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3:40 PM ET, March 12, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
The Official Google Blog:
Here comes Google Voice  —  We've just started to release a preview of Google Voice, an application that helps you better manage your voice communications.  Google Voice will be available initially to existing users of GrandCentral, a service we acquired in July of 2007.
RELATED:
David Pogue / New York Times:
One Number to Ring Them All  —  If Google search revolutionized the Web, and Gmail revolutionized free e-mail, then one thing's for sure: Google Voice, unveiled Thursday, will revolutionize telephones.  —  It unifies your phone numbers, transcribes your voice mail, blocks telemarketers …
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
GrandCentral To (Finally) Launch As Google Voice.  It's Very, Very Good.  —  GrandCentral, a phone management service that first launched in 2006 and was acquired by Google for $50+ million in 2007, hasn't been in the news much lately.  Other than a few good natured jabs at their marketing gimmicks and coverage of outages, that is.
Miguel Helft / New York Times:
Google's Free Phone Manager Could Threaten a Variety of Services
Discussion: Computerworld Blogs and Kelsey Group Blogs, Thanks:atul
Google Voice Blog:
Moving to Google Voice!
MG Siegler / VentureBeat:
Apple previewing iPhone OS 3.0 at an event March 17  —  Well, Apple is having an event in March, but it won't be showing off any hardware.  Instead, March 17 will mark a special event to show off a preview of the new iPhone 3.0 software.  —  This likely means we can expect the software relatively soon …
RELATED:
The Boy Genius / Boy Genius Report:
Apple iPhone 3.0 OS event March 17th, we got some info  —  So it looks like Apple's planning on holding an event for iPhone 3.0 OS March 17th along with showing off an updated SDK.  This would fit nicely with their brief history of having a preview software event followed by a hardware refresh in June/July.
Jefferson Graham / Technology Live:
Hulu launches social networking  —  Fast-rising video site Hulu celebrates its one-year anniversary Thursday, and plans to mark the occasion by introducing social networking features to inform your inner circle about TV shows and movies you like to watch.  —  In the past, you could share Hulu shows …
Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Screenwerk, Thanks:brickandclick
RELATED:
Douglas MacMillan / Tech Beat:
Hulu's Greatest Hits
Discussion: SiliconBeat, Hulu Blog and Download Squad, Thanks:dmac1
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
Amazon tweaks EC2 pricing; Takes next step in its enterprise evolution  —  Amazon has tweaked its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) pricing model to be more enterprise friendly.  The move is significant enough to sway IT executives to adopt more of Amazon's Web Services-especially when they have tight budgets.
RELATED:
Darren Gladstone / PC World:
Dell Studio One 19: All-in-One Stunner Takes Japan  —  There's been a bit of a rebirth in the all-in-one desktop category lately and from the looks of it, Dell is onto something with its Studio One 19.  This new machine — starting at $699 — melds together a wish-list of what I'd hoped I'd see in my Kitchen of TomorrowTM.
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
Hoops to Go: CBS Streaming March Madness to iPhone  —  More catnip for the convergence optimists, who dream about getting to watch anything they want on any device they choose: In addition to streaming all of its March Madness coverage on the Web, CBS is also letting iPhone and iPod touch owners watch …
Dave Winer / Scripting News:
Why it's time to break out of Twitter  —  First, so there are no misunderstandings, I am using Twitter, I will continue to use Twitter and I will recommend Twitter to others, as I have been for 2 or so years.  This is not me slamming the door on the way out, something I dislike intensely.
Discussion: TechCrunch and Workbench, Thanks:atul
Yahoo! Search Blog:
Embed Videos, Games, and Docs the Easy Way with SearchMonkey  —  Creating enhanced results just got a lot easier with a new SearchMonkey feature that allows site owners and developers to embed flash video, games, and documents directly in Yahoo! Search results.
RELATED:
Stephen Shankland / CNET News:
Yahoo: Easier SearchMonkey means better search
Discussion: Search Engine Land
Emil Protalinski / Ars Technica:
Microsoft's own speed tests show IE beating Chrome, Firefox (Updated)  —  Microsoft has released its own tests that show IE8 can load many websites faster than two open source browsers: Firefox and Chrome.  —  Just before announcing that Internet Explorer 8 has been finalized …
RELATED:
Douglas MacMillan / Business Week:   Mozilla Contemplates a Future Without Google
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Apple 2.0:
iPhone sales grew 245% in 2008 - Gartner  —  Apple's (AAPL) iPhone was the fastest-growing smartphone of 2008, despite end-of-year sales that failed to maintain the blistering pace set in July with the launch of the iPhone 3G, Gartner researchers reported Wednesday.
Sam Oliver / AppleInsider:
Apple exploring Magic Wand controller for next-gen Apple TV  —  Apple is exploring the possibility of including a wireless “remote wand” with future versions of its Apple TV media system that would provide users with precise control over a cursor on the Apple TV screen in very much the same …
Discussion: Engadget and Gizmodo
David A Nakamura / D.C. Wire:
Breaking: D.C. Tech Official Busted in Federal Bribery Sting  —  [Note: For complete story, go here.]  —  An official in the D.C. government's office of the chief technology officer has been arrested in a federal bribery sting, according to law enforcement sources.
Darren Murph / Engadget:
So it begins: Klipsch, Scosche unveil VoiceOver-compatible iPod shuffle earbuds  —  We knew we'd be hearing more about all those third party VoiceOver-compatible headphones today, and sure enough, the flood has begun.  In an admittedly cute attempt to be first out of the gate …
David Meyer / CNET News:
T-Mobile's G1 Android to get new features  —  T-Mobile will push out a major firmware update to users of the G1 Android handset in April, the mobile operator has said.  —  The update will introduce features such as virtual keyboards and stereo Bluetooth support, as well as an upgrade of the underlying Linux kernel.
Andrew Nusca / Between the Lines:
Palm Pre to arrive...we don't know.  Still.  (updated with plans)  —  In a private webinar today at 2PM EST, Palm product line manager Matt Crowley said after a 20-minute rehash of the CES 2009 presentation and demonstration of the company's now-fabled Palm Pre that there is …
Discussion: Gizmodo and Silicon Alley Insider, Thanks:editorialiste
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
Sirius XM: We're developing an iPhone app for second quarter launch  —  Sirius XM said Thursday that it is developing an application so its satellite radio service will be streamed to Apple's iPhone and iPod touch.  The company said it expects to launch the application in the second quarter.
Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft:
Microsoft kills adCenter Analytics  —  Microsoft has pulled the plug on adCenter Analytics — the product formerly known as “Gatineau” — before it ever had a chance to exit beta.  —  LiveSide.Net has more on the adCenter Analytics closure.  Testers received a letter from Microsoft on March 12 …
Jack Neff / AdAge:
P&G Gives Its Marketers a Crash Course in Social Media  —  Twittering Digerati Descend on Cincinnati HQ for ‘Digital Hack Night’ Charity Event  —  BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) — ­Procter & Gamble Co. paired 40 digital media and agency executives with 100 of its North American marketing directors …
Variety.com / The Cut Scene:
Movies and TV coming to the Wii?  —  One of Hollywood's top digital distribution executives thinks so.  —  In an interview I recently conducted with Curt Marvis, president of digital media for Lionsgate, for Variety's technotainment blog, he specifically mentioned the Wii as a huge opportunity …
Discussion: Kotaku, Joystiq, VG247 and CrunchGear
Brooke Crothers / CNET News:
Fusion-io touts ‘fastest’ solid-state drive  —  Fusion-io also claims Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak as its chief scientist.  —  Targeted primarily at business applications such as database servers, capacities range from 160 gigabytes to 640 gigabytes.  And by the second half of this year, this will increase to 1.28 terabytes.
Barb Dybwad / Obsessable:
There's a Hotmail down!  —  Microsoft's web-based email service goes down for the count.  —  Users of Microsoft's web-based email service Hotmail are reporting a significant service outage over the last hour.  A visit to hotmail.com displays only a “Server is too busy” message.
Discussion: LiveSide and Data Center Knowledge, Thanks:doctorparadox
 
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 More Items: 
Venture Capital Dispatch:
Two Famous VCs Fall Out Of Billionaires Club
Discussion: Microsoft Pri0
Rob Bernard / Software Enabled Earth:
Reducing Microsoft's carbon footprint
Discussion: InfoWorld
Mark Potts / Recovering Journalist:
As the Post-Intelligencer Globe Turns
Jim Duffy / Network World:
Cisco quietly downsizing through outsourcing
Thanks:alphadoggs
Steve Rubel / Micro Persuasion:
Twitter Search Traffic Poised to Eclipse Google Blog Search
Variety.com / The Cut Scene:
Lord of the Rings game rights now at Warner Bros.
Discussion: VentureBeat, Joystiq and VG247
Harry McCracken / Technologizer:
Windows 7: The State of the Beta
 Earlier Items: 
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Google Friend Connect Now Allows Deeper Integration with APIs
Sara Schaefer / Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:
KEVIN ROSE & ALEX ALBRECHT ON LATE NIGHT
Discussion: NewTeeVee and jkOnTheRun
Ina Fried / Beyond Binary:
Microsoft's complex Netbook dance
BBC:
BBC team exposes cyber crime risk
Discussion: Sophos, BBC, Zero Day and The Register
Eric Krangel / Silicon Alley Insider:
Sony: The PS3 Will Always Have Blu-ray
Discussion: VG247 and Gearlog
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
The Digital Divisions Are Dead At Big Media
Discussion: HipMojo.com, Thanks:mrinaldesai
Eric Eldon / VentureBeat:
Spoon feeding: Facebook redesign brings feeds (and ads) to the masses
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Analyzing Comcast's spinoff of cable networks, purposefully structured with low debt: the move might be a signal to the industry that it's time to consolidate

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
James Harding says the Tortoise-Observer deal could create a profitable media group and there isn't a guaranteed future for the Observer with the Guardian

John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
Substack, very deliberately, tries to have it both ways by saying publications on their platform are independent while presenting them all as parts of Substack

 
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