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Why Is Eric Schmidt Stepping Down at Google? — Was Eric Schmidt pushed or did he jump? Both. According to close advisors, the Google C.E.O. was upset a year ago when co-founder Larry Page sided with his founding partner, Sergey Brin, to withdraw censored searches from China.
Discussion:
WebProNews, MediaPost, MediaFile, TechCrunch, kottke.org, SAI, VentureBeat, Daring Fireball, MacDailyNews, SlashGear, Thoughts from the Sidelines, Socialnomics, Search Engine Land, DailyFinance, The Tech Report, Mashable, New York Times, The Atlantic Online, Geek.com, MediaFlect, paidContent, Felix Salmon and DealBook
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Google shuffle: why Schmidt had to be pushed from the top
Discussion:
BetaNews, Computerworld, Apple Outsider, Know Your Cell, NetworkEffect, Gizmodo, Disruptors, AOL News, Network World, asymco and Tech Report

Eric Schmidt, Google's outgoing CEO, to cash out shares worth $335 million
Discussion:
Geek.com, Mashable!, Tech Trader Daily, paidContent and SAI

Google search and search engine spam — January brought a spate of stories about Google's search quality. Reading through some of these recent articles, you might ask whether our search quality has gotten worse. The short answer is that according to the evaluation metrics that we've refined …
Discussion:
Computerworld, Fortune, New York Observer, The Atlantic Online, Digits, Search Engine Land, NewsGrange, TechCrunch, SAI, ITworld.com, SmoothSpan Blog, broadstuff, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, Techie Buzz, WebProNews, FT tech hub, Lifehacker, Network World, The Huffington Post, 901am, DomainIncite.com and PC World, more at Mediagazer »
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Google ready for action against content farms
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paidContent, more at Mediagazer »

Blocking the Skype Toolbar in Firefox — The Skype Toolbar for Firefox is an extension that detects phone numbers in web pages, and re-renders them as a clickable button that can be used to dial the number using the Skype desktop application. This extension is bundled with the Skype application …
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Mozilla To Block Skype's Browser Toolbar - Skype Responds, Recommends Upgrading
Discussion:
The Next Web


iPad 2 will have the same cameras as the iPod touch — Oh, hello. We've done some digging in the latest SDK and it looks like Apple's much rumored second-generation iPad will not feature some fancy 5 megapixel camera, but will instead shoot your flicks and take your pics with something close to a 1 megapixels.
Discussion:
TUAW, IntoMobile, MacRumors, iLounge, SlashGear, Erictric, Thoughts from the Sidelines, VentureBeat, MacStories, Gearlog, App Advice, Engadget, MacNN and everythingiCafe


Open-Source Hack Unlocks Apple TV's Potential — Your Apple TV just got a lot less boring with the help of nifty new tools that override its restrictions and add powerful capabilities. — Launched Friday morning, the hack for Apple TV 2 expands the set-top box's multimedia playback …
Discussion:
Ars Technica
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You asked for it: XBMC for AppleTV2, iPad, iPhone4. — The XBMC team is proud to present our first ARM-based release, and it's a big one. Scott Davilla, with the help of Edgar (gimli) Hucek and Zeljko (amet) Ametovic and several other developers and testers, is finally ready to pull the curtain off of his fun little secret.
Discussion:
Geek.com, TUAW, Engadget, AppleInsider, SlashGear, Pocket-lint, TiPb, Zatz Not Funny!, Download Squad, MacStories, Lifehacker, MacRumors, BlogsDNA, GeekTonic, eHomeUpgrade, iClarified and everythingiCafe

HTML is the new HTML5 — In 2009 we announced that the HTML5 specification at the WHATWG was progressing to Last Call. The plan at the time was to finish the specification this year and publish a snapshot of “HTML5” in 2012. However, shortly after that we realised that the demand …
Discussion:
All about Microsoft Blog, Digital Trends, Adactio, Webmonkey, Ars Technica, TechSpot, ZDNet, ITProPortal, SAI, PC World and techno.blog


Oops: No copied Java code or weapons of mass destruction found in Android — Sometimes the sheer wrongness of what is posted on the web leaves us speechless. Especially when it's picked up and repeated as gospel by otherwise reputable sites like Engadget.
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New evidence supports Oracle's case against Google
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CNET News, Computerworld, ZDNet, Digital Trends, Geek.com, SAI, Engadget, Electronista, DailyTech, Hardware 2.0 Blog, SlashGear, SAI, Inquirer, WPCentral.com, V3.co.uk, Android Phone Fans, Androinica, OSNews, IntoMobile, Android Community, PalmAddicts, 901am, PhoneNews.com, Gizmodo and MacDailyNews


Confirmed: Google Readies “Google Offers” Groupon Clone — Google is about to launch a Groupon clone according to Mashable. Called “Google Offers,” the blog showed some promotional collateral that presents a very Groupon-like daily deal offering: [Google Offers Image] As everyone reading this knows …
Discussion:
NewsGrange, BaltTech, PC World, PSFK, SAI, ClickZ, Mashable!, Tnooz, Black Web 2.0, Techie Buzz, TechCrunch Europe, Switched, Yipit Blog, The Next Web, TechEye, Understanding Google …, Fast Company, VentureBeat, WebProNews, CNET News, Examiner, NBC Bay Area, Search Engine Roundtable, Fortune and Screenwerk
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Why Google Still Needs to Buy a Groupon Clone
Discussion:
TechCrunch and Deal Journal


AT&T offering free MicroCells to top 7.5 percent of customers ‘likely to experience poor in-building coverage’ — We've known that AT&T has been test-marketing free 3G MicroCells to subscribers with particularly awful reception in certain parts of the country since the product launched last year …
Discussion:
PC World, VentureBeat, Techland, Thoughts from the Sidelines and Gizmodo


Facebook Raises $1.5 Billion At $50 Billion Valuation — Facebook has officially announced that it has just raised $1.5 billion in funding at a $50 billion valuation, according to a release issued today (we've embedded the release below). — As stated in the release, the investment was broken into two parts.
Discussion:
ReadWriteWeb, Facebook and The Next Web


Tweets Hit Techmeme, Bloggers in a Tizzy — For years, Techmeme has been considered the tech news website of record. A quick glance at the site, which aggregates tech news headlines from across the web, will tell you the topics that people are discussing, and who is discussing them, at any moment in time.
Discussion:
broadstuff, SEO and Tech Daily, @jason and @thestalwart


Google Replaces ‘Reader’ Link With ‘Photos’ In Gmail, Users In A Tizzy — More proof that RSS is on its way out, and the apocalypse is nigh: Google has seemingly replaced the top link to its RSS reader product, Google Reader, with a link to ‘Photos’ (Picasa) at the top of the Gmail web interface.
Discussion:
App Advice, Post Tech, Search Engine Land and Geek.com


65% of Apple's sales came from iOS powered devices — The iPhone and iPad generated $15 billion of revenue last quarter. In addition, iPod touch generated about $2.3 billion, implying that iOS based devices were responsible for sales of $17.3 billion. — To put that in perspective I drew …
Discussion:
Fortune, SlashGear, The Next Web, 9 to 5 Mac and TUAW


Apple's Making It Impossible To Open Up Your iPhone By Secretly Swapping Its Screws — Apple's products are notoriously difficult to open and repair—surprise, they want you to buy new stuff!—but this is especially ridiculous. During repairs, they're replacing the iPhone 4's Philips screws …
Discussion:
Examiner, AppleInsider, Between the Lines Blog, TUAW, Digital Trends, Webomatica, PSFK, Gadget Lab, Geek.com, TechEye and MobileWhack.com


AT&T may implement speed and data tiers for 4G LTE service — BGR has learned that AT&T may have plans to offer tiered data services when it launches its Long Term Evolution network later this year. The carrier apparently plans to trial two separate types of tiers alongside its LTE service: speed tiers and data tiers.
Discussion:
PhoneArena, Electronista, Know Your Cell, IntoMobile, Androinica and MobileBurn.com


Can Employers Fire Over Facebook Gaffes? — Facebook gaffes that can cause trouble in the workplace aren't unique to drunken college students any more. As more companies—and their workers—tap into the world of blogs, Twitter and Facebook, employers are tripping over legal potholes in social media.


Zynga Buys Area/Code, Developer of Ubisoft's CSI: Crime City Game on Facebook — Zynga has just announced the acquisition of independent game developer Area/Code, a company best known to our readers for its work with Ubisoft, developing the Facebook game CSI: Crime City.
Discussion:
paidContent, Area/Code, TechCrunch and VentureBeat