Every day, the Fortune staff spends hours poring over tech stories, posts, and reviews from all over the Web to keep tabs on the companies that matter. We’ve assembled the day’s most newsworthy bits below.
- After some rumor and speculation, Google finally launched its Chrome OS web store, a marketplace not unlike Apple’s App Store and Android’s market, with roughly 500 free and paid apps, including Amazon’s revamped web-based Kindle experience, The New York Times reader, and Gilt Groupe’s portal. (cnet)
Google's CR-48 notebook Also introduced: the Chrome OS CR-48 notebook, an unbranded, black laptop with a 12-inch screen, web cam, full-sized keyboard that swaps out the caps lock key for a dedicated search key, Wi-Fi, and built-in Verizon 3G support, with contract-free data plans starting at $9.99 and 100MB of free data each month for two years. While Chrome OS will launch mid-next year, a few lucky Americans will get their hands on the CR-48 now via Google’s pilot program. (Fortune and Tom’s Hardware)
- On the browser front, Google updated its Chrome userbase stats — 120 million now, compared with 70 million last May — and introduced a new feature called “Crankshaft” that should make the browsing experience up to twice as fast. (TechCrunch)
- Meanwhile, Microsoft discussed Internet Explorer 9, releasing early next year, and a new ” Tracking Protection” feature. With it, users will have better control over which sites can send and receive data from their browser. (PCMag)
- 4chan members launched distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) against PayPal, the Swiss bank PostFinance, and other sites that nixed their support of WikiLeaks. One member in particular dubbed “Coldblood,” said any web site that’s “bowing down to government pressure” could be a potential target. (Ars Technica)
- At the Dreamforce 2010 conference, Salesforce announced it’s launching a Facebook-like social network geared towards businesses early next year as well as Database.com, the first cloud-based enterprise database that the company says will allow developers to focus on “building great applications instead of tuning, maintaining and scaling databases.” (SocialBeat and Salesforce.com)
- Netflix CFO Barry McCarthy is leaving his post to pursue “broader executive opportunities outside the company.” (Pulse2)
- Flurry Analytics, which tracks mobile and social apps, raised $15 million during its latest round of funding, led by Menlo Ventures. (Flurry Analytics)
- Twitter launched new features that allow more companies like Instagram, SlideShare, and DipDive, to embed their content into the site’s recently-introduced right-hand pane. (GigaOm and Twitter blog)
- If you’ve ever wanted to plan out your mall excursions beforehand, Bing wants to help. Bing Maps just introduced mall map layouts for some 22 malls and plans to roll out more. (The Next Web)
- OnLive, the recently-launched cloud gaming service, announced a limited version of the same service for the iPad that for now will let users watch gameplay — the company’s current game catalog doesn’t support touch yet — and even play Windows 7 apps. (VentureBeat)
- Though Foursquare isn’t profitable yet, founder Dennis Crowley says the company has enough funding to keep things going through the end of next year. (Fortune)
