Techmeme
April 9, 2012, 5:20 PM

Top News

Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook:
I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram  —  I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook.  For years, we've focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family.
Kevin Systrom / Instagram:
Instagram + Facebook  —  When Mike and I started Instagram nearly two years ago, we set out to change and improve the way the world communicates and shares.  We've had an amazing time watching Instagram grow into a vibrant community of people from all around the globe.
Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:
Facebook to Acquire Photo-Sharing Start-Up Instagram for $1B  —  Facebook has just announced that it will acquire Instagram, the popular photo-sharing service for $1 billion in cash and shares.  —  The social networking site posted on the acquisition, its biggest yet, on its site …
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Here is why Facebook bought Instagram  —  You might have heard by now that Facebook has acquired Instagram for nearly a billion dollars in cash.  Incredible, isn't it?  I have received text messages of awe and shock from many people in the Valley, for no one saw this coming.
Dan Primack / Fortune:
Did Facebook panic?  —  Why Facebook is buying Instagram.  —  Last week, mobile photo-sharing site Instagram raised $50 million from venture capitalists at a $500 million valuation.  Today, the company agreed to be acquired for $1 billion by Facebook.  —  So what happened in the intervening days?
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
AOL Sells 800 Patents For $1 Billion To Microsoft [Memo To Staff]  —  This just in: one chapter of AOL's patent journey is coming to an end.  The company is selling 800 patents to Microsoft for just north of $1 billion.  —  Tim Armstrong, the CEO of AOL, says that the company will continue …
Nicholas Carlson / Business Insider:
Before OMGPOP Sold For $210 Million, The CEO Hired Back Everyone He Laid Off And Made Sure They Cashed In  —  A few months ago, OMGPOP was about to go bust.  —  Its Facebook games weren't performing and prospects were so bleak, CEO Dan Porter was forced to lay off several of the startup's flash developers.
Roger Cheng / CNET:
Microsoft gives away ‘free time’ to promote Windows Phone  —  Nokia Lumia 900, a Windows Phone — and a creator of time?  —  (Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)  —  Microsoft wants consumers to really get its pitch that Windows Phones are more efficient than rival smartphones and can thus create more free time for consumers.
Gregg Keizer / Computerworld:
Expert: iPad Wi-Fi issues may be linked to power management  —  Unlikely that faulty hardware causing poor wireless connections  —  The Wi-Fi reliability problems reported by iPad owners can probably be solved with a software update, a hardware expert said Friday.
John Paczkowski / AllThingsD:
Analyst Cuts Apple Rating on Prospect of iPhone Subsidy Revolt  —  Now here are two words you don't often see in the same sentence: Apple and downgrade.  Yet here they are in a note from BTIG Research's Walter Piecyk, who this morning cut his rating on the company's shares to “neutral” from “buy.”
More: Fortune and PhoneArena
Jonathan Koomey / Technology Review:
The Computing Trend that Will Change Everything  —  Computing isn't just getting cheaper.  It's becoming more energy efficient.  That means a world populated by ubiquitous sensors and streams of nanodata.
Tricia Duryee / AllThingsD:
Woof!  Rover.com Fetches $3.4 Million to Be Airbnb for Dogs.  —  Rover.com has raised $3.4 million to be the Airbnb of the dog-boarding market.  —  Rover is an alternative to dog kennels, much like how Airbnb offers an alternative to staying in hotels.  —  In addition to announcing …
Jessica Guynn / Los Angeles Times:
Ex-Facebook insiders building next wave of Silicon Valley firms  —  An elite group of Facebook friends, most still in their 20s, have already helped change the world.  Now they're working together to do it again.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — All eyes are on Facebook Inc., which is on the verge of a $100-billion initial public stock offering.
Terry Baynes / Reuters:
Court revives Rosetta Stone suit vs Google  —  (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Monday revived the bulk of language-software maker Rosetta Stone Inc's trademark infringement suit against Google Inc.  —  In the suit filed in 2009, Rosetta Stone accused Google of committing trademark infringement …
Jason Del Rey / AdAge:
Google Plots Web Domain-Buying Spree  —  Search Giant Among Brands That Say They Plan to Apply for Generic Top-Level Domains  —  This week marks a major step toward a dramatically expanded internet, but only a few brands — including Google and Deloitte — say they'll take advantage of it.
Thanks:@delrey
Enigmax / TorrentFreak:
MPAA Joins Google, Facebook, EFF In Repeat Infringer Copyright Battle  —  Flava Works, Inc v. Gunter is an ongoing case involving an adult studio plaintiff and a user-submitted video links/video embedding site.  —  It has become so important that some of the world's leading Internet companies …
Matthew Panzarino / The Next Web:
AT&T's iPhone unlock process detailed: A quick online chat, Apple does the unlocking, requires IMEI only  —  If you're looking to have your iPhone unlocked from AT&T's service, you can do so over the company's online chat and Apple is the one actually doing the unlocking.
More: eWeekTweets: @chpwn
Bloomberg:
RIM Says Sales to U.S. Government Are Rising  —  Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) said sales to U.S. federal agencies are rising and the BlackBerry is still a White House fixture, a bright spot for a company struggling with plunging demand amid competition from the iPhone.
More: CNETTweets: @evankirstel
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Future Versions of Firefox Could Feature Built-In Video Chat  —  For a while now, Mozilla has been looking beyond the core browser features to expand Firefox's capabilities.  Last week, the Firefox team showed an interesting new demo at the IETF 83 meeting in Paris.
More: The Verge
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Faster iPhone with 1GB of RAM seeded internally, iPod touch 5,1 in the works?  —  With one iOS device update out of the way for 2012, Apple is working on updates to the iPhone and iPod touch.  While these updates are expected, we've learned some details about this new iPhone and iPod touch.

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Featured Podcasts

Lenny's Podcast:
Father of the iPod and iPhone on building taste, judgment, and creativity in the AI era | Tony Fadell
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
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Vanta's Christina Cacioppo: The Underdog Turning 'Nonsense' Compliance Into A $4.2B Security Standout
Veteran tech reporter Alex Konrad sits down with breakout entrepreneurs taking on the status quo to shake up their fields in AI, design, nuclear energy, space, and more.
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Great Chat:
Who are the billboards for?
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
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Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
AI's Mythos Moment: Rishi Sunak on preparing governments for AI
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
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