Top Items:

Microsoft to Acquire Skype — Combined companies will benefit consumers, businesses and increase market opportunity. — Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: “MSFT") and Skype Global S.à r.l today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire Skype …
Discussion:
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Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion; creates new business division — The rumors were right. Microsoft announced on May 10 that it bought Skype, an Internet communications maker, for $8.5 billion. — Instead of trying to mash Skype into an existing Microsoft business division …
Discussion:
Windows-Now.com, eWeek, Beyond Search, PE Hub Blog, ZDNet Australia, Digits, CNET News and Tech Broiler Blog


Confirmed: Qik will become part of Microsoft, too — Hey, for $8.5 billion, you'd expect a little extra as part of a deal, and it turns out that Microsoft's Skype acquisition will include a bonus in the form of Qik, the streaming mobile video company acquired by Skype for $121 million this year.
Discussion:
iPhone in Canada Blog and Electronista


Irony Alert: Marc Andreessen Talks About Microsoft Forking Over $8.5B for Skype — I guess it's finally time to declare that Marc Andreessen's bruising and life-altering battle with Microsoft is officially over. — That would be $8.5 billion over. — From the software giant anti-trusting …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, The Register, PE Hub Blog, Bits, Guardian, The Microsoft Blog, Mobilized, Venture Capital Dispatch, internetnews.com, @mathewi and Fast Company

Microsoft CEO Ballmer's email about Skype acquisition: ‘Exciting times!’
Discussion:
BoomTown and Hardware 2.0 Blog

Ballmer And Bates Sell The Skype Deal: We Think We “Can Reach Everyone On The Planet”
Discussion:
eSarcasm, Digital Daily, iPhone in Canada Blog, Bits and Softpedia News


Android: momentum, mobile and more at Google I/O — (Cross-posted on the Google Code Blog) — This morning at Google I/O, the Android team shared some updates. It's hard to believe a little more than two and a half years ago, we were just one device, launching in one country, on one carrier.
Discussion:
Android Developers Blog, Android and Me, eWeek, Ars Technica, MacStories, Between the Lines Blog, Mobilized, NewsGrange, Android Tapp, ZDNet, Technology Review, pocketnow.com, Computerworld, SocialTimes.com, Tech Sanity Check Blog, BetaNews, Techland, Gartner, Electronista, Light Reading, Softpedia News, CNET News, AndroidGuys, Pulse2, Search Engine Land, TG Daily, Digital Trends, Guardian, paidContent:UK, Tech Trader Daily, lalawag, TechFlash, PC Magazine and Google Operating System, more at Mediagazer »
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Android Chief Rubin Hints At A New Nexus Device In Time For The Holidays
Discussion:
TmoNews

What Google's Andy Rubin Means When He Says Android Is Open
Discussion:
Between the Lines Blog, NetworkEffect, TechCrunch, Gadget Lab and Engadget


Google To Announce Chrome Laptops-$20/Month — Google tomorrow will announce sales of the new Chrome laptop in a $20 a month “student package” that combines both hardware and online services, according to a senior Google executive. — The product is almost certainly a precursor to an enterprise offering.
Discussion:
VentureBeat, Gizmodo, Engadget, netbooknews.com, The Next Web, CNET News, Crave, thechromesource and @marshallk


Google's Music Beta first look: it's miserable — Google's Music Beta is supposed to provide users with a way to access the music anywhere, anytime as easily as physically possible. — But it's just not that easy. — I've spent the past few hours trying to navigate my way through Music Beta …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Next Web, blog.chron.com and eWeek
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Google Music vs. Amazon Cloud Drive
Discussion:
TeleRead, TechCrunch and Apple Bitch

Google Music Is “Completely Legal”, But Label Cooperation Would Make It Better
Discussion:
eWeek, TechCrunch, BetaNews, SFWeekly, L.A. Times Tech Blog, Ars Technica, Pulse2 and Mashable!


Facebook Applications Accidentally Leaking Access to Third Parties — Third parties, in particular advertisers, have accidentally had access to Facebook users' accounts including profiles, photographs, chat, and also had the ability to post messages and mine personal information.
Discussion:
NetworkEffect, Wall Street Journal, The Next Web, The Register, Gizmodo, PC World, Yahoo! News, CNET News, ZDNet, Pulse2, This is my next, Gizmodo Australia and Boing Boing
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Following Security Problem, Facebook Moves to OAuth 2.0, HTTPS and SSL Certificates — Facebook is telling developers today to plan to migrate to newer security standards on the platform — a mostly-planned migration whose roadmap was accelerated because of a data leak discovered by security firm Symantec.
Discussion:
All Facebook and PC World


Google takes surprise $500M charge over DOJ ad investigation — Google's Form 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, made public this afternoon, contains an unexpected $500 million charge for the first quarter that wasn't reported in the company's quarterly results.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Digital Trends, Reuters, Bits, Search Engine Land, ITworld.com, The Next Web, SAI, CNET News, paidContent, The Tech Trade and TheStreet.com


Apple, Google Privacy Hearing Marked By Confusion, Distractions — In a hearing marked by odd points and side-tracks, representatives from Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) told a Senate committee today that their policies do, in fact, do a lot to protect users' privacy.
Discussion:
eWeek and Between the Lines Blog
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DOJ wants wireless providers to store user info
Discussion:
Technologizer, Wall Street Journal, AppleInsider, dailywireless.org, Pulse2, NBC Bay Area and The Next Web


Photo shows alleged 7th-gen Apple iPod nano with 1.3MP camera, no clip — Yet another piece of evidence shows that the next iPod nano will retain its same small form factor and multi-touch screen, but add a camera to the rear side of the diminutive device and strangely ditch the built-in clip.
Discussion:
Digital Trends, MacRumors, Technologizer, 9 to 5 Mac, Engadget, I4U News, PC World, TUAW, SlashGear, Crave, Distorted-Loop.com, Neowin.net, Gizmodo, iClarified, MacHackPC, MobileWhack, MacDailyNews, Softpedia News, Electronista, tw.apple.pro, Apple Bitch, MacStories and CrunchGear


Apple Wins Patents for the iOS Virtual Keyboard, Cover Flow and a Never Released iPad Design and More — The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 16 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. The notables within this group include patents for iLife's iDVD application …
Discussion:
CNET News, MacStories, Electronista, MacDailyNews, App Advice, Liliputing, TUAW and RazorianFly


Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition Unboxing — As announced at the keynote, all of the attendees at this year's Google I/O get to take home a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1-inch tablet, which won't be available to the general public until June 8th. We just got ours and thought you'd enjoy a preview in the form of a short unboxing.
Discussion:
Engadget, This is my next and @b1g1nj4p4n


Y Combinator Accepts Record 60+ New Startups For Summer 2011 — Y Combinator just gets bigger and bigger. They invest in batches, twice a year. The last batch had 44 startups, an all time high. But that record is about to be shattered - they've accepted 60+ startups for the Summer 2011 batch soon.
Thanks:bhc3


Google and Ford Team Up to Make Your Next Car Smarter — At Google's I/O developer conference today, Ford announced a new research project that will use Google's prediction API to help drivers save gas and drive more efficiently. Ford plans to use Google's service to analyze data …
Discussion:
Engadget, Between the Lines Blog, Electronista and PC World, Thanks:newsgrange

URGENT: Intellectual Property Consortium wants .net domains to be subject to TRADEMARK seizures and to abolish privacy-shielded .NETs — The Intellectual Property Constituency has asked that, as a condition of Verisign's ongoing management of the .NET top-level domain, that they should be required …
Discussion:
Domain Name Wire and Techdirt


Exclusive: Groupon Pushed for IPO Filing This Week (With or Without Bankers' Help!) — According to sources close to the situation, social buying phenom Groupon was pressing to file for its expected IPO as soon as this week, even before its bankers had a chance to complexify the situation.
Discussion:
Marketing Pilgrim, Digital Trends, PC Magazine and SAI