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12:00 PM ET, January 5, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Apple:
Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs  —  For the first time in a decade, I'm getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.  —  Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health …
RELATED:
Apple:
Statement by Apple's Board of Directors  —  It is widely recognized both inside and outside of Apple that Steve Jobs is one of the most talented and effective CEOs in the world.  —  As we have said before, if there ever comes a day when Steve wants to retire or for other reasons cannot continue …
Nicholas Carlson / Silicon Alley Insider:
Steve Jobs Admits Health Caused Him To Skip Macworld (AAPL)  —  Apple (AAPL) sources told CNBC's Jim Goldman (over and over) that the reason CEO Steve Jobs would not give his usual keynote at this year's Macworld was for “political” reasons.  —  Now, in an open letter, Steve admits that's not true …
Aaron Smith / CNNMoney.com:
Jobs: Hormone imbalance causing weight loss
Sinead Carew / Reuters:
Apple's Jobs reassures investors about his health
Discussion: Digital Daily
New York Times:
Blu-ray's Fuzzy Future  —  The biggest news at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last January was not the birth of a new product but the death of one.  —  A decision by Warner Brothers to withdraw support for the HD DVD video disc format sent shock waves through the electronics industry …
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
Lenovo shows off 16-inch thin laptop; Launches all-in-one PC, dual-screen mobile workstation  —  Ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show this week, Lenovo unveiled new consumer laptops and a debuted a dual-screen mobile workstation.  —  Lenovo, which began to target consumers a year ago …
Discussion: Business Wire
RELATED:
Tom Krazit / CNET News:
Apple's last Macworld beginning of new era  —  Apple CEO Steve Jobs' absence from Macworld 2009 could be a prelude to a new communications strategy.  —  (Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)  —  Even though CEO Steve Jobs will not be playing his customary role, the last Macworld Expo …
RELATED:
Claudine Beaumont / Telegraph:
Macworld: Analysts expect Apple's evolution not revolution  —  Apple is unlikely to unveil any “revolutionary” new products at the Macworld Expo this week, according to analysts, although improvements to existing software and hardware are likely.  —  The absence of Steve Jobs …
Discussion: MacRumors
Wall Street Journal:
TV and Web Marry After Long Courtship  —  After more than a decade of disappointment, the goal of marrying television and the Internet seems finally to be picking up steam.  —  A key factor in the push are new TV sets that have networking connections built directly into them, requiring no additional set-top boxes for getting online.
RELATED:
Barbara Ortutay / Associated Press:
LG high-def TVs to stream Netflix videos directly
Discussion: Gizmodo, DSLreports, Tech-Ex and SlashGear
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
For Sale at the New York Times: The Front Page  —  The New York Times (NYT) is already trying to mortgage its headquarters and unload assets like its stake in the Boston Red Sox.  —  So what's left to sell?  The front page.  —  Today's edition of the Times features the first display ad the paper has ever sold on its front page.
RELATED:
Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:
The Times to Sell Display Ads on the Front Page
Leo Lewis / Times of London:
Sony on brink of upheaval as analysts back British chief  —  Sony, the embattled Japanese electronics group, is on the brink of a corporate upheaval that could see job cuts and sweeping changes to management and manufacturing processes.  —  Company sources have told The Times that operations across …
Intel:
Intel and Adobe to Extend Flash Platform to TVs  —  Optimizing Adobe Flash Technology on Intel® Media Processor CE 3100 Will Enable Rich and Seamless Web Content on TV  —  Adobe® Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) and Intel Corporation today announced plans to collaborate …
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
2009: Products I Can't Live Without  —  At the beginning of each year I traditionally publish a list of my favorite startups and products.  This is the fourth year I've done this - previous lists: 2006, 2007, 2008.  You guys get to pick the winners of the Crunchies - this list is all mine.
Discussion: TechCrunchIT, CloudAve and Tony Bain
John Biggs / CrunchGear:
Exclusive: New Palm phone to have slide-down keyboard, large touchscreen  —  We have information from a trusted source that the latest Palm smartphone running the Nova operating system will be launched Thursday.  The new phone will have a full QWERTY keyboard that will slide down under a portrait-oriented touchscreen.
Michael Masnick / Techdirt:
Trying To Understand: Facebook's Lawsuit Against Power.com Makes No Sense  —  Facebook has apparently sued social networking aggregator Power.com for a variety of things, including copyright and trademark infringement, unlawful competition and violation of the computer fraud and abuse act.
Tania Branigan / Guardian:
China targets Google and Baidu in crackdown on ‘vulgar’ websites  —  Chinese officials today launched a crackdown on “vulgar” websites including Google and the country's leading search engine, Baidu.  —  Officials named 19 sites they said had failed to censor inappropriate content despite warnings …
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
China Plans Crackdown on ‘Harmful’ Web Sites, Search Engines
Discussion: Search Engine Watch
Ken Barnes / USA Today:
Music sales boom, but albums fizzle for '08  —  Americans bought more music in 2008 than ever before, but album sales — the music industry's main source of revenue — dropped for a fourth year.  —  According to the Nielsen Co.'s year-end figures, music purchases — CD, vinyl …
Discussion: TECH.BLORGE.com and Gadgetell
 
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 More Items: 
Chris Snyder / Epicenter:
Al Jazeera To Come Pre-Installed on Some Sony Phones
Discussion: FierceMobileContent
John Mahoney / Gizmodo:
Exclusive Movie Trailer: The World's Best Gadget Designers Speak in Objectified
Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider and Core77
TechRadar.com:
Stallman: “we still have a fight on our hands”
Times of India:
Finance Ministry recommends double the minimum price for 3G spectrum
Discussion: mocoNews.net and Engadget Mobile
Michael Learmonth / AdAge:
As Tracking Proliferates, Web Publishers Are Left Out
Discussion: Digital Destiny
 Earlier Items: 
Lewis Page / The Register:
Windows for Warships™ reaches Royal Navy frigates
Joseph L. Flatley / Engadget:
Suzuki Xbox dashboard mod for the undignified gamer on the go
James Ashton / Times of London:
ITV set to cut value of Friends Reunited website
Discussion: The Register and Guardian
Sam Diaz / Between the Lines:
Love or hate this post? Sound off for the eavesdroppers
Claire Cain Miller / New York Times:
In Silicon Valley, Venture Capitalists Turn Cautious and Focus on the Short Term
Discussion: The Open Road
MG Siegler / VentureBeat:
Soonr nails the desktop to cloud to iPhone connection for documents
Discussion: jkOnTheRun, TheNextWeb.com and Macworld
Motoko Rich / New York Times:
Google Hopes to Open a Trove of Little-Seen Books
Discussion: MarketingVOX
 

 
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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