Facebook breaches Korean privacy laws, has 30 days to respond to complaints [TNW Facebook]

Facebook has been accused of breaching data privacy laws in South Korea, with regulators unhappy with the way the social network is handling its users? personal information.

The Korea Communications Commission has also criticised Facebook?s provision of personal information, as well as its privacy policy, saying it ?violates the regulations on protection of privacy in information networks?.

The commission also suggested Facebook needs to do a better job of gaining consent from users when using personal data.

Mark Zuckerberg and its company will have 30 days to respond to the claims, the KCC said.

ComputerWorld states:

Article 22 of South Korea?s ?Act on Promotion of Information and Communication Network Utilization and Information Protection? states: ?If an information and communications service provider intends to gather user personal information, they shall obtain user consent.?

Facebook will need to respond quickly to the complaints as the social network is enjoying growth in the country. Currently, the social network has around 2.3 million members, equating to roughly 5% of the population, definitely something Facebook will not want to ignore.

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2010/12/08/facebook-breaches-korean-data-laws-has-30-days-to-respond-to-complaints/

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Angry Birds Shows Advertising Model For Games Works [TNW Europe]

Angry Birds, the hilarious game originally developed for the iPhone, is the fastest selling paid iPhone game to date.

The game, which sells for $0.99c was released in December 2009 with sales only really taking off when it was featured by Apple in February 2010. The game has now sold more than 12 million copies (paid downloads) and in addition it generated over 30 million free downloads.

Rovio, creators of Angry Birds, launched an Android port of its bestselling game in October this year. Hampered largely by the fact paid apps on Android are not available in every country and through every carrier, Rovio made the Android version available for free, introducing an advertising model as its main form of revenue on that platform.

Surprisingly, the advertising model has been shown to work extremely well for games, the Android app is already generating over $1 million each month in advertising.

?The future will hold many more apps based on advertising revenue. It very well complements TV and radio ads.? said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio.

He must be right. The company is ?very very? profitable and has have grown from the 12 people working for them at the beginning of the year, to nearly 40 employees.

Until recently, Rovio was focused on developing Angry Birds for many different smartphone and tablet platforms; focusing on the iPhone, iPad and Android applications. Now, the company is looking into Windows Phone 7, the Chrome Web Store and Facebook.

Furthermore, they are building their brand through merchandise: the Angry Bird Toys are sold out until January, Loic le Meur even took to the stage at the LeWeb Conference in an Angry Bird suit today!

Mikael announced that Rovio will be looking at developing new games very soon, also moving Angry Birds to consoles and handheld gaming devices, possibly following the same model; first a paid version, then free version and then releasing merchandise.

And now for your entertainment, watch the angry birds peace treaty:

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/eu/2010/12/08/michael-hed-angry-birds/

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Justices Hear Case on Denial of Help to Veteran

WASHINGTON ? Justice Stephen G. Breyer wanted to know whether it was possible that Congress intended to deny help to veterans who missed filing deadlines because of the very disabilities for which they sought help.

?You have someone who served his country and was wounded and has post-traumatic stress syndrome or schizophrenia,? Justice Breyer said at a Supreme Court argument Monday. ?Who in Congress would have likely thought such a thing??

But the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last year ruled that Congress had indeed meant to bar the courthouse door to David L. Henderson, who served on the front lines in the Korean War and was discharged after receiving a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. That disability, his lawyers said, caused him to bungle a deadline.

The appeals court said its ruling was required by a 2007 decision of the Supreme Court that said deadlines for filing appeals must be applied strictly.

The appeals court?s ruling in the Henderson case, according to a dissent from three of its judges, created ?a Kafkaesque adjudicatory process in which those veterans who are most deserving of service-connected benefits will frequently be those least likely to obtain them.?

Mr. Henderson, who died while his Supreme Court case was pending, had sought additional government help for his condition in 2001. He was turned down in 2004. A federal law gave him 120 days to appeal that determination to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, but it took him 135 days.

He sought leniency. His psychiatrist testified that ?Mr. Henderson has been incapable of understanding and meeting deadlines? because he was ?incapable of rational thought or deliberate decision-making.?

But the Supreme Court?s 2007 decision, Bowles v. Russell, said that deadlines for filing appeals were ?jurisdictional,? meaning they are not subject to exceptions or excuses.

The Bowles case concerned an inmate who missed a deadline because he had been given erroneous instructions by a federal judge. Justice David H. Souter, in a dissent also signed by three other justices, said that ?it is intolerable for the judicial system to treat people this way.?

On Monday, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had joined that dissent, said the Bowles decision was ?a substantial hurdle to contend with.? Justice Antonin Scalia went further, saying approvingly that ?Bowles was a nice, clear case.?

Mr. Henderson?s lawyer, Lisa S. Blatt, said the two cases were different, in part because of the special status of the court to which her client had tried to appeal.

?Congress established this court to open the door to veterans seeking disability benefits,? Ms. Blatt said, ?and it would just conflict with that purpose to, at the same time, shut the door when the veteran?s disability prevents him from getting to the courthouse.?

Some justices said there was a second distinction. The inmate in the Bowles case had tried to appeal from one court to another, while Mr. Henderson sought to appeal the determination of an agency to a court.

?Why wouldn?t it be a bright, clear line if we said, ?Court to court, Bowles controls; agency to court, Bowles does not apply??? Justice Ginsburg asked.

Eric D. Miller, a lawyer for the federal government, said, ?The same principle applies for appeals from agencies.?

He added that ?just about everybody? agreed that some late filings would be allowed in a perfect world ? but not under the current law. Indeed, he said, the Department of Veterans Affairs has asked Congress to add flexibility to the system.

As in many cases, Justices Breyer and Scalia disagreed about how to determine the meaning of the statute before them.

Justice Scalia said the court should rely solely on the text of the law to determine the correct result in the case, Henderson v. Shinseki, No.09-1036.

?Don?t we pretty much have to go on what they wrote?? he asked.

Justice Breyer, on the other hand, said he would ?try to work out from context, language and objective purpose what a reasonable member of Congress would have intended.?

But the two more or less agreed on what would be an example of a strong hypothetical case for imposing a flexible deadline.

?The dog ate it, maybe,? Justice Scalia said.

?Yes,? Justice Breyer said. ?Right. The dog ate the court.?

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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ccfcb871157a93831b33f60e514cc560

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OnLive coming to iPad, Android, has potential beyond gaming

OnLive has announced the availability of a new application called "OnLive Viewer" for Apple's iPad. The free software allows users to spectate games being played on the service, but it won't actually let iPad users play games -- at least not yet anyway.

The company said its new app is just a taste of what's to come. Most games aren't optimized for touch controls yet, but full game capabilities will be supported in the future. For now, OnLive has kicked things off by focusing on spectating and social features.

OnLive Viewer isn't limited to Apple's platform mind you, a version is also being developed for Android devices such as the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Tab. That project is currently in beta, but we haven't seen an official release projection.


What's possibly more exciting, however, is OnLive Viewer's potential beyond gaming. Just as OnLive allows you to stream high-end video games on low-end hardware, it could be used to access intensive desktop software from mobile devices.

During a conference today, OnLive CEO Steve Perlman showed how the OnLive Viewer could be used to access powerful enterprise software such as Autodesk Maya. The viewer was also shown running Flash web pages as well as Windows 7 Touch.

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Source: http://www.techspot.com/news/41473-onlive-coming-to-ipad-android-has-potential-beyond-gaming.html

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Google opens Chrome Web Store, first Chrome OS hardware

Google today opened the Chrome Web Store in the US, with plans to expand to more countries and currencies early next year. Developers have already started uploading Flash and HTML5 apps and the store will soon be featured prominently in the Chrome browser. The store is already supported by Chrome 8, which was released earlier last week.

The apps from the store are going to be a large part of the Chrome OS, and of course Google has shared more information on its new mobile operating system. Chrome OS is not done yet, but the search giant believes it is ready for feedback from users. The company has thus launched a pilot program where it gives test notebooks to qualified users, developers, schools, and businesses. The program is US-only until Google gets the necessary certifications to expand to other countries. You can sign up for it here.

"The test notebooks exist only to test the softwarethey are black, have no branding, no logos, no stickers, nothing," a Google spokesperson said in a statement. "They do have 12.1 inch screens, full-sized keyboards and touch pads, integrated 3G from Verizon, eight hours of battery life and eight days of standby time. Chrome notebooks are designed to reach the web instantly, are easy to share among friends and family, and simply by logging in, all of your apps, bookmarks and other browser settings are there. Setting up a new machine takes less than a minute. And even at this early stage, we feel there is no consumer or business operating system that is more secure."

As expected, Chrome notebooks will be available from Acer and Samsung in the first half of 2011. The main philosophy behind Chrome OS, which differentiates itself from Android by targeting devices with physical keyboards, is that many people already spend all their time in a browser, and that building an OS that is essentially a browser will make computers faster, simpler, and more secure.

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Source: http://www.techspot.com/news/41471-google-opens-chrome-web-store-first-chrome-os-hardware.html

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Technicolor Starting 3D Certification Program [TNW Media]

There is only one thing worse than a great movie that?s ?just? in 2D, it?s a great movie that?s in really bad 3D. As 3D TVs start making their way into homes and more 3D content is available to consumers there is on inevitable fact: there is going to be some wretchedly bad 3D out there soon.

Or maybe not if Technicolor?s new 3D certification program Certifi3D catches on:

?Our 3D certification platform allows our stereo technicians to quickly and precisely diagnose many of the issues that create viewer fatigue and discomfort,? said Pierre (Pete) Routhier, Technicolor?s VP for 3D product strategy and business development. ?Our goal in launching the Certifi3D program was to take a proactive approach in support of the industry to ensure a consistent and quality end consumer 3D experience in the home.?

The idea is simple, Technicolor has developed software to look at the 3D product and determine if there are problems with it that could ?cause discomfort? to the viewers. And by ?discomfort? they mean headaches, nausea, and vomiting.

Using the left and right master files, the software simulates the output as how people will see it and can evaluate if there are problems. Technicolor goes through each shot, plus a 15 point quality check list for sync and color issues, making sure that when you see it in 3D ? you see it and enjoy it.

Technicolor is also offering, for an additional fee, a training course for broadcasters to help them migrate to 3D (and make good stuff in the process).

The point is consumer confidence. You see Certifi3D on the box and you know that the 3D experience will be a good one. While I don?t think the big studios are going to invest in Certifi3D for their movies (we know that Sony and others can crank out really great stuff), I think the smaller production companies and TV broadcasters will be signing on for this pretty quickly.

It?s this kind of step that?s essential for 3D to catch on. We can?t all watch all the same 3D movies and programs over and over (okay, maybe some of the movies), and all it will take is a few really wretched 3D programs to hit for public opinion to slow down adoption of the new technology.

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/media/2010/12/08/technicolor-starting-3d-certification-program/

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Let Your Coaster Do the Talking

Once the hallmark of lonely barflies, playing with your beer coaster could actually help you socialize, thanks to a smart bar surface that brings ordinary coasters to life.

The coasters communicate by sending messages across the surface. The messages are meant to act as icebreakers between bar patrons, says Tom Bartindale, who invented the coasters with fellow postgraduate student Jack Weeden at Newcastle University's Culture Lab. "It's a starting point for an actual conversation," Bartindale says.

An infrared light source and a camera beneath the partially transparent surface recognize ordinary circular coasters because their white underside causes more light to be reflected (a technique called diffused illumination). A projector, also below the surface, creates a halo around each coaster and shows text messages that spin around them.

When a coaster is first placed on the bar, it is assigned a random gender and sexual preference, says Bartindale. It will then try to "chat up" other coasters within a 60-centimeter range by displaying lines such as: "If I had a chance to rearrange the alphabet, I would put 'U' and 'I' together," and, "Are you a parking ticket? Because you've got 'fine' written all over you."

"We Googled 'bad chat-up lines,' " Bartindale says. As the lines are delivered, animations showing love hearts reach out to the target of the beer mat's affections.

Researchers have shown interest in interactive surfaces in recent years. Allowing such surfaces to recognize objects has expanded their possible applications.

"It's quite a cute idea," says Eva Hornecker, a lecturer in computer science at Strathclyde University. Others have tried using interactive badges to encourage social interaction, she notes, but those usually require users to enter their own personal details, which can be awkward.

When one beer coaster is contacted by another, it scores the amorous advance depending upon the chat-up lines used, and a preset state of interest. If a potential suitor repeatedly scores badly, the coaster on the receiving end will refuse to talk to it anymore.

One of the problems with other interactive surfaces, Hornecker says, is that they can interfere with using the surface as a table. "This is quite interesting because it turns a supposed limitation into the core of the idea," she says.

Bartindale says he and Weeden got the idea after a conference in Germany, where lots of people were sat in isolated groups.

The coasters were put to the test last week at the university's Culture Lab Jam 45, an event that showcases student ideas. "People loved it," Bartindale says. "And we did notice that people that didn't know each other were talking to one another, which was encouraging."

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Source: http://feeds.technologyreview.com/click.phdo?i=829f203f5166b54656f1ba1d8076cb65

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Amazon launches Kindle App for Web, but Google is no friend

Amazon has expanded its Kindle for the Web service so that users can read more than just the first free chapters of Kindle books through their browsers. Anyone can now user their browser to buy and read full Kindle books without having to download or install software.

This means bookstores, retailers, authors, bloggers, and other website owners will be able to offer Kindle books from their own sites by embedding the Kindle for the Web widget. Their readers will be able to access the full text of their books instantly, and the owners can earn referral fees through the Amazon Associates Program for sales made through their sites.

"Kindle books can be read on the $139 third-generation Kindle device with new high-contrast Pearl e-Ink, on iPads, iPod touches, iPhones, Macs, PCs, BlackBerrys and Android-based devices," Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content, said in a statement. "And now, anywhere you have a web browser. Your reading library, last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights are always available to you no matter where you bought your Kindle books or how you choose to read them."

The update to Kindle for the Web was demonstrated at the Google Chrome event today. Amazon will support Chrome OS devices, including the new Chrome OS Notebook, the Chrome browser, and other browsers.

This would seem to be a positive partnership with Google, but it really isn't if you take yesterday's news into account: Google eBookstore launches with more than 3 million titles. Sure, Google's store has not yet released a widget that enables e-reading on publisher's websites, but that can be arranged. It's almost as if Amazon worked with Google to make sure their store would work with the Chrome browser and operating system, but the search giant didn't tell the retailer it was unveiling its own store a day before the Chrome event.

To make matters worse for Amazon, it turns out that Google licensed Adobe Content Server 4 software as its ebook content protection solution for Google eBooks. More than 200 publishers and distributors worldwide have deployed Adobe Content Server, making it the most pervasive DRM solution for ebooks and other digital publications. Having Adobe on its side will surely strengthen Google's chances to dominate the electronic bookstore market, given the company's experience with digital document distribution.

"We are excited about Google joining the largest ecosystem of content distributors that believe in giving consumers the freedom to read ebooks across platforms and device types," Dave Burkett, vice president and general manager of Adobe Creative Solutions Business, said in a statement. "Adobe is helping publishers navigate a rapidly changing media landscape, where new devices are opening up new business opportunities to distribute unique content."

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Source: http://www.techspot.com/news/41474-amazon-launches-kindle-app-for-web-but-google-is-no-friend.html

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Justices Hear Case on Denial of Help to Veteran

WASHINGTON ? Justice Stephen G. Breyer wanted to know whether it was possible that Congress intended to deny help to veterans who missed filing deadlines because of the very disabilities for which they sought help.

?You have someone who served his country and was wounded and has post-traumatic stress syndrome or schizophrenia,? Justice Breyer said at a Supreme Court argument Monday. ?Who in Congress would have likely thought such a thing??

But the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last year ruled that Congress had indeed meant to bar the courthouse door to David L. Henderson, who served on the front lines in the Korean War and was discharged after receiving a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. That disability, his lawyers said, caused him to bungle a deadline.

The appeals court said its ruling was required by a 2007 decision of the Supreme Court that said deadlines for filing appeals must be applied strictly.

The appeals court?s ruling in the Henderson case, according to a dissent from three of its judges, created ?a Kafkaesque adjudicatory process in which those veterans who are most deserving of service-connected benefits will frequently be those least likely to obtain them.?

Mr. Henderson, who died while his Supreme Court case was pending, had sought additional government help for his condition in 2001. He was turned down in 2004. A federal law gave him 120 days to appeal that determination to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, but it took him 135 days.

He sought leniency. His psychiatrist testified that ?Mr. Henderson has been incapable of understanding and meeting deadlines? because he was ?incapable of rational thought or deliberate decision-making.?

But the Supreme Court?s 2007 decision, Bowles v. Russell, said that deadlines for filing appeals were ?jurisdictional,? meaning they are not subject to exceptions or excuses.

The Bowles case concerned an inmate who missed a deadline because he had been given erroneous instructions by a federal judge. Justice David H. Souter, in a dissent also signed by three other justices, said that ?it is intolerable for the judicial system to treat people this way.?

On Monday, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had joined that dissent, said the Bowles decision was ?a substantial hurdle to contend with.? Justice Antonin Scalia went further, saying approvingly that ?Bowles was a nice, clear case.?

Mr. Henderson?s lawyer, Lisa S. Blatt, said the two cases were different, in part because of the special status of the court to which her client had tried to appeal.

?Congress established this court to open the door to veterans seeking disability benefits,? Ms. Blatt said, ?and it would just conflict with that purpose to, at the same time, shut the door when the veteran?s disability prevents him from getting to the courthouse.?

Some justices said there was a second distinction. The inmate in the Bowles case had tried to appeal from one court to another, while Mr. Henderson sought to appeal the determination of an agency to a court.

?Why wouldn?t it be a bright, clear line if we said, ?Court to court, Bowles controls; agency to court, Bowles does not apply??? Justice Ginsburg asked.

Eric D. Miller, a lawyer for the federal government, said, ?The same principle applies for appeals from agencies.?

He added that ?just about everybody? agreed that some late filings would be allowed in a perfect world ? but not under the current law. Indeed, he said, the Department of Veterans Affairs has asked Congress to add flexibility to the system.

As in many cases, Justices Breyer and Scalia disagreed about how to determine the meaning of the statute before them.

Justice Scalia said the court should rely solely on the text of the law to determine the correct result in the case, Henderson v. Shinseki, No.09-1036.

?Don?t we pretty much have to go on what they wrote?? he asked.

Justice Breyer, on the other hand, said he would ?try to work out from context, language and objective purpose what a reasonable member of Congress would have intended.?

But the two more or less agreed on what would be an example of a strong hypothetical case for imposing a flexible deadline.

?The dog ate it, maybe,? Justice Scalia said.

?Yes,? Justice Breyer said. ?Right. The dog ate the court.?

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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ccfcb871157a93831b33f60e514cc560

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Steam contest gives you a chance to win 100 games

We usually reserve game sales for Fridays, but Steam's latest promotion deserves some special attention. Yesterday, the distribution service launched a holiday contest that will give one lucky customer the opportunity to win 100 games of their choosing. Additionally, 20 people every two days will win five games on their wishlist, and you can also unlock exclusive hats in Team Fortress 2.

Here's how it works. Every two days Steam will post a set of objectives, which are generally game-related achievements. For instance, today's objectives require you to become a Desert Fox in R.U.S.E., unlock the Iron Curtain in Poker Night at the Inventory, and set a certain score in Chime. There's also one non game-related objective that requires you to upload an avatar for your Steam profile.

For a shot at winning 100 games, you have to complete any 10 objectives by the end of the promotion on December 20. You also have to log onto Steam on the 20 to be counted in the drawing. To keep things interesting along the way, Steam will give away five games to 20 people every other day for completing only one task -- and again, some of them are as simple as selecting a profile picture.


You can increase your odds at winning five games by finishing more tasks. Every objective completed gains you another entry in the drawing. Meanwhile, Team Fortress 2 players have a chance to unlock as many as three exclusive hats. You will unlock the "Bounty hat" for accomplishing any five tasks, the "Treasure hat" for doing 15, and the "Hat of Undeniable Wealth and Respect" for fulfilling 28 objectives.

It's also worth mentioning that Steam appears to be discounting any game required to complete an objective. For instance, R.U.S.E. is currently priced at $33.49 (33% off), Poker Night at the Inventory is $2.99 (40% off), and Chime is only $1.25 (75% off). We can only expect that more popular titles will be included as the contest unfolds, so be sure to keep an eye on things even if you're not participating.

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Source: http://www.techspot.com/news/41472-steam-contest-gives-you-a-chance-to-win-100-games.html

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