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Ambitious unlimited music startup Beyond Oblivion closes down before launch — Beyond Oblivion, a New York-based startup with an innovative take on the idea of unlimited music, has closed it doors before its product had even launched, the Financial Times reports [paywalled link].
Discussion:
Betabeat, @pkafka, Music Week, AllThingsD, Dalton Caldwell, Digital Music News, Pulse2, hypebot and Engadget


Where to watch New Year's on Times Square live online — What would New Year's be without the traditional Times Square party? People in New York City have been watching the ball drop at midnight for more than a hundred years, and millions from all over the U.S. have been glued to their TV screens …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, TechCrunch, PC Magazine, Techie Buzz and iPhone


Hackers plan space satellites to combat censorship — 50 years after Russia's first piloted mission, hackers plan to send their own people beyond orbit — Computer hackers plan to take the internet beyond the reach of censors by putting their own communication satellites into orbit.
Discussion:
Examiner, CNET, PC World, Business Insider, shackspace.de and Social Media


Lenovo teases IdeaPad S110 Cedar Trail netbook — While netbooks seem to have largely given way to ultrabooks, the new Cedar Trail chips that Intel just began shipping could yet give the category a small second chance at life. Lenovo apparently thinks so, as it's put out a teaser video …
Discussion:
VR-Zone, GadgeTell, Liliputing, HotHardware.com News, New Technik, Engadget, Softpedia News and Electronista


Google Pulls “Official” Siri for Android App — Just hours after it emerged that “official” Siri for Android applications had made their way onto Google's Android Market, the search giant has not only pulled the offending app but has also removed all apps by controversial app developer “Official App”.
Discussion:
PC World, @joelhousman, Electronista, NBC Bay Area, Redmond Pie, Examiner, 9to5Mac, Jailbreak | iOS and The Next Web


10 things we learned about Apple this year — Apple did have a succession plan — an obvious one. There were a lot of big Apple stories this year, but Steve Jobs' retirement and death was the biggest. For years, especially around Jobs' previous medical leave in 2009 …
Discussion:
AppleInsider and TechCrunch


Dropbox Automator Is Like IFTTT For Dropbox — Thirty-six hours ago, the recently founded software development firm Wappwolf launched Dropbox Automator, which is sort of like an IFTTT for Dropbox. IFTTT, for those of you not up to speed on the latest Internet trends (where have you been? …
Discussion:
Engadget, ReadWriteWeb and gHacks Technology News


Late-Stage Web Companies Took In The Largest Tech Investments Of 2011 — One of the defining trends of modern web companies is that the top ones have been choosing to raise giant, private late-stage funding rounds instead of going public. In 2011, some of these rounds got so big that they passed …


The curious case of slowing US growth for Android — The latest data from comScore MobiLens is showing an uncharacteristic slowing in smartphone growth. In the survey period ending November, the number of smartphone users in the US was 91.4 million. This is equivalent to 39.1% penetration …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, TechnoBuffalo, LAPTOP Magazine, msnbc.com, Engadget, VatorNews, Fortune and iClarified


Sir Jonathan: Apple's design mastermind Jonathan Ive awarded knighthood in the United Kingdom — Apple's Senior Vice President of Design Jonathan Ive can add a new title to his resume: Sir Jonathan Ive. According to BBC, Ive was granted knighthood in the United Kingdom in the New Year Honours List.
Discussion:
UK in USA, AllThingsD, ZDNet, BBC, Business Insider, TechnoBuffalo, Mashable!, VentureBeat, Forbes, TechCrunch Europe, Bits, CNET, MacRumors, Mercury News, MacNN, The Verge, Fortune, The Next Web, Shiny Objects and AppleInsider


Apple sends takedowns to stop pirate-friendly iOS apps — Apple shuts down cracked iOS app culture — Pirate app haven Apptrackr revealed in an update for its Installous app installer that Apple has been cracking down on its bootlegs. “Huge” volumes of takedown requests have made it move servers …
Discussion:
Jailbreak | iOS, 9to5Mac and App Advice


China urges tighter Internet security after hacking attacks — (Reuters) - The Chinese government is working with domestic Internet search engines like Baidu Inc and Sohu.com, and financial institutions to prevent phishing attacks on unsuspecting Chinese web users.
Discussion:
Fast Company

Presidential Candidate Ron Paul Slams SOPA — A few days before the election circus in the US will start with the Iowa's caucus, presidential candidate Ron Paul made a comment on the pending SOPA bill “They want to take over the Internet,” he said. “Can you imagine how much we're …
Discussion:
The Verge
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