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Universal Music seeing ‘tens of millions’ from YouTube — YouTube's traffic machine may finally be turning into a cash machine. — For the first time, there are signs that YouTube is driving significant revenue for itself and some of the video site's partners.


Dell's Mystery ‘Adamo’ Could Be Thinner Than Air — When Apple released the MacBook Air, someone viewed the sleek notebook as an opportunity to make fun of clunky, old Dell on YouTube with a parody ad. But what if Dell is about to have the last laugh in the ultra-light laptop race?
Discussion:
Engadget, techeblog.com, Ubergizmo, Newlaunches.com, Electronista, DisplayBlog, Gadget Lab, Gizmodo, I4U News, The Toybox, CrunchGear and Boing Boing Gadgets

Hi-Definition Rollout and New Landing Pages on YouTube — We have two developments that we would like to share with you: the expansion of our HD player and a test of three new landing pages designed to help you find the news, music and movies on YouTube that matter most to you. — HD on YouTube

Optimized search results pages for Android and iPhone — Whether you're using Google search through the search widget on the Android home screen, the built-in search box of the iPhone's Safari browser, or google.com on either device, you'll now end up with search results optimized for your phone.
Discussion:
Search Engine Watch, SlashPhone, Unwired View, jkOnTheRun, IntoMobile, AndroidGuys, WebProNews, Phone Scoop and Google Android News …


BlackBerry Storm Selling Well, As Expected (RIMM) — We got some validation this afternoon for our Nov. 20 BlackBerry Storm review thesis, which was “RIM's BlackBerry Storm is no iPhone, but should sell well.” — Indeed, RIM's (RIMM) new Storm is no iPhone — a recent RBC/ChangeWave survey suggests …
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Verizon BlackBerry Storm Return Rate — Here's the skinny on this situation... We had heard various return rates on the Verizon BlackBerry Storm from three (actually four, but we'll discount the last one) extremely credible sources of ours. These ranged from 35-50% in some markets/regions.
Discussion:
AppleInsider, PhoneDog.com Cell …, Gizmodo, Silicon Alley Insider, mocoNews.net, Local Mobile Search, IntoMobile and Engadget


BBC iPlayer now available on Mac — The BBC has created a version of the iPlayer that works with both Mac and Linux computers. — The two systems, which have been able to stream BBC programmes via the iPlayer for a year, will now be able to handle downloads.
Discussion:
Macworld, Quick Online Tips, Neowin.net, Guardian, MacNN, TUAW, Insanely Great Mac, MacDailyNews and Slashdot


TechCrunch's Yertle the Turtle Tantrum Over News Embargoes — [UPDATE below.] — Yesterday, the one-man-band of a tech blogger, Michael Arrington, let loose with yet another outrageously indignant diatribe-this time that he and his TechCrunch site would forthwith break all news embargoes.
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Microsoft job listings reveal Zune expansion plan, and Musiwave's role — At this point, it's clear that Microsoft plans to expand its Zune initiative beyond the current music device, software and service. The question is how. With the Zune Phone rumors fading into the background …
Discussion:
wmpoweruser.com
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Apple TV at the center of Apple's latest lawsuit — A wireless set-top-box maker is suing Apple, claiming the company hired away a trio of employees privy to patented technology that would later turn up as part of Apple TV. — The 6-page complaint was filed in an Illinois court on Tuesday …
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Facebook Now Growing by Over 600,000 Users a Day - And New Engagement Stats — It was just at the beginning of December when Facebook crossed the 130 million monthly active user mark. Today, that number is up to 140 million. — While Facebook has been growing at around 300,000 …

The Use of the Internet by America's Largest Newspapers (2008 Edition) — Every year, The Bivings Group conducts a study of the web features of America's largest newspapers as a way to gauge how papers are dealing with the threat and opportunity presented by the rise of the Internet as a news source.

Native Client: Google's craziest idea yet — Is Google's plan to run native x86 code inside browser windows just a disaster waiting to happen? — The browser's role is ever increasing. It already has become far more than a mere tool for accessing information.


Guns N' Roses Frontman Axl Rose Growls About Guitar Hero — Shame on Activision for poaching Guns N' Roses songs in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. That's band frontman Axl Rose's testy take in a sprawling missive delivered at band fan site Mygnr.com. According to Rose …


NPR Now Lets You Roll Your Own Podcast Feed — National Public Radio (NPR) here in the US has some great audio content and the offering got even better today with the release of a new “mix your own” podcast option. Users enter a list of categories and keywords and the NPR site dynamically generates …


Where To iPhone app sells for $70,000 — A couple of months ago, when iPhone application developer Tap Tap Tap announced that it was shopping around its flagship Where To software, we wondered how much an iPhone app, albeit a successful one, might be worth. — Now we know.


Ad network Glam sees record 4th quarter, puts entire workforce on “variable” pay — Glam Media, one of the newfangled content and advertising networks assumed by many industry observers to be vulnerable to financial meltdown, says it still hasn't seen any marked decline in online display advertising.

Pilot Grant Program To Improve Internet Connections in Public Libraries — Foundation awards $6.9 million in grants to Connected Nation and the American Library Association to help launch pilot broadband initiative in seven states — SEATTLE — A pilot initiative announced today …
Discussion:
paidContent.org
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Steve Jobs didn't make the first Macworld, either — Steve Jobs didn't show up to the first Macworld Expo, which was held in San Francisco in January 1985, one year after the introduction of the Macintosh. He was in the city, but he spent most of his time holed-up at the Union Square Hyatt Hotel …


Synthasite Buys ClickPass. I See Few Synergies. — Easy site building service Synthasite, which we first covered way back in 2006, has acquired Y Combinator startup Clickpass, which launched earlier this year. — There are no details on the purchase price or terms of the deal …
Discussion:
Clickpass


iPhone thief thwarted by MobileMe sync — To say that MobileMe hasn't made everyone happy may be a bit of an understatement. We don't generally hear from the satisfied customers, but we have received a fair amount of email from dissatisfied users of Apple's “cloud computing” solution.

About the Multi-Touch Trackpad Update for Windows XP and Vista 1.0 — This update improves Multi-Touch trackpad responsiveness and performance when running Windows XP and Vista using Boot Camp on MacBook Air (Late 2008), MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008), and MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) computers.

Web deals create procrastinators' paradise — CHICAGO (AP) — 'Twas the week before Christmas and despite all the sales, fewer presents were shipping to shoppers by mail. — This year's dismal holiday shopping season is producing more peril than poetry for merchants hoping to eke out a profit …


Loopt Snags AT&T, Now Available On Every U.S. Carrier — Mobile social network Loopt goes live on three AT&T phones today, which was the last major carrier holdout. Loopt is now available in the U.S. on Sprint, Verizon, Metro PCS, T-Mobile and Boost. The service is free for a year and then a $4/month fee kicks in.
Discussion:
VentureBeat


Real-Life “Grand Theft”: Inside Traders Made $250,000 Off of Electronic Arts' Take-Two Bid — Here's yet another twist to the long, sad saga of Electronic Arts' failed bid for Take-Two Interactive: The Securities and Exchange Commission says day traders who were tipped off about EA's interest …


The March is on to CES — Every year at this time, the swirl of the Holiday season - which in my case includes both the business and the family — is compounded by annual preparations here at Sony Electronics for the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 8-11, 2009.


Twitpay brings micropayments to Twitter — The New York Times has a nice little writeup about Twitpay, an experimental new app that lets you send payments using Twitter. — Here's the premise: Sign up, put some cash in your Twitpay account through another payment service like PayPal …