Facebook Reports Second Quarter 2012 Results  —  Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) today reported financial results for the second quarter, which ended June 30, 2012.  —  “Our goal is to help every person stay connected and every product they use be a great social experience,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO.

The iPad that never was: kickstands, curves, and ‘highly confidential’ Apple prototypes revealed  —  We already got a look at some early iPhone designs inspired by Sony and the iPod, but court documents have revealed an assortment of different looks that were considered for Apple's various iOS products …

The economics of Google Fiber and what it means for U.S. broadband  —  Google launched its fiber-to-the-home gigabit network Thursday in Kansas City, Kansas and it wants everyone to know that this network isn't a charity case.  Several Google executives at the event were very clear …

Amazon misses in Q2: $12.83 billion in revenue, up 29%, income down 96%  —  Online retailer Amazon has today released its Q2 2012 earnings.  Revenue is at $12.83 billion with EPS of $0.01.  Analysts had expected a mere $0.01 gain per share, down $0.41 from the year prior.

No API For You: Twitter Shuts Off “Find Friends” Feature For Instagram  —  Instagram has just announced 80 million users and a new app update; Noticeably missing in the update?  The “Find Your Friends” on Twitter feature, which allowed users to follow the same people they follow on Twitter on Instagram.

Samsung sold 50.5 million smartphones in second quarter, almost twice what Apple sold: report  —  SEOUL - Samsung Electronics Co, the world's top smartphone maker, sold 50.5 million smartphones in the second quarter, stretching its lead over rival Apple Inc, a report by research firm StrategyAnalytics showed.

Introducing the Recommendations Bar  —  Today we're launching the Recommendations Bar, a new social plug-in that helps people find articles based on what their friends like and share from your site.  —  As a person reads an article, a small pop-up surfaces at the bottom …

3D imagery now available on iPad and iPhone  —  Today, we're happy to announce the availability of 3D imagery for Google Earth on the new iPad, iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.  —  A map must be comprehensive and accurate no matter where you are or what device you use.  We also believe maps can be useful in ways you might not have imagined.

The Mac App Store's future of irrelevance  —  Postbox's exit from the Mac App Store should sound very familiar to anyone who buys Mac software.  If you read between the lines a bit, I think the real story there is one we've seen a lot since June 1: they tolerated the App Store's lack …

Consumer Reports Joins the Netflix Pile-On  —  Yesterday, Reed Hastings saw a quarter of his company's stock value disappear.  Today's insult to injury: A dis from Consumer Reports.  —  A new survey from the magazine places the Netflix streaming service sixth in user satisfaction, behind …

Judge sanctions Samsung for destroying evidence in infringement case against Apple  —  A federal judge in California has sanctioned Samsung for destroying e-mail evidence in its ongoing patent infringement case with Apple.  In an order issued Wednesday, Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal wrote that Samsung …

Microsoft Admits Risk in Tablet Plans  —  Sometimes the only way to get a straight answer from a company on a thorny topic is through its government filings.  —  In an annual report that it submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday afternoon, Microsoft finally conceded something …

Mark Cuban Leads Mobile App Marketplace Apptopia's $1 Million Seed Round  —  Apptopia, the marketplace where developers can sell their mobile apps, is days out from closing a $1 million seed round of financing, with Mark Cuban leading the investment.  Cuban went in for $500,000 himself …

Open English raises $43 million to teach English online across Latin America  —  Open English has secured a $43 million round led by Insight Venture Partners, the Miami-based startup revealed today.  Redpoint Ventures also participated in the round, as well as existing investors including Flybridge Capital Partners and Kaszek Ventures.

WriteThat.name creator Kwaga acquires real-time push notifications startup Boxcar  —  For once, a French company is buying a relatively well-known US tech startup instead of the other way around: Kwaga has acquired struggling iOS and Mac push notification service provider Boxcar.