Techmeme: We've agreed to be acquired by Facebook! (Snaptu blog)

4:00 PM ET, March 20, 2011

Top Items:

Dan Frommer / SAI: Silicon Alley Insider:

AT&T Buying T-Mobile USA In $39 Billion Deal — AT&T just announced a deal to buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom in a cash and stock deal worth $39 billion. — The deal would make AT&T the nation's largest wireless carrier by a wide margin, so it will probably face significant government scrutiny …

Discussion: CNET News, Mashable!, BetaNews, Tech Broiler Blog, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, IntoMobile, Electronista, @mcleodd, @jeffjarvis, @mike_ftw, The Next Web and everythingiCafe

Business Wire:

AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom — Provides Fast, Efficient and Certain Solution to Impending Spectrum Exhaust Challenges Facing AT&T and T-Mobile USA in Key Markets Due to Explosive Demand for Mobile Broadband — Enhances Network Capacity, Output and Quality in Near Term for Both Companies' Customers

Dan Frommer / SAI: Silicon Alley Insider:

AT&T-Mobile: Here Are The Biggest Winners And Losers — AT&T just announced a deal to acquire rival T-Mobile USA in a $39 billion transaction. — If the government eventually approves the deal, it's good news for AT&T, which will have a significant size advantage over its archrival Verizon Wireless.

Discussion: Mashable!

Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:

T-Mobile: We Were Totally Kidding About AT&T's Crappy Network! — Here's an immediate casualty of the AT&T/T-Mobile deal — or at least I assume it will be: T-Mobile's ad campaign, which is almost entirely focused on insulting AT&T's network quality. (And by extension, insulting Apple's iPhones, too.)

Discussion: Fortune

Snaptu blog:

We've agreed to be acquired by Facebook! — The Snaptu team is excited to announce today that we recently agreed to be acquired by Facebook. — Our goal when we founded Snaptu in 2007 was to provide useful and innovative services to the 95 percent of mobile users that don't have access to advanced smart phones.

Discussion: Friending Facebook Blog, VentureBeat, All Facebook, Yahoo! News, CNET News, mocoNews, VC Cafe, Mashable!, MediaMemo and Electronista, Thanks:sidharthdassani

Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:

Confirmed: Facebook Acquires Snaptu (For An Estimated $60 - $70 Million) — According to several Israeli business newspapers (TheMarker, Calcalist) Facebook has acquired Snaptu for an estimated $60 - $70 million, although some reports peg the price lower, at around $40 million.

Discussion: SAI, GeekWire and The Next Web

Elizabeth Spiers / Spiersblr:

HOW NOT TO INTERACT WITH THE MEDIA 101, courtesy of Hashable CEO, Mike Yavonditte: — 1. See a negative op-ed about your company wherein the author uses a metaphor describing you being a velvet rope telling people they're not “Hashable” enough. — 2. Utterly fail to grasp metaphor.

Discussion: @hashablepr, @benhuh, @mikeyavo, @lock, @mikeyavo and @jamesurbaniak

Mike Taylor / Betabeat:
Hashable Is Worthless — If there's one thing I hate …

Discussion: @coreypein

Laurie Sullivan / MediaPost:

Apple's Safari Browser Gives Search Marketers Headaches — Apple's dominance on tablets and smartphones presents a threat to accurately measure and optimize the performance of paid-search marketing campaigns. — Search firm Marin Software published a white paper Tuesday based on findings …

Discussion: TUAW

Alexis Madrigal / The Atlantic Online:

Does Anne Hathaway News Drive Berkshire Hathaway's Stock? — Given the awesome correlating powers of today's stock trading computers, the idea may not be as far-fetched as you think. — A couple weeks ago, Huffington Post blogger Dan Mirvish noted a funny trend: when Anne Hathaway was in the news …

Discussion: Examiner

Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:

Google Ventures Launches $10,000 Startup Referral Program For Employees — If you're a Google employee and you know about a stealth startup that wants funding, you can pocket a cool $10,000. The Google Ventures team announced the new program at Google's weekly all-hands “TGIF” meeting, earlier this afternoon.

Electronista:

Sony preps MacBook Air rival with Thunderbolt; Chrome OS — A pair of rumors from a historically accurate source have Sony planning two ultraportable VAIOs, one of which could be its direct answer to the MacBook Air. The centerpiece, nicknamed the Hybrid PC, would by itself be a fast ultralight …

Discussion: Sony Insider, Engadget, thechromesource, Ubergizmo, Liliputing and Chrome OS Site

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