Top Items:
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily:
Major Apple Product Announcement Set for Wednesday, Jan. 27 — So, that rumored Apple event everyone has been jawing about these past few weeks? It's on and it's going to be a big deal. — Sources in a position to know tell me Apple (AAPL) is indeed planning a media event later this month …
Discussion:
Macworld, CNET News, AppleInsider, Digits, Phone Arena, TG Daily, Macsimum News, Tech Trader Daily, 9 to 5 Mac, OSNews, Ars Technica, Electronista, TechSpot, Silicon Alley Insider, Technologizer, I4U News, TUAW, MacRumors, EverythingiCafe, Daring Fireball, GeekSugar, LOOPRumors and Gizmodo
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MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Pinging In The New Year: Seesmic Acquires Ping.fm — Well that didn't take long. Just four days in 2010 and we already have an acquisition. Social networking application Seesmic has acquired the social status updater Ping.fm. — The move positions the various Seesmic applications …
Discussion:
The Next Web, Mashable!, CNET News, alarm:clock, louisgray.com, GigaOM, paidContent, ReadWriteWeb, VentureBeat, Ping.fm Blog, RotorBlog.com, GMSV and silicontap.com
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Loïc Le Meur / Seesmic Blog:
We've acquired Ping.fm. Get ready to update 50 social networks from Seesmic — Your friends are not all in one social network, but we want to help you stay in touch with them anytime and from any device. That is Seesmic's vision and to deliver this faster, we have acquired Ping.fm.
David Colker / L.A. Times Tech Blog:
Facebook fights back, disallows the Suicide Machine — Like the computer in the movie “2001,” Facebook is struggling to keep its profiles from virtual extinction at the hands of its arch enemy - the Web 2.0 Suicide Machine. — The Suicide Machine is a clever Web site out of the Netherlands …
Discussion:
PC World, All Facebook, The Next Web, Digits, Softpedia News, Network World, Mashable! and Rev2.org
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Google And Spotify Dance Over U.S. Launch — Spotify. The elusive European streaming music startup that you just can't get access to in the U.S., unless you know someone or jump through a few hoops. — The U.S. launch has been delayed over aggressive negotiations with the labels …
changewaveresearch.com:
New Survey Shows Android OS Roiling the Smart Phone Market — Google's (GOOG) Android mobile operating system was released more than a year ago, midst high expectations it would change the smart phone market. But the big transformation never materialized - until now.
Discussion:
Computerworld, Silicon Alley Insider, Brainstorm Tech, AppleInsider, Macworld, Tech Beat, 901am and Android Central, Thanks:atul
Nilay Patel / Engadget:
Nokia asks ITC to ban iPhone, iPod, and MacBook imports, files another lawsuit against Apple — Looks like Nokia is going all-out in its patent fight with Apple: in addition to the lawsuit it's filed over GSM standards and last week's International Trade Commission complaint …
Discussion:
mocoNews, Maximum PC, 9 to 5 Mac, MacRumors, AppleInsider, IntoMobile, TUAW, EverythingiCafe and Phone Scoop
Kara Swisher / BoomTown:
Exclusive: VMware Likely to Buy Zimbra from Yahoo — Yahoo is close to selling its Zimbra unit to VMware, according to several sources close to the situation. — Sources said the deal will be announced soon, but the price for the open-source email unit was still unclear.
Discussion:
CNET News, TheStreet.com, Between the Lines, Tech Trader Daily, virtualization.info and Silicon Alley Insider
Business Wire:
Flixster Inc. Acquires Rotten Tomatoes From IGN Entertainment — Combination of Top Brands Creates a Leader in the Online Movie Space, Reaching 30 Million Monthly Moviegoers; IGN to Receive Equity Stake in Flixster — SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Flixster Inc., producer …
Discussion:
Mashable!, paidContent, TechCrunch, ReadWriteWeb, MediaMemo, Silicon Alley Insider, /Film, bub.blicio.us and The Next Web
Jonny Evans / 9 to 5 Mac:
Coming soon: Apple's $20 billion revenue explosion — Blink and you may have missed it in among the seasonal festivities and dawn of the new decade, but CNBC's December 30 Power Lunch show gave a little insight into the power behind Apple's stock advance, with Phil Cusick …
Discussion:
Between the Lines
Caroline McCarthy / The Social:
Fresh legal woes for ConnectU founders — It must have been quite the unwanted holiday gift: CNET has learned that there's a new lawsuit on the table against Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the identical twins who alleged that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their code and business plan …
Jay Yarow / Silicon Alley Insider:
Hearst Shows Off Its Snazzy E-Reader, The Skiff Reader — Hearst released images of a new e-reader, the Skiff Reader, which it will begin selling later this year for a price it has yet to announce. — It will be the thinnest e-reader to hit the market, weighing just over a pound and sporting an 11.5" touch screen.
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Brad Stone / New York Times:
Trying to Add Portability to Movie Files — It is easy to take a DVD to a friend's house and watch it on his TV. But things are more complicated when digital video downloads are involved. A movie file bought from Blockbuster.com will not work on a Sony HDTV, for example …
Discussion:
NewTeeVee, Gizmodo, 24/7 Wall St., The iPhone Blog, Maximum PC, Techland, Electronista and Daily Patricia
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Social Network Removes 5,000 Users For Putting On Weight During Holiday Season — No doubt seeking attention by making controversial decisions and statements, elitist social networking site BeautifulPeople.com says it has kicked out 5,000 users because other members signaled that they became …
Chris Silver Smith / Search Engine Land:
A New Behemoth Emerges In Google Maps: Wikipedia — Google's recent introduction of Place Pages within Maps came in sync with some key adjustments in the factors used to rank local search content. The combination of changes has resulted in Wikipedia abruptly emerging as a major influence on local search rankings.
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Facebook Rolling Out Redesign To Some Users — Facebook seems to be rolling out its new site design to at least some people outside the company, although none of us at TechCrunch have yet to be graced with its presence. The new design is “exactly” like the screenshots that GigaOm posted on December 27, says one source.
Ashlee Vance / New York Times:
Watching TV Together, Miles Apart — SAN FRANCISCO — For the lonely couch potato, help is on the way. — Simple technology, including video chatting services like Skype, is making it possible for far-flung friends to watch shows together, even if they can't share the same bowl of popcorn.
Daniel Brusilovsky / TechCrunch:
Graphic.ly Raises $1.2M For Comic Publishing — Graphic.ly, a content delivery system and community platform for the publishing world, today announced that they have raised $1.2 million in funding. Graphic.ly was originally named Take Comics, and was part of the 2009 TechStars program in Boulder, Co.
Electronista:
Popbox hub promises 1080p anywhere, Netflix — Syabas preluded CES today with its most ambitious media hub to date. The Popbox replaces the Popcorn Hour as the flagship media hub and revolves around a major, much more polished interface overhaul designed by Moxie's inventor and former Microsoft executive Dewey Reid.
Discussion:
Fast Company, Engadget, CrunchGear, 901am, Zatz Not Funny!, Maximum PC, techeblog.com and ITworld.com
Kim-Mai Cutler / VentureBeat:
LivingSocial grabs $5 million more to expand group-shopping deals — Social discovery network LivingSocial, which lets people review and share books, movies, restaurants and other types of entertainment, just raised another $5 million in an extended first round.
Peter Cohen / The Loop:
Device turns iPhone, iPod touch into universal remote — L5 Technology is using this week's CES trade show in Las Vegas to debut the L5 Remote, a $50 accessory (paired with a free application) that turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a universal remote control. It's coming in February.
Discussion:
App Advice, Business Wire, 9 to 5 Mac, Silicon Alley Insider, EverythingiCafe, I4U News, DVICE and Gizmodo
Jacqui Cheng / Ars Technica:
A look at Apple's love for DRM and consumer lock-ins — Apple is a company known for many things, but embracing copyright freedoms has not been one of them. The company loves creating new and innovative products that challenge the world's perception of what it thought it wanted …
Darren Murph / Engadget:
Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200 — Freescale Semiconductor is helping to kick this year's CES off with a bang, as its latest reference smartbook design actually has somewhat of a sexy flair to it. Currently, the model is little more than a great idea …
Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft:
Microsoft offers Windows XP, Office XP users 50 percent discount to encourage upgrades — Microsoft officials are well aware that its biggest Windows 7 and Office 2010 competitors are its own previous product iterations (Windows XP and Office XP/2003). To try and wean users away from older …
Cecilia Kang / Washington Post:
Public interest groups call for antitrust probe of TV Everywhere — Public interest groups on Monday will call for federal antitrust watchdogs to investigate an industry-wide strategy by television service providers that they say will strap users to unnecessarily high monthly subscription fees and stifle competition.
Discussion:
Between the Lines, Hillicon Valley, FierceIPTV, Post Tech, Company Town, Technology Liberation Front, Maximum PC, Daily Patricia and DSLreports
Robert Andrews / mocoNews:
Nokia's New Mobile Chief: We'll Match Apple, RIM By 2011 — If he had wanted to debunk those rumors that it might buy Palm, Nokia's new mobile phones head Rick Simonson could have picked a more outright denial. — Simonson, who in November switched from CFO to run the mobile unit …
Discussion:
Times of India, Reuters, IntoMobile, MobileTechWorld, Electronista, Digital Daily and atmaspheric
Elizabeth Woyke / Forbes:
Vonage's Second Calling — Forbes Magazine dated January 18, 2010 — The Internet telephone company wants to go from your home to your cell phone. — In 2002 Internet telephone company Vonage pioneered service that routed phone calls over the Web, cutting frequent callers' long-distance phone bills by as much as half.
