Top Items:
MG Siegler / VentureBeat:
The $99 iPhone lives! (Through AT&T, not Wal-Mart) — Some of you are likely upset that we now know for certain that Wal-Mart won't be selling the iPhone for $99, and instead will give it a measly $2 discount when it goes on sale on Sunday. So I'm happy to report today …
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David Chartier / Ars Technica:
Microsoft, Apple, Google sued over icon software patent — Cygnus Systems, Inc., a networking company based in Michigan, got into the holiday spirit by suing Microsoft, Apple, and Google for violating a patent it was recently awarded, which covers the navigation and access of files based on representational thumbnails.
Discussion:
CNET News, InformationWeek, Electronista, Search Engine Watch, Boing Boing Gadgets and digg.com
Michael Martin / Google Android News:
G1 Phone Owners May Get a Battery Replacement Christmas Gift from T-Mobile — A replacement extended life battery may be a late Christmas Present to frustrated G1 owners from T-Mobile. — As polled here and elsewhere, the main concern with the G1 is the short battery life as with only moderate use …
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Should Twitter Add Authority-based Search? — Loic Le Meur is asking Twitter to add an authority filter to their search (he also goes on a rant about Sprint, but ignore that). He wants to sort through Twitter messages based on how many followers the person writing has, so he'll know the relative importance of what's being said.
Discussion:
Loic Le Meur Blog
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Voicetag Brings Voicemail To Facebook — For those of you who don't think voicemail is counterproductive, there is a new app on Facebook called Voicetag that lets you send voicemail messages to individuals or groups. This is not the first such app on Facebook (see Voicemail or TringMe) …
James Lewin / Podcasting News:
Podango Warns That The End Is Near — Podcasting startup Podango announced today that its future is uncertain and warned its users to make sure they've got their data backed up before the end of this month. — Here's the announcement from Podango President Douglas Smith:
Aidan Malley / AppleInsider:
iPhone nano knockoffs already on sale in Thailand (photos) — Those eagerly anticipating next month's Macworld and the prospects of a smaller iPhone should beware, as a slew of tiny clones are introducing confusion as they reach store shelves. — While silicone case molds have surfaced …
Eric Eldon / VentureBeat:
Lala may lead bid for Facebook music service, but questions loom — Facebook wants to let its users freely listen to and share music — and it's considering a partnership with music site Lala to help it do so, industry sources tell us. Lala's model, though, doesn't exactly fit what Facebook has had in mind.
Discussion:
TechCrunch
John Mahoney / Gizmodo:
The 10 Best Android Apps of 2008 — Following only two months behind iPhone 2.0 (but at a significant installed-base disadvantage), Android still has a long way to go. But there is definitely some early potential. Here are our favorite apps of the year.
Discussion:
digg.com
Steve Rubel / Micro Persuasion:
Google Now Features WordPress Blog Thumbnails — Twice this week when I searched for a blogger's name and some other related keywords, I noticed that Google is running a little thumbnail alongside the first links. I have verified that this is not an experiment but rather a new mini feature.
Om Malik / GigaOM:
For Amazon, Netbooks Are a Smash Hit — Santa was apparently good to Amazon.com this year; the e-tailer says its 14th holiday (shopping) season was its best ever, though it doesn't offer any data to back up that cheery claim. Its biggest sellers (based on number of units ordered) …
Discussion:
ReadWriteWeb, OStatic blogs, Kotaku, Bits, Obsessable, Google Watch and Working Anywhere
Tameka Kee / paidContent.org:
Digging In To MySpace And Facebook's (Projected) Slump In Ad Sales — Earlier this month, eMarketer lowered its social media ad spending outlook for 2008 through 2013, with revised forecasts for News Corp.'s MySpace and Facebook. In an update, the online research firm offers details …
Discussion:
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