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9:50 PM ET, December 28, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Mark Davies / IBTimes.co.uk:
Google Chrome OS-based netbook tech specs are out  —  London - Believe it or not - the tech specs of the rumoured Google Chrome OS-based netbook are already out and by the sound of it, the netbook looks to me like a high performance machine.  —  Even as rumours grow that Google …
RELATED:
Ian Paul / PC World:
Chrome Netbook Specs Stretch Believability
Discussion: PMP Today
Kevin J. O'Brien / New York Times:
Cellphone Encryption Code Is Divulged  —  BERLIN — A German computer engineer said Monday that he had deciphered and published the secret code used to encrypt most of the world's digital mobile phone calls, saying it was his attempt to expose weaknesses in the security of global wireless systems.
Jesus Diaz / Gizmodo:
Leaked: Homeland Security's Post Underwear Bomb Airplane Rules  —  You saw our unofficial advice guide to flying after the crotchbomb.  Here are the new Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration's official security rules.  Read on to get all the hairy details. … Great.
Gagan Biyani / MobileCrunch:
Flurry: App Store Sees Record Breaking Christmas, 50% Growth from November to December  —  As predicted here on MobileCrunch earlier this month, Apple rocked it this holiday season, and the early numbers are showing it.  According to Flurry, the biggest mobile app analytics company …
RELATED:
Harry McCracken / Technologizer:
The Speculative Prehistory of the iPhone  —  Remember the very first iPhone-the one that sold for $249, had an iconic click wheel, a cool slide-out keypad, and a unique two-battery design-and which ran on Apple's very own nationwide wireless network?  No, not the iPhone that Steve Jobs unveiled …
Liz Shannon Miller / NewTeeVee:
Will Hulu Become a Blockbuster?  —  Hulu has grown a huge audience this year, but what happens when you compare its business to the feature film world?  The social media marketing firm Buzzpoint sent us a well-designed yet daunting infographic they made while wondering when Hulu might finally become a …
Discussion: WebProNews
Liz Gannes / GigaOM:
Imeem Fined $1.77M — More Than Its Sale Price  —  A U.S. district court judge has fined Imeem, the music site, $1.77 million after it failed to appear in court to respond to a copyright infringement lawsuit.  The suit, filed Oct. 21 by The Orchard Enterprises, an independent music distributor …
Discussion: Pulse2
Marc Flores / Boy Genius Report:
LG LS680 with Android pops up on Sprint's system  —  Shortly after the rumors surrounding the Sprint and LG event at CES just days away, we were greeted with this little screen shot in our inbox this morning.  It looks like Sprint will be getting a LG Android handset pretty soon …
Gary Merson / HDGURU.Com:
DirecTV To Launch A 3D Channel-HD Guru Exclusive  —  (December 28, 2009) DirecTV intends to launch the first US 3D HDTV channel early next year.  The satellite TV provider plans to make the announcement at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 7th.
Katie Marsal / AppleInsider:
Apple seen selling 1.4 million $600 “Kindle Killer” tablets in 2010  —  Even before it's been validated with a formal introduction, Apple's eagerly-awaited tablet device is being positioned by some members of the investment community as a device that could sell 1.4 million units in its first 9 months …
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily:
NYC iPhone Fraud Epidemic Solved!  AT&T Web Site Selling iPhones to New Yorkers Again.  —  Looks like AT&T has gone and “modified its promotion and distribution channels” again.  Either that or the carrier has a better handle on the “online fraudulent activity” that prevented it from selling Apple's …
Ryan Lawler / NewTeeVee:
Roku's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Porn Policy  —  A new channel popped up on Roku yesterday called EroticVision.TV that makes adult content available on the broadband set-top box for the first time.  But the new “adult entertainment” channel hasn't actually been approved by Roku …
Discussion: CrunchGear
Erik Larkin / PC World:
Good Guys Bring Down the Mega-D Botnet  —  Chalk up one for the defenders.  Here's how a trio of security researchers used a three-step attack to defeat a 250,000-pronged botnet.  —  Recommends  —  For two years as a researcher with security company FireEye, Atif Mushtaq worked …
Jeff Barnard / Associated Press:
Couple stranded 3 days after GPS leads them astray  —  Buzz up!  —  KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - A Nevada couple letting their SUV's navigation system guide them through the high desert of Eastern Oregon got stuck in snow for three days when the GPS unit sent them down a remote forest road.
Discussion: GPS Obsessed and Gizmodo
Stephen Shankland / CNET News:
Mozilla pushes back Firefox 3.6, 4.0 deadlines  —  Mozilla won't make a 2009 deadline for releasing Firefox 3.6 and is giving itself more time to complete a major update, version 4.0.  —  The organization behind the open-source Web browser had predicted a final release of Firefox 3.6 in December 2009 …
Thomas Ricker / Engadget:
Nexus One Bluetooth desktop dock clears the FCC, car clip spotted in the wilds  —  The slow steady drip of details from the yet to be announced Nexus One continues today with a pair of accessories for the HTC / Google mashup.  Above we've got a wireframe of the portrait-mode Desktop Dock to be known as model CR B410.
BBC:
Tech changes ‘outstrip’ netbooks  —  Netbooks are under pressure as tech firms concentrate on mobile computing  —  Rising prices and better alternatives may mean curtains for netbooks.  —  The small portable computers were popular in 2009, but some industry watchers are convinced that their popularity is already waning.
Vladislav Savov / Engadget:
Notion Ink's Adam gets a name, June 2010 release  —  Well, the first bit of news here is immediately apparent — the heretofore untitled tablet device coming out of India has now been given the name of Adam.  After ruffling a few feathers a week ago with its extremely ambitious battery life projections …
Jason Min / Facebook Blog:
A New Help Center for 2010  —  When you need help using Facebook, we want it to be as easy as a click for you to get it.  Our Help Center offers a central resource for you to find answers to common questions and learn more about using Facebook.  —  Recently, we introduced a more streamlined design …
Discussion: The Next Web
Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb:
Fun: FirstFollower Identifies Any Twitter User's First Follower  —  Who was the first person to follow you on Twitter?  According to the app FirstFollower.com, mine was someone I never followed back until today!  Chances are you're already following your first follower …
Discussion: Mashable! and Twittercism
Matt Peckham / PC World:
Don't Steal This: Xbox 360 Thief Tracked by Gamertag  —  Steal an Xbox 360, don't forget to disable the auto sign-in feature before going online.  That's the lesson high-tech crooks are probably gleaning from today's New York Post brief about a thief, 22-year-old Jeremy Gilliam …
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Google Is About To Get Caffeinated With A Faster Search Index  —  Google is getting serious about realtime search, adding Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace streams into results and adding a recent “updates” option which is addictive.  But behind the scenes Google is also getting ready to push out an entirely new way for indexing the Web.
Discussion: Seeking Alpha and ResourceShelf
Monica Hesse / Washington Post:
As books go beyond printed page to multisensory experience, what about reading?  —  The mysterious man looks completely wrong to me.  —  In the text of conspiracy thriller “Embassy,” an online novel by Richard Doetsch, the character is described as “a starkly thin fellow with a protruding Adam's apple.”
eMarketer:
How Alike Are Android and iPhone Users?  —  Android users act a lot like iPhone owners  —  Awareness of the Android mobile operating system is rising, and users have a lot in common with iPhone fans, according to research from comScore and Compete.  —  comScore found that 37% of US mobile users had heard of Android in November 2009.
Discussion: CNET News, Mashable!, App Advice and TUAW
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Consumer Groups Lobby FTC To Block Google's Acquisition Of AdMob  —  Google recently revealed that the Federal Trade Commission was intensely reviewing the search giant's recent $750 million acquisition of mobile ad network AdMob.  Last week, Google said the FTC has made a second request for further information about the deal.
Trevor Johnston / Google LatLong:
Plan a trip in one click  —  Why should trip planning be any more complicated than opening your browser and entering the name of your favourite city?  Six months ago we launched City Tours on Google Labs with the goal of making vacation planning as easy as searching the web.
Discussion: TechCrunch
Jay Adelson / Digg Blog:
Digging into the Top Stories of 2009  —  As 2009 winds down, I'm looking back at quite a year for us at Digg.  As I sit and reflect on everything that we've accomplished within these walls at Digg HQ, I want everyone to know that it wouldn't have been possible without our awesome, devoted Digg community.
 
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 More Items: 
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
IGN comes out on top among biggest game web news sites as traffic spikes in November
Judie Lipsett / Gear Diary:
The Camangi Webstation Unboxed
Discussion: jkOnTheRun, The Gadgeteer and SlashGear
Tim Bradshaw / Financial Times:
Students power BlackBerry growth
Discussion: Fone Arena, Thanks:tim
Tricia Duryee / mocoNews:
Korea Telecom Cuts 6,000 Jobs Amid Mobile Content Investment In China
Discussion: The Korea Times and Bloomberg
Lance Whitney / CNET News:
Smart-grid spending to hit $200 billion by 2015
Discussion: Pike Research and VentureBeat
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
VeVite Taps Into Twitter For Event Invitations
Karl Bode / DSLreports:
ISPs Won't Give You Broadband, Won't let Anyone Else, Either …
 Earlier Items: 
Zee / The Next Web:
133,000 Member Facebook Group is One Big Scam
Thanks:mgcreed
Matthew Hines / eWeek Security Watch:
Experts: More Malware Socializing in 2010
Discussion: Market Wire
Reuters:
Amazon's Kindle Success: Sales, Shares Up
Jon Brodkin / PC World:
Tech Mergers and Acquisitions to Grow in 2010
Chris Ziegler / Engadget:
Sprint says webOS 1.3.5 is hitting the Pre today
Susie Pan / DigiTimes:
Innolux to supply panels for Apple tablet