
<?phpxml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" 
xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
>
<channel>
<title>Haaze.com / Savariya / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:10:29 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Philips GoGear Connect, hands-on]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=philips-gogear-connect-hands-on</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=philips-gogear-connect-hands-on</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:10:29 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>microcarrier</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=philips-gogear-connect-hands-on</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Philips GoGear Connect runs Android 2.3.(Credit:Donald Bell/CNET)Attention Android fans who wouldn't be caught dead with aniPod Touch. Philips is breathing some new life into their GoGear line of MP3 and portable media players by introducing the Connect, a new Android 2.3 device. Due out in September with pricing starting at $179 (8GB), the GoGear Connect is chasing after the same Android-loving customer as the Samsung Galaxy Player. Most importantly, the device will come with Google's suite of mobile apps, including a fully-stocked Android Market.Philips GoGear Connect (photos) Fickle listeners will also appreciate the inclusion of Philips' own sound-isolating earphones, and FullSound audio enhancement. The more visual among you may be lured by a 3.2-inch screen that can downscale video up to 720p resolution. The demo unit I was treated to today was still in its engineering stages, but I was happy to see that Philips was taking some uncharacteristically cool risks by placing the speaker up top with some unique buttons that had the look of machined copper. I'm not sure why Philips felt the need to make the tactile buttons so large (or the screen so small), but it's always nice to see that Android addicts will have a new toy to play with.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[IDC: Android, Windows Phone to rule mobile]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=idc-android-windows-phone-to-rule-mobile</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=idc-android-windows-phone-to-rule-mobile</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 29 Mar 2011 07:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pliggtest</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=idc-android-windows-phone-to-rule-mobile</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Android and Windows Phone will reign supreme in the smartphone market in the not-too-distant future, a new IDC report claims.According to the market researcher, more than 450 million smartphones will ship in 2011, up from the 303.4 million units last year. IDC predicts that Android will account for 39.5 percent of all smartphone shipments this year, easily besting Symbian's 20.9 percent market share. Apple's iOS platform is expected to be running on 15.7 percent of the smartphones shipped in 2011. RIM's BlackBerry andWindows Phone 7/Windows Mobile will round out the top five with 14.9 percent and 5.5 percent market share in 2015, respectively.IDC's 2011 expectations likely won't surprise many folks. But its 2015 estimates will.(Credit:IDC)The research firm contends that Android will have 45.4 percent market share in 2015. It will be followed by Microsoft's Windows Phone platform with 20.9 percent market share. The compound annual growth of Microsoft's platform over the next four years is expected to be 67.1 percent, IDC said. Apple's iOS and Research In Motion's BlackBerry platform will own 15.3 percent and 13.7 percent of the smartphone market, respectively.Microsoft's expected gains in the smartphone market aren't by chance. The company's market share boost will be due mainly to its recent partnership with Nokia, which will be using Windows Phone 7 as the &quot;principal&quot; operating system in its smartphones likely starting in 2012.&quot;Up until the launch of Windows Phone 7 last year, Microsoft has steadily lost market share while other operating systems have brought forth new and appealing experiences,&quot; Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst on IDC's Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team, said today in a statement. &quot;The new alliance brings together Nokia's hardware capabilities and Windows Phone's differentiated platform...By 2015, IDC expects Windows Phone to be the No. 2 operating system worldwide behind Android.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Infiniti M35h is a modern major hybrid]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=infiniti-m35h-is-a-modern-major-hybrid</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=infiniti-m35h-is-a-modern-major-hybrid</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>myworeorefs</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=infiniti-m35h-is-a-modern-major-hybrid</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Wayne Cunningham/CNET)Last year, Infiniti released the M56x, its top sedan loaded with a big displacement V-8. Thatcar offered the power one would expect from a luxury sedan, but the engine was caveman technology. This year, Infiniti shows it can do high-tech motive power equal to the level of tech in its cabins. The M35h hybrid couples Infiniti's tried and true V-6 with a next-generation hybrid power system using lithium ion batteries.The M35h drives exceptionally well, running in EV mode over a wide range of speeds. The hybrid system boosts power substantially over that of the gas engine alone. Although fuel economy doesn't reach the highs of a Toyota Prius, it is exceptional for a luxury sedan. Add to that Infiniti's innovative driver assistance features, and the car is one high-tech roller.Read our review of the 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Volvo's driving game promotes S60]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=volvos-driving-game-promotes-s60</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=volvos-driving-game-promotes-s60</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2011 07:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>MexPooselob</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=volvos-driving-game-promotes-s60</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Volvo used an augmented reality driving game to promote the S60. The virtual driving course is layered over whatever the mobile phone&amp;39's camera is looking at.(Credit:Volvo)If you weren't sitting in front of your computer watching YouTube videos on March 12, you may have missed one of the most ambitious mobile promotions to date. Volvo released an augmented reality driving game foriPhone and Android devices to promote the S60 sports sedan, but it was only available for one day. Even with the limited run time, Volvo hit this one out of the park.The S60 promotion involved a lot of moving parts. To download the S60 driving game, I needed to scan an online QR code using my iPhone camera (although I later found out that I could just search for the game on iTunes or Android Market). Launching the game was its own mini feat--I needed to match the outline of thecar in the app with the picture of the S60 on YouTube's homepage, taken over by Volvo for the promotion. Lining up the two vehicles was like unlocking a secret key that started the game. Once I managed that less-than-obvious procedure, playing the game was the easy part. A virtual driving course littered with obstacles, such as boulders, cones, and moose, was dropped into whatever background the mobile phone's camera had in its sight. Hit one of the course obstacles and the vehicle's speed was reduced. Hit them all, like I often did, and the S60 crawled toward the finish line at a snail's pace with black clouds sputtering from its exhaust. After a few tries, I was able to bring my time down from 1.06 minutes to just 46 seconds. Players could submit their scores and view the five fastest times from other players. Coming in first didn't win you anything other than bragging rights, and once I figured out that I would probably never beat the first-place record of 8 seconds, I abandoned the game. Players had to match the outline in the game with the S60 on a masthead banner ad on YouTube to start the game.(Credit:Volvo)Although the promotion is technically over and no one else can download the game, I'm still able to practice cornering the S60 in the app, albeit without the augmented reality portion of the game. This means that the track is now black rather than transparent--a trade-off that is almost an improvement. In retrospect, layering the driving course over whatever background my phone camera sees seems a little unnecessary, which begs the question: could Volvo have run the promotion without the probably very expensive augmented reality twist&quot;Absolutely we could have done it without augmented reality, but it adds another dimension to gameplay,&quot; said Linda Gangeri, national advertising manager for Volvo. In addition to creating a technically savvy brand image, it has consumers interacting with a new technology for the first time, Gangeri explained.Volvo said it didn't have statistics on how many people downloaded the game. If you missed the promotion this time around, you'll get another chance in the future. Volvo plans on retooling the game for another promotion, although it wouldn't say when.Volvo campaign by the numbers:- 61 million impressions on homepage takeover on YouTube on March 12. Google promised 47 million.- 192,319 clicks on the masthead banner ad- Interactive banner ad had a 9.6 percent interaction rate. Industry standard is 2.1 percent interaction rate- Site traffic was up 293 percent.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Microsoft's antitrust deal still alive, but so what]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsofts-antitrust-deal-still-alive-but-so-what</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsofts-antitrust-deal-still-alive-but-so-what</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2011 07:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>marwinmarfinancial8819</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsofts-antitrust-deal-still-alive-but-so-what</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The irony for Microsoft is pretty hard to escape.The federal judge overseeing Microsoft's 2002 settlement with antitrust regulators noted at a hearing today (subscription required) that the software giant had made &quot;extraordinary&quot; progress in resolving outstanding issues. But just consider the much bigger story of the day: Mozilla's newFirefox 4 browser was downloaded 6.5 million times in less than 24 hours. (Check out Mozilla's real-time Firefox 4 download data here.) Compare that to Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9, introduced a week earlier and downloaded 2.3 million times in the first 24 hours.Turns out the marketplace is doing a pretty good job of what the court tried to do. The Justice Department brought the case, alleging that Microsoft illegally used Windows to monopolize the browser market. A federal judge ruled against Microsoft, leading the company to ultimately settle with trustbusters, a deal U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has spent nearly a decade overseeing.It may seem odd that a judge is still overseeing the nearly decade-old settlement. But Microsoft's deal with regulators requires it to abide by a series of guidelines--most notably, disclosing key technical information about making software applications compatible with Windows. Kollar-Kotelly continues to monitor Microsoft to make sure it abides by the consent degree.In the meantime, though, the battleground for computing has shifted. Windows, the source of so much of Microsoft's power, no longer gives the company the cudgel it once used to thwart rivals. It's still the dominant computer operating system. But Mozilla doesn't need to play by Microsoft's rules to reach the masses. That's because the Internet, of course, matters much more than Windows.Just look at the browser market. When Microsoft settled the antitrust case, it controlled more than 90 percent of the browser market. In February, according to Net Applications, Internet Explorer held 57 percent market share. It's still the leader. But Firefox has 22 percent of the market, followed by Google's Chrome with 11 percent and Apple'sSafari with 6 percent. Certainly one reason for that shift is that the rival browsers are every bit as good, and sometimes significantly better, than Internet Explorer.Internet Explorer(Credit:Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)Firefox 4's outpacing Internet Explorer 9 in downloads is to some extent Microsoft's own doing. The company put itself at download disadvantage by making IE9, released March 14, incompatible with Windows XP, which, though long in the tooth, is still used by more than 40 percent of Web surfers. The company said it wanted to have a browser that could take advantage of the modern graphics technology of its newer operating systems. And surely, it doesn't hurt to encourage folks using the old operating system to upgrade by limiting the availability of the latest software.To be fair, the antitrust case has played some role in shrinking Microsoft's power. It'd be hard to argue that the terms of the settlement have prevented Microsoft from using Windows to monopolize other markets. But the antitrust case raised the specter of drawn out regulatory hurdles to major acquisitions, likely tempering Microsoft's acquisition ambitions. And the company instituted corporate accountability guidelines in the wake of the settlement intended to curb the abuses that led to the antitrust case in first place.The antitrust settlement is set to expire May 12. Much has changed in the intervening years. It faces emboldened rivals such as Google and Apple, as well as new technologies harnessed by Facebook and Twitter. Today's technology landscape would have been unthinkable when Kollar-Kotelly agreed to the antitrust settlement. The biggest change of all may be that Microsoft no longer dominates computing the way it once did. Just ask the folks at Mozilla.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Spectrum debate likely hot topic for CTIA]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=spectrum-debate-likely-hot-topic-for-ctia</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=spectrum-debate-likely-hot-topic-for-ctia</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 07:11:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Cristoph-i</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=spectrum-debate-likely-hot-topic-for-ctia</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ORLANDO, Fla.--While many gadget fans will be looking for the latest smartphones and cool services coming out at this week'sCTIA 2011 trade show here, policy wonks will be looking for news in the heated battle between the wireless industry and TV broadcasters over spectrum reallocation.In recent weeks, the National Association of Broadcasters has called into question the Federal Communications Commission's plan to reallocate spectrum, much of which will come from unused broadcast licenses that have been voluntarily given up. The NAB has called many current spectrum holders, which have participated in previous spectrum auctions, hoarders. The group claims these companies are not efficiently using the spectrum they have already bought.For example, satellite TV provider DirecTV, as well as cable operators Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Brighthouse have all bought spectrum in recent FCC auctions and have not yet used that spectrum nor have they disclosed how they plan to use it. Even large carriers such as Verizon Wireless and AT&amp;T have not used all the spectrum licenses they have purchased in recent auctions.&quot;Maybe you should develop that spectrum before you come to broadcasters asking for 40 percent more of their spectrum,&quot; Dennis Wharton, NAB's executive vice president for media relations, told the IDG News Service in a recent interview. &quot;Why is it taking so long, if there really is a national spectrum crisis&quot;The CTIA, which represents the wireless industry, and the Federal Communications Commission say spectrum reallocation is necessary because there's a looming spectrum crisis. Without additional spectrum allocated, wireless operators will not have enough airwaves available to meet the rapidly growing demand for wireless data services, these groups say.While it's clear which side the CTIA is on in this debate, the topic will likely be a hot one at the group's biannual trade show this week where the industry is gathered not only to announce and view cool new products, but also to discuss important policies essential to the industry. (For more detail on what to expect in terms of products at CTIA, check out my colleague Kent German's preview piece from Friday.)On Monday, I will be helping Chris Guttman-McCabe, vice president of regulatory affairs for the CTIA, host a panel discussion that will include several officials from the FCC, as well as representatives from AT&amp;T and Verizon, who will be talking about wireless spectrum issues and policy.The spectrum debate The FCC's National Broadband Report, released last year, recommended that the FCC make 500MHz of new wireless spectrum available within 10 years for licensed and unlicensed use. The plan recommends that 300MHz of that spectrum should become available within the next five years.One of the most controversial issues to come out of that plan is the reallocation of wireless spectrum. While the report recommends that the FCC reallocate about 20MHz of underutilized government spectrum, it also recommends that the agency get about 120MHz of spectrum from TV broadcasters.The FCC is currently studying a plan for reallocating spectrum. The commission has said it doesn't plan to force broadcasters to give it up. Instead, it said it would create incentive auctions that would let broadcasters who aren't using some spectrum to voluntarily give it up in exchange for some kind of compensation.While the NAB is open to a voluntarily approach, the lobby group has been questioning the FCC's premise for even asking for this spectrum, given that spectrum sold in recent auctions hasn't been used yet.The NAB also says it may be difficult for broadcasters to give up spectrum, since the areas where spectrum is most needed is in cities, where many broadcasters are already using spectrum to provide free TV programming, as well as mobile digital TV.Broadcasters also believe that as an industry, they've given up plenty of spectrum already. For example, the government forced the TV broadcast industry to move to broadcasting signals in digital rather than analog form, which freed up spectrum in the 700MHz band. That spectrum was auctioned in 2008. Verizon Wireless is using its 700MHz wireless licenses to build its &quot;4G&quot; LTE network.But the wireless industry and the FCC believe that TV broadcasters, which were given their spectrum licenses for free during the dawn of TV, need to give more of it back for reallocation. In a column published Friday on CNET, CTIA CEO Steve Largent said that TV broadcasters have 294MHz of spectrum in each market, much of which is currently unused.He claims that the CTIA estimates that revenue &quot;from auctions of broadcast spectrum reclaimed through a voluntary mechanism would gross at least $36 billion for the federal government. This process would [retain] free over-the-air broadcast service while the industry would pay billions to the U.S. Treasury and billions more to the U.S. economy to deploy new technologies. Ultimately, consumers continue to get the world's best products and services. Everyone wins.&quot;AT&amp;T's senior executive vice president for external and legislative affairs said in a blog post Friday that the NAB itself is guilty of under using its spectrum resources and should not be pointing fingers at the wireless industry, which has paid millions for its spectrum licenses.&quot;NAB (insuates that) the problem isn't their own massive warehousing and underuse of precious spectrum resources,&quot; Cicconi wrote in a blog post Friday. &quot;Instead, the problem is everyone else. It's not their 1950s transmission method that's inefficient' the fault is with modern devices that receive their signals. And somehow those companies making the largest capital investments in the U.S., and perhaps the largest private capital investments in American history, aren't investing fast enough to suit the broadcasters.&quot;The CTIA and the Consumer Electronics Association say that the NAB is simply trying to deflect attention from the spectrum crisis. In a letter to Congressional leaders this week, the two groups said that the &quot;NAB has once again endeavored to search for any hint of outlier instances where spectrum allegedly is not being put to productive use--a point that has been consistently refuted.&quot;FCC Chairman Genachowski has also downplayed the NAB's claims. In a speech this week at the Mobile Future Forum, he said that the FCC's recently completed &quot;baseline&quot; spectrum inventory provides enough data to conclude that incentive auctions are needed.&quot;The spectrum crunch will not be solved by the build-out of already allocated spectrum,&quot; Genachowski said. &quot;That spectrum was already built into the FCC's analysis of the spectrum shortage and does not detract from the desirability and necessity of adding the incentive auction tool to the FCC's arsenal.&quot;He said there were &quot;no hidden vacant lots of commercial airwaves.&quot; But he said that there are a few &quot;areas well-suited to mobile broadband, such as the TV and [mobile satellite services] bands.&quot;Meanwhile, the NAB says it wants the government to do a full inventory of spectrum to see how efficiently all spectrum holders are using their licenses. Such a broad inventory of spectrum that includes usage by wireless companies and other auction license holders has not been done.It will be interesting to see how the debate plays out and what the wireless industry will say at this week's conference to flame the political fires. Stay tuned.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[GE invests in storage unit innovation]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-invests-in-storage-unit-innovation</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-invests-in-storage-unit-innovation</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:12:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>overscribbling</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-invests-in-storage-unit-innovation</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Basic overview of how the SustainX system uses hydraulics to create, store, and release compressed air for making electricity.(Credit:SustainX)SustainX announced today it's received $14.4 million in funding from GE subsidiary GE Energy Financial Services, Cadent Energy Partners, Polaris Ventures, and Rockport Capital.The New Hampshire-based company is a start-up that grew out of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College in 2007, and has been developing a compressed-air energy storage unit intended for integration with smart grids. Simply put, its innovative storage unit uses compressed air to store, then generate electricity. But unlike other compressed-air storage units, which use a compressor to store air underground, SustainX stores the air in a standard tank located above ground and uses a hydraulic piston system and hydraulic motor.Electricity initially runs the hydraulic piston system to create and store high-pressure air in the tanks. Then, when electricity is needed, that high-pressure air is channeled to drive a hydraulic motor that powers an electric generator. The system uses isothermal compression and expansion to keep the air at a consistent temperature to maximize efficiency.&quot;SustainX technology keeps air at a nearly constant temperature during compression and expansion' this significantly improves efficiency and reduces the cost of compressed-air energy storage below that of other above-ground energy storage options,&quot; the company said in a statement.GE wind turbines at an offshore wind farm.(Credit:GE)The grid storage unit is intended for use in place of today's current &quot;peaker plants,&quot; or auxiliary go-to plants for when electric grids reach peak demand and need an extra source of electricity to draw from.The investment is part of GE's Ecomagination program in which the company said it plans to invest $10 billion in green-focused research and development between 2010 and 2015. SustainX's compressed-air grid storage system falls under the Ecomagination &quot;Powering the Grid&quot; program.SustainX had previously been developing the tech with about $5.4 million it had garnered from a combination of public grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as previous private funding from Cadent Energy Partners, Polaris Ventures, and Rockport Capital. With the new round of funding available, the company says it will soon be showcasing a more scalable prototype that it's developing with AES Energy Storage. That prototype will be capable of storing and dispensing enough energy to power the equivalent of 1,000 U.S. homes.GE's interest in a system like the one SustainX is attempting to develop makes sense given GE's huge wind turbine manufacturing business expanding in Europe and winning over wind farms in the U.S. Because of their intermittent nature, wind and solar are less reliable than other energy sources. Energy storage units, like the one being developed by SustainX, would change that because they would allow wind and solar energy excesses to be easily and cheaply stored and retrieved as needed, making their variable natures less problematic.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Report: Apple to sell 3.5 million Macs this quarter]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-apple-to-sell-3-5-million-macs-this-quarter</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-apple-to-sell-3-5-million-macs-this-quarter</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Mar 2011 07:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Cotgeomenut</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-apple-to-sell-3-5-million-macs-this-quarter</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Apple)According to new research, Apple will sell between 3.5 million and 3.7 million Macs in the fiscal quarter ending in this month.The data comes from market research firm NPD and was sent to clients by Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Gene Munster. Interpreting the data, Munster says he believes Apple will finish the quarter at the lower end of expectations.For January and February, Apple is trending up 16 percent over the year-ago quarter. That would put Apple at about 3.6 million Macs for the quarter. The street consensus is for Macs to be up in the 22 percent range year over year. The 16 percent gain would put Apple within, but at the low end, of Munster's expectations of 15 percent to 25 percent. Munster notes that there may have been a pause in sales as Apple readied to release the new MacBook Pros in February. That would also lead to a rise in sales for March, which are not yet reflected in the numbers.iPad sales are also falling in line with expectations, according to Munster. Currently theiPod is tracking down 11 percent over last year, meeting his range of being down between 5 percent to 10 percent.The NPD data suggests Apple will sell between 9.8 million and 10.3 million iPods this quarter. Munster said he believes the street expectations are around 10.2 million iPods for the quarter.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Satellite images show Japan before and after quake]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=satellite-images-show-japan-before-and-after-quake</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=satellite-images-show-japan-before-and-after-quake</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 13 Mar 2011 08:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>hypersemana</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=satellite-images-show-japan-before-and-after-quake</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Before and after the quake, Arahama in Sendai.(Credit:Google, ABC, GeoEye)It's a startling picture of how dramatic and destructive Friday's massive earthquake actually was.The quake, which has upgraded to a magnitude 9.0 by the Japan Meteorological Agency, may have shifted the position of Earth's axis about 6.5 inches, Richard Gross, a geophysicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told the Los Angeles Times. The quake likely sped up the Earth's rotation, shortening the day by 1.8 microseconds, Gross said. Also, the main island of Japan appears to have moved 8 feet, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey told CNN.To help illustrate the damaging power of the quake and the ensuing tsunami, Google has compiled a collection of high-resolution before-and-after satellite images that depict the areas affected most by the devastation. &quot;We're working to provide this data directly to response organizations on the ground to aid their efforts,&quot; Ryan Falor, Google Crisis Response team, said in a Google Lat Long Blog post. &quot;We hope this new updated satellite imagery is valuable for them as well as everyone else following this situation to help illustrate the extent of the damage.&quot;ABC News has created a presentation of the images, overlaying the before and after images for each specific area for a more immediate representation of the quake and tsunami's devastating effects. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA['National Day of Unplugging'--there's an app for that]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=national-day-of-unplugging-theres-an-app-for-that</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=national-day-of-unplugging-theres-an-app-for-that</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>winlimlim4</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=national-day-of-unplugging-theres-an-app-for-that</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In case you haven't heard, tonight is the start of the second annual &quot;National Day of Unplugging&quot;--a grassroots effort to get people to shut off our precious mobile devices, if only for a day. The 2-year-old project encourages all of usiPhone addicts and CrackBerry enthusiasts to turn off our cell phones for 24 hours in an effort to reconnect with the world.And yes, for those who need it, there's an app for that. In a new twist this year, the backers of the event have created iPhone, Android, and Web apps that can both remind users to shut off their device as well as alert social media connections of why they will be offline. The apps were created by a team from Washington, D.C.-based Revolution Messaging. The Web app can even be sent to a device via text message by texting REBOOT to 738674.Among those backing the project this year is Courtney Holt, who until recently was head of MySpace Music.&quot;You can't always do it, but I think it is something worth trying,&quot; Holt told Mobilized. Holt said he would have liked to take part last year but that the event conflicted with duties related to South By Southwest conference, which was taking place at the same time.I teased him that perhaps it was easier for him to unplug this year since he is between gigs. He assured me that he is still plenty busy, but said he couldn't really talk about what he is up to. That said, he said he is looking forward to taking part this year and hopes others in his social circle will do the same.Holt also said he was aware of the irony of the fact that the company is using a mobile app to promote taking a break from mobile apps.&quot;As ironic as it is that we created an app to do it, sometimes you need a tap on the shoulder,&quot; Holt said.For National Day of Unplugging, people are being encouraged to turn off their devices from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. The backers have also partnered with San Francisco Bay Area-based Volunteer Match to give people options of what to do with their hands when they aren't texting or catapulting red birds into a pile of bricks.It grew out of a larger effort, known as Reboot, which is pushing for more frequent downtime, encouraging weekly breaks as part of a &quot;Sabbath Manifesto&quot; designed to allow people to redefine the notion of a day of rest. Among the creators of the Sabbath Manifesto is Dan Rollman, who founded the Universal World Record Database, an online database that aims to do to the &quot;Guinness Book of World Records&quot; what Wikipedia has done to the encyclopedia.Although the Sabbath Manifesto project has Jewish origins, Holt said tech addicts of all faiths (or no faith at all) can get something out of the act of unplugging.&quot;It came out of a Jewish conversation, but I don't think there's anything inherently Jewish,&quot; Holt said.Mobilized is strongly considering turning off the phone (well, all the phones) but not sure how that will go over with the BoomTown boss. Holt did say he'd write me a permission slip.Story Copyright (c) 2010 AllThingsD. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Rob Glaser's SocialEyes: Facebook-connected videophone]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rob-glasers-socialeyes-facebook-connected-videophone</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rob-glasers-socialeyes-facebook-connected-videophone</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rasterli6</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rob-glasers-socialeyes-facebook-connected-videophone</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Deep offshore wind sized up]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=deep-offshore-wind-sized-up</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=deep-offshore-wind-sized-up</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:11:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rockyraj1919</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=deep-offshore-wind-sized-up</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:University of Maine/James W. Sewall Company)Deep offshore wind could produce energy for 8-10 cents per kilowatt within 10 years, according to a report released today from the University of Maine and DeepCWind.org.The extensive 557-page report (PDF) represents a collaboration between the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine, and the James W. Sewall Company, but was funded with a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.The report includes input from several members of DeepCWind.org, a consortium of companies, manufacturers, environmentalist groups, and academic institutions related to the offshore wind industry.More interesting than how inexpensive offshore wind might become is the legal challenge such an undertaking could face.As well as a feasibility study for the Maine's coastal region in particular, the report delves into what the U.S. government and private companies may or may not be able to build in terms of deep offshore wind sites with an interconnection to a common grid, or with a series of independent grids.Things become complicated depending on whether the offshore pilings and turbines are foreign-made and how they're connected, though this could actually be a boon to U.S. manufacturers and workers.Three types of deep offshore wind designs are under development from the DeepCwind Consortium at the University of Maine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site.(Credit:DeepCWind.org)The report asserts that deep offshore wind farms attached to the seabed could legally be treated as U.S. &quot;ports,&quot; while turbines built as floating entities could be treated as &quot;vessels,&quot; both of which would be subject to the Jones Act (aka the Merchant Marine Act of 1920) and other maritime regulations and cabotage laws, many of which have been in place for over a century.The report says that one cabotage law dictates that &quot;75 percent of the crew on United States flagged vessels be United States citizens and/or permanent residents.&quot; Another law states that &quot;a vessel may not provide any part of the transportation of merchandise by water, or by land and water, between points in the United States to which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or via a foreign port, unless the vessel--(1) is wholly owned by citizens of the United States for purposes of engaging in the coastwise trade' and (2) has been issued a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement [by the Coast Guard],&quot; according to the report.&quot;At least 75 percent of the ownership of the vessels must lie in the hands of American citizens. This requirement becomes complicated when confronted with the realities of modern-day vessel ownership, which is often done by corporation or trust, with complex lease and mortgage contracts,&quot; said the report.Under certain circumstances the U.S. Secretary of Defense can waive cabotage laws. Companies and other U.S. agencies can petition for waivers, and have succeeded in certain historical situations, but the process is controversial, costly, and takes a long time, according to the report.One can see how such laws might present a problem in an age when European investment in offshore wind projects and Asian manufacturing of wind turbine technology overshadows U.S. wind interest.&quot;Because the installation of offshore wind turbines requires specialized vessels and portside infrastructure, both of which are currently lacking in the United States, the cabotage laws--which restrict the use of foreign vessels in American waters--stand to play a crucial role in offshore wind farm development,&quot; said the report.The report also found that deep offshore wind sites would involve the jurisdiction of more than a dozen U.S. agencies in various ways from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Customs and Border Patrol division of Homeland Security.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[NASA probe makes Valentine's Day comet flyby]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nasa-probe-makes-valentines-day-comet-flyby</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nasa-probe-makes-valentines-day-comet-flyby</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:11:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>l888899</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nasa-probe-makes-valentines-day-comet-flyby</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Twelve years after launch and seven years after it collected dust from comet Wild 2, NASA's Stardust probe is making a bonus Valentine's Day flyby late today. This time the probe will close in on comet Tempel 1 to find out how the icy body has changed since it was visited by another NASA spacecraft in 2005.The renamed Stardust-New Exploration of Tempel mission--Stardust-NExT--is on track to pass within about 124 miles of the nucleus of Tempel 1 at 8:37 p.m. PT, snapping 72 high-resolution images and collecting data about the dust environment in the immediate vicinity as it races past at a relative velocity of 24,300 mph.Because radio signals to and from the spacecraft will take about 45 minutes to cover the 418-million-mile round-trip distance between Earth and the spacecraft, Stardust-NExT will carry out the flyby autonomously under control of its onboard computer. The first images of Tempel 1 are expected to reach NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., around midnight PT.Comet Tempel 1 as seen from the Deep Impact spacecraft in 2005, showing areas of flow-like terrain ('a' an 'b') and the site of an impact by an instrumented probe that blasted out a crater on the surface (large arrow' photo taken before impact). The white line at lower right represents 1 kilometer for scale.(Credit:NASA)&quot;In the few minutes around closest approach, we'll be taking the bulk of our images, we'll be taking 72 high-resolution images,&quot; said JPL Project Manager Tim Larson. &quot;We cannot transmit those to the ground real time because of the flyby geometry. So we have to store all of those on board in the spacecraft memory.&quot;An hour after the flyby, we turn the spacecraft to point the high gain antenna back to Earth and at that point, we'll start relaying all the information back to Earth. It will take approximately 12 hours to get all the data back own on the ground. The first images should be hitting the ground around midnight Pacific Time on the 14th.&quot;The $300 million Stardust mission was launched in 1999. On January 2, 2004, the spacecraft flew past comet Wild 2, using an innovative collector to capture particles from the coma, the cloud of debris surrounding the nucleus. Passing back by Earth two years later, a small re-entry capsule carrying the collected material was ejected and fell to a landing in Utah where it was recovered for detailed analysis.In the meantime, NASA carried out the Deep Impact mission, sending another spacecraft to comet Tempel 1, a roughly potato-shaped body with a nucleus measuring 4.7 by 3 miles. During a dramatic encounter in 2005, Deep Impact released an instrumented probe that crashed into the comet, throwing up a cloud of debris from the surface. The Deep Impact spacecraft monitored the crash from a safe distance and carried out remote observations with cameras and other instruments.But the cloud of debris, or ejecta, thrown up by the Deep Impact probe prevented scientists from seeing the crater the crash excavated.With the Stardust probe still healthy after its successful mission to Wild 2, NASA approved a $29 million mission extension and agreed to send the spacecraft to Tempel 1 to study how the comet had changed during a full trip around the sun.Joe Veverka, the Stardust-NExT principal investigator at Cornell University, said Tempel 1 turned out to be &quot;unusually interesting.&quot;&quot;In places on Tempel 1, we see layered terrains, which probably contain information about how comet nuclei are put together, and we would like to see more of these terrains,&quot; he said, explaining why Tempel 1 was targeted for a second visit. &quot;Deep Impact saw only about a third of the surface. We would like to see more.&quot;Deep Impact also showed areas that appear to be smooth flow-like deposits, along with crater-like features that could be ancient vents.A view of comet Tempel 1 as an instrumented probe crashed into its surface in 2005.(Credit:NASA)But Veverka said the most important reason to return to Tempel 1 is that &quot;this will be an opportunity, for the first time, to see how much a comet changes between two close passages to the sun.&quot;&quot;Deep Impact saw the comet in 2005, we're going to be seeing it one comet year later, just after its closest passage to the sun in 2011,&quot; he said. &quot;We know comets lose material, but the question is, how much does the surface change and where does the surface change So we'll be able to answer that question by comparing our images with those taken by Deep Impact in 2005.&quot;One year ago, engineers carried out a major rocket firing to put Stardust-NExT on course for its Valentine's Day encounter. The trajectory was selected based on careful studies of the comet's estimated 41.9-hour rotation. The goal was to make sure Stardust NExT had a view of the Deep Impact crater as it flew past.&quot;That impact threw up so much ejecta that Deep Impact never saw the crater,&quot; Veverka said. &quot;So it could never complete the experiment, to see how big the crater is and what that tells us about the mechanical properties of the comet's surface. That's important if we're ever going to go back to a comet, land a spacecraft on the surface, dig up material from the surface, bring it back to Earth...So here, we have a chance to complete the deep impact experiment.&quot;But Steve Chesley, a co-investigator at JPL, said there were no guarantees.&quot;If we've aligned our light curves correctly and the comet continues to cooperate...then we'll meet our mission objectives and hopefully also have a fantastic view of the deep impact crater,&quot; he said.&quot;But the alternative is not so bad because then we'll get fantastic views of never before seen cometary terrain. So we'll have fantastic science no matter what.&quot;Flight controllers will not know whether they hit the bull's-eye until the first images come in.&quot;We won't know until a few hours after the flyby,&quot; Chesley said. &quot;I'll be on the edge of my seat, but I think it's important to emphasize that aspect of the mission is bonus science. We're going to find out a lot about how comets evolve.&quot;Stardust-NExT has covered some 3.5 billion miles since launch in 1999. The spacecraft is not expected to have enough fuel left to carry out any additional encounters.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Sony considering pulling out of iTunes altogether]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-considering-pulling-out-of-itunes-altogether</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-considering-pulling-out-of-itunes-altogether</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>linksoflondonsale</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-considering-pulling-out-of-itunes-altogether</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Music Unlimited: The service that will cause Sony to pull out of iTunes(Credit:Stephen Shankland/CNET)It might not be long before Sony turns its back on iTunes, if a new report from Australia's The Age proves to be accurate.According to the publication, Sony is working hard on on getting its Music Unlimited streaming service to catch on with customers. Michael Ephraim, head of Sony Computer Entertainment in Australia, said that as the service is rolled out around the world and it starts to gain popularity, it might be time for Sony to think twice about its partnership with Apple and iTunes.&quot;If we do [get mass take up] then does Sony Music need to provide content to iTunes'' Ephraim asked during his interview with The Age. ''Currently we do. We have to provide it to iTunes as that's the format right now.&quot;He then delivered some fighting words, telling the publication that &quot;publishers are being held to ransom by Apple and they are looking for other delivery systems, and we are waiting to see what the next three to five years will hold.&quot;Sony first announced Music Unlimited back in September. In December, the company launched the offering in the U.K. and Ireland with 6 million songs available to stream. It partnered with Universal, Warner Music Group, and EMI, in addition to delivering Sony Music Entertainment content on the service. It also includes tracks from independent labels.Music Unlimited costs about $6 per month for basic service and about $15 for premium service. Like Pandora, Music Unlimited lets users tailor their listening by indicating whether they like a song or not. However, unlike Pandora's free version, there are no ads in Music Unlimited. Sony's service also allows for an unlimited number of skips.Sony's eventual goal with Music Unlimited is to bring the streaming tracks to a slew of devices. Currently, the service works with the company's line of 2010 HDTVs, Blu-ray players, andPlayStation 3, among other products.Ephraim called Music Unlimited a &quot;new technology&quot; in his interview with The Age. And perhaps most importantly, he told the publication, it gives customers more &quot;freedom,&quot; which stands in stark contrast, he says, to Apple.That sentiment was echoed recently by another Sony executive over a battle between the companies and e-books.Late last month, Apple rejected a Sony application from gaining access to its App Store that would have allowed customers to buy e-books through Sony's Reader Store. Apple said at the time that it requires developers to give customers the option to buy e-books &quot;from within the app,&quot; a claim that Sony took issue with.&quot;It's the opposite of what we wanted to bring to the market,&quot; Sony digital reading division President Steve Haber told The New York Times after the rejection. &quot;We always wanted to bring the content to as many devices as possible, not one device to one store.&quot;However, when it comes to gaming, Sony isn't so willing to share its content with Apple.Later this year, Sony will be launching the PlayStation Suite, an offering that will allow Android-based devices to play older PlayStation games. In his interview with The Age, Ephraim said that PlayStation Suite was another effort on Sony's part to start &quot;opening up.&quot; Ephraim then took the opportunity to fire another shot over Apple's bow.&quot;We're not as closed as Apple is,&quot; Ephraim said in the interview. &quot;It's the first time in the gaming industry it's non-proprietary. With the proliferation of devices [PlayStation Suite] could be an indication of where things are going.&quot;Based on Ephraim's strong words, those &quot;things&quot; seem to be heading toward a full-fledged war between Sony and Apple.Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Report: iPad 2 already in production]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-ipad-2-already-in-production</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-ipad-2-already-in-production</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:10:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>willnotlii</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-ipad-2-already-in-production</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A mock iPad 2 seen at this year&amp;39's CES. (Credit:Engadget)Apple has the next generation of itsiPad in production, according to a Wall Street Journal report that appears to confirm many of the rumors that have been circulating for the past couple of months.The newtablet will feature a faster processor and a built-in camera for videoconferencing, but it will have the same display resolution as the first model, according to the report, which cited people familiar with the matter. The new model will reportedly be sold through current partners AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless--suggesting it might be dual mode for both GSM and CDMA networks. However, the report did not indicate when the new iPad might be hitting store shelves or what the pricing might be.An Apple representative declined to comment.Apple has sold 14 million iPads since its release last April, 7.33 million units alone during the holiday quarter, and Piper Jaffray expects Apple to sell 27 million iPads in 2011. All of that fervor has helped fuel rumors of specs, sightings, and even a claimed component acquisition. Tech site 9to5Mac claimed earlier this month that it had acquired what it believed to be an iPad 2 LCD, &quot;fresh out of China.&quot; The news site found the display to be lighter, thinner, and of higher quality than the current iPad's display, but it could see no evidence that it offered higher resolution than the existing model.Though a number of sites have reported finding higher resolution graphics in recent builds of Apple's iOS, an analyst cited by Apple Insider in January said the iPad 2 would not have a high-resolution Retina display, corroborating an earlier CNET report.Earlier this month, a Reuters &quot;eyewitness&quot; claimed to have seen an iPad 2 prototype at the press unveiling of News Corp.'s The Daily. However, that alleged sighting did nothing to confirm or dispel rumors that the new device will sport a USB port.Component makers in Taiwan said in December that Foxconn--a key maker of iPhones and iPads--had been notified that it should be ready to ship 400,000 to 600,000 units of the new device by the end of February. That aligns nicely with another rumor that has pegged February 14 as the release date for Apple's iOS 4.3, the newest update for iPhones, iPads, andiPod Touches. Might an iPad 2 announcement be included in a press event announcing iOS 4.3 Stay tuned. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Kenny G to make Audi Super Bowl star again]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kenny-g-to-make-audi-super-bowl-star-again</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kenny-g-to-make-audi-super-bowl-star-again</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Feb 2011 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bahis10900</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kenny-g-to-make-audi-super-bowl-star-again</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Many participate in the tradition of the Super Bowl in order to laugh.No, not at the saggy bottoms of linemen, but at the ads that, sadly, often strain like stand-up comedians in Des Moines pub.However, Audi promises to be an exception.The company was, to my yellowing eyes, the finest advertiser in last year's Super Bowl, with its joyous &quot;Green Police&quot; ad.This year, the chances of an Audi repeat seem rather high.The company has prereleased some longer YouTube films, all of which offer the concept that everyone who drives Beamers, Mercedes, and Lexuses is trapped in luxurious confinement.And what better way to express this than to feature Kenny G as the man who quells riots in the luxury prison with his soothing saxAudi has reportedly already declared that Kenny G will--in his role of Head of Riot Suppression--be appearing shortly after the kickoff of today's game.We will, no doubt, be treated to an image or two of somecar (or two) during the Super Bowl spot. We will even be treated to Audi being, allegedly, the first to use a Twitter hashtag, ProgressIs, on screen. (Sample post so far: &quot;ProgressIs the opposite of Congress.&quot;)However, viewers will surely be enchanted by a quite brilliant performance from a man who, by some, is mostly admired for his golfing prowess. (He's good. Really.)You might imagine that people tune in to ads to hear about the latest technological advancements of sometablet, cell phone or car.But what they will most remember are those actors who make them giggle, make them talk and make them giggle again the following day.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Canon's PowerShots get sensitivity training]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=canons-powershots-get-sensitivity-training</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=canons-powershots-get-sensitivity-training</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Feb 2011 08:10:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>scoodabus</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=canons-powershots-get-sensitivity-training</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Canon)Canon announced replacements to its A-series models back atCES 2011, leaving its Elph lineup untouched. That changed today, though, as Canon rolled out three new ultracompacts as well as a new compact megazoom. Oh, and Canon changed its naming system.The PowerShot Elph 100 HS, Elph 300 HS, and Elph 500 HS all feature 12-megapixel high-sensitivity backside-illuminated CMOS sensors and a Canon Digic 4 image processor' the combination makes up Canon's HS System, hence the HS is now part of the model names. Canon did away with the &quot;SD&quot; and &quot;IS&quot; in their names as they all take SD cards now (SDHC and SDXC) and they all have optical image stabilization. Since they all have the same processors and image sensors, the main differences are in the lenses and displays. The $299.99 500 HS has an f2-5.8 24mm-equivalent ultrawide-angle lens with a 4.4x zoom and a 3.2-inch touch-screen LCD. (It's basically a combination of the SD4000 IS and SD3500 IS.) The 300 HS will be $50 less than the 500 HS and feature an f2.7-5.9 24mm-equivalent ultrawide-angle lens with a 5x zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD in a very small body. At the bottom is the 100 HS with a 3-inch LCD and a 4x f2.8-5.9 28mm-equivalent wide-angle lens. It will sell for $199.99. All of the models can capture video in full HD. Canon also updated the SX210 IS compact megazoom by adding the same HS System as the Elphs. The new $349.99 SX230 HS keeps its predecessor's 14x, f3.1-5.9, 28-392mm lens (35mm equivalent) and 3-inch LCD, but gets a 12-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor. It also gets a built-in GPS receiver for geotagging photos while you shoot. Look for the Elphs and the SX230 HS to hit stores throughout March.Canon PowerShot 100 HS, 300 HS, 500 HS, and SX230 HS (photos) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Control, play torrents via uTorrent on Android]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=control-play-torrents-via-utorrent-on-android</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=control-play-torrents-via-utorrent-on-android</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Feb 2011 08:10:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>yeroppy</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=control-play-torrents-via-utorrent-on-android</guid>
<description><![CDATA[uTorrent Remote for Android(Credit:BitTorrent, Inc.)Bandwidth caps are only part of the reason that torrenting has yet to hit mobile devices in a big way, but that hasn't stopped them from trickling into the portable world. Today BitTorrent, Inc. announced remote control app uTorrent Remote that lets you manage your desktop's torrents from your Android device, and stream completed audio and video torrents back to your device. Originally mentioned last month at CES, uTorrent Remote will only work with the next generation version of uTorrent, currently available only as a rough alpha.The Android app adds basic torrent remote controls to your phone. You can check the status of a download or upload, and add, start, pause, or remove torrents, including torrents from RSS feeds. The big feature that makes this app a must is that it allows you to transfer, save, and play back any completed file from your PC to your Android device. In other words, there goes your data cap.To use it, after installing uTorrent 3.0 alpha you must go to the Web section of the uTorrent preferences and choose a username and password, then enter those in to the uTorrent Remote app. The app comes with buttons for viewing all your torrents, and then filtering by active downloads, currently seeding, and completed torrents. You can customize labels for your torrents, and add RSS feeds--an excellent way to stay on top of podcasts, for example.Tap on a torrent and you're provided with a detailed list of torrenting information, including status, download and upload speed, size of the files, and the amount downloaded. Controls at the bottom are for canceling the torrent, pausing it, and viewing the files. Tapping the folder icon takes you to a list of the files in the torrent, and you can select on the fly which ones to copy to your phone. Once you've copied it to your phone, a process that depends heavily on signal strength and the size of the file, the icon changes to a playback arrow.uTorrent Remote QR CodeNote that just because you can transfer the file to your phone doesn't mean that your phone has the ability to play it back, and uTorrent doesn't include a file conversion tool.As a side note, uTorrent's parent company, BitTorrent, has also been promoting its free content site Vodo as a place where people can get legally distributed torrents. All this combined with hardware partners for later in the year indicates a strong push from BitTorrent to convert the torrent from a tool of theft in the eyes of many to an expedient way to get content.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Amazon Web Services unwraps e-mail]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-web-services-unwraps-e-mail</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-web-services-unwraps-e-mail</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>irvinreaaa</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-web-services-unwraps-e-mail</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amazon Web Services is taking aim at the business world with e-mail.The new Simple Email Service integrates with the company's existing Amazon Web Services tools and is designed to make it easier for companies to manage e-mail in their operations.The focus of Simple Email Service is &quot;marketing and transactional messages,&quot; Amazon said today. The platform scans outgoing messages to ensure they meet ISP standards and won't get caught up in a recipient's spam folder. The service also boasts a notification system that alerts customers to &quot;bounce backs, failed and successful delivery attempts, and spam complaints,&quot; the company said.Users of Simple Email Service will receive their first gigabyte of data for free. In addition, those who use Amazon's EC2 cloud service or its AWS Elastic Beanstalk application-management service are allowed to send 2,000 e-mail messages for free each day. After that, Amazon charges 10 cents per thousand e-mail messages. The company will also charge customers 10 cents per gigabyte of data that's transferred in through the e-mail platform. Pricing on data that's transferred out through the e-mail ranges from 8 cents to 15 cents per gigabyte, depending on the amount of data used each month.Amazon Simple Email Service is currently in beta. However, the company is allowing customers to sign up now.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[New iPhone TV ad touts AT&T and Verizon]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-iphone-tv-ad-touts-att-and-verizon</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-iphone-tv-ad-touts-att-and-verizon</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>09ZSirish</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=new-iphone-tv-ad-touts-att-and-verizon</guid>
<description><![CDATA[After spending the past couple of years mocking each other in the press, Apple and Verizon are now partners. In keeping with their newfound collaboration, Apple's newest TV ad touts both AT&amp;T and Verizon.In the new ad, &quot;Two is better than one,&quot; Apple shows two iPhones side by side doing exactly the same tasks. Of course, the two phones are completely in sync, opening apps at exactly the same, perhaps giving the impression that the two carriers are equal.The speed of the iPhones has nothing to do with the carrier speed and Apple's commercial doesn't touch on downloading over a 3G network or anything else that would set the two carriers apart from one another.But that's not the way it's always been between Apple and Verizon. One of Apple's commercials focused on the fact that AT&amp;T's network allows you to make a call and still have access to the Internet.The commercial ends, &quot;Can your phone and your network do that&quot; Clearly a shot at Verizon's inability to do the same thing.Apple's not alone in taking swipes at the competition. Verizon took out a full-page ad in The New York Times making fun of Apple's iPhone 4 antenna woes that read:&quot;And most importantly, it comes with a double antenna design. The kind that allows you to hold the phone any way you like and use it just about anywhere to make calls.&quot;The taunting is water under the bridge now. By having theiPhone available on multiple carriers, Apple will sell more iPhones and consumers will have their choice of carrier. Seems like a good situation for everyone, except maybe AT&amp;T.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Solar tactically used on the Afghan front]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=solar-tactically-used-on-the-afghan-front</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=solar-tactically-used-on-the-afghan-front</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>amytalbot</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=solar-tactically-used-on-the-afghan-front</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Marines and their Afghan national army counterparts in front of a ZeroBased Regenerator, a solar/energy storage unit consisting of six solar panels. It can power 17 computers and 15 lighting units simultaneously. Marines added four more panels (two on each side) of this particular unit for even more power.(Credit:U.S. Marine Corps/Gunnery Sgt. William Price)A Marine experiment aimed at determining whether it's beneficial, or even feasible, to use solar energy in the theater of war has landed on the side of solar.That's according to an article filed Wednesday by Gunnery Sgt. William Price, 1st Marine Division, about Marines located in the Sangin District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan at what's known as an &quot;experimental forward operating base.&quot;The Marine 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment at Forward Operating Base Jackson, and its Afghan national army counterparts, have been using portable solar blankets to continuously charge radio batteries while on long patrols, solar tarps to power lighting for tents at night, and solar panels to power command centers and computers.To be clear, this Marine regiment was not simply thrown into using the new gear while in Afghanistan. They do have the claim to fame of being the &quot;first military unit to use nothing but renewable energy to power their systems&quot; when they participated in Enhanced Mojave Viper in July 2010, a month-long pre-deployment training exercise at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, in Twentynine Palms, Calif.Among that equipment, the PowerShade solar tarp made to fit a standard issue Marine Corps tent that can power a tent's lighting system. The ZeroBas Regenerator consists of six solar panels attached to a storage battery capable of providing enough electricity to run 20 lighting systems and 15 computers simultaneously. The Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy System is a slightly smaller solar/battery system that can generate enough power for four computers or one Combat Operations Center.But the regiment told Price that they have been discovering some new benefits of using solar while at war.Using portable solar blankets to charge radios has enabled them to carry fewer extra batteries, leaving room for more ammunition.When operating at Patrol Base Sparks, an outpost of Forward Operating Base Jackson, regiment members have managed to get their fuel use down from 20 gallons per day per generator to just 2.5 gallons per generator.And that change has enabled those Marines to generate and store enough electricity during sunlit hours, that generators are only minimally run at night, reducing noise and allowing the base to be less conspicuous to insurgent attackers, Staff Sgt. Greg Wenzel, 1st Platoon told Price.Most importantly, it's cut down on the amount of convoy trips U.S. military have had to make for fuel replenishments. That change has cut down their exposure to attacks and roadside bombs, according to Staff Sgt. David Doty, 1st Platoon.(via Wired Danger Room ) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[FCC outs CDMA iPhone 4]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-outs-cdma-iphone-4</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-outs-cdma-iphone-4</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jamesws2010</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-outs-cdma-iphone-4</guid>
<description><![CDATA[As you might expect, the Verizon iPhone 4 made its debut on the FCC listings today. It looks very much like the AT&amp;TiPhone 4, of course, except it has the CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A specifications instead of GSM.  The FCC report also says that it has a 1.18 W/kg SAR, which is just a smidge higher than the 1.17 W/kg on the AT&amp;T iPhone--the difference is so small that it's pretty insignificant. Aside from those few differences, the Verizon iPhone 4 is just like the AT&amp;T one.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[CES: GreatCall adds new 5Star security service]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-greatcall-adds-new-5star-security-service</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-greatcall-adds-new-5star-security-service</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tiresandco</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-greatcall-adds-new-5star-security-service</guid>
<description><![CDATA[GreatCall, the maker of the Jitterbug phone for seniors, introduced a new personal security service for its customers last week atCES 2011. Called 5Star, the service is designed to address security and health concerns that don't necessarily merit calling 911. For example, if you're walking alone in a park at night, you might feel unsafe, but there's no immediate need to call the police. If you have the 5Star service on your Jitterbug phone, you can call them to at least have someone there on the line. And if something does happen, 5Star will be able to triangulate your location via the phone's GPS and contact the appropriate authorities.The 5Star service can also be used for answering your health or medical concerns. If you so choose, you can set up a health profile on the GreatCall Web site with your doctor's contact as well as any medical plan or medication information. You can then call up the 5Star service any time you have a health question, and the answer will be personalized to your particular situation. If the 5Star call does escalate to a 911 emergency, the service will automatically reach 911 dispatch, and provide emergency responders with your health profile. It will also contact your relatives if you have that information set up on your account.The service is not cheap at $14.99 a month on top of regular monthly payments, but it's designed as a premium service for those who want the additional security. It will be available for all Jitterbug customers in February. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[CES: Cell phones that aren't quite what they seem]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-cell-phones-that-arent-quite-what-they-seem</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-cell-phones-that-arent-quite-what-they-seem</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 08 Jan 2011 08:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>croatia</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-cell-phones-that-arent-quite-what-they-seem</guid>
<description><![CDATA[An iPhone with a keyboard(Credit:Kent German/CNET)LAS VEGAS--With so many press conferences, meetings and product demonstrations, there's never enough time to really seeCES. Indeed, it wasn't until day two of this year's show that I was able to roam the Las Vegas Convention Center and check out the cell phone action.Naturally, I was first drawn to the booths of the big players first, but half the fun of a gadget trade show is tracking down the smaller mobile players that bring the the more unusual products to Las Vegas. So while racing between the immense booths of RIM and Verizon Wireless, I stumbled upon a company called Eyo Asia Electronic.Lining the tables in Eyo's small booth were a broad range of cell phones in almost every design imaginable. And though I'd never seen the handsets before, much less even heard of the company, all of Eyo's products were strikingly familiar.Clearly a company Eyo believes imitation is the sincerest form of flattery because all of the company's devices looked like something else. There wereiPhone clones--one of which looked like the Duet W002 that we reviewed last year--BlackBerry doppelgangers, and almost identical twins for handsets like the T-Mobile G1, the Samsung Flight, Sony Ericsson Satio and W995.Though somewhat fascinating, it was also rather creepy. It's one thing to jump on to a design trend, but quite another to have no ideas of your own. Perhaps you'd disagree, so I invite you to check out the look-alikes for yourself.Look-alike phones from Eyo Asia (photos) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[With solar power, it's Green vs. Green]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-solar-power-its-green-vs--green</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-solar-power-its-green-vs--green</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:10:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Khushi</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=with-solar-power-its-green-vs--green</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When Mike Peterson jumped into a colleague's single turboprop Pilatus and flew over the remote Central California valley that he now hopes to turn into a solar plant, he saw sunshine, flat land that would require little grading, and two big transmission lines to tap into. &quot;Wow,&quot; he remembers thinking at the time. &quot;God made this to be a solar farm.&quot;But when Kim Williams looks out at that same land from her lowslung ranch house, she sees an area rich with wildlife that is helping support her grass-fed chicken farm, her neighbor's cattle operations, and her peaceful way of life. She supports solar energy on a small scale--the electric fence around her chicken coop is powered by solar--but says when she learned about the solar plant she felt shock and disbelief. Now, she's suing to block it.The push to create an alternative to carbon-based fuel has hit an unlikely snag: environmentalists.The split between Peterson and Williams illustrates this awkward state of affairs. To a growing number of environmental advocates, the dozens of large solar plants that are springing up in vast areas of the western wilderness are more scourge than savior.The upshot is that those who on paper seem to be perfect allies for solar are turning into its biggest enemies.That includes the Sierra Club, which last week filed what senior attorney Gloria Smith says is its first suit against a solar plant, a giant 664-megawatt project called Calico that is slated to go up in the desert near Barstow, Calif. It would lie smack in the middle of habitat for rare plants and animals, in an area Smith calls &quot;a very unfortunate site.&quot;The Calico project will use SunCatcher mirrored dishes developed by Sterling Energy.(Credit:Salt River Project)The legal brawl comes as the U.S. is racing to adopt renewables. In the United States, renewable energy, including solar, makes up just 8 percent or so of electricity generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That figure was expected to jump to 13 percent by 2035--but that was before the Green vs. Green feud.Even though Williams and her cohorts support the broad goal of reducing dependence on fossil fuels, they say it comes at too high a cost if it means building on undeveloped land. Helping their case: the proposed plants are often slated for areas with threatened or endangered animals, including kit foxes, kangaroo rats, rare lizards, and others.Now, the groups have gone from complaining to litigating. That means solar companies must take funds and management time that would have been spent on developing their plants and spend them instead on fighting lawsuits. For some companies, the likely result is that plants won't be built.Let the sun shineFor the solar industry overall, the situation marks a fundamental shift in attitude. Where previously almost any bare patch of desert seemed like a prospective solar plant, now the reality is that much of the nation's most fertile ground for alternative power and energy independence may well remain undeveloped.And the backlash is likely to slow down the number of big plants developers will try to get through. Some 142 U.S. solar plants are under development, according to the Solar Energy Industry Association, up from just 28 two years ago. Many of these are well over 500 megawatts' a handful are over 1,000 megawatts, meaning they would cover hundreds of acres of land and power at least 300,000 homes each.The big plants give the U.S. a chance to gain ground in the solar power industry, where it lags countries like Spain, which has around 30 large-scale solar plants in the construction phase. China, which dominates the solar panel business, is also racing ahead, with an aggressive renewable-energy policy and big loans to companies.Solar energy is among the strategic industries in which China is considering investing up to $1.5 trillion over five years to cement its position as a provider of high-value technologies.In one major project, China's Shandong Penglai Electric Power Equipment Manufacturing is working with Burbank, Calif.-based eSolar to build a series of plants totaling 2,000 megawatts of electricity in the deserts of Northern China. Some 60 miles away, Tempe, Ariz.-based First Solar is working on the first stage of its own China plan, a 2,000-megawatt project.Analysts say the prevailing view in China is that the good done by solar plants outweighs any damage they may do to the environment, and concerns about plants and animals are minimal. Not so in the United States.This is eSolar&amp;39's demonstration plant in Lancaster, Calif.(Credit:eSolar)State of solarCalifornia lies at the center of the U.S. solar industry, thanks to a confluence of sunlit land and a legal requirement for 33 percent of its electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020. More than 40 solar utility plants are in development, according to the state's public utilities commission. Almost all of them have or will run into problems with environmentalists or people who simply don't want the plants in their backyard--plants like Peterson's Solargen.The company was born in 2006, as the government was bolstering its support for the solar sector through tax credits and loan-guarantee programs. Peterson, the company's chief executive, was among those who bought in. Previously, he had advised high-net worth individuals at Goldman Sachs, and later founded and managed an alternative-energy investment firm.But the Solargen executives weren't the only ones who had spied opportunity. The Solargen team figured it could never compete with the hordes of developers focusing on the deserts, where too many projects were chasing too few power lines to carry all the electricity they would generate. Fewer companies were looking in Central California.When Peterson first saw Panoche in 2008, he said he felt he had hit the jackpot: a 20,000-acre valley with few inhabitants that seemingly no other developers had their eye on. While most other utility-scale plants are planned for government-owned property, this land was privately owned--which Peterson assumed would make the permitting process easier.He quickly moved in, figuring out who owned the land he would need--both for the plant and a preserve to mitigate loss of habitat for animals and plants on the site--and enlisting local movers-and-shakers to help him get it. He recalls negotiating with one rancher who kept a shotgun at his side for the entire meeting' another unsuccessfully kept trying to ply Peterson, a Mormon who doesn't drink, with spirits.Meanwhile, he was trying to nail down funds. That's been tough for almost all solar energy companies, particularly start-ups, in a climate where investor cash has slowed to a trickle. The more innovative the technology, the harder it has been to line up financing. Many companies are trying to tap into loan guarantees on offer from the U.S. Department of Energy, but the application process is lengthy and rigorous. Peterson says his application was turned down.Trips to Silicon Valley's fabled Sand Hill Road got him nowhere. Venture capital investment has declined overall, but clean technology has been particularly hard hit. Just $625 million was invested in the sector in the third quarter of 2010, the National Venture Capital Association says, compared to $1 billion two years ago.Peterson's then limited experience in solar energy didn't help. And the founder of Solargen, Eric McAfee, had landed in hot water with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which found he had caused drilling company Verdisys to make misleading disclosures about its expenses and revenues. In 2006, McAfee agreed to pay a $25,000 civil penalty without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations. Peterson calls McAfee, chairman and CEO of ethanol company AE Biofuels, &quot;a leading thinker in renewable energy&quot; who regularly addresses forums such as Milken Institute conferences, and adds that the SEC never filed any restrictions against McAfee.Desperate for financing, Peterson finally dusted off the Mandarin he had learned as a Mormon missionary to Taiwan in the early 1980s, and went back for several visits. He can still rattle off the greeting with which he began each meeting--describing how much he enjoyed his time in Taiwan, how glad he was this project has brought him back, and how sorry he was about his rusty language skills.One company he hit up was UMC, which had founded NexPower Technology, a thin-film solar manufacturer. To seal the deal with its investment arm, Peterson agreed to buy some panels from NexPower for the plant as long as he can find a lender willing to finance a project using those panels.The gambit worked. He won investments from UMC Capital, his largest backer, and Chinatrust Venture Capital, amounting to $6.5 million. Altogether, Solargen has raised close to $12 million, Peterson says. Building the plant will cost a total of $1.3 billion, he estimates.While Peterson was lining up financing, however, some Panoche Valley residents were lining up against the plant, which they learned about in the summer of 2009 after a Pacific Gas &amp; Electric representative mentioned it to Ron Garthwaite, a local dairy farmer.&quot;It was kind of hard to get our minds around,&quot; says Williams, who moved to the Valley from San Francisco a few years ago after reading sustainable-agriculture bestseller &quot;The Omnivore's Dilemma&quot; and deciding she, too, could raise chickens.Solargen's plans to put the plant on just a small portion of the valley, allow sheep to graze beneath the panels, and buy property and easements to set aside 20,000 acres of land in and near the valley as nature reserves did nothing to alleviate her concerns.She, Garthwaite, and others like the Santa Clara chapter of the Audubon Society started organizing to fight it.But where Williams was seeing red, the county was seeing green. Solargen has offered to pay a $1 million-a-year fee to the county for the life of its plant--a nice addition to a county where the annual operating budget runs around $40 million. And Solargen meant jobs--up to 200 during peak construction. The county approved the project.&quot;The majority of the population of my district supported it,&quot; says Reb Monaco, the outgoing member of the board of supervisors who represents the rural southern part of the county, including the Panoche Valley.In the heat of battleThose who didn't quickly dusted off a well-worn playbook: using environmental laws to fight a development project.Lawyers say the moment state or local government approves an environmental plan offers the best opportunity to sue to block a plant, using the federal law known as the National Environmental Policy Act or state law such as the California Environmental Quality Act as grounds. Having threatened or endangered species of plants or animals on a site gives the suits far more heft, they say.San Joaquin kit fox(Credit:U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)Save Panoche Valley, the organization Williams helped create, and its allies filed a lawsuit in November alleging that the county approved subpar environmental and water assessment reports and improperly canceled conservation agreements to keep the land in agricultural use. Threatened or endangered animals such as the San Joaquin kit fox, the giant kangaroo rat and the blunt-nosed leopard lizard receive special mention throughout the lawsuit. The county doesn't comment on allegations in pending lawsuits, said assistant county counsel Barbara Thompson.Getting the permits rescinded is the ultimate goal, the groups say. But almost as good is simply delaying the process. &quot;A long drawn-out one would be a victory too,&quot; says Garthwaite, who believes Solargen would simply run out of money and time to keep fighting.If worst came to worst, Solargen could simply sell the project without developing it, says Christine Hersey, a solar analyst at Wedbush Securities who has been following environmental concerns closely. Because Solargen already has its land and most of its permits, the business has value, but would have more value if the company also had an agreement with a power company to purchase its electricity, something Peterson says he's working on.Right now, the battle is in the hands of the county, which is preparing a response to the lawsuit ahead of a hearing scheduled for March. Peterson says he's worried the overhang will make it harder for him to raise his next round of funding--in particular, $7.5 million he needs to come up with by February as a deposit for a powerline-interconnection study required by the utilities that own the lines he hopes to connect to.What's nextPeterson's fears are well placed, says Hersey, the solar analyst at Wedbush. &quot;Investors who were performing their due diligence would want those (lawsuits) resolved before they committed any capital,&quot; she says, speaking generally about the solar industry. And as more solar projects from a variety of companies wind their way through the approval process, litigation &quot;will become a bigger issue,&quot; she says.Among the plants she considers at high risk is First Solar's 300-megawatt Stateline project, which has high numbers of threatened desert tortoises.Several other projects are already mired in legislation or under threat of it.The Quechan Tribe, a Native American group centered around the border between Arizona and California, has sued the Bureau of Land Management over a 709-megawatt plant planned for its ancestral land in the Imperial Valley, citing animals such as the flat-tailed horned lizard. The tribe charges the BLM approval of the project didn't follow appropriate procedures. Last month, it secured an injunction blocking the plant, under development by NTR's Tessera Solar.Heliostats track and focus sunlight directly onto BrightSource&amp;39's Luz Power Tower solar boiler, which contains a steam turbine to generate electricity.(Credit:BrightSource/Eilon Paz Studio EPP)Just last week, La Cuna de Aztlan, a Native American advocacy group, and its co-plaintiffs filed a lawsuit over federal approval of six solar plants, citing the cultural environment, among other issues.Among the six is the 370-megawatt Ivanpah plant in the Mojave Desert, for which BrightSource Energy broke ground in October. BrightSource already made some concessions after the Center for Biological Diversity, known for litigation on development it believes threatens the environment, raised concerns. The Tucson, Ariz.-based group is keeping a close eye on other proposed solar projects, according to biologist Ileene Anderson.In its suit filed last week in the Supreme Court of California, the Sierra Club sued the California Energy Commission over its approval of the Calico Solar Project. Among the Sierra Club's worries: the plant is going in an area rich with desert tortoises, which are threatened under federal law and endangered under California law, and other species. CEC officials &quot;look forward to defending our position in court,&quot; said spokeswoman Sandy Louey. The developer, Tessera Solar, sold the project to New York-based K Road Power late last month.Groups ranging from the Audubon Society to the Defenders of Wildlife to the Natural Resources Defense Council are also lobbing out objections against other projects.About half of all plants in development now are having issues concerning plant and animal habitat, culture sites, or water demand, Hersey estimates. Many of those could end up in court. And just the threat of litigation seems likely to affect the scale of solar, analysts say. Developers could cut back the size of future proposed plants, and think more carefully about where they should go--and that's the point, environmentalists counter.Serious solarCalifornia has a handful of solar plants that date from the late 1980s, but the solar industry has only recently taken off in a big way. Fears over dependence on overseas fuel sources, a growing distaste for coal-powered electricity and generous government subsidies have all conspired to boost the industry.Currently, the largest solar plant in the U.S. is just 160 megawatts--enough to power up to 50,000 homes. But BrightSource's Ivanpah at 370 megawatts just upped the ante. A stream of proposed plants is following in its footsteps, including a pair of 550-megawatt plants slated to break ground next year in San Luis Obispo County and Riverside County, and a 1,000-megawatt plant under development in Riverside County.Of course, savvy operators can try to stave off legal action. Until last week's lawsuit by the Cuna de Aztlan, BrightSource had successfully taken this approach with Ivanpah.One tactic is to go all out to protect plants and animals at risk. Solar companies can go above and beyond the requirements of the law, with extra-detailed studies of the species in question, extra-large purchases of land for use as preserves to offset ill effects at the site, and so on.Solar Millennium is getting a lesson in going to great lengths with its proposed 250-megawatt Ridgecrest plant, mostly on private land in California's Kern County. Officials are worried about the effect on the Mohave ground squirrel, so Solar Millennium is considering whether to fund a two-year study to evaluate the squirrel population in the area. Phil Leitner, the independent biologist leading the study, says if the study goes ahead, he plans to trap squirrels, put radio collars on them, and take tissue samples from their ears to determine their genetic makeup.Back in the Panoche Valley, the environmental reports and the permitting process have eaten up almost two-thirds of the money Solargen has raised. Among the bills: paying for scat-sniffing dogs to run up and down the hills, looking for traces of the endangered San Joaquin kit fox.But not all the valley's residents are against the plant. &quot;It's good for making work,&quot; says Mario Bencomo, 53, a ranch hand who says several unemployed friends are eager for jobs.And naturally, many landowners want to see the plant go up, including San Benito County residents who live outside the Valley but own land there. Some have sold options on their property for the project--for prices of up to $2,600 an acre, according to a person familiar with the situation. Among them are Reprise Software vice president of operations Sallie Calhoun and her husband, Reprise chief executive Matt Christiano.In addition to her Panoche Valley property, Calhoun also owns a ranch a few minutes' drive from the valley in the hamlet of Paicines. She uses sustainable grazing techniques there, chairs the board of a group that works to restore grasslands, and generally considers herself a steward of the environment.She sees no conflict between her position on the environment and her support of the solar project. &quot;I am passionate about preserving open space,&quot; she says, adding she believes the solar plant achieves that goal. &quot;The idea that we're going to protect every lizard, every drainage, seems counterproductive.&quot;Story Copyright (c) 2010 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Google gets halt of Microsoft contract with Interior Dept.]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-gets-halt-of-microsoft-contract-with-interior-dept-</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-gets-halt-of-microsoft-contract-with-interior-dept-</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>cedrikceek</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-gets-halt-of-microsoft-contract-with-interior-dept-</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A judge has granted Google's request for a temporary court order that puts a freeze on a contract the U.S. Interior Department planned to award to Microsoft for an e-mail system.  U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Susan Braden cited deficiencies in the procurement process for the $49.3 million contract, according to the 27-page court decision unsealed yesterday and reported on by Bloomberg today.  &quot;Without a preliminary injunction, the award will put into motion the final migration of Interior's e-mail system, achieve 'organizational lock-in' for Microsoft, and cost Google the opportunity to compete,&quot; the judge wrote. The Interior Department intended to give the contract to Microsoft later this month, she said.  Google sued the Interior Department in October claiming that it was essentially barred from competing for the project because the agency's proposal request specified that only the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite-Federal could be proposed.  The company has made the same complaint about a contract the USDA awarded to Microsoft.  Google executives said they are pleased with the court's decision, according to a statement provided to Bloomberg. Microsoft provided CNET this statement: &quot;The Department of the Interior determined that the dedicated, U.S.-based cloud solution offered by Microsoft met its minimum security and other requirements after a careful and thorough evaluation, and that Google's solution did not. The judge's decision does not address this fundamental determination. We believe the full record will demonstrate that this award is in the best interest of the government and taxpayers. Microsoft can't publicly comment further due to its ongoing relationship with DOI.&quot;  A spokeswoman for the Interior Department said she could not comment on ongoing litigation.  Google and Microsoft are in a heated battle over government and other contracts for tech services as agencies and businesses increasingly move to cloud-based systems to save money and create efficiencies. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[CES: Panasonic's GT30 series plasmas tout THX]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-panasonics-gt30-series-plasmas-tout-thx</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-panasonics-gt30-series-plasmas-tout-thx</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Rita01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-panasonics-gt30-series-plasmas-tout-thx</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Panaosnic&amp;39's GT30 series is the comapny&amp;39's second-best plasma and the least-expensive with THX certification.(Credit:Panasonic) LAS VEGAS--THX Display certification has been one of the saving graces of higher-end Panasonic plasma TVs over the last few years, making up for the relatively inaccurate color and sparse picture settings available in other modes. Among the company's lineup of 2011 plasmas, THX is available starting on the GT30 series. It's unclear from Panasonic's press material whether that THX picture mode is available for both 2D and 3D sources, like that of LG's plasmas including the PX950 series.. In any case we expect it to be adjustable, unlike THX on LG, and provide an accurate picture without too much fuss. The GT30 is missing many of the step-up extras found on the flagship VT30, including an &quot;Infinite Black 2&quot; panel, 24p playback and an included pair of 3D glasses. Given the performance differences between the G25 and VT25 from 2010, we don't expect the GT30 to deliver as impressive a picture as the flagship VT30. With the exception of THX, the GT30 seems to have essenitally the same picture quality specs as the less-expensive ST30, so those two might be closer in performance. Of course there's no way to know for sure until we can review one. Otherwise the GT30 and ST30 have similar feature sets, including 3D capability and the Viera Connect Internet suite. Check out the writeup of the ST30 series for more details. Pricing was not announced for the GT30 series, but it will be available sometime this spring.Panasonic TC-PGT30 series features:Plasma TV3D compatibleTHX certificationInfinite Black panelShort throw phosphors3D-compatible SD card slotViera Connect Internet suitePanasonic TC-PGT30 series models:Panasonic TC-P50GT30: 50-inchPanasonic TC-P55GT30: 55-inchPanasonic TC-P60GT30: 60-inchPanasonic TC-P65GT30: 65-inch<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Apple's iPad 2 rumored to have USB port]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apples-ipad-2-rumored-to-have-usb-port</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apples-ipad-2-rumored-to-have-usb-port</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Dec 2010 08:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sufreter365</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apples-ipad-2-rumored-to-have-usb-port</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Apple)With the bulk of the holiday shopping buzz dying down, rumors of Apple's newiPad 2 have sprung to life. The most recent rumor, courtesy of the Mobile Review blog editor-in-chief Eldar Murtazin, says the iPad 2 will include a USB port.The tweet, discovered by AppleInsider, reads: &quot;Talked with colleague which working with some ODM vendors connected with Apple. He is research guy. According to his sources iPad2 will have usb port.&quot;AppleInsider reports that Murtazin is a trusted insider with good sources and the news of the integrated USB could be the result of a European device-maker pact that decided micro-USB ports should be standard device charging ports. Apple, of course, uses the 30-pin dock connector for its mobile devices, including the iPad.Including an integrated USB port would also quickly make obsolete the USB adapter kit provided by Apple for the iPad. Currently, the USB adapter only supports importing photos from digital cameras, though some other peripheral devices have been said to work. There is no word whether an integrated USB port would offer greater functionality. In the meantime, expect rumors to keep flowing from various sources as the new iPad gets closer to be announced and released.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Dell drops ultrathin Adamo 13 to $899]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dell-drops-ultrathin-adamo-13-to-899</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dell-drops-ultrathin-adamo-13-to-899</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Dec 2010 08:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>xtracoolit</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dell-drops-ultrathin-adamo-13-to-899</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Dell Adamo 13 is very thin and made from aluminum--just like Apple&amp;39's MacBook Air. (Credit:Dell)A lower-priced Adamo 13 has popped up on Dell's Web site. The Adamo page is now showing the price of the aluminum-clad ultrathin laptop at $899--and this discount comes with an unexpected bonus, too. The Adamo is a slick, well-conceived alternative to Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air, which now starts at $1,299. And at 0.65 inches thick, the Adamo is about as thin as a 13-inch Windows laptop gets. Dell has not only brought down the price but also upped the configuration from the $999 model it had been selling for a while. Now, for $899, you get a 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo SL9600 Intel processor and 4GB of memory--along with the standard 128GB solid-state drive and 64-bitWindows 7. Before, the Adamo 13 had been offered at $999 with a lower-performance, ultra-power-efficient 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo chip and 2GB of memory. The more robust 2.13GHz configuration had been selling for $1,099, before dropping to $899.Other specs remain the same: a machined-aluminum chassis, 13.4-inch screen, 6-cell battery, with the option for an internal broadband 3G modem. Ports include USB and USB/e-SATA and Ethernet. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Microsoft: Over 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 devices sold]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-over-1-5-million-windows-phone-7-devices-sold</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-over-1-5-million-windows-phone-7-devices-sold</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sharabano</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-over-1-5-million-windows-phone-7-devices-sold</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET)Despite reports of a slow start, Microsoft said on Tuesday that it has sold more than 1.5 millionWindows Phone 7 devices in the first six weeks, but it's important to note that the number reflects the number of units sold to mobile operators and retailers and not necessarily direct to consumers. When asked if the sales numbers met company expectations, Achim Berg, vice president of business and marketing for Windows Phone, said that &quot;sales are ramping well&quot; and that the numbers are &quot;in line&quot; with company expectations.  He said that to juxtapose these numbers with the competition would be a bit of an apples-and-oranges comparison, but added that Windows Phone 7's performance is in line with those of other first-generation platforms.&quot;We introduced a new platform with Windows Phone 7, and when you do that it takes time to educate partners and consumers on what you're delivering, and drive awareness and interest in your new offering. We're comfortable with where we are, and we are here for the long run' Windows Phone 7 is just the beginning,&quot; Berg said.Berg acknowledged that the competition in the smartphone market is intense but for Microsoft, measuring success is more about the long term and not the short term. Microsoft plans to release the first of several updates in the coming months and will also add additional carrier partners around the world in 2011, including Sprint and Verizon here in the States, in addition to introducing a broader portfolio of devices at various price points. Microsoft released its first Windows Phone 7 devices on October 21 in Europe and Asia, with the U.S. following closely behind on November 8. Currently, there are four smartphones available in the U.S.--the HTC Surround and Samsung Focus with AT&amp;T, and the HTC HD7 and Dell Venue Pro with T-Mobile--and at least half a dozen other models in other parts of the world. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Running robot aims to take on Usain Bolt]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=running-robot-aims-to-take-on-usain-bolt</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=running-robot-aims-to-take-on-usain-bolt</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:10:23 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jerrodsrjr</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=running-robot-aims-to-take-on-usain-bolt</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Run, Athlete, run like the wind.(Credit:Video screenshot by Leslie Katz/CNET)We've seen running bipedal robots before, but they tend to move like, well, robots. Ryuma Niiyama of MIT's Robot Locomotion Group wants to build a bot that runs as much like a human as possible, right down to the black nylon running shorts. The robot, aptly named Athlete, sports an artificial musculoskeletal system that mirrors human muscles in the leg, hip, lower abdomen, and booty and has a springy elastic blade foot like those seen on prosthetic running legs. Niiyama's goal is a flexible, agile robot with less of a mechanical gait and more of a Usain Bolt-type stride.  Athlete has seven sets of actuator-driven artificial muscles in each leg, plus touch sensors on each foot and an inertial measurement unit on the torso for detecting the body's orientation. It does not, as far as we know, take steroids.  Niiyama--who also worked on Mowgli the bipedal jumping robot--developed Athlete as a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Tokyo's Department of Mechano-Informatics along with with colleagues Satoshi Nishikawa and Yasuo Kuniyoshi. They presented their research last week at the IEEE Humanoids 2010 conference in Nashville, Tenn.  But the champion sprinters of the world shouldn't worry just yet. With the aid of a harness hung from the ceiling, Athlete can currently take up to five steps at about 3.9 feet per second, but then it falls down. Hey, robots get muscle cramps too. (Via IEEE Spectrum) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Level 3: Comcast is strong-arming us]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=level-3-comcast-is-strong-arming-us</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=level-3-comcast-is-strong-arming-us</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 08:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fevaacelliole</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=level-3-comcast-is-strong-arming-us</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In case you didn't hear it loud and clear the first time, Level 3 is once again accusing Comcast of setting up a toll booth on the Internet in violation of Net neutrality principles.Earlier this week, Level 3 set off a public relations war with cable and broadband giant Comcast as it described an ongoing commercial dispute between the two companies. To sum it up, Comcast is asking Level 3 to pay a fee for sending additional traffic over the Comcast broadband network. The additional traffic, which will more than double the amount of traffic that Level 3 sends to Comcast, will come as a result of a deal that Level 3 has struck with online video heavyweight Netflix. Netflix is the largest streaming video service in North America and at peak times accounts for about one-fifth of all U.S. traffic on the Internet. Last month, Level 3 won a deal to become the video company's content delivery network provider, which means it will store and send Netflix streams to consumers who request on-demand video. The content delivery network is established at points in the network that puts the video content closer to consumers.Neither company disputes that Level 3's deal with Netflix will greatly increase the amount of traffic that Level 3 sends onto Comcast and other broadband providers' networks. What they disagree about is whether Level 3 should have to pay for sending that additional traffic over Comcast's network. Comcast claims Level 3 should pay a fee, since it will increase the ratio of traffic it sends to Comcast from 2:1 to 5:1. Comcast says this violates its current peering agreement with Level 3, which allows the companies to swap traffic at no charge so long as the companies are sending roughly equal amounts of traffic to and from each other's networks. What's more, Comcast has said that it currently charges Akamai, the company that previously delivered Netflix content, a fee for doing the same thing.But Level 3 argues in an FAQ issued today that it's being strong-armed by Comcast. It claims the arrangement with Comcast is not a peering arrangement and it is instead an interconnection agreement.&quot;Comcast's mischaracterization of this disagreement as a 'peering dispute' is incorrect.&quot; Level 3 said in its FAQ. &quot;In reality, this is a fundamental interconnection dispute between Level 3 and Comcast.&quot;Level 3 went on to explain the situation this way: &quot;Comcast wants to use its local access network dominance as leverage to force Level 3 to pay for traffic requested by Comcast customers that already pay Comcast for access to that same content. Having sold broadband access services to its customers, Comcast wants to sell the same service again to Level 3 and other networks connected to Comcast. If the dispute were simply 'commercial,' the dispute would have already been settled or would never have arisen in the first place. Comcast's status as the nation's largest provider of consumer broadband service enables Comcast to force Level 3 to pay the 'toll' Comcast has demanded.&quot;Comcast said earlier in the week in a letter to the FCC that:&quot;Level 3 is trying to game the process of peering--one that has worked well and consensually, without government interference, for over a decade--in order to gain a unique and unfair advantage for its own expanding CDN service. Level 3's problem apparently arises out of the fact that it recently won a bid to become one of Netflix's primary CDN providers--in competition with the major national CDNs that already send Netflix and other traffic to Comcast's network. In order to undercut its CDN competitors, Level 3 wants to avoid the commercial arrangements other CDN companies use to terminate traffic onto Comcast's and other providers' networks, and instead force Comcast to accept its CDN traffic for free, under a 'peering' relationship. This is not how peering works, here or anywhere in the world. What Level 3 is suddenly pushing--a &quot;new theory&quot; of peering--would throw the traditional, &quot;balanced traffic&quot; peering rulebook out the window, give Level 3 an unfair cost advantage over its competitors, and shift all of the costs from Level 3 and its content customers onto Comcast and its high-speed Internet customers.&quot; Comcast also issued this response to Level 3's latest claims:&quot;Level 3 has said nothingnew.&amp;nbsp' The fact remains this is a business dispute regarding trafficratios, commonly referred to as peering, between Comcast and Level 3 which weare committed to resolve fairly and consistently with established industryprinciples.&amp;nbsp' Industry experts and analysts overwhelmingly agree, &amp;nbsp'astheir commentary has shown all week long.&amp;nbsp' The most important thing toknow about this dispute is that Comcast will do absolutely nothing to impact&amp;nbsp'our high-speed Internet customers, who can and will be able to access anyInternet content they want, including streaming video from all sources.&quot;So far Level 3 has not filed a complaint or any other documents with the Federal Communications Commission over its Net neutrality charges. It simply has said that it's letting policy makers and Congressional leaders know of its concerns. This is curious given that the FCC is the agency that should and could look into these concerns. In fact, it is currently drafting official regulations right now on this very issue. Even though Level 3 has not officially reached out to the FCC, Chairman Julius Genachowski said this week that the agency is looking into the matter. The agency was contacted for a comment on this story but did not respond before it was published.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Reback rehearses for the case against Google]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=reback-rehearses-for-the-case-against-google</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=reback-rehearses-for-the-case-against-google</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:10:41 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>darmoweGryK5</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=reback-rehearses-for-the-case-against-google</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Antitrust expert Gary Reback outlines how regulators might one day try to take down Google.(Credit:Tom Krazit/CNET)WASHINGTON--Fresh off the news that Europe is formally investigating Google, a Silicon Valley antitrust expert today laid out the hypothetical case against Google that might play out should U.S. regulators decide to get involved.Gary Reback, an attorney with Carr &amp; Ferrell and a prominent figure in the antitrust trials involving Microsoft, told attendees at Consumer Watchdog's Future of Online Consumer Protections conference here that the European case, built off complaints by a comparison shopping engine, could demonstrate that Google has improperly penalized specialty search engines in its quest to maintain its leading search engine market share. The refrain is a familiar one among Google critics: that Google's Universal Search unfairly promotes its own content over that of competitors. In a new twist, Reback discussed the results of a study he concluded on over 40,000 shopping-related search queries. Nearly all of those queries displayed Google's shopping pages as either the first or third result' curiously, not a single query resulted in a Google Web page showing up in the second spot. &quot;As the dominant supplier of search, are they running something that's neutral Or are they providing manipulated results for their own benefit&quot; Reback wondered. In the past Google has strongly denied any suggestion that employees pick and choose winners within search results, but it does make frequent changes to the algorithm that powers those results for various reasons, usually to combat what it considers spam. Foundem, a price-comparison search engine based in the U.K., is leading the charge against Google in Europe. It has complained that Google made changes to its algorithm that unfairly penalized the site, knocking it way down Google's rankings until it was eventually restored after the company protested the decision. Reback also addressed a recurring question about how exactly a regulated Google would continue to provide relevant search results if it had to disclose its algorithm as a result of a successful prosecution. Microsoft was required to disclose its source code to a technical committee to evaluate whether it was playing by the rules, and Reback said Google could be forced to do something similar that would allow regulators to verify it was operating properly without having to air the algorithm in public, which would quickly result in a spam-filled search engine. Like many of the panelists at Consumer Watchdog's conference--including the organizers themselves--Reback has been a noted critic of Google for several years. He is a member of the Open Book Alliance, which opposes Google's proposed settlement with authors and publishers over publishing rights to certain out-of-print but copyright-protected books.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[How Google Docs won me over]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-google-docs-won-me-over</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-google-docs-won-me-over</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Pooja01</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-google-docs-won-me-over</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Android phones, iPhones, and iPads now can be used to edit Google Docs word processing documents.(Credit:Google)With a single new feature added to its online word processor yesterday, Google has diminished many concerns I had about taking the cloud-computing plunge a few months ago.That feature, autocorrect in Google Docs, fixes common typos such as converting &quot;teh&quot; into &quot;the.&quot; In and of itself, it's not a game-changer.But it carried outsized importance for me because it was one of the things I missed most about Microsoft Word and because it gives me faith that Google Docs is headed in the right direction.As if to validate my new optimism, Google today announced an improvement that's much larger than a single feature: the ability to edit Google Docs from Android phones, iPhones, and iPads. Google Spreadsheets already were editable with some mobile phone browsers.Google Docs, which has grown considerably since Google's 2006 acquisition of Writely, consists mainly of word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation modules that compete withMicrosoft Office's Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. It's become a standard-bearer for the Web applications movement and, with Google selling it in premium form along with Gmail for $50 per user per year in the form of Google Apps, Google's next billion-dollar revenue stream after advertising.Google has said Google Docs will compete not by matching every Microsoft Office feature but by emphasizing common abilities needed by everyone and by making collaboration a centerpiece rather than an afterthought. That message stuck in my craw, I confess. Although I agree it's transformative to have several people editing the same document at the same time, I think you also need a lot of more features to be truly compelling for more than very lightweight use.Thus my delight with autocorrect. It signifies that Google realizes it needs better features and is working to make them happen. Much of this is possible from the rebuilt Google Docs foundation that emerged in April. Last year, Google CEO Eric Schmidt told me Google Apps customers sign up for Gmail and Google Calendar, but with improvements, maybe they'll start using Docs in earnest, too.So here's my assessment of Google Docs from having lived in it for months. My needs may not be yours--I've hardly used Presentations, for example, and I deal much more with raw text than with fancy formatting, revision-tracking, fonts, and printing--so don't assume everything here applies universally.Why switchI use three computers and a mobile phone for work, and Google Docs spans all of them. That's the reason I fully embraced it starting in March, but it's not why I got started.Before I switched, I'd been dabbling with Google Docs to see what it could offer. I liked the colorful, clean spreadsheet graphs better than what came out of Excel. In a few cases where I needed to take some notes I needed at home while I was at work, I'd use a Google Docs document instead of my previous approach, e-mailing them to myself.Autocorrect, accessible through Preferences in Google Docs&amp;39' tools menu, lets you fix common typos and expand abbreviations into long phrases that are cumbersome to type.(Credit:screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)I was glad I got started, because in March, when I happened to be far away from any company IT help, my work computer, a Windows XP machine, croaked. A busted fan bearing meant it wouldn't even switch on. My data was safe but inaccessible, but more to the point, I had stories to write.I had two other machines on hand: a MacBook Pro andWindows 7 laptop. I wasn't sure what my computing future held and was reluctant to commit to a long-term relationship with another hard drive. Google Docs was an easy option to try for a few days while I got things sorted, and it would be easy to export a few files back to my machine after I got things sorted out, I reasoned.It stuck. I rapidly came to appreciate the ability to hop from one machine to another. At one point, waiting in a queue in a post office, I was able to retrieve address information I'd stored in a document using my phone, too.Although there are legitimate concerns about the security and reliability of Google's infrastructure, they must be assessed not just in absolute terms but also in relation to the alternative. That one fan bearing showed one pretty glaring weakness.The goodSo what do I like about Google Docs besides cutting the dependence on a single machineThe reliability, as I mentioned, is one asset. During the transition to the new foundation, I had recurring warnings that I had to reload my documents, but they faded as Google patched it up. Now I find it consistently available. I also appreciate that my data is backed up on Google's servers, which if not infallible are at least engineered to surmount hardware failures as a routine rather than exceptional problem.Something else that took some getting used to but that I prefer now is real autosave. Every few seconds after I stop typing, the document is automatically saved, with no weird corrupted versions resurrected after a crash.I don't share the bulk of my documents, but there have been occasions when I jointly wrote a piece with another reporter when it's been useful. My wife and I both wrote our holiday letter at the same time using one document but different computers.For organizing my files, I vastly prefer Google's idea of labels to the traditional folder hierarchy. If I take notes on a story that involves Google, Apple, Web browsers, and Adobe Systems, I'd have to decide where to file it back in the old days. Now I just mark the story with each of those labels so it's available when I view any of those subsets of my files.The Google Docs file list page is a useful portal to my data. The most recently changed document is at the top, which often helps me resume work where I left off earlier. The ability to hide documents I'm done with resembles Gmail's useful archive. I occasionally add a star to important documents, but usually the time-based organization produces a page that naturally resembles my to-do list without having to do much more.And did I mention that I like autocorrect It's not just useful for fixing common typos. The reason I swear by it is to automate unpleasant or tedious typing chores. If you must write cumbersome phrases like &quot;Massachusetts Institute of Technology&quot; often, you can set Google Docs to type it for you when you type something shorter. I use it to replace the HTML coding, and it was one of the single biggest things I missed about Microsoft Word. Bear in mind, though, that if you add an autocorrect entry in one document, it won't be available in others--or in other instances of that document in separate browser tabs--until you reload those documents.The badGoogle Docs needs a lot of improvements, though.My biggest complaint, far and away, is the activation energy needed to get rolling with a new document. Clicking a menu item and waiting for the new tab to load is just so much slower than hitting Ctrl-N in Word. When it's crunch time and I need to start taking notes immediately, it's just too much fussing. Google knows darned well the benefits of alacrity, as shown by its obsession on search speed, but I feel with Gmail's current laggardliness and Google Docs' pokey point-and-click hurdles, Web apps have a lot of catching up to do.Spellcheck has problems. I should be grateful that a JavaScript-based program running in a browser can even do this at all, but instead I focus on annoying omissions: I most definitely did not misspell &quot;hadn't,&quot; &quot;didn't,&quot; or &quot;wasn't.&quot; Maybe there's a way to crowdsource the addition of new terms to the spell-checking dictionary or at least try to spotlight candidates for inclusion based on how often they appear on the Web overall.I crave these features from Word: split screen, the &quot;go back&quot; command, and text highlighting with a fast keyboard shortcut.Other weaknesses: Google Docs' search and replace falls short, for example because I can't search for or replace characters like a carriage return. The pop-up information about hyperlinks gets in the way of text I'm trying to edit. And I find it starts to crawl with big documents with several thousand words.And Google Docs' &quot;clear formatting&quot; command seems awfully timid about actually clearing away formatting--line spacing and indents, for example. On a related note, I want to be able to paste unformatted text. For now, when I'm using Chrome, I use Ctrl-Shift-V on Windows and Command-Shift-Option-V onMac OS X to paste without formatting.Labels are useful, but awkward. Right now I drag documents to the labels in the documents view--a process that's rather laggy, by the way--but I wish there were an ability to add labels directly from the document itself. As it is, I create the document, save it with a title, go back to the documents list and reload it, then apply the labels.Speaking of the documents list, as long as Google is pilfering code from the Gmail team, why not let me select, star, label, and archive items with keyboard shortcuts Network relianceThere was a day when Google was working on offline access to Google Docs and Gmail. With the demise of its Gears project and the as-yet unfinished replacement work with Web standards, though, the idea is on ice for now. Google says most people didn't use it anyway, which is a fair point, but I found it pretty clunky, and I suspect the people who do a lot of work offline weren't touching Google Docs with a ten-foot pole anyway.But offline work is important for me. There are so many times when I lack a network, even in my glamourous high-tech first-world existence, this omission is really glaring. Here are some I've experienced personally in the last few months: on the train, on the plane, in the car, on vacation, dealing with collapsing conference Wi-Fi or flailing ISPs, reckoning with data-transfer limits on a mobile network using a tethered mobile phone.So when there's a risk of a dead network, I preemptively do my work either in Word or in Evernote, which has a convenient native application that synchronizes with the cloud-based system. I suspect such an app would be possible for Google Docs with Adobe Systems' AIR foundation, which has a built-in browser based on the same WebKit engine as Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome, but perhaps Google doesn't want to taint the purity of its Web-app marketing message.Another awkward marriage of native and cloud apps comes when it's time to search. Back when all my data lived on my computer, I could use a local search application to turn up all sorts of data. Google Docs, though, has one search interface, Gmail and Google Calendar add a couple more, and none of them search my thousands of archived documents, presentations, PDFs, or other files on my hard drive.I expect some of the problems I have are on Google's to-do list. What I find encouraging is the faster pace of improvements since the new Google Docs foundation arrived. Who knows--perhaps someday there will be something more Googley built in--live translation of a document into another language, for example, or predictive text autocompletion using Google Scribe. But even today, on balance, Google Docs has won me over. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[TSA plans modest changes to 'virtual strip searches']]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tsa-plans-modest-changes-to-virtual-strip-searches</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tsa-plans-modest-changes-to-virtual-strip-searches</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia003</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tsa-plans-modest-changes-to-virtual-strip-searches</guid>
<description><![CDATA[An Internet-fueled backlash against air traveler screening is growing amid signs that the Transportation Security Agency will consider slight changes to its controversial new procedures.TSA administrator John Pistole said today that the agency will be &quot;announcing some new policies&quot; in the &quot;near future&quot; that will change the screening process for pilots, who have protested being forced to choose between a &quot;virtual strip search&quot; or an invasive pat-down a few minutes before they're handed the controls of a 975,000-pound kerosene-fueled missile in the form of a jumbo jet. (See our previous coverage.)But a TSA source told CNET this evening not to expect broader changes that would affect the general public. A revised screening process for only pilots could involve a biometric ID card that would allow security to be bypassed at high-traffic airports.This image of an adult man was taken using a Rapiscan Secure 1000backscatter X-ray scanner(Credit:John Wild (johnwild.info))Pistole's promise of a concession for pilots came during a sympathetic hearing before a Senate committee chaired by Joseph Lieberman, who congratulated TSA on &quot;doing the right thing&quot; for airport screening. Lieberman is an independent senator from Connecticut who caucuses with Democrats.Pilots and flight attendants aren't alone. As the Thanksgiving travel season draws near, the reaction to TSA's new procedures has been visceral and sharply critical, driven by cell phone recordings of security line incidents, privacy and health concerns, and Web sites including the Drudge Report, which published a photograph of a hands-on examination of a nun with the caption: &quot;THE TERRORISTS HAVE WON.&quot; Yesterday's Colbert Report called them machines &quot;that X-ray your X-rated parts.&quot;Another memorable line came from John Tyner, a software engineer from Oceanside, Calif., who became an Internet sensation after telling a TSA screener: &quot;If you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested.&quot; Tyner had the foresight to record the exchange on his mobile phone (videos are here) and is now facing a possible lawsuit with an $11,000 civil penalty for entering a security line and then not allowing a government employee access to his crotch during a pat-down search. &quot;Don't grab my junk&quot; T-shirts and hoods, of course, already are available.In a pre-Internet era, TSA could have weathered these complaints, which would have merited a brief mention on the evening news instead of building into a storm of criticism. Amateur videos posted on YouTube including one of a screaming 3-year-old being treated none too gently by an airport screener, and bloggers describing how they were &quot;sexually assaulted&quot; after genital touching, have put the agency in an unusually difficult position. (Pistole also probably didn't appreciate the Washington Times editorial titled &quot;Big Sister's police state&quot; or calls for abolishing TSA outright.)TSA administrator John Pistole tells U.S. Senate he wants &amp;34'partnership&amp;34' with flying public irked about full-body scans.(Credit:U.S. Senate)TSA has responded by downplaying the new procedures, saying they're similar to the European approach. &quot;There's actually a very small number or percentage that would actually have the pat-down,&quot; Pistole told the Senate Homeland Security Committee today. And Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano (TSA is part of DHS) wrote in an opinion article in USA Today yesterday that &quot;pat-downs have long been one of the many security measures used by the U.S. and countries across the world.&quot;&quot;Those security officers there are there to work with you to ensure that everybody on that flight has been properly screened--everybody wants that assurance,&quot; Pistole said. &quot;They are there to protect you and your loved ones. And let's make it a partnership.&quot; TSA's Pistole will face more questions tomorrow morning at a hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, chaired by Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV).TSA's official blogger, who uses the apparent pseudonym Blogger Bob, went so far as to say this week that: &quot;There is no fondling, squeezing, groping, or any sort of sexual assault taking place at airports.&quot; (Blogger Bob has also responded to the Don't-Touch-My-Junk videos.)The origin of this controversy is simple: thanks to the federal stimulus legislation, TSA has been able to buy approximately 373 whole-body scanners and install them in at least 68 airports around the country. A few weeks ago, with only a one-paragraph mention on TSA's Web site, the screening procedures were changed to offer air travelers a choice of either full-body scans or what the TSA delicately calls &quot;enhanced patdowns.&quot; (In some circles, they're better known as &quot;rapescans&quot; and porno-tron machines, or, as the ACLU puts it, &quot;strip search machines.&quot;)This sense of unease, or perhaps incipient rebellion, comes as an estimated 24 million travelers are expected to fly during the 2010 Thanksgiving holiday season. One Web site, OptOutDay.com, is recommending what might be called strict civil obedience: it suggests that all air travelers on November 24, the day before Thanksgiving, choose &quot;to opt-out of the naked body scanner machines&quot; that amount to &quot;virtual strip searches.&quot; Nudeoscope.com, DontScan.us, and StopDigitalStripSearches.org are organizing their own protests.One of the many anti-whole body scanner efforts, this is the logo fromstopdigitalstripsearches.org(Credit:EPIC.org)Body scanners penetrate clothing to provide a highly detailed image that TSA says will be viewed by a remote technician. Technologies vary, with millimeter wave systems capturing fuzzier images with non-ionizing radio waves and backscatter X-ray machines able to show precise anatomical detail.TSA says it does not store scans, and there is no evidence indicating the agency does at routine airport checkpoints. But documents that the Electronic Privacy Information Center obtained show the agency's procurement specifications require that the machines be capable of storing the images on USB drives. A 70-page document (PDF), classified as &quot;sensitive security information,&quot; says that in a test mode the scanner must &quot;allow exporting of image data in real time&quot; and provide a mechanism for &quot;high-speed transfer of image data&quot; over the network. &quot;Travelers are upset and travelers are going to revolt,&quot; Marc Rotenberg, EPIC's executive director, said today. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, a dogged critic of the body scanners, already has filed a lawsuit saying TSA violated federal law when rolling out the machines and is planning a new lawsuit seeking agency records concerning testing and evaluation of health impacts of airport body scanners. Biochemistry faculty members at the University of California at San Francisco have written the White House saying the X-ray &quot;dose to the skin may be dangerously high.&quot; The Obama administration said in a WhiteHouse.gov blog post last week that they have &quot;been studied extensively for many years by the Food and Drug Administration&quot; and other government agencies and deemed to be entirely safe.John Sedat, a UCSF professor of biochemistry and biophysics and member of the National Academy of Sciences, told CNET afterward that the administration's response has &quot;many misconceptions, and we will write a careful answer pointing out their errors.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Blow away asteroids and play as a giant worm: iPhone apps of the week]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blow-away-asteroids-and-play-as-a-giant-worm-iphone-apps-of-the-week</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blow-away-asteroids-and-play-as-a-giant-worm-iphone-apps-of-the-week</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>critolly</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blow-away-asteroids-and-play-as-a-giant-worm-iphone-apps-of-the-week</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:CNET)Hey,iPhone gamers, I received a press release just yesterday that plenty will be excited about: Real Racing 2 is coming soon for the iPhone. As one of my favorite games for 2009, the original Real Racing might be the best in its class for graphics, gameplay, and realism (as the name suggests) among auto-racing games on the iPhone.Though there is no information beyond the announcement (here is Firemint's cryptic info page), I'm personally hoping for new tracks, newcars, and maybe even an accelerometer-based motorcycle racing mode. I admit that last wish is probably far-fetched, but it never hurts to dream, right It almost seems impossible to improve upon the original, so I'm excited to see what Firemint will add in the sequel.Though I can only guess at a release date, the timing of this press release seems to suggest that we could have this product on our iPhones in time for the gift-giving season. I'm crossing my fingers!This week's apps are both arcade games: an advanced Astroids-like title and a game where you play as a man-eating giant worm.Gather ore from asteroids to gain bonus multipliers for bigger scores.(Credit:Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)Space Miner Blast (Free) is a slimmed-down arcade version of one of my favorite games on the iPhone called Space Miner: Space Ore Bust. The original game included a storyline in which you tried to keep your uncle's space-mining company afloat by mining various sectors of space and using the ore to make money so you could upgrade your ship. Though I still recommend the original as a more involved and unique game, Space Miner Blast takes the basic gameplay mechanic (flying around and shooting asteroids) and makes it into a fun challenge on its own.Space Miner Blast tasks you with battling your way through wave after wave of asteroids and spaceships, all while grabbing power-ups to add to your firepower. Similar to the arcade classic Asteroids, Space Miner Blast uses a control scheme that lets you control your ship on the left side of the screen with your main fire buttons and thrust on the right. You'll need to shoot large asteroids to break them up into smaller pieces and blow away the remaining rocks by following the blue arrow indicators around your ship. As you progress through the game, harder enemies like UFOs and mines will make your job more difficult, but fortunately you can find shields as you play, and you can upgrade your ship in between levels for more firepower.Space Miner Blast is an ad-supported free game. To get rid of the ads you have the option to buy one of three advanced ships for 99 cents each or you can allegedly by the Blast Pack of all the ships for only $1.99. As of this writing, I was unable to locate the Blast Pack in the menus, but hopefully the developers will fix this soon so you don't have to buy all three ships at 99 cents each.Part of what made the original Space Miner: Space Ore Bust such a great game was the classic Asteroids game mechanic. With Space Miner Blast, you get a game that the developers say &quot;Brings asteroids into the 21st century!&quot; and I can't help but agree. Anyone who liked the original game or the classic Asteroids will love this shoot-'em-up action game.Sneak up from underground to take the evil humans by surprise.(Credit:Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)Death Worm (99 cents for a limited time) is a lot like a game I reviewed not long ago called Super Mega Worm and is the original game that Mega Worm was based upon. Already a widely acclaimed indie title, Death Worm is a great fit for the iPhone andiPod touch screen. The control system involves a directional pad on the left and buttons for nitro and firebombs on the right. The object of the game is to take out as many humans as possible as you worm your way underground and breach the surface to create havoc against a military onslaught. As you progress, your worm will level up, letting you add more nitro power, better fireballs, and stronger skin. Death Worm is an excellent time waster, but not terribly challenging in the early levels, leaving you wondering just what it will take to bring you down. But as the game goes on, you'll be challenged by tanks, cars, rocket-launcher-wielding soldiers, helicopters, and more. In later levels, you'll struggle to stay alive long enough to level up, giving you full health to continue on. Overall, with 45 levels to play across three themed locations, 30 enemy types to contend with, and enough explosions and carnage to satisfy the most serious shoot-'em-up gamers, Death Worm is a great addition to your iPhone game library. What's your favorite iPhone app How do you like the arcade action of Space Miner Blast Which game is better: Super Mega Worm or Death Worm What do you think Firemint will add to Real Racing 2 Let me know in the comments! <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Disney releases first 'Winnie-the-Pooh' trailer]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=disney-releases-first-winnie-the-pooh-trailer</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=disney-releases-first-winnie-the-pooh-trailer</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Puja</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=disney-releases-first-winnie-the-pooh-trailer</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Disney&amp;39's &amp;39'Winnie the Pooh&amp;39' will hit theaters on July 15, 2011. The film retains the look of the classic Pooh tales.(Credit:Walt Disney Pictures)Get ready for a new onslaught of Tigger and Pooh toys, games, cartoons, T-shirts, hats, and every other sort of memorabilia. Disney's new &quot;Winnie the Pooh&quot; is coming.Disney today released the first trailer for its forthcoming film, which is the first Pooh adventure from Disney to hit the silver screen in more than 35 years. The studio said the new movie, which is planned for a July 15, 2011 release, will feature all the favorites from the A.A. Milne tales, including, obviously, Pooh, as well as Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, and of course Eeyore, whose tail has gone missing. To make the film, Disney brought back Burny Mattinson--an animator on the 1974 Pooh featurette &quot;Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!&quot;--as senior story artist, and the film was co-directed by Stephen Anderson and Don Hall. In addition, the film features the voices of Craig Ferguson, Tom Kenny, and Bud Luckey. Actress and musician Zooey Deschanel is the vocalist in a brand-new version of the &quot;Winnie the Pooh&quot; theme song, Disney said.&quot;Inspired by five stories from A.A. Milne's books in Disney's classic, hand-drawn art style,&quot; Disney said, the film &quot;reunites audiences with the [honey]-loving, philosophical bear and friends Eeyore, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet and Owl in a wild quest to save [their friend] Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[7 things to consider before Facebook unfriending]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=7-things-to-consider-before-facebook-unfriending</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=7-things-to-consider-before-facebook-unfriending</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>HetPriree</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=7-things-to-consider-before-facebook-unfriending</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Mark your calendars, Facebook masses. November 17 is National Unfriend Day, as declared by late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. &quot;Friendship is a sacred thing, and I believe Facebook is cheapening it,&quot; he says. &quot;I go on this Facebook and I see people with thousands of what they call friends, which is impossible--you can't have a thousand friends.&quot; So Kimmel suggests examining your list of Facebook friends and only keeping the real friends (you know, as in people who've actually breathed the same air as you). Good idea, Mr. Kimmel. According to Robin Dunbar, a professor of anthropology at Oxford University, our brains can't keep up with more than 150 friends anyhow. So, why not Go ahead and use National Unfriend Day as an excuse to &quot;clean up&quot; your friends list guilt-free.It&amp;39's not you, it&amp;39's your annoying status updates. I promise.(Credit:Karmaloop.com)But before you go on an unfriending rampage, consider the following advice: 1. Keep watch on your frenemies. These days, it seems like the immediate response to being insulted or betrayed is, &quot;OMG I'm going to delete them from Facebook.&quot; But don't forget this saying: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. If life is a battlefield, then for some, Facebook is the front line. Take advantage of it. You don't have to interact with your enemies (er, frenemies), but you can use the News Feed to keep tabs on them.2. Value their information. Facebook isn't only about maintaining friendships. Consider other ways in which your potential unfriendees interact with Facebook. Do they post interesting or helpful links Are they an expert in a field that's relevant to your work Remember that most people have something valuable to offer, so consider a person's knowledge, skill set, and connections before unfriending. 3. Consider privacy settings. If you're inclined to unfriend someone to protect your privacy, there are other ways to hide your information without deleting someone. You can choose to hide your wall, photos, status updates, or other content from just a few people--or entire groups of people. Also very useful is the ability to control specific posts. Check out this Facebook privacy guide for a clear explanation. Thank you, Facebook. 4. Control your news feed. Some people are obnoxious status updaters who simply clog your News Feed and put a damper on your Facebook experience with gems like, &quot;I'm so sad. Why do I always get this upset *tear*'&quot; &quot;Damnit! I forgot to put sugar in my coffee'&quot; or &quot;OMG, I just bought the best stuff ever! Neener.&quot; Sure, their behavior may warrant an unfriending, but you have another option: Hide them from your News Feed. Next time they post something like, &quot;Dontcha wish ur gurlfriend was hawt like me&quot; mouse over the update, and an &quot;X&quot; button will appear. Click the X and select &quot;Hide all by _______&quot;. Their posts will no longer appear in your timeline. If you change your mind (or they change their habits), you can undo this setting. 5. Define your &quot;friends.&quot; Ask yourself, &quot;How do I want to use Facebook&quot; Set some guidelines, like whether or not you'll add work friends, acquaintances, business contacts, blog readers, and so on. Or maybe you'll only add people you're really friends with. Whatever you decide, stick with it--not only will it help prevent future unfriending, it'll also remind you who you've given permission to view your content.6. Don't add them in the first place. Unless it's the rare &quot;friends at first sight,&quot; don't send a friend request to someone after meeting them for the first time. It's an obvious I'm-adding-you-because-we-officially-met-and-now-I-can-Facebook-stalk-you move. You may find that you and this person never meet again, or your &quot;friendship&quot; fizzles due to your premature friend request that forcefully bypassed the real-life steps necessary to build a real friendship. Admit it, you only wanted to look at their photos. 7. The friend-purging status update. In the spirit of National Unfriend Day, you've decided to delete those unworthy of your profile. Well done. Now, sign off Facebook and be satisfied with your actions. Don't send the following message to the friends who made the cut: &quot;If you're seeing this status update that means I like you enough to still be my friend!!!!!&quot; Again, don't do it. It's arrogant.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Clean-energy action shifts to states postelection]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=clean-energy-action-shifts-to-states-postelection</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=clean-energy-action-shifts-to-states-postelection</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Nov 2010 07:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>TheBestHawaiiSite</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=clean-energy-action-shifts-to-states-postelection</guid>
<description><![CDATA[BOSTON--For clean-energy businesses, the mantra to think globally and act locally now resonates more than ever.The advance of Republican politicians in yesterday's national elections means that state-level efforts to encourage green technologies become more important, according to speakers on a panel at the Sixth Annual Clean Energy Conference here today. The political shake-up means that national policies to cap carbon emissions and stimulate alternatives to fossil fuels are less likely to happen, they said.&quot;Policy via mandates is going to have serious problems in the House of Representatives and the Senate,&quot; Melanie Kenderine, the executive director of the MIT Energy Initiative, said during a panel this morning. &quot;We are bringing leaders into the House and Senate who are serious climate deniers and I think that's very problematic.&quot; In a ballot question California voted to keep in place a global warming bill to cap emissions and voters there elected Jerry Brown as governor, who has said he will support clean-energy industries. In Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, whose administration has backed green tech businesses, was re-elected. But policies in other states, notably state-level renewable portfolio standards, will be challenged in places, such as Colorado, said Peter Rothstein, the president of the New England Clean Energy Council. About half of the states now have mandates that require utilities to get a percentage of their electricity from renewable sources.Even if many state-level programs stay in place, entrepreneurs who work in green technology need to contend with a patchwork of programs, Rothstein said. What's preferred is a unified national energy policy, something other countries are doing, he said. &quot;The rest of the world is out-investing us,&quot; Rothstein said. &quot;Part of the story now will be whether companies will be able to grow and have access to early markets here in the U.S. Or will they be founded by universities and start-ups and need to go elsewhere to scale&quot;Energy efficiency is one area where states and cities can continue to make advances, said Henrietta Davis, the vice mayor of Cambridge, Mass. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which puts a cap on carbon emissions from utilities, has successfully put most of that money towards energy efficiency efforts, said Rothstein.Meanwhile, several national programs already in place may not be renewed. The ARPA-E program, which has proved popular with scientists and entrepreneurs, was funded by $400 million in the stimulus plan, but now needs to be funded as part of the budget, panelists noted. Vincent DeVito, a partner at law firm Bowditch &amp; Dewey, said that the change in the political picture at the national level won't have that much impact, particularly with regard to carbon emissions, given that the last Congress failed to pass a comprehensive climate and energy bill. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Discovery crew flies to Florida to prep for launch]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=discovery-crew-flies-to-florida-to-prep-for-launch</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=discovery-crew-flies-to-florida-to-prep-for-launch</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Oct 2010 07:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sarah01</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=discovery-crew-flies-to-florida-to-prep-for-launch</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The six-member, all-veteran crew of the shuttle Discovery flew to Florida today to await their blastoff Monday on a space station resupply mission that will be the orbiter's 39th and final mission.Arriving at the Florida spaceport after staggered flights from Houston aboard T-38 jets, commander Steven Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe, Nicole Stott, Michael Barratt, and spacewalkers Timothy Kopra and Alvin Drew touched down this afternoon.Astronaut Nicole Stott speaks to reporters at the shuttle runway. Her crewmates, left to right: Michael Barratt, Timothy Kopra, Alvin Drew, pilot Eric Boe, and commander Steven Lindsey.(Credit:William Harwood)&quot;Weather permitting, if all goes well, we'll have a nice November 1 on-time launch,&quot; Lindsey told reporters at the Shuttle Landing Facility. &quot;We're looking forward to it.&quot;Discovery's countdown to launch is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Liftoff from pad 39A is targeted for 4:40:27 p.m. Monday, the moment Earth's rotation is estimated to carry the pad into the plane of the space station's orbit.&quot;We were able to talk to our friends on the space station this morning and they have spent a lot of time getting everything ready up there for us,&quot; Barratt said. &quot;We have a huge collection of hardware up there and I think we'll exceed a million pounds for the first time during our docked mission. We just want to give a nod to the program office that put the space station together and runs it. We're really looking forward to getting up there and doing our part to add to it yet again.&quot;The primary goals of the flight are to deliver a 21-foot-long cargo storage module, the last pressurized compartment NASA plans to launch to the station. The permanent multipurpose logistics module, or PMM, is loaded with 6,536 pounds of cargo, including an experimental humanoid robot known as Robonaut 2.Another 1,500 pounds of supplies and equipment are mounted in the shuttle's crew cabin, and an external storage platform carrying a spare set of folding radiator panels is mounted in the ship's cargo bay. The 8,161-pound storage platform and the radiator panels will be mounted on the space station's power truss.&quot;It's really great to be back here, this place brings smiles to all of our faces for sure,&quot; said Stott. &quot;We're bringing up some pretty cool stuff. We've got a permanent logistics module that we'll be attaching and we have the ELC-4, which is basically an external carrier that will have some large spare parts for the station. So we really look forward to being able to put the station in the best possible configuration for future missions.&quot;Discovery's launch window extends through November 7.NASA, GM unveil Robonaut 2 (photos) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
</item>

</channel>
</rss>
