Top Items:
Barb Darrow / GigaOM:
Mystery: Who killed the Microsoft CES keynote? — So, just who nixed future Microsoft keynotes at the big Consumer Electronics Show? It's a sticky question. — Microsoft said Wednesday that Steve Ballmer's keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show next month will be the company's …
Discussion:
The Tech Trade, PC World, LiveSide.net, @parislemon, Electronista and Business Insider
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MG Siegler / parislemon:
F**k Me? No. F**k You. — This morning, Microsoft made waves with a big move: they're pulling out of CES. Frank Shaw, Microsoft's head of communications, made the announcement on the company blog, noting that this year's CES (which is in a few weeks) would be the last one featuring …
Frank X. Shaw / TechNet Blogs:
2012 Marks Final CES Keynote for Microsoft — Our industry moves fast and changes faster. And so the way we communicate with our customers must change in equally speedy ways. To ensure it does, we constantly challenge our assumptions. For example: — · What's the right time and place to make announcements?
Discussion:
Bits, Engadget, BetaNews, PC World, Business Insider, The Next Web, msnbc.com, The Tech Trade, The Verge, My Nokia Blog, WinRumors, Geek News Central, Mobile Marketing Watch, LiveSide.net, iPhone, Mashable!, CNET News, IntoMobile, Shiny Objects, blog.chron.com, WebProNews, PC Magazine, VG247, BGR, TechSpot, CNNMoney.com, mocoNews, PhoneArena, Neowin.net, RazorianFly, Electronista, SlashGear, Network World, I4U News, @dannysullivan, LAPTOP Magazine, Digits, @fromedome, MediaFile, Gizmodo, Digital Media Wire, VentureBeat, Technologizer, Daring Fireball, Seattle Times, AllThingsD, All about Microsoft Blog, Macworld, L.A. Times Tech Blog, Between the Lines Blog, WMPoweruser, TechCrunch, MacRumors, Pulse2, GeekWire and WinBeta
Sam Biddle / Gizmodo:
All the Companies Supporting SOPA, the Awful Internet Censorship Law—and How to Contact Them — Who's officially on the record backing what could be the worst thing to ever happen to the internet? All of these companies listed below. Don't take our word for it—this list comes straight from Congress.
Discussion:
Neowin.net and CNET News
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Adam Savage / Popular Mechanics:
MythBuster Adam Savage: SOPA Could Destroy the Internet as We Know It — Soon the U.S. Congress will reconvene to consider the Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Mythbuster and PM contributing editor Adam Savage says that if these sweeping pieces of legislation pass …
Discussion:
A+K, Techdirt, @dannysullivan, TechCrunch and WebProNews, more at Mediagazer »
Adam Clark Estes / The Atlantic Wire:
Coders Are Already Finding Ways Around SOPA Censorship
Discussion:
Gizmodo and Lifehacker
DealBook:
Yahoo to Consider Sale of Asian Assets — Yahoo's board will consider a deal to sell its holdings in Alibaba Group and its Japanese affiliate back to their majority owners in a complicated tax-free deal valued at about $17 billion, according to people briefed on the matter.
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Shayndi Raice / Wall Street Journal:
Facebook's Goal: To Be a Blue Chip — As Company Readies 2012 IPO, It's Getting All Grown Up: Zuckerberg Swaps Flip-Flops for Real Shoes — Mark Zuckerberg spent Facebook Inc.'s early years trying to keep it cool. But the founder and CEO of the social-networking giant has spent …
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Matt Rosoff / Business Insider:
Facebook Is Scripting Pretend Earnings Calls As It Prepares To Go Public — Facebook execs are getting used to the prospect of being a public company by scripting fake earnings calls where they have to answer hard questions from analysts. — That's according to the Wall Street Journal …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
45 Privacy Changes Facebook Will Make To Comply With Data Protection Law — In 2012, Facebook will be making 45 privacy-related changes to comply with the recommendations of an audit by Ireland's Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) released today.
Discussion:
paidContent, Thanks:grg
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Brittany Darwell / Inside Facebook:
Facebook Educating Users About Ads
Discussion:
All Facebook and MediaPost
Ernesto / TorrentFreak:
RIAA: Someone Else Is Pirating Through Our IP-Addresses — Over the past week we've had fun looking up what governments, Fortune 500 companies, and even the most dedicated anti-piracy groups download on BitTorrent. All we had to do is put their IP-addresses into the search form on YouHaveDownloaded and hit after hit appeared.
Discussion:
Techdirt, Geekosystem, WebProNews, Gizmodo, Neowin.net and Softpedia News
Tricia Duryee / AllThingsD:
Surprise — The Most Popular Facebook Game of 2011 Wasn't Made by Zynga — Facebook has released its list of the 10 most popular social games for 2011, and while the chart was dominated by Zynga titles, other companies received the top two slots. — The list revealed some other surprises, too.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Facebook, VentureBeat, Business Insider, All Facebook and Inside Social Games
Sean Gallagher / Ars Technica:
How hackers gave Subway a $3 million lesson in point-of-sale security — Update: this story has been corrected and amended based on information received from Richard James of sendpace.com — For thousands of customers of Subway restaurants around the US over the past few years …
Discussion:
Gizmodo
Hayley Tsukayama / Washington Post:
Carrier IQ: Motorola, T-Mobile detail use — Motorola and T-Mobile responded Tuesday to requests from Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn) for more details on how they use Carrier IQ software. In its letter to Franken, T-Mobile revealed that it uses the device on some of its premium smartphones including …
Discussion:
The Verge, Engadget, GigaOM, Electronista and BGR
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Nilay Patel / The Verge:
The Verge Interview: Senator Al Franken on privacy, location tracking, and Carrier IQ
Discussion:
Electronista
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Another $40 million for Jawbone from Kleiner Perkins, Deutsche Telekom — Jawbone, a San Francisco-based company that makes mobile lifestyle accessories such as Jambox and Up, a personal health device, has raised another $40 million in new funds from Deutsche Telekom, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers …
Discussion:
Business Insider, VentureBeat, TechCrunch and AllThingsD
Eric Slivka / MacRumors:
Apple's ‘Complete My Album’ Feature Drops 180-Day Deadline for Upgrading — Yesterday, we noted that Apple had launched a new “Complete My Season Pass” feature for TV shows purchased through the iTunes Store, offering users who purchased individual episodes of a TV show season the ability …
Discussion:
Apple, MacStories, parislemon, The Next Web, the Econsultancy blog and PadGadget
Cade Metz / Wired Enterprise:
Ex-Google Man Sells Search Genius to Rest of World — M.C. Srivas is amazed by Google's search engine. And he helped build Google's search engine. He's amazed that if you search for “2005 Accord,” Google seems to understand you're looking for a family sedan, giving you links …
Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
Here's the World's First Steve Jobs Statue — Here is a tutorial for public relations professionals: Some of you think that sending pitches with the subject line IN ALL CAPS is a good idea. Others send out mass emails that begin “Item?” Most of you send pitches about things I will never, ever care about.
Discussion:
L.A. Times Tech Blog, TechCrunch, NEWS.com.au, Neowin.net, @alexia and WebProNews
Chris Velazco / TechCrunch:
Spotify For BlackBerry Officially Released, Only Supports Old Hardware — If you're a BlackBerry user and you've been waiting for a music service that's just a bit more compelling than BBM Music, then you may be in luck — emphasis on the “may.” Spotify for BlackBerry was officially released today …
Discussion:
BGR, CrackBerry.com, The Next Web, IntoMobile, The Verge, GottaBeMobile and Lifehacker
Nicholas Carlson / Business Insider:
Here's The Damning Letter A Massive AOL Shareholder Just Sent Tim Armstrong — Investment firm Starboard Value LP, which owns 4.5% of AOL, just sent a remarkably polite letter to AOL CEO Tim Armstrong telling him he is blowing it and that he needs Starboard's help.
Discussion:
VentureBeat, AOL Corp, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Betabeat and WebProNews, more at Mediagazer »
Tom Simonite / Technology Review:
Intel Shows Off Its Smart Phone and Tablet for 2012 — Prototype devices show Intel chips running devices that could challenge the iPhone and iPad early next year. — The era of the personal computer dawned thanks in no small part to the chip maker Intel.
Discussion:
PC Magazine, BGR, AnandTech, Mashable!, Android Community, Electronista, TechCrunch, GigaOM, Gizmodo, paidContent, Android Phone Fans, Android and Me, MobileSyrup.com, GMSV, IntoMobile, Pocketables, LAPTOP Magazine, AndroidGuys, Between the Lines Blog, Business Insider, TechSpot, FierceMobileContent, xda-developers, CNET News, Silicon Republic, Neowin.net, WebProNews, The Tech Report, Pulse2, VentureBeat, Softpedia News, 9to5Google, Liliputing, GottaBeMobile, The Verge, AllThingsD, SlashGear, PhoneArena, Ubergizmo and Slashdot
Matt Brian / The Next Web:
Google Voice for iPhone updated; adds multi-recipient texting, Sprint support and more — Google has pushed live a new update for its Google Voice iPhone application, bringing iPhone users up to speed with features that have been present in its Android equivalent.
Discussion:
everythingiCafe, Electronista, 9to5Mac, GottaBeMobile, SlashGear, Ubergizmo, Softpedia News, PhoneArena, Engadget, iLounge and Pulse2
Dr. Raymond M. Soneira / DisplayMate:
IPS Tablet Display Technology Shoot-Out Amazon Kindle Fire - Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet - Apple iPad 2 — Introduction A new wave of Tablets has arrived just in time for Christmas... But as we have seen many times before, most new Tablets are poorly thought out contenders that just wash away with the next wave.
Discussion:
Open Source Blog, Gizmodo, 9to5Google, 9to5Mac, TechCrunch and Electronista
Kevin C. Tofel / GigaOM:
Kindle Fire no longer blocks Android Market website — Earlier this week, I grilled Amazon for attempting to control web browsing activities on its Kindle Fire. Any attempts to browse Google's Android Market website were redirected to Amazon's own AppStore on the tablet.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, 9to5Google, LAPTOP Magazine, PC World, Android Phone Fans, Engadget, Liliputing, Google Watch and Pogue's Posts
Sharon Terlep / Wall Street Journal:
Transportation Chief Opposes Cell Driving Ban — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Wednesday he won't back a proposal to prohibit the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving, even hands-free devices, in the latest sign that the ban is unlikely to become law.
Sean Hollister / The Verge:
Lingering Android security flaw lets apps do things without permission — Last week, ViaForensics pointed out that Google Wallet wrote transaction histories to unencrypted database files, and this week the security firm's demonstrating another Android flaw, namely that apps can do things …
Discussion:
Android Community, Slashdot, viaForensics and Dennis Fisher
