Top Items:
Vinton G. Cerf / New York Times:
Internet Access Is Not a Human Right — FROM the streets of Tunis to Tahrir Square and beyond, protests around the world last year were built on the Internet and the many devices that interact with it. Though the demonstrations thrived because thousands of people turned out to participate …
Discussion:
The Verge, The Register, PC Magazine, TechFlash, VentureBeat, msnbc.com, Errata Security, dailywireless.org, SlashGear, GigaOM, Techi.com, CNET and Washington Post
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Adam Thierer / Technology Liberation Front:
Vint Cerf on Why Internet Access Is Not a Human Right (+ A Few More Reasons)
Discussion:
Cato Institute
Jack Purcher / Patently Apple:
Apple Patents Reveal Thunderbolt is headed for iOS Devices — Three new patent applications from Apple were published this morning by the USPTO that detail various aspects of Apple's revolutionary I/O technology called Thunderbolt. Apple filed many Thunderbolt trademarks in 2011 which opened …
Discussion:
VentureBeat, MacRumors, Gizmodo, BGR, Business Insider, Pulse2, iDownloadBlog.com, everythingiCafe and Macgasm
Amy Willis / Telegraph:
Apple ‘threatens legal action’ over Steve Jobs action doll — The makers of an action figure with an uncanny resemblance to the late Apple founder Steve Jobs are reportedly being ‘threatened with legal action’ by the computing giant. — The action figure of the late Apple founder Steve Jobs
Discussion:
VentureBeat, Mashable!, CNET, Gizmodo, The Next Web, MacRumors, Gadget Lab, GSMArena Blog, everythingiCafe, The inneractive Blog, SlashGear, 9to5Mac, Macgasm, Techland, Ubergizmo, App Advice and Phones Review
Jonathan S. Geller / BGR:
RIM now working on only one BlackBerry 10 smartphone; Colt, Milan canceled — We already reported that the BlackBerry Colt — the handset that was originally intended to be the Research In Motion's first BlackBerry 10 smartphone — had been cancelled. Now, we have heard from multiple sources …
Discussion:
The Verge, Gizmodo, Engadget, Between the Lines Blog, Mashable!, CNET, Business Insider, PhoneArena, SlashGear, Electronista and Pocket-lint
Neil Hughes / AppleInsider:
Apple's television could offer superior picture quality with advanced backlighting — Apple has explored building displays with dynamic backlight adaptation for better picture quality, particularly when watching letterboxed widescreen movies on a high-definition screen.
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Josh Lowensohn / CNET:
The 50-inch Apple TV set rumor re-emerges
Discussion:
USA Today, The Atlantic Wire, Pulse2, Pocket-lint, Gizmodo and iDownloadBlog.com, more at Mediagazer »
Enigmax / TorrentFreak:
US Threatened To Blacklist Spain For Not Implementing Site Blocking Law — United States government interference in Spain's intellectual property laws had long been suspected, but it was revelations from Wikileaks that finally confirmed the depth of its involvement.
Discussion:
Guardian, Business Insider, The Next Web, WebProNews, The Raw Story and London Calling Blog
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines Blog:
Barnes & Noble eyes Nook spin-off amid sales shortfall — Summary: Barnes & Noble may have no choice but to spin off its Nook unit amid a sales miss. — Barnes & Noble said it is exploring a spin-off of its Nook e-reader unit so it can continue to scale the business.
Discussion:
LAPTOP Magazine, SiliconANGLE, Reuters, Barnes & Noble, Inc., BetaNews, 9to5Google, VatorNews, paidContent, The Next Web, AnandTech, TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, AllThingsD, TechFlash, GeekWire, DealBook, Mashable!, VentureBeat, Digits, The Verge, Pulse2, GigaOM, Liliputing, SlashGear, Electronista, Business Insider, the Econsultancy blog, internetretailer.com, dailywireless.org and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »
Dan Frommer / SplatF:
Amazon is doing its real job: Squeezing retail chains — One of the dramas in tech right now is the story around Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet and its potential to mess up Apple's iPad business. I don't think the Kindle Fire (an okay-but-not-great media tablet) is a real, long-term threat to the iPad …
Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:
HBO Ends DVD Discounts for Netflix — Netflix said a month ago that it sees HBO as its chief rival. And it appears that HBO agrees, as the company confirmed on Thursday that it had decided to stop selling DVDs to Netflix at a discount. — Netflix typically buys the film and TV show DVDs …
Discussion:
Engadget, CNET, The Next Web, CNET and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »
Ben Popper / Betabeat:
Kanye West Now Hiring “App Guys” and “Tech Guys” for New Company: DONDA — After a long sabattical from his Twitter account, Kanye West returned to the internet last night with a flurry of thoughts in 140 characters or less. The big news, he is forming a new company, DONDA.
Discussion:
Business Insider, Us Weekly and Digits
Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch:
Google Ventures, Mark Cuban And Others Invest $1M In Social CRM Startup Nimble — Customer relationship management startup Nimble has raised $1 million in funding from notable investors Mark Cuban, Jason Calacanis, Don Dodge, Dharmesh Shah and more! — Nimble CEO Jon Ferrara views Nimble …
Discussion:
SiliconANGLE, Pulse2 and SocialTimes.com
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
Italian court denies Samsung motion for preliminary injunction against iPhone 4S — ANSA, the leading Italian news agency, just reported that Judge Marina Tavassi of the Tribunale di Milano — the Milan-based Italian first-instance court for patent cases — has rejected a Samsung request …
Discussion:
PC Magazine, CNET, London Calling Blog, GigaOM, MacRumors, PhoneArena, BGR, Engadget, The Next Web and Electronista
Ina Fried / AllThingsD:
Ray Ozzie Gathering Ex-Microsoft Colleagues for New Start-Up, Cocomo — Everyone knew that Ray Ozzie would eventually resurface after leaving Microsoft. — The Lotus Notes creator and Groove founder has lain extremely low since departing the software giant at the end of 2010.
Discussion:
Domain Name Wire
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Scott Kirsner / Boston Globe:
Former Lotus and Microsoft exec Ray Ozzie hiring for new start-up, Cocomo
Discussion:
Network World, Xconomy, CNET, All about Microsoft Blog, Mass High Tech and Real Dan Lyons Web Site
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
For blazing fast wireless internet, Broadcom announces its first 5G WiFi chips — Broadcom is announcing today its first WiFi chips that will allow wireless to surf the web at a speed of 1.3 gigabits per second. That is several times faster than existing network speeds …
Discussion:
eWeek, Engadget, Broadcom.com, BetaNews, Gizmodo, 9to5Mac, Digits, Engadget, LAPTOP Magazine, EE Times, AnandTech, The Verge, VR-Zone, ces.cnet.com, Electronista, SlashGear, PC Magazine, Network World, dailywireless.org and GigaOM
Clare Jim / Reuters:
Taiwan's Elan says Apple to pay $5 million in patent settlement — (Reuters) - Elan Microelectronics Corp, a Taiwanese touch design company, said on Thursday that Apple Inc will pay $5 million as part of a settlement in a patent infringement case. — The statement said the two companies …
Tim Culpan / Bloomberg:
Apple Profit Margins Rise at Foxconn's Expense: Chart of the Day — Apple Inc. (AAPL)'s margins have widened at the expense of its main supplier as Foxconn Technology Group cuts prices to retain orders for iPhones and iPads. — The CHART OF THE DAY compares the operating margins of Apple …
Jeff Roberts / paidContent:
Amazon Ends Lawsuit Over Kindle Fire — In a surprise development, Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) has quietly resolved a lawsuit that alleges its Kindle Fire violates four patents related to touchscreen technology. — In court papers filed in Texas this week, Amazon and Smartphone Technologies …
Discussion:
GeekWire, WebProNews and Between the Lines Blog
Owen Gibson / Guardian:
Apple unlikely to enter auction for Premier League TV rights — • BSkyB and ESPN will be back in the bidding — • Google and al-Jazeera may also enter market — The Premier League is preparing to go to market with its lucrative television contract in the second quarter of this year …
Discussion:
MacRumors
Jennifer Van Grove / VentureBeat:
Do-it-yourself legal site Rocket Lawyer raises $10.8M — Just five months after raising $18.5 million, online legal services provider Rocket Lawyer has added $10.8 million in funding to its bank account, according to an SEC filing VentureBeat uncovered today.
Diane Bartz / Reuters:
ICANN to expand top level domains despite critics — (Reuters) - ICANN, an independent body responsible for organizing the Internet, plans to press ahead with plans to expand the number of possible website addresses despite criticism from industry and concerns from some law enforcement groups.
Discussion:
Ars Technica, Datamation.com and WebProNews
Liz Gannes / AllThingsD:
Facebook Says Most Photos Flagged by Users Aren't Actually Offensive — Just Unattractive — Last year Facebook determined that the majority of photos its users reported as offensive were not actually offensive. Much of the time, they were just unflattering angles or situations.
Discussion:
Business Insider, SlashGear, The Next Web, Gawker, Betabeat and Gizmodo
Janko Roettgers / GigaOM:
Marvell's ARM chips will power Google TV's future — It's official: Marvell's ARM-based processors will power the next generation of Google TV devices, which are going to be unveiled at CES next week. The chip maker announced Thursday morning that its ARMADA 1500 system-on-a-chip (SoC) …
Saeed Kamali Dehghan / Guardian:
Iran clamps down on internet use — Restrictions on cybercafes and plans to launch national internet prompt fears users could be cut off from world wide web — Iran is clamping down heavily on web users before parliamentary elections in March with draconian rules on cybercafes and preparations to launch a national internet.
Discussion:
Wired.co.uk and Gizmodo
Eric Eldon / TechCrunch:
Lithium Raises $53.4M Fourth Round To Push For Lead in Social Brand Software — Big consumer brands generate all sorts of consumer interest and expertise, but they've generally struggled to capitalize on these relationships to improve themselves. Lithium has been building itself …
Discussion:
Venture Capital Dispatch, VentureBeat, VatorNews, A Software Insider's Point …, GigaOM and Business Insider
Brad Molen / Engadget:
AT&T expands LTE coverage to eleven new markets, including NYC, San Francisco and Los Angeles — In one announcement, AT&T has nearly doubled its LTE coverage by officially flipping the switch on eleven new markets. The list includes New York City metro, San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose …
Discussion:
PC World, BetaNews, VentureBeat, AT&T, The Verge, AllThingsD, 9to5Google, BGR, Gizmodo, The Verge, Sidecut Reports, Electronista, GigaOM, SlashGear and GottaBeMobile
Tarmo Virki / Reuters:
Nokia prospects brighten as chairman search narrows — (Reuters) - Struggling phone maker Nokia Oyj basked in brightening prospects for its much-hyped Windows phone on Thursday as it prepared to strengthen the hand of new boss Stephen Elop by replacing its old-guard chairman.
Discussion:
ArcticStartup Posts, LiveSide.net, GigaOM, Bloomberg, mocoNews, WMPoweruser, The Nokia Blog, Inquirer and PhoneArena
Sean Hollister / The Verge:
Logitech Cube is a tiny touch-sensitive presentation mouse, available in January for $69.99 — Have you ever thought your portable mouse was a little too large, or perhaps shaped a little too much like the inside of your hand? We can't say we have, but Logitech's got a new peripheral …
Discussion:
BetaNews, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, The Toybox Blog, Electronista and Engadget
Luke Fretwell / FedScoop:
NASA Launches Agency-wide Open Source Initiative — NASA has launched a new website, located at code.nasa.gov, aimed at centralizing the agency's open source software efforts and creating a collaborative environment to discuss issues related to its use. — The site, currently in “alpha” …
Discussion:
SiliconFilter, Ars Technica and open.NASA
