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11:05 AM ET, February 17, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Enigmax / TorrentFreak:
50% of Charges Against Pirate Bay Dropped  —  What has been shown in court today is that the prosecutor cannot prove that the .torrent files he is using as evidence actually used The Pirate Bay's tracker.  Many of the screenshots being used clearly state there is no connection to the tracker.
RELATED:
Kelly Fiveash / The Register:
Pirate Bay prosecutor tosses infringement charges overboard
Discussion: CNET News and The Local
Vodafone:
Vodafone and HTC unveil Android-powered HTC Magic  — Vodafone extends world-class range of Internet phones with latest Android™-powered smartphone from HTC  — HTC Magic smartphone exclusive to Vodafone customers initially in UK, Spain, Germany and France (SFR) and non-exclusively in Italy.
RELATED:
Jason Palmer / BBC:
Second ‘Google phone’ is unveiled  —  Science and technology reporter, BBC News, Barcelona  —  A second phone based on Google's operating system Android has been unveiled by Vodafone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  —  The touchscreen HTC Magic will feature a 3.2 Megapixel camera …
Discussion: PSFK and Slashdot
Marguerite Reardon / Webware.com:
Skype strikes deal with Nokia  —  BARCELONA—Skype is racking up deals with mobile handset makers here at GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009.  —  On Tuesday, the company, which is owned by eBay, announced a partnership with Nokia, the largest cell phone maker in the world, to put the Skype Internet calling software onto its phones.
RELATED:
Bill Ray / The Register:   Nokia to preinstall Skype on handsets
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes / Hardware 2.0:
Worst.  Windows 7.  Piece.  EVER!  —  Over on Slashdot is perhaps the worst piece on Windows 7 that I've see so far (I find it hard to believe that this one will be beaten anytime soon ...). … OK, just a few points worth making:  — Someone messes about with Photoshop in order to crack it …
Discussion: p2pnet
RELATED:
Kdawson / Slashdot:
Draconian DRM Revealed In Windows 7
Discussion: Lifehacker, TechnoLlama and Boing Boing
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Microsoft Updates Windows Mobile To Make It More Like The iPhone.  (My Phone, Anyone?).  —  Once again, Microsoft is throwing some flattery Apple's way by following its lead.  Earlier today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Microsoft announced the latest version of its mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5.
Discussion: jkOnTheRun and Gearlog
RELATED:
Richard Wray / Guardian:
Universal mobile phone charger unveiled  —  The mobile phone industry plans to introduce a universal charger as part of a drive to improve its previously patchy environmental record.  —  The plan from industry body the GSM Association (GSMA) is just one of a raft of “green” announcements at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook Blog:
On Facebook, People Own and Control Their Information  —  A couple of weeks ago, we updated our terms of use to clarify a few points for our users.  A number of people have raised questions about our changes, so I'd like to address those here.  I'll also take the opportunity to explain how we think about people's information.
RELATED:
Kara Swisher / BoomTown:
“You Have Zero Privacy Anyway.  Get Over It"-That Goes Double on Social Networks
Discussion: ReadWriteWeb
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News:
Sirius XM agrees to $530 million Liberty Media stake  —  Troubled Sirius XM Radio announced Tuesday, following reports, that it will accept an investment from cable giant Liberty Media.  —  The investment, which will save the satellite radio company from bankruptcy or a hostile takeover …
RELATED:
Cecilia Kang / Washington Post:   Sirius XM Radio Avoids Bankruptcy
Zach Spear / AppleInsider:
Apple absent from universal phone charger push  —  Although AT&T and several other iPhone partners joined an industry initiative to standardize mobile phone chargers over the next few years, Apple has yet to follow suit and may remain committed to its proprietary dock-connector interface .
Discussion: BBC
RELATED:
John Markoff / New York Times:
The Cellphone, Navigating Our Lives  —  The cellphone is the world's most ubiquitous computer.  The four billion cellphones in use around the globe carry personal information, provide access to the Web and are being used more and more to navigate the real world.
Pui-Wing Tam / Wall Street Journal:
Employment Falls in Silicon Valley  —  Silicon Valley posted a drop in employment and recorded a decline in per capita income in 2008 for the first time in several years, as the recession caught up with the technology-heavy region.  —  The findings come in a closely watched annual report …
Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider, Thanks:atul
Amol Sharma / Wall Street Journal:
Verizon May Offer Landline Plan for $5  —  In a sign that the recession is forcing phone companies to take bold measures to hold onto landline customers, Verizon Communications Inc. is considering a $5 monthly voice plan that would let customers receive calls but dial only 911 and Verizon customer service.
Jenna Wortham / Bits:
Offerpal Media Raises $15 Million to Peddle In-Game Ads  —  For most casual gamers on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, tricking out their avatars is almost more fun than playing the game.  —  One way to build an impressive inventory of virtual goods is by earning them through hours of game play.
Discussion: VentureBeat, GigaOM and Inside Facebook
Sascha Segan / Gearlog:
AT&T CEO: Dell Will Build a Smartphone  —  At a panel at Mobile World Congress today, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega just said, “Dell announced they're entering the smart phone market.”  That's a quote.  —  This confirms many rumors that have been floating around …
Pat Pilcher / New Zealand Herald:
Guilty by accusation copyright protestors paint it black  —  A protest campaign against the Copyright Amendment (New Technologies) Act appears to be gaining momentum as protesters, including high profile UK celebrity Stephen Fry, black-out photos on Twitter, Facebook and various other social networking sites.
Discussion: The Register
 
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 More Items: 
Nathan Eddy / eWeek:
MWC: GSMA CEO Conway Says Telecom Industry Will Weather Economic Downturn
Discussion: CNET News and Associated Press
Tarmo Virki / Reuters:
Nortel to present new business plan in few weeks
Alertbox:
Mobile Web 2009 = Desktop Web 1998
Discussion: the Econsultancy blog
Michael V. Copeland / Fortune:
Technology's bargain bin
Discussion: All About Nortel
Sarah Lacy / Business Week:
Local Advertising Isn't Jumping Online
Discussion: The Equity Kicker and Search Engine Land, Thanks:sadkids
 Earlier Items: 
Dan Goodin / The Register:
Satellite-hacking boffin sees the unseeable
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Justin.tv Is Redirecting Porn Queries Into Cash
Discussion: the Econsultancy blog
Charles Hudson / Charles Hudson's Weblog:
THE DATABASE OF INTENTIONS IS MORE VALUABLE THAN THE DATABASE …
Discussion: Beyond Search, Thanks:atul