Last week we reported that AndroLib figures were showing the Android Market had hit a new milestone, 20,000 applications available.

Today, Engadget is quoting Google who has said the number is not entirely true, as there were 20,000 applications created but not all are active still in the market.

Google says there "are currently more than 16,000 free and paid apps in Android Market." The company did not give a breakdown of free to paid apps, which is estimated at about 60 percent free.

Regardless, 20,000 should be on its way.

Amazon is set to release a free Kindle e-book app for BlackBerry smartphones "soon," but declined to give a specific timetable.

Additionally, new Kindle software is coming for Macs "soon" as well, again without a timetable.

Amazon has the Kindle software currently available for the iPhone as well as for Windows users, with the applications available for free. One of the disadvantaged of the iPhone app however is that content outside of novels is not available including magazines, blogs, podcasts, etc. It is likely that the BlackBerry application will have the same restrictions for the time being.

A federal judge has awarded Apple a permanent injunction against illegal Mac clone maker Psystar this week, banning it from selling any hardware running the Mac OS X operating system.

Says AppleInsider of the ruling:

Psystar is now banned from:

* Copying, selling, offering to sell, distributing or creating derivative works of Mac OS X without authorization from Apple.

* Intentionally inducing, aiding, assisting, abetting or encouraging any other person or entity to infringe Apple's copyrighted Mac OS X software.

* Circumventing any technological measure that effectively controls access Mac OS X, including, but not limited to, the technological measure used by Apple to prevent unauthorized copying of Mac OS X on non-Apple computers.

* Playing any part in a product intended to circumvent Apple's methods for controlling Mac OS X, such as the methods used to prevent unauthorized copying of Mac OS X on non-Apple computers.

* Doing anything to circumvent the rights held by Apple under the Copyright Act with respect to Mac OS X.

Spotify has announced the updated release of Spotify for Android, which is available for free from the Android Market or from m.spotify.com.

The company says the updated app now inlcudes:

* URI support - Open/Share Spotify URI’s to or from SMS, email, the Facebook or Twitter apps, etc.
* Updated player with cover art swipe support (similar to the iPhone version).
* Android 2.0/Eclair support. Spotify now runs on the popular Motorola Droid phone.
* Home screen widget - control Spotify from the home screen!

Last week three of the four major labels launched a new service in the US called Vevo. Vevo offers music videos from their acts, and features 100% professionally produced and officially sanctioned content.

First some history. Vevo is essentially the product of negotiations between Universal Music Group (UMG) and Google over content licensing for YouTube. Since it was announced two of the three remaining majors (EMI and Sony Music) have signed on, each taking a share of ownership in the company. The fourth major, Warner Music Group, has decided not to get involved just yet.

Although they run the servers and take a cut of ad revenue, Google doesn't share in ownership of Vevo.

The purpose of Vevo is fairly simple. Label executives were looking for a way to make monetize their content. If you didn't know that before visiting Vevo, it would become quickly apparent. When you watch a video there are often small ads which appear at the bottom of the video and links to one side for buying the music you're listening to. You are also given the option to link to a particular video or getting code to embed it in a webpage, both of which include ads which play before the video starts.

Phandroid has revealed the specs for AT&T's first Android device, the Motorola Enzo/Backflip.

The smartphone will use MOTOBLUR and Android 1.5 and has a touchpad on the back of the keypad which helps give the phone its nickname.

Surprisingly, the Backflip will not come with any Google apps except for Maps, as the screenshots show that Yahoo search is the default, as well as AT&T Navigation and other AT&T branded apps.

The full specs:

• 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A
• 512 MB ROM
• 256 MB RAM
• 3.1 inch display 320 x 480 (HVGA)
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
• WiFi / Bluetooth 2.0 / GPS
• OS Android 1.5 with Motoblur
• GSM 850/900/1800/1900 W-CDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100
• Reverse flip keyboard
• Rear directional touchpad

The MPAA has announced that the United States Congress has allocated $30 million in funding for anti-piracy measures, part of the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act.

"Congress took a major step forward by providing $30 million in funding for new FBI agents, federal prosecutors, and local and state law enforcement grants to protect American jobs and creativity by cracking down on the theft of movies and other intellectual property," added MPAA chairman and CEO Dan Glickman.

$20 million will go to "new state and local economic, high technology and Internet crime prevention grants," says TheHollywoodReporter, while $8 million will go towards new FBI agents "targeting IP crimes." The final $2 million is for "new Department of Justice IP prosecutions."

Glickman also lauded the piracy crack-down operation dubbed Holiday Hoax which has so far led to the arrest of seven sellers of counterfiet software and movies, and the confiscation of 79,796 counterfeit CDs and 79,610 DVDs. "Copyright industries in the U.S. lose $25.6 billion a year in revenue to piracy, the U.S. economy loses nearly 375,000 jobs either directly or indirectly related to the copyright industry, and American workers lose more than $16 billion in annual earnings," he noted.

According to a new study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, about 15 percent of American teens "sext" using their mobile phones, sending either sexually-oriented texts messages or sending photographs/videos in which they are nude or otherwise disrobed.

The older the teens get the larger the percentage gets, and the study shows that boys and girls are equally as likely to "sext".

"Kids have experience with it," adds Amanda Lenhart, a Pew research specialist. "It's something they have to deal with and talk about in their lives."

The report is based on interviews with 800 teenagers with their guardians in September. WiredSafety.org says the numbers may be skewed to the lower side because the teens were with their parents. "If this many teens were willing to admit it in front of a parent or guardian, you have to wonder how many teens are really doing it," says Parry Aftab, executive director of the group.

Those with unlimited texting plans, as well as those that paid for their own service were the most likely to sext.

A teen in California saw his cell phone bill balloon to almost $22,000 this month after using 1.34 GB of data without an unlimited bandwidth plan.

The 13-year-old had just been added to his father's family plan, which did not include any data usage. The plan was then charged per megabyte.

Luckily for the teen and his father Verizon said they would be crediting the account the entire amount, and the teen has had his account suspended (by his father).

Verizon says it always investigates into astronomically high bills.

In April, one full month before its theatrical release, a workprint of the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine
was uploaded to P2P and warez sites and promptly became one of the most downloaded pirated movies of the year.

This week, the FBI has arrested 47 year-old Gilberto Sanchez of the Bronx, NY (aka "theSkilled1" online) for uploading the film to MegaUpload.com and charged him with copyright infringement.

Sanchez now faces up to three years in prison as well as a $250,000 USD fine.

"We're supportive of the FBI's actions," noted Fox, the distributor of the film. "We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement officials to identify and prosecute those who illegally steal our creative content."

Perhaps more notably then the arrest is the fact that the indictment does not make it clear how Sanchez got the workprint in the first place, meaning it is possible that he was not the source of the leak.

Apple has noted that the Canadian iTunes Store is now offering HD movies, with all titles selling for between $15-25 CAD.

You can rent the movies for $5-6, with new releases going for the higher price point. The available catalog isn't very deep yet, but there are new releases such as Inglourious Basterds and Star Trek as well as popular catalog titles such as Iron Man and Wall-E.

American users have had HD movies since March.

Microsoft has finally launched their native Twitter application for the Zune HD, offering its users a faster way to access the popular microblogging service through the device.

The app includes most of the service's core features, including search and favorites but will lack GPS geo-location as well as a native photo viewer and other more advanced features found in apps such as Tweetie on the iPhone.

Many users had complained about using the microblogging site through the Zune's built-in browser and the app is a noticeable improvement. It is also free.

Pic via Electronista:

Beginning next month, McDonald's will start offering free Wi-Fi in 11,000 of its American locations.

The deal, signed with AT&T, is very similar to that of Starbucks, where users can access the Internet for free, no purchase required. Previously, the Wi-Fi was only free for AT&T customers, and $2.95 for two-hours otherwise.

McDonald's says internal research found that customers would be more willing to buy more food if they had free Wi-Fi.

"We're excited about it. One thing our customers have told us is: 'We like your Wi-Fi, but would you make it free?' This is one thing they've consistently asked for. It's just another reason to come to McDonald's," said David Groom, chief information officer for McDonald's USA.

The financial details were not revealed so it is unclear how AT&T will make any money for offering their network.

Undoubtedly the biggest news of the week so far has been the unveiling, although unofficially, of the Google Nexus One smartphone, the first Android device to use 2.1 firmware.

Today, we have the first video of the Nexus One in action, although it is only a short clip showing the boot up sequence. Interestingly, the phone seems to be placed on top of the box for the device, meaning the rumored release date of January 5th could be accurate as well.

The Google Nexus One in action

Note: Starting this week, we at AfterDawn are introducing a Video Daily segment relevant to the tech world and giving our users something a little "different."

AdweekMedia has announced that Apple has won the "Brand of the Decade" award among others in their publication's “Best of the 2000s” advertising awards. The company also did well in the publication's Reader's Choice Poll.

CEO Steve Jobs won "Marketer of the Decade," mainly due to his innovations in the digital music world (iPods) and in the smartphone market (iPhone). In the reader's choice poll, Jobs won by a large margin, garnering 51 percent of the vote. In second place was Larry Light of McDonalds.

For "Brand of the Decade" the margin wasn't as high, but Apple still ran away with it, beating out Google for the award, and in the reader's choice poll.

The iPod was given “"Product of the Decade"” by the magazine while the readers gave the award to the iPhone, followed by the iPod.