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<title>Haaze.com / Sheree / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Jobs, Apple execs discuss iPhones and location (Q&A)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-apple-execs-discuss-iphones-and-location-qa</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-apple-execs-discuss-iphones-and-location-qa</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>marioniliopi</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-apple-execs-discuss-iphones-and-location-qa</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Although Apple was silent for several days after researchers raised issues about location information being stored on theiPhone, that wasn't because it was ignoring the issue. Apple CEO Steve Jobs told Mobilized that the company wanted to figure out exactly what was and wasn't happening, and then figure out the best way to explain a complex set of issues to its customers. Steve Jobs, seen here unveiling the iPad 2 last month, talked about iPhones and location today in an interview with All Things Digital. (Credit:James Martin/CNET ) &quot;We're an engineering-driven company,&quot; Jobs said in a telephone interview today. &quot;When people accuse us of things, the first thing we want to do is find out the truth. That took a certain amount of time to track all of these things down. And the accusations were coming day by day. By the time we had figured this all out, it took a few days. Then writing it up and trying to make it intelligible when this is a very high-tech topic took a few days. And here we are less than a week later.&quot; During the phone interview, Jobs and Senior Vice Presidents Phil Schiller and Scott Forstall talked about what information the iPhone is and isn't collecting, some lessons learned, and the need for the industry to do a better job of explaining things to customers. Jobs said that the company is leading the way when it comes to privacy and said Apple looks forward to testifying before any congressional inquiries on such issues. During the talk, the execs also touched briefly on the release of the long-delayed white iPhone. Also, Jobs declined to comment on when he might return full time to Apple. Here is an edited transcript of the interview:One of the challenges here is that, by their nature, location-based services require location information but that information is highly sensitive and can be used in a lot of ways. How does Apple approach this balance Steve Jobs: I think we do two things. Number one is we get consent from users if we are going to use location, or we never use location. That's what we do. It's very straightforward. We haven't been tracking anybody's location and the files they found on these phones, as we explained, it turned out were basically files we have built through anonymous, crowdsourced information that we collect from the tens of millions of iPhones out there. We build a crowdsourced database of Wi-Fi and cell tower hot spots, but those can be over 100 miles away from where you are. Those are not telling you anything abut your location. That's what people saw on the phone and mistook it for location.How would you differentiate Apple's approach to location information from, say, what Google and others are doing Jobs: Well, that's your job. Is there anything that you guys have learned over the last week or so and take away from this Scott Forstall: One thing I think we have learned is that, the cache we had on the system, the point of that cache, is we do all the location calculations on the phone itself so no location calculations are done separately. You can imagine in ideal world the entire crowdsourced database is on the phone and it just never has to talk to a server to do these calculations (or) to even get the cache.What we do is we cache a subset of that. We picked a size, around 2MB, which is less than half a song. It turns out it was fairly large and could hold items for a long time.We had that protected on the system. It had root protection and was sandboxed from any other application. But if someone hacks their phone and jailbreaks it, they can get to this and misunderstand the point of that. It's all anonymous and cannot be traced back to any individual phone or person. But we need to be even more careful about what files are on the phone, even if they are protected.Jobs: As new technology comes into the society there is a period of adjustment and education. We haven't as an industry done a very good job educating people, I think, as to some of the more subtle things going on here. As such, (people) jumped to a lot of wrong conclusions in the last week. I think the right time to educate people is when there is no problem. I think we will probably ask ourselves how we can do some of that, as an industry.A bunch of folks on the regulatory side, both in the U.S. and elsewhere said they are going to look into this. Do you guys plan on testifying before Congress How active do you personally and does Apple want to be Jobs: I think Apple will be testifying. They have asked us to come and we will honor their request, of course. I think it is great that they are investigating this and I think it will be interesting to see how aggressive or lazy the press is on this in terms of investigating the rest of the participants in the industry and finding out what they do. Some of them don't do what we do. That's for sure.It seems like one of the issues is on the app level. You have apps that do as little, on the Android side, as providing battery information and want access to the dialer and location information. Do you think consumers ought to be paying attention to the individual apps they are using and what sorts of permissions those apps (require) Jobs: We think so and that's why we were the first to institute a procedure that cannot be worked around by applications where if any application wants access to location data, it has to ask the user first. It has to get the user's permission on a per-application basis.You mentioned in the statement today that Apple is using the collective location data to build a collective traffic database. At our D8 Conference last year you talked about the importance of full disclosure by the industry. Do you think Apple and other companies need to let people know specifically what you guys are doing with the information and choose whether to participate in these commercial projects, or do you think Apple and others should have fairly broad use of anonymized data. Jobs: If people don't want to participate in things, they will be able to turn location services off. Once we get a bug that we found fixed, their phone will not be collecting or contributing any crowdsourced information. But nor will it be calculating location.Phil Schiller: Sometimes it helps people to understand an analogy that describes what these things are like because they are so new. I would think an analogy of a crowdsourced database is every time you walk into a retail store, many retailers have a clicker that counts how many people come in and out of the store. Nobody really cares about that because it is completely anonymous. It is not personal data. It is not anything to worry about. It's not something that people feel is private because it is really not about them. It's a coagulated total of all traffic. These crowdsourced databases are sort of like that.Things like that aren't so scary when you think about them in everyday terms.Is traffic the only thing you are using that collective data for, or do you have other plans Jobs: We mention the traffic service and I think that is all we are going to mention at this point in time before we have something to announce.But you are not saying that is the only thing you might use it for Jobs: We are building a crowdsourced database based on traffic and that is what we are saying.Is there a need for any finer level of control, or is the on-off switch the right way to go Forstall: We are really vigilant about privacy and location and we have worked really hard to make the experience as transparent as possible and give the user full control. As you say, whenever any user wants any application to access their location, the user has to approve that on a per-application basis. That's even true for Apple's built-in applications.In addition, whenever any application uses location, an indicator appears in the status bar. In settings, you can see a list of every single application on the phone that a user has approved for location and the ones that they have not approved for location. They can actually go and turn it off temporarily for an app, if they like. In addition, any application which has used location within the last 24 hours is shown, with an indicator in settings. So a user can know which applications that a user has approved for location, have actually used location recently. We think this is incredibly fine grain and the best out there.Do you guys think Google and others need to do a better job with this Do you feel you are being tarred with a brush for practices that others in the industry have Jobs: Ina, that's your job.Steve, how active have you been in examining this issue over the past couple of weeks Jobs: It hasn't been a couple of weeks. This all started last Wednesday and we put out our response this morning. It took us slightly less than a week. Scott and Phil and I have worked together over this last week, first to investigate the problem.We're an engineering-driven company. When people accuse us of things, the first thing we want to do is find out the truth. That took a certain amount of time to track all of these things down. And the accusations were coming day by day. By the time we had figured this all out, it took a few days. Then writing it up and trying to make it intelligible when this is a very high-tech topic took a few days. And here we are less than a week later.I was curious if you have an ETA about when you would be coming back full time Jobs: Look, we're here to talk about location today, not me.Story Copyright (c) 2011 AllThingsD. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sleeved iPad latest victim of fall-from-aircraft trend]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sleeved-ipad-latest-victim-of-fall-from-aircraft-trend</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sleeved-ipad-latest-victim-of-fall-from-aircraft-trend</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>smbetiketi</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sleeved-ipad-latest-victim-of-fall-from-aircraft-trend</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This sleeve is rugged, but I&amp;39'm not trading in MY parachute for the human-size version just yet.(Credit:G-Form)These days, it seems, throwing Apple products out of flying machines is all the rage. The latest to jump onboard the train by falling from an ultralight is aniPad encased in a G-Form Extreme Sleeve. Just like the iPhone we told you about that survived a much higher (and accidental) fall from a small plane used for parachute training, the iPad appears to be unscathed after being dropped 500 feet to test G-Form's new soft, floppy sleeve for consumer electronics.Last time we called on NASA and our elementary physics education to try and deconstruct what happened to the fallingiPhone in the air, but this time we get to watch the whole episode from start to finish as we fall victim to stunt marketing yet again. Some shock absorbency credit is surely due the G-Form sleeve here, but credit also goes to the quality of the materials used to make the displays in touch-screen products like the iPad these days... oh yeah, and that soft, cushy-looking grass landing may have helped a bit too. Bottom line: I'll gladly give some kudos to G-Form here, but I'd be more impressed if they'd lent that iPad and case to the butterfingers of our much higher-flying iPhone-dropping friend--or really upped the ante by, say, making the chassis of the new Nissan Leaf out of the G-Form material and putting it through some highway safety crash tests...(Via ZDNet) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[ACLU: Michigan cops stealing drivers' phone data]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=aclu-michigan-cops-stealing-drivers-phone-data</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=aclu-michigan-cops-stealing-drivers-phone-data</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bugmaningdfd</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=aclu-michigan-cops-stealing-drivers-phone-data</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This machine can let police see all of your photos. Even that one.(Credit:Matt Hickey/Cellebrite)The Michigan State Police have started using handheld machines called &quot;extraction devices&quot; to download personal information from motorists they pull over, even if they're not suspected of any crime. Naturally, the ACLU has a problem with this.The devices, sold by a company called Cellebrite, can download text messages, photos, video, and even GPS data from most brands of cell phones. The handheld machines have various interfaces to work with different models and can even bypass security passwords and access some information.The problem as the ACLU sees it, is that accessing a citizen's private phone information when there's no probable cause creates a violation of the Constitution's 4th Amendment, which protects us against unreasonable searches and seizures.To that end, it's petitioning the MSP to turn over information about its use of the devices under the Freedom of Information Act. The MSP said it's happy to comply, that is, if the ACLU provides them with a processing fee in excess of $500,000. That's more than $100,000 for each of the five devices the MSP says it has in use.The ACLU, for its part, says that the fee is odious, and that a public policing agency has a duty to its citizens to be open. &quot;This should be something that they are handing over freely, and that they should be more than happy to share with the public--the routines and the guidelines that they follow,&quot; Mark Fancher, an attorney for the ACLU, told Detroit's WDIV.As of yet there's no suit, but one is likely if the MSP sticks to its proverbial guns and refuses to hand over information about how it's using the cell phone snooping devices, without being first paid off. If litigation does come, the outcome may set a precedent that would have far-reaching effects, and might make a device that most of us carry a pocket battleground in the war of digital privacy.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Verizon: More breaches but less data lost. Huh!]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-more-breaches-but-less-data-lost--huh</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-more-breaches-but-less-data-lost--huh</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2011 07:10:51 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>paulanarad</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-more-breaches-but-less-data-lost--huh</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Verizon&amp;39's report found that hacking, malware, and physical attacks were the most common in data breaches.(Credit:Verizon)Verizon's Data Breach Investigations Report for last year is a bit of a head scratcher. It shows that while the number of data breaches from cyber attacks rose, the amount of compromised records lost has fallen.  While there were 760 data breaches recorded by Verizon and the U.S. Secret Service in 2010 (up from about 140 in 2009), there were only 4 million compromised records involved (way down from 144 million in 2009), according to the Verizon 2011 Data Breach Investigations Report scheduled to be released on Tuesday. The figures represent both a record high number of incidents and a record low records lost amount for any of the seven years Verizon has been keeping track.  The seeming contradiction between the low number of records lost and the high number of breaches could relate to the fact that there were fewer massive data breaches as there have been in the past as criminals focus on opportunistic attacks on smaller companies (with 11 to 100 employees) that may not have the best security measures in place, Alex Hutton, principal for research and intelligence at Verizon, told CNET in an interview.  The increase in those types of smaller, highly-automated external attacks could explain why outsiders were responsible for most of the breaches (92 percent), up 22 percent from the previous year.  &quot;There has been a shift in the threat landscape, and organized crime is targeting medium to small-sized businesses in the U.S.,&quot; Hutton said. &quot;What we're seeing is the bad guys exploiting people who haven't taken basic security considerations into account in their small business. An attacker is running an automated attack, basically looking for people who have let their guards down. They are introducing malware into the environment, and if it's credit cards they are after they'll just scoop up a handful at a time.&quot; But why just a handful &quot;A couple of reasons,&quot; he said. &quot;First, they probably want to evade detection. Stealing lots of credit cards attracts unwanted attention. Also the resale value of credit cards is low on the black market, so criminals could just be trying to make a quick buck before the data becomes worthless.&quot;  Next year's report will likely get a hit from the recent data breach at e-mail marketing services firm Epsilon that prompted several dozen companies, including Citibank, Chase, Capital One, Walgreens, Target, and Best Buy, to notify customers that their names and e-mail addresses were exposed. Epsilon has not explained how the breach happened.  Hutton said he could not comment on a particular case, but said that incidents are included in the report for the year in which they are concluded, regardless of when they began.  The most common types of attacks were hacking (50 percent) and malware (49 percent), and many of those involved use of weak or stolen credentials and passwords. Malware was responsible for nearly 80 percent of the lost data, with attackers using malicious software to send data to outside servers, open up back doors on compromised computers, and install keyloggers.  Most of the breaches could have been avoided with basic, affordable security measures, the report said. Nearly two-thirds of the malware investigated in the Verizon caseload, not including the statistics from the U.S. Secret Service, was customized. Tampering with ATMs, gas terminals For the first time ever, physical attacks--such as compromising ATMs and gas pump payment terminals--appeared as one of the three most popular data theft methods, representing nearly 30 percent of all cases investigated and typically conducted by organized crime. ATM skimmers are getting more sophisticated, with some including Bluetooth technology and allowing criminals to retrieve the stolen data wirelessly, without having to go back to the machine and risk getting caught, according to the report.  &quot;The latest evolution in data retrieval is the use of technology, again embedded in the skimmer, that utilizes GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) standards and will text captured data in real-time to the criminal's cell phone,&quot; the report said.  Less common because they are harder to accomplish are device tampering of point-of-sale terminals at checkout counters inside stores. Criminals are replacing the terminals with devices of their own that capture and store payment card data as it is passed from the swipe reader to the terminal. To get the devices in the stores, criminals are dressing in uniforms and pretending to be technicians doing scheduled maintenance, according to the report. The report did not go into detail about what type of data was compromised. A report from The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) in January listed 662 breaches last year with 62 percent exposing Social Security numbers and 26 percent representing credit or debit card numbers. &quot;The nation needs a centralized, publicly available, data breach reporting site,&quot; the ITRC said. &quot;It should be comprehensive enough to allow readers to find out what happened, what information was compromised, and why the breach happened.&quot;  The data used in the Verizon report, which is believed to be the most comprehensive breach database, comes from investigations and reports around the world. This is the first year the report includes statistics from a non-U.S. source, Verizon said. Information from the National High Tech Crimes Unit of the Netherlands Policy Agency added insight into the analysis of cases from Europe. However, the Dutch figures were not mixed in with the incident and records loss figures compiled by Verizon and the U.S. Secret Service but separated out as an appendix. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Internet poker giants indicted in U.S. crackdown]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=internet-poker-giants-indicted-in-u-s--crackdown</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=internet-poker-giants-indicted-in-u-s--crackdown</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:11:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>zanlalaana</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=internet-poker-giants-indicted-in-u-s--crackdown</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This was the message displayed after U.S. authorities seized the domains of the online poker sites. Several founders of the three largest Internet poker companies doing business in the U.S. have been arrested as part of an indictment that includes charges of bank fraud, money laundering, and other online gambling-related offenses, the U.S. Attorney's office said today. The three offshore companies--PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker--are accused of circumventing a 2006 U.S. law that prohibits financial institutions from handling transactions for online gambling sites. Prosecutors say they allegedly tricked U.S. banks and credit card issuers into processing billions of dollars in transactions that appeared to be legitimate sales on hundreds of fake online retail sites purportedly selling jewelry and golf balls. One-third of the money allegedly went directly to the poker companies as revenue through a fee charged to players on each poker hand played, according to the indictment, which was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in New York. After U.S. banks and financial institutions detected fraudulent bank accounts and shut them down, the defendants allegedly paid a few small, financially troubled banks money as investments in return for processing the payments, according to the indictment. The deals allegedly included a $10 million investment in a private Utah bank that gave the poker companies more than a 30 percent ownership stake, prosecutors said. The indictment and civil lawsuit seek at least $3 billion in money laundering penalties and forfeiture from the defendants. The federal court issued a restraining order on about 76 bank accounts in 14 countries and seized five Internet domain names allegedly used for operating the illegal games.  Two of the 11 defendants were arrested this morning in Utah and Nevada and authorities are looking for the others, some who may be in other countries, authorities said. Restraining orders were issued against more than 75 bank accounts allegedly used by the defendants and their payment processors. Five Internet domain names used to host the games were seized by federal authorities. Representatives from the poker companies named in the indictment could not be reached for comment. The Web sites displayed messages saying &quot;This domain has been seized by the FBI pursuant to an arrest warrant.&quot; &quot;These defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits. Moreover, as we allege, in their zeal to circumvent the gambling laws, the defendants also engaged in massive money laundering and bank fraud,&quot; Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. Foreign firms that choose to operate in the United States are not free to flout the laws they don't like simply because they can't bear to be parted from their profits.&quot; Updated 4:50 p.m. PTto clarify that the law prohibits financial institutions from conducting transactions for online gambling sites.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[FCC to vote on mandatory wireless-data roaming]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-to-vote-on-mandatory-wireless-data-roaming</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-to-vote-on-mandatory-wireless-data-roaming</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mariedelexz</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-to-vote-on-mandatory-wireless-data-roaming</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Federal Communications Commission may soon set new rules that could help ensure that your smartphone is able to access the Internet anywhere in the U.S. that wireless service is offered, even if your provider doesn't offer network coverage.On Thursday the FCC will vote on new rules that would force wireless phone companies, such as AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless, which have the largest nationwide coverage, to offer roaming rates to competitors at &quot;fair and reasonable rates.&quot; The measure, which has the backing of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, is expected to be passed by the FCC at its monthly public meeting.Smaller wireless carriers, such as Sprint Nextel, Leap Wireless, and MetroPCS, have filed petitions with the FCC claiming these new rules are necessary to ensure that AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless operators, offer fair roaming terms to them. The hope is that these rules will prevent the two dominant carriers in the market from shutting out smaller players from roaming agreements, and essentially preventing them from competing. Smaller operators argue that the need for these rules is even more important since AT&amp;T announced the $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. If that merger is approved, AT&amp;T and Verizon will control more than 80 percent of the wireless market in the U.S.&quot;This is the only way we can ensure that the bigger carriers at least come to the table when it comes to negotiating roaming deals,&quot; said Crystal Davis, a spokeswoman for Sprint. &quot;With the possible AT&amp;T and T-Mobile merger there could be only three major carriers in the market. And more competitors could be gobbled up one by one. If that happens, we won't have the opportunity to build out our networks. And then what chance do they have of competing&quot;Roaming, roaming, roaming Wireless operators with larger footprints have always negotiated roaming agreements with smaller carriers who either don't have the spectrum or the capacity to cover certain regions. In the early days of wireless service, consumers paid the cost of this roaming. Today, roaming is typically bundled into the cost of a cell phone plan. But carriers still charge each other for roaming.As the industry gets more consolidated, smaller carriers and industry watchdogs are afraid that AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless will exert their market power to make roaming deals too expensive for smaller carriers to compete.The FCC already adopted mandated roaming rules for voice traffic in 2007. In theory this means that wireless subscribers should be able to make phone calls just about anywhere there is a cell phone signal even if their wireless provider doesn't provide coverage.But just because the FCC mandates that companies must negotiate with their competitors, it doesn't mean that a deal is always struck. And it doesn't mean that the near ubiquitous coverage for either voice or data service will really ever be met, even if the FCC passes the data roaming rules. For example, in the small town of Lewes, Del., the only two wireless operators that offer reliable service for either voice or data are AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless. Though Sprint says it offers service in this area, the service isn't available in most locations. But because of the voice roaming mandate, one would assume that a Sprint customer should still be able to make phone calls in Lewes where Verizon's network is strong, because in theory Sprint customers should be roaming on Verizon's network. (Sprint and Verizon use the same CDMA-based cellular technology.) But in reality this doesn't happen.It is difficult to say in this specific case what is going on, since neither Verizon nor Sprint is required to make public who its roaming partners are or what the conditions of those roaming agreements are. At the end of the day, the FCC requires only that companies sit down to negotiate under fair terms.&quot;The mandatory order is supposed to give other carriers the option for getting fair and reasonable rates,&quot; said Sprint's Davis. &quot;But it doesn't mean that agreements are always reached.&quot;Indeed, Sprint may not agree to the &quot;fair and reasonable&quot; rate that Verizon offers. If Sprint feels the terms are unfair, the FCC rules allow the company to file a complaint. So far no complaints have been filed accusing AT&amp;T or Verizon Wireless of charging unfair or unreasonable voice roaming rates.AT&amp;T and Verizon: More regulation is unnecessary AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless argue that rules forcing them to negotiate are unnecessary, since they already have deals with many of their competitors. AT&amp;T said in a letter to the FCC last month that it has already negotiated &quot;scores of data roaming agreements, with more currently under negotiation.&quot; Verizon said it already has data roaming agreements with 40 wireless providers, including nationwide agreements for both large and small carriers.Verizon also argues that the FCC does not have the legal authority to impose such rules on data services, since wireless broadband services are regulated differently from wireless voice services.Verizon believes that the FCC is once again overstepping its authority. Earlier this year, the company challenged the FCC's authority for adopting new Net neutrality rules. (A lawsuit the company filed in federal court to challenge those rules was thrown out earlier this week because the judges said it was filed too early. But Verizon plans to refile the suit once the new Net neutrality regulations are posted in the Federal Register later this year.)But if the new rules are passed by the FCC, Verizon could have an even stronger case in challenging the FCC than it does with Net neutrality. The reasoning is a bit wonky, but Verizon argues that these new rules will impose &quot;common carrier&quot; regulation on a service that is not bound by &quot;common carrier&quot; rules. The FCC has long classified voice services and all traffic that touches the old telephone network as a &quot;telecommunications service.&quot; These services are subject to &quot;common carrier&quot; rules that allow the government to set rates and mandate that providers share their networks. But wireless data services, just like wireless broadband services, are considered &quot;information&quot; services. And these services are not bound by common carrier regulation. Verizon argues that this means that the government cannot mandate that the company share its network nor can it have a say in what rates the carrier charges other wireless operators for using its network. The FCC says that it isn't trying to set rates. It simply wants to ensure that smaller operators are given the opportunity to negotiate their own agreements with larger carriers at fair rates. The agency maintains its goal is to fulfill the promise of the National Broadband Plan to get wireless broadband services to as many people as possible. Verizon representatives say there are plenty of incentives for them to offer fair roaming terms. And as the company builds its 4G LTE network, it believes it will have enough capacity and coverage to offer even more roaming deals.&quot;Verizon is not anti-roaming,&quot; said Tamara Priess, vice president of federal regulatory affairs for Verizon. &quot;We're anti-regulated roaming. Our customers often benefit from those agreements, too.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Windows 8 screenshots reveal ribbon interface]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=windows-8-screenshots-reveal-ribbon-interface</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=windows-8-screenshots-reveal-ribbon-interface</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>wanbimsiryy85</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=windows-8-screenshots-reveal-ribbon-interface</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Images from a pre-beta version of Windows 8 reveal that Microsoft is apparently expanding its use of the ribbon interface to replace traditional pull-down menus and toolbars.Following Microsoft's release of the latest pre-beta build of Windows 8 to select partners recently, screenshots of certain features in the upcoming OS were allegedly posted online. In particular, images displayed on enthusiast site Within Windows by &quot;Windows 8 Secrets&quot; co-authors Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott show the ribbon interface reaching Windows Explorer.Introduced with Office 2007, the ribbon interface has been loved by some and reviled by others. But Microsoft has expanded its use of the ribbon, adding it to such programs as Paint and WordPad inWindows 7. Noting that the ribbon interface in the pre-beta Windows 8 is only half-finished and rather &quot;unattractive,&quot; Rivera and Thurrott suggest that its potential appearance in Explorer may be controversial within Microsoft itself.Beyond showing off the ribbon, the two authors also revealed a new welcome screen in Windows 8, which they say is based on the lock screen inWindows Phone 7. Displaying the date and time and offering a changeable background image, the new screen reportedly will also feature audio controls so people can play and adjust their music even when the screen is locked.Microsoft has supposedly been looking to splash a bit of the Windows Phone 7 Metro UI look and feel onto the next generation of Windows. Beyond just the welcome screen, other alleged images of a recent Windows 8 build show a set-up routine and overall interface that takes a page from the design of the Metro UI, according to enthusiast site WinRumors.Windows 8 could also offer built-in integration with some of Microsoft's Windows Live features. Looking at the screenshots of the new Windows Explorer, enthusiast site Liveside.net spotted one option for Sync, which it believes could refer to Microsoft's cloud-based Windows Live Mesh. Another option called &quot;Web sharing&quot; could point to online storage service Windows Live SkyDrive.Of course, Windows 8 is still at a very early stage in development, so its look, feel, and features are likely to be debated and tweaked within Microsoft before the new OS finally reaches consumers. Microsoft has been generally mum about Windows 8 and hasn't give any clues as to a launch date. However, a blog post on the company's Dutch Web site may have spilled a few beans last October when it stated that Windows 8 was about two years away, putting its release toward the end of 2012.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Breach exposes Chase, Capital One, TiVo customers]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=breach-exposes-chase-capital-one-tivo-customers</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=breach-exposes-chase-capital-one-tivo-customers</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 02 Apr 2011 07:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dujoseangela</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=breach-exposes-chase-capital-one-tivo-customers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Epsilon, which manages e-mail communications for TiVo, JP Morgan Chase, Capital One Financial, the Kroger grocery chain, and other clients, said this week that it suffered a security breach that revealed data on some of its clients' customers.Epsilon, which says it sends 40 billion e-mails annually, released a statement yesterday saying that on March 30 it detected an &quot;unauthroized entry&quot; into its system that exposed customer names and e-mail addresses. The company said &quot;no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk.&quot;Bloomberg reported that an Epsilon representative would not say how many other clients might be affected, citing an ongoing investigation.TiVo, meanwhile, issued a release that reiterated Epsilon's statements and added that &quot;Epsilon does not have access to service information or credit card details and all such personally identifiable information remains secure.&quot;Both Chase and Capital One posted notices about the breach on their Web sites, and both said financial data, and any other data apart from names and e-mail addresses, did not appear to be at risk. And CNET received a reader-forwarded e-mail that appeared to be from the Kroger company (which operates the Ralphs supermarket chain, along with many other stores). The message mentions the breach and warns recipients that they might be receiving spam e-mail:&quot;Kroger wants to remind you not to open e-mails from senders you do not know,&quot; the e-mail says. &quot;Also, Kroger would never ask you to e-mail personal information such as credit card numbers or social security numbers. If you receive such a request, it did not come from Kroger and should be deleted.&quot;Both Chase and Capital One issued similar cautions in the statements on their sites.Steven Musil contributed to this report.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Teacher accused of mocking 7-year-old on Facebook]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=teacher-accused-of-mocking-7-year-old-on-facebook</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=teacher-accused-of-mocking-7-year-old-on-facebook</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:10:45 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bugterreskitchen</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=teacher-accused-of-mocking-7-year-old-on-facebook</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Class, we need to go over this again: when you post things on Facebook, it is likely that they will go far beyond your few thousand friends.This reminder needs to be made right now. You see, the mother of 7-year-old Ukailya Lofton from Chicago has accused her daughter's teacher of taking a cell phone picture of her daughter's hair--in order to post it on Facebook. It seems she thought the hair was somewhat amusing.As the story was told to ABC7News Chicago, the mother, Lucinda Williams, said that her daughter wanted to have hair with Jolly Rancher candies hanging from her braids for Overton Elementary School's Picture Day. Kids want sweet things. Mothers indulge them.But on that day, she says a computer teacher took a photograph of her daughter's hair and posted it on Facebook.&quot;She took a picture of me and then she said my boyfriend can't believe this,&quot; little Ukailya told ABC News.When she heard about this, Williams says she went to the teacher's Facebook page and reportedly copied some of the comments on the picture of her daughter.Among them, allegedly, was: &quot;If you are going to make your child look ridiculous, the least you can do is have them matching.&quot; Another comment allegedly declared that writer's contact lens popped out when she saw the picture.The Chicago public schools district issued a statement that read: &quot;The district is currently investigating the matter to determine if any policies have been violated. If policies have in fact been violated, the district will move on disciplinary action.&quot;Williams says she met with the school principal and the teacher, who allegedly said that she had removed the page but equally allegedly refused to apologize to the child.And now, the word &quot;allegedly&quot; may be put to the test. Williams reportedly says she is planning a lawsuit.Soon, perhaps, every school will have its own Facebook monitor.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Verizon to install 100 gigabit network in U.S.]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-to-install-100-gigabit-network-in-u-s-</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-to-install-100-gigabit-network-in-u-s-</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:10:46 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kabuuto95</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-to-install-100-gigabit-network-in-u-s-</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Verizon Communications plans to upgrade segments of its U.S. Internet backbone to 100 Gigabit Ethernet by the end of the second quarter, the carrier said today.The upgrade to 100G will happen in three segments: Chicago to New York, Sacramento to Los Angeles, and Minneapolis to Kansas City.The upgraded network can offer backbone speeds of 100 gigabits per second, up to 10 times faster than is generally now available. Verizon said the upgrade can benefit business customers that increasingly depend on video streaming, cloud-based applications, and other bandwidth-intensive services.Internet backbones use high-speed fiber-optic networks to send data between major routers on the Internet. The various backbones that support the Internet are maintained by different organizations, including telecom companies such as Verizon. Providing a major improvement in performance over 1G and 10G Ethernet and the more recent 40G Ethernet, the 100G Ethernet standard was ratified last summer by the IEEE, or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.The U.S. effort will follow a deployment earlier this month in Europe, where Verizon set up a 100-Gigabit Ethernet network between routers on a 555-mile stretch from Paris to Frankfurt. As in Europe, Verizon's U.S. backbone upgrade will use Juniper Networks' routers and Ciena's equipment to help the link bridge the long distance between cities.Beyond offering faster speeds, 100G Ethernet is more efficient than other network standards.Verizon can upgrade its current fiber-optic system by simply installing new equipment on the network rather than replacing the underlying infrastructure. The network is also more efficient, according to Verizon, because it can carry traffic on a single 100G wavelength as opposed to 10 different wavelengths, each running at 10 gigabits per second. And the overall efficiency of 100G Ethernet can help cut down on latency, or the total time it takes for the data to reach its destination.&quot;Advancing to 100G is a significant step in strengthening our global IP network to handle the bandwidth demands of our customers--whether it's large enterprises or the average consumer,&quot; Ihab Tarazi, vice president of network planning at Verizon, said today in a statement. &quot;Besides greater scalability and network efficiencies, we also expect 100G deployment to improve latency on a route-by-route basis.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook gets five more film rentals]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-gets-five-more-film-rentals</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-gets-five-more-film-rentals</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gaylordsty</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-gets-five-more-film-rentals</guid>
<description><![CDATA[&amp;34'Inception&amp;34' is now available on Facebook--for 40 Credits.(Credit:Warner Bros.)After the launch of &quot;The Dark Knight&quot; rental on Facebook earlier this month, Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding its product offering.Early this morning, the company released five more films that the social network's users can watch from the site. The newly available films--&quot;Inception,&quot; &quot;Yogi Bear,&quot; &quot;Life As We Know It,&quot; &quot;Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,&quot; and &quot;Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets&quot;--are available to rent on users' individual Facebook pages.As with &quot;The Dark Knight,&quot; users who want to stream the rentals over the Web need to apply Facebook credits to rent the movies. However, pricing will vary. Whereas &quot;The Dark Knight&quot; is still available for 30 Facebook credits (about $3), the newer releases, including &quot;Inception,&quot; &quot;Yogi Bear,&quot; and &quot;Life As We Know It&quot; are retailing for 40 Facebook credits (about $4). The two &quot;Harry Potter&quot; films are available for 30 credits.When Warner Bros. launched rentals on Facebook earlier this month, the company made it clear that it was done solely to test the waters and find out if people want the ability to pay for and watch films on the social network. Warner Bros. Digital Distribution President Thomas Gewecke said at the time that it was &quot;a natural extension&quot; of his company's digital distribution efforts.Social media is becoming an important tool for film studios to both promote and generate revenue off their movies. A few weeks ago, Paramount Pictures premiered the trailer for its upcoming film &quot;Super 8&quot; on Twitter. The movie, which is being produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by &quot;Lost&quot; creator J.J. Abrams, was the first to have its trailer premiere on Twitter.But if it's rentals users are after, they will have access to Warner Bros. content for 48 hours from the time of purchase. Users can watch the movies in full screen, pause at any point, and resume when they get back to the social network. Viewers can also post comments and interact with others while watching the film.Warner Bros. rentals are available only to customers in the U.S.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Xperia Play to land at Verizon by early May]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=xperia-play-to-land-at-verizon-by-early-may</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=xperia-play-to-land-at-verizon-by-early-may</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2011 07:10:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>verydiscount</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=xperia-play-to-land-at-verizon-by-early-may</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Verizon Wireless Xperia Play hands-on (photos) ORLANDO, Fla.--Sony Ericsson didn't offer any new phones at CTIA 2011, but we did get the chance to handle the official Verizon Wireless version of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. What's more, Sony Ericsson also revealed that the gaming Android phone will land in the United States either late next month or in early May.In fact, Verizon Wireless may be the first carrier in the world to get the Xperia Play. Rogers in Canada may beat it with a release of the GSM handset on April 14, but either way it means that North America will get the Xperia Play before Europe and Asia. That's quite a change from previous Sony Ericsson devices. And did we mention this is the first Sony Ericsson CDMA device in yearsExcept for the carrier branding, Verizon's Xperia Play is unchanged from the global handset we saw at Mobile World Congress. Inside, however, you will see some modifications. Verizon has stocked the phone with the Android Kindle app, Skype Mobile for voice, and a few of its own services like VZ Navigator and the V Cast App Store. That's a decent assortment, fortunately, and it doesn't reek of bloatware. Verizon's handset will come with six gaming titles: Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, Star Battalion, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, Madden NFL '11, The Sims 3, and Tetris. Users will be able to purchase games form either the Android Market or Big Red's V Cast App Store. The selection of titles should be the same, Sony Ericsson says, with the only difference being the method of payment. While charges from the latter option will appear on your Verizon bill, you'll need to pay separately for Android Market purchases.We should get a review unit in the coming weeks. And, of course, we'll let you know the official release date and price when Verizon spills the details.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google gets patent for its doodles (really)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-gets-patent-for-its-doodles-really</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-gets-patent-for-its-doodles-really</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 07:11:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>xayoesihuf</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-gets-patent-for-its-doodles-really</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I worry that our whole world is being systematically systematized.The more our youngest and brightest minds offer their working souls to the Facebooks and Twitters of this firmament, the more they are asked to define every single human event and emotion by digits.And yet I still found myself sensing a momentary twitch of the single gray hair between my eyebrows when I heard that Google had been awarded a patent for its doodles.I suppose there will be some who will say: &quot;But, of course! Google's doodles are unique works of art! Van Gogh would have secured a patent if he'd actually managed to sell one of his paintings!&quot;But these people might not have read the patent. You see, this isn't a document that craves some proprietary claws over artistic genius. Instead, it claims Sergey Brin as its inventor and is titled &quot;Systems and methods for enticing users to access a Web site.&quot;Of course. Art has to have a system, doesn't it It can't be about inspiration. Can this lovely Jules Verne doodle really be the product of a system(Credit:Screenshot: Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)This is Google. Everything must be systematized. The abstract makes this entirely clear: &quot;A system provides a periodically changing story line and/or a special event company logo to entice users to access a Web page.&quot;You see, the word &quot;system&quot; is there straight away. But there's more: &quot;For the story line, the system may receive objects that tell a story according to the story line and successively provide the objects on the Web page for predetermined or random amounts of time. For the special event company logo, the system may modify a standard company logo for a special event to create a special event logo, associate one or more search terms with the special event logo, and upload the special event logo to the Web page.&quot;A first glance at all this suggests that Google's systematic originality lies in, um, drawing something, and then, well, uploading it. But there's perhaps an even more painful hidden message inside: that all those nice people who sit at their computers and try to create amusing versions of the Google logo to celebrate some meaningful day are merely the movable (and removable) parts of a system.It seems that they always have been. Indeed, Google filed this patent application almost 10 years ago. I know that there will be many wise and legal minds who will tell me that this was a necessary measure, as everything even vaguely interesting must be patented in order to protect its intellectual property.But how sad that Google didn't try to patent something like &quot;inspiration,&quot; &quot;artistry,&quot; or, you know, &quot;magic.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Time Warner launches TV-viewing app for iPad]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=time-warner-launches-tv-viewing-app-for-ipad</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=time-warner-launches-tv-viewing-app-for-ipad</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sufbugbimac</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=time-warner-launches-tv-viewing-app-for-ipad</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Time Warner Cable)AppleiPad owners who subscribe to Time Warner cable now have an app that will let them watch live TV directly on theirtablets.Launched today, the free TWCable TV app streams the live cable TV feed to the iPad via a Wi-Fi connection, meaning people can catch their favorite shows from any room in the house.An online channel guide lets viewers scroll to see which shows are currently on and which ones are coming up next. Tapping on a particular show then streams it to the iPad. Subscribers will find shows broadcast in high-definition from a variety of cable networks, including A&amp;E, Bravo, Discovery, MSNBC, SyFy, and USA.&quot;We are tremendously excited about this app, which is the first of many that will allow our customers to harness the power of their tablet-type devices,&quot; Time Warner Cable President Rob Marcus said in a statement. &quot;Helping our customers see the content they're paying for on multiple devices makes their Time Warner Cable subscription even more valuable, and they can expect much more from us in this space very soon.&quot; There are a couple of initial limitations. The service works only through Wi-Fi, so users can't watch TV outside the house via the iPad's 3G connection. Customers must also subscribe to Time Warner cable TV and Internet to use the app.And for now, only around 30 channels are available for live streaming, though Time Warner Cable is promising to add more channels and beef up the app's capabilities. Future enhancements will let subscribers stream shows outside the home via Wi-Fi, set up a DVR to record shows, and use the iPad as a remote to control both live and on-demand shows.The app is compatible only with the iPad and requires iOS 4.2 or higher.Looking at other cable carriers, Dish Network subscribers can also download a free app for the iPad and other mobile devices to let them watch live TV and recorded shows. Comcast recently announced plans to launch its own TV-viewing app for the iPad and Android tablets later this year.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[On Call: A bridge for T-Mobile and Sprint]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-call-a-bridge-for-t-mobile-and-sprint</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-call-a-bridge-for-t-mobile-and-sprint</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:10:41 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>udanikaspencerb</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=on-call-a-bridge-for-t-mobile-and-sprint</guid>
<description><![CDATA[On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.Bloomberg today revived a long-simmering story in the wireless world when it reported that Deutsche Telekom is considering selling its T-Mobile USA subsidiary to Sprint Nextel. A deal is nowhere near definite, sources told Bloomberg, but the two companies are debating a valuation for the country's fourth-largest carrier.More merger maniaMergers between wireless carriers do happen--remember that Sprint and Nextel got hitched almost six years ago--and the possibility of a T-Mobile/Sprint marriage has been bounced around since 2009. The rumor received a lot of fuel last summer after Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said he sees &quot;logic&quot; in consolidation. Hesse didn't elaborate much on his point, but that was all many analysts needed to begin comparing balance sheets.At the time, I wrote a column on why I saw a merger as unlikely. Disparate technology was one reason, and I didn't savor the idea of meshing T-Mobile's relatively strong corporate identity with Sprint's, well, not-so-great image. I still stand by my second point, but I've come around a bit on the technology side.Though many tech journalists, myself included, rightly point to Sprint's struggles to mesh Nextel's iDEN network with its CDMA technology, it's a different world than it was in 2005. As carriers move exclusively to bridging 4G technologies over the next few years, terms like CDMA and GSM won't matter as much. So in the long term, a T-Mobile/Sprint merger could make sense.So how would it workIn short, it could all come down to LTE. Sprint is firmly on board with WiMax at the moment and it will presumably continue that way for the near future. In a few years, however, the carrier should move to LTE as Hesse has indicated.T-Mobile, on the other hand, still is riding the HSPA+ train. True, it's not a real 4G technology--despite T-Mobile describing it as such--but HSPA+ is offering data speeds that can match its rivals at least for the time being. Yet, at some point T-Mobile will need to move on to LTE as well. And if Sprint is walking the same path, then things could work.Sure, I'm simplifying things a bit and making predictions that may not turn out to be true, but the point is that integrating the carriers' CDMA and GSM networks doesn't have to happen. A real 4G technology like LTE Advanced can act as a bridge. I think Sprint has learned a lot from the Nextel integration--and it finally appears to be getting the mess in order--though those lessons may be irrelevant. I'm still not excited by the prospect of blending the two brands, but mergers deemed good for a company usually move forward, whether they're good for customers or not.Updated March 9 at 10:55 p.m. PT: While speaking at the Deutsche Bank AG Media &amp; Telecom Conference on Wednesday, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said &quot;every option&quot; for the carrier's future include Clearwire and WiMax. Bloomberg also said that Hesse refused to comment on a possible merger with T-Mobile.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Do you secure your PC for free]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=do-you-secure-your-pc-for-free</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=do-you-secure-your-pc-for-free</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:10:50 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>unfortes</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=do-you-secure-your-pc-for-free</guid>
<description><![CDATA[With Avast 6 fresh out of the gate and CNET's opinion on record, it's time to ask you which of the many free security suites available is your favorite. The big three on Download.com are AVG, Avast, and Avira, although it will be interesting to see if the download counts are reflected in popularity. We aimed to have all the major players represented here, although we left out certain choices like ClamWin Antivirus, technically still in beta. The poll will remain open until 11 p.m. PT March 3, and we'll look at the results March 4.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Bulletstorm: The pinball shooter]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bulletstorm-the-pinball-shooter</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bulletstorm-the-pinball-shooter</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:10:44 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bxikamilia</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bulletstorm-the-pinball-shooter</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Windows Phone arriving on Verizon in March]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-windows-phone-arriving-on-verizon-in-march</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-windows-phone-arriving-on-verizon-in-march</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>parmansufvishvaa</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-windows-phone-arriving-on-verizon-in-march</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Windows Phones could be arriving on Verizon's network as soon as next month.Citing sources familiar with the matter, blog WinRumors is reporting that Verizon could have its firstWindows Phone 7 devices available to customers on March 20 and plans to announce the launch date for an HTC-made device early next week. The report follows on the heels of yesterday's news that Sprint would be bringing the HTC Arrive, its first Windows Phone 7 handset, to consumers on the same day. That handset will ship with Microsoft's first major update to its mobile operating system preinstalled. That's the one that brings features like copy and paste, improved Marketplace search, and faster load times for some applications. WinRumors says the HTC 7 Trophy, which is the phone launching on Verizon, will also have that newer software version. Microsoft declined to comment on the rumor. A Verizon representative said simply that the company had announced its plans to support Windows Phone 7 in 2011, but that it had not set a date for a device launch.Back in January, Microsoft had pledged to bring Windows Phone 7 devices to CDMA carriers like Sprint and Verizon &quot;in the first half&quot; of 2011. A launch on both carriers before the end of March would signal Microsoft had been conservative about its original estimates. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft Answers to rework look, reputation tools]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-answers-to-rework-look-reputation-tools</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-answers-to-rework-look-reputation-tools</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>inxemiol</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-answers-to-rework-look-reputation-tools</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft this weekend plans to roll out a redesign of its Answers site, which gives users a place to seek unofficial tech support on Microsoft products and services.As part of the redesign, Microsoft says it's now easier to find answers through both an improved search tool and a new layout that puts its various product directories in a clearer order.Along with the new look, Microsoft is also overhauling the site's reputation system, which is how its members are rewarded for answering other users' questions. The new one awards authoring answers, as well as marking other people's answers as helpful. Microsoft says the existing user reputation system, which had made use of points that went towards an aggregate rating (in the form of medals), will be no more.Even though that point and medal system is going away, other existing ratings information about the posts is not, according to a Microsoft representative with whom CNET spoke. &quot;To ensure a smooth transition, we will be migrating existing users and the existing information about their posts (those marked as answered and helpful posts) to the new reputation system so that users who have provided helpful posts in the past will already have some reputation in the new system,&quot; the representative said. In other words, some longtime users with a high rating may be chagrined to find their insignia gone, but their answers will continue to get highlighted on pages, and their profiles will reflect that information.A shot of the Microsoft Answers redesign, which will take place this weekend. (Credit:Microsoft)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Chart: Netflix shares crush S&P, Nasdaq indexes]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chart-netflix-shares-crush-sp-nasdaq-indexes</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chart-netflix-shares-crush-sp-nasdaq-indexes</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:11:23 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>danieeeenn</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chart-netflix-shares-crush-sp-nasdaq-indexes</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Netflix)In filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Netflix just released a graph that looks at how the company's stock has treated shareholders over the past five years. The No. 1 video rental service compared its total cumulative stockholder return for the past five years with those from the Nasdaq Composite Index, the S&amp;P 500 Index, and the S&amp;P North American Technology Internet Index.Simply said, Netflix tore it up. The company's shares jumped beyond $247 this week, setting an all-time high for the stock. After stomping brick-and-mortar rivals Blockbuster and Movie Gallery into jelly, CEO Reed Hastings sped the company into Internet distribution. Netflix is available on more than 200 different Web-connected devices with no competitor even close to that kind of broad distribution. Wall Street has lapped it up. But everyone is keeping an eye on the company's expenses, which could go through the roof if the major film studios demand huge licensing fees. Here's what Netflix said about the chart: The measurement points are from the last day of trading for each of the past five years. &quot;Total cumulative stockholder return assumes $100 invested at the beginning of the period&quot; for Netflix as well as for the indexes. The company also included the reinvestment of any dividends. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Friday Poll: Is PS3 hacker ban the right move]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=friday-poll-is-ps3-hacker-ban-the-right-move</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=friday-poll-is-ps3-hacker-ban-the-right-move</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:11:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>James01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=friday-poll-is-ps3-hacker-ban-the-right-move</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Matt Hickey/CNET)This week Sony announced that it's kickingPlayStation 3 hackers off its PlayStation Network and Qriocity media service--for life. Those deemed offenders by Sony get an e-mail saying the company is aware of their ways and plans to drop the banhammer unless they reformat their PS3's hard drive and reinstall the official, un-jailbroken PS3 firmware.If a user fails to comply, then the ban is handed down. Users who get bannned get a blue screen telling them they're not allowed on the network, as well as an e-mail explaining why. So far there's no word on whether those who are banned can somehow reconnect their machines to Sony's online services (and we're hoping there's a way, or there may be a glut of network-less PS3s on Craigslist in the near future). Sony's not alone' Microsoft enacted similar measures a couple of years ago to keep modded Xboxes off of its Live network, and there was a backlash. Now, though, it seems that banning console hackers is the norm. But we have to ask, in your view is Sony's latest move to thwart breaches of its official policy fair Opinions on the matter, of course, are varied and passionate. If the poll answers don't cover yours, please elaborate in the comments section. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Netflix not into ads]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netflix-not-into-ads</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netflix-not-into-ads</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kohlline142</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netflix-not-into-ads</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Netflix may have thought about it, but the company won't be bringing ads to its streaming service.Speaking to Fast Company in an interview posted today, Netflix Vice President of Corporate Communications Steve Swasey said the topic of bringing advertising to the company's streaming service has been brought to the table from time to time over at Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif., but the arguments in favor of ads haven't been all that compelling.&quot;Every time, we shoot it down,&quot; Swasey said.Netflix's streaming service has relied on a subscription model since its launch. Previously, customers that had unlimited DVD rental plans were allowed to stream content from Netflix for as little as $9 per month. After launching a streaming-only service in Canada last year, Netflix then brought a streaming-only option to the United States as well. It costs $7.99 per month.The success of Netflix streaming has caused the company to shift its focus. In a statement to investors last year, CEO Reed Hastings said that &quot;by every measure,&quot; Netflix is &quot;a streaming company that also offers DVD-by-mail.&quot;Netflix's decision to nix the idea of bringing advertising to its service stands in stark contrast to the strategy of one of its top competitors, Hulu Plus, which offers a subscription fee--$7.99 per month--and places ads in the content it streams.Hulu's ad-supported model has been met with some complaints from users who would like to see the commercials go. However, Hulu claims on a Web page detailing its business model that advertising is necessary to keep the price of its service down.&quot;Hulu's goal for this subscription product has always been to offer the largest content selection to users for the lowest price,&quot; the company writes on its Web page. &quot;By making Hulu Plus an ad-supported subscription service, we were able to offer the low price of $7.99 to subscribers for the deepest library of current TV programming online.&quot;Netflix, on the other hand, isn't after &quot;current&quot; content. Swasey told Fast Company that Netflix prefers &quot;to have complete seasons of the series rather than day-after broadcast.&quot; Perhaps most importantly, Netflix can offer that content and push cash into the hands of content providers without relying on advertising to pull it off. And Swasey believes that model works best for all stakeholders.&quot;Netflix is a new money provider,&quot; Swasey told Fast Company. &quot;This is new money in the system, which is good for content owners.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Zipcar gets plug-in Prius before it goes up for sale]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zipcar-gets-plug-in-prius-before-it-goes-up-for-sale</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zipcar-gets-plug-in-prius-before-it-goes-up-for-sale</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:11:45 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>resbimmarlk</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zipcar-gets-plug-in-prius-before-it-goes-up-for-sale</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(left to right) Frank Miller, regional distribution manager for Toyota Motor Sales, and Scott Griffith, chairman and CEO of Zipcar, stand in front of one of the new Toyota Prius PHVs to enter the Zipcar fleet in Cambridge, Mass.(Credit:PRNewsFoto/Zipcar)They don't go up for sale until 2012, but Zipcar has managed to snag eight Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHV) for its members to rent as part of a testing program with Toyota for the prototype vehicles.Zipcar locations in Boston and Cambridge, Mass., San Francisco, and Portland, Ore., will receive the plug-in Priuscars, which have an electric range of up to 13 miles on a full battery and can be charged from a standard 110-volt outlet in up to 3 hours. For longer distances, the plug-in Prius achieves an average of 50 mpg, according to Toyota. As with most hybrids in Zipcar's fleet, the Prius PHVs will rent for $7 an hour, including insurance, gas, and charging. Members in Massachusetts can find the plug-in hybrids at the Albany Street Garage on the campus of MIT, the Prudential Center, and 33 Arch Street in downtown Boston. In San Francisco, the prototype Prius PHVs are located at City Hall, Union Square, and Fisherman's Wharf. Portland gets two of the new plug-ins, and they can be found at the Portland State University Parking Garage and at Shaver Green. These cities and locations were selected because they already had existing charging infrastructure. An aftermarket converted plug-in Prius is already in the San Francisco fleet. Working with private companies, universities, and organizations to fleet-test vehicle prototypes is common practice for manufacturers. Fleet tests deliver valuable feedback and data to the carmaker, which can lead to improvements and changes before the cars become available for sale to the public. But Zipcar is the first car-sharing arrangement to let any of its members take part in the process.&quot;Zipcar is an ideal test bed for early consumer acceptance of EVs,&quot; Scott Griffith, chairman and CEO of Zipcar, said in a news statement. &quot;This project will allow companies to receive direct feedback from thousands of consumers in three cities and help evaluate how EVs fit into a large-scale car-sharing model.&quot;Based on feedback from a large sample of users, many booked trips of fewer than 13 miles round trip, says Zipcar. Drivers of these short errand runs will take advantage of the plug-in Prius' all-electric range. But back-to-back rentals may mean that several drivers won't ever get to experience the uninterrupted all-electric drive. In that case, the Prius PHVs won't seem much different than the hundreds of conventional Priuses in Zipcar's nationwide fleet.Zipcar added 8 Toyota Prius Plug-in Vehicle prototypes to a few of its Boston, San Fancisco, and Portland locations that members can rent by the hour as part of a test program with Toyota.(Credit:Zipcar)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Survey: iPhone owners most loyal to their brand]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=survey-iphone-owners-most-loyal-to-their-brand</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=survey-iphone-owners-most-loyal-to-their-brand</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:10:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>maxx8888</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=survey-iphone-owners-most-loyal-to-their-brand</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Zokem)Despite the surge in Android phones,iPhone owners are still by far the ones most loyal to their devices, according to a study out this week by mobile analytics provider Zokem.Based on results from Zokem's U.S. Mobile Life panel in 2010, the iPhone took home a loyalty score of 73, far surpassing the score of 40 given to its closest competitor Android.Gauging the loyalty that smartphone owners have for their current devices, the score looks at whether people will stick with the same brand for their next purchase as well as other factors. Even among non-iPhone users collectively, the No. 1 preference for their next phone is an iPhone.Though sales of Android phones were hot in 2010, the few iPhone models available sell more than any one specific Android device, according to Zokem.&quot;As a platform, however, Android is a fair competitor--and in certain numbers, bigger than iPhone--but the industry attention is still geared towards the iPhone as the leading smartphone platform, particularly in the U.S.,&quot; noted the report.Lower on the loyalty charts were Research In Motion's BlackBerry with a score of 30, and Windows Mobile and thePalm Pre OS, with scores of 10.Looking specifically at which phones people are most likely to repurchase, Android actually beat the iPhone by a narrow margin. Among those polled, 89 percent of current Android users are likely to stick with the same brand, while 85 percent of iPhone users plan to stay with Apple.(Credit:Zokem)&quot;The figures suggest clearly that iPhone is the top performing platform in terms of user loyalty, and therefore, it is an increasingly likely pick for a repurchase,&quot; Zokem CEO Hannu Verkasalo said in a statement. &quot;Android is a good No. 2 in the U.S. market, even though the loyalty score is not nearly as high as it is for iPhones, but it seems that people who are using Android are also very likely to buy an Android-based device as their next smartphone too.&quot;To compile its study, Zokem questioned more than 1,500 members of its Mobile Life panel each quarter of 2010.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition goes 3D]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sports-illustrated-swimsuit-edition-goes-3d</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sports-illustrated-swimsuit-edition-goes-3d</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>DefevantHat</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sports-illustrated-swimsuit-edition-goes-3d</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Back in my day, we had only two Ds, and we were happy to have those!(Credit:Wikipedia)Look, I like 3D technology as much as the next guy, at least when it's used properly. And I also like pictures of supermodels in bikinis. But I'm not sure if I'm into the idea of putting those two things together. That might be a little much for an innocent guy like me.But Sports Illustrated doesn't feel the same way at all, it seems, as it plans to sell (and rent) special 3D video content that ties in with its annual swimsuit issue.  The content will be available to customers who have new Sony Bravia HDTVs that are 3D-capable, and aPS3 or qualified Blu-ray player running Qriocity's rental service. An interested person could buy it for $8, or rent it for $5.  There will be a 2D version, as well. Of course, that leaves the rest of us out in the cold looking at half-naked ladies the old-fashioned 2D way. Life is hard.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Apple updates iWork.com with Keynote playback]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-updates-iwork-com-with-keynote-playback</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-updates-iwork-com-with-keynote-playback</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:10:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kyblackr</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-updates-iwork-com-with-keynote-playback</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Apple)Apple today sent a note to users of its iWork.com public beta program informing them of updates made to the system.There were two major features added to iWork.com: Keynote presentation playback and new publishing options, according to the e-mail sent by Apple.With Keynote '09 presentation playback, users viewing your shared Keynote documents will be able to see the presentations as they were meant to be viewed, with animations, video, hyperlinks, and audio if those are part of your presentation. Playback is supported using the latest version of Safari on theMac and PC. You can also view the presentation using an iPad,iPhone oriPod Touch, which allows you to swipe the screen to advance the slides. iWork.com will also now allow users to create a public link so you are able to share the uploaded documents on social-media sites. You can also use the supplied embed code to post your shared documents on your Web site.  You will need an Apple ID to access your iWork.com space. Using Apple's iWork suite of applications, you can post documents to the service by going to the Share menu and choosing &quot;Share via iWork.com.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Smart grid outshines green tech at CES]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-smart-grid-outshines-green-tech-at-ces</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-smart-grid-outshines-green-tech-at-ces</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Jan 2011 08:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Eleen</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-smart-grid-outshines-green-tech-at-ces</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LAS VEGAS--Consumer electronics companies used to tout the energy efficiency of individual gadgets. Now many want to make your whole house more efficient. This year's Consumer Electronics Show saw a blending of the consumer electronics and the energy businesses, often in the form of the idea of a smart home filled with connected devices. There was still plently of outwardly green gear on the show floor, such as solar-powered radios and energy-saving power strips. ButCES also saw more &quot;home of the future&quot; displays with electric-vehicle chargers, smart appliances, efficient LED lights, and even small wind turbines and solar panels. Incars, Ford decided to introduce its electric Ford Focus, a week before a big auto show.Consumer electronics manufacturers are already turning out millions of networked TVs, DVD players, and other electronics. Right behind them are other connected, grid-aware devices, such as thermostats, dishwashers, and electric vehicles.For consumers, more information about usage and more control over plugged-in goods can lead to energy savings, say manufacturers. For manufacturers and energy companies, this opens up new ways to make money, potentially by offering services that complement their hardware. Smart grid and green tech at CES (photos) Companies from different industries are approaching home energy from different angles. Manufacturers that straddle home appliances and consumer electronics, such as Panasonic, Toshiba, and LG, envision consumers controlling their HVAC, kitchen appliances, and lighting from their TVs, smart phones or PCs.Home automation companies are eyeing a &quot;trifecta&quot; of services that include entertainment, security monitoring, and energy management. Rather than making tiny margins on hardware, these companies are looking to connected appliances to open the possibility for add-on services, such as applications that remotely control home entertainment systems and thermostats.&quot;We see home entertainment as a key driver, but energy is coming up fast. Safety and security have been there a long time,&quot; Will West, CEO of Control4, said during a panel called &quot;Beyond the Living Room.&quot; Control4 sells software and hardware for home automation.Simililarly, utility companies say giving consumers better information and control of their homes is a way to differentiate themselves. NRG Energy, which owns energy retailer Reliant Energy in Texas, was a first-time exhibitor at CES, with a booth that was a simulated home. Actors played a young couple getting up-to-the-minute information on energy use and saving money by running power-hungry appliances or charging an electric Nissan Lea at off-peak times.&quot;We have to stop competing on price upon a commodity that everybody has the same access to,&quot; Chris Deutschen, senior manager at Direct Energy, said during a smart-grid panel. &quot;So really we need to get into a more services model. And that's where we are looking at energy management--the home-area network as a place where we can provide services to the customer.&quot;Green-home gearManufacturers continue to improve the efficiency of TVs, PCs, and appliances, but advances are not as dramatic as they were a few years ago. To continue making significant efficiency improvements, they need to start treating the home as a connected system, industry executives said.GE's connected, energy-savvy home (photos) View the full galleryGeneral Electric showed off the &quot;connected home of the future&quot; which includes smart appliances, an electric vehicle charger, and its Nucleus home energy management system, due later this year. It also announced an Ecomagination entrepreneurial challenge around home energy management, following its contest first focused on the power grid.Panasonic has a stage devoted to home energy, which includes a way to monitor electricity, gas, and water from a TV. Panasonic can also provide solar panels, a fuel cell for making electricity and hot water, and backup batteries using the same lithium ion cells used in its consumer electronics. Some other products it showed are not yet available in the U.S., including solar panels, a home battery system, and a fuel cell that makes electricity and heat for hot water from natural gas. Toshiba, too, is preparing a suite of energy products to complement its eco-friendly laptops and TVs. Offering home energy monitoring systems, LED bulbs, and efficient air conditioners plays off of Toshiba's giant industrial energy business. &quot;Obviously, this is where the future is going. The grid is getting smarter and we have a speciality in this area. And there are environmental benefits,&quot; said Craig Hershberg, general manager for environmental affairs at Toshiba America.IssuesThe products for home automation and energy monitoring are maturing, but manufacturers and service providers face a host of issues before these products can take hold in large numbers.On a technical level, there are a few different wireless home-networking methods. Many smart meters being installed are equipped with Zigbee radios. But wireless Z-Wave devices, such as locks and remote control light sockets, are already on the market, which is why Verizon chose Z-Wave for its home energy monitoring and security service.Green Tech LG decided to make its smart appliances communicate using Wi-Fi. Using power lines to control and monitor plugged-in goods is another method. Also, many homes won't ever get smart meters, so other grid-to-home network gateways are being developed.Regulations in many areas don't create much monetary incentive for consumers to buy gear for energy management. Utilities and regulators have an interest in having consumers scale back power during critical peak times, such as hot summer days, because they can avoid bringing costly and polluting auxiliary power plants online.In places with variable pricing, a consumer could get a cheaper rate to charge an electric car at night or have a clothes drier go into &quot;eco mode&quot; during a peak energy event. But in many areas, consumers pay flat rate, so there aren't savings from shifting their energy loads to the middle of the night.The business models for tech suppliers and installers are still being worked out as well, say industry executives. Without clear savings, most consumers are unlikely to invest in energy management, and the technology has to be easy to use. Consumers also want assurances around security and privacy of energy usage data. The tech-savvy attendees at CES appear to be interested in hearing how a smart home works. Booths at GE, Panasonic, and NRG Energy had a steady stream of visitors who heard about off-peak rates and remotely controlled thermostats. &quot;Smart grid is the new thing,&quot; said one employee from NRG subsidiary Reliant Energy. &quot;And there are only so many TVs you can look at.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<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>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Electric Uno scooter doubles as a unicycle]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-electric-uno-scooter-doubles-as-a-unicycle</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-electric-uno-scooter-doubles-as-a-unicycle</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:10:51 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ttwotimeso</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-electric-uno-scooter-doubles-as-a-unicycle</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Uno electric scooter is a unique beast: an electric scooter that looks like a mini-motorcycle and folds up into a Segway-like scooter balanced on two wheels. A prototype of the Uno III, the latest invention from BPG Motors, will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show, its first public showing. It's aimed at urban dwellers, most likely in Europe, where there is a strong culture around motorcycles and scooters, said BPG Motors CEO Brad Harkavy.Uno electric scooter goes for eco-chic (photos) View the full galleryThe company plans to begin producing these electric scooters in limited quantities in about a year with mass production planned after that, according to Harkavy. It will be priced similarly to how high-end Vespa scooters are, which cost between $4,000 and $7,000, he said.The Uno III is styled like a high-performance racing motorcycle but it's much better suited for getting around town than around the race track. Its top speed is limited by scooter regulations at about 35 miles per hour and its range is 30 miles.But the Uno has some unusual features that its designers hope will add to its cachet and utility.Most dramatically, it works in two modes. In its &quot;motorcycle&quot; driving mode, it operates like a typical electric scooter. Its self-balancing mode, enabled by a gyroscopic control system, is when the front wheel pulls back off the floor and tucks itself in between two rear wheels. That unicycle-like mode gives it a three-foot turning radius and makes the scooter nimble enough to move in tight spaces. The owner could, for example, bring the Uno into an elevator and store it inside or operate in city centers where there are a lot of pedestrians, said Harkavy. A driver can shift from self-balancing to driving mode while the scooter is moving. The two rear wheels have their own suspension and electric motors, giving the driver better driving control when in motorcycle mode, according to the company.Started as high school science projectIn thecar-heavy culture of the U.S., scooters and electric bikes appeal to a small niche of drivers. But in other parts of the world, two-wheelers are far more common, making them good candidates for electrification. By some estimates, there are already 120 million electric bikes in China, a vehicle segment that has grown rapidly in the past decade. BPG Motors was founded by Benjamin Gulak who, when in high school, decided to start building a cleaner electric scooter after a trip to China, where dirty two-stroke scooters are common. It became a high school science project and then a company in 2008. It was funded in 2009 by private investors. Its scooter is less polluting than a gasoline-powered scooter because it's electric, but the designers are clearly trying to make it cool as well.The Uno III is actually the third vehicle produced by BPG Motors in the space of about 18 months. Previous designs, which brought a good deal of media interest, had the self-balancing mode but did not fold out as fully as the Uno III or have the same styling.In the last few years, a handful of companies have formed to develop electric motorcycles and scooters, but these products are still trying to get a real foothold in the U.S. Harkavy expects to find initial interest for its scooter with trend-setters in the U.S., such as celebrities, but a more receptive audience in Europe.&quot;We're definitely focused on the urban scooter buyer but someone looking for more unique vehicles and something quite stylish,&quot; he said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Intel demos 2nd-gen Sandy Bridge CPUs at CES]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-intel-demos-2nd-gen-sandy-bridge-cpus-at-ces</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-intel-demos-2nd-gen-sandy-bridge-cpus-at-ces</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>agathaagat50</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-intel-demos-2nd-gen-sandy-bridge-cpus-at-ces</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Intel compares chip performance at CES 2011.(Credit:James Martin/CNET)Intel unveiled its long-awaited new line of desktop and laptop CPUs at its press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show today in a demonstration that positioned them as a way to handle high-quality video and gaming without a separate processor.The processor lineup known as Sandy Bridge, which the company is now calling 2nd Generation Intel Core, boosts performance by grafting the graphics chip onto the CPU. It means hardware makers, especially for budget PCs, won't have to implant a separate graphics processor from rivals Advanced Micro Devices or Nvidia.&quot;It's about user experience, but you also need performance,&quot; Shmuel &quot;Mooly&quot; Eden, an Intel vice president, told reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He said Sandy Bridge is 69 percent faster than older Intel chips. (See earlier CNET coverage and technical details.)Intel CEO Paul Otellini introduces the company&amp;39's Sandy Bridge processors at CES 2011.(Credit:James Martin/CNET)Eden showed off a series of demonstrations that highlighted the processors' ability to do speedy video format conversions, render complicated graphics in Valve's forthcoming Portal 2 game, and play a slew of instantly resizeable video clips simultaneously.One feature of Sandy Bridge could prove to be controversial: the digital rights management, or DRM, functions embedded deep within the CPU.Eden said that implanting anti-copying technology was necessary for movie studios to allow films to be sent to PCs at the same time they're released in cinemas. The studios need to feel comfortable, he said, that there is a &quot;secure link&quot; between their servers and home PCs.Warner Brothers, Fox, and several Bollywood studios are on board to &quot;enable this great content to be streamed to the PC early in its release,&quot; Eden said.Kevin Tsujihara, a Warner Bros. executive vice president, showed up at Intel's event to say that studios historically have been reluctant to place their &quot;high-value content&quot; into a PC format, an apparent reference to frequent pirating of new releases.&quot;We now are going to put our content out earlier,&quot; Tsujihara said, without elaborating.Because the so-called Intel Insider technology relies on hardware, not software, Intel has shied away from using the term DRM, which tends to be a sore point for hackers and open-source enthusiasts. In a blog post yesterday, the company described it as &quot;an armored truck carrying the movie from the Internet to your display, it keeps the data safe from pirates, but still lets you enjoy your legally acquired movie in the best possible quality.&quot;Intel also demonstrated Best Buy's Cinemanow service, showing the movie Inception streaming in high definition--as long as you have a Sandy Bridge PC.Manufacturers have started to announce just that. Hewlett-Packard this week said some Pavilion Elite desktops would receive the Sandy Bridge CPU after news leaked last month about upcoming Pavilion dv7 laptops also equipped with the processor. Toshiba said today that its newly updated laptop lineup will also be Sandy Bridge-equipped.CNET's Tom Krazit contributed to this report.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Missing e-mail, folder bug in Hotmail fixed]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=missing-e-mail-folder-bug-in-hotmail-fixed</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=missing-e-mail-folder-bug-in-hotmail-fixed</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:10:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Manisha</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=missing-e-mail-folder-bug-in-hotmail-fixed</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A bug that made e-mails and folders go missing for some Windows Live Hotmail users has been fixed according to Microsoft. &quot;We have identified the source of the issue (and) have restored e=mail access to those who were affected,&quot; the company said on the Windows Live Solution Center help site yesterday afternoon. &quot;We recognize that even though we restored e-mail access, some of the affected users did not receive mail sent to them during the last 24 to 72 hours.&quot; Microsoft says the issue was fixed early this morning, although if users are still having issues, they should send in a help request using a specialized form.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[BlackBerry PlayBook: Car battery not included]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blackberry-playbook-car-battery-not-included</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blackberry-playbook-car-battery-not-included</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Dec 2010 08:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Crespinnecips</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blackberry-playbook-car-battery-not-included</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook is to succeed at market the way the company hopes, there are a few engineering hurdles to overcome. The most significant, according to Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu, is the device's relatively poor battery life.Sources tell him the tablet currently lasts just a few hours per charge, compared with rivals like Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which lasts about six, and theiPad, which lasts upward of 10. If true, that's an untenable situation for RIM, which really needs to hit the mark with the PlayBook, and it may cause a delay of the launch--if only for a bit.&quot;From our understanding, this [is] likely why RIMM pushed out its launch to the May 2011 quarter,&quot; Wu writes. &quot;Keep in mind that QNX (the OS on which PlayBook runs) wasn't originally designed for mobile environments but rather for devices like network equipment and automobiles where battery life isn't as much a constraint.&quot; In other words, as promising as plugging QNX into a tablet form factor with a dual-core processor and a gig of RAM sounds, it's proving to be a bit of a challenge. So what's the solution Most likely a bigger battery. But obviously that will add to the heft of the device and perhaps require a design concession or two.Given that, Wu takes a conservative view of PlayBook's prospects' he figures RIM will sell 700,000 units in 2011, far less than the 1 million to 8 million that other analysts have been calling for. &quot;As we have said before, we are not convinced that tablets outside of the iPad will see high volume success,&quot; he concludes.Story Copyright (c) 2010 AllThingsD. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[FCC gets closer to approving Comcast-NBC deal]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-gets-closer-to-approving-comcast-nbc-deal</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-gets-closer-to-approving-comcast-nbc-deal</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mharpsterr</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fcc-gets-closer-to-approving-comcast-nbc-deal</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Federal Communications Commission is a step closer to approving the $37 billion joint venture between Comcast and General Electric's NBC Universal. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski gave his blessing today to the new joint venture, which was announced a year ago. He circulated an order among the four other FCC commissioners stating that he believes the venture, which will be controlled by cable giant Comcast, will be in the public interest, paving the way for the full FCC to approve the marriage between the two companies. That full FCC approval isn't expected until January. The deal must also be approved by the Department of Justice, which is still examining the deal. Genachowski noted that he only approves of the deal if Comcast and General Electric, which owns NBC Universal, can agree on certain conditions. These conditions are meant to protect consumers from Comcast asserting too much control over content and distribution services. Once the deal is completed, Comcast will own 51 percent of the new joint venture.There is particular concern that Comcast, loaded with NBC Universal content, will have too much power in determining how the Internet develops as a video medium. Consumer groups and other critics fear that Comcast will stifle this emerging medium. They are also fearful that Comcast will use its strong content position, with cable channels, such as MSNBC, USA, and Bravo, to harm its existing paid TV competitors.Earlier this week, the FCC pushed through controversial rules meant to prevent the owners of high-speed lines and airwaves, such as Comcast, from favoring their services and content over competitors' content and services. The FCC chairman's office has not released details of the proposed conditions it hopes to put on the deal, but during a call with journalists today, representatives gave a sense of areas that the agency is examining. First, the agency is looking at ways to ensure that Comcast will not be able to favor its own video content over content of its rivals. For example, the conditions would likely make it difficult for Comcast to withhold content from its paid TV competitors. And it will not be able to slow or block traffic from online video providers such as Netflix.The FCC is also examining the role that Comcast should play in Hulu, the online video service that is partly owned by NBC Universal. Walt Disney Co. and News Corp. are also co-owners of Hulu. Comcast has its own online video site and some opponents of the merger are worried that Comcast may cripple the service in some way, because it is seen as a competitor to its existing cable service or its online video services.Eventual approval of the merger could require Comcast to share its NBC programming with online video providers, who have reached similar deals with Hulu partners and competitors Walt Disney and News Corp.The agency is also considering measures that would put conditions on where Comcast can place the NBC channels on its cable TV lineup. In addition, it is likely to require Comcast to keep similar channels, such as sports or news channels, close to its rivals' similar channels. Any conditions that the FCC puts on Comcast could eventually expire or be reviewed on a regular basis to see if the government still thinks they are necessary.Genachowski's recommendation must be approved by the other four FCC commissioners, who could change aspects of the conditions. The two Republicans on the FCC are likely to want fewer conditions, while the two Democrats are likely to ask for more conditions, or at the very least stricter conditions.Regulators have spent roughly nine months reviewing the deal antitrust issues and to ascertain whether the deal is in the public interest. Comcast executives had expected regulators to conclude their review and approve the deal by the end of the year. But yesterday, Comcast issued a statement saying it doesn't expect to close the transaction until January at the earliest.Comcast said in the statement that it would continue to &quot;work with the commissioners so that the FCC order will not undermine our business combinations and will ensure that consumers will benefit and that competitors are treated fairly.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Dialed In 155: CES 2011 preview (podcast)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dialed-in-155-ces-2011-preview-podcast</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dialed-in-155-ces-2011-preview-podcast</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>johnma5k</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dialed-in-155-ces-2011-preview-podcast</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Another year is in the books, but before we shut the door on 2010 and sign off for the holidays, we wrap up some of the latest cell phone news and reviews. Plus, we give you a preview of what to expect from CES 2011. From LTE handsets to dual-core Android phones, it's shaping up to be a very busy show, and we'll be there to report on all the action, so be sure to tune in on Friday, January 7 at 2 p.m., PT for special broadcast of Dialed In live from Las Vegas. Finally, we want to wish you all a wonderful holiday season and happy new year! As always, thanks for listening, and we'll see you in 2011. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Create virtual work spaces with Google Shared Spaces]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=create-virtual-work-spaces-with-google-shared-spaces</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=create-virtual-work-spaces-with-google-shared-spaces</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lasirzi3</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=create-virtual-work-spaces-with-google-shared-spaces</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A new tool from Google Labs promises to help users quickly collaborate with other people through the same online calendars, maps, games, and other virtual work spaces that they create.Google's new Shared Spaces tool, rolled out yesterday, offers a collection of 50 different gadgets formerly developed for the late Google Wave. By generating a work space using one of the gadgets, a user can create lists, design polls, brainstorm ideas, and even play Sudoku when in need of a break. A user can then share and collaborate in each work space with another person.To create a work space, a user simply browses to the Shared Spaces page and chooses one of the many gadgets, such as the Carpool Gadget, which enables people to collaborate on the times and locations for a carpool. Next, a user clicks on the option to Create a Space. The first time out they'll be prompted to log in using their account from Google, Yahoo, or Twitter.(Credit:Google)Users can then customize their work space by selecting various options. When finished, they can share their creation with another person via e-mail, Google Wave, or Twitter. That person can then modify any of the options in the work space, as they view it separately or together. Users can also chat with each other as they collectively update the work space.Shared Spaces sounds like a cool idea, so I decided to try out the service today. As a big Sudoku buff, I especially enjoyed playing Sudoku online with another person. But I did find several bugs and quirks in the tool.It doesn't seem to work in Internet Explorer. When I tried to create a space inIE 8, I got no response. I was, however, able to create spaces inFirefox and Chrome. When I initially tried to sign in, Shared Spaces wouldn't grant me access using my Google account or my Yahoo account, continually dumping me back to the sign-in screen. I was able to sign only by using my Twitter account. Also, some gadgets didn't display or update properly. I contacted Google about these glitches. A company representative responded by e-mail, saying she doesn't have further details about Shares Spaces. I then asked whether another person could get back to me to respond to the bugs I found, but I haven't heard back.Since Shared Spaces is a fresh Google Labs project, some bugs here and there are to be expected. If Google can fix some of the many rough edges, the tool may find a niche beyond just an interesting experiment and hopefully have a bit more staying power than Google Wave.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Home solar costs falling with industry scale]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=home-solar-costs-falling-with-industry-scale</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=home-solar-costs-falling-with-industry-scale</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:11:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Nina01</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=home-solar-costs-falling-with-industry-scale</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study finds that the price of installing residential solar photovoltaic systems has fallen due to cheaper solar panels and improved industry efficiency.The study (PDF) published today finds that system installation costs fell 30 percent from 1998 to 2009. The data, representing 70 percent of grid-tied solar electric installations across the U.S., also noted that &quot;dramatic&quot; cost reductions have been seen in 2010.In the first ten months of 2010, the installed cost of solar PV systems fell by $1 per watt (DC), or a 14 percent drop in California, and by $1.20 per watt in New Jersey, which a 16 percent reduction. California is by far the largest market for solar PV in the U.S. with about three-quarters of installations, followed by New Jersey with 12 percent.A solar photovoltaic array in Massachusetts.(Credit:SunRun)In 1998, the cost to have solar panels installed was $10.80 per watt. The price in the first 10 months of 2010 in California and New Jersey was about $6 per watt, although prices vary significantly in other states, the study found.Consumers in Germany and Japan, where there are large-scale solar manufacturing and government incentives, paid a bit less than U.S. consumers. In 2009, homeowners in Germany paid under $5 per watt installed, while their counterparts in Japan paid about $6 per watt.The costs in Germany and Japan suggest that further near-term cost reductions are possible, according to the Lawrence Berkeley Lab. That is significant because state and utility incentives, notably in California and New Jersey, are being scaled back.The overall downward trend in prices suggests that the solar industry has been successful in introducing more competition to spur efficiencies in delivering product, the study finds. An uncapped 30 percent federal tax credit for solar installations (hot water or photovoltaics) remains in effect until 2016. Rebate and tax credits from state programs vary, as does the money available from selling renewable energy certificates, which are credits for generating energy from renewable sources. (See state incentive program information here.)Another factor making solar PV more accessible is the growing number of financing options. Rather than pay the upfront cost, which can be between $25,000 to $40,000 depending on size, installers now offer an option to lease panels with a monthly fee that is offset by lower electricity bills.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[NRG Solar to buy First Solar's 290-megawatt plant]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nrg-solar-to-buy-first-solars-290-megawatt-plant</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nrg-solar-to-buy-first-solars-290-megawatt-plant</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:11:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>resmaab24n</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nrg-solar-to-buy-first-solars-290-megawatt-plant</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It seems the Agua Caliente solar project in Arizona is changing hands once again.NRG Energy announced today its subsidiary NRG Solar plans to acquire Agua Caliente, a 290-megawatt solar farm from First Solar, as long as an application for a federal loan guarantee gets granted.&quot;Closing of the acquisition is contingent on receiving the federal loan guarantee,&quot; NRG said in a statement. The purchase price was not disclosed. First Solar itself had acquired the Agua Caliente solar project from NextLight Renewable Power for $285 million in April.NRG Solar says it has plans to invest a combined total of $800 million in the project from its own funds, outside investors, and the federal loan guarantee between deal completion and 2014. At the time of the First Solar/NextLight deal it was clear that First Solar's deal was as much about the power purchase agreements it stood to gain, as it was about the actual projects. NextLight at the time had an agreement with Pacific Gas &amp; Electric for over 520 megawatts that First Solar inherited through the deal.NRG Solar will now gain a 25-year power purchase agreement with PG&amp;E with respect to the 290-megawatt Agua Caliente project.The solar farm as planned will be located on 2,400 acres of farmland spread across Yuma County, Ariz. When complete it's expected to generate enough electricity to power 225,000 homes, according to NRG Solar.NRG Energy and First Solar have made deals before. In November 2009, NRG Solar purchased a 21-megawatt solar plant in Blythe, Calif., from First Solar that came with a 20-year power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison.NRG Energy has been doing a lot of acquiring over the last two years, and Agua Caliente joins a list of high-profile projects that NRG has announced in recent months.In November, NRG Solar announced a deal to purchase the California Valley Solar Ranch, a 250-megawatt solar project from SunPower, for $450 million. The plant also came with a PG&amp;E power purchase agreement, and is estimated to provide enough electricity to power 50,000 homes. In October, NRG Solar announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding to partner with BrightSource Energy to build a 392-megawatt solar thermal project. The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, which NRG Solar plans to invest $300 million in, is expected to be the largest commercial solar thermal plant in the U.S.Earlier this year NRG Energy, through its eVgo Network (pronounced ee-vee-go), also partnered with Walgreens to implement over 100 commercial electric-vehicle charging stations in Texas.Correction, 9:32 a.m. PT December 16: The nature of the Blythe, Calif., sale was mistakenly transposed. In November 2009, NRG Energy purchased the 21-megawatt solar plant from First Solar.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[LG's 'Nano' LCD TVs get better local dimming]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lgs-nano-lcd-tvs-get-better-local-dimming</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lgs-nano-lcd-tvs-get-better-local-dimming</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sirwanwin5</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=lgs-nano-lcd-tvs-get-better-local-dimming</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LG&amp;39's LW9500 TV, coming in 2011(Credit:LG)In advance of the Consumer Electronics Show next month, LG has released a teaser announcement vaguely detailing a couple of its new, high-end LED-based LCD TVs, the LW9500 and LW7700 series. The company is branding the new models under a new &quot;Nano&quot; moniker, which it says refers to improved local-dimming LED technology. According to the release: &quot;An extremely thin film printed with a proprietary light dispersion pattern combined with a full array of LEDs disperses light more evenly across the screen, creating pictures that are brighter and more uniform than conventional edge-lit LED sets.&quot; The &amp;34'nano film&amp;34' that makes up the backlighting element of the LW9500 series.(Credit:John P. Falcone/CNET)We liked the company's local dimming models from 2010, namely the LX9500 and LE8500 series, although we complained about the unusual uniformity issues we saw, which manifested as bands of uneven lighting that were visible in some material. LG tells us that the newer sets address this issue specifically, so we're expecting them to be among the better LCD performers of 2011. Both of the new series have a similar thin-bezel design to the LX9500, putting maximum picture area into minimum cabinet, and have slimmed down the cabinet depth to &quot;less than one inch&quot; according to the company. The main difference between the two, as far as we can tell, is the presence of 480Hz refresh rate in the LW9500 models, while the LW7700 gets 240Hz (we don't expect to see much difference between the two based on this spec). Both can deliver 3D images and, unlike the 2010 LX9500, LG's sole 3D-compatible LCD from 2010, the 2011 sets incorporate numerous picture controls for 3D, as well as a 2D-to-3D conversion system. They'll also offer the company's revamped Internet TV platform. An LG LW9500 prototype, in the flesh.(Credit:John P. Falcone/CNET)Screen sizes range from 47 to 60 inches. Pricing and availability were not announced at press time. We expect further details at LG's CES press conference.Editors' note (7:00 p.m. PT): This post has been updated with new photos. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Newegg touts 27-inch monitors for Cyber Monday]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=newegg-touts-27-inch-monitors-for-cyber-monday</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=newegg-touts-27-inch-monitors-for-cyber-monday</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jupnoteroh2534</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=newegg-touts-27-inch-monitors-for-cyber-monday</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LG&amp;39's e2350V is worth even more than Newegg&amp;39's heavily discounted price.(Credit:Josh P. Miller/CNET)Last week, I posted news on Newegg's Black Friday monitor specials. Today, the online vendor coughed up a couple of impressive new monitor deals.As of this posting, only two are available at heavily discounted prices:MonitorWasIsHanns-G HZ281HPB 27.5-inch$270$180LG E2350V-SN 23-inch$270$180Get on it fast, however, if you want to take advantage. Of the two, I can personally vouch for the quality of the LG Flatron e2350V, which features LED backlighting. I've never seen the Hanns-G model personally, but, like with its Black Friday Hanns-G, Newegg is offering a very large monitor (27-inch) for less than $200. For some, this accounts for a lot, beyond even quality. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Steve Jobs to launch iPad newspaper with Rupert Murdoch]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=steve-jobs-to-launch-ipad-newspaper-with-rupert-murdoch</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=steve-jobs-to-launch-ipad-newspaper-with-rupert-murdoch</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 21 Nov 2010 08:10:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bobmarley</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=steve-jobs-to-launch-ipad-newspaper-with-rupert-murdoch</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Will they both appear on stage, Steve Jobs in a suit, Rupert Murdoch in Levi's and a black turtleneckThis magical image might, um, flash before your eyes when you hear that Apple is reportedly helping Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. launch a new--is there another word for newspaper these days--news entity exclusively for theiPad.Women's Wear Daily offers a report that this iPad-o-newsthingy, which has been in covert development for several months, will be called &quot;The Daily.&quot; It will, apparently, have as its pulsating spirit &quot;a tabloid sensibility with a broadsheet intelligence.&quot;Oh, and there is a price for this melange of the tabloid heart with a broadsheet mind. A ticklingly enticing 99 cents a week.The Daily will, apparently not enjoy such dated concepts as a print edition or even a Web edition. Instead it will be beamed straight to the iPad (or Galaxy, if you can afford one) from News Corp.'s high pod somewhere in Manhanttan.If Steve Jobs has his way, the Daily will be an enchanting product.(Credit:CC Whatcounts/Flickr)Apple's role in this interesting enterprise seems to rest in offering engineering expertise, and, of course, the existence of many millions of iPads waiting to host the new iPado-o-newsthingy.There will be some, I know, who will already be scoffing at the prospect of an iPad-o-newsthingy, even if, as the Daily will allegedly enjoy, it has not only excellent, but even original content.Might I suggest, as Chrissie Hynde once almost muttered, they should stop their scoffing Steve Jobs and Rupert Murdoch have one very important thing in common: they think quite deeply about what people really want to buy. They actually consider very, very carefully what delights people, as opposed to what they merely consume. Yes, I hear you scoff, I can see that about Jobs, but Murdoch Surely he debases everything that goes before him. Look at all those dreadful tabloids he has perpetrated.Well, it depends on where you find your debasement. Those would be the dreadful tabloids to which many members of intelligentsia rush to (and delight in) well before they read the paper they know they're supposed to be seen reading. Though his experiments with charging for some of his British online entities, such as the often marvelous News of the World and the sometimes interesting Sunday Times, have proved to be a painful experience, Murdoch is reportedly captivated by the notion that people are far more captivated when clutching an iPad than when they are in possession of any other medium.There is a love thing going on with the iPad. And you know how lovers like to spend a lot of time with each other.The question remains, though, as to how this iPad-o-newsthingy will be presented to the world. Will there be some concerted advertising campaign, perhaps prepared in conjunction with Apple Will there be star writers hired whose mere name will force a significant number of the population to toss their 99 cents into the fray (The former editor of the New York Post Page 6, Richard Johnson is, for example, already said to be on the team.)Or will its alleged use of the amazingly investigative Parrot AR.Drone &quot;quadricopter,&quot; offering a unique visual perspective on policecar chases, be enough to excite the iPad readersI am fascinated to see just how much of Apple's engineering intelligence will show in this iPad-o-newsthingy. If Apple's engineers inject enough thinking different into the idea of news consumption on the iPad, 99 cents a week might be quite tempting to a significant portion of users (which doesn't, at first, have to be a large number).Come on, it's only 99 cents. You know, like a track on iTunes. And, just once in a while, you used to download those for free, didn't you<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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