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2:40 PM ET, December 29, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
David / TmoNews:
T-Mobile “Officially” Confirms Google Phone  —  Update: Our sources are confirming a January 5th date, 9am, ordering through Google ONLY.  Sadly, still no word on pricing.  —  T-Mobile has gone and made their expected support of the Google Phone aka Nexus One “official” this morning, albeit in a vague sort of way.
RELATED:
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily:
Google Announces Jan. 5 Android Event  —  This just in: Google will host an Android press gathering at its global HQ on Jan. 5 (click on image below to enlarge).  Presumably, the event will have something to do with the company's Nexus One, an Android phone that Google plans to sell …
RELATED:
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
The Apple Tablet: Will It Be Called iSlate, iGuide, Or Something Else?  —  After discovering that Apple had registered iSlate.com in late 2006 (we dug a little deeper and found trademarks had been filed for ‘ISLATE’ in both the United States and Europe by a company that was most likely …
Hans / QuickPWN:
iSlate is an eBook reader by Apple, not a Tablet  —  Many rumors of Apple launching an Apple tablet, which is believed to be a large tablet version of the iPhone/iPod touch have been spreading around.  The latest rumor suggests that it will be called an iSlate.
Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb:
It Was a Facebook Christmas; Site Hits #1 in US For First Time  —  Christmas is a holiday that brings people together, so perhaps it should be no surprise that Facebook has become a part of millions of peoples' Christmas experiences.  For the first time in its history, Facebook was the #1 …
AppleInsider:
Magic Mouse helps Apple double share of market in 8 weeks  —  Apple's new Magic Mouse helped Apple see a twofold increase in its share of domestic mice sales last month, AppleInsider has learned, garnering the Mac maker a double-digit slice of the market for the first time ever.
Azaria Jagger / Gawker:
Escaped Inmate Taunts Cops with Facebook Pictures and Status Updates  —  Remember how, in Catch Me If You Can, fugitive Leonardo DiCaprio kept calling Detective Tom Hanks to taunt him?  Here is a convicted burglar doing the same thing, in real time on Facebook.  Should we celebrate or fear him?
Discussion: All Facebook and Mirror.co.uk
Neil Fraser's News:
Google Multivac  —  In 1958 Isaac Asimov wrote a short story titled “All the Troubles of the World” (included in the collection “Nine Tomorrows").  It described a world transformed by Multivac, a giant all-knowing computer.  Asimov died in 1992, a mere four years before Larry and Sergey started …
Andrew Parker / Financial Times:
O2 says sorry for snags in London network  —  has apologised to customers who could not make phone calls because the mobile operator's London network was overwhelmed by bandwidth-hungry smartphones.  —  Ronan Dunne told the Financial Times he was disappointed with O 2 's network performance in London since the summer.
Darren Murph / Engadget:
Ford becomes first automaker to offer HD Radio with iTunes tagging  —  If you thought the automakers would be leaving CES to the TV and PMP makers, Ford would like to have a word with you.  A few words, actually.  Aside from announcing that in-car WiFi will be available next year …
Gary Merson / HDGURU.Com:
DirecTV To Launch A 3D Channel-HD Guru Exclusive  —  (December 28, 2009) DirecTV intends to launch the first US 3D HDTV channel early next year.  The satellite TV provider plans to make the announcement at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 7th.
RELATED:
dtv.client.shareholder.com:   DIRECTV HD and Movie Choices to Get a Lift With Successful Satellite Launch
Michael Grothaus / TUAW:
Apple drops MacBook to $899 for students  —  Just a quick note that the online Apple Store has quietly dropped their white MacBook from $949 to $899 for students, teachers, and faculty members.  Some buyers are even seeing pricing as low as $728, according to Engadget.
Discussion: Engadget, Macworld and Macsimum News
Kat Hannaford / Gizmodo:
Rumor: 8GB iPhone 3GS Imminent?  —  Could Apple be giving the iPhone 3G the slip, replacing the $99 model with an 8GB iPhone 3GS?  It certainly seemed plausible when we first heard about it, and now a forum-dweller has received packaging suggesting it could be true.
Chris Ziegler / Engadget:
Ten years of BlackBerry  —  The year is 1999.  Bill Clinton is the President of the United States, gas is 94 cents a gallon, Bondi Blue iMacs are a staple in dorm rooms across the country, and Microsoft is trying to bring the desktop Windows experience to the pocket, pushing its Palm-size PC concept …
Discussion: BlackBerry Cool and CrackBerry.com blogs, Thanks:atul
Bloomberg:
Netflix Envoy to Wary Hollywood Pitches Web-Viewed Film Rentals to Studios  —  Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) — Netflix Inc. Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos bypassed Hollywood to jumpstart the company's online film-rental business last year.  Now he has to convince the studios the company is a friend and not a foe.
Totlol:
The story of Totlol  —  Prelude - a trap set up by Google Every start-up has a story.  This is the story of Totlol.  Because I did everything myself, it is also the story of almost two years of my life.  It's the story of a flourishing service into which I put tons of work.
Discussion: GigaOM, Thanks:atul
Kevin Helliker / Wall Street Journal:
Daring to Live Your Life Offline  —  When reporting a story, I sometimes need to find a particular kind of person—someone who's battling cancer, or who recently switched banks, or who owns both a Chevy pickup and Toyota sedan.  —  At such moments, I call my brother Keith, a telecommunications worker in eastern Kansas.
Thanks:atul
Aaron Ricadela / Business Week:
Google's Chrome OS Cited as Likely Hacker Vehicle  —  The HTML 5 technology intended to power Google's forthcoming computer operating system can access a PC online or off, warns security vendor McAfee  —  Google's computer operating system, due to be released next year …
Trevor Johnston / Google LatLong:
Plan a trip in one click  —  Why should trip planning be any more complicated than opening your browser and entering the name of your favourite city?  Six months ago we launched City Tours on Google Labs with the goal of making vacation planning as easy as searching the web.
Dan Butterfield / iPhonAsia.com:
China Unicom has now sold 300,000 iPhones  —  iPhone sales are building momentum in China.  On the heels of a major iPhone advertising campaign, last week China Unicom launched a 46-city iPhone roadshow/education campaign.  Today we've learned that China Unicom has now passed the 300,000 iPhone sales threshold.
Times of London:
Why we can never rest: a year in the life of Twitter  —  ON June 15, our technicians told me to add a note to our website, writes Biz Stone, a co-founder of Twitter.  —  The note warned users of a planned maintenance session that meant our service would be inaccessible while we carried out an overdue system upgrade.
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Brainstorm Tech:
Mr. iFart appeals to Steve Jobs  —  The developer of the iPhone's No. 1 flatulence app says Apple's policies stink  —  UPDATE: Apple on Monday quietly approved Joel Comm's Ka-Ching Button app, one month after he posted his video appeal.  —  “We added a simple options button that lets people select …
Discussion: JoelComm.com and The iPhone Blog
Brian Prince / eWeek:
Mobile Phone Encryption Crack Downplayed by GSMA  —  The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) claims the latest attack on the A5/1 encryption algorithm is not practical.  —  Security researchers have cracked the encryption code used to protect most of the world's digital …
Discussion: dailywireless.org and Macworld
Brooke Crothers / CNET News:
Verizon sees rise of ‘slate’ computers in 2010  —  Verizon is looking closely at “slate” computers as it plans to expand its portfolio of offerings in 2010.  —  In an interview, Brian Ullem, who heads emerging devices for Verizon Wireless, discussed slate computers (aka tablets) …
 
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 More Items: 
Jonny Evans / 9 to 5 Mac:
‘Welcome to Macintosh’ hits CNBC Jan 4
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Spreezio Serves Up Deals From Merchants Based On Where You Live
Discussion: BIA/Kelsey Blog
Nick O'Neill / All Facebook:
Facebook Upgrades Notes Application To Post Feed Images
Alexei Oreskovic / Reuters:
AT&T site resumes selling iPhone to NYC residents
Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider
Wall Street Journal:
Keep a Civil Cybertongue
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Will good come from the huge piracy of Modern Warfare 2?
 Earlier Items: 
Jonny Evans / 9 to 5 Mac:
Apple sells 1.8million-2 million iPhones in France in 2009
Discussion: MacRumors iPhone Blog
Dan Frommer / Silicon Alley Insider:
Wow!  2 Million Downloads For ‘Tap Tap Revenge 3’ Since Going Free Last Week
Discussion: Pulse2 and MacNN