Top Items:
Boy Genius Report:
Motorola Droid hands on! — We absolutely nailed this puppy to the wall over and over and over again, so it's only fitting we'd be doing the first actual unveiling, right? We're not going to get too in-depth though, that will come at a later time. Here are some brief thoughts before the photos:
Discussion:
eWeek, Digits, MacRumors, AppleInsider, Tech Trader Daily, Computerworld, Technologizer, DSLreports, Crave, DailyTech, jkOnTheRun, Gadgetell, Macworld, Electronista, Softpedia News, MobileContentToday, IntoMobile, Edible Apple, I4U News, Android Phone Fans, Electricpig.co.uk, Pocket-lint.com, AndroidGuys, SlashPhone, Android Central, SlashGear, Pulse2, Gizmodo, Engadget Mobile, The Huffington Post, techeblog.com and TechCrunch
Christina Warren / Mashable!:
Wolfram Alpha Launches $50 iPhone App — On Thursday WolframAlpha launched its developer API, which should allow large and small developers (as well as businesses and educational institutions) to harness the power of the computational knowledge engine to enhance their own applications or products.
RELATED:
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Wolfram Alpha Miscalculates What Its iPhone App Should Cost — Apple wasted little time approving Wolfram Alpha's new iPhone app, which we hinted at last week. Just a few days after they submitted it to the store, Apple sailed it right through the approval process with such speed …
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
Plastic Logic Shows Off a (Quick) Look at its Kindle Killer: Meet the Que — Plastic Logic, which has been talking up its coming e-reader for some time now but hasn't actually started selling it, has a little more to say: It will have more to say about its coming ereader in a few months.
Discussion:
Gizmodo, Gearlog, Maximum PC, Obsessable, GottaBeMobile.com, VentureBeat, MacNN, Electricpig.co.uk, Forever Geek, SlashGear and Engadget
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Rock Band Hits The App Store — The much anticipated and hyped Rock Band for iPhone and iPod Touch is out! We first scooped the news of the launch of the app a few weeks ago. Shortly afterwards, Rock Band for the iPhone/iPod touch was officially announced by Electronic Arts.
Discussion:
iLounge, IntoMobile, The iPhone Blog, Pocket-lint.com, Touch Arcade, MobileContentToday, Electricpig, Music Ally, Gizmodo and ringtonia.com
FoneFrenzy:
Bigger News for Verizon Than Motorola's Droid — This weekend was chocked full of Verizon and Motorola news. Earlier this month, Verizon and Google had a joint news conference debuting the new Motorola Droid and announcing a partnership to leverage high-speed network and open Android platform for wireless innovation.
Discussion:
Bits, MacTouchUser, Brainstorm Tech, 9 to 5 Mac, GMSV, I4U News, SlashGear, Engadget Mobile and Boy Genius Report
Amy Schatz / Digits:
Facebook and Twitter Founders Join Net-Neutrality Wars — Fed up with a barrage of letters that arrived at the FCC last week from net-neutrality opponents (or lawmakers urging a cautious approach toward the new rules), a coalition of Internet companies are urging the FCC chairman to hold steady.
Harry McCracken / Technologizer:
Spring Design Springs into the E-Reader Game — Those rumors about the imminent announcement of an Android-based e-book reader with both a black-and-white e-ink screen and a color touchscreen below it? They were true-except for the part about it being announced by Barnes & Noble.
RELATED:
Michael Bettiol / Boy Genius Report:
Random users Google Voice mail is searchable by anyone? — Holy crap. It seems that Google is going to have some pretty serious explaining to do this morning, as one of our readers has sent us in a tip that reveals a major security flaw involving Google Voice.
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
Vevo Gets its Investor: Abu Dhabi Media Joins “Hulu for Music Videos” — Vevo, the music industry's version of Hulu, now has its own version of Providence Equity, the outside investors who took a flyer on the Web TV and movie joint venture: Abu Dhabi Media Company has purchased a stake …
Discussion:
paidContent, TechCrunch, Technology News, Softpedia News, Silicon Alley Insider and NewTeeVee
Steve / The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs:
NY Times all but says it: Ballmer must go — Ashlee Vance gets access to Ballmer and delivers a death blow. The Borg, Vance says, is on a “long and winding course toward irrelevance.” Seriously, this is a devastating piece. Money quotes (lots of them) after the jump. I'm still reeling.
Dan Grabham / TechRadar.com:
24 years of Windows package design — A history of Microsoft's OS in card and plastic — Software packaging isn't exactly the epitome of great design. And, as the world's most used operating system - and being from Microsoft - Windows has had some rather dull boxes designed for it to sit within.
Discussion:
digg.com
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Google Expands “Going Google” Ad Campaign Worldwide — Google continues to hit milestones with Google Apps - 2 million businesses and 20 million users in over 100 countries and 40 languages (up from 1.75 million businesses in June). And they aren't slowing down the advertising, either.
Discussion:
Bits, Search Engine Land, VentureBeat, Technologizer, Erictric, PC World, Softpedia News, The Official Google Blog, TECH.BLORGE.com and Between the Lines
Microsoft:
Microsoft Update on Sidekick Data Restoration — The Danger / Microsoft team is continuing to work around the clock on the data restoration process. We apologize that this is taking so long, but we want to make sure we are doing everything possible to maintain the integrity of your data.
Discussion:
CNET News, The Register, Telegraph, All about Microsoft, Mashable!, Engadget Mobile and Gearlog
Mike Shaver:
.NET Framework Assistant (ClickOnce support) unblocked — We received confirmation from Microsoft this evening that the Framework Assistant add-on is not a mechanism for exploiting the vulnerabilities detailed in the earlier post, so we've removed it from the blocklist.
Amy Thomson / Bloomberg:
Verizon Plans to Sell Mobile Service in Discounted TV, Internet Packages — Oct. 19 (Bloomberg) — Verizon Communications Inc., the second-largest U.S. phone company, will sell its mobile-phone service at a discount when customers buy home-phone, television and Internet access.
Jessica E. Vascellaro / Digits:
Photo-Blogging Site DailyBooth Raises $1 Million — Money continues to rain down on “real-time” start-ups-Web sites, like Twitter, that are devoted to helping users share details about their lives as they happen. The latest example: a fledgling two-person company called DailyBooth …
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
HubSpot Closes $16 Million Series C Round Led By Scale Venture Partners — Digital marketing startup HubSpot has raised a third round of funding to the tune of $16 million, bringing the total invested in the Cambridge, MA company to a healthy $33.5 million.
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Zoho Projects Now Integrated With Google Apps — Web-based productivity suite Zoho has continued to integrate its products with Google in order to make it easier to use Gmail and Zoho apps simultaneously. Last summer, Zoho, a web-based software suite that includes document …
Discussion:
Softpedia News
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch Europe:
Google loses Europe COO Ben Legg to European Directories — European Directories has announced a big win this morning with the appointment of Ben Legg as Chief Operating Officer. — Legg joins the Dutch/British company from Google, one of its main competitors, where the man served …
Jeff Aguero / The Official Google Blog:
Flying in a WiFi wonderland: Free Internet from Google on Virgin America flights — We know the holiday season seems to come earlier every year (sorry, Halloween), but before you make your final travel plans, we're excited to let you know that we're partnering with Virgin America …
Thanks:jungleg
Jenna Wortham / New York Times:
Face-to-Face Socializing Starts With a Mobile Post — Twitter and Facebook ask users to answer the question: What are you doing right now? — But for many urbanites in their 20s and 30s, two other questions are just as important: Where are you, and can I come join you?
