New OLPC biz model: 'Get one, give one'

[Newsweek] Beginning this week, the Web site xogiving.org is accepting $200 donations to buy a laptop for a child. (Negroponte says the first ones will probably go to Peru.) And for two weeks beginning Nov. 12, benefactors can get one of the little devils for themselves. This "Give 1 Get 1" option allows you to purchase a laptop for $399, a price that includes a second XO to be delivered to a kid who may use it to do something great.

GOOG in talks to lay its own cable

[WSJ] Google Inc. is in early discussions to join a group looking to lay a high-speed trans-Pacific undersea cable that could potentially result in the Internet company's becoming an investor in the project, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Starbucks giving away iTunes songs to celebrate Apple deal

[Seattle Times] Customers will receive free "song of the day" cards to download music chosen by Starbucks, including tunes by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Keith Urban and KT Tunstall. The cards will be available in all U.S. Starbucks stores, although the broader rollout of free access to Apple's iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store begins at 600 Starbucks locations in Seattle and New York on Oct. 2.

MySpace offers free mobile service

[News.com] Fox, owned by media powerhouse News Corp., announced on Monday plans to launch new ad-supported mobile versions of social-networking site MySpace, as well as its FoxSports.com, lifestyle site AskMen.com, gaming site IGN.com and movie site RottenTomatoes.com. So for users, that translates into free access and functionality on those sites.

Free calls, no privacy

[The Australian] A NEW company is offering free phone calls with only one catch: they¿ll be listening to everything that is being said. Pudding Media plans to use voice recognition software to display advertisements on users’ computer screens customised to the topic of conversation being conducted over the phone.
NY investigates Facebook over sex predators

[NYT] The New York attorney general’s office says it has been investigating Facebook, based in Palo Alto, Calif., for the last month. Investigators posing as under-age members of the service said they could gain access to a wide range of pornographic images and videos and were “repeatedly solicited by adult sexual predators on Facebook.” When investigators complained to Facebook, they received automatic replies pledging action, but nothing was done after several weeks.

Armani's designer cellphones

[CIO Today] Following news of a mobile phone jointly developed by Samsung and Armani, IDC analyst Sean Ryan said that we've hit a saturation point for cell-phone features and suggested that Samsung initiated the Armani alliance as a differentiator because in-phone cameras, Bluetooth, and other once-unique features have become standard.