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<title>Haaze.com / Shiree / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Verizon iPhone boosts Apple's smartphone share]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-iphone-boosts-apples-smartphone-share</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-iphone-boosts-apples-smartphone-share</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>uzet1</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-iphone-boosts-apples-smartphone-share</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:James Martin/CNET)As Apple and Verizon's quarterly earnings noted,iPhone 4 sales have been brisk. How brisk A new report put out by the NPD Group earlier today put Apple in third place in U.S. smartphone sales during the first quarter of this year. Apple came in behind Samsung and LG, but did better than HTC, Motorola, and Research In Motion. During the quarter, NPD says Apple nabbed 14 percent of sales, due in large part to the launch of the iPhone on Verizon's network in February.&quot;Apple and Verizon had a very successful launch of the iPhone 4, which allowed the iPhone to expand its market share that was previously held back by its prolonged carrier exclusivity with AT&amp;T,&quot; said Ross Rubin, NPD's executive director of industry analysis in a statement.Rubin said some of that growth &quot;came at the expense of the Android OS&quot; even though phones running Google's mobile phone OS made up half of the devices sold in the three months counted. According to NPD's data, this was the first time Android's overall sales shrunk, going down to 50 percent from 53 percent the previous quarter. RIM's BlackBerry OS share also dropped to 14 percent of sales, down from 19 percent the previous quarter. Eating into those numbers was Apple, with iOS jumping 9 points to rest at 28 percent of smartphone sales, due to combined sales of the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS, both of which NPD includes in the top five sellers.During the quarter, NPD says that unit sales of smartphones went up 8 percent from the previous quarter, with a 1 percent drop of total handset sales. With that push, NPD says this is the first time smartphones made up the majority of handset purchases in the U.S. at 54 percent of sales. But what about the next few months A report by research firm Nielsen earlier this week found that 20 percent of those it surveyed in the U.S. were unsure about what their next smartphone purchase will be. Thirty-one percent of consumers surveyed plan to buy an Android-based smartphone in the next year, with 30 percent going with Apple's iPhone instead. Rounding out that survey was RIM's BlackBerry at 11 percent of expected purchases, and Microsoft'sWindows Phone 7 platform at 6 percent. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Reports: White iPhone 4 thicker than black version]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=reports-white-iphone-4-thicker-than-black-version</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=reports-white-iphone-4-thicker-than-black-version</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>insyaaland</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=reports-white-iphone-4-thicker-than-black-version</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The black iPhone 4 next to the newly released white version.(Credit:Tipb.com)After a long wait, the white version of Apple'siPhone 4 finally went on sale today. Color aside, it's the same device, just with a white front and back. However reports are coming in that there is, in fact, a difference between the two versions. A MacRumors reader, iLounge, and Ryan Cash of Marketcircle who posted pictures of the two side-by-side, have found that the white version of the device is ever so slightly thicker than the black version. How much &quot;A hair,&quot; Cash said. Blog TiPb got a little more precise, measuring the difference at &quot;roughly 0.2 mm.&quot;Apple lists the depth of both devices at an even 9.3 mm on its iPhone 4 specs page. TiPb, which measured the difference, listed the white version at 9.5 mm. The depth increase is said to be small enough not to affect a number of cases both TiPb and MacRumors have tried out on the two devices, though iLounge points out that snug cases made out of hard materials without give could be problematic. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the whether there was a size difference between the two models.In an interview with All Things Digital yesterday, Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller said that in making the white version of the iPhone 4, the company found it needed to rework its manufacturing processes to make it more durable. That included extra protection against UV. &quot;It's not as simple as making something white,&quot; Schiller said. &quot;There's a lot more that goes into both the material science of it--how it holds up over time...but also in how it all works with the sensors.&quot;The white version of the iPhone 4 sports a clearly noticeable version of the proximity sensor, which sits just above the top speaker grille. On the black models, this is a detail that disappears with the rest of the bezel. Early imagery of the white iPhone 4 had that sensor appearing as a fine mesh of dots, akin to the way the company hides notification lights on its notebook computers. Other small changes picked up by iLounge include that the headphone and dock ports in the white version get a color treatment, with Apple opting to use a gray plastic material, presumably to better blend in with the company's bundled headphones and dock adapters. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft reveals more on plight of Netbook sales]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-reveals-more-on-plight-of-netbook-sales</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-reveals-more-on-plight-of-netbook-sales</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:10:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>andplot56</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-reveals-more-on-plight-of-netbook-sales</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft revealed more about the plight of Netbook sales in the age of theiPad during the company's third-quarter earnings conference call today. This follows statements by Intel's chief financial officer earlier in the month. A Toshiba Netbook.(Credit:Toshiba)The Redmond, Wash., software giant said today that the consumer PC market declined 8 percent in the most recent quarter and part of that was &quot;a 40 percent decline in Netbooks,&quot; according to a statement by Bill Koefoed, general manager of investor relations, during the earnings conference call.  &quot;In total, we estimate the PC market declined 1 percent to 3 percent in the third quarter,&quot; he said.At Intel, the story--or at least the emphasis--was different, with the chipmaker reporting strong PC client growth of 17 percent on April 19. In a CNET interview on April 19, Stacy Smith, Intel's chief financial officer, said this about Netbook sales: &quot;The Atom [processor] volume going into Netbooks is pretty flat quarter on quarter. Pretty flat year on year. If there's an impact withtablet cannibalization, it certainly is happening there. But even there it's still a $400 million business for us.&quot; Today, Microsoft provided more clarity. Responding to a question from an analyst, Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein explained some of the reasons for the discrepancy between Intel's relatively neutral and/or upbeat statements and Microsoft's more sober interpretation. &quot;There are some unique things going on with Intel's results...There's a few other things in terms of an extra week in the quarter,&quot; he said. &quot;They've also excluded netbooks from the PC MPU (microprocessor unit) numbers. And I think there was some appropriate inventory buildup so if you look at our numbers, it ties pretty closely from a unit perspective to what they're seeing. And obviously, we're in line with the big third party analysts as well.&quot; The last statement from Microsoft is important. Intel was questioned during its earnings conference call about why it had such robust earnings despite less upbeat analyst numbers. Whatever the case, Apple's iPad is undoubtedly having an effect on Netbook sales, as numerous reports have shown. And Intel may ultimately abet this trend as it points its Atom processor increasingly in the direction of tablets. Via Business Insider. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[RIM buys calendar specialist Tungle]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-buys-calendar-specialist-tungle</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-buys-calendar-specialist-tungle</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:10:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>barrytaytr</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-buys-calendar-specialist-tungle</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Screenshot by Jonathan Skillings/CNET)BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has bought Tungle, a start-up with a scheduling app that synchronizes across various calendar systems.The deal was revealed yesterday in a Tungle blog post, in which company chief Marc Gingras said his team was &quot;excited&quot; about the takeover. The financial terms of the deal between the two Canadian companies have not been revealed.&quot;This is exciting for you too as we expect the Tungle service to only get better,&quot; Gingras wrote. &quot;Our plan today is what it has always been--for Tungle to become integrated with your daily activities and be ubiquitous within the applications you're already using...As of today, the entire team is joining the ranks of RIM. It's playoff season and the Tungle team is focusing on putting the puck in the net for you, our customers.&quot;The Tungle.me service allows schedules to be synchronized across a variety of calendar platforms, including Google, Outlook, Apple iCal, Entourage forMac, Lotus Notes, Windows Live, and Yahoo. It also plugs into social networks such as Facebook, Plancast, TripIt, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The story &quot;RIM buys cross-calendar scheduling firm Tungle&quot; was originally posted at ZDNet UK. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[How to use Chrome's speech-to-text]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-use-chromes-speech-to-text</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-use-chromes-speech-to-text</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:10:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vankkkakak</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-use-chromes-speech-to-text</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google has introduced a way that you can talk to your browser, as long as that browser is Chrome. It won't talk back, but it will do your bidding. These instructions cover the basics of the new speech-to-text feature, which is functional but has yet to be implemented widely.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GE refrigerators go on greenhouse gas diet]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-refrigerators-go-on-greenhouse-gas-diet</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-refrigerators-go-on-greenhouse-gas-diet</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:11:38 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>berrycrrrr</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ge-refrigerators-go-on-greenhouse-gas-diet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[GE will change the gas used when pouring in foam insulation for refrigerator products, a move which will reduce greenhouse gases from production significantly.(Credit:Screen capture by Martin LaMonica/CNET)General Electric's latest green-technology initiative will be found in unlikely place: the inside of a refrigerator. The industrial giant tomorrow will announce that it has changed its refrigerator manufacturing to use a gas that dramatically reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted. GE will host an event at a Decatur, Ala., plant where the atmosphere-friendly gas has first been introduced into GE's refrigerators.The gas, called cyclopentane, is used as a blowing agent for the foam insulation poured into refrigeration products during manufacture. GE said it will spend about $16 million to convert its Decatur facility, part of a larger investment in the facility, to use cyclopentane instead of HFC 134a, a refrigerant which traps heat in the atmosphere. By switching over, GE will eliminate the same amount of greenhouse gases that 78,000cars emit in a year, representing a 99 percent reduction, according to GE. The calculations were made using EPA data for the global-warming potential of different gases and were done in conjunction with consulting company GreenOrder, a GE representative said. GE Appliances is making the switch to live up to the company's Ecomagination initiative to develop green-technology products and reduce the company's environmental footprint, said Paul Surowiec, the general manager for refrigeration at GE Appliances and Lighting. The company took a &quot;clean sheet&quot; approach to making refrigeration products to consider the performance as well as the environmental attributes from production to disposal, he said.&quot;There certainly were pockets before but we've seen a significant increase in the desire of consumers to hold us accountable for environmental stewardship,&quot; Surowiec said. &quot;We were looking for optimization from an environment and energy perspective and this one hit home.&quot;During operation, the blowing agent will improve the effectiveness of the insulation slightly, he added. GE earlier this year said it will participate in an EPA program to dispose of refrigerators so that ozone-depleting and greenhouse gases are captured when they are recycled.The company plans to introduce cyclopentane to its other refrigeration products manufactured in the U.S. by 2014.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Study: Electric cars, hybrids too expensive for most]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=study-electric-cars-hybrids-too-expensive-for-most</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=study-electric-cars-hybrids-too-expensive-for-most</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:11:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>InsovonDast</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=study-electric-cars-hybrids-too-expensive-for-most</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:U.S. Department of Energy)Despite rising prices at the pump, many consumers are still reluctant to purchase vehicles with alternative power trains because of cost and misunderstandings about the new technologies available.That's according to the J.D. Power and Associates &quot;2011 U.S. Green Automotive Study,&quot; whose primary findings were released today.The J.D. Power and Associates study was conducted in February and included interviews with over 4,000 U.S. consumers planning to buy a new vehicle within one to five years. It estimates that alternative vehicles will make up less than 10 percent of the market by 2016 despite the plethora of models expected to become available in the coming years. The study found that attitudes toward the adoption of alternative power train vehicles, which includes plug-in electric, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, and clean diesel engines, were mainly dependent on affordability. Over 75 percent of those consumers surveyed said the main reason they would consider an alternative vehiclecar is to save on fuel. But consumers were not willing to pay a premium to be green unless it resulted in a cost benefit to them personally in the form of significant fuel savings, according to the report. &quot;While consumers often cite saving money on fuel as the primary benefit of owning an alternative power train vehicle, the reality for many is that the initial cost of these vehicles is too high, even as fuel prices in the United States approach record levels,&quot; said the report.Related links&amp;149' EV pilot programs show sticking points&amp;149' Google, DOE building definitive electric-car map&amp;149' Practicality may hinder electric-vehicle salesThat result was not so unusual. However, the J.D. Power and Associates study also found that many consumers were misinformed about technology, leading them to unwarranted negative perceptions of the new types of cars. The most amusing example of this to tech-savvy readers may be the results concerning cars with diesel engines.Many of the consumers interviewed said that diesel cars spew &quot;dirty&quot; emissions and are harmful to the environment. These people seemed unaware of the significant changes made in diesel technology, or its fuel efficiency, over the last 20 years, according to the report.&quot;Furthermore, negative perceptions of older diesel-powered vehicles continue to affect perceptions of clean diesel vehicles, as concerns about emissions and exhaust odor are mentioned frequently,&quot; said the report.Plug-in electric vehicles were the least considered vehicle among the consumers surveyed. The two most popular reasons cited for this were concerns over the limited driving range and a lack of available public charging stations.This last piece of information is significant in view of a recent study from Accenture that found a lack of use of pubic charging stations in electric-vehicle pilot programs. It's unclear whether that lack of use is simply due to governments getting infrastructure in place ahead of demand, or other factors. But the Accenture report warned that the lack of use could lead to a vicious cycle in which more charging stations are not installed, and consumers deterred from buying electric vehicles because of it.J.D. Power and Associates predicts that the U.S. market will go from 31 hybrid and electric-vehicle models available in 2009 to 159 models available by the end of 2016.With that fact in mind, the report warned, the U.S. government and companies in the U.S. market will need to make a concerted effort to bring down pricing and better educate the public on the technology if it expects these new alternative power train models to be purchased or leased.The Department of Energy is already making an effort to improve public education about alternative-fuel stations. It offers a public Alternative Fueling Station Locator tool on its Web site, and announced earlier this month it is collaborating with Google to construct a definitive map of available electric-vehicle charging stations.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[3D glasses: Big sales opportunity or big hassle]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=3d-glasses-big-sales-opportunity-or-big-hassle</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=3d-glasses-big-sales-opportunity-or-big-hassle</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:11:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>hricardorussellv</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=3d-glasses-big-sales-opportunity-or-big-hassle</guid>
<description><![CDATA[3D glasses are a double-edged sword for TV manufacturers. According to NPD's 3D 360&amp;176' Monitor, an aversion to wearing glasses is the second most popular reason consumers give for not wanting to purchase a3D TV. But for those who do buy 3D TVs, glasses represent one of the best accessory sale opportunities TV manufacturers have had since the flat-panel mount. Ring up a family pack of four glasses and you can easily reach the price of what some manufacturers charge for a flat-panel 2D television by itself.(Credit:CNET) Indeed, rather than treat glasses as a throwaway, Samsung recently revamped its 3D glasses, cramming an impressive amount of technology into a wearable product 25 percent lighter than its predecessor.  The electronics giant has added a circular frame that now easily grasps around various head sizes, enables a brighter 3D picture, accommodates prescriptions, switches to Bluetooth, and adds a charging gauge, all while keeping the price to about $100 per pair. But what if there were a way to sell an accessory to go with those accessories Samsung is taking a crack at just that, introducing a product at CES and showing it once again at the IFA Global Press Conference in Alicante, Spain.  It's a $200 black &quot;top hat&quot; charger--so nicknamed for its cylindrical shape centered atop a base plate about a third of the way from its bottom--that enables owners to inductively charge up to four pairs of Samsung's new, lighter-weight 3D glasses. The high-tech spectacles surround the glossy cylinder, one atop the next, in a spiraling statue of tolerated technology.Related links&amp;149' What turns people off from buying 3D TV&amp;149' Samsung 3D TVs to include two pairs of glasses, additional pairs drop to $50 each&amp;149' 3D TV FAQ In function if not in design, the accessory clearly takes a cue from charging stations for video game controllers by companies such as Nyko and Energizer--a genuine aid to the avid button masher. But does it really address a consumer need  According to NPD's 3D 360&amp;176' Monitor, the need to recharge glasses was not one of the top obstacles among those calling glasses a somewhat or serious drawback. Indeed, the 3D home video industry would be lucky to have the &quot;problem&quot; of being overrun with so much content that glasses would always need to be at the ready, much less the 70 hours of viewing the glasses can last before being recharged. The charger also draws attention to the active-shutter glasses needing to be recharged just as we are starting to see passive-glasses systems come to market that never need to be charged. While it may help eliminate the frustration that could result from finding a dead battery, consumers ultimately want a 3D experience that doesn't require glasses, offers an excellent viewing angle, and is supported by great movies of many genres, not just a staple of animated kids' fare. That would be quite the hat trick.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[MIT software could bring 'DNA origami' to the masses]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mit-software-could-bring-dna-origami-to-the-masses</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mit-software-could-bring-dna-origami-to-the-masses</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:10:57 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>hundigranna</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=mit-software-could-bring-dna-origami-to-the-masses</guid>
<description><![CDATA[DNA molecules are not merely carriers of information. They are also highly stable and programmable, which is why researchers have been working so feverishly on a design strategy called DNA origami.And now a team at MIT is developing a program that makes the game playable by more than just a select few.Mark Blathe of MIT(Credit:Dominick Reuter)DNA origami--constructing specific 2D and 3D shapes out of DNA strands--could prove to be a highly effective means of developing nanoscale tools, such as synthetic photocells that perform artificial photosynthesis and highly targeted drugs (think of sending a cancer drug to hunt down a specific tumor).But it's still young. Paul Rothemund of CalTech first introduced DNA origami in 2006 (thereby making the cover of Nature and delivering a TED Talk showing tiny DNA smiley faces), and William Shih's lab at Harvard Medical School was able to up the game from 2D to 3D a few years later.The result is that today a small number of brilliant and highly specialized minds are bent over a nanoscale game of origami, playing with various sequences to try to build specific shapes for specific tasks. Imagine a room of highly sophisticated gamers playing with building blocks in a world without Tetris' if they had the game, they'd be able to work faster.This is where the team at MIT, led by biological engineer Mark Bathe, comes in. They've developed software that makes it far easier, with a given DNA template, to predict the three-dimensional shape that will result.&quot;They're sort of building blocks, but it's even more crude because DNA is just a sequence,&quot; Bathe says. &quot;It's taking the places you would connect the DNA together and predicting with a computer what it would look like in the final shape. The goal is to really have this be in the inverse, so the designer wants to make a box or a basket or a gear and then the program tries different folding combinations to give you the shape you want.&quot;DNA comprises a string of four nucleotide bases called A, T, G, and C, with A binding only with T and G only with C. Rothemund found that he was able to get a long strand of DNA to fold using a viral genome that consisted of 8,000 of these nucleotides to create 2D stars, triangles, and yes, those smiley faces. That one strand served as a scaffold for the rest of the structure, with literally hundreds of shorter strands (only 20 to 40 bases in length) combining with the long strand to hold its desired shape.Bathe says his software presented a mathematical and computation challenge, but that because DNA is governed by physics in terms of how it bends and twists and folds, DNA origami is very clean and obedient. Proteins, he says, are much messier, making protein-folding far more complex, which is why the game Foldit exists. (Researchers opened the process up to the masses in the hopes that a greater volume of people working on the problem might speed up progress.)Bathe and his team, who haven't resorted to a game just yet, provide a primer of their software in the Feb. 25 issue of Nature Methods, and they're already working on making the program more automated and &quot;unsupervised,&quot; because at this point it's still largely manual.&quot;Designers still have to guess the rules and then based on the shape modify the rules to get closer to the shape,&quot; Bathe says. &quot;It's the Holy Grail to say, 'I want this,' and then it happens. We've made quite some progress already, so I think in the next half year to a year that should be coming out.&quot;Ever the optimist, Bathe was quoted in the MIT news release saying, &quot;Once nonspecialists can design arbitrary 3D nanostructures using DNA origami, their imaginations can run free.&quot; Ever the realist, I had to ask whether such an achievement might also be risky in the wrong hands. For Bathe, this is the conundrum we face in light of most advancements' the potential for progress, he hopes, far outweighs the risks.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Jobs says Apple will testify on location issue]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-says-apple-will-testify-on-location-issue</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-says-apple-will-testify-on-location-issue</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>naddelkof</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-says-apple-will-testify-on-location-issue</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Following the location question-and-answer document Apple published earlier today, CEO Steve Jobs has gone on the record about the company's plans to answer inquiries made by government officials, including the House Energy and Commerce Committee.&quot;I think Apple will be testifying,&quot; Jobs said in an interview with All Things Digital. &quot;They have asked us to come and we will honor their request of course.&quot;Immediately following the discovery last week of the iOS database file containing time-stamped nearby cell tower, Wi-Fi, and GPS information, Apple was peppered with questions by prominent lawmakers over the company's intentions. Apple responded to the matter publicly for the first time in its Q&amp;A document this morning, saying that the company was in no way tracking users, and that the location file was just a small part of a secured, crowd-sourced database Apple maintains to speed up location-finding on iOS devices. In the interview, Jobs said such technology required education on the part of consumers, something that could be improved. &quot;As new technology comes into the society, there is a period of adjustment and education,&quot; Jobs told All Things Digital. &quot;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.&quot;Among those who have queried Apple on the purpose of the location database file are Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), as well as Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Letters were also sent to Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, Google, Research in Motion, and Hewlett-Packard by House lawmakers earlier this week, who wanted to know what kind of information is being collected, for what purposes, and if there is a way to disable the practice. Many of those questions have been answered by Apple, though several remain.In the interview, Jobs declined to comment on the activities of what competitors were up to, saying only that &quot;some of them don't do what we do.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Chrome 11 wants to hear you speak]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chrome-11-wants-to-hear-you-speak</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chrome-11-wants-to-hear-you-speak</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:10:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>EtternaEtta</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chrome-11-wants-to-hear-you-speak</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Be careful venting your frustrations with modern technology when using the latest version of Google Chrome, released today. Chrome 11 (download for Windows | Mac | Linux) comes with the ability to convert your speech to text, which could prove to be a big boon to people who have difficulty with keyboards as well as providing on the go translations when used with Google Translate.Chrome now can convert your speech to HTML. This can be tested most easily on the Google Translate site. Note that it works only for English at the moment.(Credit:Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)The new feature, based in HTML5, requires a microphone icon embedded in the Web page. Click the icon and then speak into your computer's mike. The input records as text, and the browser automatically inserts the text into the available form field.You can test this by going to Google Translate and clicking the microphone icon in the lower right corner of the text field. At the time of writing, the microphone and voice-to-HTML feature appears to work only with English.While the feature is interesting to include in a browser, it's hardly a random decision on Google's part. By including a speech-to-text feature, the Chrome OS instantly provides a modicum of accessibility for users who have difficulty with keyboards. When the browser is the operating system, being able to speak to the computer and have the computer know how to interpret that speech is a quick way to ensure a broader appeal.Other changes in Chrome 11 include the introduction of hardware accelerated 3D CSS, bug fixes in cloud print, a security update to the built-in version of Adobe Flash, and user agent string changes introduced to bring Chrome in line with user agent changes made in Firefox 4. The jump from Chrome 11 beta to stable also includes 25 security changes, including 15 marked as high risk. These fixes cover potential risks such as URL bar spoofing during navigation errors, and numerous instances of stale pointers in PDF forms, sandboxing, and drop-down list handling.Google has been moving forward with its less stable versions of Chrome too. It recently bumped Google Chrome Canary version 13 (Windows download only), the first version of Chrome to reach that milestone. Chrome Canary 13 doesn't appear to have any features different from Chrome dev 12 at this time.Google Chrome dev 12.0.742.9 (download for Windows | Mac | Linux) includes tweaks to the Sync interface, introduces a new version of the V8 JavaScript engine, and has been offering a still-in-development feature that lets users select multiple tabs at once. There's also an experimental &quot;new tab&quot; page, which users can activate through the about:flags configuration screen, and a multiple profile option for having different user profiles under the same Windows log-in. Currently, this is available only on the Windows version of Chrome dev, though like speech-to-HTML it has bigger implications for Chrome OS.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Cree LED takes aim at office fluorescent lights]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cree-led-takes-aim-at-office-fluorescent-lights</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cree-led-takes-aim-at-office-fluorescent-lights</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:44 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lijumanoide</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cree-led-takes-aim-at-office-fluorescent-lights</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Cree)LED lighting company Cree is taking on the overhead fluorescent lights that are a fixture of office buildings with a light source it says will quickly recoup the investment.The company today announced a new line of &quot;architectural troffers,&quot; or rectangular-shaped fixtures designed for overhead lighting. The troffers use Cree's LED light sources, which offer a longer life and improved efficiency over fluorescent lights, according to the company.Cree LED light sources in the overhead fixtures.(Credit:Cree)The fixtures offer a white light with an efficiency of 110 lumens per watt and a color rendering index, a measure of light quality, of 90. The lights can be dimmed and are designed to last 50,000 hours, which would be more than 10 years at 12 hours a day. The fixtures have a thermal management system designed for long life.Design services company O'Brien/Atkins Associates said in a statement that the measuring efficiency over the full product life cycle, including sizing, heating and cooling, and disposal, can be cut lighting costs by 60 percent.Using the national average for electricity prices of 10 cents a kilowatt-hour, Cree calculates that the payoff of office upgrades to LEDs can be less than one year to replace typical fluorescent tubes. Because of the higher upfront cost of LED lighting technology, consumer adoption of LED bulbs is expected to be slower than that of commercial customers. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf ace their crash tests]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chevy-volt-nissan-leaf-ace-their-crash-tests</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chevy-volt-nissan-leaf-ace-their-crash-tests</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>esodsgemidymn</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chevy-volt-nissan-leaf-ace-their-crash-tests</guid>
<description><![CDATA[How the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf fared in their crash tests.(Credit:IIHS)The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said today that the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf performed quite well in its first-ever crash tests on &quot;mainstream&quot; electriccars.According to the IIHS, the Volt and Leaf earned the highest rating of &quot;good&quot; for front, side, rear, and rollover crashes. Both vehicles qualified for the organization's Top Safety Pick award, given to vehicles that deliver &quot;state-of-the-art crash protection.&quot; &quot;The milestone demonstrates that automakers are using the same safety engineering in new electric cars as they do in gasoline-powered vehicles,&quot; the IIHS said in a statement.As small cars by length, width, and passenger capacity, the Volt and the Leaf might seem at a glance to be at greater risk in an accident. But there's one key thing that sets them apart from other small cars: their battery packs are extremely heavy. In fact, the Leaf and Volt tip the scales at 3,370 pounds and 3,760 pounds, respectively, which the IIHS says puts them on an even playing field with midsize and larger sedans like the Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Impala, which weigh 3,200 pounds and 3,580 pounds, respectively.&quot;The Leaf and Volt's extra mass gives them a safety advantage over other small cars,&quot; IIHS chief administrative officer Joe Nolan said in a statement. &quot;These electric models are a win-win for fuel economy and safety.&quot;A key selling point for electric cars, of course, is that they can help folks save cash as gas prices continue to soar. The Volt, for example, delivers about 35 miles on a single charge before its gasoline engine kicks into gear. The fully electric Nissan Leaf can ride for 73 miles on a single charge.Including the Volt and Leaf, 80 vehicles have earned the Top Safety Pick Award this year, the IIHS said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[ReQuest tells media outlets it owns syncing patent]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=request-tells-media-outlets-it-owns-syncing-patent</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=request-tells-media-outlets-it-owns-syncing-patent</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>XemmelNools</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=request-tells-media-outlets-it-owns-syncing-patent</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A small firm that manufactures high-tech media servers and other electronic gear is notifying online-entertainment companies that it owns the patent on multimedia syncing. ReQuest, based in Ballston Spa, N.Y., has sent letters recently to an undisclosed number of companies, some of them involved in distributing digital media. The claims in the letter have raised eyebrows with some of recipients. One company that received a letter, which wished to remain anonymous, forwarded a copy to CNET.In the letters distributed by ReQuest, the company's CEO Peter Cholnoky wrote that his company's patents (No. 7,577,757 and 7,136,934) cover &quot;a system for synchronizing devices in a multimedia environmental&quot; for photos, audio, and video media. The company calls this technology NetSync. In a press release issued by ReQuest in 2007, the company claimed the patents cover &quot;automatically synchroniz(ing) entire media collections between different devices, whether in different rooms via the home's local network...or even on different continents over the Internet.&quot; In the same press release, the company wrote: &quot;The patent was filed on June 19th, 2001, which predates by several months Apple Computer's original introduction of its populariPod.&quot;Not everybody believes that ReQuest can defend such a patent. &quot;It's preposterous,&quot; said the source who forwarded the letter to CNET. &quot;Syncing is just about making copies and this has been a core function ever since the first computer rolled out.&quot;The source also said the language in Cholnoky's letter made it obvious that ReQuest was making veiled threats about litigation. In the letter there is a mention of patent attorneys and an offer to license the company's technology. In a phone interview today, Cholnoky told CNET he doesn't understand what the fuss is about. He noted that he took a very non-combative tone in his letter and never threatened litigation against any of the recipients. He declined to provide details about which companies received the letter or even to disclose how many he contacted. Cholnoky wrote in the letter that his company has received offers to buy the patents from &quot;law firms specializing in patent litigation.&quot; In the phone interview, he asked CNET, &quot;What do you think they will do with them&quot; &quot;We just wanted to open up the patents to the market, especially as the patent market has heated up,&quot; Cholnoky said in the phone interview. &quot;Google just offered to pay $900 million for (6,000 patents belonging to Nortel, the bankrupt Canadian telecom-equipment company). Nortel is auctioning them off. So, companies like Google are interested in acquiring patents and I sent the letters to people who might have some interest...we've received lots of calls.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Dish Network completes acquisition of Blockbuster]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dish-network-completes-acquisition-of-blockbuster</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dish-network-completes-acquisition-of-blockbuster</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>emaburgier</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dish-network-completes-acquisition-of-blockbuster</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge today approved Dish Network's $320 million acquisition of Blockbuster, once the largest movie rental chain.&quot;We are pleased to have purchased the assets of Blockbuster and look forward to building on the nationally recognized Blockbuster brand while improving the experience of delivering entertainment to consumers,&quot; Tom Cullen, executive vice president for Dish Network, said in a statement. The satellite provider announced its intention to purchase most of the rental chain's assets earlier this month at a bankruptcy court auction. Under the terms of the deal, the acquisition was expected to be completed Thursday but was delayed by Dish's inability to immediately decide which of the 1,500 leases it wanted to keep.Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2010 after losing significant market share over the years to Netflix's DVD-by-mail and streaming services. In its filing, Blockbuster said its debts totaled $1 billion, but the company hoped to reduce that to $100 million by offering noteholders equity in the company in exchange for relief on its outstanding debt.In 2008, while Netflix was reshaping the DVD rental landscape with its &quot;Watch Instantly&quot; movie streaming, Blockbuster instead opted for in-store kiosks from which consumers could download movies to personal devices. In 2009, while Netflix generated $115 million in profit thanks to increased adoption of its streaming service, Blockbuster recorded losses of $517 million on revenue of $4 billion.Blockbuster closed nearly 1,000 of its then 7,000 stores in an effort to return to profitability in 2009, but the efforts failed. Last year, Blockbuster was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange because of its low trading price. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[How the Wii's successor affects the console business]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-the-wiis-successor-affects-the-console-business</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-the-wiis-successor-affects-the-console-business</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>latia507</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-the-wiis-successor-affects-the-console-business</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Nintendo said Monday it will release the successor to its hit Wii console next year. But how will that launch impact the business of video game hardware(Credit:Nintendo)One of the most potentially damaging things a consumer electronics company can do to one of its existing products is confirm its replacement. So when Nintendo announced yesterday that itsWii &quot;successor&quot; would launch next year, the obvious question was how would the news affect its highly successful but flagging current-generation consoleOn the one hand, would-be Wii buyers could decide to pocket their wallets and wait until the new device comes out. On the other, they could rush to stores to buy one now, thinking that the new system will cost significantly more when it hits store shelves.And Nintendo isn't the only one in this boat. While neither Microsoft nor Sony have made any announcements about successors to theirXbox 360 andPlayStation 3 consoles, respectively, rumors out last week suggested that new versions of both those platforms could be in consumers' hands by 2014.Yesterday, Nintendo confirmed that it would release the new console next year and said it would show a playable version, as well as talk about technical specifications, at E3 in June in Los Angeles. But sources have told video game blog IGN that the new system is likely to get a big performance boost compared with the existing Wii, a device that used a strong appeal with casual gamers to overcome the technical superiority of its rivals, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. &quot;The system will be based on a revamped version of AMD's R700 GPU architecture...[and will] out perform the PlayStation 3's Nvidia 7800GTX-based processor,&quot; IGN reported last week. &quot;Like the Xbox 360, the system's CPU will be a custom-built triple-core IBM PowerPC chipset, but the clocking speeds will be faster. The system will support 1080p output with the potential for stereoscopic 3D as well, though it has not been determined whether that will be a staple feature.&quot;According to several industry observers interviewed for this article, what appears likely is that in the short term, Nintendo will need to lower the price of the Wii to keep the system's sales, which have already been losing steam, from cratering completely. And Microsoft and Sony will most likely sit back and bide their time, riding continued impressive sales that have been bolstered by the release of the Kinect for Xbox and Move controllers.Indeed, say these observers, buyers for current-generation consoles are mainly casual gamers these days, people who are less likely to be swayed one way or another by news or rumors of future systems.&quot;For hard-core gamers and early adopters, this [news] would certainly be a sign that they should hold off on making any new console purchases,&quot; said Brian Crecente, the editor in chief of the video games blog Kotaku. &quot;But most of this group of people already own the consoles. The bigger, mainstream audience doesn't seem as plugged into these sorts of things. For Nintendo...the splash the revelation of a new [console] due next year has made, it's sure to slow down some of their sales. But 2014 is a lifetime for people new to gaming looking at the PS3 and Xbox 360.&quot;Crecente added that he thinks it's clear that Nintendo's announcement is tied to the company's &quot;recognition that sales of the Wii have already started to slow tremendously...Most first-wave gamers and families interested in the Wii already have the console. At this point, I think Nintendo is already looking forward to their new console and how they can use it to once more broaden the gaming market.&quot;But some see that the Wii still has life left. &quot;The announcement of Wii's successor will do little to impact the Wii's current sales trajectory,&quot; said video games analyst Jesse Divnich of Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR). &quot;At this point, the primary target market for the Wii is the price-sensitive consumer, and the price-sensitive consumer is unconcerned and likely unaware of new hardware announcement. The announcement of the 2012 Ford F-150 probably does little to deter sales from consumers looking to buy a used 2005 Ford F-150. Same principle.&quot;Wii pricing Perhaps the biggest question surrounding the future of the Wii is what Nintendo will charge for it going forward. Currently, most retailers are charging $169 for a console bundle that includes a Wii Motion Plus controller and some software. And there has also been some speculation that Nintendo will drop that to $150 by May 15. Whatever the number, everyone seems to agree a price cut is in the works.But analyst Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets said that he thinks Nintendo could eventually slash the price to as low as $99, though he said that it might not happen right away. Asked for comment, Nintendo reiterated the highlights from its Monday announcement.In the absence of solid information about the Wii successor, the key question becomes whether Nintendo will try to match, or surpass, the power and performance of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Although all three machines launched within a year of each other in 2005 (Xbox) and 2006 (Wii and PS3) and were originally lumped together as the three &quot;next-generation&quot; consoles, it was apparent almost right away that the Wii was in a different category. Eschewing high-definition and focusing instead on simple and easy game play and a new, highly intuitive controller, the Wii has always lagged behind its competitors on specs. Related links&amp;149' Nintendo: Wii successor coming in 2012&amp;149' New, more powerful Nintendo console for $400&amp;149' Report: Next Xbox, PlayStation launching in 2014&amp;149' Xbox birthday signals death of 5-year console cycleBut some think that Nintendo now has a window in which it can catch up with or even pass its rivals. And while the price tag of the new Nintendo console is almost certain to be higher when it launches next year than either of Microsoft's or Sony's current-gen entrant--IGN predicted the price could be between $350 and $400--some expect the new machine to showcase Nintendo's attempt to capitalize both on its mastery of the mainstream, casual market and its hugely successful first-party publishing operation.&quot;Expect the Wii's successor to have the processing power that will likely exceed that of the PS3 and Xbox 360, but expect it to be utilized in an original fashion,&quot; said Divnich. &quot;The successor to the Wii won't simply be a device that is there to flex its graphical muscle. Instead it will flex its versatility and flexibility. I believe Nintendo is trying to create the true all-in-one demographic platform this time around. It will definitely include components that will entice both the mainstream and core gaming markets, whereas the Wii was primarily viewed as a mainstream family entertainment console.&quot;Those components may very well include a new controller system that moves the yardsticks forward significantly in some fashion. Indeed, some say such innovation is essential to the success of Nintendo's next offering. One rumored approach would be a touch screen built into the controller. And with as much as a two-year advantage over the next offerings by its rivals, Nintendo's new machine would seem to have a golden opportunity to grab a big piece of the market before Microsoft and Sony can even get in the game. But it's crucial that Nintendo not simply leap frog the next Xbox and PlayStation, some say. And that dynamic could pose a real problem for Nintendo, which is starting out at a big disadvantage technologically.&quot;If it's more powerful than the PS3 and the PS4 kicks its [butt], they screwed up,&quot; said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities. &quot;I think they have to come out with something that's [on par] with the PS3 and innovates on the controller.&quot;But others aren't so worried about Nintendo's prospects and expect it to do what it has to do to impress.&quot;I think Nintendo has created an expectation among both gamers and the mainstream that their new products need to innovate in ways we've never thought of,&quot; Crecente said. &quot;The Wii popularized motion gaming, [and its 3DS portable console] is fighting to make 3D gaming relevant. Rumors of the new Wii and its controller seem to indicate the company's attempt at creating a brand new paradigm for gaming. It's still a little unclear what that will be, but it sounds like it's built around the notion of local multiplayer gaming, and the use of much more powerful controllers.&quot; Microsoft and SonyFor Microsoft, Nintendo's announcement was no surprise and shouldn't affect its plans for the Xbox in any way, said spokesman David Dennis. Though he wouldn't reveal any of the company's plans, he did point out that at E3 last year, Microsoft alluded to the Xbox being about halfway through its lifecycle. With the Xbox having come out in 2005, that would mean a 2014 release of its follow-up is right about on target, if not a bit early.To date, Nintendo said it has sold 86 million Wiis worldwide, and according to the NPD Group, 35.33 million in the United States. By comparison, Microsoft has sold only 26.78 million Xboxes in the U.S., and Sony just 16.5 million PS3s, NPD said. Worldwide, Sony said earlier this month that it had passed the 50-million-unit mark for the PS3, something Microsoft said it achieved in January.But Dennis said the Xbox is sitting pretty right now, having seen sales go up in each of the last two years, with this year looking like the third straight. And that's not even counting the success Microsoft has had with its Kinect for Xbox controller, which has sold more than 10 million units since being released last November. Sony, too, sees itself in a position that doesn't require immediately replacing the PS3. &quot;Companies will bring new consoles to market when their existing products become technologically obsolete and stop delivering great experiences to consumers,&quot; said Dan Race, director of corporate communications for Sony Computer Entertainment of America. &quot;PS3 doesn't face these challenges today. In fact, the PS3 is just now hitting its stride with unit sales and market share on the rise.&quot; Ultimately, then, the immediate impact of the announcement of Nintendo's next console is minimal in the immediate future. But it's clear that the next few years are going to be full of the same kind of jockeying for position and one-upsmanship that marked the current generation. For Microsoft and Sony, the game is going to be to continue to try to win over the Wal-Mart gamer, one who wants a top-notch game system but doesn't want to shell out a lot. At $200 or $250, the Xbox 360 and PS3 are great bargains, especially when stacked up against next-generation machines that could once again cost $400, $500, or even $600.But Nintendo's best path to repeating the success of the Wii is to boost the power of the new machine and leverage the huge advantage it has in first-person software, such as its Mario and Zelda franchises, the observers said. And, of course, hoping that gamers are used to paying less than $300 for a new console.&quot;I think Nintendo's making a bet that when [Microsoft and Sony] choose to advance to the next level, no one's going to play,&quot; Pachter said.CNET's Jay Greene contributed to this report. <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[Crave 41: Brew the dark side (podcast)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=crave-41-brew-the-dark-side-podcast</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=crave-41-brew-the-dark-side-podcast</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rebeccaece</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=crave-41-brew-the-dark-side-podcast</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Episode 41-Real-life Lego space helmet -Old-school Atari keyboard -Cobra Tag -DON-8r the panhandling robot -Star Wars coffee -New Star Tours merch<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[preGame 49: Call of the Dead' PSN outages' L.A. Noire]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-49-call-of-the-dead-psn-outages-l-a--noire</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-49-call-of-the-dead-psn-outages-l-a--noire</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>suspicaan</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-49-call-of-the-dead-psn-outages-l-a--noire</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[512GB SSD dips to price of single MacBook Air]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=512gb-ssd-dips-to-price-of-single-macbook-air</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=512gb-ssd-dips-to-price-of-single-macbook-air</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:10:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sammysmyth5</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=512gb-ssd-dips-to-price-of-single-macbook-air</guid>
<description><![CDATA[To say that high-capacity solid-state drives are getting inexpensive may be a bit premature considering you could purchase an entire MacBook Air for the price of a high-capacity SSD. That said, it could be a lot worse. Lexar Media, an arm of solid-state drive manufacturer Micron Technology, said today that Crucial-branded m4 SSDs are now available worldwide, coming in capacities of 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. The 512GB model is $999--the cost of a low-end 11.6-inch Air. Now, that may seem pricey but let's not forget the good old days when high-capacity SSDs were priced in the exosphere, costing several thousand dollars. And some still do. Check out this link for a OCZ Technology SSD. Hmm...would I prefer a few top-of-the-line laptops or one high-performance SSD Decisions, decisions. The Crucial 512GB m4 has impressive specs: Micron Technology's 25-nanometer NAND flash design, Serial ATA 6 gigabit-per-second interface, and read speeds up to 415MB/second and write speeds up to 260MB/s. The drive is available in a 2.5-inch form factor. Smaller capacity models are priced as follows: $129.99 for a 64GB SSD, $249.99 for 128GB, and $499.99 for 256GB. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: YouTube finally readying premium movie rentals]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-youtube-finally-readying-premium-movie-rentals</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-youtube-finally-readying-premium-movie-rentals</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>beminnusjdahsh</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-youtube-finally-readying-premium-movie-rentals</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Already late to a game dominated by Apple and Netflix, YouTube may finally be ready to get into the video-on-demand market.Google's video-sharing site is lining up deals with major Hollywood studios and could launch an online movie rental service that would feature premium titles as early as next week, according to a report by entertainment Web site The Wrap. Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Brothers, and Universal have licensed their movies for the new service, according to the report, which cited an unidentified senior executive at a studio that has already signed on.Pricing details were not revealed, and a YouTube representative declined to comment specifically on the report. &quot;We've steadily been adding more and more titles since launching movies for rent on YouTube over a year ago and now have thousands of titles available,&quot; a YouTube spokesperson said. &quot;Outside of that, we don't comment on rumor, or speculation.&quot;YouTube, which already offers indie movie rentals for $2.99, has long been rumored to be in negotiations with major Hollywood studios to stream movies from their catalogs on a pay-per-view basis. If this report proves accurate, YouTube is not expected to be an immediate threat to Netflix, which announced skyrocketing growth in profits and subscribers. The Web's top video-rental service announced earlier today that its net quarterly profits had nearly doubled from last year and it had added 3.3 million subscribers in the first quarter.A premium movie rental service has been expected since Google removed video content purchases from its (now-defunct) Google Video service at the end of 2007. Google first hinted at its intentions in April 2009 when it announced plans to build payment mechanisms into its video-sharing site. In 2009, reports surfaced that YouTube was in talks with a number of film studios in an attempt to warm them up to the idea of renting out their films on the service.YouTube first delved into rentals in January 2010 with a test in conjunction with the Sundance Film Festival, making five films temporarily available for rental. YouTube had said that other films and programs would be made available for rental in the near future but did not name any partners at the time.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Gears of War 3 beta is a go]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gears-of-war-3-beta-is-a-go</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gears-of-war-3-beta-is-a-go</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:41 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>guitillion</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=gears-of-war-3-beta-is-a-go</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Get ready, Gearheads--it's on.The Gears of War 3 beta, that is.Starting today and for the next three weeks, fans of the mega-hit franchise who pre-ordered the forthcoming game will get their first chance to dive into its third iteration. At a press event for Microsoft'sXbox 360 in February, Gears of War publisher Epic Games said that the new beta &quot;will give fans a chance to experience three new Versus Multiplayer modes on four new maps.&quot;More specifically, from today through May 1, beta participants will experience the new Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill modes on three different fields of battle: Trenches, Checkout, and Thrashball. From May 2 through May 8, fans will get to play Capture the Leader and access a fan-selected map called Old Town. And from May 9 through May 15, Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and Capture the Leader will be available on all four maps. The full version of the game is expected to be released worldwide on September 20, except in Japan, where it will hit on September 22.But during the beta, Epic Games and Microsoft said in a release today, Gears fans can expect a series of &quot;special events and surprises,&quot; as well as the ability to unlock a number of exclusive character variants, weapon skins, and medals. They will be able to take those treats with them into the full game in September. &quot;For example, players can complete 50 matches in any game type to unlock Thrashball Cole during the beta,&quot; the release said. &quot;Completing ten matches as the Thrashball athlete during the beta period will permanently unlock the character variant for the retail version.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Nintendo: Wii successor coming in 2012]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nintendo-wii-successor-coming-in-2012</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nintendo-wii-successor-coming-in-2012</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bimraspnogtryn</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nintendo-wii-successor-coming-in-2012</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Nintendo Wii.(Credit:Nintendo)Nintendo today confirmed that it plans to release aWii successor in 2012.In a three-paragraph note (PDF) issued this morning, the game company said it &quot;has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii.&quot; Nintendo said it had sold 86.01 million Wiis since the console's launch in 2006.A playable version of the new system, as well as its specs, will be unveiled at the giant E3 video game show in Los Angeles in June, Nintendo said.The news should not come as a shock to industry observers. Rumors have been circulating for some time about a potential new Wii that could cost between $350 and $400. It was thought that the console could hit shelves as early as October. But Nintendo's announcement would seem to throw cold water on that potential date.On Thursday, the game-focused site IGN reported that its sources were telling it that the next Wii was being code-named Project Cafe:According to sources with knowledge of the project, Nintendo's next console could have a retail price of anywhere between $350 and $400 based on manufacturing costs, and will ship from Taiwanese manufacturer, Foxconn, this October, putting the earliest possible retail release anywhere between mid-October and early November.However, Nintendo could also opt to build up a sizable supply of the system and allocate more time for software and games development by launching in early 2012. Similarly, Nintendo could attempt to lower the retail price of the system with lower profit margins to make the price more alluring. Clearly, the company seems to have chosen the latter route, at least as far as the release date. If IGN's reasoning is correct, that decision could be because Nintendo doesn't want customers to repeat the experience of previous years, when a Wii was nearly impossible to find in stores during the holiday season. On the other hand, it would be interesting for Nintendo to launch the Wii's successor in early 2012. The original Wii was released in the fall (of 2006) as was Sony'sPlayStation 3. Microsoft'sXbox 360 also came out in the fall, albeit of 2005. All three of those releases were timed to the holidays, and led to significant sales of the respective consoles.In its announcement today, Nintendo did not address the specifications for the new system. But IGN seems to believe that the console will have a lot more horsepower than the existing Wii. &quot;The system will be based on a revamped version of AMD's R700 GPU architecture, not AMD's Fusion technology as previously believed,&quot; IGN wrote, &quot;which will, as previously reported, out perform the PlayStation 3's Nvidia 7800GTX-based processor. Like the Xbox 360, the system's CPU will be a custom-built triple-core IBM PowerPC chipset, but the clocking speeds will be faster. The system will support 1080p output with the potential for stereoscopic 3D as well, though it has not been determined whether that will be a staple feature.&quot;  Related links &amp;149' Major retailers cut price of Wii to $169.99 &amp;149' iOS, Android gobbling Nintendo DS market share &amp;149' Xbox birthday signals death of 5-year console cycle  Many people have been wondering when, or if, Nintendo would put out a system rivaling the performance of the PS3 or the Xbox 360. If IGN's sources are correct, 2012 would appear to be the answer. Of course, Microsoft and Sony are hardly going to stand still and let their consoles be overtaken by a rival that has sold 86 million systems in large part because of its ease of use, not its appeal to core gamers. But if either Sony or Microsoft is to step up their games, as it were, it's most likely going to be after Nintendo makes its next move. A report last week suggested that neither Sony nor Microsoft will come out with a new console until 2014. &quot;Both companies are hoping to wait out the current generation, and extending an already elongated console life-cycle despite clear signs that Nintendo will launch its next machine by the end of 2012,&quot; cited the report from the video game blog Kotaku. &quot;Both MS and Sony are telegraphing to each other that they're delaying, to milk the current [generation] and fill in previous craters better,&quot; one insider who has worked with the first-party companies like Sony and Microsoft told us.&quot;No matter what happens, of course, the idea of the five-year console generation--which was the industry standard for years--has gone out the window. If it hadn't, Microsoft would have put out the next Xbox in 2010, while both Sony and Nintendo would have followed suit this year. On the other hand, as Kotaku suggested, all three of the current-generation consoles are still selling well, and there's no immediate reason for any of the companies to supersede their existing hardware. That's particularly true for both Microsoft and Sony, which have breathed new life into the current-gen machines with the release of new motion control systems, Kinect for Xbox, and Move for PS3.          Daniel Terdiman     Full Profile E-mail Daniel Terdiman   E-mail Daniel Terdiman If you have a question or comment for Daniel Terdiman, you can submit it here. However, because our editors and writers receive hundreds of requests, we cannot tell you when you may receive a response.   Submit your question or comment here: 0 of 1500 characters       Daniel Terdiman is a staff writer at CNET News covering games, Net culture, and everything in between.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Catz returns to CFO seat at Oracle]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=catz-returns-to-cfo-seat-at-oracle</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=catz-returns-to-cfo-seat-at-oracle</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>richarrrii</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=catz-returns-to-cfo-seat-at-oracle</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Software giant Oracle said that co-President Safra Catz will take over as chief financial officer following the resignation of Jeff Epstein, who had reported directly to Catz. This will be her second stint as Oracle's CFO. She held the position from November 2005 to September 2008. &quot;Safra already has the long-standing confidence of our employees, our board and our shareholders,&quot; Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said in a company statement. &quot;There is no more logical choice for CFO.&quot; She joined Oracle in April of 1999, started serving as director in 2001 and became a president in early 2004 (and was joined in that position last year by former HP CEO Mark Hurd). She's also a director at HSBC Group.Oracle offered no elaboration on Epstein's departure.Catz's most recent public duties included running Oracle's quarterly earnings conference call last month, while Ellison served on jury duty. Catz herself appeared in court not once but twice during Oracle's intellectual property trial against SAP and annoyed SAP lawyers with the &quot;colorful analogies&quot; she cooked up that were intended to make the point that Oracle deserved the $1.3 billion a jury had awarded it, not the $40 million SAP said it owed Oracle.Story Copyright (c) 2011 AllThingsD. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sony unveils two Android 3.0 tablets]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-unveils-two-android-3-0-tablets</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-unveils-two-android-3-0-tablets</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>svetalawp</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-unveils-two-android-3-0-tablets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Sony made it official today in Tokyo, introducing two newtablets running Android 3.0 &quot;Honeycomb&quot; software and designed to accessPlayStation content. The Japanese company said in a brief statement that it is &quot;developing two tablets,&quot; including the S1 which is &quot;optimized for media entertainment&quot; and the S2 (both codenames), aimed at &quot;mobile communication and entertainment.&quot; The tablets, with the official moniker of &quot;Sony Tablet,&quot; will become available worldwide starting in the fall of 2011. Sony S1 Tablet.(Credit:Sony)The S1 (L) and S2 tablets--the S2 can be folded. The Japanese language caption says the images are not final products. (Credit:Sony)The S1 has a 9.4-inch display, while the S2 has two 5.5-inch displays that can be &quot;folded,&quot; Sony said. Both will be equipped with the Android 3.0 operating system and be WiFi and WAN (3G/4G) compatible. Sony will also offer access to content via its Qriocity music and movie services and the PlayStation Suite, a framework for downloading and buying PlayStation content on Android tablets. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Digging through AT&T's FCC filing]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=digging-through-atts-fcc-filing</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=digging-through-atts-fcc-filing</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kristofsif</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=digging-through-atts-fcc-filing</guid>
<description><![CDATA[As we told you last week, AT&amp;T has formally kicked off its $39 billion bid for T-Mobile by filing the official merger paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission. We don't have access the the full materials, but AT&amp;T posted a 381-page redacted executive summary (PDF) for public consumption. To save you the bedtime reading--actually, it would take most of the night--we took the weekend to peruse the somewhat rambling, and occasionally amusing document. When it's not pounding home the argument that the merger is the only way to alleviate the spectrum constraints facing both carriers, AT&amp;T spends time diminishing T-Mobile's competitive tole, extolling its own history, and wrapping itself in the flag (even President Obama's broadband goals get a nod). The carrier also has a lot of praise for its rivals. Even Sprint, which is aiming to stop the merger, is labeled as a &quot;tough&quot; and &quot;significant&quot; competitor.Though there is some truths to AT&amp;T's arguments--such as the need for more capacity and the massive data use of smartphone users--the arguments are rather melodramatic. Yes, acquiring T-Mobile would be a quick way to increase spectrum efficiency and add cell sites, but AT&amp;T makes it seem like the merger is it's only chance for survival in the face of better-resourced competitors (crying about Sprint's unlimited data plans was especially rich). T-Mobile's spectrum would no doubt help with LTE deployment, but as analysts and some consumer groups have pointed out, AT&amp;T has unused AWS spectrum for getting LTE started. So, &quot;poor AT&amp;T&quot; is a stretch. What's more, the relentless criticisms of T-Mobile were bizarre and way over the top. AT&amp;T goes out of its way to dismiss T-Mobile as a viable competitor--even less so than Cellular South--by bashing on everything from its phone lineup and network. At the end of the document, you begin to wonder why even with its spectrum holdings, AT&amp;T wants T-Mobile at all.We've highlighted our favorite excerpts below. And if you're a T-Mobile customer, be sure to notice AT&amp;T's promises that you can keep your T-Mobile service plan if the merger is approved. Happy reading!Trust us, we built wireless as you know it!&quot;AT&amp;T has helped lead America's mobile broadband revolution for many years, achieving network-technology breakthroughs at AT&amp;T Labs and then pioneering their deployment to consumers. AT&amp;T introduced the first widely adopted smartphone--Apple'siPhone--in 2007.&quot;What about early BlackBerry and Palm devices&quot;For decades, AT&amp;T has conducted basic research that has led to profound advances. AT&amp;T invented the first mobile phone and the first mobile network, and AT&amp;T developed modern &quot;cellular&quot; technology that is the foundation of today's mobile wireless systems.&quot;But now we're in trouble!&quot;AT&amp;T faces network spectrum and capacity constraints more severe than those of any other wireless provider, and this merger provides by far the surest, fastest, and most efficient solution to that challenge...[AT&amp;T] cannot simply wait for the next major auction to resolve them.&quot; &quot;[The] spectrum crunch is hitting AT&amp;T harder and sooner than the industry at large. And because AT&amp;T plays a key role in supporting the cycle of mobile broadband innovation in the United States, its capacity problems could have ripple effects throughout the broadband ecosystem.&quot;If only customers didn't use so much pesky data!&quot;Smartphones are exploding in popularity' data-intensive mobile applications are proliferating' consumers are feeding a limitless appetite for streaming video and social networking sites' and cloud-based computing services are fast emerging. Yet that unprecedented adoption rate is placing similarly unprecedented congestion on mobile broadband networks.&quot;&quot;A smartphone generates 24 times the mobile data traffic of a conventional wireless phone and the explosively populariPad and similartablet devices can generate traffic comparable to or even greater than a smartphone. AT&amp;T's mobile data volume thus surged by a staggering 8,000 percent from 2007 to 2010. Put differently, in just the first five to seven weeks of 2015, AT&amp;T expects to carry all of the mobile traffic volume it carried during 2010.&quot; And T-Mobile stinks!&quot;T-Mobile likewise faces capacity constraints in a number of key markets. It also has no clear path to deploy LTE services because it has already dedicated its spectrum resources to today's less spectrally efficient technologies. T-Mobile also faces new questions about its long-term capital support.&quot;T-Mobile has never been specific about LTE, but it has discussed probable scenarios. &quot;T-Mobile's absence from the marketplace will not have a significant competitive impact...AT&amp;T is more focused on Verizon and Sprint than on T-Mobile, and AT&amp;T too is seeing increased competitive threats from rapidly growing mavericks like MetroPCS and Leap and other providers. These other competitors can quickly replace the diminished market role T-Mobile plays today.&quot; &quot;T-Mobile and AT&amp;T are not close competitors, and other providers already fill--or could easily move to fill--the competitive role T-Mobile occupies today.&quot; &quot;To the extent that T-Mobile's prices are lower than those received by AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless for otherwise comparable subscribers, T-Mobile's lower prices have not stimulated growth in its share of retail subscribers. This indicates that other aspects of T-Mobile's service are in some way lacking.&quot; &quot;T-Mobile is now 'struggling for relevance' in this increasingly competitive market. AT&amp;T does not believe that T-Mobile has a particularly compelling portfolio of smartphone offerings as compared to AT&amp;T, Verizon, and Sprint.&quot;Never mind its strong Android lineup like the G2 and the MyTouch 4G. &quot;While AT&amp;T tracks T-Mobile's activities (along with those of other providers), it does not view T-Mobile as a close competitor, let alone as a major competitive threat&quot; Consumers win!&quot;T-Mobile customers will also gain access to a broader range of current devices such as the iPhone, the iPad, and the Atrix 4G, as well as faster access to the next generation of devices.&quot; &quot;With the efficiencies associated with the transaction, the combined company will deploy LTE to over 97 percent of the U.S. population, including in rural and smaller communities, thereby reaching approximately 55 million more Americans than under AT&amp;T's current LTE deployment plans.&quot; &quot;Because the transaction will alleviate AT&amp;T's severe capacity constraints and avoid spectrum exhaust, AT&amp;T's GSM and UMTS customers will receive higher quality of service in the form of fewer dropped and blocked calls, better in-building and in-home coverage, and faster, more consistent, and more reliable data services, particularly during periods of peak use.&quot; &quot;[The wireless industry] will remain every bit as dynamic and competitive after this transaction as before. Indeed, the wireless marketplace will be more competitive because this transaction will expand overall output and relieve both AT&amp;T and T-Mobile of capacity constraints that, absent this transaction, would reduce their competitive impact.&quot; This transaction will enable AT&amp;T to build on its strong track record for disaster preparedness by expanding the infrastructure and spectrum resources from which it can draw during emergencies. Keep you rate plan, we promise!&quot;AT&amp;T will map T-Mobile's rate plans into AT&amp;T's billing systems as we have done in the case of prior acquisitions, so that if a T-Mobile consumer wishes to change her existing smartphone to a comparable smartphone from AT&amp;T's device portfolio, she will be able to keep her existing data plan.&quot;They just won't tell you what happens when your T-Mobile plan ends. &quot;Consumers who are happy with their T-Mobile rate plans will be able to keep them, so they will enjoy the benefits of improved customer experience without losing the rate plan of their choice.&quot; &quot;Finally, the transaction will enhance the diversity of rate plans available to T-Mobile customers. Consumers who are happy with their T-Mobile rate plans will be able to keep them, so they will enjoy the benefits of improved service quality and thus a lower quality adjusted price.&quot; Our competitors are great, and sometimes even better than us!&quot;Verizon Wireless is the nation's largest wireless provider with a leading reputation for high-quality network performance, and it competes with AT&amp;T in almost every local market. It has an exceedingly robust spectrum position. &quot;Verizon Wireless has a strong reputation for network and service quality. As mentioned, many consumer groups and surveys give Verizon Wireless higher rankings than other carriers. AT&amp;T's performance in these rankings highlights the importance to AT&amp;T of efforts to improve the quality of service that it offers.&quot; &quot;Sprint also has lured subscribers searching for faster data speeds and inexpensive, unlimited data plans.&quot;Remember that you used to have unlimited data plans too. &quot;Other 4G devices offered exclusively by Sprint include the HTC Evo Shift 4G, the HTC Evo 3D, which was awarded &quot;Best Smart Phone&quot; and &quot;Best in Show&quot; by Laptop Magazine, and the HTC Evo View 4G tablet, which was rated 'Best of CTIA 2011' by Phonearena.com.&quot;What they don't tell you is that the Atrix won CNET's Best of CES 2011 award for the smartphones category. &quot;Sprint also has a stronger reputation for service quality than AT&amp;T or T-Mobile, generally ranking second among national carriers in customer satisfaction behind Verizon Wireless.&quot; &quot;U.S. Cellular's wireless service will become even more compelling to consumers after it launches its LTE network in 2012.&quot; &quot;U.S. Cellular appears to serve its customers well. It was one of only 40 companies in twenty major industries to earn a customer service award from J.D. Power, and enjoys one of the lowest churn rates in the industry.&quot; &quot;MetroPCS, Leap, and others can fill any gap T-Mobile USA might leave in the competition for value-conscious consumers when the transaction is completed.&quot; &quot;MetroPCS and Leap have now become the industry's leading &quot;mavericks,&quot; a term that does not apply to providers that, like T-Mobile.&quot; It's patriotic!&quot;The U.S. leads innovation in areas throughout the mobile broadband ecosystem, from networks to operating systems to mobile applications. That leadership arises from a complex, virtuous cycle of innovation, in which network providers play a critical role. This transaction will help maintain that global leadership.&quot; &quot;This transaction will be good not only for AT&amp;T and its customers, but for America's high tech sector as a whole. &quot;Finally, the transaction will advance the universal broadband deployment goals of the Obama Administration and theFCC's National Broadband Plan.&quot; Random facts, but we'll throw them in anyway!A report by the Pew Internet &amp; American Life Project, for example, found that 'African Americans are the most active users of the mobile internet--and their use of it is also growing the fastest.This means the digital divide between African Americans and white Americans diminishes when mobile use is taken into account'.&quot;And how is this related &quot;As [FCC] Commissioner Mignon Clyburn recently pointed out, the African American and Hispanic communities have 'excelled' in their adoption of mobile broadband services, and both groups 'take advantage of a much wider array of their phones' data functions than their white counterparts.' AT&amp;T's LTE initiative will thus be a key part of keeping these and other minority groups on the leading edge of the broadband revolution.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: iPhone collects location data, even with Location Services turned off]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-iphone-collects-location-data-even-with-location-services-turned-off</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-iphone-collects-location-data-even-with-location-services-turned-off</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mkapahuuuh</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-iphone-collects-location-data-even-with-location-services-turned-off</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Apple)The Wall Street Journal is reporting that despite Apple's Location Services being in the off position, iPhones are still collecting your general location data. National media outlets have been analyzing recent reports that Apple's iPhones and iPads with 3G are tracking location data and storing it in an unsecured location on theiPhone.According to tests performed by The Wall Street journal, those location data collection practices are not disabled even if all the Location Services (which are turned on by default) are completely turned off.Related links&amp;149' Your iPhone's watching you. Should you care&amp;149' Tools wipe location data from (some) iPhonesThe data is stored in a tracking log file named &quot;consolidated.db&quot; and stored on your iPhone. The Wall Street Journal report notes that while the information is collected and stored on your iPhone, it does not appear to be transmitted to Apple (or any other recipient). The controversy still exists, however, prompting several governmental inquiries into the file and how its information is used. Many analysts and tech bloggers claim that the file is an oversight in iOS, likely used to test Location Services, but not removed before the public release of the software.Though that may be the case, the existence of the &quot;consolidated.db&quot; file was publicly revealed in 2010--curiously to little response from anyone and with no action by Apple. Now, with the new attention on the situation, expect to see quick and decisive action from Apple, likely in the form of an update to iOS that would remove the file.Calls to action from Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and a letter from Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) have been joined by investigations from South Korea and some European countries concerned about Apple's intentions for tracking the data. Though many news stories are reporting this file stores &quot;detailed tracking information,&quot; it is important to understand what is actually stored in the file.The &quot;consolidated.db&quot; file only contains approximations concerning the location of your iPhone oriPad 3G. It attempts to find nearby Wi-Fi towers and cell towers and stores the locations of those towers. It does not track specific movement, GPS location information, or latitude and longitude of the device. In fact, the information can have miles of variance depending on the number of tower locations in your area.Still, until the file is removed and Apple comes up with a good bit of PR writing to explain why it was there in the first place, news outlets and bloggers will likely continue to raise suspicions. As CNET's Josh Lowensohn wrote in an earlier blog post, according to a report from MacRumors, one user attempting to contact Steve Jobs received an alleged e-mail from him. At this time, we have no further information on the legitimacy of the e-mail response.Q: Steve,Could you please explain the necessity of the passive location-tracking tool embedded in my iPhone It's kind of unnerving knowing that my exact location is being recorded at all times. Maybe you could shed some light on this for me before I switch to a Droid. They don't track me. A: Oh yes they do. We don't track anyone. The info circulating around is false.Sent from my iPhoneIt has been uncovered that indeed Google tracks its Android phones as well, though its tracking system is more of a cache that is constantly cleaned, whereas the &quot;consolidated.db&quot; file is a running log.Are you concerned about the &quot;consolidated.db&quot; file and the information stored in it Let me know your thoughts in the comments!<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Watch out Leaf, Wheego LiFe EV hits the streets]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=watch-out-leaf-wheego-life-ev-hits-the-streets</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=watch-out-leaf-wheego-life-ev-hits-the-streets</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>premampir</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=watch-out-leaf-wheego-life-ev-hits-the-streets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A couple in Georgia receives the first Wheego LiFe electric car to be sold.(Credit:Wheego)The tiny segment of electriccars just got a little more crowded, as Wheego announces the delivery of its first LiFe electric car today. Similar to the Nissan Leaf, the Wheego LiFe runs off lithium ion batteries, has a range of about 100 miles, and, with a top speed of 65 mph, is freeway legal.The first delivery, which heralds the general availability of this two-seat electric runabout, went to a couple in Georgia. The car was sold through a Jim Ellis dealership in Atlanta. Wheego has dealerships signed up across the country.The name of the LiFe, formerly called the Wheego Whip, uses the periodic table abbreviations for lithium and iron, Li and Fe. The body and chassis for the car come from Shuanghuan Automobile in China. Wheego fits it with a 60-horsepower electric motor and 30 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack.As a two seater, the Wheego LiFe is similar in format to the Smart Electric Drive, although the Wheego uses a front-wheel-drive format and has greater range. Cabin tech in the Wheego is limited to a stereo head unit with a CD slot and USB port.Wheego sells the LiFe for $32,995, and notes that a Federal tax credit of $7,500 may be claimed for purchasing the car.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[The original flying car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, goes on sale]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-original-flying-car-chitty-chitty-bang-bang-goes-on-sale</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-original-flying-car-chitty-chitty-bang-bang-goes-on-sale</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lamonter2011</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-original-flying-car-chitty-chitty-bang-bang-goes-on-sale</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is completely road-worthy.(Credit:Profiles in History)The original flying, amphibiouscar, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, goes up for auction on May 15 in Los Angeles. It is expected to sell at between $1 million and $2 million.Although the dashboard looks vintage, a Ford V-6 and automatic transmission drive the car.(Credit:Profiles in History)Like a movie star, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang going on sale didn't do its own stunts in its eponymous film. While other cars and models for the film flew and floated, this car merely drove, although the sellers point out it was built tough enough to handle dirt roads, cobblestone streets, and even a drive down a set of stairs.The car was built for the 1968 movie by Alan Mann Racing, which ran Ford's 1960s racing team in Europe. The car's engine is a Ford V-6, and the wooden passenger compartment was crafted by ship builders. Although it was also built with an automatic transmission, instruments and details were added to make it look like an original early 1900s touring car.The 1968 movie was a musical starring Dick Van Dyke, and co-written by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes. It was based on a children's story by &quot;James Bond&quot; creator Ian Fleming.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Moto updates Droid Pro with improved audio quality and more]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=moto-updates-droid-pro-with-improved-audio-quality-and-more</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=moto-updates-droid-pro-with-improved-audio-quality-and-more</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:23 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bimbeterkewqnw</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=moto-updates-droid-pro-with-improved-audio-quality-and-more</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Motorola Droid Pro(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET)Motorola Droid Pro owners should get a small present this week with a software update. It's not the blessings of Gingerbread, unfortunately, but it does bring a number of enhancements. Here's the full list as supplied by Motorola's user forums.EnhancementsImproved audio on voice callsImproved stability and performanceUser interface display now refreshes when user switches from GSM/UMTS communication to global modeDevice now prepends &quot;011&quot; to country code when sending international text messagesGlobal Mode no longer resets when connecting to a USB chargerVisual Voice Mail now detects airplane mode while Wi-Fi is activePrompt return to full screen brightness after wake-upUpgraded Bluetooth firmwareImproved interoperability with Microsoft Internet Application Gateway (IAG) configurationsDevice string format for Exchange changed to include device name and version numberUpgrade to Google applications Release 7Reduced user interface lockupsThe over-the-air update is free and will arrive on your handset automatically. If you can't wait, though, you can start the process yourself. For more information, check out Verizon's user page.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Dell: Android tablets will outshine iPad, eventually]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dell-android-tablets-will-outshine-ipad-eventually</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dell-android-tablets-will-outshine-ipad-eventually</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>craigemiller600</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dell-android-tablets-will-outshine-ipad-eventually</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Michael Dell(Credit:Dell)Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell believesAndroid tablets will eventually overtakeApple's iPad as the dominant force in the slate market, according to an interview published today in The Wall Street Journal.&quot;Not tomorrow. Not the next day. But again, if you look at 18 months ago, Android phones were like, 'What is that' And now there are more Android phones than iPhones,&quot; Dell said in response to a question on the possibility of Android tablets beating iPad sales. &quot;I don't see any reason why the same won't occur with Android tablets.&quot;Admittedly, Dell has a vested interest in seeing that happen. His company currently offers both 5- and 7-inch Android tablets, known as the Streak. He also pointed out in the interview that Dell will continue to double down on Android.Of course, Dell didn't say exactly when the shift might occur in tablet market dominance. Right now, Apple's iPad is easily overshadowing the competition. According to research firm IDC, Apple owned 83 percent of the tablet market last year, and IDC expects the company to control between 70 and 80 percent of the tablet market this year.That further evidences the trouble Android is having establishing a beachhead in the tablet market. The Motorola Xoom, which launched in late February, has been gathering dust on store shelves. Deutsche Bank said recently that only 100,000 units of the device have been sold so far.It's a similar story for the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which launched last year. Samsung said earlier this year that it shipped 2 million units of its tablet worldwide, but it acknowledged in an earnings call with investors in January that the &quot;sell-out wasn't as fast as we expected.&quot;Even so, tablets are catching on in a big way. IDC said earlier this year that it expects 50 million tablets to ship in 2011 alone.For his part, Dell acknowledged that the uptick in demand for tablets over the past year has been somewhat surprising.&quot;I'd say [the] rapid rise of the tablet,&quot; Dell said in response to the Journal's question on what has surprised him most over the past several years. &quot;I didn't completely see that coming.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Apple sued over location tracking in iOS]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-sued-over-location-tracking-in-ios</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-sued-over-location-tracking-in-ios</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>andplot56</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-sued-over-location-tracking-in-ios</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A lawsuit filed against Apple in Florida last week accuses the company of violating privacy laws, as well as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, by keeping a log of user locations without offering a way to disable the feature. The suit, which was first reported by Bloomberg, was filed by Vikram Ajjampur and William Devito, both of whom own Apple products. In the suit, the pair, who seek punitive damages and injunctive relief, cite research from Alasdair Allen and Pete Warden about the tracking files found within iOS as the source for Apple's collection techniques. &quot;Users of Apple's iPhones and iPads, including Plaintiffs, were unaware of Apple's tracking their locations and did not consent to such tracking,&quot; the suit claims. &quot;Apple collects the location information covertly, surreptitiously and in violations of law.&quot; The suit faults Apple specifically for not disclosing that the iOS software records &quot;comprehensive&quot; location data in its iTunes Terms of Service, nor offering end users informed consent of the practice.&quot;If Apple wanted to track the whereabouts of each of its products' users, it should have obtained specific, particularized informed consent such that Apple consumers across America would not have been shocked and alarmed to learn of Apple's practices in recent days,&quot; the suit says. The suit, which is seeking class action status, aims to have Apple completely disable the feature in the &quot;next-released&quot; version of the operating system. Until that happens, the suit claims Apple is in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, state laws comparable to the Federal Trade Commission Act, and &quot;common law rights in uniform ways&quot; of the plaintiffs and class members. Apple, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit, has not officially commented on the location tracking file since it came to light last week. An alleged e-mail exchange between Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a reader of MacRumors surfaced this morning. In it, Jobs purportedly says, &quot;we don't track anyone,&quot; and &quot;the info circulating around is false.&quot; Apple has not confirmed or commented on the legitimacy of that correspondence. In addition, Apple and Google were targeted today by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan over location tracking. Madigan seeks a meeting with executives from both companies, as well as answers to her questions about disclosure and purpose of the tracking, and a way to turn the feature off. Madigan's efforts join those of other politicians and government groups who seek to know more about what the companies are doing with the information.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[How to clean up your Facebook feed]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-clean-up-your-facebook-feed</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-clean-up-your-facebook-feed</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Peplyclere</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-clean-up-your-facebook-feed</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Russian police free kidnapped Kaspersky son]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=russian-police-free-kidnapped-kaspersky-son</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=russian-police-free-kidnapped-kaspersky-son</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2011 07:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>yenavsepop</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=russian-police-free-kidnapped-kaspersky-son</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The kidnapped son of Kaspersky Lab's founder has been freed and five suspects are in custody in connection with the abduction, according to a Russian media report today.Russian law enforcement officials freed Ivan Kaspersky, the 20-year-old son of Chief Executive Eugene Kaspersky, through a special operation with company security forces, according to the Interfax news agency. &quot;He has been freed without ransom,&quot; a spokeswoman for the Moscow-based antivirus company told the news agency. The younger Kaspersky, a fourth-year student of mathematics and cybernetics at Moscow State University, was kidnapped Tuesday morning on his way to work at InfoWatch, a company owned by his mother, Natalya Kaspersky, according to the English version of Pravda.ru. Someone claiming to be his abductor later reportedly phoned the father and demanded $4.3 million. No further information about the suspects was available, and Kaspersky representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Teen denies crime, but admits it on Facebook]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=teen-denies-crime-but-admits-it-on-facebook</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=teen-denies-crime-but-admits-it-on-facebook</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2011 07:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>abiagranite</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=teen-denies-crime-but-admits-it-on-facebook</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I am thinking of writing a book about all the faux pas people have committed on Facebook.Here's another to add to my already large collection of stories for the book, provisionally entitled: &quot;Face It, I'm a Half-wit.&quot;According to the U.K.'s Portsmouth News, a 16-year-old with a clearly refined sense of humor decided to block all the water passages in a restroom at a public library.Using all of the ingenuity at his disposal, he shoved toilet paper down the sinkholes and then turned on all the taps.Portsmouth is the home of Admiral Lord Nelson and others who enjoy doing things with water.(Credit:CC R Gallant Photography/Flickr)Being socially conscious, he did this late in the evening, so that water would happily pour away all night. Oddly, more than $200,000 worth of damage ensued from his amusement.Naturally, he pleaded not guilty. This was until the prosecutor, who, having done what so many prosecutors do these days, showed that he had trawled Facebook for the accused's inner musings.It seems that, though he had publicly protested his innocence, the accused had answered a question on Facebook as to whether he might be guilty. His reply: &quot;Kind of, yeah. I've kept it to myself. A few mates know.&quot;Clearly, these are good mates, the kind that don't rat out their buddies. Unfortunately, perhaps they might have to do a little work on their privacy settings.The library was shut for five months, and the judge reportedly made it clear that the teen might also be shut away--in jail.So, please, everyone. Let's keep on doing silly things on Facebook. Let's keep on admitting affairs, criticizing our bosses, mocking the passengers on our aircraft. A writer needs inspiration, you know. There's never enough. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Cure your hangover--smash a pinata on YouTube]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cure-your-hangover-smash-a-pinata-on-youtube</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cure-your-hangover-smash-a-pinata-on-youtube</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2011 07:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>oirvinhughesf</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cure-your-hangover-smash-a-pinata-on-youtube</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There's something vaguely touching when a brand shows it understands your ways, rather than telling you how you ought to live.So who could fail to admire those who market Pepto-Bismol, a substance that looks recycled, but helps you cope with your body's need to emit that which you have cycled into itInstead of yet another singing, dancing, nauseating advertising effort, the Bismolites have decided to align their efforts online with events that are associated with excess.You know, like Nathan's Famous July Fourth International Hot Dog Eating Contest And Friday Nights at Wendy's (I'm only joking about one of those.)So, in anticipation of the anti-acidic desperation that will be felt around Cinco de Mayo--perhaps reaching its apogee on Sexto de Mayo--the Bismolites are offering you a suitably violent way of righting your constitution.On its YouTube channel, you can choose your pinata, your food, and your whipmaster. (Or at least I did, with the embedded results.)I know that you, because you are that way inclined, will want to share your videos with your closest beings on Facebook and Twitter. This, thankfully, you can do.You will even be able to enjoy Jimmy Kimmel enjoying this smashing fun on his show on May 4.More and more brands are claiming, like the Bismolites, that they are moving their marketing dollars to online areas, rather than keeping them fixed into your flat-screen televisions.However, brand managers will still scuttle around trying to justify the results of such fun and busily compare it to results achieved through mass marketing.Perhaps they shouldn't worry so much. Results are such ephemeral things, with influences that are often unmeasurable or simply unaccounted for. Numbers can be frightfully political.So, a brand manager might surely content herself that her friends can actually enjoy a piece of advertising for which she is responsible. There is a frisson of fun to be felt when your friends can even play along with your ad, rather than telling you, over the fourth tequila in some Cincinnati bar, that they saw your TV spot and it made them feel unwell.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[This week in Crave: The scented edition]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-scented-edition</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-scented-edition</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2011 07:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>monpnola30de</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-scented-edition</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Too busy bathing in the seductive smells of orc and rogue this week to keep up with Crave Here's what you missed while you were dousing yourself with the aromas of Dungeons &amp; Dragons. Did you know orcs smell like field gray courgette musk, roughly cured leather, and vetiver(Credit:Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs) &amp;149' Rest in peace, PSP Go.  &amp;149' Hold off on that Flip--for now.  &amp;149' Life-size AT-AT, we hardly knew ye.  &amp;149' The Lego USS Intrepid docked in New York. &amp;149' iOS still vanquishing its robotic foe, data shows.  &amp;149' Portal 2 opens door to clever, unique level design.  &amp;149' Should Sony reimburse gamers for PlayStation Network outage  &amp;149' WhiteiPhone 4 spotted in the wild.  Have you spotted anything we should know about Write to us at crave at cnet dot com. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Frida factory robot won't crush your fingers]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=frida-factory-robot-wont-crush-your-fingers</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=frida-factory-robot-wont-crush-your-fingers</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2011 07:10:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>richarrrii</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=frida-factory-robot-wont-crush-your-fingers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Frida can manipulate small parts. (Credit:ABB)Swiss automation firm ABB is showing off a concept factory robot called Frida that's more humanoid than the typical one-armed drones on the assembly line. The two-armed Frida is being billed as a &quot;harmless robotic co-worker for industrial assembly.&quot; Of course, any robot described as being &quot;harmless&quot; should be treated with extreme caution. It has seven-axis arms, flexible grippers, and camera-based parts location and runs via ABB's IRC5 controller. It's designed as a lightweight, portable complement to human parts assembly.Frida stands for &quot;Friendly Robot for Industrial Dual-arm Assembly,&quot; but I reckon the first word in that name won't sit well with some people. Still, it has padded arms and can sense when a human hand gets too close, as seen in the video below. While Frida is only a concept, with several prototypes being used in pilot applications, Japan's Yaskawa has had two-armed assembly robots on the market for years with its Motoman series. They're much bigger and bulkier, and potentially less safe, but they can play the drums too. Frida's size rather than its number of limbs is innovative. We'll see whether manufacturers appreciate it too. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Paul Allen says Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer doesn't dispute facts in Idea Man]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=paul-allen-says-microsoft-ceo-steve-ballmer-doesnt-dispute-facts-in-idea-man</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=paul-allen-says-microsoft-ceo-steve-ballmer-doesnt-dispute-facts-in-idea-man</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>qqfdjmoss</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=paul-allen-says-microsoft-ceo-steve-ballmer-doesnt-dispute-facts-in-idea-man</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, who portrays the company's current chief executive Steve Ballmer as scheming in his new book, says that Ballmer, in a conversation two weeks ago, confirmed Allen's account of the events.&quot;Steve said, 'Yeah, those things did happen,' that I recount,&quot; Allen said during an appearance at the Town Hall Seattle speakers series. Allen was interviewed on stage by GeekWire's Todd Bishop, a longtime technology reporter in Seattle.In his book, &quot;Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft,&quot; Allen writes that in 1982, he overheard Ballmer and Bill Gates discussing a plan to reduce Allen's 36 percent stake in Microsoft shortly after Allen was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Allen writes that he burst in and shouted, &quot;This is unbelievable! It shows your true character, once and for all.&quot; He calls the plot &quot;mercenary opportunism, plain and simple.&quot;Gates only vaguely disputed the allegation, saying in a statement that &quot;my recollection of many of these events may differ from Paul's,&quot; adding that he still values their friendship. Ballmer, though, has declined to comment publicly. Allen, though, says that Ballmer never challenged any of the facts during their conversation.GeekWire&amp;39's Todd Bishop interviewing Paul Allen at Town Hall Seattle(Credit:Jay Greene/CNET)Allen also said that he gave Gates a copy of Idea Man months before its release. But the two haven't talked since the book came out on Tuesday. Allen fully expects that conversation to happen.&quot;I'm sure there are things in the book that Bill will want to discuss,&quot; Allen said. &quot;That discussion will be very, very intense. He will be very direct, and so will I.&quot;Bishop asked Allen why he felt compelled to write a book that was so candid, that showed an unvarnished version of his time at Microsoft. &quot;I wouldn't be doing justice to my own story if I did tell (the key moments of his life) the way they happened,&quot; Allen said.The conversation often felt like a homecoming for Allen, whose book promotion has seen him appear on 60 Minutes, Charlie Rose and American Public Media's Marketplace radio program. In Seattle, Allen was greeted warmly by a crowd of roughly 800 people that included, among others, his college girlfriend, Rita, who he writes about in the early chapters of Idea Man.Allen was relaxed and often charming, telling stories and cracking wise. Asked about his Twitter account, the sometimes reclusive billionaire joked that he contemplated tweeting recently, &quot;Look out Howard Hughes. Going to Vegas today.&quot;Allen laughed about descending deep into the ocean in submarine that's housed inside his massive yacht. &quot;The animals are really strange. But if you put on some Pink Floyd, it's fantastic,&quot; Allen said.Given the Seattle crowd, Allen seemed to soft pedal criticism of current-day Microsoft in Idea Man. In the book, Allen writes that &quot;complacency has taken its toll,&quot; as Microsoft struggles to compete in growth markets such as smartphones andtablets.In the conversation at Town Hall, Allen didn't offer criticism about specific missed opportunities. Instead, he alluded to Microsoft's missteps with business truisms, speaking broadly about new platforms that emerge. &quot;You have to recognize those and jump on the opportunity and be as competitive as fast as you can,&quot; Allen said.Allen's book tour will take him to Palo Alto next Tuesday, where he'll be interviewed by Stanford University president John L. Hennessy in an event hosted by the Commonwealth Club.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Tools wipe location data from (some) iPhones]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tools-wipe-location-data-from-some-iphones</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tools-wipe-location-data-from-some-iphones</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ArmiashkaCheburek</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tools-wipe-location-data-from-some-iphones</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Untrackerd lets iPhone users wipe historical location data from their devices, but only on phones that have been jailbroken to run unapproved apps.(Credit:Redmond Pie)Want to wipe location-tracking data that's being stored on youriPhone without your permission There's an app for that, but you've got to jailbreak your iPhone first. Several tools have cropped up as a fix for people riled up about the fact that iPhones (and iPads) are surreptitiously logging unencrypted location-related data on the device, including cell tower coordinates, time stamps, cell operator and Wi-Fi networks used, and longitude and latitude from GPS signals--basically a when-and-where of your phone's location going back at least a year. Police have known about and been using this information, and cellular operators have access to it and can provide it when served with a court order. But anyone with physical access to the phone (and access to a desktop backup of the data) is now able to see an iPhone owner's whereabouts over time.  The fact that consumers don't realize that their phones are recording and storing this information in clear text has come as a big surprise to many people, including consumer advocates who say it's a big privacy violation. You can hide the data that may be on your desktop by encrypting your iTunes backups. And you can turn off GPS to stop the logging of at least that information, but that doesn't clean up any data stored on the device, and it will severely limit use of the device for location-based services like mapping. There is no way to disable the tracking, because it's baked into the operating system.  The only option at this point is to use one of the programs written specifically to delete the data. But, as unapproved iPhone apps that reach into the iOS functions, they're not available through Apple's official App Store. They're unsanctioned apps that run only on iPhones that have been jailbroken--devices in which the operating system has been unlocked so owners can run any application they want. Canadian programmer Ryan Petrich released a tool Wednesday called Untrackerd, which deletes the location-tracking information from the device. The app runs on iOS 4.0 and higher and installs a so-called &quot;daemon&quot; program that runs in the background, continuously cleaning up the data in the &quot;consolidated.db&quot; file where it is stored. &quot;No new icons are added to your homescreen,&quot; according to the description on TheBigBoss.org. &quot;There are no options to configure.&quot;  Untrackerd, which also is available from the Cydia third-party app store, deletes any data more than 30 minutes old from the consolidated.db file, checking every 5 minutes (except when the phone is in sleep mode) for changes to the file. The most recent data is left intact so the device can still pinpoint the phone's location for driving directions, for example, Petrich told CNET today.  The app does not zero out the deleted data multiple times, as is necessary to prevent bit-level analysis during forensics from unearthing data written to permanent storage. Meanwhile, whatever Untrackerd deletes on the device gets mirrored when the desktop sync is performed, he said. &quot;I did not make any attempt to make sure it is completely wiped from the disk or [to] wipe any other private data,&quot; said Petrich, an Edmonton-based software programmer for mobile ad company Medialets. &quot;I try to maintain the functionality of consolidated.db...[which is used] to improve the performance of location services.&quot;Asked why he wrote the tool, Petrich said: &quot;I created it because I wasn't 100 percent comfortable with the entire history of my location being stored on a device that is very easy to lose.&quot; Another tool, Location Blocker, goes further and wipes all historical data from the consolidated.db file and also blocks the device from storing any further cell and Wi-Fi location data. Step-by-step instructions for installing it are here.  Petrich said he didn't know of any other tools that would help iPhone users get rid of this data. He also said he didn't know why Apple was logging the data but said he doubts it is for malicious purposes because &quot;it's not being transported anywhere.&quot; Update 5:27 p.m. PT: After talking to CNET, Petrich updated Untrackerd this afternoon so that it will securely delete the data it wipes, writing over the disk space with zeros several times so deleted data cannot be forensically uncovered later. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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