Dtp H1500 Hard Reset

13 March, 2009

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ESPN.COM

Filed under: Handhelds

Brodeur tips Coyotes to close in on Roy’s record

Nurian X40Kris e-dictionary is an OS away from a UMPC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAR 13, 2009 05:34A.M. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Visit ESPN.com for the complete story.

SLATE MAGAZINE ENGADGET

How Biden and Obama are figuring out how to make their relationship work.

Nurian X40Kris e-dictionary is an OS away from a UMPC MAR 13, 2009 05:22A.M.

MAR 13, 2009 04:40A.M. Joe Biden used to joke about whether the vice president was less powerful than the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee. Biden is naturally self-deprecating, but the joke contained a germ of truth: Biden had genuine ambivalence about what the job would be like. When Obama picked Biden, he told him he would have a key role, but the six-term senator wasn’t sure what that would mean in practice. During the campaign, the two didn’t have much time to talk about it. They were rarely together, campaigning in separate states most of the time, and Biden was necessarily in the background. Strategy for the campaign was handled by Obama and his long-serving team, and Biden was often kept out of the limelight. [more ...]

On one hand, we’re pretty impressed that someone would actually bother to produce an e-dictionary this fancy. On the other, we’re disheartened that those very “someones” didn’t just throw a real-deal OS on here and call it a UMPC. Hannuri Biz’s newest premium pocket dictionary goes by Nurian X40Kris and features a 4.3-inch LCD, QWERTY keyboard, 4GB of internal storage, 79 different dictionaries (saywha?) and support for XviD, PDF, Flash, JPEG and MP3 files. We’re told that it’ll be offered up in South Korea for 379,000 ($253), and we’re giving it around a fortnight before someone shoves a TV tuner and their favorite flavor of Linux on here and calls it a day. [Via PMPToday]

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Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR [email protected]

13 March, 2009

SLATE MAGAZINE

USB printing while handling the heavy loads of high-def streaming? Think carefully, you wouldn’t want to ruin this guy’s life. Oh, and if you have a question of your own you’d like to see here, send it over to ask at engadget dawt com.

Gov. Mark Sanford’s bizarre rationale for redirecting South Carolina’s stimulus money.

Filed under: Ask Engadget, Misc. Gadgets, Wireless, Networking

MAR 13, 2009 04:22A.M.

Ask Engadget: Best wireless router with USB printing capabilities? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Republican governors are sure they don’t want to spend stimulus money. They just can’t agree which parts to reject. Or whether they’re allowed to. Or why.

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[more ...] ESPN.COM

Kobe, Lakers clinch West’s first playoff berth

ENGADGET

Ask Engadget: Best wireless router with USB printing capabilities?

MAR 13, 2009 04:19A.M.

MAR 13, 2009 04:22A.M.

ESPN.COM

Visit ESPN.com for the complete story.

New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana makes spring debut MAR 13, 2009 04:00A.M. Johan Santana made his spring debut after pushing back his first start because of elbow tightness.

SLATE MAGAZINE

Does every culture use the suggestion of maternal incest as an insult?

If your low-rate router fails on you, you might as well select a replacement with more utility than the one you’re burying, right? Axel sure thinks so:

MAR 13, 2009 03:47A.M.

“My bargain-basement CompUSA-branded wireless router is finally starting to fail on me, prompting me to buy a new one. I want to get my huge color laser printer (a Konica Magicolor 2400w) off my desk and tucked away next to the router, so I want it to have wireless USB print hub functionality. Gigiabit Ethernet and Draft-N are also necessary here, as I am eventually going to be adding media clients around the house to stream to every TV. Thanks a lot!”

A mythical beast known as the “grass-mud horse” has become an Internet phenomenon in China. The New York Times reported Thursday that the alpacalike creature’s Mandarin name just happens to be a very, very dirty pun. Times style rules prevent the paper from clarifying the joke, but other, less-dignified outlets explain that the phrase Cao ni ma is a homonym for “fuck your mother” in Chinese. Is some variant of motherfucker used all over the world?

So, there you have it — which wireless router will provide solid, relaiable

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13 March, 2009

[more ...]

TECHCRUNCH

MySpace’s Experimental New ‘Events’ Product Finally Taps Into The Social Graph MAR 13, 2009 03:18A.M. Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

MySpace’s Events page hasn’t really seen a major upgrade for years - the site looks like it hasn’t been updated since 2005, and now lags behind Evite and the current leader Facebook by a wide margin. Today, it looks like that’s about to change. The site’s Events tab now redirects to a MySpace application called Social Plan, which was apparently built by Slingshot Labs, MySpace’s stealth incubator that was created last January. As far as we can tell MySpace hasn’t made any announcements about the new feature, but it seems to be accessible to everyone.

ENGADGET

Google sets up Android support team in Taiwan MAR 13, 2009 03:14A.M.

The new Events section is a major upgrade from the previous version, both in appearance and functionality. The biggest addition to the new application is the ability to get relevant event suggestions based on what your friends are up to. While Facebook has been doing this for years, MySpace has largely failed to tap into its greatest asset - its social graph. Users can also scope out upcoming events in their region, and can make ‘Quick Events’, which take only a few seconds to put together. The workflow of making a normal event is also much improved. The new product from Slingshot is being billed as a standard application built on MySpace’s app platform (it includes the typical “This app was not developed by MySpace” message), and visitors can still access the original Events page at events.MySpace.com. But users that click on ‘Events’ from MySpace’s navigation bar are brought to the application, so it’s clear that this is part of the site’s core functionality (I suspect they’ll get rid of the old version entirely once they’ve made sure the new one doesn’t have any kinks). All in all, it looks like Slingshot has come up with a winner, though it will still have a tough time catching up with Evite and Facebook (MySpace probably should have rolled out something like this a long time ago). This isn’t the first time the experimental incubator paid off for MySpace: Slingshot also created DailyFill, a gossip site that has shot off to 3.9 million uniques a month since its launch less than four months ago.

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13 March, 2009

SILICON ALLEY INSIDER

AOL Will Likely Be Spun Off As Separate Company MAR 13, 2009 03:11A.M. Kara Swisher grabbed the man of the hour, Tim Armstrong, after Time Warner announced that he would become AOL’s new CEO. Tim will start his new job on April 7. Tim made the obligatory noises about AOL still having lots of good assets (it does). Then he handicapped its likely future: AOL owner Time Warner (TWX) has given [Armstrong] a lot of options for its future, from keeping it inside the larger media conglomerate (unlikely) to partnering with another company (less unlikely) to spinning it out (likely!). “One of the things we discussed was making sure we were able to have the best outcome for AOL,” said Armstrong. “That could take the form of a lot of different paths.” (Translation: As soon as the economy brightens, I am going to become a public company CEO, just like my soon-to-be-ex-boss Eric Schmidt!) Read the whole thing >

There’s not exactly a lot of details on this one just yet, but Google has now confirmed that it’s establishing an Android team in Taiwan that will be charged with supporting various hardware makers developing Android-based products. Somewhat interestingly, DigiTimes initially reported that the team would also be providing support for companies making Android-based netbooks, but Google has since denied that report, saying instead that they would simply be supporting phones. Of course, that doesn’t mean they won’t ever support Android-based netbooks but, for now at least, that’s the official line.

Join the conversation about this story » See Also: • “Rondy” Gets The Boot • Tim Armstrong Named AOL CEO (TWX) • War At AOL: Randy Falco Or Ron Grant (Or Both) May Go (TWX)

[Via CNET News] Filed under: Cellphones Google sets up Android support team in Taiwan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ESPN.COM

WVU punishes No. 2 Pitt in Big East quarterfinals

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MAR 13, 2009 02:58A.M. Visit ESPN.com for the complete story.

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13 March, 2009

SLATE MAGAZINE

ALL THINGS DIGITAL

How Stephen Curry became a basketball folk hero.

New AOL Chairman and CEO–and About-To-Be-ExGoogler–Tim Armstrong Speaks! [BoomTown]

MAR 13, 2009 02:55A.M. Barring a miracle, the annual Elks Lodge meeting known as Selection Sunday will gavel to a close with Stephen Curry and little Davidson College left out of the NCAA Tournament brackets. This is a pity, not just for Curry and Davidson but for those of us who prefer our basketball blithe and unconstipated—which is to say, those of us who are not Billy Packer. It also means that Curry, the NCAA’s leading scorer and the man who turned last year’s tournament into his own personal Vegas act, will likely close out his amateur career on college basketball’s undercard, the NIT. He will get his 30 a game, book it, and could conceivably shoot an otherwise hopeless Davidson bunch into the Madison Square Garden portion of the proceedings—and it all will be about as sad as watching Olivier do dinner theater.

MAR 13, 2009 02:42A.M.

[more ...]

SLATE MAGAZINE

Why the GOP should shut up about earmarks.

For a very, very tall man, Tim Armstrong has been on an awful lot of online companies’ short lists.

MAR 13, 2009 02:49A.M. For a big Web exec job, that is. Indeed, whenever one opens up in the Internet space, the Google ad sales exec always pops up on it as a possible candidate to lead a variety of digital companies and start-ups.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., wants you to know that he voted against the $410 billion spending bill President Obama signed into law on March 11. His fellow Republicans “tried to cut the bill’s cost. Our ideas would have saved billions of taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, every one was turned aside.” Well, not every one. According to this spreadsheet prepared by Taxpayers for Common Sense, the spending bill incorporates 53 ideas put forth by McConnell himself in the form of legislative earmarks. Far from lowering the spending bill’s cost, they increased it by $76 million.

Finally today–after longtime speculation that Armstrong had long wanted and would eventually leave his post at Google (GOOG), in order to try his hand at being top dog–he took over as chairman and CEO of the once-mighty, but now-not-so-much AOL. Armstrong will start at AOL on April 7.

[more ...]

“For me, it is a great opportunity to go to what I consider a top-five Internet brand,” said Armstrong, in an interview with BoomTown this afternoon, with a whole lot of diplomacy and nice-guyness he is well known for at Google and in the online advertising industry. “I am looking forward to taking what I have learned at Google and seeing what I can bring to really help AOL.” Noting that for all its decline–pointed out by me–that AOL was still one of the few “global Internet brands,” Armstrong said he thought there was still a lot of juice in the consumer appeal of AOL.

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13 March, 2009

So much so, that he added that AOL owner Time Warner (TWX) has given him a lot of options for its future, from keeping it inside the larger media conglomerate (unlikely) to partnering with another company (less unlikely) to spinning it out (likely!).

AOL’s employees and its products better, before making more concrete strategic decisions or changing any course setting of Falco’s. Under his plan, AOL was focusing on a three-pronged strategy: social networking and communications (People Networks), content (MediaGlow) and advertising (Platform-A). “In general, I do want to spend time with the staff,” he said. “Some of the stuff I have seen so far has actually paid off…and a lot of the new products show a lot of passion.”

“One of the things we discussed was making sure we were able to have the best outcome for AOL,” said Armstrong. “That could take the form of a lot of different paths.” (Translation: As soon as the economy brightens, I am going to become a public company CEO, just like my soon-to-be-ex-boss Eric Schmidt!)

Whether he can turn passion into blockbuster products is another story and some are worried that Armstrong’s experience is too heavily weighted in ad sales rather than in development of killer services that AOL might need to recover.

The move to put Armstrong in at AOL was sudden and swift, and also more than a little cutthroat on the part of his new employer, which bounced current Chairman and CEO Randy Falco and President and COO Ron Grant without a lot of warning to them or any top exec at AOL.

But Armstrong said he had a lot of other operational duties at that search giant, noting that “Google is a very complex business.”

While there has been much talk about when Time Warner would become weary of the pair’s management of AOL–which has been rocky (most especially their overpaying for the Bebo social networking site that others at Time Warner never got over)–their defenestration and Armstrong’s installation happened rather quickly.

And both current and former AOLers hope his ad experience will allow AOL to return to its strong premium advertising roots that were less focused on of late. In fact, Falco recently hired former Yahoo (YHOO) sales head Greg Coleman to do just that.

And, indeed, Armstrong confirmed that the talks to take over at AOL had only started a few weeks ago, increasing in “intensity over the last week.”

And Armstrong has a lot of support from unusual sectors too. Wrote former AOL head Jon Miller, who was ironically forced out by Bewkes in favor of Falco and Grant, to me in an unsolicited email: “Count me amongst the Armstrong fan club.”

So intense, for example, that Grant only found out he was being replaced this afternoon after a personal visit from Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes, who made a rare appearance at AOL’s downtown Manhattan HQ to deliver the bad news.

And, many staff at AOL I spoke to today–whose morale has been buffeted by layoffs and ongoing bad news–seem genuinely thrilled to score such a prominent exec.

(One AOLer’s funny, but entirely imaginary vision: Bewkes signed up Armstrong, whose Google office is right nearby AOL in New York, and then hightailed it over to AOL to drop the hammer before the ink was dry on the contract.)

“I am so thrilled. We couldn’t change the DNA with Rondy on top,” said one exec, referring to the derisive nickname that Falco and Grant had within AOL, which combined their two first names. “I feel really positive.”

Via a coup or not, nabbing Armstrong is indeed a coup–at least from a shiny resume point of view–for Bewkes, who has been struggling with what to do with AOL for a while.

So does Armstrong. “I am really looking forward to running AOL,” he said.

While he often affably jokes about its many problems–from declining ad sales to management turmoil to, it must be said, increasing irrelevance–Bewkes has been trying to sell off AOL or turn the asset into something more valuable for far too long.

And personally, as a longtime and clearly obsessive watcher of AOL, I am looking forward to seeing him try.

Bewkes knows Armstrong well, as Google is a major partner of AOL in search advertising and Google also owns 10 percent of AOL, in a deal in which Armstrong was involved (and whose value the search giant recently marked down). Armstrong said he was also close to Time Warner General Counsel Paul Cappuccio. “It was a natural fit with AOL, since I know the company so well,” Armstrong said, adding he would spend his first weeks getting to know

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13 March, 2009

SLATE MAGAZINE

Obama scores a 10 on the Change-o-Meter. MAR 13, 2009 02:23A.M. Another would-be Geithner deputy withdraws, but the stock market shows signs of life. [more ...]

My suspicion is that most of the new followers aren’t hard core TechCrunch fanatics and wouldn’t be as valuable as the follower that we “earned” prior to being added to the suggested list. So far the data is confirming this.

TECHCRUNCH

The Amount And Value Of Twitter Traffic

Traffic from Twitter spiked in January, before we were added to the list, growing from 67,000 page views to 130,000 in that month. In February, when follow number spiked upwards, traffic actually dipped to 111,000 page views. The first 11 days in March have brought in 53,000 page views from Twitter, suggesting the month will end up around 150,000.

MAR 13, 2009 02:20A.M.

If the March data holds, that tells us that 65,573 hard core users brought us 130,000 January page views. Nearly quadrupling that number of followers will only bring in an extra 20,000 page views in March. Much is being written today about the value of a large following on Twitter. Jason Calacanis wants to pay $125,000 a year to have Twitter recommend him to other users, for example. He thinks that over time accounts with massive followings will somehow be able to pull in $1 million a year or more in incremental revenue, assuming they then have millions of followers.

We love these new users, but they aren’t nearly as valuable to us as the ones that we fought for in the early days of Twitter. We’ll update this post later with more data as we collect it. Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

We have unique data to share because our TechCrunch Twitter account was made one of the suggested accounts on Twitter earlier this year. On February 11 we had 65,573 hard earned followers. By March 1 that had jumped to 158,708 followers. Today it stands at 217,187. So in just over a month the number of Twitter followers to the TechCrunch account has nearly quadrupled. What I want to know is what kind of traffic that’s sending to TechCrunch, and what value that might have.

SLATE MAGAZINE

Why is U2 endorsing the BlackBerry?

Our recent referral traffic from Twitter is shown in the chart below. This only includes traffic from Twitter directly, it doesn’t include third party clients or Twitter Search.

MAR 13, 2009 02:19A.M. A question inspired by this week’s news that Research in Motion, the company that makes the BlackBerry, has become the chief sponsor for U2’s next bombastic world tour: Who exactly is profiting from this deal? U2, like most big rock acts, has never been shy about taking corporate lucre, but it usually allies with companies that it claims share its changethe-world vision—the prime example being RIM’s rival Apple. In 2004, Steve Jobs dedicated the first special-edition iPod in U2’s honor; the 20

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13 March, 2009

GB black-and-red model sold for $349, and U2 agreed to make some of its music available exclusively on iTunes. In 2005, Bono defended the deal with Apple by saying that the company shared the band’s creative spirit. “Selling out is doing something you don’t really want to do for money. That’s what selling out is. We asked to be in the ad,” he told the Chicago Tribune. He added that Apple is “more creative than a lot of people in rock bands. These men have helped design the most beautiful object art in music culture since the electric guitar. That’s the iPod. The job of art is to chase ugliness away.”

Sony’s CMT-LX30iR USB micro system loves on Apple devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

GIGAOM

Radio’s Right to Free Tunes Is on the Rocks

[more ...]

MAR 13, 2009 02:00A.M. There are hearings this week in Congress on whether non-satellite radio stations should pay a performance royalty for the music they play. They have not had to do so, unlike the radio industries in other parts of the world, for historical reasons. The music industry has been lobbying to right this decades-long wrong, and its arguments seem to have sympathetic ears in Congress — notwithstanding the political capital of the National Association of Broadcasters. I’m not always sympathetic to the arguments of the labels, but in this case, I am. Quite simply, I don’t think U.S. terrestrial radio has a leg to stand on. They claim that they serve a promotional role for the music they play and that they should therefore be exempt (while Internet and satellite radio isn’t). As Billy Corgan testified, there is no doubt that radio is a heavy promoter of music, but so what? Stations are still using a copyright, and the owner of the copyright ought to get paid for it — especially if their IP can be used without an individually negotiated license. The NAB’s argument is absurd: Radio stations will pay Rush Limbaugh for his content and go after people that try to re-broadcast it, but they won’t do the same for the music they play?

ENGADGET

Sony’s CMT-LX30iR USB micro system loves on Apple devices MAR 13, 2009 02:18A.M.

It is time for this to be changed, and I hope it happens. It may well hasten the departure of music from FM radio, but that would be a market decision. In fact, some enterprising labels may calculate that they do indeed derive a greater promotional benefit and offer to waive the royalties for stations playing their repertoire. But that should be the prerogative of the copyright holder. Sony caved long ago and began producing sound systems for devices Designed in California[TM], so it’s no real shock to see it delivering yet another variant that handles iPods and iPhones. The CMT-LX30iR, which has yet to be certified as real by Sony in North America, will purportedly aim at lower-end consumers by giving ‘em just ten total watts of oomph, a slot-loading CD player, FM / AM radio, line-in and a headphone jack. There’s also a remarkably basic 1-line LCD and a few equalizer presets, and the one-touch CD-to-USB Sync Recording is a fine touch. The unit has surfaced over on Amazon’s German portal for €161 ($202), though we’ve no idea how pricey it’ll be (or what it’ll be called, for that matter) whenever Sony decides to take a hint and ship it stateside. Filed under: Home Entertainment

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Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR [email protected]

13 March, 2009

GIGAOM

Radio’s Right to Free Tunes Is on the Rocks MAR 13, 2009 02:00A.M. There are hearings this week in Congress on whether non-satellite radio stations should pay a performance royalty for the music they play. They have not had to do so, unlike the radio industries in other parts of the world, for historical reasons. The music industry has been lobbying to right this decades-long wrong, and its arguments seem to have sympathetic ears in Congress — notwithstanding the political capital of the National Association of Broadcasters. I’m not always sympathetic to the arguments of the labels, but in this case, I am. Quite simply, I don’t think U.S. terrestrial radio has a leg to stand on. They claim that they serve a promotional role for the music they play and that they should therefore be exempt (while Internet and satellite radio isn’t). As Billy Corgan testified, there is no doubt that radio is a heavy promoter of music, but so what? Stations are still using a copyright, and the owner of the copyright ought to get paid for it — especially if their IP can be used without an individually negotiated license. The NAB’s argument is absurd: Radio stations will pay Rush Limbaugh for his content and go after people that try to re-broadcast it, but they won’t do the same for the music they play? It is time for this to be changed, and I hope it happens. It may well hasten the departure of music from FM radio, but that would be a market decision. In fact, some enterprising labels may calculate that they do indeed derive a greater promotional benefit and offer to waive the royalties for stations playing their repertoire. But that should be the prerogative of the copyright holder.

Looking to add to your collection of video game ephemera you’ll never actually use? Then you might want to get bidding on this PSP testing tool that’s just surfaced on eBay and, as of this writing, hasn’t yet met the reserve price. In addition to the main desktop unit, you’ll also get a PSP test unit (with one dead pixel) and, of course, all the necessary cables to get things up and running — and, judging from the pics, it does appear to run just fine. Not a whole lot of details beyond that, unfortunately, but the unit (a DTP-H1500 A, specifically) does appear to at least play UMDs, and it even includes a wireless antenna on the rear. Hit up the read link below to get your bid in.

ENGADGET

PSP testing tool surfaces on eBay

Filed under: Gaming

MAR 13, 2009 01:38A.M. PSP testing tool surfaces on eBay originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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13 March, 2009

SLATE MAGAZINE

Bill Moyers’ memory: why you can’t trust it. MAR 13, 2009 01:30A.M. Last month in a letter to Slate, former Johnson administration official Bill Moyers dismissed my recent column that criticized him for—among other things—instructing the FBI to investigate Barry Goldwater’s staff. The Goldwater stuff was “very old news,” he wrote, pointing to a Newsweek column he wrote about it in 1975. [more ...]

Not sure what exactly Doraemon is? Haven’t heard all the rage over it in Japan? Fret not, as this here netbook is definitely none of your concern. If you just so happen to be in the opposite camp, you’ll certainly take interest in knowing that this Doraemon-splashed rig has been spotted in Taiwan, and so far as we can tell, it’s just a beautified version of the Classmate PC. Regrettably, there’s no word on actual specifications, and we’re hoping and praying the ¥48,000 ($497) price tag we’re seeing is a horrific typographical error. Even if not, we’re still tempted — just don’t tell anyone.

SLATE MAGAZINE

Obama chooses a drug czar who recognizes the war on drugs hasn’t worked. MAR 13, 2009 01:19A.M.

[Via PortableMonkey, thanks Peter] Vice President Joe Biden sponsored the legislation that created the job 21 years ago, so it was fitting that on Wednesday he announced the Obama administration’s choice for drug czar: Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske. The announcement thrilled neither progressive antiprohibition groups, which dislike the idea of a career cop in charge of drug policy, nor conservative anti-drug groups, which distrust Kerlikowske’s record on enforcement.

Filed under: Laptops Doraemon netbook has all the American kids perplexed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

[more ...]

ENGADGET

Broadband stimulus plan comes to life, rural teens ‘psyched’

ENGADGET

MAR 13, 2009 12:41A.M.

Doraemon netbook has all the American kids perplexed MAR 13, 2009 01:09A.M.

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13 March, 2009

The broadband stimulus project is moving forwards in the manner most familiar to our federal bureaucracy: meetings. Lots and lots of meetings. The inaugural soiree was recently held at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s swank Washington, D.C. headquarters, and included bon mots such as this one by acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps: “Where’s the policy for broadband? Where’s the action? Where’s the beef?” Ouch. Among the first items of business, the group must figure out exactly which connectivity solution to back, with several companies weighing in — most of ‘em (including Spaceway and Wild Blue) going the pure broadband route, while an outfit called AlphaStar has a hybrid satellite / terrestrial service (where the satellite backbone connects to homes over terrestrial wireless systems). Also to be debated is the wisdom of privately owned vs. municipally owned wireless broadband. Either way, we sure hope that our nation’s unwired get some help soon — why should Boxxy have all the fun?

Prince William attends a reception of The Child Bereavement Charity held at the Sladmore Contemporary Art Gallery on March 12, 2009 in London, England. The Child Bereavement Charity is the UK’s leading charity that supports families and educates professionals both when a child dies and when a child is bereaved. By David Bebber/WPA Pool/Getty Images.

LIFEHACKER

Remains of the Day: The iPhone vs. Kindle Edition [For What It’s Worth]

Filed under: Networking

MAR 13, 2009 12:30A.M. Broadband stimulus plan comes to life, rural teens ‘psyched’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Still hungry for those last few slices of tech and productivity? Dinner is served.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

• iPhone vs. Kindle • Slate’s Farhad Manjoo compares Kindle on the iPhone to Kindle proper. [Slate]

THE DAILY DISH | BY ANDREW SULLIVAN

• There’s a Hotmail down! • Gmail’s not the only web-based email experiencing some downtime this month. [Obsessable]

Face Of The Day MAR 13, 2009 12:32A.M.

• Coming Soon: Batteries that Recharge in Three Seconds • Yes please! [PC World] • Time Management in the Age of Social Media • GTD guru David Allen weighs in on productivity with Facebook and Twitter. [BusinessWeek via Bestivus] • Google’s Free Phone Manager Could Threaten a Variety of Services • Google Voice scares everyone from Skype to your phone company.

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13 March, 2009

Got an item of your own that got your geek-sense tingling today? Share it in the comments.

ENGADGET

Panasonic’s ultra-thin 54Z1 plasma in the wild MAR 13, 2009 12:12A.M.

ESPN.COM

Michael Phelps worried about the pain he cause family MAR 13, 2009 12:18A.M. Michael Phelps says he’s more worried about the pain he caused family and friends than losing money in endorsements after he was photographed inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

Now that it’s official and priced, Panasonic seems much happier to show off its wireless HD-sporting, ultra-thin Z1 series, and it’s quite the sight to behold. The 54Z1 we got to look at was very strikingly clad in brushed metal gray — compared to the regular black of most of Panasonic’s TV lineup — and of course incredibly thin. The wireless HD receiver box was across the room and working flawlessly, and it was nice to see that the included remote is an RF unit, capable of non-line-of-sight channel changing — it’s starting to feel like the 21st century around here! The plasma picture was of course very good, and we’re really feeling those Viera Tools icons across the bottom. $6,000 though? That’s your call.

SLATE MAGAZINE

Sunshine Cleaning reviewed. MAR 13, 2009 12:16A.M. Sunshine Cleaning (Overture Films) is a movie that the viewer is willing to forgive a lot for four very appealing reasons: Amy Adams’ perfectly round, Delft-blue eyes and Emily Blunt’s almond-shaped ones, which seem to oscillate in color between aquamarine and teal. Though they look nothing alike, Adams and Blunt are believable siblings. They share an ability to make the audience want to pick them up and cuddle them like plaintively mewing lost kittens. Hell, Sunshine Cleaning contains an actual plaintively mewing lost kitten—rescued from a fire, no less, by Blunt’s character—and you still find yourself cutting the movie a break. Under the combined force of the lead actresses’ ocular weaponry, it’s hard to remember that you’ve seen this movie before, in versions from Little Miss Sunshine to The Daytrippers (or any love-me-love-mydysfunctional-family indie of the past 15 years).

Gallery: Panasonic’s ultra-thin 54Z1 plasma in the wild

[more ...]

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government has a hard time building itself,” O’Reilly said. Of course, building such databases is a lot easier when you have a federal administration that committed to publishing government data online. “It is very clear that the Obama administration understands startup culture,” O’Reilly says. However, there are still lots and lots of people within and close to the government that view making data public with suspicion. Said O’Reilly: “Many people in these organizations are threatened by the idea that some young developer could say, ‘I can build for $5,000 or in six weeks something that you are gonna say takes six years and $50 million.’ “ So, how do you convince official agencies to trust that young developer, and how do you get that developer to start toying with government data? First of all, by getting them to talk. O’Reilly Media is holding a Gov 2.0 Summit this September in Washington with the goal to showcase innovation inside and outside of the government. (Wired launched an “Open Up Government Data” wiki earlier this week, as well.) And then, there’s always money. The new administration loves technology partly because it’s cheaper, O’Reilly speculated. “A lot of it is: How do we get more bang for our buck?,” he said. However, it’s not just about spending less: “Reinventing our sources and distribution systems for energy, reinventing our educational system, reinventing our communications infrastructure are all very powerful stimuluses for new economic activity.”

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Wireless Panasonic’s ultra-thin 54Z1 plasma in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In other words: Supporting the new administration could turn out to be the Valley’s very own stimulus plan.

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GIGAOM

O’Reilly: Why Tech Business Should Support Obama MAR 13, 2009 12:00A.M. Tim O’Reilly had a simple message for the tech community earlier this week at the Emerging Technology conference: Support Obama! Wait, isn’t the campaign over? It may be, but the next presidential contest is already around the corner, and O’Reilly believes that there’s only a short window of opportunity to actually innovate in Washington. That’s why he wants to get tech folks involved now. I sat down with him yesterday to hear more about his plans to help the new administration.

GIGAOM

O’Reilly: Why Tech Business Should Support Obama MAR 13, 2009 12:00A.M. Tim O’Reilly had a simple message for the tech community earlier this week at the Emerging Technology conference: Support Obama! Wait, isn’t the campaign over? It may be, but the next presidential contest is already around the corner, and O’Reilly believes that there’s only a short window of opportunity to actually innovate in Washington. That’s why he wants to get tech folks involved now. I sat down with him yesterday to hear more about his plans to help the new administration.

“We have this wonderful opportunity with this new president who is saying he wants to make government more transparent, more collaborative, more responsive,”O’Reilly told me, adding: “We know how to build systems like that.” One of his favored examples is Carl Malamud, who launched the first free and public EDGAR server for SEC filings without any government help back in 1993, only to donate it to the SEC shortly after. “This idea of public-private partnership is fairly central to my thinking,”O’Reilly told me. “One of the opportunities for people on the outside is to shoulder more of the burden and build services that

“We have this wonderful opportunity with this new president who is saying he wants to make government more transparent, more

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collaborative, more responsive,”O’Reilly told me, adding: “We know how to build systems like that.” One of his favored examples is Carl Malamud, who launched the first free and public EDGAR server for SEC filings without any government help back in 1993, only to donate it to the SEC shortly after. “This idea of public-private partnership is fairly central to my thinking,”O’Reilly told me. “One of the opportunities for people on the outside is to shoulder more of the burden and build services that government has a hard time building itself,” O’Reilly said.

mad at him for trying to increase the size of the government; that’s, after all, what he got elected promising to do. But he also promised to be non-partisan and accountable, and the size and composition stimulus package looks like just one more attempt to ram through his ideological agenda without much scrutiny, with the heaviest focus on programs that will be especially hard to cut. I have a strong feeling that if it was that easy to fix the banking system, it would have been done already. I’m prepared to give them some time on this, Obama-shill that I am, and have come to see the cogency of some of the arguments against hasty and possibly foolish decisions. Bernanke is persuasive on this.

Of course, building such databases is a lot easier when you have a federal administration that committed to publishing government data online. “It is very clear that the Obama administration understands startup culture,” O’Reilly says. However, there are still lots and lots of people within and close to the government that view making data public with suspicion. Said O’Reilly: “Many people in these organizations are threatened by the idea that some young developer could say, ‘I can build for $5,000 or in six weeks something that you are gonna say takes six years and $50 million.’ “

We had a crisis of similar proportions in a different area with a new president last time around. Looking back, do we really think Bush’s failures after 9/11 came from too much circumspection or pondering of the unintended consequences of radical, swift action? Give them time; then give them hell if they deserve it.

So, how do you convince official agencies to trust that young developer, and how do you get that developer to start toying with government data? First of all, by getting them to talk. O’Reilly Media is holding a Gov 2.0 Summit this September in Washington with the goal to showcase innovation inside and outside of the government. (Wired launched an “Open Up Government Data” wiki earlier this week, as well.)

NU.NL - ALGEMEEN

Politici reageren voorzichtig op dreiging Amsterdam

And then, there’s always money. The new administration loves technology partly because it’s cheaper, O’Reilly speculated. “A lot of it is: How do we get more bang for our buck?,” he said. However, it’s not just about spending less: “Reinventing our sources and distribution systems for energy, reinventing our educational system, reinventing our communications infrastructure are all very powerful stimuluses for new economic activity.”

MAR 12, 2009 11:45P.M. AMSTERDAM - Volgens de VVD is het snelle en professionele optreden van politie en justitie naar aanleiding van de bommelding in Amsterdam een bewijs dat de nieuwe anti-terreurwetten nut hebben.

In other words: Supporting the new administration could turn out to be the Valley’s very own stimulus plan. LIFEHACKER

Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 Available for Download [Beta Beat]

THE DAILY DISH | BY ANDREW SULLIVAN

MAR 12, 2009 11:45P.M.

Fix The Damn Banks MAR 12, 2009 11:55P.M. Megan is having second thoughts about Obama: Having defended Obama’s candidacy largely on his economic team, I’m having serious buyer’s remorse. Geithner, who is rapidly starting to look like the weakest link, is rattling around by himself in Treasury. Meanwhile, the administration is clearly prioritized a stimulus package that will not work without fixing the banks over, um, fixing the banking system. Unlike most fiscal conservatives, I’m not

If you’re eager to stay on the cutting edge of Firefox, head over to Mozilla to grab the newly released Firefox 3.1 Beta 3. As we mentioned last week,

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the next beta will be upped to Firefox 3.5 Beta 4 to reflect the many changes between Firefox 3 and this next major release. In the meantime, you can expect improved private browsing, JavaScript, and more with the latest release. (See the release notes for more details.) Been living the 3.1 beta life already? Share how it’s been working out for you in the comments. [Firefox 3.1 Beta 3]

ALL THINGS DIGITAL

Time Warner’s Jeff Bewkes Lays off AOL CEO and President–in a New York Minute [BoomTown] MAR 12, 2009 11:36P.M.

ESPN.COM

Arizona St. bounces Arizona behind Harden’s 27 MAR 12, 2009 11:43P.M. Visit ESPN.com for the complete story. Let’s just say the firing of AOL CEO Randy Falco and President Ron Grant was not exactly expected–even if everyone thought it should happen–within the high ranks of the troubled online unit, until Time Warner (TWX) CEO Jeff Bewkes dropped the guillotine this afternoon in Manhattan.

THE DAILY DISH | BY ANDREW SULLIVAN

Even At 29 MAR 12, 2009 11:41P.M.

And drop it he did, quickly lopping off the pair of executives Bewkes had installed himself. He replaced them with Tim Armstrong, Google’s head of advertising sales, a man with a much brighter resume, for what is likely to be an attempt to spin out AOL, now that merger options are moribund.

Ross Douthat has a paper trail. Digging up college journalism seems a bit low to me, but, to be honest, if this is the worst they’ve got, Ross is fine.

“It’s a shock to everyone how sudden it was,” said one exec. “Everyone talked about when Bewkes was going to run out of patience with Randy and Ron all the time, but no one knew it was coming now, since it had taken so long.”

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL NEWS - CNNMONEY.COM

Ex Google executive named CEO of AOL

Grant, for example, only found out about the situation when Bewkes told him in person earlier today at AOL’s offices in lower Manhattan, said several sources. Bewkes has hardly ever been there, who has a stunning office at the Time Warner Center in midtown, although Armstrong’s office at Google is nearby AOL.

MAR 12, 2009 11:36P.M. Tim Armstrong, a former Google executive, was named the new chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AOL, according to a statement

Falco might have learned about the situation earlier, but several sources said no other top exec at AOL did until about 30 minutes ago.

released Thursday.

The whole coup came, said several sources, from corporate, which swooped and made the moves swiftly, very quickly after signing the deal with Armstrong.

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AOL PR did not seem to be aware of the move until this afternoon, and neither did its three top division heads: People Networks head Joanna Shields, MediaGlow President Bill Wilson create or newly hired Platform-A ad leader Greg Coleman.

ALL THINGS DIGITAL

Murdoch Shuffles Desks on the Fox Lot; Here’s the Full Memo and the Scorecard [MediaMemo]

Yesterday, quite by coincidence, BoomTown wrote about the continued turmoil within AOL and the unhappiness with Falco, which was longrunning: “That’s caused a lot of people inside AOL and also a wider circle at Time Warner to increasingly point the finger of blame at AOL CEO Randy Falco, wondering if and when he will suffer too.

MAR 12, 2009 11:35P.M.

‘Why Randy Falco gets to keep his job is a mystery to a lot of people,’ said one top exec at another division.” Well, it is a mystery no longer, apparently, with Bewkes putting the highprofile Armstrong in place as AOL’s CEO and Chairman, although he has been casting about for new leadership for a while, according to many sources, such as former Yahoo COO Dan Rosensweig. AOL is in the midst of laying off 10 percent of its staff of 7,000, although many feel deeper cuts are needed, especially since Bewkes has been unable to complete a deal to sell it after a lot of trying. This one isn’t quite as momentous as the new blood–and bloodletting–over at Time Warner’s AOL (TWX), in part because it was more expected.

Interest by Yahoo (YHOO) in merging with AOL, for example, has cooled and there seem to be no true suitors on the horizon. A spin-off of the division seems to be the most likely option.

But, in the wake of News Corp. COO Peter Chernin’s departure, Rupert Murdoch is reshuffling the top names at his Fox businesses, which Chernin oversaw.

Whether that includes a strategy reset for AOL or not is unclear. Under Falco and Grant–who were derisively given the nickname Smithers and Burns from “The Simpsons” and also “Rondy” by some inside the division by some who did not like then–AOL paid $850 million for the Bebo social networking site last year, an overpriced move that has grated on many throughout Time Warner.

Murdoch had hinted at this last month, when he told the troops that it was “time to streamline” the News Corp. (NWS) operation. The full memo from Murdoch, explaining the moves, is at the end of this post. But here’s the shorter version:

Under their plan, AOL was focusing on a three-pronged strategy: social networking and communications (People Networks), content (MediaGlow) and advertising (Platform-A).

UP: Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman, who formerly ran Murdoch’s Fox movie studio, now oversee both movies and television production.

But new Platform-A head (and former Yahoo sales exec) Coleman, whose business has to drive revenue growth–cannot perform miracles in such a weak environment, no matter what cool new products and offerings either People Networks head Shields or MediaGlow President Wilson create.

Rothman, who ran the Fox cable operations, also gets to run Fox’s broadcast operation. Peter Rice, who News Corp.’s faux-indie studio Fox Searchlight, moves into TV, and will report to Tony Vinciquerra, chairman and CEO of Fox Networks Group.

Armstrong certainly knows sales, as head of sales efforts at Google (GOOG), although he has never operated a multi-faceted business as AOL, which–despite its troubles–remains huge.

OUT: Fox broadcasting head Peter Liguori. STAYING PUT: Roger Ailes continues to run the very successful FOX News Channel, the still-embryonic Fox Business Network and the struggling Fox TV stations group.

More to come soon…

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Peter Levinsohn, remains the head of Fox Interactive Media, which means that MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe still reports to him, at least nominally.

for negotiating many of our landmark carriage and broadcast deals that have made us the leader in broadcast and cable television. As part of this restructuring, Peter Liguori has stepped down as chairman of entertainment, Fox Broadcasting. Under his leadership, FOX was the number one network four years in a row, and I am grateful for his many contributions.

NOT MENTIONED: Murdoch’s son James Murdoch, who runs News Corp.’s Europe assets and his currently the betting favorite to eventually replace his father. Here’s the full memo:

Peter Rice, president of Fox Searchlight, will exit his role at the specialty label and will assume the role of chairman of entertainment, Fox Broadcasting. During his long and successful tenure at Fox Searchlight, Peter has been the driving force behind the success of the specialty film genre, shepherding to the screen some of the industry’s most successful films, including Slumdog Millionaire, Little Miss Sunshine, and Juno. Peter has the vision, creativity and determination to grow and remodel our television network, and I’m delighted he has accepted this new challenge. In this role, Peter will report directly to Tony Vinciquerra.

Dear Colleagues: Today I’m announcing a series of management changes to our LA-based businesses to ensure we’re well positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities we will face in the coming months. I have been deeply engaged with senior management to develop a renewed model on which to further grow and transform our business. Challenging economic times can yield great advancements and ultimately unleash new, innovative thinking. Ours is a company that has always thrived on change, so it’s with great enthusiasm that I share with you our initial plans for moving forward.

With Peter’s departure at Fox Searchlight, Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula will jointly run the business, reporting to Jim and Tom. Nancy and Steve, COOs of Fox Searchlight, who have been Peter’s partners through all of the unit’s great successes, will assume full authority for the business. Claudia Lewis, president of production, remains in place.

Creative Production Effective immediately, all of our LA-based creative production businesses will be reporting to Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman, co-chairmen and CEOs of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Tom and Jim have built one of the most successful studios in the world, and I have full confidence in their ability to manage our film and television talent in transformative ways. Under this new structure, Gary Newman and Dana Walden, co-chairmen of Twentieth Century Fox Television, will report to Tom and Jim. Emiliano Calemzuk, president, Fox Television Studios, will report to Dana and Gary.

Other Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of FOX News Channel and Fox Business Network and chairman of the Fox Television Stations and Twentieth Television, and Peter Levinsohn, president of Fox Interactive Media, will continue to report directly to me. Please join me in congratulating Jim, Tom, Tony and Peter in their new roles.

This new creative structure will enable us immediately to operate more efficiently. We will remove unnecessary barriers that have existed between our businesses, thereby better facilitating the sharing of ideas and resources. Not only will we benefit as a business from these changes, but perhaps most importantly, I’m certain our end users–the millions of people around the world who every day enjoy our creative products – will see the benefits as well.

ESPN.COM

Buffalo Bills’ Terrell Owens to wear No. 81 MAR 12, 2009 11:34P.M.

Networks Group For Bills fans filling out their programs: Yes, folks, T.O. will be No. 81. On the television network side of the business, Tony Vinciquerra, chairman and CEO of Fox Networks Group, will continue to head the cable networks, the business aspects of FOX Broadcasting, Fox International Channels, and will gain responsibility for FOX Broadcasting programming. Tony has been instrumental in growing our cable businesses both domestically and internationally, and has been responsible

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ENGADGET

LIFEHACKER

Musical bra is not as sexy as it sounds

Best Linux Distribution? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]

MAR 12, 2009 11:33P.M.

MAR 12, 2009 11:30P.M.

The fine folks over at Instructables have posted some wild mods in their time, but the musical bra you see above inhabites its own realm in terms of weirdness and lack of usefulness... unless you really want a bra that makes music of course. The speaker is on the front, with a battery pack between the shoulder blades at the back, and each cup is equipped with eight different “sounds” culled from a small keyboard, which are triggered by custom-made buttons sewn into the bra. Hit the read link for the full rundown of how to make one of your very own, but fair warning: you’re going to have to be pretty adept with needle and thread to get this project done, but the final result should be fairly priceless. After all, who doesn’t want a clunky, hideous sports bra that makes noise? Exactly.

Calling all open-source aficionados, it’s time to caste your vote for your favorite flavor of Linux—that titan of open-source and champion of free computing. Photo by wollance3. We want to hear which Linux distribution you love. Which distro puts a smile on your face and leaves extra money in your wallet? If you want to make your votes extra helpful to your fellow readers, especially the less Linux saavy among them, make sure to include a comment or two regarding why you favor the particular distro you’re voting for.

[Via Music Radar] Filed under: Wearables Musical bra is not as sexy as it sounds originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hive Five nominations take place in the comments, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of comments, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your comment like so: VOTE: Favorite Linux Distro. Please don’t include your vote in a reply to another commenter. Instead, make your vote and reply separate comments. If you don’t follow this format, we may not count your vote. To prevent tampering with the results, votes from first-time commenters may not be counted. After you’ve made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

THE DAILY DISH | BY ANDREW SULLIVAN

American Idol’s Closets MAR 12, 2009 11:32P.M.

About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get: “Which tool is the best?” Once a week we’ll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we’ll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best. For an example, check out last week’s Hive Five: Six Best Video Editing Applications.

A subtle and fascinating column.

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the urban Pakistani government regimenting those rural clansmen makes no sense to me. Rugged areas where the government is weak are obviously possible havens for terrorists, but they also typically lack the infrastructure to enable major operations to be conducted directly from such territories. We’d be better off working with Pakistan to put in better airport security and computer tracking of people flying in and out. The Pakistani military has been fighting hard in Bajaur, one of the tribal agencies, against the Pakistani Taliban since August. They have had some success, but displaced 300,000 Pashtuns from their homes. That is going to settle the Pashtuns down?

NU.NL - ALGEMEEN

Ontruiming door brand verzorgingshuis Delft MAR 12, 2009 11:27P.M. DELFT - Diverse verdiepingen van een verzorgingshuis in Delft zijn donderdagavond ontruimd in verband met een brand. Dat heeft de brandweer laten weten.

ENGADGET

Panasonic CES 2009 Blu-ray / HTIB lineup eyes-on

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Ontruiming door brand verzorgingshuis

MAR 12, 2009 11:03P.M.

MAR 12, 2009 11:16P.M. DELFT - Diverse verdiepingen van een verzorgingshuis in Delft zijn donderdagavond ontruimd in verband met een brand. Dat heeft de brandweer laten weten.

ESPN.COM

Last-place Georgia Tech overcomes Clemson MAR 12, 2009 11:05P.M. Visit ESPN.com for the complete story. We were able to spot a few of Panasonic’s latest innovations in the home theater space back at CES 2009, but we got a much more intimate look at things during a recent New York showcase. The new Blu-ray decks look nice, if not a touch plain. Not that everyone wants an Alienware-esque BD deck or anything, but we digress. The Blu-ray HTIB systems were particularly of interest, as these things are perfect for sneaking BD into homes that are currently DVD-only, and while we longed for more information on the portable DMP-B15, the on-hand reps didn’t seem too anxious to gush over technical specifications with us. Their loss, totally.

THE DAILY DISH | BY ANDREW SULLIVAN

Obama And Pakistan MAR 12, 2009 11:04P.M. Is he making the same mistakes as Bush? Juan Cole thinks so: The demand that the government exert control over the Federally Administered Tribal Areas is frankly daft. I’ve been through that territory. You might as well demand that we exert control over all the rattlesnakes in New Mexico. And the conviction that the security of the U.S. mainland depends on

Gallery: Panasonic CES 2009 Blu-ray / HTIB lineup eyes-on

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LIFEHACKER

To English Bookmarklet Quickly, Easily Translates Any Text with One Click [Translation] MAR 12, 2009 11:00P.M.

We’ve been all about Google Translate ever since it introduced automatic language detection, but language detection isn’t the default, and even then, it could be streamlined. Enter the To English bookmarklet. Just install the bookmarklet by dragging and dropping the link below to your bookmarks toolbar. To English To English works in two ways. Either select the specific text you want translated and click the bookmarklet or—if you’d prefer to translate a whole page—select nothing and click the bookmarklet. The text or page will automatically be entered into Google Translate’s language detection, and you’ve got your translations in one simple click.

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment Panasonic CES 2009 Blu-ray / HTIB lineup eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If this looks strangely familiar, you probably read our post on ditching your extensions for bookmarklets. We loved this bookmarklet so much, we thought it deserved highlighting on its own.

Permalink | Email this | Comments [via Digital Inspiration]

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TECHCRUNCH

history of the Internet — helping to make Google the most popular online search advertising platform in the world for direct and brand marketers. He’s an advertising pioneer with a stellar reputation and proven track record. We are privileged to have him preside over AOL as its audience and programming businesses continue to grow and its advertising platform expands globally. He’ll also be helpful in helping Time Warner determine the optimal structure for AOL”

Google Ad Chief Tim Armstrong Replaces Randy Falco As Chairman And CEO Of AOL MAR 12, 2009 10:50P.M.

Tim Armstrong said: “I’m very excited about the opportunities presented in leading AOL. AOL has a wide-ranging set of assets and audience. The company is well positioned to enhance those assets into a larger share of the Internet audience and advertiser communities. AOL and Google have been partners for years and I look forward to collaborating with Jeff Bewkes and his team as we explore the right structure and future for AOL.” Mr. Bewkes added: “Randy led AOL in its transition from a subscription business to an audience business. Under Randy and Ron, AOL’s programming sites exhibited year-over-year growth in unique visitors for 23 consecutive months with many of its sites now in the top five of their categories., They also assembled Platform-A, the number one display ad network in the U.S. with a reach of more than 90%. They also aggressively cut costs as they restructured the Audience business portion of the company into three distinct operating units: People Networks, MediaGlow, and Platform-A. As Randy and Ron move on, they leave AOL with our gratitude and appreciation for remaking the company and bringing it to a new and promising level.”

Breaking: AOL has named a new CEO and chairman. Tim Armstrong, who headed up ad sales in the Americas for Google, will replace Randy Falco as chairman and CEO. AOL President and COO Ron Grant will also be leaving the company. Armstrong’s name has been bandied about as a potential CEO or top executive at several companies. He takes on a challenging post at AOL, which does not have the strength of either Google or even Yahoo in terms of advertising assets or traffic.

Tim Armstrong was a member of Google’s Operating Committee and served as the president of the Americas Operations. Under the Americas Operations, Armstrong’s team managed publishers and advertisers’ relationships and platforms with some of the world’s most widely recognized media and agency brands. Armstrong started at Google in the year 2000 and opened the first office outside of the Mountain View, CA headquarters.

Falco came from NBC when his predecessor Jonathan Miller was kicked out. Falco reorganized AOL, focusing on combining its portal (which still generates a huge amount of traffic) with its advertising assets—now bundled together under Platform-A. His strategy was to make AOL an ad network, with AOL’s own properties serving as a foundation and source of guaranteed inventory.

Mr. Armstrong joined Google from Snowball.com, where he was vice president of sales and strategic partnerships. Prior to his role at Snowball.com, he served as director of integrated sales & marketing at Starwave’s and Disney’s ABC/ESPN Internet Ventures, working across the companies’ Internet, TV, radio, and print properties. He started his career by co-founding and running a newspaper based in Boston, MA, before joining IDG to launch their first consumer Internet magazine, IWay.

Below is the press release: TIM ARMSTRONG NAMED CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF AOL Former Google Executive to Build AOL’s Future and Help Determine Optimal Structure for AOL NEW YORK, March 12, 2009 – Tim Armstrong, Google Senior Vice President, has been named Chairman and CEO of AOL, LLC, Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX) Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes announced today. Current AOL Chairman and CEO Randy Falco and President and COO Ron Grant plan to leave the company after a transition period.

Mr. Armstrong sits on the boards of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the Advertising Council, and the Advertising Research Foundation, and is a trustee at Connecticut College and Lawrence Academy. He is a member of Mayor Bloomberg’s MediaNYC 2020 committee. He is a graduate of Connecticut College, with a double major in economics and sociology.

In making the announcement Mr. Bewkes said: “Tim is the right executive to move AOL into the next phase of its evolution. At Google, Armstrong helped build one of the most successful media teams in the

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

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This issue contains posts from between Mar 12, 2009 06:20a.m. and Mar 13, 2009 02:21a.m.. To change your settings, visit http://www.tabbloid.com/28993.ba65d735

SILICON ALLEY INSIDER

“Rondy” Gets The Boot MAR 12, 2009 10:50P.M.

This morning, we relayed yet another analyst’s demand that AOL show CEO Randy Falco and COO Ron Grant (aka, “Rondy”) the door. This afternoon, Jeff Bewkes delivered. Google’s Tim Armstrong will take over (great hire!). Randy and Ron will “leave after a transition period.” Join the conversation about this story » See Also: • Tim Armstrong Named AOL CEO (TWX) • Time For AOL’s Ron And Randy To Go (TWX) • AOL Layoffs In Progress (TWX)

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Dreiging Amsterdam had terroristische achtergrond MAR 12, 2009 10:48P.M. AMSTERDAM - De dreiging tegen gebouwen in Amsterdan Zuid-Oost had een terroristische achtergrond. De politie heeft donderdag in verband hiermee zeven personen aangehouden.

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