ€Â™s-happening-at-rockyou</guid>
<description><![CDATA[News broke late yesterday that Lance Tokuda is stepping down from his role as chief executive of social game- and app-maker RockYou. Coming barely more than a month after the company announced substantial layoffs, we started wondering where RockYou is headed. So I got on the phone with chief operating officer Lisa Marino to find out.Marino emphasized that both Tokudaa4a4s decision (he will remain at RockYou working on a4Ainnovation and strategic initiativesa4) and the layoffs were part of a larger reorganization at RockYou as it focuses on social games. The company was already making games, such as Zoo World, but Marino said it was doing too many other things &amp;8212' if you asked people in the industry what RockYou did, youa4a4d get a4Aa mixed bag of answers.a4So RockYou laid off part of its workforce (it never said how much), hired new employees with what Marino called a4Athe right DNA to build the good gamesa4 (such as former EA executive Jonathan Knight), and in the last month alone, it shut down more than 50 applications. RockYou has become a4Aa really different place,a4 Marino said.And wea4a4ll see the fruits of this new focus in the next few months, she added, as RockYou unveils new products that will make it a4Avery relevanta4 in the social games industry.When I asked how RockYou hopes to stand out against giants like Zynga, Marino said the company isna4a4t just a game-maker. Yes, it&amp;'s focused on making games, but it&amp;'s also  a4Aa social entertainment companya4. Therea4a4s a media and advertising side to RockYoua4a4s business, which it uses to make money from its own games (so ita4a4s not just tied to virtual goods) and to help other developers do the same.a4AThis was an aggressive move and a proactive move,a4 Marino said. a4AWea4a4ve got a lot of money in the bank.a4Revenue is still strong, she added, with RockYou set to make more money in the fourth quarter of 2010 than it did in Q3 or Q2 (but not as much as Q1).RockYou has raised $127 million in funding, so if its investors (including Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners) want to see a healthy return, theya4a4ll need a bigger exit than rival Slidea4a4s $228 million acquisition by Google.Tokudaa4a4s departure from the CEO role fit into that restructuring, Marino said, and it also came from his realization that as the company grows, it will need a a4Abeen here, done thata4 CEO with more experience growing organizations. For now, Marino and the rest of the current executive team are managing RockYou while the company searches for a replacement.a4ABecause the management team is doing well, we have the luxury of being patient to find the right candidate,a4 she said.[Photo of Lance Tokuda at the Facebook Developer Garage via Flickr/Niall Kennedy]Next Story: Google Wave to ride again as open source Apache project Previous Story: Idiocy: EPA rates 2011 Nissan Leaf &amp;8216'gas mileage&amp;' at 99 MPGPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: social gamesCompanies: RockYouPeople: Lance Tokuda, Lisa Marino          Tags: social gamesCompanies: RockYouPeople: Lance Tokuda, Lisa MarinoAnthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.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[Abound Solar to compete on cost after closing on a sunny $510 million]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=abound-solar-to-compete-on-cost-after-closing-on-a-sunny-510-million</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=abound-solar-to-compete-on-cost-after-closing-on-a-sunny-510-million</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>monlimrekokoloko</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=abound-solar-to-compete-on-cost-after-closing-on-a-sunny-510-million</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Abound Solar announced today it has closed on a $400 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy and an additional $110 million in equity financing from venture capitalists.The company makes cadmium telluride thin-film solar modules (pictured) for large solar arrays. Its approach of using cadmium telluride to make thin-film panels is similar to that of industry leader First Solar&amp;'s. Abound says it aims to make the cost of solar power competitive with traditional electricity today.&amp;''We certainly intend to be, in very short order, one of the lowest-cost producers on the planet. Much lower cost than the crystalline (silicon) guys,&amp;'' said investor and DCM general partner Tom Blaisdell in an earlier interview with VentureBeat &amp;8212' his firm also put money in this round.Abound is among the top solar companies with good chances of an IPO in the near future, alongside Amonix and Enphase, according to Lux Research. Fellow capital-rich solar startup BrightSource Energy is reportedly planning to float an IPO in 2011 &amp;8212' it&amp;'s riding high with the start of its massive Ivanpah solar thermal desert installation, for which it got a $1.4 billion loan guarantee from the DOE and a $300 million investment from NRG Enegy.Abound says it will use the new funds to expand manufacturing capacity (already underway) at its existing facility in Colorado and at a second site under construction in Indiana. When both plants are complete, Abound Solar says it will have a capacity of 840 megawatts of solar modules per year.Abound has raised about $260 million in equity financing since the companya4a4s inception in 2007. Participants in this round were Invus Group, Bohemian Companies, DCM, Technology Partners and new investors BP Alternative Energy Ventures and West Hill Companies.Next Story: Clustrix picks up $12M from Sequoia to treat database upgrade headaches Previous Story: Apple&amp;'s PC market share expected to grow &amp;8211' if you consider iPad a PCPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: cadmium telluride, CaTe, Solar, thin film solarCompanies: Abound Solar, Bohemian Companies, BP Alternative Energy Ventures, DCM, Invus Group, Technology Partners, West Hill CompaniesPeople: Tom Blaisdell          Tags: cadmium telluride, CaTe, Solar, thin film solarCompanies: Abound Solar, Bohemian Companies, BP Alternative Energy Ventures, DCM, Invus Group, Technology Partners, West Hill CompaniesPeople: Tom BlaisdellIris Kuo is the VentureBeat's lead GreenBeat writer. She has reported for The Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong, Houston Chronicle, the McClatchy Washington Bureau and Dallas public radio. Iris attended the University of Texas at Dallas and lives in Houston. Follow Iris on Twitter @thestatuskuo (and yes, that's how you  pronounce her last name).VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Samsung to let its gadget users access Time Warner and Comcast programming]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=samsung-to-let-its-gadget-users-access-time-warner-and-comcast-programming</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=samsung-to-let-its-gadget-users-access-time-warner-and-comcast-programming</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>iropobepranny</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=samsung-to-let-its-gadget-users-access-time-warner-and-comcast-programming</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Samsung announced today that it will let users of its tablet computers, smartphones and TVs access content directly from Comcast and Time Warner Cable via the internet.A bunch of Samsung&amp;'s new TVs are now web-connected, as are its newest Android-based smartphones and tablets. That means they can use internet protocols to get movies and TV shows directly from Comcast via its new Xfinity TV app on Samsung&amp;'s Smart TVs or via the new Xfinity app for the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet. Time Warner Cable has similar apps that let users access programming. Yesterday, Time Warner Cable cut the same deal with Sony. The companies made the announcement during the keynote speech of Samsung executive B.K. Yoon at the Consumer Electronics Show, the big tech trade show in Las Vegas.What this means is that the legacy geographic barriers between cable TV companies are now disappearing. If you lived in Time Warner Cable territory, you could never access shows in Comcast cable TV territory. Now you can by accessing the programming through the internet. Comcast&amp;'s XfinityTV.com has 150,000 movies and shows on the web that are now available for viewing on Samsung devices, said Brian Roberts, chief executive of Comcast, speaking at the keynote.Another interesting thing is that the connected TV allows the cable content providers to supply content directly to Samsung, rather than sending it through a cable TV box, so you could watch cable TV shows without getting a cable TV box. Yoon said the deals reflected the fact that users want to access content anytime, anywhere, in any form. In that sense, the deals reflect one of the major themes of the show: that technology can break down walls between industries, markets and users.Next Story: RIM can&amp;'t stop chat app Kik, which just reached 3M users Previous Story: Virtual currency transaction provider Tapjoy raises $21MPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: cable tv, CES, CES 2011, Consumer Electronics ShowCompanies: Comcast, Samsung, Time Warner CablePeople: B.K. Yoon, Brian Roberts          Tags: cable tv, CES, CES 2011, Consumer Electronics ShowCompanies: Comcast, Samsung, Time Warner CablePeople: B.K. Yoon, Brian RobertsDean 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[There Are 90 Million Tweets Per Day, And A Lot Are TV&nbsp'Related]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=there-are-90-million-tweets-per-day-and-a-lot-are-tvnbsprelated</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=there-are-90-million-tweets-per-day-and-a-lot-are-tvnbsprelated</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Aragon</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=there-are-90-million-tweets-per-day-and-a-lot-are-tvnbsprelated</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Twitter&amp;'s Robin Sloan took the stage today at NewTeeVee conference to talk about TV and Twitter. He began his talk with the bold statement that a good percentage of the 90m million tweets per day are television related (he wouldn&amp;'t say exactly how many), with Twitter peak times happening during real-time broadcast TV prime time. &amp;''Twitter is the newa4sEPG,&amp;'' he proclaimed.Sloan elaborates on this for TechCrunch, &amp;''We&amp;'ve been talking about &amp;8216'interactive TV&amp;' for 20 years, waiting for the magic box or platform to finally emerge. But maybe Twitter is actually the platform for interactive TV It&amp;'s simple, increasingly ubiquitous, works on any platform&amp;8230' and everybody&amp;'s already using it to talk about TV.&amp;''Sloan also provided examples of media brands using Twitter to moderate the TV experience, separating Twitter integration into three categories.Synchronous show tweeting Sloan brought up the Discovery Channel and the Twitter integration around their show LIFE @lifeondiscovery, where Discovery prompted people to tweet out their own discoveries using the mydiscovery hashtag, as an example of &amp;''synchronous show tweeting.&amp;'' Sloan also counts stuff like the the cast of Jersey Shore tweeting during new Jersey Shore episodes in this category, which basically includes any Twitter use that provides a running commentary track for TV shows.Social viewingShows like BET&amp;'sa4s@106andpark &amp;''puppeteer the experience of viewing&amp;'' like no one else, Sloan said. He gave the show props onstage for curating a space for all users watching live to tweet a4sand then actually integrating the viewer tweets it commandeered (under hashtags like neverthat) into the show. This kind of social viewing makes people feel like &amp;''they&amp;'re not alone on the couch eating a bag of Cheetos.&amp;''New kinds of contentTwitter is also changing what we consider content. Sloan brought up the example of how MTV hired TJ (Twitter Jockey) Gabi Gregg to perform &amp;''conversation coreography&amp;'' or steer the Twitter conversation around this year&amp;'s VMA Awards using hashtags like whenbiebermetgaga. Aside from the 2.3 million tweets total under the a4sVMA hashtag, this year&amp;'s deeply Twitter integrated VMAs raked in over 11 million viewers, MTV&amp;'s largest a4sVMA viewership numbers since 2002.Since what&amp;'s happening on television is such a crucial part of collective conversation and therefore Twitter, it difficult to gauge exactly how the full potential of Twitter&amp;'s relationship with TV will play out. There were even rumors of Twitter starting its own TV show at some point. Says Sloan about the microblogging service&amp;'s future, &amp;''It&amp;'s not just supplementing content, it&amp;'s changing it. It&amp;'s taking all this stuff and piping it back in.&amp;''Image: Just JaredCrunchBase InformationTwitterInformation provided by CrunchBaseTipTweet<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google kills Android contact feature in Facebook data spat]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-kills-android-contact-feature-in-facebook-data-spat</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-kills-android-contact-feature-in-facebook-data-spat</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>larelimtae</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-kills-android-contact-feature-in-facebook-data-spat</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It looks like Google is willing to eliminate product features in order to make a point about data portability.Yes, this is the latest chapter in the baffling spat between Google and Facebook over user contact data. As outlined by TechCruncha4a4s Jason Kincaid, Google&amp;'s latest update to its Nexus S phone eliminates the ability for users to see their Facebook contacts in their Android address book. Whata4a4s the rationale Herea4a4s what a Google spokesperson said:We believe it is very important that users are able to control their data. So in the over-the-air update for Nexus S, we have a small change to how Facebook contacts appear on the device. For Nexus S users who downloaded the Facebook app from Android Market, Facebook contacts will no longer appear to be integrated with the Android Contacts app. Since Facebook contacts cannot be exported from the device, the appearance of integration created a false sense of data portability.Facebook contact data will continue to appear within the Facebook app. Like all developers on Android, Facebook is free to use the Android contacts API to truly integrate contacts on the device, which would allow users to have more control over their data. We are removing the special-case handling of Facebook contacts on Nexus S and future lead devices. We continue to believe that reciprocity (the expectation that if information can be imported into a service it should be able to be exported) is an important step toward creating a world of true data liberation a4&quot; and encourage other websites and app developers to allow users to export their contacts as well.Maybe Ia4a4m being too cynical here, but ita4a4s hard to imagine that Google made this change in response to users complaining, a4AOh darn, I cana4a4t export my Facebook contacts from my phone. If that&amp;'s the case, purge them from my address book completely!a4 Instead, this looks like another way for Google to pressure Facebook into sharing more of its contact data, or at least to score some publicity points around the issue of data portability.That feeling is exacerbated by the fact that this only applies to the Nexus S right now (though Google says it could also include a4Afuture lead devicesa4 for the Android operating system). That means the company can make its grand statement about data portability without affecting a large number of users.Google isna4a4t even making this change on the current devicea4a4s predecessor, the Nexus One, because a4Athe Facebook app was preloaded on Nexus One,a4 which a4Acreated an expectation for users of how the device would function.a4 On the other hand, allowing this feature and then taking it away isn&amp;'t a case of false expectations at all, rightSo why make the change now Well, the timing may be coincidental, but there have been reports that Google will finally launch its big social networking product this spring.Next Story: Kutcher bets on SeatGeek as online ticket sites battle Previous Story: Google yanks request for kids&amp;' social security numbersPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Android, data portabilityCompanies: Facebook, Google          Tags: Android, data portabilityCompanies: Facebook, GoogleAnthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter. 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[Ask the accountant: Will my international startup owe U.S. taxes]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ask-the-accountant-will-my-international-startup-owe-u-s--taxes</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ask-the-accountant-will-my-international-startup-owe-u-s--taxes</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>goodos</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ask-the-accountant-will-my-international-startup-owe-u-s--taxes</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This series is brought to you by TurboTax Home &amp;amp' Business Edition &amp;8211' Guides You to Your Biggest Tax Refund.  As always, VentureBeat is adamant about maintaining editorial objectivity. TurboTax had no involvement in the content of this post.This week&amp;'s tax question:If I live abroad, and my businesses are all online, do I still have to pay U.S. taxesWe passed the question on to Michael Bowen of the law firm Akerman Senterfitt, where he&amp;'s chair of the state and local taxation practice. He also is a guest lecturer at Harvard University on corporate taxation. Here&amp;'s his answer:This question &amp;8211' although simple &amp;8211' elicits a somewhat complicated answer. First, it&amp;'s important to distinguish between federal as opposed to state and local taxes.  In general, if the businesses are incorporated, domiciled, etc., in a foreign country and the owner is not a U.S. citizen, then no federal taxes would be due.  If either of these assumptions is  incorrect, the answer can quickly change depending on the specific facts.  The other complicating factor on the federal side is the presence or absence of a tax treaty existing between the U.S. and the home country of the business.  A tax treaty may provide additional protections to a foreign business not otherwise available in the general federal income tax law. (Look on the IRS website for detailed information about such treaties.)State and local taxes should be considered separately.  This is true whether or not federal taxes apply.  In the U.S., states are sovereign and have their own tax laws.  The state and local rules of taxation vary widely across jurisdictions.  To add a further layer of complexity, unlike federal tax, there are many varying types of state and local taxes.  For example, there are corporate excise taxes, gross receipts taxes, sales tax, use taxes, franchise taxes and net worth taxesa4&quot;to name a few. The fact that the business is online (or virtual) does not necessarily mean that it will escape federal or state and local taxes.  Much will depend on the specific facts of the case and what states and localities it does business. Disclaimer: This a4AAsk the accountanta4 article discusses general legal, tax and financial issues, but it does not constitute legal, tax or financial advice in any respect. No reader should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information presented herein without seeking the advice of appropriate professionals in the relevant jurisdiction. VentureBeat, the author and the authora4a4s firm expressly disclaim all liability in respect of any actions taken or not taken based on any contents of this post.From now through April 15, VentureBeat will be taking your tax and accounting questions and getting you expert answers. You can send us a question by email, leave one in the comments below, or reach us by Twitter or on Facebook or Quora.Our sponsor encourages you to read these related links. VentureBeat had no input in the selection of these stories. Filing a business tax extension, Business use of vehicles, What tax forms to file as a first-time business owner, What does healthcare reform law mean for businessesNext Story: Uncharted 3 team shows its stereoscopic 3D muscle Previous Story: Intergi launches Playwire to help anyone make money from video adsPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: ask the accountant, foreign taxes, international taxes, taxesCompanies: Akerman SenterfittPeople: Michael Bowen          Tags: ask the accountant, foreign taxes, international taxes, taxesCompanies: Akerman SenterfittPeople: Michael BowenOwen Thomas is the executive editor of 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[Hatsize raises $5M to let businesses try new tech before they buy it]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hatsize-raises-5m-to-let-businesses-try-new-tech-before-they-buy-it</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hatsize-raises-5m-to-let-businesses-try-new-tech-before-they-buy-it</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Allena</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hatsize-raises-5m-to-let-businesses-try-new-tech-before-they-buy-it</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Hatsize, a service that helps companies demo and test new technology, announced today that it has raised $5 million in its first round of funding to execute its plans for aggressive global expansion.The company&amp;'s cloud-based service hosts demos for new technologies. So instead of a company having to send out representatives or potential customers having to take the time to set up a new product a4&quot; such as a new type of database or customer resource management software a4&quot; vendors and prospective customers can use Hatsize&amp;'s program to handle all the heavy lifting.There are a number of potential uses for the service, but the largest is providing companies with demonstrations and setting up training sessions for complex programs and hardware a4&quot; like those found in medical services. Businesses have already logged more than 1 million hours using the web service.Hatsize became profitable in 2005. Its only other funding came from a seed funding round in 2001, when it raised $700,000. The Canadian company was founded in 2000 and has between 30 and 50 full-time employees. The most recent round of fundraising brings Hatsize&amp;'s total funding up to $5.7 million.[Photo: TechCocktail]Next Story: No more syncing: Didiom streams music to your iPhone from anywhere Previous Story: Good heavens! SEC could take aim at super angelsPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: cloud computing, collaboration, DEMO, trainingCompanies: Hatsize          Tags: cloud computing, collaboration, DEMO, trainingCompanies: HatsizeMatthew Lynley is VentureBeat's enterprise writer. He graduated from University of North Carolina, where he studied math and physics, in May 2010. He has reported for Reuters. He currently lives in San Francsico, Calif. You can reach him at mattl@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @logicalmoron.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[Our Favorite Singer/Songwriter Launches A Mad Libs-esque iPhone Song&nbsp'App]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=our-favorite-singersongwriter-launches-a-mad-libs-esque-iphone-songnbspapp</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=our-favorite-singersongwriter-launches-a-mad-libs-esque-iphone-songnbspapp</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Khushi</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=our-favorite-singersongwriter-launches-a-mad-libs-esque-iphone-songnbspapp</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Just in case you&amp;'re unaware of our affection for singer/songwriter Jonathan Mann, see here, here, here, here, or here. But the relationship didn&amp;'t start out so friendly. Initially, we ripped him for the Bing jingle song he wrote to win a competition. And Mann responded by writing a song about me. But it&amp;'s all good. We&amp;'re BFF now. And Mann keeps cranking out the hits. Now he&amp;'s trying to see if his song-a-day success can transfer to an iPhone app.Songatron is an app that Mann and developer Iliya Yordanov&amp;nbsp'dreamed up so that anyone could have fun with the songs Mann writes on a daily basis. Essentially, it&amp;'s a lot like Mab Libs, but for music. You load up the app, say a word, and pick a song you want to apply it to. The song then plays (complete with Mann singing and playing the music) with your word inserted in key points.Sure, it sounds a bit simple. Maybe even dumb. But it&amp;'s actually pretty funny. And as Mann notes, it&amp;'s great if you want to let someone know that you admire them a4&quot; or if you want to mock them. I mean, just listen to this and this and especially this. Yep, awesome.Once you pick the version of the song you like you can easily share it via email, Twitter, Facebook for all to enjoy.And while the app costs $1.99, Mann has included 10 different songs, and promises to add 5 new songs a month from his collection (many for free, but some via in-app purchase). Plus, as a Thanksgiving Special, the app is 50 percent off, so it&amp;'s only $0.99 now. Good fun for the holiday times.Meanwhile, the regular music career keeps progressing for Mann. Besides the Bing jingle, he got quite a bit of publicity when Apple played his iPhone 4 Antenna song before their &amp;''Antennagate&amp;'' press conference over the Summer. Likely as a result, Mann will now be speaking and performing at MacWorld 2011 in January. He&amp;'s promised me that &amp;''I&amp;'m MG Siegler&amp;'' will be played on stage. And he sent me along a clip of him and his band performing the song live recently. They&amp;'ve converted it into more of a punk rock song. It&amp;'s actually pretty awesome.Watch Mann describe his new app below. The app works on the iPhone, iPod touch, and the iPad. Find it here. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Keith Olbermann may be joining Current TV]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=keith-olbermann-may-be-joining-current-tv</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=keith-olbermann-may-be-joining-current-tv</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>newsJur4ik</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=keith-olbermann-may-be-joining-current-tv</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Keith Olbermann, formerly a popular and controversial host on MSNBC, will announce tomorrow that hea4a4s joining Current TV, according to a report in The New York Times.Actually, what the Times says is that Olbermann is a4Asaid to be goinga4 to Current TV, according to sources who point to a4Aa possible deala4. That&amp;'s a lot of waffling, which suggests that the sources are only hearing about the deal secondhand and may not have all the details. (It could also suggest that the deal isna4a4t finalized, but since Olbermann is scheduled to announce his plans tomorrow, that seems unlikely.) The Times suggests that Current may only be one part of Olbermana4a4s future.The host abruptly left MSNBCa4a4s Countdown program last month. He had become the cable news channela4a4s highest-rated host, but he also attracted a fair amount of criticism for his liberal politics, and he reportedly had a combative relationship with coworkers and management. MSNBC temporarily suspended him last fall over his campaign donations to Democratic candidates.Current, which runs a news channel and online video site,  seems like it would be a good fit for Olbermann, if it can afford him. (The Times said Olbermann will receive Current equity as part of the deal.) Co-founded by Al Gore in 2005, the channel is unabashedly liberal, so Olbermann would probably have the freedom to do what he wants. In a message posted on Twitter earlier today, Olbermann criticized AOLa4a4s acquisition of the Huffington Post and hinted that hea4a4s not interested in working for a large media company.The move would be a huge coup for Current. The company says ita4a4s available in 60 million households in the United States, but it hasna4a4t attracted much attention recently, and it suffered through multiple rounds of layoffs in 2008 and 2009.Olbermanna4a4s deal with MSNBC precludes him from joining another TV news program for what The Times says is an undetermined period of time, so he probably wona4a4t be going on-air right away.Next Story: Picplza4a4s new features arena4a4t a business model a4 yet Previous Story: Groupon chief Andrew Mason tries to explain controversial Super Bowl ads (poll)PrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: online newsCompanies: Current Media, Current TVPeople: Keith Olbermann          Tags: online newsCompanies: Current Media, Current TVPeople: Keith OlbermannAnthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter. 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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