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7:40 PM ET, January 4, 2010

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Wall Street Journal:
Apple to Ship Tablet Device in March  —  Apple Inc. plans to unveil a new multimedia tablet device later this month, but doesn't plan on shipping the product until March, people briefed by the company said.  —  While the shipping time hasn't been finalized and could change …
RELATED:
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 …
Joshua Topolsky / Engadget:
‘Major’ Apple announcement coming January 27th, devs already working with beta SDK (update: shipping in March)  —  According John Paczkowski over at All Things D, Apple is planning a “major product announcement” for Wednesday, January 27th — not the 26th as we've heard in previous reports.
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 …
RELATED:
Ian Paul / PC World:
Google's Nexus One Event: What to Expect  —  We're less than 24 hours away from Google's special event on Tuesday morning, when the company is expected to launch a Google-branded  —  superphone, the Nexus One.  But according to recent reports, this GSM-based device is just another smartphone …
Discussion: TechCrunch, NPR Blogs, AppleInsider and CNN
Richard Waters / blogs.ft.com:
Is this the real disruption from the Google Phone?
Discussion: PC World, Gadget Lab and MacRumors
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 …
RELATED:
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.
Discussion: TECH cocktail and Financial Times
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 …
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 could be announced soon, but the price for the open-source email unit was still unclear.
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 …
Priya Ganapati / Gadget Lab:
Slim, Large Screen E-Reader Skiff to Debut on Sprint  —  E-readers are likely to get hotter with the next generation of devices sporting color screens and large displays expected to launch through the year.  —  One of the first products to announce its arrival is the Skiff e-reader …
RELATED:
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 …
Discussion: PE Hub Blog
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
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 …
Nick Bilton / Bits:
One on One: Jack Dorsey of Twitter and Square  —  I recently sat down for coffee with Jack Dorsey to discuss Twitter, the location-based service Foursquare and his latest venture Square, an on-the-go credit card payment platform.  Mr. Dorsey is the co-founder and chairman of Twitter …
Discussion: TechCrunch and Download Squad
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 …
Discussion: CNET News and broadstuff
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 …
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.
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.
Discussion: GigaOM, paidContent and SocialTimes.com
Devindra Hardawar / Royal Pingdom:
Is there hope for Palm in the 2010 smartphone wars?  —  With 2010 upon us, it seems like we know what to expect from most players in the smartphone market.  Apple will iterate on the iPhone to compete with the bleeding edge Android phones (and possibly give us a 3G enabled tablet in the process) …
Discussion: Electronista
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.
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.
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 …
Mark Walsh / MediaPost:
AppMakr To Make Anyone An iPhone App-Builder  —  Companies like WordPress and Six Apart created popular tools to let anyone become a blogger.  Now startup PointAbout wants to do the same for building iPhone applications with a new service called AppMakr.  —  Where developing iPhone apps …
Discussion: mocoNews, iPhone Buzz and AppScout
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.
Thanks:atul
Todd Bishop / TechFlash:
High stakes for Microsoft at CES  —  Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be in Las Vegas this week for his second Consumer Electronics Show keynote since assuming the high-profile speaking slot from Bill Gates.  It's a pivotal moment for the company, in a variety of ways.
Jacqui Cheng / Ars Technica:
Brief: DVD sales tank in 2009 as Americans head to the cinema  —  Movie studios had better be glad that people retreated to the theater to forget their woes in 2009, because it's the one thing that helped balance out the dive in DVD sales for the year.  A new report from Adams Media Research details …
Eric Slivka / MacRumors:
Magic Mouse Blamed for Draining Bluetooth Keyboard Batteries [Updated]  —  Over the weekend, TUAW pointed to a growing chorus of complaints in Apple's discussion forums from users who have seen poor battery life from their Apple wireless keyboards after moving to the company's new Magic Mouse, which began shipping in late October.
 
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 More Items: 
Google Watch:
Google Book Search Debated on PBS NewsHour
Discussion: Open Book Alliance
Jesus Diaz / Gizmodo:
Android To Take Over Your Washer Dryer and Microwave Oven
Tom Espiner / CNET News:
Kingston flash drives suffer password flaw
Discussion: The Register
Tricia Duryee / mocoNews:
Len Lauer Leaves Wireless Industry; Lands CEO Job At Print Technology Company
Discussion: Tech Trader Daily
EITB.COM:
Hacker hangs photo of Mr Bean on European Presidency website
Matt Buchanan / Gizmodo:
Synaptics Scrybe Is Like Quicksilver Plus Fingerpainting for Your …
Discussion: Download Squad, jkOnTheRun and Engadget
Daniel Brusilovsky / TechCrunch:
Graphic.ly Raises $1.2M For Comic Publishing
 Earlier Items: 
Nathan Eddy / eWeek:
Sony, Panasonic Boost Blu-ray Storage Capacity
Discussion: Electronista
Jacqui Cheng / Ars Technica:
A look at Apple's love for DRM and consumer lock-ins
Ashlee Vance / New York Times:
Watching TV Together, Miles Apart
Discussion: NewTeeVee and The Next Web
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
The year ahead: Five moving parts behind a 2010 tech recovery
Darren Murph / Engadget:
Freescale reveals 7-inch smartbook reference design, hopes to see it ship for $200
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced she will leave the agency on January 20; she was the first woman to be confirmed to lead the agency

Evan Drellich / New York Times:
The MLB is planning national packages for streaming companies to bid on in 2028, when its national TV deals with ESPN, Fox, and Turner expire

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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