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Apple pays music bigs $100M+ — Apple will fork over between $100 million and $150 million in advanced payments to the four major music labels in order to get its iCloud off the ground, three separate sources told The Post. — The Cupertino, Calif., tech giant has agreed to pay …
Discussion:
Digital Trends, CNET News, VentureBeat, PC Magazine, MacRumors, iPhone in Canada Blog, Gizmodo, Gadgetsteria, AppleInsider, 9 to 5 Mac, SlashGear, The Next Web, MacStories, Geeky-Gadgets, App Advice, Electronista, hypebot and iLounge
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Major labels, music publishers lining up behind Apple's iCloud
Discussion:
PC World, Tech Trader Daily, AppleInsider, Fortune, Between the Lines Blog, Fast Company, Computerworld, SiliconANGLE, PhoneArena, 9 to 5 Mac, Techland, CNET News, msnbc.com, Electricpig.co.uk, TUAW, Apple Bitch, TheiLoop, Technology Review, SocialTimes.com, SlashGear, The Register, O'Grady's PowerPage, CrunchGear, Softpedia News, Know Your Cell, Gadgetell, Gadgetsteria, TiPb, Edible Apple, MacStories, Geek.com, iClarified and Neowin.net

iCloud cost pegged at $25 per year, all 4 major labels signed
Discussion:
The Tech Report, PhoneArena, TUAW, 9 to 5 Mac, L.A. Times Tech Blog, TiPb and AppleInsider

Groupon IPO: Pass on this deal — Groupon has filed its S-1 and hopes to raise $750M in its initial public offering. Given they're currently losing a staggering $117M per quarter, despite revenues of $644M, they'll be burning through that cash almost as soon as it hits their account.
Discussion:
@rsarver, Daring Fireball, kottke.org and Joel Housman
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Groupon Files For $750 Million IPO; Lost $413 Million In 2010
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, SAI, The Business Insider, Betabeat, CNNMoney.com, DealBook, Bloomberg, Disruptors, Mark Evans Tech, TechCrunch, SAI, The Tech Trade, GigaOM, FM Blog, Chicago Tribune, Groublogpon, New York Magazine, SAI, The Next Web, MediaFile, Inc.com, VentureBeat, Mashable!, @hitwise_us, vator.tv, Reuters, PE Hub Blog and @tim, more at Mediagazer »

Groupon: Doomed to Fail or Worth a Leap? A Twitter Debate
Discussion:
alarm:clock, Tech Trader Daily, Screenwerk, Network World, Quora and Search Engine Land

Where Did Groupon's Billion Dollars Go?
Discussion:
gigaom.com, Betabeat, Softpedia News, Marketing Pilgrim, Guardian, Venture Capital Dispatch, IBD Click, MediaPost, PE Hub Blog, TechCrunch, SAI and Tech Trader Daily


Syrian Internet Shutdown — Starting at 3:35 UTC today (6:35am local time), approximately two-thirds of all Syrian networks became unreachable from the global Internet. Over the course of roughly half an hour, the routes to 40 of 59 networks were withdrawn from the global routing table.
Discussion:
The Register, PC Magazine, ZDNet, ArabCrunch, The Next Web, USA Today, NPR, Security Watch, Fast Company, PanARMENIAN.Net and RIA Novosti


Gmail Hack Targeted White House — People who work at the White House were among those targeted by the China-based hackers who broke into Google Inc.'s Gmail accounts, according to one U.S. official. — The hackers likely were hoping the officials were conducting administration business …
Discussion:
VentureBeat, techPresident, ITProPortal and Digital Trends
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Hotmail and Yahoo Users Also Victims of Targeted Attacks
Discussion:
eWeek, PC Magazine, The Register, Inquirer and TrendLabs

China PLA officers call Internet key battleground
Discussion:
The Register, TechEye and The Next Web


Android Share Surges Again, Apple Gains A Bit, RIM Destroyed — New data from comScore on the U.S. smartphone market shows Android share is still surging, while Apple is just barely growing share. — Research in Motion and Microsoft, on the other hand are being destroyed.
Discussion:
CNET News, PR Newswire, WinRumors, TechCrunch, AndroidGuys, MacStories and Electronista


Adobe CEO: Android Will Overtake iPad Just Like it Did the iPhone (Video) — Adobe's Shantanu Narayen debunked a myth today at D that there's an ongoing feud between it and Apple over running Flash on iOS. — Still, he didn't hesitate downplaying Apple's early lead in the tablet market …
Discussion:
PC World, PC Magazine, Yahoo! News, Pocket-lint, Techland, Engadget, GMSV, App Advice, Computerworld, PhoneArena and AppleInsider

Windows 8: The Beginning of the End of Windows — I have a longstanding rule for evaluating new tech products: Don't judge anything by the demo. I've seen far too many product previews that hid fundamental flaws in usability. Until you can touch and play with the product on your own …


Google's CEO steps into spotlight — In his most extensive public comments since becoming Google's (GOOG) CEO, Larry Page on Thursday delivered a carefully crafted response to critics who say the company is too free-spending, too unfocused and too aloof to investors and Wall Street.
Discussion:
Search Engine Land, CNET News, Reuters, Agence France Presse, WebProNews, Sacramento Bee and parislemon


YOU DON'T SAY: WORDS “FACEBOOK” AND “TWITTER” ARE BANNED FROM FRENCH AIRWAVES — The French are notorious for their obsession with maddening, micro-meddling rules and regulations. — Anglo-Saxons who live in France, as I do, constantly struggle with the puzzling paradox in a society universally admired …
Discussion:
The Next Web


Apple Retail 10th Anniversary Poster: “We've learned a lot.” — Click for larger. — The most public celebration of Apple Retail's tenth anniversary was the rollout of iPad interactive shopping guides, something Apple calls the “Smart Sign”. But behind the scenes, in the retail back-of-house area …
Discussion:
The Next Web, ifoAppleStore, SlashGear, MacStories, TUAW, Apple Headlines and everythingiCafe


Amazon May Soon Need to Collect Sales Tax — A proposal in the U.S. Senate aims to end the longtime exemption for e-commerce — California visitors to Wal-Mart Stores' (WMT) website must pay $214 to buy a Philips Electronics (PHG) 22-inch LCD HDTV, one of the hottest-selling flat-panel televisions on the Web.
Discussion:
DailyTech, Gizmodo and blog.chron.com


Start-up Offers New Hires $10,000, and All the Accoutrements of Hipsterdom — Earlier this year, my colleague Claire Cain Miller and I reported on the fierce recruiting wars among tech companies as they competed to hire and retain talented software developers and engineers.
Discussion:
SAI, @dondodge and The Next Web


AT&T's Ralph De La Vega on the T-Mobile Deal, Service Issues, Spectrum Shortage — Trying to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion. Looking to fend off new competition with Verizon over the iPhone. The looming spectrum crunch and the shift away from unlimited data pricing.
Discussion:
gigaom.com, BGR, Engadget, Between the Lines Blog, App Advice, Android Phones …, GottaBeMobile, Gadgetell, PhoneArena, FierceWireless, Neowin.net, VentureBeat, everythingiCafe, TmoNews, SlashGear, This is my next, Gadgetsteria, AppleInsider, The Seattle Times, Electronista and DSLreports
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AT&T: Our 4G will catch up to Verizon's in 2 to 3 years
Discussion:
PC Magazine and PhoneArena


Nokia Breakup Worth 52% Gain: Real M&A — Nokia Oyj (NOK1V), the world's largest mobile-phone maker, has destroyed so much shareholder value that it may be worth 52 percent more if sold and broken into pieces. — The Espoo, Finland-based company, once worth almost $300 billion …
Discussion:
FierceWireless


Killer App: Army Tests Smartphones for Combat — The Army plans to hold desert trials in the U.S. next week to test off-the-shelf iPhones, Androids and tablet computers for use in war. — Starting Monday, the Army will also stress-test a variety of applications that could allow troops …
Discussion:
Digital Trends and GottaBeMobile