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<title>Haaze.com / Trish01 / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Google's WebM patent pals agree to share]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googles-webm-patent-pals-agree-to-share</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googles-webm-patent-pals-agree-to-share</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>svetalazz</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=googles-webm-patent-pals-agree-to-share</guid>
<description><![CDATA[These days, patent lawsuits have become the big guns that tech companies use to battle their competitors. But when it comes to Google's WebM video technology, the company is trying to establish a neutral zone of patent peace.Today, Google is announcing a program called the WebM Community Cross License initiative designed to dispel patent-related threats looming over freely usable video technology for the Web.Under the effort, members who join agree to license any WebM-related patents to each other, a move that offers mutual reassurance that the technology is royalty-free in practice as well as in Google's aspiration.&quot;Each grants to the other members a patent license for any patents that may be essential to WebM,&quot; said Mike Jazayeri, Google's director of product management for WebM.So far Google has signed up 16 other organizations for the effort, some of them obvious allies such as browser makers Mozilla and Opera Software. But other allies, such as Samsung and LG Electronics, have video-related patents one could judge as commercially viable by virtue of their relevance to H.264, WebM's biggest video encoding technology rival.The effort is an attempt to counter doubts raised about the patent purity of WebM by MPEG LA, which licenses the H.264 patent pool and is investigating the creation of a similar pool for VP8, the video encoding technology that along with the Vorbis audio codec is the core of WebM. MPEG LA has said it believes VP8 violates others patents, though it hasn't revealed any details.Google hopes the WebM Community Cross License, combined with its own usage of WebM, will allay concerns.&quot;We felt comfortable in including it in our own products and services,&quot; Jazayeri said, mentioning its YouTube video site and Chrome browser. &quot;We're hopeful the CCL will bring clarity and confidence&quot; to those considering using WebM themselves.If MPEG LA offered a VP8 patent pool, it might be convenient for some companies interested in using VP8 that are worried about potential lawsuits from patent holders. But it also would severely undermine Google's ambition to create a patent-free technology. For example, it would preclude it from inclusion in open-source software such as Mozilla'sFirefox and in standards such as HTML5 that seek to sidestep patent encumbrances.&quot;We genuinely believe the Web is as ubiquitous today as it is because the early founders made the core technologies of the Web open and freely usable,&quot; Jazayeri said. &quot;That's critical.&quot;Many important video patent holders such as Microsoft, Panasonic, Philips Electronics, Sharp, and Sony aren't on the list, though--at least yet.&quot;This is just the beginning,&quot; Jazayeri said. &quot;We are in active discussions [to] engage those who benefit from the Web ecosystem.&quot;The full list of partners so far is:&amp;149' AMD&amp;149' Cisco Systems&amp;149' Google&amp;149' HiSilicon Technologies (for itself and on behalf of its parent, Huawei)&amp;149' LG Electronics&amp;149' Logitech&amp;149' Matroska&amp;149' MIPS Technologies&amp;149' Mozilla Corporation&amp;149' Opera Software&amp;149' Pantech&amp;149' Quanta Computer&amp;149' Samsung&amp;149' STMicroelectronics (for itself and its affiliate, ST-Ericsson)&amp;149' Texas Instruments&amp;149' Verisilicon Holdings&amp;149' Xiph.Org FoundationGoogle has taken other measures to promote WebM. It's removed H.264 support from Chrome, putting its browser in the Mozilla and Opera camp rather than the Internet Explorer andSafari camp when it comes to HTML5 video built straight into Web pages. It's also begun transcoding all uploaded YouTube videos into WebM--a mammoth task from a computing standpoint--and already has transcoded the most popular videos such that 99 percent of what's seen on YouTube can be seen in WebM.It remains to be seen how effectively Google can counter MPEG LA. Google is hoping to marshal allies under the banner of an unencumbered Internet.&quot;I think the comments they've made at this stage aren't helpful to innovation on the Web, and I think others share that concern,&quot; Jazayeri said.To prevail, though, Google and its allies will have to convince others that the commercial value of a livelier Web outweighs the commercial value of any WebM-related patents they have. Today's explosion of patent suits suggests that tech giants with big patent portfolios might not be so eager to lay down their weapons.Corrected 10:58 a.m. PTto reflect that Google's initiative is about WebM video technology, not its related WebP effort for still images.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Amazon cloud outage derails Reddit, Quora]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-cloud-outage-derails-reddit-quora</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-cloud-outage-derails-reddit-quora</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>inxemiol</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amazon-cloud-outage-derails-reddit-quora</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Reddit was hampered by the AWS outage.(Credit:screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)A partial failure at Amazon Web Services' cloud-computing infrastructure brought down some Internet operations today, including the Web sites of Quora and Reddit.The outage struck the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service at Amazon's northern Virginia site, which handles AWS operations for the U.S. East Coast. The problems began at 1:41 a.m. PT, according to Amazon's AWS status dashboard, with delays and errors when connecting to servers over a network.A long list of customers has come to rely on Amazon EC2, which provides servers on a pay-as-you-go basis that lets customers ramp or down according to varying computing needs.Amazon said on the dashboard it was making progress in resolving the problems but as of 9 a.m. PT was still having troubles.Amazon offered this status update at 8:54 a.m. with a more detailed explanation but not a very optimistic tone. The problem started with a &quot;networking event&quot; that led to problems with how data is mirrored:We'd like to provide additional color on what were working on right now (please note that we always know more and understand issues better after we fully recover and dive deep into the post mortem). A networking event early this morning triggered a large amount of re-mirroring of EBS [Elastic Block Storage] volumes in US-EAST-1. This re-mirroring created a shortage of capacity in one of the US-EAST-1 Availability Zones, which impacted new EBS volume creation as well as the pace with which we could re-mirror and recover affected EBS volumes. Additionally, one of our internal control planes for EBS has become inundated such that it's difficult to create new EBS volumes and EBS backed instances. We are working as quickly as possible to add capacity to that one Availability Zone to speed up the re-mirroring, and working to restore the control plane issue. We're starting to see progress on these efforts, but are not there yet. We will continue to provide updates when we have them.The problems affected AWS customers:&quot;We'll be back shortly, we hope. Sorry, it sucks for us too,&quot; a note on the Web site of Quora, a site that lets people ask and answer questions. &quot;We'd point fingers, but we wouldn't be where we are today without EC2.&quot;And Reddit, a popular discussion site among the tech set, said, &quot;Amazon is currently experiencing a degradation.&quot;Today's outage also impaired Amazon's relational database service on the East Coast and its Elastic Beanstalk for automatically deploying, managing, and monitoring services. Most other services, such as the widely used Simple Storage Service (S3), appeared unaffected.Cloud computing takes many forms, but AWS' nuts-and-bolts ingredients are among the biggest successes of the idea. AWS services can be grafted on to a company's internal operations to provide extra computing capacity or to handle one particular operation such as data storage, or it can be the foundation of an entire Internet operation.When a cloud-computing provider has trouble, of course, it raises worries about the dangers of outsourcing operations to another company. But the full judgment about the merits of cloud computing must also factor in the reliability, expense, and adaptability of in-house operations, too.Updated 9:18 a.m. PTwith some explanation from Amazon about what went wrong.Quora was hurt by Amazon Web Services&amp;39' EC2 problems today.(Credit:screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Energy Dept: Obama's plug-in autos goal on track]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=energy-dept-obamas-plug-in-autos-goal-on-track</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=energy-dept-obamas-plug-in-autos-goal-on-track</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 07:10:37 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Suzana</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=energy-dept-obamas-plug-in-autos-goal-on-track</guid>
<description><![CDATA[President Barack Obama's goal of having 1 million plug-in vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015 is on its way to being met, a Department of Energy official said today.&quot;It's looking good,&quot; said Assistant Energy Secretary David Sandalow when asked by reporters on the chances of meeting the goal set by Obama.&quot;If you look at the plans of the major automotive manufacturers, there's a clear pathway to a million vehicles,&quot; Sandalow said.Sandalow spoke to reporters after his keynote address to the Society of Automotive Engineers in Detroit.Obama's goal of 1 million plug-in electric and hybridcars by 2015 was a campaign pledge that he has restated since becoming president in January 2009. The goal was widely seen as well beyond optimistic forecasts for expansion of the alternative vehicles at the time, and there is skepticism that it can be met.&quot;The pace of innovation in this industry is extraordinary, and the interest around the world is extraordinary,&quot; he said. &quot;But, partly it depends on American entrepreneurship and innovation. That's always served us very well in the past and I think it will do so in the future.&quot;The DOE will soon announce how it will handle cuts to its energy efficiency and renewable energy program. He said he was not ready to say how much of those cuts will come in the automotive sector.The cuts will not slow the Obama administration's effort on energy efficiency, he said.&quot;We will march forward aggressively to promote clean energy, and we've got the budget to do it,&quot; Sandalow said.Story Copyright (c) 2011 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Harman launches JBL wireless AirPlay speaker]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=harman-launches-jbl-wireless-airplay-speaker</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=harman-launches-jbl-wireless-airplay-speaker</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:10:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnoablimu</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=harman-launches-jbl-wireless-airplay-speaker</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Harmon&amp;39's JBL On Air Wireless Airplay Speaker Dock(Credit:Harman)Another AirPlay-compatible device has hit store shelves.Harman's JBL On-Air Wireless AirPlay Speaker Dock, which launched today, allows users to play music from their iTunes library or iOS-based devices over their wireless network. The device's screen displays album artwork and song information to let users know what's on at any given time. In addition, the speaker features aiPod/iPhone dock to let users charge their devices or play music when they can't stream content via AirPlay. The device also offers an FM radio tuner.Apple's AirPlay service allows for video, music, and photos to be streamed over a wireless network to compatible devices. However, the JBL speaker joins a relatively small number of products that actually work with Apple's AirPlay service, including the Apple TV, Denon AV receivers, and the Klipsch Gallery Series, among others.Apple AirPlay-compatible products (photos) Like many of the other AirPlay-compatible products in the wild, Harman's latest release, which retails for $349.99, is a bit expensive. Even so, those who are interested in picking one up can do so at Best Buy or Apple stores around the U.S.Further reading:Apple AirPlay: 10 things you need to know<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[$349 Wi-Fi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab available by April 10]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=349-wi-fi-only-samsung-galaxy-tab-available-by-april-10</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=349-wi-fi-only-samsung-galaxy-tab-available-by-april-10</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ternula1101</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=349-wi-fi-only-samsung-galaxy-tab-available-by-april-10</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Samsung Galaxy Tab (Credit:Josh P. Miller/CNET)Samsung has carved itself a respectable niche market with the Galaxy Tab. Although full sales figures aren't available, most information I've found put sales between 1 million and 2 million. It's not the 16+ million of theiPad, but this is about as close to that figure as anytablet has gotten.Although Samsung will be releasing at least two new Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) Galaxy Tabs in the next few months, the company isn't prepared to abandon the original Tab just yet. On Wednesday, Samsung Announced that a Wi-Fi version of the original Tab would be available from several retail stores and Web sites by April 10.The Tab comes loaded with Android 2.2, with no known plans to upgrade it to Android 3.0. Also, Samsung hasn't mentioned any hardware or design changes with the Wi-Fi Galaxy Tab, so we expect it to look and function the same as the original, aside from the whole Wi-Fi-only thing. Look for more coverage after we get our hands on it.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Samsung Factor review: Competent communicator]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=samsung-factor-review-competent-communicator</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=samsung-factor-review-competent-communicator</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>amandakark</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=samsung-factor-review-competent-communicator</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It&amp;39's got a smooth body that feels good in the hand, but tends toward the slippery side. (Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)At first glance, the Samsung Factor is a sturdy and attractive little flip phone that looks like nearly every other appealing Samsung flip phone to predate it.While it's true that the specs are deliberately modest--an e-mail app and browser are its only software trills--the Factor does a few things right. Call quality was good enough in our tests to add the Factor to the ranks of simple phones with strong call quality, and the dial pad is very nice to use.The Factor does elicit one major complaint, however. Find that, plus a video and other details and photos in our Samsung Factor review.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[April Fools' Day 2011--who's gonna get you, sucka]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=april-fools-day-2011-whos-gonna-get-you-sucka</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=april-fools-day-2011-whos-gonna-get-you-sucka</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Apr 2011 07:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>juparmanue29</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=april-fools-day-2011-whos-gonna-get-you-sucka</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Can you wrap your arms--and your mind--around April Fools&amp;39' Day Google is one of many tech companies embracing the spirit of the day--witness, for instance, Google Docs Motion.(Credit:Google)For years now, the tech industry has been a sucker for the &quot;gotcha&quot; moment every April 1. Teams at companies large and small cook up clever gadgets and widgets and such that sound ever so almost plausible. Or not. In case you hadn't already noticed, April Fools' Day is here again. A flurry of pranks has descended upon us via the Web. Some of them are quite smart and might just elicit a few chuckles from even the most cynical of us. Others are just plain goofy.We're keeping tabs on the April Fools' jokes for you below. Sift through them and decide for yourself which of these deserve your accolades and which should have never happened.Google got things going with an innovation called Gmail Motion. Forget the mouse and keyboard--Gmail Motion users can control their e-mail inbox Kinect-style with the movement of their body. Oh, and as one might expect, given Google's history, Gmail Motion is in beta. That full-bodied approach is also on tap for Google Docs Motion. Coming later this year, the option will allow Google Docs users to create documents with gestures. Users can put their fingertips together to make an &quot;O.&quot; They can use their upper body and hands to create a &quot;D.&quot; Google Docs Motion will have a total of more than 10,000 gestures available.Google has also entered the exercise business. The company announced today that with the help of its new Chromercise workout regimen, Web users will be able to improve their finger dexterity for faster typing speeds. The program uses a &quot;unique blend of aerobic motion and rhythmic accompaniment,&quot; Google says.Besides getting its users' fingers into shape, Google is doing its part to save them from saying things they wish they hadn't with its new Voice-alyzer. After an eventful night of imbibing, Google Voice users trying to place calls will need to spell words like &quot;embarrassed&quot; and &quot;Czechoslovakia.&quot; If they fail to spell those words correctly, they won't be able to place any calls. Thanks, Google.The PlayMobil Apple Store Playset.(Credit:ThinkGeek)The fine folks over at ThinkGeek have an imaginative new toy available for Apple fans: the PlayMobil Apple Store Playset, which &quot;introduces children to the magic of Apple.&quot; The Playset includes a full Apple Store, and more than 60 accessories, mini (or is that nano) Steve Jobs included. To get fellow Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak--on a Segway--you have to spring for the optional line pack. The whole kit and kaboodle is listed for a not-bad $179.99.Hulu has gone old-school. The company changed up its site to look like the good old days, complete with blinking words and scrolling links. And the best part is, its site now has all the content we all loved in the mid-1990s.Roku is delivering one of the most annoying remotes ever made. The company's new branded remote features all the logos of companies that wanted to advertise on its Roku player's remote. It's ugly, but it's flashy.Roku&amp;39's branded remote.(Credit:Roku)When walking around, there's nothing better than viewing the world in 3D. That's precisely why Toshiba has introduced the new 3D Spectacle, the world's first (and perhaps last) 3D monocle.Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor is all the rage in the mobile market right now, but harnessing the power of the dragon is what everyone is really after. That's why the company has unveiled the Way of the Dragon Retreat--a place where the company's engineers and Komodo dragons come together to &quot;explore the Cosmos together.&quot;Google is looking to hire a highly qualified candidate for an important new job: Autocompleter. As users from around the world start to input a query into Google Search, the Autocompleter's task is simple: think about and type out completions to their query. Among the requirements, candidates must have the ability to 32,000 words per minute, Google says.Google's WebGL &quot;body browser&quot; has been replaced--by a cow. Now, when users go to the body browser, rather than being able to look inside a human body, they can see inside a cow. You'd be surprised by how interesting it is.Who knew YouTube has been around for 100 years To commemorate its long and storied history, the folks over at Google have reverted YouTube's look and feel to its original design in 1911.After the New York Times made waves for putting its content behind a paywall, the Huffington Post has responded by forcing New York Times employees to pay for its content. Everyone else can still access the site's content for free.Who needs Angry Birds when there is Angry Nerds The folks over at Atlassian have unveiled the new game, which puts nerdy, flying birds in positions to kill pigs. Unfortunately for Atlassian, Angry Birds maker Rovio has already sent it a cease-and-desist letter.There are some out there who say the metric system should be the world's norm. But who knew Macrosoft (not to be confused with Microsoft) would move to the Metric Time System For reference, each &quot;Metric Day&quot; is made up of 10 Decidays.Our colleagues at ZDNet Australia have a suggestion for Research In Motion: a screenless BlackBerry. At least the device comes with a physical keyboard.Sir Richard Branson, the chief over at Virgin, really loves space. He loves it so much, in fact, that he bought Pluto today. He acquired the planet--he has reinstated it as one--for an undisclosed sum.Those who have some cash to burn and an infant should listen up: baby products maker Munchkin has launched a $1 million diaper pail, complete with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies.One of the biggest issues with April Fools' Day is no one knows who owns it. But Groupon might just have a solution. The company announced today that it has filed a patent application for April Fools' Day. The company says that going forward, &quot;you and your favorite corporate entities are barred from creating or participating in any April 1 prank without the express written consent of Groupon.&quot;Reddit is getting in on the April Fools' Day fun with a new service, called Reddit Mold. Every time a user gives mold to another, the number of comments the recipient can load is reduced by 10 . It gets worse. Each time a person receives mold, they will lose the ability to use a letter on the keyboard.For those who love their iPhones more than anything (or anyone) else, MarryYouriPhone.com has a solution. After going to the site, users can enter into marriage with Apple's smartphone and even purchase their official marriage certificate from the site. Isn't that sweetThe people over at Yahoo have finally realized that Flickr is spelled incorrectly. So, when users log into their Flickr accounts now, they will see that the site has been renamed &quot;Flicker.&quot; It's about time, don't you thinkWeb backup firm BackBlaze apparently thinks that backing up all kinds of data is simply too hard. In an effort to make things easier, the company will start backing up a user's Twitter account. The company is now called TwitBlaze. And best of all, those who have up to 100,000 messages will only need to pay $99 per month.Updated at 10:12 a.m. PT to include more pranks.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hackers exploit chink in Web's armor]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hackers-exploit-chink-in-webs-armor</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hackers-exploit-chink-in-webs-armor</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>tufailm</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hackers-exploit-chink-in-webs-armor</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A long-known but little-discussed vulnerability in the modern Internet's design was highlighted yesterday by a report that hackers traced to Iran spoofed the encryption procedures used to secure connections to Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and other major Web sites.This design, pioneered by Netscape in the early and mid-1990s, allows the creation of encrypted channels to Web sites, an important security feature typically identified by a closed lock icon in a browser. The system relies on third parties to issue so-called certificates that prove that a Web site is legitimate when making an &quot;https://&quot; connection.The problem, however, is that the list of certificate issuers has ballooned over the years to approximately 650 organizations, which may not always follow the strictest security procedures. And each one has a copy of the Web's master keys.Compromise related to fraudulent digital certificates is traced to IP addresses in Iran, Comodo says. (Credit:Comodo)&quot;There is this problem that exists today where there are a very large number of certificate authorities that are trusted by everyone and everything,&quot; says Peter Eckersley, senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation who has compiled a list of them.This has resulted in a bizarre situation in which companies like Etisalat, a wireless carrier in the United Arab Emirates that implanted spyware on customers' BlackBerry devices, possess the master keys that can be used to impersonate any Web site on the Internet, even the U.S. Treasury, BankofAmerica.com, and Google.com. So do more than 100 German universities, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and random organizations like the Gemini Observatory, which operates a pair of 8.1-meter diameter telescopes in Hawaii and Chile.It's a situation that nobody would have anticipated nearly two decades ago when the cryptographic protection known as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) began to be embedded into Web browsers. At the time, the focus was on securing the connections, not on securing the certificate authorities themselves--or limiting their numbers.&quot;It was the '90s,&quot; says security researcher Dan Kaminsky, who discovered a serious Domain Name System flaw in 2008. &quot;We didn't realize how this system would grow.&quot; Today, there are now about 1,500 master keys, or signing certificates, trusted by Internet Explorer andFirefox.The vulnerability of today's authentication infrastructure came to light after Comodo, a Jersey City, N.J.-based firm that issues SSL certificates, alerted Web browser makers that an unnamed European partner had its systems compromised. The attack originated from an Iranian Internet Protocol address, according to Comodo Chief Executive Melih Abdulhayoglu, who told CNET that the skill and sophistication suggested a government was behind the intrusion.Spoofing those Web sites would allow the Iranian government to use what's known as a man-in-the-middle attack to impersonate the legitimate sites and grab passwords, read e-mail messages, and monitor any other activities its citizens performed, even if Web browsers show that the connections were securely protected with SSL encryption. If Comodo is correct about the attack originating from Iran, it wouldn't be the first government in the region to have taken similar steps. Late last year, the Tunisian government undertook an ambitious scheme to steal an entire country's worth of Gmail, Yahoo, and Facebook passwords. It used malicious JavaScript code to siphon off unencrypted log-in credentials, which allowed government agents to infiltrate or delete protest-related discussions.Comodo's revelation throws into sharp relief the list of flaws inherent in the current system. There is no automated process to revoke fraudulent certificates. There is no public list of certificates that companies like Comodo have issued, or even which of its resellers or partners have been given a duplicate set of the master keys. There are no mechanisms to prevent fraudulent certificates for Yahoo Mail or Gmail from being issued by compromised companies, or repressive regimes bent on surveillance' Tunisia even has its own certificate-issuing government agency. &quot;These organizations act as cornerstones of security and trust on the Internet, but it seems like they're not doing basic due diligence that other organizations are expect to do, like the banks,&quot; says Mike Zusman, managing consultant at Web app security firm Intrepidus Group. &quot;I'm not sure what we need to do but I think it's time we start addressing the issue of trust and issues of certificate authorities potentially not living up to standards that they should be.&quot;Over the last few years, a handful of papers and demonstrations at hacker conferences have focused more attention on the topic. But the Comodo intrusion, which appears to be the first public evidence of an actual attack on the way the Web handles authentication, could be a catalyst for rethinking the way to handle security.Two years ago, for instance, Zusman was able to get a certificate from Thawte, a VeriSign subsidiary, for &quot;login.live.com&quot; just based on an e-mail address he created on the Hotmail domain. Even though it was revoked, it still worked in a Web browser during a demonstration at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. Comodo, too, has previously been shown to have lax security standards among its resellers as far back as December 2008. &quot;Remember, the only reason Iran has to go to the lengths they've gone to to get certificates is because they don't have a (certificate issuer) of their own... most countries can just generate their own,&quot; says Moxie Marlinspike, chief technology officer of mobile app developer Whisper Systems, who has discovered serious problems with Web authentication before. One problem, he says, is that companies that issue certificates have a strong economic incentive to make it as easy as possible to obtain them.Another worrisome aspect is that browser makers don't always have a good way to revoke fraudulent certificates. A discussion thread at Mozilla.org, makers of the Firefox browser, shows that after being alerted by Comodo, they had no process to revoke the faux certificates. Mozilla developers ended up having to write new code and test a patch, which took a few days and, even after its release, meant that only users who downloaded new versions of Firefox benefit.Google's Chrome, on the other hand, uses a transparent update system for desktop versions but not necessarily mobile ones. Microsoft said yesterday that &quot;an update is available for all supported versions of Windows to help address this issue.&quot;Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at the University of Cambridge's computer laboratory, offered an anecdote in this paper (PDF): &quot;I asked a panelist from the Mozilla Foundation why, when I updated Firefox the previous day, it had put back a certificate I'd previously deleted, from an organisation associated with the Turkish military and intelligence services. The Firefox spokesman said that I couldn't remove certificates--I had to leave them in but edit them to remove their capabilities - while an outraged Turkish delegate claimed that the body in question was merely a 'research organisation.'&quot;Jacob Appelbaum, a Tor Project developer who is a subject of a legal spat with the Justice Department over his work with WikiLeaks, says Mozilla should have warned of the vulnerability immediately and shipped Firefox 4 with a way to detect and revoke bad certificates turned on by default. (The technique is called Online Certificate Status Protocol, or OSCP).&quot;Mozilla's not taking their responsibility to the Internet seriously,&quot; said Appelbaum, who wrote an independent analysis of the situation. &quot;A Web browser isn't a toy. It's being used as a tool to overthrow governments...At the end of the day, they did not put their users first.&quot;Some long-term technical fixes have been proposed, with names like DANE, HASTLS, CAA (Comodo's Philip Hallam-Baker is a co-author), and Monkeysphere. The technology known as Domain Name System Security Extensions, or DNSSEC, can help. The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Eckersley, who runs the groups SSL Observatory that tracks SSL certificates, hints that he'll soon offer another proposal about how to reinforce the Web's cryptographic architecture.&quot;We do in fact need a way not to trust everyone,&quot; Eckersley says. &quot;We have 1,500 master certificates for the Web running around. That's 1,500 places that could be hacked and all of a sudden you have to scramble to dream up a solution.&quot;Further reading:Comodo analysis by Philip Hallam-BakerComodo incident reportAnalysis by Jacob AppelbaumEFF technical analysis of the fraudulent SSL certificatesFreedom to Tinker post by Steve SchultzeMicrosoft's blog postF-Secure's blog postImperialViolet.org post on March 18 titled &quot;Revocation doesn't work&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[IBM buys Tririga software in 'smart building' play]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ibm-buys-tririga-software-in-smart-building-play</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ibm-buys-tririga-software-in-smart-building-play</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 07:11:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>manziter4</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ibm-buys-tririga-software-in-smart-building-play</guid>
<description><![CDATA[IBM already manages computers with software. Now it wants to manage buildings. The computing giant today said it intends to acquire Las Vegas-based Tririga for an undisclosed amount, giving IBM software for managing a portfolio of buildings, including projects to improve building efficiency and lower carbon emissions.IBM said it is part of its strategy to give corporations better ways to manage their facilities and equipment. Tririga's applications will be part of IBM's Tivoli division of management software.&quot;Having one view of building operations worldwide will be a powerful tool to help organizations control and optimize their second-largest corporate expense--property,&quot; said Florence Hudson, energy and environment executive at IBM said in a statement. Tririga's software is aimed at facility managers, giving them a way to monitor buildings to improve their utilization or to manage maintenance. One application from the company is geared at improving efficiency and monitoring environmental factors, such as recycling rates and energy consumption. With it, a building manager can prioritize energy efficiency projects, such as changing out heating and cooling equipment, and monitor the results.Tririga is one of many companies moving into corporate building efficiency and environmental monitoring through software. Research company Verdantix named Tririga as one of the carbon and energy management software leaders, along with CA Technologies, Hara, and SAP.IBM's acquisition of Tririga follows its strategy of acquiring software companies and integrating their products to offer a broader set of products to corporations. It expands on IBM's &quot;smarter buildings&quot; campaign to apply technology, including sensors and analytical software, to improve efficiency and productivity. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Digg CEO: All's well, wait til you see what's next]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=digg-ceo-alls-well-wait-til-you-see-whats-next</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=digg-ceo-alls-well-wait-til-you-see-whats-next</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 21 Mar 2011 07:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Matthewu</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=digg-ceo-alls-well-wait-til-you-see-whats-next</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When the news broke late last week that Digg founder Kevin Rose had &quot;resigned&quot; from his post at the company to go after something new, things did not seem well for the start-up. But fear not, current CEO Matt Williams says--all the good changes coming from the company over the past six months were done by a group of people, not just the Digg founder.In a blog entry on Digg's blog posted this afternoon entitled &quot;the Digg goes on,&quot; Williams once again addresses Rose's departure, while sharing some insights about the company's recent gains in traffic, and its product plans over the next few months. But the gist is that Rose's scaled-back role is nothing new. &quot;Kevin continues to be committed to Digg's success' his role as founder, board member, and Diggnation host remains unchanged,&quot; Williams said, echoing the company's statement from last week. &quot;When I took over as CEO last September, Kevin stepped back from the day-to-day decisions. I'm proud of the great team we've got at Digg, and they're the ones to credit for the changes you've seen and the new direction we're pursuing.&quot;A frame from a February video of &amp;34'Digg Dialog&amp;34' in which Leo Laporte asks Matt Williams about response to recent site changes.(Credit:Digg Dialog/Screenshot by CNET)As for where that leaves Digg with a company figurehead, Williams told CNET in a phone interview that the job had long ago landed on him. &quot;That has been my role since taking over,&quot; Williams said. &quot;Kevin has purposely been the face of Diggnation and continues to do a series of interviews, but most of them have been around investing and start-up investments, more so than on Digg. In fact, just last week I was (at) South by Southwest speaking on the topic of the future of news, and so all the speaking engagements and PR and press activity, and frankly all activity around Digg, I'm handling.&quot;So what about that &quot;future of news&quot; Williams touted to CNET a yet-to-be-released version of the site, due in the next few months, that he says should make Digg more of a target for people to find the &quot;best of&quot; content on any particular interest. &quot;Without going into the depth of how the product will work, what I can say is we naturally want to take any type of interest you have and find the 20, 30, 50, or 100 people that really care about that topic--that community--and pull together them and the news and discussion around it,&quot; Williams said. &quot;I think many Web sites have built some around news and categories, and some around comments and discussion around topics, but what we're going to do is pretty different from what's out there.&quot; Unlike the personalized news feature, however, Digg expects users to be in charge of making the decisions.&quot;Digg made a name for itself in being able to have a community that could curate and build the best of. And if you could imagine a day where there's a best of for many different interests that you have, and then you get to meet new people and have conversations with them around those interests, that's where Digg can play a big part,&quot; Williams explained.That grand vision plays into two other areas the company is focusing on this year, Williams said: personalizing the news to have it feed into these communities, and the company's social ad platform, which lets advertisers publish ads to Digg's home page that look and function in a similar fashion to user-submitted stories. On the topic of the company's health, Williams said traffic is going in the right direction. The site now has more than 6 million registered users, which Williams said is growing by &quot;hundreds of thousands each month.&quot; That traffic accounts for 20 million monthly unique visitors worldwide, with some 1 million uniques a day, he said. Other numbers that have increased are the time on the site and the number of Digg votes on stories, both of which are up 20 percent since the company's &quot;low point&quot; in 2010.He said the company itself is growing once again as well, with new hires' that includes some recovery from layoffs, along with spots that had been left vacated like the VP of engineering, which earlier this month was filled by Ben Folk-Williams. &quot;We had a pretty hefty cash burn when I joined, we've really had to cut back the team pretty significantly about 35 percent of the staff at that point,&quot; Williams lamented. &quot;Since then we've lost a couple people, but we are definitely growing the team, especially in engineering.&quot;So will all these things add up to a comeback success for the beleaguered company Williams seems to think so. &quot;A lot of people still love content on Digg,&quot; he said. &quot;In fact they have a hard time finding the kind of content that we've got on Digg today.&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[This week in Crave: The 'Eye, Robot' edition]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-eye-robot-edition</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-eye-robot-edition</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 19 Mar 2011 07:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tiresandco</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-eye-robot-edition</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This microrobot might make it into your eye one day.(Credit:IRIS)Too busy relocating to your new Tron home to keep up with Crave this week Here's what you missed while you were trading in your comfy couches for stone-cold furniture only an isomorphic algorithm could love. &amp;149' If contact lenses make you nervous, you sure ain't going to like the eye-swimming microbot.  &amp;149' Microsoft's Dr. Kinect scrubbed in. &amp;149' Will Tiny Wings outfly Angry Birds  &amp;149' Android tablet smack-down!  &amp;149' FromiPad 1 to iPad 2: How to transfer your data. &amp;149' But, as Kent reminds us, there are iPad alternatives.  &amp;149' Component video is MIA on some 2011 Blu-ray players. Here's why.  &amp;149' We don't have Batman: Arkham City yet, but at least we have the trailer. &amp;149' Convert your Honda Civic to an all-electric--for a steep fee.  Got a story idea for us Don't worry about fees! Just send it on in to crave at cnet dot com. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Five ways the iPad 2 works on the buyer's subconscious]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-ways-the-ipad-2-works-on-the-buyers-subconscious</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-ways-the-ipad-2-works-on-the-buyers-subconscious</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 19 Mar 2011 07:10:03 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>cherrieeec</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-ways-the-ipad-2-works-on-the-buyers-subconscious</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Apple Store at The Grove in the Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles. Lines are still forming for the iPad 2. When the line gets too long, the store truncates it by moving most of the people about a block away.(Credit:Brooke Crothers)Nothing succeeds like success. This maxim could be tweaked for theiPad 2 to nothing sells like success. That's the opinion of a consumer behavior expert who looked at how the chronically sold out iPad 2 works on the buyer's psyche. People crave what they can't get--another maxim that applies here. Consumers would happily pay up front to reserve an iPad 2 at their local store. But they can't. Apple isn't doing the reservation thing this time. So, they wait in long lines (which, by the way, are still forming early every morning at Apple stores in Los Angeles, where I live. And also count me as falling prey to this psychosis.) &quot;Why would [Apple] deny my money and a for-certain sale&quot;--Philip Graves, who has just published a book on the psychology of shopping, asks in a publicist's note sent out this week. &quot;Whatever the cause,&quot; Graves says, &quot;here's why the iPad situation works psychologically:&quot; Heightened desirability: &quot;It implicitly confirms the desirability of the item--it's a way of providing apparent social proof that this is a popular thing, and that's very attractive.&quot; The adventure: &quot;It creates discussion around each sale: suddenly buying one isn't just an acquisition, it's a story about serendipity or determination (or whatever)' humans love stories, and the excitement gets attributed (and misattributed) to the product.&quot; Loss aversion: &quot;Perhaps the biggest win is that, when a customer does come across one in stock, his purchase mindset is completely different. The unconscious mind is running a process to protect us a lot of the time (loss aversion)--it's trying to make sure we don't feel bad in the future. Ordinarily, with aregularly available product, the process is focusing on whether we could buy the item more cheaply elsewhere, whether we really want it badly enough,whether we might find a better alternative down the line. When supply is restricted (and you see the same thing in housing booms) the loss aversionis switched to fear that NOT buying the product will result in regret: when will you see one again if you don't grab it now You don't have theunconscious concern about finding one elsewhere because securing one at all is a result.&quot; Wow factor: &quot;In addition to all the other basic psychological drives that might cause us to want an iPad, you can add in or bolster several others because of the circumstances...now having an iPad (or iPad 2) has extra wow-factor, because it's less likely your friends will pull theirs out and say, 'Oh sure, I have one too.' People who have a strong competitive drive are also attracted to own one because it's a chance to be one up on other people. The list price becomes a bargain: &quot;Opportunists buy up stocks when they become available and sell them on auction sites like eBay. This creates the sort of price-skimming that retailers and brands could never get away with themselves (where the people with more money pay more because they can). Of course, people see this and you now have a price frame for the store item: people now see that they are getting an item that (some) people are prepared to pay $700 or $1,000 for, at the price of $499. All of a sudden the list price is a bargain.&quot; The truth is, many people realize a lot of what Graves is saying and choose to ignore it. My advice: get in line, brother. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Netflix declines studios' requests for 'buy' button]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netflix-declines-studios-requests-for-buy-button</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netflix-declines-studios-requests-for-buy-button</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2011 08:10:59 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>JuanPE</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netflix-declines-studios-requests-for-buy-button</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Netflix is fixed on movie rentals and isn't interested in selling films anytime soon. Hollywood is looking for new ways to convince consumers to start collecting movies again. (Credit:Greg Sandoval)That's what leaders from the Web's top video-rental service have told some of Hollywood's top film companies, industry insiders told CNET over the past week. In licensing talks with Netflix, execs from the film studios have offered better terms if the video service agreed to add &quot;buy&quot; buttons. Netflix, which mails DVDs as well as streams video to subscribers, has always declined, the sources said. Managers there have told studio counterparts that they aren't interested in doing transactions. A Netflix representative declined to comment.  Hollywood's home-video market is in transition. People aren't buying and collecting DVDs like they once were and over the past year the momentum has all been with rental.  Netflix's streaming-video rental service, which offers instant access to a growing library of mostly catalog titles, has become an entertainment juggernaut with more than 20 million subscribers. This isn't the best news for the movie business. For the studios a movie rental is typically less profitable than a sale. Asking Netflix to help boost sales was a natural move, especially when other merchants have agreed to sell films as well as rent.  One film industry insider said Amazon's new subscription service became more attractive to the studios after the Internet retailer agreed to give them a crack at generating some transaction money as part of their new streaming-video subscription service.  Amazon announced it would stream any of 5,000 films and TV shows for free to members of the Web store's Prime service. Prime subscribers are customers who pay $79 a year to receive free two-day shipping without being required to meet any minimum-purchase requirements. In addition to offering streaming rentals to prime members, Amazon also has posted a buy button on movie pages.  Could this help Amazon build a better relationship with its video suppliers than Netflix Conceivably, but Netflix still possesses a far larger following and it's unlikely that anybody competing in the streaming sector could acquire better terms at this point. It's interesting to note that some studio execs said they appreciated the consistency of Netflix's message.  Remember, Hollywood used to enjoy a world in which its different distribution modes were separate from each other in the eyes of the consumer. It used to be that a movie fan walked into Blockbuster and Movie Gallery to rent films, and into Wal-Mart Best Buy, and Amazon to buy them.  Now, Amazon offers streaming rentals while Wal-Mart, has moved into rental kiosks. Some of the clarity has been lost and when a consumer is staring at the same movie with two different prices available: say a $4 rental or $15 purchase, sales are likely to decline. One thing to keep in mind though is that new releases at Netflix are primarily available on disc. A buy button could be something that hardcore fans of, say, the &quot;Harry Potter&quot; movies might press.  Nonetheless, Netflix's pages have always featured little else other than movies and TV shows for rent. No ads or sales. Josh Martin, a video analyst for research group Strategy Analytics, applauded Netflix's decision about buy buttons: &quot;We always have had these silo operations and this one appears to be working,&quot; Martin said. &quot;So why would you introduce unnecessary confusion into the equation&quot;<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Socialcam: Mobile video sharing done right]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=socialcam-mobile-video-sharing-done-right</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=socialcam-mobile-video-sharing-done-right</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:10:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Bakeruc</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=socialcam-mobile-video-sharing-done-right</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Socialcam has a Path-like view of videos on its iPhone app, but the real trick is how easy it makes it to share videos instantly with Facebook and Twitter.(Credit:Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)Socialcam is hardly the first mobile app to record and share videos. Remember 12 Seconds Didn't make it. But not because it was the wrong idea. As Socialcam shows, video sharing from a mobile device can work extremely well. The secret is the execution.Socialcam has technical tricks as well as social ones. It starts uploading your videos as soon as you start recording. So when you press &quot;stop&quot; and go to upload your video, you may find the progress bar already pretty well filled in. If you take a video and you don't have a connection, the app will just store it until you do. You don't have to worry about it. Socially, the app ties into Facebook smoothly. You can tag your friends in your videos as soon as you take them, and this puts the vids on their walls--so people will actually see your videos even if they're not Socialcam users. Sharing on Twitter, or on e-mail or SMS, is also a simple operation.  Socialcam is great for sharing video of friends on Facebook, but it could also be an important app in citizen journalism and revolution. Like Instagram, the even-easier-than-Twitpic photo sharing site, it makes sharing media so simple that it fundamentally alters the experience, when compared with previous products that did the same thing. Socialcam is a production of Justin Kan's Justin.TV. I first met Justin at a party in 2007, when he was still live-streaming from a camera mounted on his head. He's gotten smarter about video since then. Justin.TV is a growing video business, but as Kan told me at the Socialcam launch party, the Justin.TV app still requires too much work for the everyday user. It requires people to know if they want to stream video live, or record first for playback later' also they need to worry about their Internet connection. Socialcam does far less than the mobile video studio that Justin.TV is, but it takes so much of the thinking out of the equation that it makes doing video much easier. Because of that, it is likely to become a more powerful and important service. Here's a Socialcam video from the product's launch party, which I attended in the line of duty Tuesday night. I didn't stay long:<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Skype to expand online meetings via GoToMeeting]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=skype-to-expand-online-meetings-via-gotomeeting</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=skype-to-expand-online-meetings-via-gotomeeting</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Audrey-Markis</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=skype-to-expand-online-meetings-via-gotomeeting</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Skype is expanding its video- and audio-conferencing options through a new deal that will let it tap into Citrix's popular GoToMeeting software.Skype said yesterday that partnering with Citrix to integrate GoToMeeting technology will help it expand its business service by offering more robust and user-friendly collaboration and online meeting tools.Specifically, the company plans to enhance its Skype for Business option with Web- and audio-conferencing features to add to the service's existing IM, video calling, and file-sharing tools. Business users will be able to more easily and quickly set up online audio conferences using either Skype or the regular phone network. Screen sharing will also be improved, according to Skype, allowing meeting hosts to demo and highlight anything on their screen. Finally, a new audio codec should boost the quality of the calls themselves.&quot;We are thrilled to partner with Citrix, which offers one of the most popular and easy to use Web-conferencing solutions on the market today,&quot; David Gurle, vice president and general manager of Skype Enterprise, said in a statement. &quot;Web and audio conferencing has been among the top requested features by our business users. This represents a significant step toward broadening our enterprise offerings, while adding features that will enable business people to collaborate even more efficiently and effectively.&quot;Skype expects to roll out the new GoToMeeting-enabled conferencing features toward the end of the year.<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[Top Microsoft ad exec departs for Facebook]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=top-microsoft-ad-exec-departs-for-facebook</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=top-microsoft-ad-exec-departs-for-facebook</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>TranscriptionGear</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=top-microsoft-ad-exec-departs-for-facebook</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Former Microsoft corporate VP Carolyn Everson, who has reportedly left for Facebook.(Credit:Microsoft)After an eight-month stint at Microsoft, Carolyn Everson, who had served as the company's corporate vice president of global ad sales and strategy, has left the company for Facebook.AllThingsD, which was the first to report the news this evening, said Everson will take on the role of VP of global sales for Facebook, a spot that had been left back in late October by Mike Murphy. Microsoft and Facebook remain business partners, with Microsoft having taken a $240 million stake in the social-networking giant back in 2007. Employees have regularly gone back and forth between the two companies for jobs, though Everson represents one of the more high profile departures. Before her time at Microsoft, Everson was COO and executive VP of U.S. ad sales for MTV Networks. Before that, she served in a number of executive roles for Primedia. A Microsoft representative declined to comment on Everson's departure. Facebook, however, provided CNET with the following statement:&quot;Microsoft was one of our earliest partners and is still one of our most valued. We have a long and strong relationship that includes search ads on our site, a social layer on Bing search results, and a deep and popular integration withXbox. They are a leader when it comes to unlocking the power of social for their already popular products and services. We look forward to continuing to expand our relationship with them.&quot;Updated 6:15 p.m. PTwith responses from Microsoft and Facebook.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Some LED lights spark concern over toxins]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=some-led-lights-spark-concern-over-toxins</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=some-led-lights-spark-concern-over-toxins</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:10:57 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bestlaptopbatteryau</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=some-led-lights-spark-concern-over-toxins</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Because it's energy-efficient, LED lighting is spreading into new areas, but an academic study cautions that some types of LED lights use hazardous metals. The University of California at Irvine last week published results of a study into the materials used for LEDs in Christmas tree lights and car brake lights and headlights. After crushing these types of lights, researchers measured the contents and found they contained varying amounts of toxic materials, including lead and arsenic.&quot;What our study showed clearly was that some LED lights qualify as hazardous waste, depending on color and light intensity, according to federal (US EPA) regulations, and State (California) regulations. The red, low intensity fixtures that we tested exceeded lead (Pb) standards for California regulation by about 8 times, and exceed the federal regulations by about 35 times,&quot; said Oladele Ogunseitan, chair of UC Irvine's Department of Population Health &amp; Disease Prevention via e-mail.Right now, these products are not classified as hazardous waste, but Ogunseitan recommended that people dispatched to clean up vehicle collisions use protective gear. Homeowners should also wear gloves and masks in the case of clean-up. The copper used in some LEDs can pose health hazards to river and lake ecosystems as well if disposed of in a landfill.Ogunseitan said that the move to LED lighting is a case in which there should be mandatory product replacement testing. He claims that the potential environmental health impacts were not sufficiently tested before manufacturers put them in products as a replacement for incandescent bulbs.Recycling recommended for large LEDs Large LEDs bulbs with a screw-in bottom designed for home use are just coming onto the market as replacements for 40-watt or 60-watt incandescent bulbs. In addition to good efficiency and long life, these bulbs are marketed as an improvement over compact florescent bulbs because they don't contain mercury. CFLs can be returned to many retail stores or municipal hazardous waste handling services for recycling. When LED maker Cree introduced an LED bulb it expects to come out later this year, I asked about toxins and disposal. Cree vice president of marketing Greg Merritt said that there were no hazardous materials used in its bulb and that it is expected to comply with the ROHS European hazardous material directive.UC Irvine's Ogunseitan is testing large LED bulbs but has not yet published the results. &quot;However, I can say that precautionary principle supports not throwing this in the regular trash for landfills,&quot; he said.Last month, I asked the Department of Energy about hazardous materials and large LED bulbs designed for home use. A representative said that, in general, these LED bulbs do not contain toxic chemicals in any significant amount. She added that consumers will face disposal only a few times in their lives given the long projected life of LEDs, which could be over 20 years, but it's best for consumers to recycle them.&quot;That said, like most consumer electronics, at the end of their useful life, LEDs contain materials that are both valuable and recyclable. Where available, LEDs should be recycled using municipal recycling programs,&quot; she said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Netflix streaming finally arrives on Boxee Box]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netflix-streaming-finally-arrives-on-boxee-box</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netflix-streaming-finally-arrives-on-boxee-box</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:10:44 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>maringsufcat</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=netflix-streaming-finally-arrives-on-boxee-box</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Well, it's about time.Boxee announced today that Netflix streaming is finally available to owners of the company's Boxee Box. In order to access Netflix streaming, users will need to either wait for the automatic update to take effect within the next 24 hours or manually update their set-top boxes.&quot;Netflix support was the most common request we had on our blog comments, forum posts, tweets, etc.,&quot; Boxee CEO Avner Ronen said in a blog post accompanying the announcement. &quot;We heard you loud and clear. We were bummed that we could not make it happen earlier, but are very excited to have it out today.&quot;When the Boxee Box first launched in November, the company said that it would make Netflix available by the end of 2010. After hitting some snags, it promised that Netflix was &quot;still on track&quot; for a launch at the end of January. Earlier this month, Boxee said in a blog post that it wasn't able to hit its self-imposed deadline because it had &quot;not yet satisfied Netflix's security requirements.&quot;Luckily, that wait is finally over. But now Boxee has some catching up to do. Netflix streaming has been running for quite some time on several of the device's competitors, including the Apple TV, Roku set-top boxes, and the Logitech Revue, among others.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Boeing's 747-8 Intercontinental to debut this weekend]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=boeings-747-8-intercontinental-to-debut-this-weekend</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=boeings-747-8-intercontinental-to-debut-this-weekend</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:10:48 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gaxtxaaaga</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=boeings-747-8-intercontinental-to-debut-this-weekend</guid>
<description><![CDATA[On Sunday, Boeing is set to unveil its long-awaited 747-8 Intercontinental. The cargo version of the plane made its first flight last year.(Credit:Boeing)OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT--As a big fan of airplanes, and plane travel, I'm excited to be sitting in the terminal here, waiting for my flight to Seattle. That's because starting tomorrow, I'll be covering three days of Boeing events, highlighted by the unveiling of the aviation giant's long-awaited 747-8 Intercontinental.The next-generation of Boeing's iconic jumbo jet--probably the most famous airplane in history--is said to be highly efficient. As Boeing puts it on its Web site: The 747-8 Intercontinental is the only jetliner in the 400- to 500-seat market, stretched [18.3 ft] from the 747-400 to provide 467 seats in a three-class configuration and a [8,000 nautical mile] range. Using 787-technology engines, the airplane will be quieter, produce lower emissions, and achieve better fuel economy than any competing jetliner. The 747 Intercontinental will provide nearly equivalent trip costs and 13 percent lower seat-mile costs than the 747-400, plus 26 percent greater cargo volume....The 747-8 is more than 10 percent lighter per seat than the [Airbus] A380 and will consume 11 percent less fuel per passenger than the 555-seat airplane. That translates into a trip-cost reduction of 21 percent and a seat-mile cost reduction of more than 6 percent, compared to the A380.Last February, Boeing's 747-8 Freighter took to the air for its first flight from Paine Field, in Everett, Wash.(Credit:Daniel Terdiman/CNET) Last year, I covered the first flight of the cargo version of the 747-8, and on Sunday, I'll be on hand for the formal unveiling of the long-awaited passenger version of the plane. It's not yet known when the 747-8 Intercontinental will make its first flight, or be delivered to carrier customers. Either way, stay tuned all weekend, because I'll also be posting stories and photos from the 747 assembly line, and of mockup interiors of the plane. And on Monday, I'll have coverage of some of Boeing's other planes, including an update on its 787 Dreamliner.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[The 404 755: Where the Verizon iPhone is too damn cold (podcast)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-404-755-where-the-verizon-iphone-is-too-damn-cold-podcast</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-404-755-where-the-verizon-iphone-is-too-damn-cold-podcast</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:10:34 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>illicaoscibia</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=the-404-755-where-the-verizon-iphone-is-too-damn-cold-podcast</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Comparing voice quality on the iPhone 4]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=comparing-voice-quality-on-the-iphone-4</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=comparing-voice-quality-on-the-iphone-4</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:10:49 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kyblackr</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=comparing-voice-quality-on-the-iphone-4</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)No matter how fancy a smartphone is, it's not worth much if it doesn't make decent calls. You may have music, apps, and the Internet, but connecting to a carrier's network and enjoying satisfying audio clarity is much more important.For much of its life, AT&amp;T's iPhone hasn't received rave reviews as a phone. Many users, particularly those in dense urban areas, have long complained that making a call and keeping it once they're connected could be difficult. Those issues caused a lot of consumers to look to the long-rumored Verizon iPhone as the cure to their reception woes. And now that Big Red'siPhone is finally a reality, we've been able to put it to the test.Below you'll find voice samples from both iPhones. We used the same process that we're now including in all CNET cell phone reviews. Using the test device, we call a landline phone from the CNET offices and leave a scripted message. We then take the audio from that voice mail and put it in the media player that you see below.The difference between the two samples is striking. Admittedly, we had a difficult time actually describing that difference, since we're not trained audio engineers. Yet, we can surmise that the Verizon sample is clearer and sharper, but also a bit tinnier and harsher. In contrast, the AT&amp;T sample sounds a bit warmer, but my voice sounds a little softer than it normally is. Verizon iPhone 4 call quality sampleListen now: AT&amp;T iPhone 4 call quality sampleListen now: Hopefully, this gives you an idea of how much a carrier's network can affect call quality. As you'll listen here, the same device (well, almost the same device) can sound completely different. We've also conducted extensive testing of signal strength and data speeds, so we invite you to check out these results as well. And, of course, please see our Verizon iPhone 4 review for the full analysis of a handset that a good number of people have been eagerly awaiting for years.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Road Trip Pic of the Week, 1/27: What is this]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=road-trip-pic-of-the-week-127-what-is-this</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=road-trip-pic-of-the-week-127-what-is-this</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:11:41 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rockyraj1919</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=road-trip-pic-of-the-week-127-what-is-this</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If you know what this is and where this photograph was taken, you could win a prize in the Picture of the Week challenge.(Credit:Daniel Terdiman/CNET)That's a pretty bizarre house and a pretty fancy one too, isn't it But what is it, and where is it locatedIf you know, you could win a prize in the CNET Road Trip Picture of the Week challenge.If you have the answer, please e-mail it to me no later than 6 p.m. PT Friday (to daniel--dot--terdiman--at--cnet--dot--com, and PLEASE include &quot;Picture of the Week&quot; in the subject line). I'll choose a winner at random from among everyone who sends in the correct answer by the deadline. Please forgive me if you don't hear from me if you're not a winner. I get dozens of responses for each challenge. Also, I've turned off comments because some people would post the correct answers there. I hate to shut down discussion, but I want you to figure out the answer on your own.One caveat: no individual can win more than two prizes. However, now that it's 2011, I'm resetting the tally, and past two-time winners are eligible again. The Road Trip Picture of the Week challenge takes place each Thursday, and the photos could come from anywhere, not just Road Trip 2010 locations. Plus, they might be related to stories I've written in the past. So, please have fun playing today, and then come back each Thursday. For most of last summer, Geek Gestalt was on Road Trip 2010. After driving more than 18,000 miles in the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and the Southeast over the last four years, I drove 5,266 miles this summer looking for the best in technology, science, military, nature, aviation and more throughout the American Northeast. You can follow me on Twitter at @GreeterDan and @RoadTrip and find the project on Facebook. And look for Road Trip 2011 coming this summer.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sony unveils 'Next Generation Portable,' the new PSP]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-unveils-next-generation-portable-the-new-psp</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-unveils-next-generation-portable-the-new-psp</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:11:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>koremkmkrm</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-unveils-next-generation-portable-the-new-psp</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The new Next Generation Portable, from Sony. Known by many as the PlayStation Portable 2, the new device was announced at a live event in Tokyo on Thursday.(Credit:Sony Computer Entertainment)At a live event in Tokyo, Sony on Thursday unveiled what many had come to call thePlayStation Portable 2, its long-awaited, all-new handheld video game console. Known officially as the &quot;Next Generation Portable,&quot; the device will be available this holiday season. Sony has not yet said what the new PSP will cost.According to CNET sister site Gamespot.com, the new device will come in a brick form factor and feature a 5-inch OLED display with four times the resolution of current-generation PSPs. It has touch pads on both the front and the rear and dual micro analog joysticks. It also has both front- and rear-facing cameras and will use a Flash-based memory card. It will also offer 3G, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity, according to GameSpot. On-stage in Tokyo, Sony's Shuhei Yoshida said the new device boasts PlayStation 3-quality graphics.The rear of the new NGP from Sony. The device features touch pads on both the front and the rear, as well as front- and rear-facing cameras.(Credit:Sony Computer Entertainment)Sony said that the device has an ARM Cortex A9 (core) CPU, and a SGX543MP4+ GPU. It also has a Six-axis motion-sensing system. Games that will be offered for the Next Generation Portable (NGP) include Hot Shots Golf Next, Gravity Daze, Killzone, WipeOut, Resistance, LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted, Little Deviants, Reality Fighters, and Billiards, GameSpot reported.Before unveiling the new PSP, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai also unveiled a new platform called PlayStation Suite that will ensure that first-generation PlayStation games will run on a wide variety of Android-enabled handsets andtablets. That could mean that a huge library of games will be available for the first time to Android users. Hirai also said that the Next Generation Portable is backward compatible, and will run downloadable PSP titles. And Toshihiro Nagoshi from Sega later said that it would be possible to port PlayStation 3 games to the NGP, according to Gamespot.A view of the front of the NGP, showing its dual sticks, and its front-facing camera.(Credit:Sony Computer Entertainment)Nintendo's DS has dominatedAlthough Sony's PSP line, which first launched in 2004, has sold an impressive 65.7 million units worldwide, according to independent analyst outfit VGChartz.com, it has been overshadowed for years by the much more successful Nintendo DS line of handhelds. All told, according to VGChartz, Nintendo has sold 145.3 million of its portable devices--the DS, the DSi, and the DS Lite. The slim PSP, which was released in 2007.(Credit:CNET)Sony has also tried to reinvigorate the PSP before, first with a slimmer version of the original device it put out in 2007, and then with a significant redesign that never really caught on known as the PSP Go. But neither of those devices were able to help Sony close the handheld sales gap with Nintendo.And now, of course, the new Next Generation Portable will be going head-to-head with the very-well-received new Nintendo 3DS. That well-reviewed device, which offers users 3D capabilities without special glasses, will go on sale March 27, and cost $249. It will launch with six first-party titles, including Legend of Zelda and Nintendogs + Cats, and ten third-party games, including Electronic Arts' The Sims and Madden Football' Super Street Fighter IV 3D from Capcom' Dead or Alive: Dimensions from Tecmo, and others. Still, the Next Generation Portable has a lot of people excited because of its rich collection of features. The PSP Go, which Sony launched in 2009.(Credit:Sony)But while Sony got plenty of attention for the new NGP, it did not unveil at the Tokyo event a PlayStation phone, as many had expected. It appears, according to published reports, that such a phone, which could be based on Google's Android platform, and be known as the Xperia, will not be revealed in public until next month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[What's your zodiac sign You sure about that]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=whats-your-zodiac-sign-you-sure-about-that</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=whats-your-zodiac-sign-you-sure-about-that</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ikollmeyer</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=whats-your-zodiac-sign-you-sure-about-that</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I hope you're sitting down, because I have some information that might be earth-shattering for some of you. Others will give a collective &quot;meh,&quot; and nobody would really blame you. But here it is: due to one scientist's offhanded comments, the Internet says you might no longer be the astrological sign you always thought you were.You see, the ancient Babylonians made up the first zodiac systems thousands of years ago, and astrologically minded people have been using the same systems, more or less unchanged, since then. The problem, though, is that the Earth's tilt on its axis has shifted significantly since then. If you remap the zodiac using Earth's current position, you get a different telling of who's an Aries, Leo, and so on--including a newish sign called Ophiuchus.Imagine it like this: If you spin something, the direction of the axis tends to wobble. The Earth's axis in its orbit does the same thing because of a phenomenon called precession, and is now facing a different star than it did 5,000 years ago. That means that the constellations that made up the Babylonian zodiac are not the constellations the sun currently passes through. So, according to many stories online today, a new zodiac could be devised. And that has believers in a frenzy.The sign of Ophiuchus, the new 13th zodiac. Sounds lucky, no(Credit:Wikipedia)The thing is, there is no actual new zodiac. The re-imagining of the tables with newer data is all academic, and today's hype on blogs and Twitter comes from an article published Sunday in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. In it, an astronomer with the cool name of Parke Kunkle said that due to the Earth axis' wobble, when the sun &quot;...is in Pisces, it's really not in Pisces.&quot;Of course, the Internet went predictably bonkers at the news, inflating what Kunkle said (and meant) into something he didn't (and didn't): that there's a new zodiac.Popular astrologer Susan Miller called the news &quot;ridiculous.&quot; &quot;We've known about this for ages,&quot; she told ABC News. &quot;The constellations don't suggest what's coming up, it's the planets. The constellations are a measuring device.&quot;  So don't worry, fellow Pisces, we're still Pisces. And the rest of you are the same, too.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[North Korean Twitter, YouTube accounts hijacked]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=north-korean-twitter-youtube-accounts-hijacked</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=north-korean-twitter-youtube-accounts-hijacked</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Emma01</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=north-korean-twitter-youtube-accounts-hijacked</guid>
<description><![CDATA[An animation that mocks North Korea&amp;39's heir apparent shows him driving a sports car and mowing down impoverished women and children.(Credit:Screenshot by Elinor Mills/CNET)The Twitter and YouTube accounts held by the North Korean government were hijacked over the weekend and used to post messages critical of the regime and mocking North Korea leader Kim Jong-Il's heir apparent, Kim Jong-Un. The official Twitter account for North Korea posted messages on Saturday, the day of Jong-Un's birthday, calling for an uprising and criticizing him for reportedly hosting lavish parties while North Koreans starve, Reuters reported.  Meanwhile, an animation appeared on the regime's YouTube channel the same day showing Jong-Un mowing down impoverished women and children in a sportscar, the report said. The posts and video were removed but another copy of the video was still accessible.  Members of a North Korean Internet forum, DC inside, have claimed responsibility for the prank, according to reports. The hijackings come as North and South Korea prepare to begin talks at the end of the month. Last year in November a group of South Koreans were killed on Yeonpyeong island during an exchange of artillery fire and in March a South Korean military ship was torpeadoed. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: Kodak EasyShare Sport waterproof camera announced]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-kodak-easyshare-sport-waterproof-camera-announced</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-kodak-easyshare-sport-waterproof-camera-announced</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>gravyextmez</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-kodak-easyshare-sport-waterproof-camera-announced</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Kodak)Rugged and waterproof cameras are growing segments of the point-and-shoot market, but most of them will cost you more than $200. The 12-megapixel Kodak EasyShare Sport, however, is less than $100 and is waterproof down to 10 feet. Unfortunately, the camera is otherwise unremarkable.Despite the appearance of a zoom rocker on back, there is no optical zoom on this camera' it's digital zoom only. The LCD on back is small at 2.4 inches, too, and the Sport seems to have a bare minimum of shooting options.Look for the EasyShare Sport in spring 2011 for $79.95 in white, gray, red, yellow, and blue.Editors' take:The Sport is a pretty limited-use camera. It isn't rugged, just waterproof and in turn dustproof, so it won't stand up to the abuse that more-expensive shockproof, crushproof, and freezeproof models can handle. But if all you want is a camera to keep poolside, survive a trip to the beach, or keep working in rain, it's an option that hasn't really existed at this price. Plus, since it's powered by AA-size batteries, you can easily keep this handy as a secondary camera for when things might get a little wet. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sync your ride from your phone]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sync-your-ride-from-your-phone</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sync-your-ride-from-your-phone</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>nathaliebui</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sync-your-ride-from-your-phone</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Ford&amp;39's new app give you real-time traffic information for up to 25 stored destinations.(Credit:Ford)Ford released a free mobile app that gives drivers access to some of Sync's travel features even when they're not in thecar. The Ford Sync Destinations app is like a mobile version of the Travel Destination and Information (TDI) service available on Sync-equipped autos. The service, which is free for the first three years, provides turn-by-turn directions, traffic incidents, travel time to destinations, and other information.Using the new app, drivers of 2010 and 2011 Sync-equipped cars will have that same information on their mobile device. In fact, the app is arguably better than what's available in the car because it will show real-time traffic and route information for up to 25 stored destinations at once. However, it's no substitute for the real thing--the app will automatically disable itself if it detects that the user is traveling at more than 5 mph, so you'll still need to use Sync Services TDI while you're in your ride.But the app also solves another problem--it enables drivers to send destination addresses and directions from their phones to their car, even when they're nowhere near them.Last July, Google added a &quot;Send to Car&quot; button on Google Maps that enabled drivers to send destinations and custom routes to their car, including Sync-equipped vehicles. However, Google mysteriously deleted that functionality from its apps, and it's now only available on the browser. This means that you could only use this feature if you're planning well in advance from a computer and not if you're already on the go. Ford's new app is a sort of workaround for that lost feature, and it also adds functionality. In addition to directions and estimated travel times, the app uses information provided by INRIX to provide estimates on how travel times will change depending on when you leave. And although I haven't tried it, Ford says you can add destinations to the app using the device's address book or through local business searches, although the carmaker didn't say which search tools will work.The downloadable app is available foriPhone,iPad, and Android devices, and you use your Sync account credentials to activate it. A BlackBerry app is also being developed, but is not yet available.Ford Sync Destination uses INRIX to show estimated travel times that change depending on when you plan to leave.(Credit:Ford)The new app is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, and can show traffic incidents along a route. A BlackBerry app is being developed.(Credit:Ford) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Analyst: iPad 2 to sport dual-core chip]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=analyst-ipad-2-to-sport-dual-core-chip</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=analyst-ipad-2-to-sport-dual-core-chip</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jurasminnite</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=analyst-ipad-2-to-sport-dual-core-chip</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Will the next iPad have a dual-core chip (Credit:Apple )An analyst's note today claimsApple's iPad 2 will adopt a dual-core chip, which would be a first for the company's consumer line of handheld products. True or not, Apple's iPad will eventually have to make the jump to dual-core to compete with the likes of the upcoming Motorola tablet and RIM PlayBook--both dual-core devices. &quot;Apple is on track to refresh the iPad by March andiPhone by late summer. A key component upgrade across these platforms will be a dual-core processor featuring a pair of 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 cores,&quot; according to a research note released on Thursday by Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Rodman &amp; Renshaw. Using a dual-core processor can result in PC-like multitasking, if the operating system is designed to fully take advantage of both cores. And note that he expects the iPhone to get a dual-core upgrade, too. Kumar also cited an iPad supply-demand equilibrium. &quot;iPad supply has largely satiated demand and Apple can sustain quarterly shipments at around 6 million/quarter. At these levels, Apple would capture about half the forecasted market for 2011,&quot; Kumar wrote. And he also addressed the Verizon iPhone. &quot;iPhone volumes could also be maintained at the 15 million/quarter level through next year. The launch at Verizon could support an incremental 8 million units,&quot; he wrote. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Volt's multiple MPGe ratings explained]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=volts-multiple-mpge-ratings-explained</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=volts-multiple-mpge-ratings-explained</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>healthmedicine</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=volts-multiple-mpge-ratings-explained</guid>
<description><![CDATA[2011 Chevrolet Volt gets 69 MPGe if you recharge its battery ever 75 miles, according to the EPA&amp;39's new ratings system.(Credit:GM)General Motors has turned to YouTube to explain the EPA's new ratings system for alternative fuelcars, particularly for its new Volt.Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency revamped its car rating system to offer MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) ratings.It's a tool for comparing alternative fuel vehicles and hybrids to cars with gas-only combustion engines. So while a car may use electricity alone--as with the Nissan Think--the EPA still calculates an energy-equivalent consumption comparable to a gas-engine car.The hybrid electric Chevy Volt, which was released in the U.S. last week, presents a particularly unique challenge to rate because GM developed an extended-range hybrid drive train that essentially allows the car to run on electricity alone for its first 35 miles after which a gas-engine kicks in full time. The Volt's complex system uses the car's gas engine mostly as a generator to power the car's electric drive train, but it also drives power directly to the wheels when going over 70 miles per hour.If a driver recharges a Volt's battery every 35 miles and runs the car on electricity alone, the Volt gets 93 MPGe. On gas alone, the car gets 37 MPGe. But the EPA also combines ratings for real-life use depending on how often the driver recharges the battery.So unlike the all-electric Nissan Leaf or Toyota Prius which received MPGe ratings for city, highway and combined driving, the Chevy Volt label has multiple ratings allowing for various recharging scenarios. If the car is recharged every 75 miles, for example, it gets 69 MPGe.Below is GM's video, which showed up on YouTube yesterday:<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[iPhone 4 charging case rematch: Mophie vs. Dexim]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-4-charging-case-rematch-mophie-vs--dexim</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-4-charging-case-rematch-mophie-vs--dexim</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:10:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Naina</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=iphone-4-charging-case-rematch-mophie-vs--dexim</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Dexim)Back in November, I pitted iPhone 4 charging cases from Dexim and Mophie against one another. They both held one extra phone charge, but because it was lighter and much better designed, Mophie's Juice Pack Air for iPhone 4 was the clear winner.A new entrant from each blurs the lines. In this rematch, the Dexim DCA224 Super-Juiced Power Case for iPhone 4 challenges the Mophie Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 4.Dexim DCA224 Super-Juiced Power CaseSpecs: Capacity:2000mA' Input power: 5V DC, 1000mA'Output power: 5V DC, 500mAPrice: $69.90 Weight: 3.2 ouncesColor: WhiteWith poor construction for a premium price, the awkwardly designed Dexim Supercharged Leather Power Case I tested in November wasn't up to snuff. In stark contrast, the Super-Juiced Power Case offers a much sleeker design of thick and glossy white plastic that decks out youriPhone 4 like a Storm Trooper.The fit is snug, and the plastic sheath has a cutout for easy access to the iPhone's volume controls and silent-mode switch. About an inch down the back is a hinge that unfolds the top from the backing. It snaps into place to lock the iPhone after you've slid it into the case. This is a neat design that serves the Dexim case as a single unit. However, the high backing does make it trickier to release the iPhone when you're done using the case.Dexim has also added a thin kickstand that handily turns the charging case into a stand. There's a Micro-USB charging port, a charging light, and indicator lights that communicate the level of the case's charge. Dexim's case is a vast improvement over the shoddy leather case we saw before. The indicator lights and &quot;juicy&quot; name are suspiciously similar to Mophie's Juice Pack line.Mophie Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 4(Credit:Mophie)Mophie Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 4Specs: Capacity:2000mAh batteryPrice: $99.95 Weight: 2.9 ouncesColor: Black' Magenta, Yellow, Cyan to comeIn terms of design, Mophie's latest Juice Pack is little changed from its predecessor. However, it feels slimmer and thinner in the hand than does its Dexim rival. It's made of rubberized sidings and a soft-touch material on the back cover. Its two pieces--one that covers the back and sides, one that slides down on top--still fit the phone tightly. Instead of leaving the volume control unit open as Dexim does in its Super-Juiced case, Mophie opts to place raised volume and power buttons on top of the case body. Pushing those buttons depresses the iPhone's buttons underneath. Mophie's design continues to offer a Micro-USB charging port, power indicator lights, and the charge button. Winner: DeximThough Mophie's product claims to add greater power than Dexim's does, the recharging differences seemed negligible on our iPhone 4. Mophie's Juice Pack Plus may be slightly lighter and visibly sleeker than Dexim's DCA224 Super-Juiced Power Case, but it also costs about $30 more. We did find it a bit tougher to retrieve the iPhone from the Dexim, but the case earns points for its one-piece, hinged snap design and convenient kickstand.Mophie loyalists still won't go wrong with the tried-and-true Juice Pack Plus, but new charging case owners should do just fine with Dexim's offering. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[preGame 35: VGA debut trailers' 2010 wrap-up]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-35-vga-debut-trailers-2010-wrap-up</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-35-vga-debut-trailers-2010-wrap-up</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dnnhrgrw</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=pregame-35-vga-debut-trailers-2010-wrap-up</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Live blog Tuesday: Google Chrome event]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=live-blog-tuesday-google-chrome-event</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=live-blog-tuesday-google-chrome-event</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Dec 2010 08:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>erneesters</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=live-blog-tuesday-google-chrome-event</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google has invited us to an obscure corner of San Francisco tomorrow for a special announcement concerning Chrome. It all starts at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time, and we'll be live-blogging the event from Dogpatch Studios. What the announcement will be, exactly, we don't know yet. Chrome OS is Google's browser-based operating system that runs Web applications only. It's unlikely that Chrome will be ready for Netbooks this year as earlier promised, but the Chrome team might be demonstrating a near-final version for us. Or, it's possible Google is ready to take the wraps off its Web-based version of an app store, called the Chrome Web Store.Be sure to come back here tomorrow morning, or sign up below for a reminder e-mail.Google Chrome event<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[This week in Crave: The shoe-in edition]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-shoe-in-edition</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-shoe-in-edition</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 04 Dec 2010 08:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bobmarley</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-shoe-in-edition</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Wear your shoes and vacuum with them too.(Credit:Adika Titut Triyugo)This week turned out to be a shoe-centric one here at Crave. We kicked things off with vacuum footwear for &quot;shoe-vering&quot; and moved on to a prototype navigational shoe radar system that steps in when satellite signals conk out.  Following in the footsteps of Facebook- and Twitter-themed sneakers, Crave UK wondered what a Google clog, Wikipedia wellie, or MySpace moccasin would look like. But not to worry' plenty of non-shoe-related news went down while we were busy indulging our foot fetish.  &amp;149' Here's what happens when aniPad meets an ice storm.&amp;149' Scott and Jeff took a spin in Gran Turismo 5.  &amp;149' Angry Birds Christmas: The finch-flinging frolic is going festive.  &amp;149' Digital SLR or toy robot It's hard to tell.  &amp;149' Playboy hard drive bundles decades of stimulating &quot;reading.&quot;  &amp;149' TDK is back from the '80s, and making Donald swoon. The Korejanai treatment.(Credit:Pentax)&amp;149' Contribute to science while moving puzzle pieces. &amp;149' Massage robot's got your (sore) back. &amp;149' Climbing bike lock has lefty ambitions. &amp;149' Is that the Fourth Amendment on your underwear or are you just unhappy to see full-body scans  Got a story tip for us Send it along to crave at cnet dot com. We'd be really happy to see it. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google senior execs getting 30 percent raises]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-senior-execs-getting-30-percent-raises</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-senior-execs-getting-30-percent-raises</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>zanlalaana</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-senior-execs-getting-30-percent-raises</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google gave all of its employees raises earlier this week, but it saved the best raises for its senior management team. Four of Google's seven named executive officers--Patrick Pichette, Nikesh Arora, Alan Eustace, and Jonathan Rosenberg--are getting 30 percent raises for 2011, bringing each of their base salaries to $650,000 from $500,000, Google announced in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission late Friday. Earlier in the week, Google gave everybody else a 10 percent raise, along with a $1,000 bonus, as it tries to hang on to employees amid a talent war in Silicon Valley. Those executives are also getting hefty restricted-stock awards, with Pichette and Arora receiving $20 million, Eustace getting $10 million, and Rosenberg getting $5 million in grants and options. The numbers are interesting, considering that TechCrunch reported this week that a single Google &quot;staff engineer&quot; was given a restricted-stock award of $3.5 million as an incentive to remain with the search company and pass up an offer from Facebook. The Google ruling triumvirate--CEO Eric Schmidt, and co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page--will continue to accept a salary of $1 and did not take any additional stock rewards. Not that they really need it: together, the three control more than half of Google's outstanding stock, with Brin and Page supplementing their incomes this year by selling off shares in a diversification strategy.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Browser underdog Opera fights for survival]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=browser-underdog-opera-fights-for-survival</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=browser-underdog-opera-fights-for-survival</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jacelynwyl</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=browser-underdog-opera-fights-for-survival</guid>
<description><![CDATA[OSLO, Norway--Opera Software, the scrappy Norwegian browser maker, today faces arguably the biggest competitive threats of its 15-year history.CEO Lars Boilesen must lead Opera amid serious competitive challenges.(Credit:Stephen Shankland/CNET)The first challenges are on personal computers. Right after Google's Chrome burst onto the scene two years ago, Opera slipped from fourth to fifth place in browser usage worldwide. And longtime archrival Microsoft is no longer the punching bag of the browser market' its forthcoming IE9 is a serious attempt to match rivals in performance and support for new Web standards.Second, in Opera's other domain, Apple'siPhone and now Google's Android are rewriting the mobile browsing rules. Their browsers are adapted for phones more like miniature desktop computers than the small-screened, candy bar-shape models that prevailed when Opera's mobile browsing business began.And yet the Oslo underdog has adapted to crises before and appears to be adapting to the present changes as well.In a series of interviews at its headquarters here, Opera executives showed they suffer no illusions about the competition. They also made a credible case that Opera, while not about to dethrone its bigger rivals, will continue to defend its turf with a profitable business.A new mobile strategyOne cornerstone of its confidence comes from a major shift in its mobile strategy in response to a dark, unprofitable patch in the second half of 2009. Opera shifted its alliance efforts from phone companies to the powerful network operators who see their future threatened by the new generation of smartphones and services.Revenue from mobile network operators is growing--and a growing fraction of Opera&amp;39's business. Here it's shown in Norwegian Kroner.(Credit:Opera)&quot;We're taking bigger bets on operators because they need us more than bigger handset operators,&quot; said CEO Lars Boilesen. Phone makers' expansion into operating systems, applications, and app stores threaten to demote carriers to mere &quot;dumb pipes,&quot; but Opera's software can help maintain those carriers' customer relationships.And so far, the shift is paying off for the browser company. For one thing, Opera has more engineers to devote to the core products--Opera Mini and Opera Mobile--because the company is delivering the same branded browser to carrier partners rather than variations of an unbranded browser to phone makers. For another, the carriers pay recurring fees based on active users, not the one-time, up-front payment of phone makers.The result: revenue from operators has increased to $9 million in the second quarter of 2010, up from about $7.1 million two quarters earlier.Revenue from Opera's desktop browser, which runs on Windows,Mac OS X, and Linux and comes with a money-making search box leading to Google or other search engines, helped prop up the finances during the mobile transition. And a newer business--browsers on Net-connected TVs and set-top boxes--also is increasing. Overall, the company's second-quarter net income was a $3.3 million--less than a rounding error at its competitors but enough profit to keep the company in its niche.Opera co-founder Jon S. von Tetzchner(Credit:Stephen Shankland/CNET)A 15-year OperaOpera was founded June 22, 1995, though its roots extend to a research project begun in 1994 at Telenor, Norway's largest telecommunications company. It remains in the same Oslo building that's housed it for years, even as its neighbors--search company Fast Search and Transfer, developer toolmaker Troll Tech, and videoconfercing specialist Tandberg--sold to Microsoft, Nokia, and Cisco Systems, respectively.It's very far from the U.S. software industry--geographically and culturally. Even with fierce competition from overseas rivals, several Opera employees took pride in a work-life balance at odds with the Silicon Valley ethos.And yet it's not only eked out a living, persisting as browser efforts from IBM, Symantec, Sun Microsystems, and Netscape fell by the wayside, it's actually won a measure of influence.Opera helped keep the fires of Web development burning during the dark years when Microsoft's Internet Explorer grew dormant after winning the browser wars of the 1990s and when standards groups were fruitlessly focused on dead-end XHTML technology. It won a band of loyal users who help to promote the browser, eagerly pointing out that innovations such as tabbed browsing, a built-in search box, Web page thumbnails on the new-tab page originated at Opera. It's secured some helpful geographic strongholds such as Russia. And itsmobile browser products top the market even as the headlines go to Apple. Partly through its standards-group work, Opera punches above its weight in the industry. Its independent support can help new technology such as Google's WebM for video streaming or Mozilla's Web Open Font Format get off the ground, for example. And its chief technology officer, H&amp;229'kon Wium Lie, worked with Web founder Tim Berners-Lee and founded the Web formatting technology called Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) that's now one of the hottest areas of Web design. Opera CTO H&amp;229'kon Wium Lie(Credit:Stephen Shankland/CNET) Perhaps surprisingly, the company now employs 700 people, and 80 percent of them are engineers. The vast majority of people don't use Opera's products, but those who do now number more than 140 million.Those engineers are working on cramming features into Opera. Its new version 11 for desktop machines, though still in alpha testing, will be an important test as Opera adds extensions to customize the browser and match rivals' hardware acceleration, according to Lars Erik Bolstad, vice president of core technology. Those programmers also are building hardware acceleration into Opera Mini and Mobile so, for example, pinch-to-zoom and scrolling work smoothly on capable phones Real threatsThe competitive threats are real, though. Even as Opera hangs on to its slice of browser market, three of its competitors--Apple, Google, and Microsoft--are tech giants with powerful global brands and tremendous financial resources. The fourth, Mozilla, rose from the ashes of Netscape with Firefox. It, not Opera, is the independent browser that grew to the top alternative to the browser built into Windows.All these competitors are pouring development funds into their browsers as the market takes on new importance. The increasing power of Web applications such as Google Docs and Facebook means customers spend ever more time working and living within the frame of a browser window. Chrome continued its growth October 2010, but Opera has languished with largely unchanged share of worldwide browser usage.(Credit:data from Net Applications' chart by Stephen Shankland/CNET) And Opera isn't at the top of Web developers' priority lists. Web standards mean compatibility isn't as hard as it once was, but it's still a huge problem. The deluge of new technologies, some essentially trial versions of what might become standards, make it worse.&quot;I always feel Opera is the Rodney Dangerfield of browsers. They get no respect,&quot; said Brad Neuberg, who's worked on many Web projects at Google including Google Docs and Gears before striking off to begin a start-up trying to capitalize on HTML5 and related Web technologies.&quot;There's a clunkiness to it,&quot; Neuberg added. &quot;The technical underpinnings are amazing,&quot; but Opera needs a user experience experts to &quot;make it feel like a joy to use.&quot;On the mobile side, development is on fire with the new generation of smartphones. Even though native applications are a dominant means of tapping into network services on iOS and Android devices, mobile browsing use also is growing at a healthy rate.  Opera desktop revenue, fueled by revenue-sharing deals with companies such as Google, has been increasing.(Credit:Opera) Notably, iOS's Safari and Android's built-in browser are both based on the same open-source engine, WebKit. As notably, so is the browser in Hewlett-Packard's WebOS for Palm phones, Samsung's Bada mobile operating system, and the browser coming to new BlackBerry devices. WebKit has proven a unifying, empowering force in mobile browsing.Indeed, it was WebKit that whacked Opera's unbranded browser business. Mobile choices Opera sees room for others--hardly a surprise given that about 70 percent of its revenue comes from mobile compared with about 30 percent for its desktop browser. It's adapting its two browsers--Mini and Mobile--to keep its business humming despite the smartphone market upheaval. First, a primer on what separates the two. Opera Mini, the company's first mobile browser, is geared for wimpier hardware. To handle pages on a Web steadily growing more complicated, Mini uses Opera servers to read the Web pages, boil them down into a compressed state, then send them to the display vessel that is Mini. It makes money for Opera when the company customizes it to put carrier-preferred shortcuts on the &quot;speed dial&quot; quick-launch page--for example a Vodafone offer for two free weeks of Internet access in Egypt--and can share in resulting revenue.Opera Mobile, in contrast, is a full-fledged browser based on the same engine that runs on the desktop version of Opera. That means it works on interactive Web applications where Opera Mini often struggles or fails. It's available on Nokia's Symbian operating system, among other areas, and tomorrow is set to arrive in beta form on Android.  Opera Chief Development Officer Christen Krogh(Credit:Stephen Shankland/CNET) The Android product will bring the revenue-sharing business model of the desktop browser to new mobile users, said Christen Krogh, Opera's chief development officer. &quot;We want because we think the consumer monetization model we're helping bring about on mobile is going to be really lucrative,&quot; Krogh said. Opera came out ahead when in 2005 it moved from charging for the Opera desktop browser itself to getting a fraction of online transactions such as clicking on search ads that its browser helped facilitate.&quot;We think that model is going to be really lucrative in mobile,&quot; Krogh said.Like Opera for the desktop, Opera Mobile got a turbo mode that can use the Opera servers for a speed boost when networks are strained.&quot;We are living in a bubble,&quot; in first-world countries with disposable income and fast networks, said Jon S. von Tetzchner, Opera's co-founder and until the end of last year chief executive. Opera's browsers are designed to reach the rest of the world as well, and that is where a huge amount of growth for Internet services is taking place.And while the smartphone revolution is real, he said, so is the growth of lesser models. Moore's Law, broadly speaking, has enabled powerful hardware in high-end smartphones, but that's not the only change it's brought to the mobile market.&quot;Instead of something twice as powerful, you're actually seeing a more reasonable price,&quot; von Tetzchner said. &quot;They cut the cost instead.&quot; Such lower-cost handsets are often the staples in areas such as India where mobile phones, not PCs, are the dominant way people tap into the Net.  Opera is working on Opera Mobile, its full-fledged mobile browser, for Android devices, with public beta release set for Tuesday.(Credit:Opera) Turbo time&quot;When CPUs get faster, we want to do hardware acceleration as much as the next guy, but we also want to do the harder optimization--what do you do when the device is almost crawling&quot; von Tetzchner said. &quot;From a programmer challenge point of view, that's a much harder problem.&quot;And it's still relevant in the rich part of the world, where network connections often are overtaxed even where high-speed networks have arrived. Opera Mini and Opera Mobile can also cut data usage for the large number of people without unlimited data plans.The service is widely used' Opera just opened a new data center in Iceland to support 20 million Opera Mini users in Europe, Africa, and Asia. It's not easy to run at scale, as browser maker Skyfire showed when its new browser application for streaming Flash to the iPhone overwhelmed its servers.Carriers like it the turbo service because it gives them precise visibility into statistics such as how people use the Net, for example letting them gauge how likely people are to need more lucrative higher-end data subscription plans.&quot;We give them precise analytics of Opera users on the network,&quot; Boilesen said. Opera opened new operations at the Thor Data Center in Iceland to service Opera Mini users.(Credit:Opera) Also, through a 2010 acquisition of Californian mobile ad network AdMarvel, Opera has the ability to feed ads efficiently into the billions of Web pages it delivers through its servers. It's not a lot of revenue today, but Opera expects growth.But Opera still needs to work on its turbo mode, Boilesen said--starting with visibility.&quot;We have not really successfully launched turbo,&quot; he said. &quot;We don't need to relaunch it, but we need to get people to try turbo on phones.&quot;In the big picture, being a gateway to tens of millions of people's usage of the Web is indeed a powerful position. The company just needs to figure the best way to accommodate Web applications, avoid abuses of its privileged role, and extract money from the role most effectively.&quot;I think it's interesting times for Opera,&quot; Boilesen said. &quot;We have something nobody else has.&quot; <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[This week in Crave: The on-the-move edition]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-on-the-move-edition</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-on-the-move-edition</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 06 Nov 2010 07:10:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>fizblhome</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=this-week-in-crave-the-on-the-move-edition</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Too busy trying to figure out how to make Microsoft's Kinect work in your small apartment to keep up with Crave all week Here's what you missed while you were moving furniture around so you could play Dan and Scott's top Kinect picks at home.  &amp;149' And how does the Kinect stack up to the Move andWii, anyway &amp;149' Next time you're late to work, blame your iPhone, which looks like this on steroids.Behold the biggest iPhone eva.(Credit:iphonetable.blogspot.com)&amp;149' Logitech solar keyboard charges indoors. &amp;149' A cool computer that might not get you Megan Fox, but might make your nerdy pals jealous. &amp;149' Be the man with the golden Wii gun. &amp;149' See where you're going while texting. &amp;149' Jawbone Jambox brings boom to Bluetooth (and appreciates alliteration). &amp;149' It will still get lost in the couch--plus other reasons smartphones are dumb remotes. &amp;149' Our British cousins asked: What's the greatest gadget of the 21st century  And we asked: Got a great story we should know about Write to us at crave at cnet dot com. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Envoy to solve latest Google Maps border dispute]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=envoy-to-solve-latest-google-maps-border-dispute</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=envoy-to-solve-latest-google-maps-border-dispute</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Nov 2010 07:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>sirrasuck252</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=envoy-to-solve-latest-google-maps-border-dispute</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I have never been a Nicaraguan general, but I imagine that the job has its fun parts.So one might just put it down to naive enthusiasm that Eden Pastora--such an idyllically peaceful name for a general--might have accidentally wandered with his troops into territory that would seem to be owned by its neighbor, Costa Rica.And yet, no. General Pastora doesn't blame general euphoria. No, he blames Google Maps.The dispute that has ensued over Google's version of the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border has become rather serious. So much so that the secretary general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, is flying to the area to help ensure that a cartographic mess involving Google doesn't become a graphic mess involving dead bodies. The Google Maps tale, originally offered by Search Engine Land, reads almost like a scene from the wonderful 2001 movie &quot;No Man's Land.&quot; You see, Costa Rica and Nicaragua aren't necessarily in agreement about who owns the areas near the San Juan River. But the Costa Ricans claim that both countries are in possession of maps that delineate a currently tolerated border, which was allegedly agreed in treaties as long ago as 1858 and 1888.In the interests of peace, here is a lovely picture from San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. At least I think it&amp;39's Nicaragua.(Credit:CC Thombo2/Flickr)The Costa Rican paper La Nacion quoted General Pastora as saying the Google Maps version showed that his area of encampment was on Nicaraguan soil. &quot;Esta clarito,&quot; he declared.Costa Rican experts who spoke to La Nacion seemed, surprisingly, in agreement that Google's version was erroneous, while Bing Maps' was correct. The paper also quoted Nicaragua's ambassador to the Organization of American States as saying the local maps can be confusing.However, Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rica's first female president, who must feel slightly perturbed, as her nation doesn't have what might officially described as a permanent army, is not happy. She reportedly declared on national TV: &quot;The Armed Forces of Nicaragua crossed the border and remain until this day on Costa Rican territory on the Island of Calero, in the province of Limon. There they set up military encampments, raised the Nicaraguan flag.&quot;Google was accused earlier this year of showing a radically misleading version of the border between Cambodia and Thailand. And CNN says the company is looking into the Nicaragua-Costa Rica issue.Given that Google Maps do occasionally lead people up garden paths and even highways, it is hard to imagine that fine generals rely on the service, especially in sensitive areas.Who would be surprised, therefore, if General Pastora might have been attempting to attain a certain heroic status by conquering a little pastoral foreign land And who would be surprised to hear that the Nicaraguans have requested that the Google Maps version stays as it isI would have suggested that the two sides play a game of soccer to settle this little fracas. And then I remembered that Central America hasn't always been politically lucky, where soccer is concerned. In 1969, Nicaragua's near neighbors, El Salvador and Honduras, got into a war that was somewhat inspired by a soccer game between the two countries. So one can only wish Jose Miguel Insulza--and Google--luck. Insulza, at least, may not need it. He is a Chilean politician, whose nickname is, um, El Panzer.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Intel Light Peak tech coming--will Apple follow]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-light-peak-tech-coming-will-apple-follow</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-light-peak-tech-coming-will-apple-follow</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Nov 2010 07:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rockyraj52</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-light-peak-tech-coming-will-apple-follow</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A technology developed by Intel and backed by Apple is expected to appear earlier than previously thought, paving the way for very-high-speed connections on both PCs and Macs. Intel demonstrating Light Peak back in 2009.(Credit:Intel)Light Peak is now on track to appear in products in the first half of 2011--and likely earlier in the year than later, according to an industry source familiar with the progress of the technology. Light Peak is significantly faster than even USB 3.0, carrying data at 10 gigabits per second in both directions simultaneously. In this respect, Light Peak eclipses USB 3.0, which is not supported by Apple and is only supported sporadically by PC makers on certain models. The reason Intel has yet to support USB 3.0 in the chipsets that accompany its processors. But Apple is expected to back Light Peak, if past comments from Intel still hold. Shortly after its annual developer conference in 2009, Intel said that it had showed the technology to third parties, got feedback, then incorporated the feedback into the next design, adding, at that time, that &quot;Apple is an innovating force in the industry.&quot; (Apple has reportedly claimed that it conceived the idea for Light Peak.)If Apple implements Light Peak, it would be a safe bet that the company will have a lot to say about the technology--maybe with a catchy name in tow. And it would probably not be wild speculation to say that Apple would want to be the first to use it. An Intel demonstration in 2009 at its developer conference used a machine running Apple'sMac OS X.  And Sony has, in the past, endorsed Light Peak also. Apple did not respond to questions. Whither USB 3.0Though USB 3.0 has arrived, it hasn't arrived on Apple's MacBooks nor on most PCs. The current USB 2.0 standard, which is found on virtually all laptops today, has been around a long time--indeed, too long for some consumers' tastes. Intel laid the groundwork for widespread use of USB 2.0 on PCs and devices in spring 2002 when it put the technology in its chipsets. And there's the rub. USB 2.0 is universal, USB 3.0--because it's not supported in Intel chipsets--is not, despite being up to 10 times faster.And there are other reasons cited for the lack of a dire need for USB 3.0. Peripheral devices, like printers, don't benefit from moving to 3.0. And a number of laptops already ship with the faster eSATA standard or FireWire (in the case of the MacBook), which Intel supports in its mobile chipsets.What's Intel's stance on USB 3.0 &quot;We are absolutely committed to USB 3.0 and beyond that,&quot; said an Intel spokesperson. But don't expect USB 3.0 support in Intel chipsets anytime soon. Some credible speculation puts this as far out as 2012. That said, not everyone is necessarily waiting for Light Peak with bated breath. There are reports of Light Peak detractors, who claim it won't be widely implemented and that PC makers are, instead, gearing up for USB 3.0. But the USB 3.0 start-up phase has been going on for a long time. Moreover, USB 3.0 is now available on laptops from Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Asus, and Toshiba (laptop port replicator, in Toshiba's case) but only very selectively. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. See Intel Light Peak demonstration. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Anonymously Chat With Other College Students On&nbsp'HowRandom]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=anonymously-chat-with-other-college-students-onnbsphowrandom</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=anonymously-chat-with-other-college-students-onnbsphowrandom</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>ballmurderer</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=anonymously-chat-with-other-college-students-onnbsphowrandom</guid>
<description><![CDATA[HowRandom, a site for college students, launches today with one core feature &amp;8212' the ability to anonymously chat with people from other schools. There&amp;'s no photo uploading, file sharing or video capabilities, just a text entry line and a chat widget.The student on student communication happens on two levels, a test function where you casually enter in your school (warning, you have to type the full word &amp;''University&amp;'') and a verified function which allows you to type in your .edu address in order to get &amp;''Verified&amp;'' as a bona fide college student.Explains founder Jon Cook, &amp;''Ita4a4s a way for guys at Harvard to meet girls at Yale, etc. And ita4a4s not intrusive. HowRandom has a very solid viral loop. It has the Facebook-like .edu exclusivity. And ita4a4s extremely simple to use.&amp;''Cook and co-founder Jason Humphries think of HowRandom as more of a social experiment than a business. They hope it will mirror the randomness of life and &amp;''foster real-world meetings and interactions between two people that might otherwise never meet. a4 Like a text-based Chatroulette with no penis problem, there&amp;'s also a next feature in case you don&amp;'t like who you&amp;'re chatting with.Cook says he wants to keep evolving the app through user feedback, and is considering including limited profile option along with the &amp;''Verified&amp;'' logo.Facebook initially restricted its users to college students with .edu addresses and that element was crucial to its success, this is also HowRandom&amp;'s hook. Colleges are hotbeds of virality in more ways than one, and starting off there is a good move for any social app.CrunchBase InformationHowRandom.comInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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