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Teaching computers to read: Google acquires reCAPTCHA — The image above is a CAPTCHA — you can read it, but computers have a harder time interpreting the letters. We tried to make it hard for computers to recognize because we wanted to give humans the scoop first, but we're happy to announce …
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NEWS.com.au, Ars Technica, The Microsoft Blog, Mashable!, Search Engine Land, Financial Times, The Register, Computerworld, TechCrunch, Download Squad, Zero Day, WebProNews, Google Watch, ReadWriteWeb, Bits, Between the Lines, Dealscape, InformationWeek, Tech Trader Daily, Bronte Media, Pulse2, bub.blicio.us, Techgeist, Digital Daily, ClipperHouse, TidBITS, ChannelWeb, Tech Central, The Next Web Blog, Wired Campus, The Web Life, eWeek, Google Blogoscoped, Silicon Alley Insider, paidContent, TeleRead, Search Engine Watch, CenterNetworks, Pocket-lint.com, VatorNews, silicontap.com and Seeking Alpha
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Google acquires ReCaptcha as book-scanning aid — Google has acquired ReCaptcha, one of those companies behind the distorted text boxes at the bottom of many Web site sign-in pages. — Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Google plans to use ReCaptcha's technology …


Twitter Closing New Venture Round At $1 Billion Valuation — Fast growing startup Twitter will soon be joining a select group of startups with private venture round valuations of $1 billion, we've heard from multiple sources. CEO Evan Williams disclosed the round to employees at a recent all hands meeting.
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CNET News, MediaMemo, Screenwerk, VentureBeat, mocoNews, Howard Lindzon, PE Hub Blog, Silicon Alley Insider, Dealscape, Blogspotting and The Next Web Blog

Skype Founders File Copyright Suit Against eBay — SAN FRANCISCO — The founders of Skype are escalating their legal battle with eBay. — Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, who became billionaires after selling Skype to eBay in 2005, have filed a copyright lawsuit against Skype in United States district court in Northern California.
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Confirmed: Google Rumor False, Not Acquiring Brightcove — I received a call from one of the parties involved in the Google/Brightcove rumor who would not talk on record but confirmed with me that the rumor that Google is buying Brightcove is in fact false.
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Google To Buy Brightcove For $500-$700 Million: Report*
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The Business Of Online Video, TheStreet.com, Mashable!, VentureBeat, paidContent, ReadWriteWeb, Between the Lines, ClickZ, Dealscape, Tech Trader Daily and fierceonlinevideo.com …, Thanks:atul

BlackBerry Tour facing 50% return rate? — The BlackBerry Tour is suffering from a widespread defect that could seriously impact Research in Motion's bottom line, an analyst cautioned on Wednesday. The trackball on the smartphone is reported as clogging so quickly that it requires users …
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Tech Trader Daily, Engadget Mobile, The Toybox, Maximum PC all, Daring Fireball, PC World and MacDailyNews
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Bing grabs 10 percent of search market — Microsoft's new Bing search service is the fastest-growing U.S. search engine among the top 10, according to a Nielsen report released Monday. — The total amount of searches on Bing rang in at 1.1 billion for the month of August …
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paidContent, The Register, Between the Lines, eWeek, Mashable!, Search Engine Journal, DailyFinance, Neowin.net and The Tech Report


TC50: TechCrunch50 founders' feud: “It's over” for the startup conference — “I can tell you that this is the last TechCrunch50,” event co-founder Jason Calacanis told humorist Loren Feldman last night in a video interview after the close of the third annual TechCrunch50 conference in San Francisco.
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Comcast plans to bring TV shows to your phone — Leading U.S. cable operator Comcast Corp said on Wednesday it plans to offer subscribers the option to watch their favorite TV shows on mobile devices through its new wireless Internet service. — The company is also exploring adding …
Discussion:
InformationWeek, mocoNews, TechFlash, Light Reading, DSLreports, Engadget Mobile, Electronista, dailywireless.org and Phone Scoop


iTwinge is the World's First iPhone Keyboard — We may have just come across something that may convert dedicated BlackBerry users to finally using the iPhone.The iPhone is getting a KEYBOARD called iTwinge, a real feel and tactile keyboard for those who thought their big thumbs would never allow them to use the touchscreen version.
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TUAW, Engadget, GottaBeMobile.com, CNET News, Gadgetwise, iPhone Buzz, SlashGear, MobileCrunch, Coolest Gadgets, Mashable!, Mobilewhack.com, DVICE and Gizmodo


Kindle edition of The Lost Symbol outselling Amazon hardcovers! — Get ready for what could become the biggest story of 2009 in the book trades. — Yesterday I went out on a limb and predicted that “Amazon will sell more Kindle editions than hardcover editions of The Lost Symbol during …
Discussion:
paidContent, Fast Company, ReadWriteWeb, CNET News, I4U News, CrunchGear, Gadgetell, Silicon Alley Insider, Contentinople, Telegraph, Electronista, GeekTonic, AppScout and TechVi, Thanks:mrinaldesai


Former Bebo CEO and AOL Top Exec Shields and Shine's Murdoch to Form Interactive Content Start-Up — Former Bebo CEO Joanna Shields and Shine Group Chairman and CEO Elisabeth Murdoch have formed a content start-up to produce across media platforms, both online and offline, with a focus on social engagement, according to sources.
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paidContent

EU in informal talks on Microsoft, Yahoo deal-source — * U.S. regulators deepened review last week — * Microsoft, Commission not available for comment — EU antitrust regulators are in touch with Microsoft and Yahoo about their search engine deal, a source familiar with the situation said …

Mint.com: Nurtured by Super-Angel VCs — Intuit is acquiring a startup conceived by a “25-year-old kid” and funded by First Round Capital, a new breed of high-risk, early-stage venture capitalist — Intuit's purchase of Mint.com was a big win for Mint CEO Aaron Patzer and the rest …

Paul Allen Sells Wireless Spectrum Licenses to AT&T — Sept. 16 (Bloomberg) — Paul Allen, the billionaire co- founder of Microsoft Corp., agreed to sell wireless airwaves he acquired in 2003 to a unit of AT&T Inc. for an undisclosed price, according to government filings.

The Adobe-Omniture deal: Does it make sense? — Adobe made a big splash with its $1.8 billion acquisition of Web analytics company Omniture. However, the logic behind the deal isn't exactly obvious. — On Adobe's fiscal third quarter conference call, analysts were pressing Adobe on its rationale for buying Omniture (Techmeme).
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Local Onliner, WebProNews, Seeking Alpha, Internet Evolution, PC World, ReadWriteEnterprise, MediaFile, Contentinople and Software as Services


The Man Who's Beating Google — Robin Li has built the most popular search site for the world's biggest audience—in China. That's round one in epic battle. — On a smoggy August morning outside Beijing's China World Hotel, Li Yanhong's fan club is assembling.

“Chat-in-the-Middle” Phishing Attack Attempts to Steal Consumers' Data via Bogus Live-Chat Support — A new, unique type of phishing attack targeted against online banking customers was recently discovered by the RSA FraudAction Research Lab. RSA has coined this as a “Chat-in-the-Middle” …


Aviary launches impressive audio editor, Myna — Aviary is great at making advanced Web-based artists' tools that I haven't a hope of being able to fully use. Case in point, the new audio editor, Myna, that joins the company's suite of graphics tools like the Phoenix image editor and the Raven vector editor.
Discussion:
Podcasting News, Aviary Blog, Download Squad, ReadWriteWeb and Brad Linder's digital home

US Government advises technology executives to trash mobile phones after returning from CHina — Just because the Soviet Union is gone doesn't mean that the US government isn't paranoid about Communist spying and espionage. Ask frequent business travelers who have flown to China recently …


U2 shun Apple iPhone in BlackBerry music App release — Recall back in the day when U2 and Apple were bosom-buddies? Well, in the world of corporate sponsorship, everything is change, and Bono's band today introduced their own take on the iTunes LP with the release of a new U2 Mobile App, not for iPhone, but for BlackBerry.


Android-powered Archos tablet out-specs Zune, iPod Touch — Say what you will about the Android OS being behind Apple's OSX touch OS, there are some things you can measure definitively and those are hardware specs. — Archos released its new Android-based mini-tablet information today and wow is it impressive.

Zach Klein joins Boxee — We are happy to announce that Zach Klein has joined Boxee. Zach was part of the founding team that built College Humor, Busted Tees and Vimeo (at Connected Ventures/IAC). Building a great product is one of those things that combines art, science and instinct.


Barry Diller: Of Course People Are Going To Pay For Content On The Web — At Goldman's Communacopia conference, another high profile CEO is telling the world the free-for-all days of the Internet won't last forever. Yesterday it was Rupert Murdoch, today it's Barry Diller.
Discussion:
Digits


Twitter's Next Headache: API Name Squatting — Twitter continues to work through username squatting issues by reassigning trademarked and even non-trademarked user names to their more appropriate owners. It's a manual process that sometimes takes weeks, but with Twitter's growing importance …
Thanks:atul


All Quiet at Google's Oklahoma Data Center — Part of the equipment yard for the Google data center under construction in Pryor, Oklahoma. — Amazon isn't the only cloud builder that has idled a data center project, as the recession has led Google to scale back its capital investments in data center infrastructure.

SPECIAL REPORT: Ready, Aim, Charge! — NEW YORK On the day Michael Jackson died, the Los Angeles Times drew its heaviest Web traffic ever. When Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina admitted to an affair, The State of Columbia, S.C., had the best online numbers in its history.