Does Apple have it out for students’ load-bearing backpacks? Well, the company is planning a big “education announcement” next week, which many assume will finally make textbooks-on-iPads a reality. The Wall Street Journal, for one, expects Apple to kickoff a much-anticipated foray into the textbook market. Regarding an invite-out event scheduled for next Thursday, WSJ is betting on Apple to “showcase a new push … into the digital textbook business, but … not feature any new devices.” Last week, AllThingsD reported that the event would likely feature an educational spin on Apple’s iBooks initiative, potentially with some integration with iTunes …

For the first time ever, Bing surpassed Yahoo’s search share in December, according to new data from comScore. Last month, Microsoft’s search engine grabbed a 15.1% share of the U.S. search market, compared to Yahoo’s 14.5% -- down from 15.1% in November. eWeek calls the decline a “precipitous drop at a time when percentage points, and even tenths of percentage points, come at a premium versus Google.” Indeed, only tightening it iron grip on the market, Google saw its U.S. search share increase to 65.9% in December -- up from 65.5% in November. Still, according to eWeek, “Bing's ascension to …

Showing consumers’ taste for mobile payments, PayPal said it did nearly $4 billion worth last year. For eBay’s online payment division, that represented a massive jump from $750 million in mobile payments in 2010. “If you need one example that epitomizes the massive potential in mobile payments, you need only look at PayPal,” VentureBeat writes. “Putting the figure in an even crazier perspective, [PayPal] tallied up a mere $141 million in mobile payments in 2009.” PayPal mobile vice president David Marcus tells VentureBeat that he initially expected to earn $1.5 billion from mobile payments last year. “He attributes the massive …

Following HBO’s lead, Showtime this week unveiled an iPad app, Showtime Anytime, which will give subscribers full access to the network’s original content. “Finding ways to translate the premium content from cable channels to Internet and mobile devices gave a much-appreciated boost to HBO when it added HBOGO last year,” VatorNews writes. “Now Showtime wants in on the action.” Like HBOGO, Showtime Anytime only makes streaming content available to Showtime subscribers. Participating carriers include AT&T U-Verse and Verizon FiOS, while Comcast customers should soon be able to access Showtime’s content through the Xfinity TV service. As VatorNews notes, the platform …

No longer consigned to the right side of users’ pages, Facebook is now running Sponsored Stories directly in News Feeds. “These paid units include a subtle indication that the post is ‘Featured,’” reports Inside Facebook. However, to respect the user experience, the social network is putting more controls on the type of messages advertisers can display here than it did when it previously included ads in News Feed in 2007. Critically, brand advertisers can only pay for page posts to be featured in a user’s feed if that user has already liked the brand’s page. “Pages can seek new fans …

Sorry city folk, but Facebook’s next frontier is likely out of your reach. Buckling up, the social network is partnering with car companies to further expand its reach. To be announced this week, Mercedes-Benz USA is bringing Facebook to its vehicles, with a special version of the service that is built-in to a new in-vehicle “telematics system,” Reuters reports. “Accessing Facebook on the road is not the exactly the same as using the social network on a personal computer or a smartphone,” Reuters writes. “The version of Facebook offered in Daimler AG's Mercedes is stripped down to a limited set …

Hate is a strong word, but that’s how MG Siegler if often perceived to feel about Android. The ex-TechCrunch editor says he has nothing against the “concept” of the operating system, though he has come to distain “what Google has done with Android,” i.e., given carriers -- and Verizon, in particular -- too much power over the fate of the mobile industry. “Android is now the carriers’ best friend,” Siegler writes, after reminding us that at one time, Verizon and Google were at odds over Net Neutrality. That, of course, was before Google needed Verizon to beat Apple.  “Verizon was opposed, …

MySpace aims to offer a Web video subscription service rivaling cable TV. “Wait. Myspace?” asks an incredulous AllThingsD. “Right, Myspace: The once-hot, then very un-hot social network that News Corp. … sold for a bag of chips last year.” Specific Media, MySpace’s new owner, says it will offer an “over the top” service in the first half of this year. It should include a full suite of TV programming and sell that bundled up with all sorts of cool interactive goodies. No word on pricing, and Specific CEO Tim Vanderhook says he has yet to reach any substantive deals with …

Are U.S. consumers ready for mobile TV? Regardless, MetroPCS recently said it expects to be the first U.S. carrier to offer smartphones with the built-in ability to receive Dyle’s mobile TV service. Then, this weekend, accessory maker Belkin said plans to make add-ons for smartphones that will let many existing devices get the service. “The real question is whether the market really cares,” writes AllThingsD. “Though watching TV on cellphones is wildly popular in Korea, attempts at mobile TV in the U.S. have either been met with lukewarm success (think MobiTV) or have flopped completely (think Qualcomm’s now-shuttered Flo service).” …

How did an aging ecommerce giant like Amazon become one of the hottest company’s in Silicon Valley? Along with a brand new cutting-edge campus, and a strong track record of employee loyalty and sound business practices, Amazon has become much bigger than books. In addition to Web Services -- which is now estimated to be a billion-dollar business powering back-end operations for some high-profile startups -- the company has established itself as a leading mobile and media powerhouse. “It's not like being in Hollywood for movies or New York for publishing, but Amazon is increasingly looking more like a big …