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<title>Haaze.com / Rita01 / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ChoozOn aggregates the deal aggregators]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=choozon-aggregates-the-deal-aggregators</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=choozon-aggregates-the-deal-aggregators</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sallymy</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=choozon-aggregates-the-deal-aggregators</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Consumers are getting overloaded with group, local, and coupon deal sites, not to mention loyalty programs and credit card rewards. The smart consumer has to pay attention to some or all of these deals in order to avoid spending more than necessary. But while it's true that only suckers pay full retail, there are degrees. To be sure you're getting the best possible low-sucker-quotient deals out there, you need to scan a ton of different sources. Or you can hope that a new service, ChoozOn, can do it for you. Going into limited testing today, ChoozOn aggregates deal aggregation data from group deal sites like Groupon and its clones, coupon aggregators like RetailMeNot and its competitors, and various loyalty programs from retailers, credit card companies, and so on.  ChoozOn is the inevitable deal site meta-aggregator. CTO Usama Fayyad likes that there are so many competing, overlapping deal sites, and services. &quot;The more there are, the better for us,&quot; Fayyad says. ChoozOn lets users create watch lists for deals, made up of deals the user saves as well as recommendations from ChoozOn for incoming deals that fit the user's expressed interests. (Credit:ChoozOn) The service has a complex consumer offering. ChoozOn lets you set up monitors for brands or categories you like. If a deal surfaces on a camera you're interested in, you'll get an alert. You can also have the service recommend deals for you based on complex interactions of your particular business relationships. Say your credit card has a special deal at a retailer you've shopped at before--you'll get an alert. Finally, there's a social angle: you can set up your own &quot;buying clubs&quot; for deals you like and get rewarded when your friends take advantage of those deals. You get the most value out of the service if you give it your loyalty data for the retailers you do business with. You can also have your marketing e-mails sent to your own ChoozOn account, and it will process them for you and tell you which ones are likely important to you (OtherInBox is easier to use since it reaches into your existing e-mail inbox to get your marketing messages, but it doesn't do very much in the way of offer analysis.)  ChoozOn's greatest technical barrier to consumer adoption is this setup hassle, though. Entering loyalty and account data and redirecting e-mails is a lot to ask from consumers. The service will still be useful with limited specific information, like brand preferences, but like billing aggregation services, it's unlikely to become indispensable until a consumer commits to it by doing the data entry. The other big challenge: Facebook, which is launching its own deal service. It won't do everything ChoozOn does, but it doesn't have to. It's Facebook. Its viral tendrils of Likes and Sends will garner more attention to deals than ChoozOn can muster. And if Facebook uses its advertising algorithms to automatically find deals for users based on their own likes and their social networks, it'll be a serious threat to pretty much every company in the deal aggregation space. Previously:&amp;149' Facebook to test Groupon-like deals service (launching Tuesday)&amp;149' Warning: Coupons make you spend more&amp;149' Top sites for saving money on tech Meanwhile, ChoozOn's pitch to brands is that they can get their messages across more effectively to consumers that are interested in them, plus get data on which consumers, or which type of them, are marking their products or brands and ones they want to watch. ChoozOn will make money from referral fees (affiliate deals for purchases and lead generation for loyalty program sign-ups) and possibly from targeted advertising.  Fayyad told me that in addition to direct deals with more than 350 major brands for getting promotional data, the service has hooks into deal sites like Groupon and its competitors, many of which conveniently have APIs.  I got a quick demo of this product, and it looked useful and easy enough to understand. Although, as I said, consumers will have to set it up to make the most of it. There's a lot the company could do to improve that process, which I'll leave it as an exercise for the team. Also, users will have to remember to go to the site (compared to, say, Invisible Hand, which reminds you, when you most need reminding, if you're about to spend more than necessary). But the effort to set up or remember to use ChoozOn may be worthwhile. It looks like it'll be easier to scan this one site for deals and offers than it is to hit the Web and surf the necessary half-dozen sites to make sure you're not overpaying for something. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[preGame 48: Portal 2' Mortal Kombat]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-48-portal-2-mortal-kombat</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-48-portal-2-mortal-kombat</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Legleu</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-48-portal-2-mortal-kombat</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Apple investigating Verizon iPad 2 3G issue]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-investigating-verizon-ipad-2-3g-issue</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-investigating-verizon-ipad-2-3g-issue</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ernieppnpe</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-investigating-verizon-ipad-2-3g-issue</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:CNET)Apple says it's looking into an issue that requires someiPad 2 owners with built-in Verizon 3G to reboot their devices to re-enable 3G after turning it off.In a statement by an Apple representative released to All Things Digital today, the company said it is aware that some iPad 2 owners with the Verizon 3G model are having connectivity issues and is investigating it. The number of those affected is &quot;small,&quot; the company said. Complaints began mounting on an Apple Support Discussions board in the days following the release of the iPad 2 with some users finding that the software switch to turn the 3G antenna on and off was not reactivating without first powering down the unit.The Verizon version of the iPad 2 is the first iPad to ship with CDMA service. Verizon's 3G service is also offered on the CDMA version of theiPhone 4, which went on sale earlier this year. Both devices use the same software mechanism to turn the 3G modem on and off.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Bing's iPad app takes aim at Safari]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bings-ipad-app-takes-aim-at-safari</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bings-ipad-app-takes-aim-at-safari</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 07 Apr 2011 07:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>cibqod</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bings-ipad-app-takes-aim-at-safari</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft today is releasing its firstiPad application, a version of its Bing mobile application that's been specifically designed fortablet users. And make no mistake about it, Microsoft is trying its hardest to encourage people to use it over the built-inSafari browser when searching and exploring the Web. It's a bold claim, so let's take a look at some of the things that the Bing iPad app does to back up that claim. As you'd imagine, the app revolves around searching on Bing. No matter what you're doing in the app there's a search bar in the top--just like in Safari. The Bing app makes that bar considerably larger, as well as adding voice search powered by TellMe, and a jump list on the side with suggestions, related searches, search history, and a category filter to pick between Web searches, and news, video and image search. Bing&amp;39's iPad app home screen.(Credit:Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET) Each time you search, a tile swoops in from the right side of the screen, acting as a tab of its own. You can zoom, pan and navigate through these just like you would a tab in your browser, with the addition of a highlighting tool to hunt for words or phrases on Web pages that's easier to find and to toggle on and off than its Safari counterpart. These Bing results pages stack, so if you want to go back to a previous search, you can just slide your finger across the screen to jump to a different page. This type of UI is similar to Twitter's iPad app, but lets you stack together a bigger group of preview pages. As an unfortunate side effect, pages that have loaded get purged from the iPad's memory pretty quickly (at least on the first-generation iPad), so it's not nearly as seamless as having multiple open tabs on your desktop browser, or using a third-party iPad browser with tab support that does a better job saving page states to memory. Nonetheless, the system has been designed for you to tear through searches, then hop back and forth between the results and destination pages. These stay persistent from session to session, using your Bing history as a frame of reference, so that you can come back and go through past searches just by continuing to swipe backwards in time. Those in a hurry can also hop to a dedicated history section that lists all your past searches. Results pages and destination pages stack on top of one another, so you can head back and forth between them with a finger swipe.(Credit:Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET) Where the line begins to blur, though, is that the app doubles as a content aggregator. Just like with the iPhone version, you can view weather, movie listings, and news, but the iPad app places these items as tiles at the bottom of the app's home screen. Clicking on any of them will fire up a specially formatted page for the iPad. You can also customize certain ones like finance and weather to use your favorite stock symbols, or location so they'll give you that info from their thumbnail. Considering the iPad doesn't ship with first-party apps for weather or stocks, this is a nice two-for-one. Adding to this is a dedicated news reader, which breaks down the top stories by category and gives you a thumbnail, headline, who published it and when it was published. You can tweak what sections are included in this reader, as well as where they appear. Once again, the swiping UI comes into play, so once you're done reading any of the articles you've clicked on, you can simply swipe it off the screen to find another story to read, or swipe in the other direction to bring it back. The news story view is a bit different from on the Web, and on the iPhone. The iPad app offers a grid you can parse through with thumbnails, headlines and timestamps. (Credit:Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET) To break out specific points of interest, there's the trends tab, which breaks down the day's trending search topics as a jumping off point for searches. This is exclusive to the iPad application, though Bing.com keeps a shortlist of trending topics on its front page that changes throughout the day.Each day in the trends section gets a grid of 10 thumbnails, and the app lets you go back for the past seven days to see what was trending. Depending on what kind of content it is, it will open up in a different type of Bing search results page. So if you click on something like a celebrity who's been in the news, you'll get taken to a page that tells you who they are, shows you what they look like, and serve up any related news stories about them. Whereas if you click on something like a music video, it will deliver you to a video player page (which it's worth noting was not working through the in-app browser when I gave the app a spin).  The trends page is an exclusive to iPad users. It grabs trending searches and puts them in a 10-tile grid that users can tap to search.(Credit:Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET) The whole time this is going on, you're never jettisoned from the application or even given the option to open up some pages in Safari, as other apps have done. You can copy and e-mail Bing links, but if you want to bookmark them, or send them to a printer--as you can do in the iPad's browser--you're out of luck with the current version. By comparison, Google's search app on the iPad includes a link out to Safari, as well as letting you jump straight to URLs from its search bar without first having to venture to the search results page. All in all, Bing has made a graceful jump from the iPhone and iPod Touch to the iPad. What the Bing folks have managed to do with the additional screen real estate goes a long way toward making information gathering and entertaining oneself a seamless experience in a way that's familiar, but uniquely different from the desktop version of Bing. Is it a different enough one to make people choose it over the browser for ingesting content With the lack of a way to peck in URLs, bookmark sites, or quickly jump to specific open pages, not entirely. But considering how close the much more capable search bar is at all times, and all the stories, photos and videos at your fingertips, these omissions are not a major problem. Bing's iPad app hits the App Store today and is being offered as a separate entity from its iPhone and iPod Touch sibling. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Kia debuts EV concept Naimo]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kia-debuts-ev-concept-naimo</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kia-debuts-ev-concept-naimo</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:10:48 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>joefijfeee</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kia-debuts-ev-concept-naimo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Kia Naimo is a four-seat five-door electric concept that debuted at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show.(Credit:Kia)Kia debuted its electriccar concept Naimo (pronounced &quot;Neh-mo&quot;) at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show. Named for its square shape, the Naimo looks a little like a scaled-down Pontiac Aztek without B-pillars. By using carriage doors and a hatchback, the four-seater maintains a small footprint with a length of just under 13 feet, putting its size somewhere between a Mini Cooper and a Mini Clubman. It also forgoes traditional windshield wipers, and instead uses a high-intensity air jet at the base of the windshield to blow off rain and water. You may have experienced similar technology at your local drive-through car wash. The EV offers a 124-mile range from its 27kWh lithium ion polymer battery and a top speed of 93 mph from its 109 horsepower electric motor. Similar to the Nissan Leaf, it's outfitted with a 50-kilowatt fast charger that can recharge its battery to 80 percent of capacity within 25 minutes.The Naimo is the third electric car Kia revealed within the past 12 months. At the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the carmaker showed the Venga, which is rumored to enter production in 2013. The micro EV concept Pop made its world debut at the 2010 Parti Auto Show. All three electric vehicles are on display at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Amazon launches its digital music locker]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-launches-its-digital-music-locker</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-launches-its-digital-music-locker</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:10:46 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>TiffSweetin</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-launches-its-digital-music-locker</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amazon&amp;39's new digital music locker service.(Credit:Screenshot by Steven Musil/CNET)Amazon got the jump on Apple and Google this evening with the launch of a much-anticipated digital music locker service that allows users to store their music on the Web and then listen to their collections on computers with a Web browser or on Android devices.Amazon Cloud Drive allows users to upload their digital music files--either AAC or MP3 formats--at their original bit rate to Amazon servers for storage and playback on any PC,Mac, or Android device, where ever they are. The Cloud Player for Web allows customers to listen to their music on any computer running Internet Explorer,Firefox,Safari for Mac, or Chrome. The Cloud Player of Android is a new version of the Amazon MP3 app and includes the full Amazon MP3 Store and the mobile version of Cloud Player. Customers can use the app to play music stored on their Cloud Drive and music stored locally on their device. The Cloud Drive also allows customers to upload music, photos, videos, and documents, but those digital files are accessible only via a Web browser on a computer.Customers will automatically start with 5GB of free storage, upgradeable to 20GB with the purchase of an Amazon MP3 album. Additional storage space can be purchased in plans beginning at $20 per 20GB per year.  &quot;We're excited to take this leap forward in the digital experience,&quot; Bill Carr, vice president of Movies and Music at Amazon.com, said in a statement. &quot;The launch of Cloud Drive, Cloud Player for Web, and Cloud Player for Android eliminates the need for constant software updates as well as the use of thumb drives and cables to move and manage music.&quot; CNET reported last week that Amazon was working on creating a digital locker service for users' film and music libraries and might make an announcement as early as this week. Sources told my colleague Greg Sandoval that as of last week the online retailer giant had not obtained all the necessary licenses, but that Amazon might announce the service before all the negotiations were complete. This evening's launch give's Amazon a leg up on Apple and Google, which are reportedly working on competing efforts. Apple has reportedly been looking to expand its MobileMe service into a music storage and streaming service. However, Apple is supposedly looking at a fall release date to coincide with a revamped mobile OS with a greater focus on cloud-based services and other enhancements. Meanwhile, Google has begun testing its Google Music streaming service for Web-connected devices with its employees--a sign that the much anticipated service is nearly ready to launch. A working version of the service was reportedly discovered after an installation of the Honeycomb version of the Android operating system on a phone. It's reportedly close to being ready to launch but is being held up by music licensing negotiations. Amazon already has extensive experience with cloud services. Amazon stores electronic books on its servers for owners of the company's popular Kindle e-book reader. Kindle users can buy e-books from Amazon.com, download them to their devices from wherever they can access the Web, and Amazon will save the digital copy in the customer's digital locker. Updated throughout the evening. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Amazon may soon launch film, music locker service]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-may-soon-launch-film-music-locker-service</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-may-soon-launch-film-music-locker-service</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>queruraes</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-may-soon-launch-film-music-locker-service</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amazon has spoken with some of the major record companies and Hollywood film studios about creating a digital locker service for their film and music libraries and could announce the plans as early as next week, sources told CNET. Sources from both the film and music industries said Amazon is working on creating a cloud locker service that would enable users to store their existing music, film, and book collections, even content not purchased at Amazon, on the company's servers. The online merchant has yet to obtain all the necessary licenses, but Amazon managers told counterparts at the studios and labels that it could announce the service before all the negotiations are complete, the sources said. An Amazon spokesperson wasn't immediately available for comment. Amazon is in a hurry to win the race to the cloud, according to the sources. It has been widely reported that both Apple and Google are busy preparing their own media locker services. Related links&amp;149' Can Amazon push Netflix out of limelight&amp;149' Google begins testing Google Music internally&amp;149' Apple, labels talk music in the cloudYesterday, music industry sources told CNET that Google has begun testing a much anticipated music service, one that will offer users the ability to store their music on Google's servers and access it from any Web-connected device. Entertainment and technology companies are betting big that consumers will be attracted to the ubiquitous access to digital media. No more clogged hard drives or forgetting to pack the DVD for the vacation trip. Amazon already has extensive experience with cloud services. Amazon stores electronic books on its servers for owners of the company's popular Kindle e-book reader. Kindle users can buy e-books from Amazon.com, download them to their devices from wherever they can access the Web, and Amazon will save the digital copy in the customer's digital locker. Another example is Amazon's Instant Video, where customers buy movies and TV shows and access them from Amazon's site anytime they want. Last month, Amazon said it would stream free of charge any one of 5,000 movies and TV shows to members of the company's Prime service. That one move sent shares of Netflix, the Web's top video-rental service, plummeting. The reason was simple. Wall Street analysts said Amazon has the retail experience and consumer reach to make a serious claim for cloud distribution. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Al Gore firm invests in organic waste recycler]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=al-gore-firm-invests-in-organic-waste-recycler</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=al-gore-firm-invests-in-organic-waste-recycler</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:12:22 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ingparwanbz153</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=al-gore-firm-invests-in-organic-waste-recycler</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Large-scale composting, a la Harvest Power.(Credit:Harvest Power)Harvest Power, which converts organic waste into energy and soil fertilizer, today said it raised $51.7 million in a funding led by an investment company co-founded by Al Gore.Generation Investment Management, started by Gore and David Blood as a firm focused on sustainability, will be the lead investor in Harvest Power's series B round. Also participating are existing investors Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield &amp; Byers, Waste Management, Munich Venture Partners, and TriplePoint Capital.Three-year-old Harvest Power specializes in extracting valuable products from organic waste, such as food scraps and yard clippings. It uses different techniques either to generate compost, which is used as a soil amendment, or to produce biogas, which can be burned for heat or electricity. Its projects rely on natural bacteria to break down organic matter.In the metro Vancouver area, the company is in the process of building a facility that will take household kitchen scraps, including soiled paper, and yard waste and treat it in an anaerobic digester to make biogas. Garbage to gold: Ways to get value from waste (Images)  View the full galleryThe $12 million project is sprung from the region's effort to cut down on its waste in the face of opposition to building a new incinerator or landfill. In the process, Vancouver expects to lower its waste tipping fees because there is now a taker for its organic waste.In other projects, Harvest Power takes organic waste and makes compost using machinery that operate faster than traditional municipal compost methods. &quot;Harvest is a terrific example of a business whose expertise, products, and services both accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and develop a strong financial and competitive position for the company,&quot; Blood said in a statement.Harvest Plans to use the money to expand its operations and fund different projects under development, including another food waste-to-energy facility slated for construction in Toronto later this year. It also expects to expand to areas which have organic waste recycling programs in the U.S. west coast and Northeast, a company representative said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Germany to shut down pre-1980 nuclear plants]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=germany-to-shut-down-pre-1980-nuclear-plants</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=germany-to-shut-down-pre-1980-nuclear-plants</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:11:34 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>anybgado</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=germany-to-shut-down-pre-1980-nuclear-plants</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Germany will shut down all seven of its nuclear power plants that began operation before 1980 and it is unclear whether they will start up again, the government said today.Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the closures under a nuclear policy moratorium imposed following Japan's crisis, and said they would be carried out by government decree as no agreement with the plants' operators had been reached.&quot;Power plants that went into operation before the end of 1980 will...be shut down for the period of the moratorium,&quot; Merkel told a news conference. The nuclear issue should be addressed at an EU summit on March 24-25, she added.Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said it was not clear if all nuclear power plants shut down during the three-month moratorium would remain closed or be reconnected to the grid afterward.The Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant in northern Germany went into service in 1986.(Credit:E.ON)Merkel astonished German politicians yesterday by suspending an unpopular coalition decision taken only last autumn, under which the life of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants would be extended by years.She drew accusations today of transparent trickery for the move, with the opposition and media saying she was trying to avoid a regional election disaster later this month.Merkel announced the closures after a meeting with the premiers of every German state with a nuclear plant.Last year the government had decided to keep the nuclear plants--operated by E.ON, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall--running for about 12 years beyond their original shutdown date, despite protests even before the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on Friday.Her policy change drew cynicism from the opposition. &quot;She just wants to get through the provincial assembly elections,&quot; said Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel, accusing her of playing political tactics with people's fears.&quot;The whole thing doesn't make sense and is really just a transparent trick,&quot; he told ARD television.Merkel faces three regional elections in the next fortnight, including in the wealthy southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, which has long been a stronghold of Merkel's Christian Democrats.Even before the Japanese crisis the CDU faced losing control in Baden-Wuerttemberg, which would be a political disaster for Merkel. Last month her party suffered a thrashing in elections in Hamburg, Germany's richest city.Story Copyright (c) 2010 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[40 percent of new Angry Birds buyers doing in-app purchase]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=40-percent-of-new-angry-birds-buyers-doing-in-app-purchase</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=40-percent-of-new-angry-birds-buyers-doing-in-app-purchase</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Anna01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=40-percent-of-new-angry-birds-buyers-doing-in-app-purchase</guid>
<description><![CDATA[SAN FRANCISCO--It's no secret Rovio has made a small fortune off its sales of Angry Birds on the App Store (and other platforms), but there had been some question about the success of its dabbling in the in-app purchase market. That question was answered this afternoon by Rovio's &quot;mighty eagle&quot; Peter Vesterbacka at the Game Developers Conference here. In a talk outlining the company's efforts to build the Angry Birds franchise beyond its humble beginnings, Vesterbacka announced that 40 percent of new Angry Birds buyers had purchased the 99-cent &quot;mighty eagle&quot; add-on, which lets users skip a level they're stuck on by unleashing a powered-up bird.Vesterbacka did not go into detail on how those numbers trickled down to users that had purchased the game since its release, but suffice to say that the company has been pleased. That success, he said, hinged on making add-on game content that had a wide appeal. &quot;It's bad if you make products that 2 [percent] to 3 percent of your mobile fans want to buy,&quot; Vesterbacka said. Other tidbits revealed during the talk were that Rovio had sold more than 2 million of its plush toys. Vesterbacka described that as &quot;a good start,&quot; while saying that it was only the beginning of the company's plans to expand the franchise. Vesterbacka also talked up the upcoming sequel to Angry Birds, which is a tie-in with the upcoming Fox film Rio. &quot;We didn't want to sell out,&quot; Vesterbacka said of the partnership. In the lead up to that choice, Vesterbacka had described some of the offers from other studios as &quot;weird.&quot; &quot;We got approached by different Hollywood studios, and they wanted to do all kinds of weird promotions, and lots of them were not very...let's say they didn't jive with the brand,&quot; Vesterbacka said.Being a developers conference, Vesterbacka also urged game makers not to give up in the face of not having a smash out success, citing that Angry Birds had actually been Rovio's 52nd game. &quot;The previous 51 games, those were also great games for the devices at that time, but of course the devices at that time were pretty limited,&quot; Vesterbacka said. &quot;If you look at the early J2ME/Brew games, the experiences were not amazing.&quot;There was also a particularly awkward moment in the question-and-answer part of the presentation when Vesterbacka was asked what physics engine Rovio had used. &quot;Box2D,&quot; Vesterbacka replied. The question asker turned out to be the creator of  the open-source physics engine and asked whether the company would be giving him credit in Angry Birds. Vesterbacka encouraged the gentleman to come see him after the talk, as well as for other attendees to introduce themselves before asking their question.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[What to expect from Apple and Intel today]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=what-to-expect-from-apple-and-intel-today</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=what-to-expect-from-apple-and-intel-today</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:10:38 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sandrabui</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=what-to-expect-from-apple-and-intel-today</guid>
<description><![CDATA[After weeks of a growing chorus of rumors and anecdotal evidence, Apple is expected to announce a series of updates to its popular MacBook Pro line of laptops later today. At the same time, Intel is hosting a press event that is widely expected to formally introduce its long-awaited Light Peak technology. A new type of connection for peripherals and displays, Light Peak is said to be significantly faster than USB 3.0, and can carry bidirectional data at up to 10Gbps.What exactly we'll see from Apple is anyone's guess, but posts fromMac news Web sites point toward a major series of upgrades, from new CPUs and graphics options, to a version of Intel's Light Peak connection technology. According to purported specs originally from German Web site fscklog.com and reposted at MacRumors.com, at least one of the new MacBook Pro models will have a next-generation Intel Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and Intel's HD 3000 integrated graphics. The same source says that Apple's version of Light Peak will be called Thunderbolt and share a common plug with MacBooks' current mini-DisplayPort connector. Separately, CNET contributor Brooke Crothers suggests that long-time GPU supplier Nvidia will be replaced by Intel's improved integrated graphics in the 13-inch models, and by AMD graphics in the larger systems. Up to this point, the most recently updated MacBooks have been the second-generation MacBook Air models from the fall of 2010. Both the 11- and 13-inch versions of the Air use older Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs, but the 13-inch Air has a native display resolution of 1,440x900 pixels, making it the highest-resolution 13-inch MacBook available. We'd love to see these higher-res screens come to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, at least as an upgrade option. Stay tuned during the day, and we'll bring you any new developments on new MacBook Pros and Intel's Light Peak as it develops, including a live blog from Intel's press briefing at 10 a.m. PST. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Congress zeroes in on FCC's Net neutrality rules]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=congress-zeroes-in-on-fccs-net-neutrality-rules</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=congress-zeroes-in-on-fccs-net-neutrality-rules</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:10:59 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>IzzyStarr</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=congress-zeroes-in-on-fccs-net-neutrality-rules</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The new Republican members of both the House and Senate wasted no time following up on promises to undo the Federal Communications Commission's December vote to apply new &quot;Net neutrality&quot; rules to some broadband Internet access providers.The new &quot;Open Internet&quot; rules (PDF) would prohibit blocking of lawful content, Web sites, applications, and devices and ban &quot;unreasonable discrimination&quot; in the handling of specific data packets. (&quot;Open Internet&quot; is the FCC's preferred term for Net neutrality.) A new transparency requirement would mandate detailed disclosures of network management practices. Last week, the House held two hearings on the new rules. Based in part on my analysis of the new rules for CNET, I was called to testify at the February 15 hearing before the Judiciary Committee. (My written testimony can be found here (PDF)). The following day, the Energy and Commerce Committee grilled all five FCC Commissioners for over four hours.It was clear from the hearings that Republicans are determined to undo the new rules, which they believe are both unnecessary and outside the statutory authority of the FCC. Democrats, many of whom were also skeptical of Net neutrality regulations in the last Congress, now appear united in defending the agency. As one of the first issues to be taken up by the new Congress, the starkly partisan tone of the hearings suggests there will be considerable gridlock between now and the 2012 elections, and not only on tech-related issues. The Net neutrality proceedings have set the tone for future proceedings on health care, debt, financial reform, climate change, and other hot-button issues.Action follows hearingsThe hearings weren't simply for show. Hours after the testimony on February 16, the House and Senate introduced a joint &quot;Resolution of Disapproval,&quot; a streamlined mechanism for Congress to nullify agency rulemakings. Resolutions must be voted on within 60 days of publication of new rules. They require a simple majority to pass and are not subject to filibuster.Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) introduced the resolution in the House. Upton issued a statement, saying in part, &quot;We held a hearing today in which we gave the commissioners of the FCC one more opportunity to provide sufficient evidence of a crisis that warrants government intervention. They failed. The controversial Internet regulations stifle innovation, investment and jobs. A federal bureaucracy should not be picking winners and losers.&quot;Passage in the House seems certain, and Republicans would have to find only a few Democrats in the Senate to secure a majority. President Obama, given his oft-stated support of the FCC's Open Internet proceedings, would likely veto the resolution, but it is also possible he would not do so in horse-trading for other legislation, in particular the federal budget. Even if the resolutions don't pass, Republicans have other avenues for neutering the new rules. On Thursday, the House passed an amendment to the pending budget bill that would prohibit the FCC from spending any money to implement or enforce the new rules. Ten Democrats joined the Republicans in approving the amendment. Obama may be forced to accept the funding amendment as part of ongoing budget talks, or face giving in on other priorities.There's also targeted legislation introduced in the opening days of the new session by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), which would make clearer that Congress has never given the FCC authority to regulate the Internet, full stop. Blackburn's bill has at least some Democratic support in the House.Meanwhile, Verizon and MetroPCS have each filed lawsuits in the Federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the FCC's legal authority to adopt the new rules. Other legal challenges are likely, and could take a year or more to work their way through the court.Hearings focused on competition, market analysis At the Judiciary Committee hearing February 15, Subcommittee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who is also co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus, pressed me and two other witnesses--Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn and Brett Glass, who runs fixed wireless broadband provider Lariat--on the failure of the FCC to provide evidence of significant market failures that would justify new regulations. The hearing also explored why new regulations were needed given existing antitrust laws enforceable by the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, or by private lawsuits.My testimony underscored my deep concern on this point with the FCC's Open Internet Report and Order, approved by a bare majority of three Commissioners, all Democrats. In explaining the new antidiscrimination rule, the majority explicitly rejected the idea that enforcement should be based on traditional antitrust principles, which require a showing of anticompetitive behavior and demonstrable harm to consumers. The majority did not offer an alternative standard, however, saying only that they would enforce the rule to ensure &quot;the general proposition that broadband providers should not pick winners and losers on the Internet--even for reasons that may be independent of providers' competitive interests or that may not immediately or demonstrably cause substantial consumer harm.&quot;Yet the majority also noted 16 major exceptions to the discrimination rule, including carve-outs for caching, peering, content delivery networks, mobile broadband, virtual private networks, IP-based voice and video services, and other specialized applications, including telemedicine, that run on the ISPs broadband infrastructure. It was not clear why these particular non-neutral practices, which the majority acknowledged are &quot;inconsistent&quot; with the new rules, had been excluded, and why the majority expressed skepticism that any future innovations would be tolerated.That hearing also questioned the FCC's rationale for the new rules, which the majority characterized repeatedly as &quot;prophylactic.&quot; The report's principle concerns seem to rest on the lack of robust broadband Internet access competition in much of the U.S. (On Friday, the Department of Commerce issued a long-awaited first draft of its national broadband map, showing where high-speed access is available.)All three witnesses agreed that the best protection for consumers against abusive ISP practices would come from increased choices for broadband providers. To that end, I argued that the FCC would have better spent its time working to streamline the process of siting new cellular towers and working to free up underutilized radio spectrum, priorities the agency made little progress on during the withering Net neutrality debate.I also noted the agency's heel-dragging over promising new broadband technologies, such as Broadband over Power Lines, which have yet to gain commercial footholds. BPL could prove an effective way of delivering broadband to rural consumers, many of whom have no service offerings today.At the hearing February 16, Republicans hammered the commissioners on the lack of any market analysis in the nearly 200-page report that accompanied the new rules. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski argued that the agency had performed the needed analysis, but could not confirm whether they had done so in conformance with White House rules published by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.Proceedings suggest gridlocked new Congress While it's far from clear if any of the legislative or legal challenges to the Net neutrality rules will prove their undoing, there's little doubt that Republicans now see it as a test case for their new power following last fall's midterm elections. And that they see Net neutrality as a leading example of the kind of regulatory overreach and economic interference on which they campaigned.Net neutrality didn't start out as partisan issue. Last year, a bipartisan majority of Congress urged the FCC not to pass new rules, at least not until Congress gave the agency authorization to do so. It's also important to remember that as part of last month's 300-page Comcast-NBC Universal merger agreement (PDF), Comcast agreed to abide by the new rules for seven years, even if the regulations are overturned in court. It's possible that Comcast will challenge that part of the agreement if the rules are undone by Congress or the litigation.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[FTC looking into Apple's in-app purchasing policy]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ftc-looking-into-apples-in-app-purchasing-policy</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ftc-looking-into-apples-in-app-purchasing-policy</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Feb 2011 08:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>wanabbugtae</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ftc-looking-into-apples-in-app-purchasing-policy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[iPad and iPhone apps aimed at kids are now the subject of a review by the FTC.(Credit:James Martin/CNET)The Federal Trade Commission will review how Apple markets games with in-app purchases, but not for the reason you may think.Apple introduced a controversial policy for developers last week when it said that it would take a 30 percent cut of revenue generated from subscription publishing apps that included in-app purchases. Apple also said it would only accept apps whose subscription offers through its iOS app are consistent with the lowest price offered by the publisher elsewhere. The U.S. Department of Justice said last week it would take a look at Apple's policy, but stopped short of launching any kind of formal inquiry.Today FTC Chairman John Leibowitz wrote a letter to Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) saying he would review the way Apple is marketing in-app purchases, in particular apps aimed at children, according to The Washington Post. Last week the Post reported on parents having to pay massive bills generated by their children making purchases within apps. Children are able to buy items within games that cost real money without fully understanding what they're doing, the report asserts.In portions of the letter published by the Post, Leibowitz wrote to Markey, &quot;We fully share your concern that consumers, particularly children, are unlikely to understand the ramifications of these types of purchases...Let me assure you we will look closely at the current industry practice with respect to the marketing and delivery of these types of applications.&quot;Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft brings first app to the Mac App Store]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-brings-first-app-to-the-mac-app-store</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-brings-first-app-to-the-mac-app-store</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:10:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>tambralmta</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-brings-first-app-to-the-mac-app-store</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft&amp;39's first app to hit the Mac App Store(Credit:CNET)Microsoft has brought its first piece of software to Apple'sMac App Store.The digital software storefront, which launched just last month, is now home to Microsoft'sWindows Phone 7 Connector software. This is the application that lets Mac users sync up their iTunes and iPhoto libraries with Windows Phone 7 devices. It's also the way Mac users will be able to update the system software on their phones when Microsoft pushes out its first big update next month. Microsoft first offered up the software in beta in October, and continues to offer it up as a standalone download on its own site. This is Microsoft's first piece of software on the Mac App Store, and is unlikely to be the last. Microsoft currently sells digital copies of Office for Mac through direct download, but does it through its own storefront. Thus far, the company has kept mum about plans to bring Office to the new platform, short of saying the idea had been under consideration.(via Cult of Mac)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Can The Daily beat free news sources on iPad]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=can-the-daily-beat-free-news-sources-on-ipad</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=can-the-daily-beat-free-news-sources-on-ipad</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:10:55 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>healthcentral</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=can-the-daily-beat-free-news-sources-on-ipad</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:The Daily)Watching with great interest (and a little skepticism) the launch of The Daily, the newiPad new publication, it's easy to marvel at the design, technology, and ambitious scale of the project. But after spending a few hours leafing through the inaugural issue, you are left with the same nagging questions. Will readers pay 99-cents a week, or $40 a year, for what is essentially a daily downloadable news app, especially when so much high-quality news is available online at no costThe real litmus test (at least for someone such as myself, having worked in newspapers, magazines, and broadcasting before the Web), is whether The Daily can make itself truly indispensable in a world acclimated to 24-hour news cycles and feature-free blogs and RSS feeds. Free iPad news alternatives to The Daily (screenshots) Since the iPad's April 2010 launch, I've developed what I think is a pretty killer daily reading list, designed to give me a look at the day's top issues from a variety of perspectives. Interestingly, while I initially used reader apps, such as Pulse, for content aggregation, I've since gone back to simply using the iPad'sSafari browser, and I choose news outlets that format themselves well to being viewed and navigated on a touch screen. While The Daily's scope and deep editorial bench are impressive, the product is by its nature not as dynamic or real-time as Web-based news, and largely ignores the most basic of interactive features--the outgoing link to another Web page or publication. There are a handful of Web links, but they launch in their own feature-free mini browser, rather than in Safari. (I once worked at a media company skittish about linking out to other sites...back in 1999). And while the team behind The Daily certainly has editorial experience and credentials to spare, will it really have the boots-on-the-ground ability, or the institutional memory, to master complex global stories Put another way, I'm not yet convinced The Daily can compete with my preferred one-two punch of the New York Times and The Atlantic for up-to-the-minute current events reporting and analysis. I've put together a quick tour of my daily iPad reading list. It's not designed for everyone or every topic, but I do consider myself a lifelong news addict, and I find the iPad mostly ideal for news consumption (my biggest current complaint is that the videos on CharlieRose.com are in Flash and won't play on the iPad). My main criteria for inclusion are: Good-to-excellent formatting in Safari on the iPadReal-time updates to contentEasy to read with plain black text on a white backgroundQuick loading, even on a 3G connectionFew, if any, intrusive adsNo registration required (with a single exception for the New York Times)Peruse the full list in the slideshow here, and let me know which sites you'd recommend instead in the comments section below. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Smart house monitors inhabitants' health]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=smart-house-monitors-inhabitants-health</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=smart-house-monitors-inhabitants-health</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:10:59 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>NurgeNicesmum</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=smart-house-monitors-inhabitants-health</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Johann Siau shows off the InterHome prototype.(Credit:University of Hertfordshire)Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom are unveiling a prototype system they say is designed to learn from its inhabitants, text if security is breached (or a door left unlocked), and now even monitor its occupants' health.The InterHome, developed in a doll's house, uses a touch-screen control panel that enables online and smartphone monitoring and control from afar.The house not only incorporates energy-efficient and security features that learn from the occupants' living habits (when lights tend to be on or off where, when the house is empty, etc.), but also a device that can be strapped to a wrist with various sensors to take such readings as temperature and pulse.&quot;We developed it further with elderly people in mind so that the house can send alerts if the person has a fall or a stroke,&quot; says Johann Siau, senior lecturer at the university's School of Engineering and Technology. &quot;This opens up a platform for us to add new types of technologies around assisted living.&quot;Siau and his team are now working with the Building Research Establishment in the U.K. to install the system into show homes for trial and testing.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft offers up tips, stats on location privacy]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-offers-up-tips-stats-on-location-privacy</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-offers-up-tips-stats-on-location-privacy</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:10:34 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-offers-up-tips-stats-on-location-privacy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There are some do's and don'ts with location sharing. Things like not publicly posting geo-tagged photos of gold bricks near open windows, or alerting the world to your extended absence are the more obvious ones. But not everyone knows these things, which is why Microsoft is sharing some tips of its own based on research it commissioned around location based services.The 1,500-person survey, which was conducted back in December of last year, involved people in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Japan, and Germany, and will be discussed by Microsoft's Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch during a panel discussion tonight at San Francisco's Churchill Club. The survey is also a larger part of Data Privacy Day, which takes place this Friday. In a post on the company's Microsoft on the Issues blog, Lynch wrote that only 51 percent of the survey's respondents had used a location-based service before, but that 94 percent of that group found them &quot;valuable.&quot;Microsoft&amp;39's location privacy infographic (click to enlarge)(Credit:Microsoft)Though the key concern among those who were surveyed seemed to be consent, with 84 percent saying that they were worried about services that would share location without asking. Fou percent said they'd feel better about location based services &quot;if they could easily and clearly manage who sees their location information.&quot; To that end, Lynch said that customer notifications and consent, along with &quot;user-friendly privacy controls&quot; were part of the company's privacy standards.In any case, Microsoft has laid out some platform-agnostic guidelines to limit risk when sharing location: Pay close attention to the location privacy settings on phones, social networking sites and online applications.Don't 'check in' on location-based social networking sites from home, and don't include GPS coordinates in tweets, blogs or social networking accounts.Limit who you add to your social network location services, and do not make your location data publicly available or searchable.Don't geo-tag photos of your house or your children. In fact, it's best to disable geo-tagging until you specifically need it.Only trusted friends should know your location. If you have contacts you don't fully know or trust, it's time to do a purge.Some of these things are obviously easier said than done. What's arguably made it more difficult is that the number of Web services that make use of user location and share that information has increased dramatically, as have their popularity. And it's not just check-in services like Foursquare and Gowalla. It's extended to social networks like Twitter and Facebook, as well as with photo sharing tools like Picplz, that add location as part of shared content or status updates. Last year, a site called Please Rob Me famously cropped up that would aggregate geo-tagged check-ins from various check-in services and post them in a large feed in order to draw attention to the dangers of location sharing. The site has since shut its doors, saying that it was &quot;satisfied&quot; with the attention it had received. Though if Microsoft's survey data is any indication, there's still a large group of people that have never heard of the problem the site was trying to solve.Related: Senator proposes mobile-privacy legislation<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Panasonic announces Lumix FX78 high-power ultracompact]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=panasonic-announces-lumix-fx78-high-power-ultracompact</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=panasonic-announces-lumix-fx78-high-power-ultracompact</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:10:53 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>xtracoolit</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=panasonic-announces-lumix-fx78-high-power-ultracompact</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Panasonic)One of the best parts about Panasonic's higher-end touch-screen ultracompacts is that they feature brighter than usual lenses. In the case of the FX78, you get an f2.5-5.9 24mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with a 5x zoom. That's not as nice as the f2.2 on its predecessor the FX75, but it's still good.Its other key specs include a 3.5-inch touch-screen LCD and a 12-megapixel high-speed CCD sensor. The sensor is a new design and it's paired with Panasonic's Venus Engine FHD processor. This combo allows for high-speed burst shooting--full resolution at 3.7 frames per second--and full HD movie capture in AVCHD format. The high-speed shooting also gets you 3D photos. The FX78 will apparently fire off 20 shots and then it picks the two best for overlaying to create a 3D MPO file that can be played back on 3D-enabled TVs, computers, and photo frames.Boosting the usefulness of the touch screen, Panasonic added its features for retouching faces, clearing skin textures and whitening teeth, and adding makeup to portraits as well as an Art Retouch function for adjusting brightness and color saturation.The FX78 will be available in March in black, gold, and white versions. No pricing was announced. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: iPad 2 to use fast graphics chip]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-ipad-2-to-use-fast-graphics-chip</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-ipad-2-to-use-fast-graphics-chip</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Jan 2011 08:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>wannula5</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-ipad-2-to-use-fast-graphics-chip</guid>
<description><![CDATA[TheiPad 2 will sport powerful, new graphics hardware, along with a higher-resolution display, according to a report.That graphics chip would be Imaginations' SGX543, according to Apple Insider. If this rumor is on the money, it is, indeed, a potent graphics technology. Imagination describes the POWERVR SGX543MP as allowing &quot;up to 16 cores...in a high-performance, multiprocessor graphics solution without performance or silicon area compromises.&quot; This graphics tech would be used in conjunction with a dual-core ARM processor, as CNET previously reported. And Apple's next-geniPhone 5 would also feature this chip design--the so-called Apple A5 processor.&quot;This makes sense,&quot; said Linley Gwennap, principal analyst at the Linley Group, a chip consulting firm. &quot;The A5 processor must have at least dual Cortex-A9 CPUs (central processing units) to be competitive with [Nvidia's] Tegra 2 and other current smartphone CPUs,&quot; Gwennap said in response to an e-mail query. The Cortex-A9 is a design being used by most major ARM chip suppliers, such as Texas Instruments, Samsung, and Nvidia. Gwennap continued. &quot;The single-core SGX543 does not have enough graphics performance to keep up with Tegra 2, but a dual-core SGX543 should be within the same range. Even a dual-core SGX543 would fall well behind the graphics performance of Marvell's new Armada 628, which should be in phones in 2H11,&quot; he said. Not surprisingly, graphics chips--needed for handling high-resolution images, video, and games--are becoming a major focus for next-generationtablets and smartphones. Look no further than Motorola's Xoom tablet and upcoming Droid smartphones. Those devices use a version of the ARM processor from graphics-chip supplier Nvidia, which integrates 8 cores into its GeForce GPU (graphics processing unit), according to Nvidia's Tegra 2 spec page.  And RIM's PlayBook is expected to boast stellar graphics, based on Texas Instrument's OMAP 4 ARM chip, which uses Imagination's PowerVR SGX540.  The iPad 2 is also rumored to have a high-resolution display, though it's not clear if this would be similar to the Retina Display used on the iPhone 4, or another technology.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Android outshines Apple iOS on mobile ad network]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=android-outshines-apple-ios-on-mobile-ad-network</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=android-outshines-apple-ios-on-mobile-ad-network</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:10:41 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Puja</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=android-outshines-apple-ios-on-mobile-ad-network</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Android has surged ahead of Apple for the first time as the most popular smartphone OS, according to Millennial Media's mobile ad network.In Millennial Media's December report, Google's mobile operating system won 46 percent of all ad impressions (the number of times an ad is displayed), compared with 32 percent for Apple's iOS. In November, the two operating systems were neck and neck at 38 percent each.Rounding up the rest of the competition, Research In Motion's BlackBerry OS grabbed 16 percent of ad impressions in December, Nokia's Symbian nabbed 2 percent, and Microsoft's Windows Mobile snagged 1 percent.(Credit:Millennial Media)Looking separately at mobile device makers, Apple accounted for 3 of the top 30 devices, with itsiPhone,iPod Touch, andiPad. The iPhone, not surprisingly, ranked No. 1 among the 30 devices. Collectively, Apple's three devices accounted for 21 percent of all ad impressions on mobile devices on the network.  Samsung as a whole ranked in second place behind Apple for the largest number of ad impressions thanks to its solid lineup of Android phones. And the company's Window-based Samsung Code managed to squeeze in enough ad impressions to make it the only Windows Mobile device to make it into Millennial Media's top 30. Overall, Samsung was credited with 17 percent of all ad impressions and 7 of the top 30 devices.  In third place was HTC with 15 percent share of all ad impressions and 9 devices--the highest number of any manufacturer. RIM took fourth place with 12 percent and 5 devices. Of note, RIM's BlackBerry Curve was No. 2--behind the iPhone. Overall, smartphones continued to rise in popularity compared with feature phones, accounting for 23 of the top 30 devices last month and winning a combined 48 percent share of all ad impressions.  Looking ahead, Millennial Media's sees not only Android but also RIM and Windows Phone 7 applying pressure on Apple's iOS this year. But one question the blog doesn't address is how the upcoming Verizon iPhone might upset the mobile apple cart and impact the fight between Android and Apple for ad impressions and market share. According to Millennial Media, its ad network reaches 85 percent of U.S. mobile Web users. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Senate to try again on controversial antipiracy bill]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=senate-to-try-again-on-controversial-antipiracy-bill</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=senate-to-try-again-on-controversial-antipiracy-bill</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rasparuck768</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=senate-to-try-again-on-controversial-antipiracy-bill</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Senate judiciary committee will take another crack at arming the government with broad antipiracy powers. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the judiciary committee's chairman, said today that the government must take action against &quot;online criminals&quot; who harm American jobs by obtaining the nation's intellectual property without paying for it. Leahy made the statements as he laid out the committee's agenda for this session of Congress. In September, Leahy introduced legislation called the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, which could boast bipartisan support and unanimously passed in the judiciary committee, but failed to pass in a full Senate vote. &quot;Online infringement costs our national economy billions of dollars every year,&quot; Leahy said, according to a transcript of his speech. &quot;Our intellectual property-based businesses are among the most productive in our economy and among its best employers. We cannot stand by and see them ravaged, and American consumers subjected to counterfeits. We will renew our effort this year.&quot;Among the bill's supporters are the Motion Picture Association of America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Recording Industry Association of America. Among the legislation's opponents are the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Distributed Computing Industry Association, and American Civil Liberties Union, who say the bill is little more than censorship.Under the proposed legislation, the Justice Department would file a civil action against accused pirate domain names. If the domain name resides in the U.S., the attorney general could request that the domain name in question be seized. The bill would also authorize the attorney general to order other specified third parties, such as Internet service providers, payment processors, and online ad network providers, to take action against pirate sites. For example, ISPs could be ordered to block access in this country to file-sharing sites based overseas or order Visa to stop taking processing transactions from the sites. The legislation's supporters in the entertainment industry say its introduction has already produced benefits. Last month, CNET reported that Mastercard was willing to stop processing transactions from sites trafficking in pirated music, movies, games, and other digital copyrighted content and would support Leahy's bill. Meanwhile, others have been less than supportive. The major ISPs have yet to weigh in on the issue but some executives from the sector have told me they are skeptical of Leahy's chances at getting his bill passed anytime soon. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Alt media player VLC cut from Apple App Store]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=alt-media-player-vlc-cut-from-apple-app-store</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=alt-media-player-vlc-cut-from-apple-app-store</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Jan 2011 08:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>tduncannac</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=alt-media-player-vlc-cut-from-apple-app-store</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Popular media player VLC has been pulled from Apple's App Store at the request of one of the program's original developers--in a move that's caused some hard feelings in the world of open-source software.The situation involves a conflict between the General Public License, which governs VLC and many other open-source programs, and App Store policies.&quot;On January 7th, Apple removed VLC media player from its application store for iDevices,&quot; Remi Denis-Courmont, one of the developers of the desktop version of VLC, wrote in a blog post picked up by the Web site of the nonprofit group behind the original software. &quot;Thus the incompatibility between the GNU General Public License and the App Store terms of use is resolved--the hard way. This end should not have come as a surprise to anyone, given the precedents.&quot;Denis-Courmont himself was the one who sent Apple a notification of copyright infringement involving distribution of VLC for Apple's iOS operating system, i.e., for theiPhone,iPad, andiPod Touch. The GPL lets people freely copy, distribute, and modify GPL programs provided the resulting programs are also covered by the GPL and this same provision. But digital rights management applied to programs in the App Store prevents sharing.Denis-Courmont and others see that clash as a threat to the heart of the GPL, but Romain Goyet, co-founder of the company that created the iOS version of VLC, disagrees.&quot;The way I see it, we're not violating anyone's freedom,&quot; Romain Goyet told Ars Technica. &quot;We worked for free, opened all our source code, and the app is available for free for anyone to download. People are enjoying a nice free and open-source video player on the App Store, and some people are trying to ruin it in the name of 'freedom.'&quot;VLC for the Mac, which, unlike Apple's QuickTime, plays almost all common media files, was the second most popular Mac-software download during 2010 on CNET's Download.com. And VLC for the iPad and for the iPhone captured the notice of CNET's Rick Broida because they let users play virtually all video formats, with no conversion required, leading Broida to label VLC a &quot;must-have&quot; app.For more on the VLC app getting yanked, check out &quot;No GPL Apps for Apple's App Store&quot; at CNET sister site ZDNet. And if you happen to be a developer of App Store apps, you might want to take a look at ZDNet's &quot;How to avoid modern day public GPL floggings, part deux.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Charles in charge: Nav system knows how you feel]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=charles-in-charge-nav-system-knows-how-you-feel</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=charles-in-charge-nav-system-knows-how-you-feel</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:10:23 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>carrolploo</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=charles-in-charge-nav-system-knows-how-you-feel</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Charles is an experimental GPS navigation system that uses camera and sensors to tell how you feel.(Credit:Video screenshot by Liane Yvkoff/CNET)A Cambridge University professor is developing a navigation system that does what most boyfriends can't: read your emotions, sense what's going on, and adapt to the situation.Just kidding about the boyfriend part.Charles is a robot that is more co-pilot than GPS device. Frustrated by unintuitive gadgets that aren't helpful--let alone interactive--Professor Peter Robinson, who leads the Rainbow Group working on computer graphics and interaction at Cambridge, developed an emotionally intelligent navigation system that can tell how you're feeling and respond accordingly.The system uses sensors and algorithms of predefined mental states to track facial cues, tone of voice, body language, and posture. Using this information, Charles can read human emotion with a 70 percent accuracy rate, which is on par with human ability, Robinson says in a YouTube video demonstrating his project.But reading emotion is only one aspect of the robot's capability. Charles can also respond with human-like emotion.With cameras for eyes and 24 motors for muscles, the robot's head and mouth moves as it gives directions and mimics human expressions. Unlike current GPS systems, Charles politely tells you where to go based on conversation. Should you not agree with the directions Charles provides, you can suggest an alternate route. Instead of saying it's recalculating or insisting on the programmed route, the robot actually agrees with your decision.Despite the obvious advantages, Charles is a long way from replacing TomTom as your GPS device. However, the system could also end up as part of a next-generation safety feature. A navigation system that senses your emotions may be able to block calls if it detects the driver is stressed, the professor said in an interview with The Telegraph. Call-blocking capability is already available in Ford's MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch system, and it's not too much of a stretch to imagine that feature integrated with an emotion-sensing GPS system. Audi is testing in-cabin cameras and sensors that track head position to assess drivers' attentiveness. If the system detects that a driver isn't paying attention, it may activate emergency braking earlier to avoid crashes. To reduce road rage, a system like Charles could limit speed or take over driving all together--should autonomouscars ever become the norm.It may sound invasive, but the polite, human-like personality of Charles makes it seem less threatening. To see what the future of emotion-sensing navigation systems looks like, watch the professor's video of his project:(Source: The Telegraph via AutoBlog)        Liane Yvkoff     Full Profile E-mail Liane Yvkoff   E-mail Liane Yvkoff If you have a question or comment for Liane Yvkoff, you can submit it here. However, because our editors and writers receive hundreds of requests, we cannot tell you when you may receive a response.   Submit your question or comment here: 0 of 1500 characters       Liane Yvkoff is a freelance writer who blogs about cars for CNET Car Tech. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. E-mail Liane.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[SUNY to get Microsoft's Live@edu program]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=suny-to-get-microsofts-liveedu-program</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=suny-to-get-microsofts-liveedu-program</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>healthcentral</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=suny-to-get-microsofts-liveedu-program</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft is now providing e-mail, calendaring, and instant-messaging programs for students of the State University of New York.SUNY's 64 campuses are part of a university-wide Live@edu agreement that covers more than 465,000 students with Microsoft's online productivity suite. Besides the aforementioned tools, this includes things like online storage, video conferencing, and access to Microsoft's Office Web Apps--all of which are offered up free of charge.In a post yesterday announcing the rollout, Microsoft U.S. Education CTO Cameron Evans said that the deal is saving Monroe Community College--one of the SUNY schools involved with the program--$600,000 over five-years. That money, Evans said, would be spent on making the campus &quot;greener.&quot; SUNY's implementation of Live@edu is one of the largest yet, though overshadowed by the London Grid for Learning's deployment in 2009, which offered the free suite of online tools to more than 1 million students. A close second is the Kentucky Department of Education, which earlier this year moved 700,000 users to Live@edu. Interestingly enough, that move took Kentucky off the on-premises Microsoft Exchange Servers and into Microsoft's cloud instead.Prior to the agreement, Microsoft says some 70,000 SUNY students were using Live@edu. The other 395,000 or so will presumably be moved over in the first few months of 2011. Update at 4:45 p.m. PDT: A SUNY student has e-mailed CNET and pointed out that some campuses made the switch to Google's Apps for education platform as recently as last year. According to Microsoft's response (below), it may stay that way for some:&quot;The agreement announced today makes Live@edu available as an option for all of SUNY's 64 campuses, effective immediately. Some campuses are already using Live@edu today, and for those who are using other offerings and choose to switch, it's up to the campus on how/when they want to roll out Live@edu to their students and faculty.&quot;A Google representative confirmed that indeed 13 SUNY schools currently run Google Apps for education, with a total of 23 schools on or considering using Google's apps platform, though would not say whether those schools plan to drop the program in favor of Microsoft's system. What was said to be a more common occurrence was that schools offered up multiple platforms, letting students choose which one they wanted.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Author's son: Mom slams e-book piracy but pirates songs]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=authors-son-mom-slams-e-book-piracy-but-pirates-songs</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=authors-son-mom-slams-e-book-piracy-but-pirates-songs</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vanessarice</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=authors-son-mom-slams-e-book-piracy-but-pirates-songs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Hypocrisy, sadly, is not confined to politicians. It is not confined to any of those who tell us what to do, like priests, policemen, or leather-clad librarians.Hypocrisy, you see, is one of humanity's most enduring and endearing traits.I mention this, because of the cheery case of Norwegian author Anne B. Ragde. Ragde has written books for children. She has written crime novels. She has won awards.And yet, like the rest of us pitiful, snarling humans, she may well speak out of several sides of her anatomy. You see, I am indebted to Torrent Freak for telling me that Ragde gave an interview to Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv. In it, she described how concerned she was about e-book piracy.&quot;I have figured out that I've lost half a million kronor ($72,500) on piracy of my books, maybe more,&quot; she said.Warming to her theme, she added: &quot;I cannot stand the thought of someone stealing something. I look at Norwegian musicians who have to do live concerts. We have nothing to live on other than the physical product.&quot;(Credit:CC BusyPrinting/Flickr)In my many dealings with Norwegians, I have found them to be scrupulously honest. They are extremely well behaved in bars, public baths, and on the beach. So I find myself pulsing with admiration that Ragde reportedly admitted that she did buy pirated purses because, well, Prada bags are frightfully expensive.They are. One imagines they only cost a few dollars to make and then you're expected to pay thousands for the privilege of being seen with them.However, you remember that part about Ragde's slight envy of musicians Well, apparently Ragde's son, Jo, decided to pipe up just at the moment that his mom might have wished he'd have put on hisiPod and hummed a little Gaga.For Jo Ragde reportedly offered: &quot;You have a pirated MP3 collection. We copied the first 1,500 songs from one place and 300 from another.&quot;And so there we had a twist that any crime author would enjoy. Initially, Ragde apparently admitted the family enjoyed an iPod positively brimming with questionably obtained material.However, once her (and her son's) comments were promulgated further, she reportedly first suggested that Jo was the pirate. Then she declared that, this Christmas, she would delete the iPod's contents.I am concerned, though, that hers in an over-reaction.Why must humans continuously try to sell themselves as good when society is fully aware there doesn't exist a member of the species who can resist the temptation of free If you minimize the fear of getting caught, humans will steal yourcar, your lover and your music. Yes, they will even steal your books on occasion. Companies like Facebook and Google understand this very fully, which is why they give us something for free and make money from our quite hideous rush to the trough.And yet poor Ragde might be vilified because she reportedly exposed her innards in a blissfully honest manner. Oh, Ragde, you like writing books. You want to make money out of it. This is quite understandable.Perhaps I might suggest a line extension, something that might help sales You could create sung versions of your books. You could sing them yourself. And then you could offer these sung versions online.Of course, a sung version of your book might last eight or nine hours. But this might be the beginning of an entirely new genre: the modern literary opera. It's what the world's been waiting for. People will hum sung versions of crime novels at work. They will pay good money to hear the melodic death of, say, a drug dealer or a pimp. They will sing your detective's dialog in management meetings. They will pay good money for the privilege. I'm sure of it. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Touch pad of the future: Hands-on with Synaptics' ClickPad Series 3.0]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=touch-pad-of-the-future-hands-on-with-synaptics-clickpad-series-3-0</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=touch-pad-of-the-future-hands-on-with-synaptics-clickpad-series-3-0</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>James01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=touch-pad-of-the-future-hands-on-with-synaptics-clickpad-series-3-0</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Building a better clickpad: Synaptics&amp;39' prototype on a Samsung.(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET)For all the advancements laptops have made, the humble touch pad has been essentially running the same hardware and software for years.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[eBay buys Milo to unite online, offline shopping]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-buys-milo-to-unite-online-offline-shopping</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-buys-milo-to-unite-online-offline-shopping</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 08:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia004</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-buys-milo-to-unite-online-offline-shopping</guid>
<description><![CDATA[eBay has bought a local-shopping service that it expects will help both buyers and sellers by uniting online and offline shopping.The auction site said yesterday that it has acquired Milo, a Web site designed to help shoppers find products available at their local brick-and-mortar stores and compare prices with those from online retailers.Though pointing buyers to products at local stores may seem at odds with eBay's online marketplace, the company believes the acquisition will open up new opportunities for buyers and sellers.&quot;Since eBay is an online marketplace and doesn't compete with brick-and-mortar stores, adding local store inventory to the eBay marketplace is a natural extension of what we've been doing for 15 years--bringing buyers and sellers together to access the largest selection available anywhere,&quot; Mark Carges, chief technology officer and senior vice president for global products at eBay Marketplaces, said in a statement.Partnering with 140 different retail outlets, Milo offers prices for around 3 million products across 52,000 stores in the U.S. Its search results include more than 90 small and medium-sized businesses, according to eBay, helping the small fry compete with larger retailers. By integrating Milo, eBay said it plans to bring the inventories of small retailers into the online world and allow eBay sellers with physical storefronts to sell their goods locally. &quot;Local commerce companies like Milo are blurring the lines between in-store and online shopping,&quot; Carges said. &quot;By making accurate, real-time, local store inventory and pricing available to online and mobile shoppers, we see a huge opportunity for local retailers, small businesses, and eBay sellers to reach more buyers, and for consumers to make more informed buying decisions.&quot;eBay is looking to add Milo's local product engine to its online marketplace and mobile apps. eBay's RedLaser iPhone app, which scans product barcodes to compare prices, will also soon incorporate results from Milo.Terms of the deal were not announced. However, the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) said that several blogs reported a purchase price of $75 million.eBay's once weakening auction business has staged a recovery this year, helping to deliver stronger earnings and sales over the past couple of quarters. But the company is still searching for new ways and new markets to drive profitability.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Ten tech trainers: Apple, Android get a shoeing]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ten-tech-trainers-apple-android-get-a-shoeing</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ten-tech-trainers-apple-android-get-a-shoeing</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>abressufkjdls</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ten-tech-trainers-apple-android-get-a-shoeing</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The shoe that started things off: Gerry Mckay&amp;39's Facebook-themed Adidas Zuckerstar.(Credit:Gerry Mckay)Facebook and Twitter have their own trainers, thanks to a U.K. designer. Gerry Mckay decked out Adidas Superstar sneakers in the familiar blue and white of Facebook and the turquoise of Twitter, which got us thinking: what other technology giants deserve their own signature shoes We didn't quite make it to Hollywood making films of our favorite Web sites, so we've had a crack at designing shoes based on our favorite sites, services, and technology titans. What would a Google clog, Wikipedia welly, or MySpace moccasin look like Which mobile users would be more stylishly shod: Android or Apple  Click through our photo gallery to see the results of our elbow grease and shoe leather with our technology-tooled tailor-made trainers.Read more of &quot;Apple, Angry Birds and Android get a shoeing: Ten tech trainers&quot; at Crave UK. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Five air travel apps for the holiday weekend]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-air-travel-apps-for-the-holiday-weekend</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-air-travel-apps-for-the-holiday-weekend</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>neoopposition</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-air-travel-apps-for-the-holiday-weekend</guid>
<description><![CDATA[America will be on the move this Thanksgiving week as millions crowd airports, highways and trains in search of that tasty turkey or Tofurky meal. Though travel rarely stresses me, I know the prospect of braving the tired masses and the TSA pat-downs can be daunting. So to help you navigate from home to holiday, and complete your journey with as little pain as possible, I've pulled a few must-have smartphone apps. Being the aviation nut that I am I'll focus on air travel, but I'd love to hear your titles for braving the roads and rails. And please tell me about your favorite flying apps as well.FlightTrack(Credit:Screenshot by Kent German/CNET)FlightTrackWhether you're picking Mom up at LAX or flying to O'Hare as I am, a flight-tracker app is essential. There are quite a few options available in both the iTunes App Store and the Android Market, but FlightTrack by Mobiata is one of my favorites. You get a lot of information in a clean and easily digestible format and the maps are the best I've seen. Cheaper titles are available, but I think FlightTrack is worth the money.Before a flight departs you'll see the scheduled departure time and any delay information. And once a flight is in the air FlightTrack shows the airspeed, arrival gate, baggage carousel number, present altitude, a shortcut to the airline's phone number, and the local time and temperature of the departure and arrival cities. Availability:iPhone and AndroidPrice: $4.99Point InsideThough it's not devoted solely to air travel, Point Inside  is the perfect app during a long airport layover or when you're delayed. For most major airports around the country, and a selection in Europe and Asia, it shows maps of everything you'll need, including shops and restaurants, departure gates, baggage claim carousels, ticketing desks, airline lounges, and related services.Other airport map apps exist, but this is the most comprehensive title I've found, and I love its individually designed maps. Also, if you plan to shop on Black Friday, Point Inside includes maps of major shopping malls with all of the relevant shops, restaurants, and attractions.Availability: iPhone and AndroidPrice: FreeTripcase(Credit:Screenshot by Kent German/CNET)TripCaseIf you're trying to keep track of a flight, acar rental, a hotel booking, and a dinner reservation, TripCase can be a great tool. Developed by Sabre, it acts as a diary for all aspects of your itinerary. It can even store a meeting, an event (like a theater date), and plans to go sightseeing. The best thing about TripCase is that as your flight departure time nears, the app will display your airport gate and you'll receive push and e-mail notifications in case of a delay. That feature has saved me a lot of airport waiting on previous trips.Availability: iPhone and AndroidPrice: FreeFAA Airport StatusIf only Thanksgiving were in summer then we wouldn't have to worry about winter weather. But being as it is in late November, delays caused by snow and rain are a very real possibility in the northern half of the country. Though the above apps, and an airline's Web site, can keep you informed about a delay for your specific flight, this app shows you the real conditions affecting many major airports. For example, when I looked at San Francisco International Airport on Monday night, it showed me that all flights destined for Seattle wouldn't be allowed to depart until after 6:30pm. You also get a weather map of the 48 states.Availability: iPhone onlyPrice: FreeKayak(Credit:Screenshot by Kent German/CNET)KayakIf you still haven't made travel plans for turkey day, I wish you all the luck in the world. You'll have to open that wallet pretty wide and be flexible about your schedule, but there are a few apps that can help you on your way. Kayak is a top Web site for finding great fares, and you can get all that functionality on the go.You can search for flights, hotels and rentals cars' book your desired ticket' research luggage fees' organize your itinerary' and track flight status. You can get an ad-supported version for free or you can ditch the ads by shelling out just 99 cents for the Pro version (the features are the same).Availability: iPhone and Android, but Pro version is only on the iPhonePrice: Free to 99 cents<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[China unseats U.S. in supercomputer ranking]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=china-unseats-u-s--in-supercomputer-ranking</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=china-unseats-u-s--in-supercomputer-ranking</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Nov 2010 08:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Pamela01</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=china-unseats-u-s--in-supercomputer-ranking</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The Jaguar has fallen from the top of the food chain.When the Top 500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers is released today, the Cray XT5 system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and run by the University of Tennessee, called &quot;Jaguar,&quot; will drop to No. 2 after a year of eating the lunch of every other supercomputer in the world. In its place will stand Tianhe-1A, a system built by China's National University of Defense Technology, located at the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin.Tianhe-1A achieved a performance level of 2.67 petaflop/s (quadrillions of calculations per second). Jaguar achieved 1.75 petaflop/s. Third place went to another Chinese-built system, called Nebulae, which achieved 1.27 petaflop/s. And while the news of China's achievement is not exactly a surprise, the supercomputing community in the U.S. is looking at it two ways: as both as an assurance that U.S. software and components are still elite in their field, and a wake-up call that the country's prestige in high-performance computing is not a given.&quot;This is what everybody expected. What the Chinese have done is they're exploiting the power of GPUs (graphic processing unit) which are...awfully close to being uniquely suited to this particular benchmark,&quot; said Bill Gropp, computer science professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne, and co-principal investigator of the Blue Waters project, another supercomputer in the works.The benchmark he's speaking of is the Linpack, which tests the performance of a system for solving a dense system of linear equations. It's measured in calculations or floating point operations per second, hence flop/s. Not everyone in this field agrees it's the best possible way to compare machines, but it is one way.By using GPUs to accelerate the performance of the Tianhe-1A, the machine can achieve more floating point operations per second.&quot;The way most of us look at the Chinese machine, is it's very good at this particular problem (the Linpack benchmark), but not problems the user community is interested in,&quot; said Gropp.For those worried that this is a blow to the United States' leadership in supercomputing, it's actually not a huge cause for alarm if you consider the provenance of the pieces of the Chinese system. Tianhe-1A is a Linux computer built from components from Intel and Nvidia, points out Charlie Zender, professor of Earth Systems Science at the University of California at Irvine.A timeline of supercomputing speed. (Click to enlarge.)(Credit:AMD)&quot;So we find ourselves admiring an achievement that certainly couldn't have been done without the know-how of Silicon Valley...and an operating system designed mostly by the United States and Europe,&quot; Zender said. &quot;It's a time for reflection that we are now at a stage where a country that's motivated and has the resources can take off-the-shelf components and assemble the world's fastest supercomputer.&quot;Supercomputers will likely get faster every year, points out Jeremy Smith, director of the Center for Molecular Biophysics at the University of Tennessee, so China's rise to the top this month isn't the end of the story. The list will likely be reordered again in June, when the next edition of the Top500 is released.&quot;What you find historically with these supercomputers is they become the normal machines five or 10 years later that everybody uses,&quot; said Smith, who oversees some projects run on Jaguar. &quot;The Jaguar machine that we're so amazed at right now, it could be every university or company has one&quot; eventually.And of course these high-performance computer systems aren't just made to race each other, most scientists in the field would argue. They're made to solve complex problems, with eventual real-world consequences like climate change and alternative fuel production.Smith argues that research like what's being done on Jaguar to solve the problem of superconductivity at high temperatures couldn't necessarily be done on Tianhe-1A effectively because it requires very efficient computing and coming up with the software on a computer to do that well is difficult.But what China has accomplished is still important for supercomputing, argues Gropp, who called the number of flop/s Tianhe-1A achieved &quot;remarkable.&quot;&quot;I don't want to downplay what they've done,&quot; he said. &quot;It's like pooh-poohing the original Toyota. The first Toyota was a pile of junk. But a few years later they were eating our lunch.&quot;It's not the first time that a non-U.S. machine has topped the rankings--the Japanese NEC Earth Simulator did it in 2004. The U.S. of course bounced back, and as of today has 275, or more than half of the systems, on the Top 500 list. China is next with 42 systems, and Japan and Germany are tied with 26 each. Still, there is concern that China's focused concentration of resources on supercomputing is fomenting a threat to the U.S.' long-term dominance there. But just trying to score the highest on the Linpack benchmark--something that any group of researchers with enough money could do fairly easily--is short-sighted.&quot;What we should be focusing on is not losing our leadership and being able to apply computing to a broad range of science and engineering problems,&quot; said Gropp, who is also deputy director of research at UI's Institute for Advanced Computing Applications and Technologies.The Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is currently working on a report that addresses this exact topic, and didn't have a comment when contacted. Recently PCAST did release a draft of a document that calls for more funding for scientific computing very soon after news of Tianhe-1A's speed began to spread. And President Barack Obama weighed in briefly on the topic in a speech two weeks ago, calling for increased science funding specifically for high-performance computing.But it's not as if the supercomputing community in the U.S has been sitting still while China sneaked up behind them. There are other projects in the works at U.S. labs that are planning on blowing Jaguar and Tianhe-1A out of the water in terms of speed.Currently the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne and the National Science Foundation is building Blue Waters, a supercomputer that researchers say will be the fastest in the world when it is turned on sometime next year.The Department of Energy, which owns Oak Ridge's Jaguar supercomputer, is already looking at moving from the current peta-scale computing (a quadrillion floating point operations per second) to exa-scale computing (a quintillion floating point operations per second), a speed a thousand times faster than Jaguar is currently capable of processing at. It's a goal that's still a ways out there, but the work is under way.&quot;To get there in the next five to 10 years, to get to 10 million cores in one room, is a major technical challenge,&quot; noted University of Tennessee's Jeremy Smith. &quot;It's going to be fundamentally different than before. It's a hardware problem, and getting the software working is a major challenge indeed.&quot;For more statistics on the systems in the Top500 list, please see Top500.org.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google engineer: Raise leaker exposed us to mugging]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-engineer-raise-leaker-exposed-us-to-mugging</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-engineer-raise-leaker-exposed-us-to-mugging</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Nov 2010 08:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>limaparx232</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-engineer-raise-leaker-exposed-us-to-mugging</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There are some things about which Google doesn't comment. However, it is entirely true that many Google employees are human beings with feelings, sometimes even strong ones.So, though the company itself refused to go into detail after an employee was reportedly fired for leaking news of a $1,000 cash bonus and 10 percent raise for every one of Google's more than 23,000 employees, there are Googlies who are whispering that they'd like to say something publicly. They'd like some of the internal feelings to be made known.What else is Technically Incorrect for if not to offer a public serviceWhile some Google employees offered that they were saddened at the circumstances surrounding what was another, slightly more lucrative, day at the office, others would like certain things to be fully expressed. And I do mean &quot;fully.&quot; And &quot;expressed.&quot;One Google employee, in particular, has strong feelings. And they involve violence. This, according to him, is the insider's view: &quot;The leaker was promptly fired because he or she selfishly and thoughtlessly put 20,000 co-workers in immediate danger of being mugged while carrying holiday bonus cash on their way home in the dark that very evening. And because the leaker directly disobeyed repeated and very explicit instructions from the top, not to leak this bonus news prematurely before evening when all workers were home safe.&quot;(Credit:CC Carlos Luna/Flickr)Google gave employees the option of taking their $1,000 bonus home in cash on the day of the announcement. Which would undoubtedly have constituted a pleasant surprise for the families of many.The engineer continued by explaining the implications of the leak to those inside the company who rely on confidentiality every day.He told me (not via Gmail): &quot;I would not trust that co-worker with anything important. This company's engineering practices rely heavily on being very open (among ourselves only) about most company plans, but that no-walls approach requires that we all be trustworthy and circumspect in what we say or write to those outside.&quot;If you wondered what might have been the leaker's motivations (other than, perhaps, a job offer from Facebook or excitement about paying off his or her bookie), this Google engineer would like to shed some light.He told me: &quot;I think this person lacked the judgment to tell the difference between sharing really great news with friends, versus violating trust and putting others in direct danger. There was no reason for he or she to push the news out quickly via bloggers and reporters, other than vanity and misplaced loyalties.&quot;Vanity and misplaced loyalties. Such human frailties.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[iTunes Ping comes to Twitter]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=itunes-ping-comes-to-twitter</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=itunes-ping-comes-to-twitter</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:10:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>fanclubmib</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=itunes-ping-comes-to-twitter</guid>
<description><![CDATA[iTunes previews are integrated right into the Twitter interface, thanks to a new partnership between Twitter and Apple.(Credit:Twitter)There's a crucial new partnership for Ping, the social music service that Apple launched as part of its iTunes 10 unveiling this summer: Twitter users can now link up their accounts.&quot;Once you've linked the accounts, whenever you post, like, review, or tell your friends why you purchased a song or album on Ping, this activity will also be tweeted to your Twitter followers--complete with playable song previews and links to purchase and download music from iTunes,&quot; a post on the Twitter blog explained.This is big, because Ping was one of those rare Apple product launches that legitimately underwhelmed, largely because the long-rumored iTunes social-networking initiative did not sync up to either Facebook or Twitter. Apple said at launch that Ping users would be able to sync up with their Facebook friends, something that never came to fruition. Apple CEO Steve Jobs hinted that negotiations with Facebook had soured, citing &quot;onerous terms&quot; on behalf of the massive social network. It's not like Facebook and Apple have never partnered before: Facebook Connect is available for iPhoto uploads, and there's a separate version of the universal log-in tool just for theiPhone.But Twitter's terms are apparently more flexible, and they're even integrating an iTunes song preview into the Twitter.com interface, adding yet another feature to the &quot;New Twitter&quot; redesign that the company launched several months ago.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[YouTube: 35 hours of video uploaded every minute]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=youtube-35-hours-of-video-uploaded-every-minute</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=youtube-35-hours-of-video-uploaded-every-minute</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nanoensure</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=youtube-35-hours-of-video-uploaded-every-minute</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This is YouTube's upload growth from June 2007 to October 2010.(Credit:YouTube)Just in case you had any doubts that YouTube was still growing, the folks over at Google have unleashed some stats to prove it.According to a company blog post yesterday, YouTube users upload about 35 hours of video to the site every minute. That means that about 50,400 hours are added every day. In comparison, that figures was 24 hours of video every minute back in March.YouTube attributes the growth to several factors. First, the company's decision to increase time limits from 10 minutes to 15 minutes per video has helped. It also pointed to the site's file size limit of 2GB. With the help of mobile phones, YouTube said that consumers are finding it relatively simple to quickly add videos to the site. It also doesn't hurt that &quot;more companies [are] integrating our APIs to support upload from outside of YouTube.com.&quot;In a report from August, market researcher ComScore noted that Google video sites, led by YouTube, served videos to more than 143 million unique viewers in July and had more than 1.8 billion viewing sessions. The average viewer spent 282.7 minutes--or more than 4 1/2 hours--watching YouTube videos during the month.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Panasonic invests $30 million in Tesla]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=panasonic-invests-30-million-in-tesla</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=panasonic-invests-30-million-in-tesla</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>smithadam</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=panasonic-invests-30-million-in-tesla</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Japanese electronics giant and battery manufacturer Panasonic has invested $30 million in Tesla Motors, the U.S. automaker best-known for its all-electric luxury sportscar, both companies announced Thursday.Per the terms of the deal, Panasonic, which already has a working relationship with Tesla through their battery pack collaboration, purchased Tesla common stock at $21.15 per share, acquiring approximately a 2 percent stake in the company.Tesla and Panasonic had an existing relationship before today, signing a deal in January to develop lithium-ion battery packs for Tesla cars.(Credit:Tesla Motors)Tesla, which also builds power trains for use in electric vehicles in addition to manufacturing cars, has previously used battery components from a variety of companies. But the company announced Thursday that it &quot;has selected Panasonic as its preferred lithium-ion battery cell supplier for its battery packs.&quot;The investment coincides with Panasonic's changing dynamic and vow to reshape itself around new core businesses. It's been expanding its battery business into EV batteries since 2008, is in the process of overhauling its lithium-ion battery cell research and production facilities, and announced in 2009 that it would invest $1 billion in developing products focused ongreen tech by 2012, including technology for home-energy monitoring systems.The deal is a feather in the cap of Tesla, a relatively new car company that has been slowly building a following and brand, but until August 2009 had not yet turned a profit.&quot;It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Panasonic, the world's leading battery cell manufacturer, would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla,&quot; Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk said in a statement.Panasonic is not the only stalwart to put money into the start-up car company. Toyota invested $50 million in Tesla in June shortly after Tesla's initial public offering. The two companies signed a deal under which Tesla will produce two car models for the Japanese automaker, and to that end both have invested in a new Tesla factory in the U.S.Tesla's assembly plant, which opened in Fremont, Calif., last week, will produce those cars for Toyota as well cars for the Tesla brand. The new manufacturing plant was converted from a closed New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) factory and will produce Tesla's Model S, an all-electric sedan that is expected to have a larger reach than the company's flagship model, the Tesla Roadster luxury sports car.Tesla has also expanded into making power trains for other automakers, signing a partnership with Daimler to make the power train for 1,000 of its Electric Smart EVs.Tesla opens doors to electric auto factory (photos) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Mac App Store opens doors to developers]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mac-app-store-opens-doors-to-developers</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mac-app-store-opens-doors-to-developers</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Simi</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mac-app-store-opens-doors-to-developers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Apple has begun accepting submissions of software for sale through its soon-to-be-launched Mac App Store.(Credit:Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)You can't download anything from Apple's upcomingMac App Store, but as of late yesterday, those with software to sell through it can start uploading.&quot;The Mac App Store will be opening soon. You can get ready by submitting your apps for review now,&quot; an e-mail Apple sent to developers said. Interested developers should check Apple's developer center for details about related issues such as obtaining a certificate to distribute the software, it said.Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs announced the Mac App Store two weeks ago, saying it would open for submissions in November and for sales by January 28. It parallels in some ways the App Store that's proven successful in bringing software to users of theiPhone andiPad--including the revenue split through which Apple takes 30 percent.The Mac App Store has the potential to dramatically transform software distribution--and not just for Apple's computers.The App Store for iOS devices has proved successful as a vehicle for letting customers browse and discover applications and for developers who want a way to sell something like casual games. It's not hard for software companies such as Adobe Systems or Microsoft to publicize their wares, but particularly with the Mac's smaller customer base compared to Windows, it's a different story for a small developer with something like a $5 game or $15 utility to get noticed.In the bigger picture, the Mac App Store could help catalyze the shift to digital distribution. The installation CD or DVD already is on the endangered species list for software installation, but the Mac App Store is designed to make installation easier as well as liberated from physical media.That includes easier updates as well as the initial installation, helping make software a more fluid, ever-changing product. With the Internet, security holes need to be patched as soon as possible, and the lower the barriers to updating, the better.App stores, at least in Apple's case, can keep track of purchase rights to help restore a computer from backup or move to a new machine. That means there's a potentially convenience benefit to the customer to sticking with one big app store rather than several smaller ones. And that means the app stores that secure some measure of dominance also can benefit from a continuous, potentially lucrative relationship with customers.Of course, there are plenty of complications, too: Do rights transfer from one machine to another Does the buyer get the right to use software on more than one machine, a situation that's increasingly common as people access Web applications from multiple machines and mobile devices In Apple's case, the answer to those questions is yes, but there are still unknowns, such as how a developer charges for an upgrade.Another matter, of course, is that app stores have rules governing what may be distributed through them. There's been plenty of complaining about how Apple has run the App Store for iOS devices, but Apple relented somewhat on its constraints, and arguably there's value to having a collection that's curated to be free of some of the dreck of the software world.How this all shakes out in the real world, beyond the various mobile app stores already in operation, remains to be seen. But with the Mac App Store getting started--and with another potential heavyweight in Google's imminent Chrome Web Store--these matters will soon be real, not just theoretical. <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[iSlash brings a modern twist to arcade classic Qix]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=islash-brings-a-modern-twist-to-arcade-classic-qix</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=islash-brings-a-modern-twist-to-arcade-classic-qix</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Oct 2010 07:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vanessarice</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=islash-brings-a-modern-twist-to-arcade-classic-qix</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Use your finger to cut away areas of the play field--but don&amp;39't swipe any stars!(Credit:Duello Games)Remember the old coin-op game Qix Your job was to corral a morphing, moving entity into increasingly smaller areas. If it touched your marker while you were drawing a line, it was game over.iSlash is a thoroughly modern twist on Qix, one designed withiPhone sensibilities. Each level starts with a uniquely shaped play area. Within that area, several ninja-style stars bounce around unpredictably. Your job: to corral them into increasingly smaller areas.This is done by slashing away sections of the play area with your finger. If you touch a star mid-slash, it's game over. (Well, not really--you do get three tries.)As you progress through the game's 70 levels (the developer promises to release more free of charge), you'll encounter new kinds of stars, new bonuses, and so on.iSlash is a breeze to learn and a challenge to beat. It's one of those perfect diversions when you need to kill five minutes. Social-minded players can connect with Game Center or OpenFeint.The game costs all of 99 cents, but if you want to try before you buy, the free iSlash Lite gives you a good taste of what's to come.What are other &quot;slash&quot; games are you into these days Cut the Rope Fruit Ninja List your favorites in the comments.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Place Search gets a promotion]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-place-search-gets-a-promotion</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-place-search-gets-a-promotion</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:10:03 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Trish01</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-place-search-gets-a-promotion</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google is putting its Place Page listings in a more prominent spot, highlighting within regular search results and adding &amp;34'Places&amp;34' as a search refinement on the left-hand navigation bar.(Credit:Screenshot by Tom Krazit/CNET)Google will take another swing at the Yellow Pages today, integrating local business listings directly into search results. The company is set to launch Google Place Search as a standalone search option, much the same way Google users can search for images, news, or products. It will bring the Google Places listings that business owners can claim into the main search results pages, rather than confining them to searches done within Google Maps as was the case prior to today.Google has been encouraging local restaurants, hardware stores, and dry cleaners to &quot;claim&quot; their business within Google by adding their Web site, telephone number, hours, and other relevant information to a form. That generates a listing for the place within Google Maps, and allows searchers and patrons of that business to leave reviews. Now for regular Google searches like &quot;sushi restaurants san francisco&quot; (I know I use this example every time, but there are some really good ones) users will start to see a new search result that is sort of a combination of a traditional Google search result and a Google Maps search result, with a link to that location on Google Maps, reviews aggregated from around the Web, and a 1- to 5-star rating of that business. In addition, Google will put a direct link to that business' &quot;Place page,&quot; which could be previously found by clicking &quot;more information&quot; on a Google Maps search. The move highlights the Place pages much more prominently, which Google hopes will encourage more and more businesses to list their wares on Google before the company's massive search audience. The special search results will appear when Google thinks it can predict your search query has local intent, but searchers can also force a results pages of just Places listings by selecting &quot;Places&quot; from the left-hand navigation panel on a Google search results page. The change should start rolling out over the course of the next few days around the world.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Android Market tops 100,000 applications]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=android-market-tops-100000-applications</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=android-market-tops-100000-applications</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:21:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Massey</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=android-market-tops-100000-applications</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google reached a significant milestone for its Android mobile operating system today: 100,000 applications are available in the Android Market. The company announced the news in a post to its Android Developer Twitter account, nearly two years to the day since the Android Market formally opened for business. An unofficial estimate of Android applications by AndroLib had pegged the number at 50,000 in April, but it's not clear how accurate that was, as AndroLib currently predicts that 150,000 applications are available in the market. Google is still well behind Apple when it comes to mobile applications, of course, withiPhone,iPod Touch, andiPad owners having access to over 280,000 iOS-based applications at last count. (UPDATED 1:37 p.m PDT - Apple e-mailed in to clarify that on its earnings call last week, CEO Steve Jobs said there are now over 300,000 applications in the App Store.) Still, the milestone is worth noting as Android continues to cement its role as the Apple alternative for developers and consumers. Before Google made the formal announcement The New York Times posted a story noting the milestone and pointing out some of the challenges that remain for Android developers, such as the subtle-yet-important differences between the hundreds of different Android devices on the market as well as payment issues with Google Checkout. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[HP&'s new CEO was poised during speech and press Q&038'A (video)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hprsquos-new-ceo-was-poised-during-speech-and-press-q038a-video</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hprsquos-new-ceo-was-poised-during-speech-and-press-q038a-video</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Adam01</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hprsquos-new-ceo-was-poised-during-speech-and-press-q038a-video</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Leo Apotheker was poised on stage in his first formal stage presentation to press and analysts in San Francisco today. He was also comfortable and humorous during a Q&amp;amp'A session with the press afterward.The talk was Apotheker&amp;'s first coming out with such a large audience since he joined HP as CEO in November. In his German-accented English, he showed more personality than the no-nonsense, completely-scripted Mark Hurd, who left HP amid a sex scandal in August.How Apotheker delivered his speech was important, considering some CEOs (Facebook&amp;'s young chief Mark Zuckerberg comes to mind) become a little unglued when under the pressure of live speaking and intense questioning from reporters. Whether you agree with his new strategy or not, you can tell from the videos below that he&amp;'s comfortable in the spotlight. He pretty much passed his first test of running the world&amp;'s biggest tech company: being a decent public speaker.&amp;''I thought he was very poised and actually anxious to answer all of the questions, even the difficult ones,&amp;'' said Tim Bajarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies. &amp;''I was impressed with his grasp of the industry, especially the prosumer (professional consumer) market they will target. When we used to ask (former CEO Mark) Hurd about their consumer strategy, he almost always turned that question over to someone else on his executive staff to handle.&amp;''But a nice speech is not going to turn around HP&amp;'s stock, which is down about 25 percent in the past year. As for the strategy, Apotheker said HP would focus on cloud computing, connectivity, and software. HP would create its own public cloud, its own app store, and a plethora of connected gadgets running HP&amp;'s own WebOS operating system. Software would glue all of this together.Bajarin said it seems sound. &amp;''Creating an infrastructure service and supplying all of the ecosystem products that can use this service is a smart move,&amp;'' he said. &amp;''That and their emphasis on enterprise class security should help them get a lot of attention with enterprise customers and small businesses.&amp;''Bajarin also says it&amp;'s a grand vision that will need many people working in lock step and in great harmony to pull it off. Unlike Hurd, Apotheker talked a lot more about what kind of innovations HP could bring about in the future rather than cost-cutting. He said HP stands at an inflection point where a shift to cloud computing will dominate the discussion. He noted how consumer innovation cycles in social media are pushing enterprises to react.Rob Enderle, analyst at the Enderle Group, said the strategy resembles a new mainframe computer strategy from IBM or an upscale Apple strategy. By building a whole platform and ecosystem, the strategy resembles IBM, he said. But HP isn&amp;'t as bent on owning the applications as IBM is in the enterprise arena.&amp;''Their biggest problem will be internal execution,&amp;'' Enderle said.When asked about IBM, Apotheker replied that it was interesting that IBM offered a comment about HP&amp;'s as-yet-unannounced strategy before Apotheker even hit the stage. That seemed, he quipped, to indicate some &amp;''nervousness.&amp;'' When pressed to explain HP&amp;'s relations with Microsoft in operating systems, he emphatically insisted that the &amp;''relationship was strong, is strong and will remain strong.&amp;'' And when one reporter dismissed his &amp;''platitudes&amp;'' about the cloud and how far behind HP was compared to its cloud rivals, Apotheker smiled at the challenge and said, &amp;''We will catch up and then we will talk again.&amp;'' He also said, &amp;''We don&amp;'t intend to play in the junior league&amp;'' in the tablet market.As a couple of more examples of poise, Apotheker paused before answering a question about the Japan quake on HP&amp;'s business and expressed his sympathy for the Japanese people and the hardships that HP&amp;'s own Japanese employees may be having. He said that HP had made a donation for relief efforts in Japan and would match employee donations dollar for dollar. When a reporter sneezed, Apotheker smiled and said, &amp;''Bless you.&amp;'' And he joked that he would only answer questions from reporters who had HP laptops.Roger Kay, analyst of Endpoint Technologies, had mixed feelings. He said, &amp;''I feel like Leo is poised and in control, but that he&amp;'s short on proof points, how he&amp;'s going to get where he says he wants to go. He&amp;'s using all the right buzz words, but it&amp;'s hard to see the substance behind the phrases. I&amp;'m still puzzling out how apps stores work in enterprise, but some other analysts say it&amp;'s a way to sandbox and control app distribution. I&amp;'d like to see more on how that is supposed to work.&amp;''Kay added, &amp;''It&amp;'s clear he&amp;'s going to invest in software, but he said precious little about PCs and WebOS. So, even though he&amp;'s promising end-to-end, he&amp;'s not saying much about how.&amp;''Check out Apotheker&amp;'s speech below and the Q&amp;amp'A with reporters below that.Next Story: Microsoft launches Internet Explorer 9, its prettiest browser yet Previous Story: Twitter cofounder Biz Stone to advise AOLPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Companies: Hewlett Packard, HPPeople: Lo Apotheker          Companies: Hewlett Packard, HPPeople: Lo ApothekerDean 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. 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