Play the "travel game"

Some people like chess while others like Sudoku or crossword puzzles. Expert suggests to play the game of travel, which requires strategy and collaboration to get hotels at about 40 percent of retail price.

You can start with Priceline.com and Hotwire.com, and then go to the travel boards of biddingforrtavel.com and betterbidding.com, where people will post the names and bidding amounts of hotels they've won. If you don't see what you are looking for, you can post a question which always seems to get answered.

In just about a half hour, you can often save hundreds of dollars per trip and that's a whole lot more rewarding than finishing a Sudoku game.

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Surf the net, email, make calls - with your glasses!

The technology giant is close to launching a pair of futuristic glasses that would deliver all the services of a smartphone straight to the wearer’s eye. Featuring a miniature display on one lens, the hi-tech specs allow users to surf the internet or deal with text messages and emails without lifting a finger.

The screen is controlled with a ‘mouse’ which is moved simply by tilting your head. And should you still wish to actually talk to someone, it is believed the glasses will let you make calls using an in-built microphone. Reports suggest the device, which would revolutionise the smartphone market, could be available by the end of this year costing less than £380 – making it cheaper than Apple’s iPhone.

Users would also be able to see through the lenses as normal and go about their daily business, then with a flick of the head activate the display and start surfing. The glasses would use the same Google operating system that powers Android smartphones and tablets and would connect to the internet through 3G or next-generation 4G mobile networks.

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Facebook for Sale

Even in a region famous for cranking out business marvels, Facebook is something to behold. Almost eight years to the day after launching in a Harvard dorm room, the Menlo Park social networking giant on Wednesday took the wraps off a financial rocket that reached all but the loftiest of expectations surrounding the company.

In its eagerly awaited initial public offering filing, Facebook said its annual revenue last year totalled $US3.7 billion ($A3.47 billion) as profits hit $US1 billion. About 845 million people around the world check into the site at least monthly - and nearly 500 million do so daily - giving Facebook the kind of global reach usually associated with a century-old brand like Coca-Cola.

''This is a unique and extraordinary company,'' said Mark Siegel, managing director at venture capital firm Menlo Ventures, which does not have a stake in the company. ''I don't know that you can draw a whole lot of parallels.''

All of which is why the $US5 billion offering, which several reports say could rise to $US10 billion, is the most highly anticipated tech offer since Google. It could mint hundreds of millionaires, make boatloads of rich VCs a whole lot richer and reignite market fascination with dot-com offerings in the wake of some high-profile duds.

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Cost-cutting: AirAsia Suspends Flights

Australians who have booked flights to Europe with budget carrier AirAsia X after March will be affected by the airline's decision to suspend the flights in a cost-cutting move.

The long-haul unit of budget carrier AirAsia said yesterday it would suspend services to Paris and London and cut India flights in a bid to rein in costs. The Malaysia- based airline cited global economic uncertainty, soaring taxes and higher jet fuel prices for the move, adding it would redeploy its fleet to profitable Asian and Australian routes.

AirAsia X, a unit of AirAsia, will cease services to Mumbai and Delhi from January 31 and March 22, respectively while routes to London and Paris will end on March 30 and March 31 respectively. AirAsia X flies from to London and Paris from Melbourne, Perth and the Gold Coast via Kuala Lumpur.The airline said passengers who hold bookings after these dates would be given an alternative travel option at no additional cost.

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Google and Apple Race to Bring out Internet TV Sets

They have been locked in combat over mobile devices - and now Google and Apple are set to do battle in a technology war over 'smart' TVs.

LG Electronics just unveil its first internet-connected TV to run on the Android interface. Samsung is making its first set using Google software later this year, while Sony and Vizio have produced Android models already.

Apple look certain to bring in the iTV set this year. The company transformed the music and mobile phone markets, but it seems Google is trying to stay one step ahead of them with TVs.

Google said that chipmaker Marvell Technology Group and chip designer MediaTek were already on board as new partners in the venture. In a sluggish economy, TV manufacturers hope moving into the Internet TV market will help pick up business as consumer demand continues to slow.

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Apple May Hurt Shareholders with Patent War

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, told his biographer that he'd rather wage "thermonuclear war" with Google than make deals to share its technology with the maker of the Android operating system.

That was no empty threat. In the 18 months before Jobs died on October 5, Apple sued HTC, Samsung Electronics and Motorola Mobility, the three largest Android users. It alleged that the phone makers stole Apple's technology and asked courts to make them stop.

Now, as rulings start coming in, it might be time for a détente that helps Apple maximise the value of its patents, said Kevin Rivette, a managing partner at 3LP Advisors, a firm that advises on intellectual property. When courts side with Apple and impose bans on infringing products, competitors can often devise workarounds; in cases where Apple doesn't win import restrictions, it would be better off striking settlements that ensure access to a competitor's innovation, he said

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China unveils New Super-speed Train

The train, made from plastic materials reinforced with carbon fibre, is designed to resemble an ancient Chinese sword and 'will provide useful reference for current high-speed railway operations', according to train expert Shen Zhiyun.

Earlier this year, the Communist regime unveiled its fastest operational locomotive which was able to cover the 824-mile trip between Beijing and Shanghai in five hours - reaching record-breaking top speed of 200mph and maintaining an average speed of 165mph.

The latest test model has a maximum tractive power of 22,800 kilowatts, compared with 9,600 kilowatts for the Beijing-Shanghai CRH380 trains. But future Chinese trains will not necessarily run at such high speeds. CSR chairman Zhao Xiaogang said: 'We aims to ensure the safety of trains operation.'

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A Flat-screen TV That Can be Rolled up and Put in Your Pocket

The new technology which was developed by a team of British scientists is known as quantum dots and can be used to make ultra-thin televisions. It certainly is a step up from the super-thin OLED screen that was unveiled by Sony last year.

The quantum dot technology is light emitting particles which are 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human strand of hair will be printed onto flexible plastic that can be rolled up or even printed onto large sheets of paper to create giant screens.

The flexible screens are expected to take slightly longer and could be in the shops over the next three years. The company will not reveal exactly who they are working with but it is believed that Sony, Sharp, Samsung and LG are all working on quantum dot technology.

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BlackBerry under Fire over Illegal Sex Content

Smartphone company BlackBerry faces controversy after it was revealed its customers have been able to access illegal sex content on the internet, including child pornography.

Since the summer, BlackBerry has failed to provide internet blocks which protect users, including children, from accessing a list of banned websites. The news will alarm parents since teenagers make up a large proportion of the eight million BlackBerry users in the UK.

Last night, telecoms regulator Ofcom said it was ‘very concerned’ about the issue and that it was talking urgently to Canada’s Research in Motion (RIM), owners of BlackBerry, about how to solve the problem.

All mobile phone operators in Britain are signed up to a code of practice which ensures they apply a block on access to sex sites on the internet. A spokesman for RIM said: ‘By the end of 2011, we will have a solution in place that blocks access to these sites.’

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Samsung Win Appeal in Apple Tablet Battle

South Korean electronics giant Samsung Wednesday won its appeal against a temporary ban on sales of its Galaxy tablet device in Australia, a rare victory in its legal battle with rival Apple.

The Federal Court of Australia in Sydney lifted the ban on the sale of the Galaxy 10.1 Tab ahead of a final hearing, with the US giant claiming the device copies its iPad computer. But Apple immediately won a stay of orders, meaning that Samsung will not be able to sell the Galaxy in Australia until 0500 GMT Friday.

The Federal Court granted an interim order against the sale of the Galaxy 10.1 in October, ruling that Apple had established a prima facie case that the South Korean company had breached touchscreen technology copyrights. The Sydney court heard it would take a week to prepare to launch the Galaxy for sale in Australia, and Samsung argued against the further stay on sales.

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Boeing makes peace with labor

Boeing Co. and leaders of its main union reached a tentative settlement that could end one of the biggest U.S. labor disputes in recent times but leave unresolved key questions about the government's right to determine where companies locate their plants.

Boeing's labor troubles took on political overtones in April when the National Labor Relations Board accused the jet maker of trying to illegally shift union work to a nonunion facility. That triggered outrage at the Obama Administration from the business community. Some accused it of interfering in basic business decisions at a fragile time for the economy.

The deal announced Wednesday between Chicago-based Boeing and the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, if ratified by union members, would help pave the way for a planned jump in production by the aerospace giant.

It would alleviate the threat of strikes that could derail ambitious sales plans for a retooled version of Boeing's best-selling 737 aircraft, its new 787 Dreamliner and other jets.

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HP Slate 2 Tablet

The Slate 2 is actually a follow-up to HP's Slate 500, which launched more than a year ago at a price of $US800, running Windows 7 and marketed to businesses and not consumers. The Slate 2, again, isn't a consumer tablet, HP says, noting that it envisions the gadget "for business and vertical markets such as education, healthcare, government and retail, where jobs frequently take users away from a traditional desk." So don't go expecting to see this device showing up in you local electronics retailer.

The new HP tablet for businesses will sell for $US700, and like the Slate 500, the Slate 2 will weigh in at 680 grams, feature an 8.9-inch touchscreen and make use of an optional stylus. On the Slate 2, a software update will enable users to also use an on-screen swipe keyboard, HP said.

The Slate 2 will run on Intel's 1.5-gigahertz Atom Z670 processor, offer up to six hours of battery life and encrypt data on the device's hard drive. A VGA camera is built into the front of the Slate 2 while a 3-megapixel camera is on the back and the tablet has 2 gigabytes of RAM, a hard drive of up to 64 gigabytes and one USB port - the same as the Slate 500's setup.

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iPad 3 anyone?

Leaks from Asian sources have hinted that Apple's iPad 3 will arrive in Spring 2012 - and will have an all-new connector.

That could mean that the tablet is even slimmer than the barely-there iPad 2. It will also mean, though, that a lot of users could have to throw out add-ons such as iPad docks and keyboards.

The leak comes courtesy of tech site CNET, who report that an Asian source says the device will feature a slimmed down version of the current 24-pin connector.

The gadget will have the same size of screen as the current iPad 2 - which seems to run counter to earlier gossip about an iPad Mini designed to compete with the current crop of mid-sized Android devices from Samsung and Dell.

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1 Milyar Nilai Kontrak Briptu Norman Kamaru

Briptu Norman Kamaru (25), anggota Satuan Brimob Polda Gorontalo, bersiap-siap menjadi miliarder. PT Falcon Interactive mengontrak Norman Rp 1 miliar untuk satu album rekaman. Rencananya akan ada 5 album yang akan dibuat Norman.

Di luar itu, Norman juga akan memperoleh penghasilan lain, salah satunya dari film yang akan dibuat perusahaan yang sama. "Dia (Norman) mendapatkan kontrak kerja lebih dari Rp 1 miliar untuk satu album saja," kata Andre W Kusuma, kuasa hukum PT Falcon Interactive, dalam jumpa pers di kantor label rekaman tersebut di Jalan Durentiga, Mampang prapatan, Jakarta Selatan.

Jika penghasilannya ditambah dengan pendapatan dari film, jumlahnya akan bertambah menjadi Rp 2 miliar lebih. "Kalau ditambah dengan kontrak film, ya, bisa lebih dari Rp 2 miliar yang diterima Norman," kata Andre.

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Best smartphone for gaming

Apple made this one easy with the iPhone, and specifically the iPhone 4. And with the next generation just around the corner, iDevices will offer even more fun for gamers. Beyond the state-of-the-art graphics and controls that set the standard for gaming on mobile devices, there are more than 70,000 iPhone games available in Apple’s App Store.

Whether you are simply a casual gamer who likes to occasionally tap into a crossword puzzle or a hardcore action-arcade fanatic, there truly is something for everyone. The popularity of a game like Angry Birds, which began life on Apple’s smartphone before hitting other platforms (and, essentially taking over the world), has made everyone stand up and take notice.

It’s also telling that instead of console and PC games shaping the iOS gaming market, the tide is beginning to turn. Games that were created for iPhones including Fruit Ninja, Backbreaker Football, and the aforementioned Angry Birds are now available on major consoles. The iPhone 4 is currently available for AT&T and Verizon customers.

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For 'tracking cookies of logged-out users': Facebook Could be Investigated by U.S. Govt

Facebook could be investigated by the U.S. government over claims it is tracking users after they have logged out of the social networking site.

Reps Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey and Texas Republican Joe Barton have both complained to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Their letter follows privacy fears over tracking cookies sparked by Australian blogger Nik Cubrilovic, who prompted a Facebook investigation.

Reps Markey and Barton have both been vigorously pursuing Facebook on privacy issues, reported the Los Angeles Times. ‘When users log out of Facebook, they are under the expectation that Facebook is no longer monitoring their activities,’ they wrote. ‘We believe this impression should be the reality.’

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Smartphone War Pauses as World Mourns Steve Jobs

The launch of a hot new Google smartphone was delayed on Friday as the world mourned the loss of legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and sales began of the latest iPhone.

Samsung and Google put out word they have postponed a “Mobile Unpacked” press event planned for next week at an international wireless telecommunications industry conference in Southern California.

“Under the current circumstances, both parties have agreed that this is not the appropriate time for the announcement of a new product,” Samsung said in a statement at its official blog.

“We will announce a new date and venue in due course,” the South Korean consumer electronics titan promised.

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Adobe Brings Flash to iPhone and iPad without Asking Apple

The battle between Adobe, maker of the popular Flash video software used in more than 50 per cent of websites, and Apple, which refuses to allow it to work on many of its devices, is one of the bitterest in corporate history.

But Adobe has now created a 'cheat' that allows Flash video to play freely on Apple's devices - without Apple signing it off. But don't expect Flash to start working immediately on every website you visit - with some video-industry insiders describing the new solution as a 'fudge'.

The new solution works for publishers who want videos stored in Flash to be visible on popular Apple products such as iPhone, iPods and iPads. At present, Apple limits the web-browsing software in their handhelds so it is difficult for many users to see web video barring videos from YouTube.

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Google Chrome Mendekati Pengguna Internet Indonesia

Di tengah persaingan pasar browser, Google hadir dengan Chrome. Meski telah memiliki lebih dari 160 juta pelanggan aktif di seluruh dunia, namun raksasa internet itu belum percaya diri untuk mengklaim sebagai nomor satu di Indonesia.

"Kami belum bilang kami nomor satu, karena pengguna browser itu bermacam-macam, dan browser lainnya juga banyak tersedia dengan beragam fitur menarik," kata Indonesia Country Consultant Google, Henky Prihatna, di sela kampanye 'Jadikan Internet Seluas Kreasimu' di Bengkel Cafe, Jakarta.

"Indonesia itu pasar terbesar keempat di Asia setelah China, India, dan Jepang. Ini menunjukkan bahwa masyarakat Indonesia sudah siap untuk terlibat dan menginspirasi orang lain melalui internet. Di sini peran kami sebagai penyedia layanan," ujarnya.

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PAN: Reshuffle Kabinet Dilakukan Oktober

Partai Amanat Nasional (PAN) sudah mendapat bisikan dari Presiden SBY terkait reshuffle kabinet. Diyakini reshuffle akan dilakukan bulan Oktober 2011. PAN pun siap menghadapinya.

"Ya memang reshuffle kabinet akan dilakukan bulan depan, kita yakin itu dan memang sudah saatnya presiden mengambil langkah evaluatif terhadap kinerja menteri yang makin menurun," ujar Ketua FPAN DPR, Tjatur Sapto Edy.

Menurut Tjatur, kinerja sejumlah kementerian memang tidak optimal. Reshuffle kabinet dipandang sebagai finalisasi dari evaluasi pemerintahan.

"Karena memang sekarang ini banyak pembantu presiden tidak bekerja maksimal. Kemudian pelayanan terhadap masyarakat tidak optimal. Konsekuensinya ya silahkan presiden mengambil sikap tegas," saran Wakil Ketua Komisi III DPR ini.

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