Tech News Today 118

Tech News Today Episode 118

Tech News Today 118: Don't Hide The Kids And Wife

Facebook's new email service, Amazon's password-cracking service, whether Path is a good idea, and more.

Hosts

• Tom Merritt (@acedtect)
  • TomMerritt.com
• Sarah Lane (@sarahlane)
  • sarahlane.com
• Jason Howell
  • JasonHowell.net
• Darren Kitchen
  • hak5.org

Top Stories

• Facebook launches new messaging service, says email is 'too formal'
• Facebook's new in-box brings MS Office support
• Facebook for iPhone updated with account and privacy settings access
• Facebook’s Zuckerberg: ‘E-Mail is Too Slow’—New iPhone App Launching
• Want an invite? You can request one

• HTC Trophy with Windows Phone 7 coming to Verizon in 'early 2011'

• Apple Teases Secret Surprise: Tomorrow Is A Day "That You'll Never Forget"
• Gene Munster thinks it will be a cloud service

Other Stories

• Why There's Still No Netflix App For Android
• Android Holes Allow Secret Installation of Apps
• The ‘Path’ to Social Network Serenity Is Lined With 50 Friends

• Amazon launches GPU-powered EC2 instances - translation - cloud-based password-cracking

News Fuse

• Whether or no you are excited about Facebook's email plans, you can't argue with their success. They just become the third largest tech company based on market valuation, passing Yahoo and Expedia. Facebook is now worth about $41 billion, putting it behind only Amazon at $74.4 billion and Google at a very lofty $192.9 billion.

• Facebook got blocked for several hours in Saudi Arabia over the weekend. At first an official from the Communications and Information Technology Commission told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Facebook would be temporarily blocked for not conforming to the kingdom's values. Yesterday, after Facebook had been restored the CITC said officially that the site had been blocked accidentally.

• In perhaps an attempt to steal a decibel of thunder from Facebook, AOL announced Sunday that its revamped web mail system has moved into limited beta. The new Gmail-like interface features a "quick bar" at the top for sending short e-mails, instant messages (which pop up in very Google Chat-like windows), text messages, and a side bar of "smart view" content previews from confirmed contacts. Seems familiar.

• A startup in North Carolina, StatSheet, has launched a network of 345 sports sites, one for each Division 1 college basketball team in the US. Every story on each site was written by StatSheet's content algorithms. Founder Robbie Allen said the posts are completely auto-generated. 'The only human involvement is with creating the algorithms that generate the posts. And the posts read like most sports sites.

• Google is preparing to build a new corporate campus with fitness and day care facilities and — in a first in Silicon Valley — employee housing -- adding 1.2 million square feet to Google's real estate. Commercial real estate VP Gregory M. Davies said he doesn't want to say it's the new company town but it's not far from it in his opinion.

• Tivo's taking a page from the cell phone business. Or is it a call. If you sign a two-year contract to pay $20 a month for the TiVo service you can get a TiVo Premiere for free. Shorten the contract to one year and it's only $100. The TiVo Premiere XL run you $300 on a one-year deal. You can still get a TiVo without a contract for full price and pay $13 a month. The $400 lifetime plans are also available.

• Attention Google shoppers, product search is going local. Starting today, Google users will see two new links on search-results pages for product searches: stores nearby and an inventory update, which will advise shoppers if a product is in stock, in limited quantities, or out of stock. You can also get a list of nearby stores that carry that product with Google Map for handy directions.

• Levels of spam have fallen by almost 50% since August 2010, according to figures compiled by security firm Symantec show that the amount of junk e-mail messages on the net has dropped 47% in three months. The decline was put down to the arrests of those behind spam-sending botnets, and intelligence work that saw other spamming systems shut down.

Kickers and Weird Science

• More Kinect Craziness: Mind-Blowing 3D Video Effect

Calendar

• Microsoft Launches New Casual Games Hub
• AMD promises Radeon HD 6900 series launch for the week beginning December 13th
• Galaxy Tab coming to AT&T November 21st for $650, US Cellular on the 19th for $399 / $599
• Spotify intends to launch its music service in the US by Christmas. Just waiting on the free service to get worked out.
• Help pick the best moments of TWiT and TNT

Voicemail

• Steven: Regarding cutting the cord.

• Phil B

Sponsors

Slingbox

• Slingbox.com/twit
• SB #3
• ad times: :47-:55 and 28:08-29:16

Ford

• Drive One #3
• ad times: :35-:47 and 15:54-17:21

Production Information

• Edited by:
• Notes:

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