Steve Wozniak on Steve Jobs, Geekiness, Starting Apple (video)

Steve Wozniak on Steve Jobs, Geekiness and Starting Apple: Video - Bloomberg:
(Allow video to load after clicking play or go to link above)
For its 85th anniversary, Bloomberg Businessweek chronicles the most disruptive ideas of the past 85 years. In 1976, The Apple 1 computer goes on sale for a retail price of $666.66. Steve Wozniak, who co-founded Apple with Steve Jobs and designed that product, remembers the early days. (Video by Brandon Lisy) (Source: Bloomberg 12/4)


New York Times
Media|Barnes & Noble and Microsoft End Nook Partnership
New York Times
In 2012, Microsoft invested $300 million for 17.6 percent stake in the Nook ... The company, which has struggled to compete with Amazon and other ... are you atechnology company, or are you a college bookstore company? ... Amazon's delivery service, Barnes & Noble began partnering with Google ...

Barnes & Noble, Microsoft End Nook Pact - Wall Street Journal


Wired
Amazon's New Cloud Prices Show That Google Is Now a Threat
Wired
Amazon just changed the way that it charges for some of its cloud ... Both Google andAmazon hand out discounts to customers that regularly use a lot ...

CNET
How to remove Yahoo as Firefox's default search engine
CNET
Mozilla has dumped Google in favor of Yahoo as Firefox's default search ... To get rid ofYahoo search, open Firefox's Preferences and click on the ... 

GeekWire
Amazon launches private-label 'Amazon Elements' household products, just for Prime members
GeekWire
In a release, Sunny Jain, Amazon.com's Consumables VP, said the launch leveragesAmazon's “strengths in technology to bring customers an ...
Amazon Announces Its Own 'Elements' Line of Products, Exclusive to Prime Members - Yahoo Tech


Business Insider
Google Just Made Another Smart Move In Its War With Microsoft
Business Insider
Google is really getting serious about selling Google Apps for Work, its Microsoft Office killer, to more businesses. It is rolling out a better, more ...
Google Launches Consolidated Partner Program - TechCrunch

Newsweek
Apple Is Being Sued for Removing Songs From iPods Without Owners' Knowledge
Newsweek
The plaintiffs, Melanie Wilson and Marianna Rosen, are suing Apple for $350 million and ... Apple defended themselves by saying that the measures were taken for security reasons. ... Apple or non-Apple, the FairPlay technology is still used on apps in the App Store, meaning ... Facebook social plugin.
Apple admits it deleted non-iTunes music off iPods for two years - Digital Trends


The Register
Snowden files show NSA's AURORAGOLD pwned 70% of world's mobile networks
The Register
The NSA, and its British counterpart GCHQ, spied on innocent telco employees and standards bodies to tap into mobile phone networks worldwide, according to the latest leak from the Edward Snowden archive. The mobile tapping system, dubbed ...

The Seattle Times
'Gangnam Style' pushes YouTube to its limits
The Seattle Times
South Korean rapper PSY performs his hit "Gangnam Style" live on NBC's "Today" show in New York in 2012. A video of the song,. Related. Reader Comments. Read all comments · Post a comment. advertising. Kim Kardashian may have tried to ...

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Comcast vs Tennessee Utility, Future of the Internet

Comcast’s worst nightmare: How Tennessee could save America’s Internet - Salon.com: ".... To date, those court cases have been thwarted by EPB. However, it is a different story in state legislatures. Once again abandoning the business lobby’s typical call for less government intervention, telecom firms have successfully pushed 20 states to pass laws limiting the reach of community-owned utilities like EPB. That’s where Washington comes in. With Census figures showing more than 1 in 5 Tennessee residents having no Internet connection, EPB is now proposing to offer its ultra-fast services to new communities. But it needs the Federal Communications Commission to preempt the Tennessee statute prohibiting the utility from competing with private telecom companies outside its current market. For EPB, the good news is that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has repeatedly pledged that in the name of competition and broadband access, he will support preempting state laws like Tennessee’s. However, in a capital run by money, EPB may still be politically overpowered. After all, as a community-owned utility in a midsized city, EPB does not have the lobbyists and campaign cash to match those of behemoths like Comcast and AT&T. What the utility does have is a solid track record and a pro-consumer, pro-competition argument. The question is: Will that be enough to prevent Wheeler from backing down or being blocked by Congress? The future of the Internet may be at stake in the answer." (read more at link above)

FCC - Net Neutrality Public Comments support Title II Regulation (via Politico) - "... One key factor: the controversial proposed rules [for internet fast lanes] have touched a very intimate and personal nerve for Web users across the country, raising the political temperature at the FCC on this issue. It's also exposed deep industry divisions over the future of the Internet. 'Telecom and cable companies are mostly in agreement that the last thing they want is a heavy-handed FCC imposing rules that will restrict how they manage Internet traffic. Companies from Netflix to Etsy agree that nothing could be more detrimental to their business than rules that force them to pay more for distribution, urging the agency to use all the available tools to prohibit fast lanes.'...." 

Snowden seeks to develop anti-surveillance technologies | Reuters: "...Snowden, who addressed conference attendees on Saturday via video link from Moscow, said he intends to devote much of his time to promoting such technologies, including ones that allow people to communicate anonymously and encrypt their messages...."

Alibaba's I.P.O. Could Be a Bonanza for the Scions of Chinese Leaders - NYTimes.com: "What Alibaba did not detail was the deep political connections of the investment firms, Boyu Capital, Citic Capital Holdings and CDB Capital, the China Development Bank’s private investment arm. Their senior executive ranks included sons or grandsons of the most powerful members of the ruling Communist Party, according to an analysis by The New York Times."

Mobile messaging platform Tango hires game publishing leader and creates $25M game investment fund | GamesBeat | Games | by Dean Takahashi: "... Ying said that Tango is putting together an “attractive package” for revenue sharing. The exact percentage Tango takes depends on whether a game has been proven elsewhere before. Rather than limit distribution efforts to premier real estate within Tango, top-performing games will receive promotion through additional, off-platform marketing channels, the company said. Investments and acquisitions of game teams will also be considered, Ying said...."

More Chinese people going online via phones than PCs - The Times of India: "... China's total number of internet users crept up 2.3% to 632 million by the end of June, from 618 million at the end of 2013, said CNNIC's internet development statistics report. Of those, 527 million — or 83% — went online via mobile.... But not all internet activity saw growth. Users of microblogs such as Tencent Weibo and that offered by Weibo fell for the second six-month period in a row, by 1.9% to 275 million. They numbered 331 million at the end of June last year before the government in September started clamping down on "online rumours" which it said threatened social stability. Blockbuster mobile messaging apps such as Tencent's WeChat have since become venues of choice for users who want to express views without fear of retribution...."

Microsoft's Productivity Story: Showtime For Nadella
InformationWeek
Microsoft is Nadella's show now, and the CEO deserves high marks for ... Apple andGoogle have thumped Microsoft in the mobility arena. It may be a ...


Artesia Daily Press
Microsoft makes design central to its future
Salt Lake Tribune
Before Ralf Groene helped devise the look and feel of Microsoft's Surface tablet, ... more competitive with offerings from rivals Apple, Google, and Amazon and to ... And yes, Microsoft is even trying to make devices attractive, cool and ...


PC Advisor
Microsoft reveals bankruptcy of devices strategy by dumping Nokia feature phones
Computerworld
Computerworld - Microsoft was right to ax the feature phone business it inherited when it bought Nokia's handset business for $7.2 billion, analysts ...

Facebook Earnings Preview: Good Performance Expected to Continue
Forbes
Facebook will release its Q2 2014 results on July 23. The expectations are high considering the company's performance in recent quarters. We expect ...


New York Times
Microsoft's Top Lawyer Is the Tech World's Envoy
New York Times
Bradford Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, worked as a lawyer in ....


Re/code
Yahoo to Acquire Flurry to Strengthen Mobile Products
MarketWatch
Our agreement to acquire Flurry is a meaningful step for the company and reinforcesYahoo's commitment to building and supporting useful, inspiring ...


MarketWatch
Apple options traders aren't willing to roll the dice
MarketWatch
If investors are expecting Apple to give them something special this quarter, ... Apple will reveal results after the Tuesday's closing bell, with analysts ...


Capital FM Kenya
Google To Turn NYC Payphones Into WiFi Hotspots
InformationWeek
More than 50 companies are interested in assisting New York's bid to become more connected, including Google, Cisco, Samsung, and IBM.


Wired
Facebook Explains Why It Wants to Be a Retail Store
Wired
Why Cutting 18,000 Jobs Was Likely Microsoft's Plan All Along .... Apple, with iTunes and the App Store, is now an online retailer. ... available to a would-be consumer: clicking over to Amazon or Google or any other retail site. ... A Facebook version of PayPal or GoogleWallet may also be in the works.

Apple Releases iOS 8 Beta 4 to Developers
Juli Clover
Apple today released the fourth beta of iOS 8 to developers, two weeks after ... Apple has also released Xcode 6 beta 4 and a new Apple TV beta. ... concerned with privacy and security, there's always Google and Microsoft, ...Facebook Launches Exclusive 'Mentions' App for Verified Public Figures (31).

Apple readying OS X Yosemite Public Beta for this month, new developer preview today
Mark Gurman
Apple is planning to release a publicly available beta of the upcoming OS X Yosemite later this month, according to sources briefed on the plans.

Yahoo Is Going To Buy Mobile Ad Company Flurry For Hundreds Of Millions
Steven Tweedie
Yahoo is reportedly acquiring mobile app firm Flurry for "hundreds of millions." ... 

Marin Adds Google Shopping Campaign Management
Jessica Lee
That's likely part of the fuel behind Marin's latest launch: support for Google Shopping ... Some of the features of the Google Shopping release include: ... and retarget consumers across the web, including Facebook," said Matt Ackley, ...

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Snowden Says Drop Dropbox, Use SpiderOak

Take it from the "pro" --

Snowden Says Drop Dropbox, Use SpiderOak - Digits - WSJ: "Edward Snowden singled out cloud-storage provider Dropbox for lacking security measures he says would protect users from government snooping. He then plugged smaller competitor SpiderOak, which he says does."

Amazon unveils Kindle Unlimited, an e-book subscription service
Los Angeles Times
Amazon entered the e-book subscription market Friday by launching Kindle Unlimited, a Netflix-like subscription service for e-books available for ...


New York Times
Microsoft may drag out layoffs for a year
Computerworld (blog)
Computerworld - Microsoft yesterday said it could take as long as a year to lay off the 18,000 workers who will be eventually shown the door, making ...


FanSided
Google reveals Athena, a Material Design-inspired revamp of Chrome OS
PCWorld (blog)
Chrome evangelist François Beaufort gave us a glimpse of the potential future of Chrome OS on Friday, and boy is it ugly. Maybe that's a bit harsh.


The Guardian
Apple should do more to tackle in-app purchases problem: EU
Chicago Tribune
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Apple has provided no concrete and immediate solutions ... Since then, Google, which owns the Android operating system for ...


Reuters
Google's executive shuffle highlights its growing ambitions
Chicago Tribune
On Thursday, Google announced the surprise departure of its veteran ... such as the Google+ network launched to take on Facebook Inc, appear to ...


Wall Street Journal
Google Honors 'Right to Forget' Tantric Workshop
Wall Street Journal
Europe's new "right to be forgotten" on the Web now applies to references to Tantric sex. A Netherlands-based private-equity investor named Greg ...


CIO Today
Apple-IBM Deal: 9 Moves Rivals Should Make
InformationWeek
With Apple and IBM allied to advance iOS in the enterprise, these mobile technology ... As for Google and Microsoft, the gauntlet has been thrown.

Microsoft Shows Tech 'Monopolies' Don't Last
InformationWeek
... shows just how vulnerable the world's biggest software company has become as competitors from Apple toGoogle to Amazon.com have eaten its ...


Boston Globe
Facebook tests button to let people shop from its website
Boston Globe
The “buy” button is shown on a Facebook page. With the feature, the social network aims to keep up with Twitter and Google. ... The company also recently signed a deal withAmazon.com to let Twitter members shop by hashtag.


TIME
Microsoft Is Shuttering Xbox Entertainment Studios, but Halo TV Series Lives On
TIME
Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer speaks at the Microsoft Xbox E3 2012 media briefing in Los Angeles on June 4, 2012.
Why Microsoft is Closing Xbox Entertainment Studios - The Next Web

Lenovo stops selling small-screen Windows tablets in the U.S. due to lack of demand | PCWorld: "Lenovo has stopped selling Windows tablets with screen sizes under 10 inches in the U.S. due to lack of interest."

On Apollo 11 anniversary, people share their memories and thoughtsWashington Post
On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin was “out of town” when the world rejoiced in a way never seen before or since. He and Neil Armstrong were on the moon. They missed the celebration 45 years ago. So did Michael Collins, orbiting solo around the moon in the ...

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Boring Content That Is Sinking Yahoo

#BORING #YahooFAIL - Here's a random example:

POLITICO Playbook - POLITICO.com: "On Friday, per a rep., “Yahoo News will feature Katie Couric’s exclusive interview with former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. This is the first sit-down interview with Bloomberg since his appointment as the United Nations special envoy for cities and climate change. … Katie is inviting viewers to submit their questions, photos, and videos for Bloomberg via her Tumblr page: katiecouric.tumblr.com. This type of viewer content submission and dialogue is a key component of Katie Couric’s programming on Yahoo News. …" -- Marissa Mayer may be the only one watching! LOL!

Edward Snowden speaks at SXSW, calls for public oversight of U.S. spy programs | WTVR.com: "In response to a question, Snowden said he had no regrets about his decision to leak the NSA documents. “Would I do it again? Absolutely. Regardless of what happens to me, this is something we had a right to,” he said. “I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. And I saw the Constitution was being violated on a massive scale,” he added, to applause from the 3,000 people in the auditorium at the Austin Convention Center" [and thousands watching live online]

Snowden: NSA 'Set Fire' to Internet, Techies Are 'Firefighters' - NBC News.com: "...."Let me be clear about one thing: His disclosures have improved Internet security," Soghoian said. Tim Berners-Lee, who is called the creator of the modern Internet, also passed along his thanks during the Q&A, saying he believes Snowden's “actions are profoundly in the public interest.” The large SXSW audience also appeared to be largely in support of Snowden, and clapped several times as he spoke."

Comcast challenging Disney's hold on tourism trade - Houston Chronicle: "Comcast Corp. will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in California and Florida theme parks, stepping outside its core business of telecommunications in an effort to boost revenue and profits. In a story published Sunday, The Philadelphia Inquirer said recent moves by the Philadelphia-based, cable-TV company represent a challenge to the Walt Disney Co.'s tourism business in Orlando...."

X Series Won’t Mark Sweet Spot for Nokia in India - Digits - WSJ: "The new smartphone doesn’t punch above its weight in terms of features and, at 8,599 rupees ($140) , is too expensive to compete with its Indian-made peers, which also use Android operating systems. Nokia X “doesn’t have some of the trademark Android features – such as the GoogleGOOG -0.27% Mobile Suite which is considered a must . . ."

Apple Releases First Big Software Update for iOS 7
New York Times (blog)
Apple on Monday released its first major update for iOS 7, its latest operating system for iPhones and iPads. The upgrade improves reliability of the fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 5S and makes adjustments to Siri, among many other changes. A few ...

Google Shoots For Wearables Dominance With SDK
InformationWeek
Google thinks it can corner the market for wearable computing devices with the help of a new SDK it plans to offer to developers within the next two weeks. The SDK will be based on Google's Android platform, so it should include tools familiar to app ...

Apple is asking record labels for exclusive iTunes releases
Los Angeles Times
Although Apple remains the single largest manufacturer of smartphones, more U.S. consumers now own Android devices running Google's software, according to researcher the Yankee Group. As consumers gravitate to Google-powered smartphones, they lose ...

Google gets serious about office apps: Offers $15 for referrals
ZDNet
Google just got serious—really serious—about taking on Microsoft Office, and Office 365 in particular. In a blog posting on March 10th Prajesh Parekh, a Google marketing lead, wrote "we're offering a $15 referral bonus for each new Google Apps user ...

Microsoft Surface Power Covers get a mid-March ship date
ZDNet
The disclosure of the date ocurred on March 10, which is when Microsoft went live with pre-orders for the covers that extend the battery life of Microsoft's Surface Pro, Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets. (I saw the pre-order page on the Microsoft ...

Apple hands stock worth $12.1M to top execs in retention deal
Computerworld
Computerworld - Apple last week gave six top executives $12.1 million each in stock grants that will vest over the next four years, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Those filings did not spell out why the ...

Apple wants Samsung to pay $40 per phone for five patents
Fortune
FORTUNE -- Apple (AAPL) for several years has had a loyal supporter in Florian Mueller. Nobody followed the company's myriad patent disputes more closely. Or criticized more sharply the claims made against Apple by Samsung and Motorola/Google for ...

IBM Analytics Improve BMW Auto Quality
InformationWeek
BWM takes a predictive look at sensor data to eliminate flaws in new models before they go into production. IBM announced Tuesday that luxury auto manufacturer BMW is expanding its use of IBM big data analytics software to eliminate defects in new ...

How It's Possible to Lose an Airplane in 2014
Wired
In an era when we've all got GPS in our pockets, OnStar in our cars and the NSA tracking anyone, anywhere, it is still possible–although rare–for an airliner to seemingly vanish. That appears to be what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which ...

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Snowden revelations led to Judge ruling against NSA

"a secret and illegal government scheme to intercept and analyze vast quantities of domestic telephonic communications" -- claim made in Klayman vs Obama case  (see also pdf of decision)

Edward Snowden himself praised the decision.“I acted on my belief that the NSA’s mass surveillance programs would not withstand a constitutional challenge, and that the American public deserved a chance to see these issues determined by open courts. Today, a secret program authorized by a secret court was, when exposed to the light of day, found to violate Americans’ rights. It is the first of many.”" source: POLITICO.com

Stunning revelations from man who sued NSA: "... Klayman brought the case on behalf of Charles Strange, the father of Michael Strange, a cryptologist technician for the NSA and support personnel for Navy SEAL Team VI. Michael Strange was killed in Afghanistan when his helicopter was shot down in 2011. The case asserted that Charles Strange is a subscriber of Verizon Wireless, and as such was bringing suit against NSA and the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as several officia ls in the U.S. government, including President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. . . ." (read more at the link above)

Judge: NSA phone program likely unconstitutional - Josh Gerstein - POLITICO.com: " . . . The judge went on to conclude that the searches involved in the NSA metadata program were likely not permissible under the Fourth Amendment in part because there was little evidence the program has actually prevented terrorism. . . . "

‘World’s cheapest tablet’ lands in the UK for just £30 | Technology | theguardian.com: "...The UbiSlate features a low-resolution 7in touchscreen, 1GHz processor, 4GB of storage with a microSD card slot, and runs a modified version of Android 4.0.3 “Ice Cream Sandwich”. It comes bundled with a series of apps for education, entertainment, gaming and productivity, aiming to bring computer and internet access to everyone...."

Google's Motorola Loses Bid to Overturn Microsoft Victory

Bloomberg
Motorola Mobility failed to prove the technology covered by Microsoft's patent was previously used in Apple Inc.'s failed Newton personal digital ...

Google removes 'awesome' but unintended privacy controls in ...

ZDNet
Summary: Google's recent update Android 4.4.2 didn't bring many changes, but it did break off a privacy feature that slipped into KitKat by accident.

Apple Insider

Apple ships first OS X Mavericks update, tackles more email issues

Computerworld
Three of the vulnerabilities were originally reported by Google's Chrome ...Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and ...

Apple Insider

Google Glass Upgrade Arrives Just in Time for New Year's

Mashable
Google is ready to send the upgraded version of Google Glass starting the week of Dec. 30, according to an email Mashable received from the Glass ...

International Business Times UK

Apple's 64-bit A7 SoC 'set off panic' for chipmakers

Apple Insider
Apple caught market-leading chipmakers off guard when it debuted the 64-bit A7 system-on-chip alongside the iPhone 5s in September, a move one ...

Apple Insider

Amazon May Be Going for Payments Startup GoPago

Wall Street Journal (blog)
Amazon.com may be nearing a deal to buy payments startup GoPago, potentially putting it in more direct competition with eBay's PayPal, Square and ...

SlashGear

Amazon Prime Offers Free Holiday Shipping through Sunday ...

MarketWatch
Become a member of Amazon Prime to take advantage of this fast, free ...For delivery by Christmas, visit amazon.com/holiday-shipping for details.

Albany Times Union

Apple Dominating Small And Medium Business Mobile Device ...

Forbes
Intermedia is a third-party provider of hosted Microsoft Microsoft exchange with almost 700,000 business users. Its customer base is small and medium ...

Women Citizen

Google's pop-up store uses technology to tempt shoppers

Baltimore Sun
Soni tested out a Google Nexus 7 tablet, then announced to his wife, ... He cites Apple's retail stores, and pop-up shops by Microsoft and Samsung. ... Forte says even Amazon, which is increasingly selling hardware such as the ...

Google's top searches peer into society's mindset

San Jose Mercury News
The iPhone 5S, the latest upgrade in Apple's most popular product line, ... during the previous two weeks by its main search rivals—Microsoft Corp.

Tech Firms Push to Control Web's Pipes
Wall Street Journal
Technology giants like Google and Facebook are expanding efforts to control more of the world's Internet backbone, raising tensions with telecom companies over who runs the Web. Spencer Ante joins MoneyBeat. Photo: Getty Images. In the past year, these ...

Microsoft Executive to Oversee Health Website
Wall Street Journal
Mr. DelBene, who served as president of the Microsoft Office Division, will be a senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and will oversee the HealthCare.gov project and the troubled health-insurance marketplace.

Apple reveals top app downloads of 2013: Candy wins
USA TODAY
The game itself, launched in November 2012 and available for free on the Apple and Android platforms, has over 500 million downloads and has been played over 150 billion times, according to developer King. APP OF ... "People are more engaged with their ...

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