www.dongphuc.org ---- một phong cách trẻ trung.

Bạn muốn tạo cho mình một phong cách riêng?

-Bạn muốn người khác hỏi chuyện bạn ?
-Bạn bước vào một buổi tiệc. Bạn đi một mình, không ai quen ngoài người bạn đã mời bạn tham dự. Căn phòng thật nhộn nhịp,và rất nhiều người. Mọi người đang tụ tập từng nhóm nói chuyện với nhau thật hào hứng.
bật mí: dongphuc.org

Còn bạn, bạn đứng 1 mình, dựa vào tường, tay cầm ly nước và lặng nhin quan sát.
_ Bạn thấy lạc lõng trong buổi tiệc sao?
_ Bạn muốn nói chuyện mà không biết bắt đầu với ai, như thế nào?
_ Bạn nhút nhát, bạn thích người khác bắt chuyện với bạn?
_ Bạn muốn mọi người nhớ tới bạn, ấn tượng về bạn?
_ Bạn muốn mọi người biết bạn là ai, và bạn đại diện cho điều gì?
_ Bạn muốn thể hiện cá tính, phong cách của bạn, tổ chức của bạn???
_ Làm thế nào để biểu đạt sự tự hào khi bạn tham gia 1 tổ chức, hay sự nhiệt huyết, đoàn kết trong tổ chức của bạn??

Bạn muốn sự đơn giản trong giao tiếp????
Bạn muốn người khác biết BẠN LÀ AI???
Hãy để chúng tôi giúp bạn!

Với Mục đích "Thể hiện phong cách, cá tính riêng của mỗi cá nhân, tập thể". Chúng tôi cung cấp ÁO ĐỒNG PHỤC, ÁO NHÓM, ÁO CLB, ÁO CHO CÁC TỔ CHỨC...

Với thiết kế Sáng tạo, quy trình Đơn giản, Tiện Lợi, Chất lượng Đảm bảo, Gía cả hơp lý.Đó chính là sự lựa chọn tối ưu nâng cao lợi nhuận, lòng tự hào, Cá Tính, Phong Cách cho chính Bạn và tổ chức của mình
" MỌI NGƯỜI SẼ ẤN TƯỢNG BẠN NGAY TRONG LẦN GẶP ĐẦU TIÊN" .
bật mí: dongphuc.org

'Tôi đã đựoc rất nhiều bạn hỏi thăm, và bắt chuyện khi tôi mặc áo đại diện của tổ chức mình. Họ hỏi thăm về Tổ chức, về tôi. Tôi đã có những mối quan hệ thật thú vị. Điều tôi muốn nói ở đây, nó giúp bạn gần gũi hơn, sự giao tiếp đơn giản hơn khi họ biết 1 chút về bạn, cá tính của bạn. Thật tuyệt vời! Một điều thú vị là có những người nhớ hình ảnh của tôi mà không biết tên tôi ^.^ "

BẠN MUỐN TÌM GIẢI PHÁP CHO MÌNH?

BẠN MUỐN ĐÓNG GÓP Ý TƯỞNG, CHIA SẺ VỚI CHÚNG TÔI
HAY BẠN MUỐN BIẾT THÊM THÔNG TIN ....

BẠN ĐANG MUỐN THỂ HIỆN CÁ TÍNH, PHONG CÁCH CỦA MÌNH??
CÒN CHẦN CHỪ GÌ NỮA, HÃY LIÊN LẠC NGAY VỚI CHÚNG TÔI NÀO!...

Thinking positive

by fasa
Introduction of positive thinking
Think of 1 seeds, it is like a tiny light. streamlined contains all the potential there. A thought like that, 1 think 1 seeds giong.mot seeds can bring all the positive or negative depending on the mood, attitude and our way. Thoughts create emotions and attitudes, the combination of these is called awareness. awareness is the ability to think, argue, for livestock and the land. nhugnx all this began only 1 thinking. We have stopped h to observe the thinking has not. We have never thought to put the exclamation 1 for thinking of us have not. Most of us are allowing them to run accounting Available, wandering into mo ngoc Alley in mind CTA. The thoughts fall fabrics, not control the vehicle as 1 release quickly. Unless we can win again, if you will not have accidents. a psychological not fully control the stress worry, this can cause more damage. we need to stop if we want to mind activity 1 naturally. The nature of the natural mind is peace, and 1 mind peace will bring lucidity. when we look at the way through 1, 1 will not waste what little we know by savings in terms of spirit. I do not mind being the husband by the heavy thinking is not necessary. Damaging disease of the mind is thought excessive, especially thinking too much about other people. We do what we should do, probably the one to do, they say what we want them to say what, why they just say so, the thinking .. This may wear the interjection natural capital in our mind. Thinking too much and eating too much. oppressiveness cause we can not maintain the fast and lightweight flexible. I was stuck on the minutiae, and has the minutiae this become the handsome but we do not put out attractive. when we think too much usually blowing phồng and the reaction is too. And so we are creating negative emotions. will observe a lot better than absorbed by all probably, feelings and attitudes of others. As well as participation excessive or unreasonable reaction. The observations bring us consciously to think and act appropriately. observing create 1 focuses on the way of capital allows us to see the truth. we will be affected by words and ideas of others. To bring the peace back to our mind the need of the direction of. the journey will help you get the army and not waste effort. We think how you will recognize as the way, and chta nthuc life ntn the CTA will like it, if we bring in 1 seed in the morning thinking and positive and focus on this thought. You put it in force for similar solar energy grants for trees on the ground. And like the seed on the ground getting up, moving and growing. The thought that we also focus on getting up, you move, and start growing. So we see the positive thoughts. every morning before we start the process 1 day of our visit we began to sit in silence and disseminate peace. Peace is the harmony and averaged, peace is freedom, freedom to escape the burden and waste. Let peace find roofs of it in us. Peace is the power of the original one, is still no word in the existence of one. Let your thoughts start your day simply is peace. In this seed, water it with attention and you will be gặt composure.
Relax - physical
You sit comfortably, we breathe deeply and xua tan any tension in the body and mind it. I sometimes think about our feet. We relax in the foot sometimes. Please allow us are feeling quietly and comfortably. You think about your feet is one sua preclude any tension in your feet you. I think the death of us, we allow all here to relax and quietness. we focus on our chest, and we feel we are breathing. Breath we become still and easily. With every breath we feel oneself to be safe and more relaxed. We sua preclude any stress on the shoulder sometimes. One is to face and relax completely. You think about your arm, mind you quietness and peace. I enjoy the feeling of relaxation this.
Music - Relaxing 1:
Relax - check thoughts:
Sometimes I think too fast, can not control is making my mind the stir, can cause stress. sometimes think my record remorse about the past, or worry about the future. But now Giời when I sit quietly who take control of your thoughts. I realize that I can drive a leo, and guided my thinking, is that I create thinking. And now I think the direction they go to the heart. In my 1 Choose special quietness and stability. I travel on this, the heart of my own. I like 1 gold fulgurate beautiful. I - why am a peace and quietness. I see me, why am peace and quietness this. Full strength and courage. I know that whether any of what happened around me, I just directed attention to the mind, focus on why this morning and stability in peace and quietness.
Music - relax 2:
Relax-through to go:
I noticed, I usually carry the thinking is not necessary to the past. I keep these thoughts in that head. thoughts prevent this for me is the peace of heart. Giời I imagine the ocean shore 1 pillowy A beautiful. sun flash on the water. since it was at, my mind as oceans away 1 A, 1 oceans of peace. Such thinking is not necessary, the negative thoughts and think about the interests of the past have caused the storm in my mind. As quong room on the ocean, the storm caused this element of any security. Giời I focused on the oceans. The sun rays of sunshine dancing on water. sun sun Sparkling as thousands of members diamonds. When Muong to the ocean shore, I fill your mind with thoughts of my yen.su still, the gentle. Motlan again my mind has become a quiet oceans A. An ocean of peace. I was free. Freedom exit manacle chains of the past, mild group, peace.
Relax - stress reduction:
I sit comfortably, at this time here, I think about difficult situations or cause stress that I encounter in life. I recognize the difficulties in the cause or the stress situations which I recently made the most stress. perhaps because it was that I experienced pain, anger, or your troubles. now my mind to step away from this situation. I consider the situation as 1 objective observation, I recognize that what I do not control. I listed these in mind. Maybe including the I want to control other people. I can impact the others can not control them are. I realize that, if I keep thinking about what not control it I will be more stressful than feeling more hopeless. I yield to accept what does not control and I was not myself to have to think about the futility it again. now in my mind will only focus on what I can control. in this situation can be thoughts or actions by me, may be the heat with my people. I listed the things I can control, and first in my determination to focus attention and effort on their aspects of control. this will help me easily through vuoitj more difficult. And when practice this all day I see evidence that the stress level by reducing my mind and I gently over.
Relax-peace:
I breathe in the chest still. I breathed into the peace. I overlooked group. I am confident that I can go through any challenges, which happened to me. I am confident, I'm sober.
Relax - the power of the mind:
The positive thoughts I have been made to increase the power of me. As in the past I have been to the negative thoughts as exhausted the resources of their own. Now, while sitting here, my determination to create thoughts feeding me strong. I can overcome these challenges with the stability and the application and sober.

World's top gadget show plugging into the Internet

January 4th, 2009 in Technology / Hi Tech

Visitors make free phone calls at the Vonage display at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2008. Smart gadgets, lifelike video, and pocket versions of laptop computers are expected to be Consumer Electronics Show (CES) stars as the annual extravaganza follows its gizmos onto the Web.

Smart gadgets, lifelike video, and pocket versions of laptop computers are expected to be Consumer Electronics Show (CES) stars as the annual extravaganza follows its gizmos onto the Web.

Undaunted by global economic turmoil, some 2,700 makers of televisions, computers, mobile telephones, chips and other technological wares will tout their latest innovations at the 2009 International CES in Las Vegas from January 8-11.

Added to the mix will be studios that make films, television shows, and music delivered digitally to devices increasingly tied to the Internet.

CES itself is not immune to online trends driving much of the technology it spotlights.

For the first time, CES has its own profile page on hot social-networking website Facebook and a team will fire off curt show floor revelations in the form of "tweets" on micro-blogging service Twitter.

A CES video team will rove the event feeding content for its own YouTube channel.

"We are a technology trade show and this is how our attendees are communicating with each other," said CES spokeswoman Tara Dunion. "We are getting our perspective out there as to what we find interesting, and getting feedback."

Known as a place for deal-making as well as promoting hot new gadgets, CES attendees reportedly average about a dozen behind-the-scenes meetings each.

"CES is the place where the global technology industry comes together," Dunion said. "Even though consumer is in the name it is really more tech oriented."

Rumors regarding CES announcements include word that Microsoft might unveil a revamped Zune in a bid to knock Apple's iPod from its throne atop the MP3 player market.

Palm is expected to introduce an overhauled operating system in what could be a last-ditch effort to reclaim former glory in a "smart" handheld device realm that it pioneered but lost to competitors.

"A big thing will be the launch of Palm's new Nova," said analyst Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group in Silicon Valley. "It could be a swan song for Palm or the rebirth of the company."

Cable television equipment supplier Digeo is also under pressure to deliver on an innovative digital media recorder that links to Internet services and televisions, according to NPD analyst Ross Rubin.

Microsoft is likely to use CES for a "coming out party" for a Windows 7 operating system to succeed Vista software that has been a target of relentless loathing by many computer users, according to Enderle.

Frugality in the marketplace and growing trust in using programs as services on the Internet instead of loading software into computers should fuel fiery competition in netbooks, mini laptops designed essentially for getting online.

"On the PC side, CES is going to be a netbook love fest," Enderle said.

"Apple may have something online and Google is doing something," he said. "The expectation is that Google has its own PC platform coming and will throw it on a netbook -- they want everything to be online and the netbook leads itself better to Google than to Microsoft and Apple."

Analysts said CES should also feature the introduction of a new mobile phone based on the Android open source platform promoted by Google.

US telecom firm T-Mobile launched the first "Google phone" in 2008.

Dunion said "uber themes" at CES are likely to include green technology trimming power needs of gadgets while employing more recyclable and non-toxic materials in construction.

Television screens ideal for home theaters and increasingly rich graphics will once again get high-profile at CES. Increasingly sophisticated pixel qualities should set the stage for a surge in 3D viewing experiences.

"We really think next year 3D is going to really take off," said Ujesh Desai, a GeForce vice president at premier graphics chip-making firm NVIDIA.

Japanese electronics giant Sony is backing a first-ever national broadcast of a US college football game in 3D using the technology of Cinedigm and 3ality.

"The biggest thing I see is the consumers expect high-definition entertainment," said Hewlett Packard marketing executive John Cook. "I'm expecting to see quite a lot of that on the show floor."

While televisions are routinely a central theme at CES, the emphasis should be heightened this time by a mandated switch from analogue to exclusively digital broadcasting in the United States in February.

Support for Blu-ray high-definition DVD technology has gained momentum since the Sony-backed technology was declared winner of its format war with Toshiba's HD-DVD systems at CES last year, according to analysts.

The result could be more manufacturers leaping into the Blu-ray arena.

© 2009 AFP

The Valley looks towards 2009 - Part Two

Man in field with laptop
Mobility is changing the way we interact with technology

Will YouTube's dominance of video sharing come to an end? Will we all own a smartphone and has Apple changed the game yet again? Maggie Shiels continues her look at some of the predictions for 2009.

Read Part One here

MOBILITY

shots from Intel developers conference
Mobility presents real opportunity for advertisers and marketers

With more than three billion cell phones in the world and one billion PCs, mobility is the buzz word for 2009.

Smartphones are set to gain a bigger market share in the next year and industry watchers predict that by 2012, they will make up 75% of all phones sold in the US. By 2015, they will represent 65% of all phones sold globally.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project has said that the mobile phone will become the primary means of internet access across the globe by 2020. The growth will largely be driven in emerging economies like India, China and Brazil.

Yahoo agrees, and views the mobile market as a major revenue opportunity that will really take off with advertisers and marketers this year.

"We are seeing a lot more interest in mobile and we believe 2009 is going to be a bit of a tipping point," said Michael Bayle, Yahoo's senior director of global mobile.

"30% of consumers will browse certain mobile sites at the expense of visiting those same sites on the PC. One example comes from ESPN in February when more people came to the NFL (National Football League) site on mobile rather than on the PC."

Mr Bayle said for advertisers and marketers to really make an impact in the mobile world, they have to think smart.

"If you ask a consumer 'Would you like advertising on your phone?' the answer probably should be no. But if you ask them if they would like some kind of relevant content and some kind of entertainment perhaps say when their flight is delayed or they are killing time, then the answer is generally yes.

"We believe that is a great value proposition and why advertising can carry great value to consumers," said Mr Bayle.

THE GAME CHANGER

It would be fair to say that for Apple, the App Store has surprassed the company's wildest expectations.
Steve Jobs in front of ipod touch
Piper Jaffray estimates the App Store could exceed $1bn in annual revenue

When Steve Jobs appeared on stage in September to update the download numbers, there was a sense that even he could not believe its success.

To date it has handled more than 300 million downloads with two million a day from a store that offers 10,000 applications for sale.

The store has spawned a whole new industry with the venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers getting in on the act with its own fund to seed companies making apps for the market.

One such company that has had phenomenal success with its applications is Tapulous, based in Palo Alto. It started with a free game called Tap Tap Revenge in which players tap and shake their devices to the beat of a tune.

The game has garnered over three million downloads and attracted some big name music artists who asked to have their music used in the game. They include Weezer, Nine Inch Nails, Moby and Daft Punk.

Tapulous chief executive Bart Decrem said the iPhone has taken the industry to a whole new level.

"The business models are still shaking out because it is still the beginning of this phenomenon, even though apps have actually been around for about a decade. It is the iPhone and the App Store that has led to critical adoption by users."

Mr Decrem said he predicts that with so many apps now available, it is hard to sort the wheat from the chaff which means something has to change.

"I think what you are going to see in 2009 is price options settle out and the barriers to entry go up and up. For the first six months of the App Store, anyone could build a cool little app and you might get buzz around that.

"I think in 2009 we are going to see that mature and that means users are going to have higher expectations and the cost of entry is going to go up somewhat because you are going to have to offer richer, more sophisticated experiences," predicted Mr Decrem.

ONLINE VIDEO

2008 has been a year of shifting sands for the world of online video.

YouTube may well have popularised video on the web, but Hulu, which just launched in March, is providing strong competition.

The joint venture between NBC and News Corp, has managed to prove there is a market for professional video online. Hulu was chosen by the Associated Press as its pick for website of the year.
YouTube sign
Every minute over 13 hours of content is uploaded on YouTube

YouTube still dominates the market with 83 million unique visitors in October compared to Hulu's 23 million. But Hulu is planning to go international next year.

But both sites prove that a new generation is growing up with online video.

"Every generation exhibits some distinctive behaviour," said Jim Patterson, product manager at YouTube.

"Marketers like to caricature them and give them names: baby boomers, generation X and generation Y. I think we are seeing the emergence of a video generation.

"This generation of users utilize the web differently and consume video differently. They grew up in an environment where digital, interactive media was ubiquitous. It has shaped how they use the web."

And Mr Patterson said this new video generation has also shaped the very nature of how YouTube is being used.

"Comscore is estimating that YouTube is the second largest search engine," he said.

"To this cohort, YouTube is their search engine. YouTube 'is' the web. Seeking the answer to any question, they prefer that the result be expressed as a video, so they go to YouTube."

Wikipedia reaches 6-million-dollar fundraising target

January 2nd, 2009 in Technology / Internet

Wikipedia logo. Online encyclopedia Wikipedia announced on Friday that it had attained its fundraising goal of six million dollars, enough to cover operating expenses for the current fiscal year.

Online encyclopedia Wikipedia announced on Friday that it had attained its fundraising goal of six million dollars, enough to cover operating expenses for the current fiscal year.

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said more than 125,000 people had donated a total of four million dollars since he made an appeal for funds on July 1.

"In addition, we've received major gifts and foundation support totaling two million dollars," Wales said in a thank you letter on the website of his non-profit Wikimedia Foundation.

"This combined revenue will cover our operating expenses for the current fiscal year, ending June 30, 2009."

Wales said the money would pay for "day-to-day operations: servers, hosting, bandwidth, our staff of just 23 people" and "continued development and improvements of open source software that powers all Wikimedia projects."

Wales said any further donations beyond the six-million-dollar goal would be placed in a "reserve fund, which will help us to offset operating costs beyond the current fiscal year."

"Your continued support will also serve as a much-needed financial safety net if economic conditions continue to worsen globally," he said.

In his donation appeal, Wales said that over the past eight years, more than 150,000 volunteers have contributed over 11 million articles in 265 languages to wikipedia.org.

"More than 275 million people come to our website every month to access information, free of charge and free of advertising," he added.

Wales's online encyclopedia allows anyone with an Internet connection to make entries and edit content.

© 2009 AFP

Google grows in Latin America

November 26th, 2008 By Liza Gross in Technology / Business

John Farrell, 38, thinks of his job at Google as "a fantastic journey." It is pretty hard to argue the point if, like Farrell, your title is country director, Google Mexico, and director of business development for Google in Latin America at a time when the region represents the fastest-growing segment in revenues and number of searches for the Internet company, based in Mountain View, Calif.

While Google's growth slowed in the third quarter, the company reported a 26 percent jump in net income. More significantly, 50 percent of its revenue is coming from its overseas operation, although Google did not break down this result geographically.

Google began its expansion into Latin America three years ago, attracted by the growing infrastructure for high-speed Internet access, the popularity of e-commerce and certain unique habits of Latin American users.

The first step was the purchase of Brazil's Akwan Information Technologies in July 2005. Akwan, based in Belo Horizonte, offered search services to Brazilian companies and became Google's research and development center for Latin America.

In November of that year, Google announced it was opening operations centers in Sao Paulo and Mexico City.

In April 2007, Google opened an office in Buenos Aires, which was billed by the corporation as "the third-largest headquarters of Google business development in the world, after those in California and Ireland."

The company also now has a presence in Chile and Colombia and employs about 1,000 people in the region.

Farrell's mandate is to continue to expand Google's presence in Latin America. He is based in Mexico City, where he plans to open bigger offices in 2009. He spoke with The Miami Herald in New York City, where he was a panelist in LatinVision, a conference on the future of Latin entertainment, media and technology markets held Oct. 15.

Q. What part of the business does Latin America represent for Google?

A. We are seeing triple-digit growth. For example, we launched direct sales in Mexico four years ago and we have seen 50 percent to 100 percent growth year over year since then. Also in that period we have increased penetration 20 percent in most markets in Latin America. We have users in all markets.

Our ambition is organizing all the world's information and making it accessible and usable. Right now we have 80 percent of the total searches in the region.

When we have the users, because they trust us, the other side is the advertisers. They look to deliver messages and through our technology we give them metrics they cannot get anywhere else. So it's users and advertisers and our content partners. We need to strike agreements so that third parties can provide us archives. Google will never produce content. It's not in our DNA.

Q. How about Latin American Internet users? Are there ways in which they are different from others?

A. Mexico and Brazil are the biggest consumers of YouTube in the world in absolute terms. People like to be entertained. They are using it as a video social network. We have cases where people have become celebrities through word of mouth.

Orchid, a Google-owned social network, is visited by 80 percent of Internet users in Brazil.

We are concerned about privacy issues. There is more that we could do to protect privacy. But if you don't want to share, don't put it up. Before you upload a video, you see terms and conditions. We warn you. You don't go out to public places and give out your information. You shouldn't do that on e-mail.

Q. What solutions are you giving advertisers? And what does the panorama look like in Latin America?

A. We are making a big bet on display advertising through interactive ads. We display sponsored links. The advertisers only pay us when there is a click that takes the user to the link.

There is a lot of room to grow in the arena of advertiser solutions in Latin America. The challenge we face is evangelization. Fifteen percent of the U.K. advertising market is going online. In the U.S., it's 10 to 12 percent. In Latin America it is 2 to 3 percent.

Our challenge is to educate advertisers. Compared to other media, you are getting ROI (return on investment). In Latin America, 60 percent of appliance purchases are researched online. Online media is not there to replace other media. It's a complement.

GM is a great client in Latin America, as are airlines, hotels, Expedia and e-retailers like Mercado Libre.

Q. How about deals with Latin American content providers?

A. There's so much valuable content. We can make it discoverable. We can place advertising against those searches. That's the revenue model. We help in the digitalization. We are experts at that. We look for a model where Google, the newspapers and the users win.

Some projects are under way in Latin America, but I can't comment on them because they are still in the very early stages.

Q. What are Google's plans for Latin America in 2009? What products and services will you be launching?

A. We have a pretty ambitious road map. We already have some presence of Google Maps in Brazil, but we will increase that and launch Google Maps Mexico. Another launch will be Google Chrome, our new browser. It was launched in September in Mexico, and you can download it for free.

We will open bigger offices in Mexico City in January.

And mobile phones are a huge opportunity. It's the biggest market ever known to man: 1 billion with Internet access through their mobile unit.

Android is our wireless operating system. This is a bet for Google that users can access the Internet directly without going through carriers. Android is like iPhone, but open. It will foster a new era of innovation. Think about searching for a movie and advertisers can have a dialogue with you after you search, offering you free popcorn or telling you which theater is closer. We are in talks to bring Android to Mexico, including with Mr. (Carlos) Slim.

___

© 2008, The Miami Herald.
Visit The Miami Herald Web edition on the World Wide Web at http://www.herald.com/
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Microsoft's browser sees notable decline in usage

January 4th, 2009 By John Letzing in Technology / Internet

Microsoft Corp.'s Internet browser lost a notable number of users during the last half of 2008, according to recently published data, a trend that underscores the growing competition in a market long dominated by the software giant.

According to data from research firm Net Applications, Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser registered a 68 percent market share in December, compared to a nearly 74 percent share as recently as May.

While the decrease is relatively slight, it is nonetheless significant for a technology that has enjoyed an extended period of dominance. Microsoft first zeroed in on browser technology in the 1990s as a means to fend off and ultimately crush upstart rival Netscape Communications Corp.

More recently, Microsoft has seen a three-pronged assault on its market dominance. That's due to the increasing use of Apple Inc.'s Mac computers using the company's Safari browser, the growing popularity of the open-source Firefox browser offered by the Mozilla Foundation and Google Inc.'s release earlier this year of its own browser, called Chrome.

Firefox captured a 21 percent market share in December, compared to 18 percent in May, according to Net Applications, while Apple's Safari captured a nearly 8 percent share in December, compared to a 6 percent share in May.

Google's Chrome, meanwhile, grew from a 0.7 percent share in October to just over 1 percent in December, according to the data.

Google released Chrome in September, touting it as a faster and more secure way to access the Web. Browsers are strategically important pieces of technology, which can be used by companies such as Google and Microsoft to foster the use of their own respective Internet services and applications.

The nonprofit Mozilla Foundation had released the latest version of Firefox in June and the browser was downloaded more than 8 million times on its first day of availability.

The Mozilla Foundation was spun off by AOL in 2003 to further develop the code for the Netscape browser as Firefox. As an open-source project, the Firefox browser is able to use input from a vast array of engineers not directly employed by Mozilla.

Net Applications cautioned that the high amount of residential use of the Web during the holidays in December may have accounted for increased usage of Firefox, Safari, Chrome and other non-Microsoft browsers. Microsoft's Internet Explorer is generally the preferred Web-browsing tool for office use.

___

© 2009, MarketWatch.com Inc.
Visit MarketWatch on the Web at http://www.marketwatch.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Macworld cult gathering without iconic Apple leader

January 4th, 2009 in Technology / Hi Tech

A large gathering of Macworld attendees fill the Moscone Center for the MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco in 2008. Apple faithful are making pilgrimages to San Francisco for the start of Macworld, an annual cult-like gathering that this year is expected to lack revelations and iconic leader Steve Jobs.

Apple faithful are making pilgrimages to San Francisco for the start of Macworld, an annual cult-like gathering that this year is expected to lack revelations and iconic leader Steve Jobs.

In a move that has upset Apple followers and investors, marketing vice president Phil Schiller will replace Jobs on stage Tuesday for a keynote presentation traditionally considered a Macworld highlight.

Jobs has given the Macworld keynote for the past 11 consecutive years, drawing hordes of Macintosh computer devotees eager to hear about Apple's newest innovations.

Attendance at last year's Macworld climbed to a record high of approximately 50,000 people as Apple's iPod MP3 players, Internet-linked iPhones, and Macintosh computers gained popularity worldwide.

Many analysts say Apple's transformation from a niche computer company to a mainstream purveyor of consumer electronics could be behind its decision to make this its last appearance at Macworld.

Apple has shown that it can summon legions of reporters and bloggers to its California headquarters for announcements by merely sending out cryptic email invitations.

And over the years Macworld has evolved from an Apple computer pep rally into an event at which the firm is expected to unveil products as awe-inspiring and culture-shifting as iPods and iPhones.

Such expectations this year are unrealistic given product development and production cycles, setting Apple up to disappoint its public despite even outstanding efforts by the company, analysts say.

Bowing out of Macworld is a shrewd way to avoid an expectations game.

However, the announcement that an Apple executive that has long played sidekick to Jobs will take the master's place on stage has reignited rumors that Jobs is dangerously ill.

Jobs and Apple have repeatedly declined to discuss his health, saying it is not a concern.

"There is a lot of pressure on Apple to come up with a succession plan," said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley.

"They claim to have one. This might be a good time to talk about one."

Apple is downplaying its decision to pull out of Macworld, saying that its popular real-world and online stores have made it easy to connect with fans without having to spend money on an expo.

Macworld is run by event management firm IDG, which vows that the show will go on without Apple. IDG is inviting this year's attendees to a "town hall" meeting to discuss how best to shape the gathering in 2010 and beyond.

"While there is no question that Macworld is going to evolve and change in 2010, the fundamental importance of the event remains the same," said Macworld vice president Paul Kent.

"(It is) the unique ability to put exciting new Apple-related products directly into the hands of users and to inspire those users to put their products to work in new and innovative ways."

The event, running from January 6 through 9, will feature more than 450 companies promoting gadgets, gear, software or services tailored for Apple products.

For example, startup Vestalife will show off iPod speaker docks shaped like fireflies, lady bugs, jewelry boxes and butterflies, while Posit Science will demonstrate software for keeping Macintosh users' brains fit.

Major Macworld sponsor Uniea, based in Hong Kong, will tout stylish cases for iPhones, iPods and Macbook computers.

Schiller is expected to shine the Macworld keynote spotlight on a Snow Leopard operating system being crafted to follow in the paw prints of Leopard software released for Macintosh computers in 2007.

Apple is also likely to debut improved versions of iMac computers and an Apple TV set-top box for streaming video from computers to home entertainment systems.

Apple also could showcase special pricing or product deals, aimed at wooing customers in these tough economic times, according to Enderle.

© 2009 AFP

3D Imaging Spreads to Fashion and Beyond

(page 2 of 2)
SPECIAL REPORT
Model on the Runway

Falling prices also make 3D computing more available to a wider range of businesses, such as jewelry, consumer electronics, and consumer products such as tennis shoes. And 3D is taking off in architecture and in medical fields, such as orthopedics and orthodontia.

Apparel businesses like Lori Coulter benefit from 3D software made by an Israeli company called OptiTex that shows a fabric's texture, how it drapes, and how it would move on a 3D model walking down a runway. Fashion designers can now create entire lines virtually before cutting a piece of fabric. Lori Coulter uses the OptiTex software to do prototyping during product development. "We set those patterns in 3D, put them on a mannequin, and simulate the sampling process, and we use various body shapes to see what will fit," says Lori Coulter, owner of the business that bears her name.

OptiTex says that doing this digitally, rather than creating physical samples, can shave weeks off the time it takes to create new designs and get approval to sell them, as designers often need to wait for specific fabrics to arrive. "In the apparel market, there are about six seasons per year, and they run out of time with the prototypes," says Gadi Zadikoff, vice-president for research and development at OptiTex. "They go back and forth a few times and then they just settle, or else it's too late for the season." Aside from Lori Coulter, OptiTex counts Target (TGT), Tommy Hilfiger, and Coach Leather (COH) as clients.

While some within the fashion industry are just now warming to 3D technology, Coulter built her business around it. When she was studying at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis in the late 1990s, she wrote a paper about how new technologies were revolutionizing the retail industry. She became fascinated with body-scanning technology. At about that time her mother was getting ready for a trip to Naples, Fla., and was having trouble finding a swimsuit. "If we could just make a swimsuit that would fit, we'd have a gold mine," she remembers her mother saying. "It's hard for women across the board, even if they're thin and fit and young."

For Coulter, relying on body scanners was a no-brainer. Coulter buys her scanners for about $35,000 a pop from a company called [TC]², which has about 60 in the market, including in three Brooks Brothers (companyid=1380071) locations. The company's biggest customer is BenchMark Clothiers, a men's clothing company based in Little Rock, Ark.
Virtual You

[TC]² is branching into new lines of business, including virtual worlds. A version of its software released in September lets people do a body scan and then create a realistic avatar for themselves in such places as the online virtual world of Second Life. Next year the company hopes to be able to cut the price in half for its body scanners. "We're using consumer-based electronics to make our systems less expensive," says David Bruner, vice-president for technology development at [TC]².

Computer-aided design and manufacturing is also shaping dentistry. About 23,000 dentists worldwide are helping patients get crowns more quickly with a tool called Cerec, a computerized 3D system from dental technology company Sirona that takes a 3D scan of a tooth and automatically manufactures the final crown in one visit. No hassling with a temporary crown for two weeks while waiting for the final one to arrive from the lab. "We think physical impressions will go away eventually and that they will be replaced by 3D intra-oral scanning," says John Sweeney, vice-president for investor relations at Sirona.

Adoption of 3D digital models in architecture, an industry that has been surprisingly slow to catch on, is also gaining traction (BusinessWeek.com, 12/20/06). It started in giant industrial projects such as dams and office buildings and has been pushed down into more mainstream applications like home building. "The efficiency and turnaround times are speeding up dramatically as they're able to go to 3D," says Jon Peddie's Maher.

Even legendary architect Frank Gehry is getting on the 3D bandwagon. The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas, designed by Gehry, is a health-care facility specializing in research for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, ALS, and memory disorders. Gehry's project managers used 3D building information-modeling software from Gehry Technologies, the firm Gehry founded in 2002, to bring technology advances to architecture. This model allowed fabricators, erectors, and constructors to view building components layer by layer with a 360-degree view to enable accurate fabrication and construction. The building is expected to be completed in 2009.

In the apparel industry, Coulter thinks that eventually women will be able to order any sort of fitted garment online thanks to 3D technology. "I don't think it will replace ready-to-wear," she says. "It's a luxury product." But one day that just may change too as the technology becomes more widespread, cheaper, and easier to use.

King is a writer for BusinessWeek.com in San Francisco.

3D Imaging Spreads to Fashion and Beyond

A body scan can save a lot of time in the fitting room, and fields from medicine to architecture are adopting 3D computing applications

by Rachael King

No longer just the stuff of Hollywood movies and Silicon Valley video games, 3D technology is changing the way people do business everywhere. Consider Lori Coulter, a women's swimsuit designer inside the Macy's (M) at the Chesterfield Mall about 30 miles west of St. Louis.

Lori Coulter clients needn't try on piles of swimsuits amid unflattering fluorescent lights in a cramped dressing room. Instead, they discreetly step into a room where the shop uses a scanner to take 140 measurements in less than a minute, then uploads them to a computer, which builds a 3D image and suggests an array of figure-flattering styles. The client chooses a style and pattern, and within as few as three days a custom-made swimsuit is ready to wear.

Lori Coulter is one of the scores of businesses that are being transformed by technology that lets you build and manipulate computerized three-dimensional models. "What we're seeing increasingly is the greater use of computer simulations," says Boyd Davis, a marketing director at Intel (INTC).

The widening use of 3D technology is being aided by advances in computing that render graphics more realistic than ever. Even the most mainstream computers possess 3D graphics capabilities, says Kathleen Maher, a senior analyst at Jon Peddie Research, a consulting firm that researches graphics hardware developments. Such advances have been driven by chipmakers including NVIDIA (NVDA), AMD (AMD), and Intel. A typical workstation based on two Intel Xeon processors delivers computing performance roughly equivalent to the fastest supercomputer in the world in 1993, according to Intel. Another catalyst in making 3D computing more mainstream is the video game industry, which has helped push high-end hardware out to consumers, Maher says.
Design Previews

One of the most common applications of 3D computing is what's known as 3D computer-aided design, or CAD, which lets a business create an exact replica or model of a product before it's manufactured. While the automotive and aeronautics industries have worked with 3D computer-aided design for at least two decades, it's now spreading to other industries and smaller companies as it becomes more affordable.

As of this year, the 3D CAD market generated about $3.4 billion, or more than half of the roughly $6 billion CAD market, according to a Jon Peddie Research report in March. Still, 3D computer-aided design users account for just 37% of total computer-aided design users. Until recently, 3D products have been expensive, but that's changing as more mainstream products such as Dassault Systemes' (ENXTPA:DSY) SolidWorks, Siemens'(DB:SIE) Solid Edge, and Autodesk's (ADSK) Inventor become available.

Even as computers become more well-equipped to handle 3D technology, the software for computer-aided design and manufacturing remains taxing for many people. "We need to create better tools," says NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang. "Right now it's not easy for the layman to use." Still, he sees hope in such areas as video game design. In Spore, the new game by Electronic Arts (ERTS), the Spore Creature Creator, which lets players create their own 3D monsters, is quite user-friendly, he says. "Somehow the Spore creators have taken computer-aided design and made it so simple that anyone could do it.

Teardown of Sony's PlayStation 3

According to iSuppli, the device costs significantly less to build than when it was first released in 2006, and is nearing break-even

By Arik Hesseldahl

One of the great articles of faith in the consumer electronics industry might be stated thusly: "Time heals all costs."

Basically it means that over time the parts used to make a popular product will become less expensive, or that two parts might be combined into one, or that better parts will become available at the same cost and so improve the product.

And it's proving to be true for Sony (SNE) and its flagship gaming system, the two-year-old PlayStation 3. According to a teardown analysis of the latest generation of the product conducted by the research firm iSuppli, the device now costs significantly less to build than it did when it was first released in 2006.

Profiting from the Games

Back then, an iSuppli analysis pegged Sony's "bill of materials"—the total cost of all the components used to build it—at more than $840 for the model that sold at the time for $599, and $805 for the starter model that sold for $499, making it a money-loser for Sony. It still appears to be a loser two years later, iSuppli says, but the loss is shrinking: The PS3 now costs $448.73 to build while selling for $399. Sony subsidizes the hardware price but makes its profits on the many games that it and other game publishers sell to run on the machines.

Having sold the PS3 at a loss for its entire life span so far, iSuppli says, Sony may reach the break-even point with the PS3 in 2009, and start turning a profit on the consoles after that. "Every time we do a teardown, it's sort of backward-looking," says iSuppli analyst Andrew Rassweiler. "Sony is one step ahead of us and probably has plans to re-spin the hardware to reduce the costs yet again," he says.

One key difference in the latest console, Rassweiler says, is that Sony has in many cases combined two or more chips into one, or integrated some low-level chips. When it was first released, the PS3 sported a total of 4,048 different parts, including those in the handheld controllers. Now, that number has come down by about 30%, to 2,820. "At the end of the day the PS3 is doing the same thing it did before, but with two-thirds as many parts," Rassweiler says.

Fewer Chips Inside

On top of that, two key chips in the PS3 have moved on to more advanced manufacturing technology. In 2006, the main chips in the console, like the Cell processor and the Nvidia (NVDA) Reality Synthesizer, which handles graphics, were built on 90-nanometer manufacturing technology. Now they're even smaller, and are built on 65-nanometer processes, meaning they cost less to make than before. ISuppli estimates the Cell chip costs Sony $46, down from the $64 in 2007, and $89 in 2006.

The Nvidia chip has come down in price, too. It now costs $58, down from $83 last year, and $129 in 2006. In both cases, Rassweiler says, the chips have been significantly redesigned with new features for functions that used to be handled by separate chips inside the system, which also helps reduce costs.

And smaller chips require less power. That means Sony now ships the device with a less beefy—and less expensive—power supply that costs $21.50, vs. $30.75 before. "It's a slightly greener machine than it was before," he says.

Hesseldahl is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com.