Top Items:
Arn / MacRumors:
Next Generation iPhone Model Revealed in Firmware — MacRumors has discovered that Apple's iPhone 2.x Firmware has evidence of the next generation iPhone which has been designated “iPhone2,1”. — Apple uses these models numbers to distinguish between different hardware models.
Discussion:
VentureBeat, AppleInsider, Electricpig.co.uk, Gizmodo, The iPhone Blog, Newlaunches.com, SlashGear, Electronista, iSpazio, Engadget Mobile, iPhone Savior and iPhone Buzz
The Official Google Blog:
Introducing Measurement Lab — When an Internet application doesn't work as expected or your connection seems flaky, how can you tell whether there is a problem caused by your broadband ISP, the application, your PC, or something else? It can be difficult for experts, let alone average Internet users …
Discussion:
PC World, Mashable!, Epicenter, TorrentFreak, GigaOM, Electricpig.co.uk, DSLreports, gizmag Emerging …, Technologizer, Josh Bancroft's …, BetaNews, Public Knowledge, eWeek, Network World, TechCrunch, Electronic Frontier Foundation, ReadWriteWeb, Tech Daily Dose, Ars Technica, InformationWeek, TechSpot, Marketing.fm, CNET News, Techdirt, Pocket-lint.co.uk, SitePoint, Digital Destiny, Digits, WebProNews, Business 2.0 Press, P2P Blog, Slashdot and Cox Communications, Thanks:fredericl
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Kim Dixon / Reuters:
Google begins effort to find Internet blockers — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Google Inc on Wednesday unveiled a plan aimed at eventually letting computer users determine whether providers like Comcast Corp are inappropriately blocking or slowing their work online.
Prince McLean / AppleInsider:
iDVD hung out to dry as Apple pushes movies online — One of the original pillars of Apple's iLife suite, iDVD, has increasingly been given the cold shoulder to the point where it is not even depicted on the retail package anymore. How much longer will the app stick around now that the company …
Discussion:
9 to 5 Mac
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Walter S. Mossberg / Personal Technology:iLife Gets Better; Just Don't Ask It to Find a Face
Thanks:pinkblob
Elizabeth Holmes / Digits:
Blogger Infighting Played a Role, Says TechCrunch Founder — TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington blamed fellow technology bloggers for the recent attacks on him, saying that his competitors' criticisms made him a target. … Mr. Arrington announced Wednesday he was taking a break …
Nokia:
New arrivals in the world's most successful mobile phone range — Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced the Nokia 6700 classic, the Nokia 6303 classic and the Nokia 2700 classic, three devices that build on the formula that made Nokia the world leader in mobile phones.
Peter Gumbel / Fortune:
Putin-Dell slapdown at Davos — The Russian prime minister tells the Dell CEO: 'We don't need help. We are not invalids.' — DAVOS, Switzerland (Fortune) — Ever since Vladimir Putin rose to power in 2000, his political opponents and entire countries have learned to their cost that he has a tough, demeaning streak.
Discussion:
CNET News, Engadget, Sydney Morning Herald, Bits, Gawker, techblog.dallasnews.com, Gizmodo and Silicon Alley Insider
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
ComScore Report: Fastest-Growing Sites And Top-Ten Advertising Magnets — Of the top 100 sites on the Web, which ones grew the fastest in 2008? In a report it is preparing to release tomorrow, The comScore 2008 Digital Year In Review (which you can sign up for here), comScore ranks the 20 fastest-growing Web properties.
Amit Agarwal / Digital Inspiration:
FeedDemon and Google Reader: A Perfect Marriage — There's little doubt that FeedDemon is the best desktop based news reader for Windows while Google Reader enjoys the largest share of the pie among online feed readers. — The only issue, as noted in this comparison of FeedDemon with Google Reader …
Discussion:
Download Squad
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
Obama Gets a Google Vet-But Not for CTO — Barack Obama has yet to announce who his chief technology officer will be. But he has hired a Silicon Valley exec for another role: Google (GOOG) product manager Katie Jacobs Stanton will be the new President's “director of citizen participation” starting in March, sources tell me.
Douglas Quenqua / New York Times:
Friends, Until I Delete You — “UNFRIENDER” Rachel Heavers, with her daughter, Ellen, removed a lifelong pal in “a hormonal moment.” Now she says, “I really, really regret it.” During the “Whopper Sacrifice,” 234,000 people were trumped by a free burger. — A PERSON could go mad trying to pinpoint the moment he lost a friend.
Discussion:
Gawker
MG Siegler / VentureBeat:
Techmeme's newest human contributor: You — New aggregator Techmeme made headlines last month when it revealed that a human editor would help the site's algorithm pick the best links to highlight. Today, it's adding a powerful new source to that process: You.
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discuss.joelonsoftware.com:
Don't ever use Google Apps for anything important — Here's why you should never use Google Apps for your domain paid or unpaid. — I started using the free version Google Apps a little over a year ago for one of our intranets. Luckily it was an intranet and not the main site!
Discussion:
Industry Standard
Matthew Moore / Telegraph:
Microsoft SongSmith: Flawed music software produces comedy gold — A lounge jazz version of Radiohead's Creep. The Police's Roxanne reworked with a reggae beat. Eye of the Tiger as a lo-fi love song. These are just a few of the hilarious cover versions of famous songs created …
Discussion:
Associated Press
Arik Hesseldahl / Business Week:
The Eye of the (BlackBerry) Storm — iSuppli took apart Research In Motion's BlackBerry Storm to determine the cost of its components. Guess what? The iPhone parts are cheaper — As the battle for the smartphone market heats up, comparisons abound between Research In Motion's BlackBerry Storm …
Mike Butcher / TechCrunch UK:
Record labels pressure Spotify to restrict service — Music streaming service Spotify is getting lots of plaudits lately for its ease of use and vast catalogue but that's about to change. In a blog post yesterday the startup outlined how it will be removing a number of songs from its catalogue …
Eric Bangeman / Ars Technica:
DTV delay... delayed? House votes down DTV postponement — The DTV transition may go ahead as scheduled on February 17 after the House unexpectedly rejected a Senate bill to delay it until June 12. — Broadcasters and viewers have had February 17, 2009 circled on their calendars for some time.
Discussion:
CNET News, Wireless Week, The Register, Bits, Epicenter, eWeek, dailywireless.org, Gearlog, Reuters and Gadgetell
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Jon Fortt / Fortune:
Netbooks could be the next hit cell phones — AT&T looks to sell mini-laptops, bundled with wireless data contracts, for prices like $99 or less. Is the gambit brilliant or foolhardy? — (Fortune) — Glenn Lurie knows Silicon Valley better than most telecom industry types.
Matt Cutler / Visible Measures:
Evolution of Dance 2: Evidence of Viral Video Evolution? — While the concept of a sequel is well-established in traditional media, from books and music to TV and film, the Evolution of Dance sequel has now crossed-over into the realm of viral video. Is this evidence of an emerging trend …
Anthony Ha / VentureBeat:
Flash and AIR: Record downloads, winning platform race — Adobe Flash, the company's platform for web applications and video, is already on virtually every computer everywhere, but the latest version is on an even faster track to world domination. Flash Player 10 and AIR have been downloaded …
Brian Stelter / New York Times:
YouTube Close to Video Deal for Pro Talent — YouTube and the William Morris Agency, the Hollywood talent agency, are close to signing a deal that would place the company's clients in made-for-the-Web productions. — The deal would underscore the ways that distribution models are evolving on the Internet.
Amit Agarwal / Digital Inspiration:
Google Updates Privacy Policy — This may slightly concern privacy advocates who continue to worry about Google storing too much data about their users. — Google today updated their privacy policy document and it now says that, in addition to retaining server logs, Google …
Jason Calacanis / The Jason Calacanis Weblog:
We Live in Public (and the end of empathy) — This was an email to my private list which you can signup for at — Listen To This While Reading: Love Theme from Blade Runner — I've been thinking about empathy and the Internet non-stop for the past week.
Taylor Buley / Forbes:
Bringing Microsoft To VMware — Ex-Microsoft veterans are now in charge at VMware, but they insist the virtualization specialist won't become a Microsoft clone. — Last summer, Paul Maritz was only hours into his new job as chief executive of VMware when he called Tod Nielsen, his former Microsoft colleague.
Fortune:
How Netflix got started — Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings tells Fortune how he got the idea for the DVD-by-mail service that now has more than eight million customers. — (Fortune Magazine) — The genesis of Netflix came in 1997 when I got this late fee, about $40, for Apollo 13.
Kara Swisher / BoomTown:
AOL CEO Randy Falco's Entire Memo to the Troops on Layoffs — Here is the letter AOL CEO Randy Falco (pictured here) has penned to the entire staff about layoffs of 10 percent of its workforce-or 700 people-and other cost cuts, which the online service is announcing today.
Discussion:
PC World, VentureBeat, BetaNews, GMSV, GigaOM, CNET News, Tech Trader Daily, Furrier.org, Search Engine Watch, Between the Lines, Tech Confidential and The Toybox
