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Glimpse takes fashion & style to Facebook

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glimpse.jpg Riding on the new Facebook/f8 Platform, online fashion and shopping destination Glimpse has launched Fashion & Style Application developed to allow Facebook users worldwide to express their fashion style using products they own, love or dream about.

“Providing this Fashion & Style application on Facebook Platform will bring to life the inner fashion whims of millions of users. We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting new endeavor and are pleased to bring the world of fashion to the world of Facebook,” said Glimpse CEO Frank Han.

Facebook users can create personalized lists of products from Glimpse.com’s universe of over 250,000 fashion and beauty items using products they love or products they want to buy. They can name them, annotate them, and publish them to their Facebook profile for easy sharing. Friends can come by and view their friends’ style, create their own style, and receive notifications when their friends’ styles are updated.

Originally posted on May 25, 2007 @ 3:27 am

Iran opens first net cafe for women

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iran.jpg Adhering to the strict sex segregation policy of Islamic law together with their president’s initiatives to return to the old values, the first ever female-only Internet café has opened in the city of Karaj west of Tehran, Iran. In this “appropriate atmosphere”, women are provided with free computer lessons and high speed internet connection.

“The atmosphere of most Internet cafes in the city is not appropriate for girls, therefore this Internet cafe has been started up in a complete female atmosphere,” according to semi-official news agency, Mehr News Agency.

Aside from this policy of separating men and women, Iran enforces strict dress codes as well. However, Iranian officials view this as a protective measure, requiring women to wear long, loose-fitting clothes and to cover their hair.

Originally posted on May 22, 2007 @ 8:59 am

Avis offers mobile Wi-Fi hot spot

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avis.jpg Realizing the importance of being online anytime and anywhere, Avis Rent A Car System now offers Avis Connect, a portable Wi-Fi connectivity to all travelers for $10.95 per day.

To make this development possible, company has tapped Autonet Mobile, the world’s first in-car Internet service provider.

Avis Connect service does not need cellular data cards or special software loads to connect to wireless Internet devices. It is compatible with all Wi-Fi enabled devices, including laptops, Ultra-Mobile PC handhelds and PDAs.

“Today, travelers are increasingly considering Internet access to be an important aspect of travel. With Avis Connect we are providing an easy-to-use service to help executives and families stay connected. This is just one of the many technological innovations, like our electronic toll collection services, that Avis is proud to introduce to the industry,” said Avis Budget Group vice president of product and program development Mike Caron

Originally posted on May 21, 2007 @ 8:26 am

Lyro offers 1st Digital Business Card Marketplace

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lyro.jpg Lyro is offering the world’s first open, fully searchable online business card. It allows people to freely promote themselves on the internet by creating, passing, and collecting internet-searchable digital business cards.

To date, there are about 100,000 digital business cards stored in Lyro, a trivial number compared to more than 66 million US professionals and another 130 million worldwide. Nevertheless, the number is a strong indicator of user acceptance given the short existence of the company.

One of the truly novel features of Lyro is control. The internet is saturated with publicly available data on just about everybody, but little if any of this information is manageable at the individual level. Lyro acts as a trusted resource for information that was created and published by the user.

“The one common denominator of Lyro is our endless desire to get other people to find out more about you and connect with you one-on-one,” said founder Lief Larson. “As part of our commitment to our users, we are continuously pushing ourselves to find ways to cut through the digital noise and attract attention on your behalf.”

Originally posted on May 18, 2007 @ 2:21 pm

OpenNet: 25 countries blocking Web sites

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block.jpg Studying 40 countries including Palestinian territories, Internet censorship and surveillance group OpenNet Initiative has concluded that at least 25 countries exert extra effort to block Web sites catered to political, social, and pornographic topics. This is a clear indication of Internet’s increasing importance in shaping culture and trends worldwide.

However, the study did not observe the effectiveness of these blocking efforts. Additionally, it did not cover countries like US, Western Europe, North Korea, and Cuba.

Top Countries Blocking Political Sites
China
Iran
Myanmar,
Syria
Tunisia
Vietnam

Top Countries Blocking Porno, Gay, and Lesbian sites
Iran
Oman
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
Yemen

Conversely, researchers discovered there is no filtering in Russia, Israel, and Palestinian territories notwithstanding the political tension surrounding these countries.

Originally posted on May 18, 2007 @ 10:23 am