Top Items:
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
Does Apple need to refresh iTunes? Probably — Apple's purchase of streaming music service Lala reportedly represents a shift in the company's iTunes strategy. The aim: Make iTunes more Web friendly. — The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is looking to give consumers more ways …
Discussion:
BetaNews, Gadget Lab, Inside Facebook, GigaOM, The Atlantic Business Channel, VentureBeat, iLounge, The Apple Core, Wall Street Journal, TUAW, Webmonkey, Electricpig.co.uk, MediaPost, Fast Company, Mashable!, The iPhone Blog, Digits, Gizmodo, ArcticStartup, Macsimum News, Electronista, EverythingiCafe, MacRumors, Pocket-lint.com, The Huffington Post and 9 to 5 Mac
Forbes:
The Death of the PC — Well, not quite yet. But among corporate customers, the future is beginning to look very uncertain. — Throughout the computer industry companies of all sizes, from garage startups to Microsoft, are bracing for the possibility that their future will be in the hands of people like Sean Whetstone.
Thanks:atul
KRAPPS:
Official Playboy App Approved, For The Articles Of Course! — We're willing to bet our left nut that Hugh Hefner is a member of the “Cult Of Mac” as Playboy has always been quick to embrace Apple's emerging technologies. In 2004, Playboy introduced iBod ... a set of specially formatted thumbnail images …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, TechCrunch, mocoNews, Gadget Lab, Neowin.net, The Huffington Post and Mobile Whack
Kat Hannaford / Gizmodo:
Why I Hate Ereaders, And Doubt They'll Ever Hit the Mainstream — It started with Sony. Like most poorly thought-out format ideas from the Japanese titan, 2004's Librie ereader promised a revolutionary new way to perform an act you never realized needed an overhaul. Reading.
Brad Linder / Download Squad:
Skype 4.2 beta for Windows adds call transfer, Chrome browser plugin — Skype has released a new beta version of its internet communication client. Skype 4.2 beta for Windows includes a number of minor improvements and a couple of major new features including the ability to transfer calls.
RELATED:
Raul / Skype Garage:Skype for Symbian beta release
Discussion:
IntoMobile, Skype Journal, GigaOM, Voice on the Web, Fone Arena, InformationWeek, jkOnTheRun, All About Symbian, Engadget Mobile and Phone Scoop
Alastair Tse / Google Mobile Blog:
New version of Google Mobile App for iPhone in the App Store — Hello, iPhone users! We have just received the good news that our new version of Google Mobile App for iPhone was approved and is now available on in the App Store everywhere. — In this version, we have a redesigned search results display …
Discussion:
eWeek, MobileCrunch, IntoMobile, WebProNews, PC World, Search Engine Land, InformationWeek, Obsessable, EverythingiCafe, CNET News, FierceMobileContent, The Apple Core, MacRumors iPhone Blog, Softpedia News, Internet2Go, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, Pocket-lint.com, Lifehacker, Phone Scoop, 9 to 5 Mac, AppScout, ReadWriteWeb and The Next Web Network, Thanks:atul
Stuart Miles / Pocket-lint.com:
Dell Android tablet hitting CES 2010 — Dell is to launch an Android-based tablet device, Pocket-lint has learnt, possibly beating the also rumoured Apple tablet to the market. — The new model, which will go up against the currently available Archos Internet Tablet and recently announced JooJoo …
Discussion:
MediaFile, SlashGear, Boy Genius Report, VentureBeat, PC World, Engadget, Maximum PC, I4U News, GottaBeMobile.com and Android Central
Marisa Taylor / Digits:
The Woz Says He'll Buy Apple Tablet, Steve Jobs Doing Well — Steve Wozniak may no longer be an active Apple employee, but he's still a loyal shopper, saying Wednesday that he'll buy the much-discussed Apple tablet once it's released next year. … “If there is such a thing,” he said at a conference.
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
The Social Times/AllFacebook Acquired By WebMediaBrands — The Social Times, the company behind AllFacebook.com, has been acquired by WebMediaBrands. We've confirmed the news with Social Times founder Nick O'Neill, who will be joining WebMediaBrands as Director of Social Times.
Ina Fried / CNET News:
Mozilla worker touts Bing over Google, citing privacy — Google CEO Eric Schmidt is the latest Silicon Valley CEO to draw ire after suggesting that folks seeking privacy might not want to look to the Internet to find it. — “I think judgment matters,” Schmidt said, appearing on CNBC (see video below).
Grant Gross / PC World:
GAO: FCC Needs to Better Monitor Mobile Carriers — The U.S. Federal Communications Commission needs to improve its oversight of mobile telephone carriers, because the agency has no way to measure the outcomes of the tens of thousands of complaints it receives each year …
Discussion:
mocoNews, Computerworld, The Register, CNET News, eWeek, DSLreports, Electronista, FierceWireless and Between the Lines
Quentin Hardy / Forbes:
When Google Runs Your Life — Forbes Magazine dated December 28, 2009 — Eric Schmidt wants to merge play and work on the desktop. Is that such a terrible thing? … Your day begins with a wake-up call from your Google Android phone. As you run to the shower, you hit Google News and check headlines, then Gmail.
Discussion:
NBC Bay Area
Andy Greenberg / Forbes:
The Year's Most-Hacked Software — Move over, Microsoft. This year Adobe took center stage for cybercriminals. — At the beginning of this decade, Microsoft represented a cybercriminal's dream target: universally-used software, brimming with bugs ready to be exploited to hijack users' PCs.
Thomas Ricker / Engadget:
Eldar Murtazin: “Foxconn received order for next generation iPhone” — You've heard of Twitter, right? What about Eldar Murtazin, heard of him? He's editor in chief of Mobile Review and the ultimate insider when it come to all things mobile. So when we see a Tweet like this:
Neil Hughes / AppleInsider:
Apple investigates tamper-resistant hardware, iPod motion controls — New patent applications revealed this week show Apple has worked on new methods to discourage users from opening its hardware and voiding its warranty, as well as extending additional accelerometer controls to iPod playback.
Taylor Wimberly / Android and Me:
T-Mobile adds new payment options for Android Market purchases — T-Mobile told us carrier billing for Android apps was coming and we speculated it could arrive by December 11. They surprised us by quietly pushing the update out last night. Beginning December 9, T-Mobile and Google began rolling …
Discussion:
T-Mobile Forums, TmoNews, MobileCrunch, Gadgetsteria, jkOnTheRun, Phone Scoop, Electronista and Android Central
Emma Barnett / Telegraph:
LeWeb: ‘Google to buy Twitter’ rumour re-surfaces — Jack Dorsey, Twitter founder and chairman, has re-ignited rumours that Google could buy the microblogging service. — During a panel session entitled: ‘European Gang Live’ at LeWeb 09 in Paris, Mr Dorsey was asked if Google was planning on acquiring Twitter.
Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:
Search & Real Time Madness — Make no mistake. I think real time search is indeed one of the most exciting developments that's happened in the search space in years. But I also think search engines are acting a bit like cats getting a sniff of catnip. They're high on real time search and acting kind of crazy.
Business Times:
Malaysia's MOL Global to buy Friendster — Malaysia's MOL Global will buy US social-networking service provider Friendster Inc. MOL Global Ltd expects to generate US$110 million in annual revenue from the takeover, chief executive officer Ganesh Kumar Bangah told reporters in Kuala Lumpur after the signing ceremony today.
Discussion:
Financial Times, Download Squad, paidContent, MediaMemo, VentureBeat, Epicenter, Guardian, PR Newswire, Between the Lines, Softpedia News, Tech Trader Daily, PC World, CNET News, GigaOM, Mashable! and TechCrunch, Thanks:amanfirdaus
Jennifer Van Grove / Mashable!:
Posterous Makes a Play for Business Blogs — Posterous has long supported group blogging functionality, which is 100 percent manageable via a clever and simple method: e-mail. Perhaps the one downside to Posterous group blogs has been that the original group creator's bio and information appears front and center on the group page.
Janko Roettgers / NewTeeVee:
4 Out of 5 Viewers Leave If a Stream Buffers Once — Whatever happened to patience? More than 81 percent of all online video viewers click away if they encounter a clip rebuffering, according to a new study by Tubemogul. The Emeryville-based video distribution and analytics startup took …
DigiTimes:
Asustek planning to launch Eee Pad device — Asustek Computer is making preparations to launch a new device named Eee Pad featuring a 4- to 7-inch panel, and which will offer a combination of tablet PC and MID functions, according to industry sources. Current details of the Eee Pad suggest …
Discussion:
Engadget, Mashable!, TeleRead, VentureBeat, The Tech Report, Liliputing, SlashGear, Maximum PC, I4U News, 9 to 5 Mac, Pocket-lint.com and GottaBeMobile.com
Nicholas Carlson / Silicon Alley Insider:
CONFIRMED: Playdom Hires Wall Street Analyst As CFO — Confirming our earlier story, social games startup Playdom today announced it hired Thomas Wiesel Internet analyst Christa Quarles to be its CFO. — The thought is Playdom's Wall Street-friendly choice could mean it's eyeing an IPO.
Discussion:
Inside Social Games
Lee Mathews / Download Squad:
Jolicloud pre-beta now ready for download, and I love it — While Chrome OS has been getting the lion's share of netbook/smartbook buzz of late, Tariq Krim and company have been steadfastly plugging away at Jolicloud. — Today, the Jolicloud pre-beta has been released and is ready …
Tom Warren / Neowin.net:
Windows Live Messenger 2010 revealed — We promised you a look at Windows Live Messenger 2010 earlier this week when we revealed Microsoft is planning both Bing and Messenger iPhone applications next year. — Thanks to an anonymous tipster we received several screenshots of Microsoft's upcoming Messenger client due in 2010.
Discussion:
Ars Technica, Maximum PC, ithinkdifferent, Redmond Pie, Softpedia News, LiveSide, GeekSmack, The Next Web Network and Download Squad
Lex Friedman / Macworld:
Adobe dropping Flash support for older Macs — PEOPLE WHO READ THIS ALSO READ: — Were Macworld prone to tabloid-style controversy, we might use this paragraph to boldly declare that Adobe is dropping Mac support for Flash! — But Macworld is about the cold, hard facts. And the facts are these:
Nicholas Deleon / MobileCrunch:
Samsung bringing its familiar charging stations to colleges around the U.S. — Well here's ones way to get your “brand” out there. Samsung will install its mobile chargers (you might have seen them at airports here and there) at 15 colleges around the U.S. That's just step one.
Discussion:
SlashGear
Reuters:
French army sides with Mozilla in Microsoft email war — PARIS/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A new email client unveiled by Mozilla this week contains code from an unusual source — the French military, which decided the open source product was more secure than Microsoft's rival Outlook.
Discussion:
GigaOM, Microsoft Watch, Boy Genius Report, DailyTech, The Microsoft Blog and The Open Road, Thanks:blogfisher
Larry Magid / CNET News:
13 more sites expel NY sex offenders — Sites owned by Yahoo, AOL, and Google have joined Facebook and MySpace in expelling New York sex offenders from their rolls. — New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that Google's Orkut.com, AOL's Bebo.com, and Yahoo's Flickr.com …
