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9:20 PM ET, July 21, 2006

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Antony Bruno / vnuemedia.com:
ZUNE GETS IN THE RING  — Microsoft officials for the first time have confirmed that the Redmond, Wash.-based company is readying a portable music player and integrated service, shedding new light on a topic that has fueled rampant speculation in news reports and blog postings for weeks.
RELATED ITEMS:
Ryan Block / Engadget:
Microsoft confirms Zune project  —  Well, it's not much, but we've got a quote and an official confirmation of the Zune project at Microsoft.  The Zune brand is being billed as a "music and entertainment" project aimed at "connecting with others to discover new music and entertainment …
Michael Gartenberg:
Zune is Real and Here's What it Means - First Take Analysis  —  Well, it's 12pm PDT and my embargo is lifted so I can finally stop talking about this in terms of something Microsoft "might" do and now start talking about what it means.  If you have the current issue of Billboard, there's an article in there as well.
Reuters:
UPDATE 1-Microsoft confirms plan to take on Apple's iPod  —Text+(Adds analyst comment, background)  —  SEATTLE, July 21 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday it plans to release a new music and entertainment player and accompanying software under the …
Ryan Block / Engadget:
Zune: what we know, think we know, and don't yet know
Discussion: Joystiq
Business Week:
The Phone Companies Still Don't Get It  —  They block competition and charge too much.  You call this a communications revolution?  —  One day this spring in San Antonio, I sat on a couch to watch TV with two AT&T (T ) executives and three public-relations aides.
RELATED ITEMS:
Om Malik / GigaOM:
MetroFi Teams With AT&T for Muni WiFi  —  The Municipal Wireless market just got more interesting.  Sources close to MetroFi, a Sunnyvale, California-based start-up tell us that the company has teamed up with AT&T to design, build and operate free wireless networks in different cities.
Mike / Techdirt:
Why The Telcos Hate Innovation
Discussion: Nyquist Capital
Paul Thurrott / SuperSite for Windows:
Windows Genuine Advantage: An Overview and Screenshot Gallery  —  I've found Microsoft's recent forays into customer relations with Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) to be somewhat amusing.  I mean, after all, Microsoft is a huge company just brimming with really smart people.  How could they do something so silly?
RELATED ITEMS:
Matt Mondok / M-Dollar:
Microsoft responds to Windows Genuine Advantage false positive accusations  —  Since its release, the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) has come under nothing but intense scrutiny, mainly because of questionable actions and misidentification of software pirates.
Ed Oswald / BetaNews:
October Debut for Microsoft 'iPod Killer'  —  EXCLUSIVE Microsoft's so-called "iPod killer" could be unveiled as early as late next month, with the company preparing to build momentum towards an October launch, sources close to the situation have told BetaNews.
RELATED ITEMS:
Paul Miller / Engadget:   Microsoft's Argo, Pyxis, Zune and Alexandria — confused yet?
bLaugh:
Skype vs. Gizmo vs. Vonage  —  I think Skype is an amazing product.  I'm recommending that all my friends and family members start using *pwing* kskll f kaslkk fllaklk.  LFilial liflk kdlalk lal lfllfal alla lallkl lala aaa kdllak slkal alkalk a lka kal lakklkla lkalkll allall kkllal llalkkal …
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
TechCrunch Party At August Capital  —  ADDITIONAL UPDATE: The RSVP list is now closed and the comments and wiki are locked.  There may be additional openings later.  —  UPDATE: The wiki is overwhelmed and is frustrating people because it is constantly locked.  I apologize.
Neo / macsimumnews.com:
Part 1: Apple files 'proximity detector in handheld device' patent application  —  On July 20, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's patent application titled "Proximity detector in handheld device," originally filed in September 2005.  Apple's patent relates generally …
Discussion: The Apple Core, Infinite Loop and digg
RELATED ITEMS:
Official Google Blog:
Findings on invalid clicks  —  Those of you who follow news about online advertising closely are seeing plenty about the issue of "click fraud" lately.  Since there's been a development in a case Google is involved in, you might like to hear about it.  —  As part of the settlement …
Roland Piquepaille / Emerging Technology Trends:
Howard Rheingold about our mobile world  —  Howard Rheingold is the well-known author of Smart Mobs and many other books describing the evolution of our societies.  His last book predicted the transformation of our society into a mobile one.  Four years later, and with thousands of posts published …
Discussion: Mike Rowehl
Kevin Newcomb / ClickZ:
Study: Display Ad Exposure Boosts Search Conversion  —  A new study from Atlas Institute proves what many marketers have intuitively known: Running display ads can help improve the results of a concurrent search campaign.  —  The study, which looked at 11 direct response advertisers …
Stephen Shankland / CNET News.com:
IBM, AMD to deepen Opteron ties  —  IBM and Advanced Micro Devices are expected to announce an alliance that will lead to mainstream IBM servers based on the Opteron processor, CNET News.com has learned.  It's a further boost to chipmaker AMD and a new blow to rival Intel's server business.
Tim Hornyak / Wired News:
Meet the Remote-Control Self  —  KYOTO, Japan — Hiroshi Ishiguro is a busy man.  Between his two jobs, countless meetings and presentations, his demanding schedule was eating up all his time.  So he built an android version of himself to pick up the slack.
 
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 More Items: 
Matt Marshall / SiliconBeat:
The Gizmo free-call surprise, too good to be true?
Carlo / Techdirt:
Since When Did Phone Service Cost $13,000 Per Year?
Duncan Martell / Reuters:
Apple profit rises 48 pct, helped by iPod sales
Jjg / adaptive path:
A Conversation with Steven Johnson, Part 1
Discussion: peterme.com
Martin Geddes / Telepocalypse:
BOB'S YOUR UNCLE  —  Apologies for the abstruse British slang …
Matt Marshall / SiliconBeat:
Will Yahoo buy Web 2.0 hipsters Zillow and Meebo, or crush them?
Kate Kaye / ClickZ Internet Marketing Solutions …:
Ad Targeting on TV — What a Concept!
Discussion: AdJab and Clickety Clack
I4U News:
Initial Blu-ray Players Defective. Firmware Update in September.
Discussion: SCI FI Tech and Gizmodo
 Earlier Items: 
Tom Sanders / vnunet:
FBI needs 'digital Enron' to fight cyber-crime
Henry Blodget / Internet Outsider:
Google: So Long, Free Cash Flow
Rustybrick / Search Engine Roundtable:
Google AdSense Released Site Diagnostic Tool
Alicetiara / tiara.org:
MySpace to Secondary Markets: Drop Dead
Marguerite Reardon / CNET News.com:
AT&T, start-up team in citywide Wi-Fi bid
Internet Stocks on SeekingAlpha:
Google's Earnings Results — A Yahoo Engineer's Perspective
Marguerite Reardon / CNET News.com:
Skype intros new Wi-Fi phones
Discussion: Webtown, ZefHemel.com and digg
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Internal memo: Hearst Magazines president announces layoffs as part of a decision to “reallocate resources” to “continue our focus on digital innovation”

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced she will leave the agency on January 20; she was the first woman to be confirmed to lead the agency

Lachlan Cartwright / The Ankler:
Sources: MSNBC renewed Rachel Maddow's contract early this fall, but with a pay cut; MSNBC bosses' plan to shake up daytime and weekend programming

 
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