Top Items:
Michael Arrington / Uncrunched:
Gowalla Founders v. Gowalla Investors — Location based service Gowalla is going to shut down at the end of January. The two founders, Josh Williams and Scott Raymond, will be heading off to Facebook. Loyal Gowalla users will be stranded as the service shuts down.
Discussion:
Business Insider, TechSpot, Computerworld, FierceMobileContent, BetaNews, The Register, Forbes and Gowalla Blog
RELATED:
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Gowalla Versus Foursquare: Why Pretty Doesn't Always Win
Discussion:
ClickZ, Betabeat, PE Hub Blog, Digital Trends and the Econsultancy blog
Jakob Nielsen / Alertbox:
Kindle Fire Usability Findings … Amazon.com's new Kindle Fire offers a disappointingly poor user experience. Using the web with the Silk browser is clunky and error-prone. Reading downloaded magazines is not much better. Still, user testing with the Fire did help us understand …
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Lance Whitney / CNET News:
Amazon Kindle Fire owners reporting Wi-Fi bug
Discussion:
Gizmodo, GeekWire, PhoneArena, Datamation.com, MacRumors and Computerworld
Robert Scoble / Google+:
Yahoo News is seeing huge returns from Facebook's Open Graph, is this the future of Flickr? — Here Mike Kerns, who runs social and personalization at +Yahoo! News talks to me about the effects Yahoo has seen thanks to the inclusion of Open Graph technology from Facebook (AKA “frictionless sharing").
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Liz Gannes / AllThingsD:
Hey Facebook, Where's That Timeline and Open Graph You Promised?
Discussion:
Neowin.net
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
EC Opens Antitrust Proceedings To Investigate Apple, E-book Publishers ‘Cartel’ — The European Commission this morning announced that it has opened formal antitrust proceedings to investigate whether a number of international ebook publishers have engaged in anti-competitive practices affecting …
Discussion:
CNET News, BGR, The Register, Bloomberg, Reuters, Inquirer, paidContent, Associated Press, AllThingsD, BBC, GigaOM, London Calling Blog, The Verge, Computerworld, Engadget, 9to5Mac, Good E-Reader, EU Press Room, MacStories, PalmAddicts, SlashGear, Neowin.net, Softpedia News, Electronista and Silicon Republic, more at Mediagazer »
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Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Fortune:
Why Europe's trustbusters targeted Apple's e-book ‘cartel’
Discussion:
Mashable!, more at Mediagazer »
JR Raphael / Computerworld:
Confirmed: Verizon Galaxy Nexus won't support Google Wallet (but will receive Google updates) — With the launch of Verizon's Galaxy Nexus growing closer, rumors about the device are starting to pour out at a breakneck speed. As such, I thought now might be a good time to do a quick round of fact vs. fiction.
Discussion:
Digits, Computerworld, Digital Trends, Washington Post, Dow Jones Newswires, Wall Street Journal, ZDNet, CNET News, DailyTech, SlashGear, VentureBeat, 9to5Google, Androinica, Pulse2, Engadget, Geek.com, WebProNews, Daring Fireball, MobileBurn.com, Techland, Fast Company, Android Phone Fans, Reuters, SplatF, @dannysullivan, GottaBeMobile, Phones Review, The Verge, PhoneArena, AndroidGuys, IntoMobile, Droid Life, Electronista, Android Community, Business Insider, PC Magazine, Know Your Cell, Screenwerk, LAPTOP Magazine, mocoNews and The Verge
Harry McCracken / Technologizer:
How the iPad 2 Became My Favorite Computer — My iPad 2 and ZaggFolio, in the press room at IFA in Berlin, September 2011. — Can the iPad replace a PC? — Ever since Apple announced its tablet nearly two years ago, the Internet has been awash in discussion of this question.
Discussion:
MacStories, PalmAddicts and GottaBeMobile, Thanks:harrymccracken
Mat Honan / Gizmodo:
Siri Is Apple's Broken Promise — A long time ago, I made a compact with Apple. “You can control my entire technological life, from my computer to my phone to my stereo. I'll pay premium prices. I'll dive into your product ecosystem, and buy books and music and movies and apps from you.
Discussion:
blog.chron.com, Real Dan Lyons Web Site and Daring Fireball
Sam Oliver / AppleInsider:
Apple television rumored to come in 3 sizes, including 32" and 55" — Apple's full-fledged television set will arrive at the end of 2012 in three screen sizes, maxing out at 55 inches, a new rumor claims. — Citing sources in Japan, Australia's SmartHouse reported this week …
Discussion:
Smarthouse, Ubergizmo, MacRumors, O'Grady's PowerPage, PadGadget, Fudzilla, Mashable!, Softpedia News, T3 News, iDownloadBlog.com, Macgasm, App Advice, iPhone, iClarified and MacDailyNews
Jean-Louis Gassée / Monday Note:
Behind RIM's $485M Write-off — On December 5th, three days ago, RIM announced a $485M write-off “related to its inventory valuation of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets”. Wall Street didn't like the news and dumped the stock, it went down 9.7% in one session. One of the last analysts supporting RIM …
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John Paczkowski / AllThingsD:
RIM Blindsided by Kindle Fire Pricing
Discussion:
PC World and PalmAddicts
Eric Slivka / MacRumors:
‘Steve Jobs’ Becomes Amazon's Best-Selling Book of 2011 — As predicted by Amazon following its release, Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Steve Jobs has become the retailer's best-selling book of 2011. The milestone is a remarkable one given that the book did not debut until late October.
Chris Morran / The Consumerist:
PayPal Rains On Regretsy's Secret Santa Campaign Over Use Of Wrong Button — Accepting charitable donations online through a third party can be a tricky business. It often requires that you provide reams of documentation to this third party that you are a non-profit or that the money is going directly to a non-profit.
Discussion:
Business Insider, TechCrunch, Geek.com, Regretsy, The Consumerist, Regretsy, @stshank and Daily Dot
Paul Sawers / The Next Web:
The BBC's global iPlayer expands to iPhone and iPod Touch — Five months after BBC Worldwide launched its global iPlayer app to 11 Western European countries on iPad, the commercial arm of the UK broadcaster has announced that it's making the app available on iPhone and iPod Touch too.
Discussion:
9to5Mac, TechCrunch, MacStories and SlashGear
Date By Categories / Nmap Hackers:
C|Net Download.Com is now bundling Nmap with malware! — Hi Folks. I've just discovered that C|Net's Download.Com site has started wrapping their Nmap downloads (as well as other free software like VLC) in a trojan installer which does things like installing a sketchy “StartNow” toolbar …
Jennifer Van Grove / VentureBeat:
Starbucks apps account for 26M mobile payments and $110M in card reloads — The Starbucks brand may be synonymous with pricey lattes, but the coffee conglomerate has pushed a number of mobile initiatives in 2011 to make its name also stand for digital innovation.
Discussion:
The Verge, Mashable!, Appolicious Advisor, GeekWire, The Seattle Times and FT Tech Hub
Barb Darrow / GigaOM:
New Node.js blocked by Great Firewall of China — Chinese Internet censors are preventing local programmers from accessing the newest version of the popular Node.js programming framework. — The problem is that the version number — .6.4 — corresponds to the date of the June fourth incident …
Discussion:
The Next Web
Zach Honig / Engadget:
Verizon lights one candle for LTE, confirms Xyboard Droid tablet name, December launch — Today marks one full year after Verizon first flipped the switch on LTE, with 365 days of 4G speeds for customers in 39 markets. By the end of next week, Big Red will light up a few more cities …
Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
The Rise of Google, the Ascent of Facebook and the Decline of Everyone Else — If you pay the slightest bit of attention to Internet advertising, you know this. But it's always good to see it spelled out: Look how ginormous Google is! — This exclamation point comes courtesy of Zenith Optimedia …
Discussion:
Search Engine Land, PC Magazine and The Equity Kicker
Roger Cheng / CNET News:
Sprint says 4G LTE devices coming in second half of next year — Sprint Nextel is going to be a little late to the game when it comes to 4G LTE devices. — Sprint Chief Financial Officer Joseph Euteneuer today said he expects the first 4G LTE devices to hit the market in the back half of the year …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, VentureBeat, DSLreports, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Know Your Cell, IntoMobile, PhoneArena, GottaBeMobile, Android Phone Fans, FierceWireless, Android Life and Electronista
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
The Nerdy Address Of Facebook's New Headquarters? 1 Hacker Way — Apple has 1 Infinite Loop, Genentech has 1 DNA Way, and now Facebook has its own vanity headquarters address: 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, 94025. Seen here on a brand new business card of a Facebook employee …
Discussion:
Business Insider and Softpedia News
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch Europe:
HP acquires German web-to-print software solutions company HIFLEX — Hewlett-Packard has acquired a German company called HIFLEX, based in Aachen, which develops software that helps companies in the print and media industries automate their business and technical processes.
Discussion:
AllThingsD, Gizmodo, HP, The Tech Trade and Silicon Republic
Matt Burns / TechCrunch:
Asus: Netbooks Outsold Tablets Nearly 3 To 1 In 2011, Big Things In Store For 2012 — Netbooks are still big business for Asustek. So much so that the hotness from 2009 outsold Asus tablets in 2011. Per numbers released at the company's global sales meeting (and relayed by Digitimes) …
Discussion:
9to5Google, DigiTimes, PhoneArena, Android Community, SlashGear and Electronista
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Zynga, Vostu Settle Copyright Lawsuit; Brazilian Gaming Company To Pay Up — Zynga and Vostu has settled their copyright lawsuits, according to a representative for Vostu. Vostu has paid Zynga an undisclosed sum as part of the settlement and made changes to its games.
Discussion:
Inside Social Games, Business Insider, Betabeat and Gamasutra
Stephen Shankland / CNET News:
Don't write off Mozilla-Google revenue deal as dead — Mozilla and Google are renegotiating a deal by which Google shares ad revenue that results from searches the browser drives to its site. — The partnership, which Mozilla renewed in 2008 for three more year, was set to expire in November.
Discussion:
ReadWriteWeb, Softpedia News and PC World
Chris Velazco / TechCrunch:
Is HTC's 20% Revenue Dip Last Month A Sign Of Things To Come? — Even though HTC has just come off of a record-breaking third quarter, it seems like some of the company's mobile momentum is evaporating. The Taiwanese company recently cut their Q4 sales forecasts by more than 20% …
Discussion:
Electronista, Engadget, Android Community, 9to5Google, SlashGear and The Verge
