Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. We’re keeping our eyes on six particular stories of interest today.

Google Unveils Android Honeycomb

Google gathered press at its headquarters to officially unveil Android Honeycomb, the first Android OS designed specifically for tablets, on Wednesday. Among other things, the software enables users to encrypt all data on their tablets and protect them with passwords, a critical feature for business users.

Verizon iPhone Pre-Orders Begin

Existing Verizon customers can now place pre-orders for a Verizon iPhone.

WikiLeaks Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

A member of the Parliament of Norway says he has nominated WikiLeaks for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

Rupert Murdoch Unveils The Daily

News Corp Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch took the stage at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City Wednesday morning to unveil The Daily, a newspaper designed specifically for the iPad. Read our full review here.

Reddit Surpasses 1 Billion Monthly Pageviews

Reddit has reached a new milestone: 1 billion monthly pageviews. That’s up 300% from a year ago and a 20% increase from just last month.

OkCupid Acquired by Match.com for $50 Million

Match.com owner IAC has acquired dating site OkCupid for $50 million in cash, plus future payments depending on performance. OKCupid will continue to remain free to users.

Further News

• Hulu announced that it has closed a deal with Viacom, the owner of Comedy Central, VH1, BET and TV Land, that will bring The Daily Show and The Colbert Report back to the video-playing service.
• AT&T has announced changes to its tethering and Data Pro plans designed to make it more competitive with the Verizon iPhone.
• Many online retailers say half of mobile commerce is coming from tablet devices already, and more purchases are likely to come from tablets throughout 2011, according to a recent report from Forrester.
• Oregon Trail has arrived on Facebook.
• Google Hotpot, a Yelp competitor that acts as a recommendation engine and ratings/reviews system for places, has officially gone worldwide. Hotpot links will now also appear in Google‘s web search results.
• Popular game Angry Birds is set to star in a Superbowl ad.
• Instagram, a photo-sharing application for the iPhone, has raised $7 million in its first major round of funding, the startup announced Wednesday.
• Q&A site Answers.com has been acquired by AFCV holdings for $12 million.

http://mashable.com/2011/02/03/verizon-iphone-android-honeycomb/