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<title>Haaze.com / Sophia002 / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2011 07:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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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[BlackBerry PlayBook 'bridge' app not available for AT&T]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blackberry-playbook-bridge-app-not-available-for-att</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blackberry-playbook-bridge-app-not-available-for-att</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:10:44 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>biophotographs</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=blackberry-playbook-bridge-app-not-available-for-att</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A &amp;34'bridge&amp;34' app allows the new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to connect to a BlackBerry smartphone to access e-mail and a 3G data connection.(Credit:CNET)AT&amp;T may be putting the kibosh on an application for BlackBerry smartphones that allows users to connect their new BlackBerry PlayBooktablets to AT&amp;T's 3G wireless network for free.AT&amp;T has confirmed that the app that allows BlackBerry users to pair their RIM smartphones with the new PlayBook tablet is not currently available on AT&amp;T BlackBerry phones, a fact that limits the functionality of the device for AT&amp;T BlackBerry customers. AT&amp;T said the app isn't supported yet on its network because it hasn't fully tested the app. But some people suspect that AT&amp;T may be unhappy with how the app allows BlackBerry users to bypass its $20 tethering fee. &quot;We are working with RIM to offer the 'bridge' app to AT&amp;T customers,&quot; AT&amp;T spokesman Mark Siegel said. &quot;We've only just received the app and we're testing it now to make sure it will deliver a great experience to our customers.&quot;The &quot;bridge&quot; app, as RIM calls it, allows PlayBook users to pair their tablets with their BlackBerry smartphones. In essence it lets them get their BlackBerry e-mails, calendars, tasks, and contacts. It also offers access to the BlackBerry Messenger service. When the devices are separated, all of that potentially sensitive content stays on the phone and isn't left on the tablet. RIM says this is an important security feature for corporate IT managers. One of the perks of the bridge app is that it allows users to tether their BlackBerry smartphones to the PlayBook to get 3G wireless data access. The initial version of the PlayBook, which went on sale today, only offers Wi-Fi access. Last week at the launch party of the new PlayBook in New York City, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said that the &quot;bridging&quot; app for the PlayBook was a big differentiator for the Playbook over either theiPad or other Android tablets that are sold through carriers, because the &quot;bridge&quot; app allows BlackBerry users to get 3G data access on their tablets without paying an additional fee. AT&amp;T charges $20 for tethering, which is in addition to the $25 2GB data plan for the smartphone data plan. Verizon also charges an additional $20 a month for 2GB of data to tether a tablet to its smartphones. This is in addition to the $30 a month data plan that's required for the smartphone.  &quot;Why would I pay an additional $30 a month to tether when I can use my BlackBerry with the PlayBook&quot; he said.AT&amp;T recently began cracking down on customers who were tethering their smartphones to laptops and tablets without paying the extra fee. The company has been sending e-mails to customers who they suspect of tethering without paying the extra fee, warning them that they will be charged if they don't sign up for the service themselves.Siegel said last month that AT&amp;T is able to detect how devices are being used. But he wouldn't explain how the company determines whether a smartphone is being used to connect to the Internet or whether it's used to provide Internet connectivity to other devices. But as Balsillie noted last week, one of the good things about the PlayBook from a consumer standpoint is that when the &quot;bridge&quot; app is used it essentially merges the two devices so that they're theoretically seen as one on the network. This means that AT&amp;T or any other carrier wouldn't be able to detect that a BlackBerry is being used to tether to the PlayBook. AT&amp;T's Siegel would not comment on whether AT&amp;T was preventing the app from being downloaded on their BlackBerry phones as a way to prevent users from tethering their devices. &quot;We do offer tethering plans for smartphone customers,&quot; he said. &quot;But we can't speculate on how that applies or doesn't apply here until we have tested the software.&quot;News that AT&amp;T BlackBerry phones could not use the &quot;BlackBerry Bridge&quot; was first reported on the Web site Crackberry. My colleague Nicole Lee from CNET Reviews has posted a work-around for the issue to allow AT&amp;T customers to still download the app. RIM did not return requests for comment.RIM indicated on the Web page where the &quot;bridge&quot; app can be downloaded from the BlackBerry App World market, that the app is supported on a slew of BlackBerry phones on all U.S. carriers except AT&amp;T. Still other wireless operators were a bit cagey when asked about the free tethering feature. Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel, which plans to offer a 4G version of the PlayBook this summer, were unwilling to comment further on whether they approve of BlackBerry users being able to bypass tethering charges.&quot;We have announced one PlayBook--BlackBerry 4G Playbook--but not gone into specifics on the bridging app or any other features,&quot; Michelle Leff Mermelstein, a Sprint spokeswoman said via e-mail.Verizon Wireless also wouldn't directly answer questions about how BlackBerry tethering for the PlayBook may be treated differently than tethering for other smartphones and tablets on Verizon's network. Verizon has not announced plans to offer the PlayBook.In the past, Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless have blocked tethering on Android smartphones. For example, my colleague Kent German of CNET Reviews points out that when the Froyo version of Android came out for the Motorola Droid and HTC Evo, Sprint and Verizon deleted the feature for those devices. And AT&amp;T has also historically not been a fan of tethering. When tethering became available for theApple iPhone in 2009, AT&amp;T waited more than a year to offer the capability for iPhones on its network. AT&amp;T didn't allow tethering for the iPhone until the iPhone 4 was launched in June.  For now, at least, it looks like BlackBerry users on Sprint, T-Mobile USA, and Verizon Wireless will be able to benefit from the free 3G wireless access. And AT&amp;T BlackBerry customers will have to wait. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Toned-down Acura TL SH-AWD sports latest tech]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=toned-down-acura-tl-sh-awd-sports-latest-tech</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=toned-down-acura-tl-sh-awd-sports-latest-tech</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:10:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gatlomensa</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=toned-down-acura-tl-sh-awd-sports-latest-tech</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Wayne Cunningham/CNET)The last iteration of the Acura TL launched with too bold a look, and after only a couple of years in production, the 2012 version comes out with a toned-down grille piece and more subtle lines. Although the 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD is not as distinctive as its predecessor, its Acura identity remains intact.And although it doesn't sit at the top of Acura's model lineup (that position is reserved for the RL), the TL SH-AWD shows off Acura's latest technology, and exhibits a level of comfort and luxury that outstrips its siblings. New features for the 2012 TL SH-AWD include a bigger hard drive for more onboard music storage, voice command that lets you choose music by name, and a six-speed automatic transmission.Read our review of the 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[D-Link ships Wireless-N night vision camera]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=d-link-ships-wireless-n-night-vision-camera</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=d-link-ships-wireless-n-night-vision-camera</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:10:48 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>UrsulaPenn</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=d-link-ships-wireless-n-night-vision-camera</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The new night-vision Wireless-N IP camera from D-Link.(Credit:D-Link)If you want to know what's going on at night in your house, &quot;Paranormal Activity&quot;-style, now there's a affordable solution.D-Link today introduced its Mydlink-enabled Wireless-N Day/Night Network Camera (model DCS-932L). According to the company, with a built-in CPU and Web server the DCS-932L offers a complete monitoring system for homes and small offices, at resolutions of up to 640x480 pixels. D-Link says that the new camera is simple to install and has an intuitive Web-based interface. Consumers can integrate it into an existing network and view the streaming video from a PC, notebook, or mobile device such as aniPhone or Android-based smartphone.The DCS-932L camera supports built-in Wireless-N and Wi-Fi Protected Setup, which makes hooking it up to an existing wireless network an easy job. It offers Motion JPEG and 20-frames-per-second streaming, as well as new infrared illumination technology for night viewing. According to D-Link, the infrared technology used in the camera enables you to monitor a home or small office for up to 16 feet away from the camera.The DCS-932L Wireless-N IP camera is now available for $150.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Help CNET make music history (no instruments required)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=help-cnet-make-music-history-no-instruments-required</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=help-cnet-make-music-history-no-instruments-required</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:10:55 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>monmanpnohi</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=help-cnet-make-music-history-no-instruments-required</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Hello crowd' get ready to get creative!(Credit:Wikipedia user Hkpolitik)Attention all GarageBand fans. We need your help creating what we think may be the world's first crowdsourced, fully multitouch-generated album. That's why we're putting out this call for submissions. Please send us your best original musical compositions, so long as they were created wholly using multitouch-based applications like GarageBand (it's OK to add your own vocals, if you dare).We'll pick the best 10 compositions and songs for inclusion in our digital compilation, which we'll promote around our cubicles, and perhaps even on some sort of globally interconnected network of informational portals, or &quot;sites.&quot; All musical genres are welcome.Here's how to enter:1. Get creative with GarageBand (or another multitouch music app).2. Document the process of creating your composition in a video (so we can make sure you only used multitouch apps and didn't bring in a big band), and then let your musical work play in full at the end of the video. Videos should be no longer than roughly seven minutes in total. 3. Upload the video file to MediaFire for free and send the link to emackCNET@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name, location (city and state), and e-mail address.4. Get them all in by April 30, 2011. Multiple entries are just fine.We look forward to hearing your creations. Get tapping! And no &quot;Stairway to Heaven&quot; remixes please. We don't want any copyright lawyers after us. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[RIM says it will pull drunken-driving apps]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-says-it-will-pull-drunken-driving-apps</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-says-it-will-pull-drunken-driving-apps</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2011 07:10:55 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>mark876611</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=rim-says-it-will-pull-drunken-driving-apps</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Following yesterday's letter from four U.S. senators that asked Apple, Google, and Research In Motion to remove applications that could help drunken drivers evade police checkpoints and other law enforcement efforts, RIM has agreed to the request, saying such applications will soon be removed from its BlackBerry App World.&quot;RIM's decision to remove these apps from their online store proves that when it comes to drunk driving, there should not be an app for that,&quot; Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement this morning. Schumer had been joined in the effort by fellow Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.).The group didn't name specific apps in its letter, which was addressed to Google CEO Eric Schmidt' Scott Forstall, Apple's senior VP ofiPhone software' and James L. Balsillie and Michael Lazaridis, co-CEOs of RIM. It did, however, cite an application with a database of DUI (driving under the influence) checkpoints, and one that crowdsourced finding those same checkpoints and sharing them with a user base of &quot;more than 10 million.&quot; Each of the three mobile-application marketplaces has its own set of rules and guidelines. Apple formally introduced its guidelines in September, following criticism that its approval process did not clearly spell out what application makers were and were not allowed to include, short of the code itself. RIM's rules are viewable here, and they prohibit anything &quot;that is illegal (e.g., against any criminal, civil, or statutory law or regulation).&quot; As for Google, its Android Market policies take a similar stance to RIM's, putting the kibosh on apps that engage in the &quot;promotion of dangerous and illegal activities.&quot; Google denies such apps and can also terminate the creator's publishing account.A Google spokesperson told CNET that it would remove apps that violate its Android content policies, but that the note from the senators had not named specific applications. However based on the description of functionality alone, the company said that the apps do not appear to violate those policies.Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the original letter.According to the announcement by Schumer's office, the apps in question--which remain unnamed--will be removed by RIM within the next day or so. What's unclear is if the application developers have been given a heads-up or a chance to remove features prior to any action. CNET has not yet heard back from RIM about whether that's the case. Updated at 2:34 p.m. with comment from Google.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Wi-Fi-only Xoom launching March 27 for $599]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wi-fi-only-xoom-launching-march-27-for-599</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wi-fi-only-xoom-launching-march-27-for-599</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:12:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>niehhman</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wi-fi-only-xoom-launching-march-27-for-599</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Wi-Fi-only Motorola Xoom is launching on March 27 for $599.(Credit:Motorola Mobility)It took a while for Motorola Mobility to confirm it, but the Wi-Fi-only Xoom is now official.On March 27, thetablet will launch in the U.S. for $599, Motorola Mobility announced today. The device will feature the same 10.1-inch display as its 3G-equipped counterpart. It will also come with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, 32GB of onboard storage, and a 1GHz dual-core processor.Motorola Mobility currently offers a 3G version of the Xoom that retails for $799.99 without a contract and $599.99 with a two-year commitment with Verizon Wireless.With the upcoming launch of the Wi-Fi-only Xoom, Motorola Mobility is taking a page out of Apple's book. Apple, which released the iPad 2 last week, offers both Wi-Fi-only and 3G models. Pricing for the Wi-Fi-onlyiPad 2 starts at $499 for 16GB of storage. The 32GB model, which might be the best comparison to the Wi-Fi-only Xoom, retails for $599.Rumors have been swirling for weeks now that Motorola would be launching a Wi-Fi-only version of the Xoom. Earlier this month, photos leaked of a Wi-Fi-only-Xoom display at a Sam's Club. The photos suggested that the retailer, which is owned by Walmart, would be selling the Xoom for $539. That report was followed up earlier this week by a leaked flyer from Staples that turned out to be spot-on--it was promoting the Wi-Fi-only Xoom retailing for $599 and launching on March 27.According to Motorola Mobility, both Staples and Sam's Club will be among retailers selling the Wi-Fi-only Xoom in-store and online when the tablet launches. They will be joined by Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, and Walmart.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hitting the road for SXSW with geek entrepreneurs]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hitting-the-road-for-sxsw-with-geek-entrepreneurs</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hitting-the-road-for-sxsw-with-geek-entrepreneurs</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:10:59 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nireancegiola</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hitting-the-road-for-sxsw-with-geek-entrepreneurs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[On Tuesday, six buses leaving from five cities around the U.S. will carry 150 people to the SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, Texas. This is image courtesy of the Startup Bus project--in which participants have 48 hours to create the best start-up they can engineer.(Credit:Startup Bus)It sounds like the beginning of a joke: a couple dozen coders and geek entrepreneurs step off a shiny, high-tech bus at a barbecue joint in Texas. But a joke it's not. It's a scenario that will likely play out this week on the Startup Bus, which is, yes, a group of a couple dozen coders and geek entrepreneurs riding a shiny, high-tech bus through the Lone Star State from their hometowns to the South by Southwest Interactive conference (SXSW Interactive) in Austin, Texas, part of the broader SXSW music and film festival.This is no ordinary bus trip though. These coders and would-be Mark Zuckerbergs are taking part in a high-paced competition: broken up into small teams once they board the bus on Tuesday, they will have the 48 hours of their drive to try to come up with the best, and most viable, tech start-up. And there's not just one bus, either. Indeed, &quot;buspreneurs&quot; will be loading up their laptops and Red Bull in cities across the country: New York, Miami, Cleveland, Chicago, and two from San Francisco. All told, there will be 150 buspreneurs, and all have the same marching orders--code and design like crazy, play well with others, and build a start-up from the ground up. In two sleepless days. The best team will claim glory and possible future funding when everyone hits Austin.I've been invited to get on board a San Francisco bus, so for the next two days, I'll have pen and paper, camera, andiPad in hand, and I'll be blogging regularly from the road, bringing you the color of what it's like to travel halfway across the country with a coach full of buspreneurs, all of whom will be hacking and coding in the hopes of being crowned the best of the best.Before those who will be vying for that title were selected, they first had to fill out an application--and even be vouched for first. They were tasked with telling the organizers &quot;why you think you're the most scrappy hacker, do-er, thinker, designer, or connector, and how that's going to help you go toe-to-toe with some of the best minds in start-ups.&quot;A tall order, indeed.Play with the Silicon Valley big boysThe Startup Bus is the brainchild of Australian entrepreneur Elias Bizannes. Having moved to San Francisco to try to play with Silicon Valley's big boys after having been a big fish in the small pond of Down Under tech business, Bizannes created the Startup Bus and took his first group of buspreneurs to Austin last year. &quot;It's about developing the people in a contained environment that mimics a real start-up situation with constraints,&quot; Bizannes said, &quot;to get people to focus on what's important...For Startup Bus, we're trying to develop the entrepreneurial potential of people by helping them develop their experience, network, skills, and confidence. What we are really trying to do is build a community where the Startup Bus experience is simply the initiation rite into that community...a closed community where job and partnership opportunities can be shared, co-founders can be met, and ideas can be shared--in an environment where everyone can be vetted, trusted, and accessible.&quot;And this is no lark. Out of the mess of empty soda cans, chip bags, and coffee cups that hit Austin last year, some real start-up success emerged. Bizannes said one team's start-up ended up getting $1 million in funding, while the team that was chosen as the winner on last year's bus was offered a spot in The Capital Factory's early stage start-up acceleration and mentorship program.With last year's fruitful first effort, Bizannes knew he had to step it up a notch for SXSW 2011. And that's why he, along with the help of a team of &quot;conductors,&quot; has put together the fleet of buses coming from five cities this year. All told, there were more than 1,000 applicants, out of which 150 were eventually given slots on board. &quot;People were selected at the discretion of the conductors for their bus,&quot; explained Brandon Leonardo, who is running one of the San Francisco buses. &quot;Conductors went through every application and selected the ones that looked promising. The application was just a wide-open text field, which let applicants express themselves however they wanted. Some applicants wrote one-liners, and others wrote essays. One wrote his application as a functioning Python program.&quot;Continued Leonardo, &quot;Why people were selected is more difficult to answer. Each conductor has their own biases about what makes a great buspreneur, so each bus will reflect that and have its own flavor. For San Francisco...there wasn't a specific 'person' we were looking for. We just looked for people who were awesome. We have everyone from executives at tech-companies all the way to college students riding the bus. We definitely tried to get the right mix of developers, designers, and business people though.&quot;And there's a meta element to all this as well. Once the buses hit the pavement, a Startup Bus stock market game will begin. Though that part of the project is still in development, Bizannes explained to me that &quot;It's a game where all the start-ups are listed on a stock market and their share price increases through a combination of milestones that the teams achieve and actions that players--i.e. people not on the bus--perform.What that indicates, of course, is that in addition to having a few reporters scattered among the buses, the Startup Bus organizers have arranged to ensure that just about everything that happens onboard is posted online--be it a blog post by a team member, a tweet, a video, or a photo--and geotagged so that the viewing public can follow along more or less in real time. 'The cards are dealt on the bus'As a part of the project, albeit not someone who will join one of the teams, I've been on some of the e-mail lists that have sprung up around Startup Bus in recent days. Lest anyone think that these hackers are waiting until they get on the bus and are assigned to teams before digging into the work at hand, you should know that these are people who wasted no time in diving in with all kinds of ideas about the types of applications they would like to spend their time on the bus working on.Ideas ranged from tools to help frequent fliers to systems for analyzing the sentiment or mood of conference audience members to a TV channel that would only broadcast videos shared by friends, and more. Whether any of these ideas will be the teams' focus won't be known until the doors shut and the wheels roll. But as an observer, I feel confident that those on my bus won't wait until we clear the San Francisco city limits before the work begins. Their excitement and commitment to the project and soon-to-be teammates was nearly bursting out of my in-box.&quot;The cards are dealt on the bus,&quot; wrote Jonas Huckestein, one of the conductors, to the e-mail list. &quot;Last year, quite a few of the pitched ideas were completely spontaneous. The best part about this mailing list is that everyone can get really pumped up about the [trip]. Even the people that aren't participating [in pre-trip discussions] are hopefully getting psyched already.&quot;Please stay tuned for complete coverage of the San Francisco Startup Bus, which will surely be the best of them all. Go team!Update at 7:50 a.m. PT: In the end, six buses left from five cities. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Adobe Wallaby looks to leap over Flash controversy]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=adobe-wallaby-looks-to-leap-over-flash-controversy</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=adobe-wallaby-looks-to-leap-over-flash-controversy</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2011 08:10:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kandracorn72645</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=adobe-wallaby-looks-to-leap-over-flash-controversy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Steve Jobs thinks that HTML5 is the future of media-rich content on the Web, and eventually he might be right. But Web designers and their clients are working with Flash now, so to address this schism between the two, Adobe Labs today unveiled a new free tool called Wallaby that will convert Flash into HTML5.The Wallaby interface shown here post-conversion, with file and errors for filters and other features not supported in HTML5.(Credit:Adobe)Originally demonstrated at Adobe's MAX 2010 conference, the conversion process is currently workable but rough, said Adobe Flash Professional Senior Product Manager Tom Barclay. &quot;HTML5 will be an important technology for banner ads and Web publishing,&quot; he said but cautioned that Flash is heavily used by developers, especially games that require complex interactivity.As Wallaby works now, you select your FLA-formatted file and hit convert, and Wallaby changes the Flash file into HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS. Most of your Flash file will get converted, Barclay said, including most drawing elements, fills, shape tweens, motion tweens, symbol names and instance names. Since it's built on Adobe's Air platform, both Windows andMac based developers will be able to use it.The built-in logging tool tells you which elements were not converted, and these currently including the audio and video tags. Barclay said Adobe Systems is looking for feedback from developers before it decides if it will add support for the more complicated aspects of HTML5 at a later date. &quot;Developers can add interactivity after the conversion using JQuery and JavaScript,&quot; explained Barclay. The initial goal of the tool, he added, is to support banner ad development on iPhones, iPads, andiPod Touches since Apple has no plans to allow its iOS to support Flash, although he said that the HTML5 output will be appropriate for any WebKit-basedmobile browser. (Android's default browser is also built on WebKit.)With standards on HTML5 still in development, Adobe is positioning itself here with a leg up on easing the transition for developers who will inevitably have to use both technologies concurrently, at least for the foreseeable future.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA['Morris Model' solar financing shines]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=morris-model-solar-financing-shines</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=morris-model-solar-financing-shines</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:11:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>parriawin1</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=morris-model-solar-financing-shines</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The new solar carport at Mennen Arena in Morris County, N.J., is part of the Morris Model solar financing plan.(Credit:Tioga Energy)In the last eight months, Morris County, N.J., has undergone a significant energy change of which many of its residents are probably not even aware.The partners involved call it the &quot;Morris Model.&quot; It's a new financing model that allows municipalities to partner with solar-energy companies to incorporate solar energy into their energy portfolio for little outlay.In June the Morris County Improvement Authority (MCIA) announced it was entering into this Morris Model financing plan with Tioga Energy and SunDurance Energy to install about 3-megawatts worth of solar panels by offering up something it already had: property.Yesterday, the MCIA and Tioga Energy announced Morris County's solar installation was complete and, so far, a financial success.While there are many property-for-discount-energy programs going on, this one is unique. The William G. Mennen Sports Arena gets 30 percent of its electricity from its newly installed solar panels.(Credit:Tioga Energy)Specifically, the MCIA issued $22.3 million in low-interest government bonds to cover the cost of the initial installation. Tioga Energy--the solar-energy company that owns and operates the systems, and sells the solar electricity back to the municipality--used federal income tax incentives unavailable to municipalities, and New Jersey's Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SREC) program to cover more of the costs. As part of the agreement, Tioga Energy then passed the money it earned from the incentives and SRECs on to Morris County in the form of discounted electricity. SunDurance Energy, working in conjunction with Tioga Energy, designed and installed the solar-energy system configurations for each property.The pilot program's swift eight-month completion is a test case that could offer a win-win solution for both cash-strapped municipalities and solar-energy companies looking for business. Keep in mind, however, that this Morris Model would only work in states with SREC programs. The county also had the benefit of being home to a local sports complex with lots of roof and parking space on which 1.6 megawatts of the 3.1-megawatts worth of solar panels could be installed.In states with legislated Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), energy companies and utilities are required to either use a certain percentage of alternative energy or buy SRECs to make up the difference. According to the terms of New Jersey's SREC program, Tioga Energy earns one SREC for every 1,000 kilowatt-hours of solar electricity it generates, and is then able to sell those SRECs. The money it makes from the sale of the SRECs is being passed on to Morris County via savings on its electricity bills through a 15-year power purchase agreement.MCIA says the electricity generated from this program costs 35 percent less than what its local utility is charging them for electricity.To date Morris County now has 3.1 megawatts of solar power, has solar panels installed on 19 properties (16 of them schools and government buildings) and has saved $3.8 million in electricity costs, according to the MCIA.Most interesting to New Jersey natives may be that one of the properties being used for solar paneling by the county is the William G. Mennen Sports Arena, Morris County's 2,500-seat arena which includes three ice rinks, and an outdoor rugby field. In addition to the Mennen Arena roof, a solar carport now covers Mennen Arena's 500-space parking lot. Together, the roof and carport solar panels totaling 1.6 megawatts, generate 30 percent of the arena's electricity.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Next wave of recycling Check your dinner plate]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=next-wave-of-recycling-check-your-dinner-plate</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=next-wave-of-recycling-check-your-dinner-plate</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:10:38 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>hildehatea</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=next-wave-of-recycling-check-your-dinner-plate</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Where most people see a pile of leftovers or yard waste, Paul Sewell sees a revenue stream, delivering energy and valuable nutrients.Sewell is the CEO of 3-year-old Harvest Power, a company formed to take recycling to the next level. Paper, metals, and plastics account for about 60 percent of municipal solid waste. The next hill to climb is waste that originally came from the ground: wood, yard trimmings, and now food scraps, which altogether are more than 30 percent of that waste stream. &quot;We look at it as next-generation solar,&quot; said Sewell. &quot;We're capturing sunlight in the form of biomass in a stable form. And we have the ability to use biological systems to get the maximum benefit out of it.&quot;Garbage to gold: Ways to get value from waste (Images)  There are a growing number of experimental technologies being developed for turning organic waste back into something valuable, driven both by environmental and financial reasons. One method Harvest Power is pursuing, called anaerobic digestion, has been around for decades and is already used at wastewater treatment plants and farms, more so in Europe. Anaerobic digesters use microorganisms in an oxygen-starved tank to convert organic material into compost fertilizer and biogas. That gas, made mostly of methane, can be burned to make heat or electricity. Fuel cells can also use biogas instead of natural gas to generate electricity, something already being done at wastewater plants in California. At the consumer level, organic collection is largely limited to yard waste, which is converted into compost soil fertilizer. Now, a handful of municipalities, including San Francisco, are starting to expand into collecting food waste, diverting more waste from landfills or incinerators. &quot;Recycling has kind of peaked. The only way we can reach our recycling goals is by adding more organics, so we're promoting it and working with industry,&quot; said Sumner Martinson, the composting program director at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. The ability to generate a second product--renewable energy--from waste in addition to a soil fertilizer is another reason there's more interest. &quot;If you can generate some energy and have some energy to sell to the grid, then it's economically more cost effective,&quot; Martinson said, adding that municipal composters can be big energy consumers.Tipping fees and sustainabilityIt's not hard to understand why energy entrepreneurs and municipalities are looking to turn more garbage into gold. In the U.S., there's a lot of it and it's expensive to remove, with many locations, particularly in dense population centers, trucking trash to other states. And decomposing material in landfills gives off methane, a potent greenhouse gas.In 2009, there were 243 million tons of municipal solid waste in the U.S., translating into an average of more than four pounds of waste per person per day, which is just a fraction of the waste from commercial and industrial sources, according to the EPA. Recyclers will pay for plastics, metals, and paper because they can sell that material, once separated, to mills which use it as raw material. The diversion of 82 million tons from landfills for recycling in 2009 is the equivalent of taking 33 millioncars off the road for a year, according to the EPA.But after growing rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, recycling rates have tapered off, standing now at about 33 percent. Services such as single-stream recycling can help boost those rates. But there is still a sizeable portion of household garbage, about 35 percent of the total pile, which comes in the form of wood, yard trimmings, and food scraps. Digging through a high-tech recycling center (photos) View the full galleryThe region around Vancouver, British Columbia, was looking at adding more incinerators or landfills, but met public opposition on both plans. In response, the 18 municipalities in the area formed an aggressive plan to reduce their waste disposal by 70 percent in 2015 and 80 percent by 2020 to avoid siting problems.They expanded to collecting food scraps, which includes pretty much everything from the kitchen--soiled paper, napkins, bones, meat, fruit, vegetables. Food scraps can be included with yard waste, which has been collected since the 1990s, in garbage bags with a special decal or paper yard waste bags. Now, they plan to go beyond composting, too.In a $12 million project, Harvest Power will start construction of an anaerobic digester that will produce both compost and capture usable energy. The gas from the decomposing material will be captured and used to make electricity to power the plant or piped into the natural gas pipeline, said Suzanne Bycraft, the manager of fleet and environmental programs from the City of Richmond in British Columbia which will host the facility. The digester speeds up natural decomposition, taking weeks rather than months.Reducing greenhouse gases from landfills for incinerators was a big reason for the investment in the anaerobic digester, but there's a financial incentive as well. Right now, the tipping fee rates are almost $100 per ton of municipal solid waste. Although cities need to pay a contractor to collect more material, Richmond saved about $350 million on disposal fees last year, said Bycraft.&quot;As the tipping fees increase, it becomes more and more economical to divert that material into a composting facility at a lower rate than a landfill,&quot; she said. &quot;It's certainly a more sustainable approach and sustainability is becoming a priority in our region.&quot;Digging deeper stillFor decades, landfills have captured methane from decomposing organic material or operated incinerators, which Bycraft said are less polluting than they used to be. But a handful of waste-to-energy companies are eyeing municipal solid waste, and other forms of biomass, as cheap feedstock. For an idea of the possibilities, consider the activities of hauling giant Waste Management. The company has been operating dozens of waste-to-energy facilities for years. In Southern California, captured landfill gas is being converted into natural gas fuel for 300 of its collection vehicles. Over the past few years, it has invested in technology companies which promise better energy extraction and a more benign environmental footprint. Montreal-based Enerkem, for example, is in the process of building two commercial-scale facilities that use gasification to convert municipal solid waste or wood residue into a synthetic gas, which can then be turned into ethanol or other chemicals.Waste Management, along with oil refiner Valero Energy, last year invested in Terrabon, a company which also uses gasification but its end product is a gasoline replacement. Another waste company with another thermo-conversion technology planning a pilot project is S4 Solutions, a joint venture of Waste Management and InEnTec, which has a gasification process for making different gaseous fuels and chemicals.Whether these alternative waste-to-energy processes take hold remains to be seen. One of the big challenge is making them economically compelling and scaling them up, said Waste Management company representative Wes Muir.Harvest Power's Sewell says just getting energy through landfill gas capture and incineration is selling the value of the organic waste stream short. In addition to the embedded energy, people should also consider how the carbon and nutrients are being repurposed to improve soil quality.&quot;Call it my farming background, but we need soil. We forget that it supports our agricultural and food production system,&quot; he said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[NASA 2012 budget reflects 'tough choices,' uncertain outlook]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nasa-2012-budget-reflects-tough-choices-uncertain-outlook</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nasa-2012-budget-reflects-tough-choices-uncertain-outlook</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:10:59 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>SlullyTug</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nasa-2012-budget-reflects-tough-choices-uncertain-outlook</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Faced with reduced funding and an uncertain outlook, NASA's $18.7 billion fiscal 2012 budget prioritizes the Obama administration's major goals and objectives, focusing on maintaining the International Space Station, retiring the shuttle and ramping up efforts to spur development of commercial manned spacecraft.The budget also reflects the administration's commitment to building a new heavy-lift rocket and a crew capsule that could be used for deep-space exploration.But the budget follows the administration's proposal to freeze federal funding at 2010 levels for the next five years, resulting in a $276 million decrease for NASA compared to the agency's 2011 budget.NASA Administrator Charles Bolden outlines the agency&amp;39's fiscal 2012 budget request during a news conference in Washington.(Credit:NASA)Until Congress weighs in with actual funding, it's not clear when a viable United States manned spacecraft will emerge to service the station or when eventual deep-space missions might occur.In the meantime, with the shuttle's retirement looming after a final three missions, NASA will continue to rely on Russia to provide transportation to and from the space station aboard Soyuz spacecraft at about $55 million a seat.&quot;This budget requires us to live within our means so we can invest in our future,&quot; NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden told reporters. &quot;It maintains our strong commitment to human spaceflight and new technologies. It establishes critical priorities and invests in excellent science, aeronautics research and education programs that will help us win the future.&quot;Because &quot;these are tough fiscal times, tough choices had to be made,&quot; he said. &quot;Our No. 1 priority is safely flying out the shuttle and maintaining the safety and well being of the American astronauts currently living and working in space.&quot;NASA is working under a continuing resolution that requires the agency to operate at 2010 funding levels. The $19 billion fiscal 2011 budget remains in limbo, as does precise funding to begin ramping up work on commercial manned spacecraft, the new heavy lift launcher and the multipurpose crew vehicle NASA is planning for deep-space exploration.The new budget funds the congressionally mandated Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle at roughly the same levels that were authorized in the 2011 budget: $1.8 billion for the rocket and $1 billion for the crew capsule.Closer to home, NASA managers hope the private sector can design, build, and test commercial manned spacecraft for initial flights somewhere between 2014 and 2016 to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The 2012 budget includes $850 million to kick-start development.&quot;It's clearly a function of what funding's available,&quot; said Bill Gerstenmaier, chief of space operations at NASA headquarters. &quot;But for planning purposes, we've been looking in the 2014, '15 or '16 time frame, somewhere in there for crew. But the proof of the pudding is when we actually start getting some concrete budgets and start getting some real plans and start to see some real proposals.&quot;Space science would receive just over $5 billion in the 2012 budget, a slight increase over the yet-to-be-implemented 2011 budget, while space operations, which includes the shuttle and station programs, drops $1.16 billion to $4.3 billion in 2012. The reduction is due in large part to the shuttle's retirement.All of those funding levels are frozen through 2016--projected spending in 2013 through 2016 is shown as &quot;notional&quot;--and until Congress gives its final approval, design details and target dates are nebulous.&quot;Any budget takes place in a context,&quot; said Elizabeth Robinson, NASA's chief financial officer. &quot;Perhaps the context this year is a little more complicated than others but as always, it's a combination of internal and external factors. Both an internal and external factor is we still don't know what's happening to our funding levels in 2011. The agency is proceeding in all of its programs, but commitments to life cycle costs and launch dates are likely to be impacted by whatever we get in 2011.&quot;In the wake of the 2003 Columbia disaster, the Bush administration ordered NASA to finish the space station and retire the shuttle by the end of fiscal 2010. Using money freed up by the shuttle's retirement and the end of station assembly, NASA was told to develop a program to return astronauts to the moon for long-duration stays by the early 2020s.NASA developed the Constellation program to meet those objectives and began designing low-Earth orbit and heavy lift versions of a new shuttle-derived rocket known as Ares and a new crew capsule, called Orion, that could fly to the station and, eventually, deep-space targets.The Obama administration canceled the Constellation program last year, deciding it was not affordable. Instead, the administration favored a &quot;flexible path&quot; approach laid out by a blue-ribbon panel that called for relying on the private sector to ferry astronauts to and from the station.NASA was to focus on developing a new architecture for visiting a variety of deep-space targets including nearby asteroids and, eventually, Mars. After lengthy discussions between NASA, Congress, and the White House, the agency opted to use a variant of the Constellation program's Orion capsule as a reference design for a deep-space capsule and a less powerful version of the Ares V moon rocket.In legislation passed last year, NASA was told to build the new rocket by 2016. The agency responded in January that it would not be able to deliver given the expected funding. And that was before the proposed spending freeze.&quot;In this time of necessary budget cuts, NASA does well compared to most other agencies,&quot; Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL, the architect of the heavy-lifter legislation, said in a statement. &quot;But the president's budget does not follow the bipartisan NASA law Congress passed late last year. The Congress will assert its priorities in the next six months.&quot;Given the budget uncertainty in Washington, it's not clear when any of these new systems might fly. But Bolden said he's convinced NASA and its private-sector partners will deliver in the end.&quot;Trust me. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it could work,&quot; he said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Chu plugs R&D to hit Obama's clean-energy target]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chu-plugs-rd-to-hit-obamas-clean-energy-target</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chu-plugs-rd-to-hit-obamas-clean-energy-target</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:11:23 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>zhouwei156</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chu-plugs-rd-to-hit-obamas-clean-energy-target</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Can a country that gets nearly half of its electricity from burning coal really get 80 percent of its electricity from &quot;clean-energy sources&quot; in less than 25 years According to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the answer is yes if the U.S. cranks up its &quot;innovation machine.&quot;The top energy-related headline from the State of the Union speech last night was President Obama calling for the U.S. to get 80 percent of its electricity from &quot;clean-energy sources&quot; by 2035. Steven Chu during a tour of an Energy Department grant recipient in December. (Credit:Martin LaMonica/CNET)Obama said the U.S. should invest in technology innovation in biomedical research, IT, and particularly clean-energy technology as a way to perk up the U.S. economy.Today, Energy Secretary Steven Chu held a town hall meeting where he took questions from those online and provided color on Obama's speech. The question of how &quot;clean energy&quot; is defined could be significant if Congress takes up energy legislation.Chu said Department of Energy research programs can complement industry to accelerate development of cheaper forms of clean energy, opening up export opportunities for U.S. companies. The budget that the White House will submit to Congress will call for $8 billion in research, development, and deployment in clean-energy technology programs, reported Energy &amp; Environment News. That represents a one third increase in funding, which would be funded by subsidies currently provided to fossil fuel energies. The budget also calls for creation of three new &quot;innovation hubs&quot; focused on different energy technologies. It will also seek to double the budget for the Advanced Research Program Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which was funded through the stimulus program with $400 million over two years. (See PDF for details of budget proposal.)Right now, renewable sources, including hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass, make up about 10 percent of electricity production in the U.S., with nearly 7 percent coming from hydropower. Chu said the White House's &quot;working definition&quot; of clean energy also includes nuclear power, which has no emissions during operation, and natural gas. Compared to coal, natural gas has about half the carbon emissions as burning coal, fewer air pollutants, and no mercury.&quot;Roughly speaking, right now, we are about 40 percent clean-energy sources in the way that you can define it. If you define it in a very strict way of no carbon emissions that includes sun, wind, hydropower and nuclear, we're over 30 percent,&quot; Chu said.Even in that context, Chu admitted that getting to 80 percent by that definition will be ambitious. &quot;Is it over the top, we can't achieve that No. We think we can achieve that,&quot; he said.Technical advances can speed this transition along significantly. For example, the Energy Department has a goal of bringing the cost of solar photovoltaics down below the cost of fossil fuel-generated electricity.&quot;Imagine a world where that is true before the end of the decade,&quot; he said. &quot;If we're the developers of this technology, this is a huge worldwide market and it will just take off.&quot;Congress interested Last night, Obama said that the U.S. has had its &quot;Sputnik moment&quot; in seeing other countries, such as China, move ahead rapidly on science and technology, particularly energy. That line echoes a speech Chu gave several weeks ago, where he called on the U.S. to invest in more research and development. &quot;We are in a race. In my way of thinking, this race is much more important in terms of (U.S.) prosperity of not only five, ten years from today but next year and the year after that,&quot; Chu said. &quot;This is an economic race to develop those (energy and energy efficiency) technologies the world will want and buy.&quot;In terms of policy, though, it's not clear that enough members of Congress have an interest in addressing energy to bring an energy bill forward. A legislative effort to cap carbon emissions from big polluters failed last year and Obama did not mention climate change or carbon emissions in last night's speech, focusing instead on the economic opportunity around energy technology. One of the ideas to advance energy legislation this year is to create incentives or mandates for more &quot;clean energy,&quot; however it is defined. Chu said that White House will need to work with Congress to hammer out a common definition. According to a fact sheet put out by the White House last night, so-called clean coal is also considered clean energy. In response to a question, Chu said that carbon capture and storage, where carbon dioxide gas is pumped and stored underground, is &quot;not a slam dunk proven thing&quot; technologically. But he said the Energy Department and coal industry have a game plan for making the technology work, which will be needed for natural gas power plants in the decades ahead.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: DOJ nearing decision on Google-ITA]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-doj-nearing-decision-on-google-ita</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-doj-nearing-decision-on-google-ita</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:10:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bintterazmwes</dc:creator>
<category>Politics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-doj-nearing-decision-on-google-ita</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google&amp;39's proposed acquisition of travel software company ITA Software could face a DOJ review.(Credit:ITA)The U.S. Department of Justice is gearing up for a possible formal antitrust investigation into whether or not Google should be allowed to purchase travel software company ITA Software, according to a report.Bloomberg reported today that DOJ lawyers have been asked to start getting ready for a possible challenge to the deal, which was first announced last summer. Such a challenge has seemed inevitable, as following completion of the deal Google would be in a position to control software that powers the reservations systems for many of the online travel booking agencies. Google has said it plans to honor all existing agreements that ITA Software has signed with companies like Orbitz and Kayak, but a coalition of travel companies opposed to the deal isn't prepared to take Google at its word. The DOJ has been eyeing this one for several months, but work has taken on a degree of urgency because Google exercised its right to force the government to make a decision one way or another within 30 days of providing such notice, according to Bloomberg. Such uncertainty involving large transactions could be a real problem for Google in 2011, if companies like Groupon that would automatically trigger federal review decide it's not worth doing business with Google and having to endure a six-month period of limbo.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Stolen laptop contains cancer cure data]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=stolen-laptop-contains-cancer-cure-data</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=stolen-laptop-contains-cancer-cure-data</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:10:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>queruraes</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=stolen-laptop-contains-cancer-cure-data</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Sook Shin and Ralf Jankecht have posted flyers in pawn shops appealing for the return of their stolen laptop.(Credit:News 9)Today's &quot;Dude, you got to back up your data!&quot; public-service announcement comes courtesy of Sook Shin, a university researcher who says her stolen laptop contained years worth of data related to a possible cure for prostate cancer. And nope, you guessed it. She didn't back up and says some of her research can never be retrieved, while other parts could take up to two years to replicate.  Shin and husband Ralf Jankecht, a professor of cell biology at Oklahoma University, are leading cancer researchers at the school. Sunday, they made a quick stop in Oklahoma City on their way back to the lab, according to the local News 9. That's when someone smashed the window of their car and made off with a 13-inch white MacBook in a dark orange computer bag.  &quot;I'm devastated and I feel so guilty,&quot; a tearful Shin told News 9.  The pair is now offering a $1,000 reward for return of the computer, no questions asked. &quot;Thief, it is OK. Everybody makes mistakes,&quot; reads a flyer that's been posted in area pawn shops.  &quot;Please return the computer with the data saved,&quot; Jankecht said. &quot;This would tremendously help us and you would do something for society.&quot;  While most people who own a computer know they should regularly back up their data, surveys have shown that a surprising number rarely (or never) do. In this case, we can only hope for a story like that of the Swedish professor who had his laptop stolen and a week later received a USB drive holding all his data.  That thief, it appeared, took pity on the professor, backed up his information, and returned it to him. At which point, we hope, the professor backed it up a few more times over.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Verizon iPhone First Take]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-iphone-first-take</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-iphone-first-take</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>limresufcom</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=verizon-iphone-first-take</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Four things still in AT&T's iPhone pocket]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=four-things-still-in-atts-iphone-pocket</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=four-things-still-in-atts-iphone-pocket</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sophia002</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=four-things-still-in-atts-iphone-pocket</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:AP/CBS)Ever since AT&amp;T and Apple introduced the first iPhone four years ago, the carrier has racked in the cash and customers while selling iPhones by the millions. But along with all that success, AT&amp;T also has received heaps of criticism for a creaking network that has saddled users with dropped calls and slow data speeds.Though AT&amp;T doesn't deserve all of the blame, it shouldn't escape it completely. Indeed, when I was at CES last week, I couldn't get aniPhone signal anywhere near the Las Vegas Convention Center. It can be pretty miserable, frankly, which is why Phone users and fence-sitters alike have been clamoring for Apple's device to land at Verizon Wireless for years. And now that a Verizon iPhone looks like a sure thing, AT&amp;T will a few defections. But as even as some consumers switch to Verizon in search of a perceived better network--which is hardly a sure thing, mind you--AT&amp;T still has a few advantages that Verizon can't touch. And these points are nothing to take lately.A global technologyAT&amp;T uses GSM, which is the dominant global cellular technology. Whether you're in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, or the Americas, you can find a GSM network for using your iPhone. Verizon, however, uses CDMA, which is present in only a handful of countries outside North America. That list includes Brazil, China, India, and Israel, but you won't find a drop of CDMA across the whole of Europe. Of course, Verizon could close this gap with a dualmode CDMA/GSM device.Voice and dataCurrently, CDMA phones can't transmit voice and data at the same time. To you, that means that you won't be able to be on a call and browse the Web or access your e-mail simultaneously. It's a big change for how many people use the iPhone now, especially when you consider that Apple has made such functionality--you can talk on the phone and get directions to Starbucks!--a centerpiece of some of its ad campaigns. The good news is that the CDMA Development Group will fix this limitation sometime during the first half of next year, but AT&amp;T will have a big ball in its court until then.A faster 3GDespite its troubles, AT&amp;T's HSPA 3G network is theoretically faster than Verizon's EV-DO network. For most people, that has been just a theory, but other users may notice a difference if they live in an area with better AT&amp;T reception. Of course, 3G speed will be irrelevant if Verizon has an LTE handset, but that's an unlikely prospect at this point.PriceIf you're an AT&amp;T user still on contract, switching to Verizon could cost you $624. You'll have to pay the carrier's early termination fee (ETF)--as high as $325--and you'll have to buy a completely new iPhone that supports Verizon's network. Though we don't know Verizon's pricing strategy just yet, I imagine Apple will insist on matching AT&amp;T ($199 for the 16GB model and 32GB for the $299 version). Granted, AT&amp;T does prorate the ETF as you serve out your contract, and Verizon could offer an incentive program for AT&amp;T customers, but it's still going to be an expensive proposition.CNET will bring you live coverage of Verizon's event tomorrow, January 11, at 11 a.m. ET, so be sure to check back for the full story. In the meantime, tell us what you're expecting from the Verizon iPhone.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Fujifilm announces 16 point-and-shoots]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-fujifilm-announces-16-point-and-shoots</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-fujifilm-announces-16-point-and-shoots</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>resbimmarlk</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-fujifilm-announces-16-point-and-shoots</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The FinePix F500EXR and F550EXR are just two of the 16 cameras Fujifilm announced at CES 2011. (Credit:Fujifilm)LAS VEGAS--Fujifilm announced 13 cameras at 2010's annual Photo Marketing Association's PMA trade show that followed CES at the end of February. With PMA moved to the end of September for 2011, though, Fujifilm didn't hold back for CES 2011, announcing 16 cameras. That's a lot of cameras. And frankly, without a little hands-on time and better information than what's in the press releases, I can't do a decent analysis. With that in mind, below are the product blurbs provided by Fujifilm minus some of the marketing speak. I know it's lame, but I promise once I get actual specs and more details on the new technologies (and more than just a couple low-res product photos), I'll post updates on the various models. FinePix HS20EXRThe Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR is the refresh of 2010's 30x megazoom for professional or enthusiast photographers, the HS10. It features a new 16-megapixel EXR-CMOS sensor' a 24mm-equivalent ultrawide-angle Fujinon lens with a 30x manual zoom' and a tilting 3-inch high-contrast LCD with a electronic viewfinder featuring a &quot;heads up&quot; sensor that automatically changes from LCD to EVF when the camera is raised to your eye for shooting. With a new BSI-CMOS sensor powered by Fujifilm's EXR processor engine, it promises to deliver high-speed continuous shooting at 7.6 frames per second at full resolution for eight frames, high speed movies at 320fps, captures full panoramic photos with 360-degree panoramas, and captures full HD movies at 1080p with an HDMI output connector. It also shoots in raw, JPEG, or raw+JPEG modes. The HS20EXR has an optional remote release cable, plus its compatible with two automatic Fujifilm external flashes with TTL metering. The HS20EXR is priced at $499.95 and expected to ship in mid-March.FinePix AV200, AX300, JV200Fujifilm's new AV200, AX300, and JV200 digital cameras are entry-level digital cameras. Features include 14-megapixel CCDs, 2.7-inch LCDs, and face detection technology and other technologies designed to help enhance the user's experience without needing to be a technical guru. The A-series cameras have both 3x and 5x Fujinon optical zoom lens options with the convenience of AA-battery power while the JV200 has a Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens in a slim, metal chassis with rechargeable li-ion power. All cameras are expected between late January and early February, and will be priced between $99.95 and $109.95. FinePix JX300, JX350The Fujifilm FinePix JX300 and JX350 are designed with beginners in mind. With 14- and 16-megapixel resolutions respectively, a bright f2.6 Fujinon 5x wide-angle optical zoom lens (a 28mm equivalent), 2.7-inch LCDs, lithium-ion battery power, and 720p HD video capabilities, these cameras--priced at $129.95 and $159.95 respectively--are the perfect cameras for almost any consumer. With additional features like digital image stabilization, face detection with auto red-eye correction, panoramic shooting mode, and smile and blink detection modes, they pack a lot of features into a slim, metal chassis. The FinePix JX300 is expected to ship in mid-February and the FinePix JX350 is expected to ship in late March.FinePix Z90The 14-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix Z90 is the sixth generation model in the stylish Z-series. The camera is available in sleek, metal chassis in matte black and red, blue, silver, pink, and purple. In front is a Fujinon 5x wide-angle refractive (internal) optical zoom (28mm equivalent) and in back is a 3-inch wide-screen touch-panel LCD with an intuitive Dual Direction GUI allowing for easy navigating and &quot;tap and shoot&quot; capabilities for images and videos. With other features like a Facebook/YouTube uploader, in-camera editing and sequential movie capture (start &amp; stop in a single movie clip), and HD Movie capture at 720p, the Z90 priced at $169.95 is technology-rich and budget-friendly and expected to ship mid-January. FinePix T200, T300The Fujifilm FinePix T200 and T300 are digital cameras for consumers looking for a long-zoom camera that is compact and highly portable. Both offer 14-megapixel resolution, a Fujinon 10x wide-angle optical zoom (28mm equivalent), face recognition, dual image stabilization (sensor shift and high ISO), SR Auto and multi-frame shooting capabilities, and HD Movie capture at 720p. The T200 offers a 2.7-inch 230K-dot resolution LCD, while the T300 boasts a 3.0-inch 460K-dot resolution LCD--all in an ultracompact body. The T-series cameras are priced at $179.95 and $199.95, respectively, and are expected to ship in March.FinePix XP20, XP30The Fujifilm FinePix XP20 and XP30 are the perfect cameras for active families on the go that want a camera they can take anywhere without worrying about rain, mud, snow or sand' even the occasional drop or bump. The 14-megapixel XP20 and XP30 are waterproof down to 16.5 feet, shockproof to 5 feet, freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and dustproof. These models feature Fujinon 5x wide-angle refractive (internal) optical zoom lens (28mm equivalent) with a reinforced hardened glass barrier and a 2.7-inch anti-reflective LCD screen. Both models have dual image stabilization, SR Auto, Face Detection, and capture movies in HD at 720p. The XP30 also introduces GPS geo-tagging functionality. Available in black, silver, blue, green, and orange, the XP20 and XP30 are priced at $199.95 and $229.95, respectively. The XP30 is expected to ship mid-January and the XP20 in early March. FinePix S2950, S3200, S4000The Fujifilm FinePix S2950, S3200, and S4000 are traditional SLR-styled megazoom cameras. These models offer 14-megapixe resolutions, 3-inch LCDs plus electronic viewfinders, and Fujinon optical zooms of 18x (28-504mm), and 24x and 30x starting at a super wide 24mm-equivalent respectively. All three models offer dual image stabilization, SR Auto, Face Detection, Tracking Auto Focus, full manual controls, and capture movies in HD at 720p with an HDMI output connector. Additionally, the S3200 and S4000 offer Face Recognition, and capture movies in MPEG-4 with H.264 compression for sharper movies with smaller file sizes. These AA-powered cameras will be available between January and February 2011 and are priced at $229.95, $249.95, and $279.95 respectively. FinePix F500EXR, F550EXRDon't let the slim design of the Fujifilm FinePix F500EXR and F550EXR fool you. These cameras include the technology you'll see in larger SLR body styles without the bulk. Both boast new 16-egapixel EXR-CMOS sensors, Fujinon 15x ultrawide-angle zoom lenses (24-360mm equivalent), and high-contrast 3.0-inch 460K-dot resolution LCDs. With the new BSI-CMOS sensor powered by Fujifilm's EXR processor engine, these compact megazooms deliver high-speed continuous shooting at 12fps, high speed movies at 400fps, capture full 360-degree panoramic photos, and capture full HD movies at 1080p and have an HDMI output connector. They also have the ability to shoot in raw, JPEG, or raw+JPEG. With auto aperture and shutter priorities, the camera allows for that almost-professional photographer to capture every image perfectly. The F550EXR also features GPS geo-tagging functionality. Priced at $329.95 and $349.95 respectively, both are expected to ship in mid-February. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Reports: Vizio to launch smartphone, tablet]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=reports-vizio-to-launch-smartphone-tablet</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=reports-vizio-to-launch-smartphone-tablet</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Jan 2011 08:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rasmonmon1</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=reports-vizio-to-launch-smartphone-tablet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Flat-screen TV maker Vizio is making the jump into the smartphone and tablet computer markets, tapping Google to take on the likes of Apple and Research In Motion.The company, which teased the move in an ad that ran before the Rose Bowl game yesterday (see below), is expected to reveal its wireless products tomorrow during a news conference before the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas later this week, according to reports by Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal.Vizio's Via Phone will have a 4-inch screen and front- and rear-facing cameras, while the Via Tablet will sport an 8-inch screen high-resolution screen, Wi-Fi, and a front-facing camera, according to the reports. Both will reportedly be powered by Google's Android operating system and sold through Wal-Mart and Costco stores. Vizio representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The Irvine, Calif.-based company, which is best known for its low-cost TVs and Blu-ray players, will face tough competition from Apple'siPhone andiPad and RIM's BlackBerrys and PlayBook tablet. Market research firm iSuppli expects tablet sales to more than triple from the 18 million units in 2010 to 61 million in 2011, but the Android market is crowded. Some 15 suppliers--including Acer, Dell, Cisco Systems, and Samsung--are expected to be selling Android-based tablets by mid-2011, according to industry tracker IMS Research. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Apple's stock surge makes its secrets a big target]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apples-stock-surge-makes-its-secrets-a-big-target</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apples-stock-surge-makes-its-secrets-a-big-target</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Doreen93</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apples-stock-surge-makes-its-secrets-a-big-target</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It's no surprise that Apple secrets were so highly coveted. Check out the two-year chart.(Credit:Screenshot by Larry Dignan/ZDNet)A massive insider trading probe focused on expert networks illustrates just how valuable Apple's secrets--product road maps, new features, and forecasts--have become.Yesterday, the feds arrested four people in an insider trading probe. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. government alleges that James Fleishman, an executive at Primary Global Research, used four consultants employed by public companies to deliver confidential information. The companies were AMD, Flextronics, Dell, and TSMC. The Holy Grail for traders looking to game the system, however, were details about Apple's plans via Flextronics, a contract equipment manufacturer.The AP says a government complaint details how Primary Global Research clients were told about Apple's trade secrets including sales forecasts, newiPhone features, and a project known as K48, which became theiPad. The complaint was filed, but is sealed. There was an order to unseal the complaint on Dec. 16, according to the court's electronic filing system.Read more of &quot;Apple's stock surge makes its secrets a big target&quot; at ZDNet's Between the Lines. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[The 404 723: Where we eat a bacon explosion (podcast)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-404-723-where-we-eat-a-bacon-explosion-podcast</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-404-723-where-we-eat-a-bacon-explosion-podcast</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nocarlberg</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-404-723-where-we-eat-a-bacon-explosion-podcast</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google's Web e-book store ready for chapter 1]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googles-web-e-book-store-ready-for-chapter-1</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googles-web-e-book-store-ready-for-chapter-1</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Dec 2010 08:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Michle</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googles-web-e-book-store-ready-for-chapter-1</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google eBooks and the eBookstore are based entirely within a Web browser, allowing readers to log into their books from a wide variety of devices.(Credit:Google)Google is finally ready to get into the bookselling business, one Web browser at a time. The Google eBookstore is set to launch in the U.S. this morning after months of planning on Google's part to be the latest entrant into the hot market for e-books. Google has cut deals with many top-tier publishers, including Random House, McGraw Hill, Simon &amp; Schuster (a division of CBS, which also publishes CNET), Penguin Books, and MacMillan. And it will have &quot;hundreds of thousands&quot; of in-print e-books to sell today along with the huge number of public domain books that Google has already scanned through its Google Book Search project, for a total of just over 3 million titles, said James Crawford, director of engineering for Google Books.Formerly known as Google Editions when in the planning stages, the Google eBookstore is notable because of its Web-based approach to e-book selling. Customers will be able to buy books through their Google accounts and access them on just about any device with a modern Web browser, Crawford said. The company also plans to develop e-reader applications for both Apple's App Store and the Android Market that will sync with a customer's account, allowing you to purchase a book on your home PC, start reading it on your phone on the way into work, and sneak in a few pages at lunch on your work system without having to re-discover your place each time you log in, he said. &quot;The idea is to never have to wonder where you are,&quot; Crawford said of the autosync feature. Books will be locked to individual Google accounts, however, and protected by Adobe's ACS4 technology. Google's books should also work on several e-reader devices that support Adobe's technology, like Barnes &amp; Noble's Nook or Sony's Reader, with a notable exception: Amazon's Kindle doesn't support ACS4, Crawford said.A look at the dashboard for Google eBooks (click for larger image).(Credit:Google) Google has also cut deals to let other bookstores sell electronic copies of Google's inventory, including famed Portland, Ore., bookseller Powell's, Alibris, and the American Booksellers Association, which helps indie bookstores get online, said Amanda Edmonds, director of strategic partnerships for Google Books. Goodreads, a book-oriented social-networking site, will also serve as a Google eBookstore affiliate, offering users links to the store to buy books they are discussing. As always, pricing is key to any new retail venture. Crawford said Google intended to be &quot;comparable&quot; to other e-book stores, such as Amazon's or Apple's. &quot;We've set up a pricing algorithm to be competitively priced with the going rate in the market,&quot; he said. &quot;We're not trying to buy our way into the market by (underpricing), but we don't want anybody to say that we have higher prices.&quot; Google's been talking about building a digital bookstore for years, but its entire Google Book Search project has been shrouded in controversy over the proposed settlement it brokered with groups representing authors and publishers that, if approved, would give it the right to sell the out-of-print yet copyright-protected books it has scanned from library partners. Final approval of that settlement has now dragged on for years, with a decision following a &quot;final hearing&quot; in February--that had itself had been delayed several times--having languished for months. However, the eBookstore as launched today really has nothing to do with that controversy: Google is only selling books for which it either has an explicit agreement with the clear rights-holder of the book, or it's a title that has passed into the public domain, Crawford said. Google has attempted to drum up support for its settlement by arguing that authors whose books have gone out of print will have a chance to earn revenue from a digital store that wasn't possible before Google made a digital copy, but until the settlement is approved it doesn't have the legal clearance to go ahead and sell those books. The eBookstore will live as a link off the main Google Book Search page, where visitors will be asked if they are interested in searching or buying. Previews of millions of books can be found in Google Book Search, but until today Google had been directing those looking to purchase a copy to other book stores.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Level 3: Comcast is strong-arming us]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=level-3-comcast-is-strong-arming-us</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=level-3-comcast-is-strong-arming-us</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 08:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fevaacelliole</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=level-3-comcast-is-strong-arming-us</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In case you didn't hear it loud and clear the first time, Level 3 is once again accusing Comcast of setting up a toll booth on the Internet in violation of Net neutrality principles.Earlier this week, Level 3 set off a public relations war with cable and broadband giant Comcast as it described an ongoing commercial dispute between the two companies. To sum it up, Comcast is asking Level 3 to pay a fee for sending additional traffic over the Comcast broadband network. The additional traffic, which will more than double the amount of traffic that Level 3 sends to Comcast, will come as a result of a deal that Level 3 has struck with online video heavyweight Netflix. Netflix is the largest streaming video service in North America and at peak times accounts for about one-fifth of all U.S. traffic on the Internet. Last month, Level 3 won a deal to become the video company's content delivery network provider, which means it will store and send Netflix streams to consumers who request on-demand video. The content delivery network is established at points in the network that puts the video content closer to consumers.Neither company disputes that Level 3's deal with Netflix will greatly increase the amount of traffic that Level 3 sends onto Comcast and other broadband providers' networks. What they disagree about is whether Level 3 should have to pay for sending that additional traffic over Comcast's network. Comcast claims Level 3 should pay a fee, since it will increase the ratio of traffic it sends to Comcast from 2:1 to 5:1. Comcast says this violates its current peering agreement with Level 3, which allows the companies to swap traffic at no charge so long as the companies are sending roughly equal amounts of traffic to and from each other's networks. What's more, Comcast has said that it currently charges Akamai, the company that previously delivered Netflix content, a fee for doing the same thing.But Level 3 argues in an FAQ issued today that it's being strong-armed by Comcast. It claims the arrangement with Comcast is not a peering arrangement and it is instead an interconnection agreement.&quot;Comcast's mischaracterization of this disagreement as a 'peering dispute' is incorrect.&quot; Level 3 said in its FAQ. &quot;In reality, this is a fundamental interconnection dispute between Level 3 and Comcast.&quot;Level 3 went on to explain the situation this way: &quot;Comcast wants to use its local access network dominance as leverage to force Level 3 to pay for traffic requested by Comcast customers that already pay Comcast for access to that same content. Having sold broadband access services to its customers, Comcast wants to sell the same service again to Level 3 and other networks connected to Comcast. If the dispute were simply 'commercial,' the dispute would have already been settled or would never have arisen in the first place. Comcast's status as the nation's largest provider of consumer broadband service enables Comcast to force Level 3 to pay the 'toll' Comcast has demanded.&quot;Comcast said earlier in the week in a letter to the FCC that:&quot;Level 3 is trying to game the process of peering--one that has worked well and consensually, without government interference, for over a decade--in order to gain a unique and unfair advantage for its own expanding CDN service. Level 3's problem apparently arises out of the fact that it recently won a bid to become one of Netflix's primary CDN providers--in competition with the major national CDNs that already send Netflix and other traffic to Comcast's network. In order to undercut its CDN competitors, Level 3 wants to avoid the commercial arrangements other CDN companies use to terminate traffic onto Comcast's and other providers' networks, and instead force Comcast to accept its CDN traffic for free, under a 'peering' relationship. This is not how peering works, here or anywhere in the world. What Level 3 is suddenly pushing--a &quot;new theory&quot; of peering--would throw the traditional, &quot;balanced traffic&quot; peering rulebook out the window, give Level 3 an unfair cost advantage over its competitors, and shift all of the costs from Level 3 and its content customers onto Comcast and its high-speed Internet customers.&quot; Comcast also issued this response to Level 3's latest claims:&quot;Level 3 has said nothingnew.&amp;nbsp' The fact remains this is a business dispute regarding trafficratios, commonly referred to as peering, between Comcast and Level 3 which weare committed to resolve fairly and consistently with established industryprinciples.&amp;nbsp' Industry experts and analysts overwhelmingly agree, &amp;nbsp'astheir commentary has shown all week long.&amp;nbsp' The most important thing toknow about this dispute is that Comcast will do absolutely nothing to impact&amp;nbsp'our high-speed Internet customers, who can and will be able to access anyInternet content they want, including streaming video from all sources.&quot;So far Level 3 has not filed a complaint or any other documents with the Federal Communications Commission over its Net neutrality charges. It simply has said that it's letting policy makers and Congressional leaders know of its concerns. This is curious given that the FCC is the agency that should and could look into these concerns. In fact, it is currently drafting official regulations right now on this very issue. Even though Level 3 has not officially reached out to the FCC, Chairman Julius Genachowski said this week that the agency is looking into the matter. The agency was contacted for a comment on this story but did not respond before it was published.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Ford to use recycled clothes in next-gen Focus]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ford-to-use-recycled-clothes-in-next-gen-focus</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ford-to-use-recycled-clothes-in-next-gen-focus</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Nov 2010 08:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>critolly</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ford-to-use-recycled-clothes-in-next-gen-focus</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Cotton from recycled blue jeans, and other materials, will appear in the new Focus as part of its effort to use eco-friendly materials.(Credit:Ford)Ford's spin on &quot;reduce, reuse, and recycle&quot; includes your old blue jeans.The auto maker today announced that the 2012 Focus, on sale early next year in North America and Europe, will use cotton from recycled clothing for carpet backing and sound-absorption materials inside thecar. These materials will supposedly provide a much quieter cabin.&quot;Ford is continually looking for greener alternatives,&quot; said Carrie Majeske, product sustainability manager. &quot;Recycled content is a way to divert waste from landfills and reduce the impact of mining virgin material.&quot;Ford already uses non-metal recycled and bio-based materials in new vehicles (such as the 2011 Explorer), including soy foam seat cushions, recycled resins for underbody systems, recycled yarns on seat covers, and natural-fiber plastic for interior components.Ford says it will use the equivalent of two pairs of blue jeans in each new Focus.&quot;The good news is these jeans didn't end up in a landfill, nor did we use the water, fertilizer, and land to grow virgin cotton,&quot; Majeske said. &quot;It's an alternative that our customers can appreciate, it's cost effective, and it's better for our planet. These are the kinds of sustainable solutions we are looking for in all our vehicles.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Keeping tabs on tablets (week in review)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=keeping-tabs-on-tablets-week-in-review</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=keeping-tabs-on-tablets-week-in-review</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 26 Nov 2010 08:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Simoncarter</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=keeping-tabs-on-tablets-week-in-review</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amid all the news of Black Friday deals, holiday sales, and Cyber Monday malware, it was the new kid on the block--the tablet--that grabbed the bulk of gadget headlines this week. Of course, the first question for consumers is whether to give in to the hype or wait to buy a tablet. CNET's Donald Bell surveyed the current state of tablets, from theiPad to the Galaxy Tab, and ultimately finds that if you really want one, there aren't many compelling reasons to wait--no game changers on the horizon. That said, you can expect low-priced tablets to flourish in the coming years, so steer clear of two-year carrier contracts if you want to stay nimble.  Acer, for example, unveiled this week its upcoming line of Windows and Android tablets.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Home Energy Score program aims to boost retrofits]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=home-energy-score-program-aims-to-boost-retrofits</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=home-energy-score-program-aims-to-boost-retrofits</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Shilpa</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=home-energy-score-program-aims-to-boost-retrofits</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Obama administration today launched of an energy efficiency program that will provide consumers with a home efficiency rating. Vice President Joe Biden, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and other officials announced that the initiative, called the Home Energy Score program, is now in pilot phase in ten communities. The DOE also announced a set of guidelines for home efficiency workers which provide specifications for high-quality work.The program is designed to encourage homeowners to make energy-saving upgrades and to jump-start the industry for home energy retrofits, Biden said in a statement. It will also include financing for homeowners and software that will let energy contractors give consumers the home efficiency equivalent of miles per gallon forcars.(Credit:U.S. Department of Energy)After an energy audit, the software system will generate a label, called a Home Energy Score, that rates on a scale of one to ten how much energy a home uses and what the potential energy savings can be after upgrades, such as adding insulation, air sealing, and more efficient heating and cooling. Having a numerical score will show consumers how much money they spend on energy annually and make them more likely to invest energy upgrades, Chu said in a statement. Based on the findings of the pilot program, the DOE expects to roll it out nationally next year.Consumers can apply for up to $25,000 in PowerSaver loans through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which expects that 24,000 homes will qualify during a two-year pilot program, according to USA Today. This home energy retrofit program follows a $5 billion weatherization investment that was part of the stimulus package last year. Another effort is Home Star, nicknamed Cash for Caulkers, which would provide rebates to consumers for investing in energy efficiency retrofits. Home Star was a component to different energy bills considered by members of Congress over the past two years but has not yet passed. It also had a rating system and method for overseeing the quality of the work done by contractors. One of the challenges to the energy retrofit business is having qualified workers who can recommend valuable home efficiency work and then verify the results. An audit done by the DOE's Inspector General Office of Audit Services of the stimulus weatherization program in Illinois found &quot;substandard performance&quot; in the assessments, the actual weatherization work, and contractor billing. (click for PDF of report.) The Home Energy Score initiative, which came out of a report called Recovery Through Retrofits (click for PDF), will &quot;help take same of the guesswork out of making energy-efficient upgrades to our homes,&quot; the Consumers Union, the non-profit which publishes Consumer Reports, said in a statement.Consumers should realize, though, that energy-efficiency upgrade decisions are very specific to individual homes, said Matt Golden, the president of Recurve, which makes software and provides energy retrofit services. He added that the standards and codes that DOE are providing will be very useful to home efficiency professionals. Updated at 12:00 p.m. PT with changes throughout.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[First Windows Phone 7 devices on sale now]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=first-windows-phone-7-devices-on-sale-now</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=first-windows-phone-7-devices-on-sale-now</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>debqowoga</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=first-windows-phone-7-devices-on-sale-now</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In February 2010, Microsoft introduced Windows Phone 7 to the world. With the complete overhaul of its mobile operating system, Microsoft got the tech world excited about the OS again with its fresh user interface, added features, and promises of improved performance. We've had to wait a long time since then to see ifWindows Phone 7 actually delivers everything it promises, but we finally got a chance to find out, and for the most part it does. There are certainly aspects that need to be fine-tuned and features that need to be added, but overall, Microsoft has created a very solid foundation to get them back in the game. Now, as we enter the second week of November, the first wave of devices are ready to hit the streets, with the Samsung Focus and HTC Surround arriving at AT&amp;amp'T, and the HTC HD7 heading to T-Mobile, all available starting today. We have full reviews of all three smartphones, as well as a in-depth look at Microsoft's new operating system, so read on to get all the details. Samsung FocusSamsung Focus(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET) Like the Surround, the Focus features a standard candy-bar design. The display is especially brilliant and we appreciated the great call quality and camera performance. On the downside, the Focus feels a bit plasticky and theXbox Live games load too slowly.The bottom line: For anyone looking for an alternative to theiPhone and who wants better multimedia features and a more organized user interface than Android offers, the Samsung Focus with Windows Phone 7 has all that plus solid performance and a sleek design. Samsung Focus review and First Look videoSamsung Focus photo gallery HTC Surround HTC Surround(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET) On the outside, we liked the speakers and the kickstand, and inside she appreciated the 1GHz processor, the 5-megapixel camera, and the full set of wireless options, Yet, we weren't crazy about the device's heft, the low speakerphone volume, and the limited support for landscape mode. Bottom line: The HTC Surround features the high-quality design that we've come to expect from HTC, but the only thing its built-in speakers really add to the phone is weight. Unless you're set on the speakers, the Samsung Focus is a sleeker Windows Phone 7 device for AT&amp;amp'T with slightly better performance and options. HTC Surround review and First Look videoHTC Surround photo gallery HTC HD7 HTC HD7(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET) The HTC HD7 holds the distinction for having the largest display of all the Windows Phone 7 devices available in the U.S. At 4.3 inches, the touch screen certainly plays well with the operating system's multimedia and gaming capabilities. We certainly would have liked to seen a couple more hardware improvements but overall, the HD7 delivers in a big way. Bottom line: The hardware could use a bit of updating, but the HTC HD7 for T-Mobile combines the power of Windows Phone 7 with a large touch screen and delivers satisfying performance. HTC HD7 review and First Look videoHTC HD7 photo gallery Windows Phone 7 OS  Though it's missing some important features like copy/paste, third-party multitasking, and universal search, there's a lot we like about Windows Phone 7. The Zune integration is killer, the core apps are much improved, and we commend Microsoft for being big enough to acknowledge that its old OS wasn't working and taking a chance on rebuilding something from the ground up. The end result is something fresh, fun, and functional. Windows Phone 7 OS review Editors' note: The original version of this story was posted October 20. It has been updated to reflect the November 8 launch of Windows Phone 7 handsets. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Fun! The speed camera that doesn't just check your speed]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fun-the-speed-camera-that-doesnt-just-check-your-speed</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fun-the-speed-camera-that-doesnt-just-check-your-speed</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 06 Nov 2010 07:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Susanjohn</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=fun-the-speed-camera-that-doesnt-just-check-your-speed</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Everyone knows that speed cameras work.They create the discipline of a lissom lady in leather and make sure everyone understands just what the rules are. In fact, some people are so in awe of speed cameras' discipline that they develop speed camera phobia and try to steer clear of them whenever possible.This being a troubled world, there are those who believe that these marvels of technology are merely there to make money for local authorities. So what can these troubled people say to the fact that Arizona has removed its speed cameras because it couldn't make them pay Well, they could say that Arizonans simply weren't too keen on paying their tickets.Now, though, speed camera technology is going a little further. My heart began to chug beyond all speed limits when I read in the Daily Mail that there are new speed cameras, ones that don't merely check your speed.Will new, more sophisticated speed cameras bring discipline to our highways(Credit:CC 91RS/Flickr)This astounding conjunction of art, technology, and justice--known as Asset (Advanced Safety and Driver Support for Essential Road Transport)--is so packed with gizmos that it can discover you are breaking a multitude of laws all at the same time.Yes, Asset can check whether you're insured, whether you're wearing your seat belt, whether you're too close to thecar in front. It can even check whether your hands are in the correct 3:40pm position currently recommended in many states. Oh, I'm not entirely sure about that last one. But I am sure your veins are already pulsating at the idea of a speed camera that could, potentially, issue three or four tickets to you at once.Asset is currently being tested in Finland. So one can only wonder whether these speed cameras will be able to detect alcohol levels emerging with drivers' breath, as Finland has a long and interesting history with alcohol consumption.The Asset mechanism is really quite simple. It takes a multitude of pictures and wafts them back by satellite to a large central database. Think of it as a real-time Google search of your car. The Mail suggests that these fine machines--you know, machines that issue fines--will be in service across Europe by 2013. I know that many who live outside of Europe's confines will already be booking their trips in anticipation of such a large and speedy step forward for civilization. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Logitech keyboard goes solar]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=logitech-keyboard-goes-solar</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=logitech-keyboard-goes-solar</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>TheBestHawaiiSite</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=logitech-keyboard-goes-solar</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Just when you thought solar was headed everywhere--rooftops, utility poles, and deserts, to name a few places--it's coming to your keyboard too.Logitech&amp;39's solar-powered K750 keyboard(Credit:Logitech)Logitech today launched a wireless solar keyboard, its first. The K750 powers itself via integrated solar panels. Without light, the $79 keyboard can operate for three months.The keyboard's tech sounds very familiar to what you can find in a watch. Logitech's solar keyboard is powered by integrated solar panels across the top and comes with an app that will be available November 15. The app tracks battery levels and has a meter to alert you when power is low.Read more of &quot;Logitech launches solar-powered keyboard&quot; at ZDNet's Between the Lines.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Will HP, Dell, Sony answer 11-inch MacBook Air]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=will-hp-dell-sony-answer-11-inch-macbook-air</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=will-hp-dell-sony-answer-11-inch-macbook-air</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 30 Oct 2010 07:10:03 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Aragon</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=will-hp-dell-sony-answer-11-inch-macbook-air</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Neither Dell nor Hewlett-Packard nor Sony have laptops that compete directly with the 2.3-pound, 11.6-inch MacBook Air. Is this a new market segment that those three laptop leaders and others will have to address Sony has the Vaio Y series, but that hardly compares to the 11.6-inch MacBook Air.(Credit:Sony)Apple has a knack for creating new markets, theiPad being the most recent example. Though not as groundbreaking or broadly market-defining as the iPad, the smaller Air is clearly unique: wrapped in aluminum, while considerably lighter than a typical 3-pound 11.6-inch laptop. And it packs higher-end silicon--and better performance--than Netbooks. (I spent some time in three different Apple Stores in the Los Angeles area right after the new Airs were announced, and from what I saw, the 11.6-inch MBA elicited the most oohs and aahs--hands down.) I would submit that the Air has wedged itself (pun intended) into an elite sub-2.5-pound laptop segment where little direct competition currently exists. There are hordes of 10-inch class Netbooks out there. But, again, a $350Windows 7-based Netbook is a very different class of laptop. Then there are products like Dell's 11.6-inch Inspiron M101z. But that is a low-end plastic Netbook-class product. 2010 MacBook Air(Credit:Apple)Lenovo--though not listed up top--warrants an honorable mention with its IdeaPad U160 11.6-inch laptop, which has the screen measurements to match the 11.6-inch Air but is about a pound heavier and for all intents and purposes is a fairly conventional Intel Core i series-based laptop that's been squeezed into a tight form factor. And Acer has the 11.6-inch TimeLineX series, but this is three pounds and really not in the same class as the Air. As pointed out in a previous post, Sony has its Vaio X, Y, and Z series, but the former is a Netbook and the latter two are 13-inch designs,  which are not nearly as sleek and small (at 4 and 3 pounds, respectively) as the 11.6-inch Air, albeit the Vaio is competitively priced and offers faster Core i series processors and higher-end Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics. But, again, size is the key metric for comparison. So, who might offer some direct competition Sony has the technological wherewithal and design sense to come up with a sub-2.5-pound non-Netbook design. If for no other reason than they've done it before. Ditto for Dell in the design sense department. It could downsize the Adamo. But, then, I have to wonder if Dell still has the stomach or incentive to go toe to toe with Apple again, since its Adamo--though stunning--has not generated the excitement of an Apple product. A design like the Sony Vaio X with more robust silicon would compete well with the 11.6-inch Air.(Credit:Sony)And HP I've followed HP-Compaq laptop design since Compaq acquired DEC's Hi-Note Ultra line--one of the first truly ultraslim laptops. The closest thing HP had to the Air in its consumer line was the 13-inch Envy, but that has been discontinued in favor of larger, bulkier 14-inch and 17-inch Envys. (Though refurbished Envy 13s are still available.) Let me add that, like the Dell M101z, I don't think that the 11.6-inch HP Pavilion dm1z series is in the same class as the Air. On the business side, HP and Compaq (which HP later acquired) have produced a long line of light, 12-inch form factor business laptops, currently branded as the EliteBook 2540p--which is a rugged, military-specced ultraportable. If HP tweaked the 2540p's design so it no longer accommodated a built-in optical drive, dropped the thickness below 0.8 inches, and offered a different choice of processors, it would have a serious competitor to the Air. But this may be just wishful thinking. Maybe Apple, once again, will find itself happily flying solo where others dare not go. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jasonmichael004</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It&amp;'s Christmas time for Instapaper fanatics: Developer Marco Arment has finally delivered Instapaper 3.0 for the iPhone and iPad, bringing with it new social features, sharing options, and more.For  those not familiar with the insanely useful service, Instapaper lets  you easily save articles on the web to read later. Saved articles appear  in a minimal format that strips out unnecessary distractions like ads.  You can read the saved pieces on Instapaper&amp;'s website, and Arment... Continue ReadingAOL eliminated approximately 900 jobs today, including 200 US employees in the media and tech group and 700 people in India.In a company memo that has leaked out to a number of news organizations, chief executive Tim Armstrong tries to paint the move as a positive and necessary step towards turning the company around, saying it will a4Asignificantly improve AOLa4a4s ability to focus on growth.a4 And despite the layoffs, Armstrong said AOL will be... Continue ReadingRadiumOne said it has raised $21 million for a new digital ad network that leverages the social web.That a lot of capital for an ad-based startup, but the San Francisco company believes it can deliver superior advertising performance through its patent-pending ShareGraph technology. The ShareGraph technology analyzes how users communicate with their closest connections and then identifies the specific consumers who are most likely to engage with a brand&amp;'s ads. RadiumOne says this works... Continue ReadingVideo game players finally bought enough games in February to push the monthly sales numbers above year-ago figures, with February sales coming in 3 percent above a year ago.Total sales of game hardware, PC games, console games, and  portables rose 3 percent to $1.36 billion from $1.33 billion a year ago, according  to market researcher NPD. The report is encouraging since many months have been negative compared to year ago numbers. The core video... Continue ReadingThere&amp;'s trouble brewing over at Clearwire, the 4G network company in which Sprint holds a non-controlling majority stake. Chief executive Bill Morrow has resigned from his positions as CEO and executive board director, citing the usual &amp;''personal reasons,&amp;'' the company announced today.Current Clearwire chairman of the board John Stanton will replace Morrow as interim CEO. Stanton was formerly the head of VoiceStream Wireless, a company that in 2001 was bought out by Deutsche Telekom... Continue ReadingIn a move that threatens Intel&amp;'s lock on vast swaths of the computing market, the Chinese-made Loongson chip will take a giant step from netbooks to supercomputers later this year.&amp;''Like a country&amp;'s industry cannot always depend on foreign steel and oil, China&amp;'s information industry needs its own CPU,&amp;'' or central processing unit, said Hu Weiwu, the lead architect Loongson microprocessors, to the Peoplea4a4s Daily newspaper.Intel doesna4a4t have to worry yet: It will take... Continue ReadingJustin.tv, a site that lets web browsers watch and publish live video streams, is recruiting additional developers to build an exclusive electronic sports live-streaming website for games like real-time strategy game Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty.The live streaming site launched a new landing page for job-seekers, saying it wants to &amp;''be the world&amp;'s best live esports site.&amp;'' Justin.tv is already widely used as a place to broadcast live streams of video game matches in... Continue ReadingWhen it comes to iPad 2 reviews, there aren&amp;'t many surprises.  Ita4a4s thinner, faster, and lighter, just like Apple claimed when it was unveiled last week.Reviewers all agree that ita4a4s still the best tablet on  the market right now. After all, ita4a4s Applea4a4s second stab at a tablet, while most competitors are still struggling to launch their first entries (Samsung is one of the rare exceptions with last yeara4a4s Galaxy  Tab).For new tablet... Continue ReadingProduction and installation of solar power fixtures grew 67 percent in the United States a4&quot; but it wasn&amp;'t enough to keep up with booming demand and growth of the solar power industry in Europe, according to a new report by the Solar Energy Industries Association.The U.S. solar power industry grew 67 percent to $6 billion in 2010, up from $3.8 billion in 2009, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.Solar electric installations generated... Continue ReadingIt seems pretty obvious nowadays that companies need to engage with their customers on social networking sites like Twitter. But how can they find the comments that are really worth a response A startup called InboxQ has one answer: Look for the questions.The San Francisco company was incubated at Y Combinator under the name Answerly and started out as a Q&amp;038'A search engine, but it relaunched last month with a new name and a... Continue ReadingMobile social game platform Scoreloop is encouraging iPhone game developers to switch sides with the launch of its Go Android campaign.Munich-based Scoreloop makes mobile games more social by infusing them with features such as achievements, leaderboards, friend requests and multiplayer challenges. It started on the iPhone and now it is encouraging developers to make games for Google&amp;'s Android operating system.This move is another nudge that could get the snowball rolling in Google&amp;'s favor... Continue ReadingGoogle suffered a black eye with the malware that targeted dozens of Android Market apps last week. But even as users clean out their phones, now comes this: the Android Market Security Tool released by Google has been copied to third-party alternative Android markets and it is itself embedded with malware.The latest incident shows that it&amp;'s not that easy to keep a multifaceted mobile app ecosystem free of malware.On March 6, Google published... Continue ReadingIn a sign of the growing importance of computers in education, Lenovo has signed up to join Intel&amp;'s Classmate PC program which sells child-friendly computers to governments and schools.The education market for PCs is booming worlwide as schools and teachers see more value in low-cost web-connected computers as learning devices.Lenovo is now making its Lenovo Classmate+PC and will sell them for $300 to $400, depending on configuration. Lenovo&amp;'s first major customer is Argentina&amp;'s... Continue ReadingLinkedIn just announced a new product today called, uh, LinkedIn Today. It&amp;'s an online news site with the most-shared headlines on the professional networking service.At first glance, this might not seem all that different from all the other news services pulling headlines from Facebook and Twitter. The difference, however, is that LinkedIn Today is connected to users&amp;' professional identities, which means it can filter the headlines in a cool new way. For example, if... Continue ReadingThere is no bubble forming around Silicon Valley or tech startups because white-hot companies like Twitter and Facebook are able to show they have fundamental value and are capable of making money, Phil Black, co-founder at early stage venture capital outfit True Ventures told me today.&amp;''There is no bubble at current moment. There are very successful Internet businesses being created that are growing very rapidly and are making a lot of pretax profit,&amp;'' said... Continue ReadingBain Capital Ventures has led an $8.3M investment round in Clovr Media, which has built the first platform that converts banner, text-link, video, or mobile ads into card linked offers.The company, which aims to pioneer &amp;''Loyalty 2.0,&amp;'' or the next generation of consumer loyalty programs, gives advertisers the ability to offer special discounts to consumers without requiring any payment up front or paper coupons from users. The company works with financial institutions to present... Continue ReadingSome of the excitement around real-time search seems to have died down recently &amp;8212' Ia4a4m no longer seeing hordes of startups embracing the term, and some of the most prominent companies that were active in the space have refocused. But investors still seem to be optimistic about San Francisco startup Topsy, which just announced that it has raised $15 million in a third round of funding.Like other real-time search engines, Topsy allows users to... Continue ReadingThe Go Game, creators of location-based scavenger hunts for companies, today announced the launch of a do-it-yourself iPhone application for creating and participating in local scavenger hunts, according to a company announcement.The application, which is now available in the Apple App Store, is being released at South by SouthWest (SXSW) with basic functionality, including the ability to challenge other players and participate in local scavenger hunts around Austin, Texas, where the event is held.... Continue ReadingMarket research firm Forrester isn&amp;'t putting too much stock in the hype surrounding upcoming Android 3.0 tablets. Instead, the company believes that Amazon is best suited to take on the iPad when it decides to enter the tablet arena.What&amp;'s the problem with Android slates like Motorola&amp;'s recently released Xoom Forrester considers them all too expensive, and they also can&amp;'t match the Apple Store&amp;'s retail experience. Forrester has found that consumers also find Apple&amp;'s products... Continue ReadingAccel Partners and Atomico Ventures have co-led a $42 million investment round for Rovio, the creator of the Angry Birds Franchise.The Angry Birds game is played by 40 million monthly active users and, with sales of over 2 million plush toys, has become one of the most recognized entertainment franchises. The game has had well over 75 million downloads.Rovio plans to use the money to increase its reach internationally and to expand across... Continue Reading<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google launches ebook store with world&'s largest library of titles]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-launches-ebook-store-with-worldrsquos-largest-library-of-titles</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-launches-ebook-store-with-worldrsquos-largest-library-of-titles</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lynda</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-launches-ebook-store-with-worldrsquos-largest-library-of-titles</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Is this the end of Amazon&amp;'s ebook reign Google is launching its new open ebook store today, simply called Google eBooks, with over 3 million titles, in a bid to take on the ebook world dominated by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple.As we reported previously, Google&amp;'s ebook venture will be more open than its competition. Consumers will be able to browse and search Google&amp;'s enormous ebook library, and they can read ebooks on any web enabled device. Your ebook library will be tied to your Google account and will be accessible through any web browser. You&amp;'ll be able to buy ebooks directly from Google, or from independent bookseller partners like Powell&amp;'s, Alibris and participating members of the American Bookseller&amp;'s Association.Google wisely isn&amp;'t relying on the web entirely, as the company is releasing free Google eBooks apps for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. The apps will let users continue reading where they left off when they switch devices, just like ebook reading apps from Amazon and Apple. You&amp;'ll also be able to browse and purchase ebooks from within the apps. Google is also providing an app for Barnes and Noble&amp;'s Nook and Sony&amp;'s ebook readers. There&amp;'s no word on Kindle compatibility yet, but I wouldn&amp;'t hold your breath for that.The ebook store will also tie into Google Books, the company&amp;'s digitization project for the world&amp;'s books. Google says that is has scanned more than 15 million books since the project began in 2004 from more than 35,000 publishers. You&amp;'ll be able to search through Google&amp;'s scanned offerings in the research section of its ebook store.I don&amp;'t suspect that Google will initially be very successful with this ebook venture. Competitors like Amazon and Barnes and Noble are already entrenched in the market, and consumers interested in ebooks are already loyal to at least one of Google&amp;'s competitors. But Google does boast a bigger library than the rest with 3 million titles (including some 2 million free public domain titles), compared to Barnes and Noble&amp;'s 2 million (with public domain titles) and Amazon&amp;'s 750,000 (not including public domain). It&amp;'s unclear how Google&amp;'s paid ebook library compares to Amazon&amp;'s, a company that has had years to form relationships with publishers.The open nature of Google&amp;'s ebook store may eventually help the company grab a bigger slice of the market. You&amp;'ll eventually be able to purchase Google ebooks from multiple sources, as well as see them marketed on blogs and other sites on the web. That&amp;'s a big difference from Amazon&amp;'s Kindle books, which you can only purchase from within Amazon&amp;'s store. Google also has the advantage of not being burdened by a device &amp;8212' instead it&amp;'s built a system that can work with practically any device.Next Story: Loopt unveils new check in features with launch of version 4.0 Previous Story: Treemetrics 3D scanning helps loggers make more money cutting fewer treesPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Android, ebooks, Google Books, Google eBooks, iPad, iPhone, kindle, Nook, smartphone, tabletCompanies: Alibris, Amazon, Apple, Barnes And Noble, Google, Powell&amp;'s          Tags: Android, ebooks, Google Books, Google eBooks, iPad, iPhone, kindle, Nook, smartphone, tabletCompanies: Alibris, Amazon, Apple, Barnes And Noble, Google, Powell&amp;'sDevindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[WikiLeaks documents lay bare vast hacking attempts by Chinese leaders]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-documents-lay-bare-vast-hacking-attempts-by-chinese-leaders</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-documents-lay-bare-vast-hacking-attempts-by-chinese-leaders</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sypecease</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wikileaks-documents-lay-bare-vast-hacking-attempts-by-chinese-leaders</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The latest WikiLeaks documents unveiled by the New York Times show a vast attempt to hack sites such as Google, driven by the Chinese leadership.The tale begins with a secret State Department cable, obtained and leaked by WikiLeaks, that shows Li Changchun, a member of China&amp;'s top ruling body, the Politburo Standing Committee, becoming obsessed with Google&amp;'s search engine and its ability to get around China&amp;'s censorship. Li was shocked to discover that, when he Googled himself, he found results that criticized him. The cable, dated May 18, 2009, was one of many that showed how China&amp;'s leaders were afraid of the threat posed by the internet to their control of China.The Chinese leaders also saw how they could hack into computers in the U.S. to obtain secrets. The cables say that the Chinese used cyber hacking to obtain a wide array of American government and military data. They hacked, for instance, the computers of diplomats involved in climate change talks with China. The Secretary of State office had to send a warning not to respond to &amp;''spear phishing&amp;'' attacks aimed at agency officials during June, 2009.One cable alleged that Li himself directed an attack &amp;8212' or personally oversaw the campaign of attack &amp;8212' on Google&amp;'s servers. The cables also say that China&amp;'s coercion of Google to comply with censorship laws occurred over years before Google finally decided to pull out of China last spring. During the attacks, hackers obtained the email accounts of Chinese dissidents and got access to Google&amp;'s proprietary software code.The Chinese wanted to delete material not only on the Dalai Lama or the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. It also wanted Google to censor Google Earth satellite images that showed Chinese government facilities, out of fear terrorists could use them to plan attacks. One cable said that Liu Jieyi, an assistant minister of foreign affairs, warned the U.S. Embassy in Beijing that there would be a4Agrave consequencesa4 if terrorists exploited the imagery.The report also says that China&amp;'s State Council Information Office concluded in a report last spring that, thanks to the pressure on Google and other surveillance, &amp;''the web is fundamentally controllable.&amp;'' One previously unknown attack in 2008, code-named Byzantine Candor, yielded more than 50 megabytes of emails and a complete list of user names and passwords from an American government agency. Chinese hackers in Shanghai &amp;8212' linked to the People&amp;'s Liberation Army &amp;8212' used a document labeled &amp;''salary increase &amp;8212' survey and forecast&amp;'' to lure unsuspecting targets into clicking on some kind of malware.The New York Times said it was not clear how the attacks were coordinated, as many appeared to rely on &amp;''Chinese freelancers&amp;'' and &amp;''patriotic hackers&amp;'' with the support of civilian or military authorities. The attacks on Google evidently involved multiple government leaders, the cables said. Google tried to negotiate with China and get the U.S. government to intercede on its behalf. Google ultimately stopped complying with censorship requests and stopped offering a censored version of its search engine in China earlier this year. It finally struck a deal with the Chinese by offering an intermediate landing page that mollified the Chinese government.Those are some of the highlights of the story, which is quite chilling for entrepreneurs wanting to do any kind of technology business with China. For the rest of the story, click on this link.Next Story: Why Google needs the video digital-rights technology behind Netflix Previous Story: Is Silicon Valley in a new bubble (poll)PrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: censorship, ChinaCompanies: GooglePeople: Li Changchun          Tags: censorship, ChinaCompanies: GooglePeople: Li ChangchunDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Attack of the robot massager (video)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=attack-of-the-robot-massager-video</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=attack-of-the-robot-massager-video</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jupnoteroh2534</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=attack-of-the-robot-massager-video</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The age of the domesticated robot is upon us. Dream Bots showed off its Whee Me portable massage robot at the Consumer Electronics Show this week.The robot was one of many it the Robotics Zone at CES, which was populated by a large number of robots meant to service humans. It was like something out of an Isaac Asimov novel. It seems that robots are as popular as ever, especially when given a narrow task like the Whee Me&amp;'s job of giving you a massage.Judging by the crowd of folks standing around it, it was a popular gadget at the that illicited a lot of smiles and camera clicks. (And I suppose the crowd may have had something to do with the model who displayed it).The robot can give your body a gentle massage as it drives back and forth over your body. It&amp;'s smart enough not to fall off, since it has sensors that detect the edge of your body. One reviewer reported that it offered a light massage, not a deep one. The Israeli company says the robot will debut in the fourth quarter of 2011 and cost $69. Check out the video of the robot in action.Previous Story: Your eyeballs can be game controllersPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: CES, CES 2011, Consumer Electronics Show, robot massager, Whee MeCompanies: Dream Bots          Tags: CES, CES 2011, Consumer Electronics Show, robot massager, Whee MeCompanies: Dream BotsDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.Name (required)Mail (will not be published) (required)WebsiteVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Thank You Sir (AOL), May We Have Another&nbsp'(Link)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=thank-you-sir-aol-may-we-have-anothernbsplink</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=thank-you-sir-aol-may-we-have-anothernbsplink</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Cheery</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=thank-you-sir-aol-may-we-have-anothernbsplink</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When AOL bought us a month ago, we were promised a lot of things: autonomy, resources, inappropriately long corporate meetings, and fame. So far, AOL has come through on the first three. But fame, by which I mean homepage love on aol.com, had thus far eluded us. But today that changed. Boy did it ever.Yesterday, we got word from our corporate overlords that they were likely to test a link to one of our stories on their homepage in the near future. Today, when scanning our referrer logs, we noticed something interesting. A massively huge tidal wave of traffic from aol.com.Just how huge was this wave of traffic Let&amp;'s put it this way: so far today, AOL is not only the number one referrer to TechCrunch, it&amp;'s tripling the number two: Twitter. That&amp;'s just from one little link to one story on a rotating tile on the homepage. It&amp;'s fairly amazing.I point this out for two reasons. One, to boast about this awesome power we nowa4spossess. Two, it&amp;'s a great reminder of the power of the big boys a4&quot; even the ones you don&amp;'t really think about anymore. Both AOL and Yahoo still have two of the most trafficked homepages on the web. While they may have fallen out of favor with the tech elite, the so-called &amp;''normals&amp;'' seem to love them. I have to assume these are also the same people that click on web ads.So, in all seriousness, I&amp;'ll now nicely ask AOL: thank you sir, may we have another[image: Universal Pictures]CrunchBase InformationAOLTechCrunchInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Service delivers flattery by phone, on demand - Springwise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=service-delivers-flattery-by-phone-on-demand---springwise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=service-delivers-flattery-by-phone-on-demand---springwise</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Samya01</dc:creator>
<category>Entertainment</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=service-delivers-flattery-by-phone-on-demand---springwise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but therea4a4s no doubt a few well-placed compliments can work wonders too. Where Pink Kisses delivers flattery by text message to help restore a newly single womana4a4s post-breakup confidence, Flatter Me is a more general service that offers phone calls full of praise for any occasion.For just USD 5, consumers can hire Flatter Me to call any friend or relation in North America and deliver a load of compliments. They can either customize the message themselves, or they can leave the compliments up to the Canadian firm. Calls are typically short and sweet, lasting between 30 seconds and one minute' common occasions for using the service include employee motivation, encouragement, birthday wishes and appreciation. A USD 10 package includes one call each week for a month.Ever hear the expression, a4AFlattery will get you everywherea4 Wea4a4re betting that ita4a4s absolutely right! '-) (Related: Service for sports fans aims to rub in the team rivalry a4&quot; Nagging service for dieters.) Website: www.flatterme.caContact: www.flatterme.ca/contact-us.htmlSpotted by: Miriam Glassman<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Clustrix picks up $12M from Sequoia to treat database upgrade headaches]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=clustrix-picks-up-12m-from-sequoia-to-treat-database-upgrade-headaches</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=clustrix-picks-up-12m-from-sequoia-to-treat-database-upgrade-headaches</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sonia01</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=clustrix-picks-up-12m-from-sequoia-to-treat-database-upgrade-headaches</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Clustrix, a provider of database software for storage nodes, announced today that it has raised $12 million in its second round of funding led by Sequoia Capital.The core part of the product is the software that is slapped onto third-party storage node appliances. It&amp;'s designed to let users install additional nodes without having to rewrite their database software or deal with any other changeover headaches like outages.The company is also in a good position to move into the cloud with its storage software that will prevent its users from having to rewrite their database code when they purchase additional storage space on public cloud servers, said Dan Liddle, director of marketing and business development for Clustrix.&amp;''When you exceed the performance of your big piece of iron that you lease in the cloud or your in-house databases, you have to do a wholesale change to your software architecture,&amp;'' Liddle said. &amp;''We can allow them to avoid having to ever shard their environment.&amp;''Salesforce, a large provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software, also recently announced a cloud-based storage service called database.com. The basic idea is to bring down costs of databases by allowing companies to spin up nodes whenever they need them, rather than having to install new ones. It&amp;'s also part of a fundamental shift to the cloud for most companies, even those reluctant to make the move for security and performance risks.But many larger companies that were initially on the cloud have had to come back to physical hardware for a number of security reasons and to help improve their performance. Companies that don&amp;'t need massive levels of storage that the cloud could provide are also a potential target, because they typically begin their company&amp;'s life off the cloud, Liddle said. That&amp;'s an area Clustrix will capitalize on for the time being until it readies its software for public cloud providers.The company was able to close its second round of funding rather quickly and had a large number of offers, but went with its existing investors in Sequoia Capital, U.S. Venture Partners and ATA Ventures.The most recent round of funding brings Clustrix&amp;'s total funding up to $30 million.The San Francisco, Calif.-based company has 35 employees and came out of stealth mode in May.Previous Story: Abound Solar to compete on cost after closing on a sunny $510 millionPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Companies: Clustrix, salesforcePeople: cloud computing, database          Companies: Clustrix, salesforcePeople: cloud computing, databaseMatthew Lynley is VentureBeat's enterprise writer. He graduated from University of North Carolina, where he studied math and physics, in May 2010. He has reported for Reuters. He currently lives in San Francsico, Calif. You can reach him at mattl@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @logicalmoron.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Note to Estranged Co-Founders: Settle Your Baggage First, Pitch Reporters&nbsp'Second]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=note-to-estranged-co-founders-settle-your-baggage-first-pitch-reportersnbspsecond</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=note-to-estranged-co-founders-settle-your-baggage-first-pitch-reportersnbspsecond</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>cupuniahoy</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=note-to-estranged-co-founders-settle-your-baggage-first-pitch-reportersnbspsecond</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I posted a story earlier today about a cool company called Bonobos, which makes better-fitting hipster pants and just raised $18.5 million in funding. I did an extensive interview with the founder and CEO Andy Dunn last night and asked a lot of detailed questions about how the company was founded and the early days. At the end, I asked if there was anything else I didn&amp;'t ask that I should know. His answers were reflected in the story I wrote and posted this morning.And then all Hell broke loose in Bonobos land. As far as I can tell, Dunn didn&amp;'t say anything inaccurate, and so I didn&amp;'t write anything inaccurate. But by all accounts the details of his co-founder&amp;'s role in launching the company were glossed over. To Dunn&amp;'s credit, he was the first one to call me this morning and ask me to make some changes to reflect what he&amp;'d left out. I&amp;'ve since updated the original story to explain that Brian Spaly was really the one who designed the pants in the early days, and the ideas for how to fix the problem with how pants fit were his. Afterwards the two had a falling out, the accounts of which are mixed and I won&amp;'t hash out the he-said/he-said debate that I&amp;'ve been dragged into today.None of this is uncommon when two friends or roommates start a company. Startups are pressure cookers, and in the early days there are daily forks in the road about which a lot of founders disagree. And it doesn&amp;'t distract from how impressive of a job Dunn has done taking Spaly&amp;'s designs and building them into a burgeoning brand that captured a large funding round from two of the most prominent VCs in the space. And Spaly himself has gone on to found a new company called Trunk Club.But what was uncommon about it was that Dunn didn&amp;'t lay his cards on the table in the interview, and that I have been dragged into a nasty aftermath, instead of the two handling the disagreement between themselves before or after the fact.I bring this up to clear up any confusion, first of all. I&amp;'m not comfortable continually tweaking a story that dramatically without an explanation, especially since a lot of our stories are syndicated right when they are published, and other things are written based on what we write. But I also bring it up, because it&amp;'s an important lesson for every founder team. Lately, I&amp;'ve been hearing some anecdotal accounts of co-founders doing everything with a handshake and having huge misunderstandings later on. Have we learned nothing from Facebook&amp;'s lawsuitsEven if you are best friends and will be forever, formalize relationships on paper. And if one of you leaves the company, negotiate what that means, who is called a co-founder and who isn&amp;'t, what each of you gets credit for and how you will handle it when someone asks you about it. Because if you are successful, someone will. Neither Dunn nor Spaly should have been surprised this would become an issue when the company was raising large amounts of money and seeking press as part of its customer acquisition strategy. &amp;''Why&amp;'d you start this company&amp;'' shouldn&amp;'t be an unanticipated question when you&amp;'re pitching TechCrunch, and if your answer isn&amp;'t the unvarnished truth, at least make sure you&amp;'re all on the same page about what that answer is.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[NudgeMail gains momentum after teaming up with Google Calendar]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nudgemail-gains-momentum-after-teaming-up-with-google-calendar</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nudgemail-gains-momentum-after-teaming-up-with-google-calendar</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>chdresource</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nudgemail-gains-momentum-after-teaming-up-with-google-calendar</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Inbox &amp;''un-clutterer&amp;'' NudgeMail now has tens of thousands of users within the first three months of its launch, with a significant gain this week that CEO Jeremy Toeman told VentureBeat is likely due to the startup&amp;'s recently announced integration with Google&amp;'s much-used Google Calendar.&amp;''We&amp;'re really excited about the gCal integration, as it was one of the most-requested features from our users,&amp;'' Toeman told me. &amp;''With NudgeMail on gCal not only do existing NudgeMail users get an easy way to see all their reminders in one place, but it also makes the service more compelling to even more people.&amp;''NudgeMail announced its partnership with Google Calendar on Wednesday. It had originally launched in November to minimal fanfare.Created to help users reach that much-coveted &amp;''inbox zero,&amp;'' NudgeMail helps people manage their time and emails by synchronizing their important upcoming events.Without leaving their inbox, a user can set a reminder far ahead of time, simply by sending an email to NudgeMail about a major event.So, if a user wanted to remember an important date &amp;8212' say, an anniversary &amp;8212' they send an email to may 15@nudgemail.com, subject line &amp;''anniversary,&amp;'' and the date is automatically added to their Google or other device-related calendar.The platform&amp;'s &amp;''vocabulary&amp;'' also understands a huge number of &amp;''commands,&amp;'' including typos. For example, if a user emails &amp;''Tusday&amp;'' instead of &amp;''Tuesday,&amp;'' NudgeMail understands it.After that, the company sends the email back to the user, along with a few enhancements, such as a snooze bar. The entire system is secure and encrypted.The company says it doesn&amp;'t have any comparable competitors, because it does not require plugins, downloads or new software. That simplicity is what&amp;'s already bringing the service significant traction, said Toeman.It also works across multiple devices including office desktops, home laptops, iPad and smartphones.The company was founded by Toeman last year. He remains the founder and managing partner of Stage Two, a marketing and media relations firm, and was previously vice president of product development at Sling Media. Toeman is also known for co-founding digital media networking software company Mediabolic.NudgeMail currently has no external funding.UPDATE: Toeman offers some additional clarification in the comments.Next Story: On the GreenBeat: GE, NRG and ConocoPhilips create $300 million venture fund, Volt expands nationwide Previous Story: RIM begins limited production of BlackBerry PlayBook tabletPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: emailCompanies: Google, iPad, nudgemailPeople: jeremy toeman          Tags: emailCompanies: Google, iPad, nudgemailPeople: jeremy toemanRiley McDermid is a contributing reporter to VentureBeat. She was previously the online editor at institutional investing and trading forum Markets Media, which she joined in 2008 from Dow Jones/MarketWatch in New York. Her work has appeared in the The New York Times, the Associated Press, Portfolio Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Barrona4a4s. She has won awards from the American Society of Business Publishers and Editors, the Magazine Association of the Southeast, the Mississippi Press Association and the Atlanta Press Club, and was a finalist for the Pacemaker Prize for excellence in news reporting. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Groupon Board Will Meet Tomorrow To Decide On Google&nbsp'Deal]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=groupon-board-will-meet-tomorrow-to-decide-on-googlenbspdeal</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=groupon-board-will-meet-tomorrow-to-decide-on-googlenbspdeal</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lasidigo</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=groupon-board-will-meet-tomorrow-to-decide-on-googlenbspdeal</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amidst everyone in the world writing about the rumoreda4s$5.3 billion dollar Google Groupon offer at the moment, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the deal has not yet been sealed and that Groupon&amp;'s board of directors is holding a conference call tomorrow (Wednesday) to decide on whether or not they will accept Google&amp;'s offer.According to the Journal&amp;'s sources, &amp;''there&amp;'s a lot of debate going on&amp;'' over whether or not the deal will close and the startup might also be considering an IPO as an alternative to acquisition.In the meantime, at least one Googler seems to be overexcited about her company&amp;'s prospects. Here is Debbie Leight, Product Marketing Manager at Google, recommending Groupon to her friends on Facebook earlier today.CrunchBase InformationGoogleGrouponInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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