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11:40 AM ET, July 7, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Ross Miller / Engadget:
Sony Vaio W netbook now official in US, coming August for $499  —  Not so much of a surprise now, but Sony's bringing its 10.1-inch Vaio W stateside as well, and yes, according to the Sony reps we talked to, this time they really do mean to call it a netbook, unlike its Vaio P brethren.
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
What The Hell Happened To The Free Version Of Google Apps?  —  The free version of Google Apps is history.  The current sign up page makes no mention of the previously free Standard edition.  Instead, new users get a 14 day free trial, and then must pay $50 per user per year after that trial.
Miguel Helft / Bits:
Gmail and Other Google Apps Finally Shed ‘Beta’ Label  —  What took Google so long?  —  Like many software products, Google's Gmail service was first released with a “beta” label on it.  In the software industry, a product that is in beta is still in its testing phase.
Discussion: GigaOM, CNET News and TechCrunch
RELATED:
The Official Google Blog:
Google Apps is out of beta (yes, really)  —  We're often asked why so many Google applications seem to be perpetually in beta.  For example, Gmail has worn the beta tag more than five years.  We realize this situation puzzles some people, particularly those who subscribe to the traditional definition of …
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Push Gmail Comes To The iPhone — Through An App (If It's Accepted)  —  You'd think on a phone that can do as many cool things as the iPhone, push email through one of the world's most popular email services, Gmail, would be one of them.  But for some reason, Google and Apple haven't turned …
John Timmer / Ars Technica:
New algorithm guesses SSNs using date and place of birth  —  Two researchers have found that a pair of antifraud methods intended to increase the chances of detecting bogus social security numbers has actually allowed the statistical reconstruction of the number using information that many people place on social networking sites.
RELATED:
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Apple 2.0:
Where have all the white iPhones gone?  —  It's the reverse of Henry Ford's line about the Model T. Today you can buy any iPhone you want, as long as it's not white.  —  Apple (AAPL) has been having trouble keeping the entry-level white iPhone in stock since the new 3GS went on sale two and a half weeks ago.
Staci D. Kramer / paidContent:
IAC's Match Agrees To Buy People Media For $80 Million  —  Broad-based online dating site Match.com is buying into the targeted subscription dating business with the acquisition of People Media from private equity firm American Capital Ltd. and various investors for $80 million in cash.
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Hear That?  It's The Sound Of Your New Hearing Aid, The iPhone  —  Back in 2007, Amy Tenderich wrote about the need for Apple to share its renowned industrial design and user-friendliness with the medical device community.  Her plea wasn't necessarily for Apple to get involved in the field …
Discussion: GottaBeMobile.com
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Slide Cuts Ad Staff, Shifts Focus  —  Max Levchin's Slide, a San Francisco-based startup that caught the Facebook application wave early, is making a strategic shift, refocusing its revenue efforts on higher-margin premium advertising that include brand sponsorships for many of its well-known applications such as Super Poke.
Discussion: paidContent and HipMojo.com
RELATED:
Nicholas Carlson / Silicon Alley Insider:   Slide Is Now A $500 Million Sponsored-App Maker
Andrew Keen / Internet Evolution:
Google Will Star in Emerging News Model  —  As usual, the media got the message wrong.  “The gloves are coming off!” screamed the headlines last week, after Les Hinton, the current CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, compared Google with a giant blood-sucking vampire.
Discussion: Slashdot
RELATED:
Kevin Kelleher / The Big Money:
The Return Of The Pay Wall
Discussion: Patricia Handschiegel
Matt Asay / CNET News:
VideoLAN releases VLC 1.0.0: Your media will never be the same  —  On April 3, arguably the world's best media player, VideoLAN's VLC media player (VLC), hit version 0.9.9.  A few months and over 78 million downloads later, VideoLAN has announced VLC 1.0.0 ("Goldeneye").  —  Your media will never be the same.
Steven Musil / CNET News:
Where to watch the Jackson memorial online  —  If you weren't among the luck few who won tickets to attend Tuesday's memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and feel the need to bear witness to the spectacle, fear not—several Web sites plan to provide live streaming video of the event.
Martin LaMonica / CNET News:
Microsoft opens Hohm to energy monitoring  —  Microsoft opened up its Hohm Web application on Monday to U.S. users, a site that gives people a starting point for cutting home energy use.  —  The launch of Hohm, still in beta, was marred at least for some people, including me …
Richard Koman / ZDNet Government:
$1.9m verdict is unconstitutional, Thomas-Rasset says  —  While an appeal is likely in the cards, the motion Jammie Thomas-Rasset's lawyers filed today was a request for new trial (PDF) or for the judge to alter the jury's “shocking” $1.9 million award.  —  Thomas-Rasset's lawyers argued that …
Sam Oliver / AppleInsider:
Demand for Apple's 13" MacBook Pro may be outpacing supply  —  Apple's newly-coined 13-inch MacBook Pros appear to be off to a hot start, with the company reportedly having difficulty keeping some of the new models in stock as it enters the heart of the back-to-school buying season.
Arn / MacRumors:
Apple Celebrates First Anniversary of App Store  —  Apple has started celebrating the first anniversary of the App Store with a special section on iTunes [link] highlighting their favorite applications and games.  While the App Store officially launched on July 11th 2008 …
Elizabeth Woyke / Forbes:
Motorola Woos Android Developers  —  The cellphone maker is investing in developers months before its Android phones launch.  —  It's no secret that Motorola Co-Chief Executive Sanjay Jha is betting on Google's Android mobile platform to bolster his company's faltering cellphone business.
Henry Blodget / Silicon Alley Insider:
Hey, Online Display Ads Don't Suck After All!  —  Since the dawn of time, advertisers have been worried about the efficacy of online display ads.  This is in part because, in the mid-1990s, they were taught that online display ads had one purpose in life, which was to get people to click on them.
Discussion: HipMojo.com
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Maybe The Palm Pre Isn't Selling So Well, After All  —  My, how time flies in the tech world.  It was only one month ago today that the Palm Pre launched to the public, giving users their first chance to try out WebOS first hand.  Critical response to the device was generally positive …
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
AIM Embraces The Lifestream  —  AOL took another step towards fully embracing the lifestream today with the release of a slew of new AIM clients in beta and a new AIM Lifestream site, which brings together status updates from your AIM buddies with your activity streams from Facebook and Twitter.
Jessica E. Vascellaro / Digits:
Yahoo to Formally Launch New Research Tool  —  Search Pad, a search feature Yahoo has been developing to help users store and organize their search results, is set to be released to the public Tuesday, according to people familiar with the company's plans.  —  Yahoo has been testing the feature …
Darren Murph / Engadget:
LG teases next-generation Chocolate for August unveiling  —  To say that the Chocolate was a hit for LG would be similar to saying the PlayStation 2 went over well for Sony.  Indeed, the outfit's best selling handset ever (21 million units worldwide) holds a special place in the hearts …
Alberto Nardelli / The Independent:
Twitter's speedy move to the centre of politics  —  Twitter is rapidly becoming part of the UK political landscape, with MPs, ministers and even Downing Street keeping in touch with the increasingly savvy electorate through 140 characters or less.  —  Even more impressively …
 
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 More Items: 
Joe Mandese / MediaPost:
Office Depot's Circuitous Route: Takes ‘Circular’ …
Discussion: NewTeeVee
www.web2asia.com Blog Feed:
First Twitter, now Facebook: banned in China
Discussion: TechCrunch and Mashable!
PC World:
AMD Slowly Evolves With Netbook Demand
Discussion: Pocket-lint.com and TechSpot
TechFlash:
How the Seattle data center fire caught companies unprepared
Discussion: Xconomy and TechFlash, Thanks:jesserobbins
 Earlier Items: 
Mark Pfeifle / Christian Science Monitor:
A Nobel Peace Prize for Twitter?
Discussion: TechCrunch
Chris Foresman / Ars Technica:
The hazy future of Web typography
Claire Cain Miller / New York Times:
Venture Capitalists Look for a Return to the A B C's
Kevin C. Tofel / jkOnTheRun:
Sprint Offers a Netbook for Under a Buck. Will AT&T & Verizon follow?
Amol Sharma / Wall Street Journal:
Telecoms Face Antitrust Threat
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced she will leave the agency on January 20; she was the first woman to be confirmed to lead the agency

Evan Drellich / New York Times:
The MLB is planning national packages for streaming companies to bid on in 2028, when its national TV deals with ESPN, Fox, and Turner expire

Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Tubi launches Scenes, a mobile feature that lets viewers watch 60-to-90-second trailer-style clips from its library to help with content discovery

 
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