Links for Monday December 14^th, 2009

• Googling for Sociopaths (Aaron Swartz's Raw Thought): Smart writing from Aaron Swartz. The punchline:

  "But for average people, this shift has been great: much more stuff is available, faster and freer than ever before, and the people making all the money off of it are actually decent human beings who feel some responsibility for the planet they inhabit."

  It's getting hard to remember what life was like before Google search. It's just that great. (via Daring Fireball).

• Windows Mobile 7 in late 2010, already game over?: At this point, Windows Mobile 7 is going to have to be a monster hit in order for Microsoft to have any prayer in the market. It's going to not only have to be better than the iPhone 3GS, but Windows Mobile 7 is going to have to be better than the iPhone that Apple ships in June. Count me on the list of doubters — my guess is that by the end of 2011, Microsoft has exited the mobile phone OS business.

• T-Mobile to Sell Google's Nexus One Smartphone - AllThingsD: There has been a lot of hubbub over the "Google Phone" recently. To me, this is the part of the story that makes sense:

  "Sources added that Google, keen to change the way mobile devices are sold in the U.S. especially, would still prefer to cooperate with telecom giants in selling phones rather than fighting them."

  Except, that I think Google isn't concerned just with how mobile devices are sold. Google wants the mobile Internet to be available to everyone, and for that to happen the cost needs to come down (especially for data), and the quality needs to go up.

• San Francisco - Mike Matas Blog: Great photo. I wish there was a larger version.