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It's the latest internet webcam sensation that has taken over the BOL crew. Google is bidding for some sweet telecom patents, but is anyone bidding on MySpace? We don't think so. Plus, Computer Love returns to brighten up this Monday.

Jim Bankoff, the former AOL exec responsible for buying Engadget for the Internet portal, has grabbed eight staffers who had left the huge tech site amid tensions recently, in order to start a new gadget property.

The site, which is still unnamed, will debut sometime in the fall, as part of content expansion at the Washington, D.C. sports news site SB Nation, which is helmed by Bankoff.

"The technology we built is applicable beyond sports," said Bankoff, in an interview with BoomTown tonight. "It was an opportunity to apply our model...into another content category where … Read more

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has been tapped by AOL as a "strategic adviser," the company announced today.

Stone's official title is "strategic adviser for social impact." In that role, he will be helping AOL "develop a platform to facilitate people doing service in their communities [and] rally other companies to invest in and deploy best corporate practices." He will also be developing a video series discussing philanthropic and corporate-responsibility efforts on the part of companies and executives.

"My goal in partnering with AOL and The Huffington Post Media Group is ambitious but … Read more

Josh Topolsky, the editor-in-chief of Engadget, is leaving the AOL-owned property, which is one of the largest tech news sites on the Web.

Also departing is Managing Editor Nilay Patel, said sources.

Sources said the move by Topolsky (pictured here, although the coffee cup is not permanent) and Patel is not out of the tech news arena and both are considering several options.

But the departures have been a long time in coming, related to a range of ongoing issues the veteran editors have had working for the large New York-based Internet company. Sources said it was not precipitated by … Read more

Between computer love and our frustration at Apple's capricious review-unit shenanigans, today's show ends up a tiny bit off the rails. However, in the straight dish, Kinect is the fastest-selling consumer device, Safari falls to hackers in record time, AOL has some brutal layoffs, and Discovery lands safely and is headed for the museum. Sniff. --Molly

Just days after closing its deal with the Huffington Post, AOL has confirmed that it will lay off hundreds of staffers.

A company spokesperson told CNET in a phone interview today that 200 people will be laid off in the U.S. The majority of those employees will come from the editorial side of AOL's operation, while the remaining employees are in other divisions. In addition, AOL will layoff 700 people in India. Approximately 300 of those people, however, will move to other companies and continue working on AOL support functions, like finance and operations.

The layoffs at AOL … Read more

The AOL layoffs are finally here, and they are smaller than some had been expecting.

According to several people close to the situation, the New York-based Internet giant will lay off up to several hundred staffers starting Thursday in very targeted areas of the company's U.S. operations, in a move that CEO Tim Armstrong signaled last week was coming.

Sources said there will be no staffers let go in its network group or advertising sales unit, but editorial and other media product groups will be impacted. Also on the chopping block are jobs in India, which will mean … Read more

The deal is done.

AOL announced today that it has closed its $315 million acquisition of the Huffington Post. AOL has integrated the Huffington Post with AOL Media and AOL Local to create the Huffington Post Media Group, the company said. That group will be led by Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, who will serve as president and editor-in-chief.

AOL announced its deal to acquire the Huffington Post a month ago. Huffington said at the time that the acquisition will help AOL become "one of the largest destinations for smart content and community on the Internet."

AOL has … Read more

There's no question it's a jarring contrast: layoffs versus champagne and cookies.

But that's the reality at AOL as its acquisition of the Huffington Post closes this week, even as it plans to sheds employees as part of its ongoing turnaround effort.

Sources said the New York-based Internet portal will announce layoffs soon.

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong indicated job cuts were definitely coming at a PaidContent conference in New York yesterday.

"There will be job changes," he said, when asked about layoffs.

Perhaps sooner than later.

Several sources close to the situation confirmed that the … Read more