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Mobile payments are, in fact, near

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded...and, no, there are no April Fools' jokes in today's show!

Google denies working on a mobile app that searches faces and uncovers personal info

AT&T offers a new Mobile Protection Pack to locate and insure mobile phones

Samsung and Visa will offer mobile phone payment systems using NFC tech at the 2012 Olympic Games

Amazon.com may be working on a mobile phone payments system as well

Activision announces the next Spider-Man game

The 404 789: Where we're desperately clinging to our last peanut (podcast)

Natali Morris is letting go of her peanuts and leaving CNET, but she'll be here until April 29, which means there are only four more Natali Thursdays left! In this edition of The 404, Google is making news with its latest social networking effort, +1; the government is developing a panic button smartphone app; and Reddit users are defending the integrity of the board against link fraud!

The 404 Digest for Episode 789

Single tires are available for sale on Amazon.com. Today is World Data Backup Day--thanks, Reddit! 4chan sends us the Anonymous Bad Guy 404 Augmented Reality app. Uncle Henry shows us The 404 playing on a white iPad 2. Hard Wok Cafe logo mock-ups by Hai Ho and Robin--thanks!

Episode 789 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Amazon party in the cloud

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Amazon launches Amazon Cloud Drive, a digital music locker to store and access your music

Sprint hopes to block the AT&T/T-Mobile merger

Kindle users with subscriptions to The New York Times will not have to pay additional fees to access the paper behind its new paywall

Facebook is going to release five more movies to rent on the site

Netflix gets permission to stream Paramount movies and shows in Canada

News Corp. may be planning to transfer control of MySpace to Vevo

Google learns to Disco

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Google launches a group-texting service called Disco

YouTube offers Create to help you edit other people's videos into your own

Google is reportedly working with Citigroup and MasterCard to launch mobile payments on Android devices

Intel is taking a crack at the smartphone market

Amazon.com may be looking to launch a cloud locker service that would host and stream all of your music, photos, movies, and books

Wal-Mart will give you a $100 credit for your old Nintendo DS if you want to buy a new 3DS

A new concept gadget … Read more

Facebook has answers

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

Google is reportedly testing Google Music internally

The New York Times launches a discount service

Starz Channel will delay the release of its shows to Netflix for 90 days

Netflix offers a 3 percent bill credit to customers affected by the Watch Instantly outage this week

Facebook updates its question-and-answer services

Walgreens buys Drugstore.com for $409 million

Duke Nukem Forever experiences yet another delay

Google goes glossy

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Yahoo launches Search Direct to compete with Google Instant

Google launches an online quarterly magazine

Apple pulls an app that offended many people by claiming it could "cure" homosexuality

The new Ford Focus will use AT&T Wireless to send and receive car data

The New York Times asks Twitter to remove an account that gives a free feed of its articles in preparation for its paywall

The music from the upcoming British royal wedding will be available for download just hours after the ceremony

Research In Motion agrees to disallow … Read more

Microsoft: The spam vigilante

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

Microsoft helps the feds bring down a large e-mail spam outfit.

The New York Times announces its pricing structure for access to digital editions.

Microsoft launches a mobile app to help men be cool.

The FCC may not allow cell phone boosters.

Samsung launches 3D video on demand in Korea.

New research shows that Twitter solidifies social circles of happy and sad people.

YouTube's spin on 'American Idol'

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Motorola will sell the Wi-Fi-only Xoom for $599.

YouTube announces YouTube Next Up, its spin on "American Idol" for the Web.

The European Union is going to revamp its 16-year-old online privacy laws.

Apple changes in-app purchase protocol so that any additional purchases require a password.

Samsung releases a new line of laptops for students and office workers.

Google updates collaboration messaging within Google Docs.

Mozilla announces that Firefox 4 will be available for download next week on March 22.

It's not TV. It's Netflix.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Netflix may be bidding to own an original show called "House of Cards."

T-Mobile announces a new Sidekick running Android on T-Mobile's 4G network.

You can now watch live MLB games on Facebook.

Google may be launching a mobile phone payment trial in San Francisco and New York.

Google previews updates for its blogging platform, Blogger.

Kindle and Nook users can now share books using eBook Fling.

Twitter gives you an option to make your account more secure by always using HTTPS.

Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 9, but not for … Read more