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Verizon phone users gobble more data than AT&T’s

Thought your iPhone-toting friends were always buried in their phones? Seems Droid users are even more active Web surfers, according to a report released this week.

The average Verizon Wireless smart-phone owner gobbles up more of the network’s wireless data each month than AT&T customers, according to a survey of 20,000 cell phone bills by Validas. Get the full story »

Local companies swear by different e-mail policies

Goldman Sachs might be cleaning up its potty mouth — telling workers that it’ll bar filthy language in e-mails and use software to screen for it — but some Chicago-area companies have different philosophies.

“We do not have a policy on the use of curse words in e-mails,” said Lee Mitchell, managing partner for Chicago-based Thoma Bravo LLC.

But “now that Congress’ ‘financial reform’ legislation has made us subject to SEC regulation, I guess the SEC will be telling us which words are a systemic threat to the global economy and, therefore, have to be banned,” the private equity executive cheekily added. Get the full story »

Guy who saved Comcast via Twitter leaves for Citi

Goodbye, Comcast Twitter guy.

Frank Eliason, the social-media apostle who responded to tens of thousands of online Comcast Corp. customer complaints in the last two years, is leaving the cable company to help banking giant Citigroup Inc. connect with customers online. Get the full story »

ComScore: Women use social networks more often

When it comes to social networking, women outshine men, according to a study released today from comScore Inc.

Women spend more time on social networking sites than men– averaging 5.5 hours per month compared to 3.9 hours for men, said the Reston, Va.-based Internet research firm. Get the full story »

Comcast 2Q profit down on NBC-related expenses

Comcast Corp., the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, reported a nearly 9 percent decline in quarterly profit as it absorbed expenses related to its highly anticipated acquisition of NBC Universal.

While costs associated with the deal, including professional fees, undercut the cable company’s overall profit, its revenue rose a higher-than-expected 6 percent as it continued to add Internet and telephone customers. Get the full story »

Hulu viewer numbers suffer from metrics change

Hulu has been hailed as the future of television, but its reputation has been based in part on measurement techniques rooted in the past.

The high-flying online TV site frequently is touted as among the most popular video sites in the U.S., based on data from the industry-leading ComScore measurement service. A recent overhaul of ComScore’s methods, however, brought Hulu’s numbers crashing to Earth.

India unveils $35 tablet computer

Indian official Kapil Sibal unveils the $35 tablet for students in New Delhi. (AFP/Getty Images)

India has unveiled a $35 computer prototype as part of its program to provide connectivity to its students and teachers at affordable prices.

Kapil Sibal, the country’s human resources development minister, displayed what he called a low-cost computing and access device in New Delhi on Thursday. The ministry said the price would gradually fall to $10 a piece. Get the full story »

Movie on deck as Facebook hits 500M members

Facebook said today it has hit 500 million members, a milestone that had been anticipated by the social media industry for months. Get the full story »

Playboy launches ’safe-for-work’ site

Looking to expand viewership among those who might court a lawsuit if they fired up the regular Playboy.com site at work, Playboy Enterprises Inc. today announced something called TheSmokingJacket.com, which the company bills as a “new safe-for-work men’s entertainment destination that provides guys with smart and sexy distractions throughout the day.”

Safe for work means no nudity, but plenty of Playboy-style hormonal prurience. One of the lead stories on the site: “How to Get Laid at Work.” Another: “7 Signs That You’ve given Up on Getting Laid.” Playboy founder Hugh Hefner greets viewers to the site in a weird little 21-second video of him sitting on a couch in, yes, his trademark smoking jacket.

“Next to the mansion it’s the best hang out on the planet,” Hefner says of the new site. Get the full story »

Facebook scores low on customer satisfaction

From The Wall Street Journal | The American Customer Satisfaction Index, developed by the University of Michigan’s Business School, reported that Facebook has one of the lowest scores in its regular survey of consumer satisfaction with companies. Facebook scored in the bottom 5 percent of all private sector companies, in the same range as the IRS tax e-filing system, airlines and cable companies. Among social websites, Wikipedia led the survey with a 77, followed by YouTube at 73.

Groupon founder: Company not considering IPO

From Bloomberg | In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Andrew Mason, chief executive officer of Groupon Inc., discussed his company’s business strategy and the prospects for an initial public offering, as well as possible partnerships with media companies — “something where they can maybe replace one of their traditional boring display ads [on the web] with a Groupon that’s relevant to their users.”

Boeing, Argon deal wins U.S. antitrust approval

Boeing Co has won U.S. antitrust approval to buy defense manufacturer Argon ST Inc , the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday.

Boeing said in early June that it would buy Argon for about $775 million to beef up its capabilities in sensors, communications technologies and information management. Get the full story »

Google misses 2Q earnings mark as expenses grow

Google Inc. missed Wall Street’s profit estimates in its second quarter, as rising operating expenses offset a 24 percent jump in the Internet search giant’s revenue.

Shares of Google fell 4.1 percent after its earnings report Thursday afternoon. Get the full story »

Facebook assets frozen in bizarre N.Y. lawsuit

From CNN | Facebook is fending off a New York restraining order temporarily preventing it from transferring or selling any of its assets.

The order stems from a case filed in late June in New York’s Allegany County state court by Paul Ceglia, a local resident who claims that in 2003 he paid Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg $1,000 to build a Web site “designed to offer the students of Harvard university access to a wesite (sic) similar to a live functioning yearbook with the working title of ‘The Face Book.’ ” Get the full story »

Facebook Gifts to go out of business

From CNN.com | Facebook Gifts, the virtual shop that opened in 2007, is shutting down Aug. 1 as the social networking site explores other ways to make money.