Techmeme: U.S. State Department starts Farsi Twitter feed (CNN)

5:55 PM ET, February 14, 2011

Top Items:

New Chrome extension: block sites from Google's web search results — We've been exploring different algorithms to detect content farms, which are sites with shallow or low-quality content. One of the signals we're exploring is explicit feedback from users.

Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch:
Google Crowdsources Content Farm Detection With A Chrome Extension

Discussion: ReadWriteWeb and BetaNews

Leander Kahney / Cult of Mac:

More Detail On Apple's iPhone Nano [Exclusive] — We have more detail on Apple's iPhone nano, which according to Sunday's Wall Street Journal is real and may be headed to market this year. — But what we have will blow your mind. — This week, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal …

Paul Miller / Engadget:

The iPhone nano to forgo local storage? Common sense says ‘no’ — Well, MWC is in full swing, where folks like LG, Samsung, Sony, and Nokia are pouring their souls out in front of us in device form. So, naturally, the rumors are swirling about... the iPhone nano.

Discussion: L.A. Times Tech Blog, The Loop, Gizmodo, 9 to 5 Mac and Electronista

Jackie Cohen / All Facebook:

First Facebook SIM Card Released — Every GSM cell phone will soon have Facebook built right in, as Gemalto has created the first SIM card including functions related to the social network. — A spokesperson for the social network confirmed the development in via email:

Discussion: The Register, Pulse2, Redmond Pie, MarketingVOX, Gizmodo, Pocket-lint and The Next Web

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes / Hardware 2.0 Blog: Gemalto brings Facebook on a SIM, turning ‘dumbphones’ into smartphones

Ina Fried / Mobilized:

Microsoft to Add Multitasking, Internet Explorer 9 to Windows Phone Later this Year — Microsoft announced on Monday plans to fill in some of the key gaps from the initial Windows Phone 7 release with two updates due out this year. — The more interesting of the updates is the second one-a major release-is due later this year.

Todd Bishop / TechFlash:
Video: Microsoft shows Kinect and Windows Phone, together

Discussion: Engadget, BetaNews and CrunchGear, Thanks:johnhcook

Aza Raskin / Co.Design:

The Untold Story of How My Dad Helped Invent the First Mac — Jef Raskin, my father, (below) helped develop the Macintosh, and I was recently looking at some of his old documents and came across his February 16, 1981 memo detailing the genesis of the Macintosh.

Discussion: TUAW and Gizmodo

Janko Roettgers / GigaOM:

Netflix Finally Arrives On the Boxee Box — Can you hear that? That's the sound of relief coming from Boxee's offices in New York, as the startup is finally able to add a Netflix app to its Boxee Box today. Owners of the device can access the app by manually initiating a firmware update …

Discussion: Gearlog, Electronista and NYConvergence.com

Avner Ronen / Boxee Blog:
Happy Valentine's Day: Netflix on the Boxee Box

Discussion: CNET News, The Toybox Blog, ReadWriteWeb, VentureBeat, SlashGear, Engadget, Hacking NetFlix, eHomeUpgrade, Gizmodo, The Next Web, Reddit and Switched, Thanks:richdemuro

Vlad Savov / Engadget:

LG Optimus Pad first hands-on! (video) — We've just gotten back from playing around with LG's 8.9-inch, 3D-friendly Optimus Pad (known as the G-Slate in the US). This Android Honeycomb tablets sports a dual-core CPU inside and a dual-camera array outside, giving you both the optical and processing capabilities to produce 3D video.

Discussion: CrunchGear, PC World, MobileCrunch, Gadget Lab, PhoneDog.com, Examiner, Gadget Lab, eWeek, Pulse2, SlashGear, Crave, Liliputing, CrunchGear, Gearlog, BGR, TmoNews and MobileWhack.com

Sean Cooper / Engadget:
LG Optimus 3D hands-on

Discussion: Digital Trends, Mashable!, IntoMobile, SAI, techeblog.com and Black Web 2.0

Jacqui Cheng / Ars Technica:

Apple's 2011 supplier report: child workers, bribes, “involuntary labor” — Apple discovered underage workers, “involuntary labor,” worker endangerment, and bribery at some of its supplier facilities over the course of 2010, the company revealed in its 2011 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report.

Discussion: ZDNet, Hardware 2.0 Blog, 9 to 5 Mac, SAI, CNET News, Digital Daily and MacStories

Aron Kozak / The Qt Blog:

Update on Qt — Judging by the sheer volume of comments on Daniel's post on Saturday you are all feeling like we are. Not the finest time in the history of Qt for sure, but also not the death of Qt that some of you are predicting either. — I was unable to continue to reply to all the comments …

Discussion: Daring Fireball and The Register

Kara Swisher / BoomTown:

Bill Gross' UberMedia Raises $17.5 Million From Accel, Index and Steve Case — UberMedia, which just bought TweetDeck for $30 million in equity last week, has raised $17.5 million, in a round led by Accel Partners. — The valuation for the Pasadena, Calif. start-up founded …

Discussion: MediaMemo, SAI, mocoNews, Pulse2 and @loic

Scott Austin / Venture Capital Dispatch:

Kleiner Perkins Invests In Facebook At $52 Billion Valuation — Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Facebook are together at last. — VentureWire reports today that Kleiner is taking a small stake in Facebook by buying as much as $38 million of stock from other shareholders at a valuation …

Discussion: Computerworld, VentureBeat, All Facebook, Digital Trends, Mashable!, The Digital Home, GigaOM, SiliconANGLE, paidContent and Switched

Loïc Le Meur / Loic Le Meur Blog:

The new nightmare of developers and brands — It used to be simple. You just needed a website. Whatever you do on the web today, it's now a nightmare if you want to optimize your presence. — Platforms — You need to be on all popular platforms. iPhone of course …

Thanks:loic

Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:

Qualcomm enables instant streaming of Netflix movies on Android — Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon mobile processors will enable future Android devices to be able to instantly stream TV shows and movies from Netflix. — Instant streaming is the hottest new way to get movies into the hands of users.

Discussion: MobileCrunch, eHomeUpgrade, MSDN Blogs, Liliputing, CNET News, Zatz Not Funny!, Internet Evolution, Mobilized, PC World, Light Reading, Electronista, Notebooks.com, V3.co.uk, Android Tapp, SlashGear and DSLreports

Stephen Shankland / CNET News:

HTML5 spec set for 2014 completion — It's been a work in progress for years, but there are a few more years to go yet before the next version of Hypertext Markup Language is finalized. — Specifically, the World Wide Web Consortium's HTML Working Group is set to announce today that it expects …

Discussion: The Register, Computerworld and ConceivablyTech

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:

Research In Motion Acquires Professional Contact Manager Gist — We heard the rumors that Research In Motion (RIM) was involved in serious talks to buy professional contact manager Gist, and today it's official. RIM has bought Gist, we've confirmed with the company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Discussion: ReadWriteWeb, Gist Blog, Inside BlackBerry, eWeek, SAI, Research in Motion, GigaOM, Social Media & Technology, Between the Lines Blog, Xconomy, BlackBerry Cool, NetworkEffect, CrackBerry.com blogs, Mashable!, BerryReview.com and Erictric

Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:

Huge Vote Of Confidence: Uber Raises $11 million From Benchmark Capital — Uber, a young startup that let's people book a black car service on the fly via their mobile app, has closed an $11 million round valuing the company at $49 million pre-money valuation, $60 million post-money, we've confirmed from sources.

Discussion: Pulse2

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

The Economics of Blogging and The Huffington Post — When The Huffington Post announced earlier this week that it was being acquired by AOL for $315 million in cash and stock, one group felt slighted: a set of unpaid bloggers for the site, identifying by the Twitter hashtag #huffpuff …

Discussion: broadstuff, GigaOM, Invisible Inkling and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

Ars Technica:

Call it “3G” or “4G,” America's wireless networks are still slow — If you've followed broadband discussions in Washington, DC, then you've heard that wireless is the future of communications. The National Broadband Plan offers wireless as the competitive solution to the broadband duopoly dilemma …

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:

Intel Invests $26 Million In CloudMade, Kaltura and Others — Intel Capital, Intel's investment arm, has announced six new investments totaling $26 million in a number of startups developing technology for mobile platforms. The startups intel invested in include open source mobile software company Borqs …

Discussion: VatorNews, The Register, Business Wire, Market Wire, SiliconANGLE, GigaOM and Beet.TV, Thanks:beet_tv

Michael Hickins / Digits:

Google Cloud Boosting YouTube Upload Speeds — YouTube is leaning heavily on parent company Google's huge cloud computing infrastructure of data centers and Web servers to reduce the amount of time it takes for users to see their videos published online, Digits has learned.

Jinen Kamdar / Twitter Blog:

Translating Twitter into more languages — Today we're announcing a product that is a major step toward making Twitter more easily accessible by people around the world - the Twitter Translation Center. The Translation Center allows us to crowdsource translations from our passionate users …

Discussion: Mashable!, VatorNews, Computerworld, SlashGear, TechCrunch and The Blog Herald

CNN:

U.S. State Department starts Farsi Twitter feed — (CNN) — The U.S. State Department launched a new Farsi-language Twitter feed Sunday in a bid to connect with internet users in Iran. — “US State Dept recognizes historic role of social media among Iranians.

Discussion: Hillicon Valley and Slate

Chris Foresman / Ars Technica:

iOS developers making leap to the Mac, thanks to Mac App Store — The Mac App Store is, by most accounts, off to a good start. But not all entrenched Mac developers are ready to entrust their entire business to Apple's recently opened digital distribution point due to certain restrictions placed …

Discussion: AppAdvice and MacStories

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CIO challenge 5: Can we find an effective solution that also minimizes operational costs? — Welcome to the next and final installment of our CIO series! After what feels like a thousand cups of coffee …

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