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10:30 PM ET, August 24, 2010

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Bloomberg:
Apple Said to Prepare New 99-Cent TV Show Rental Service  —  Apple Inc. is in advanced talks with News Corp. to let iTunes users rent TV shows for 99 cents and is in discussions with other media companies about similar deals, said three people familiar with the plan.
RELATED:
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Fortune:
99¢ TV shows coming Sept. 7 - report
Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider
Aza Raskin / Aza on Design:
Firefox Panorama: Tab Candy Evolved  —  I am happy to announce that Tab Candy is coming to Firefox 4.  Starting today, Tab Candy will be called Firefox Panorama and be available as a feature in Firefox betas.  Head to the Firefox 4 feature list, or watch the video below …
RELATED:
Mike Beltzner / The Mozilla Blog:
Firefox 4 Beta Updated with Sync and Panorama  —  The latest update to Firefox 4 Beta is now available with new features that offer more control over your Web experience.  This release lets you own and control your personal Web experience by syncing your data across devices …
Tom Krazit / CNET News:
Google testing voice calling in Gmail  —  Google could be ready to turn Gmail into a communications hub by adding the ability to make phone calls from the Google Chat interface.  —  CNET has learned that Google is testing a Web-based service within Gmail that will allow users to place phone calls from their inboxes.
Discussion: The Register, Gizmodo and The Next Web
Shashi Seth / Yahoo! Search Blog:
Yahoo! Transitions Organic Search Back-End to Microsoft Platform  —  First let me say, wow, what a week!  As I hope everyone saw our post from last week, Yahoo! began transitioning certain back-end functions for Yahoo! Search over to Microsoft's search platform.
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Motorola Snaps Up 280 North For $20 Million  —  Motorola has acquired Y Combinator startup 280 North, we've confirmed.  We haven't confirmed, but have heard from multiple sources, that the price is around $20 million.  This is a sizable exit for the founders - the company has raised just $250,000 in a 2008 angel round.
Robert McMillan / Computerworld:
Apple exec stashed $150K in shoe boxes  —  Bail for Paul Devine is set at $600K, plus any money he has in foreign bank accounts.  Federal agents found more than $150,000 in cash when they searched the house of Apple manager Paul Devine earlier this month, prosecutors said in court Monday.
RELATED:
Joel Rosenblatt / Bloomberg:
Apple Manager Devine Must Allow Access to Safe Deposit Boxes
Discussion: Gizmodo, The Register and V3.co.uk
Nielsen Wire:
African-Americans, Women and Southerners Talk and Text The Most in the U.S.  —  Think you can guess which Americans talk or text the most on their cellphones?  —  According to Nielsen, African-Americans use the most voice minutes - on average more than 1,300 a month.
Apple:
iTunes U Downloads Top 300 Million  —  In just over three years, iTunes® U downloads have topped 300 million and it has become one of the world's most popular online educational catalogs.  Over 800 universities throughout the world have active iTunes U sites, and nearly half …
Jessica Guynn / L.A. Times Tech Blog:
Square hires Keith Rabois, Silicon Valley veteran and investor  —  Keith Rabois is paying it forward.  —  Not only did Google land technology to help boost its social networking ambitions when it bought Slide this month, it got PayPal veteran and Internet superstar Max Levchin as well.
Discussion: GigaOM, Silicon Alley Insider and The Social, Thanks:mbaratz
The JobsBloggers / Microsoft JobsBlog:
The Top Three hottest new majors for a career in technology  —  Have you ever wondered what fields of study are hot right now in the world of technology?  Or maybe you're starting to think about declaring your major and you're looking for some real world guidance?
Ben Worthen / Wall Street Journal:
Businesses Add iPads to Their Briefcases  —  Some Companies, Which Barred the iPhone, Build Apps for Tablet Computer and Give Apple Gadget to Employees  —  When Apple Inc.'s first iPhone came out in 2007, many companies told their employees that the device wasn't appropriate for the workplace.
Chris Ziegler / Engadget:
Exclusive: HTC's Windows Phone 7-equipped T8788 breaks cover for AT&T  —  In case you needed any more evidence that AT&T is going all-in with Windows Phone 7, take a gander at this little beast, a phone known only as the HTC T8788 at this point (rest assured, you'll get a snappy, memorable …
Audrey Watters / ReadWriteWeb:
Where the Startups Are, By Zip Code  —  As part of our “Never Mind the Valley” series here, we often feature communities outside the Silicon Valley that have become thriving centers for entrepreneurship.  We've profiled cities like Boston, Montreal, and Austin.
Discussion: PeteSearch, Feld Thoughts and CloudAve
Natasha Murashev / All Facebook:
What Your “Cool” Facebook Friend Is Really Like  —  You probably have at least one Facebook friend who is constantly posting pictures of themselves at bars and commenting on everybody's wall and regularly updates their status with “smart” comments and checking in to every place they go and just seem irresistibly cool.
Brian Barrett / Gizmodo:
Please Stop Making New Phones With Old Firmware  —  We've reached the point where buying a “new” Android phone could still mean you're using firmware that's 18 months old.  There's got to be a better way.  —  Today's release of the Android 1.5-laden Dell Aero might be the most recent …
Sarah Lacy / TechCrunch:
Elevation Moving to Acquire a Large Stake in Pandora  —  Elevation Partners' strategy to own large- even if late stage- chunks of leading Internet companies isn't going away.  We've heard from sources close to Elevation that the firm has signed a letter of intent to acquire a large chunk of shares in a …
Agence France Presse:
Toshiba to launch first glasses-free 3D TV  —  TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese electronics giant Toshiba plans to market the world's first 3D television that does not need special glasses later this year, a report said on Tuesday.  —  Toshiba will unveil three models of the television …
Caroline McCarthy / The Social:
Twitter: Yes, we're building out a sales team!  —  Confirming a bunch of disparate blog rumors about individual hires, Twitter confirmed on Tuesday—after previously declining to comment—that it's building out a sales team and has hired a News Corp. veteran to helm it.
Brian Barrett / Gizmodo:
The 300,000 Biggest Websites, Visualized With Their Icons  —  How do the 288,945 most heavily trafficked sites on the internet stack up against each other?  Take a very close look at this chart to find out.  —  While you could spend all day with a microscope trying to sort …
Discussion: Gizmodo Australia
Harry McCracken / Technologizer:
Iomega Portable Hard Drives Hit the Big USB 3.0  —  Do you own a computer with USB 3.0 ports?  Probably not.  You will, though-and when you do, you'll want USB 3.0 devices so you can take advantage of the sizable speed boost.  —  USB 3.0-equipped peripherals, like USB 3.0 PCs, remain somewhat exotic.
Discussion: Iomega, SlashGear, Gizmodo and Electronista
Greg Kumparak / MobileCrunch:
Virgin Mobile shifts up their MiFi plan: $40.  Unlimited.  Contract-free.  Glorious.  —  Man, these pre-paid carriers are really learning to pull on a geek's heartstrings.  Just months ago, Boost launched the US' first Android-powered prepaid phone, the Moto i1.
Electronista:
Windows 95 marks 15th birthday in uncertain Microsoft future  —  Microsoft reached a milestone today as Windows 95 reached the 15th anniversary of its launch on August 24, 1995.  The OS was the highest-profile debut ever for Microsoft and saw rare lines for a software launch …
Jonny Evans / Computerworld:
Why ‘open’ Android may lose the Apple iOS wars  —  Everyone's sleeping with Android and Apple should watch out, at least that's the threat on news Acer has also thrown in its lot with Android, hinting at truth in earlier predictions the firm intends releasing an Android 3.-powered iPod contender …
 
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 More Items: 
Amir Efrati / Digits:
Google Makes Change to Orkut as Facebook Wins in India
Kevin C. Tofel / GigaOM:
When It Comes to Ads, Why Are Android Users Click-Happy?
Matt Richtel / New York Times:
Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime
Caitlin Fitzsimmons / All Facebook:
Why Facebook Spam Could Soon Rival Email Spam
Ed Bott / Ed Bott's Microsoft Report Blog:
Fact check: malware did not bring down a passenger jet
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Google Finance Now Looks Better In Your Mobile Browser
 Earlier Items: 
James Temple / San Francisco Chronicle:
Jack Dorsey connected the dots to create Twitter
Discussion: Laughing Squid, Thanks:atul
Thomas Ricker / Engadget:
Samsung Galaxy Tab gets official teaser video
Mike Melanson / ReadWriteWeb:
Pandora Adds Genre-Based Stations
Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:
Topsy: Now Searching Tweets Back To May 2008
Discussion: Topsy Labs and ReadWriteWeb