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10:50 AM ET, January 8, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Microsoft:
Microsoft's Ballmer Announces Availability of Windows 7 Beta and Windows Live  —  Company previews simpler, better Windows operating system and highlights connected entertainment offerings at CES.  —  In a keynote address at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) …
RELATED:
Brandon LeBlanc / The Windows Blog:
Information on Downloading and Installing Windows 7 Beta  —  As of today, I am running the Windows 7 Beta on several different PCs including my laptop, my work PC, and my PC at home, which I upgraded recently to Windows 7 from Windows Vista SP1.  (I'll be outlining the PCs I'm using to test Windows 7 shortly.)
James Niccolai / PC World:
Windows 7 Is Less of a Resource-hog Than Vista  —  Good news: the next version of Microsoft's Windows OS appears to be less of a resource hog than Windows Vista.  —  Microsoft announced Wednesday that a beta version of Windows 7 will be available for the general public to download and try out on Friday.
Discussion: Smalltalk Tidbits …
Emil Protalinski / One Microsoft Way:
Windows 7 beta arrives on Connect, MSDN, and TechNet  —  Windows 7 beta is now available on Microsoft Connect, MSDN, and on TechNet.  At the same time, Microsoft has given Windows Server 2008 R2 beta to its MSDN and TechNet subscribers as well.  I'm not currently in the Windows Server 2008 R2 beta program …
Matt Buchanan / Gizmodo:
Sony Vaio P Super Don't-Call-It-a-Netbook Hands On  —  The keyboard?  It rocks.  The screen?  Beautiful.  The trackball is just the right amount of gritty, so your finger sticks to it and doesn't slide off onto the keyboard.  The instant-on OS?  Classy.
RELATED:
BBC:
Hard drive destruction ‘crucial’  —  The only way to stop fraudsters stealing information from old computer hard drives is by destroying them completely, a study has found.  —  Which?  Computing magazine recovered 22,000 “deleted” files from eight computers purchased on eBay.
Nilay Patel / Engadget:
GiiNii's Movit Mini WiFi Android tablet hands-on  —  We just spent some quality time playing with GiiNii's Movit Mini WiFi Android tablet, which might be one of the best things we've seen at CES so far — think of it as the Android version of the iPod touch and you'll get why we're so stoked.
Kelly Fiveash / The Register:
Google quietly ices contractors  —  Keeps hush-hush SEC filing off the interwebs  —  Internet giant Google quietly got rid of an unspecified number of contract workers late last year.  —  Mountain View's spending plans were outlined in a 15 December Securities and Exchange Commission filing …
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 and contractors by roughly 50% (from every team) and laying out broad targets for the coming year.
RELATED:
Ryan Paul / Ars Technica:
OLPC downsizes half of its staff, cuts Sugar development
Marco Chiappetta / HotHardware.com News:
Enter The Dragon: AMD Phenom II X4 940  —  AMD has been fighting an uphill battle on two fronts for the last few years.  For a time, fierce competition from NVIDIA, coupled with some of their own problems executing, put the ATI graphics division in a deep hole.
RELATED:
Xavier / Notebooks.com:
New Generation of Netbooks: $199 and $299, Eight Hour Battery & Sexy Design  —  Freescale and Pegatron are ushering a new generation of netbooks that will combine excellent battery life, good looks and low cost.  The two partners are hoping to bring the ARM-based netbook to market within …
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Google's Street View Takes A Byte Out Of Crime  —  Google Street View may get a bad rap from some overzealous privacy watchdogs and conspiracy theorists, but it just helped police save a young girl who had been kidnapped over the weekend.  —  In the case, which involved a woman …
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Corkd Gets Hackd  —  If you try to visit the URL for wine review website Corkd, you'll automatically get rerouted to porn site Adult Friend Finder (obviously NSFW).  We're not sure how long this has been the case, but we're not the only ones noticing.  —  What's weird about the redirect …
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Canesta teams up with Hitachi to create a Wii-like next-generation TV control  —  Canesta is announcing today it has teamed up with Hitachi to create a next-generation user interface for a TV that is similar to the way arm-waving controls the Nintendo Wii video game console.
Discussion: WatchingTV Online
RELATED:
Chris Albrecht / NewTeeVee:   Show of Hands: Gestures Control Hitachi TV
Long Zheng / istartedsomething:
Microsoft Tag: Microsoft's own 2D barcode  —  It just wouldn't be right if Microsoft didn't have its own barcode technology too, which is why today Microsoft Tag (Beta) was announced at CES 2009.  Much like other 2D barcode technologies including the popular but underwhelming QR Code …
Discussion: Redmond Pie, Neowin.net and Channel 10
Reuters:
Dish Network DVR has Slingbox technology  —  LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Satellite TV provider Dish Network Corp will unveil a new digital video recorder on Thursday that will allow people watch their favorite television shows on any Internet-enabled device.  —  Dish Network, the third-largest U …
Erik Sherman / BNET Technology:
Is Google Developing a Router?  —  There's an intriguing rumor floating about.  SDTimes.com is reporting that according to multiple sources, “including one at Cisco,” Google is working on developing its own router.  When I contacted Google, the answer was the now-standard …
Kris Graft / Edge Online:
Sony: Competitors “Continue Peddling Add-Ons”  —  However sad it is, this “newly-formulated feature run-down” is true.  Of course it's biased, it's the same kind of cynicism MS talks with every breath (see their last soothsaying about the “inevitable” PS3 price drop “within months").
Will Park / IntoMobile:
Hands-on with the T-Mobile Shadow @ CES Las Vegas 2009!  —  It's been a long time coming, this new T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) Shadow II.  Actually, the T-Mobile Shadow successor will be known as the... wait for it... T-Mobile Shadow!  Sure, a name like “Shadow II” might be a little obvious …
Discussion: Electronista
Jon Stokes / Ars Technica:
OQO launches world's smallest Vista PC with OLED screen  —  LAS VEGAS — Ars has been making posts about handheld computer maker OQO since at least 2002, when the company stoked the fires of geek lust with an x86, Windows-based MID well before that term had even been invented.
Rick Turoczy / ReadWriteWeb:
Mr. Microphone 2.0: Microsoft Songsmith Puts Even the Worst Lyrics to Music  —  Like to sing in the shower or in the car?  Want to subject others to your incoherent warblings as if they were a real song?  Microsoft Songsmith may be for you.  And if you're a professional lyricist, musician, or someone with real musical talent?
Discussion: Scobleizer and Microsoft Pri0
Nokia:
Messaging made simple - the Nokia E63 heads to the United States  —  This affordable QWERTY smartphone to be made available with US 3G optimization  —  Las Vegas, NV, USA - At the Consumer Electronics Show today, Nokia announced it will bring a US optimized version of the Nokia E63 to the North American market.
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
JibJab Closes $7.5 Million Series C Round To Keep The Laughs Rolling  —  JibJab, a site popular for its parody videos and irreverent eGreetings, has closed a $7.5 million Series C funding round with participation from new investors Overbrook Entertainment (a production company co-founded by Will Smith) …
Discussion: NewTeeVee and paidContent.org
Rob_sheridan / forum.nin.com:
Lights In The Sky HD Footage Downloads!  —  page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11...last >  —  This is my custom title. Location: Los Angeles  —  Posts: 160 … There is about 405gb of HD footage available.  It was recorded with multiple consumer HDV cameras during three shows: Victoria 12.05.08 …
Discussion: TECH.BLORGE.com
Nate Anderson / Ars Technica:
Students, law prof want RIAA trial live and online  —  Back in October, we covered the case of Joel Tenenbaum, a Boston graduate student accused by the RIAA of sharing copyrighted music as “sublimeguy14” on KaZaA.  Tenenbaum did not go quietly into that dark night; instead, he offered the RIAA a settlement of $500.
Panasonic:
PANASONIC INTRODUCES WORLD'S FIRST PORTABLE BLU-RAY PLAYER  —  Innovative Player Features BD Live and VIERA CAST® Internet Accessibility  —  Panasonic, a major developer and contributor to the success of the Blu-ray format, introduced the world's first portable Blu-ray Disc player at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show.
 
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 More Items: 
Stephen Schenck / Obsessable:
JVC's CES products include HDTVs galore, digital camcorders, Blu-ray, and more
Reuters:
Japan may promote lower mobile phone fees
Discussion: mocoNews.net
CNET News:
Verizon intros on-the-go DVR programming
Discussion: Digits and Tech stories
Prince McLean / AppleInsider:
An extensive look at Apple's new iWork.com service
Enigmax / TorrentFreak:
Game Developer Confronts iPhone Software Cracker
 Earlier Items: 
Brian Krebs / Security Fix:
Caveat Emptor: Watch Out for Phantom Stores
Macworld:
Macworld Expo Best of Show 2009
Discussion: O'Grady's PowerPage
Kevin C. Tofel / jkOnTheRun:
Skype Lite Coming to Android & Java-Enabled Phones
Discussion: FierceVoIP, TechChuck and Skype Journal
PC World:
LG Display on Verge of Launching 15-Inch OLED
Discussion: Engadget and L.A. Times Tech Blog
Dan Frommer / Silicon Alley Insider:
Seven Post-Macworld Questions For Apple (AAPL)
Discussion: Infinite Loop