Top Items:
Ken Auletta / New Yorker:
Why Is Eric Schmidt Stepping Down at Google? — Was Eric Schmidt pushed or did he jump? Both. According to close advisors, the Google C.E.O. was upset a year ago when co-founder Larry Page sided with his founding partner, Sergey Brin, to withdraw censored searches from China.
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Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
TechCrunch Interview With Eric Schmidt, Larry Page And Sergey Brin — Late last summer we were ready to break a big story - that Eric Schmidt would be stepping down as the CEO of Google. Multiple sources and all that jazz. The basic story was that he was tired (who wouldn't be) …
Nathan Olivarez-Giles / L.A. Times Tech Blog:
Eric Schmidt, Google's outgoing CEO, to cash out shares worth $335 million
Discussion:
Geek.com, Mashable!, SAI and digiday:DAILY, more at Mediagazer »
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
New evidence supports Oracle's case against Google — Google faces a steep challenge in its defense against Oracle's lawsuit over seven Java patents and some copyrighted material. More than five months after Oracle's complaint, Google appears unable to countersue Oracle over patent infringement …
Discussion:
Computerworld, ZDNet, Digital Trends, SAI, Hardware 2.0 Blog, Inquirer, Electronista, SlashGear, WPCentral.com, IntoMobile, Androinica, 901am, Android Community, Android Phone Fans, V3.co.uk, PhoneNews.com, MacDailyNews and Gizmodo
RELATED:
Matthew Humphries / Geek.com:
43 new Android files found to infringe Oracle Java patents
Discussion:
Engadget, SAI, OSNews and PalmAddicts
Matt Cutts / The Official Google Blog:
Google search and search engine spam — January brought a spate of stories about Google's search quality. Reading through some of these recent articles, you might ask whether our search quality has gotten worse. The short answer is that according to the evaluation metrics that we've refined …
Discussion:
paidContent, Search Engine Land, Digits, CNET News, NewsGrange, TechCrunch, SAI, Techie Buzz, FT tech hub, Lifehacker, Network World, DomainIncite.com, The Huffington Post, 901am and PC World, more at Mediagazer »
Justin Scott / Mozilla Add-ons Blog:
Blocking the Skype Toolbar in Firefox — The Skype Toolbar for Firefox is an extension that detects phone numbers in web pages, and re-renders them as a clickable button that can be used to dial the number using the Skype desktop application. This extension is bundled with the Skype application …
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Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Mozilla To Block Skype's Browser Toolbar - Skype Responds, Recommends Upgrading
Discussion:
The Next Web
Mark Gurman / 9 to 5 Mac:
iPad 2 will have the same cameras as the iPod touch — Oh, hello. We've done some digging in the latest SDK it looks like Apple's much rumored second-generation iPad will not feature some fancy 5 megapixel camera, but will instead shoot your flicks and take your pics with something close to a 1 megapixel camera.
Discussion:
Macworld, MacRumors, VentureBeat, IntoMobile, MacStories, Engadget, SlashGear, Erictric, Thoughts from the Sidelines, Gearlog, App Advice, MacNN, everythingiCafe and iClarified
Greg Sterling / Search Engine Land:
Confirmed: Google Readies “Google Offers” Groupon Clone — Google is about to launch a Groupon clone according to Mashable. Called “Google Offers,” the blog showed some promotional collateral that presents a very Groupon-like daily deal offering: [Google Offers Image] As everyone reading this knows …
Discussion:
PC World, PSFK, The Next Web, TechCrunch Europe, Understanding Google …, Tnooz, Black Web 2.0, Switched, Fast Company, TechEye, Fortune, TechCrunch and NBC Bay Area
RELATED:
Christopher Heine / ClickZ:
Google's Version of Groupon Is Live: How It Works — Google Offers is already available to local businesses with Places accounts. During an e-mail exchange with the Mountain View, CA-based company this morning, ClickZ learned that the platform - which only became known late Thursday night - was actually live.
Discussion:
NewsGrange and Mashable!
Ben Parr / Mashable!:
Google to Launch Groupon Competitor [EXCLUSIVE]
Discussion:
L.A. Times Tech Blog, NewsGrange, BetaNews, Forbes, BaltTech, Ars Technica, Digital Trends, VatorNews, Venture Capital Dispatch, PC World, Post Tech, gHacks Technology News, SFist, The Huffington Post, SAI, ITProPortal, Techie Buzz, Wall Street Journal, msnbc.com, Deal Journal, DailyTech, Techland, SlashGear, Changing Way, Gearlog, Yipit Blog, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, eMoney, Softpedia News, VentureBeat, Electricpig.co.uk, The Register, Go Rumors, CNET News, paidContent, Examiner, @tristanwalker, Neowin.net, Gizmodo, The Domains, @gaberivera, GeekSugar, Search Engine Roundtable, Kotaku, Screenwerk, The Next Web and ClickZ, Thanks:edwardaten
Ian Hickson / The WHATWG Blog:
HTML is the new HTML5 — In 2009 we announced that the HTML5 specification at the WHATWG was progressing to Last Call. The plan at the time was to finish the specification this year and publish a snapshot of “HTML5” in 2012. However, shortly after that we realised that the demand …
Discussion:
All about Microsoft Blog, Digital Trends, Adactio, Ars Technica, ITProPortal, ZDNet, SAI, PC World and techno.blog
Theuni / XBMC:
You asked for it: XBMC for AppleTV2, iPad, iPhone4. — The XBMC team is proud to present our first ARM-based release, and it's a big one. Scott Davilla, with the help of Edgar (gimli) Hucek and Zeljko (amet) Ametovic and several other developers and testers, is finally ready to pull the curtain off of his fun little secret.
Discussion:
Geek.com, TUAW, Engadget, AppleInsider, SlashGear, Pocket-lint, TiPb, Zatz Not Funny!, MacStories, Download Squad, Lifehacker, MacRumors, BlogsDNA, GeekTonic, eHomeUpgrade, iClarified and everythingiCafe
Sam Gustin / Epicenter:
Tweets Hit Techmeme, Bloggers in a Tizzy — For years, Techmeme has been considered the tech news website of record. A quick glance at the site, which aggregates tech news headlines from across the web, will tell you the topics that people are discussing, and who is discussing them, at any moment in time.
Discussion:
broadstuff, SEO and Tech Daily, Techmeme News, @thestalwart and @jason
Jeanette Borzo / Wall Street Journal:
Can Employers Fire Over Facebook Gaffes? — Facebook gaffes that can cause trouble in the workplace aren't unique to drunken college students any more. As more companies—and their workers—tap into the world of blogs, Twitter and Facebook, employers are tripping over legal potholes in social media.
Eric Eldon / Inside Social Games:
Zynga Buys Area/Code, Developer of Ubisoft's CSI: Crime City Game on Facebook — Zynga has just announced the acquisition of independent game developer Area/Code, a company best known to our readers for its work with Ubisoft, developing the Facebook game CSI: Crime City.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, VentureBeat and Area/Code
Ryan Tate / Gawker:
Meet Apple's New Boss, The Most Powerful Gay Man in Silicon Valley — It looks increasingly like Steve Jobs' reign at Apple is over. If the CEO doesn't return from his third, indefinite medical leave, COO Tim Cook will succeed him, marking a new era not only for Apple but for gay progress.
Discussion:
Fast Company, MacDailyNews, blogs.chron.com, AppleInsider, @jevaun, Apple Headlines and SFist
Jesse Stay / Stay N' Alive:
Facebook Quietly Launching Friendfeed-like Live Commenting — Tonight, in a moment of rare form, as I was singing Hakuna Matata on Facebook with Krystyl Baldwin and others (an occasion one must do often) I noticed a new feature pop up before my eyes. Instantly, with no refresh of the page …
Discussion:
The Next Web, Softpedia News, Download Squad and Inside Facebook, Thanks:jesse
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
PeopleRank: Quora Is Developing An Algorithm To Determine And Rank User Quality — It's no secret that Q&A site Quora is exploding in terms of usage and growth. Currently the site is getting around 164,000 unique visitors per month (December 2010 stats from comScore) …
Discussion:
Quora
Sarah Perez / ReadWriteWeb:
Developers Share Mac App Store Sales Figures — When Apple's new desktop-focused Mac App Store launched, it was expected to be a hit. One day later, Apple confirmed that the store was taking off, with over 1 million downloads on its first day. But how many of those were free apps?
DigiTimes:
Apple adds Taiwan suppliers for iPhone 5, says paper — Apple has added Foxconn Electronics, Foxlink, Gold Circuit Electronics (GCE) and Epistar as component suppliers for the iPhone 5 smartphone, scheduled for launch during summer at the earliest, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report.
Discussion:
Computerworld, 9 to 5 Mac, Electronista, MacStories, The Next Web and iClarified
Horace Dediu / asymco:
65% of Apple's sales came from iOS powered devices — The iPhone and iPad generated $15 billion of revenue last quarter. In addition, iPod touch generated about $2.3 billion, implying that iOS based devices were responsible for sales of $17.3 billion. — To put that in perspective I drew …
Discussion:
Fortune, 9 to 5 Mac, TUAW and The Next Web
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Google Replaces ‘Reader’ Link With ‘Photos’ In Gmail, Users In A Tizzy — More proof that RSS is on its way out, and the apocalypse is nigh: Google has seemingly replaced the top link to its RSS reader product, Google Reader, with a link to ‘Photos’ (Picasa) at the top of the Gmail web interface.
Discussion:
Search Engine Land, Geek.com and Android Phone Fans
Rob Jackson / Android Phone Fans:
Motorola Apologizes For PR Gaffe, Promises Better Bootloader Policy — Despite Motorola continually making some of the hottest Android handsets - and the pattern continues with the Atrix - some of the most passionate Android fans refuse to become customers because of a “locked bootloader”.
Discussion:
Engadget, I4U News, Electronista and Android News, Rumours …
