Google Buzz in Gmail = Google vs Facebook

Google Blog: "Google launching Google Buzz, a new way to start conversations about the things you find interesting and share updates, photos, videos and more. Buzz is built right into Gmail, so there's nothing to set up — you're automatically following the people you email and chat with the most.

Google focused on making the sharing experience really rich by integrating photos, videos, and links. No more fuzzy little pictures: Buzz makes it easy to quickly flip through photos and experience them the way they Googlere meant to be seen: big and full-resolution. And videos play inline so you can watch them without opening a new window.

You can choose to share publicly with the world or privately to a small group of friends each time you post. And you can connect other sites you use, today there's Picasa, Flickr, Google Reader, and Twitter, so your friends can keep up with what you're doing around the Googleb — all in one place.

To make sure you don't miss out on the best part of sharing, Buzz sends responses to your posts straight to your inbox. Unlike static email messages, buzz messages in your inbox are live conversations where comments appear in real time.

You can follow the specific people whose posts you want to see, but Buzz also recommends posts from people you're not directly following, often ones where your friends are having a lively conversation in the comments. If you're not interested in a particular recommendation, just click the "Not interested" link and your feedback will help improve the recommendations system. Buzz also Googleeds out uninteresting posts from the people you follow — collapsing inactive posts and short status messages like "brb." These early versions of ranking and recommendations are just a start; Google're working on improvements that will help you automatically sort through all the social data being produced to find the most relevant conversations that matter to you.

For all those times when you want to share something but aren't in front of your computer, Buzz is also available on your phone. When you're out in the real world, a lot of the information you want to share often has to do with where you are: for example, you may want to talk about a new restaurant you discovered or the score of the game you're watching. So rather than simply a small screen version of the desktop experience, Buzz for mobile brings location to the forefront and makes it easy to have conversations about places. In addition to checking out buzz from people you're following, you can also see nearby buzz from the people around you.

FF: "Woooooo, Google vs Facebook"

iPad's Lack of Flash, BAD APPLE

gizmodo: "As you're probably aware, the Apple iPad, like the iPhone and iPod Touch, doesn't support Flash. Apple has its reasons for this, but clearly Adobe isn't happy about it. Here's their response.

Adobe: "It looks like Apple is continuing to impose restrictions on their devices that limit both content publishers and consumers. Unlike many other ebook readers using the ePub file format, consumers will not be able to access ePub content with Apple's DRM technology on devices made by other manufacturers. And without Flash support, iPad users will not be able to access the full range of web content, including over 70% of games and 75% of video on the web.

If I want to use the iPad to connect to Disney, Hulu, Miniclip, Farmville, ESPN, Kongregate, or JibJab — not to mention the millions of other sites on the web — I'll be out of luck.

Adobe and more than 50 of our partners in the Open Screen Project are working to enable developers and content publishers to deliver to any device, so that consumers have open access to their favorite interactive media, content, and applications across platform, regardless of the device that people choose to use."

The main arguments against Flash running on the iPad is that it's a resource hog and a security risk. Both true! Hopefully the web is moving away from relying on Flash for videos and ugly menus, with HTML5 acting as a more-than-adequate replacement. But we're not there yet. While I can appreciate the fact that Apple is trying to keep the iPad more stable by not including Flash, the fact that it kills off most online gaming and video streaming in the process makes the tradeoff questionable."

FF: "BAD APPLE, we need Flash unless HTML5 is here... I know NOT SUPPORTING flash is a brilliant strategy for Apple; Because 70% of games are flash-based, there would be little reason to pay for (or develop) games for the iPhone/iPad. but we need Flash, fungfung.net have Flash, Appledaily have Flashhhhhhhhhhhhh etc......, APPLE SUCKS, PPL DO NOT BUY iPad!"

Apple announces ' iPad ' touchscreen tablet

msnbc: "After months of rampant speculation, Apple Wednesday announced a touchscreen tablet computer, the "iPad" for consumers who want to take their movies, TV shows, music, games and reading with them, be it around the house or on the go; and what is the battery life like? iPad have been able to achieve 10 hours of battery life. can take a flight from San Francisco to Tokyo and watch video the whole time. And it has over a month of standby time.

"We want to kick off 2010 with a truly revolutionary and magical product," CEO Steve Jobs told a packed audience at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Apple's new product comes at a time when e-readers, like Amazon's Kindle and others from Barnes & Noble and Sony are on the market, with more coming this year from companies such as Samsung and the Hearst Corp."

FF: "im testing fungfung.net with iPad now~"

Lenovo LePhone launching in Le May

Engadget: "As Google and China trade blows on the global stage Lenovo just keeps on truckin' with its plans to launch the Android-powered LePhone in China and overseas. Samsung and Motorola you'll recall, already bent under Google's pressure and agreed to delay the launch of their respective handsets in China last week. Lenovo execs are planning for a hat-trick launch in May on China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom with a rest of world launch expected later in the year. Lenovo shareholders also approved the company's planned buy-back of its mobile handset division today, making them just the latest tier-1 PC maker to join the smartphone party."

FF: "I love Nokia, however, I love Google too, so Lenovo rocks~"

GeoCities is finally put out of our misery

downloadsquad: "We've known for months that early-90's homepage service GeoCities was shutting down today, taking a big chunk of Internet history and a lot of hideous animated GIFs with it.

To paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi: we felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

So, let's take a moment to remember GeoCities. The easy website-creation service opened in 1994, and many Internet users set up their first homepages within its quirky "neighborhoods". Back before everyone had a .com, GeoCities sported long, convoluted URLs with directories like SiliconValley/Pines or SunsetStrip/Towers. In 1999, GeoCities was purchased by Yahoo!, and has been a Yahoo! property ever since.

Although GeoCities sites are all disappearing from Yahoo!'s servers today, you can still take a trip down memory lane. Archive.org has started a Special Collection to catalog the sites. The effort was supported by Archive Team and includes a collection of those ever-present "Under Construction" GIFs from the heydey of GeoCities."

FF: "Byebye GeoCities :("

The new Nokia N900 comes with Maemo

Nokia Conversations: "The N900 has just leapt out of the depths and is primed to make a splash as Nokia’s debut Maemo device (sorry, couldn’t resist the fishy metaphor). In terms of where the N900 sits on Nokia’s newly broadened product spectrum – courtesy of this week’s introduction of the Booklet 3G – it bridges that wilderness between smartphone and compact laptop. The concept behind the N900 simply being that it enables you to experience a proper desktop-like experience in a pocket-size device.

We’ve gathered all the must-know details and snaps of Nokia’s first Linux-based Maemo handset. Click through to find out more and to see the N900 up close in our photo gallery.

We’re not ones to typically dwell on the numbers, but this is one of those devices where the hardware paints a true picture of its potential. The N900’s pocket computer credentials are validated when you peek into its engine room, which comprises of a powerful ARM Cortex-A8 processor, with up to 1GB of application memory and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration. Combine all that horsepower with the new Linux-based Maemo 5 software, and the N900 enables you to multi-task as you would on a PC (the Maemo platform was first designed for computers) – this set-up means you can quickly flit between stacks of apps running simultaneously and smoothly.

This fusion of the Maemo 5 platform and significant processing power is brought to life through the now familiar combo of a high-res WVGA touchscreen and full physical slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It also stomachs 32GB of storage, expandable up to 48GB with a microSD card leg-up, and is home to a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. Plus, other features include A-GPS, an FM transmitter, and up to 9 hours of talk time.

The N900 is geared up to let you browse the web as you would on a PC, with a browser based on Mozilla technology, meaning websites look exactly as they would appear on your desktop. Watching online video and enjoying online apps is also made possible thanks to full Adobe Flash 9.4 support. Couple this with speedy internet access, realized via HSPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, and the N900 promises to deliver the best pocket-friendly online experience to date.

If you fancy finding out more about Maemo on Nokia visit maemo.nokia.com."

FF: "With Linux based new system Maemo, Mozilla-based browser technology and also with cellular connectivity, the Nokia N900 delivers a powerful mobile experience, I luv Nokia~~"

Nokia introduces Booklet 3G 'mini laptop'

Engadget: "Nokia rocked the world this morning by introducing its spin on the laptop, called the Booklet 3G. If you're the rude sort (like us) you could call it a fancy netbook, what with its Atom processor and 10.1-inch display, but that screen is higher res than your average Eee, and it also sports integrated 3G wireless and a hot-swappable SIM card, so it's definitely trying to define its own niche. It looks to be running Windows 7, which isn't particularly netbooky, and also has integrated A-GPS with a copy of Ovi Maps, HDMI output, a rated 12 hour battery life, and the usual Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, all in a 2cm (.78 inch), 2.7lb aluminum body that's understated, sophisticated, and should make most Nokia fans very happy -- Nokia fans who are looking for a tiny laptop, anyway. There's a fancy promotional video on youtube, and while we don't have any anticipated release date or price just yet, we'll be learning more at Nokia World 09 on September 2, cya~~

FF: "Sweet, and good to see competition starting in this segment"

PlayStation 3 Slim unboxing and hands-on!

Engadget: "Yes, we can hardly believe it ourselves, but Sony came a-knockin' at our door today, and we were more than willing to answer. The PlayStation 3 Slim is now official in-house, and it's a matte-laden beaut. Enough chitchat -- live vicariously through our unboxing and hands-on pic <click here>

	120GB PS3 Slim	160GB PS3	80GB PS3
Product code	CECH-2000A	CECH-Pxx	CECH-Kxx / CECH-Lxx
Price	$299.99	$399.99	$299.99
Color	Matte Black	Piano Black (Glossy)	Piano Black (Glossy)
HDD	120GB 2.5-inch SATA	160GB 2.5-inch SATA	80GB 2.5-inch SATA
Dimensions	11.42 x 2.56 x 11.42 in.	12.75 x 3.86 x 10.8 in.	12.75 x 3.86 x 10.8 in.
Weight	7.05 lb.	11 lb.	11 lb.
Power	250W	280W	280W
Vertical Stand	Optional ($24)	Not necessary	Not necessary
Compatibility	PSOne	PSOne, Linux	PSOne, Linux
PS2 compat?	No	No	No
BRAVIA Sync (HDMI-CEC)	Yes	No	No
Bundle	Wireless DualShock 3 controller	Wireless DualShock 3 controller, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, PAIN downloadable game voucher	Wireless DualShock 3 controller

FF: "STOP CALLING MY PS3 fatty, the new PS3 slim lost that luxury item look, mine look better, lol"

2011 BMW X1

ConsumerGuide:

"BMW fields its first baby SUV with a spinoff of its new 1-Series compact car. With smooth 6-cylinder power, available all-wheel drive, and "ultimate driving machine" cachet, it could be the new star of a fast-growing market class.

Premium compact SUVs are popping up everywhere, so much so that Consumer Guide has put them into a class of their own, separate from lower-priced models at mainstream brands. BMW's X3 helped plow this field a few years back. Acura has since weighed in with the RDX, the Infiniti EX was new for 2008, and Lexus is said to be prepping a contender, likely based on parent Toyota's RAV4. New for 2009 are the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLK.

All this new competition poses a big challenge for the X3, which is one of the larger compact SUVs. Because of that, and in line with an announced expansion of its model line, BMW has confirmed a new X1 to slot below the X3 in size and price. The new baby-Bimmer SUV will be based on the company's 1-Series compact car.

Dimensionally, the X1 will be visibly smaller than the X3, Acura RDX, and Infiniti EX, but close in size to the Land Rover LR2. X1 will also be lighter than the X­3, so it should be just as quick, if not quicker, and probably more agile too. Of course, it won't be as roomy as its bigger brother, but it should be adequate for four adults and maybe a week's worth of luggage.

Despite its lower pricing, the 2011 BMW X1 should come with all the standard features expected from this brand. That means antilock brakes, traction/antiskid system, front side airbags, and curtain side airbags.

All import brands are fighting to hold the price line against a weaker dollar, so BMW will be extra picky in deciding X1 standard content. On the other hand, most BMW buyers don't skimp with options, so the baby SUV should list most of the major goodies available for the X3. These include the inevitable Sport Package with firm suspension and upsized wheels and tires, navigation system (bringing with it BMW's irksome iDrive controller), rear-obstacle detection, rear side airbags, and amenities like leather upholstery, heated seats, high-end audio, and steering-linked headlamps. While none of these features are notable nowadays, especially for a premium brand, we wouldn't be surprised if BMW came up with some gee-whiz exclusive for the X1, though we have no idea what that might be."

FF: "I want this car with the panorama roof :)"

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Car Driver:
"Rolls-Royce has announced at the Shanghai auto show that its new Bentley Continental–fighting sedan, which was previewed by the 200EX concept at the 2009 Geneva auto show and has been known only as the RR4, will be called the Ghost. Production will commence later this year at the company’s Goodwood plant in the U.K., and European deliveries will begin shortly after. Sales in the U.S. and Asia will wait until the second quarter of 2010. Base price for the Ghost here will be $245,000, plus taxes and delivery.

Rolls also announced final specifications for the new car. The 6.6-liter turbocharged V-12 will pump out 563 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque and will mate to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Zero to 60 mph is said to take 4.8 seconds, and the top speed will be governed at 155 mph. Likely to be shown in production trim at the Frankfurt auto show in September, the 2010 Ghost will slot below the current Phantom range and gives Rolls-Royce a more attainable model to compete against the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, as well as the upcoming 2010 Aston Martin Rapide. At 212.6 inches long—with a 129.7-inch wheelbase—76.7 inches wide, and 61 inches tall, the new Rolls is slightly longer and taller than the Bentley, but a smidge narrower. The Continental lineup also includes GT coupe and GTC convertible versions, and we expect two-door and droptop iterations of the Ghost to launch after the sedan.

Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves said the Ghost name is fitting for the new model because it evokes a sense of “adventure and technical innovation,” as well as “flair and style.” The latter elements shouldn’t be an issue, as the Ghost will share the Goodwood plant’s paint, wood, and leather workshops with the Phantom (vehicle assembly will be handled by a separate production line). Stay tuned for more details closer to the unveiling."

FF: "6.6-liter turbocharged V-12 will pump out 563 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque, v.nice~"

Introducing the Google Chrome OS

Sundar Pichai:
"It's been an exciting nine months since we launched the Google Chrome browser. Already, over 30 million people use it regularly. We designed Google Chrome for people who live on the web — searching for information, checking email, catching up on the news, shopping or just staying in touch with friends. However, the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web. So today, we're announcing a new project that's a natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System. It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.

Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we're already talking to partners about the project, and we'll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.

Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and we are working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year. The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web technologies. And of course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform.

Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.

We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files. Even more importantly, they don't want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates. And any time our users have a better computing experience, Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet.

We have a lot of work to do, and we're definitely going to need a lot of help from the open source community to accomplish this vision. We're excited for what's to come and we hope you are too. Stay tuned for more updates in the fall and have a great summer."

FF: "Yes, I need an OS to be fast and lightweight, and being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, luv Google"

Mercedes debuts airbag-laden S-Class ESF hybrid concept

Engadget:

"Apparently not content to simply build a hybrid vehicle that's both energy-efficient and luxurious, Mercedes has now gone the extra mile with its new 2009 S-Class ESF concept, which packs more than a dozen different safety features including airbags inside and out. That latter outside-the-car airbag is actually a giant braking bag that deploys under the car when it "senses an imminent crash," which not only creates some added friction to slow the car down, but lifts the front of the car up about 80mm to compensate for brake dive. Other uncommon safety features include curtain airbags between the seats, airbags in the seatbelts, reflective tires, and "inflatable metal structures" throughout the vehicle, which apparently both saves space and increases crash protection. Unfortunately, there's no word on any further improvements to the hybrid side of things, but Mercedes' existing S400 Hybrid isn't exactly too shabby of a place to begin with."

FF: "Airbag deploys under the car? seems fun~ :)"

Hong Kong second best Asian city to live in

The Standard:

"Hong Kong ranks second behind Osaka in Asia among the world's easiest cities to live in.

But Hong Kong ranked far behind the 13th place Osaka secured in the Economist Intelligence Unit's liveability poll. coming in at joint 39th with Madrid.

Singapore was even further back at 54th, while Seoul was four places behind the city-state.

Vancouver is the world's easiest city to live in while Harare is the toughest.

Canadian and Australian cities hold six of the top 10 slots in the Economist Intelligence Unit's liveability poll, which ranks cities on five factors: health care, stability, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

''At the other end of the ranking, most of the poorest-performing locations are in Africa or Asia, where civil instability and poor infrastructure present significant challenges,'' said the survey's authors.

In ratings ranging from zero (intolerable) to 100 percent (ideal), Vancouver scores 98 percent, ''benefiting from strong Canadian infrastructure,'' while Harare languishes on 37.5 ``thanks to the unfolding crisis in Zimbabwe.''

At the top end of the global easy-living scale, Vienna is in second place followed by Melbourne, Toronto, Perth, Calgary, Helsinki and Geneva, with Sydney and Zurich in joint ninth place.

Tokyo is at joint 19th with Frankfurt.

European cities where life is generally not hard include Stockholm and Hamburg, Germany, in 14th place, as well as Paris in 17th spot, Frankfurt in 19th, Copenhagen in 21st and Berlin in 22nd.

''With the exception of high scores in Australasia and some Asian centres, most of the better-scoring locations are based in the more developed regions of western Europe and North America,'' said the study."

FF: "For living YES, but i wanna go clubbing in London :)"

Windows 7 box art confirmed, product page now live on MS Store

Microsoft Store:

"There's a new product page for Windows 7 on the Microsoft Store. And while there's no word on official pricing yet, there are pictures showing what the Windows 7 retail packaging will look like. And wouldn't you know it, it looks exactly like the leaked images that were first found floating around the web last month.

The product page also has a list of reasons to buy the new operating system, including the fact that it's faster and more responsive than Vista, allows users to stream media over a network, and has a a new and improved taskbar. No surprises there, but I have to agree, these are all pretty good reasons to upgrade from Windows Vista, as are the other highlights listed on the product page. Whether they'll be enough to get holdouts to upgrade from Windows XP remains to be seen."

FF: "The boxes of the newest version of Windows... so exciting :)"

Michael Jackson's children unmasked for the first time

Mirror:

"Here's real piece of pop history – as one of Michael Jackson’s three children is unmasked for the first time.

Jacko’s head might be partly hidden under his brolly. But elder son Prince Michael I, 12, faced up to full scrutiny as the two walked through the parking lot at a Los Angeles recording studio.

His fresh-faced daughter Paris Michael, 11, was also maskless.

The pair, born to Jacko’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe, got shy as they left later – once more wearing the masks that usually keep them shrouded in mystery.

Enough was seen, though, to show they resembled each other but not the superstar singer, who begins his residency at London’s O2 Arena on July 13.

Prince and Paris surely won’t be on such display at any of the 50 gigs – while also kept from prying eyes will be seven-year-old Prince Michael II, aka Blanket, who is much darker than his siblings.

But Jacko still insists he fathered all three ..."

FF: "well well well, I think he needs unmasked to play Cooking Mama"

Windows 7 release date: October 22nd

Download Squad:

"Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 will be commercially available on October 22nd, 2009. In other words, that's the date when you'll likely be able to walk into a store and either buy a computer with the operating system preloaded or buy a boxed version of the software to install on your existing computer.

The company has been indicating that it hopes to have Windows 7 out in time for the holiday shopping season, and an October launch certainly fits the bill. But if you're in the market for a back-to-school computer this fall, it looks like you're going to have to stick with Windows Vista, XP, OS X, or Linux."

FF: "I want my new laptop preloaded with Windows 7"

Facebook Cheat code: ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A enter

Rubbishcorp:

"If you enter the Konami code ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A ENTER after logging into Facebook (not in a text box) you’ll get a lens flare effect anytime you click, scroll or type anything. Also, if you scroll to the bottom of the page on the left language selection, you can choose ‘English (Pirate)’ to change Facebook to pirate.

The Konami Code, known in Japan as the Konami Command (コナミコマンド), is a cheat code that appears in many Konami video games. The code also appears in some non-Konami games. The code was first used in the 1986 release of Gradius for the Nintendo Entertainment System but was made famous in North America in the NES version of Contra, for which it was also dubbed the “30 Lives Code”. While pausing the game or during the title screen, the player could press the following sequence of buttons on the game controller."

FF: "Its fun, i want more cheat code on Facebook~"

Microsoft: web to 'overtake TV by 2013'

techradar: "New research by Microsoft suggests that in just four years' time, TV will no longer be the dominating force in home entertainment, with internet set to overtake as the main source of content for consumers in the home.

"Based on current growth trends, Microsoft projections estimate that internet consumption will outstrip traditional TV in June by 2010, averaging 14.2 hours per week against 11.5 hours for TV," The report, titled 'Europe logs on: internet trends of today and tomorrow', suggests.

If the rather precise report is right (why June?) this means that in 2013, Joe Public will be wiling away 2.5 days a month on the internet.

Interestingly, the report also says that internet use on PCs will drop from 95 per cent to 50 per cent in five years.

This prediction points to a move away from computers to web-enabled TV sets, mobile phones and games consoles.

When it comes to mobile web browsing, it is expected that 30 per cent of all mobile phone users in 2013 will watch some sort of video on their handsets. This will be up from 19 per cent in 2008.

The growth of video-capable handsets will be massive too, with Microsoft predicting that 76 per cent of phones will have video capabilities by 2013, up from 31 per cent in 2008.

With all this time spent surfing the web, it's lucky that Microsoft also predicts that 3D internet will soon be a reality, "with consumers able to virtually experience a holiday resort before they book, students will be able to attend virtual lectures and shoppers will be able to see how an armchair would look in their living room before they buy it."

So, it's exciting (virtual) times ahead, if the futuroligists at Microsoft have anything to with it."

FF: "Yes, FTV will become the main source of content for HK people~"

Hong Kong Tenants Play ‘Hardball,’ Pushing Rents to 2-Year Low

bloomberg: "Raif Cabbabe said his property agent thought he was crazy to offer only HK$20,000 ($2,600) a month for a two-room apartment in Hong Kong’s trendy Soho district. The flat went on the market two months earlier for HK$45,000.

Bargaining for the 900-square-foot (84-square-meter) home worked. Cabbabe said he sealed the deal in November at HK$25,000 for the 2-year-old pad, which has a 250-square-foot terrace. Since then, prices have fallen further, with January capping six straight months of declines, according to data from real estate agency Centaline Property Agency Ltd.

“The property market has fallen off a cliff, so people are playing hardball now,” said Cabbabe, 28, a steel trader who moved to Hong Kong from Australia. “My friends renegotiating their rents are telling their landlords, we’ll just walk away if you don’t give us a discount.”

Rents began falling in the city in August, a month before the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. sparked off a global banking crisis. Home leases may fall as much as 15 percent to 20 percent this year, said analysts including Simon Lo at Colliers International Ltd. Hong Kong slid into its first recession since 2003 in the third quarter, leading companies to rein in costs by firing workers.

Unemployment in Hong Kong jumped 0.5 percentage points to 4.6 percent in the three months through January, the largest increase in a decade, as companies such as Citigroup, HSBC and PCCW Ltd. cut staff. Gross domestic product may shrink 2 percent to 3 percent in 2009, Financial Secretary John Tsang said yesterday. He said the government will refund taxes, suspend property rates and boost spending on infrastructure to mitigate the slump. "

FF: "Property market its time to fall, where banks including HSBC Holdings Plc and Citigroup Inc. have their head offices, dropped around 96 percent in March from a year earlier"

Cecilia Cheung lashes out at Edison Chen over sex photos

Danny Cheng: "I think it's good to see Cecilia Cheung break her silence, and face the reality"


channelnewsasia: "A Hong Kong actress at the centre of an Internet sex photo scandal has broken her silence about the incident, lashing out at the pop star who took the compromising pictures, a report said Saturday.

Cecilia Cheung, one of several local celebrities shown in the photos with Hong Kong-Canadian actor and singer Edison Chen, said he had never apologised, and that she was still reeling from the ordeal a year later.

"He has never apologised to us personally," Cheung told iCable in an interview broadcast late Friday, according to a report in the English-language South China Morning Post.

"He should at least have called us to say sorry if he genuinely admitted his mistake."

She added: "The photos are still circulating online. How can we live a healthy and happy life? How can we put ourselves back on our feet?"

The photos -- showing Chen in compromising positions with various celebrities including Cheung, Canto-pop star Gillian Chung and former actress Bobo Chan -- became an Internet sensation when they were posted a year ago.

Cheung said she decided to break her silence after Chen gave evidence earlier this week in a Canadian court in the case of Sze Ho-Chun, a computer technician charged here with illegally posting the explicit photos online.

The 28-year-old Chen for the first time identified Cheung, Chung and Chan in the Vancouver court as some of the women in the photos, but said later outside court he wanted to "protect" them and that they had "suffered enough," the Post reported.

Cheung, also 28, angrily retorted: "You should not have come out (now)... saying one thing but doing another in a bid to win the public's forgiveness whilst hurting us."

Chen, one of Asia's biggest stars in film and music, saw his career destroyed by the appearance of hundreds of the sex photos, which caused a storm in celebrity-obsessed but culturally conservative Hong Kong.

The scandal forced him into early retirement and sent him fleeing to his childhood home of Canada."