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11:40 AM ET, September 23, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
The Paperboy / Gizmodo:
Courier: First Details of Microsoft's Secret Tablet  —  It feels like the whole world is holding its breath for the Apple tablet.  But maybe we've all been dreaming about the wrong device.  This is Courier, Microsoft's astonishing take on the tablet.  —  Courier is a real device …
RELATED:
Joseph Tartakoff / paidContent:
Google's Latest Ambition: A Universal Commenting System For The Web  —  A new feature on the toolbar—which is installed on millions of computers around the world—lets users comment about the content of any web page they visit; the comments are then visible to other toolbar owners when they visit that site (see screenshot to the left).
RELATED:
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Google Launches Sidewiki — More Like a Universal Commenting System  —  Google today is launching Google Sidewiki, which despite its name is actually a universal commenting system.  The new service will be available via Google Toolbar.  As the company said in an email explaining the feature:
Thanks:jungleg
Brad Stone / New York Times:
Best Buy and Verizon Jump Into E-Reader Fray  —  The budding market for electronic reading devices is about to get two powerful new entrants: Best Buy and Verizon.  —  On Wednesday, iRex Technologies, a spinoff of Royal Philips Electronics that already makes one of Europe's best-known e-readers …
Andrew LaVallee / Digits:
Starbucks Unveils Its First iPhone Apps  —  Starbucks is launching a store-finding and menu-information application for the iPhone, and is testing a second app that will let customers use the phone as their Starbucks card. … The two apps are the coffee chain's first for the iPhone and iPod touch.
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily:
USB-IF Sides With Apple, Spanks Palm in iTunes Sync Spat  —  The USB Implementers Forum, the industry group that oversees the universal serial bus standard, has finally responded to Palm's claim that Apple is “hampering competition” by repeatedly disabling the Palm Pre's ability to sync with iTunes-and it's not looking good for Palm.
RELATED:
Rachel Metz / Associated Press:
Industry group: OK for iTunes to block Palm Pre
Michael Masnick / Techdirt:
Why Did Apple Approve Spotify?  —  AdAge has a long article trying to puzzle out why Apple potentially “sacrificed iTunes” in approving Spotify's streaming music app.  Oddly, while the article touches on a few of the reasons, I don't think it clearly highlights what seems like the most obvious reasons:
RELATED:
Michael Learmonth / AdAge:   Did Apple Sacrifice ITunes With Latest Apps?
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Can We Please Have Jerry Back?  —  Last November we all knew Yahoo cofounder Jerry Yang would be stepping down after a disastrous tenure as CEO.  He spurned Microsoft without realizing the consequences, and he had no ability to describe an alternate path for the company.
Discussion: Seeking Alpha and 901am, Thanks:atul
Daniel Shen / DigiTimes:
Over 30 Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphones to be launched before year-end, says Microsoft executive  —  More than 30 smartphones running on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 from a total of over 15 handset vendors are to be launched before the end of 2009, according to Benjamin Tan, senior director, GCR Mobile Team Unit at Microsoft China.
Alex Chitu / Google Operating System:
A Slippery Slope  —  Now that Google launched a Chrome plug-in for Internet Explorer, users will see dialogs that suggest to install the plug-in.  The first Google service that will show this message is Google Wave.  —  “To use Google Wave in Internet Explorer you need to install the Google Chrome Frame browser plugin.
Discussion: Softpedia News
RELATED:
Darren Murph / Engadget:
Wii price drop confirmed: $199 starting this weekend  —  The rumors were true, and Nintendo's knight in shining armor is finally about to see its first-ever price drop.  For nearly three years now, the console has sold briskly at $249.99, but beginning on September 27th at Best Buy …
Om Malik / GigaOM:
How Skype Plans to Dominate Business Telephony  —  Skype, a division of eBay, is likely to announce tomorrow that the beta version of its Skype for SIP offering will interoperate with Cisco Systems' Unified Communications 500 system.  This follows closely on the heels of similar arrangements struck …
Wall Street Journal:
South Korea to Allow iPhone Entry  —  SEOUL — South Korea's communications regulator decided Wednesday to allow the sale of Apple Inc.'s iPhone, amending a technical ban that had blocked the product, a spokesman said.  —  The Korea Communications Commission made an exception in a rule …
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
A Really Nasty Ad Slips Past Google  —  Generally you can trust the ads on Google to at least be safe.  But that's not the case right now for the top ad being served on the query “Firefox.”  —  The top ad says it is linking to “Firefox ® OfficiaI Sit” at the URL www.mozilla.com/firefox/.
Discussion: Graham Cluley's blog
Todd Bishop / TechFlash:
Windows Live lost $560m in FY09  —  Microsoft this morning gave Wall Street analysts new information about some recent behind-the-scenes reshuffling of its business groups.  In the process, the company provided details about the financial performance of groups whose results are normally hidden …
Charlie Sorrel / Gadget Lab:
The Dev That Came in From the Cold: iPhone Camera App Goes Legit  —  It's been a long road, but Snapture, the pro iPhone camera application, has finally gone legit.  We have covered the app since it was born 18 months ago into the then tumultuous sea of jailbroken iPhone apps, way back before the app store existed.
Discussion: The iPhone Blog and TheAppleBlog
Neil Hughes / AppleInsider:
One-fifth of buyers interested in Apple's unseen tablet  —  Despite the fact that no one has seen it, a new survey says that 21 percent of buyers are interested in purchasing an Apple tablet device.  That demand, along with strong Mac and iPhone sales, is expected to propel the company's stock.
Discussion: MacRumors, SlashGear and I4U News
Thomas Ricker / Engadget:
Dell leaks revamped Alienware m15x, Core i7 confirmed  —  We're expecting an announcement later today but the Alienware m15x has already been leaked in a trio of Dell service documents.  Updates include a Core i7 processor, 15.6-inch 1920x1080 LED backlit display, a full 8GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory …
Olga Kharif / Business Week:
Skype Founders Pull Out the Stops  —  The men who launched the Internet-calling service are redoubling their legal efforts after a failed last-minute bid to buy back the eBay unit  —  Skype's founders aren't letting go of their brainchild without a legal fight.  Turns out they mounted a formidable financial battle, too.
Thanks:dmac1
Dieter Bohn / PreCentral.net:
Rumor: webOS 1.2.1 Delayed, but Will Fix iTunes Sync  —  Bad news PreCentral Nation: an anonymous tipster sends word that webOS 1.2 (and possibly paid apps in the App Catalog) could be delayed (again) until next week.  The delay comes from Sprint's need to test the changes made since …
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
iStockphoto Will Soon Start Selling Stock Logos, Too  —  Getty Images' iStockphoto is moving into new territory.  In a statement sent out last night and relayed on the official forum, the company announced that it will soon start facilitating stock logo sales through its online marketplace.
Discussion: CNET News
eMarketer:
Mobile Ad Spending to Gain Momentum  —  Higher growth rates in 2010-2011  —  Despite the rising number of mobile users and their increasingly sophisticated habits and mobile devices, advertising and marketing dollars flowing to mobile lag behind consumer usage of the channel.
Discussion: Internet2Go and Yankee Group
Todd R. Weiss / Computerworld:
Slashing IT maintenance budgets: Sign of the times  —  Where cuts are not being made  —  The only places where the sporting-goods firm avoided maintenance cuts altogether were in customer-facing applications, including customer Web portals, which generate revenue for the business.
Discussion: eWeek
Joseph Galante / Bloomberg:
Amazon.com to Sell Groceries to All of Seattle While Heeding Webvan Lesson  —  Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) — Amazon.com Inc., saying it's learned from the mistakes of supermarket-delivery failures, is expanding its fresh-grocery business to the entire Seattle metropolitan area in the next three months.
Discussion: NBC Bay Area, Pulse2 and TechFlash
John Oates / The Register:
Demon splurges details of 3,600 customers in billing email  —  Passwords too  —  Demon Internet sent thousands of business and government subscribers an email this morning telling them all about a new e-billing system, and tacked on details, including passwords, for 3,600 customers.
Discussion: Softpedia News
 
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 More Items: 
William M. Bulkeley / Wall Street Journal:
IBM Markets Wares to Africa
Discussion: Open Source and Bloomberg
Ben Gilbert / Joystiq:
Left 4 Dead 2 demo running straight for Xbox/PC on October 27
Discussion: Blue's News
Nathan Eddy / eWeek:
Businesses Struggle to Secure Customer Data, Report Finds
Jessica Hodgson / Wall Street Journal:
TV Shapes Up as Web Battleground
Discussion: jd/adobe
Melanie Lee / Reuters:
ANALYSIS-China mobile search: the next battle for Google, Baidu
Discussion: Internet2Go
Sarah Perez / ReadWriteWeb:
MoLo Rewards: Making Mobile Coupons a Reality
Lee Mathews / Download Squad:
Trendsmap is a slick Google Maps - Twitter trends hybrid
 Earlier Items: 
Ashlee Vance / New York Times:
A Year Later, H.P.'s Bet on E.D.S. Looks Like a Winner
Discussion: Deal Journal, Thanks:mrinaldesai
Staci D. Kramer / paidContent:
ESPN Mines For Gold In Torrent Of iPhone Downloads
Discussion: Edible Apple and mocoNews
Lisa Baertlein / Reuters:
Twitter's Stone says no ads in 2009
Brian X. Chen / Gadget Lab:
Apple Battles Entrepreneur Over ‘Pod’ Trademark
Daniel Roth / Wired News:
NetFlix Everywhere: Sorry Cable, You're History
Discussion: Daily Patricia
 

 
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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