* Former Windows Phone general Manager Charlie Kindel explains why he thinks Windows Phone 7 hasn’t taken off, chalking up much of it to Microsoft’s relationship with manufacturers and carriers. However, tech influencer Robert Scoble thinks it really has to do with the operating system’s lack of apps, while TechCrunch columnist MG Siegler argues that it arrived to the scene “way too late.” (cek.log, scobleizer, and paris lemon)

* According to IBM (IBM), online shopping spiked nearly 16% on Christmas Day, with almost 7% of those purchases made on iPads. (AP via Business Insider)

* With Research in Motion’s market value down $30 billion this year alone, The Wall Street Journal dissects the company’s board and management. (The Wall Street Journal)

* Some startups, like the San Francisco-based Splunk, are setting their sights on “big data,” the growing amounts of data produced by devices that are increasingly hard for companies and governments to wade through and make sense of. (The New York Times)

* Google (GOOG) and Mozilla’s renewed deal, which will continue to make Google the default search engine in the Firefox browser, is a lucrative one. According to All Things D, Google will pay Mozilla nearly $300 million a year. (All Things D)

* A look at the Amazon’s virtual supercomputer (aka the “42nd fastest supercomputer on earth”), built atop the company’s Elastic Compute Cloud. (Wired)

* The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg looks back at the year in consumer tech. (All Things D)

*
Pinterest
, an invite-only startup that lets users create and manage themed-based photo collections, has seen site traffic grow 4,000% over the last 6 months. (The Next Web)

* How social networks beat email. (Reuters)

* Apparently, Europeans aren’t very keen on the iPhone 4S due to the weaker economy and lower prices on competing handsets. (Reuters)

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