Author: Om Malik

It was two years ago that I had a heart attack, an event that changed my life. Had it not been for the timely intervention of some friends and some amazing medical professionals including my cardiologist, J. Eduardo Rame (who has since moved to U. Penn) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Heart & Vascular Center, I wouldn’t be around today. Perhaps that’s why I deeply appreciate the value of their efforts.

UCSF, like many of our esteemed institutions, needs our support, and I was hoping that you would join me in helping raise funds for the hospital. My target is pretty modest: Help them raise $50,000 in 2010.

Make the check to: UCSF Foundation. In the notes area of the check, write “OM/Cardiovascular Research Initiative.”

Mail the check to: UCSF Foundation, UCSF Box 0248, San Francisco, CA 94143-0248. ATTN: Kevin McAteer, Director of Development

If you have time, please take a moment and learn more about heart and vascular diseases, how to prevent them, and how to figure out if you have a problem. Visit the UCSF web site.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user eupgachev

Last week, a source emailed us two screenshots of Facebook’s forthcoming redesign. While it’s still a work in progress, it shows some simple yet major enhancements that reveal where the world’s largest social network with over 350 million subscribers might be headed. For starters, Facebook seems to be returning to its roots, emphasizing fidelity instead of noise in its news feed.

Here are some of the changes:

• The navigation bar is reorganized, and thankfully, it seems like Facebook is removing the duplicate profile link. The name and profile links didn’t make much sense to begin with.
• The search field is now next to the Facebook logo, a clear sign that the company wants search to play a major role in the future. Searches for brands, events, companies and celebrities will be more prominent.
• By combining settings and login in an all-purpose “account” dropdown, Facebook is making the overall experience cleaner.
• The sidebar is scaled down and takes a lot of cues from Facebook Lite. In fact, the new design takes inspiration from Facebook Lite in the way News Feed, Friends, Events and Photos are displayed.
• Bookmarks is a smart way for users to add links to their favorite applications, fan pages or whatever.
• Facebook IM is still firmly ensconced at the bottom right, but app quick links and notifications are gone.

Josh Brewer, a web designer friend of mine, believes the new design is actually pretty good and will help people consume a lot of information easily, without being overwhelmed. “I think that the changes Facebook is planning are solid, calculated design decisions based on a ton of data and research,” he said.

What are your thoughts?

In the aftermath of the terrorism attempt on an international flight on Friday, there are new restrictions on airline travel, reports The New York Times. While these restrictions are pretty vague, various airlines are taking steps that include limiting passengers to only one carry-on item, asking them to remain in their seats for the last hour of flight without any personal items (including electronics) on their laps, and more.

The Transportation Security Administration issued a pretty ambiguous statement, which is going to result in extra time for check-in. Now that isn’t going to help travelers, but an extra hour is worth our safety. Nevertheless, it’s going to be tough for people on the go. I, for one, plan to be smart about my flight plans — traveling only when I absolutely must. How is this going to impact your travel plans?

Greetings! On behalf of the GigaOM family, I wanted to take a moment and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you are all resting and taking a much-needed break after a very hectic 2009. More importantly, the end of the year is a good time for all of us to focus on what really matters — our families, loved ones and relationships. Merry Christmas!

1. Twitter bought Mixer Labs. View

2. HTC became a smartphone hero. View

3. O2/Telefónica announced Jajah acquisition for $207 million. View

4. Blippy launched. View

5. App analytics firms Flurry and Pinch Media merged. View

6. Google released its Open manifesto. View

7. Incubators made a return. View

8. Twitter might actually be profitable. View

9. MyTown proved to be bigger than FourSquare and Gowalla. View

In addition, GigaOM Pro has the following wrap-ups for its subscribers:

• Will Hulu be able to keep its light on in the Fox-Time Warner Cable blackout?

• How Facebook should fix its privacy problem.

• Why Amazon’s spot instances won’t commoditize the cloud.

• And no, 2010 still won’t be the year of mobile advertising.

Telefónica, the parent company of O2, today announced the acquisition of Jajah for €145 million (about $207 million) in an all-cash transaction. The company had raised $35 million from various investors including Deutsche Telekom, Intel Capital and Sequoia Capital. The rumors of this deal emerged earlier this month. You can read my post, “Why O2 Wants to Buy Jajah,” to get a better understanding of the deal.

Matthew Key, chairman and CEO of Telefónica Europe, said in a press statement: “The acquisition of Jajah broadens the scope of our communications offering and opens up new capabilities in the voice communication space.” Jajah will continue to operate as a standalone brand, reporting to Telefónica Europe, which will offer Jajah services to its customers.