Top Items:
Nicholas Carlson / Silicon Alley Insider:
How Google Went Into “Code Red” And Saved Google Buzz (GOOG) — Here's the story of how panicking just enough may have saved Google's answer to Facebook and Twitter. — A week ago, Google launched an add-on to Gmail called Google Buzz. Almost immediately, the world howled with complaints …
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Peter Nowak / CBC News:
Privacy commissioner probing Google Buzz — Concerns around Google's recently unveiled Buzz feature are deepening with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada looking into the social-networking tool. — Valeria Lawton, a spokesperson for the office, said on Tuesday that Buzz …
Jonathan Fildes / BBC:
Google admits Buzz testing flaws — Google has admitted to BBC News that testing of its controversial social network Buzz was insufficient. — The firm has had to make a series of changes to the service after a ferocious backlash from users concerned about intrusions of privacy.
Discussion:
CNET News, Lifehacker, AppScout, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, Guardian, GigaOM, broadstuff, Search Engine Journal and Geek.com
Jessica Guynn / L.A. Times Tech Blog:Privacy watchdog files complaint with FTC over Google Buzz [Updated]
Discussion:
epic.org, paidContent, PC World, Search Engine Land, Digital Daily, InformationWeek and Mashable!, Thanks:mrinaldesai
Peter Parkes / About Skype:
Verizon Wireless and Skype join forces to create a global mobile calling community — New Skype Mobile product for Verizon Wireless smartphones brings more value to US mobile consumers — BARCELONA, Spain; BASKING RIDGE, NJ, United States; and LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg, 16 January 2010 …
Discussion:
MobileCrunch, Skype Blogs, PC World, Mashable!, Latest VoIP, Voice 2.0 …, IntoMobile, ReadWriteWeb, GigaOM, TechCrunch, USA Today, CNET News, mocoNews, BerryReview.com, SiliconANGLE, CrackBerry.com blogs, dailywireless.org, Unwired View, jkOnTheRun, Erictric, PhoneNews.com, 901am, VentureBeat, Android Central, TidBITS, Digital Trends, Phone Scoop, MobileContentToday and GottaBeMobile.com
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Darren Murph / Engadget:
Verizon to allow unlimited Skype calling over 3G starting next month — We may be way off base here, but we're pretty sure the game just got upended. Days after AT&T appeased the masses by finally enabling 3G streaming over the iPhone's SlingPlayer app, Verizon Wireless has one-upped that gesture in a [big] gargantuan way.
Discussion:
The Register, VentureBeat, Android Phone Fans, Gadgetell, Download Squad, The Atlantic Business Channel, DSLreports, Telecompetitor, PC World, BetaNews and Gizmodo
Chris Anderson / Epicenter:
The Wired Tablet App: A Video Demonstration — Last week Jeremy Clark from Adobe and I unveiled the first glimpse of the Wired Reader at TED. Above, you'll see a video, narrated by Jeremy and Wired Creative Director Scott Dadich, who led our tablet team, that shows more.
Greg Kumparak / MobileCrunch:
Google: Android now shipping on 60,000 handsets per day — We're in Barcelona keeping an eye on Eric Schmidt's Mobile World Congress keynote, where the Google CEO just disclosed an interesting fact: Google and their hardware partners are now shipping 60,000 Android handsets each day.
Discussion:
San Francisco Chronicle, Phone Arena, Electronista, Geek.com, TechCrunch, Silicon Alley Insider, Agence France Presse, Digital Daily, The Next Web and eWeek, Thanks:mikebutcher
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Gawker:
Turf War at the New York Times: Who Will Control the iPad? — There's a heated turf war going on inside the New York Times over the iPad, pitting print die-hards against people focused on the Times' digital future. The outcome will determine pricing for some marquee content on Apple's tablet.
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News:
What Kevin Smith means for the future of PR — On Saturday, the crew of a Southwest Airlines flight between the California cities of Oakland and Burbank asked a passenger to leave the plane before takeoff because they deemed him too overweight to fly. Unfortunately, that passenger happened …
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Facebook Launches Zero, A Text-Only Mobile Site For Carriers — At the Mobile World Congress 2010, Facebook's Chamath Palihapitiya just finished a 20-minute keynote, outlining the social networking juggernaut's mobile strategy. We'll have a video of the full presentation up soon.
Discussion:
BBC, Fast Company, VentureBeat, Inside Facebook, PC World, The Register, The Huffington Post, Geek.com, All Facebook, Softpedia News, Erictric, ReadWriteWeb, eWeek, VatorNews, Download Squad, Silicon Alley Insider, Pocket-lint and The Next Web, Thanks:atul
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
The Android Who Cried Wolf — Currently, Google has one of the more interesting problems I've ever seen. While I'd never tell anyone to slow down their pace of innovation, with Android, I can't help but wonder if Google might have to do just that — because it's seriously starting to trip over itself.
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Tumblr Finally Rolls Out Comments. Sort Of. Trolls Not Welcome. — Just about a week ago, we noted how the blogging service Tumblr was testing out a new feature: photo replies. Apparently, the test worked so well that they decided to make it a permanent feature.
Electronista:
FCC calls for 100Mbps across most of US — FCC chairman Julius Genachowski at a conference today launched (PDF) an effort to boost the speed of Internet access in the US to 100Mbps and higher. Dubbed 100 Squared, it would provide at least 100Mbps access to 100 million homes in the US.
Discussion:
PC World, Reuters, DSLreports, Ars Technica, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, BetaNews, CNET News, dailywireless.org, GigaOM, DVICE and Gizmodo
Kevin Michaluk / CrackBerry.com blogs:
BlackBerry WebKit Browser Video Demo First Look! — [ youtube video link for mobile viewing ] — The announced but not yet released WebKit-based BlackBerry web browser was shown off via video demo twice today at Mobile World Congress. Mike Lazaridis, RIM's Co-Founder and Co-CEO …
Discussion:
Engadget, Hardware 2.0, Download Squad, Mashable!, Mobile Magazine, VentureBeat and Web Browsers
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Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Google Donates $2 Million To Wikimedia Foundation — According to a Tweet just sent from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Google has donated $2 million to the Wikimedia Foundation. Wales says the official announcement will be made tomorrow. — The Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit …
Discussion:
Mashable!
Eric Savitz / Tech Trader Daily:
Redbox Cuts Deal With Warner; Agrees To 28-Day Window — Coinstar (CSTR) unit Redbox this afternoon said it signed a new multi-year distribution deal with the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment unit of Time Warner (TWX) that will allow Redbox to rent new Warner DVD and Blu-Ray titles after a 28-day window.
Discussion:
Ars Technica, TechCrunch, paidContent, Between the Lines, CNET News, NewTeeVee, MediaMemo and Silicon Alley Insider
Nielsen Wire:
Facebook Users Average 7 hrs a Month in January as Digital Universe Expands — In a monthly view of U.S. Internet activity for top parent companies and web brands, The Nielsen Company found that the average time users spend using Facebook per month grew nearly 10%, topping seven hours.
Discussion:
Inside Facebook, All Facebook, Mashable!, Silicon Valley Watcher, VatorNews and The Next Web
Royal Pingdom:
Study: Ages of social network users — How old is the average Twitter or Facebook user? What about all the other social network sites out there, like MySpace, LinkedIn, and so on? How is age distributed across the millions and millions of social network users out there?
Eric Eldon / Inside Facebook:
New Facebook Statistics Show Big Increase in Content Sharing, Local Business Pages — How much traffic does Facebook now send to other web sites? Analytics firm Compete tells the San Francisco Chronicle that 13 percent of US traffic to big web portals — Yahoo, MSN, AOL …
Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:
HBO Prepares Site That Will Offer Shows and Movies — HBO looks to be on the verge of unveiling its Internet streaming service in a wider way. — A Web site called HBO GO, subtitled “It's HBO on your computer,” appeared online weeks ago, promising access to scores of TV episodes and films.
Brian X. Chen / Gadget Lab:
Steve Jobs' 6 Sneakiest Statements — Steve Jobs was reportedly wearing a top hat when he visited New York publishers last week. It's a fitting lid for the Apple CEO, who can be as tricky as a magician. — Jobs has a knack for throwing off Apple watchers with his masterful misdirections.
Darren Murph / Engadget:
Sony Dash given ability to stream TVs and movies from Netflix, new lease on life — We were filled with excitement the moment Sony took the wraps off of its Dash personal internet viewer back at CES, but after learning that this was less of a tablet and more a sophisticated widget machine for in-home use …
Matt Phillips / MarketBeat:
Amazon e-Book share to fall from 90% to 35%, Analyst Says … Apple's iPad and the expected entry of others such as Google into the e-book space will cut Amazon's share of e-book sales from 90% to 35% over the next five years, writes Credit Suisse analyst Spencer Wang in a research report Tuesday:
Kim-Mai Cutler / VentureBeat:
Twitter's hiring binge brings it to 140 employees — Twitter has been on a hiring spree as of late, grabbing employees left and right for its engineering and business development teams. — The company just crossed the symbolic 140-employee mark, mirroring its famous character limit for tweets, according to co-founder Biz Stone.
Discussion:
Stay N' Alive
Kenneth Li / Financial Times:
iPad deals with publishers face hurdles — Newspaper and magazine publishers are stumbling over key issues, such as sharing subscription revenues, as they consider deals to offer digital versions of their products on Apple's iPad digital media device. — These talks are in early stages …
Discussion:
Ars Technica, Brainstorm Tech, Gizmodo, AppleInsider, PC World, CNET News and Edible Apple
Paul Boutin / VentureBeat:
FastPencil lets thought leaders publish books without the hassle of writing them — Self-publishing site FastPencil has launched a new program aimed at helping aspiring thought leaders publish the books in their heads. — It's been years since Amazon began allowing authors to sell their self-published books.
