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Exclusive: Apple will remove home button on next iPad and iPhone; Photo Booth and iLife coming? — We just got some pretty wild information from one of our Apple sources and while it's hard to believe at first, it does make sense. We have exclusively been told that the reason Apple …
Discussion:
L.A. Times Tech Blog, Datamation, Digital Trends, Fast Company, GigaOM, Ars Technica, VentureBeat, Network World, Hardware 2.0 Blog, TiPb, Appolicious Advisor, Examiner, Techland, 9 to 5 Mac, MacStories, lalawag, MacRumors, Computerworld, NBC Bay Area, Redmond Pie, msnbc.com, Thoughts from the Sidelines, Gizmodo, Softpedia News, AppleInsider, Fonehome.co.uk, Phones Review, RazorianFly, DailyTech, Gadgets DNA, Gearlog, TUAW, I4U News, GottaBeMobile, Covering Web, pocketnow.com, Macgasm, Gadget Lab, iPhone, Electricpig.co.uk, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Pocket-lint, Geeky-Gadgets, O'Grady's PowerPage, Neowin.net, Geek.com, PhoneArena, SlashGear, SAI, Engadget, Electronista, Go Rumors and Know Your Cell
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Can the New iOS 4.3 Switching Gestures Obviate the Home Button? — A bunch of DF readers on Twitter are wondering whether the new four-finger gestures in today's iOS 4.3 developer beta suggest that Apple might remove the Home button from future iOS hardware. I think not.
Discussion:
ReadWriteWeb, BGR, MacRumors, Yahoo! News, SiliconANGLE, TUAW, I4U News, The Next Web, Computerworld, MacStories and everythingiCafe

Too much hardware choice — From my Verizon iPhone post: … Not enough Nick's response: … Yes, it is, for a few major reasons. — Most people don't read gadget blogs or even know what Android is. They generally hear about individual phones, without distinguishing much based on operating system.
Discussion:
Coyote Tracks
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Android upgrades: Which manufacturers can you trust? — For most smartphone users, Google's Android upgrades are both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, each upgrade opens the door to exciting new features and functions for a phone. On the other hand, the updates don't arrive instantly …
Discussion:
Android Phone Fans and Droid Life, Thanks:jr_raphael


Breaking: T-Mobile Internals Confirm Samsung Is Holding the Android World Hostage — We recently received a tip from someone we feel is a reliable source. The information in the tip has just confirmed everything we have ever thought about Samsung, OTA's and new devices.
Discussion:
Technologizer, ITworld.com, BGR, TechEye, IntoMobile, Techie Buzz, Electronista, Thoughts from the Sidelines and pocketnow.com


Exclusive: BlackBerry Dakota gets pictured; the touch and type BlackBerry you've been waiting for — We just got our hands on a crystal clear photo of the BlackBerry Dakota — you know, the device that's going to sit right at the head of the BlackBerry family dinner table.
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, eWeek, Ars Technica, Computerworld, BerryReview.com, The Toybox Blog, Electronista, SlashGear, PhoneArena, CrackBerry.com blogs, MobileCrunch, BB Geeks, IntoMobile, InformationWeek, MobileWhack.com, Engadget, Black Web 2.0, Softpedia News, Geek.com, Mobile phones, The Next Web, Gizmodo, Erictric, Geeky-Gadgets, Techie Buzz, SlashPhone, Network World, ITProPortal, Know Your Cell and Pocket-lint


New iOS Feature Coming: ‘Find My Friends’ — Some further digging into the newly released iOS 4.3 developer build has revealed settings for a new feature called “Find My Friends”. The strings are associated with the Settings app and is related to “MobileMe”.
Discussion:
Engadget, 9 to 5 Mac, Digital Trends, Adotas, Pocket-lint, Gadgetell, Computerworld, iLounge, Macgasm, Geeky-Gadgets, lalawag, Zatz Not Funny!, MacStories, TiPb, Covering Web, The Next Web, Telegraph, Softpedia News and IntoMobile
RELATED:

Is Apple Building A Mobile Social Network?
Discussion:
Examiner and Softpedia News


iPad 2 will take pics, shoot flicks — We found four interesting files in the latest SDK and they all amount to the next-generation iPad having a camera. You will notice the same shutter screen as found on the iPhone and iPod touch in addition to camera roll icons for videos and pictures.
Discussion:
PR Newswire, iLounge, Engadget, The Next Web, Thoughts from the Sidelines, ITworld.com, MacStories, iPhone, RazorianFly, Electronista, Fonehome.co.uk, Erictric, O'Grady's PowerPage, everythingiCafe, Electricpig.co.uk and Softpedia News, Thanks:9to5mac
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Next-Generation iPad to Launch in the U.S. on April 2nd or 9th? — MacNotes.de reports that the second-generation iPad is currently scheduled to debut in the United States on one of the first two Saturdays in April: the 2nd or the 9th. (The report's headline states the 2nd or 7th …
Discussion:
App Advice, MACNOTES.NET, Redmond Pie, Techie Buzz, Thoughts from the Sidelines, TUAW, BGR, Erictric, SlashGear, Know Your Cell and MacStories


Millennial: For The First Time, Android Surpasses iOS Mobile Ad Impression Share — This has been a significant few weeks for Millennial Media. The ad network just closed a $27.5 million investment round, announced that the company had tripled its revenue in 2010, and today, is releasing one of its more noteworthy monthly reports.
Discussion:
Fortune, MediaPost, Mashable!, paidContent, Light Reading, GigaOM, Android Community, Electronista, Millennial Media, The Register, Android Phone Fans and WebProNews


The first look at The Daily, Rupert Murdoch's iPad newspaper — An official introduction to The Daily, Rupert Murdoch's new iPad newspaper, is expected on Jan. 19, possibly at an event with Apple's Steve Jobs. — But peeking inside the source code of its recently-launched companion website …
Discussion:
The Next Web and MacStories, more at Mediagazer »


A new look for Google Translate for Android — When we launched the first version of Google Translate for Android in January 2010, we were excited about the year ahead. For the first time, we were bringing the capabilities supported on Google Translate—like machine translation …


Google already knows its search sucks (and is working to fix it) — It's a popular notion these days Google has lost its “mojo” due to failed products like Google Wave, Google Buzz, and Google TV. But Google's core business — Web search — has come under fire recently for being the ultimate in failed tech products.
Discussion:
Techie Buzz and broadstuff, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:

Google vs. Bing: The Fallacy Of The Superior Search Engine
Discussion:
Google Operating System and State of Search


AOL'S NEW PROBLEM: Mike Arrington — When AOL bought TechCrunch last September, the first question on everyone's lips was, “How long could Mike Arrington possibly last as an AOL employee?” — Yesterday, four months after the deal, we may have begun to learn the answer to that question.
Discussion:
NBC Bay Area, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim and CNNMoney Tech Tumblr, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:

Real Blogs Don't Buy Ads On Google
Discussion:
SAI and Darren Herman


Exclusive: Next-generation BlackBerry Curve appears, brings specs with it — That BlackBerry 8520 feeling a bit outdated? Well, we might have just what you've been waiting for — the next generation BlackBerry Curve. Codenamed “Apollo,” the new BlackBerry Curve finally brings …


Mobile VC Investment Was A Massive $6.1B In 2010. Google, Intel Led The Way — Boutique investment house Rutberg & Company have released their numbers on VC and M&A activity in the mobile sector, and the figures confirm that 2010 was a doozy. — Mobile now represents 34 percent …
Discussion:
TechEye, PhoneArena and Mobile Entertainment, Thanks:dangilmartin
RELATED:

Late Surge On Internet Deals Heat Up VC Funding
Discussion:
CB Insights, Mass High Tech, Software, Interrupted, Xconomy and ReadWriteWeb


IBM's Watson wins Jeopardy practice round: Can humans hang? — IBM's Watson supercomputer won a practice round against Jeopardy champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter and raised a lot of questions about the capabilities of artificial intelligence. — Watson, a four-year effort by IBM …
Discussion:
ReadWriteWeb, Epicenter and Engadget


Is Mobile Affecting When We Read? — Printed media used to allow us to read in the places we found most comfortable. When you imagine yourself reading the newspaper it's probably in your favorite chair, at the breakfast table, or at the cafe with an orange mocha frappuccino in your hand.
Discussion:
blogs.chron.com, ReadWriteWeb, paidContent:UK and TeleRead, more at Mediagazer », Thanks:ideashower


Chatroulette Founder Andrey Ternovskiy Raises New Funding: “50,000 Naked Men” — Following a week's worth of back and forth and blown off interviews, including one scheduled at 11 p.m EST, Chatroulette founder Andrey Ternovskiy finally picks up his cell phone after several rings.
Discussion:
Geek.com


TripIt Bags An ExIt - Acquired By Concur For Up To $120 Million — Concur, a publicly-listed provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions, this morning announced it has agreed to acquire TripIt, which helps travelers easily organize and share travel plans.
Discussion:
paidContent, alarm:clock, TripIt Blog, Concur Blog, TechFlash, ZDNet and Tnooz


Google's Purchase of ITA Software May Be Challenged by U.S. — The U.S. Justice Department is preparing for a possible antitrust lawsuit to stop Google Inc.'s $700 million acquisition of ITA Software Inc., according to people familiar with the situation. — Department officials …
Discussion:
Hillicon Valley, Wall Street Journal and Reuters

Predicting the future of the Internet is easy: anything it hasn't yet dramatically transformed, it will. — People love to focus on horse races: NYC vs Silcon Valley, Facebook vs Twitter, IPO markets vs private exchanges, the valuation of some startup vs some other startup.
Discussion:
Venture Capital Dispatch


Feature: Google's dropping H.264 from Chrome a step backward for openness — The promise of HTML5's <video> tag was a simple one: to allow web pages to contain embedded video without the need for plugins. With the decision to remove support for the widespread H.264 codec from future versions of Chrome …
Discussion:
ZDNet, L.A. Times Tech Blog, Ed Burnette's Dev …, Tech Broiler Blog, Ed Bott's Microsoft … and rc3.org


Exclusive: Google, Weinstein Co. Strike Film Deal — Given the pressure Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is under to land premium content deals for YouTube, you would think they would shout from the rooftops about securing its largest top-shelf film haul yet, from Weinstein Co. But a closer inspection reveals …
Discussion:
SiliconANGLE


Runet: Why the Russian internet doesn't need the West — Not much is known about Russia's technology scene or ‘Runet’, the term used to describe the Russian language internet, and yet it's keeping pace with Silicon Valley, finds Emma Barnett. — Dmitry Grishin, the chief executive of Mail.ru
Thanks:amzin