FACEBOOK TESTING 'TRUSTED FRIENDS' PASSWORD UNLOCK FEATURE

Over the coming weeks Facebook will begin testing a 'Trusted Friends' password unlock feature. The feature will allow a user to select between three and five pals that they're confident will help out in dire times. Then, should you lose your password, Facebook can send recovery codes to that gang, and they can hand 'em over to you in order to unlock things. According to Facebook, it's akin to "giving a house key to your friends when you go on vacation."

SAMSUNG'S FLEXIBLE DISPLAYS COMING IN 2012

A few days after Nokia showed off its Kinetic Device prototype under the blue lights of Nokia World, Samsung made mention of its own plans to unleash some bendy mobile devices on the world. A spokesperson for the company was scarce on details, but noted that the flexible displays are targeted for 2012. The technology, which was showcased at this year's CES, will initially be incorporated into handsets, with tablets following down the road.

ROYAL SOCIETY OPENS ARCHIVES TO PUBLIC

The venerable Royal Society, the over 350-year-old British scientific organization, has just opened up its archives to the web-dwelling public. That's over 60,000 scientific papers dating back to the first ever peer-reviewed research publication in 1665. Other highlights include Issac Newton's first ever published paper, research from Charles Darwin, and Ben Franklin's famous kite experiment. You can access the archives here.

HP DIVING INTO WINDOWS 8 TABLET POOL

During the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Thursday, HP CEO Meg Whitman confirmed that her company will launch tablets powered by Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system next year. “One of my observations is that HP tries to do a lot of things,” Whitman explained. “And I am a big believer in doing a small number of things really, really well — set them up, knock them down, set them up, knock them down.” Whitman’s comments are in-line with recent rumors that suggested that Dell and HP would both launch Windows 8 tablets during the third quarter next year.

RUMOR: APPLE DEVELOPING 15-INCH ULTRA THIN MACBOOK

Macotakara is reporting that Apple is designing a new 15-inch Macbook model that will offer an ultra-thin MacBook Air-like design. The rumor initially started in July and had Apple already field testing the device. It remains unclear if Apple will introduce a 15-inch MacBook Air, if it will introduce a thinner but more powerful MacBook Pro or if it will reintroduce the “MacBook” family of computers, which was discontinued this past summer. Apple currently only offers 13-inch and 11-inch MacBook Air models, so it is possible the company is adding a larger laptop to the mix. Apple currently outfits its MacBook Pro computers with an optical drive and beefier hardware that contribute to the bulkier size; a thinner model might mean the company is ditching the optical drive to remove some bulk. The Cupertino-based firm quietly upgraded the MacBook Pro on October 24th, however, so any drastic changes to the computer probably won’t be unveiled until some time next year.

HP SAYS TOUCHPAD OFFICIALLY OUT OF STOCK

Hewlett-Packard sent out notices today that it is officially out of TouchPads, meaning there will be no more shipments of those popular $99 tablets. The notice says, "As you signed up for updates on the HP TouchPad, we wanted you to know that we are officially out of stock. Some retailers will have some stock available, but our online inventory is depleted."

The only other avenue for getting a TouchPad is Best Buy. The retailer announced today that it will offer a 32 GB HP TouchPad for $149.99 with purchase of an HP or Compaq Laptop, Desktop or All-in-One computer.

RUMOR: NOOK COLOR 2 LAUNCHING NOVEMBER 7

Three Barnes & Noble employees have all but confirmed that the company will release its new e-reader, the Nook Color 2, on November 7, reports The Digital Reader.
Its most direct competitor will be Amazon's upcoming Kindle Fire tablet, slated for release on November 15.

GOOGLE LAUNCHES OVER 100 CHANNELS ON YOUTUBE

Google is launching more than 100 new YouTube channels with exclusive video content commissioned from media companies and celebrities.
Providers with their own channels will include Thomson Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, comedy magazine The Onion, Jay-Z, Ashton Kutcher, Deepak Chopra, Shaquille O'Neal (who will have a comedy channel), and Madonna (with a dance channel).

Sources familiar with the deal say that Google paid advances of more than $100 million to get this content. The artists will be able to earn it back through ad monetization over time. The model is similar to how record labels pay advances to artists, but in this case Google will be exercising no control over the creation or production of the content. It's simply seeding the market.
We've heard several times in recent months that Google is upping its investment in original video content under leader Robert Kynci -- as one source put it, the company would rather fund the next MTV or ESPN than buy them, as it was reportedly considering with a YouTube deal.

Earlier today, Google launched the next version of Google TV, which includes a new YouTube app. The company talked about accessing YouTube content as "channels" -- now it's got some commitments for new content to go on those channels. A list of partners is below.

Electus Channel - Pop Culture (name TBD)
PMC PMC Entertainment News
WWE WWE
Young Hollywood Young Hollywood Network
DanceOn DanceOn (Madonna)
Fine Brothers Films MyMusic
Everyday Health, Inc. Everyday Health TV
TakePart™ TakePart™ TV
Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG) Spaces
Uncommon Content Partners The Conversation Channel
Demand Media eHow Home
SB Nation SB Nation
Magical Elves and InStyle magazine Little Black Dress
Hearst Magazines Channel - Fashion & Beauty Channel (name TBD)
Emil Rensing International Channel - Auto (name TBD)
My Damn Channel My Damn Channel: Live
Uncommon Content Partners Taste & Access
Red Bull Media House North America Red Bull
Machinima Machinima
Katalyst Thrash Lab (Ashton Kutcher)
Steve Spangler Science The Spangler Effect
New Nation Networks New Nation Networks
Smart Girls at the Party Smart Girls at the Party (Amy Poehler)
Bedrocket Media Ventures and Full Picture Productions Look TV
BermanBraun theLOGE
The Young Turks Town Square
BermanBraun & Rodale Inc. Vigor
Electus NuevOn - Latin Channel (Sofia Vergara)
Clevver Media ClevverStyle
ModernMom.com ModernMom Channel
Brady Haran DeepSkyVideos
IconicTV 123UnoDosTres
The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal
Pharrell Williams i am OTHER
SoulPancake Productions SoulPancake (Rainn Wilson)
Chopra Media/Generate The Chopra Well (Deepak Chopra)
Clevver Media ClevverNews
The Bowery Presents The Bowery Presents
Clevver Media ClevverTeVe
Seedwell American Hipster
Hearst Magazines Car and Driver Television
Alchemy Networks Alchemy Networks
CafeMom CafeMom Studios
Bedrocket Media Ventures Channel - Comedy (name TBD)
Demand Media LIVESTRONG
Bedrocket Media Ventures Channel - Action Sports (name TBD)
FremantleMedia Channel - Pets & Animal (name TBD)
Big Frame BAM
IconicTV myISH
Electus Channel - Food (name TBD)
Soccer United Marketing & Bedrocket KickTV
Lionsgate Lionsgate Fitness Channel
East of Center Productions LLC YOMYOMF
EQAL u look haute!
Philip Defranco Sourcefed
Meredith Corporation and Meredith Video Studios Digs
Vlogbrothers CrashCourse
Walter Latham Digital Walter Latham's "Kings of Comedy"
Tony Hawk's production company, 900 Films, Inc. RIDE Channel
JON M. CHU Channel - Dance (name TBD)
Vuguru & POW! Entertainment Stan Lee's World of Heroes
FAWN by Michelle Phan Fawn
DECA KinCommunity
Source Interlink Media Motor Trend
The Nerdist Channel The Nerdist Channel
Comedy Shaq Network The Comedy Shaq Network (Shaquille O’Neal)
Demand Media eHow Pets & Animals
Brady Haran numberphile
Cooking Up a Story Food Farmer Earth
Bleacher Report Bleacher Report
TED Conferences TEDEducation
Intelligent Television Intelligent Channel
Pitchfork Pitchfork TV
Vlogbrothers SciShow
EYEBOOGIE POP SPOT
Roadside Entertainment/BAC The NOC
Alli Sports Alli Sports
The Onion Onion Broadcasting Company
VICE VICE
Smosh/Alloy Digital Smosh Animation (name TBD)
VICE Noisey
Knights of Good Productions Geek & Sundry
Mondo Media New Animators
BermanBraun & Rodale Inc. Taste
Varsity Pictures Awesomeness
Black Box TV Black Box TV (Anthony Zuicker, founder of CSI)
IGN Entertainment / Shine Group START
@radical.media Channel - Education (name TBD)
Frederator Networks Channel Frederator's Cartoon Hangover
monotransistor werevertumorro
Thomson Reuters Reuters.com
Slate Slate News Channel
Maker Studios The Maker Music Network
Maker Studios The Moms' View
Maker Studios Tutele
Noisey VICE
Iconic Life and Times (Jay-Z)

[Business Insider]

JOLICLOUD OS GOES OPEN SOURCE, HEADS TO THE CLOUD

We haven't heard too much from Jolicloud in the past few months, but the company has apparently been working quite diligently on what's next: the "new Jolicloud platform." According to a mildly vague blog post from the outfit, the next edition of the OS will introduce "the personal cloud," enabling users to access the information stored there from "your iPhone, your Android phone, your tablet, your computer and pretty much any connected device with its API." In related news, Joli OS has been open sourced and is now available to the community.

HP KEEPING PC DIVISION

HP today announced that it has completed its evaluation of strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group (PSG) and has decided the unit will remain part of the company. “HP objectively evaluated the strategic, financial and operational impact of spinning off PSG. It’s clear after our analysis that keeping PSG within HP is right for customers and partners, right for shareholders, and right for employees,” said Meg Whitman, HP president and chief executive officer. “HP is committed to PSG, and together we are stronger.”

The strategic review involved subject matter experts from across the businesses and functions. The data-driven evaluation revealed the depth of the integration that has occurred across key operations such as supply chain, IT and procurement. It also detailed the significant extent to which PSG contributes to HP’s solutions portfolio and overall brand value. Finally, it also showed that the cost to recreate these in a standalone company outweighed any benefits of separation.

The outcome of this exercise reaffirms HP’s model and the value for its customers and shareholders. PSG is a key component of HP’s strategy to deliver higher value, lasting relationships with consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and enterprise customers. The HP board of directors is confident that PSG can drive profitable growth as part of the larger entity and accelerate solutions from other parts of HP’s business.

PSG has a history of innovation and technological leadership as well as an established record of industry-leading profitability. It is the No. 1 manufacturer of personal computers in the world with revenues totaling $40.7 billion for fiscal year 2010.

“As part of HP, PSG will continue to give customers and partners the advantages of product innovation and global scale across the industry’s broadest portfolio of PCs, workstations and more,” said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. “We intend to make the leading PC business in the world even better.”

iPHONE IS 50% MORE NETWORK EFFICIENT THAN ANDROID SAYS SPRINT

During the company’s earnings call on Wednesday, Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse said the iPhone is more than 50% more efficient on Sprint’s network than Android devices. “iPhone users are expected to use significantly less 3G data than the typical user of a dual-mode 3G/4G device,” Hesse added, noting that his company has found that iPhone applications take better advantage of offloading data onto Wi-Fi networks and that Android apps are “more chatty” with its network. “If Sprint’s claims are true, this could become a new key differentiator in Apple’s relationship with the operators that subsidize its phones versus Apple’s competitors HTC, Samsung [and] Motorola,” BTIG Research analyst Walter Piecyk explained, noting that Sprint’s report is “short on evidence” and that his firm will continue to test those claims.

REDBOX INCREASES DVD RENTAL RATE

Redbox announced on Monday they will be increasing the cost of DVD rentals from $1/night to $1.20/night. Redbox cites the increased costs incurred of debit card usage as a the main factor for the increase. So far, nightly pricing for Blu-ray discs ($1.50) and videogames ($2) is staying the same, but with studios already pushing for longer rental delays, there's fewer safe ports or those pursuing cheap, current movies. On the conference call, executives floated the idea of using the first sale doctrine to buy and rent retail discs if necessary.

AMAZON FILES PATENT ON RESTRICTED GIFT CARDS

We all have that one friend or family member that's nigh impossible to shop for, whether it's because they have everything or like nothing. Gift cards are the quick and dirty solution to this gifting conundrum, but what if you don't trust that special someone to make a purchase you'd be proud to call your present? Never fear, Amazon is here... with a new patent that lets you, the gift-giver, control which of the retailer's wares can be bought with its gift cards. Of course, those who aren't such control freaks can simply have the card make purchase recommendations instead. Plus, this gift card of tomorrow can also let you know what was bought with the card to give you some insight for future gifting occasions

WINDOWS PHONE MANGO NOW BEING DELIVERED TO ALL COMPATIBLE DEVICES

In a post on the Windows Phone blog today, Microsoft confirmed that it's "now delivering Mango to 100 percent of eligible phones around the world, regardless of carrier." That feat was reached less than a month after Microsoft announced that that Mango was available on half of Windows Phones, which certainly an improvement on the pace of the earlier NoDo update.

BLOCKBUSTER HIT WITH 28 DAY DELAY BY WARNER BROS

Warner Bros has decided to give Blockbuster the same month long delay the studio loves so much before new movies can be rented out as its competitors, Redbox and Netflix. While Blockbuster has had delays at its kiosks already, being first to get new flicks in stores has been a part of its marketing for a while. The LA Times reports Blockbuster so far is turning to simply buying the copies it needs at retail to rent them out immediately, but we'll see how long that lasts. If you enjoy your discs via kiosk or mail don't think you're out of the woods either, as the paper mentions Warner wants to delay new flicks to those outlets even longer when their deals are renegotiated.

SOLOR POWER COULD BE USED AT APPLE'S NORTH CAROLINA DATA CENTER

Apple’s massive billion-dollar North Carolina data center, which received a failing rating in a Greenpeace report earlier this year, may soon be powered by a solar farm. The Charlotte Observer recently uncovered permit plans from North Carolina’s Catawba County that show Apple’s intentions to adjust the terrain on a 171-acre plot across from its data center. The plans are titled “Project Dolphin Solar Farm A Expanded” but they do not discuss the solar farm itself. Instead, they detail roads, erosion control and a strategy to avoid disturbing local streams and the local environment with construction work. Apple has yet to apply for a building permit for the site, but more information will likely be revealed if it does. This is not Apple’s first foray into eco-friendly power; its facilities in Austin, Texas; Sacramento, California; and Cork, Ireland already run on 100% renewable energy. The Cupertino-based company currently relies on coal and nuclear power from Duke Energy to run its North Carolina data center.

SPRINT CLEARWIRE IN TALKS TO EXTEND NETWORK SHARING PARTNERSHIP

Sprint and Clearwire are negotiating a network-sharing contract that will last beyond 2012, Bloomberg recently reported, noting a 29% surge in Clearwire’s stock price earlier Wednesday. CEO Dan Hesse explained on a conference call that Sprint could take advantage of Clearwire’s network in an effort to balance traffic on its planned 4G LTE network. While Sprint is “making very good progress on the technical front with Clearwire,” a deal is not yet final or definite. Sprint announced earlier this month that it plans to accelerate its 4G LTE roll-out and will launch its first markets by the middle of next year. The project is expected to be fully completed in 2013. Sprint’s move to LTE had originally suggested that its WiMAX relationship with Clearwire was coming to an end, but it appears that is no longer the case. Like Sprint, Clearwire has also said it will deploy a 4G LTE network if it can find the money. Most recently the carrier was courting AT&T and Verizon in an effort to bring in enough cash for the roll-out, which it expects to cost $600 million.

RIM SUED FOR BLACKBERRY OUTAGE

BlackBerry users have filed a class-action lawsuit against Research In Motion after the company’s massive service outage earlier this month, the Financial Post reported on Wednesday. The suit was officially filed by the Consumer Law Group in the Quebec Superior Court “on behalf of individuals who have BlackBerry smartphones and who pay for a monthly data plan but were unable to access their email, BlackBerry Messenger service (BBM), and/or Internet for the period of October 11 to 14, 2011.” It specifically focuses on “RIM’s failure to take action to either directly compensate BlackBerry users or to indirectly compensate BlackBerry users by arranging for wireless service providers to refunds their customers and to take full responsibility for these damages.” RIM’s BlackBerry outage lasted several days and spanned around the globe. The company’s co-CEO Mike Lazaridis offered a public apology and RIM has offered limited free tech support in addition to a number of free “premium apps” as compensation, however, RIM currently has no plans to reimburse customers for the downtime.

SURGE IN MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION ATTRIBUTED TO APPLE NEWSSTAND

Apple’s Newsstand application, which allows iOS 5 users on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to subscribe to and purchase magazines, has resulted in a surge of magazine subscriptions. According to paidContent, Condé Nast recently said its weekly subscription sales for nine of its digital magazines (Allure, Brides, Glamour, Self, GQ, Golf Digest, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Wired) increased 268% since the storefront made its debut alongside iOS 5. In addition, sales of single issues surged 142% in comparison to the eight weeks prior to Apple’s launch of Newsstand. “Putting all the magazines in one place just makes the most sense, in terms of allowing easy discovery for consumers,” Condé Nast executive vice president Monia Ray told paidContent. “Furthermore, the update from iOS 5 is terrific, especially the background loading. We have a lot of features embedded in our titles and they take time to load. Background loading helps ease the wait-factor. But for the most part, before, the App Store represented a wide-ranging bazaar. Now, it has clear aisles to make it simple for consumers to browse.”

AMAZON ORDERS MILLIONS MORE KINDLE FIRES TO MEET UNEXPECTED DEMAND

Two weeks ago, more than a quarter million had been added to Amazon shopping carts — and during the company’s Q3 2011 earnings report, CEO Jeff Bezos made it clear that the early sales had exceeded expectations. Bezos announced that Amazon would be ramping up production to produce “millions more” of the Kindle Fire to meet the obviously strong public demand. If reports about Amazon’s initial order — which pegged the first run of the Kindle Fire at 5 million units — were accurate, the company is clearly anticipating moving the tablets at an iPad-like pace.

SONY BUYS OUT ERICSSON TO TAKE CONTROL OF COMPANY

We reported earlier on a rumor that Sony was buying Ericsson's half of Sony-Ericsson. That rumor is now confirmed and we have learned how much Sony is paying to acquire full control of the failed partnership, $1.45 billion! By acquiring full control Sony believes that it will be able to be more competitive, produce new hardware faster, and allow phones to “seamlessly connect” with other product categories e.g. laptops, tablets, and TVs.

The buyout not only sees Sony take control of Sony Ericsson, but also includes a broad IP cross-licensing agreement with Ericsson including taking ownership of “five essential patent families.”

Although this could be viewed as a split between the two companies, it seems anything but. Ericsson will now focus on the global wireless market, but has also setup a wireless connectivity initiative with Sony. The aim is to make it simple to connect different devices across multiple platforms.

VIRGINIA ROMETTY IBM'S NEW CEO

Speculation has been running fairly consistent for awhile now that there would soon be a new CEO at IBM, as Sam Palmisano approached the company’s typical retirement age. Today the company’s board of directors named Virginia Rometty, senior vice president and group executive for sales, marketing and strategy, as the new CEO. She’ll take over at the start of the new year. Palmisano will continue as chairman.

According to IBM’s official bio on her, she goes by the name “Ginni.” In her current job, she’s been responsible for revenue, profit, and client satisfaction globally and has been in charge of strategy, marketing and communications.
Before that she ran Big Blue’s global business services unit and helmed the tricky integration of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, which was a key acquisition in 2002, as it became the lynchpin of IBM’s strategically important services business. You may remember that Hewlett-Packard tried and failed to acquire the PwC Consulting business during the Carly Fiorina era. At that time, HP proposed paying $17 billion and change, but negotiations fell through. IBM swooped in and took it out for less than $4 billion in 2002.

Rometty’s naming as CEO makes it an interesting moment in history. With Meg Whitman at the helm of HP, women now run the two biggest IT companies by revenue in the world.

ANONYMOUS SAYS IT IS GOING AFTER THREE TARGETS ON NOVEMBER 5TH

November 5, known as Guy Fawkes Day in Britain, is a special day for Anonymous. And this November 5, Anonymous is celebrating by saying it will make three different raids: an attack on the social media giant Facebook, a physical protest against banks, and an assault on right-wing news network Fox News.

In "Operation Facebook", Anonymous is targeting Facebook for their inadequate privacy settings and for “selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information security firms so they can spy on people from all around the world.” There has been some confusion, even on the part of Anonymous if this operation will actually take place. A call-to-arms video was refuted by a tweet by AnonOps, the Twitter stream of Anonymous Operations, only to be partially retracted with another tweet explaining that some members still might partake in the raid.

"Operation Cash Back" or "Operation Cash Run", both names are used for the same thing, was announced two weeks ago via YouTube video, and the call-to-arms has already been duplicated various times. Both are is reminiscent of the “Move Your Money” project, which asks supporters to close down their accounts with large international banks. They also coincide with Bank Transfer Day, a Facebook group with over 25,000 like, which has a similar objective. Operation Cash Run will both strengthen your community and weaken the forces of global corruption” says the modulated anonymous voice in the Operation Cash Run video. The Operation Cash Back video shares a similar message, and even links to the Bank Transfer Day Facebook page.

The third activity is dubbed "Operation Fox Hunt" and is designed to go after Fox News. The first video calls Fox News’ broadcasts “conservative right-wing propaganda” and states that Anonymous is motivated to punish Fox news for “belittling” Occupy movement protesters. “I've always looked at Fox News as publishing news that borderline Libel (the publication of matter in a defamatory manner). It would be nice for someone to show the truth for once and not the skewed version of it” wrote Bolderdash in a supportive comment on a Reddit thread about the video.

At time of publication, Fox News had yet to make a statement regarding the “Operation Fox Hunt” videos.

RIM CONFIRMS PLAYBOOK OS 2.0 DELAYS UNTIL FEBRUARY, WILL SHIP WITHOUT BLACKBERRY MESSENGER

BGR is reporting, and RIM has confirmed, that the Blackberry Playbook OS 2.0 that was recently announced has been delayed until at least February 2012. The delay is due to serious challenges RIM has encountered getting native apps such as email, Blackberry Messenger and more working on the BlackBerry PlayBook. Additionally, RIM also relayed issues with BlackBerry Messenger integration, noting that BlackBerry Messenger will not be included in the native apps bundle of PlayBook OS 2.0, instead coming at a later date.

The company confirmed a workaround where the BlackBerry Messenger can still be used by connecting an existing BlackBerry smartphone with data plan over Bluetooth to the BlackBerry PlayBook using BlackBerry Bridge.

WINDOWS XP TUNRS 10

It's hard to believe that it was ten years ago today that Windows XP first hit retail shelves. It's even more astonishing when you realize that it was still the most popular operating system in the world until the beginning of this month. The sun may finally be setting on the stalwart OS that has powered countless home and business PCs (it crossed the 400 million mark way back in 2006), but it's still number two -- right behind it's youngest brother Windows 7 and well ahead of the black sheep, Vista. Sure, our relationship with Microsoft's OS has had its ups and downs, but it's clear we've developed an attachment to the ol' bird. After all, consumer demand kept it shipping on PCs until late 2010 and Redmond has pledged to support it until April 8th of 2014.

LAST COLD WAR MONSTER NUCLEAR BOMB DISMANTLED

At one time, the two superpowers (the US and USSR) had enough weaponry to kill every living thing on the planet 15 times over. It was a period of history that birthed McCarthyism in the 50′s, Vietnam in the 60′s, and media such a “Red Dawn” and “The Morning After” in the 80′s. But with the collapse of the Soviet Union, America found itself with an arsenal of mega-weapons that were no longer necessary (not that they ever were). It began the slow process of disarming some of the older weapons stored in bunkers around the globe.

A process that is continuing today, with a welcome landmark happening in Amarillo, Texas. The last of the “monster” nuclear bombs is being dismantled and disposed of. The B-53 “dumb” bomb. Called dumb for the fact that it’s accuracy was atrocious, it had enough destructive capability to miss its intended target by a considerable distance, but wipe out the surrounding area so that the target was destroyed. For comparison, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during the end of World War II was 12 kilotons, the B-53 was rated at 900 megatons.

The last of its kind, the B-53 used to be on constant 24 hour ready-alert in the skies mounted on the old B-52 Strato-fortresses. Put into operation in 1954, they have been an active part of the US stockpile up until 1997 when it was decommissioned. The last B-53, pictured above, was brought to the energy department’s Pantex plant in Amarillo where it will slowly be stripped of the 300 pounds of explosive it contains, as well as the uranium “pit”, and stored for a time. At a later date the pit and explosive will be disposed of in a highly monitored method, ending the life of one of the most destructive weapons in history.

NETFLIX LOSES 800,000 CUSTOMERS IN Q3

After a tumultuous third quarter the numbers are finally in for Netflix, and as expected its price hike and Qwikster madness have cost it a few customers in the US. Currently the company is reporting a total of 23.79 million customers in the US, down from 24.59 million last quarter -- fewer than even it projected a few weeks ago. According to the report, it lost more "long term" customers than expected, which it attributes, again, to its poor explanation of the reasoning behind the change. To address those decisions and its inability to reach a new deal with Starz it has a few more numbers to show, as apparently only 7 percent of new customers are opting for the $15.98 hybrid package, while Starz Play content currently accounts for about six percent of streaming hours. Other competitors are also mentioned -- Amazon Prime Instant Video's content library is referred to as "duplicative" and just a "small fraction" of what Netflix offers, as it counts on newly-signed exclusive deals to widen the gap.

Those deals mean new movies like Drive, Paranormal Activity 3, The Rum Diaries and The Immortals will show up on Netflix in the usual pay-TV window, on top of a library of catalog TV shows that pulls from all five broadcast networks and 95 percent of cable TV stations. Internationally, Netflix is up to one million customers in Canada where it plans to double quarterly content spending, while Latin American customers can look forward to iOS and Xbox support soon. While its UK launch is on for Q1, it expressed concern for competition from Sky Movies, BBC and Lovefilm, and it plans to hold off on further expansion after that.

GOOGLE AND FTC SETTLE BUZZ PRIVACY ISSUES

Google's lawyers can collectively breathe a sigh of relief, as the FTC has accepted an earlier proposal relating to Buzz's numerous privacy violations. The service -- which already settled one suit and is scheduled for rendezvous with the grim reaper -- was singled out by the commission for misleading users by partially opting them in, even after they had explicitly declined to do so. As punishment, Google will be required to field yearly audits from an independent party for the next twenty years.

HACKTIVIST GROUP ANONYMOUS NOW TARGETING CHILD PORN SITES

Anonymous, the “hacktivist” group that waged war on the U.S. government and large companies such as Apple, has shifted its focus from cracking corporations to fighting online pedophilia. The group is now targeting web host Freedom Hosting and is accusing it of knowingly hosting child pornography. “The owners and operators at Freedom Hosting are openly supporting child pornography and enabling pedophiles to view innocent children, fueling their issues and putting children at risk of abduction, molestation, rape, and death,” Anonymous said in a statement. “Our demands are simple. Remove all child pornography content from your servers. Refuse to provide hosting services to any website dealing with child pornography. This statement is not just aimed at Freedom Hosting, but everyone on the internet. It does not matter who you are, if we find you to be hosting, promoting, or supporting child pornography, you will become a target.”

The full account, according to Anonymous, is below.

#OpDarknet Press Release – 10/15/2011
————————
Timeline of Events
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At apprx 8:30 CST while browsing the Hidden Wiki we noticed a section called Hard Candy which was dedicated to links to child pornography. We then removed all links on the website, within 5 minutes the links were edited back in by an admin. For this reason, we will continue to make the Hidden Wiki unavailable.
–
At apprx 8:45 CST we noticed 95% of the child pornography listed on the Hidden Wiki shared a digital fingerprint with the shared hosting server at Freedom Hosting.
–
At apprx 9:00pm CST on October 14, 2011 We identified Freedom Hosting as the host of the largest collection of child pornography on the internet. We then issued a warning to remove the illegal content from their server, which they refused to do.
–
At apprx 11:30pm CST on October 14, 2011 We infiltrated the shared hosting server of Freedom Hosting and shutdown services to all clients due to their lack of action to remove child pornography from their server.
–
At apprx 5:00pm CST on October 15, 2011 Freedom Hosting installed their backups and restored services to their child pornography clients. We then issued multiple warnings to remove all child pornography from their servers, which Freedom Hosting refused to do.
–
At apprx 8:00pm CST on October 15, 2011 despite new security features, we once again infiltrated the shared hosting server at Freedom Hosting and stopped service to all clients.
–
————————
Our Statement
————————
The owners and operators at Freedom Hosting are openly supporting child pornography and enabling pedophiles to view innocent children, fueling their issues and putting children at risk of abduction, molestation, rape, and death.
For this, Freedom Hosting has been declared #OpDarknet Enemy Number One.
By taking down Freedom Hosting, we are eliminating 40+ child pornography websites, among these is Lolita City, one of the largest child pornography websites to date containing more than 100GB of child pornography.
We will continue to not only crash Freedom Hosting’s server, but any other server we find to contain, promote, or support child pornography.
————————
Our Demands
————————
Our demands are simple. Remove all child pornography content from your servers. Refuse to provide hosting services to any website dealing with child pornography. This statement is not just aimed at Freedom Hosting, but everyone on the internet. It does not matter who you are, if we find you to be hosting, promoting, or supporting child pornography, you will become a target.
————————
Images & Misc
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Dead Server Screenshot: http://i55.tinypic.com/vy9w7k.jpg
–
Freedom Host PR Screenshot: http://i53.tinypic.com/o5qlip.jpg
–
Our Manifesto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFuJp_zPIlU
–
#Antisec | #Anonymous | #FreeTopiary | #AnonOps | #FreeAnons | #OccupyWallSteet | #OWS
We are Anonymous.
We are Legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
Expect us.

TABLET SHIPMENTS EXCEED NETBOOKS FOR FIRST TIME; NETBOOK SLIDE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE

Global tablet sales into channels exploded in the second quarter of 2011 to surpass netbooks for the first time in the emerging category’s young history. Market research and intelligence firm ABI Research determined that shipments of media tablets ballooned 112.5% in the second quarter to reach 13.6 million units, up from 6.4 million tablets in the first quarter this year. Netbook shipments declined from 8.4 million units to 7.3 million over the same period, just over half the number of media tablets shipped in the quarter. ”This is a trend that we do not expect will reverse,” said ABI’s group director, mobile devices Jeff Orr in a statement. “As they are different segments, this is not a direct replacement behavior, but a changing of leadership for the most interesting device type.” ABI says Apple’s iPad line was responsible for 68% of tablets shipped globally in the second quarter, and the firm expects 60 million media tablets to ship globally in 2011.

CNET TO ACQUIRE GDGT SITE

Back in 2009 a rumor was swirling that CNET (and parent company CBS) were sniffing around gdgt, the then-brand-new community/review site/blog by Peter Rojas and Ryan Block. While CNET was considering an investment at the time, an acquisition was said not to be an option.

Oh, how time can change things. Two years later, we’re not only hearing that CNET is now in talks to acquire gdgt, but also that the deal could be announced as early as this week. The source had no information on the details. GDGT founder Ryan Block declined comment.

RUMOR: iTUNES CREATOR LEADING APPLE TV EFFORTS

Jeff Robbin, who helped create the iPod in addition to the iTunes media store, is now guiding Apple’s internal development of the new TV effort, said the people, who declined to be identified because his role isn’t public. Robbin’s involvement is a sign of Apple’s commitment to extending its leadership in smartphones and tablets into the living room. Before his Oct. 5 death, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that he had “finally cracked” how to build an integrated TV with a simple user interface that would wirelessly synchronize content with Apple’s other devices.

“It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine,” Jobs told Isaacson in the biography “Steve Jobs,” released yesterday by CBS Corp. (CBS)’s Simon & Schuster. Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Cupertino, California-based Apple, declined to comment.

NETFLIX EXPANDING TO UK AND IRELAND IN 2012

Well it looks like Netflix's rumored UK launch was a lot more than just a rumor. Today, the company announced that it will indeed expand to the UK and Ireland "in early 2012," promising to offer unlimited streaming on PCs, tablets and mobile devices at a "low monthly subscription price." The company didn't say what that price would be, nor did it offer any details on available content or supported devices, though more details will be announced closer to its launch. We're also expecting to hear more from Netflix during its Q3 earnings conference call later today, when we should find out about the impact of its recent price hike and Qwikster turnaround. Whether or not its foray into the UK can loosen Lovefilm's grip on the domestic market, however, remains to be seen.

ANDROID MARKET JUMPS TO OVER 500,000 APPS

The total number of published applications in Google’s Android Market climbed past the half-million mark in September. According to data from mobile app market intelligence firm research2guidance, the Android Market surpassed 500,000 published apps last month, but over 37% of submissions have been removed over time for a variety of reasons. Apple’s App Store has had over 600,000 successful submissions to date according to the firm, while 24% of apps have been removed. “Although Apple regularly cleans up its store from inappropriate or outdated content, its active application share still exceeds that of Android,” research2guidance noted in a press release. “It is likely that the more rigid application submission requirements prevent developers from publishing multiple trial or low quality applications whereas publishers in the Android Market place a lot of market testing, trials, demo and malware content.”

APPLE'S MACBOOK PRO LINE GETS SILENT SPEC BUMP

Apple on Monday quietly updated its line of MacBook Pro notebook computers with faster processors and more storage. The late-2011 MacBook bump comes a bit later than expected, but it is somewhat in line with various reports. Apple’s low-end $1,199 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop now includes a 2.4GHz dual-core Core i5 processor with 500GB of storage, and $1,499 will now buy a 2.8GHz dual-core Core i7 with a 750GB hard drive.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro includes a 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 and an AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics card for $1,799 or a 2.4GHz quad-core Core i7 and AMD Radeon HD 6770M GPU for $2,199.

On the top end of Apple’s laptop lineup, the base-level 17-inch MacBook pro now includes a 2.4GHz quad-core Core i7 processor and the AMD 6770M for $2,499, and a fully-loaded 17-inch model includes a 2.5GHz quad-core Core i7 CPU and a 512GB solid state drive for $3,849. Apple’s updated MacBook Pro notebooks begin shipping immediately.

MISSED DECIMAL PLACE LEADS TO ONE HUGE MONSTER SLIPPER

When Tom Boddingham decided to invest in a new pair of monster claw slippers, he had no idea what was about to be shipped to him from the manufacturers. Tom actually put in a special order seeing as his left foot is larger than his right. He needed a size 14 (UK sizes) for his right foot and requested a 14.5 for his left. His order went through company Monster Slippers, who passed the details on to their manufacturing partner, most likely located in China. The problem is, the factory overlooked the decimal point for the left slipper.

The parcel that arrived at Tom’s home must have looked a little large for slippers. Inside he found the size 14 right claw slipper as requested. But his left slipper? It was 7 feet long. The failure to see the decimal point had created a slipper of size 1,450. It’s so big Tom can actually sit inside it.

Monster Slippers got in touch with the factory asking them why the huge slipper wasn’t queried before being made and shipped. Apparently they just assumed it was for a window display. The plan for Tom is now to sell the slipper for a quick profit on eBay, but Monster Slippers want to find out if it belongs in the Guinness World Records, and if so would like to keep it.

NEW BBX 2 VIDEO SHOWS ANDROID APPS RUNNING ON BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK

Earlier this week, Research In Motion introduced the developer beta of BBX OS 2.0, which supports the Eclipse Android development platform on the company’s BlackBerry PlayBook. On Friday, one developer released a video that shows a number of Android applications running on a tablet. We’ve seen a clip of a PlayBook running Android apps from RIM before, but now we have raw footage from an outside source. The video shows a folder on the main home screen called “Android Apps” that is populated with IM+ Pro, IMDb, Gmail, Amazon Kindle, Kik Messenger, Google Places and more, which suggests that a wide range of apps will work on the device. We’re impressed with what we see so far; the apps run without any issue and take just a few seconds to load. We last heard Android support was delayed until late fall and, since it was just pushed to developers, we may have some time left to wait until the feature is released to consumers.

LARGE STUDY SHOWS NO LINK BETWEEN CELL PHONES AND CANCER

There is no link between cell phone use and an increase risk in cancer, the largest study on the topic to date has concluded. The results were published on Friday in the medical journal BMJ. Scientists from the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) studied Danish citizens between 1990 and 2007 and divided them into groups of cell phone users and non-cell phone users. A total of 358,403 cell phone users participated and the results were applied to an earlier study that was completed between 1982 and 1995.

“We observed no overall increased risk of tumors of the central nervous system for all cancers combined associated with the use of mobile phones,” the study said. The researchers did admit there could be a risk for a select amount of users and that further research would be useful. “As a small to moderate increase in risk for subgroups of heavy users or after even longer induction periods than 10-15 years cannot be ruled out, however, further studies with large study populations, where the potential for misclassifications of exposure and selection bias is minimized, are warranted,” the researchers said.

A World Health Organization report published in May of last year suggested that radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones are “possibly carcinogenic to humans based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless use.” That report was quickly shot down by multiple researchers. Another study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which involved 1,000 participants, also concluded there is no link between cell phone use and increased cancer rates. Similar findings were published in The Economist and in Environmental Health Perspectives.

BIRTH OF NEW PLANET CAUGHT ON FILM

Artists Rendering of new planet

After all the pushing, squeezing and screaming, the universe has finally given birth to a new planet, in an eruption that two scientists managed to capture on film. The newborn pile of planetary pudge, named LkCa 15 b, was discovered by Drs. Michael Ireland and Adam Kraus, who, over the course of 12 months, successfully documented the event using Keck telescopes and a technique called aperture mask interferometry. Their findings, published in Astrophysical Journal describe a Jupiter-like gaseous planet that likely began forming some 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. Located about 450 light years from Earth, it's also the youngest planet ever observed, having dethroned the previous record-holder, which was about five times older. According to Ireland and Kraus, the LkCa 15 b is still being formed out of a circle of dust and gas (pictured above) surrounding a 2-million-year-old star. By observing a "young gas giant in the process of formation," the researchers hope to find answers to fundamental questions that have long eluded them. "These very basic questions of when and where are best answered when you can actually see the planet forming, as the process is happening right now," Kraus explained to the AP.

UK JUDGE SAYS TOP GEAR DID NOT LIBEL TESLA

A judge in the United Kingdom has ruled that the popular car show Top Gear, and specifically Jeremy Clarkson, did not libel Tesla Motors. BAck in 2008 a review by Clarkson showed the Tesla conking out after 55 miles of driving (a quarter of its expected range), suffering brake failures and an engine overheat that Elon Musk's company flatly denies ever happening. In the High Court, however, Mr Justice Tugendhat said that people could tell the difference between Clarkson's torturous, heavy-footed "powerrrrrrrrr" driving that goes on at Dunsfold Aerodrome, and the staid manner in which people drive on motorways. Tesla still maintains that the review has damaged its image, which is why it's also pursuing a claim for malicious falsehood, which is yet to be decided.

METROPCS IN TALKS TO ACQUIRE POST AT&T/T-MOBILE MERGER ASSETS

The likelihood of a successful acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T may largely depend on what the latter is willing to give up. The largest GSM carrier in the US may need to throw a few assets overboard in order to satisfy the Department of Justice, and has reportedly been Rethinking Possible by engaging in discussions with several parties interested in scooping up the leftovers. According to Bloomberg, MetroPCS appears to be the frontrunner in the talks, and plans to meet with the Justice Department (alongside AT&T, of course) in the next two weeks to determine if the strategy will appease the regulating body. No guarantees here, of course: it seems like a lot of assets would have to change hands for MetroPCS -- a regional carrier with roughly nine million subscribers -- to be considered a large enough competitor to assuage the government's concerns here. We can't imagine the Feds would be satisfied with any small offering, considering the Department's filed a lawsuit against Ma Bell to block the merger.

SPRINT DUMPING UNLIMITED HOTSPOT PLAN

We'd heard rumblings that unlimited data for Sprint's mobile hotspot plan was going the way of the dodo, but come November folks, it'll be official. Data sent and received over tethering -- not smartphone usage -- will now be measured against a 5GB cap. The same applies to mobile broadband subscribers, who will lose "unlimited" WiMax, instead having all their bits counting towards 3GB, 5GB or 10GB buckets (as seen above). Going over your allotment in either plan naturally incurs overages, which could get pricey at 5 cents per MB, and worst of all, existing unlimited plans won't be grandfathered in.

iPHONE 4S SHIPS WITH SIRI RELATED SECURITY THREAT

The popular virtual assistant feature on the iPhone 4S that allows users to schedule appointments, search the web, check the weather and more, may be a security threat to users who want to keep private information away from prying eyes — and ears. CNET discovered that Siri’s default security setting allows users to access the iPhone 4S feature even when the phone is locked. That means if you leave your iPhone in a cab, for example, a thief could easily access your address book, appointments and other personal information. Thankfully, there is an easy way to turn the setting off. Simply visit Settings and click General, then click Passcode Lock and toggle the option for “Allow access to Siri when locked with a passcode” to Off. The iPhone 4S will now require the the phone to be unlocked before it allows access to Siri.

VERIZON LAUNCHES LTE 4G IN 22 MORE MARKETS

Verizon Wireless continues its march towards LTE dominance with the announcement it has lit up 22 more markets. The markets include Birmingham, Alabama; Modesto and Stockton, California; Fort Myers, Florida; South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Elkhart and Goshen, Indiana; Sioux City, Iowa; Hagerstown, Maryland; Tupelo, Mississippi; Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico; Buffalo, New York; Asheville, North Carolina; Bartlesville, Oklahoma; Jackson and Martin, Tennessee; Greater Hampton Roads and Richmond, Virginia and Green Bay, Wisconsin.

In addition Verizon is expanding its LTE footprint in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Erie, PA. On November 17th, Verizon Wireless will deploy 4G LTE in Little Rock, Arkansas; Savannah, Georgia; Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa; Lexington, Kentucky; Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri; Lincoln, Nebraska; Orange County, New York; Greater Providence; Rapid City, South Dakota; Roanoke, Virginia; and Appleton, Wisconsin. It will also expand the exiting footprints in in Louisville, Kentucky; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Nashville, Tennessee

APPLE SMART COVER CAN UNLOCK ANY iPAD2

According to a report on 9to5Mac anyone with a smart cover can unlock any iPad2 with just a few simple steps. The person who unlocks your iPad 2 will not have complete access to your iPad, but will be able to gain entrance to whatever you locked your iPad 2 on. If your iPad 2 went to sleep in Mail, Safari, Messages, Contacts, or Maps, you can imagine the sorts of personal information that can be viewed on your iPad. If you left your iPad 2 on its Home screen, the person can view which applications you have on your device, control media from the multitasking bar, but not much else.

The fix is to turn off smart cover unlock on your iPad2 and to make sure you have closed out of any apps you were using at the time.

HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY TO MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND

I normally don't let my personal life bleed into my blog or stories, but today is an exception. I want to wish my wonderful husband a happy 10th anniversary. He puts up with so much from me and supports me in all my endeavors, no matter how odd, weird and hairbrained he thinks they are. A chance encounter 10 years ago has led to something that defies words. Words like love, happiness and joy just don't seem adequate for what we have, so I will just say Happy Anniversary Maus and thank you for the past 10 years and I look forward to being with you for many, many more!!!!

YAHOO'S JERRY YANG SAYS THERE ARE MANY OPTIONS BESIDES A SALE

Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang said on Thursday that the company’s board continues its strategic review process, but that there are a number of options beyond just selling the company.
“The intent going in is not to put ourselves for sale,” Yang said, speaking at AsiaD. “The intent is to look at all the options.”

And while selling the company as a whole is one option, Yang noted that the company is made up of three key parts — its core business, its stakes in Yahoo Japan (along with Softbank) and its share of Alibaba.
Asked what he would personally like to see happen with the company, Yang said his goal is just to see Yahoo reach its potential. “There are many ways of creating that environment,” he said. “So far, we have not ruled out any possibilities.”

Yang acknowledged that Wall Street now looks at the company’s Asian stakes as a significant part of its market value. “They are looking at a core asset that they don’t know how to value.”
As for that core business, Yang insisted that the company remains a premier digital media company, despite its challenges. “We ought to be growing, can be growing,” Yang said, insisting the company has a great brand and 700 million monthly users. “We really do believe there is a path for Yahoo that can be better and higher growth.”

HONEYCOMB TABLETS GET NETFLIX STREAMING

Netflix subscribers can finally stream movies to their Android tablets without worrying about installing third-party .apks files or attempting annoying work-arounds. The company announced on Wednesday that its application now supports tablets running Android 3.x (Honeycomb). In addition, the Netflix app supports users in Canada and Latin America now. Netflix for Honeycomb is free, provided you already subscribe to the company’s “Watch Instantly” streaming service, and it is available in the Android Market now.

RIM ANNOUNCES NEW BLACKBERRY SOFTWARE

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. unveiled a new operating system Tuesday in hopes of grabbing some attention away from the iPhone and Android phones. The new BBX system combines existing BlackBerry elements with RIM's previously announced QNX operating system for phones and tablet computers.

RIM said BBX will incorporate the reliability and security features of QNX -- which RIM snagged in 2010 by purchasing QNX Software Systems. It will also enable software developers to create more advanced, dynamic apps for the devices.

The Canadian company gave few details about the software and did not say when devices using it would be available. The company previously said that it would offer phones running QNX software in 2012.

GOOGLE WALLET SIGNS UP SEVEN MORE RETAILERS

Google recently announced that its Google Wallet NFC mobile payment service now accepts a host of new retail locations, including American Eagle Outfitters, Foot Locker, Jamba Juice, Guess, The Container Store, Toys”R”Us and OfficeMax. Previously, the payments were only accepted in a handful of Walgreens and Subway sandwich stores in San Francisco and New York. In addition, Google says its Offers service, which provides discounts at each location, is also available in a number of the aforementioned retail outlets. Users can purchase a smoothie from Jamba Juice for $2 or take 15% off at Macy’s, for example. Unfortunately, Google Wallet is still only available to owners of Sprint’s Nexus S 4G.