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2:50 PM ET, December 31, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
XLeung / Cloned In China:
Kaifu Lee said Apple Tablet looked like a bigger iPhone  —  Kaifu Lee, the Ex president of Google China , who also ever worked for Apple, revealed some information about the Apple tablet today through a Twitter alike microblog launched by Chinese news portal Sina.com.cn and his account on this microblog was verified.
RELATED:
John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
The Tablet … —"Just a Touch Away, the Elusive Tablet PC", The New York Times, 4 October 2009  —  Here's the thimbleful of information I have heard regarding The Tablet (none of which has changed in six months): The Tablet project is real, it has you-know-who's considerable undivided attention …
Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider, Thanks:atul
Clayton Morris / Fox News:
Exclusive: Apple's January Announcement Confirmed
Jeff Bertolucci / PC World:
Google: Never Mind the Nexus One, How About a Cheaper Cell Plan?  —  Based on this week's flurry of media reports, it appears that Google will introduce its Nexus One smartphone right after the New Year.  This HTC-built handset sounds like a very good Android phone, a solid effort …
RELATED:
Dan Nosowitz / Gizmodo:
Nerds Win: Nexus One Rooted Before It's Even Officially Unveiled
Discussion: MWD Tech News, I4U News and Engadget
Kelly Hodgkins / Boy Genius Report:
Fresh out of China emerges the Motorola Shadow/Mirage, yet another Motorola Android handset  —  Our Chinese is a bit rusty and the details are sparse but it looks like Motorola may be brewing up another Android-powered handset.  This handset, codenamed the Mirage or the Shadow …
Seth Weintraub / 9 to 5 Mac:
This is why Apple denied Google Latitude from the App Store...  Another Apple patent today looks remarkably similar to the functionality of Google Latitude which Apple relegated to WebApp status earlier this year.  Obviously if Apple is working on their own version of Google Latitude …
The Real McCrea:
Silicon Valley: Top 10 of the 2000s  —  It's all too easy to view the first decade of the 21st Century as just an unmitigated series of disasters: September 11th, the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, and the meltdown of the global financial system, to name just a few.
Discussion: broadstuff, CNN and dailywireless.org, Thanks:chrismessina
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
ChaCha Makes Its Crazy Business Model...Profitable  —  We've always had a lot of fun with Indianapolis-based startup ChaCha.  They launched in 2007 as a human powered search engine - meaning a human found you answers when you typed in a query.  Pranksters, obviously, loved it.
Discussion: Internet2Go
Kim-Mai Cutler and Anthony Ha / VentureBeat:
Nine startup dreams and industries Google crushed in 2009  —  If you're an ambitious young tech entrepreneur with a compelling product hacked together and a slide-deck in hand, there's always one giant elephant in the room to worry about.  —  That, of course, is Google.
Chris / cdixon.org:
What's strategic for Google?  —  Google seems to be releasing or acquiring new products almost daily.  It's one thing for a couple of programmers to hack together a side project.  It's another thing for Google to put gobs of time and money behind it.  The best way to predict how committed Google …
Thanks:atul
Louis Gray:
Like Convergence, Aggregation Is Better In Theory  —  There always seems to be a tug of war in technology between those who want a converged, multi-purpose device that does everything, or those who want a dedicated device that does one thing (or just a few things) extremely well.
Discussion: Lifestream Blog
Rebecca Harper / Hulu Blog:
Live Stream: Times Square 2010  —  With a bit of rain and snow in the forecast for the New Year's Eve festivities in the Big Apple, the team at Hulu HQ can't blame you for wanting to stay warm and dry inside.  The good news?  You can catch all the festivities at home with Hulu.
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
We All Live In Public Now.  Get Used To It.  —  As the Web becomes more social, privacy becomes harder and harder to come by.  People are over-sharing on Facebook and Twitter, broadcasting their whereabouts every ten steps on Foursquare and Gowalla, and uploading photos and videos …
Discussion: /Message
Bob Tedeschi / New York Times:
A Weight-Loss Resolution That's Light on the Wallet  —  For most people who resolve to shed pounds after the holidays, the decision means shelling out cash — on packaged foods, books, health club memberships, a scale, liposuction consultations.  Problem is, the only thing many people end up losing is money.
The Official Google Blog:
Five years of Google blogging  —  It's time again for our annual wrap-up of blogging at Google.  You may have noticed 2009 marked our fifth year here on the Official Google Blog — our first post was in April 2004 — and it was our busiest year yet.  This is our 423rd post of 2009 — a 15 percent increase over last year.
Thanks:mgcreed
Joe Wilcox / BetaNews:
2000-2009: Microsoft's decade of shattered dreams  —  This will be the toughest commentary I likely will ever write about Microsoft.  It is toughest for me to compose because I see what Microsoft could have been in 2009 from where it started in 2000.  It is toughest on Microsoft …
Discussion: paidContent, Thanks:atul
Eric A. Taub / New York Times:
Internet Radio Stations Are the New Wave  —  Early fans of the iPhone bemoaned that, unlike many of its competitors, their favorite “do anything” device couldn't do one obvious thing: play local radio stations.  —  They didn't get it.  FM tuners are passé.
Discussion: The FASTForward Blog
Bret Taylor / Bret Taylor's blog:
Web Sockets in Tornado  —  I have been playing around with HTML 5 Web Sockets for a personal project.  The Web Sockets API enables web browsers to maintain a bi-directional communication channel to a server, which in turn makes implementing real-time web sites about 1000% easier than it is today.
Monica Chen / DigiTimes:
Asustek reportedly considering removing departments making Eee Stick and LCD displays  —  Asustek Computer is reportedly considering closing down the departments that handle the development of its Eee Stick, LCD TV and monitor product lines due to unsatisfactory shipments and profits, according to industry sources.
Discussion: CrunchGear, Liliputing and SlashGear
Mia / YouTube Blog:
YouTube's Top 10 Launches of 2009  —  Did you know that we released more features in 2009 than in 2007 and 2008 combined?  This made it the busiest year on record for the YouTube product and engineering teams.  Some of these launches, like support for 1080p, made sizable splashes, while others …
Thomas Hoehn / A Thousand Words:
Your Photo in Times Square - When You Want It There!  —  Will you be visiting Times Square in the heart of New York City soon?  Perhaps you will be in the crowd on New Year's Eve?  If so, we have got something cool for you to try....  We recently upgraded our huge digital display on the 50-yard line of the Crossroads of the World.
AppleInsider:
Apple TV 3.0 update not helping sales as AirPort routers lose share  —  Though it was given a software upgrade to version 3.0 in October, Apple TV sales have remained relatively flat over the past 12 months.  Similarly, sales of AirPort base stations have struggled to gain momentum due …
Discussion: Macsimum News
Rory Cellan-Jones / dot.life:
Plastic Logic's long journey to Vegas  —  In Las Vegas next week, a twenty-five year journey could come to a successful conclusion, when a British company launches what it believes will be a triumphant combination of science and technology.  Plastic Logic's e-reader, the Que …
Lauren Goode / Digits:
Fluenz Hopes to Help Users to Fluency  —  Language instruction may not seem like a ticket to riches.  But Rosetta Stone, which specializes in the field, became one of 2009's most heralded initial public offerings before running into subsequent headwinds.  Now Fluenz has entered the fray.
 
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 More Items: 
Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land:
Google Updates Toolbar PageRank For New Years 2010
Gregg Keizer / Computerworld:
Apple misses Boot Camp update deadline
Jonny Evans / 9 to 5 Mac:
Apple beats ‘ear-bashing iPod’ suit
Discussion: Macworld, Ars Technica and Gizmodo
Don Clark / Wall Street Journal:
‘Smartbooks’ Join Crowded PC Market
Discussion: The Toybox
Juventino Quinones / My Pre:
Palm App Catalog is About to Reach 1000 Apps
Discussion: WebOS Arena and Maximum PC
Arn / MacRumors:
Apple ‘Magic Wand’ Remote System Patent for Apple TV Resurfaces
Discussion: GoNintendo, 9 to 5 Mac and Gizmodo
 Earlier Items: 
Rich Miller / Data Center Knowledge:
How Many Servers Can One Admin Manage?
Tom Warren / Neowin.net:
Microsoft & Kia set to launch Ford Sync competitor at CES
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
John Mayer Wants You To Defragment Your Brain With A Digital Cleanse
Discussion: one forty plus. and Gizmodo
Carl Malamud / O'Reilly Radar:
A National Scan Center: A Public Works Project
Daniel Brusilovsky / TechCrunch:
At Foursquare Venues, The Mayor Eats For Free
Discussion: Internet2Go and GPS Obsessed
Reuters:
Tweets, sexting “unfriended” in U.S. banned word list
Jeff Bertolucci / PC World:
Microsoft Zune Eats Apple iPod Dust in Holiday Sales
Discussion: Download Squad and The Register
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Analyzing Comcast's spinoff of cable networks, purposefully structured with low debt: the move might be a signal to the industry that it's time to consolidate

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
James Harding says the Tortoise-Observer deal could create a profitable media group and there isn't a guaranteed future for the Observer with the Guardian

Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Tubi launches Scenes, a mobile feature that lets viewers watch 60-to-90-second trailer-style clips from its library to help with content discovery

 
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