FACEBOOK ADDS VOICE CHAT, THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS GOING TO RELY ON THE CLOUD, AND WE SIT DOWN WITH FOOTBALL STAR ELI MANNING. IT'S WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH. I'M NATALI DEL CONTE AND IT'S TIME TO GET LOADED.
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THE NEW HIGH DEFINITION ZUNE LAUNCHED ON TUESDAY. OKAY SO THERE IS NO MAD CONSUMER RUSH BUT IT IS STILL AN IMPRESSIVE PRODUCT AND EARNING HIGH MARKS FROM CNET REVIEWERS. IT HAS A 3.3-INCH MULTITOUCH SCREEN, STREAMING MUSIC, HDTV IN 720P THAT PLAYS ON AN OLED SCREEN. IT COSTS $219 FOR A 16-GIG MODEL AND $289 FOR A 32-GIG MODEL. EXPECT A FULL REVIEW SOON HERE ON CNET.
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FACEBOOK IS LAUCHING FACEBOOK PROTOTYPES. IMAGINE GMAIL LABS BUT FOR FACEBOOK. THE COMPANY IS CREATING LABS SO THAT END USERS CAN TEST OUT NON-STANDARD AND SOME TIMES BUGGY FEATURES. SOME OF THE NEW PROTOTYPES INCLUDE A DESKTOP NOTIFIER FOR MAC OS X, RECENT COMMENTS FILTER, PHOTO TAG SEARCH, ENHANCED EVENTS, WHICH WILL SYNC WITH AN OUTLOOK CALENDAR. THE COMPANY STRESSES HOWEVER THAT THESE ARE "PROTOTYPES", SO DON'T BLAME FACEBOOK IF THEY SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR OR BREAK YOUR BROWSER.
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I KNEW THIS WAS COMING BUT WAS KIND OF DREADING IT: VOICE CHAT IN FACEBOOK.
A COMPANY CALLED VIVOX IS GOING TO OFFER INTEGRATED VOICE CHAT INTO FACEBOOK OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. THE SERVICES IS CURRENTLY IN BETA. IT REQUIRES A BROWSER PLUG-IN, A LOT LIKE GOOGLE VIDEO CHAT. WITH THE PLUG-IN, YOU CAN CALL ANYONE ELSE WHO IS ON FACEBOOK. NON-FACEBOOK USERS CAN ALSO PARTICIPATE BY CALLING YOU FROM AN ACTUAL PHONE. IT DOES SEEM COOL BUT I JUST DON'T NEED TO BE ANY MORE DISTRACTED BY FACEBOOK THAN I ALREADY AM. I'LL BE KEEPING MINE TURNED OFF. SORRY.
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IF YOU'RE A CHROME USER, UPGRADE TO VERSION 3! GOOGLE LAUNCHED THE NEW VERSION ON TUESDAY AND IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE FASTER, OF COURSE, ALL NEW BROWSERS SAY THEY ARE FASTER. IT ALSO HAS A REDESIGN OF THE TAB PAGE WITH MORE PROMINENTLY FEATURED GOOGLE PRODUCTS. YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE THIS PAGE AND THERE ARE THEMES THAT YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM AS WELL. THE MAC VERSION: STILL AT LEAST A FEW MONTHS AWAY.
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THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS GOING TO TRUST THE CLOUD. FEDERAL CIO VIVEK KUNDRA SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS GOING TO MOVE TO A CLOUD-BASED SYSTEM WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR, IN ORDER TO CUT COSTS ON IT SPENDING. A NEW SITE, APPS.GOV, WILL BE A PORTAL FOR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO LEVERAGE EXISTING PROGRAMS FOR PRODUCTIVITY, STORAGE, AND SOCIAL MEDIA. IT WILL ALSO ENCOURAGE STANDARDIZATION. THE SITE DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A GOVERNMENT ENTITY. IT LOOKS LIKE A GOOGLE PRODUCT. SEE FOR YOURSELF AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK:
LOADED@CNET.COM
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GOOGLE IS LAUNCHING A SUITE OF APPS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR. GOOGLE PUBLIC SECTOR, AS IT IS CALLED, IS A DIRECTORY AND INFORMATION SITE THAT WILL HELP GOVERNMENT AGENCIES FROM LOCAL, TO STATE, TO NATIONAL WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY. IN ADDITION, THERE WILL NEWS AND VIDEOS RELATED TO GOVERNMENT AND WHAT GOOGLE DOES BEST INFORMATION. THE SITE AIMS TO HELP GOVERNMENTS COMMUNICATE BETTER WITH ITS CITIZENRY AND ALSO UNDERSTAND ITS NEEDS AND TRENDS.
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ON TUESDAY WE GOT A CHANCE TO SIT DOWN WITH FOOTBALL STAR ELI MANNING TO DISCUSS A NEW TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION WITH SAMSUNG. TAKE A LOOK.
YOU CAN WATCH THIS FULL INTERVIEW AT CNETTV.COM.
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THOSE ARE ALL OF YOUR HEADLINES FOR TODAY. I WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW WITH MORE. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING. I'M NATALI DEL CONTE WITH CNET TV AND YOU'VE JUST BEEN LOADED.
