According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple hasn't barred Google and others from selling targeted ads inside iPhone and iPad applications. That's despite "implying several weeks ago that it might do so," the paper reports. "Software developers say their new and updated applications are getting approved by Apple, even though the apps are enabled to serve ads by third-party ad networks such as Google's Mobile Adsense and AdMob." At the D8 conference last month, Steve Jobs said he wasn't interested in banning third-party ad networks from Apple's iAd mobile ad platform. Yet, according to a new version …

In a huge setback for Microsoft's long-troubled mobile strategy, the tech giant is reportedly scrapping its Kin "social phone" just six weeks after its launch. "Microsoft never confirmed (or denied) that only 500 Kins were sold, but it's clear that the [public] response has been completely underwhelming," reports Gizmodo. "Otherwise, why kill a project that was in development for years after just a few weeks? (And cost millions.)" "Neither Verizon nor Microsoft would say how many devices were sold, but a source told CNET that the number of Kins sold thus …

Engadget gets an early look at Hulu's new premium service, which it says "isn't perfect, but doesn't disappoint either." For one, existing Hulu users should feel right at home navigating Hulu Plus, writes the tech blog. Engadget also assures that the Hulu experience via a Samsung LED LCD TV, iPhone, and iPad "are for the most part done as well as the other Hulu user experiences." Yet, "The iPad app is the roughest around the edges, with the search screen being down right lame looking, and the iPhone and Samsung app aren't the best we've ever seen either." On …

Amazon has acquired deal-a-day site Woot. Purchase price: $110 million, a "solid source" tells TechCrunch. Woot will continue to be run autonomously under the Amazon banner, and is expected to remain headquartered in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton, Texas. "Don't worry that our culture will suddenly take a leap forward and become cutting-edge," Woot founder and CEO Matt Rutledge writes in a blog post. "We're still going to be the same old bottom-feeders our customers and readers have come to know and love, and each and every one of their pre-written insult macros will still be just as valid …

Google has rolled out a redesigned version of its Google News site, which focuses on presenting news stories happening around the world and locally in a way that is more customizable and user-centric, reports Mashable. "The purpose of the new look is all about surfacing news items tailored to individual users," the blog writes. "The 'News for you' section is the biggest addition in this area and displays stories in a section or list view based on users' specified interests in topics like Business, Sports, or their own preferred subject matters." The new Google News also includes a feature …

Eyeing affiliate dollars, McClatchy -- owner of The Miami Herald and The Sacramento Bee -- is partnering up with local social shopping site Groupon. "McClatchy Chairman and CEO Gary Pruitt has emphasized the newspaper publisher's preference for ad-support over paywalls, so affiliate sales revenue seems like a natural area for the company to pursue," notes paidContent. Per the collaboration, Groupon will distribute content about shops and deals only available to 28 of McClatchy's local Web sites. Daily Groupon deals are expected to launch first in the Sacramento and Kansas City markets, while other sites will be added in the …

Worldwide, Internet Explorer's market share is up 0.57% month-over-month, according new to data from research firm NetApplications. "No, it's not exactly a gigantic gain, but it is a small reversal of a big downward trend" -- and the biggest gain IE has experienced in at least two years -- notes Tech Flash. Microsoft seems pretty happy about the finding, too. "These numbers are especially interesting when you consider that IE users in Europe have been offered the Browser Choice Screen," writes Ryan Gavin, a senior director on the IE team, referring to the ballot that helped resolve the company's …