Top Items:
Times of London:
Yahoo! set to revive merger talks with AOL after rejecting hostile takeover — Yahoo! is seeking to restart merger talks with AOL as a means of defending itself against the $45 billion (£23 billion) hostile bid approach from Microsoft, The Times has learnt.
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Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Wait. Yahoo and AOL? I Was Looking Forward To Something More...Fierce. — I was so damned excited yesterday to see Yahoo preparing to put up a Mel Gibson style Braveheart fight against Microsoft, Google and anyone else that tried to screw with their freedom.
Mathew / mathewingram.com/work:
Yahoo and AOL: Desperation squared — The Times is reporting that Yahoo wants to restart merger talks with AOL as a way of avoiding the clutches of Microsoft, a move that — if true — is roughly equivalent to screaming “we're totally desperate” from the rooftops of Yahoo headquarters.
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan / HipMojo.com:
Why a Yahoo! and AOL Merger Will Never Happen — Yahoo! and AOL are back at the table discussing a merger, supposedly, as both companies are caught between a rock and a hard place. — Yahoo! is being targeted by MSFT in an unsolicited $45B takeover bid. — AOL is persona non grata at Time Warner.
Joseph Weisenthal / paidContent.org:
Yahoo Considering Combo With AOL? — As Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) ponders various strategies for rejecting Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), Times Online reports that one possible option is a merger with AOL (NYSE: TWX). It's not clear though if the company is serious about pursuing this …
Maria Aspan / New York Times:
How Sticky Is Membership on Facebook? Just Try Breaking Free — Are you a member of Facebook.com? You may have a lifetime contract. — Some users have discovered that it is nearly impossible to remove themselves entirely from Facebook, setting off a fresh round of concern over the popular social network's use of personal data.
Thomas Ricker / Engadget:
Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1 QWERTY with Windows Mobile and HSUPA — It's here, the XPERIA X1 QWERTY from Sony Ericsson. Yes, full QWERTY to make the most of that Windows Mobile 6 operating system. SE's new XPERIA brand will focus on multimedia and mobile web communication.
Discussion:
Sony Ericsson, last100, Microsoft Watch, Brier Dudley's blog, Carrypad, CrunchGear, PC World, Gear Diary, Gizmodo and Mobility Site
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Motoko Rich / New York Times:
HarperCollins Will Post Free Books on the Web — In an attempt to increase book sales, HarperCollins Publishers will begin offering free electronic editions of some of its books on its Web site, including a novel by Paulo Coelho and a cookbook by the Food Network star Robert Irvine.
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Rafat Ali / paidContent.org:Random House To Start Selling By The Chapter; HarperCollins …
Discussion:
mathewingram.com/work
Brian Stelter / New York Times:
Putting Candidates Under the Videoscope — One late night last November, Mitt Romney, campaigning in Greenville, S.C., was approached by three young women in bright matching outfits looking for a hug. Mr. Romney, thinking they were cheerleaders from nearby Clemson University, obliged.
Microsoft:
Microsoft Office Live Small Business Launches New Tools, Enhances Free Service to Help Small Businesses Sell and Market Online — Service aims to help small businesses more easily and affordably take, promote and manage their businesses online. — To help small businesses effectively market themselves …
Staci D. Kramer / paidContent.org:
CBSSports.com Changes March Madness Game Plan: All Games Through Final Four, No Blackouts; Facebook — In a switch from its previous policy, CBSSports.com and NCAA.com will show all 63 of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship games from the March 20th kickoff through the Final Four …
Discussion:
last100
Who da'Punk / Mini-Microsoft:
Microsoft's Yahoo! Acquisition is Bold. And Dumb. — Please, Yahoo!: fight to stay independent. Or at least tear yourself apart and pop a couple of poison pills to go out on your own terms before this goes much further. Yeah, I've got your double-suck cake for you: one layer Yahoo!, one layer Microsoft.
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ongoing:
XML People — XML is ten years old today. It feels like yesterday, or a lifetime. I wrote this that year (1998). It's really long. — The title was originally Good Luck and Internet Plumbing but the filename was “XML-People” and I decided I liked that better. I never got around to publishing it, so why not now?
Andrew Ross Sorkin / New York Times:
Yahoo Bidder Wants a More Aggressive Microsoft — When Yahoo sends its letter rejecting Microsoft's $44.6 billion on Monday, it will end up in the inbox of a largely unknown executive on Microsoft's sprawling campus, Christopher P. Liddell. — Mr. Liddell, a former banker from New Zealand …
Discussion:
ParisLemon
Ken Fisher / Ars Technica:
Apple applies for trademark extension relating to gaming — Might Apple have interest in gaming beyond its pokey iPod gaming offerings? Maybe, when you consider that the company has recently applied to expand its trademark into the realm of gaming. The new filing was made on February 5 …
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Scott Karp / Publishing 2.0:
The Pace of Innovation in Journalism — How long does it take to launch an innovative new feature on a newspaper site? About 48 hours — that's the standard set by innovative editors like Jack Lail at Knoxnews.com, Tom Meagher at Herald News, and Mark Briggs at Thenewstribune.com.
Joel Hruska / Ars Technica:
Bluetooth SIG to add 802.11 support for heavy lifting — Last November, we covered the Bluetooth SIG's decision to adopt WiFi technology as a stopgap measure while the organization waits on UWB technology to become readily available. The Bluetooth SIG formalized the move this weekend …
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