Tech Blog

[#1]

Apple

Why Apple's iTV Will Change Everything

The rumor: Apple will be releasing a revamped/renamed version of their 'Apple TV' set-top box, called 'iTV'. The box will run the Apple iOS (same as the iPhone/iPad), and be priced around $99.

Why will this change everything?...

Apple eyes kill switch for jailbroken iPhones

Apple has applied for a patent covering an elaborate series of measures to automatically protect iPhone owners from thieves and other unauthorized users. But please withhold the applause.

The patent , titled “Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device,” would also protect Apple against jailbreaks and other unauthorized hacks to the device, which were recently excepted from copyright enforcement .

Google

Google Shows the Future of Browser Games
Earlier today at GDC Europe, which takes place before Gamescom this week in Germany, Google's new game developer advocate Mark DeLoura and Chrome developer advocate Michael Mahemoff talked about Google's major entry into the browser game space with its app store for Chrome. Set to launch this October, the store aims to make a proper marketplace for browser games -- one that solves a lot of the issues of games on the web today, from discovery to monetization.

Online

Groupon Having A $4 Million Day Thanks To The Gap
Groupon is having a smashing day, likely generating over $4 million in net revenue, thanks to a deal with the Gap.

Today's Groupon gives users a $25 discount at the Gap if consumers spend over $50 at the store. If you think it sounds like a good deal, you're not alone.

How to Protect Your Privacy on Facebook Places
Yesterday, Facebook introduced Places, a new location feature that competes with popular services like Foursquare, Google Latitude, Loopt, and Gowalla. Places allows Facebook users to 'check in' to real world locations and to tag their friends as present (similar to how Facebook allows tagging in photos). Everyone who is checked in to the location can see who else is listed as "Here Now" for a few hours after they check in. Once you are checked in to a location, Places also creates a story in your friends' News Feeds and places a notice in the location's page's Recent Activity section. The product will roll out over the next few days.

You Can Block Any Facebook User Except Mark Zuckerberg
The title of this post kind of says it all. As pointed out by blockzuck.com , you can block anyone on Facebook except CEO Mark Zuckerberg . If you try to do it (we did), you’ll get a message saying “General Block failed error: Block failed.” This kind of thing is funny, and adds a little personality to the site. But Facebook is getting way too big and culturally important for things like this to continue.

The Tragic Death of Practically Everything
Wired Editor in Chief Chris Anderson is catching flack for the magazine’s current cover story , which declares that the Web is dead. I’m not sure what the controversy is. For years, once-vibrant technologies, products, and companies have been dropping like teenagers in a Freddy Krueger movie. Thank heavens that tech journalists have done such a good job of documenting the carnage as it happened. Without their diligent reporting, we might not be aware that the industry is pretty much an unrelenting bloodbath.

Hardware

Intel Buys Cyber Security Giant McAfee For $7.68 Billion In Cash
Intel has just bought computer and software security company McAfee according to a release issued this morning. The all cash deal is worth $7.68 billion, or $48 per share.

Radio, RIAA: mandatory FM radio in cell phones is the future
Music labels and radio broadcasters can't agree on much, including whether radio should be forced to turn over hundreds of millions of dollars a year to pay for the music it plays . But the two sides can agree on this: Congress should mandate that FM radio receivers be built into cell phones, PDAs, and other portable electronics.

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Your Turn
So, did I miss anything? What online story really got you going this week? Link to it in the comments!

[#2]

Size matters http://news.techworld.com/storage/3236115/sandisk- 64gb-ssd-is-size-of-postage-stamp/

God squad http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/(competit or)-sues-priest-over-god-squad-car-20100816/

[#3]

The last link doesn't work.... this might be better... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EjV4mhvvN4