Top Items:
John Markoff / New York Times:
Google Is Taking Questions (Spoken, via iPhone) — SAN FRANCISCO — Pushing ahead in the decades-long effort to get computers to understand human speech, Google researchers have added sophisticated voice recognition technology to the company's search software for the Apple iPhone.
Discussion:
The Technology Chronicles, PC World, Google Operating System, PC Magazine, TheAppleBlog, Gizmodo, Obsessable, Search Engine Journal, Alice Hill's Real Tech News, Homotron.net, AndroidGuys, Gadget Lab, WinExtra, iPhone Buzz, BloggingStocks, mocoNews.net, TG Daily, TECH.BLORGE.com, dailywireless.org, The Apple Core, Infinite Loop, Boing Boing Gadgets, webmonkey, The 26th Story, Google Watch, AppleInsider, GottaBeMobile.com, InformationWeek, RexBlog.com, Lifehacker, The iPhone Blog and Slashdot
RELATED:
Harry McCracken / Technologizer:
How Long Does Google Baby the iPhone? — The blogosphere is abuzz over John Markoff's piece for the New York Times on a new version of Google's iPhone app that lets you use your voice to search. (It even uses the phone's accelerometer to let it notice that you've lifted the phone to your ear, and therefore switch to voice mode.)
Jose Antonio Vargas / Washington Post:
The YouTube Presidency — The White House has gone YouTube. — Today, President-elect Obama will record the weekly Democratic address not just on radio but also on video — a first. The address, typically four minutes long, will be turned into a YouTube video and posted on Obama's transition site …
Discussion:
L.A. Times Tech Blog, mathewingram.com/work, VentureBeat, Save the Internet Blog, PC World, TechCrunch, Mashable!, Guardian, Threat Level, WebProNews, Gizmodo, Profy, Homotron.net, Valleywag, Download Squad, Zatz Not Funny!, Chris O'Brien, The Register, Associated Press, B.L. Ochman's weblog, SitePoint and The Utube Blog
RELATED:
Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb:Obama to Address the Nation Each Week on YouTube
Discussion:
HeyJude
Business Wire:
Study Finds Google Docs Struggles to Gain Foothold in Productivity Suite Market Dominated by Microsoft — BERKELEY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—From May to November 2008, ClickStream Technologies' standing panel of adult U.S. internet users showed that use of free productivity applications …
Discussion:
The Microsoft Blog
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Frederic Lardinois / ReadWriteWeb:
Compete: Google Docs & Spreadsheets Keeps Growing, But User Engagment is Flat — It's been a little bit more than two years now since Google merged Google Spreadsheets with Writely, and while there has been a lot of talk about online office suites, the latest data from Compete indicates …
Business Wire:
Sun Microsystems Aligns Business with Global Economic Climate and Amplifies Growth Opportunities Across Open Source Platforms — SANTA CLARA, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAVA - News) today announced a series of changes designed to align its cost model …
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Margaret Kane / CNET News:Sun restructures, lays off up to 6,000
Discussion:
Tech Confidential, Computerworld, Outside the Lines, The Open Road, The Register, OStatic blogs and DailyTech
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Apple 2.0:
IBM must put up $3 million in Papermaster case — IBM only had to pay a $350 filing fee to sue Mark Papermaster, the 25-year IBM (IBM) veteran hired by Steve Jobs last month to run Apple's (AAPL) iPod and iPhone division. — It's going to cost them a lot more to pursue the case.
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Paul McDougall / InformationWeek:
Revenge Of The Papermaster: Apple Exec Countersues IBM — Newly appointed iPhone chief claims a noncompete agreement he signed with former employer Big Blue is invalid. — Mark Papermaster, the microchip expert that a court last week ordered to stop working at Apple while it hears a breach …
Jordan Golson / Industry Standard:
Nick Denton: Pay-for-page-views was too successful — When asked what he would have done differently with Valleywag after it was announced that the site was closing, Gawker Media head-honcho Denton said he “probably wouldn't have paid out those big bonuses to [writers] at the start of the year!”
Business Technology:
How Old Is Your Work Computer? — It used to be that every three years, workers would get brand new computers from their businesses' tech departments. But for many those days are over. — The reason: Delaying computer upgrades is one of the easiest ways for a tech department to cut its budget.
Discussion:
The Toybox, Gadget Lab, VoIP & Gadgets Blog, CloudAve, Wall Street Journal and Zoli's Blog
Eric Eldon / VentureBeat:
Microsoft and Facebook: In an open relationship with your data — Which third parties can access sensitive data that users post on Facebook, such as email addresses? It depends on the partner, according to Facebook. So here's the latest tidbit about how this policy is being implemented.
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Jessica Dolcourt / CNET News:
Weather Channel's iPhone app hails videocasts — Weather apps have been a fixture on the iPhone and iPod touch since Day 1, but it wasn't until this week that it gained a full-featured contribution from The Weather Channel. — San Francisco's forecast today. — (Credit: CNET)
Betsy Schiffman / Epicenter:
Tech Job Losses in 2008 Could Be Highest Since 2003: Report — Last quarter saw the highest number of tech layoffs in nearly five years, according to a report from Challenger Gray & Christmas, an executive outplacement firm that tracks job losses in electronics, telecom and computer industries.
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Citrix buys venture-backed Vapps for $26.6 million — Citrix said today it bought audio-conferencing services firm Vapps for $26.6 million in cash. If Vapps continues to perform well, it will get an additional $4.4 million from Citrix. Counting options, the value of the deal is $34 million at most.
Eric Krangel / Alley Insider:
TheStreet.com To Close San Francisco Office (TSCM) — More layoffs in the world of financial journalism. Spokespeople at TheStreet.com (TSCM) confirm the financial site is closing its San Francisco office, which the company opened in the late 90s. No word from TheStreet on how many people …
Discussion:
The Technology Chronicles
Ian Paul / PC World:
Microsoft Opens Online Store: I'm Not Impressed — It's opening day for Microsoft's Microsoft Store. But don't expect to find any opening day bargains. I compared, and Microsoft is charging considerably more for many software titles compared to legitimate online vendors like Amazon selling identical products.
RELATED:
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:Microsoft launches online store: Is there deeper meaning here?
Discussion:
Electronista, Technologizer, BetaNews, Channel 10, Microsoft Pri0, DailyTech, Engadget, Gizmodo and Obsessable
Todd Bishop / TechFlash:
New court documents reveal internal Microsoft fighting over Vista, Intel — A new court filing reveals disputes at Microsoft's highest levels leading up to Windows Vista's release — including CEO Steve Ballmer describing former Windows chief Jim Allchin as “apoplectic” …
Discussion:
Microsoft Watch, The Register, Beyond Binary, Electronista, Computerworld Blogs, Valleywag and TechFlash
Parija B. Kavilanz / CNNMoney.com:
Wal-Mart's Black Friday deals: High tech — Ad showing retailer's planned discounts focuses on consumer electronics like a Samsung 50-inch plasma HDTV, Magnavox Blu-ray player and Xbox 360. — NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Wal-Mart is highlighting flat screen TVs, Blu-ray players …
Martin Peers / Wall Street Journal:
Google's Consumers Are Checking Out — Google's business model is revealing its Achilles' heel. — The Internet giant's big perceived advantage over traditional media has long been its consumer-driven business model. Whereas traditional media has more of a marketer-driven approach …
Slash Lane / AppleInsider:
Apple sued over hairline cracks in iPhone 3G casings — Apple is facing yet another lawsuit over the performance of its iPhone 3G on AT&T's network but with added allegations that the company is ignoring the occurrence of hairline cracks in the handset's enclosure.
John Leyden / The Register:
AVG slaps Trojan label on Adobe Flash — Third false alarm follows upgrade offer — AVG, the popular anti-virus package, has falsely identified Adobe Flash as potentially malicious. The snafu comes just days after AVG slapped a bogus Trojan warning on a core Windows component.
