Microsoft's secret phones coming to Verizon

After the Windows Phone 7 launch passed without so much as a mention of Project Pink, Microsoft's otherFirst live shots. new phone project started to fade into memory. Today, we can confirm: Pink's coming, and Verizon's the carrier. UPDATE:
A tipster passed us a load of third-party marketing materials, in which a promotional plan for Pink is laid out in detail. (Campaign specifics and most graphics have to be withheld to protect the innocent, but rest assured, they're legit.) The documents don't talk about specs or software details, or more importantly why the hell Microsoft thinks this weird little pebble is a good idea, but there's plenty we can learn:

(Credit: Gizmodo )

• The early Pink renders leaked to us back in September? Those are exactly the same ones included in the proposal.
• Of the two phones in prior leaks, only one shows up here: The Turtle vertical slider. It's a messaging phone, basically--one part Pre, and two parts Sidekick. (Or maybe three.)
• Verizon is a launch partner for the device, and probably an exclusive carrier. The branding and marketing in the documents suggests a joint Microsoft/Verizon launch, but another carrier isn't completely out of the question.
• The phones aren't running Windows Phone 7, unless it's hidden behind a different interface. Virtually all rumors around the Pink platform implied as much, and again, this appears to be something fundamentally different.
• Social Networking! It's all over the proposal, and presumably, the phone.
• It's suggested that the platform has apps of some sort. For a phone like this to share apps with Windows Phone 7 is pretty much impossible--the minimum hardware requirement for a Windows Phone looks out of reach for this little black lump--so this one's a big question mark. Is it another SDK? Or closed app development like we've seen on the Zune HD? Web apps?

(Credit: Gizmodo )

Since the documents come from a party working with Microsoft, and not Microsoft itself, a few things are missing: there's no mention of a release name for the product (Pink is the codename we've been using, but the launch title could be different.); still no sense at all as to how the interface works; and no announcement or launch date. The documents are just days old, and hint at a near-term launch, which would be inline with what we've been hearing about a second Microsoft phone launch at or around CTIA at the end of this month. And remember, these are marketing materials, designed to promote a launch, not just an announcement. In other words, Pink, or whatever the hell it is, will likely beat Windows Phone 7 to market. So that explains all those Tweets, I guess.
All these missing pieces add up to a massive gap, not just in the phone's feature sheet, but in our understanding of what it's supposed to be. If it's a replacement for the Sidekick, the obvious question is, is anyone asking for a replacement for the Sidekick? If it's just a Microsoft-branded feature phone, er, why? Isn't the future of youth/budget phones all about scaled-back smartphones (see: Pixi, Backflip), and not glorified feature phones?
UPDATE: More insiders have come forward, and now we have a possible timeframe: Late April. Oh, and there are two phones, as implied by the original leak. The second, according to our tipster, is the Pure horizontal slider, pictured below:

So these two phones--the Sharp PB10ZU and the PB20ZU--there are names for them but I can't tell you what they are, cause Verizon may just put out different code names in order to find out where any leaks occur. And frankly the names are really really awful sounding so I hope what I've been told aren't the final names anyway...

Apparently the interface shares some aesthetic elements with Windows Phone 7, albeit with "some sort of UI skin/more of a social-networking edge to [it]." As for release, apparently Verizon is "looking at a late April launch date," though this isn't set in stone. [Thanks, Tipsters!]

Internet changes news consumption landscape

If you are like the overwhelming majority of Americans, you are likely to read or hear about this story again on TV, the radio, newspapers, and other Internet sites. A recent survey found that 92 percent of Americans get their daily news from multiple sources.

The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism report, released Monday, finds that the Internet is now the third most popular news medium, trailing behind local and national television but ahead of newspapers and radio broadcasts. Almost two-thirds (59 percent) people get news from both online and offline sources, according to the report.

Getting news from their mobile device has been a daily habit for many Americans.

(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)

People who get daily news from a single source account for a very small amount, according to the report. It also found that only 7 percent of adult Americans rely only on the Internet or local TV for their daily news.

However, when it comes to the Internet, the report finds that 57 percent of Americans tend to have between two to five favorite Web sites where they get daily news. According to the report, 61 percent of Americans go online at least once a day to read news and 71 percent read online news at least occasionally.

Regardless how they get the news, most Americans share common reasons as to why they want to keep up with what's happening around the world. According to the report, 72 percent of those it surveyed said they enjoy discussing the news with others. It also found that 69 percent of people also consider it as a social or civic obligation to get the news.

The Internet hasn't become just another medium for news consumption; it has also changed how people interact with news. The report found that 33 percent of cell phone owners now access news from their phone and that 28 percent of Internet users have customized their home page to show news topics of their interest. It also found that 37 percent of users have contributed by leaving comments or disseminating what they've read via e-mail and social Web site such as Twitter or Facebook.

While relatively unanimous about how important daily news is to them, Americans have mixed feelings about the quality of the news. While about two-thirds (63 percent) think that news organizations have been doing a good job covering subjects that matter, 72 percent of them also agree that most news sources today are biased in their coverage.

IT Park in Puducherry

Following the success of phase I of the IT Techno Polis Park on Pondicherry Engineering College campus, the UT government is planning for the phase-II under the public-private partnership mode, said Puducherry Lt Governor Iqbal Singh during his Republic Day address on Tuesday.Phase II of the proposed IT park is likely to provide employment for more than 2,000 people, he added.Besides, there is a proposal for a multi-product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Polagam Growth Centre in Karaikal to increase the economic activities, he said.Greeting people on the 61st Republic Day, he said that the Puducherry government has been consistently increasing its allocation under the Planning Commission of India to achieve significant improvements in the socio-economic frontiers and for this, a plan outlay of Rs 2,250 crore has been approved for the annual plan 2009-10.

He added that a sizeable part of this outlay would be utilised for infrastructure development projects.He noted that to meet the challenges like shrinking agricultural land space, unpredictable monsoon, depleting ground water and excessive use of chemical fertilizers, several initiatives have been taken to achieve four per cent annual growth under the agricultural productivity improvement programme and the latest technique of pesticide farming, which would help farmers save their input cost and get higher returns, was part of it.

Development of more fascinating Communication Network with Mobile Applications

For the last many years mobile users are increasing at rapid pace! There are various devices available such as (PDAs) personal digital assistance, (EDAs) enterprise digital assistance, smartphones and cellphones or mobiles for the communication and for performing various commercial and social activities digitally. Nowadays communication is not only the purpose of the mobile user, there are various entertaining and business oriented activities possible by using mobiles. For extending the mobile usage more than communication, mobile applications are used in the mobile phones. So a variety of mobile applications are present in the mobile devices for the various activities like games, messaging, audio & video applications, calculations, travel, search, utilities, etc. For the implementation of the new applications there are various technologies used by the technical experts of the mobile application development. In the field of mobile applications Java is the oldest technology which is preferred by the developers for the development. Other popular technologies for the development of mobile applications are J2ME, DOTNET framework and C++. Going more in technical terms there are various software platforms used by the developers for the mobile phones such as Symbian, JavaMe, Android, Lazarus, Python, Flash Lite, BREW, etc. All these technologies are used for the graphical interface, unrestricted functionality, for full phone data access and for the best run time speed.
According to market & technological experts near future will demand for more advance applications for use in mobile devices, which can fulfill the growing demands of the hi-tech users of the modern world. Mobile applications use to play big role to provide more flexible use of the mobile devices according to desire, these applications help in increasing features and functions. Applications added in the mobile devices help in adding value such as access any time & everywhere, finding user locations through GPS (global positioning system) tracking and various numerical tasks.
For the successful and technologically error-free implementation of these applications is critical without technical expertise in mobile application development. Professional expertise services can be availed nowadays from the various globally active web development companies and other service providers. As nowadays in the field of mobile devices and in the communication network world various new inventions can be seen such as iPhone, iPods, Palm and PocketPC and related applications for implementing in these hi-tech devices.
World is growing in fast communication network with additional attractive and more interactive features of mobile and other contact devices.

Cash-for-clunkers rebates offered on new appliances

 

 

By Julie Schmit, USA TODAY

Three dozen states will launch programs in March and April to distribute almost $300 million in rebates to consumers buying energy-efficient appliances.

The federally funded programs, similar to the cash-for-clunkers auto rebate program last year, are intended to improve energy efficiency and stimulate the economy. Rebates differ by state and appliance.

GREEN HOUSE: 

Eight states launched programs this month, including New York, which offered $50 to $75 rebates on refrigerators, washers and freezers. On opening weekend, "There were people waiting outside every store to get started," says Doug Moore, president of appliances for Sears, which opened early to meet demand.

New York's $18.7 million program was set to expire Sunday but was extended because millions remained. "It's been a boon to consumers and retailers," says Francis Murray, CEO of the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority.

Michigan launched its program Feb. 10. It expects it'll take four months to distribute the $9 million in rebates, says Stephanie Epps, appliance analyst for the Michigan Bureau of Energy Systems. "The weak economy has a lot to do with it," Epps says.

Some states started programs earlier. Each state sets the rules and dates of their programs. Oregon and Kansas require applicants to be low income. Alaska has reserved rebates for people with disabilities.

To qualify for rebates, consumers must buy Energy Star appliances, which meet energy standards set by the federal government and are up to 30% more efficient than standard models, Murray says.

Many states offer rebates for refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers and water heaters, Moore says. Some states are more restrictive. Many offer extra rebates if consumers recycle old appliances. Rebates are largely first come, first served. In Michigan, consumers can reserve rebates, then buy and apply, Epps says.

The Department of Energy, at www.energysavers.gov, provides information on each state's program.

Some say the programs' costs will outweigh the benefits. University of Delaware economics professors George Parsons and Burton Abrams estimate that for every dollar spent on the programs, they'll return 94 cents in environmental benefits.

The benefits will be muted because some consumers will buy appliances they would've bought anyway, Parsons says. Some appliances will be retired sooner than they could be. Also, some people may buy new refrigerators but keep old ones, too.