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10:50 AM ET, August 20, 2011

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Derek Kessler / PreCentral.net:
HP begins TouchPad liquidation; 16GB cut to $99, 32GB $149  —  We were wondering how exactly HP was going to handle the glut of TouchPads in the market now that they've decided they're done making hardware for webOS.  Now we have our answer: fire sale!  —  In a memo sent to HP affiliates …
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Apple Sneaks A Big Change Into iOS 5: Phasing Out Developer Access To The UDID  —  Apple is making a lot of big changes to its mobile operating system with iOS 5, which is dribbling out in betas for developers ahead of a general release later this year.  But there is one big change some developers …
RELATED:
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple seeds iOS 5 beta 6, iTunes 10.5 beta 6, Xcode 4.2 preview 6 to developers (full change log)
Marc Andreessen / Wall Street Journal:
Why Software Is Eating The World  —  This week, Hewlett-Packard (where I am on the board) announced that it is exploring jettisoning its struggling PC business in favor of investing more heavily in software, where it sees better potential for growth.  Meanwhile, Google plans to buy up the cellphone handset maker Motorola Mobility.
Discussion: Pitos Blog and @blam, Thanks:hpnews
Marco Arment / Marco.org:
Rose-colored glasses  —  Since HP's announcement yesterday that they're discontinuing webOS device development (and probably webOS itself, as we know it, but they won't admit that yet), I've read a lot of smart writers eulogizing webOS and mourning its premature death.
RELATED:
Derek Kessler / PreCentral.net:
Kerris: work on webOS and app ecosystem will continue  —  Like you, we're wondering about where the future of webOS will take this community.  At the very least, HP intends to continue working on the operating system, even if they're not going to be making any devices of their own.
John Paczkowski / AllThingsD:
Worth More Dead Than Alive: Could HP Turn a Profit on Palm's Patents?
Discussion: MacDailyNews
Peter Bright / Ars Technica:
It didn't have to end this way: what HP should have done with webOS
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Google+ Rolls Out Verified Profiles, Still Struggles With Real-Name Policy  —  William Shatner, rejoice!  Earlier today, Wen-Ai Yu from the Google+ team announced with a post on Google+ and an accompanying YouTube video that the social network now boasts ‘verification badges’ for celebrities …
Discussion: Gizmodo, jwz and Wen-Ai Yu
Robert X. Cringely / I, Cringely:
Losing the HP Way  —  Hewlett Packard was different from other Silicon Valley companies and always a leader.  By the time I met Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in the late 1970s they were nearing retirement but still active and I knew them, working occasionally for both men and for their respective foundations.
Discussion: Bloomberg
Robin Kwong / Financial Times:
Apple overtakes Lenovo in China sales  —  Apple's sales in greater China have for the first time overtaken those of Lenovo, the world's third-biggest personal computer maker by shipment volume, results from the two companies confirm.  —  Lenovo, which was the PC industry's fastest-growing company …
Tom Warren / WinRumors:
Microsoft offers webOS developers free Windows Phones and dev tools  —  Microsoft is offering webOS developers free Windows Phone devices and dev tools.  —  Brandon Watson, Senior Director of Windows Phone 7 development at Microsoft made the offer in a twitter message on Friday.
Kellex / Droid Life:
DROID Bionic Hits Verizon MAP at $299 Starting September 8 (Updated)  —  The DROID Bionic just hit Verizon's MAP (minimum advertised price) list and is looking poised for a $299 on 2-year contract price along with a second confirmation that September 8 should be the day that it finally lands in stores.
John P. Mello Jr. / PC World:
Firefox 7 Beta Puts Priority on Performance  —  Just days after the ready-for-primetime version of Firefox 6 was released, Mozilla, sticking to its aggressive development schedule for the browser, has rolled out the beta for Firefox 7 —a release of the software that is emphasizing performance improvements.
Mark Otto / Twitter Developers:
Bootstrap from Twitter  —  We are happy to announce Bootstrap, a front-end toolkit for rapidly developing web applications.  It is a collection of CSS and HTML conventions.  It uses some of the latest browser techniques to provide you with stylish typography, forms, buttons, tables, grids …
Chris Foresman / Ars Technica:
Is Apple faking evidence to crush the competition?  Not likely  —  Following allegations that Apple may have purposely doctored a photo of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to elicit an injunction from a German court, there are now new allegations that Apple is up to the same photo-resizing tricks in The Netherlands.
RELATED:
Stephen Lawson / Network World:
US surges to near global lead in mobile data  —  Consumers in the U.S. are second only to Sweden in using data, according to analyst Chetan Sharma  —  U.S. consumers are among the world's most voracious consumers of mobile data, motivated by the country's homegrown technology industry, according to analyst Chetan Sharma.
Zach Epstein / BGR:
‘Anonymous’ hacker quits, calls group's members hypocrites and its efforts fruitless  —  An alleged member of the notorious hacker collective “Anonymous” has apparently outed himself and quit.  The UK-based hacker, who says his real name is Matthew, operated under the pseudonym “SparkyBlaze” during his time with Anonymous.
Discussion: CNET News
RELATED:
Jeff Jarvis / BuzzMachine:
Disliking “Like” in Germany  —  There's a hubbub brewing over privacy and Facebook in Germany — and, not for the first time, there's misinformation involved.  So I got on the phone to Facebook to get technical facts.  —  First, the news: Thilo Weichert, head of the office for data protection …
Discussion: Digital Trends, Thanks:marissac
RELATED:
Frederic Lardinois / SiliconFilter:
Germany vs. Facebook: Like Button Declared Illegal, Sites Threatened With Fine
 
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 More Items: 
Ryan Singel / Epicenter:
Would-be Heir to Facebook Ordered to Turn Over More Devices
Matt Brian / The Next Web:
HTC pledges support for Google: “Its the ecosystem, not the operating system”
Matt Buchanan / Gizmodo:
Unedited Thoughts About Technology Better Left Unposted
Discussion: The Business Insider and @alexia
Rachel King / Between the Lines Blog:
Flickr now offering real-time web APIs to developers
Discussion: VentureBeat and Code
Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft Blog:
Microsoft vs. Motorola: A look ahead to next week's ITC patent trial
Discussion: The Microsoft Blog
Asher Moses / The Age:
Aussie Apple boss comes out of the shadows to confront ‘rip-off’ claims
Discussion: MacRumors
 Earlier Items: 
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
The Terrible Cost Of Patents
Steve Slater / Reuters:
Apple is worth as much as all euro zone banks
Tom Simonite / Technology Review:
Why HP Wants Autonomy: Math Skills
Discussion: Reuters and GigaOM