Top Items:
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).
Discussion:
Download Squad, Ars Technica, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, Search Engine Land, Softpedia News and Computerworld
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Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
Schmidt's privacy flap and Mozilla's potential revenue diversification — Google CEO Eric Schmidt states the obvious—your privacy doesn't exist—and a mini uproar ensues. Even Mozilla's director of community is giving Bing an endorsement over Google after Schmidt's comments. Let's connect a few dots.
Discussion:
Mashable!, blogs.chron.com, GigaOM, Computerworld, Asa Dotzler, Softpedia News, The Register, Geek News Central, bit-tech.net, The Tech Report and WebProNews
Richard / Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Google CEO Eric Schmidt Dismisses the Importance of Privacy — Yesterday, the web was buzzing with commentary about Google CEO Eric Schmidt's dangerous, dismissive response to concerns about search engine users' privacy. When asked during an interview for CNBC's recent “Inside the Mind of Google” …
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
CrunchPad Federal Lawsuit Filed; Some Additional Thoughts — Thursday afternoon we filed a lawsuit against Fusion Garage in the Northern District of California Federal court. The causes of action include Fraud and Deceit, Misappropriation of Business Ideas, Breach of Fiduciary Duty …
Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb:
Why Facebook Changed Its Privacy Strategy — We reported yesterday that Facebook is aiming to get people to be more public on the site and that anyone who hasn't changed their privacy settings will now see it “recommended” that their status updates, photos etc. be exposed to the whole web.
Discussion:
The Register, Light Blue Touchpaper, Chris Saad and Lockergnome Blog Network, Thanks:atul
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Andreaitis / The Not-So Private Parts:
Either Mark Zuckerberg got a whole lot less private or Facebook's CEO doesn't understand the company's new privacy settings. — When Facebook's new privacy settings were rolled out yesterday, many privacy gurus complained that the default setting was for “Everyone” to have access to your Facebook profile …
Discussion:
MediaMemo, The Next Web Network, bizjournals, Stay N' Alive, Brad Ideas, Domain names …, ParisLemon, Gawker, NPR Blogs, Mashable! and eWeek
Eric Eldon / Inside Facebook:
Now, Facebook Lets Users Hide Friends From People Who Are Not Logged In — As part of Facebook's privacy changes yesterday, the company made users' friends publicly available. While there was an option to hide your friends completely from any users who was logged in, that option …
Steve Lohr / Bits:
Microsoft Is Losing Fight for Consumers, Analyst Says — Mark Anderson is the writer behind the Strategic News Service, a predictive newsletter with a wide following among technology executives and venture capitalists, which he publishes from the island redoubt of Friday Harbor …
John Leyden / The Register:
Hackers jailbreak Motorola Droid — These are hot, the Droids you are hacking for — Hackers have successfully jailbroken Motorola's Droid smartphone, allowing users to install applications of their choice outside the set menu offered by operators. — A hardware modder …
JBC / Nokia Conversations:
Nokia 5235 Comes With Music rolls into view — GLOBAL - The new Nokia 5235 Comes With Music promises to bring a plethora of free music to users at a price they might not expect. Based on the 5230, this Comes With Music edition boasts the perfect mix of size, usability and of course as much music as users could ever want.
AppleInsider:
Apple offers free taste of iTunes LP format with ‘Holiday Sampler’ — Apple is promoting its new iTunes LP format with a free downloadable selection of 20 holiday songs from a variety of popular artists. — The free iTunes Holiday Sampler download includes a variety of artists from wide-ranging genres …
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 …
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.
Discussion:
Softpedia News, Engadget, TUAW, ZDNet, Pocket-lint.com, Gizmodo, MacRumors, Electricpig.co.uk, Crave, iLounge, TG Daily and MacDailyNews, Thanks:mrinaldesai
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
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.
Discussion:
Skype Blogs, Softpedia News, Engadget, Electricpig.co.uk, Pocket-lint.com and Skype Journal
Reuters:
Craigslist founder testifies felt betrayed by eBay — GEORGETOWN, Del./SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Craigslist founder Craig Newmark testified on Thursday he decided to trust eBay Inc after a key 2004 meeting in which then-CEO Meg Whitman and other executives said the Internet giant shared the small private company's core values.
Lyle / GM-VOLT:
Chevy Volt Will Connect to Blackberry and iPhone Apps — It is GM's intention to make the Chevy Volt a very wired and connected high-tech car. — We have already known that charging will be programmable at least from the dash. Drivers will be able to set the car to charge, for example …
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Are Microsoft Users More Gullible When It Comes To Online Advertising? — Is there something about people who use Microsoft products that makes them more likely to click on an online ad? Some data from search advertising network Chitika suggests so. Earlier this week …
Discussion:
Search Engine Land
Stephen Shankland / CNET News:
With draft standard, 3D Web closer to reality — 3D graphics became ordinary first in games, then in operating systems, and on Thursday, it took a significant step toward being built into Web browsers as well. — The Khronos Group, which oversees the OpenGL graphics interface …
Discussion:
Download Squad, hacks.mozilla.org, Chromium Blog, Softpedia News, Electronista and Maximum PC
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.
Jenna Wortham / New York Times:
Hamstrung by Delays, Fitbit Explains and Tries to Deliver — Nicholas Cole was determined to shed a few pounds after the holiday season. So when he heard about a nifty new fitness device called the Fitbit Tracker, a wearable sensor that tracks movement, distance traveled and calories burned …
Amy-Mae Elliott / Pocket-lint.com:
Motorola Milestone sells out in less than 3 hours — eXpansys says it's the fastest-selling gadget in its 11-year history — Online retailer eXpansys, the exclusive stockist of the new Motorola Milestone, has revealed the new high-end handset has sold out in record time.
Brian Garner / AppleInsider:
Apple beat Google to Lala deal after failed bid for AdMob - report — Google was in serous discussions with music streaming service Lala before it was sold to Apple earlier this month. — Google and Apple have been battling to purchase some of the same companies in an attempt to gain leverage in the highly competitive tech sector.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Silicon Alley Insider, Gizmodo, The iPhone Blog, Music Ally, GigaOM, hypebot, Edible Apple, Electronista, MacRumors, Communications … and 9 to 5 Mac
Nielsen Wire:
Six Million More Seniors Using the Web than Five Years Ago — While people 65 and older still make up less than 10 percent of the active Internet universe, their numbers are on the rise. In the last five years, the number of seniors actively using the Internet has increased by more than 55 percent …
Matt Rosoff / CNET News:
Vevo CEO confirms it's all about business — Vevo CEO and President Rio Caraeff more or less confirmed on Wednesday my suspicion that the music service was not created to serve a new need for consumers. Rather, it was built to help advertisers and content owners (including labels, artists …
Jacqui Cheng / Ars Technica:
FTC drags out old, tired ideas for protecting kids online — The Federal Trade Commission is always on the lookout for what could be improved “for the children!” and a recent report highlights the newest areas of concern: virtual worlds. In its report released Thursday …
Discussion:
WebProNews
Mark Walsh / MediaPost:
Online Couponing To Climb Beyond Downturn — It's no secret that the recession has been good for the coupon business as budget-conscious consumers look for every way to save money. Surging demand has been especially noticeable online as marketers increasingly shift discount offers and promotions shift to the Web.
Discussion:
Screenwerk
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.
