Top Items:
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Skype for iPhone to Be Released as Early as Next Week — Heads up: A few months ago, I asked Skype CEO Josh Silverman when was he going to launch the iPhone version of the P2P voice and IM service that has now been downloaded more than 405 million times. He smiled and said, “Stay tuned.”
Discussion:
VentureBeat, The Toybox, The iPhone Blog, Gizmodo and Engadget Mobile, Thanks:mrinaldesai
Emil Protalinski / Ars Technica:
Windows 7 RC download page goes up early, coming in May — Details on the Windows 7 Release Candidate public download have leaked, straight from Microsoft. — It looks like someone flipped the switch a little early. The Windows 7 Release Candidate download page on TechNet …
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Microsoft TechNet:
Windows 7 Release Candidate — Download instructions — Welcome to Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) testing. We're on our way to Windows 7, and the RC is a great opportunity for IT professionals like you to take Windows 7 and begin testing it in your real environment.
Discussion:
InfoWorld, Ed Bott's Microsoft Report, Download Squad, The Register, Gizmodo and Bink.nu
Owen Thomas / Gawker:
Google to Lay Off 200 Employees — Make it official: Google's not immune from the bad economy and plummeting ad market. We've been hearing for weeks that Google would have layoffs. Tipsters tells us Google is cutting 200 employees today. — The cuts, we hear, are concentrated in Google's sales and marketing operations.
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The Official Google Blog:
Changes to our sales and marketing organizations — Google has grown very quickly in a very short period of time. When companies grow that quickly it's almost impossible to get everything right—and we certainly didn't. In some areas we've created overlapping organizations …
Discussion:
The Business Insider
Liz Gannes / NewTeeVee:
BlackBerry to Launch TV Episode Service? — We've heard from multiple sources that RIM is planning to announce a full-episode television service for BlackBerry users as early as next week at CTIA. — Here's what we've heard so far: — It will be an unlimited monthly subscription service for a fee
Dawn C. Chmielewski / Los Angeles Times:
Hottest tracks to cost $1.29 at iTunes starting April 7 — The online music store, under pressure from record labels, is abandoning its 99-cent-only strategy. — The world's largest music store, Apple's iTunes, plans to boost the price of many hit singles and selected classic tracks to $1.29 on April 7 …
Discussion:
Between the Lines, MacRumors, VentureBeat, Technologizer, PC World, Gizmodo, iLounge, CrunchGear, Edible Apple, VOIP IP Telephony, Neowin.net, PSFK and MediaFile
Rajat Mukherjee / The Official Google Blog:
Google, at your service — It used to be that creating a webpage was a pursuit reserved for the truly tech-savvy, requiring a geek's expertise in HTML, Java, or C++ coding. — These days, it's a different story. Working with a hosting service has made things a great deal easier …
RELATED:
Jay Hathaway / Download Squad:Hosting companies to offer Google AdSense, site search services
Discussion:
eWeek
Business Week:
The Apps Battle Heats Up — Research in Motion will soon launch an online store to rival Apple's, with Nokia and Microsoft to follow — On Apr. 1, Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of Research in Motion (RIMM), is expected to take the stage at the wireless industry's annual trade show in Las Vegas …
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Slash Lane / AppleInsider:
Apple selling 8GB memory upgrade kits for 15" MacBook Pros [u] — It will cost you an arm and a leg, but Apple is now offering an official 8GB memory upgrade kit for the mid- and high-end models of its current 15-inch unbibody MacBook Pro family, AppleInsider has discovered.
Mobile Today:
Orange and Apple negotiations for laptop deal nearing completion — Discussions at final stages as dongle subsidy lands Apple — Orange will sell Apple laptops on its network from this summer, and will be the first company to subsidise Apple's laptops with mobile broadband.
David Chartier / Ars Technica:
Apple's WWDC 2009 dates announced: June 8-12 — It's time to dust off your suitcase and Cocoa chops, because Apple has just announced the dates for its 2009 Worldwide Developers Conference. — WWDC '09 is set for June 8-12, and it will take place in the same Moscone West hall in San Francisco, CA.
Discussion:
VentureBeat, Silicon Alley Insider, PC World, TheAppleBlog, MacDailyNews, TUAW, Engadget and Gearlog
Jennifer Leggio / Feeds:
Fake Facebook group shows potential security issues, 1+ million gullible users — On Monday night I was up late surfing the Web when I noticed a problem (other than the fact that I was up late surfing the Web). It was a Facebook problem, relative to a group invitation I received.
The Official Google Blog:
iGoogle's got game... themes! — I'm happy to announce the launch of iGoogle game themes. These themes offer our users new iGoogle backdrops inspired by their favorite video games, including classics like “Mario” and “Mega Man” and new sensations like “Wii Sports” and “Spore.”
Discussion:
PC World, blogs.ft.com, Mashable!, Web Analytics World and GoNintendo, Thanks:mrinaldesai
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Rory Maher / paidContent.org:
Bartz: Yahoo Has Tested 141 New Versions Of Its Homepage — Carol Bartz hasn't been shy about her lack of fondness for Yahoo's products (she has even confessed to using Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps). So what's she doing about it now that she's running the company?
Stevemar / Development Unfiltered:
Moving Toward an Open Process on Cloud Computing Interoperability — Moving Toward an Open Process on Cloud Computing Interoperability — From the moment we kicked off our cloud computing effort, openness and interop stood at the forefront. As those who are using it will tell you …
Discussion:
InfoWorld, All about Microsoft, The Register, Silicon Alley Insider, TechFlash, BetaNews, eWeek, OakLeaf Systems and Tim Sneath
Nick O'Neill / All Facebook:
Facebook Begins Targeting Families — Facebook appears to have it out for the developers of large family applications on Facebook. The company has created a new landing page where users can create groups specifically targeted to their family. While there is nothing unique about the end product …
PewResearch.org:
Internet Typology: The Mobile Difference — Wireless Connectivity Has Drawn Many Users More Deeply into Digital Life — Cast a glance at any coffee shop, train station or airport boarding gate, and it is easy to see that mobile access to the internet is taking root in our society.
Thanks:mrinaldesai
Anthony Ha / VentureBeat:
SynthaSite no more — website builder now called Yola — Normally, I don't spend time worrying about branding, as long as a company name isn't egregiously stupid. Still, I was a bit confused by the move, since SynthaSite seems like a clearer and more obvious name than Yola …
Discussion:
CNET News
Wall Street Journal:
Internet Industry Is on a Cloud — Ever since Google Inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt publicly uttered the term “cloud computing” in 2006, a storm has been gathering over Silicon Valley. — Companies across the technology industry are jockeying to associate themselves with clouds.
Jenna Wortham / Bits:
There's Something About Boxee — Boxee, a free software package that pulls together multiple sources of Internet video in an easy-to-use interface, has quietly been building an army of ardent fans. — But what is it about Boxee that is driving the technorati wild?
Discussion:
TheAppleBlog
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Apple's iPhone App Refund Policies Could Bankrupt Developers — We reported yesterday about Apple's alleged delay in payments to iPhone app developers, but there is more alarming news from iPhone developers about Apple's refund policies. Apparently, if iPhone users decide that they want a refund for an app …
Kara Swisher / BoomTown:
More Reorging for AOL's Ad Unit, Platform-A: The Latest Memo — The undoing of previous management of AOL continues at the Time Warner (TWX) online unit with even more reorganization of its Platform-A advertising unit. — Sources said the changes are part of a simplifying of the division …
Stan M / Sony Insider:
New VAIO P Coming? — Remember that teaser (see pic above) Sony spread around the world before unveiling VAIO P? Fun times! — Folks always wonder, will there be a new, refreshed line of their favorite product and of course we also know that Sony loves to present their VAIOs in series …
Priya Ganapati / Gadget Lab:
Entrepreneurs Find Gold in Gadget Startups — James Park and his partner Eric Friedman stood out like a couple of sore thumbs. — They were in the middle of a crowd of other entrepreneurs at TechCrunch50, a small conference for startups, held in San Francisco last September.
Thanks:mrinaldesai
Lane LiaBraaten / Social Web Blog:
Take your Google Contacts with you — Lots of websites ask you to invite your friends when you sign up, and for good reason; the web is more fun when you can share your experiences with other people. However, too many of these sites access your list of friends by asking for your username …
Economist:
Connecting up — Online-dating websites prosper in the recession — NOT many industries are doing well in the recession. But along with discount retailers and pawnbrokers, online-dating sites such as eHarmony.com and OkCupid.com have seen business look up. There are several theories to explain why.
Sam Oliver / AppleInsider:
Apple filing details safe touch-screen navigation system — An interesting but at times erratic patent filing from Apple published for the first time this week describes a proprietary in-car navigation system focused on maintaining driver safety while a vehicle is in motion.
