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) …
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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.)
Discussion:
Mobility Site, CrunchGear, greg hughes, Computerworld, Intel Software Network Blogs, jkOnTheRun, Gadgetell and GottaBeMobile.com
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 …
Ina Fried / Beyond Binary:Microsoft: Windows 7 not a lock for '09
Discussion:
CNET News, The Windows Blog, silicon.com, MediaFile, Download Squad, The Tech Report and Silicon Alley Insider
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.
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James Kendrick / jkOnTheRun:Sony Vaio P unveiled- smaller than but not a netbook
Discussion:
LAPTOP Mag, Engadget, L.A. Times Tech Blog, DisplayBlog, Electronista, The Technology Chronicles, Gizmodo, Kit and Industry Standard
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.
Discussion:
Gizmodo, UMPCPortal, Incremental Blogger, Android Phone Fans, Zatz Not Funny! and Google Android News …
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.
Discussion:
Techdirt, Podcasting News, Gearlog, CNET News, Technologizer, Xconomy, ChannelWeb, Engadget, PC World and BetaNews
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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 …
Discussion:
Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim
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Stephen Schenck / Obsessable:
JVC's CES products include HDTVs galore, digital camcorders, Blu-ray, and more — JVC let loose a torrent of new gear upon the CES today, including HDTVs with Blu-ray drives, iPod docks, and excellent color reproduction, digital camcorders with hard disk and SD card recording modes …
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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 …
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
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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 …
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 …
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.
Discussion:
Engadget, The Mobile Gadgeteer, Gizmodo, GPS Obsessed, GottaBeMobile.com and Electronista
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?
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 …
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
Kara Swisher / BoomTown:
Microsoft-Funded Yahoo Run? Well, Except Without Microsoft... How can BoomTown put it plainly? — The alleged deal being cooked up by a group of Silicon Valley investors to take a run at Yahoo using money raised from Microsoft, is little more than what we used to call a “trial balloon” when I worked at the Washington Post.
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.
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) …
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.
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.
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 …
