Top Items:
Chris Ziegler / Engadget:
Verizon's Droid is a series, not just a phone; Droid Eris coming from HTC — We just got some wild information from a trusted source about Verizon's Android strategy, and let's just say this shakes things up a little bit. Here are the big takeaways: — Droid is the brand name being applied to Verizon's Android devices.
Discussion:
Screenwerk, Softpedia News, IntoMobile, SlashGear, MobileTechWorld, AndroidGuys, Android Phone Fans, Ubergizmo, Mobilewhack.com, MobileCrunch, Gizmodo and Electronista, Thanks:mrinaldesai
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Greg Kumparak / MobileCrunch:
Motorola Droid ("Sholes") hits the FCC with AT&T-friendly 3G - for real this time. — Looks like Verizon might not be the only one getting the Moto Droid. A few days ago, we wrote a post highlighting the fact that a GSM version of the oh-so-hypetastic Motorola Droid (otherwise known as “Sholes” or “Tao") had cleared the FCC runway.
Boy Genius Report:
Motorola Droid Preview — If you're a Droid-chaser, you've no doubt been hooked to BGR for the past few weeks (more than normal, maybe?). We have our very own Motorola Droid handset, and although the software isn't final, it's solid enough where we feel comfortable giving you a nice preview of the unit.
Google LatLong:
Evolving the look of Google Maps — Today the Google Maps team is rolling out a number of refinements to the look and feel of our maps, the biggest such changes since we first launched about 4.7 years ago. In that time we've been steadily adding details like walkways, address labels …
Discussion:
Screenwerk, GPS Obsessed, TechCrunch, WebProNews, Google Maps Mania, Maximum PC and AppScout, Thanks:atul
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Video: Symbian Executive Rips into Google's Android — Last week, Lee Williams, executive director at Symbian stopped by in our office to brief me on a new version of Symbian that is going to be released soon. He talked about SEE09, their developer conference in London next week.
BBC:
Universal phone charger approved — A new mobile phone charger that will work with any handset has been approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations body. — Industry body the GSMA predicts that 51,000 tonnes of redundant chargers are generated each year.
Discussion:
GottaBeMobile.com, TECH.BLORGE.com, Fone Arena, GPS Obsessed, T3.com News, Maximum PC, Engadget, EverythingiCafe and Slashdot
John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
Herd Mentality — Conformity is a powerful instinct. There's safety in numbers. You have to be different to be better, but different is scary. — So of course there's some degree of herd mentality in every industry. But I think it's more pronounced, to a pathological degree, in the PC hardware industry.
Nicholas Deleon / CrunchGear:
Video hilarity: Windows 7 launched on a MacBook Pro on NBC's The Today Show — Oh, dear. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was on The Today Show (international viewers: The Today Show is a morning news and entertainment program that airs on NBC, a big TV network here) to unveil Windows 7.
AdAge:
Volkswagen to Rely Solely on IPhone App for GTI Launch — Automaker Says Move is Cost-Efficient Way to Reach Target Demo — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Volkswagen of America is launching the newest-generation GTI exclusively on an iPhone app, a cost-efficient approach the automaker said is a first for the industry.
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Full Circle In Sight As Inventor Of The World Wide Web Signs Up For Twitter — Sir Timothy John “Tim” Berners-Lee, credited for inventing this little thing called the World Wide Web, has signed up for Twitter in a move that could potentially rip a hole in the time/space continuum.
Discussion:
Xconomy, eSarcasm, internetnews.com, Mashable!, Technologizer, broadstuff, Maximum PC, Web 2.0 Summit 2009 and Erictric
Tim Greene / Computerworld:
Avalanche is top phishing gang by far this year — A single group of attackers accounted for a quarter of all phishing in the first half of this year, according to a new study. — A single group of attackers accounted for a quarter of all phishing in the first half of this year, according to a new study.
BBC:
EU adopts tough file-share stance — The European Parliament has given the green light for member states to cut persistent file-sharers off from the net. — It has dropped an amendment to its Telcoms Package which would have made it hard for countries to cut off pirates without court authority.
Discussion:
Techdirt
Douglas MacMillan / Tech Beat:
Million-Dollar Apps — In the course of reporting my feature story on apps for the Web and mobile phones, I asked developers how much money these little pieces of software are actually bringing in. While they are certainly the exception in the sea of 80,000 programs on Apple's App Store …
Elizabeth Woyke / Forbes:
Google's Navigation Bombshell — Location-based service providers suspect the search giant is working on a free navigation app. — Google has a tendency to enter a market, undercut its competitors' prices and put established players out of business. Navigation service providers are wondering if they're next.
Discussion:
Internet2Go
Deborah Gage / PE Hub Blog:
Box.net's Unannounced Funding — The company raised another $7.1 million this month from its current investors — Draper Fisher and U.S. Venture Partners — but kept mum, allowing the new money to be revealed instead by an SEC filing. — Marketing VP Jen Grant told me it's not a new round …
Wine Business:
Amazon Puts Wine Program on Hold — Amazon.com, considered the world's largest online retailer, may be bailing on its wine program, which never really got going, winebusiness.com has learned. After some two years of preparation, Amazon.com appears to be pulling the plug.
Daniel Eran Dilger / AppleInsider:
Apple shuts down ZFS open source project — Apple's efforts to support the development of ZFS, an advanced file system originally created by Sun, were officially terminated today in a notice posted by MacOS Forge. — The tersely worded message only stated that “The ZFS project has been discontinued.
Chris Ziegler / Engadget:
Verizon launching Storm2 on October 28 for $179.99? — Say you're North America's largest wireless carrier — how do you go about burying a product you're about to carry that you secretly wish didn't exist? One creative option would be to opt out of announcing it when its manufacturer does …
Discussion:
Softpedia News, Erictric, Mobilewhack.com, Phone Arena, MobileCrunch and CrackBerry.com blogs
Nilay Patel / Engadget:
Windows 7 student upgrade installer not working for many — The Windows 7 launch seems to have gone off mostly roses and sunbeams, but we're hearing today that quite a few people have had issues installing the downloadable $29 student upgrade edition on 32-bit Vista — apparently the file …
Discussion:
Brainstorm Tech, Lockergnome Blog Network, Erictric, Computerworld, TechSpot, 9 to 5 Mac, I4U News and Lifehacker
Karl Bode / DSLreports:
Who Knew Senior Citizens Hated Net Neutrality? — ‘XYZ Organization’ magically shares AT&T's lobbying positions — We've long criticized the broadband industry's biggest companies for their unethical practices when it comes to DC lobbying, from the creation of artificial consumer groups …
