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Breaking News: Google CIO Douglas Merrill Quits Becomes President of EMI — Update: People within EMI are saying that they are lining up mainstream media exclusives for tomorrow either NY Times or WSJ and want to kill all blog coverage. — More brain drain at Google.
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Google's CIO leaves search giant for job at EMI — Updated 5 p.m. PDT with more information and context. — Google Chief Information Officer Douglas Merrill is leaving Google to become president of EMI's digital unit, according to sources. — A Google spokesman confirmed that Merrill …

Senior Executive Leaving Google — SAN FRANCISCO — Douglas Merrill, a vice president of engineering at Google, is leaving the Internet search company to become a president of digital at EMI Music, the recorded music division of EMI Group, according to an executive briefed on his move.
Discussion:
Techdirt

Another Google Exec Bails: VP Leaves To Head EMI Group
Discussion:
Coolfer


Sprint's Samsung Instinct: At Last, a Decent iPhone Competitor — Samsung's Instinct may be the best stab at the coveted title of iPhone killah this CTIA. The 3.1-inch touchscreen phone has localized haptic feedback, plus three hard navigation keys. If it sounds familiar …
Discussion:
The Register, Silicon Alley Insider, GigaOM, DVICE, Gadget Lab, The Apple Core, I4U News and Tech Blog
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Google/Skype Acquisition or Partnership Imminent? — Something big is brewing between Google and Ebay's Skype, we've heard from multiple sources. Actually, for weeks now there have been low level rumors of the two companies talking, but nailing down any details was difficult.


Microsoft Surface finds home in AT&T stores — Here's an advance look at a story I wrote for Wednesday's paper. The news is slated to be announced Wednesday at the CTIA Wireless show in Las Vegas. — AT&T says it will start using Microsoft Corp.'s Surface computers in selected retail stores later …
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Has Microsoft lost its way on desktop computing?
Discussion:
The Mac Observer

Why Apple Will Go Atomic — What will Steve Jobs do next? — Intel's plans may offer the best Rosetta stone for decoding the secretive Apple chief executive's intentions. The latest clue came Monday in Shanghai at the Intel Developer Forum, where the chip maker detailed its new lineup of low-cost …
Discussion:
CNET News.com


Microsoft's Office Open XML now an official ISO standard — Microsoft's embattled Office Open XML (OOXML) document format received ISO fast-track approval today after receiving support from approximately 86 percent of the national bodies that participated in the vote.
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Police: Couple covered up theft with Craigslist post — MEDFORD, Ore. — It wasn't a hoax or revenge that cost a Southern Oregon man many of his belongings when people responded to a Craigslist posting and nearly emptied his rural home, officers say: It was a pair of thieves covering their tracks.


The anatomy of an iPhone user (and why they want new form factors) — The average Apple iPhone user is an avid email reader (not writer) under age 30, browses the Web heavily and may carry a second phone. Meanwhile, a lot of these folks would like a few physical tweaks to the iPhone.
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Apple Stores Out of iPhones, Piper Says; 3G Soon? — Will Apple (AAPL) surprise everyone with an earlier-than-expected debut of the next generation iPhone? — Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster raised that possibility today. He writes in a research note that calls today to 20 Apple retail …
Discussion:
Paul Kedrosky's …, GigaOM, VentureBeat, 9 to 5 Mac, Insanely Great Mac and Infinite Loop
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Mobility and broadband speeds unite as Nokia evolves the Internet experience — Nokia N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition unleashes an open Internet experience, demonstrating the mobile future of web services — Espoo, Finland - Ushering in the next generation of wireless broadband devices …
Discussion:
eHomeUpgrade, Engadget, dailywireless.org, Internet Tablet Talk, Gadgetell and TabletBlog.com
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Nokia N810 WiMAX Editon Tablet Now Offical
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Ars Technica, TeleRead, Engadget, WebProNews, Electronista, Dan's Tech-n-Stuff Weblog and Sidecut Reports


Introducing AdSense for conversations — We're happy to announce the launch of AdSense for conversations, a new type of monetization solution that “puts the ‘context’ in contextual advertising”. Now, in just a few simple steps, you can begin displaying ads that are relevant …
Discussion:
Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, TechCrunch, Quick Online Tips and Google Operating System


FCC Chairman says no to Skype, forced open access — FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin announced today he will oppose a petition by Internet phone provider Skype to open up the existing wireless carrier networks to outside devices saying the industry is making strides in doing that on their own.
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Mobile operators avoid potential regulation
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Ars Technica, Techdirt, The Register, Tech Beat, IDG News Service, Gearlog and GigaLaw.com Daily News

Internet book piracy will drive authors to stop writing — Book piracy on the internet will ultimately drive authors to stop writing unless radical methods are devised to compensate them for lost sales. — This is the bleak forecast of the Society of Authors, which represents …


Polling Twitter: 4 Startups that Take the Pulse of the Twittersphere — We've argued in the past that Twitter can be a platform for serious discourse and our own Marshall Kirkpatrick famously stated last year that Twitter is even paying his rent (by which he meant that Twitter had become an invaluable tool in his blogging).


Congress Goes Virtual in Online World Hearing — A Linden Labs worker put on her nicest black suit and her most formal pair of wings this morning, to help run a Congressional subcomittee hearing about online virtual worlds that was broadcast simultaneously in the company's own virtual world, Second Life.
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eBay pulls Vista laptop pwned in hacking contest — $10,000 Panda Challenge - are you really protected? — An eBay listing for the Windows Vista laptop that was successfully compromised at last week's Pwn2Own hacking contest was removed after the online auctioneer said it violated terms the forbid sales of items that might do harm.
Discussion:
IDG News Service