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10:50 AM ET, February 17, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Enigmax / TorrentFreak:
50% of Charges Against Pirate Bay Dropped  —  What has been shown in court today is that the prosecutor cannot prove that the .torrent files he is using as evidence actually used The Pirate Bay's tracker.  Many of the screenshots being used clearly state there is no connection to the tracker.
RELATED:
Julia Angwin / Digits:
Pirate Bay Trial Begins With Theatrics  —  By Marisa Taylor  —  The long-awaited trial of Swedish file-sharing site The Pirate Bay kicked off Monday in Stockholm district court amidst a house packed with Pirate supporters, legal and sociological scholars, and much media spectacle.
Kelly Fiveash / The Register:
Pirate Bay prosecutor tosses infringement charges overboard
Discussion: CNET News and The Local
Vodafone:
Vodafone and HTC unveil Android-powered HTC Magic  — Vodafone extends world-class range of Internet phones with latest Android™-powered smartphone from HTC  — HTC Magic smartphone exclusive to Vodafone customers initially in UK, Spain, Germany and France (SFR) and non-exclusively in Italy.
RELATED:
Jason Palmer / BBC:
Second ‘Google phone’ is unveiled  —  Science and technology reporter, BBC News, Barcelona  —  A second phone based on Google's operating system Android has been unveiled by Vodafone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  —  The touchscreen HTC Magic will feature a 3.2 Megapixel camera …
Discussion: PSFK and Slashdot
Marguerite Reardon / Webware.com:
Skype strikes deal with Nokia  —  BARCELONA—Skype is racking up deals with mobile handset makers here at GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009.  —  On Tuesday, the company, which is owned by eBay, announced a partnership with Nokia, the largest cell phone maker in the world, to put the Skype Internet calling software onto its phones.
RELATED:
Bill Ray / The Register:   Nokia to preinstall Skype on handsets
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Microsoft Updates Windows Mobile To Make It More Like The iPhone.
Discussion: jkOnTheRun and Gearlog
Richard Wray / Guardian:
Universal mobile phone charger unveiled  —  The mobile phone industry plans to introduce a universal charger as part of a drive to improve its previously patchy environmental record.  —  The plan from industry body the GSM Association (GSMA) is just one of a raft of “green” announcements at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
RELATED:
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes / Hardware 2.0:
Worst.  Windows 7.  Piece.  EVER!  —  Over on Slashdot is perhaps the worst piece on Windows 7 that I've see so far (I find it hard to believe that this one will be beaten anytime soon ...). … OK, just a few points worth making:  — Someone messes about with Photoshop in order to crack it …
Discussion: p2pnet
RELATED:
Kdawson / Slashdot:
Draconian DRM Revealed In Windows 7
Discussion: Lifehacker, TechnoLlama and Boing Boing
Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook Blog:
On Facebook, People Own and Control Their Information  —  A couple of weeks ago, we updated our terms of use to clarify a few points for our users.  A number of people have raised questions about our changes, so I'd like to address those here.  I'll also take the opportunity to explain how we think about people's information.
RELATED:
Kara Swisher / BoomTown:
“You Have Zero Privacy Anyway.  Get Over It"-That Goes Double on Social Networks
Discussion: Consumerist
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News:
Sirius XM agrees to $530 million Liberty Media stake  —  Troubled Sirius XM Radio announced Tuesday, following reports, that it will accept an investment from cable giant Liberty Media.  —  The investment, which will save the satellite radio company from bankruptcy or a hostile takeover …
RELATED:
Cecilia Kang / Washington Post:   Sirius XM Radio Avoids Bankruptcy
Amol Sharma / Wall Street Journal:
Verizon May Offer Landline Plan for $5  —  In a sign that the recession is forcing phone companies to take bold measures to hold onto landline customers, Verizon Communications Inc. is considering a $5 monthly voice plan that would let customers receive calls but dial only 911 and Verizon customer service.
Pui-Wing Tam / Wall Street Journal:
Employment Falls in Silicon Valley  —  Silicon Valley posted a drop in employment and recorded a decline in per capita income in 2008 for the first time in several years, as the recession caught up with the technology-heavy region.  —  The findings come in a closely watched annual report …
Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider, Thanks:atul
John Markoff / New York Times:
The Cellphone, Navigating Our Lives  —  The cellphone is the world's most ubiquitous computer.  The four billion cellphones in use around the globe carry personal information, provide access to the Web and are being used more and more to navigate the real world.
Jpbruno / Windows Mobile Team Blog:
Introducing Windows® Marketplace For Mobile...  At Mobile World Congress today in Barcelona, Steve Ballmer announced a number of upcoming additions to the Windows Mobile® family.  In addition to great consumer-focused services such as Microsoft® My Phone, he also announced …
RELATED:
Pat Pilcher / New Zealand Herald:
Guilty by accusation copyright protestors paint it black  —  A protest campaign against the Copyright Amendment (New Technologies) Act appears to be gaining momentum as protesters, including high profile UK celebrity Stephen Fry, black-out photos on Twitter, Facebook and various other social networking sites.
Discussion: The Register
Sascha Segan / Gearlog:
AT&T CEO: Dell Will Build a Smartphone  —  At a panel at Mobile World Congress today, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega just said, “Dell announced they're entering the smart phone market.”  That's a quote.  —  This confirms many rumors that have been floating around …
Jenna Wortham / Bits:
Offerpal Media Raises $15 Million to Peddle In-Game Ads  —  For most casual gamers on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, tricking out their avatars is almost more fun than playing the game.  —  One way to build an impressive inventory of virtual goods is by earning them through hours of game play.
Discussion: VentureBeat, GigaOM and Inside Facebook
 
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 More Items: 
Tarmo Virki / Reuters:
Nortel to present new business plan in few weeks
Alertbox:
Mobile Web 2009 = Desktop Web 1998
Discussion: the Econsultancy blog
Michael V. Copeland / Fortune:
Technology's bargain bin
Discussion: All About Nortel
Sarah Lacy / Business Week:
Local Advertising Isn't Jumping Online
Discussion: The Equity Kicker and Search Engine Land, Thanks:sadkids
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Filtrbox Raises $1.4 Million, Launches Revamped Market Intelligence Tool
Discussion: paidContent.org
Dan Goodin / The Register:
Satellite-hacking boffin sees the unseeable
 Earlier Items: 
Harry McCracken / Technologizer:
Mobile World Congress: One Day, Sixteen New Phones
Mark Hendrickson / TechCrunch:
TechStars Fills Void Left By Y Combinator With New Incubator In Boston
Discussion: Innovation Economy, Thanks:dreamsketcher
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Justin.tv Is Redirecting Porn Queries Into Cash
Discussion: the Econsultancy blog
Charles Hudson / Charles Hudson's Weblog:
THE DATABASE OF INTENTIONS IS MORE VALUABLE THAN THE DATABASE …
Discussion: Beyond Search, Thanks:atul
 

 
From Mediagazer:

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

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”

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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