Techmeme: Google Is Buying Meebo, The Online-Chat Startup That Reinvented Itself As An Ad Play (Alyson Shontell/Business Insider)

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June 4, 2012, 9:30 PM

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David M. Ewalt / Forbes:

Microsoft Xbox Is Winning The Living Room War. Here's Why. — Cookie Monster wants a snack. Sure, he could have a handful of you-know-whats, but even a Muppet has to watch his waistline. So he decides to grab something healthful. “Maybe if me jump up and down, me can shake fruit out of this tree …

More: The Next Web, The Verge, TechCrunch and LAPTOP Magazine

Tweets: @eghosao and @digiphile

Michael Gorman / Engadget:

Microsoft's SmartGlass gets official: app brings AirPlay-esque streams to Android, iOS and Windows Phone — Microsoft may not be introducing a next-gen console at E3 this year, but it is teaching its venerable Xbox 360 some new tricks. SmartGlass brings AirPlay-style wireless technology …

More: Engadget, PC World, CNET, The Verge, Pocket-lint, VentureBeat, Develop, VentureBeat, SlashGear, MacRumors, BGR, Business Insider and iDownloadBlog.com. Tweets: @gartenberg

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Xbox Music service announced, coming to Xbox, Windows Phone, and Windows 8 — We heard that Microsoft was planning to unveil its “Woodstock” Xbox Music service at E3 this week, and the company has revealed details on its plans today. Yusuf Mehdi says Microsoft will release Xbox Music on Xbox, Windows 8, and Windows Phones.

More: Bits, LiveSide.net, The Next Web, The Verge, TechCrunch, CNET, WinBeta, The Next Web, IntoMobile, Pocket-lint, VentureBeat, Gizmodo, AllThingsD, PandoDaily and Joystiq. Tweets: @thurrott

Don Reisinger / CNET:

Microsoft plans to bring over 35 more content providers to Xbox

More: Forbes, Mashable!, VentureBeat and Engadget

Microsoft Corporation:

Xbox Makes Entertainment More Amazing on Phone, PC, Tablet and TV

More: The Verge, Washington Post, TechnoBuffalo, iPhone, Ars Technica, Light Reading, Tecca, WebProNews, msnbc.com, TechSpot, TechNet Blogs, VentureBeat, ArtsBeat and Techie Buzz. Tweets: @notch

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

Apple to bring full Siri voice-assistant to the iPad with iOS 6: mockup and details — Siri on iPad mockup based on descriptions from sources — Come this fall, people will start talking to their iPads. Apple's breakthrough Siri Assistant, based on an incredible artificial-intelligence system …

Eric Eldon / TechCrunch:

More On Meebo: Price Is Around $100M, Product Team To Work On Google+ Publisher Tools, Layoffs Hit Sales — Meebo, the seven year-old chat service that morphed into a website toolbar and ad platform, is indeed selling to Google. The company confirmed the news a few minutes ago, and we've since dug up some more details.

More: meeblog, SEO by the Sea, VatorNews, CNET, Business Insider, BGR, AdExchanger.com, Ubergizmo, GigaOM, PC Magazine and gHacks Technology News

Alyson Shontell / Business Insider:

Google Is Buying Meebo, The Online-Chat Startup That Reinvented Itself As An Ad Play — Google is buying Meebo, a company originally known for its Web-chat client. — Meebo subsequently introduced a new advertising format, the Meebo Bar, which is distributed on popular websites like EW.com.

More: AllThingsD, VentureBeat, Gizmodo, BuzzFeed, Engadget, ZDNet, Fast Company, The Next Web, Social Markets, Betabeat, 9to5Google, News on ZDNet Australia, iDownloadBlog.com and WebProNews

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

Netflix Rolls Out Its Own CDN: Open Connect — Netflix announced today that it is rolling out a new content delivery network of its own, called Open Connect, which will reduce its costs of delivery and could improve delivery of its content. But Open Connect isn't just about reducing …

More: ZDNet, Engadget, Dan Rayburn, GigaOM and The Official Netflix Blog

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

Apple to update most of its Mac lineup and multiple accessories at WWDC — While Apple has major software announcements planned for the upcoming World Wide Developers Conference - including iOS 6, an updated version of iCloud, and OS X Mountain Lion - Apple is also planning some incredible hardware announcements.

More: Los Angeles Times, Gizmodo, The Verge, The Next Web, Engadget, Business Insider and TechnoBuffalo. Thanks:@mikebeas

Jeff John Roberts / GigaOM:

Oracle sues to smash patent troll Lodsys — Oracle, it seems, is not one for irony. Right after an epic court fight with Google in which it was accused of abusing its intellectual property, the software maker is now trying to dissolve another company's patents.

More: VentureBeat, CNET and News on ZDNet Australia

Chris Welch / The Verge:

Corning launches slim, flexible ‘Willow Glass’ that can be wrapped around devices — With Gorilla Glass 2 and Lotus Glass already in production, Corning is today adding yet another glass to its portfolio with the launch of an ultra-slim and flexible substrate called Willow Glass.

More: BGR, The Register, AllThingsD, CNET, Engadget, 9to5Google, TechSpot and Corning Incorporated

Jeremy Allaire / AllThingsD:

Apple Television, AirPlay and Why the iPad Is the New TV Apps Platform — Ever since the publication of Walter Issacson's biography on Steve Jobs where he cites Steve as saying that he and Apple had “cracked the code” on TV, there has been insane speculation about Apple's purported forthcoming TV products and strategy.

More: Coyote Tracks, AppleInsider and Evolver.fm

Jimmy Lin / Twitter Engineering:

Studying rapidly evolving user interests — Twitter is an amazing real-time information dissemination platform. We've seen events of historical importance such as the Arab Spring unfold via Tweets. We even know that Twitter is faster than earthquakes! However, can we more scientifically characterize …

More: GigaOM and WebProNews

Todd Bishop / GeekWire:

Amazon updates $79 Kindle, says it's now more like paper — Amazon just announced a software update for the $79 Kindle, the least-expensive of its dedicated e-readers, including changes that the company says will improve the experience of reading on the device.

More: CNET, The Verge, TechCrunch and Engadget

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Microsoft promises a ‘sneak peek’ at the future of Windows Phone on June 20th — Microsoft previously announced its Windows Phone Developer Summit early last month, but the company didn't reveal exactly what it was planning to show. We received an updated invitation today that hints Windows Phone 8 might be on the agenda.

More: CNET, My Nokia Blog, MobileSyrup.com, The Next Web and Pocketnow

Calob Horton / Pocketables:

Samsung Galaxy S III US launch date roundup — Question: what's better than one Samsung Galaxy S III? Answer: five Samsung Galaxy S IIIs! — Five US national carriers - AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon - announced today their plans for making the phone available on their respective networks.

Julianne Pepitone / CNNMoney.com:

Groupon now worth less than the $6 billion Google offered — NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Andrew Mason could probably use a Groupon for a massage, a beer, or some comfort food right about now. — His company's precipitous stock decline continued on Monday, sending Groupon's market cap below …

More: PandoDaily and Business Insider

Joseph Volpe / Engadget:

Google grows IP arsenal with mobile patents from Magnolia Broadband — In the tech industry, you're only as safe as your latest batch of patent procurements. And Google, stuffed with billion dollar coffers, is only too happy to comply. Neatly paired with its recently wrapped Motorola acquisition …

More: AllThingsD

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

Facebook in iOS 6: Integration is system-wide, ‘Liking’ of App Store apps present — Mockup of Facebook sharing in iPhone Photos app (thanks, Spencer Caldwell) — A few days ago, TechCrunch reported that Facebook will be integrated into iOS 6 in some fashion.

More: iPhone Alley, WebProNews, PC Magazine, iDownloadBlog.com, IntoMobile and BGR. Thanks:@deancorp

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:

Facebook Bringing Its Mobile News Feed Redesign To the Web, With Larger Photos And Text — If you liked the larger photos that Facebook introduced to its mobile news feed last month, here's some good news: It's bringing a similar redesign to its Web interface.

More: CNET, Inside Facebook and The Verge

Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:

Exclusive: Yahoo Board Hires Spencer Stuart for CEO Search — Yahoo's board has hired Spencer Stuart in yet another CEO search, although sources close to the company said that interim leader Ross Levinsohn is the prime candidate for the position at this point. — “It's Ross's to lose,” said one person close to the situation.

More: Washington Post. See also Mediagazer

John Paczkowski / AllThingsD:

RIM's Stock Hits Single Digits — Research In Motion's yearlong slide into the abyss quickened Monday as its stock price fell below $10 for the first time in nearly a decade. — Dragged down by RIM's announcement on May 29 that it's gearing up to report a quarterly loss and has hired …

More: Macgasm

Sean Ludwig / VentureBeat:

Square credit card readers now being sold at Walgreens, FedEx Office, and Staples — Mobile payments startup Square now offers its credit card reader for iOS and Android devices at many Walgreens, FedEx Office, and Staples stores across the U.S., the company announced today.

More: MarketWatch, CNET, Business Insider, VatorNews and TechCrunch

Steve Stecklow / Reuters:

Exclusive: Iranian cell-phone carrier obtained banned U.S. tech — (Reuters) - A fast-growing Iranian mobile-phone network managed to obtain sophisticated U.S. computer equipment despite sanctions that prohibit sales of American technology to Iran, interviews and documents show.

More: Tech Daily Dose

Sarah Lacy / PandoDaily:

Valley Elite to Nasdaq: Either Greifeld Is Done or We Are — The recurring topic on stage at last week's D10 conference was the legacy of Steve Jobs. But the topic at dinners and in hallways and over poker games was Facebook's bungled IPO. — I had a variance of this conversation a lot:

Alexander Gostev / Securelist:

‘Gadget’ in the middle: Flame malware spreading vector identified — In our FAQ on Flame posted on May 28, 2012, we postulated there might be a still undiscovered zero-day vulnerability in Flame: — “At the moment, we haven't seen use of any -days; however, the worm is known …

More: Ars Technica, F-Secure Antivirus …, CNET, SecurityWeek and Wired

Robin Wauters / The Next Web:

Done deal: Salesforce.com buys Buddy Media for $689m in cash and shares — Salesforce.com has finally confirmed that it has acquired social media marketing company Buddy Media for nearly $700 million in cash and shares ($689 million to be exact). — Early rumors about the purchase …

More: Business Insider, Bloomberg, Buddy Media, Mashable!, ZDNet, DealBook, AllThingsD, Reuters, Salesforce.com, Adotas, Internet Evolution, Inside Facebook, WebProNews, VatorNews, SocialTimes, the Econsultancy blog, AdExchanger.com and VentureBeat. Tweets: @sigalow

Jonathan Burgos / Bloomberg:

IPads On A Plane Let Scoot Save Fuel By Shedding TV Tons — Scoot Pte is offering Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPads to budget long-haul travelers after ripping out aircraft entertainment systems weighing more than two tons to save fuel. — The tablets helped the carrier cut 7 percent off the weight …

More: AppleInsider, TUAW, AppNewser, MacDailyNews, iClarified, MacNN and Techland

Dan Frommer / SplatF:

If You're Expecting The TV Industry To Just ‘Collapse’, Keep Dreaming — The Internet has already changed the television industry significantly, and will continue to do so. But the idea that the web will cause the TV business to “collapse” is fantasy. — Henry Blodget has just written …

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