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<title>Haaze.com / lawan / Voted News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Sun, 10 Apr 2011 07:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Google nixes new Street Views of Germany]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-google-nixes-new-street-views-of-germany</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-google-nixes-new-street-views-of-germany</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 10 Apr 2011 07:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>HTattoo88</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-google-nixes-new-street-views-of-germany</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google Street View cars being readied for action in Sao Paulo, Brazil.(Credit:CC Racum/Flickr)Despite a recent court victory, it appears Google's Street View is retreating from Germany's streets.In many countries around the world, Google's camera-topped vehicles roam the roadways, capturing street-level images of whatever happens to be in their vision, including staged sword battles, naked men emerging from car trunks, and even dead bodies. But Google now says it has &quot;no plans to launch new imagery on Street View in Germany,&quot; according to a Search Engine Land report.Google did not respond to repeated requests for comment, but a Google representative told the blog that the company's priorities have changed.The images that have already been published will remain online, but the company has no current plans to update or add to the collection, according to the report.The program has proved to be unpopular with many governments, especially in Europe, which view the photos as an invasion of privacy. However, a Berlin court ruled last month that it's legal for Google to take the pictures, striking down a lawsuit brought on by a German woman who sued Google over Street View and cited privacy and property rights.Google Street View launched in Germany last summer with the option for residents to have their homes blurred out, something that was decided upon after extensive negotiations with the German officials who work to enforce the country's tight privacy laws.'Unfortunate' views of Google Street View (photos) <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Zynga appoints DreamWorks CEO to board]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zynga-appoints-dreamworks-ceo-to-board</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zynga-appoints-dreamworks-ceo-to-board</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:11:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Arravargy</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zynga-appoints-dreamworks-ceo-to-board</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Zynga is beefing up its board of directors by announcing today that it has added Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO and co-founder of DreamWorks Animation.Katzenberg, who created the animation studio along with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, marks the sixth board member of the privately held social-games company, which earned a jaw-dropping profit of $400 million on $850 million in revenues last year.Jeffrey Katzenberg(Credit:DreamWorks)Zynga CEO and founder Mark Pincus made the announcement in a blog post today on the company's Web site: &quot;I knew he'd be a great fit for the board after he suggested that the blockbuster of 2011 could be ShrekVille.&quot;Pincus continued to joke that Katzenberg will help recruit a seventh member to the board (maybe Jack Black or Mike Myers).But more seriously, Katzenberg's appointment signals Zynga's desire to evolve from a well recognized and successful Silicon Valley start-up to a large consumer brand name and entertainment company.Social gaming on Facebook so far is in its infancy.Zynga has been able to profit handsomely off no-name games, like FarmVille, CityVille, and Mafia Wars. Critics argue that it will have to turn those franchises into brands as the market matures and gets inundated by well-recognized brands. That progression has already started to take shape with Electronic Arts' acquisition of Playfish and what Disney has planned with its purchase of Playdom.Having an answer to this question will be key as Zynga considers raising up to $250 million in capital, and positions itself for a potential IPO.&quot;DreamWorks Animation is a revolutionary technology company, a recognized consumer brand and, at its core, a media company. It's easy to see the value that Jeffrey will add to Zynga as we grow and look for more ways to delight our players,&quot; Pincus wrote.In a statement, he added: &quot;Jeffrey redefined storytelling when he launched DreamWorks Animation. He turned an independent studio into a brand name and his vision will be an asset as we work to define the future of play.&quot;Katzenberg can offer that outside perspective as the board's only member not in Silicon Valley. He joins Pincus' Owen Van Natta, Zynga's executive vice president of business' Bing Gordon, partner at Kleiner Perkins' Brad Feld, managing director of Foundry Group' and Reid Hoffman, founder and chairman of LinkedIn.Story Copyright (c) 2011 AllThingsD. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Asus' Transformer tablet pledges and turns for $400 on Best Buy]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=asus-transformer-tablet-pledges-and-turns-for-400-on-best-buy</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=asus-transformer-tablet-pledges-and-turns-for-400-on-best-buy</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>anyannucci</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=asus-transformer-tablet-pledges-and-turns-for-400-on-best-buy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Asus EE Pad Transformer makes the pledge and is quickly followed by the turn. We're eagerly awaiting the prestige!(Credit:Engadget)It seems Best Buy has completed the first two parts of itstablet magic trick. According to a post at Engadget today, Asus' EE Pad Transformer appeared on BestBuy.com for $400 and was subsequently pulled from the site a short time later. Back atCES 2011 in January, Asus announced that the Android 3.0-enabled EE Pad Transformer would debut some time in the spring for a price ranging from $400 to $700, depending on the storage capacity of the version purchased.If this price holds true, this would place the Transformer a full $100 cheaper than the iPad 2 and $200 lower than the Motorola Xoom, which is currently the only Android 3.0 tablet on the market.The Transformer includes a dual-core Tegra 2 processor, a 10.1-inch IPS display with a 1,280x800-pixel resolution, and, as mentioned before, will run on the Android 3.0 OS. The latest release date we've heard is April, so we expect Best Buy to hopefully deliver the prestige in the next few weeks.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA['Artificial leaf' makes hydrogen from solar cell]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=artificial-leaf-makes-hydrogen-from-solar-cell</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=artificial-leaf-makes-hydrogen-from-solar-cell</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:10:57 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>MarCoch</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=artificial-leaf-makes-hydrogen-from-solar-cell</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Making hydrogen gas (the bubbles) from a solar cell in water, a Sun Catalytix prototype.(Credit:Martin LaMonica/CNET)Drawing from nature, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Daniel Nocera thinks he can draw cheap and clean energy from water. At the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Nocera yesterday presented results from research on making an &quot;artificial leaf&quot; to split water to get hydrogen fuel and oxygen. The goal is to use the solar cell to make hydrogen, which would be stored and then used in a fuel cell to make electricity. &quot;The artificial leaf shows particular promise as an inexpensive source of electricity for homes of the poor in developing countries. Our goal is to make each home its own power station,&quot; Nocera said in a statement.In 2009, Nocera and others created Sun Catalytix to commercialize his work on relatively cheap catalysts made from nickel and cobalt for a device called an electrolyzer that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The company in the fall raised more money from Indian industrial giant Tata.Using a $4 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), researchers at Sun Catalytix began work on their second-generation product. Rather than use an electrolyzer to make hydrogen, this product would make hydrogen directly from a solar cell. That would mean a renewable source for the hydrogen fuel and electricity. Until now, research yielded very low efficiencies in converting sunlight to hydrogen using a solar cell. Nocera yesterday said that researchers are optimistic they can boost the efficiency rate and the durability of the material. In the lab, he said that an artificial leaf prototype operated for 45 hours without a degradation in performance.At the ARPA-E Summit earlier this month where Sun Catalytix showed a prototype of its second-generation product, company executives said the research will take a few years to complete and about three to five years to create a commercial product.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: AT&T already shipping iPad 2]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-att-already-shipping-ipad-2</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-att-already-shipping-ipad-2</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Mar 2011 08:10:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>svetalaxq</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-att-already-shipping-ipad-2</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Apple)In what may have been nothing more than a minor footnote to Friday's launch ofApple's iPad 2, shipping times on Apple's Web site quickly jumped from 3 to 5 business days to 2 to 3 weeks.Interestingly, according to a report from AppleInsider, AT&amp;T is already shipping iPad 2s to customers, with some expecting to see theirs as early as Monday.As of the writing of this article, shipping times on Apple's Web site are 3 to 4 weeks for all models of the iPad 2. The photo below, from AppleInsider, shows the customer's shipping date as March 11th, a solid month before Apple expects to ship its inventory of iPad 2s.Does AT&amp;T have better shipping times than Apple for iPad 2 It appears so.(Credit:AppleInsider)As Apple has often noted, the success of the iPad has been tied to customers' ability to actually touch the device in the many retail stores in which Apple's products now appear, including Best Buy, AT&amp;T, Verizon, and Wal-Mart.So, if you're looking to order your iPad 2 online, perhaps the smart move is to check out AT&amp;T.Have any of our readers ordered their iPad 2 from AT&amp;T or Verizon What's your expected ship date Let us know in the comments.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Onboard the Startup Bus, let's bounce]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=onboard-the-startup-bus-lets-bounce</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=onboard-the-startup-bus-lets-bounce</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:10:46 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Enladavoill</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=onboard-the-startup-bus-lets-bounce</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Members of Bouncr sit on the ground outside the Santa Monica, Calif., co-working space Coloft, where the Startup Bus stopped yesterday afternoon. (Credit:Daniel Terdiman/CNET)PALM SPRINGS, Calif.--If I've learned one thing during my first, long, day on the Startup Bus yesterday, it's that in a rapid prototyping environment, it's all about &quot;MVP.&quot;For those who think that's a sports term, it isn't. At least not in this context. Here, riding through dry California lowlands at 60 miles per hour on a bus packed with a couple dozen hard-core tech entrepreneurs, it means just one thing: minimum viable product.I'm on one of two Startup Bus coaches that left San Francisco early yesterday bound for the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) festival in Austin, Texas. All told, six buses full of so-called &quot;buspreneurs&quot; are heading towards the Texas capital, including one each from New York, Chicago, Miami, and Cleveland. And all six are filled with teams of techies who want to come up with the best start-up pitch they can craft between their starting point and Austin. To them, especially before we've even stopped for our first night on the road, MVP is what it's all about.Even if MVP occasionally makes you wince at what you've built.&quot;If you're not embarrassed by your first release,&quot; said Jay Stakelon, a member of Team Bouncr, &quot;you're not releasing early enough.&quot;A version of the Bouncr Web site that the team built in less than a day Tuesday aboard the Startup Bus.(Credit:Bouncr)There are six teams onboard my bus, but I've spent the bulk of the first day shadowing Bouncr. This team of six--including Stakelon, Max Mullen, Adam Burmister, Diana Mounter, Mischa Nachtigal, and Jason Katzer--is trying to build a start-up that began around the idea of a &quot;bit.ly for e-mail addresses.&quot; On the one hand, as they first thought about it, their product would provide an auto-generated e-mail address that could be useful in trying to craft 140 character tweets, and on the other, the team thinks it may have a solution to the problem of providing throw-away e-mail addresses for Web service sign-ups or to people you don't really want to hear from: It's the e-mail address you give the annoying job seeker or guy in the bar who won't leave you alone. When they write you and you don't want to hear from them, the click of a button--maybe it says &quot;Let's bounce,&quot; or &quot;bounce me,&quot; a polite &quot;nothing to see here&quot; sort of response is automatically sent back. &quot;Shorten, share, and protect your e-mail address&quot; is the team's tagline.Throughout the day, the Bouncr crew has, like all the others on the six buses, been building its idea up from scratch. These are, after all, people who for the most part met for the first time in the last 36 hours. And while they're a long way from landing a round of venture funding from Kleiner, Perkins, the six have already crossed a significant milestone: they've struck their first deal.Toward the end of the day last night, the team was busy pitching Philip Fierlinger, who hails from New Zealand's Xero, a major Startup Bus sponsor, on plunking down some advertising dollars. Leading the pitch was Katzer, who was enthusiastically pointing out to Fierlinger that Bouncr had already had well over 1,000 visits to its Web site--in one day--and that more than 10 percent of those people had signed up. Katzer was jockeying hard to score a $100 advertising buy.At first, Fierlinger was dismissive, saying that Xero had already put down all the money it could on the Startup Bus. But Katzer wouldn't let go, nor would his teammate Mullen, who carefully explained all the ways that Bouncr &quot;touches&quot; a user: upon initial sign-up' at registration confirmation' when blocking an e-mail or user' and any time a user visits the management tool. With this new insight into Bouncr's idea--and both a newfound sense of respect for the Bouncr team and that the product might very well align nicely with Xero's online accounting software--Fierlinger is won over for an ad buy of at least $100, and maybe more. There's a handshake. And then Mullen belted out, &quot;Bouncr is profitable!&quot;'What's the point of the service' Since laws governing how many hours a bus driver can work meant that we had to find a place to stop by 10 p.m., we quietly rolled into a Palm Springs Travelodge that advertises itself as &quot;brand new and affordably hip&quot;--though, surprise, surprise, it's neither--in the dark. I had dreams of some last work, and then a (more or less) decent night's sleep.But then there was a knock and the door, and there was Mullen, inviting me to come and sit in on a team meeting where they'd be going over &quot;user stories.&quot;This wasn't about testimonials. It was a discussion of the many different potential Bouncr use cases, and features they were considering. What if, they pondered, someone sent a Bouncr e-mail with attachments--should the service forward the attachment or host it and send a link A brief discussion ended with a consensus that Bouncr should behave like e-mail normally does, and not force users to adapt to something new. So, it should forward any attachments.What happens, it was asked, if someone submitted a Bouncr e-mail address for conversion to a Bouncer e-mail address More discussion, and an agreement that the system should be set to automatically refuse to accept addresses from its own domain.One particularly important topic of discussion was whether Bouncr would really offer most users utility as a shortening service. After all, bouncr.com is a longer domain than, say, gmail.com. Mullen said, however, that he had put in a request for boun.cr, a Costa Rican URL that was available, but would require approval. If accepted, it would offer the team a three-character advantage over the .com.Another question was whether users would be able to request custom Bouncr addresses, or if they'd have to accept what was autogenerated. Clearly, it was decided, custom addresses were essential--but not something that should be included in the list of features the team would be focusing on in the two days before arrival in Austin.Indeed, much of the evening meeting centered around &quot;above the line&quot; and &quot;below the line&quot; features, meaning those that were high priority, and those that could be put off into the future. Energetic and enthusiastic, Stakelon, a dead-ringer for Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley, nonetheless was clearly the pragmatic voice of reason in the room, constantly expressing passion for ideas while also declaring them &quot;below the line.&quot;Bouncr members Max Mullen (second from right) and Mischa Nachtigal (right) interview people on the street about the product their team is building.(Credit:Daniel Terdiman/CNET)With some features being called into question, including whether Bouncr even makes sense as an e-mail address shortening service, Mounter got existential. &quot;Now, what's the whole point of the service,&quot; she asked.A question like that could bring everything crashing down, but the Bouncr team seems a lot more confident than that. Indeed, though I haven't spent as much time with any of the other teams as I have with this group, I've gotten the feeling that these six people are particularly cohesive. Whether crammed into the seats at tiny tables onboard the bus--seemingly the same kind of Bauer Limousine coach that ferries hundreds of Google employees to work from San Francisco every day--or sitting on the floor of Coloft, the Santa Monica, Calif, co-working space we spent the afternoon at yesterday, or working on two queen beds at the Travelodge, the team always seems loose, easygoing, and on task. It's not that the other teams are rife with conflict--far from it: One thing about my Startup Bus experience that has surprised me is how little tension there is. But there certainly is some, and at least one team has more or less had to abandon its original idea after a day of disagreements over direction and, finally, the defection of a teammate.With Bouncr, even disagreements seem more like constructive discussion, and an important point like Mounter's is taken at face value and considered soberly. As the team tries to work out whether Bouncr offers real utility to enterprises, and ponders whether its goal of &quot;adding intelligence to e-mail&quot; is valid, or even possible, the reaction is that &quot;the fact that we're having this conversation is important because we are coming up with solutions.&quot;But there might even be a bit of hubris on display.At one point, the team is talking about how well they work together. And Nachtigal, who works for Twitter, looked up and said, &quot;We may not have the best idea [on the bus] but we can execute the best.&quot;Whether that's true or not, Bouncr is certainly being seen as promising by the Startup Bus community. In a virtual stock market game (note: the link gives me a referral boost in the game) that is being run in conjunction with the project--in which anyone can &quot;bet&quot; on the stocks of the various teams--Bouncr's stock price has been one of the top gainers. Above the line Though everyone on the bus is tired from lack of sleep, the Bouncr team continued to work late into the night despite our planned 7 a.m. PT departure this morning. But finally, Stakelon hit his wall, threw his bag over his shoulder and announced he was heading for bed.For Mounter, this was a clear opportunity.&quot;Now that Jay's gone,&quot; she said, pausing for effect, &quot;let's move everything above the line.&quot;Stay tuned for more CNET coverage of the Startup Bus.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Could subway dig topple Michelangelo's 'David']]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=could-subway-dig-topple-michelangelos-david</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=could-subway-dig-topple-michelangelos-david</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 05 Mar 2011 08:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>breannavfd3</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=could-subway-dig-topple-michelangelos-david</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Michelangelo's &quot;David&quot; has seen better days. He's spent centuries on his feet. He's tired, yet he cannot take a seat.Now some are wondering whether engineering work that's taking place beneath him might cause the Renaissance icon to quite simply collapse with exhaustion.The Telegraph reports that construction of a high-speed railway being built beneath Florence might cause one vibration too many for David.The paper quotes Fernando de Simone, a specialist in subterranean engineering, as saying: &quot;The tunnel will pass about 600 meters (2,000 feet) from the statue of David, the ankles of which, it is well known, are riddled with microfissures. If it's not moved before digging begins, there is a serious risk that it will collapse.&quot;Is he cracking up(Credit:CC Jay8085/Flickr)&quot;David&quot; is, apparently, not made of stern stuff. The marble used by Michelangelo was not of the finest quality. Moreover, the 17-foot-high &quot;David&quot; has been at something of an angle for quite a while, putting additional pressure on his left side.An Italian art critic, Vittorio Sgarbi, reportedly believes that the rail project should simply be diverted elsewhere, which shows an interesting and cultured sense of priorities.However, for now authorities seem to be content merely to monitor the effects of the engineering work. Florence has had its fair share of smaller earthquakes, and thus far &quot;David&quot; seems to have withstood everything. But perhaps it might be better to find him a more peaceful home in his old age.Perhaps the Italians could move him somewhere to the south of Italy, where the tourist economy certainly needs boosting, as does its image--given that many see it as a place in which nefarious activities abound.One can only hope that a sensible solution is reached before, one difficult night, someone has to pick up the pieces.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[WeatherBill insures farmers from extreme weather]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=weatherbill-insures-farmers-from-extreme-weather</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=weatherbill-insures-farmers-from-extreme-weather</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:10:55 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>jusirbim1</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=weatherbill-insures-farmers-from-extreme-weather</guid>
<description><![CDATA[WeatherBill, a company that uses high-end computing to reduce risk in agriculture, yesterday said it raised $42 million from Khosla Ventures, Google's venture arm, and existing investors.(Credit:Gevo)The San Francisco-based company, founded by two former Google employees, provides insurance plans to farmers to hedge against lost income due to extreme weather. WeatherBill has built an application that continuously analyzes reams of weather-related data from multiple sources, including short-range forecasts, seasonal effects such as El Nino, and long-term trends. The same cloud-based platform is also used to provide insurance for travelers.Vinod Khosla, which heads a green technology venture fund over $1 billion, said the technology can fundamentally change the risks associated with weather in agriculture. &quot;Now WeatherBill can help farmers globally deal with the increasingly extreme weather brought on by climate change,&quot; he said in a statement.In the case of losses from weather-related problems such as floods or droughts, farmers receive money from WeatherBill. People in agriculture can use the company's Web site to get an estimate of their premium based on their location and the crops they are growing. In a conference call to announce the funding, Khosla and Bill Maris from Google Ventures said the deal with WeatherBill represents growing interest among investors in agriculture. &quot;Helping farmers protect their financial futures and protect the global food supply is something I think we all can be passionate about,&quot; Maris said, according to a New York Times article. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Jobs makes surprise showing at iPad 2 unveiling]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-makes-surprise-showing-at-ipad-2-unveiling</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-makes-surprise-showing-at-ipad-2-unveiling</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>michalcleark108</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-makes-surprise-showing-at-ipad-2-unveiling</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Apple CEO Steve Jobs takes the wraps off the iPad 2 at the company&amp;39's event earlier today in San Francisco.(Credit:James Martin)Apple CEO Steve Jobs made a surprise appearance at this morning's iPad 2 unveiling, bringing event attendees to their feet for a standing ovation. It was Jobs' first appearance at an Apple event since announcing his third medical leave from the company, and an unexpected one at that.The week prior, Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, who Jobs had put in charge of running Apple's day-to-day operations in his absence, had presided over the company's annual shareholders meeting, leading many to believe that Jobs would also be sitting this morning's event out. Jobs appeared at ease with the crowd, soaking up the warm reception when first entering the stage, as well as commanding the role of master of ceremonies for the hour and 15-minute presentation. &quot;We've been working on this product for a while, and I didn't want to miss today,&quot; he said. Even with the surprise cameo though, Jobs made it clear the day was not about him, it was about Apple and its products. After going over some of the company's recent successes with sales in the company's iBooks platform, Jobs detailed how the company had amassed more than 200 million accounts in its online stores, as well as paying out $2 billion to developers since the launch of the App Store.When it came time to introduce theiPad 2, Jobs went out of his way to make the point that competitors were still trailing in the market, calling out Samsung specifically with its efforts of the Galaxy Tab. This culminated in a bullet point on Apple's slide deck boasting that the company had more than 90 percent market share of thetablet market. This was later brought up again with Jobs saying that competitors like Google were making some of the same mistakes in the tablet market that had been made in the PC industry, with a focus on specifications rather than on end-user experience.&quot;Our competitors are looking at this like it's the next PC market. That is not the right approach to this,&quot; Jobs said. &quot;These are post-PC devices that need to be easier to use than a PC, more intuitive. The hardware and software need to intertwine more than they do on a PC. We think we're on the right path with this.&quot;That approach had brought the company iPad sales in excess of 15 million units since its introduction early last year, Jobs said. Following the introduction of the device, Jobs passed on the torch to a number of the company's product managers to go walk the crowd through demos of new software and iOS features that would be making their way to iPads and iPhones later this month as part of a system software update. On several occasions, his reaction when coming on stage was that of a beaming parent, happy with the work, and to show it off to others.Jobs closed out the event by saying that technology alone was not good enough. &quot;It's technology married with liberal arts, humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing. And nowhere is that more true than in these post-PC devices,&quot; he said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Nokia baits developers with free Windows Phones]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nokia-baits-developers-with-free-windows-phones</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nokia-baits-developers-with-free-windows-phones</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:11:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>odobbyLoyat</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nokia-baits-developers-with-free-windows-phones</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Pretty soon, this could be a Nokia phone.(Credit:Josh Miller/CNET)Microsoft and Nokia may have spent much of Mobile World Congress trying to convince attendees of the merits of their fresh, new partnership, but the harder step will perhaps be urging Nokia's loyal Symbian developers to shift alliances.There's nothing like free stuff to help change one's mind. To that end, Nokia will be giving away one E7 smartphone and one Nokia-made Windows Phone to each developer in Launchpad, it's program for mobile app developers, according to information procured by SlashGear.In addition, Nokia will waive its tech support charges for developers for the next three months.&amp;nbsp'Developer support is one key to make Nokia's Microsoft pairing successful, especially as the two companies are poised to battle Canada's Blackberry maker RIM for market relevance behind Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms. On the handset front, Nokia will also feel pressure from Sony Ericsson, as both brands will keep a hungry eye trained on the US smartphone market. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Carriers try outflanking app stores with WAC]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=carriers-try-outflanking-app-stores-with-wac</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=carriers-try-outflanking-app-stores-with-wac</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:10:53 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>berrycrrrr</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=carriers-try-outflanking-app-stores-with-wac</guid>
<description><![CDATA[China Mobile CEO Wang Jianzhou cautions against carriers becoming &amp;amp'amp'34'dumb pipes,&amp;amp'amp'34' WAC is central to that effort.(Credit:Stephen Shankland/CNET)Nokia and Microsoft want to create a &quot;third ecosystem&quot; to rival the mobile phone realms built by Apple and Google--but carriers have an even broader alternative of their own.Last year at the Mobile World Congress show, a group of them unveiled the Wholesale Applications Community. It's an effort to outflank native software and monolithic app stores with Web apps not tied as tightly to specific smartphones and available through a variety of conduits.And this year at the show, they launched WAC.&quot;With the commercial launch of operator storefronts, handsets and applications, all based on WAC, we can say that WAC is now officially open for business,&quot; WAC CEO Peters Suh said yesterday in a statement.For all its notable allies, though, WAC faces an uphill struggle. Apple's iOS and Google's Android are very popular, both with programmers and with customers. Even Microsoft, trailing both those rivals, has 8,000 apps.The WAC initiative has 68 members now, led by mobile operators China Mobile, MTS, Orange, Smart, Telefonica, Telenor, Verizon Wireless, AT&amp;T, and Vodafone. AT&amp;T CEO Randall Stephenson touted WAC in a speech today. On the handset side of the alliance are Huawei, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and ZTE.&quot;Both Samsung and LG will be further driving uptake of WAC by ensuring that all devices produced by the two companies that are capable of supporting the WAC runtime will do so,&quot; WAC said in its statement. And Ericsson announced it's providing a white-label storefront that others can use as their own app store.The initiative reflects two big trends in the technology world: the rise of Web applications and mobile operators' efforts to remain relevant to consumers for services beyond just sending and receiving data.&quot;Avoid becoming dumb pipes,&quot; China Mobile CEO Wang Jianzhou advised in a speech today at Mobile World Congress. &quot;In the mobile Internet era, lack of innovation will turn telecom operators into dumb pipes.&quot;HTML, used to construct Web sites and increasingly Web apps as well, is crucial to reach many devices.(Credit:Stephen Shankland/CNET)Illustrating his point were images of app stores from Apple, Nokia, Google, and Microsoft.WAC technology is essentially a close variation of Web application programming' compliant phones come with a &quot;runtime,&quot; the software foundation needed to run the apps. This runtime is, essentially, a Web browser, and browser maker Opera Software, which is closely allied with Vodafone and other carriers, announced it has released its Opera Widget Runtime for WAC phone makers.Programmers use the WAC software developer kit to create and sign their apps.WAC released version 1.0 of the WAC interface in December. At Mobile World Congress yesterday, it released WAC 2.0 with support for HTML5's built-in multimedia abilities. And there's more to come: &quot;WAC 3.0, which will be available in September 2011, will allow these brands [phone makers and carriers] to deliver even more compelling applications, as developers are able to unlock back-end network assets including in-app billing and user authentication,&quot; WAC said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[HTML5 spec set for 2014 completion]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=html5-spec-set-for-2014-completion</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=html5-spec-set-for-2014-completion</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:10:19 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>deshawnste21</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=html5-spec-set-for-2014-completion</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The W3C&amp;39's new HTML5 logo(Credit:W3C)It's been a work in progress for years, but there are a few more years to go yet before the next version of Hypertext Markup Language is finalized.Specifically, the World Wide Web Consortium's HTML Working Group is set to announce today that it expects to anoint HTML5 as an officially recommended standard in the second quarter of 2014. That drawn-out schedule contrasts with another effort to make HTML a more fluidly updated &quot;living standard.&quot;&quot;We started working [on HTML5] in 2007,&quot; Philippe Le Hegaret, the HTML activity leader for the W3C, told CNET. &quot;We're targeting seven years for completing HTML5.&quot;HTML5 will become the first new revision since HTML 4.01 was released in 1999. Among the features in the next-generation Web page description language: built-in video and audio, a &quot;canvas&quot; element for two-dimensional graphics, new structural labels such as &quot;article&quot; to smooth programming, and a codified process to consistently interpret the hodgepodge styles of real-world Web pages, even when improperly coded.That doesn't mean interested parties won't be able to employ the new technology until 2014, though. On the contrary, key phases of the coming years' development involve getting feedback from real-world use that's already well under way and ironing out wrinkles that may arise implementing the standard in Web browsers.At the same time, work continues on a broad range of HTML standards--geolocation, offline data storage, background processing, a direct browser-server communication conduit, and more--that aren't strictly speaking part of HTML5. And after the W3C releases the first &quot;last call&quot; draft of the standard in May--the point at which the W3C thinks the standard's features are set--the W3C plans to begin tackling the early stages of what it's calling HTML.next for now.Clearly, then, the W3C isn't idling while browser makers and Web developers aggressively push ahead. But the W3C's schedule contrasts sharply with the speed at which the Web is developing today, growing beyond its role as a medium for static documents into a foundation for sophisticated applications. But the schedule also is not a great surprise given the complexity of HTML, the technological and political wrangling among the 55 organizations in the group, and an interest in HTML that's broadening beyond browser makers and Web programmers.&quot;When you want interoperability at a global scale across a broader industry, it takes time [and] more investment than single-platform stability,&quot; said Ian Jacobs, head of W3C marketing. For example, although the Web began as a phenomenon on personal computers, it's becoming a reality on mobile devices and another domain, TV, is coming, as exemplified by a recent W3C workshop dedicated to the subject.&quot;The key thing here is that there are lots of stakeholders, some of whom may not move at the same speed. One of the pieces of feedback from the TV and Web workshop is that TV manufacturers expect a shelf life of 7 years,&quot; Jacobs said. &quot;Because the W3C has as its mission to make the Web available to everybody, we always have to take into account the multiple needs of multiple audiences.&quot;The WHATWG's living documentEven as the W3C proceeds methodically, though, another group involved in developing HTML is changing its philosophy to an even more fluid arrangement. The WHATWG--Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group--began work on what became HTML5 in 2004 when the W3C declared that the 1999 update to HTML4 was the final version and that the future lay with an incompatible standard called XHTML 2.0. That proved to be largely a dead end, however, and the W3C resumed HTML work in 2007 and now has phased out work on XHTML 2.0.The WHATWG got its start as an open mailing list, but its founders and decision-makers all came from browser makers--Opera and Mozilla to start, with Apple joining later. HTML governance now essentially involves both the W3C and the WHATWG. One key figure is Ian Hickson, a former Opera and now Google employee who serves as an editor of the somewhat divergent versions of HTML maintained at both the W3C and the WHATWG.In January, Hickson declared that at the WHATWG, HTML has now become a &quot;living document,&quot; a specification that is constantly updated according to need. Abandoning version numbers that no longer are needed, Hickson ditched the term &quot;HTML5&quot; in favor of just &quot;HTML.&quot; And he said he'd like to see the W3C follow suit.Don't expect the standards group to do so, though.The W3C has always revised its standards, Jacobs said. &quot;That doesn't mean everybody wants the nightly build of a specification,&quot; he said, referring to the software development practice of building a new test version of software every night to include programmers' latest patches. &quot;We also have stable versions of standards, because there are some communities who need those for the level of interoperability they require...We think both innovation and stability are valuable, and they are not mutually exclusive.&quot;Another factor is intellectual-property rights--specifically, patents. Those who participate in creating the W3C's specifications agree not to sue those implementing the specification for infringement of any patents those participants own. It's a bit of legal reassurance in a technology world that has plenty of patent risks, but technically that assurance only comes with the final version of a specification.The final scheduleWhat exactly will happen between now and mid-2014 with HTML5 Several steps, according to Le Hegaret and Jacobs:In May 2011 comes the first &quot;last call&quot; draft of HTML5. This version is feature-complete, meaning no new features will be added, but that existing features will be refined. The W3C expects to deal with thousands of comments through this phase, some of them likely to lead to &quot;substantial&quot; changes.Likely by the end of 2011, the W3C will issue a second last-call version and begin a second round of refinements.In the second quarter of 2012, a new phase begins, in which &quot;implementors&quot; of the specification--browser makers, essentially--provide feedback. During this phase, the W3C concentrates on a suite of thousands of tests to see if implementations of HTML5 really do get the same results when interpreting a Web page's code.The culmination of this phase is a &quot;candidate recommendation&quot; of the HTML5 spec and at least two &quot;interoperable implementations&quot;--in other words, two different browsers that produce the same results on the test cases. The implementors' feedback is scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2014.Last comes a final review period of about six weeks, then some time to get the promotional gears engaged.Then, in the second quarter of 2014, HTML5 should be done.&quot;We're excited to be able to say we now have a time frame,&quot; Jacobs said.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Cisco calms worries with solid quarter]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cisco-calms-worries-with-solid-quarter</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cisco-calms-worries-with-solid-quarter</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:10:28 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ramesh01</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cisco-calms-worries-with-solid-quarter</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Cisco Systems allayed concerns about its second-quarter results with earnings that topped expectations.The networking giant reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of $1.5 billion, or 27 cents a share, on revenue of $10.4 billion. Non-GAAP earnings were 37 cents a share. Wall Street was expecting earnings of 35 cents a share.As noted in a preview, analysts were expecting Cisco to rebuild its order backlog. Demand throughout the quarter looked solid. Indeed, Cisco CEO John Chambers said &quot;the quarter played out as we expected.&quot;Read more of &quot;Cisco calms worries, posts solid second quarter&quot; at ZDNet's Between the Lines. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Kenny G to make Audi Super Bowl star again]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kenny-g-to-make-audi-super-bowl-star-again</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kenny-g-to-make-audi-super-bowl-star-again</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Feb 2011 08:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bahis10900</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=kenny-g-to-make-audi-super-bowl-star-again</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Many participate in the tradition of the Super Bowl in order to laugh.No, not at the saggy bottoms of linemen, but at the ads that, sadly, often strain like stand-up comedians in Des Moines pub.However, Audi promises to be an exception.The company was, to my yellowing eyes, the finest advertiser in last year's Super Bowl, with its joyous &quot;Green Police&quot; ad.This year, the chances of an Audi repeat seem rather high.The company has prereleased some longer YouTube films, all of which offer the concept that everyone who drives Beamers, Mercedes, and Lexuses is trapped in luxurious confinement.And what better way to express this than to feature Kenny G as the man who quells riots in the luxury prison with his soothing saxAudi has reportedly already declared that Kenny G will--in his role of Head of Riot Suppression--be appearing shortly after the kickoff of today's game.We will, no doubt, be treated to an image or two of somecar (or two) during the Super Bowl spot. We will even be treated to Audi being, allegedly, the first to use a Twitter hashtag, ProgressIs, on screen. (Sample post so far: &quot;ProgressIs the opposite of Congress.&quot;)However, viewers will surely be enchanted by a quite brilliant performance from a man who, by some, is mostly admired for his golfing prowess. (He's good. Really.)You might imagine that people tune in to ads to hear about the latest technological advancements of sometablet, cell phone or car.But what they will most remember are those actors who make them giggle, make them talk and make them giggle again the following day.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Canon gently updates its entry-level dSLR and accessories lineup]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=canon-gently-updates-its-entry-level-dslr-and-accessories-lineup</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=canon-gently-updates-its-entry-level-dslr-and-accessories-lineup</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Feb 2011 08:10:01 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>cibqod</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=canon-gently-updates-its-entry-level-dslr-and-accessories-lineup</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Canon EOS Rebel equipped with the new 18-55mm IS II kit lens.(Credit:Lori Grunin/CNET)Canon EOS Rebel T3i photos With today's product announcements, Canon bookends its sub-$1,000 dSLR lineup with two new models--the entry-level EOS Rebel T3 and the slightly more advanced T3i--as well as introduces an updated version of its 18-55mm kit staple lens and two enhanced low-end Speedlite flash units. Rather than introduce new dSLR models at bargain-basement prices as Pentax and Sony tend to do, Canon traditionally lets its slightly higher end models gradually fall in price until they're the de facto entry-level models. But its current starter, the EOS Rebel XS, and which the T3 will replace, has been around since the summer of 2008 and even Canon must think it's looking a bit dowdy compared to competitors that, while old, aren't quite that old. Especially since the more expensive Nikon D3100 has overtaken it in sales. The T2i, however, is still quite competitive and selling well' Canon plans to keep that model in its line at a cheaper price.With the cameras, Canon is also rolling out an update to its current 18-55mm IS kit lens' the new IS II version basically adds a potential extra stop of image stabilization, from a maximum of 3 stops to 4. Here's an overview of Canon's sub-$1,000 lineup, including the outgoing Rebel XS. &amp;nbsp'Canon EOS Rebel XSCanon EOS Rebel T3Canon EOS Rebel XSiCanon EOS Rebel T1iCanon EOS Rebel T2iCanon EOS Rebel T3iSensor (effective resolution)10.1- megapixel CMOS12.2- megapixel CMOS12.2- megapixel CMOS15.1- megapixel CMOS18- megapixel CMOS18- megapixel CMOS22.2 x 14.8mm22.2 x 14.8mm (est)22.2 x 14.8mm22.3 x 14.9mm22.3 x 14.9mm22.3 x 14.9mm Image processor versionDigic IIIDigic 4Digic IIIDigic 4Digic 4Digic 4Sensitivity rangeISO 100 - ISO 1,600 ISO 100 - ISO 6400ISO 100 - ISO 1600ISO 100 - ISO 3200/12,800 (expanded)ISO 100 - ISO 6400/ 12,800 (expanded)ISO 100 - ISO 6400/ 12,800 (expanded)Continuous shooting3 fps 5 raw/unlimited JPEG 3 fps JPEG/2 fps raw n/a3.5 fps 6 raw/53 JPEG3.5 fps 6 raw/53 JPEG3.7 fps 6 raw/34 JPEG 3.7 fps 11 raw/34 JPEG Viewfinder (mag/ effective mag)95% coverage 0.81x/0.51xn/a95% coverage 0.87x/0.54x95% coverage 0.87x/0.54x95% coverage 0.87x/0.54x95% coverage 0.87x/0.54xAutofocus7-pt AF n/a9-pt AF center cross-type 9-pt AF center cross-type 9-pt AF center cross-type9-pt AF center cross-type to f2.89-pt AF center cross-type to f2.8Shutter Speed1/4000 to 30 secs' bulb' 1/160 x-syncn/a1/4000 to 30 secs' bulb' 1/160 x-sync1/4000 to 30 secs' bulb' 1/160 x-sync1/4000 to 30 secs' bulb' 1/160 x-syncn/aMetering35 zones63-zone iFCL35 zones35 zones63-zone iFCL63-zone iFCLLive ViewYesYesYesYesYesYesVideoNoneH.264 QuickTime MOV 720/25p/30pNoneH.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/20p' 720/30pH.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/24p/ 25p/30p' 720/50p/ 60pH.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/24p/ 25p/30p' 720/50p/ 60pManual aperture and shutter in videon/aNon/aNoYesYesAudion/an/an/aMonoMono' mic inputMono' mic inputImage stabilizationOpticalOpticalOpticalOpticalOpticalOpticalLCD size2.5 inches fixed 230,000 pixels2.7 inches fixed 230,000 pixels2 inches fixed 230,000 pixels3 inches fixed 920,000 pixels3 inches fixed 1.04 megapixels3 inches articulated 1.04 megapixelsMemory slots1 x SDHC1 x SDXC1 x SDHC1 x SDHC1 x SDXC1 x SDXCWireless flashNoNoNoNoNoYesBattery life (CIPA rating)500 shots700 shots500 shots400 shots550 shots440 shotsDimensions (WHD, inches)5.0 x 3.8 x 2.4n/a5.1 x 3.8 x 2.4 5.1 x 3.8 x 2.45.1 x 3.8 x 3.05.1 x 3.8 x 3.0Body operating weight (ounces)17.618.5 (est)18.518.618.618.6 (est)Mfr. Pricen/an/an/a$549 (est' body only)$699.99 (est' body only)$799.99 (body only)$549.99 (with 18-55 IS lens)$599.99 (with 18-55mm IS II lens)$649.99 (with 18-55mm IS lens)$799.99 (with 18-55mm IS lens)$899.99 (with 18-55mm IS lens)$899.99 (with 18-55mm IS II lens)n/an/an/an/a$980 (est' with 18-135mm IS lens)$1,099.99 (with 18-135mm IS lens)Release dateAugust 2008March 2011April 2008April 2009March 2010March 2011EOS Rebel T3(Credit:Canon USA)Given this lineup, I can't imagine the XSi hanging around for too much longer either, at least not at its current price. The T3 looks like a moderately updated version of it, albeit with video, a slightly larger LCD and what looks like purposefully limited continuous-shooting performance. And the lack of a 24p mode for that camera seems an odd choice, unless the goal is to force people--most likely starving film students--up to the more expensive T2i.As for the T3i, it's more or less identical to the T2i with the addition of an articulated LCD and a few features for the auto-always crowd. Interestingly, there's now a Movie Digital Zoom capability, which may (or may not) provide the ability to crop into a 1920 x 1080 window in the middle of the sensor, which can help prevent artifacts like moir&amp;eacute' when shooting video (if it doesn't work that way, it's usually a don't-use feature). Canon also incorporates the Video Snapshot feature from its camcorders and some in-camera special-effects filters. Canon also claims automatic mode works better. Like everyone else. But it hasn't said anything about tweaked low-light performance at midrange ISO sensitivities, which is also in great demand.Here's how the T3i compares to some similarly priced competitors:&amp;nbsp'Canon EOS Rebel T3iPentax K-rSony Alpha SLT-A55Sony Alpha DSLR-A580Sensor (effective resolution)18-megapixel CMOS12.4-megapixel CMOS16.2-megapixel Exmor HD CMOS16.2-megapixel Exmor HD CMOS22.3 x 14.9mm 23.6 mm x 15.8mm23.5 mm x 15.6mm23.5 mm x 15.6mmFocal-length multiplier1.6x1.5x1.5x1.5xSensitivity rangeISO 100 - ISO 6400/12,800 (expanded)ISO 100 (expanded)/200 - ISO 6400/25,600 (expanded)ISO 100 - ISO 1600/12,800 (expanded)ISO 100 - ISO 12,800/25,600 (expanded)Continuous shooting3.7 fps 11 raw/34 JPEG 6 fps n/a raw/25 JPEG 6 fps (10fps with auto exposure) 20 raw/35 JPEG5 fps (7fps with auto exposure) 22 raw/45 JPEGViewfinder (magnification/ effective magnification)Optical 95% coverage 0.87x/0.54xOptical96% coverage 0.85x/0.57xElectronic 0.46 inches/1.2 million dots 100% coverage 1.1x/0.73xOptical n/a  95% coverage 0.80x/0.53xAutofocus9-pt AF center cross-type to f2.811-pt AF 9 cross-type (SAFOX IX)15-pt phase-detection AF 3 cross-type15-pt phase-detection AF 3 cross-typeShutter Speedn/a1/6000 to 30 secs' bulb' 1/180 sec x-sync1/4000 to 30 secs' bulb' 1/160 x-sync1/4000 to 30 secs' bulb' 1/160 x-syncMetering63-zone iFCL16 segment1200 zone1200 zoneVideoH.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/24p/25p/30p' 720/50p/60p720/25p Motion JPEG AVIAVCHD 1080/60i @ 17Mbps' H.264 MPEG-4 1440x1080/30p @ 12MbpsAVCHD 1080/60i @ 17Mbps' H.264 MPEG-4 1440x1080/30p @ 12MbpsAudioMono' mic inputMonoStereo' mic inputStereo' mic inputManual aperture and shutter in videoYesn/aYesYesImage stabilizationOpticalSensor shiftSensor shiftSensor shiftLCD size3 inches articulated 1.04 megapixels3 inches fixed 921,000 dots3 inches articulated 921,600 dots3 inches articulated 921,600 dotsMemory slots1 x SDXC1 x SDXC/SDHC (SDXC requires firmware upgrade)1 x SDXC1 x SDXCWireless flashYesYesYesYesBattery life (CIPA rating)440 shots560 shots (NiMH batteries)330 shots1050 shotsDimensions (WHD, inches)5.1 x 3.8 x 3.04.8 x 3.6 x 2.74.9 x 3.6 x 3.35.4 x 4.1 x 3.3Body operating weight (ounces)18.6 (est)20.417.824 (est)Mfr. Price$799.99 (body only)n/a$749.99 (body only)$799.99 (body only)$899.99 (with 18-55mm IS II lens)$749.95 (with 18-55mm lens)$849.99 (with 18-55mm lens)$899.99 (with 18-55mm lens)$1,099.99 (with 18-135mm IS lens)n/an/an/aRelease dateMarch 2011October 2010September 2010November 2010In a lot of ways, the T3i is too little too late compared to its main competitors. Burst speed performance is key for a lot of upgraders, generally for shooting sports and pets, and the camera still uses a years-old autofocus system. The 18-megapixel resolution simply doesn't matter in comparison to those. On the flip side, the T3i's video capabilities look like it will be the entry-level model of choice for shooting video' AVCHD remains a major pain in the posterior to deal with for creative shooting because it only supports interlaced video at 1080 and the standard bit rate is capped at 21 megabits per second (some manufacturers provide a proprietary 24 Mbps 24p mode). In contrast, Canon's H.264 QuickTime video tends to run around 44Mbps rates.The T3 also falls short in several respects. Here's where it fits in its market segment:&amp;nbsp'Canon EOS Rebel T3Nikon D3000Pentax K-xSensor (effective resolution)12.2-megapixel CMOS10.2-megapixel CCD12.4-megapixel CMOS22.2 x 14.8mm (est)23.6 x 15.8mm23.5 mm x 15.6mmFocal length multiplier1.6x1.5x1.5xSensitivity rangeISO 100 - ISO 6400ISO 100 - ISO 3200ISO 100 (expanded)/200 - ISO 6400/12,800 (expanded)Continuous shooting3 fps JPEG/2 fps raw n/a3fps n/a4.7 fps 5 raw/17 JPEGViewfinder (magnification/effective magnification)n/a95% coverage 0.80x/0.53x96% coverage 0.85x/0.57xAutofocus9-pt AF center cross-type 11-pt AF center cross-type11-pt AF 9 cross-typeShutter Speedn/a1/4000 to 30 secs' bulb' 1/200 sec x-sync1/6000 to 30 secs' bulb' 1/180 sec x-syncMetering63-zone iFCL420-pixel 3D color matrix16 segmentLive ViewYesYesYesVideoH.264 QuickTime MOV 720/25p/30pNone720/24p Motion JPEG AVIImage stabilizationOpticalOpticalSensor shiftLCD size2.7 inches fixed 230,000 pixels3 inches fixed 230,000 pixels2.7 inches fixed230,000 dotsMemory slots1 x SDXC1 x SDHC1 x SDXC/SDHC(SDXC requires firmware upgrade)Wireless flashNoNoYesBattery life (CIPA rating)700 shots500 shots1,100 shots (lithium batteries)Dimensions (WHD, inches)n/a5.0 x 3.8 x 2.54.8 x 3.6 x 2.7Body operating weight (ounces)18.5 (est)18.824.0Mfr. Pricen/an/an/a$599.99 (with 18-55mm IS II lens)$549.95 (with 18-55mm VR lens)$649.95 (with 18-55mm lens)Release dateMarch 2011July 2009October 2009Though I'd technically place the D3000 as the T3's main competitor, for roughly $100 more (depending upon where the T3's street price falls to) you can get the D3100 kit or the Pentax K-x, both of which offer significant performance advantages and newer autofocus systems, while the D3100 has a larger (though lower resolution) LCD. Nor is it the cheapest model on the market' that nod goes to Sony's Alpha DLSR-A290. Though limited, the video capabilities still outdo the others, if only for the fact that it uses a real video codec.Canon's entry-level Speedlites (photos) Neither one of the new dSLRs blow me away, though they'll probably do well simply because they're fundamentally the same as a pair of very good current models. But Canon seems a bit more adventurous with the new flashes. The 320EX includes a built-in LED light for shooting video' a nice idea as long as you're not shooting people, 'cause those things are painfully blinding. It can tilt, but not swivel, for bouncing, and can remotely trigger the shutter for any Canon camera with wireless flash support. The 270EX II replaces the 270EX, adding the same remote trigger support, and both units can work as wireless slaves. The Speedlite 320EX ($249.99) is slated to ship in April and the 270EX II ($169.99) is scheduled for March.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Apple enforcing rules on e-book publishers]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-enforcing-rules-on-e-book-publishers</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-enforcing-rules-on-e-book-publishers</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>cash21</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=apple-enforcing-rules-on-e-book-publishers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Apple is now trying to enforce an ignored but apparently existing rule that specifically targets publishers of e-book apps offered in its App Store. In a nutshell, if the publisher gives customers the ability to buy books outside of the app, such as through its Web site, then it must also offer the ability to buy books within the app itself using Apple's in-app purchase system. Otherwise, that app would be rejected.Of course, if the books are purchased within the app, Apple gets its standard 30 percent cut.&quot;We have not changed our developer terms or guidelines. We are now requiring that if an app offers customers the ability to purchase books outside of the app, that the same option is also available to customers from within the app,&quot; Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman, said in a statement on Tuesday sent to The New York Times and other news sources.The move to strictly apply these guidelines follows Apple's rejection of the Sony Reader app on Monday on the grounds that it would have let customers buy e-books sold at the Sony Reader Store, thereby circumventing the App Store. If tightly enforced, these rules would clearly affect a variety of e-book app publishers, notably Amazon, which sells aniPhone Kindle app that directs its users to buy books at its Kindle Store.Allowing Amazon's app to sell books through its Kindle Store, yet rejecting Sony's app for similar reasons could certainly be seen as a double standard in adherence to the guidelines. The move also ultimately leaves e-book sellers in a quandary. Do they give in to Apple's guidelines and its 30 percent cut as the cost of doing business in the App StoreIt's &quot;highly unlikely,&quot; says the Times, that Amazon, Sony, and other companies would share their e-book sales and customer information with Apple. That's especially true since Apple is not just a marketplace but also a competitor, selling books through its own iBookstore.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook selling user content to advertisers]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-selling-user-content-to-advertisers</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-selling-user-content-to-advertisers</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>pnojubimJohn1</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-selling-user-content-to-advertisers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Your Facebook content may soon find its way into ads on the social network.Facebook unveiled details yesterday about a new advertising initiative called Sponsored Stories. The effort allows advertisers to find mentions of their brands--either through Places check-ins, recommendations in a news feed, likes, or actions in a Facebook application--and repurpose them as advertisements on the site.Screenshot of Facebook&amp;39's video featuring Sponsored Stories.(Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Facebook said that if a person currently checks in at a respective company's store or &quot;likes&quot; a brand page, the action often gets lost amid all the other content a user's friends may see. Sponsored Stories solves that problem for advertisers by plucking valuable content from user news feeds and making it more readily noticeable to others.Facebook is charging advertisers on a CPC and CPM basis. The company was also quick to point out that at no time will it make a user's personal information available in a Sponsored Story.The Sponsored Stories, which kicked off yesterday for Facebook's &quot;premium&quot; advertisers, will be labeled and viewable only to the content creator's friends, Facebook noted. The service will respect a person's privacy settings. However, Facebook users won't be able to opt out of the service. That's somewhat surprising, since Facebook users can modify their inclusion in the company's existing Social Ads by letting their social actions be included in a marketer's ad on the site and be shown to friends--or opt out.In a video, Facebook talks up the word-of-mouth aspect of Sponsored Stories. The company said people want to know what their friends care about and that friends' opinions have more authority than a simple ad from a company trying to market its products.&quot;When we make decisions about the products we want to buy, the places we want to go, we're basically looking for cues from our friends about what those things should be,&quot; Facebook product manager Kent Schoen said in the video. &quot;And all of us aren't out there trying to market ourselves or trying to influence people to go somewhere or do something. But the reality is, when we make a decision, we're looking for information. And we want that information to come from people we trust.&quot;Inevitably, comparisons will be drawn between Sponsored Stories and Twitter's Promoted Tweets. At first glance, they are somewhat similar because they both use content on the respective social networks. However, unlike Sponsored Stories, Promoted Tweets feature content created by marketers, which is then advertised on the site.Even without help from Sponsored Stories, Facebook's advertising revenue continues to grow by leaps and bounds.According to a study released earlier this week by research firm eMarketer, the social network generated more than $1.8 billion in ad revenue last year. The research firm expects that figure to jump to $4.05 billion this year and reach more than $5.7 billion in 2011.Updated at 12:01 p.m. PTto include more details on Sponsored Stories.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft prepping Kinect drivers, SDK for Windows]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-prepping-kinect-drivers-sdk-for-windows</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-prepping-kinect-drivers-sdk-for-windows</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Sarah01</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-prepping-kinect-drivers-sdk-for-windows</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Microsoft&amp;39's Kinect(Credit:Josh Lowensohn/CNET)Microsoft is reportedly putting together drivers and a software development kit that would allow its Kinect motion sensor to work with Windows, according to WinRumors.Citing the usual sources familiar with the situation, WinRumors says the drivers and SDK would give third-party developers the ability to create software titles that can use a Kinect plugged directly into a Windows PC.Since its official launch last November, the Kinect has proven fertile ground for developers and hackers eager to stretch it beyond itsXbox 360 roots. People clever enough to write their own drivers have already been tinkering with the product, pushing it to work with PCs and other devices.Microsoft initially reacted negatively to these &quot;hacks&quot; but then seemed to warm up to the idea, explaining that the Kinect was designed to be an open platform. Still, the company would certainly prefer that developers use official drivers and SDKs, so it makes sense that these would be in the works.At this month'sCES, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was directly asked whether the company would allow the ability to plug a Kinect into a PC. Though his response was vague on timing, Ballmer did say that Microsoft would formally support this at the right time.Rumors about Windows 8 that trickled out in December say the new OS would focus on PC gaming as a key component. Combine that with Microsoft's recent move to buy gesture control maker Canesta, and WinRumors believes Kinect integration will be directly supported in the next generation of Windows.Microsoft declined to comment on WinRumors' report.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Study: Windows 98 traffic bests Windows Phone 7]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=study-windows-98-traffic-bests-windows-phone-7</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=study-windows-98-traffic-bests-windows-phone-7</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>123mbt</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=study-windows-98-traffic-bests-windows-phone-7</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Microsoft)Windows 98 may have been retired long ago by the vast majority of users, but the operating system is still driving more traffic than the nascentWindows Phone 7, according to Web advertising company Chitika.The ancient Windows operating system--which has about 0.04 percent worldwide OS market share, according to Net Market Share--secured about 0.019 percent of all traffic on Chitika's ad network at the beginning of January. By contrast, Windows Phone 7 captured a little less than 0.010 percent market share.It gets worse. Chitika found that Windows Phone 7 has 0.44 percent &quot;as much traffic asiPhone and Android combined.&quot; Chitika has grown to become a sizable advertising network. Founded in 2003, the company said it works with over 100,000 Web sites and serves about 3 billion monthly ad impressions. The data it referenced in its report was taken from those 100,000 sites.As alarming as Chitika's latest numbers might be for Microsoft, it's important to note that Windows Phone 7 has spent very little time on store shelves. The mobile operating system launched in Europe and Asia in October and was made available to U.S. customers in November.Microsoft announced in December that 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 devices had been sold to retailers, though the company didn't say how many products had actually made their way into consumer hands.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[CES: LG's 'Super Angled' IPS6]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-lgs-super-angled-ips6</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-lgs-super-angled-ips6</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Jan 2011 08:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>lijunu3</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ces-lgs-super-angled-ips6</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LG angles for more customers.(Credit:Eric Franklin/CNET)LAS VEGAS--When LED backlighting and IPS panels are brought together, the results are impressive. Many LCD HDTVs take advantage of this melding of technologies to deliver crisp images to everyone watching them--no matter how wide the person's viewing angle--on a thin screen that draws relatively low power. This week atCES 2011, LG demoed the IPS6 series, a slim LED-based monitor with an IPS panel.LG showcased a useful demo demonstrating the advantages of IPS over TN.(Credit:Eric Franklin/CNET)As you can see in the photo above, IPS panels maintain their picture and color integrity even when viewed from extremely off angles, while TN panels do not. The only detail that gives us pause is the relativity low brightness compared with other IPS monitors. 250 cd/M2 is by no means a low number, but IPS displays usually hit at over the 300 cd/m2 range or more.Incoming specs:1920x1080 resolution250 cd/M2 brightness (125 cd/M2 in 3D)VGA, DVI, HDMI connections Six axis color controlsLook for more info in the coming months.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Google mulling digital newsstand]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-google-mulling-digital-newsstand</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-google-mulling-digital-newsstand</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Jan 2011 08:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Santmier</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-google-mulling-digital-newsstand</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Think of it as an old-fashion circulation war in the digital age, substituting tablets for tabloids.Google is trying to raise support from newspaper and magazine publishers for its own digital newsstand for Android powered devices, according to a Wall Street Journal report, a venture that would ramp up its competition with similar efforts backed by Apple and Amazon.com. The digital newsstand would reportedly feature apps from publishers that would allow versions of their content to appear on devices running Google's mobile operating system, according to the report, which cited anonymous sources. However, media executives said the details and timing remain vague and the venture might never materialize. It's also unknown how Google would address the presence of those partner publishers' content in its Google News section in order to add value to the e-newsstand. Google representative did not immediately return a request for comment.Google recently launched its Google eBookstore to peddle electronic versions of books, jumping into a hot market dominated by similar enterprises launched by Apple and Amazon. Competition between Apple's iTunes Store and Amazon's Kindle Store for mobile newshounds has been heating up. In an effort to secure its piece of the e-newsstand pie, Amazon recently announced plans to give newspaper and magazine publishers a greater share of the revenue it collects for periodicals sold through the Kindle Store. Meanwhile, Apple was rumored to be working with News Corp. to create a digital newspaper exclusively for iPads.Google CEO Eric Schmidt has long had an eye on newspaper content. Even though his company's Google News has been publicly derided as a leech of the newspaper business, Schmidt told a group of newspaper editors last April that he believes newspapers can make money online.&quot;We have a business model problem' we don't have a news problem,&quot; Schmidt said at the time. &quot;We're all in this together.&quot;Google has reportedly told publishers that it would take a smaller cut of revenue than the 30 percent that Apple takes from iTunes sales. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[YouTube unveils option to skip past video ads]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=youtube-unveils-option-to-skip-past-video-ads</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=youtube-unveils-option-to-skip-past-video-ads</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 08:10:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>zacharyheath1953</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=youtube-unveils-option-to-skip-past-video-ads</guid>
<description><![CDATA[YouTube has launched a new format that lets people bypass ads or pick which ones they are willing to view.In an attempt to benefit both consumers and advertisers, the new TrueView video ads will give viewers the option of skipping an ad after the first five seconds and will only charge advertisers if their ads play for their entirety or 30 seconds, whichever is shorter.(Credit:YouTube)Further, viewers can select which ads they want to see, giving them the option to choose ones that might be more relevant to their interests. YouTube is promoting the format as a boon for advertisers. In early results, the company said that view-through rates, which measure how many people opt to watch the full ad, ranged from 20 percent to 70 percent.Viewers will typically find the ad format on movies and other full-length commercial content. YouTube, which once thought it could turn a profit solely by showing amateur, user-generated videos, started adding professional Hollywood films to its repetoire a couple of years ago. Around the same time, the company rolled out its Promoted Videos feature, which gave everyone from politicians to corporations a platform to spread their message through short videos.GoPro, a maker of wearable, high-definition cameras, offered an advertiser's point of view about the new format.&quot;We like how TrueView Video Ads give us the ability to target our audience, and gives viewers the choice to opt-in to watch our ads,&quot; Lee Topar, GoPro's director of online marketing, said in a statement in YouTube's blog. &quot;Thus far, we've seen about a 40 percent view-through rate--and since we only pay when potential customers actually watch a video, we have more control over our budget.&quot;The new ad format has been launched in the U.S. and Canada and is being tested in the U.K., according to YouTube. The company plans to launch it in other countries as well.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google expects to launch e-book sales soon]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-expects-to-launch-e-book-sales-soon</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-expects-to-launch-e-book-sales-soon</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Nov 2010 08:10:34 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>norncrymoup</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-expects-to-launch-e-book-sales-soon</guid>
<description><![CDATA[We may get to check out Google's long-anticipated entry into the digital-book sales market before the end of the year.Google Editions, which was announced in spring and expected to launch in summer, is expected to be available in the U.S. by the end of the month, Google spokeswoman Jeannie Hornung told CNET today. In September, Hornung talked with CNET about some of the difficulties in launching the ambitious project, saying, &quot;The real answer is, we'll launch the service when it's ready.&quot;Google Editions is expected to open up a new distribution channel for digital-book publishers and give Amazon and Apple a new competitor in the booming digital-book market. However, a key difference is Google's &quot;buy anywhere, read anywhere&quot; approach, which means customers will purchase titles exclusively through a Web browser, instead of through an online store, as Amazon and Apple customers do. Customers will also be able to use any Internet-connected device--be it a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet computer--to access the books on Google's servers.Google hasn't revealed who or how many partners it has in the effort. But traditional revenue-sharing models could be upset by the fact that customers wouldn't actually have their own copy of the books they purchase.Amazon is the dominant player in the e-book field, claiming to command upward of 80 percent of the market. However, in an apparent effort to stave off defections to rival e-book sellers, Amazon recently announced plans to give newspaper and magazine publishers a greater share of the revenue it collects.Google is no stranger to digital books' the Internet giant announced plans in December 2004 to scan, digitize, and make searchable the collections of five of the largest libraries in the world. However, the effort quickly became embroiled in lawsuits and negotiations over copyright issues. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Nevada land approved for 500 megawatts of solar]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nevada-land-approved-for-500-megawatts-of-solar</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nevada-land-approved-for-500-megawatts-of-solar</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>daviswawva</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nevada-land-approved-for-500-megawatts-of-solar</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A giant parabolic trough at Solar Millennium&amp;39's pioneer project Andasol 1 in Europe, which has been grid-connected since December 2008.(Credit:Solar Millennium)Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on Monday approved the Amargosa Farm Road Solar Project, the third major solar project to gain approval to be built on U.S. public lands.The two 250-megawatt plants will be built by Solar Millennium, a German company that makes parabolic-shaped concentrated solar panels. Each plant will include a thermal energy storage system so that it can continue to supply electricity during cloud cover or at night for up to 4.5 hours per plant. Some of the solar-generated electricity will be explicitly directed toward powering buildings in Las Vegas, according to Solar Millennium.When complete, the Amargosa Farm Road Solar Project should create about 200 permanent operations and maintenance jobs, and supply enough electricity to power 150,000 U.S. homes annually, according to the Department of the Interior (DOI).Including the Amargosa project, Solar Millennium now has the potential to build 1,500 megawatts worth of solar energy projects in the U.S.In September, California regulators approved four 250-megawatt solar plants near Blythe, Calif., using the company's concentrated solar troughs in conjunction with a deal signed with the Southern California Edison electricity utility. Solar Millennium is building the Blythe project in conjunction with Chevron subsidiary Chevron Energy Solutions.But whether the Amargosa project has all its ducks in a row to move forward remains to be seen.Solar Millennium itself openly acknowledged on Tuesday that while it has signed a memorandum of understanding with NV Energy, Nevada's electric utility, it has not yet signed a power of purchase agreement. The company also said it's waiting on approval for a government loan guarantee.&quot;In line with the financing structure of Blythe 1 and 2, an equity ratio of 20 to 30 percent is also planned for the Amargosa power plants. As with Blythe, we have already applied for the respective loan guarantees with the U.S. Department of Energy in order to secure the debt capital,&quot; Solar Millennium said in a statement.That approval might not happen until the company gets approval from the government with regard to water rights.&quot;Due to the proximity to the Amargosa River, Solar Millennium must additionally seek approval with regard to the Water Clean Act from other U.S. authorities to obtain the final construction approval,&quot; the company announced Tuesday.The Bureau of Land Management, which is part of the DOI, in October approved the use of public lands in California for the Chevron Lucerne Valley Solar Project and the Imperial Valley Solar Project. At the time, the government agency pointed out that the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act's special energy grants in lieu of a tax credits option made both projects eligible for approximately $273 million and $31 million in funding, respectively.Solar Millennium stands to get the same type of deal for the Amargosa project, but it's looking to use loan guarantees as a way to secure more funding it needs to get that approval soon. The Recovery Act grants for solar and wind investment projects are set to expire at the end of 2010. While many have appealed to Congress for a two-year extension on the program, there's a good chance it will not be renewed.Keep in mind that while the first three major projects to win approval through the new DOI have been dedicated to solar energy, the initiative is not exclusively intended to promote solar. The DOI is in the process of reviewing applications for geothermal, wind, and transmission line projects as well.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Survey of women, men in IT shows differing views]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=survey-of-women-men-in-it-shows-differing-views</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=survey-of-women-men-in-it-shows-differing-views</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:10:19 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fely</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=survey-of-women-men-in-it-shows-differing-views</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Do men and women who work in IT see their jobs and career opportunities differently A new survey from IT staffing firm Technisource finds some disparities but also areas of agreement.Released yesterday, the &quot;Technisource Women &amp;amp' Men in Information Technology Survey&quot; (PDF) discovered differences in viewpoints among men and women in IT in such areas as compensation and career challenges.Among some of the specific findings, 78 percent of the women polled said they don't believe compensation is equivalent between them and their male colleagues. But almost half of the men surveyed do think it's equal between the sexes. In response to the statement: &quot;Female IT workers face a different set of career challenges than their male counterparts,&quot; 74 percent of the women but only 48 percent of the men agreed.Looking at other issues, 42 percent of the women in the poll said they believe that IT is mainly a male career path, while only 30 percent of men echoed that belief. And 73 percent of the female workers said they feel women don't have enough role models in the IT industry, a belief shared by just 52 percent of the men.The report &quot;shows that there appear to be differences beyond how both women and men view their compensation and career progression within the IT field,&quot; Alisia Genzler, vice president of the Northeast region of Technisource, said in a statement. &quot;Employers should take heed of these differing mindsets to better understand the unique priorities and challenges each of these groups face.&quot;But in certain areas, men and women were much closer in their respective views. Does society encourage young women to study math and sciences Only 24 percent of the women and 26 percent of the men said they feel it does. A majority of both men (66 percent) and women (78 percent) said that IT could use more female workers.Aside from the issue of compensation, men and women were in relatively equal agreement about the most important factors contributing to their career satisfaction. Being challenged topped the list, with flexibility and relationships with managers and co-workers further down.(Credit:Technisource)And despite any disparity in certain viewpoints, both genders feel equally satisfied with their careers, with 66 percent of women and 65 percent of men planning to spend the rest of their careers in IT.Conducted online in the U.S. by Monster on behalf of Technisource, the survey ran from September 23 to October 1 and drew responses from 506 full-time and part-time IT workers. Among the respondents, 67 percent were male and 33 percent female.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Cricket TXTM8 3G is now available]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cricket-txtm8-3g-is-now-available</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cricket-txtm8-3g-is-now-available</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:10:19 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Fiectcerreoge</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=cricket-txtm8-3g-is-now-available</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Cricket TXTM8 3GCricket announced the TXTM8 3G today, which is really a rebranded TXTM8 II. As the name suggests, the TXTM8 3G now has 3G support in the form of tri-band EVDO. It's a simple slate-style QWERTY messaging phone, with a 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, a 3.5-mm headset jack, a music player, and support for up to 16GB microSD cards. The TXTM8 3G is available for $79.99 after a $20 discount, and no contract is required. The TXTM8 3G is available starting November 12. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Tech Award winners tackle water crisis, stove emissions]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tech-award-winners-tackle-water-crisis-stove-emissions</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tech-award-winners-tackle-water-crisis-stove-emissions</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 06 Nov 2010 07:10:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>dieterwinkel</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=tech-award-winners-tackle-water-crisis-stove-emissions</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Projects designed to help communities improve access to clean water, cook with clean-burning fuel, fortify salt to maintain nutrients, and use mobile phones as learning devices have been honored with awards for technology benefiting humanity. The annual Tech Awards, sponsored by The Tech Museum in San Jose, Calif., were given to the winners in a ceremony tonight.  Two of the winners were projects that dealt with the problem many local communities around the world have in getting enough clean, fresh water. The Peer Water Exchange, a project of Blue Plane Network, is a global clearinghouse where communities can share water solutions and connect with others to help fund and implement grassroots water projects. More than 60 agencies around the world have used Peer Water Exchange to get help needed to improve the water supplies for more than 300,000 people.  The other water project honored was A Single Drop for Safe Water, which helps communities gain access to clean water and sanitation using a social entrepreneurship model. The organization, which was started by a preschool teacher, fosters income-generating education, training, and service centers that design sustainable water programs. Another winner, Alexis T. Belonio of the Central Philippine University, developed a cooking stove and continuous-blow industrial burner which use a gasification process that produces a clean-burning fuel. The Rice Husk Gasifier (PDF) is designed to keep the large piles of inedible rice husks that smolder in fields and produce smoke emission in rural areas from adding to the greenhouse gas emissions.  Other research honored was a process to double-fortify salt with iron and iodine, which is designed to improve diets in developing populations. The Micronutrient Initiative, run by Venkatesh Mannar and Dr. Levente Diosady of the University of Toronto, aims to impact iodine and iron deficiencies that can adversely affect brain development and child mortality. Double-Fortified Salt protects 3.6 million children in the state of Tamil Nadu in India.  The final award went to BBC Janala which enables people in Bangladesh to learn English via audio and SMS-based lessons on their mobile phones. The lessons cost less than one and a half cents a minute for people who live on less than $2 a day. The BBC has partnered with the country's six mobile operators who agreed to cut tariffs for the service. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Facebook introduces single sign-on for mobile apps, services]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-introduces-single-sign-on-for-mobile-apps-services</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-introduces-single-sign-on-for-mobile-apps-services</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Nov 2010 07:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Simi</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=facebook-introduces-single-sign-on-for-mobile-apps-services</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Mark Zuckerberg addresses the media and analysts today in Palo Alto.(Credit:Photo by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)PALO ALTO, CA--Let's get it over with. There is no Facebook phone. Mark Zuckerberg made that abundantly clear with a firm denial at a Facebook mobile event today at company headquarters in Palo Alto. But Facebook did announce a single sign-on. Single sign-on is roughly an extension of (and replacement for) services like Facebook Connect, connecting you to third-party social apps and services. If you're already logged on to Facebook on your mobile phone, you'll be able to sign in to other apps using your Facebook credentials.Groupon's Mihir Shah, vice president and general manager of mobile, demonstrated single sign-on on Groupon's mobile app, a service that offers people in certain cities local deals. Like clockwork, he signed in using his Facebook credentials. Zynga also showed off a poker app that worked the same way.Other single sign-on partners include Yelp, Flixster, Loopt, BooYah, and Scvngr.While it appears like a simple measure, single sign-on may dramatically reduce the amount of typing and tapping you do on a mobile phone. However, Facebook will need to address how it will keep malicious apps from delivering dangerous payloads to unsuspecting users through single sign-on. The company will likewise have to contend with users who would prefer to keep Facebook in the dark about their individual comings and goings on partner sites and apps.Stay tuned for more news and analysis throughout the day, and check out our live blog for even more details.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[California approves Tessera solar plant]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=california-approves-tessera-solar-plant</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=california-approves-tessera-solar-plant</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 Oct 2010 07:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>megaicenek</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=california-approves-tessera-solar-plant</guid>
<description><![CDATA[NTR's Tessera Solar won approval for a 663.5-megawatt solar plant near Barstow in Southern California, the latest in a string of giant solar plants planned for the nation's most populous state.The Calico Solar Project won the green light from the California Energy Commission (CEC) yesterday afternoon, following last week's approval from the Interior Department.Development of alternative energy has been a major platform of President Barack Obama and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, as a way to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and create new jobs.The Calico project will use SunCatcher mirrored dishes developed by Sterling Energy.(Credit:Salt River Project)Tessera's Calico plant will cost more than $2 billion and will power 200,000 to 500,000 homes, according to the Interior Department. If the company secures financing, it could start construction by year-end and begin generating power late in 2011.Calico would use a concentrated thermal-power technology called SunCatcher that relies on mirrored dishes to convert sunlight into electricity. The technology was developed by Sterling Energy, which like Tessera is majority-owned by Irish infrastructure company NTR.The plant is one of a group of fast-tracked solar power projects that state and federal agencies are coordinating. Those include projects from Abengoa Solar, NextEra Energy, and Solar Millennium.If they start construction by December 31, the plants can qualify for a program that provides a 30 percent cash grant from the Treasury Department.For many of the projects, securing a loan guarantee from the Department of Energy is just as important as the regulatory approvals.&quot;To get this first wave of projects off the ground, the loan guarantee is pretty much critical,&quot; says Sean Gallagher, vice president of marketing and regulatory affairs for Tessera Solar North America.Tessera is also applying for a loan guarantee for a 709-megawatt solar plant in California's Imperial Valley. That plant won CEC approval last month and Interior Department approval this month.But the Department of Energy is moving slowly on its approval process. Earlier this month, Solar Millennium said it did not know if it would receive a guarantee by year's end, which throws the future of its 1,000-megawatt solar plant near Blythe, Calif., into question. The company is also trying to develop a 500-megawatt solar plant in Palen, Calif.Like many of the other planned solar plants, Tessera's Calico plant has met opposition from environmentalists over fears it will harm desert tortoises, a threatened species in the state.Environmentalists are also concerned about water use and bighorn sheep that live in the mountains above the planned project.Story Copyright (c) 2010 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Report: Apple in trademark dispute over iPad name]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-apple-in-trademark-dispute-over-ipad-name</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-apple-in-trademark-dispute-over-ipad-name</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Oct 2010 07:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Trish01</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=report-apple-in-trademark-dispute-over-ipad-name</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Apple is in a dispute over the use of the iPad name in China.(Credit:James Martin/CNET)A company that claims it owns the trademark on the name &quot;IPAD&quot; in China says it will sue Apple for infringing on its ownership in that market, according to the Financial Times.The report, published today, weaves a complicated international legal tale surrounding Apple's efforts to secure the trademark name on its popular touch-screen tablet. Here's the gist: Taiwanese contract manufacturer Proview makes displays, but formerly sold a tablet PC named I-Pad, a trademark it registered in China and other markets like the EU, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, and Mexico between 2000 and 2004.The sales of the device apparently didn't go well, and in 2006 Proview sold the &quot;global trademark&quot; on IPAD for just over $55,000 to a mysterious U.S. company called IP Application Development, whose acronym is IPAD. Turns out, that company was likely a front for Apple.When Proview ran into financial trouble and its assets in China were seized, the creditors attempted to sell Proview's trademarks. That's when Apple stepped in. Apple is suing Proview and asking that Proview be forced to hand over the trademark in China to IP Application Development.The dispute over the trademark is still ongoing, but Proview Chairman Yang Rongshan told the FT that it plans to sue Apple &quot;for damages in China and in the U.S.,&quot; according to the report.Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.IP Application Development is the same company that began registering the iPad trademark in the U.S., Canada, and other places in January, just before Apple officially introduced theiPad.Apple ran into a snag with its U.S. application for the name, too, because Fujitsu already owned it. Two months after Steve Jobs introduced the iPad, and a week before it went on sale, Fujitsu handed the trademark over to Apple.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Ellison claims evidence implicates HP's new CEO]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ellison-claims-evidence-implicates-hps-new-ceo</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ellison-claims-evidence-implicates-hps-new-ceo</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Arvinda</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ellison-claims-evidence-implicates-hps-new-ceo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said Tuesday he could prove that new Hewlett-Packard CEO Leo Apotheker was involved in a scheme to steal intellectual property from Oracle when he was the head of German software maker SAP.HP&amp;39's new CEO, Leo Apotheker.(Credit:Dan Farber/CNET)The two companies have been battling each other in court for more than three years over a lawsuit in which Oracle has claimed copyright infringement by SAP subsidiary TomorrowNow, which provided updates and support for Oracle products before SAP shut it down in 2008. SAP has already admitted that employees of its TomorrowNow improperly accessed Oracle's computers and downloaded certain Oracle software code and support information but is balking at Oracle's demand for $1 billion or more in damages. &quot;A major portion of this theft occurred while Mr. Apotheker was CEO of SAP,&quot; Ellison said in a statement that challenged HP to make its new chief executive available as a witness. Ellison said that when he accused Apotheker of overseeing the software theft a few weeks ago, HP Chairman Ray Lane came to Apotheker's defense, penning a letter that said, &quot;'Oracle has been litigating this case for years and has never offered any evidence that Mr. Apotheker was involved.' Well, that's what we are planning to do during the trial that starts next Monday.&quot;&quot;I don't think Ray Lane wants to risk Leo Apotheker testifying under oath as to why he allowed the theft of Oracle property to continue for eight months after he was made sole CEO of SAP,&quot; Ellison said. &quot;I hope I'm wrong, but my guess is that HP's new chairman, Mr. Lane, will keep HP's new CEO, Mr. Apotheker, far, far away from the courthouse until this trial is over.&quot;HP has denied Apotheker had any direct knowledge of the software theft and characterized Ellison's statement as harassment.&quot;Oracle had ample opportunity to question Leo during his sworn deposition in October 2008 and chose not to include him as a trial witness until he was named CEO of HP,&quot; HP said in a statement. &quot;Given Leo's limited knowledge of and role in the matter, Oracle's last-minute effort to require him to appear live at trial is no more than an effort to harass him and interfere with his duties and responsibilities as HP's CEO.&quot;Apotheker was appointed chief executive at HP in September after a 19-year career at the German software maker, including a brief stint as chief executive from 2008 to 2010. He resigned in February amid turmoil over poor earnings.Apotheker took over the job vacated by Mark Hurd, who was forced to resign from HP in the midst of a sexual-harassment accusation and expense-reporting scandal. Ellison lashed out at HP's board of directors over Hurd's departure. Hurd was subsequently named co-president of Oracle and appointed to the company's board of directors.Apotheker is due to start work at his new post Monday--the same day the copyright infringement trial is scheduled to begin. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Flurry&'s app recommendation service gains huge momentum, reaching 80M users a month (exclusive)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=flurryrsquos-app-recommendation-service-gains-huge-momentum-reaching-80m-users-a-month-exclusive</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=flurryrsquos-app-recommendation-service-gains-huge-momentum-reaching-80m-users-a-month-exclusive</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Crysta7</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=flurryrsquos-app-recommendation-service-gains-huge-momentum-reaching-80m-users-a-month-exclusive</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Finding the right app among the 332,000 available on Apple&amp;'s App Store isn&amp;'t easy. That explains the success of Flurry&amp;'s AppCircle service, which analyzes a user&amp;'s phone apps and makes recommendations for other apps that the user will probably like. It&amp;'s a way to make discovery less painful for users and less expensive for developers who want their apps noticed.Flurry has now grown to more than 80 million users per month on both iOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch) and Android mobile devices. In January, AppCircle completed more than 160 million recommendations, a 1,600 percent increase from September, 2010, when it was formally launched. That&amp;'s a sign not only that mobile discovery recommendations are taking off. It also shows that mobile app consumption is flying through the roof.a4AAppCircle is filling a massive void in discovery of mobile applications,a4 said Simon Khalaf, chief executive of Flurry.The widespread adoption of AppCircle by developers and the acceptance of AppCircle recommendations by users shows how hungry everyone is for a discovery solution that works, Khalaf said.With AppCircle, Flurry creates a market for promoters, or developers who  want to get more users, and developers who want to make more money from  their apps. It analyzes a usera4a4s iPhone apps and figures out what their  tastes are. Then it recommends other Flurry-based apps to users based  on their tastes. Flurry says that, because it knows what apps users  like, it can do much better recommendations than other promotions.San Francisco-based Flurry, which started as a mobile analytics company, already had a huge base of app developers in its fold because it supplied them with analytics. The analytics data measures how much each app gets used and reports the anonymous data back to the developer, who can modify the app as needed to get more usage. Flurry is thus in a key position within a developer&amp;'s feedback cycle. Since it is so indispensable, Flurry found that it could provide services such as recommendations on top of its analytics service.Flurry said today that it is generating big revenues for app developers, paying them as much as $10,000 per day for every 100,000 daily average users. In some cases, Flurry has paid more than $100,000 to app publishers in a single day. In total, AppCircle has already paid out millions of dollars to participating publishers. It has also helped companies acquire high numbers of avid users, and that those numbers have helped apps reach the top 25 ranking in the App Store.Peter Farago, vice president of marketing at Flurry, said that Flurry now collects data on more than 240 million iOS and Android devices each month. He said that more than 1 million smartphones are being activated every day, which is just as many as the number of PCs that are sold in a day.Here&amp;'s a more in-depth explanation of what Flurry does. Application developers can use AppCircle as publishers, promoters or both. As publishers, developers integrate Flurry into their applications, enabling Flurry to serve targeted application recommendations to their consumers. Publishers earn 60 percent of the price promoters pay for each app download. As promoters, application developers create campaigns and set bids on how much they are willing to pay for a new user. Flurrya4a4s recommendation engine will match relevant promoter apps to display in publisher apps, and then use bidding to rank the order in which impressions are shown.Integrating Flurry AppCircle is flexible for publishers. The service allows several integration options including adding links to menu pages, settings pages or serving banner impressions. Publishers can also use their own virtual currency to incentivize downloads. Promoters can set up, fund and run campaigns within minutes.Application developers who act as both publishers and promoters get the best of both worlds: revenue and downloads. Additionally, developers who join as both promoters and publishers receive a 25 percent credit for every dollar they earn as a publisher that is reinvested into promoting their applications, accelerating adoption and revenue generation.Last week, Flurry said that it was getting so much business that it had to upgrade its data centers in a deal with Arista Networks. Flurry manages hundreds of terabytes of data, and it serves more than 37,000 companies across more than 70,000 iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Java-based apps.Since it launched its analytics in January 2009, Flurry&amp;'s network has grown at a rapid rate. In December alone, total system reports tracked grew by more than 40 percent. In a day, Flurry handles 2.5 billion data transactions, qualifying the company as a &amp;''big data&amp;'' company. Flurry has raised $29 million to date, including a $15 million round in December. Investors include Draper Fisher Jurvetson, InterWest, First Round Capital, and Union Square Ventures. Rivals include Google AdMob, Tapjoy, Scoreloop, PapayaMobile and OpenFeint.Next Story: Bigfoot promises wireless internet speeds we&amp;'ve been dreaming of (exclusive) Previous Story: Be your startupa4a4s only board memberPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Analytics, AppCircleCompanies: FlurryPeople: Peter Farago, Simon Khalaf          Tags: Analytics, AppCircleCompanies: FlurryPeople: Peter Farago, Simon KhalafDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[HP will install both Windows and WebOS on same desktops in future]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hp-will-install-both-windows-and-webos-on-same-desktops-in-future</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hp-will-install-both-windows-and-webos-on-same-desktops-in-future</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rasmonmon1</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hp-will-install-both-windows-and-webos-on-same-desktops-in-future</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Hewlett-Packard chief executive Leo Apotheker said today that HP will install both Microsoft Windows and its own WebOS operating system on desktop and laptop computers in the future.Apotheker said that HP plans to install a version of WebOS on its computers that are shipping after the end of the year. But that operating system will not replace Microsoft Windows, as some have speculated. Rather, Apotheker said the two operating systems will work seamlessly and you will be able to switch from one to the other in the future.&amp;''Our relationship with Microsoft was strong, is strong, and will remain strong,&amp;'' Apotheker said.But Apotheker said that only one operating system will ship on tablet computers in the future. As HP said on Feb. 9, it&amp;'s planning to ship its HP Touch Pad tablet computers with WebOS. HP will also ship a Microsoft Windows-based tablet in the future, once Microsoft makes that software available. He said that HP&amp;'s WebOS will offer a &amp;''user experience that is world class&amp;'' and that it is intuitive, easy to learn, does multitasking perfectly well, and devices will have a seamless experience.&amp;''Next Story: Japan earthquake stalls Nissan electric car production Previous Story: HP promises profitable growth and returns for decades to comePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: webOS, WindowsCompanies: Hewlett Packard, HP, MicrosoftPeople: Lo Apotheker          Tags: webOS, WindowsCompanies: Hewlett Packard, HP, MicrosoftPeople: Lo ApothekerDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Startups bet on solar panels on every home and building]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=startups-bet-on-solar-panels-on-every-home-and-building</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=startups-bet-on-solar-panels-on-every-home-and-building</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Nina01</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=startups-bet-on-solar-panels-on-every-home-and-building</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Cleantech startups are expecting that the market for distributed solar energy a4&quot; installing individual solar panels where power is needed a4&quot; is going to grow as quickly as the personal computer and cellphone markets.The most cost-effective way to use solar power is to slap solar panels on individual homes and buildings and provide power at a smaller scale rather than create massive solar panel farms. Large solar panel farms require a lot of money to build and to maintain the transmission lines that move the energy from point to point.A panel of green technology startup executives made the comments at theGreenBeat 2010 conference in Palo Alto, Calif. The panel included Edward Fenster, co-founder ofSunRun, Ron Van Dell, CEO ofSolarBridge, and Danny Kennedy, founder of Sungevity.&amp;''That S curve, you&amp;'ve been through it with the PCs and cell phones in  your pockets, that&amp;'s what&amp;'s going to happen with this business,&amp;'' said  Kennedy. &amp;''We&amp;'re in the middle of the tide as it rises, so it doesn&amp;'t feel like we&amp;'re growing a4&quot; but it&amp;'s going to take off.&amp;''One challenge is to include both the technology to capture the solar energy and convert it to usable electricity in the same box, Van Dell said. An initial surge in growth a4&quot; including a new source of jobs a4&quot; will come from research and development of those micro-inverters that turn solar panels into a complete product that both captures solar energy and turns it into a useful power source.But in order to win solar panels some widespread approval and acceptance, you have to make them sexy, Kennedy said. It&amp;'s important to give them the same appeal that Apple creates with its products in order to make consumers more willing to put panels on their roofs, he said.&amp;''We have to learn from Apple a4&quot; it doesn&amp;'t matter what motherboard or modem is in that bundle of components,&amp;'' he said. &amp;''What matters is the service, and that you all feel so cool sitting there with your Mac computers.&amp;''Next Story: Ahead of two monstrous game launches, Activision Blizzard reports healthy earnings Previous Story: Google Instant heads to the iPhone and AndroidPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: distributed solar power, GreenBeat, GreenBeat 2010, solar energy, solar powerCompanies: SolarBridge, Sungevity, SunrunPeople: Danny Kennedy, Edward Fenster, Ron Van Dell          Tags: distributed solar power, GreenBeat, GreenBeat 2010, solar energy, solar powerCompanies: SolarBridge, Sungevity, SunrunPeople: Danny Kennedy, Edward Fenster, Ron Van DellVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Nintendo to partner with Netflix, AT&038'T to boost 3DS]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nintendo-to-partner-with-netflix-at038t-to-boost-3ds</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nintendo-to-partner-with-netflix-at038t-to-boost-3ds</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>kapaoin8</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nintendo-to-partner-with-netflix-at038t-to-boost-3ds</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Nintendoa4a4s new 3DS handheld video-game player will play Netflix movies and connect to AT&amp;amp'T&amp;'s network of Wi-Fi hotspots next summer. Reggie Fils-Aim, the president and COO of Nintendo North America, said that the 3DS platform will be an excellent way of promoting new games and other 3d-material.The new features will be available after a major software update in May. After the update, the handheld console will also gain the ability to play 3D movie trailers in a format that doesn&amp;'t require special glasses to view.Fils-Aim made the remarks in a keynote address at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.One limitation of the 3DS has been the use of a removable cartridge to load games into memory for play. More modern game-playing devices like Apple&amp;'s iPod Touch store games on memory chips. With the update, the 3DS will be able to download additional game content even without a cartridge loaded, and can do so without charge over AT&amp;038'T&amp;'s Wi-Fi network.Satoru Iawata at the stage.Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, who also spoke at the conference, said he wants the 3DS to be the next must-have. His list of examples of must-haves included games like Angry Birds, Grand Theft Auto and Tetris.Nintendo announced also a new 3D version of its popular game franchise Super Mario. There was no official title or logo available. Iwata promised hea4a4ll release more details at the E3 Expo in June.Next Story: Nintendo CEO: Smartphone games are worthless Previous Story: Forrester analyst agrees that iPad 2 will dominatePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: game consoles, gamesCompanies: nintendoPeople: Reggie Fils-Aime, Satoru Iawata          Tags: game consoles, gamesCompanies: nintendoPeople: Reggie Fils-Aime, Satoru Iawata Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[AMD launches world&'s fastest dual-chip graphics card]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amd-launches-worldrsquos-fastest-dual-chip-graphics-card</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amd-launches-worldrsquos-fastest-dual-chip-graphics-card</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>laziparac</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=amd-launches-worldrsquos-fastest-dual-chip-graphics-card</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Advanced Micro Devices is announcing today that it has launched the world&amp;'s fastest dual-chip graphics card for screaming-fast gamer PCs.The new card takes two of AMD&amp;'s fastest graphics chips and marries them inside a single graphics card, which can be added to a computer and power as many as five displays. The new card means that AMD is as serious as ever about fighting for market share at the high-end of the graphics chip market, even as it launches Fusion combo chips that meld a microprocessor and graphics in the same piece of silicon.The high-end gaming market is a sliver of the overall PC industry, but it signals where the mainstream technology of graphics will eventually go, and gamers at the high end are extremely influential. So it pays for AMD to keep sparring with Nvidia, which currently holds the speed crown for the world&amp;'s fastest graphics chip.AMD claims that the new dual-card graphics card can run 1.4 to 1.8 times faster than a card with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 580 graphics chip. With this card, AMD gamers will be able to run as many as five computer screens from a single card. AMD claims you can crank up the resolution to 7680 pixels by 1600 and still get outstanding speeds. For those who really want high speed, you can take two of these graphics cards and put them in a single PC.Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD has had a very different strategy from Nvidia in the past few years. The company creates smaller, more power-efficient chips that hit the &amp;''sweet spot&amp;'' of the market, rather than the largest and fastest graphics chips. But AMD can move quickly to put two smaller chips onto a single graphics card, resulting in a graphics card that is faster than one with a single Nvidia chip.Nvidia typically has the fastest desktop graphics chip, while AMD can take the crown for the fastest graphics card with two chips in it. It isn&amp;'t immediately obvious which company has the better strategy. But gamers are well served by the constant tug-of-war competition between the two.AMD is launching its AMD Radeon HD6990 graphics card, which has the code-name Antilles, as the newest member of its 6000 series of graphics chips. The card has two settings that make it easy to &amp;''overclock,&amp;'' or run the chip beyond the recommended specification in the name of higher performance. Gamers can easily set the card to run at either speed, in contrast to past solutions that were much harder to overclock. The card runs on 450 watts of power &amp;8212' a very high number &amp;8212' but the design is laid out so that both graphics chips can dissipate the same amount of heat. Altogether, the performance exceeds 5.4 teraflops and each graphics chip has 2.64 billion transistors, or basic electronic building blocks. The chip is available for sale now.AMD is also offering updates to its Gaming Evolved program, which supports open standards for gaming technologies, said Neal Robison, director of ISV relationship management at AMD. One of the standards proposed in the past year is Open Stereo 3D, which calls for a common way to display stereoscopic 3D images on computer screens. AMD will launch a certification program for that standard in the second quarter, Robison said.Robison said AMD has now shipped more than 35 million graphics cards that are compatible with Microsoft&amp;'s DX11 graphics standard. There are 21 games and four game engines on the market that support DX11. The new graphics card has 4 gigabytes of GDDR5 memory and runs at 830 megahertz. It has 3,072 stream processors on board, which effectively means it has that many computing brains. the card can be overclocked to 880 megahertz.Among the top new PC games coming to the market soon that support DX11 are Dragon Age II (pictured below), Total War Shogun 2, and Deus Ex Human Revolution. The Dragon Age II game can be played with as many as five computer screens, with the game image stretched across all of those screens.Previous Story: LiquidSpace launches its workspace-finding mobile appPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: AMD Radeon HD 6990, Antilles, graphics card, Open Stereo 3DCompanies: advanced micro devices, Amd, NvidiaPeople: Neal Robison          Tags: AMD Radeon HD 6990, Antilles, graphics card, Open Stereo 3DCompanies: advanced micro devices, Amd, NvidiaPeople: Neal RobisonDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Online game service OnLive hires a chief operating officer from Pandora]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=online-game-service-onlive-hires-a-chief-operating-officer-from-pandora</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=online-game-service-onlive-hires-a-chief-operating-officer-from-pandora</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Musarousbuh</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=online-game-service-onlive-hires-a-chief-operating-officer-from-pandora</guid>
<description><![CDATA[OnLive, the online gaming service, has hired as its new chief operating officer Etienne Handman from cloud-music service Pandora.Handman replaces Mike McGarvey, who becomes OnLive&amp;'s chief strategy officer. The new hire reflects OnLive&amp;'s need to have both a technical executive in charge of operations and someone who has relations with the major entertainment studios, said OnLive chief executive Steve Perlman in an interview.It also means that OnLive is moving on to a new stage of growth, moving beyond providing a cloud-based gaming service to also offering, at some point in the future, other kinds of entertainment on its cloud service.Perlman confirmed in December that OnLive plans to stream movies to users, starting sometime in 2011. Handman will help expand into the broader entertainment business, Perlman said today.Perlman said that OnLive, a nine-year-old company that started offering its online game service last year, has grown to more than 200 employees and it needs someone with technical know-how to take charge of operations, engineering, and other business units. That will free Perlman up to do other things and it means McGarvey can focus on executing a lot of partnership deals and financial agreements.Handman has 25 years of experience managing tech companies. During his tenure as COO of Pandora, the music-streamning service grew to more than 75 million users. Perlman said Handman&amp;'s knowledge of streaming will be important to OnLive, which also relies on web-connected data centers to stream high-end games to players on a variety of devices.OnLive investors include Warner Bros., Autodesk, Maverick Capital, AT&amp;038'T, British Telecommunications, and The Belgacom Group.&amp;nbsp' Because its  technology is potentially disruptive to traditional game retailers,  investors recently valued the company at $1.1 billion.[photo credit: Bob Adler]Next Story: Just give up on using your iPhone as an alarm clock Previous Story: Facebook hires game executive to direct partnershipsPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: online gaming, online gaming serviceCompanies: OnLive, PandoraPeople: Etienne Handman, Steve Perlman          Tags: online gaming, online gaming serviceCompanies: OnLive, PandoraPeople: Etienne Handman, Steve PerlmanDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[More investors for renewables: BlackRock and NTR team up]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=more-investors-for-renewables-blackrock-and-ntr-team-up</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=more-investors-for-renewables-blackrock-and-ntr-team-up</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>biokeadaan</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=more-investors-for-renewables-blackrock-and-ntr-team-up</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Good news for green entrepreneurs: There&amp;'s a handful of new investment funds forming that have their eye on cleantech investing.Today, investment firm BlackRock and European renewables company NTR said they would team up to launch a new renewable power investment group. NTR&amp;'s CEO Jim Barry will take the role of chief investment officer on theBlackRock Alternative Investors platform, which currently manages over $110 billion in a range of assets. BlackRock recently led a $30 million investment round for biofuels company LS9.Last week, investment firm Silver Lake said it would team with George Soros&amp;'s fund to invest in energy. The new fund will be led by veterans of Foundation Capital and the Department of Energy. BMW announced a $100 million venture fund for transportation innovation and application at the same time it announced a new brand of eco-friendly cars. Venture capital firm Accel Partners is currently looking to raise $2 billion in new funds and is looking to invest part of the proceeds in energy companies in China.Cleantech raked in $243 billion in investment worldwide last year. In the U.S., the sector drew $7.8 billion in venture capital last year, but fundings slowed in the second half of the year, and venture capital fundraising is at an all-time low since 2003. Still, institutional investors seem to have appetite for the sector. Last year, financial services TIAA-CREF pledged to invest $50 million alongside venture capital investments made by investment firm Good Energies in the areas of energy efficiency and green building technology. Citi recently committed $40 million for financing solar projects by SolarCity.NTR has worked on a number of projects globally in solar, wind and biofuels. One of its companies is Tessera Solar, which uses solar technology developed by its sister company, Stirling Energy. Tessera has recently been through a rough bout with its California solar projects, which were both ultimately sold off after court-ordered delays and the cancellation of a power purchase agreement from Southern California Edison. The company&amp;'s investments in Stirling and the delays associated with rolling out its technology have led NTR&amp;'s solar division to lose a4s73.8 million (about $102 million)in the six months ended September 2010, Earth2Tech notes.[Image via Fotopedia]Next Story: DEMO: AboutOne creates a digital hub to organize families Previous Story: Rango filmmakers launch a promo deal inside Zynga&amp;'s FrontierVille gamePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: cleantech investing, renewables, SolarCompanies: Blackrock, Citi, Good Energies, NTR, Silver Lake, SolarCity, Soros Fund Management, TIAA CREFPeople: Jim Barry          Tags: cleantech investing, renewables, SolarCompanies: Blackrock, Citi, Good Energies, NTR, Silver Lake, SolarCity, Soros Fund Management, TIAA CREFPeople: Jim BarryIris Kuo is the VentureBeat's lead GreenBeat writer. She has reported for The Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong, Houston Chronicle, the McClatchy Washington Bureau and Dallas public radio. Iris attended the University of Texas at Dallas and lives in Houston. Follow Iris on Twitter @thestatuskuo (and yes, that's how you  pronounce her last name). Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Motion-control startup Omek is bringing gesture controls to the PC (video)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=motion-control-startup-omek-is-bringing-gesture-controls-to-the-pc-video</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=motion-control-startup-omek-is-bringing-gesture-controls-to-the-pc-video</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>bigescau</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=motion-control-startup-omek-is-bringing-gesture-controls-to-the-pc-video</guid>
<description><![CDATA[After the smashing success of Microsoft&amp;'s Kinect motion-control system for the Xbox 360, a bunch of companies are getting excited about taking the technology to PCs and other devices. We profiled Sixense earlier today, and here&amp;'s a snapshot of motion-sensing software firm Omek Interactive, which was founded in 2006.Omek Interactive is one of the companies making the ingredients for  gesture-control systems, where you can use your body, arms, legs and  head to control movement in games.Microsoft shipped more than 8 million Kinect units in three months, while Sony said it shipped at least 4.1 million units of its Move motion control system for the PlayStation 3. Nintendo has also sold more than 84 million motion-control Wii systems since 2006.But game consoles aren&amp;'t the only market for motion controls. At the Consumer Electronics Show, it was clear that expanding motion control to broader markets was one of the big vectors for innovation.Janine Kutliroff, chief executive and co-founder of Omek in Beth Shemesh, Israel, said that her company has created the middleware and game development layer for gesture controls. Other companies such as PrimeSense and Optrima are making the chips and cameras on the hardware side of the equation, but Omek focuses on taking the raw data from the sensors and converting that into controls. It also provides a full software development kit for companies to make motion-control games. Omek is also making games and its focus is on extending motion control to the PC.Kutliroff said that 15 to 20 game companies are developing games using Omek&amp;'s SDK to make games for the PC, although she also said there are some in the works for &amp;''embedded platforms,&amp;'' meaning stand-alone appliances. Beyond games, other developers are working on applications such as rehabilitation for patients who need to rebuild muscles and exercise joints.&amp;''Our goal is to be the technology enabler for the game developers,&amp;'' Kutliroff said. &amp;''But games are just the low-hanging fruit in this broader market for motion control.&amp;''Microsoft moved early in picking up companies with a lot of patents in the motion-control market. It bought two 3D motion-control companies, 3DV and Canesta, and bought chips from PrimeSense. It also licensed patents from GestureTek. But there still appears to be plenty of opportunity for companies to put together motion-control systems for the PC. One of those is Asus, whose Asus Wavi system links a PC to a TV and enables gesture controls for navigating through a variety of content. Omek is also working with others who will launch systems this year.Check out the videos below that demonstrate a couple of Omek games. Yours truly plays Galactic Surfers, which was designed in-house by Omek.Next Story: Smart blood-pressure monitor reports your readings to iPhone (video) Previous Story: Up close with Razer Hydra motion controls for Valve&amp;'s Portal 2 game (video)PrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Galactic Surfers, Kinect, motion control systemsCompanies: 3dv Systems, asus, Canesta, Gesturetek, Microsoft, Omek Interactive, Primesense, SamsungPeople: Janine Kutliroff          Tags: Galactic Surfers, Kinect, motion control systemsCompanies: 3dv Systems, asus, Canesta, Gesturetek, Microsoft, Omek Interactive, Primesense, SamsungPeople: Janine KutliroffDean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Groupon needs the human touch, not Google&'s robots]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=groupon-needs-the-human-touch-not-googlersquos-robots</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=groupon-needs-the-human-touch-not-googlersquos-robots</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Kethy</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=groupon-needs-the-human-touch-not-googlersquos-robots</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The next wave of e-commerce is clearly going to be social &amp;8212' and there are a raft of players looking for an angle on the business.Google is thinking about buying Groupon for $3 billion or more, the Chicago-based daily-deals site whose rocket-ship growth has captivated Internet investors, according to Kara Swisher of AllThingsD.Business Insider&amp;'s Henry Blodget thinks it&amp;'s a great idea &amp;8212' for Google.I think it&amp;'s a terrible idea &amp;8212' for Groupon.Sure, a deal would let Groupon&amp;'s investors cash out at a multibillion-dollar valuation. And perhaps they&amp;'d be smart to sell now, if the group-buying phenomenon is just a fad. Yahoo has been interested in Groupon in the past, and Amazon.com is rumored to be considering an investment in Groupon archrival LivingSocial.I don&amp;'t think it&amp;'s a fad, though. Nor is it time for Groupon to sell. That&amp;'s because Groupon really doesn&amp;'t have much to do with group buying, despite the name. It&amp;'s about giving small, local businesses, which depend on acquiring new customers, a cheaper, more effective way to do so, through cleverly written, deeply discounted offers distributed mostly by old-fashioned email.That business requires an army of humans, from salespeople who solicit businesses, to city planners who curate the best offers, to copywriters who craft marketing messages on behalf of businesses that could never afford to hire an advertising agency.In broad strokes, it makes sense for Google to look at a business like Groupon, which is expanding rapidly into cities across the U.S. and countries around the world, fueled by hundreds of millions of dollars raised from the likes of Lightbank, NEA, Accel Partners, and DST, the Internet-investment firm of Russia&amp;'s Mail.ru.But the strategic fit is awful. Google has bought two businesses, dMarc Broadcasting and FeedBurner, right at the point that they were getting traction selling specialized advertising products &amp;8212' Internet-brokered radio ads and RSS-feed ads, respectively &amp;8212' to curious if reluctant customers. Google ripped out the sales forces, replaced them with self-service Web sales, and watched as their acquisitions fell apart.Some products are sold, not bought. Groupon, which has run into bad publicity when a handful of small businesses got overwhelmed by the reaction to their discount offers, needs a hands-on approach and consultative sales, not Google&amp;'s classic automated approach.True, Groupon needs to build up its technology over time and explore ways to make its sales process more efficient so it can run a higher volume of deals and target them by neighborhood and demographic, not just cities. But that&amp;'s not so difficult a technological problem that it requires Google-scale servers and algorithms.The cultural fit is even more dreadful to consider. While Google likes to think of itself as quirky and nerdy, it&amp;'s got nothing on the off-kilter atmosphere created by Groupon CEO and founder Andrew Mason, who&amp;'s said he pulls pranks on his staff like hiring a man to walk around the office in a ballerina&amp;'s tutu. Google&amp;'s idea of a creative environment are lava lamps, exercise balls, and cartoon logos. Nice try, Googlers.Groupon&amp;'s human touch may be its ultimate poison pill to technology&amp;'s big acquirers. There&amp;'s an ongoing debate over whether Groupon would have thrived in Silicon Valley, with its emphasis on computer servers over customer service. Perhaps the company&amp;'s too one-of-a-kind to draw such broad conclusions. But I don&amp;'t think Google has much to offer Groupon. Besides cold, hard cash.[Pic via Give Up Internet]Next Story: Salesforce&amp;'s micro-blogging app Chatter jumps on the freemium bandwagon Previous Story: Amazon now lets you gift Kindle ebooks to anyonePrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: e commerce, social buyingCompanies: Amazon.com, Google, Groupon, Livingsocial, YahooPeople: Andrew Mason          Tags: e commerce, social buyingCompanies: Amazon.com, Google, Groupon, Livingsocial, YahooPeople: Andrew MasonOwen Thomas is the executive editor of VentureBeat.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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