Techmeme: Microsoft finally says adios to Autorun (Dan Goodin/The Register)

10:55 PM ET, February 8, 2011

Top Items:

Apple's New iPad in Production — Apple Inc. has started production of a new version of its iPad tablet computer, said people familiar with the matter. — The new device will be thinner, lighter and will come with a faster processor, more memory and a more powerful graphics processor, said the people familiar with the matter.

Mark Gurman / 9 to 5 Mac:

WSJ on iPad 2: FaceTime, thinner, lighter, faster, 1024 x 768 display — The well-informed Wall Street Journal has backed up just about every iPad 2 rumor we have heard so far. The WSJ says the iPad 2 will have a front facing camera for FaceTime video calling, in addition to a new lighter, thinner design.

Discussion: SlashGear

Chris Ziegler / Engadget:

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop rallies troops in brutally honest ‘burning platform’ memo? (update: it's real!) — “The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don't have a product that is close to their experience. Android came on the scene just over 2 years ago, and this week they took our leadership position in smartphone volumes.

Discussion: PC Magazine, MacRumors, Hardware 2.0 Blog, Digital Daily, The Next Web, Daring Fireball, WMPoweruser.com, MacStories and blogs.chron.com

Steve O'Hear / TechCrunch Europe:
Nokia heading to Silicon Valley? And the ‘Standing on a burning platform’ memo

Discussion: Digital Trends, AppleInsider, The Register, mocoNews, @loic, Geek.com, Reuters, I4U News, @gartenberg, WMPoweruser.com and MacDailyNews, Thanks:mikebutcher

Wenzhang Zhu / Google Mobile Blog:

Introducing the Google Translate app for iPhone — Back in August 2008, we launched a Google Translate HTML5 web app for iPhone users. Today, the official Google Translate for iPhone app is available for download from the App Store. The new app has all of the features of the web app …

Charles Starrett / iLounge:

Verizon iPhone 4 antenna problems persist (video) — In the course of conducting our standard suite of iPhone 4 performance tests, iLounge has discovered that the Verizon CDMA iPhone 4 suffers from signal attenuation problems similar to ones discovered in the original GSM version of the iPhone 4.

Discussion: Computerworld, TechCrunch, The Apple Core Blog, MacRumors, 9 to 5 Mac, IntoMobile, MacStories, MobileCrunch, Pulse2 and Erictric, Thanks:starrett

Katie Marsal / AppleInsider:
Apple's Verizon iPhone 4 has improved antenna, integrated GPS

Discussion: PC Magazine, iSuppli, App Advice, BGR and eWeek

Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:

Mahalo's Calacanis: Time To End The Content Farm Arms Race — No stranger to controversy, Mahalo CEO Jason Calacanis threw down a gauntlet at his “content farm” competitors, arguing they're polluting the web and angering Google, to the detriment of searchers and their own companies.

Thanks:bobcaswell

Farhad Manjoo / Slate:

Search engine optimization won't work forever. — Are you wondering, “will AOL's acquisition of the Huffington Post be successful?” I bet you are, as that's been a common search engine query since the announcement earlier this week that AOL will buy the Huffington Post.

Discussion: @dannysullivan, Bloomberg and DealBook, more at Mediagazer »

Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch:

Facebook Makes It Official: We Bought The Old Sun Campus In Menlo Park (And Don't Forget We're Hiring!) — Why has Facebook brought together big time press from Agence France, ABC 7 and TechCrunch together here at Menlo Park City Hall? Because it's hiring, and it wants to announce it by purchasing a building.

Discussion: VatorNews, Bits, Digits, BetaNews, All Facebook, @blam, Mashable!, Between the Lines Blog, SFGate, @furrier, The Register, Inside Facebook, NBC Bay Area, Pulse2, @gartenberg, Xconomy and NetworkEffect

Matt Rosoff / SAI: Silicon Alley Insider:
Facebook Will Move This Summer

Discussion: NBC Bay Area

Mark Milian / CNN:

Verizon plans 4G internet calling service — Basking Ridge, New Jersey (CNN) — Verizon Wireless is close to launching a new cellular calling service that offers better sound quality than its current network and is capable of doing video chat. — The new voice and video protocol …

Discussion: CNET News, Android Phone Fans, Engadget, PR Newswire, GigaOM, Electronista, Mashable!, SlashGear, VentureBeat, IntoMobile, FierceWireless, Gadget Lab, PhoneArena, Droid Life, Tecca, GottaBeMobile, PhoneNews.com, DSLreports and Gizmodo

Leslie Katz / CNET News:

Dell unveils 10-inch Windows 7 tablet — Steven Lalla, vice president and general manager of Dell's commercial client product group, holds up a non-working mockup of the company's new commercial Windows tablet. — Dell expanded its foray into tablets today with a new 10-inch Windows 7-based device designed …

Discussion: AppleInsider, Engadget, Reuters, Microsoft Watch, Computerworld, BGR, Electricpig.co.uk, Computerworld, The Seattle Times, WinRumors, TechFlash, TechCrunch, Liliputing, Pulse2, Digital Trends and Pocket-lint

Eve Batey / SF Appeal:

Proposed Tax Cuts For Twitter Raise Questions Of “Corporate Blackmail,” Worker Safety — Twitter's implied threats to leave San Francisco for Brisbane appear to be paying off, as city official are reportedly unveiling a plan to offer to microblogging service tax credits to remain in SF today.

Discussion: San Francisco Chronicle

Matt Baume / NBC Bay Area: Mayor Lures Twitter to Dangerous Skid Row

Dan Goodin / The Register:

Microsoft finally says adios to Autorun — Worm bait purged from older Windows — After a decade of abuse, Autorun is finally being retired in older versions of Windows. — On Tuesday, Microsoft began pushing an update that changes the way Windows Server 2008 and earlier versions …

Discussion: TechNet Blogs, InfoWorld and PC Magazine

Ron Carmel / 2D Boy:

Analysis: World of Goo's iPad Launch — We attempted, and failed, to bring World of Goo to iPhone in the summer of 2009. Development was sporadic and slow as we worked with a series of four different contractors who, for various reasons, did not bring the project to completion. So we dropped it.

Discussion: AppleInsider, Joystiq, Touch Arcade, Gamasutra and www.pocketgamer.biz

Laura Kusisto / New York Observer:

Apple's Next Stop? Grand Central — Apple has begun a super-secret quest for a store in historic Grand Central Terminal, potentially creating a hive of buzzing techies in the glamorous Beaux Arts landmark. — Reliable sources tell The Observer that the maker of ubiquitous iGadgets …

Discussion: MacRumors, Erictric, MacDailyNews, TUAW, AppleInsider, 9 to 5 Mac and ifoAppleStore

Megan Friedman / TIME:

Smartphone Sins: Catholic Church Approves Confession by iPhone — First came the iPod, then the iPhone. Now there's iPrayer. — The Catholic Church in America has approved Confession: A Roman Catholic App, for use among churchgoers and lapsed Catholics alike.

Discussion: App Advice, Engadget, BBC, Digital Trends, Pulse2, AppScout, TUAW, ITProPortal, MobileWhack.com, I4U News, SAI, USA Today, Reuters, The Register and Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check

Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb:

Techmeme Opens the Door to Twitter Commentary by Select People — Technology news aggregator Techmeme sent an email today to a select group of readers it has put on a whitelist of Twitter users whose short commentary about news of the day will appear automatically on the site.

Discussion: Podcasting News, @loic and @carnage4life, Thanks:marshallk

Jonny Evans / Computerworld:

Journey to the Center of the Mac App Store — Apple [AAPL] now plans to cease boxed software sales through its retail channels in favor of pushing all application sales via the Mac App Store, a report claims. Is this a convenience for connected consumers or a move to take complete control of Mac software sales?

Discussion: App Advice and GigaOM

David Kravets / Threat Level:

Sony Lawyers Expand Dragnet, Targeting Anybody Posting PlayStation 3 Hack — Sony is threatening to sue anybody posting or “distributing” the first full-fledged jailbreak code for the 4-year-old PlayStation 3 gaming console. — What's more, the company is demanding that a federal judge order Google …

Discussion: Techdirt, Pulse2, CrunchGear, Examiner, TechSpot, Engadget, The Register, TG Daily, Electronista and Destructoid

Daniel Jacobson / The Netflix Tech Blog:

Redesigning the Netflix API — This is Daniel Jacobson, Director of Engineering for the API here at Netflix. The Netflix API launched in 2008 with a focus on the public developer community. The expectation was that this community would build amazing and inspiring applications …

Discussion: ReadWriteWeb and GigaOM

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:

Sequoia Leads $15 Million Round In Wireless Networking Company Meraki — Meraki, the cloud-based wireless networking company, has raised $15 million in Series C funding led by Sequoia Capital. This brings Meraki's total funding to $40 million. Previous investors include Google, DAG Ventures and Northgate Capital.

Discussion: VentureBeat and Pulse2

Fred / A VC:

Anatomy Of A Pirate — I like to buy music. I buy it from emusic (where I pay $23/month for use it or lose it credits for music downloads), Amazon, and when in a pinch, iTunes. I also have two Rhapsody music subscriptions that cost an additional $20/month.

Discussion: Guardian, virtualeconomics, @gartenberg, @eghosao and SmoothSpan Blog

Mike Davies / < isolani />:

Breaking the Web with hash-bangs — Lifehacker, along with every other Gawker property, experienced a lengthy site-outage on Monday over a misbehaving piece of JavaScript. Gawker sites were reduced to being an empty homepage layout with zero content, functionality, ads, or even legal disclaimer wording.

Bryan Llenas / Fox News:

‘Smuggle Truck: Operation Immigration’ iPhone App Draws Outrage — Want to smuggle immigrants across the border? — Well, there's an app for that. — It's a game called “Smuggle Truck: Operation Immigration” and it's causing outrage. Developed by a Boston-based tech company …

Discussion: PC World

Don Reisinger / Crave: The gadget blog:

LG attempting to stop the sale of PS3 in U.S. — LG Electronics wants the U.S. International Trade Commission to bar the import of the PlayStation 3 into the United States, according to a complaint. — The complaint, filed Friday with the ITC and first reported by Bloomberg yesterday …

Discussion: PC Magazine, Bloomberg, ITC Law Blog, Engadget, Electronista and VG247

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