Top Items:


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 …

Pegatron receives orders for 15 million iPhone 5s from Apple — Taiwan-based notebook maker Pegatron Technology is estimated to have landed orders for 15 million iPhone 5s (iPhone 4S) from Apple and is set to start shipping in September of 2011, according to sources from upstream component makers.
Discussion:
Shiny Objects, AllThingsD, Ars Technica, LAPTOP Magazine, Redmond Pie, MacRumors, Appolicious Advisor, 9to5Mac, TechSpot, Geek.com, VentureBeat, ITworld.com, IntoMobile, CNET News, GottaBeMobile, PC World, Digital Trends, iPhone Download Blog, MobileCrunch, MobileSyrup.com, Neowin.net, BGR, App Advice, Apple Bitch, PhoneArena, Fonehome, Techland, iThinkDifferent, @qthrul, TiPb, GigaOM, Techie Buzz, iPhone, iPhone Buzz, Computerworld, Gadgetsteria, The Business Insider, Cult of Mac, SlashGear, Softpedia News, AppleInsider, TUAW, Bloomberg, MacHackPC, Mac Post, GeekSugar and O'Grady's PowerPage, Thanks:michaelkroker
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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 …
Discussion:
CNET News, Computerworld, App Advice, AllThingsD, VentureBeat, 9to5Mac, Engadget, MacRumors, AppleInsider, ZDNet, LAPTOP Magazine, GigaOM, The Toybox Blog, This is my next, BGR, DSLreports, Gizmodo, The Business Insider, iPhone Download Blog, TiPb, IntoMobile, iPhone, GottaBeMobile, Android Phone Fans, VzBuzz, Light Reading, MobileBurn.com, Pulse2, The Next Web, PhoneArena, Phone Scoop, PhoneDog.com, SlashGear, MacNN and iLounge


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.
Discussion:
AllThingsD, ReadWriteWeb, TechCrunch, @twitterglobalpr, Digitizor, PE Hub Blog, Techie Buzz, Mashable!, @swhitley, Fast Company and The Next Web, Thanks:davemcclure
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Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends — Facebook Friend Exporter is a Chrome extension developed by Mohamed Mansour, an open source software engineer, that lets you grab all the information about your Facebook friends so you can import them elsewhere.

New Financing Values Twitter As High As $7 Billion — Twitter Inc., the fast-growing Internet messaging service, is privately raising hundreds of millions of dollars in a new financing round that values the company at as high as $7 billion, said a person familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
CNET News, The Business Insider, The Tech Trade and Deal Journal

Nokia's $200m secret shows the rot goes way, way back — There have been plenty of attempts to pinpoint where Nokia, the struggling Finnish mobile company, really started to go wrong. Some think it was when the iPhone launched and left it in the dust; some would suggest it was when the board …
Discussion:
SlashGear, Thanks:bobbiejohnson


“Apple's... Exclusive Supply Chain Of Advanced Technology [Is] Literally Years Ahead Of Anyone Else On The Planet” — An amazing take by an anonymous user on Quora on why Apple products sometimes seem so superior. Because they are. Because they get them before anyone else.
Discussion:
The Register, Shiny Objects, Fortune, Gizmodo, TiPb and iClarified


When Guests Check In, Their iPhones Check Out — When booking a weeklong yoga retreat, Amanda Levy signed up for a special package. Called “digital detox,” it promised a 15% discount if Ms. Levy, a sales executive at a San Francisco social-networking company, would agree to leave …
Discussion:
The Business Insider and GeekSugar


iPads Replacing Pilots' Paper Manuals — What is in those bulky, black flight bags that pilots carry into the cockpit? It is not a change of clothes but reams of reference material needed for the flight — about 40 pounds of it. There are the aircraft's operating manual, safety checklists …
Discussion:
9to5Mac, Techland, WebProNews, Pocket-lint and TeleRead


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 …
Discussion:
The Business Insider


Google plans to open Hangouts for interoperability — Hangouts, the group video chat component of Google Plus that everyone's been raving about, could eventually be usable with other video chat clients and services as well. Google Real-time Communications Tech Lead Justin Uberti wrote …
Discussion:
juberjabber, Gadgetwise and Softpedia News


Ailing Nokia cuts smartphone prices to halt slump — (Reuters) - Struggling Nokia has cut the prices of its smartphones in Europe, two industry sources told Reuters on Tuesday, raising the possibility of a more intensive price war in the mobile phone market.
Discussion:
AllThingsD, The Tech Trade, TechEye, The Nokia Blog, IntoMobile, DailyTech, Electronista, My Nokia Blog, PhoneArena and MobileBurn.com


Amazon's Android Appstore, not so amazing — Running a successful app store isn't trivial. Building out the necessary features and services and making it appealing to both consumers and developers can be hard work, something Amazon is learning. The company has been taken to task …
Discussion:
Appolicious Advisor, bithack.se, SmoothSpan Blog, Android Phone Fans, Inquirer, Mike Cane's xBlog and Slashdot


China to deploy huge Big Brother surveillance network with Cisco's help — China plans to put a network of 500,000 surveillance cameras in place around Chongqing to keep an eye on its citizens, with the help of Western tech and networking companies such as Cisco Systems Inc. The government claims …
Discussion:
BetaNews, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Inquirer, GMSV, Gizmodo and TechEye


New Skype 5.2 Update for Mac Brings Group Screen Sharing and Improved Multi-tasking — We are excited to announce that the Skype 5.2 update for Mac is now available for download. — With this new update, Skype for Mac users can now share their screen during a group video call.
Discussion:
Ubergizmo, GigaOM, MacRumors, TechCrunch, SlashGear, Coolest Gadgets, Softpedia News, Skype Garage, The Next Web, 9to5Mac, TUAW, MacStories and Pocket-lint


Exclusive first interview with key LulzSec hacker — It was early May when LulzSec's profile skyrocketed after a hack on the giant Sony corporation. LulzSec's name comes from Lulz, a corruption of LOL, often denoting laughter at the victim of a prank. For 50 days until it disbanded …
Discussion:
New York Times


Why Google+ could find a home in the workplace — Last week, Google rolled out a beta of its highly-anticipated new social networking platform, Google+. Reaction to the launch so far has been mainly positive, with praise for the app's design and features.
Discussion:
AppleInsider and AccMan Pro


Microsoft Bing innovates on iPad with ‘Lasso’ quick search — The new “lasso” feature for quick searching in the Bing app for iPad — Microsoft today is releasing an update for its well-received Bing app for Apple's iPad, with a new feature designed to streamline the process of conducting online searches on the touch-screen device.
Discussion:
Daring Fireball, mocoNews, CNET News, 9to5Mac, LiveSide.net, All about Microsoft Blog, Bing, Search Engine Watch, SuperSite for Windows, The Next Web and WinRumors


Traffic App Waze, ABC Team Up to Fight ‘Carmageddon’ in L.A. — Later this month, Los Angeles will be facing a traffic nightmare as the massive 405 Freeway closes down in both directions for more than two days. — For motorists, this closure — dubbed “Carmageddon” — might be a headache.
Discussion:
App Advice, Fast Company, Bits and FierceMobileContent, Thanks:andysternberg


Google Offers Versus Groupon: The Portland Throwdown — Google Offers just finished its first month. Google has been testing its Groupon compete in Portland and I've been closely tracking the results. — Doing a head-to-head comparison like this is a bit difficult because the two companies run deals differently.
Discussion:
PSFK