Techmeme: The ROI of iAds - Alot of Unanswered Questions (John Battelle/John Battelle's Searchblog)

5:40 PM ET, May 21, 2010

Top Items:

FTC Closes its Investigation of Google AdMob Deal — After Thorough Review, Agency Finds Transaction Not Likely to Harm Competition — The Federal Trade Commission has closed its investigation of Google's proposed acquisition of mobile advertising network company AdMob after thoroughly reviewing …

Susan Wojcicki / The Official Google Blog:

Working with AdMob to move mobile advertising forward — Today, the Federal Trade Commission cleared our acquisition of AdMob, a mobile advertising start up. We're excited to work with Omar Hamoui and his talented team at AdMob to develop new mobile advertising solutions for marketers, mobile app developers and mobile publishers.

Discussion: The Life and Times of AdMob, Macworld, Mobile Marketing Watch, IBD Click, Google, IntoMobile, SlashGear and Pulse2

Nilay Patel / Engadget:
FTC approves Google's AdMob buy, cites Apple's iAd competition

Discussion: BetaNews, Digits, AdExchanger.com, The Register, AppleInsider, Tech Trader Daily, Boy Genius Report and silicontap.com

Dan Frommer / Silicon Alley Insider:
It Is PATHETIC That The FTC Took 6 Months To Approve Google-AdMob Deal (GOOG, AAPL)

Discussion: SiliconANGLE

Evan Roseman / The Official Google Blog:

Search more securely with encrypted Google web search — As people spend more time on the Internet, they want greater control over who has access to their online communications. Many Internet services use what are known as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections to encrypt information …

Discussion: Technologizer, CNET News, Ars Technica, ReadWriteWeb, The Register, Search Engine Land, Techie Buzz, Obsessable, ITworld.com, TNW Google and MediaPost Raw

MG Siegler / TechCrunch:

Google Begins Locking Down Search With SSL Encryption — Online privacy seems to be at the top of everyones' minds these days. Facebook, Google, and Blippy have all had high-profile privacy lapses in recent weeks — the problem seems to be getting worse, rather than better.

Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:

For Facebook, the Privacy Snowball Just Keeps on Rolling — Call it the “snowball effect,” or maybe the “witch-hunt” effect. At some point, when a company is under fire for something, even the smallest piece of evidence that it might be guilty of that thing can get blown out of proportion.

Discussion: Search Engine Land and ReadWriteWeb, Thanks:mathewi

Nicholas Carlson / Silicon Alley Insider:
Busted: Facebook Gave Advertisers Names And Ages Of People Who Clicked Ads

Discussion: Yahoo! News

Wall Street Journal:
Facebook, MySpace Face Privacy Loophole

Ben Edelman:
Facebook Leaks Usernames, User IDs, and Personal Details to Advertisers

Discussion: O'Reilly Radar, Security Watch and DailyFinance

Daniel Lyons / Newsweek Blogs:

Sayonara, iPhone: Why I'm Switching to Android — I was already fed up with my lousy AT&T service, and was seriously considering switching to the HTC Incredible, an Android-powered phone that runs on the Verizon network. But then, after seeing Google's new mobile-phone software, I've made up my mind.

Discussion: 9 to 5 Mac, CNN, Daring Fireball and CloudAve, Thanks:atul

Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Google's Gundotra Goes After Apple: The Video

Discussion: ZDNet, BoomTown, Electronista, 9 to 5 Mac, Search Engine Land, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, Fortune, VentureBeat, Digital Daily, The Huffington Post and AppleInsider

Victor Godinez / The Dallas Morning News Tech Blog:

AT&T raising early termination fee on smart phones to $325 from $175, effective June 1 [UPDATED] — The Wall Street Journal is reporting (and I've left a message with AT&T seeking confirmation and comment) that Dallas-based AT&T is dramatically hiking its early termination fee on smart phones to $325, from the current $175.

Discussion: TechCrunch, ZDNet, DSLreports, Dow Jones Newswires, TiPb, Geek.com, DailyTech, Silicon Alley Insider, Gizmodo and TNW Mobile

AT&T:

An Open Letter to our Valued Customers — At AT&T, we work hard every day to provide you with a great wireless experience at competitive prices. — One of the ways we do this is to offer you the industry's leading wireless handsets below their full retail price when you sign a two-year service agreement.

Discussion: GigaOM, VentureBeat, Computerworld, App Advice, FierceWireless, WMExperts, parislemon, Mashable!, Digital Daily and EverythingiCafe

Kara Swisher / BoomTown:

Exclusive: Yahoo Poised to Unveil “Project Nike” Partnership Deal With Nokia at Monday Event — Today, Yahoo sent out an invite for a press conference in New York on Monday with a mysterioso tone: — It read, vaguely: — “Please join Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz for an exciting announcement …

Eric Slivka / MacRumors:

Apple Officially Ends ‘Get a Mac’ Campaign, Revamps 'Why You'll Love a Mac' Feature — Last month, actor Justin Long revealed that Apple's long-running “Get a Mac” ad campaign, in which he appeared as the “Mac” character, appeared to have been discontinued. The last set of “Get a Mac” commercials had been released in October 2009.

Discussion: The Register, AppleInsider, Crave, BetaNews, Techland, Engadget, Mashable!, ZDNet, Macworld, Neowin.net, Edible Apple, CrunchGear, Boy Genius Report, MacStories, Maximum PC, The Loop, Switched, 9 to 5 Mac, TUAW, Macsimum News, GeekSugar and World of Apple

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:

Y Combinator Closes New $8.25 Million Fund, Sequoia Is Lead Investor — Startup incubator Y Combinator has just closed $8.25 million new fund led by Sequoia Capital with Ron Conway, Paul Buchheit, Aydin Senkut, XG Ventures, and Geoff Ralston participating. — The new fund is four times larger than $2 million fund raised last year.

Discussion: ReadWriteStart, VatorNews, Y Combinator Posterous, VentureBeat, Mixergy and Pulse2

Liz Gannes / GigaOM: 2 Months Out, 74% of Latest Y Combinator Class Funded or Profitable

Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:

Exclusive: PaidContent Founder Ali to Depart Pioneering Digital News Site — PaidContent's Rafat Ali, who turned a one-man Web site into a must-read hub for digital media news, is leaving the company he founded eight years ago. — Sources said Ali has told co-workers he will leave the company …

Discussion: paidContent and Silicon Alley Insider

Rafat Ali / paidContent: On To Life 2.0 — In the end, all things do come to an end.

Ernesto / TorrentFreak:

US Court: RapidShare Not Guilty of Copyright Infringement — Last year, adult media company Perfect 10 filed a lawsuit against the leading file-hosting service, RapidShare. Among other claims, Perfect 10's lawsuit stated that RapidShare was guilty of infringing the copyrights of many of its images.

Discussion: Ars Technica, TNW United States, Techdirt, PlagiarismToday and Maximum PC

Janko Roettgers / NewTeeVee:
U.S. Court: Isohunt has to Shut Down

Discussion: Financial Post and Barry Sookman

Matt Hamblen / Computerworld:

List of Android phones getting 2.2 upgrade comes out gradually — HTC has several phones set for Froyo upgrade this year — Computerworld - Android phones that likely will get the faster-performing Android 2.2 upgrade include the Motorola Droid, Google's Nexus One and several phones from HTC, including the Droid Incredible.

Discussion: Wap Review, Android Central and Tim Anderson's ITWriting

PC World:
Sony Ericsson Mum on Froyo Upgrade Plans

Discussion: mocoNews

Tom S. Noda / PC World:

Study: 60 Percent of Facebook Users Mulling to Quit — Due to prevailing privacy concerns, several Facebook members are thinking to quit the popular social networking site — at least 60% of them — according to a latest survey conducted by IT security firm, Sophos.

Discussion: MarketingVOX, Pocket-lint and MediaPost Raw

Mike Melanson / ReadWriteWeb:
60% of Facebook Users Consider Quitting Over Privacy? We Think Not

Discussion: PC World, Computerworld and PC Magazine, Thanks:rwwmike

Will M / All Facebook:

Android Gets Facebook Graph API Before the iPhone — Facebook announced new mobile social networking functionality for the Android platform this week. At Google I/O, Google's developer conference, executives routinely made fun of Steve Jobs and Apple, but Facebook's role in the drama was overlooked by the press.

Discussion: Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim

Ben Worthen / Wall Street Journal:

Apple Wins Ground in Fight Over Flash — The punches that Apple Inc. is throwing in its fight against Adobe Systems Inc. are beginning to land, prompting some companies to shift away from Adobe's video and animation technology and forcing Web designers to work with competing standards.

Discussion: 9 to 5 Mac, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, EverythingiCafe and iLounge

Randy Nelson / Joystiq:

Google celebrates Pac-Man's 30th anniversary with playable logo — A playable ... logo? That's exactly what web giant Google has today, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man's Japanese release. The doodle (Google's term for its event and holiday-specific logos) …

Discussion: The Official Google Blog, PC World, Gizmodo, Technologizer, Search Engine Land and Switched

DigiTimes:

HP Taiwan confirms plans for WebOS-based mobile devices — HP will adopt the WebOS platform in smartphones and tablets, according to Monty Wong, vice president of personal computing systems group at HP Taiwan, adding that since netbooks are more similar in functions with traditional computers …

Discussion: Digital Daily, eWeek, CNET News, SlashGear, VentureBeat, Softpedia News, Erictric, Liliputing, TNW Mobile, CrunchGear, Techland, WMPoweruser.com, Electronista, PreCentral.net and Gadgetell

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