Carl Icahn Says Apple Shares Sell at Half Price, Wants Buyback

Carl wants his shares in Apple to increase in value--now--

Wall Street Journal
Icahn Letter Pushes Apple to Buy Back More Shares
Wall Street Journal
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, in an open letter, called on Apple CEO Tim Cook to buy back shares. Icahn also projects a new Apple HD TV set in ...
Icahn: Apple shares sell at 'half price' value - USA TODAY
One More Thing: Carl Icahn Expects Apple To Crush The 4K TV Market - Forbes


The Hindu
The Disconnect Between Yahoo Shareholders And Marissa Mayer
Forbes
I'm not the only shareholder who is critical now of Mayer as a CEO. I've spoken to many investors privately who share my frustration and have ...


Wall Street Journal
Larger Apple iPad to Be Delayed
Wall Street Journal
Suppliers of the Cupertino, Calif., company had originally planned to produce the larger iPad in mass volume beginning in December, the people said.


USA TODAY
Report: Amazon to open retail store in NYC
USA TODAY
Online retail giant Amazon will take on Macy's and other Herald Square retailers with a ... "Even the Apple Store carries non-Apple products," he says.
Amazon's first brick-and-mortar store said to open in Manhattan - Engadget


Wall Street Journal
Apple Supplier Wants to Wind Down Production
Wall Street Journal
GT Advanced Technologies, a manufacturer of synthetic sapphire that was considered for Apple's new smartphones, is looking to end production after ...


New York Times
Technology Titans Lead Ranking of Most Valuable Brands
New York Times
In addition to Apple and Google, they are Microsoft, at No. ... And Facebook — which had the highest percentage increase in value from last year, 86 percent — is, ... 45, up 27 percent; Amazon, classified as a retail brand, No. 15, up ...


New York Times
Wearable Technology That Feels Like Skin
New York Times
Apple and Samsung, for example, are betting on the wrist; Google, the face. A slew of tech companies believe clothing will simply become electronic.


New York Times
Court Hears Case on Pay for Amazon Workers Screened After Work
New York Times
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments over whether workers at an Amazon warehouse in Las Vegas must be paid ...

Microsoft reboots
"Lucrative irrelevance" is the phrase Vanity Fair's Bethany McLean uses to elaborate Microsoft's future under Ballmer. With Ballmer gone, though, does ...

GT Advanced Wants to Keep Issues With Apple Secret
GT Advanced Technologies, the sapphire supplier that filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, wants to keep what went wrong between it and Apple ...

The Apple Products Most Overdue For An Update
Well, it's official: Apple is holding an event on October 16 that will reportedly ... You can also follow us onFacebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Google Maps takes its 'street view' to the desert, uses camels instead of cars
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – (Oct. 8, 2014)– Google is taking its famous street view ... In the description of YouTube video above, Google Arabia says, “Explore the Arabian ... Photo courtesy of the Prayers for Shane Facebook page ...

How to Customize Your Google Chromecast with Personal Wallpapers and More
The Chromecast finally supports a feature users have been requesting for ages: customized wallpaper. Read on as we show you how to add custom ...

Google Chrome Blog: A simpler, faster way to use Hangouts on your desktop: "... Voice calling from your desktop. The app now has all the video and voice features you’re used to in Hangouts. We recently announced you can make phone calls to any number in the world (via Hangouts dialer) and now you can do this right from your desktop. If you use Google Voice, the app includes complete Google Voice support, so you can make and receive calls, and get your voicemails and SMS messages directly in Hangouts...."

Attn: Developers:
Chrome 39 beta arrives with new developer features, including JavaScript Generators and Web Animations control | VentureBeat 

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New iPad, Apple Event Oct 16, What Can We Expect? (video)

Apple sent out invitations to an event on Oct. 16, when the company is said to be planning to reveal its latest iPad tablets ahead of the holiday shopping season. Bloomberg’s Tim Higgins reports on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg Oct 8)


Forbes
Apple Announces Special Event: 'It's Been Way Too Long'. Here's What To Expect
Forbes
The clamour surrounding the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Apple Watch may only just be cooling down, but today Apple has announced another ...

Facebook Readies App Allowing Anonymity - NYTimes.com: "The company is working on a stand-alone mobile application that allows users to interact inside of it without having to use their real names, according to two people briefed on Facebook’s plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the project."


Wall Street Journal
Apple, Others Surprised by GT's Bankruptcy Filing
Wall Street Journal
Apple is expected to use synthetic sapphire for screens on some Apple Watch designs but not for the screen of its latest iPhones. Bloomberg News.
GT Advanced bankruptcy offers warning to Apple suppliers - Reuters


Forbes
Supreme Court To Decide If Amazon Workers Should Be Paid For Security Screening
Forbes
In this Nov. 13, 2002 file photo, an Amazon employee packages an order to be shipped from its Coffeyville, Kan., warehouse. (AP Photo/The Wichita ...


Forbes
Where Does Apple Pay Fall Short?
Forbes
Apple has a long history of making things work that others have previously tried. With the iPod and the iPad, Apple brought ideas to life that many ...


Newsweek
Drone Delivery for Amazon and Google Slowed by Headwinds
Newsweek
Though Google and Amazon have already begun testing, German ... “And the technology has to be adapted and somehow developed so that the ...


CBS News
Justice Dept. will review practice of creating fake Facebook profiles
Washington Post
The Justice Department said Tuesday that it will review federal law enforcement practices in light of an incident in which a federal agent used a ...


CNET
iOS 8.1 beta 2 reveals new Apple Pay screens
CNET
Scoping out iOS 8.1 beta 2, iOS developer Hamza Sood discovered a few new screens related to Apple Pay, the new payment system demoed by ...


CNET
A walk in the park: Google Maps hits the trails in California
CNET
The new views of the state parks underscore the ever-increasing granularity of Google'smaps, as the company invests in technology -- from ...

Teens Are Abandoning Facebook, According To A New Survey
Teens are totally over Facebook, a recent report from Piper Jaffray states, and the kids are flocking to Instagram and Twitter to fill their social media needs....

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Sapphire Worth the Extra Cost for Apple iPhone? (video)

Video - Is Sapphire the Answer to the Scratched iPhone? - WSJ.com:
Is Sapphire the Answer to the Scratched iPhone?
Apple is betting $700 million that sapphire, a harder and more expensive material, can replace glass and better protect the newest iPhone. WSJ's Daisuke Wakabayashi joins the News Hub with Sara Murray.

Email Is Still the Best Thing on the Internet - The Atlantic: "... Email is actually a tremendous, decentralized, open platform on which new, innovative things can and have been built. In that way, email represents a different model from the closed ecosystems we see proliferating across our computers and devices. Email is a refugee from the open, interoperable, less-controlled "web we lost." It's an exciting landscape of freedom amidst the walled gardens of social networking and messaging services. Yes, email is exciting. Get excited!..."


New York Times
German Authors Join Protest Over Amazon's Tactics in E-Book Dispute
New York Times
Amazon has grown in Germany, its largest market outside America, with this distribution center in Brieselang. It plans to open two logistics centers ...


Forbes
iPhone 6 Leaks Show New Cable Design. Apple Redesigns USB
Forbes
The joke goes: if there is a universal standard Apple Apple will find a way to make ... and Apple appears ready to forge ahead with its own version of the technology. ...


VentureBeat
Google Partners With Mesosphere - Ramps Up Its Container Commitment
Forbes
Not to be left out, Google Google was one of the vendors that introduced the ... Kubernetes has support and contributions from Microsoft Microsoft, IBM and ... Mesos (and, by extension Mesosphere) is an exciting technology. ... on fire and Google is trying hard to catch up to Amazon Web Services in the ...


Android Headlines - Android News
Google Maps is tracking everywhere you go
Vox
Google probably already knows your age, your interests, and everything you've looked at online. But now, there's proof that Google knows where you ...


Economic Times
Google acquires image-recognition startup Jetpac
CNET
Google has other plans, though: the app will disappear in a month. ... Jetpac will remove its apps from Apple's App Store on September 15, the ... It's not clear exactly what Googlewill do with Jetpac's technology for finding things ... In the past he has been CNET's beat reporter for Google, Yahoo, Linux, ...


Tech Times
Microsoft Considered Renaming Internet Explorer Due To Negative Perceptions
Forbes
I cover noteworthy technology, startups, and gadgets ... This is about triple the market share of the second-place browser, Google Google Chrome. ... The potential rebranding was revealed when engineers from Microsoft's ... dropping due to competition against Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple ...

Can Microsoft beat Apple by being rational?
CNET
Microsoft/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET I've never been too ... Apple and Samsung have both developed powerful, emotional pulls.


SavingAdvice.com
Microsoft pulls its August Windows update after users report crashes
PCWorld (blog)
Microsoft has pulled its August Update for Windows after users reported crashes and issues restarting their systems. The company is currently ...


Techaeris
Google Cardboard works on the iPhone, too
CBS News
You might recall that Google unveiled its Cardboard hardware at last ... Google intended Cardboard for Android, so Apple iPhone users were shut out ...


Firstpost
Facebook Testing 'Satire' Tags for Sites Like The Onion
Mashable
Facebook is testing out a feature that marks fake news stories from sites such as The Onion with "satire" in its News Feed, a feature requested by some ...
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Google Samsung Divorce Coming?

Google and Samsung’s relationship continues to worsen, this time over wearables | 9to5Google: "According to a new report out of The Information, the already tense relationship between Samsung and Google has begun to worsen thanks to both of their own lines of wearables. The report claims that Google CEO Larry Page and Samsung Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee took part in an a “tense” private meeting at the Allen & Co. conference last week in Sun Valley. The meeting reportedly centered around Page being frustrated that Samsung was investing more in its smartwatches running Tizen than the ones running Android Wear...." (read more at the link above)


Apple Insider
Google and Samsung escalate hostilities over watches, Tizen and Android's openness
Apple Insider
Back in 2010, Google similarly tried to stop Samsung from using Android 2.x to build a tablet clone of Apple's iPad, insisting that its Android licensees ...

Facebook Is Studying Your Mom, Your Makeout Buddy, and Your 9/11 Conspiracy Theories | Mother Jones: "... the mood study is far from the only example of Facebook scrutinizing its users—the company has been doing that for years, examining users' ethnicities, political views, romantic partners, and even how they talk to their children..."

Here’s why your Comcast rep is yelling at you | The Verge: "Warped employee incentives and an absence of competition make bad customer service inevitable"

Google Maps for Android update adds elevation data for cyclists, let's you talk back to Navigation
Jane McEntegart
Google is pushing out an update for Google Maps for Android that will make things a little bit easier for cyclists planning their journeys. Now, when you ...

Google To Stop Labeling Apps With In-App Purchases As 'Free'
Forbes
By the end of September, Google will no longer label apps as “free” if they allow for ...Apple has not, according to the EC, made a similar commitment.


Boston Globe
His Google Maps obsession
Boston Globe
Then my husband discovered Google Maps. Now we sit in the car while my husband hunches over his phone, tapping out our route. You'd think he ...


Cinema Blend
Microsoft Catches Ire From Advertisers Over Xbox Entertainment Studios Shutdown
Cinema Blend
There's been some recent shakeups going on at Microsoft that has caused the major enterprise ... The marketplace is stiff, however, as the programming end is occupied by the likes of Amazon's new Fire TV, Netflix, Hulu and other ...


IBNLive
Did Facebook's Slingshot Miss Its Target?
Mashable
The app briefly cracked Apple's list of top 50 free apps in the United States the ... 100,000 and 500,000 times, according to Google Play store numbers.


Hindu Business Line
Facebook to challenge Amazon soon?
Hindu Business Line
After making billions connect socially on its network, Facebook is testing a new feature designed to let users buy products directly from ads and posts ...

Google Blocking Some Downloads of uTorrent in Chrome
PC Magazine
Google, it seems, would disagree. According to a recent article from TorrentFreak, the search giant has allegedly placed the uTorrent installation ...

Google mulls transforming NYC pay phones into Wi-Fi hot spots
Chicago Tribune
NEW YORK _Google is among several technology companies considering a plan that uses pay-phone locations to give New Yorkers free wireless ...

NASA's Orion Spacecraft: 9 Facts
InformationWeek
The Orion spacecraft gives NASA a ticket to deep space. Here's how NASA is preparing the spacecraft for a mission to visit an asteroid in 2025. Previous. 1 of 10. Next. NASA has big plans to send humans to an asteroid by 2025. The mission, however, will not ..

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Access to Google services in China returns

Not much internet freedom in China --

Access to Google services within China returns | Reuters: "Users in China were able to access online services for Google Inc on Thursday, after more than a month of severe disruption that almost completely blocked people from using features such as its search, maps and e-mail functions. The Google disruption began in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the government's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators around Beijing's Tiananmen Square. China maintains tight control over the Internet, nipping in the bud any signs of dissent or challenges to the ruling Communist Party's leadership...."

Google Cloud Platform Blog: Welcome Microsoft, RedHat, IBM, Docker and more to the Kubernetes community: "Kubernetes is an open source manager for Docker containers, based on Google’s years of experience using containers at Internet scale. Today, Microsoft, RedHat, IBM, Docker, Mesosphere, CoreOS and SaltStack are joining the Kubernetes community and will actively contribute to the project. Each company brings unique strengths, and together we will ensure that Kubernetes is a strong and open container management framework for any application and in any environment - whether in a private, public or hybrid cloud. Our shared goal is to allow a broad range of developers to take advantage of container technologies. Kubernetes was built from the ground up as a lean, extensible and portable framework for managing Docker workloads. It lets customers manage their applications the way that Google manages hyper-scale applications like Search and Gmail. Containers offer tremendous advantages for developers. Predictable deployments and simple scalability are possible because Docker packages all of a workload’s dependencies with the application. This allows for ultimate portability; you can avoid vendor lock-in and run containers in the cloud of your choice. It is just as important that the management framework has the same properties of portability and scalability, and that is what the community will bring to Kubernetes...."

Aereo Lays Out New Survival Strategy in Letter to Judge - Hollywood Reporter: "... Aereo reports that it is proceeding to file the necessary statements of account and royalty fees, and asserts that the Supreme Court's decision has overruled the 2nd Circuit decision in Ivi, which concerned a predecessor digital TV transmitter that once attempted to gain legitimacy through the paying of compulsory license fees. Even if the judge doesn't accept the argument, Aereo says there are still issues to be addressed about the "scope" of any preliminary injunction...."

Google Chrome Blog: Mirror Your Android Screen to the TV with Chromecast: "Chromecast makes it easy for you to enjoy your favorite entertainment on the biggest screen in the house. Starting today, you can mirror your Android phone and tablet to the TV so you can see your favorite apps, photos or anything else, exactly as you see it on your mobile device—only bigger. To start mirroring, simply select “Cast Screen” from the navigation drawer in the Chromecast app and select your Chromecast device.  On Nexus devices, this feature is also available through the quick settings menu. Now, anything on your Android device will appear on the TV. You can share photos stored on your phone with a group of friends, or scope out the scenery for your next family vacation together on the big screen using Google Earth...."

Cast your Android screen from the Chromecast App -  Current Devices "Nexus 4 Nexus 5 Nexus 7 (2013) Nexus 10 Samsung Galaxy S4 Samsung Galaxy S4 (Google Play Edition) Samsung Galaxy S5 Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Samsung Galaxy Note 10 HTC One M7 HTC One M7 (Google Play Edition) LG G3 LG G2 LG G Pro 2 Support for additional devices coming soon"

Amazon allowed kids to spend millions on in-app purchases, FTC says
PCWorld
This week, Politico reported that Apple has complained to the FTC that Google allows the same kinds of in-app purchases in its mobile app store.

Google executive's November death on Santa Cruz yacht turns torrid with prostitute's arrest
San Jose Mercury News
The victim: Forrest Timothy Hayes, a 51-year-old who was on the Google team ... In Facebook posts and pictures on a page that disappeared around noon ... Google andApple representatives declined to discuss Hayes' tenure or ...

Google's Venture Capital Arm Adds $100 Million European Fund
Bloomberg
Google provides funds to the ventures arm, which makes strategic ... Facebook Inc. this year agreed to spend $19 billion for messaging startup ...

Apple Secures EU Trademark for Store Layouts
Wall Street Journal
Apple Inc. has secured an EU court ruling to register the layout of its shops--like its new flagship store opened in Madrid, Spain, last month--as a ...

Microsoft CEO backs Xbox in employee memo
USA TODAY
Microsoft chief Satya Nadella says the company will "continue to grow and innovate" with their Xbox video game brand, brushing off speculation that ...

Yahoo plan for Alibaba cash draws attention
MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Yahoo Inc. will kick off the tech earnings ... “We will be listening closely for how Yahoo thinks about using its Alibaba ...

Microsoft Enhances Azure, Office 365
InformationWeek
Microsoft sets the tone for its Worldwide Partner Conference with new Office 365 plans, ...Microsoft announced a raft of enhancements Wednesday to its cloud ... with those ofAmazon and other cloud competitors, and how well Microsoft ... I'm sure Apple will come up with something better for their users.

Apple's CarPlay to dominate infotainment systems, will be in 24M cars by 2019
Computerworld
Computerworld - In just five years, Apple's CarPlay API for iPhone integration ... Earlier this year, Google announced it would start an Open Automotive ...

Amazon Web Services Launches New Capabilities for Mobile Developers
MarketWatch
Amazon Cognito is a new service that provides simple user identity and data ... unauthenticated guests and then sign in with Amazon, Facebook, or Google. ... send notifications to Apple iOS, Google Android, and Kindle Fire devices.

Apple Plans All-Glass iPhone In Radical Design Shift
Forbes
It has long been an industry joke that the ultimate Apple Apple design would simply be a piece of glass. Well such teasing may not be far off the mark ...

Apple brings iTunes Extras to Apple TV, HD Extras to Macs today & iOS 8 in fall | 9to5Mac
By Jordan Kahn
While we'll have to wait for iTunes Extras to arrive on iOS with the release of iOS 8 this fall, the Apple TV OS 6.2 update rolled out late last month to ...

Satya Nadella Says Changes Are Coming to Microsoft - NYTimes.com
By By NICK WINGFIELD
An essay sent to Microsoft employees by the company's chief executive appears to ... Satya Nadella's essay, sent by email to Microsoft employees, said the company would " ...
Bits

FTC: Amazon Billed Parents Millions for Kids' Unauthorized App Buys - Gizmodo
By Kate Knibbs
The Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against Amazon demanding ... Earlier this year, Apple settled a similar complaint for $32.5 million.
Gizmodo

Facebook Is Studying Your Mom, Your Makeout Buddy, and Your 9/11 Conspiracy Theories ...
By Dana Liebelson
Facebook users and privacy advocates erupted in anger recently after New ... Although it's unlikely Facebook users have heard about most of these studies .... in with Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Disqus, or OpenID to comment.
Culture | Mother Jones

RUMOR: Apple Put In A Gigantic Order For The iPhone 6 - Business Insider
By Jay Yarow
Taiwan's “Business Weekly” is reporting that Apple told suppliers to make 68 million ... Login With Facebook Login With Twitter Login With Google.
Business Insider

Regulators sue Amazon on billing practices for in-app purchases | SiliconBeat
By Michelle Quinn
The FTC settled with Apple in January on the same issue. ... opportunity to point regulators to an article about Google's own practices, as I wrote about ...

Google Maps goes to Angkor Wat, Cambodia - AMERICAblog
By John Aravosis
Google takes you on a journey to the historic temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. How cool is that?
AMERICAblog News

Space Probe Might Lack Nitrogen to Push It Home - NYTimes.com: ".... On Wednesday, the team tried firings with different permutations of tanks, valves and thrusters. None worked, leading the engineers to suspect that the problem was not mechanical, but empty tanks. The nitrogen is used to squeeze the fuel, hydrazine, to the thrusters. “Without that, you don’t have a rocket,” Mr. Cowing said. There is a small chance that ISEE-3 is on course to slam into the moon on Aug. 10. A communication session on Friday will help determine its path. If it misses the moon, it will again wander in a looping orbit around the sun. “I’m going to wave to it as it goes by,” said Robert W. Farquhar, who was the spacecraft’s project scientist when ISEE-3 launched and who came up with the idea of sending it to visit a comet. Even though they might not be able to capture the spacecraft, Mr. Cowing said they were devising an alternative in which ISEE-3 would collect scientific data and send it back to Earth. “There’s a Plan B,” he said. “We’re going to listen to the spacecraft as long as it talks.”"

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Mapjacker Reveals Google Maps Flaw

Of course he (and Google) have some explaining to do (to the Secret Service and FBI -- see below):

Google Map jacker called a hero by feds he wiretapped: "When you Google a business, do you trust the Google Map listing enough to call the phone number or use it for navigation purposes? You totally shouldn't, according to Bryan Seely. He describes himself as a senior Microsoft Lync engineer, network engineer and security consultant who broke Google Maps and then used that "flaw" to wiretap the Secret Service and FBI...." 

Apple Book Excerpt: The Job After Jobs
Wall Street Journal (blog)
After an astonishing turnaround from the brink of bankruptcy, Apple is facing more skeptics today than at any point in the past decade. The competitive threat of an industry full of Android-powered devices is raising the stakes for Apple at a time when ...

Microsoft misjudges customer loyalty with kill-XP plea
Computerworld
Computerworld - Microsoft grossly overestimated the loyalty of those it thought were its most steadfast customers when it asked for their help in getting friends and family members to dump Windows XP, a corporate communications expert said Friday ...

Microsoft's latest stab at Apple: Macs are no good for weddings
CNET
Would a touch screen divorce Apple from its true principles? This fine future bride plumped for a Windows all-in-one because, just like the perfect marriage, you'll never need anything else. You see, here's what's important in wedding planning: "A ...

Microsoft's XBox One Gets Independent Developer Support
eWeek
Microsoft, whose success is owed in large part to strong developer support, took a backseat to Sony at last year's E3 in the eyes of independent game developers. During the PlayStation 4 unveiling, Sony won over video game enthusiasts and industry ...

Google fights back against possible bans on Glass
San Francisco Chronicle
Gary Howell has a vision, and it's a grim one, involving a cat. A motorist is driving down the road, wearing his Google Glass. He decides to watch a feline video and breaks into laughter. "When you're rolling down the road in a ton-and-a-half of metal ...

Nokia X hacked, Google apps installed
Times of India
While Nokia has replaced key APIs and services including Google's Maps and application marketplace with its own apps and Microsoft's services, an XDA forum member, Kashamalaga, has posted a way to root the Nokia X so that it could run the Google ...

Microsoft execs Bates and Reller to depart, report says
CNET
Bates has been serving as Microsoft's chief of business development and evangelism, while Reller has been the software maker's head of marketing. The Recode report said that Bates' duties will be handled for the time being by Eric Rudder, who oversees ...

Apple-Samsung silicon union still strong, chip expert says
CNET
Apple-Samsung silicon union still strong, chip expert says. For all the bad blood over smartphones, a coziness remains when it comes to Samsung-made chips, says the chief of VLSI Research. "Apple has been ... learned how to work that relationship.".

On climate change: Forces of nature are causing it, not humans; Even Christian ...
Dallas Morning News (blog)
In this photograph taken February 16, 2014, smoke rises from a peatland fire in Pekanbaru district in Riau province on Indonesia's Sumatra island. Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, is one of the world's biggest carbon emitters because of rampant ...

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Google Fiber Continues to Expand

Move over Comcast, Google Fiber is coming to even more cities! --

Official Blog: Exploring new cities for Google Fiber: "... We've long believed that the Internet’s next chapter will be built on gigabit speeds, so it’s fantastic to see this momentum. And now that we’ve learned a lot from our Google Fiber projects in Kansas City, Austin and Provo, we want to help build more ultra-fast networks. So we’ve invited cities in nine metro areas around the U.S.—34 cities altogether—to work with us to explore what it would take to bring them Google Fiber...."

More info at link above and at: https://fiber.google.com/newcities/

HP 'KNEW' about Autonomy's hardware sales BEFORE the whistle blew: report • The Register: "HP knew about Autonomy's hardware and reseller sales long before a whistleblower pointed them out and the company wrote down its acquisition by $8.8bn, theFinancial Times has claimed (paywall), citing emails and Deloitte audit reports. HP has accused Autonomy of "accounting improprieties, misrepresentations and disclosure failures" to excuse the massive writedown it made after it bought the UK software firm for $11.1bn in 2011. A year later, it claimed that it was misled about the state of the company's business when it wrote off most of the cost of the purchase...."

FCC won’t appeal Verizon ruling, will regulate ’Net on “case-by-case basis” | Ars Technica: " . . . Senior Staff Attorney John Bergmayer of consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge has previously warned that case-by-case regulation is ineffective. "We're in a bad place with net neutrality right now because the FCC got itself tied up in a knot with subtle lawyering," Bergmayer wrote. "Instead of building on its successes as a telecommunications regulator, it tried to come up with a 'third way.' I'm skeptical that yet more subtle lawyering—a fourth way or a fifth way—is going to save us." Public Knowledge CEO Gene Kimmelman released a statement today, saying, "While skeptical that the FCC's initial focus on section 706 will yield meaningful results, we are encouraged to see that the FCC plans to keep its 'reclassification' proceeding open...."

We Need Straightforward Rules to Protect Net Neutrality | Public Knowledge: "Telecom lawyers just can't stop coming up with complicated answers to simple problems. The reason the FCC lost its net neutrality case at the DC Circuit was simple. It tried to both de-regulate broadband access, by classifying it as an "information service" (something like a website or a social network), while applying traditional "telecommunications" rules to it--things like prohibitions on blocking content and discriminating against competing services. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals said--sorry, FCC. If you want to treat broadband access like a communications service, you need to formally classify it as one. Clever legal tricks aren't going to get you around this...."

Official Blog: Thank you, and welcome to the new Google Maps: "Over the coming weeks the new Google Maps will make its way onto desktops around the world. Many of you have been previewing it since its debut last May, and thanks to your helpful feedback we’re ready to make the new Maps even more widely available.... "

Xiaomi kicks off global expansion with Singapore launch | ZDNet: "Chinese smartphone darling, Xiaomi, has kicked off its global expansion plans in Singapore where its Android devices will go on sale this Friday, marking the company's first foray into markets outside of Greater China...."

AT&T reveals number of NSA and location demands in first-ever transparency report — Tech News and Analysis: "AT&T has made good on its promise to publish a report showing how often government demands data about its customers. The report includes information about cell tower searches and once-secret NSA demands...."

Apple passing Microsoft — Benedict Evans: "A symbolic moment, this: in Q4 2013 the number of computers* sold by Apple was larger than the number of Windows PC sold globally. If you add Windows Phone to the mix they're more or less exactly equal. "

Apple, Google, Microsoft: Where does the money come from? | ZDNet: "Three companies dominate the tech landscape in 2014: Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Although they compete directly and indirectly in various segments, each company has its own distinct financial personality. Big Three earnings Apple Q1 2014 hardware sales: By the numbers Microsoft earnings cheat sheet: Windows is back to cash cow number one Google's earnings: What future for plunging AdSense business? The best way to understand the differences between these three publicly traded companies is to look at the detailed reports each is required to file every quarter...."

BBC News - Kim Dotcom mansion raid was legal, NZ court rules: "However, the court did agree that the investigators' cloning of electronic evidence had been unlawful. . . .Mr Dotcom's legal team said it intends to contest the appeal court's decision."

Microsoft kills SkyDrive, launches OneDrive
Computerworld
In comparison, Apple provides only 5GB of free storage space for its iCloud online syncing and storage service, Google offers 15GB free with Google Drive, and the popular Dropbox file synchronization service hands just 2GB to customers free of charge.

Apple, Elon Musk and interplanetary travel
CNET
Apple, as well as Microsoft and Google, wants to be in every car, not just Tesla. The company is betting that iOS users want to have their Apple-ness everywhere. Applehas been working with Audi, General Motors, Ford, Hyundai, and others to integrate ...

Apple Gains Some Ground in China Smartphone Market
Wall Street Journal (blog)
According to research firm IDC, Apple's market share in mainland China rose to 7% in the quarter from 6% in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was the first full quarter afterApple launched its iPhone 5S and 5C in China in late September, on the ...

Google Capital Lands $300 Million and Leaps Into Web Education
Bloomberg
Google Inc. (GOOG)'s new investment arm has $300 million in fresh capital to put to work this year and is starting the dealmaking with its first foray into Web education.Google Capital, established by the search company to back late-stage technology ...

Microsoft Brings Lync, Skype Closer Together
InformationWeek
Microsoft faces strong competitors such as Cisco, Siemens, Google, and ShoreTel in the unified communication and collaboration market, which research firm IDC estimates will be worth $21 billion this year. Lync is formidable in its own right; in ...

Steve Perlman's Artemis unveils his 'breakthrough' wireless broadband ...
VentureBeat
Steve Perlman, the serial Silicon Valley entrepreneur who brought us OnLive and WebTV, has announced a new wireless broadband technology called pCell. The technology will enable full-speed wireless broadband to every mobile device, regardless of ...

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Google Maps App Fix

"we've created a new way for you to access maps offline by simply entering 'OK Maps' into the search box when viewing the area you want for later"--

Google Rushes Maps App Fix
InformationWeek
Google's rapid response may reflect wariness about enduring criticism similar to that which Apple weathered when its iOS 6 Maps update disappointed users. The Google+ post from the Maps team explains that the company has added a "Make this map area ...

Microsoft reportedly gave NSA special access to email, chat data
Fox News
Microsoft reportedly has allowed the National Security Agency special access to some of its biggest web products -- and potentially tens of millions of users -- as part of the government's wide-ranging surveillance program. The Guardian reported on the ...

Microsoft announces sweeping reorganization
Washington Post (blog)
Microsoft announced a sweeping corporate reorganization Thursday that attempts to pull the firm into a better position to compete more fiercely with Apple and Google. Under the new structure, called “One Microsoft,” Microsoft will have half as many ...

Google's Schmidt says relationship with Apple has improved
Reuters
SUN VALLEY, Idaho (Reuters) - The relationship between Google Inc and Apple Inc has improved over the past year with the rival technology companies and sometimes partners conducting "lots and lots" of meetings, Google Executive Chairman Eric ...

Amazon.com shares on a tear, flirt with $300
USA TODAY
Shares of the online retailer soared to a new high, briefly surpassing $300 a share, as investors bet the online retailer could be a big winner from Apple's loss in the courts which would giveAmazon.com more flexibility in selling e-books. Shares were ...

Microsoft Memos for the Ages: Keep Calm, And Face The Cougar
Wall Street Journal (blog)
This is Microsoft we're talking about, so the notes take on the full range of the company's experiences, from optimism about a promising new technology called the World Wide Web to the machinations of a giant corporation reshuffling the deck. Some are ...

Microsoft CityNext Aims to Build 'Smart Cities'
PC Magazine
The announcement comes about two weeks after Nextdoor, the social networking service for neighborhoods, partnered with New York City to give Big Apple residents important city and safety updates. Earlier today, meanwhile, Microsoft also unveiled a ...

Report: Skype And Microsoft Handed Over Calls And Emails To NSA ...
By Gregory Ferenstein
mybuddy-microsoft. The Guardian revealed more top-secret documents alleging that both Skype andMicrosoft cooperated with U.S. spy agencies to give away the content of email and video chats. Though it's unclear whether the collection of ...
TechCrunch

Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak ...
By RT
Microsoft worked hand-in-hand with the United States government in order to allow federal investigators to bypass encryption mechanisms meant to protect the privacy of millions of users, Edward Snowden told The Guardian. ... Liberties Union told The Guardian. "It's hard to squareMicrosoft's secret collaboration with the NSA with its high-profile efforts to compete on privacy withGoogle." Earlier this week, Yahoo requested that the FISA court unseal documents from its own FISA battle.
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Daily Report: Microsoft Revamps Its Corporate Structure - NYTimes ...
By By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Daily Report: Microsoft Revamps Its Corporate Structure. By THE NEW YORK ... The change is meant to encourage greater collaboration, as competitors like Apple and Google outflank it in the mobile and Internet markets. Steven A. Ballmer ...
NYT Bits

Apple Investigating Indonesian Tin Production for Illegal Mining ...
By Jordan Golson
Apple has updated the Supplier Responsibility page on its website addressing concerns over the illegal mining of tin in Indonesia. The company is...
MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors...

Microsoft Mulling Surface RT Price Cut - John Paczkowski - News ...
By John Paczkowski
This is the latest in a series of giveaways and educational discounts intended to pare down some of the Surface RT inventory on which Microsoft is sitting. ... Apple's Chances on an E-Book Ruling Appeal Are Lousy, Say Legal Scholars. July 10 ...
AllThingsD

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iPhone Google Maps Hits 10 Million Downloads in 48 Hours

iPhone Google Maps Hits 10 Million Downloads in 48 Hours
Forbes
The iOS community couldn't wait to get their hands on Google Maps. The app shot to the top of the charts moments after it hit the store, and now Google has · Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc... Image via CrunchBase. revealed that it has seen ...

Hulu Plus Tops 3 Million Subscribers
PC Magazine
Hulu announced today that it now has more than 3 million paying Hulu Plus customers, a number that has more than doubled since last year. Since Hulu Plus exited its private beta, the service has grown from 500,000 users in Nov. 2010 to 1.5 million in ...

NASA crashes two orbiters into moon mountain
Computerworld
Computerworld - NASA engineers rarely clap and cheer when their spacecraft crash. That wasn't the case today. Nearly one year after beginning to orbit the moon and helping scientists learn more about the internal structure andcomposition of the moon,...

Computerworld

Ecuador: US Embassy cautions travelers about volcanic eruptions
Los Angeles Times
The Tungurahua volcano in central Ecuador spewed gas and ash Monday, prompting the government to issue an alert and the evacuation of villages near the volcano. The U.S. Embassy in Quito issued an emergency message to caution Americans about ...

Akamai aims for continuity by naming co-founder as new CEO
ZDNet (blog)
Summary: After a long search, one of Akamai's co-founders has been named as the cloud company's new CEO. Rachel King. By Rachel King for Between the Lines | December 17, 2012 -- 17:00 GMT (09:00 PST). Follow @zdnetrachel. After searching for ...

Twitter begins testing tweet archive downloads with select users
Digital Trends
Twitter silently started testing the highly anticipated tweet downloading feature that CEO Dick Costolo has repeatedly promised, but the feature appears to be running into problems already. It's finally here, the feature that many of us have been waiting for: ...

Josh Williams On Why Facebook Acquired His Startup Gowalla To Put A "Nearby ...
TechCrunch
“A location service only gets interesting when you get to a certain scale,” and Foursquare isn't there yet, says Josh Williams. His check-in app Gowalla wasn't either, but it was bought by Facebook where a quarter-billion people tag locations each month.

TechCrunch

Infiniti cars to be prefixed with “Q” and “QX” starting in the 2014 model year
SlashGear
With the launch of the 2014 model year, Nissan will begin prefixing Infiniti model cars with “Q” and crossovers and SUVs with “QX.” This change will make it easier to identify what type of vehicle the model number applies to, a system far easier than the current...

SlashGear

Chinese spacecraft sends back snapshots of near-miss asteroid
DVICE
While the rest of the world was content to just let the mountain-sized asteroid 4179 Toutatis zip right past Earth without being molested, China sent a spacecraft out to get a closer look at this potential herald of an extinction-level event. We'd originally heard...

DVICE

As Gmail Drops Support For ActiveSync, Microsoft Suggests Users Switch To ...
Forbes
Over the weekend, Google announced that it will be doing some “winter cleaning,” discontinuing support for ActiveSync for Gmail users. (Unless you pay for Google Apps, that is.) This will notably impact users of desktop and mobile Windows 8 mail clients, as ...

What The Twitter/Instagram Standoff Has Meant For Traffic To Instagram
TechCrunch
When Instagram began to pull its inline previews of photos out of Twitter almost two weeks ago, many did not take that turn of events too well. Consumers like things easy, and clicking out of one app or site to go elsewhere is not always the best experience.

TechCrunch

The Coming Amazon Kindle Phone Is Not Going To Be A Surprise
Forbes
Will Jeff Bezos bring out a phone next? (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife). Let's be clear, there's going to be an Android powered device that's roughly the size and shape of a smartphone from Amazon at some point in the near future. It's as much ...

Iran in 2013: Three possible crises
CNN (blog)
This is the latest in a series of entries looking at what we can expect in 2013. Each weekday, a guest analyst will look at the key challenges facing a selected country – and what next year might hold in store. By Mark N. Katz, Special to CNN. Mark Katz is a ...

2014 Ford Transit Connect Commercial Van to Offer CNG/LPG Package, More ...
MotorTrend Magazine
The commercial van segment has probably seen more change recently than it has in the past couple decades, with compact offerings arriving on the market and downsized powertrains becoming more common. Hoping to advance the segment is the ...

MotorTrend Magazine

5 Rare Turtle Hatchlings Progressing at Healthy, Slow Pace
New York Times (blog)
One of five Chinese yellow-headed box turtles that hatched at the Bronx Zoo. Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society One of five Chinese yellow-headed box turtles that hatched at the Bronx Zoo. The Bronx Zoo has taken a slow and steady step...

New York Times (blog)

GM boosts pickup truck deals to shed inventory
Huffington Post
DETROIT — With Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks piling up on dealer lots, General Motors is offering generous deals to thin the stock. It's matching or beating discounts from rivals Ford and Chrysler, offering up to $9,000 off remaining 2012 ...

Anti-Google Crusader Slams Possible Deal in Antitrust Probe
Wired
A federal probe into Google's search results could soon end with a settlement that largely keeps the U.S. government out of its business. But one of the search giant's most vocal critics says that however toothless the potential deal, Google will not have ...

SpongeBob Game Removed From App Store After Complaints
New York Times (blog)
SpongeBob Diner Dash, a free game app for children featuring the popular yellow cartoon character loved by millions of youngsters, disappeared from the Apple App Store on Monday after an advocacy group complained that the app violated federal privacy ...

New York Times (blog)

The Bull Case on Google Explained: Mobile Isn't the Problem -- It's the Opportunity
Forbes
What's wrong with Google's (GOOG) ad business? It looks like something serious, considering that reports about it in October set off a sustained share price drop and at least three downgrades on the shares, marring what had been a lovely stock chart.

Apple sells record 2 million iPhone 5s in China debut, but shares have dropped ...
New York Daily News
Investors roiled Apple shares on Monday after a Citigroup analyst said appetites may be waning for the iPhone 5. The temporary pullback, which dragged Apple below $500 for the first time since February, came as the company boasted of blockbuster sales of...

New York Daily News

Computers that will see, hear, smell: Next, world domination?
Los Angeles Times
IBM's 5 in 5 -- a list of five innovations that could change the world in five years -- focuses on how computers are developing the ability to taste, touch, hear, see and listen just like humans do, except way better. It is kind of exciting and kind of terrifying, but ...

2014 Chevrolet Corvette teaser video #3 hints to improved interior quality
Torque News
General Motors has released what is the third official teaser video of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette and this time, we get a look at the interior of the upcoming C7 – although this video shows us less of the actual car than the previous videos. n/a. The 2014 ...

Torque News

Researchers directly measure 'gusty winds' in space turbulence for the first time
The Space Reporter
A research team led by the University of Iowa has confirmed “gusty winds” in space turbulence. Researchers contend that unexplained turbulence exists in space and for the first time ever, they have directly measured these “gusty winds” in a laboratory.

The Space Reporter

Feds upgrade Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ unintended acceleration probe
Torque News
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that its probe into complaints of unintended acceleration in certain Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles has been upgraded to an engineering analysis – the final step that could lead up to a ...

Torque News

New 'Batchwiper' malware reported in Iran
GlobalPost
An Iranian woman surfs the Internet at a cyber cafe in central Tehran on January 24, 2011. (ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images). What do you think? Iran has reported a new malware outbreak capable of completely erasing batches of files stored on hard disks ...

HTC M7 said to pack 4.7-inch 1080p display and 13MP camera, succeed One X
Engadget
Unwired View and prolific leaker @evleaks have jointly doled out what are reportedly specs for a handset codenamed the HTC M7, the supposed successor of the One X. Headlined by a 4.7-inch 1080p "SoLux" screen with 468ppi, the LTE-toting smartphone ...

New Facebook, Twitter ads boost mobile revenues
AFP
NEW YORK — New ad products from Facebook and Twitter have given US mobile advertising a boost, bringing revenues for the sector to more than $4 billion this year, a research firm said Monday. The eMarketer report said US mobile ad spending is ...

AFP

Updated terms let Instagram use your likeness, photos and metadata in ads
TechRadar UK
Starting Jan. 16, 2013, Instagram is implementing new terms of service all users must agree to in order to use it. Between all the legal jargon, rules and warnings, Instagram slipped in a new "right," one that isn't in its current terms and an addition aimed at ...

Tomb Raider 'Survival' video series begins with the very basics of Lara bumbling ...
Neoseeker
Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics put out a new Tomb Raider trailer today, and there's actually a touch of gameplay this time. Well, it's nothing new, since we've already seen quite a bit of early-game footage over the past year. The new video is actually the ...

Facebook working on 'sexting' app: report
Sydney Morning Herald
Want to send a saucy photo? Facebook is looking at a way to do it discreetly. The 1-billion-user social network is reportedly set to release a new app before January 1 that will be similar to Snapchat, an app often used to send "sexts", or sexually explicit ...

Sydney Morning Herald

How Facebook tested new mobile ad tactics with Walmart
The Verge
Facebook has been seeing huge growth in the amount of traffic it sees from mobile devices, but so far making money on that traffic has been a struggle — CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently noted that mobile only makes up 14 percent of ad revenue, despite 60 ...

Gene Munster: Apple will release a cheap “iPhone for the masses”
VentureBeat
Apple's smartphone marketshare is growing slower than the overall smartphone market, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said today in a research note to investors. That fact will push Apple to release a cheaper iPhone for mass markets. The first statement ...

VentureBeat

Leaked BlackBerry 10 screenshots reveal new UI, Siri-like voice interface
Engadget
It's a little over a month until BlackBerry 10's official introduction, but that hasn't stopped leaked screenshots of the OS from circulating on the web. Some folks on the Tinhte Vietnamese forums, which also revealed hands-on video and gallery of the BlackBerry ...

Halfbrick Studios games free for limited time
Shacknews
Consider it an early holiday present from Halfbrick Studios, as all of the developer's games on the iOS App Store will be free until 10PM PT tonight. That includes such classics as Fruit Ninja, Age of Zombies, and Monster Dash. Halfbrick CMO Phil Larsen ...

Cisco Proves in Tech, Retail and Corporate Don't Mix
Businessweek
It's rare in the world of technology that we see a company successfully managing two very different businesses under one roof—high-touch corporate customers and price-sensitive consumers. It's usually management hubris that takes companies down this ...

Samsung Android Bug Found in Some Galaxy S II, S III Devices
PC Magazine
A flaw in the Android kernel on some Samsung devices can expose those handsets to attack from malicious apps, according to a post on a mobile developer forum over the weekend. The Samsung implementation of the Android kernel allows read/write ...

Retailers Put Amazon's Kindle in the Crosshairs
Motley Fool
Fresh from announcing it would stop carrying the Kindle tablets sold by Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN ) , Wal-Mart just rolled out another nationwide promotion of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL ) competing device. According to Reuters, Wal-Mart stores will be ...

47% of iPad mini sales to new customers, cannibalization concerns called ...
Apple Insider
A new survey of iPad mini buyers has found that nearly half are new to the platform, suggesting the smaller form factor will help grow Apple's market share in a big way. The data comes from a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers published on Monday ...

Apple Insider

Report: Borderlands 2's Next DLC Has Danger! Excitement! Mustaches!
Kotaku
Report: Borderlands 2's Next DLC Has Danger! Excitement! Mustaches! The folks at Gearbox are rarely slackers when it comes to downloadable content, and so far Borderlands 2 has mostly borne that out. We've known for a little bit that the next batch of DLC ...

Ford gaining on Toyota's huge lead in hybrid sales
Digital Trends
The standard Toyota Prius is still by far the most popular hybrid in the US, but a surprisingly strong sales showing from the Ford C-MAX hybrid models suggests that the Prius might not be on top forever. The Toyota Prius is the reigning king of the hybrid market ...

Map shows threats, stress on Great Lakes
UPI.com
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A map of environmental threats to the Great Lakes shows humans' impact on an ecosystem containing 20 percent of the world's fresh water, U.S. scientists say. Three years of work by researchers at the University of...

UPI.com

Raspberry Pi Opens App Store For Hardware Hackers
Wired
The Raspberry Pi, a $35 computer that's about the size of a credit card. Photo: Jwrodgers. The company behind the cheap, credit-card-sized Raspberry Pi computer has launched its very own app store. Over the past year, the Raspberry Pi has captured the ...

Soyuz Put in Place for Mission to Space Station
ABC News
A Soyuz spacecraft atop a towering rocket was placed into launch position Monday at Russia's manned-space facility in the freezing steppes of Kazakhstan ahead of a five-month mission for three astronauts to the International Space Station. The craft was ...

ABC News

Flush with your smartphone: Toilets get Bluetooth
CNET (blog)
Praying to the porcelain god is about to get a lot more hands-off with a new line of Bluetooth-enabled toilets controlled by an Android app. Amanda Kooser. by Amanda Kooser. December 17, 2012 11:21 AM PST Follow @akooser. Satis toilet. The Satis ...

'Medal of Honor Warfighter' Drops 'Zero Dark Thirty' Tie-in Maps This Week For ...
MTV.com (blog)
The shooter is getting a pair of new maps this week tied to the limited release of director Kathryn Bigelow's Osama Bin Laden hunt film. The pair of maps are based on a pair of real-life locations: Darra Gun Market, which is set in a Pakistani arms bazaar and ...

US Cellular serves up Android 4.1 this Friday
CNET
In a few days, owners of Samsung's Galaxy S3 flagship phone can manually update the Android OS. Jessica Dolcourt. by Jessica Dolcourt. December 17, 2012 8:15 AM PST Follow @jdolcourt. Samsung Galaxy S3. If this is your phone, Jelly Bean is nigh.

How beauty was found in a slimeball
NBCNews.com (blog)
Colonial rotifers get jiggy with it in a video entered in the Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition. Australian high-school teacher Ralph Grimm assembled the video from microscopic images. By Alan Boyle ...

Movie-star lifestyle fits kings of video games
Sydney Morning Herald
PEOPLE who love video games love to hate Bobby Kotick. Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, the world's largest video game publisher, inspired a stocky, auburn-haired character named Money Sack, who, in a game created by a competitor and a former ...

Sydney Morning Herald

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