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5:30 AM ET, July 6, 2011

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Ben Parr / Mashable!:
EXCLUSIVE: Google to Retire Blogger & Picasa Brands in Google+ Push  —  Say goodbye to the Picasa and Blogger names: Google intends to retire several non-Google name brands and rename them as Google products, Mashable has learned.  —  The move is part of a larger effort to unify its brand …
RELATED:
Tom Cheredar / VentureBeat:
Google retiring Blogger and Picasa brands for public launch of Google+
Jenna Wortham / Gadgetwise:
Is Google's Hangouts Its Killer App?  —  Last night a chatroom changed my life.  —  But it wasn't just any chatroom.  It was a virtual “hangout,” the group video chat service that is a prominent feature of Google+, Google's new social-networking service that aims to challenge Facebook..
Discussion: PC World and FierceVoIP
RELATED:
Janko Roettgers / GigaOM:
Google plans to open Hangouts for interoperability
FierceWireless:
Verizon confirms it will ditch unlimited smartphone data plans starting July 7  —  Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) will switch to a new, usage-based pricing model for smartphone data starting July 7, a company spokeswoman confirmed.  —  Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney told FierceWireless …
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
On The Eve Of One Facebook Event, The Spartans Prepare For Another  —  Tomorrow morning at their headquarters in Palo Alto, Facebook is holding an event to show off an “awesome” new product.  Our sources tell us that product with be the long-rumored Skype integration within Facebook for full …
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Fortune:
Steve Jobs' bio gets a new title  —  “iSteve: The Book of Jobs” was the publisher's idea.  The author had second thoughts.  —  Amazon still doesn't have the title quite right  —  The first biography of Apple's (AAPL) CEO to get Steve Jobs' blessing — and cooperation — hasn't yet been published.
Lauren Indvik / Mashable!:
Twitter Testing Facebook-Like Message Wall [PIC]  —  Twitter is testing a Facebook-like message wall on profile pages, prompting users to send public tweets (a.k.a @ replies, or mentions) to specific users directly from their profile pages.  —  Twitter is testing the feature with a small percentage of users.
Wall Street Journal:
New Financing Values Twitter as High as $7 Billion  —  Even as Internet companies such as Zynga Inc. and Groupon Inc. file to go public, Twitter Inc. is taking a different route: It is continuing to tap private investors.  —  The fast-growing Internet messaging service is currently …
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
If Google Buzz Is A Black Hole For Sharing Traffic, Google+ Is The Big Bang  —  Back in March of last year, we noted that Google Buzz, Google's shiny new social network at the time, was getting smoked in terms of referral traffic sent our way, by a dead man, FriendFeed.
Matthew Panzarino / The Next Web:
As of July 31st, all Google profiles will be public  —  Google will no longer allow users to have private Google profiles after July 31st, reports Search Engine Land.  The company had previously allowed users to create and maintain profiles on its service without publicly disclosing their existence.
BackType:
BackType Has Been Acquired by Twitter  —  We're thrilled to announce that BackType has been acquired by Twitter!  We'll be bringing our team and technology to Twitter's platform team, where our focus will be developing tools for Twitter's publisher partners.
Todd Haselton / BGR:
Android market share jumps as BlackBerry slides; smartphones now owned by 1 in 3 Americans  —  According to a new report from comScore, 1 in 3 Americans now own a smartphone.  Google's Android OS is ahead of the pack with a 38.1% share of the market during the 3-month period ending in May — up 5.1% from the last report in February.
Lauren Etter / Vanity Fair:
Groupon Therapy  —  Starting with a two-for-one pizza deal just three years ago, Groupon has snowballed, becoming a multi-national business with an I.P.O. on the horizon that could value the company at an estimated $20 billion.  But is the Web site's idiosyncratic C.E.O., Andrew Mason …
Discussion: AllThingsD and Mixed Media
Jim Finkle / Reuters:
South Korean web attacks might have been war drill  —  (Reuters) - Attacks that crippled South Korean government websites in July 2009 and again in March 2011 might have been cyber war drills conducted on behalf of North Korea, according to security software maker McAfee Inc.
Discussion: The Next Web
David Kravets / Threat Level:
‘Massive Infringement’ Case Against CNET Dropped  —  Plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit accusing CNET of facilitating “massive copyright infringement” by distributing peer-to-peer software dropped their case Monday.  —  The May lawsuit was lodged in Los Angeles by a handful of musicians and filmmaker Alkiviades David.
Colleen Taylor / GigaOM:
UK startup defends Huddle name against Google — again  —  Huddle co-founders Alastair Mitchell and Andy McLoughlin  —  One of the many features Google debuted in its highly anticipated Google+ social product last week was a group chat application named “Huddle.”
Jon Brodkin / Network World:
Microsoft patent division taking cash from at least 5 Android vendors  —  Microsoft has revealed four Android patent deals since last week  —  One of Microsoft's hottest new profit centers is a smartphone platform you've definitely heard of: Android.  —  Google's Linux-based mobile operating system …
Brian Womack / Bloomberg:
Facebook Ad Rates Hold as Inventory Rises, Easing Price Concerns  —  Facebook Inc., the biggest social network, said advertising rates have held up even after it added new ways for marketers to promote products, allaying concern that prices would decline as inventory surged.
Caleb Cox / The Register:
Sony quietly tests PlayStation Network revamp  —  Sony is developing a PlayStation Network design upgrade that could transform the online environment into a more image-driven layout along the lines of Xbox Live and Steam, Reg Hardware has learned.  —  Many PSN users say the current PSN …
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Sequoia And Others Put $10 Million In Cloud-Based Demo SaaS CloudShare  —  CloudShare, a service that allows companies to demo software in the cloud, has raised $10 million in new funding led by Globespan Capital Partners with existing investors Sequoia capital, Charles River Ventures and Gemini Israel Funds participating.
Susan Decker / Bloomberg:
Google Searching for Patents After Nortel Loss  —  Google Inc. (GOOG)'s loss in bidding for the $4.5 billion portfolio of Nortel Networks Corp. patents last week means the Internet-search company will be looking to buy other inventions to build a bulwark against lawsuits targeting its Android system, patent brokers said.
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Google Rumored To Launch ITA-Powered Travel Search Product Soon  —  We're hearing that Google is planning to launch an ITA integrated-flight search product as soon as a few weeks from now, according to a well-placed industry source.  In April, the DOJ finally approved Google's $700 million acquisition …
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
Lodsys sues The New York Times Company and five other companies who previously sued Lodsys — UPDATED  —  [Updated on July 6 to reflect Lodsys's motions to dismiss 5 of the 6 declaratory judgment complaints]  —  Lodsys filed a patent infringement lawsuit today in East Texas …
Liz Gannes / AllThingsD:
Apparently Undeterred by Apple Crackdown, Tapjoy Investors Pour In $30M More  —  Tapjoy, which has seen its app marketing business significantly affected by Apple's changed stance on in-app promotions, is still charging ahead.  The company last week raised $30 million in a round led …
 
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 More Items: 
Zack Whittaker / ZDNet:
EU demands answers over Microsoft's Patriot Act admission
Discussion: Computerworld
Elinor Mills / CNET News:
Report: Morgan Stanley warns 34,000 clients of data breach
Discussion: Credit.com
Rip Empson / TechCrunch:
Educated Buy? Providence Equity Partners To Acquire Blackboard For $1.64 Billion In Cash
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
August 5 hearing on preliminary injunction against Samsung too early, judge tells Apple
Discussion: The Next Web, MobileCrunch and iLounge, Thanks:curtwfallesq
 Earlier Items: 
Om Malik / GigaOM:
For Foursquare, Brazil is the next big check-in
Gregg Keizer / Computerworld:
Microsoft to retire Office XP, Vista SP1 next week
Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:
Dancing Queen: After Meeting With Microsoft Last Week, Yahoo Is Next on Hulu's Sales Card
Discussion: Android Phone Fans and MacNN
Bobbie Johnson / GigaOM:
Nokia's $200m secret shows the rot goes way, way back
Discussion: SlashGear and All New Musings, Thanks:bobbiejohnson
 

 
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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