Techmeme: Saudis block BlackBerry messaging (Bangkokpost.com)

10:50 AM ET, August 6, 2010

Top Items:

Mark Gurman / 9 to 5 Mac:

Apple opens “Try Before You Buy” section in App Store, Step to fight app piracy — Apple seems to be adding to and changing up their App Store's featured sections quite frequently. Today Apple added a new section dedicated to promoting free applications on the App Store.

Discussion: iGeneration Blog, Computerworld, IntoMobile, Mashable!, ReadWriteWeb, Unwired View, everythingiCafe, TUAW, Redmond Pie, I4U News, Silicon Alley Insider, FierceMobileContent, SlashGear, Pocket-lint, MobileCrunch, TiPb, Teens in Tech and Gizmodo Australia, Thanks:atul

Gizmodo:
Apple Should Enable 24-Hour Trials for All Paid Apps

Discussion: TUAW

Oleoleolson / AlterNet Blogs:

Massive Censorship Of Digg Uncovered — A group of influential conservative members of the behemoth social media site Digg.com have just been caught red-handed in a widespread campaign of censorship, having multiple accounts, upvote padding, and deliberately trying to ban progressives.

Discussion: Inquirer, Fast Company, V3.co.uk, Gawker, The Next Web and ReadWriteWeb

Josh Halliday / Guardian:

Digg investigates claims of conservative ‘censorship’ — Group of users known as ‘Digg Patriots’ said to have been systematically downgrading ‘liberal’ stories on link-sharing site — The popular link-sharing website Digg is investigating claims that a group of the site's “influential conservative” …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Om Malik / GigaOM:

Not a Joke: An Apple App Patent (Pic) That Looks Like an Actual App Selling on the App Store — Updated at 8.15:: Apple apparently has started filing patents for certain applications. And one of them looks exactly like an actual app — Where To — that has been available on the iTunes app store for a long time.

Discussion: venomous porridge, The FutureBlog, Engadget, TiPb, me & her, TUAW, Technovia, Cult of Mac, Gizmodo, The Next Web, CrunchGear, Macworld and Gizmodo Australia, Thanks:om

Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch:

Apple Patent Diagrams Send The Wrong Message To Developers — To the left, a recent diagram included in a travel app patent filed by Apple. To the right, the homescreen interface for existing third party travel app “Where To,” which has been in the app store since 2008.

Discussion: MacRumors iPhone Blog, The FutureBlog and venomous porridge

Arn / MacRumors:

New Images of 4th Generation iPod Touch LCD with FaceTime Camera — An iPhone parts supplier sent us these photos of what are claimed to be the front LCD and bezel of the upcoming 4th generation iPod Touch. The new part clearly shows a front-sided hole that would leave room for a front-facing FaceTime camera.

Dean Goodman / Reuters:

Beatles and iTunes deal still at impasse: Yoko Ono — LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Don't hold your breath waiting for Beatles songs to go on sale at iTunes or other online retailers, Yoko Ono said on Thursday. — The Fab Four have long resisted the allure of digital downloads …

Discussion: Tech Trader Daily, MediaMemo, AppleInsider, Engadget, Fortune, 9 to 5 Mac, Network World, I4U News, CrunchGear, Electricpig.co.uk, Electronista, Cult of Mac, everythingiCafe and MacDailyNews

Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:

Let's Celebrate Google's Biggest Failures! — “We celebrate our failures,” Google CEO Eric Schmidt said yesterday when speaking at the Techonomy confernce, in response to the surprise closure of his company's Google Wave product. When it comes to failures, Google's celebrating more than you might realize.

Discussion: Technologizer, WebProNews, I4U News, Internet Evolution, Telecompetitor, Lifehacker, Wired Campus, PC World and ReadWriteWeb

Nick Saint / Silicon Alley Insider:
Once Upon A Time, Google Wave Was The Next Big Thing

Discussion: PC World

Bangkokpost.com:

Saudis block BlackBerry messaging — Saudi Arabia suspended BlackBerry messaging services on Friday, users said as concerns spread across the Middle East and parts of Asia over security issues with the popular smartphones. — BlackBerry subscribers in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom …

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Register, Boy Genius Report, Gizmodo, Electronista, Agence France Presse, SlashGear, Reuters, MobileBurn.com and Engadget

Computerworld: RIM holds talks with UAE and Saudi Arabia

Edward Wyatt / New York Times:

F.C.C. Chief Opposes Fees for Internet Priority — WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday that he believed it was “unacceptable” for Internet service providers to offer faster Internet transmission to content providers willing to pay higher fees.

Discussion: eWeek, Wall Street Journal, DailyTech and Digital Society

Cecilia Kang / Post Tech:
FCC stops closed-door Internet policy meetings as Google, Verizon strike side deal

Discussion: Between the Lines Blog, Mashable!, Computerworld, GottaBeMobile, CNET News, Reuters, IntoMobile, GamePolitics News, BetaNews, Techdirt, Gizmodo Australia and Electronista

Stacey Higginbotham / GigaOM:
Genachowski, Man Up! And Silicon Valley, Wake Up!

Discussion: Lockergnome Blog Network, p2pnet, Tech Trader Daily, The Register, Ubergizmo, MacNN, Gizmodo, Gizmodo Australia and Salon

Jack Purcher / Patently Apple:

Apple Introduces us to the Smart Bike — On August 5, 2010, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals various concepts behind a newly advanced Smart Bicycle System in development. The premise is rather like Apple's Nike + iPod system for runners except for cyclists.

Discussion: MacRumors, SlashGear, AppleInsider, Gizmodo, CrunchGear, TUAW, ReadWriteWeb, Ubergizmo and 9 to 5 Mac, Thanks:atul

Kevin Michaluk / CrackBerry.com blogs:

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Teardown Photos and Video of Slider Mechanism in Action! — Tear down posts of a new smartphone don't normally happen until the new device is available for commercial purchase and somebody is crazy enough to sacrifice it to the tech gods.

Discussion: IntoMobile, Softpedia News, SlashGear, Pocket-lint, Engadget, Gadget Lab, paidContent, Phones Review, Smartphones …, TiPb and PreCentral.net

Kelvin Soh / Reuters:

Apple in talks to buy China's Handseeing — (Reuters) - Apple Inc is in takeover talks with Chinese software maker Handseeing, an executive of the Chinese company said on Friday. — The deal would be the iPhone maker's first major acquisition in the country.

Discussion: Yahoo! News, PC World, Xinhua News Agency, Agence France Presse, 9 to 5 Mac, business.globaltimes.cn, mocoNews, 24/7 Wall St., SlashGear, Tech Eye, FierceMobileContent, MacRumors, Dow Jones Newswires and AppleInsider

John Siracusa / Ars Technica:

Can you buy me now? Apple and the war for the mobile market — The short history of the computer industry is dominated by two well-known stories of business triumph and defeat. The first is the story of how mainframe makers failed to take the personal computer seriously until it was too late.

Discussion: MacDailyNews

Nick O'Neill / All Facebook:

Quora Opens Up To Search Engines As Facebook Looms — Quora is pushing forward with the continued opening of their service as Facebook Questions continues through a relatively rocky start. Given that it has become relatively obvious that Facebook Questions is nothing short of a direct attack against Quora …

Discussion: GigaOM, Softpedia News, The Next Web and ReadWriteWeb

MG Siegler / TechCrunch:

Twitter's Social Graph Is About To Get Pumped Up. “Who To Follow” Is Social Steroids — Last week, Twitter started testing out a “Who to follow” feature. Basically, it's a recommendation engine for who you should follow, similar to ones that Facebook and others use.

Discussion: Stowe Boyd, broadstuff and Fast Company

Macduff Hughes / Gmail Blog:

Access two Gmail accounts at once in the same browser — I have a couple different Gmail addresses that I use for different purposes. Historically, Google Accounts - including Gmail accounts — have only let people access one account at a time per browser, so using both accounts has been a bit inconvenient.

Discussion: Softpedia News, Lifehacker, Erictric, Ubergizmo, Boy Genius Report, The Next Web and WebProNews, Thanks:tonyskn

Josh Halliday / Guardian:

Amazon launches UK Kindle Store — Amazon launches online bookstore with more than 400,000 titles available for download — Amazon today launched its UK Kindle Store, with more than 400,000 ebooks now available to download. The price and scope of the digitised books marks a significant point …

Discussion: Inquirer, Softpedia News, CrunchGear, BetaNews, Crave and Electronista

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