Top Items:
The Official Google Blog:
Investing in a mobile future with AdMob — We're happy to announce today that we have signed an agreement to acquire AdMob, a mobile display advertising company based in San Mateo, CA. AdMob is a great Silicon Valley story — founded in 2006 by Omar Hamoui when he couldn't find good ways to generate traffic for his mobile site.
Discussion:
Google, Googling Google, TechCrunch, Mashable!, Wall Street Journal, Download Squad, CNET News, AdMob, Venture Capital Dispatch, Kelsey Group Blogs, MediaNama, Computerworld, Bloomberg, pluGGd.in, Forbes, blogs.ft.com, The Register, VentureBeat, BoomTown, paidContent, ReadWriteWeb, Maximum PC, The Forrester Blog …, Search Engine Land, internetnews.com, HighContrast, GigaOM, ChannelWeb, AppScout, App Advice, The Blog Herald, dailywireless.org, Mobile Knots, www.pocketgamer.biz, Mobile Industry Review, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, Search Engine Journal, Open Gardens and Between the Lines
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Tricia Duryee / mocoNews:
Is Google Gearing Up To Buy A Second Mobile Ad Network? — Google (NSDQ: GOOG) may be paying $750 million in stock for AdMob, but even once the acquisition closes, it will continue to have a significant hole in its mobile advertising offerings. — That's because neither Google or AdMob …
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Exclusive: Google Has Acquired Gizmo5 — Last month Skype was in talks to acquire VoIP startup Gizmo5. It was a perfect backup plan in case all that IP litigation didn't work out. - Gizmo5's SIP infrastructure could theoretically replace Skype's proprietary P2P back end.
Emma Barnett / Telegraph:
Google: Rupert Murdoch can block us if he wants to — Google has clarified that it will not index publishers against their wishes, in response to Rupert Murdoch's threat to block the search engine from his newspapers' websites. — A spokesman for the search giant said …
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Markcuban / blog maverick:
Rupert Murdoch to Block Google = Smart = Twitter has changed it all. — Rupert Murdoch has said that his Newscorp sites are going to block Google indexes. Of course, all the netizens freak out when this happens. Which I love. — I love to tweak all the internet information must be free bigots.
Discussion:
Sky News, I, Cringely, Hitwise Intelligence, Digits, Search Engine Watch, Kindle Review, PC World, Mashable!, Lockergnome Blog Network, Techdirt, Technologizer and MediaPost
Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:
Why An Exclusive Wall Street Journal Deal Wouldn't Help Bing — With Rupert Murdoch talking about blocking Google, Jason Calacanis suggests that Murdoch should cut an exclusive deal with Bing, which if it doesn't Google might at least 10% search share within 6 months. I suggest Jason needs a reality check.
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Social Networks Continue To Rally Around Twitter As LinkedIn Goes Tweet Crazy Too — Professional social network LinkedIn has long had a feature that lets users update their status on their profile. But it's plainly obvious that LinkedIn users don't nearly use the status feature …
Discussion:
The LinkedIn Blog, The Social, VentureBeat, blogs.ft.com, Bits, ReadWriteWeb, Tech Beat and Mashable!
Laura Melahn / The Official Google Blog:
Fifty states of Street View — In 1959 Hawaii became the 50th state admitted to the union. Today, 50 years later, we're including Hawaii as the 50th state in Street View on Google Maps. With our imagery of Oahu and Maui, you can now take a virtual vacation to white sandy beaches …
Discussion:
Google LatLong, Google Mobile Blog, Search Engine Journal, ResourceShelf and Google Maps Mania
Brad / Liliputing:
OS X 10.6.2 is out: Intel Atom support not included — Apple pushed out OS X 10.6.2 today, and while the latest Snow Leopard update fixes a whole slew of bugs, it introduces one major problem for netbook hackintosh builders: It doesn't seem to work with the Intel Atom processor.
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Todd Bishop / TechFlash:
Microsoft patent controversy? Not much anymore, Novell says — Microsoft and Novell today are marking the third anniversary of what was, at the time it was announced, a surprising business and technical agreement bridging proprietary and open source software.
Laurie Sullivan / MediaPost:
Microsoft Bing Gives WiFi Users Free Search — Microsoft's Bing and JiWire will announce Monday an advertising campaign, along with the results, that lets consumers gain free WiFi Internet access at participating hot spots in exchange for one search on the engine.
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Kip Kniskern / LiveSide:
Hey, a new Bing maps interface! — Just saw a tweet by Doc Searls (who likes the Birds Eye View) saying that the Bing Map Server was “temporarily unavailable”, so we checked and found a new interface: — The navigation bars look to be simplified, and “Get Directions” is featured prominently on the www.bing.com/maps page.
Rob Jackson / Android Phone Fans:
Motorola Droid OTA Update Coming December 11th? — The Motorola Droid was launched less than a week ago but we're already eying a December 11th OTA update that will cure a defined list of software issues. Defined by who, you ask? Verizon Wireless themselves.
Jeremy Wagstaff / loose wire blog:
Hundreds of Facebook Groups Hacked — A hacker, or group of hackers, has found a back door into taking over Facebook groups, and is now doing so, claiming it to be a public service. It has taken over up to 300 different Facebook groups so far. — This is an example of one:
Caroline McCarthy / The Social:
‘Elf Yourself’ returns with Facebook and Twitter power — It's that time of year again, when you trawl the Web for unflattering mugshots of your boss to embed on the bodies of dancing elves with the “Elf Yourself” holiday card promotion, going live for the fourth consecutive year on Tuesday.
Arik Hesseldahl / Tech Beat:
RIM Teams With Adobe, Shows New Blackberry Features — Blackberry maker Research In Motion is holding its Blackberry Developers Conference in San Francisco today, and is expected to announce some significant enhancements to its platform to give people building software for the device more features.
Discussion:
Research in Motion, PC World, Engadget, Ryan Stewart, TechCrunch, CNET News, internetnews.com, IntoMobile, Mashable!, PC Magazine, Bits, Reuters, Electronista, Between the Lines and Music Ally
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Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb:
Rdio: First Screenshots Leaked of Skype Founders' New Music Service — We've been lucky enough to get our hands on leaked screenshots from one version of Rdio, the forthcoming music app from Skype, KaZaA and Joost creators Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis. Zennstrom and Friis …
Discussion:
The Next Web
Tom / Tom's MAD Blog:
Apple Rejects My Caricature App — Just yesterday I was complaining about how Apple sometimes treats its customers as if they were stupid. — I had no idea how right I was. — Back in the late summer movie director/entrepreneur Ray Griggs, for whom I did all that art for his movie …
Nicholas Carlson / Silicon Alley Insider:
EA Acquires Playfish For Up To $400 Million — Electronic Arts (ERTS) has acquired Facebook games-maker Playfish for up to $400 Million. We've been reporting rumors about the deal for weeks. — Playfish revenues were reportedly set to reach $75 million this year.
Wei Zhu / Facebook Developers:
Start Building with the Microsoft SDK for Facebook Platform — We're excited to announce our official support for the Microsoft SDK for Facebook Platform, which Microsoft released today. This SDK contains rich social features and offers something for almost any kind of Facebook developer …
Bankston / Electronic Frontier Foundation:
From EFF's Secret Files: Anatomy of a Bogus Subpoena — Can the U.S. government secretly subpoena the IP address of every visitor to a political website? No, but that didn't stop it from trying. — In a report released today, EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston tells the story …
Discussion:
CNET News
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Buy Any Company In Under 5 Seconds, Courtesy Of LinkedIn — A not so well thought-out feature - or defect - allows any LinkedIn user to indicate the company they work for has acquired, merged with or become a division of another company without any third-party verification whatsoever.
Discussion:
the colnect experience
Dan Goodin / The Register:
Bot herders hide master control channel in Google cloud — Google AppEngine co-opted — Cyber criminals' love affair with cloud computing just got steamier with the discovery that Google's AppEngine was tapped to act as the master control channel that feeds commands to large networks of infected computers.
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Intel introduces a digital book reader that reads aloud to the blind — Ben Foss grew up with dyslexia, a visual impairment so severe that his mother had to read books to him throughout his school years, all the way through college. Now 36, he is spearheading the launch of a remarkable device …
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
Sprint to cut 2,000 to 2,500 jobs — Sprint Nextel said it will cut 2,000 to 2,500 positions in the fourth quarter in an effort to save $350 million. — The cuts will be completed by Dec. 31. — According to a statement, Sprint will cut jobs across the company, including its wholesale unit and contractors.