Top Items:
Juan Carlos Perez / PC World:
Facebook, Google Launch Data Portability Programs to All — Google and Facebook separately announced the general availability of their respective data portability programs on Thursday. — Google Friend Connect and Facebook Connect are generally designed to extend social-networking capabilities broadly across the Web.
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Dave Winer / Scripting News:
Soon it will be time to start over, again — Here's how the tech industry cycle goes. — A new generation of young techies comes along, takes a look at the current stack, finds it too daunting (rightly so) and decides to start over from scratch. They find that they can make things happen …
Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook Blog:Facebook Across the Web
Discussion:
All Facebook, Gear Diary, Marc's Voice, Between the Lines, TECH.BLORGE.com, PC World, Industry Standard, Facebook Developers and Guardian
Mark Hendrickson / TechCrunch:Oh No You Don't, Google! Facebook Connect Now Generally Available, Too
Mussie Shore / The Official Google Blog:Google Friend Connect: now available
Discussion:
Google Operating System, Profy, TechSpot, Google Webmaster Central Blog, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, VentureBeat, Ars Technica, pluGGd.in, L.A. Times Tech Blog, Epicenter, InformationWeek, Webware.com, David Harry, The Social Times, The Real McCrea, Pocket-lint.co.uk, WebProNews, TheNextWeb.com, WinExtra, Google Watch, Lifehacker, mathewingram.com/work, Digital Inspiration and TechCrunch
Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb:Facebook Connect vs. OpenID: Who Will Emerge Victorious?
Discussion:
All Facebook, Ars Technica, The Technology Chronicles, Silicon Alley Insider and WebProNews
Scott Cleland / The Precursor Blog:
Google uses 21 times more bandwidth than it pays for — per first-ever research study — The 27 page research study can be accessed at this link: — Contact: Scott Cleland 703-217-2407 — First-Ever Study of U.S. Consumer Internet Usage and Cost Finds — Google Uses 21 Times More Bandwidth than it Pays For
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David Pogue / New York Times:
Readers React to David Pogue's Review of the BlackBerry Storm — I learned something last week. — In my Times print column, I reviewed the BlackBerry Storm, by far the worst product Research in Motion has ever produced. I had problems with its concept, problems with its clicky touch screen …
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John Paczkowski / Digital Daily:
RealDepressing: The Entire RealNetworks Layoff Memo — Earlier this afternoon, Peter Kafka reported in Media Memo that RealNetworks (RNWK) was “next up in today's layoff parade.” Here's the official internal memo from RealNetworks founder, chairman and CEO, Rob Glaser:
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Bill Hankes / The Real Story:Layoffs at Real — This morning we told about 130 employees around …
Discussion:
Gawker, hypebot, MediaMemo, Industry Standard, paidContent.org, TechFlash, Between the Lines, Brier Dudley's blog, Xconomy and The Social
Devin Coldewey / CrunchGear:
New Samsung webcam sensor does 720p and more — Seeing that PC users on desktop and laptop are embracing both HD video and built-in webcams, Samsung has decided to put the two together in the obvious form of a HD webcam. Until now, webcams have been pretty much limited to VGA (640×480) …
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Stephen Lawson / Macworld:
AT&T hopes for single smart phone OS — AT&T hopes to standardize on a single operating system for AT&T-branded smart phones as part of a “dramatic consolidation” of its mobile platforms over the next few years, a company executive said Thursday. — The mobile operator believes smart phones …
Saul Hansell / Bits:
Microsoft's Google Envy (Part 396) — The choice of Qi Lu to run Microsoft's online services division offers the clearest picture yet about Steve Ballmer's vision for the company's online effort. Its colors are blue, red, yellow and green and it is spelled G-O-O-G-L-E.
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Stephen Myers / Cygnet Engineering:
Iphone as a Universe Controller: Part 1 — Why have a universal remote control when you can have a universe controller? I was fortunate enough to get to beta test some of ioBridge's forthcoming hardware. Their hardware lets you connect just about anything to the internet.
Jenna Bilotta / Google Reader:
Square is the new round. — On the Reader team, we know that the old adage “change is good” isn't always true. Sometimes, change is just change. In this case, we hope that these decisions both improve your Reader experience today, and pave the way for additional improvements down the line.
Paul Graham:
Could VC be a Casualty of the Recesssion? — (I originally wrote this at the request of a company producing a report about entrepreneurship. Unfortunately after reading it they decided it was too controversial to include.) — VC funding will probably dry up somewhat during the present recession, like it usually does in bad times.
Discussion:
HipMojo.com
Owen Thomas / Valleywag:
Facebook cancels employee stock sale — So much for Silicon Valley's latest get-rich-quick scheme. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has cancelled a plan to let employees cash out their shares early. — In August, before the markets started to melt down and with Facebook worth $15 billion on paper …
Discussion:
Digital Daily, CNET News, Wall Street Journal, paidContent.org, Negative Approach, VentureBeat and All Facebook
Yinka Adegoke / Reuters:
IAC sees cascade of M&A opportunities — NEW YORK (Reuters) - IAC/InteractiveCorp (IACI.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Chief Executive Barry Diller is sitting on a pile of cash but he isn't going to give in to investor demands that he buy back stock to rescue the company's ailing share price.
Saul Hansell / Bits:
Amazon's Team of Rivals — Not so long ago, much of my life this time of year was spent following the toy wars. From 1999 to 2001, Amazon.com, eToys and Toys ‘R’ Us battled for dominance in the online toy market. (Ultimately, Toys ‘R’ Us joined forces with Amazon, and eToys failed and changed hands several times.)
Blaise Alleyne / Techdirt:
Ontario Government Considers Facebook Consultation — from the may-want-to-unblock-it-first dept — The Ontario Premier says he wants to engage young people in dialogue on Facebook (via Michael Geist) over protests against proposed restrictions on young drivers.
Nate Anderson / Ars Technica:
Does Amazon's iPhone app go too far? — Now that the official Amazon Mobile iPhone app is here, it's easier than every to check prices from anywhere, even while shopping in retail stores. And the company's clever new “Amazon Remembers” service will use humans to identify product pics snapped …
