Techmeme: Google's Possible “+1″ iPhone App, Facebook Similarities … (MG Siegler/TechCrunch)

4:25 PM ET, December 4, 2010

Top Items:

Fred / A VC:

Invest In The Mess — There's a front page story in the NY Times today about the hyperactivity in web startupland. They quote from a few posts I've made on this blog and I think Jenna and Evelyn did a nice job with the story. The thing that's clear from reading the story is the hyperactivity …

Discussion: Newsweek

DealBook:
A Silicon Bubble Shows Signs Of Reinflating

Discussion: SAI, msnbc.com and Pitos Blog

Kara Swisher / BoomTown:

Groupon Annual Revenues Actually $2 Billion — According to sources close to the situation, Groupon's actual run rate for this year is clocking in at $2 billion in revenue, rather than the widely quoted $500 million. — Who knew hawking spas treatments and stripper pole lessons could be so lucrative?

Discussion: Fortune, Tech Trader Daily, AttentionMax, Techie Buzz, Androinica, Examiner, The Blog Herald, Search Engine Journal, CNNMoney.com, TechCrunch, Screenwerk, SAI and The Next Web

Melissa Harris / Chicago Breaking Business:

Sources: Groupon rejects Google's offer; will stay independent — The deal didn't tip after all. Chicago-based Groupon Inc. has eschewed an acquisition offer from Google Inc. and is staying independent, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

MG Siegler / TechCrunch:

Google's Possible “+1″ iPhone App, Facebook Similarities, And Social “Loop” Groups — Since we broke the news a couple days ago that Google's secret social project, formerly known as “Emerald Sea”, is now being called “Google +1″, we've gotten more confirmation about the naming.

Discussion: Electronista and WebProNews

Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:

Facebook Director Of Monetization Tim Kendall Steps Down — Tim Kendall, Facebook's Director of Monetization, has left the company. This is particularly noteworthy because Kendall first joined Facebook nearly five years ago, in June 2006. He architected all of the company's early monetization strategies …

Discussion: All Facebook

Zach Epstein / BGR:

RadioShack takes $50 off Apple's iPhone 4 and 3GS — RadioShack announced a limited-time promotion on Friday that offers a $50 discount on Apple's iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS. The promotion applies to brand new devices — not refurbished phones — and there are no tricky terms and conditions to be afraid of.

Discussion: Examiner, AppleInsider, Gizmodo, Engadget, L.A. Times Tech Blog, App Advice, Phones Review, everythingiCafe, SlashPhone, Go Rumors, Electronista, GigaOM, 9 to 5 Mac, iLounge, Apple Gazette and iClarified

Joanna Stern / Engadget:

This is the Google Chrome OS netbook keyboard — It's just a Chrome OS sorta day, isn't it? To catch you up here, we told you earlier that Google is planning to announce its own Chrome OS netbook this coming Tuesday, and well, now we're peering at a supposed picture of that very machine's keyboard.

Discussion: Examiner, Digital Trends, VentureBeat, GottaBeMobile, Laptops and Desktops Blog, TG Daily, eWeek, Fortune, Softpedia News, Go Rumors, Epicenter, Liliputing, MobileBurn.com and The Next Web

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:

Skype Staffing Up For A Big Push To The Cloud — As Skype prepares for an IPO in the next year, the VoIP company has been looking for new ways to expand its business both in terms of revenue and product development. One avenue the company is exploring to bring in more revenue …

Discussion: BGR and VoIP Watch

Joseph Galante / Bloomberg:

PayPal Cuts WikiLeaks' Access to Funds Amid Global Scrutiny — Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) — PayPal Inc., the payment processor owned by EBay Inc., cut access today to the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.org for violating its acceptable use policy. — PayPal suspended the account after the U.S …

Discussion: Examiner, The Next Web, ReadWriteWeb, Mashable!, Go Rumors, SAI, The PayPal Blog and Guardian

New York Times:

Cables Discuss Vast Hacking by a China That Fears the Web — As China ratcheted up the pressure on Google to censor its Internet searches last year, the American Embassy sent a secret cable to Washington detailing why top Chinese leaders had become so obsessed with the Internet search company: they were Googling themselves.

Discussion: Guardian and Runnin' Scared

Mark Gurman / 9 to 5 Mac:

Apple patents map-based iPhone radio app — Back in '09 we reported that Apple was working on a Radio app for the iPhone and today Patently Apple reports that Apple has patented a Radio.app. As you can see in the image above the iPhone mockup on the right is displaying your traditional radio app with presets and song info.

Discussion: TiPb and App Advice

Horace Dediu / asymco:

Half of US population to use smartphones by end of 2011 … via comScore Reports October 2010 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share - comScore, Inc. — Separately, Nielsen reports on the same market: … via U.S. Smartphone Battle Heats Up: Which is the “Most Desired” Operating System? Nielsen Wire.

Discussion: Android Phones, Tips …, comScore, Inc., Fortune, MobileBurn.com, TechSpot and WebProNews

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