Techmeme
May 29, 2012, 6:40 PM

Top News

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Photos: Black and white next-gen metal iPhone backs, mini-dock, taller screen, moved earphone jack present  —  Earlier today, we posted the first image of the back plate for the next-generation iPhone, and now we have received several more images that are very high-resolution.
Hugo Miller / Bloomberg:
RIM Writedown Risked With $1 Billion Inventory: Corporate Canada  —  Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM)'s stockpiles of BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBook tablets have swollen by two-thirds in the past year because of slumping sales, raising the chances of the company's third writedown since December.
Chip Cummins / Wall Street Journal:
RIM Hires J.P. Morgan, RBC for Strategic Review  —  TORONTO—Research In Motion Ltd. said it had hired investment bankers J.P. Morgan Securities and RBC Capital Markets to assist the company in reviewing business and financial performance, and it warned of a first quarter operating loss.
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Google launches Chromebook, Chromebox & gets it right  —  We often joke Google is like the old Microsoft — getting things right, bumbling its way into new markets, and getting things right on the third try.  This seems to be quite true of Google's efforts to develop a cloud PC.
Amazon.com:
Amazon Instant Video Now Available on Xbox 360, with Access to ‘Your Video Library’ and Prime Instant Video  —  Customers can now watch the latest movies and TV episodes on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and use Kinect for Xbox 360 to find and play videos with the wave of a hand or sound of their voice
Kim-Mai Cutler / TechCrunch:
Facebook Has Lost About $35 Billion In Value Since IPO As Shares Dip Below $29  —  Pain, pain, and more pain for Facebook's stock.  Facebook sunk into the $20s for the first time today, declining about 9 percent as options trading started.  The decline also came a day after a third wave …
Dan Webb / Twitter Engineering:
Improving performance on twitter.com  —  To connect you to information in real time, it's important for Twitter to be fast.  That's why we've been reviewing our entire technology stack to optimize for speed.  —  When we shipped #NewTwitter in September 2010, we built it around …
Mike Butcher / TechCrunch:
Face.com Is Definitely Being Acquired By Facebook Say Sources  —  The purchase of Face.com by Facebook is happening and is a done deal, say multiple TechCrunch sources.  —  Those familiar with the matter have confirmed the price will be $100m, as per the media speculation in the last few days.
Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
Salesforce Set to Snap Up Facebook Friend Buddy Media For More Than $800 Million  —  Enterprise, meet social: Cloud computing pioneer Salesforce.com is close to a deal to acquire Buddy Media, the 5-year-old company that helps brands manage their Facebook presence.
Marie Mawad / Bloomberg:
Technicolor Dissects IPhones In Hunt For Patent Payoff  —  When Apple Inc. (AAPL)'s next iPhone hits store shelves, Technicolor SA (TCH)'s engineers will rush to get the handset — not to make calls or play games, but to rip it apart.  —  Technicolor, an unprofitable French company that invented …
More: BuzzFeed and Gizmodo
Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Apple's Crystal Prison and the Future of Open Platforms  —  Two weeks ago, Steve Wozniak made a public call for Apple to open its platforms for those who wish to tinker, tweak and innovate with their internals.  —  EFF supports Wozniak's position: while Apple's products have many virtues …
Evan Ackerman / Automaton:
Japanese MH-2 Shoulder Robot Wants To Be Your Friend, Literally  —  Nobody likes being alone, and Japanese researchers from Yamagata University are developing a robot to make sure you'll never have to be alone again: the MH-2 wearable miniature humanoid lives on your shoulder and can be remotely inhabited …
Andrew Webster / The Verge:
Rumored images of Apple's 3D Maps for iOS 6 leak  —  Earlier this month reports surfaced that Apple was preparing an updated Maps app for iOS 6, which would include a focus on 3D.  And while we still don't know for sure what the company is up to, BGR is adding some fuel to the fire …
Diane Bartz / Reuters:
Facebook faces extended US review of Instagram deal  —  (Reuters) - Facebook has received notice that U.S. antitrust regulators will give its proposed purchase of the popular photo-sharing app maker Instagram a lengthy investigation, an industry source told Reuters on Tuesday.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Windows 8 Release Preview leaks out ahead of official debut  —  A Chinese edition of Microsoft's Windows 8 Release Preview, due in the first week of June, has leaked ahead of its official debut.  ISO files for an 8400 build of Windows 8 have been circulating on Chinese forums and bit torrent websites …
Dan Primack / Fortune:
Exclusive: Sequoia Capital raising new funds  —  Venture firm seeks at least $1 billion.  —  FORTUNE — Sequoia Capital is back in the fund-raising market, with a series of venture capital vehicles designed to raise at least $1 billion (in aggregate).  My understanding is that one fund …

Sponsor Posts

Soxton:
Fast, affordable law for startups  —  Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better.  We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts.  Join the waitlist for early access!
F5:
Accelerate AI Adoption at F5's AI Virtual Summit  —  Learn how to architect, secure, and scale AI for production with real-world insights from industry leaders on June 23.  Register now to save your spot.
Zoho:
Simplifying MTD for accountants with Zoho Practice  —  Making Tax Digital (MTD) is redefining how accountants and bookkeepers manage their work.  With the new Income Tax mandate, the surge of sole traders …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

The Nick, Dick and Paul Show:
All about Interest Rates
Nick Bilton, Dick Costolo, and Paul Kedrosky pull back the curtain on AI, startups, and the future rushing toward us, all with healthy dose of irreverence.
Subscribe to The Nick, Dick and Paul Show.
Training Data:
Google DeepMind's Logan Kilpatrick: Why the Model Eats the Harness
Sequoia Capital partners host conversations with leading AI builders and researchers to develop a deeper understanding of the evolving technologies and their implications.
Subscribe to Training Data.
Big Technology Podcast:
What Should An AI Device Look Like? — With Alex Himel
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Great Chat:
Founders dish on VC bad behavior (and bring receipts)
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Uncapped with Jack Altman:
Mike Volpi from Hanabi Capital
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
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.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 6:40 PM ET, May 29, 2012.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Earlier Picks

Stuart Miles / Pocket-lint: