Top Items:
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Investment Group Makes Run For Yahoo, Using Microsoft's Money — Interest in troubled Internet giant Yahoo has not waned, it just took a break for the holidays. A group of well known Silicon Valley executives and top investment bankers are putting together a Yahoo takeover deal …
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Henry Blodget / Silicon Alley Insider:
Yahoo Shareholder Ridicules Microsoft-Financed Buyout Plan (YHOO) — TechCrunch's Michael Arrington says a bunch of Valley folks are looking to borrow $20 billion from Microsoft to buy Yahoo for about $15 a share. * Yahoo's search business would be sold to Microsoft, Yahoo's management would get canned, etc.
New York Times:
Satyam Chief Admits Huge Fraud — NEW DELHI — Satyam Computer Services, a leading Indian outsourcing company that serves more than a third of the Fortune 500 companies, significantly inflated its earnings and assets for years, the chairman and co-founder said Wednesday …
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Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
Satyam fallout: Should customers stick? Full text of chairman's stunning letter — Indian outsourcing company Satyam has cooked books, a $1 billion cash sink hole and its chairman and founder B Ramalinga Raju has fabricated figures. Meanwhile, Merrill Lynch has bailed on being an adviser …
Renai LeMay / CNET News:
Windows 7 beta: First impressions — Windows 7 could be one of Microsoft's greatest operating systems, if it fulfills the promise shown by the unofficial beta version (build 7000) we have been testing for the past couple of days. — Let me preface these quick impressions of Redmond's latest opus …
Discussion:
Guardian, Boy Genius Report, Guardian, AppScout, Technologizer and Silicon Alley Insider
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Emil Protalinski / One Microsoft Way:
Windows 7 build 7000 64-bit version hits torrent sites — Almost two weeks after Windows 7 build 7000 32-bit was leaked, the 64-bit version (7000.0.081212-1400_client_en-us_ Ultimate-GB1CULXFRE_EN_DVD.ISO) has hit torrent sites. The first 7xxx build marks the entrance of Windows 7 into beta phase …
Discussion:
All about Microsoft
Michael Calore / Epicenter:Microsoft Expected to Announce Windows 7 Beta at CES
Discussion:
Tech Trader Daily
Elinor Mills / CNET News:
Yelp user faces lawsuit over negative review — San Franciscan Christopher Norberg went to a chiropractor after being injured in a car accident in 2006. After a disagreement with the chiropractor over billing, he posted a negative review of the business on Yelp suggesting that the doctor was dishonest.
Discussion:
Tech Central, Techdirt, Screenwerk, PC World, GMSV, geeksugar, GPS Obsessed and HipMojo.com
One Laptop per Child:
Refocusing on our mission — It pains me to post this, and we have striven to avoid this over the past few months, but it is unavoidable. We are streamlining our operations this month, cutting staff by roughly 50% and laying out broad targets for the coming year. Here is Nicholas's announcement on the upcoming changes:
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Ryan Paul / Ars Technica:OLPC downsizes half of its staff, cuts Sugar development
Discussion:
OStatic blogs
Patrick Thibodeau / Computerworld:
Stimulus math: $30B in spending equals 950k tech jobs — ‘Shovel-ready’ projects would likely get first dibs — For every $1 billion that the federal government spends on tech as part of a stimulus package, it will create or retain approximately 31,000 jobs, according …
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Adam Lashinsky / Fortune:
Google news — (Fortune Magazine) — You'd think the executives at Google would be chortling over the latest headlines involving newspapers: The Christian Science Monitor eliminates its print edition; Tribune Co. declares bankruptcy; Detroit's two dailies slash home delivery to three days a week.
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Apple 2.0:
Pogue rocks Macworld with “Where is Steve?” — David Pogue, New York Times tech columnist, creator of the Missing Manual series, and frustrated Broadway producer, led his Macworld Live! feature presentation in San Francisco Wednesday with a musical riff on Steve Jobs' non-attendance.
Reuters:
CES-UPDATE 3-Verizon picks Microsoft search over Google, Yahoo — Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) has chosen Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) to provide Internet search services for cell phones, in what is seen as a blow to rivals Google Inc (GOOG.O) and Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O).
Glenn Fleishman / Ars Technica:
AT&T moves closer to offering in-home cell base stations — AT&T is contacting some of its customers asking if they'd like to test an in-home extension to its cellular networks powered by a subscriber's own broadband—a femtocell. Femtocells use frequencies licensed by the carrier for data and voice …
Discussion:
greg hughes
Maya Baratz / VentureBeat:
Who did Apple hurt with its Macworld announcements? — In yesterday's keynote address at Macworld, Apple unveiled a series of software product upgrade that will potentially encroach on the territory of a handful of startups and larger companies. Should you be worried? — What iPhoto might maim
Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:
Bush: Fix Your “Miserable Failure” Googlebomb Legacy Before Obama Takes Office — Few realize that outgoing US president George W. Bush has left behind a unique legacy for future presidents, including Barack Obama — that they are all condemned to rank tops for a search on “miserable failure” in major search engines.
Michael Liedtke / Associated Press:
Google cuts temporary workers but murky on details — SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google Inc. has jettisoned a substantial number of temporary workers in a recent austerity drive spurred by the recession, although the Internet search leader still intends to spend billions of dollars during the next …
Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook Blog:
A Great Start to 2009 — Today, we reached another milestone: 150 million people around the world are now actively using Facebook and almost half of them are using Facebook every day. This includes people in every continent—even Antarctica. If Facebook were a country …
Gareth Beavis / TechRadar.com:
Asus planning Eee phone... with Android? — CES 2009: CEO commends Apple's iPhone too — Johnny Shih, CEO of Asus, has announced that the company is looking at an Eee-branded phone... and that it may run Android as well. — Speaking to TechRadar at Asus' keynote speech at CES 2009 …
IEBlog:
IE8 Blocker Toolkit Available Today! — We believe IE8 helps make browsing the web faster, easier, safer and more reliable. To help our users be more secure and up-to-date, we will distribute IE8 via Automatic Update (AU) and the Windows Update (WU) and Microsoft Update (MU) sites much like we did for IE7.
Discussion:
All about Microsoft, Full of I.T., The Register, Profy, One Microsoft Way and Microsoft Watch
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
CES: Toshiba to launch TVs with Cell microprocessor — In a bid to move to the high-end of high-definition TVs, Toshiba will introduce a new series of TVs in 2009 that feature the Cell microprocessor developed by Sony, Toshiba and IBM. — The Cell has a bunch of processors on a single chip …
Dan Frommer / Silicon Alley Insider:
Seven Post-Macworld Questions For Apple (AAPL) — As usual, Apple's (AAPL) Macworld keynote led to more questions than answers. We learned about some of Apple's new products and services — 17-inch MacBook, more DRM-free music at iTunes, new software suites — but missed out on a lot more.
Kevin C. Tofel / jkOnTheRun:
Netgear's MBR624GU 3G Router — The Netgear press event just finished up and among the new products is the MBR624GU router. Using a USB dock, you can plug your existing 3G USB adapter in the backside of this puppy and share your wireless broadband connection.
Discussion:
Gizmodo, Crave, Scripting News, VentureBeat, Engadget, Electronista and dailywireless.org
PC World:
LG Display on Verge of Launching 15-Inch OLED — LG Display is on the verge of beginning commercial production of a 15-inch OLED (organic light emitting diode) panel that's suitable for use in televisions and laptop computers, the company said Wednesday. — The screen, which is being shown …
John P. Falcone / Webware.com:
LG Blu-ray players stream Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube — In 2008, LG's BD300 set itself apart from other Blu-ray players by becoming the first one to include compatibility with the Netflix's “Watch Instantly” streaming service. Unfortunately, the uniqueness of the feature was short-lived …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, Engadget, JVC Press Release, Electronista, techblog.dallasnews.com, PC World, Gearlog and DisplayBlog
Stacey Higginbotham / GigaOM:
Cisco Details Consumer Push and Products — At a press conference at CES today, Cisco's CEO John Chambers talked about the router maker's push beyond routers and into the home. As Om has said before, this is a well-worn path trod by Cisco in its need to continue its growth …
BBC:
Apple spoils iPhone forgery plans — Consumers are being warned to be on the lookout for fake iPhone Nanos, despite the real thing not even being released. — It was rumoured that Apple might be announcing a new, smaller iPhone at this year's Macworld conference.
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
EMC cuts 2,400 jobs — EMC said Wednesday that it will lay off 2,400 workers, or 7 percent of its workforce, as an effort to cut $350 million in costs in 2009 and $500 million in 2010. — The company also added in a statement that its fourth quarter revenue will be $4 billion, up 4 percent from a year ago.
Claire Cain Miller / Bits:
Losses for Venture Fund Investors Who Want Out — Investors in venture capital and private equity funds who want out are discovering that their stakes are worth less than they paid for them. — As returns on venture capital investments sour and investors' wealth deteriorates …
Discussion:
Furrier.org
PC World:
Samsung Enters Pico-Projector Market — The growing pico-projector market is getting a jolt here at the Consumer Electronics Show, with announcements from a range of vendors. The latest company to enter the market is Samsung Mobile, announcing the MBP200 Pico Projector.
Ricky Cadden / MobileBurn.com:
Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition discontinued — News by Ricky Cadden on Wednesday January 07, 2009. — Our sources have informed us that Nokia has discontinued its N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition, effective immediately. Distributors have apparently been asked to send any remaining stock back to Nokia.
Clint Ecker / Infinite Loop:
Macworld.Ars: AppleScript comes to Numbers, Pages '09 — While many users find the features of Apple's productivity applications—Pages and Numbers—to be fairly adequate, there have been a number of issues plaguing each consecutive version. — One that has persisted since the applications' inception …
Simon Sage / IntoMobile:
LG Announces Watch Phone … Like we mentioned last night, LG has announced their 3G HSDPA, video conferencing watch phone today, model number LG-GD910, which is due for Europe this year. Just about as stylish as the Prada Link, isn't it? The CEO was a little tenative to show off the features …
Constantinos Michael / Google Mobile Blog:
Getting directions to businesses now easier on Google Maps for mobile — One of my favorite things about Google Maps for mobile is finding businesses on the go. Today we launched a server-side change that makes it easier to get directions to businesses. You can now get directions to restaurants …
Sun Microsystems:
Sun Microsystems Expands Cloud Computing Offerings with Acquisition of Q-layer — Q-layer Technology Simplifies Cloud Computing Development and Deployment — Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) today announced it has acquired Q-layer, a cloud computing company that automates the deployment …
Discussion:
E-Commerce Times, Industry Standard, Virtualization.com, Broadband Developments, Digital Daily and The Open Road
Kevin C. Tofel / jkOnTheRun:
Skype Lite Coming to Android & Java-Enabled Phones — We'll put this in the rumor column now but I suspect we won't have to wait long for official confirmation since Skype has a Press Event tomorrow morning. Piecing together some web sources, anonymous tips, possible leaks and scouring …
Discussion:
Tech stories
Michael Masnick / Techdirt:
Today's Ridiculous Lawsuit: Wal-Mart, Netflix Sued Over Conspiracy To Create A Monopoly — Way back in 2002, Wal-Mart decided to enter the online DVD rental business, launching an almost exact replica of Netflix. Of course, Wal-Mart quickly discovered what almost every other player …
