Can Your Boss Look at Your Texts on Your Company Phone? : MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer December 15, 2009

A new case involving texting on company phones is set to hit the Supreme Court. The case, which involves police officers in Ontario, California exceeding their alloted text messages on the phones issued by the department, could have major ramifications for employees throughout the country if the court deems it is OK for employers to read private text messages. The case specifically details messages sent by four police officers from Ontario, California, including a SWAT team Sergeant Jeff Quon, who had been engaging in sexting.

Facebook and Google both launched new link shortening services yesterday. Fb.me and goo.gl hope to capitalize on the link shortening craze, by integrating the new services into their elaborate application and services networks. The new services could potentially crush popular link shortening services like Bit.ly and TinyUrl, which have gained popularity through integration with Twitter applications.

Yesterday we told you that Google planned to sell its new Nexus One phone directly to customers. Now sources say that Google will also team with T-Mobile to bring a contract version of the new Google Phone to market in January. The version of the phone available on T-Mobile will most likely be subsidized by the wireless provider, making it cheaper for consumers on initial purchase. An unlocked version of the phone could retail for as much as $500.

Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer a daily show featuring news you can use about technology, media & entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC and the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV. Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here. Shelly can be reached at shelly@palmer.net For information about Get Digital Classes, visit www.shellypalmer.com/seminars