Top Items:
Juan Carlos Perez / PC World:
Facebook, Google Launch Data Portability Programs to All — Google and Facebook separately announced the general availability of their respective data portability programs on Thursday. — Google Friend Connect and Facebook Connect are generally designed to extend social-networking capabilities broadly across the Web.
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Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook Blog:
Facebook Across the Web — Over the summer we announced an extension of Facebook Platform called Facebook Connect. Facebook Connect makes it easier for you to take your online identity with you all over the Web, share what you do online with your friends and stay updated on what they're doing.
Mussie Shore / The Official Google Blog:
Google Friend Connect: now available — We're pleased to share that Google Friend Connect is now available in beta to any webmaster looking to add a “dash of social” to his or her site. This service lets webmasters add social features to their sites by simply copying and pasting a few snippets of code …
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Google Friend Connect Now Open To All Websites — Update: Facebook just opened up FB Connect as well in a self-serve fashion. It's mano-a-mano. — The battle over who will control access to your online identity is heating up. In the wake of more and more partners finally starting …
Rafe Needleman / Webware.com:Facebook Connect officially open
Discussion:
All Facebook, ReadWriteWeb, VentureBeat, The Technology Chronicles, Epicenter, WebProNews, Mashable! and Silicon Alley Insider
David Pogue / New York Times:
Readers React to David Pogue's Review of the BlackBerry Storm — I learned something last week. — In my Times print column, I reviewed the BlackBerry Storm, by far the worst product Research in Motion has ever produced. I had problems with its concept, problems with its clicky touch screen …
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Jeff Ventura / GracefulFlavor:
From Apple to RIM, With Love — Look, I'll just cut to the chase, because sites like Boy Genius Report, Engadget and Gizmodo have all the details covered in gory detail. — Bottom line: the BlackBerry Storm isn't all that great. And this is coming from someone who had a bunch of BlackBerries …
Microsoft:
Microsoft Appoints Dr. Qi Lu to Run Online Services Group — Yahoo! veteran to oversee Internet offerings for consumers, advertisers and publishers. — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Dr. Qi Lu will join the company as president of the Online Services Group.
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Jim Goldman / Tech Check with Jim Goldman:Microsoft Snags Yahoo...'s VP, That Is!
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Search Engine Watch
Scott Cleland / The Precursor Blog:
Google uses 21 times more bandwidth than it pays for — per first-ever research study — The 27 page research study can be accessed at this link: — Contact: Scott Cleland 703-217-2407 — First-Ever Study of U.S. Consumer Internet Usage and Cost Finds — Google Uses 21 Times More Bandwidth than it Pays For
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Jenna Bilotta / Google Reader:
Square is the new round. — On the Reader team, we know that the old adage “change is good” isn't always true. Sometimes, change is just change. In this case, we hope that these decisions both improve your Reader experience today, and pave the way for additional improvements down the line.
Discussion:
Webware.com, Lifehacker, CostPerNews, WebProNews, VentureBeat, TechCrunch and Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim
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Eric Krangel / Silicon Alley Insider:Google Reader Gets A Facelift, Still No Ads (GOOG)
Discussion:
Download Squad
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily:
RealDepressing: The Entire RealNetworks Layoff Memo — Earlier this afternoon, Peter Kafka reported in Media Memo that RealNetworks (RNWK) was “next up in today's layoff parade.” Here's the official internal memo from RealNetworks founder, chairman and CEO, Rob Glaser:
Discussion:
GigaOM
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Bill Hankes / The Real Story:
Layoffs at Real — This morning we told about 130 employees around the world that we are eliminating their positions at the end of the year. That's roughly 7.5 percent of our worldwide employment base. — The layoffs, in addition to other cost cutting measures, are part of a budgeting process …
Discussion:
Gawker, MediaMemo, The Social, paidContent.org, Between the Lines, Industry Standard and TechFlash
Owen Thomas / Valleywag:
Facebook cancels employee stock sale — So much for Silicon Valley's latest get-rich-quick scheme. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has cancelled a plan to let employees cash out their shares early. — In August, before the markets started to melt down and with Facebook worth $15 billion on paper …
Shanan Delp / Flickr Blog:
Going More Mobile — Over the last year we've seen an explosion of mobile devices uploading to and browsing Flickr. It's rapidly becoming the norm for our members to use a camera phone to share their immediate world with others, and a mobile browser to keep track of friends and family.
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The Boy Genius / Boy Genius Report:
Apple to sell a $99 4GB iPhone at Walmart? — We just got a tip that in addition to the iPhone 3G actually making its way to Walmart, as we exclusively told you, there will be a 4GB model priced at $99 with a 2-year agreement. We're not putting our stamp of approval behind this one just yet …
Discussion:
SlashPhone, Engadget, Hardware 2.0, The Register, IntoMobile, VentureBeat, TG Daily, GMSV, The iPhone Blog, iPhone Buzz, Digital Noise, Gear Live, Gadgetell, TECH.BLORGE.com, Gadget Lab, Unwired View, PhoneDog.com Cell …, Homotron.net, Pulse2, TUAW, Tech Trader Daily, Cell Phone Deals … and iPhone Savior
Avner / boxee blog:
boxee <3 Netflix — when we planned the Dec 4th release we had minor changes in mind, mainly bug-fixes.... but we were undisciplined and immature.. and it turned from a minor release into a big one.. — we could not ignore the number of people asking for Netflix on boxee.. so we called …
Discussion:
Infinite Loop, Webomatica, NewTeeVee, Webware.com, Epicenter, Lifehacker, Appletell, SlashGear, GeekTonic, Beet.TV and Boing Boing Gadgets
Gregg Keizer / Computerworld:
Mozilla to pull antiphishing feature from Firefox 2.0 at Google's request — The browser protection relies on an older blacklist protocol — Computerworld) Mozilla Corp. will drop antiphishing protection from the final version of Firefox 2. at Google Inc.'s request when Mozilla updates …
John Timmer / Ars Technica:
FBI: widespread copper theft puts US infrastructure at risk — Up until recently, economies around the globe were on a fairly steady upward trajectory, a growth that put pricing pressure on some of the raw materials needed for both production and infrastructure.
Nate Anderson / Ars Technica:
Does Amazon's iPhone app go too far? — Now that the official Amazon Mobile iPhone app is here, it's easier than every to check prices from anywhere, even while shopping in retail stores. And the company's clever new “Amazon Remembers” service will use humans to identify product pics snapped …
Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land:
“You Could Go To Google,” Says Yahoo — But Why Not Stay Here? — Yahoo has changed the way they handle a query for a competing search engine. Now, if you search at Yahoo for google, live or ask.com, Yahoo will tell you, “You could go to [Search Engine Name Goes Here].
Simon Sage / IntoMobile:
World's Second Android Phone Now on Presale — Kogan's Agora and Agora Pro hinted at last month is now ready to roll, costing AU$299 and AU$399, and shipping on January 29th. The Agora Pro's specs are as follows: — Operating System: Android™ — Google Mobile Functions …
Discussion:
NEWSFACTOR
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Sam Oliver / AppleInsider:
Apple proposes infrared matrix to aid larger multi-touch designs — A fairly new filing from Apple discusses the advantages of using proximity sensors more generously to aid its multi-touch technology on devices larger than the iPhone, which would allow certain functions to be invoked without …
