Top Items:
Peter Parkes / Skype The Big Blog:
Skype downtime today — Earlier today, we noticed that the number of people online on Skype was falling, which wasn't typical or expected, so we began to investigate. Skype isn't a network like a conventional phone or IM network - instead, it relies on millions of individual connections between computers …
Discussion:
ReadWriteWeb, Computerworld, VentureBeat, Mashable!, Faster Forward, CloudAve, WebProNews, Examiner, Digits, VoIP & Gadgets Blog, SiliconANGLE, USA Today, Bits, Softpedia News, Network World, DSLreports, Skype Journal, Erictric, GigaOM, CenterNetworks, Neowin.net, Pocket-lint, L.A. Times Tech Blog, Mobilized, Black Web 2.0, SAI, Guardian, Between the Lines Blog, TechSpot, TechCrunch Europe, The Register, Lifehacker, Engadget and The Huffington Post
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Ina Fried / Mobilized:
Skype Details Problems, Says May Take Hours to Fix — Skype users were sent scrambling for one of the few remaining pay phones on Wednesday as the Internet telephone service experienced a widespread outage. — A page deep in the company's support site confirms the issue, but appears to significantly understate the problem.
Discussion:
Techi.com, VatorNews, Electronista and Know Your Cell
Matt Rosoff / SAI: Silicon Alley Insider:
Skype Outage Lesson: Don't Rely On Consumer Services For Business Functions — Skype is still down hours after crashing this morning, and Twitter was briefly down today as well. — As Ryan Kim at GigaOm points out, businesses who depend on these and other online services should always have backup plans in place.
Discussion:
GigaOM and SelectStart
Zee / The Next Web:
Skype Goes Down. — Skype is currently down for the large majority of its users; its first down time spell since 2007. The enormity of Skype going down is appreciated when you consider that last year it accounted for 12 percent of the world's international calling minutes.
Discussion:
Twitter Status, Budi Putra, Business Wire, BetaNews and The Digital Home, Thanks:bradtnw
Sam Gustin / Epicenter:
Google Buys Giant New York Building for $1.9 Billion — Google is down with New York City. — So down, in fact, that the web search titan just dropped $1.9 billion to acquire one of the largest and most historic buildings in all of the Big Apple. At nearly 3 million square feet …
Discussion:
The Business Insider and Media Money …
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David Radcliffe / The Official Google Blog:
Investing in New York — Google New York started in a Starbucks …
Discussion:
VentureBeat, PC Magazine, New York Post, Gawker, Erictric, Data Center Knowledge and TechCrunch
Dirk Dougherty / Android Developers Blog:
More Payment Options in Android Market — A key to a great purchasing experience is providing users with simple and fast payment methods. The Android Market team has been working hard to deliver more forms of payment to further reduce purchase friction. Today, I am pleased to announce …
Discussion:
Examiner, PhoneNews.com, pocketnow.com, Android and Me, Droid Life, Android Phone Fans, Erictric, Electronista, MobileCrunch, Android Police and Engadget
Zi Wang / Google Mobile Blog:
Android In Spaaaace! — Here at Google, we're all about exploration. It's no surprise that some of our favorite products are built to let you explore the world in ways never before possible. Google Maps lets you find your way all around the world. Google Earth lets you explore the planet in detail, complete with trees and oceans.
Discussion:
WebProNews, VatorNews, Droid Life, TechCrunch, CNN, Gizmodo, Android Phone Fans, 901am and brainwagon
Adrianne Jeffries / New York Observer:
The Hottest Startups Are Full of Bros — The absence of women in tech is not really news, but since it remains a Situation, it's worth hammering away at. — This morning we wrote about the lack of women at the top positions at Twitter, Facebook, Zynga and Groupon, arguably the biggest four companies on the social Web.
Nate Anderson / Ars Technica:
How Wikileaks killed Spain's anti-P2P law — Spain last night killed a controversial anti-P2P bill that would have made it easier to shut down websites that link to infringing content. The move was a blow to the ruling Socialist government, but it may be of even bigger concern to the US …
Discussion:
TorrentFreak
Hiroko Tabuchi / Bits:
Clues About the Next PlayStation Portable — TOKYO —Sony's gaming chief, Kazuo Hirai, expected by some analysts to be Sony's next president, gave hints on Wednesday to burning questions that have fascinated the blogosphere for months: Is there a new Sony handheld gaming device in the works to succeed its PlayStation Portable?
Discussion:
Engadget, The Digital Home, Joystiq, Mashable!, Eurogamer and ringtonia.com
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Daisuke Wakabayashi / Wall Street Journal:
Sony Starts Music Service in U.K., Ireland
Discussion:
Engadget, VentureBeat, The Next Web, MediaMemo, Washington Post, Associated Press, I4U News, Music Ally, Mashable!, Dow Jones Newswires, hypebot and MacDailyNews
Matt Brian / The Next Web:
RSS app Reeder blasts MobileRSS for stealing its design — They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - that's great when someone decides to buy a new hat that they first saw worn by you, it's not so great when its a app you have designed and your competition has lifted nearly every feature …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Read It Later Blog, Macgasm, The Blog Herald and MacStories
Greg Kumparak / MobileCrunch:
SkyFire for iPad Launching Tonight For $4.99 [Update: It's Live!] — It's been a busy couple of weeks for the folks over at SkyFire. They launched their Flash Video-friendly browser for the iPhone back in early November, only to pull it down almost immediately to ease the onslaught of users hammering their video transcoding server.
Discussion:
Redmond Pie, 9 to 5 Mac, Thoughts from the Sidelines, MacNN, Erictric, MacStories and IntoMobile
Sarah Nahm / Google Chrome Blog:
60 million tabs towards good causes — In 2010, the Chrome community has joined us in moments of fun, invention, exploration, and now, giving. Last week, we invited Chrome's users worldwide to “donate” their opened tabs in Chrome to drive a charitable gift of one million dollars.
Discussion:
Softpedia News, Web Browsers, Engadget, WebProNews and Pocket-lint, Thanks:chrismessina
Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch:
WikiLeaks iPhone App Made $5,840 Before Pulled By Apple, $1 From Each Sale Will Be Donated To WikiLeaks — Igor Barinov, the developer behind the WikiLeaks app that got removed from the App store, has revealed the total breakdown of his app's reach before it got taken down by Apple. Total damage?
Zachary M. Seward / Digits:
Everything the Internet Knows About Me (Because I Asked It To) — Editor's Note: Zach is outreach editor for The Wall Street Journal, where he helps manage the newspaper's relationship with companies like Twitter and Foursquare. Below, he explains one way that he makes use of those and other services.
Discussion:
EngageDigital
Louis Gray:
Ex-Googlers Launch Beluga for Mobile Group Chat — Simple social apps, from photo sharing to intimate networks, to group texting services are gaining in momentum with the success of TextPlus, GroupMe, Path, Instagram and others. A new entrant to the scene is a company called Beluga …
Discussion:
VentureBeat
Ryan Singel / Epicenter:
Craigslist Shuts Down International “Adult Services” Sections — Craigslist, the popular online classified ad service, has seemingly shut down its controversial “adult services” section worldwide. — In early September, Craigslist shuttered that section in the U.S., following years …
Discussion:
Mashable!, L.A. Times Tech Blog, Digital Trends, Softpedia News, Online Dating Insider, CNET News, Ars Technica, Associated Press and TechSpot
Ina Fried / Mobilized:
Mobile Security Firm Lookout Picks Up Additional $19.5 Million in Funding — Lookout Mobile Security, a firm that specializes in buttoning up wireless devices, is announcing that it has scooped up another $19.5 million, marking the second time this year it has taken on additional capital.
Discussion:
TechCrunch and CNET News
Jon Evans / New Scientist:
Banknotes go electric to outwit counterfeiters — GOOD old-fashioned cash is to go down the electronic route, now that it is possible to stamp simple electronic circuits directly onto banknotes. — Modern banknotes contain up to 50 anti-counterfeiting features, but adding electronic circuits programmed …
Discussion:
Fast Company and Popular Science
Ryan Tate / Gawker:
Facebook Will Thwart Google, Says Ex Googler — Does Google have any chance at all of competing with arch-rival Facebook? Not really, former Google bigwig Paul Buchheit says. Buchheit tells us his old company will probably find it easier to land on the moon. — It's an important issue.
Discussion:
WebProNews, MediaPost, TechSpot and Paul Buchheit
Cecilia Kang / Post Tech:
Obama's deputy CTO leaves to launch start-ups — Andrew McLaughlin, the nation's deputy chief technology officer, said Wednesday he is resigning his post to launch two start-ups aimed at technology development in communities in the United States and abroad.
Spencer E. Ante / Wall Street Journal:
Fortifying Phones From Attackers — AT&T Hires Ph.Ds for Security Lab; Verizon Wireless Teams With Start-Up on Data-Security App — As consumers and companies embrace smartphones to do more of their computing, the wireless industry is taking its first steps to beef up security on mobile devices.
Thanks:yangtime
W.J. Hennigan / L.A. Times Tech Blog:
Hedge fund to track Twitter to gauge stock market, report says — A British hedge fund said it plans to track Twitter to predict moves in the stock market. — According to a report by Bloomberg, “The Derwent Absolute Return Fund Ltd., set to start trading in February with an initial 25 million pounds …
