An iPad newspaper with Rupert Murdoch?; Google to buy Groupon?

> Some thoughts are bone chilling. Here's one. Word is that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is working with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (Nasdaq: NWSA) to launch what would formerly be known as a newspaper-at least in format-exclusively for the iPad. Cleverly called "The Daily," the new whatever it is will be priced at 99 cents a week and include all the news that fits, we suppose, beamed daily to the iPad. The concept's apparently been under development for several months, according to Women's Wear Daily, which knows a thing or two about underthings. Story.

> The New York Post-ironically or just coincidentally a Murdoch News Corp. flagship U.S. newspaper reports that Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)--an Apple competitor if ever there was one--is in "advanced talks to buy coupon site Groupon for pocket change-at least for Google-of around $2.5 billion. Story.

> For some reason there is still fragmentation in the pay TV space-at least enough so that ABI Research can report that "telco TV" service revenue growth was "significant" during a third quarter that saw all global pay TV service revenue hit $55.5 billion, a 9 percent increase over 2009. The report notes that there was a "decline in cable TV service revenue in North America" due to competition from "other, newer pay TV services (that) resulted in customer losses for some cable operators in North America." News release.

> The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (aka PREPA) is moving full speed ahead with its smart grid initiative and has signed an agreement with PowerNET International to trial high voltage broadband over power lines (HVBPL) communications network using technology from Amperion and International Broadband Electric Communications. For the most part, and at least at the start, the network will be used primarily for utility communications such as backhauling aggregated data and enabling applications like line protections and vide surveillance along with voice backhaul. Still, that does sound as if it could become something more of a broadband network over time. News release.

And finally ... Roku is picking up a new base of customers who are less interested in cutting the cord with the cable provider and more interested in fortifying the connection with their church. Northland, A Church Distributed streams live worship services, past sermons, music and classes via a church channel on Roku as a "potential boon for the burgeoning house church movement. News release.