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5:45 PM ET, July 11, 2008

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Nilay Patel / Engadget:
iTunes activation servers go down, iPhone 3G customers being sent home unactivated, first-gen iPhone customers stuck with dead iPhones  —  In a repeat of last year's problems, it looks like the insane demand for the iPhone 3G has taken its toll on Apple's iTunes activation servers …
RELATED:
Mark Wilson / Gizmodo:
Apple and AT&T Stores Having Difficulty Activating iPhones (UPDATE: It's the iPocalypse)  —  We've heard [four] many accounts now from varying Apple store and AT&T locations that employees are having problems while trying to activate phones through iTunes.  From Atlanta, one camper reports:
John Biggs / TechCrunch:
Epic Fail: Six Million iBricks... and Growing  —  Well this is a fine kettle of fish. iPhone activations have essentially gone down and everyone - from folks updating their old phones to new 3G activators - are stuck with bricks until traffic dies off.  Reader Brent reports:
Discussion: TG Daily
Jacqui Cheng / Ars Technica:
Launch woes turn iPhone Parousia into activation apocalypse  —  Although the enthusiasm about waiting in line for an iPhone for days at a time was dampened a bit this time around thanks to worldwide launches outside the US, buzz was still renewed by this morning among Apple fans.
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News.com:
Server crashes, slow lines frustrate iPhone buyers  —  This post was updated at 10:34 a.m. PDT with further details of the server issues.  —  NEW YORK—The process of obtaining an iPhone 3G appears to be going in slow motion because of AT&T activation server crashes that have been confirmed in New York …
The Macalope:
iPhone launch-o-mess-o-rama
Discussion: Gearlog, The Apple Core and Valleywag
MG Siegler / VentureBeat:
iFail 3G: Inside the iPhone launch failure with videos
Discussion: mocoNews.net and Webomatica
BBC:   Software glitch hits iPhone fans
Kara Swisher / BoomTown:
Guardian Media Group Buys paidContent for $30 Million  —  In what will be seen as a new media coup, sources tell BoomTown that Britain's Guardian Media Group is set to announce this morning that it will buy the company that runs the high-profile digital media news site paidContent for a price “north of $30 million.”
RELATED:
Rafat Ali / paidContent.org:
ContentNext 2.0: Life With The Guardian Media Group  —  We got scooped on the biggest story of our own company's life.  Such is our life.  Almost six years after our company started with paidContent.org, we have been acquired by Guardian News & Media (GNM), the news media division of UK-headquartered Guardian Media Group (GMG).
Om Malik / GigaOM:   Why Guardian Media Bought paidContent for $30M
Jemima Kiss / PDA:
Rafat Ali: from blogs to riches
Discussion: paidContent.org and Guardian
Matt Asay / The Open Road:
Apple's iPhone 2.0 update is failing  —  Look familiar?  It's what I and others have been seeing this morning when trying to upgrade to the iPhone 2.0 firmware.  Apple's servers are apparently being dismantled by heavy traffic.  That's nice.  But now I have a brick with no ability to call, no contacts, nothing.
RELATED:
Erica Ogg / CNET News.com:
iPhone 2.0 update wreaks havoc on 1st-gen devices
Discussion: last100
Ian Paul / Today @ PC World:
iPhone 3G OS Already Unlocked / ‘Jailbroken’
Discussion: The Register and Newlaunches.com
Ryan Block / Engadget:
iPhone 3G review  —  It's hard to think of any other device that's enjoyed the level of exposure and hype that Apple found in the launch of the first iPhone.  Who could forget it?  Everyone got to be a gadget nerd for a day; even those completely disinterested in technology seemed to come down with iPhone fever.
RELATED:
Exchange / You Had Me At EHLO:
iPhone 2.0; Welcome to Exchange!  —  If you've not heard; Apple released iPhone 2.0 today which includes a software update to the existing iPhones in the market (yes, we mentioned it when it was announced as well).  We're thrilled to add them to the family of Exchange ActiveSync licensees …
Michael Gartenberg / JupiterResearch:   iPhone 3G and 2.0 Upgrade - First Thoughts
Arn / MacRumors:
Apple Releases Official iPhone 2.0 (5A347) Firmware [Update]
Discussion: FactoryCity, Forbes and I4U News
Dan Frommer / Silicon Alley Insider:
iPhone 3G In NYC: Sold Out At AT&T, Still Some At The Apple Stores  —  No surprise: Apple seems to have stocked its own retail stores with many more new iPhone 3Gs than it gave out to carrier partner AT&T.  —  As of noon Friday, ten of ten AT&T (T) stores we contacted in Manhattan and Brooklyn …
RELATED:
Peggy Anne Salz / msearchgroove:
From Music Search To Local Search On Steroids: Apple Apps Store …
Mike Schramm / The Unofficial Apple Weblog:   Five ways the App Store will change the world
Dan Kimerling / TechCrunch:
Before the App Store “Opens”, it has already made Apple $55,000
Greg Sandoval / CNET News.com:
When you're Robert Scoble, you don't wait for an iPhone  —  SAN FRANCISCO—The perks of being a famous tech blogger include not having to stand in line all night for the latest gadget.  —  I was out in front of the Apple store near Union Square here at 9 p.m. PDT on Thursday standing in line …
Jason Calacanis / The Jason Calacanis Weblog:
Official announcement regarding my retirement from blogging.  —  “It's with a heavy heart, and much consideration, that today I would like to announce my retirement from blogging.”  —  Jason McCabe Calacanis, July 11th 2008.  —  This was an extremely difficult decision, and I haven't made it lightly.
Discussion: SarahLacy.com and Valleywag
Royal Pingdom:
Microsoft's software update beats Apple and Ubuntu  —  Every OS out there can be updated over the Web.  In fact, this functionality is a critical and important part of the OS, and updates are often done in an automated fashion.  Windows has its Windows Update, Mac OS X has its Apple Software Update …
Discussion: CNET News.com
Di Wang / Google Sites Blog:
Google Sites on your domain  —  Update: some of you may not see this new feature yet, we are rolling it out over the next week.  —  The most popular request we have had since our launch has been the ability to change site URLs, and we are excited to announce our first set of features in this area.
Don Reisinger / The Digital Home:
RIM is officially on notice: Start a hype machine  —  With the iPhone 3G launching worldwide, consumers standing in line, and journalists salivating at the thought of talking about it, we've suddenly forgotten about RIM, Motorola, Nokia, LG, and the rest of the major players in the cell phone space.
 
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 More Items: 
Jason Mick / DailyTech:
New “Cheerful” Intel Home Health Device Wins FDA Approval
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
The GOP Launches Site (And Facebook App) …
Discussion: Xconomy, Obama'08 and Threat Level
Josh Catone / SitePoint Blogs:
Is Google Heading Down the Yahoo! Path?
Calley Nye / TechCrunch:
Odeo Giving It Another Go
Discussion: Download Squad and NewTeeVee
CNN:
FCC Chairman Recommends No Fine for Comcast
Jessica Guynn / L.A. Times Tech Blog:
Google hangs with San Francisco mayor
Andy Greenberg / Forbes:
Touchless Tech  —  In the future of Steven Spielberg's Minority …
Bonnie Cha / CNET News.com:
AT&T Palm Centro drops to $69.99
 Earlier Items: 
Susan Decker / Bloomberg:
Konami Sues Viacom Over ‘Rock Band’ Music Video Game
Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:
In Deepening Ad Decline, Sales Fall 8% at Magazines
Christian Science Monitor:
The field narrows for e-books
Discussion: TeleRead
Dawn Kawamoto / CNET News.com:
AMD to take $948 million second-quarter charge
Predict the Future of the Internet …:
The iPhone naysayers, one year later
Lester Haines / The Register:
Obama bloats Vista by 11MB
Liz Gannes / NewTeeVee:
YouTube Adding Geosearch (with Screenshot)
Brandon Bailey / Mercury News:
Female CEOs at top Silicon Valley tech firms down to zero
Discussion: Techmamas and Know It All
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Ofcom rules that five GB News programs presented by Conservative politicians have broken its due impartiality rules and puts the channel “on notice”

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Authentic Brands licenses Sports Illustrated's publishing rights to The Players' Tribune owner Minute Media for 10 years, with plans to keep the print edition

Todd Spangler / Variety:
YouTuber MrBeast announces a deal with Prime Video for Beast Games, a reality-competition show with 1,000 contestants, promising the winner a $5M cash prize

 
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