New Congress, same approach to hot-button Internet issues? (Ars Technica)

Influential online privacy advocate Rick Boucher (D-VA) has lost his seat as the Republicans take control of the House of Representatives. But likely ascendant Joe Barton (R-TX) is still talking loud and tough about Facebook and other social networks. Does privacy legislation have a chance in the new Congress?

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Opinion: Yep, Apple Killed The CD Today (TechCrunch)

The CD and other optical discs, like DVDs and Blu-rays, are obviously going to live on for a while as a way to transport media. But make no mistake that today, with two unveilings, Apple has effectively sealed the fate of the optical disc in the computer industry. Soon, it will go the way of the floppy disk.

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What If Google’s Social Layer Is Chrome? What If Facebook Builds A Browser? (TechCrunch)

Since being wrestled back from Microsoft’s death grip, the web browser has thrived thanks to its openness. All of the popular browsers beyond IE — Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera — are either based on open-source or have a thriving community that helps develop and expand each of them. And it’s relatively easy for a user to switch between any of them. But what if that were to change?

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Microsoft Rolls Up Cloud Services Into Office 365, Takes Aim At Google Apps (TechCrunch)

Today at an event in San Francisco, Microsoft's Office division is unveiling a new product: a suite of the company’s productivity services called Office 365

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Food stamps for broadband would bring slow 'Net to the poor (Ars Technica)

A former FCC Commissioner wonders aloud about a crazy new idea: "broadband stamps" that would provide truly terrible Internet service to the poor.

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Exclusive: Coca-Cola taps new drink textures (Reuters)

Scientists at Coca-Cola Co are working on developments ranging from plant-derived plastic to beverages with new textures, as the world's largest soft drink maker aims to stay ahead of consumers' quickly changing tastes.

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Claim your $16! Comcast P2P settlement now final (Ars Technica)

Despite a campaign to derail the settlement, a long-running class-action lawsuit against Comcast and its P2P-blocking ways has ended. If you were a Comcast subscriber between April 1, 2006 and December 31, 2008, and you used the Ares, BitTorrent, eDonkey, FastTrack, or Gnutella P2P networks, congratulations—you've just won $16 in the litigation lottery.

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iPad Invades Corporate America (NetworkWorld)

Despite all claims by PC purists that the iPad is a toy that has no real purpose -- especially in the corporate world -- there are large enterprises embracing the tablet device. It may be designed as a portable media consumption device for consumers, but the iPad also provides a unique mobile computing platform for business as well.

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Military Chatrooms from California to Afghanistan (NYTimes.com)

Young Air Force analysts are showing how the Facebook generation’s skills are being exploited — and paying dividends — in America’s wars.

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Cloud tradeoffs: freedom of choice vs. freedom from choice (Ars Technica)

Joseph Tobolski, a partner at Accenture Technology Labs, talks with Ars Technica about the challenges to cloud adoption in the enterprise, the use and abuse of "cloud" as a buzzword, and the fundamental tradeoffs that cloud demands of its users.

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First human 'infected with computer virus' (BBC News)

A British scientist says he is the first man in the world to become infected with a computer virus.

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8 Google Search Alternatives (PCMag.com)

Is Google just not doing it for you anymore? It's hard to avoid the search engine these days, but there are plenty of alternative services that may do a better job addressing your specific discovery needs.

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4Mbps broadband for all to cost $23 billion, won't use fiber (Ars Technica)

The FCC's national broadband target of 4Mbps isn't very ambitious, and neither is the tech that will deliver it to those who currently can't get it: DSL, with some 4G wireless and a bit of satellite. But it will still cost $23 billion.

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HP to Acquire Palm for $1.2 Billion (Business Wire)

HP and Palm, Inc. today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which HP will purchase Palm, a provider of smartphones powered by the Palm webOS mobile operating system, at a price of $5.70 per share of Palm common stock in cash or an enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion.

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How iPhone OS destroys Windows Phone 7 without even shipping (Ars Technica)

Opinion: iPhone OS 4.0's new feature set has just made Windows Phone 7's job even harder. With Microsoft's new phone platform set to trail iPhone and Android in almost every way imaginable, it's becoming increasingly hard to see how Redmond stands a chance in this highly competitive market.

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Multitasking (finally), iAd, and more coming in iPhone OS 4.0 (Ars Technica)

During a special media event held today in Cupertino, Apple unveiled details about the next major update to the iPhone OS that powers its iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad mobile devices.

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If We Could Design Philadelphia's 311 iPhone App (Philadelphia Magazine's Philly Post)

Yesterday it was revealed that the City of Philadelphia is developing an iPhone application for its 311 non-emergency call system that will allow users to submit requests for city services using an Apple smartphone.

As city Chief Technology Officer Allan Frank told the Inquirer, users will be able to track and retrieve the same information they can from the city’s 311 telephone service. The mobile interface, though, will allow for more, like snapping a photograph of a pothole to request that it be filled.

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Hands on, first impressions, and Photo gallery of Apple iPad (Ars Technica)

Apple revealed their new iPad Tablet today and Ars Technica has photos from the live event and from their hands on with the new iPad.

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Sweet Seeds: Zynga Has Raised Over $1 Million For School Children In Haiti (TechCrunch)

Zynga’s Mark Pincus revealed a pretty impressive number from the Zynga.org wing of the social gaming company, Zynga: They’ve raised over $1 million dollars just from virtual goods for school children in Haiti. [This story ran on January 8, 2010, four days before the earthquake]

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