Techmeme: AT&T Said to Seek Asset Sales to Save Bid for T-Mobile (Bloomberg)

5:55 PM ET, September 19, 2011

Top Items:

Osama Bedier / The Official Google Blog:

Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, American Express and Discover — In May we announced Google Wallet—an app that makes your phone your wallet—with Citi, MasterCard, Sprint and First Data. With Google Wallet, you can tap, pay and save using your phone and near field communication (NFC).

Chris Ziegler / This is my next:

Google Wallet review: photos, videos, and availability — After a reveal back in May and the promise of a summer launch in New York and San Francisco, Google and its partners have started rolling out an update to Sprint's Nexus S 4G today that enables Google Wallet — the most ambitious US deployment …

Discussion: LAPTOP Magazine, TechCrunch, Engadget and Computerworld

Frederic Lardinois / SiliconFilter:

Google Wallet Goes Live, But You Probably Won't Be Able to Use It Yet — As rumored, Google just announced that it is officially launching its cell phone-based mobile payment solution Google Wallet today. After introducing the service in May and launching a limited trial at the time …

Discussion: Digital Trends, IntoMobile, MobileBurn.com and SlashGear

Om Malik / GigaOM:
Google Wallet, Confirmed

Greg Sterling / Search Engine Land:
Google Wallet Launch Largely Symbolic But Important

Discussion: Computerworld, Engadget, MediaPost and jacquesmattheij.com

Reed Hastings / The Official Netflix Blog:

An Explanation and Some Reflections — I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation. — It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation of DVD and streaming, and the price changes.

Bill Gurley / abovethecrowd.com:

Understanding Why Netflix Changed Pricing — Many journalists have offered their opinion on Netflix's recent changes, its stock price decline, and their even more recent branding changes (Qwikster). Yet in each article, it appears as if the journalist all agree that the price move …

Discussion: Technologizer and Business Insider

Dan Frommer / SplatF: 10 things to remember about Netflix while scratching your head about Qwikster

Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch:
Uh Oh ... Qwikster Already Has A Lively Twitter Account, But It's Not Owned By Netflix

Discussion: MediaPost, CNNMoney.com, Gizmodo, CNET News, Mashable!, paidContent, Business Insider, @amaeryllis, Business Insider, The Not-So Private Parts, @mttmsgrv, MarketBeat and CNN

Mark Suster / Both Sides of the Table:
Why Reed Hastings Should be Applauded for Netflix Split

Discussion: Fast Company, GigaOM and @gruber, Thanks:msuster

Anthony Taormina / Game Rant:
Netflix Disc-Based Service Becomes Qwikster, Will Offer Video Games

Discussion: @felixsalmon

Ryan Lawler / GigaOM:
Netflix's DVD business: Does Qwikster have a future?

Discussion: VentureBeat, Epicenter, Internet Evolution and GMSV

Aaron Smith / Pew Internet:

Americans and Text Messaging — Some 83% of American adults own cell phones and three-quarters of them (73%) send and receive text messages. The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project asked those texters in a survey how they prefer to be contacted on their cell phone and 31% …

Discussion: VatorNews, MediaPost, SiliconFilter, Between the Lines Blog, blog.chron.com, Mashable! and msnbc.com

Kevin C. Tofel / GigaOM:

Why Verizon just launched a $99 LTE phone — Verizon introduced a new Android smartphone on Monday. The Pantech Breakout runs on Verizon's fast 4G network but will only cost $99 after rebate when it appears in stores on Thursday. The low purchase price requires a two-year contract …

Discussion: ZDNet, Verizon, TechSpot, GottaBeMobile, Engadget, SlashGear and Light Reading

PC Magazine: AT&T vs. Verizon: LTE, Head-to-Head

Chris Ziegler / This is my next:

Exclusive: unannounced Motorola Android tablet caught on film, possibly a 7-incher — We've obtained exclusive footage this morning of a new Motorola tablet (shown above) that looks to be a lot sleeker and thinner than the 10-inch Xoom that launched earlier this year; the slightly angled corners …

Discussion: CNET News, TG Daily, GottaBeMobile, SlashGear, 9to5Google, Tech Trader Daily, AppleInsider, netbooknews.com, Ubergizmo, Android Phone Fans and Android Community

Bloomberg:

AT&T Said to Seek Asset Sales to Save Bid for T-Mobile — AT&T Inc. (T) is approaching smaller rivals including MetroPCS Communications Inc. (PCS) and Leap Wireless International Inc. (LEAP) to sell spectrum and subscribers as part of an attempt to save its $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile USA Inc. …

Discussion: Mobilized, PC Magazine, GeekWire, DSLreports, ITworld.com, DailyTech, Engadget, mocoNews, VentureBeat, TechFlash, Between the Lines Blog, Pulse2, CNET News, Electronista, FierceWireless, Deal Journal, TechCrunch and Ubergizmo

Daniel P / PhoneArena:

Alleged next iPhone component shot reveals Apple A5 chip — Now we don't know if this is supposed to show the internals of the next iPhone, or the rumored affordable version, dubbed iPhone 4S, and we also can't vouch if this is real at all, but we were sent a link to a snapshot posted on Weibo …

Discussion: MacPost, Electronista, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, The Next Web, MacStories, everythingiCafe, Gizmodo, Softpedia News, BGR, MacRumors, Techland, Ubergizmo, iClarified, iLounge and SlashGear

Mike Shields / Digiday:

Microsoft Pins TV Hopes on Xbox — Many in the media industry have wondered whether Microsoft's Xbox gaming console represents a looming threat to the cable industry, given its growing library of video options, including TV and movie rentals and Netflix streaming. It turns out Xbox might replace the cable box.

Discussion: VentureBeat, CNET News, TechFlash, WinRumors, Business Insider, SlashGear, Kotaku and ITworld.com

Jake Smith / 9to5Mac:

As iCloud and iOS 5 launch nears, Apple plans iCloud backup reset for Sept. 22 — According to a posting on the Apple Developer boards this afternoon, Apple will be resetting iCloud Backup data on Thursday, September 22nd. We believe Apple is performing this reset for the release of iOS 5 GM …

Discussion: PadGadget, SlashGear, Ars Technica, PhoneArena, Redmond Pie, Guardian and iPhone, Thanks:jakeosmith

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:

Study: Facebook ‘App Economy’ Adds Over 200K Jobs, Contributes More Than $15B To The U.S. Economy — Although the U.S. employment and jobs economic outlook is bleak, a new study released today reports that Facebook is creating a thriving economy around its social network.

Discussion: MediaPost, ReadWriteWeb, Hillicon Valley and Pulse2

Gregg Keizer / PC World:

Metro Apps to Be Sold Only From Microsoft's App Store — Metro apps for Windows 8 will be available only through Microsoft's own store, the company said at its BUILD Windows conference last week. — But although Microsoft went to pains to say that it would not discuss the business end of the app store …

Discussion: Hardware 2.0 Blog, Computerworld, The Seattle Times, Ars Technica, BGR, VentureBeat, All about Microsoft Blog and SlashGear

Nilay Patel / This is my next:

HP's 7-inch TouchPad Go leaks out on Chinese forum — The seven-inch TouchPad Go (codenamed “Opal") was reportedly just weeks away from shipping before HP suddenly decided to kill off webOS hardware entirely, and it appears a few units made it out into the wild — check out these photos …

Discussion: The Toybox Blog, PC Magazine, netbooknews.com, Front Side Bus, Engadget, TechCrunch and SlashGear

Frank Gruber / Tech Cocktail:

Groupon Co-Founders Purchase The Historic Wrigley Building — Today it was confirmed that the Wrigley Building has been purchased in a joint venture that includes investor Byron Trott and the co-founders of Groupon Inc., Brad Keywell and Eric Lefkofsky. We first reported the potential acquisition …

Discussion: Chicago Sun Times and Bloomberg

Maija Palmer / Financial Times:

Dell shrugs off harbingers of PC doom — Michael Dell says he has little interest in buying Hewlett-Packard's PC business, but the Dell chief executive says his computer company is poised to gain market share as its larger rival undergoes a comprehensive restructuring.

Discussion: Business Insider, Stowe Boyd, WinRumors, Between the Lines Blog and eWeek

Bruce Houghton / hypebot:

MySpace Delays Announcement As Traffic Tumbles — When Allied Media bought MySpace for $30 million, they promised a summer launch press conference with creative partner Justin Timberlake to unveil plans to turn around the struggling social network. Summer has come and gone …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

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