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10:30 PM ET, December 8, 2011

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Twitter Blog:
Let's Fly  —  Today we introduce a new version of Twitter.  We've simplified the design to make it easier than ever to follow what you care about, connect with others and discover something new.  You'll see this new design both on Twitter.com and mobile phones, so that you'll have a familiar experience any time, anywhere.
RELATED:
Nick Bilton / Bits:
A Twitter for My Sister  —  In the early days of Twitter the company's founders repeatedly said that expanding the service was like building a rocket ship in mid-flight.  Twitter grew so quickly that it was almost impossible to add new features because engineers spent their time trying to keep …
Cotton Delo / AdAge:
Twitter Joins Facebook, Google, Launches ‘Brand Pages’ For Marketers  —  Brands Get a Home on Twitter With More Functionality  —  Twitter is looking to strengthen its relationship with advertisers by launching brand pages that will be unveiled today as part of a more comprehensive redesign.
Jolie O'Dell / VentureBeat:
Here's a first look at the “New-New Twitter”  —  This morning, Twitter started its launch of a brand-new interface.  —  The changes are fairly drastic, but they have a suprising and delighting effect (as opposed to a shocking and awing one).  It might remind you a bit of the design …
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:   Apple iOS 5 Integration Boosted Twitter's Monthly Signups By 25 Percent
Jonathan S. Geller / BGR:
Samsung to beat Apple to market with Retina-resolution tablet in February  —  BGR has learned from a trusted source that Samsung is set to launch an 11.6-inch tablet running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich next year, and it will most likely be unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February.
RELATED:
Jay Yarow / Business Insider:
The Next iPad Will Launch In February — Citi  —  Apple is ready to roll with a new iPad, says Citi analyst Richard Gardner in a note today.  —  According to “several sources” the next iPad will launch in February, and it will sport a screen with double the resolution of the current model.
Derek Kessler / PreCentral.net:
webOS all-hands meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning - it all finally comes to a head  —  We've just received word that tomorrow will finally bring the answers for which we have been waiting.  HP CEO Meg Whitman has weighed the options for what to do with webOS, and tomorrow at 10:30 AM Pacific Time we should finally get and answer.
Christian Zibreg / 9to5Google:
Google launches Currents, new social reading platform for iOS and Android  —  Following an extensive period of beta testing and refining, a promising new Google product is ready for prime time.  Today, the search Goliath took the wraps off of a brand new social publishing platform that used to be known under the ‘Propeller’ code-name.
RELATED:
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Google Currents: First Impressions Of Google's Flipboard Competitor
Discussion: Computerworld and PC Magazine
Stoyan Stefanov / Facebook Developer Blog:
Introducing the Subscribe Button for Websites  —  In September we introduced Subscribe to make it easier for people who want to share their public updates with more than just friends to build an audience of subscribers.  Today we're launching the Subscribe button for websites …
Ed Sutherland / Cult of Mac:
AT&T Starts Throttling Heavy iPhone Data Users To 2G Speeds  —  If you've been whining about why the iPhone 4S has no 4G, get ready for a real letdown — 2G speeds.  The move by AT&T to throttle its top 5 percent of data users to a snail's pace is an unwelcome Christmas present for many iPhone users.
Dan Frommer / SplatF:
Why Google is bending to Verizon over Google Wallet  —  Google has complied, so far, with Verizon Wireless's request to withhold the Google Wallet mobile payments service from the new Galaxy Nexus phone.  —  Why?  —  Because Verizon is a very important partner for Google …
RELATED:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Apple Picks Instagram As The “iPhone App Of The Year”  —  Apple released its iTunes Rewind 2011 and App Store Rewind 2011 today, the company's annual lists detailing of the top selling apps, music, TV shows, movies and podcasts for the year.  This year, the biggest winner on the apps front was Angry Birds …
RELATED:
Reuters:
Facebook IPO sparks dreams of riches, adventure  —  (Reuters) - Traveling to space or embarking on an expedition to excavate lost Mayan ruins are normally the stuff of adventure novels.  —  But for employees of Facebook, these and other lavish dreams are moving closer to reality as the world's …
Nathan Beach / Google Mobile Blog:
Tablet image results in new carousel view  —  In July, we started to evolve the Google design and experience on Android and iOS tablets by updating features like larger touch targets and enhanced image viewing to make searching faster and easier.  Today, we're building on that foundation …
Gregg Keizer / PC World:
Microsoft: We Can Remotely Delete Windows 8 Apps  —  Microsoft will be able to throw a “kill switch” to disable or even remove an app from users' Windows 8 devices, the company revealed in documentation released earlier this week for its upcoming Windows Store.
Stephen Shankland / CNET News:
Social networking's salad days are ending, Forrester says  —  Forrester CEO George Colony speaks at LeWeb.  —  PARIS—Bad news, would-be social networking start-ups.  —  “Social is running out of hours.  Social is also running out of people,” concluded George Colony …
Discussion: Tech Europe
Horace Dediu / asymco:
How productive is an Apple store employee?  —  Apple publishes data about its “retail segment” which ifoAppleStore.com catalogs.  Here are some statistics I was able to compute from the data:  — The stores generate over $100k per employee per quarter.  In 2010, revenue was $481,000 per employee.
Discussion: @nicholeprovatas
Ina Fried / AllThingsD:
Sorry, Folks, Bill Gates Is Not Coming Back to Microsoft  —  While it is fun to play “what if” games, the fact is that Bill Gates is not planning a return to Microsoft, the software giant he founded with Paul Allen decades ago.  —  Folks are getting worked up about a Fortune magazine piece …
Eric Slivka / MacRumors:
Logic Pro and MainStage Headed to Mac App Store, Boxed Software Discontinued [Updated]  —  Apple today issued a notice to resellers announcing that it has discontinued the boxed versions of its Logic Studio and Logic Express audio software packages effectively immediately …
Kevin C. Tofel / GigaOM:
YouMail yanked from Android Market due to T-Mobile complaint  —  YouMail, a mobile voicemail and visual message management app, suddenly disappeared from Google's Android Market on Thursday.  The free app is still available in Apple's iTunes Store for iOS devices, but Android users looking for the software won't find it.
Kyle Orland / VentureBeat:
Zynga bets on Google TV with new Texas HoldEm Poker app  —  Zynga is finally bringing its mega-popular Texas HoldEm poker game to the living room TV set, but it's not going through a major video game console manufacturers to get there.  —  In addition to its social media and mobile gaming apps …
Kashmir Hill / The Not-So Private Parts:
Why An Investment Firm Was Awarded $2.5 Million After Being Defamed By Blogger  —  No miscarriage of justice here.  —  It was the $2.5 million dollar lawsuit heard round the blogosphere.  The Seattle Weekly reported that an “Oregon blogger” had been found guilty of defamation and ordered to pay an investment firm $2.5 million.
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Google Launches Schemer, An Activity Recommendation Engine To ‘Discover New Things To Do’  —  We've been wondering exactly what Google Schemer is for some time now.  Google has just officially launched Schemer, a new activity recommendations portal that allows people to 'discover new things …
Discussion: VentureBeat, Mashable! and WebProNews
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Groupon In Talks To Acquire Clever Sense, The Startup Behind ‘Alfred’  —  Groupon is in late-stage negotiations to acquire Silicon Valley-based startup Clever Sense, we're hearing from a source.  Clever Sense is the company behind Alfred, a popular ‘butler’ app for iPhone that makes restaurant …
 
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 More Items: 
Thomas Baekdal / Baekdal.com:
Apple Never Designed the iPad - They Undesigned it
Jim Edwards / Business Insider:
Facebook Studied Users' Brainwaves For Its Advertisers
Alex Heath / Cult of Mac:
TweetDeck Releases HTML5-Based App In The Mac App Store
Discussion: App Advice
Business Week:
Voice Control, the End of the TV Remote?
Andy Greenberg / The Firewall:
WikiLeaks Posts Spy Firm Videos Offering Tools For Hacking iTunes, Gmail, Skype
Mat Smith / Engadget:
Jawbone offers ‘no questions asked’ refund for troubled Up band, even if you keep it
 Earlier Items: 
Bloomberg:
Zynga Gets Enough Orders to Cover IPO Shares
Yun-Hee Kim / Wall Street Journal:
ZTE to Launch High-End Smartphone in U.S.
Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft Blog:
Microsoft, HP team to sell public and private cloud services
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Analyzing Comcast's spinoff of cable networks, purposefully structured with low debt: the move might be a signal to the industry that it's time to consolidate

Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Tubi launches Scenes, a mobile feature that lets viewers watch 60-to-90-second trailer-style clips from its library to help with content discovery

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
James Harding says the Tortoise-Observer deal could create a profitable media group and there isn't a guaranteed future for the Observer with the Guardian
 
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