Top Items:
Yahoo! Search Blog:
News about our Search Alliance with Microsoft — Today we issued a press release announcing that we've received clearance from both the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission for our search agreement with Microsoft. Now that we're full steam ahead, I'd like to share what we at Yahoo! …
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Peter Chapman / Bloomberg:
Microsoft, Yahoo Deal Wins European Union Antitrust Approval — Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) — Microsoft Corp. won European Union approval to buy Yahoo! Inc.'s Web-search business to speed up its effort to compete with Google Inc. — The deal won't harm competition in the 27-nation EU …
Cory Doctorow / Boing Boing:
School used student laptop webcams to spy on them at school and home — According to the filings in Blake J Robbins v Lower Merion School District (PA) et al, the laptops issued to high-school students in the well-heeled Philly suburb have webcams that can be covertly activated …
Discussion:
Computerworld, 9 to 5 Mac, Ars Technica, Between the Lines, Techdirt, NBC Bay Area, Philly.com, Neowin.net, TG Daily, A Networked World, InformationWeek, Geek.com, I4U News, The Consumerist, DVICE and Gizmodo
Ryan Tate / Gawker:
What Steve Jobs Said During His Wall Street Journal iPad Demo — We know that Apple's CEO is no fan of Flash, the Web animation software. But it sounds like Steve Jobs really unleashed on the Adobe system to try and convince the Wall Street Journal to ditch it for the iPad.
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Vladislav Savov / Engadget:
Sony Ericsson CEO: Google asked us to build the Nexus One, we refused — Aw, why don't these CEOs say stuff like this in press conferences? Sony Ericsson's head Bert Nordberg has shared with Swedish publication Sydsvenskan the rather salacious news that his company was asked to build …
Discussion:
MobileCrunch, VentureBeat, Android Central, Phone Arena, Android Phone Fans, AndroidGuys, Erictric and Mashable!
Business Wire:
PayPal is Now a Way to Pay for Facebook Ads and Facebook Credits — PALO ALTO, Calif. & SAN JOSE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Facebook and PayPal today announced a strategic relationship to offer PayPal in key parts of Facebook's advertising and developer systems.
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Eric Eldon / Inside Facebook:Facebook's Increasing Focus on Credits Prompts Developer Speculation
Discussion:
Erictric
Scott Moritz / TheStreet.com:
Microsoft, Asus Team on Phone: Exclusive — NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Apple (AAPL Quote) did it. Google (GOOG Quote) did it. Now it's Microsoft's (MSFT Quote) turn. — The Redmond, Wash., software giant is working with computer hardware manufacturer Asustek to build its own phone.
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WMPoweruser.com:
Windows Phone 7 development docs leaked — Click for larger versions. — We can always count on XDA-Developers to bring us the news early. In this case it is some snippets of the developer documentation for Windows Phone 7. The above bit confirms the OS is multi-tasking capable, but then we knew this already.
Discussion:
eWeek, The Register, Engadget, All about Microsoft, SlashGear, www.pocketgamer.biz, Fast Company, DailyTech, GMSV, msmobiles.com, The Consumerist and ithinkdifferent
Motoko Rich / New York Times:
Apple's Prices for E-Books May Be Lower Than Expected — Maybe e-book prices won't be rising so much after all. — Since Apple announced plans to sell digital books on its forthcoming iPad, it has been cast as something of a savior of the publishing industry for allowing e-book prices …
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Pollice Verso: Google Buys Awesome iPhone Email App; Kills It — As you might have heard earlier today, Google made another acquisition — the email search startup reMail. While its topical description may make it seem like an obvious buy, there's another layer that makes this really interesting. reMail …
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Siobhan Gorman / Wall Street Journal:
Broad New Hacking Attack Detected — Global Offensive Snagged Corporate, Personal Data at nearly 2,500 Companies; Operation Is Still Running — Hackers in Europe and China successfully broke into computers at nearly 2,500 companies and government agencies over the last 18 months …
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Brainstorm Tech:
Apple conceals iPad freight records - report — Moves to hide ocean shipping data from competitors and prying reporters, according to trade privacy group — In preparation for the scheduled March delivery of Apple's (AAPL) new iPad tablet computer, the company has blocked its bills of lading …
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Google Voice Launches A Series Of Videos To Explain Its “Awesomeness,” Gibberish — Google Voice is a great service, one of the best things Google has released in a long time. Unfortunately, most casual web users have no idea what it is. Or more specifically, what it's purpose is.
James Temple / SFGate:
Local class action complaint filed over Google Buzz — A class action complaint filed in San Jose federal court alleges that Google Inc. broke the law when its controversial Google Buzz service shared personal data without the consent of users. — The case was filed on Wednesday on behalf of Eva Hibnick …
tdgresearch.com:
Half of Netflix ‘Watch Instantly’ Users Are Streaming to the TV — New TDG Report Reveals Significant Progress — in Netflix Over-the-Top Efforts, Profiles Early OTT Adopters — According to a newly published study from TDG - the nation's leading new media research consultancy …
Robert Andrews / mocoNews:
UK Newspapers Want BBC Mobile Apps Blocked For ‘Undermining’ Them, BBC Disagrees — I wondered how long it would be before print media pointed at the BBC's new smartphone apps plan as another example of expansion in to their commercial territory. The answer: just 24 hours...
Wall Street Journal:
PC Makers Ready iPad Rivals — Computer makers are developing strategies and devices to challenge Apple Inc.'s iPad, hoping to capitalize on new interest in a category of gadgets that was moribund until recently. — In the next few weeks, executives from Hewlett-Packard Co. will meet …
Discussion:
AppleInsider, Digits, DVICE, eWeek, ChannelWeb, Electronista, Newlaunches.com, DeviceMAG, Tech Eye, 9 to 5 Mac, GottaBeMobile.com, I4U News and Silicon Alley Insider, Thanks:mrinaldesai
Alexander Vaughn / App Advice:
Apple Pushes The App Over 3G Download Limit To 20MB, Prepares For The iPad? — Most likely in preparation for the iPad launch, Apple has just raised the maximum size of apps that can be download over 3G to 20MB. — Until now, the iPhone required a Wi-Fi connection to download apps bigger than 10mb …
Stephen Shankland / CNET News:
BlackBerry users get Amazon Kindle app — Continuing its effort to expand its e-book business beyond its own hardware, Amazon on Thursday released a Kindle application for those with BlackBerry phones. — Amazon got its start as an online book seller, expanded to electronics and other retail categories …
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
Nathan Myhrvold's Intellectual Ventures Using Over 1,000 Shell Companies To Hide Patent Shakedown — It's no secret that we think Nathan Myhrvold's Intellectual Ventures is a dangerous, innovation harming monstrosity. The company used a bait and switch scheme to get a bunch of big tech companies …
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines:
Dell earnings: Enterprise spending rebounds — Dell reported a better-than-expected fourth quarter as enterprise sales rebounded. The company said that it was “cautiously optimistic” that commercial IT spending will improve throughout the year ahead amid “ongoing signs of stabilization.”
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