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12:05 AM ET, March 18, 2011

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Jim Dalrymple / The Loop:
Study comparing Android to iPhone Web browsing speed flawed  —  A Canadian software company, Blaze Software, released a report today of what it calls the “largest ever research study of smart phone browser performance.”  The problem is, the study is flawed.
RELATED:
John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
Why the Nitro JavaScript Engine Isn't Available to Apps Outside Mobile Safari in iOS 4.3  —  Along a similar line to today's story about the performance differences between Mobile Safari and the system-wide UIWebView control in iOS 4.3, was Tuesday's mini-brouhaha about web app performance outside Mobile Safari.
Discussion: The Loop
Ken Doctor / Nieman Journalism Lab:
The newsonomics of The New York Times' pay fence  —  t's official — and the world still turns.  After 14 months of planning, The New York Times is finally launching its pay system, starting in the U.S. March 28.  It's been a gestation period longer than a manatee's, due to customer-service identification …
RELATED:
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
The Google Loophole Has Become The Facebook/Twitter Loophole  —  There are a lot of interesting angles to the news this morning about The New York Times' new paywall.  Top news will remain free, a set number of articles for all users will remain free, there will be different pricing tiers …
Cory Doctorow / Boing Boing:
New York Times paywall: wishful thinking or just crazy?
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
Apple Gets Its First Big Publisher: New York Times Subscriptions Will Be Sold Through iTunes
Nick Wingfield / Wall Street Journal:
Microsoft, Feds Pull Plug on Spam Network  —  Microsoft Corp. and federal law enforcement agents seized computer equipment from Internet hosting facilities across the U.S. in a sweeping legal attack designed to cripple the leading source of junk email on the Internet.
RELATED:
Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:
Rustock Botnet Flatlined, Spam Volumes Plummet
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Saying “SXSW Is Over” Is Over  —  A lot of the talk surrounding SXSW this year has reminded me of one of my favorite skits from IFC's show Portlandia.  It starts off with a guy peering into the window of a bar and telling the locals inside how much he loves the place.
RELATED:
Caroline McCarthy / The Social:
Deal with it: SXSW has changed
Discussion: TechCrunch
Elizabeth Woyke / Mobilized:
Source: iPhone 5 May Have NFC Contactless Capability  —  Apple's iPhone 4 doesn't have NFC.  But could the iPhone 5?  —  One of the latest, juiciest rumors about Apple's upcoming iPhone, dubbed iPhone 5, is that the device will not include a wireless technology known as Near Field Communication or NFC.
Jay Yarow / SAI: Silicon Alley Insider:
Exclusive: Yahoo Is About To Sell Delicious For $1-$2 Million  —  Yahoo is about to close a deal to sell bookmarking site Delicious for $1-$2 million, says a source familiar with the discussions.  —  Our source isn't sure what company is buying it, but says it's a “strategic partner,” something like StumbleUpon.
Discussion: @dannysullivan and The Next Web
Ben Horowitz / ben's blog:
Titles and Promotions … Often when I meet with startups, the employees have no job titles.  This makes sense, because everybody is just working to build the company.  Roles needn't be clearly defined and, in fact, can't be, because everyone does a little bit of everything.
Guardian:
Revealed: US spy operation that manipulates social media  —  The US military is developing software that will let it secretly manipulate social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter by using fake online personas to influence internet conversations and spread pro-American propaganda.
Charles Starrett / iLounge:
iPad 2 Wi-Fi, 3G models show microphone differences  —  iLounge has discovered that the microphones in the Wi-Fi and 3G models of the iPad 2 have different sonic qualities.  As noted in our comprehensive review, the microphone hole of the iPad 2 has been moved from its position beside …
Paul Graham:
Subject: Airbnb  —  Yesterday Fred Wilson published a remarkable post about missing Airbnb.  VCs miss good startups all the time, but it's extraordinarily rare for one to talk about it publicly till long afterward.  So that post is further evidence what a rare bird Fred is.  He's probably the nicest VC I know.
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
Kickstarter Fesses Up: The Crowd-Sourced Funding Startup Has Funding, Too  —  Kickstarter has all the requisite characteristics for a hot startup: An ah-ha! concept, a growing user base, and great buzz.  —  The one thing it doesn't have are stories about investors clamoring to throw money its way.
Discussion: @pkafka
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Exclusive: Facebook Co-Founder Eduardo Saverin Leads $6.5M Round For Jumio  —  Jumio is still gearing up for the launch of its online and mobile payments solution, due for release in 6 to 8 weeks, but the company has lined up an investor that is sure to draw even more attention to the stealth startup …
Discussion: VentureBeat, Pulse2, Betabeat and USA Today
Scott Austin / Venture Capital Dispatch:
Groupon Valued At $25B?  That Would Top Google At IPO  —  Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports today that Groupon Inc. is shopping itself to bankers for an initial public offering that could value the company up to $25 billion.  There's a bit of caution here — bankers like to puff up the valuation …
Sean H. / Inside BlackBerry:
Facebook for BlackBerry v2.0 Beta: Now with Facebook Chat!  —  I'm excited to announce the beta release of the Facebook® for BlackBerry® smartphones app v2.0 through BlackBerry® Beta Zone starting today.  The Facebook app team here at Research In Motion® (RIM®) …
Rafe Needleman / CNET News:
Gadget review aggregator Retrevo opens own store  —  Retrevo will now sell some items directly.  Instead of linking out to other stores, it will have its own “Buy” buttons.  —  Tech hardware advice site and reviews aggregator Retrevo is opening its own online store.
Discussion: GigaOM and VentureBeat
Christian Zibreg / 9 to 5 Mac:
Fan backlash over adverts injected in Angry Birds HD  —  Last night, an update to Angry Birds HD dropped on iPad with fifteen new levels, a new golden egg and a “feature” that has immediately angered loyal fans - adverts.  No, not the unobtrusive types of an AdMob or AdSense variety seen in some apps.
Discussion: SlashGear and App Advice
Michael Kleber / Google Code Blog:
Your Web, Half a Second Sooner  —  At Google we're constantly trying to make the web faster — not just our corner of it, but the whole thing.  Over the past few days we've been rolling out a new and improved version of show_ads.js, the piece of JavaScript used by more than two million publishers …
Stephen Chapman / Between the Lines Blog:
Internal Microsoft video shows plans for next-gen gaming experience  —  While searching around the Internet to find information the future of the Xbox, I stumbled across an internal video dated May 2010 which showcases some of the WGX (Windows Gaming eXperience) team's ambitions …
Discussion: WinRumors, The Next Web, GeekWire and Neowin.net, Thanks:manan
AppleInsider:
Owners of Apple's new MacBook Pros report issues with iTunes Home Sharing  —  Numerous owners of Apple's early 2011 MacBook Pros report being unable to connect devices or maintain connections through iTunes Home Sharing.  —  A support thread in Apple's Discussion forums has received …
Discussion: 9 to 5 Mac, TUAW, MacRumors and MacStories
Eric Chu / Android Developers Blog:
Application Stats on Android Market  —  On the Android Market team, it's been our goal to bring you improved ways of seeing and understanding the installation performance of your published applications.  We know that this information is critical in helping you tune your development and marketing efforts.
Robin Davey / hypebot:
Only 10% of Your Friends See Your Facebook Posts, And Only 1% Like It.  —  Post by: Robin Davey, Head of Music and Film Development at GROWVision.  —  How do I know this?  Well I conducted a simple experiment that you are all welcome to replicate.  —  I simply posted on my wall asking anyone who saw the post to like it.
Discussion: All Facebook
 
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 More Items: 
Josh Lowensohn / Crave: The gadget blog:
Mac App Store low on freebies, high on games
Discussion: SAI
Gautham Nagesh / Hillicon Valley:
Consumer group: Google CEO not good for Commerce post
Maggie Shiels / BBC:
Twitter boss on application snub
Discussion: Gartner, IntoMobile and The Next Web
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Scribd's HTML5-Based Document Viewer Is Now Portable, Retroactively Upgrades 20M+ Embeds
Discussion: VentureBeat and MacStories
 Earlier Items: 
Wall Street Journal:
Retailers Push Amazon on Taxes
Christian Belady / TechNet Blogs:
How Big is the Datacenter Construction Business?
Arn / MacRumors:
Apple Airs 'If You Don't Have an iPhone' TV Ads
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Internal memo: Hearst Magazines president announces layoffs as part of a decision to “reallocate resources” to “continue our focus on digital innovation”

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced she will leave the agency on January 20; she was the first woman to be confirmed to lead the agency

Lachlan Cartwright / The Ankler:
Sources: MSNBC renewed Rachel Maddow's contract early this fall, but with a pay cut; MSNBC bosses' plan to shake up daytime and weekend programming

 
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