Breaking: Apple Offered to License its Patents to Samsung for $30 Per Smartphone, $40 Per Tablet  —  Apple executives have testified the company was “shocked” when Samsung debuted its first Galaxy phones.  But, considering the Korean company was a major supplier, Apple apparently was also willing to make a deal with its rival.

An update to our search algorithms  —  We aim to provide a great experience for our users and have developed over 200 signals to ensure our search algorithms deliver the best possible results.  Starting next week, we will begin taking into account a new signal in our rankings …

Photos of purported next-gen iPhone's thinner, higher capacity battery: 3.8V, 1440 mAh  —  As the launch of the next iPhone approaches, lots of parts have been leaking out and we've been able to put the pieces together almost like a reverse iFixit teardown.

$110 Says All the New Kindles Are Coming Next Week  —  If you want to know if Amazon's new Kindles are coming out—and what they'll be—don't listen to analysts or supply chains or, yes, blogs.  One trip to Amazon today will tell you nearly everything you need to know about when, and what, Amazon's about to unleash on the world.

The Twitter Underground Economy: A Blooming Business  —  Many people dream of becoming popular or famous, and Twitter provides an outlet to make this possible.  Most Twitter users try the standard way to get popular and gain followers: constantly tweet funny quotes or comments …

Gmail is getting a new login page to make multiple sign-ins easier to manage  —  Managing multiple accounts is becoming more important on the Web every day and Google has decided to make it easier for its Gmail users.  TNW staffers saw this page flash up, which lets you log in with one of your accounts, or add others:

Kinect 2 image leaked, shows increased detail and depth data  —  Microsoft's next-generation “Xbox 720” console has seen a variety of leaks recently, including speculation over its planned launch date, but we've yet to see solid details on Kinect 2.  That may have changed this week …

Microsoft now using ‘Modern UI Style’ to refer to Windows 8 ‘Metro Style’ apps  —  Microsoft may have nixed its “Metro” branding for the new tile-based design in Windows 8 and Windows Phone, but the company appears to be split over its replacement naming.  Earlier this week it was reported …

Attack of the acqui-hires  —  Why tech companies buy the cow, even though they can get the milk for free.  —  FORTUNE — I'm a sucker for VC exits.  Even when I don't know the purchase and sale prices, there is something instinctively positive about a portfolio company being acquired by Google or Facebook or LinkedIn.

Odgaard: “I will continue working on TextMate as long as I am a Mac user”  —  Odgaard ostensibly instructs his niece on the finer points of software freedom on a recent holiday.  —  Lead TextMate developer Allan Odgaard's decision yesterday to open source the code for the long-awaited version 2.0 was met with a lot of criticism.

Lenovo Yoga Convertible Laptop-Tablet Coming with Windows 8 RT  —  Lenovo officially announced its Windows 8 ThinkPad Tablet 2 this week, which will be aimed at professionals.  But the company's consumer side is also preparing its Windows 8 products, including its IdeaPad Yoga …

Facebook drops off the greatest places to work list  —  A new list of the 25 companies that give employees a good work-life balance has 12 tech companies on it, but the only big name is LinkedIn.  And Facebook has fallen off the list since 2011.  —  Marquee tech companies have always …