Techmeme
May 2, 2012, 1:55 PM

Top News

Tom Warren / The Verge:
Exclusive: $99 Xbox 360 + Kinect bundle launching next week with two-year subscription  —  Microsoft is planning to launch a $99 Xbox console package with a monthly subscription as early as next week, according to our sources.  The software giant will offer the 4GB console with a Kinect sensor …
Ross Miller / The Verge:
It's official: Target will phase out all Kindle-branded products this spring  —  Last night we reported on Target's plans to discontinue sale of the Kindle due to “conflict of interest,” and now the company has confirmed to us that it will, indeed, discontinue sale.
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
FRAND abuse: German court hands Motorola an injunction against Windows 7 and Xbox 360  —  This morning, Judge Dr. Holger Kircher of the Landgericht Mannheim (Mannheim Regional Court) handed down his postponed ruling on a set of four closely-related Motorola lawsuits against Microsoft.
Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
Spotify (Finally) Shows Up on the iPad  —  You wanted a Spotify iPad app?  You've got a Spotify iPad app.  —  It's pretty, and it takes advantage of the tablet's bigger screen to showcase artist artwork and other cool stuff.  Just like you'd expect from an iPad app.  —  Demo video is at the bottom of this post.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Bing Strips Down Results Page To Make Google Look Like “Search Overload”  —  While Google keeps cramming its search results pages full of tools and social content, today Bing confirmed with me the full roll out a redesigned search results page that completely clears the left sidebar …
Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
Amazon Gets Into the Sitcom Business  —  Amazon has been stocking up its Web-video offering with lots of old TV shows.  Now it's going to start making some of its own.  —  The company is pulling back the covers (a bit) on its plans to produce kids' shows and sitcoms via its “Amazon Studios” …
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Revealed: Facebook Messenger for iPad, iPhone app with video chat in the works  —  While Facebook has focused on smartphones for its standalone Facebook Messenger app, the company is currently developing a version for the Apple iPad.  A reliable source has provided an in-depth look …
Wil Wheaton / WWdN: In Exile:
Google is making a huge and annoying mistake.  —  I like Google Plus.  Some of the smartest people I've ever read are on Google Plus, and the Hangout is amazing.  —  But Google is doing everything it can to force Google Plus on everyone, and it's pissing me off.  —  Yesterday, I tried to like a video on YouTube.
More: Marketing Land and BetabeatTweets: @zephoria
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Down, Not Out: Nokia Goes On The Offensive With 11 Lawsuits Against HTC, RIM And ViewSonic Covering 45 Patents  —  As Nokia continues to try to turn itself around as a mobile phone business, it is also playing on the offense in the legal game: today it announced that it has filed fresh round …
Jon Russell / The Next Web:
Google introduces ‘VC Office Hours’, Google+ hangouts with top Silicon Valley figures  —  Google+ is often lamented for failing to capture the attention of mainstream social network users and, almost in response to that accusation, Google is launching an interesting initiative that will see top figures …
More: Bradley HorowitzThanks:@jonrussell
Arik Hesseldahl / AllThingsD:
After Testifying in Oracle-Google Trial, Scott McNealy Speaks Out  —  Having testified in the Oracle-Google trial with a decidedly different viewpoint from that of his successor, former Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy took to Bloomberg TV yesterday to talk a little about Java, and licensing of its APIs, and other matters yesterday.
More: Wired
Cade Metz / Wired:
Facebook Opens Up Hardware World With Magic Hinge  —  Imagine that your laptop display weighs 800 pounds.  But you can still open it and close it and re-open it as you like, gently pushing it to just the right angle.  And when you let go, it stays exactly where you put it.
More: GigaOMThanks:@dnalkrikleahcim
Josh Ong / AppleInsider:
Dropbox working with Apple to resolve app rejection issue  —  After a number of developers using the Dropbox SDK reported that Apple was rejecting their iOS apps from the App Store because of links to an external purchase option, the cloud storage provider has confirmed that is working with Apple to address the issue.
Rip Empson / TechCrunch:
Birst Lands $26M From Sequoia, Hummer Winblad To Bring Big Data Analytics To The Masses  —  Birst, a San Francisco-based startup that offers on-demand business intelligence and analytics solutions for companies big and small, has raised $26 million in series D financing, led by Sequoia Capital.
More: VentureBeat and GigaOM
Andy Greenberg / The Firewall:
Apple-Targeting Flashback Botnet Still Kicking, But Shrinking By 100,000 Macs Per Week  —  Dr. Web's count of Macs actively infected with Flashback over time.  The “A” marks Apple's release of its Flashback removal tool, and the “B” marks Dr. Web's discovery of another variant of Flashback …
Robin Wauters / The Next Web:
DataSift raises $7.2m inside round to help make sense of ‘big data’ beyond social interactions  —  DataSift, a rising star in the world of ‘big data’ collection and analysis, has raised $7.2 million from existing backers GRP Partners and IA Ventures to help accelerate growth as worldwide demand for its services continues to soar.
Billy Steele / Engadget:
Amazon outs Cloud Drive desktop app for Windows and Mac, allows easy access to your digital wares  —  If you've been storing part of your digital library on Amazon's Cloud Drive, access to your goods just got easier.  The outfit has released a desktop app for both Mac and Windows machines enabling uploads …
Michael Carney / PandoDaily:
Flingo Marries Up, Gets Hitched to Mark Cuban  —  In a courtship that began at CES earlier this year, smart TV app company Flingo is now getting hitched to billionaire technology and digital media expert Mark Cuban.  —  Flingo announced $1 million of additional financing by Cuban and Gary Lauder …
More: CNET and BetaKit
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
IBM Acquires Tealeaf To Add Customer Buying Analytics To Smarter Commerce Products  —  Another week, another IBM acquisition.  Big Blue has announced the purchase of Tealeaf Technology, which provides customer experience analytics software that helps organizations access information about consumer web experiences.
More: IBM
Alex Sherman / Bloomberg:
Comcast Profit Exceeds Estimates on Broadband Additions  —  Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), the largest U.S. cable company, topped profit and sales estimates in the first quarter after gains in broadband customers helped mitigate the 20th consecutive loss in video subscribers.
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
Judge Posner scolds Apple's lawyers: 'I've had my fill of frivolous filings by Apple'  —  Judge Richard A. Posner, the most-cited U.S. legal scholar of the 20th century, is actually a circuit judge (appeals judge) but he is sitting “by designation” on the United States District Court …
More: AllThingsD
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Jive Debuts New App Integrations, Universal Web Access For Social Network For Businesses  —  Social enterprise company Jive is debuting a number of new features for its social network for businesses today.  The company is also announcing its Try Jive, a free 30-day trial for customers.

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