Top Items:
Lorraine Luk / Wall Street Journal:
Apple Preparing For New iPhone in Third Quarter — TAIPEI—Apple Inc. has placed orders for key components used in a next-generation iPhone it is preparing to launch sometime in the third quarter, according to people familiar with the situation. — According to some suppliers of components to Apple …
Discussion:
MacRumors, Fast Company, PC Magazine, Mobile Marketing Watch, The Tech Trade, Between the Lines Blog, CNET News, App Advice, VentureBeat, 9to5Mac, The Business Insider, GigaOM, Digital Trends, GottaBeMobile, Techland, AllThingsD, DisplayBlog, Apple Bitch, Mac Post, iThinkDifferent, iPhone Download Blog, FierceWireless, Appolicious Advisor, Tech Trader Daily, BGR, I4U News, PhoneArena, MobileSyrup.com, The Next Web, iPhone Buzz, Gadgetsteria, Electronista, IntoMobile, TiPb, SlashGear, TUAW, Gothamist, WebProNews and Gizmodo
RELATED:
Sam Oliver / AppleInsider:
WSJ: Apple plans to build 25M thinner, lighter next-gen iPhones this year — Apple is reportedly gearing up to build its next-generation iPhone, placing orders for key components to build a new model thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4 with an 8-megapixel camera.
Discussion:
The Tech Trade, MacRumors and GottaBeMobile
Philip Su / Facebook Blog:
Call Your Friends Right From Facebook — Over the last year, the messages team has been working to make it easier to have one on one conversations with your friends. In November, we launched the new messages, which brings together your chats, texts, emails and messages all in one place.
RELATED:
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Facebook Launches Skype-Powered Video Calling — Confirming our report last week, Facebook has just announced a major new feature that it's launching in tandem with Skype: video calling. — It's a feature that's been rumored for quite a while, and it's one that Facebook is putting a lot of weight behind.
Discussion:
The Big Blog, PC Magazine, mocoNews, Telegraph, AllThingsD, The Next Web and Mashable!
Josh Constine / Inside Facebook:
Facebook Launching Ad Hoc Group Chat, New Chat Design, Skype Video Calling
Discussion:
Engadget, The Tech Trade, 9to5Mac, The Seattle Times and Mashable!
Kim-Mai Cutler / Inside Facebook:
Zuckerberg Confirms That Facebook Has Reached 750 Million Monthly Actives
Discussion:
The Next Web and Mashable!
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Zuckerberg: Online Sharing Is Growing At An Exponential Rate (And Users Are Sharing 4 Billion Things A Day)
Discussion:
All Facebook and Digits
Miyoung Kim / Reuters:
Microsoft wants Samsung to pay smartphone license: report — Microsoft Corp has demanded that Samsung Electronics Co Ltd pay $15 for each smartphone handset it makes based on Google Inc's Android operating system as the software giant has a wide range of patents used in the mobile platform, local media reported on Wednesday.
Discussion:
L.A. Times Tech Blog, GeekWire, VentureBeat, eWeek, CNET News, TechFlash, ZDNet, The Next Web, Seattle Times, Digital Trends, AndroidOS.in, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Techie Buzz, Hardware 2.0 Blog, MobileSyrup.com, PhoneDog.com, Inquirer, GamePolitics News, TechSpot, FierceWireless, Geek.com, Android Phone Fans, Digitizor, IntoMobile, SlashGear, Android Community, WMPU, WinRumors, PhoneArena, Electronista and Neowin.net
RELATED:
Jon Brodkin / Network World:
Microsoft patent division taking cash from at least 5 Android vendors
Discussion:
GMSV, Seattle Times and AppleInsider
Christian Zibreg / 9to5Google:
Microsoft seeking royalties from Samsung potentially worth $200 million a year on Galaxy S smartphone alone
Discussion:
The Business Insider, GigaOM, Digital Trends, eWeek, BGR, Techie Buzz and @fosspatents
Courtney Boyd Myers / The Next Web:
Official: Spotify announces it's coming to the US — It's official. Hot off the heels of its $100 million funding round, Spotify, Europe's most popular music service, has just announced it's coming to the U.S.
Discussion:
VentureBeat, The Business Insider, AllThingsD, Engadget, Mashable!, TechCrunch Europe and Evolver.fm
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 …
Discussion:
BGR, Gizmodo, All Facebook, TUAW, Friending Facebook Blog, VoIP & Gadgets Blog, App Advice, OurielOhayon, Beth's Blog, MacStories, Softpedia News, SlashGear, 9to5Mac, ReadWriteWeb, Electronista and Gadgetsteria
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..
Geoffrey A. Fowler / Wall Street Journal:
The Perk Bubble Is Growing as Tech Booms Again — To Woo and Keep Employees, Start-Ups Stress Playthings; a Nap in the Tree House — At the new headquarters of San Francisco startup Airbnb, quirky amenities like an in-house tree house and a “peace room” give the office a “back to the dotcom '90s” feel.
Discussion:
The Business Insider, Gawker and Digits
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
With “Beyond Check-In” Notifications, Foursquare Goes Android-First — Over their history, Foursquare has been an iPhone-first company. The app initially launched on the iPhone back in 2009, and new features have typically rolled out to iPhone first. But with a new feature today …
Discussion:
Digital Trends, Android News, Rumours …, Foursquare Blog, WebProNews, VatorNews, WPCentral.com, MobileBurn.com, Techland and FierceMobileContent, Thanks:luizgiannini
Chris Van Der Westhuizen / The Official Google Blog:
Google Maps 5.7 for Android introduces Transit Navigation (Beta) and more — (Cross-posted on the Google Lat Long Blog and the Google Mobile Blog) — Today we're releasing Google Maps 5.7 for Android. From Bangkok to Baltimore, we've added Transit Navigation (Beta), updated access to directions …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, AndroidGuys, Droid Life and Lifehacker
NielsenWire:
Play Before Work: Games Most Popular Mobile App Category in US — Games continue to be the most popular app category, and according to Nielsen research, 93 percent of app downloaders — those who have downloaded an app within the past 30 days - are willing to pay for the games they play.
Discussion:
BetaNews, CNET News, Mobile Marketing Watch, Internet2Go, mocoNews, Communications …, GigaOM, WebProNews, BGR, AllThingsD, PhoneArena, FierceMobileContent, MacNN and New Media Age
Susan Decker / Bloomberg:
Apple Escalates Samsung Fight With ITC Case — Apple Inc. (AAPL) filed a U.S. trade complaint that seeks to block imports of Samsung Electronics Co. smartphones and tablet computers, days after asking a federal court to halt sales of the devices. — The complaint submitted yesterday …
Discussion:
IntoMobile, Gizmodo, The Next Web, MobileBurn.com and Electronista
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.
Discussion:
L.A. Times Tech Blog, Observatory, 9to5Mac, iPhone Download Blog, AppleInsider, Softpedia News, CNET News and TUAW
Matt Weinberger / Googling Google Blog:
Google, Microsoft, AOL sued over Street View patent — Google, Microsoft, and AOL have found themselves the target of a lawsuit over a Louisiana company's patent on street-level views in online maps. — Details are fairly sparse, according to the original Reuters report.
Discussion:
Reuters, Neowin.net and Engadget
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Smartphone Maker HTC Buys S3 Graphics From VIA, WTI For $300 Million — VIA Technologies, a Taiwan-based developer of x86 processor platforms, this morning announced that it has sold all of its shares in S3 Graphics, a provider of graphics visualization technologies used in PCs, game consoles and mobile devices based in California.
Discussion:
9to5Mac, 9to5Google, Between the Lines Blog, MacRumors, SlashGear, PC World, MobileBurn.com, Neowin.net, TechEye, China Wealth, EE Times, IntoMobile, Geek.com, Bright Side Of News* and Inquirer
Alex Chitu / Google Operating System:
Google Tests Google+ for Domains — A reader of this blog spotted some interface elements which show that Google+ will be available in Google Apps. … Right now, there's no support for Buzz or Profiles in Google Apps, but that should change in the near future.
Discussion:
The Next Web, TechCrunch, www.thehostingnews.com, Adotas, Techland, Dice Blog Network, Marketing Pilgrim and Softpedia News
David M. Ewalt / Metagamer:
What Is Nintendo Planning With The Wii U? Reggie Fils-Aime Explains It All — Reggie Fils-Aime (Image by Getty Images via @daylife) — Reggie Fils-Aime is president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, a division of the Japanese video game giant.
Discussion:
Tools, The Toybox Blog, Electricpig.co.uk, Eurogamer, Engadget and Fudzilla
Colleen Taylor / GigaOM:
Amazon launches pet e-commerce site Wag.com — The team behind Diapers.com has made a new e-commerce site aimed at the other baby in the American household: the family pet. — Quidsi, which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, is announcing Wednesday the launch of Wag.com, an e-commerce site selling pet-related products.
Discussion:
VentureBeat, VatorNews, TechFlash, Digital Trends, The Business Insider, Domain Name Wire, GeekWire, Bits, TechCrunch, AllThingsD and Webware.com
Electronista:
Another iPad leak source pleads guilty — Shimoon pleads guilty to slipping iPad info — One-time Flextronics development head Walter Shimoon on Tuesday pled guilty to leaking iPad trade secrets and others. In return for a lighter penalty, the former executive admitted to passing along information …
Discussion:
BGR, Fortune, DealBook, iClarified, Sydney Morning Herald, TechEye, everythingiCafe, Mac Post, PalmAddicts, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider and The Register, Thanks:getwired
