Top Items:
MG Siegler / parislemon:
Pay To Stay — I've been thinking more about Google's renewal of their search deal with Mozilla for Firefox. It's fascinating on a few different levels. Most notably: Google is committing close to a billion dollars to bankroll a browser which is a rival to their own browser. — Why?
Discussion:
Asa Dotzler, TechCrunch, GSMArena Blog, loose wire blog, Peter Kasting, PC Magazine, @dannysullivan, Slashdot, Beyond Search, All New Musings, InfoWorld and Digital Trends
RELATED:
Jon Mitchell / ReadWriteWeb:
Chrome Engineer: Firefox Is A Partner, Not A Competitor — Google and Firefox renewed their partnership last week, ensuring that Google will remain Firefox's default search engine (and major source of revenue). Kara Swisher reported that the deal brings in just under $300 million per year for Firefox …
Discussion:
Business Insider, parislemon and Softpedia News, Thanks:jonmwords
Nick Bilton / Bits:
Tests Cast Doubt on F.C.C. Restrictions on Kindle and iPad — The Federal Aviation Administration has its reasons for preventing passengers from reading from their Kindles and iPads during takeoff and landing. But they just don't add up. — Since I wrote a column last month asking why these rules exist …
Discussion:
@antderosa
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
GoDaddy's domain registration after SOPA: behind the numbers — GoDaddy has been bearing the brunt of much of the anti-SOPA rhetoric on the web for the past few days, leading it to withdraw its support for the legislation. The action may have come too late to save its public image, but has it also cost GoDaddy subscribers?
Discussion:
CNET, The Domains, TomsTechBlog.com and VentureBeat
RELATED:
Drew Olanoff / The Next Web:
Desperation: Go Daddy calling customers, begging them to stay
Discussion:
The Next Web, Chris Heald, The Pondering Primate, 100gf, @andrewbaron, Business Insider, GeekWire and The Domains, Thanks:thatdrew
Sam Biddle / Gizmodo:
Brave GoDaddy CEO Says He's Neither For Nor Against SOPA
Discussion:
TechCrunch, PC Magazine, Memex 1.1, Engadget, eWeek Security Watch, VatorNews, Betabeat, AllThingsD, The Atlantic Wire, @gigibsohn, Geek News Central, L.A. Times Tech Blog and Gawker
Jamie Keene / The Verge:
Swype update for Android adds Dragon voice recognition and a swath of other new beta features — Swype Beta for Android has received a major over-the-air update, and in the first real change since its acquisition by Nuance it ships with Dragon Dictate technology in place of Google's own voice recognition.
Discussion:
VentureBeat, Engadget, Electronista and GadgeTell
Ben Farmer / Telegraph:
Congress calls on Twitter to block Taliban — American congressmen are calling on Twitter to block Taliban propagandists from the micro-blogging site. — Aides for Joe Lieberman, chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said the move was part of a wider attempt …
Discussion:
Techi.com, more at Mediagazer »
Jessica E. Vascellaro / Wall Street Journal:
Interns Are Latest Target In Battle for Tech Talent — Silicon Valley's talent wars are going younger. — Bay Area tech companies, already in a fierce fight for full-time hires, are now also battling to woo summer interns. Technology giants like Google Inc. have been expanding …
Discussion:
Business Insider and Slashdot
Ernesto / TorrentFreak:
Dutch Parliament: Downloading Movies and Music Will Stay Legal — As in many other countries around the world, downloading music and movies is hugely popular in the Netherlands. A massive 30% of the population is said to do so. — Presently, the Dutch see downloading movies and music for personal use as …
Discussion:
Electronista and Dice Blog Network
Tom Krazit / paidContent:
Why Running A Mobile OS By Committee Can Be Very Hard — Attempting to build consensus among Android vendors is a tricky undertaking in late 2011. As a result, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and its partners appear ready to enter a year in which Android will likely dominate the smartphone market without having come …
Discussion:
parislemon, CNET News and IntoMobile
RELATED:
Matthew Panzarino / The Next Web:
The Galaxy S not getting ICS isn't a Samsung problem, It's an Android problem
Discussion:
Daring Fireball, PC Magazine and L.A. Times Tech Blog, Thanks:ramez0ne
Vlad Savov / The Verge:
If Samsung doesn't care about customers, how can it hope to keep them?
Discussion:
9to5Google, SlashGear, AndroidSPIN, GadgeTell, Gadget Lab and The Verge
Kai Lukoff / TechCrunch:
Tencent vs. Sina: The Fight for China's Social Graph — Editor's note: Contributor Kai Lukoff is a Beijing-based writer who is the founder of startup blog Techrice. — In the West, the battle for the social graph is over for now. Facebook is the undisputed champion.
Discussion:
TechRice and iChinaStock
Associated Press:
Hackers attack US security think tank Stratfor, promise more targets for Christmas — LONDON — Hackers on Sunday claimed to have stolen a raft of e-mails and credit card data from U.S.-based security think tank Stratfor, promising it was just the start of a weeklong Christmas-inspired assault on a long list of targets.
Discussion:
Mashable!, Zero Hedge, Reuters, @anonymousirc, CNET, 100gf, Associated Press and Slashdot
Edward Wyatt / New York Times:
Online Gambling Given a Boost in U.S. Ruling — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has reversed its long-held opposition to many forms of Internet gambling, removing a big legal obstacle for states that want to sanction online gambling to help fix their budget deficits.
Nicole Perlroth / Bits:
Insurance Against Cyber Attacks Expected to Boom — Sony is still awaiting the final tally for losses related to its data breaches earlier this year. At last count, it had compromised 100 million customer accounts, and Sony anticipated the debacle would cost $200 million.
Discussion:
Slashdot
