TEH GAY GEEK CLOSES

It with sadness that I announce Teh Gay Geek will be ceasing operations. For the past year and a half I have tried to bring my readers interesting and fun news and information from the tech world. TGG has always been a one man organization and has becoming increasingly more time consuming, time I just don't have anymore. I want to thank all the readers and Twitter & Feedburner subscribers. I have learned a lot about trying to start a tech blog and maybe one day TGG will live again.

KINDLE FIRE STOPS BLOCKING ANDROID MARKET

Some of you may have noticed, when perusing the interwebs on your Kindle Fire, that a certain Google-branded Market refused to load in the slate's Silk browser. In fact, it automatically redirected you to the Amazon App store in an unsettling bit of URL hijacking. Well, with the latest update to the tablet, that slightly befuddling restriction has been lifted and the questionable behavior rectified. Presumably this was originally intended to save customers confusion and support staff headaches when trying to install an app from the Android Market failed. But, actually intercepting and redirecting a user isn't becoming of a company that expects us to trust it with our data -- especially our browsing and financial info. Thankfully now, you can visit the Market in all its glory on your Fire, just don't expect to install apps from it any time soon

'THE HOBBIT' FINALLY GETS A TRAILER

Fans of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films have reason to cheer today as there is finally a trailer of the upcoming movie, “The Hobbit.” The first of a two-movie production, “The Hobbit” tells J.R.R. Tolkien’s prequel tale of Bilbo Baggins journeying with Gandalf (for the first time) to help reclaim Erebor for its rightful dwarven owners. The first installment will focus on the earlier part of the group’s adventures, including the finding of the One Ring by Bilbo in Gollum’s cave.

The trailer shows that the film is being produced with the same look and feel as his first three LotR movies. Indeed if you didn’t know you were watching the trailer for the Hobbit you might think you were seeing clips from the trilogy. This is due in large part to Jackson being able to retain the original actors who played Gandalf and Galadriel, a welcome sight for fans who demand consistency across production.

MICROSOFT TO END ITS CES KEYNOTE ROLE

Microsoft's has announced that it will be ending its long-standing CES keynote role, and will no longer have a booth at the show as it's done for many years. Head of Microsoft's corporate communications, Frank X. Shaw, posted a rather direct note about it on the company's blog, and the CEA confirmed the move on its blog.

According to sources, Microsoft simply didn't feel it was getting a reasonable return on its investment with CES, and the reality is that the show hadn't aligned with its launches for a few years.

ITC SAYS MOTOROLA MOBILITY GUILTY OF MICROSOFT PATENT INFRINGEMENT

The United States International Trade Commission ruled late Tuesday that Motorola Mobility is guilty of infringing on one of Microsoft’s patents. The patent is related to calendar sync and how one might use a device to schedule a meeting, BBC News explained. Microsoft originally filed a suit against Motorola Mobility in August in an attempt to block sales of several Motorola Android smartphones, such as DROID 2, DROID X and several others, and accused Motorola Mobility of infringing on seven total patents. The ITC judge ruled that Motorola Mobility devices do not infringe on six of Microsoft’s patents, however. Microsoft recently filed a similar lawsuit against Barnes & Noble, and the company has already reached licensing agreements with HTC, Samsung, ViewSonic and several other firms.

GOOGLE AND MOZILLA KISS AND MAKE UP

Mozilla announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with Google in which Google Search will remain the default search engine in Firefox for the next three years. “Mozilla has been a valuable partner to Google over the years and we look forward to continuing this great partnership in the years to come,” said Google’s senior vice president of search, Alan Eustace. While terms of the agreement remain confidential, Mozilla reported in October that its partnership with Google helped the company achieve a large portion of the $123 million in revenue in reported last year.

SUPER BOWL TO BE STREAMED LIVE ON VERIZON WIRELESS

The NFL and NBC will stream Superbowl XLVI live online and to mobile devices for the first time ever in February. Unfortunately, the broadcast won’t be available to all mobile users; Verizon Wireless will be the exclusive mobile partner and subscribers can watch the game live provided they have a supported phone with NFL Mobile installed. Viewers can also stream the Pro Bowl and Wild Card Saturday using NBC or the NFL’s website, or Verizon’s mobile application. The Associated Press said that streaming viewers will be treated to live stats, highlights from the game and additional camera angles. Superbowl XLVI kicks off on February 5th in Indianapolis.

VERIZON WIRELESS USERS REPORTING DATA OUTAGES

If you're having trouble getting a data connection on your Verizon-branded handset this morning, you're not alone. Based on Verizon's @vzwsupport Twitter feed and forums, it looks as if both 3G and 4G networks have been affected, although the 3G service appears to be working now. This is the third data outage for Verizon in a month, mostly affecting their 4G LTE deployment.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER....AMAZON TRIED TO BUY RIM

Based on a new Reuters report, Amazon was hot-to-trot on the idea of buying RIM, but those desires seemingly cooled after the BlackBerry maker decided that it'd rather "fix its problems on its own." Wildly enough, the report states that an investment bank was hired earlier this summer "to review a potential merger with RIM," but no formal offer was ever extended.

Of course, it's not atypical to hear of Amazon buying unusual assets -- it's snapped up everything from a touchscreen startup to a UK-based movie streaming and rental service -- and sources have affirmed that "other kinds of commercial partnerships" could still be in the cards. In fact, the two are rumored to be actively discussing ways to "expand their commercial ties, which currently include a service launched last year to make Amazon's music catalog available to some BlackBerry users."

RUMOR: GROUPON SHORT ON CASH

In the run up to its recent IPO, a number of outlets reported that the daily deal giant Groupon was running short on cash. Over at the Motley Fool, Evan Niu noted that the company had $243.9 million in cash and equivalents at the end of September, compared with $465.6 million in accrued merchant payables, that is, the money they owed people who ran Groupon deals.

The company ended up raising $700 million, but according to a source familiar with its business, there still isn’t enough cash on hand to make critical structural improvements the company needs to grow. Groupon is shelling out millions every month on hosting costs, and paying a premium to third parties. The company is very eager to construct it own data center, but simply can’t afford it.

Groupon noted in it's IPO prospectus "We have spent and expect to continue to spend substantial amounts on data centers and equipment and related network infrastructure to handle the traffic on our websites and applications. The operation of these systems is expensive and complex and could result in operational failures. In the event that our subscriber base or the amount of traffic on our websites and applications grows more quickly than anticipated, we may be required to incur significant additional costs.”

ITC SIDES WITH APPLE, BANS US IMPORT OF SOME HTC DEVICES

A judge with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled Monday that HTC is guilty of infringing Apple’s patents in several devices. The ITC also ordered a ban on the import of several of HTC’s smartphones although it is unclear which models are affected. The ban will take effect on April 19th. “Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has found a violation of section 337 in this investigation and has issued a limited exclusion order prohibiting importation of infringing personal data and mobile communications devices and related software,” the ITC said in its determination. “The Commission has determined that exclusion of articles subject to this order shall commence on April 19, 2012.”

The injunction applies to two patents related to “data tapping,” and “if Google can implement this popular feature, which users of modern-day smartphones really expect, without infringing on the two patent claims found infringed, this import ban won’t have any effect whatsoever,” patent expert Florian Muller of FOSS Patents said in a post.

Apple accused HTC of infringing on 10 total patents and the ITC ruled in July that HTC was in violation of two of those patents. HTC later filed for an appeal of the case, in which Apple sought to ban the Taiwan-based vendor from selling its devices in the United States. “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs said in March, 2010, when the complaint was initially filed.

HTC released a statement after the ruling saying it will appeal the decision. Additionally HTC stated they have a solution ready to address the violations noted in the judgement.

INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY SAYS CELL PHONE BANS DO NOT REDUCE ACCIDENTS

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has issued a report saying cell phones are not causing accidents, but is "the full spectrum of things that distract." The IIHS (funded by a group of car insurers) compared crash data between states that had instituted cell phone bans and those that hadn't. According to its research, while the ban had reduced phone use, it hadn't helped reduce crash rates.

The National Transportation Safety Board has presented several studies linking cell phone use to an increased chance of crashing and their latest proposals would ban not only cell phone usage, but most hands-free systems found in major car makers' vehicles today.

AT&T DROPS BID TO ACQUIRE T-MOBILE

AT&T says it is ending its $39 billion bid to buy T-Mobile USA after facing fierce government objections. AT&T's purchase of T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom of Germany would have made it the largest cellphone company in the U.S. AT&T is currently the country's second-largest wireless carrier, while T-Mobile is the fourth-largest.
The Justice Department sued to block the merger on Aug. 31, saying it would reduce competition and lead to higher prices. Last month, the companies withdrew their application to the Federal Communications Commission after its chairman also opposed the deal.

It is unclear if AT&T will still have to pay T-Mobile the exhorbitant break up fee or not. Also in question is the rumor about AT&T and T-Mobile creating a joint venture.

WORST COMPANIES IN AMERICA

24/7 Wallstreet has compiled a list of the worst run companies in America. It used a number of factors to evaluate the companies including stock price, dividends paid, product launch success, financial results, success of new management and the performance of each company within its industry. Not surprisingly a number of technology oriented companies made the list.

Research in Motion (RIM) came in at #2 on the list. It's delay in releasing competitive products and poorly designed products with the inability to compete against Apple and Android were sited as two of the main reasons.

At #4 on the list is Eastman Kodak. With the inability to transition from an operating company to a patent holder with intellectual property to license investors are very skittish on the company. It's stock price is down 79% YTD and many investors are suing the company for misleading them about how much capital it had on hand.

In the 7-9 spots are Hewlett-Packard, Groupon and Netflix respectively. HP has lost up to 22% of it's stock price with the main concern around the ability to find a successful successor to Mark Hurd. Groupon has never made a profit and there are concerns about it's accounting practices. Rounding out the list is Netflix. It makes the list mainly due to the debacle this summer where the company raised rates on customers 60%. It lost over 800,000 customers according to it's most recent filing.

To read the rest of the list and see who was in the best companies catagory, hit the link above.

GOOGLE + GETS UPDATES

Google + (G+) has announced a number of improvements on it's blog this morning. Some of the improvements include the finer control over postings. The control allows the user to “graphic-equalize” the stream of a particular circle. A slider will allow the user to adjust how posts are blended into the stream.

The G+ team has also updated the photo viewing utility, Lightbox. The improvements to Lightbox include improved navigation, enhanced comment legibility and better overall utility. Other improvements include better photo-tagging utility that is "both fun and fluid." These improvements are designed to make the photo the hero, letting the content itself shine through.

Notifications have been updated as well. G+ has enhanced the notifications with easier to read "sneak previews" that immediately present what’s new and why you might care.

Lastly, Pages have been updated. Administration has been improved with the ability to have up to 50 managers as administrators for the page. Notficiations for Pages has been improved to help those managers stay in the loop and be more involved with page conversation.

RUMOR: APPLE TESTING WEARABLE iPOD WITH SIRI INTEGRATION

Apple may be secretly developing wearable iPods that offer full support for voice commands using the company’s Siri software. Details surrounding the supposed project were revealed by The New York Times on Monday. Apple is reportedly working on a “curved-glass iPod that would wrap around the wrist,” which sounds similar to a watch-like device that could replace the iPod nano and shuffle in gyms around the world. Presuming Siri support would be the same as it is on the iPhone 4S, users could command the device to play a specific song, check the weather or more. We’re even imagining deeper Siri integration where a user might be able to ask their iPod how far they have run or what their current heart rate is.

SPRINT DISABLES CARRIER IQ ON ALL PHONES, STOPS COLLECTING DATA

Sprint on Friday confirmed that it has disabled Carrier IQ on its servers and it is no longer actively using the software to collect diagnostic data. ”We have weighed customer concerns and we have disabled use of the tool so that diagnostic information and data is no longer being collected,” a Sprint spokesperson told Mobile Burn. “We are further evaluating options regarding this diagnostic software as well as Sprint’s diagnostic needs.” Sprint revealed in a letter to Senator Al Franken earlier this week that Carrier IQ is currently installed on approximately 26 million Sprint smartphones. Reports from earlier on Friday suggested that Sprint has already begun notifying its vendor partners to remove Carrier IQ software from their handsets, but Sprint did not directly address those claims.

SIRI PORTING TO iPHONE 4 NOW LEGAL WITH iOS 5.0.1 UPDATE

IPhone 4 owners looking to take advantage of Apple’s Siri software from the iPhone 4S now have one less barrier standing in their way. Sure, plenty of tricks have been available in the past that allow users to hack Siri onto an iPhone 4, but until now they were illegal. Apple’s recent iOS 5.0.1 update, however, has a decrypted ramdisk, which means users can legally port files to the iPhone 4 that were previously encrypted and protected by Apple’s public distribution policies. Apple may re-encrypt the files in iOS 5.1, which is expected to launch in the near future, so move quick if you want to take advantage of this loophole.

APPLE'S A5 CHIP BEING MADE IN TEXAS BY SAMSUNG

Apple and other consumer electronics companies typically look to the Far East for components, but a new report suggests that the production of Apple’s current mobile processors has now moved to the United States. Reuters on Friday reported that the chip powering Apple’s current iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models is now manufactured in a new 1.6 million square foot Samsung factory located in Austin, Texas. The report cites unnamed people familiar with Samsung’s operations. Samsung’s new Austin facility — which is the size of nine football fields — reportedly reached full production earlier this month, and it was built to manufacture non-memory chips. The South Korea-based company confirmed that its Texas plant was recently expanded to manufacture logic chips, though it would not comment specifically on Apple or its A5 processor. Reuters reported earlier this year that Samsung lost the contract to build Apple’s next-generation A6 processor, which will instead be manufactured by Taiwan-based chip maker TSMC.

DELL LEAVES NETBOOKS BEHIND

Dell confirmed that it is no longer making consumer netbooks. Not only are the Inspiron Minis being put in the grave, but the company confirmed for us that it will not be releasing new netbooks based on Intel's forthcoming Cedar Trail platform. In other words, it is done with the category.

That said, it did clarify that its netbook / tablet hybrid — the Inspiron Duo — continues to sell well, and although it isn't in stock on Dell.com right now, it would available again before the holidays are over. Of course, Dell is still planning on being a lead player in the mobile laptop space and stressed that it has been spending time developing higher-end, premium laptops like the XPS 14z. Dell's Marketing Director Alison Gardner was very clear about the strategy: "Thin and powerful is where it is at for us." Seems like ultrabooks are indeed the new netbooks

UNIVERSAL MUSIC CLAIMS RIGHT TO REMOVE YOUTUBE VIDEOS IT DOESN'T HAVE COPYRIGHT TO

Universal Music Group has responded to Megaupload's request for a temporary restraining order barring the music giant from further interference with the distribution of its "Mega Song." UMG insists that it had a right to take down the video—not under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, as Megaupload had assumed, but under a private contractual arrangement between UMG and YouTube.

UMG's filing raises more questions than it answers. Most obviously, the firm has not explained why it took down the video in the first place. But the filing also raises deeper questions about UMG's effort to essentially opt out of the DMCA takedown rules. UMG seems to believe it can take down videos even if it doesn't hold the copyright to them, and that when UMG takes a video down from YouTube, the owner of that video can't avail herself of even the weak protections against takedown abuse provided by the DMCA.

UMG casts Megaupload as a major villain in the war over illegal file-sharing. Last week, Megaupload sought to bolster its image by releasing a pop-star-studded promotional video. UMG's takedown request was an unexpected publicity coup. Megaupload took full advantage, suing UMG on Monday and asking the judge for an immediate restraining order to prevent UMG from further interfering with the video's distribution.

UMG's response, filed late on Thursday, focuses on the narrow question of whether Judge Claudia Wilken should grant such a restraining order. The recording giant makes two principle arguments in opposition.

First, UMG says such a restraining order is not authorized by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA's notice-and-takedown safe harbor includes a provision for monetary damages against copyright holders who abuse the takedown process, but it does not give the courts the power to block copyright holders from sending takedown requests.

But more importantly, Universal argues that its takedown is not governed by the DMCA in the first place. In a statement supporting Megaupload's complaint, CIO Kim Dotcom had stated "it is my understanding" that Universal had invoked the DMCA's notice-and-takedown provisions. But UMG says Dotcom got it wrong: the takedown was sent "pursuant to the UMG-YouTube agreement," which gives UMG "the right to block or remove user-posted videos through YouTube's CMS based on a number of contractually specified criteria."

In other words, when UMG removes a video using YouTube's CMS, that might be a takedown, but it's not a DMCA takedown. And that, UMG argues, means that the DMCA's rule against sending takedown requests for files you don't own doesn't apply.

UMG underscored the point by including a letter UMG lawyer Kelly Klaus sent to YouTube on Wednesday. In that letter, Klaus wrote:

Your letter could be read to suggest that UMG's rights to use the YouTube "Content Management System" with respect to certain user-posted videos are limited to instances in which UMG asserts a claim that a user-posted video contains material that infringes a UMG copyright. As you know, UMG's rights in this regard are not limited to copyright infringement, as set forth more completely in the March 31, 2009 Video License Agreement for UGC Video Service Providers, including without limitation Paragraphs 1(b) and 1(g) thereof.

This appears to be a reference to the agreement underlying the VEVO partnership between Google and UMG announced in April 2009. As far as we know, the agreement isn't public, so we can only speculate on what's in Paragraphs 1(b) and 1(g).

MICROSOFT TO SILENT UPDATE INTERNET EXPLORER FOR EVERYONE

Microsoft has decided that the time has come to make sure that all users of Internet Explorer are using the most current version possible. To accomplish that goal, they’re turning on automatic updates.

Internet Explorer will quietly update itself just as Windows does. Starting in January, users in Australia and Brazil will be the begin receiving automatic IE updates. Microsoft will then gradually extend coverage to other parts of the world as time goes on. Ryan Gavin, Microsoft’s senior director for Internet Explorer, pointed out several benefits. The overall security of the Windows user community will be improved as outdated browsers are replaced, developers can focus their attention on building sites using modern web code.

There also won’t be any changes made to a user’s default search provider or home page. User preferences won’t be touched as part of this new Internet Explorer update process. You’ll simply be bumped to the most current version available for your version of Windows.

Microsoft hasn’t forgotten about its enterprise customers. The software giant will continue to offer Internet Explorer blocker tools so that network administrators can deploy new browser versions once they’ve been fully tested and won’t cause any application compatibility issues.

FOX, NBC UNIVERSAL AND SONY EMPLOYEES CAUGHT DOWNLOADING ILLEGAL TORRENTS

Considering all of the concerns major music and movie studios have over piracy and file sharing, one would think the studios could at least manage to keep their own employees from stealing content. That is apparently not the case, however. TorrentFreak has a new tool that reveals what a specific IP address has downloaded from BitTorrent, and used it to snoop around a few popular studios. The site found that employees at Fox, Sony and NBC Universal were downloading illegal content from BitTorrent. A Sony employee, for example, downloaded Conan the Barbarian, an album from The Black Keys, and a Beavis and Butthead video. An NBC Universal Employee downloaded HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones, Cowboys and Aliens and a trance album. Fox typically contacts the FBI when a movie has been leaked, but TorrentFreak found an employee downloading a 1080p HD version of the movie Super 8. “By highlighting the above our intention is not to get anyone into trouble, and for that reason we masked out the end of the IP addresses to avoid a witch hunt,” TorrentFreak said. “An IP address is not a person, IP addresses can be shared among many people, and anyone can be behind a keyboard at any given time.” A Google employee was also caught downloading Windows 7, and the Church of God was busted for downloading two popular TV shows.

US FTC AND FCC INVESTIGATING CARRIER IQ

Federal investigators have launched a probe in order to examine Carrier IQ’s smartphone software, which tracks a range of activity and sends certain data to wireless carriers without users’ knowledge. Carrier IQ executives met with officials from both the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commuission on Tuesday, The Washington Post reports. “We are complying with all investigations at this time as we have nothing to hide,” said Carrier IQ representative Mira Woods. “We have been completely transparent through this process.”

Allegations that the Federal Bureau of Investigation may also be using Carrier IQ software to spy on smartphone users arose on Tuesday when the FBI denied a Freedom of Information Act request for materials related to the Carrier IQ scandal.

GAME CONSOLE OWNERS STREAMING MEDIA USAGE INCREASES SIGNIFICANTLY

New data from Nielsen suggests that console owners are using their Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii game consoles to stream video content more than ever before. “Streaming now represents a reported 14 percent of Xbox 360 time, 15 percent of PS3 time and 33 percent of Wii time,” Nielsen said Wednesday. The market research firm explained that the growth in time spent streaming was driven by services such as ESPN 3, Netflix, MLB Network and Hulu, but that time spent using consoles also increased overall. Console usage during the first half of 2011 jumped 7% from the same time period last year. Nielsen said gaming is the most popular activity on Xbox 360 (34% of usage), the PS3 is most used for DVD/Blu-ray viewing (22% of usage) and the Wii is used most for offline gaming (55% of usage)

ACER BETS ON ULTRABOOKS TO TACKLE APPLE

Acer will cut its product line by 66% in 2012 and focus on simplifying its portfolio, company chairman JT Wang recently said according to reports. Wang expects the narrowed focus to be fine-tuned over the next two to three years, DigiTimes reports, but the sharper vision will have an immediate impact on sales — Acer thinks revenue will climb 10% in 2012 as Acer attacks the ultrabook market while shifting away from low-margin netbooks. The Acer boss also sees another upside to the advent of ultrabooks: the rise of slim Windows and Intel-powered notebook computers will weaken Apple’s growth over the next two years. As ultrabook prices begin to fall to the $699-range in 2012, their rapid adoption will slow sales of more expensive Mac laptops.

GOOGLE CHROME PASSES INTERNET EXPLORER TO BECOME TOP BROWSER IN WORLD

When Google Chrome launched a couple years ago, people knew that Google’s massive web presence and cross-promotional powers would help it gain market share quickly. But in just over 26 months Chrome 15 has surpassed Internet Explorer 8 to become the most popular browser in the world.

Yes, it’s a single browser version — and with Chrome’s silent auto-update mechanism, that’s the entire Google Chrome army against just one version of Internet Explorer. When you look at all versions, IE is still top dog at about 39% worldwide, with Chrome near 27%. That doesn’t make the feat any more impressive. In just two years, Google has managed to build, test, release, and promote Chrome well enough that it’s now a force to be reckoned with in the web browser market.

NTSB RECOMMENDS BAN ON CELL PHONE USAGE IN CARS INCLUDING HANDS-FREE DEVICES

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) voted on Tuesday to recommend that all states ban the use of using cell phones while driving, whether for talking or texting. It is also recommending that states ban hands-free devices, which are typically used as a safety measure among those who do place phone calls while driving. “No call, no text, no update is worth a human life,” NTSB chairman Deborah Hersan said. “This is a difficult recommendation, but it’s the right recommendation and it’s time.” States are not required to follow the NTSB’s recommendation, The New York Times said, noting that state regulators can individually choose to implement a law or ignore the recommendation altogether.

SECURITY FIRM SAYS GOOGLE WALLET NOT SECURE

Security firm ViaForensics recently said Google Wallet does not properly protect personal data, including credit card balance information, on a rooted Nexus S smartphone. Google Wallet is an NFC-based mobile payment system for Android that is accepted by a number of retailers in the United States. It is currently only officially available on the Nexus S and Nexus S 4G. “While Google Wallet does a decent job securing your full credit cards numbers, the amount of data that Google Wallet stores unencrypted on the device is significant,” ViaForensics said in a recent report. “Many consumers would not find it acceptable if people knew their credit card balance or limits.”

FBI DENIES REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON CARRIER IQ

The FBI has denied a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for materials about Carrier IQ, a company that has been in the spotlight recently after a security expert revealed that its software is installed on millions of smartphones. The FOIA request was sent by MuckRock and specifically asked for “manuals, documents or other written guidance used to access or analyze data gathered by programs developed or deployed by Carrier IQ.” FBI section chief David Hardy responded to MuckRock’s request with the following statement:

I have determined that the records responsive to your request are law enforcement records; that there is a pending prospective law enforcement proceeding relevant to these records; and that release of the information contained in these responsive records could reasonably be expected to interfere with the enforcement proceedings.

It is unknown if the FBI is currently working hand-in-hand with Carrier IQ or if Carrier IQ is the subject of an FBI investigation. MuckRock said that it plans to appeal the FBI’s FOIA denial.

APPLE MAC APP STORE HITS 100 MILLION DOWNLOADS

At just under a year old, Apple's Mac App Store is celebrating a fairly significant milestone, hitting the 100 million download mark, a fact the company celebrated with a customarily self-congratulatory press release. The desktop store hit the scene in January of this year, just ahead of CES -- at present, it's home to "thousands" of apps, according to Apple. Granted, these numbers pale in comparison to the some 18 billion app downloads for Apple's other App Store, but still, not bad for a year's work.

DISH NETWORK MAY BE T-MOBILE'S BACK UP DATE IF AT&T STIFFS IT

Dish Network had reportedly been considered a potential candidate to receive divested T-Mobile assets from AT&T if it couldn't secure initial approval of its acquisition from the government. Dish, however, has publicly opposed the acquisition -- and now it's clear that there were some ulterior motives in wanting to see the merger fall through, because Bloomberg reported this morning that the satellite provider wants to merge its spectrum assets with T-Mobile if things don't go so rosy in the acquisition.

According to CEO Joseph Clayton "We want to... create a national wireless network, video, voice and data. We've got expertise in satellite TV, and we will in satellite broadband. The voice part, we'll need some help with.We want to... create a national wireless network, video, voice and data. We've got expertise in satellite TV, and we will in satellite broadband. The voice part, we'll need some help with."

A partnership with T-Mobile would ideally help both companies: it would help Dish get one step closer to its goal of a wireless network that bundles smartphones, tablets and satellite under the same umbrella, and would cast a bright light on T-Mobile's questionable future.

UNIVERSAL FILES FALSE TAKE DOWN NOTICE FOR MEGAUPLOADS YOUTUBE SONG

Megaupload recently funded a song that features popular artists singing its praises. The artists, independent of their labels, signed agreements with the file sharing service to appear on the track. The song released on YouTube, grew in popularity, and was promptly removed due to a complaint by Universal. The only problem is that Universal is not the owner of the song and does not control the rights to it.

The promo, The Mega Song, features P Diddy, Will.i.am, Jamie Foxx, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray, Chris Brown, The Game, and Mary J Blige cashing in on their endorsements. Even Lil Jon throws in a “YEA.” If not for its promoting a file-sharing service, the video would hardly be newsworthy. Filled with cringe-worthy lines like “M-E-G-A, send me a file today,” it’s nothing more than four minutes of repetitive marketing set to music.

Yet Universal thinks it has the authority to remove the song. It’s possible that one or more of these artists has a contractual agreement to seek Universal’s permission for such a promo. Megaupload doesn’t think so: the company is suing Universal for the illegitimate copyright takedown. Its founder, Kim Dotcom, believes that it was an attempt to sabotage the campaign.

RUMOR: VERIZON TO BUY NETFLIX

Netflix's share price has soared on a rumor that Verizon is in talks with the video company to acquire them. DealReporter is making the claim and is backing it up with some circumstantial evidence.

Last week, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam said that his company wants to offer video streaming, and had even looked at Hulu when it was on the block. He declined to comment on reports Verizon is preparing to team up with Coinstar’s Redbox.

RUMOR: iPAD 3 COMING IN 3 - 4 MONTHS

According to a report on DigiTimes The next generation iPads are expected to be available in the next 3-4 months. DigiTimes reports that makers in the supply chain have started delivering parts and components for the new tablets to OEM contractors while reducing those prepared for iPad 2, according to sources in the supply chain.

Reportedly, Foxconn Electronics will begin to produce the next-generation iPads in January and to ramp up the production volume starting February

LEAK: GOVERNMENT REPORT STATES LIGHTSQUARED INTERFERES WITH MOST GPS SYSTEMS

According to leaked reports from government test drafts, LightSquared's technology causes "harmful interference" to the majority of GPS receivers. Addressing the allegations, LightSquared called the conclusions "patently false." It added, "We are outraged by the illegal leak of incomplete government data to news organizations. This breach attempts to draw an inaccurate conclusion to negatively influence the future of LightSquared and narrowly serve the business interests of the GPS industry." The company believes tests are inconclusive because they were completed at power levels up to 15 times higher than those that would be used in practice. By ignoring its commitment to work at a lower level to minimize interference, the company believes the conclusions are erroneous. It's important to note, however, that the NTIA will make the final determination about how many devices passed or failed, rather than the documents makers. And that assessment has not yet been made. Despite the ongoing dispute, the company has already managed to secure 30 partners ranging from Sprint to Best Buy, all hoping to cash in on a promised $7 per gigabyte price point. The FCC has given LightSquared the go-ahead to build the network, but will not allow for activation until approving the final round of government testing.

HP MAKES webOS OPEN SOURCE; CONFIRMS NEW HARDWARE

HP announced on Friday that it will open-source its webOS mobile operating system, which once upon a time powered smartphones and a single tablet. Even though the company said quite some time ago that it was killing off it webOS hardware efforts, HP CEO Meg Whitman said in an interview with The Verge on Friday that HP plans to create new webOS-based devices in the future. “The answer to that is yes but what I can’t tell you is whether that will be in 2012 or not,” Whitman said when asked about the potential for new hardware. “But we will use webOS in new hardware, but it’s just going to take us a little longer to reorganize the team in a quite different direction than we’ve been taking it in the past.” Whitman declined to elaborate on what webOS devices HP plans to build, but she did say tablets are possible.

APPLE FILES PATENT FOR KINECT LIKE MOTION CONTROL DEVICE

With the success of Microsoft’s Kinect device on both Windows PCs and the 360, you knew it was only a matter of time before the folks at Cupertino would try to cash in on motion control. Pictured above is an image taken from a patent application submitted by Apple that outlines a “three-dimensional imaging and display system.”

The concept illustrated here is pretty simple, the square device laying in front of the user on the table is the motion sensor that detects gestures and movements for user interactions. Using an infrared laser, the unit makes an imaginary “box” represented by the dotted lines that a user puts their hands inside to manipulate their desktop.

TWITTER GETS A MAKEOVER....AGAIN

Twitter has released an update to their popular micro blogging site. The visual update will "make it easier than ever to follow what you care about, connect with others and discover something new." Four new tabs bring you instantly closer to everything you care about.

The website has been update and launched with mobile apps coming soon.

HP CALLS ALL HANDS webOS MEETING

HP CEO Meg Whitman has weighed the options for what to do with webOS, and tomorrow at 10:30 AM Pacific Time we should finally get and answer. Rumor and speculation have been swirling for what seems like an eternity. At first the general assumption was that HP would sell webOS to the highest bidder, possibly just for the foundational smartphone patents held by HP. But as time went on, more and more potential suitors publicly backed out. Whitman has taken her time coming to a decision, but recently has been making increasingly positive statements about webOS.

With an all-hands meeting for the webOS Global Business Unit scheduled for tomorrow and Whitman set to attend, we're expecting to finally get some answers. It was exactly one month ago that Whitman stood before the same group, pledging to take the time to make "the right decision, not the fast decision."

AT&T TO THROTTLE TOP DATA USERS

AT&T has stated they will begin to throttle the top 5% of data users down to 2G (whatever that is) speeds. Users will be notified via text message. The text message states "Your data usage is among the top 5 percent of users. Data speeds for the rest of your current bill cycle may be reduced.”

It’s unknown how much data you must consume to make it into the 5 percent affected by the throttling; however, AT&T has made it clear in the past that this move should only effect jailbreakers on unlimited plans who are using tethering hacks to get around subscribing to AT&T’s official tethering plan.

VERIZON AND REDBOX TEAM UP FOR STREAMING SERVICE

On Wednesday we reported on a story that suggested Verizon may be planning to challenge Netflix by launching its own video streaming service. Now, it appears the communications giant is secretly working with RedBox, the popular $1.00 video rental kiosk company, on a streaming service that could launch next year. According to TechCrunch, the plan is currently called “Project Zoetrope” and it will allow users to subscribe, download and stream movies and television shows across a variety of platforms including Roku, web browsers, Xbox, Google TV, Android and iOS.

Like competing services such as Vudu, both HD and SD resolutions will be available for rental. TechCrunch said pricing will be based on a monthly credit allotment. A user, for example, might buy 10 credits for $9.95 per month, which would allow him or her to stream a certain number of shows or movies. Apple, Amazon, Google, Netflix, Vudu and others are already members of the crowded digital movie rental space, so Verizon and RedBox will certainly face stiff competition if they’re looking to enter this market.

SAMSUNG GETS TABLET BAN LIFTED IN AUSTRALIA

A ban that prevented Samsung’s local subsidiaries from marketing and selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Australia was lifted on Friday, marking another victory for Samsung in its ongoing legal battles with Apple. An Australian High Court ruled that Samsung’s 10-inch tablet does not “slavishly rip off” Apple’s iPad, and sales of the slate will resume next week according to The Sydney Morning Herald, in time to catch the tail end of the holiday shopping rush. Read on for more.

The ruling comes following Apple’s appeal after a judge overturned a ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales late last month. This new victory for comes on the heels of another win for Samsung; a U.S. district judge on Monday decided against banning sales of Samsung’s tablet in the United States, saying that such a ban would not prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed.

Apple and Samsung currently have more than 30 pending lawsuits filed against each other around the world.

US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING APPLE AND E-BOOK PUBLISHERS

Hot on the heels of the EU Commission, the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday confirmed that it is investigating the pricing of electronic books, the latest antitrust watchdog to probe whether there was improper collusion by Apple Inc. and publishers to prevent discounting.
At a congressional hearing, Sharis Pozen, the Justice Department's acting antitrust chief, said: "We are also investigating the electronic book industry, along with the European Commission and the states attorneys general."

The Wall Street Journal and other media have reported that the Justice Department has been investigating the matter since last year.

HP TO SELL REFURB TOUCHPADS FOR $99 ON 12/11

Starting Sunday, December 11th at 6:00 p.m. Central time, 16GB and 32GB Touchpads will be available on HP’s ebay store. A $79 accessory bundle will also be available, which includes a case, charging dock and wireless keyboard. Look for them in the laptop section. As you would expect, there are some caveats with this deal with the main disappointment being these are refurbished TouchPads rather than the brand new models sold during the first firesale.

The refurbished 16GB and 32GB models will be available in an unannounced quantity. Sales will be limited to just two SKUs per ebay member and PayPal must be used to complete the transaction. All sales are final and the product only comes with a 90-day warranty.

MICROSOFT TO LAUNCH WINDOWS 8 APP STORE

Microsoft recently revealed a number of details on its Windows 8 Windows Store, an application storefront that will launch in February in tandem with Windows 8 Beta. Microsoft corporate vice president Antoine Leblond explained that developers will receive 80% of all revenues from applications sold after earning $25,000 in revenue, before which developers will receive a 70% cut. Apple, by contrast, offers developers 70% of app revenues. Microsoft is also taking a different approach to subscription models. The Daily Telegraph, for example, will offer a subscription option to its daily newspaper but will use its own existing authentication system to allow its users to log-in. Apple and Google typically force developers to use proprietary subscription systems.

“Lots of apps already have business models that depend on a particular transaction provider or that benefit from ties to other lines of business,” Ted Dworkin, partner program manager for Windows 8 Windows Store explained in a blog post. “Customers of those businesses want the trust and efficiency of a familiar, trusted transaction experience.” Developers can also choose “whatever ad platform they prefer, whether it’s from Microsoft or someone else.” Microsoft recently published its app certification policies and said that its goal is to be transparent by using “plain language” in its approval process and that it will provide feedback to developers whose apps are rejected.The Windows 8 Windows Store will have a global reach, allowing software companies to publish applications in 231 markets and in more than 100 languages.

VERIZON TO LAUNCH FAMILY SHARE DATA PLANS NEXT YEAR

Speaking during a recent UBS conference in New York City, Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam said that Verizon Wireless may rollout shared data plans next year. Currently, a family of five must have a different data plan for each member of the household; however, the new plans could potentially allow all five family members to share a pool of data, much like a family would share voice minutes. The same benefits could apply to a single customer who has separate data plans for a tablet, a smartphone and a USB modem. “I think in 2012 we will see it,” McAdam said. “We have been working on this for a couple of years. Getting to one bill and getting to account-level pricing is our goal.”

VERIZON 4G NETWORK DOWN IN SOME AREAS

If your Droid or other Verizon 4G LTE-yoked cell, dongle or MiFi isn't pulling down any high speed data then don't worry, at least you're in good company. Judging by reports cropping up all over the internet, the current Verizon outage on its fastest data connection is quite widespread. The company's official statement indicates engineers are currently trying to resolve the issue which cropped up in the last 24 hours, and reminds users the company's voice services and 3G network are still working fine, if you can call downloads maxing out at just a couple of megabits per second working.

A similar outage popped up back in April, and while there's no word on what exactly is behind the issue, we hope this one is resolved even more quickly. Until then, keep an eye on the @VZWSupport Twitter account for updates while we try to keep from letting this collapse of modern technology drag us all the way back into the dark ages of 1xRTT.

ANDROID MARKET HITS 10 BILLION DOWNLOADS

The applications plaza for Google's mobile OS, Android, just had its ten billionth app downloaded. In honor of hitting this mark, it's passing the savings on to you, placing ten apps on sale for ten cents. The sale will last for ten days, so procrastinators will have a little extra time to decide which ones are worth a dime. There's a few classics on the list, such as SwiftKey X, Minecraft, Asphalt 6 and SoundHound.

VERIZON TAKING ON NETFLIX

According to Reuters, Verizon is getting ready to enter the streaming media market. Reports are that the company is in talks with programming partners to provide content for a Netflix-like video service that it could offer to customers not currently covered by its high-speed FiOS network. Obviously, details are scant, and there's no telling when it might actually launch, but you can bet its competitors will be watching closely

AT&T RANKS WORST CARRIER IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR

AT&T has again received the lowest rating in Consumer Reports’ annual wireless carrier customer satisfaction survey. Verizon Wireless won the top spot and its customers were most satisfied with its data service and staff knowledge. Verizon was followed by Sprint and T-Mobile USA. “Our survey indicates that subscribers to prepaid and smaller standard-service providers are happiest overall with their cell-phone service,” Consumer Reports electronics editor Paul Reynolds said. “However, these carriers aren’t for everyone. Some are only regional, and prepaid carriers tend to offer few or no smart phones. The major carriers are still leading options for many consumers, and we found they ranged widely in how well they satisfied their customers.” Consumer Reports surveyed 66,000 of its subscribers and included standard and no-contract wireless customers across 22 metropolitan areas.