Techmeme
August 31, 2012, 11:50 PM

Top News

Greg Bensinger / Wall Street Journal:
Amazon Is Developing Ad-Supported Tablet Computer  —  Amazon.com Inc. is planning an advertising-supported tablet computer that will be priced lower than similar models, according to people involved in discussions on the device.  —  The new device would come at a discount to tablets without …
CNET:
Kindle Fire won't go big to take on iPad  —  Amazon will next week announce two 7-inch Kindle Fire models, one with new hardware and the other an updated version of the original, CNET has learned.  —  Amazon plans to double down on the 7-inch tablet market with two new Kindle Fire models, CNET has learned.
Ann Zimmerman / Wall Street Journal:
Can Electronics Stores Survive?  —  Is there a future for electronics specialty stores?  —  Not long ago, retailers such as Best Buy Co., GameStop Corp. and RadioShack Corp. were outmuscling competitors across America by offering one-stop shopping for the latest televisions, computers, videogames and gadgets.
More: Engadget
Juro Osawa / Wall Street Journal:
Production of iPhone Screens Delayed at Sharp  —  Japan's Sharp Corp. hasn't started mass producing screens for Apple Inc.'s next iPhone, a person with knowledge of the situation said Friday, signaling potential supply problems for the U.S. company as it gears up to unveil its next-generation smartphone next month.
Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
Facebook Goes Gunning for Zombie “Likes”  —  Facebook is a ginormous site whose primary currency is “Likes.”  So, of course, it has a counterfeit “Like” problem.  —  Now Mark Zuckerberg and company say they've figured out how to crack down on zombie “Likes,” via “automated efforts” that will zap the bogus ones.
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
With Google Fiber Sign-Ups Behind Schedule, Google Lowers Pre-Registration Thresholds  —  A few days ago, Google's gigabit Fiber project in Kansas City had only reached its sign-up goals in about 50% of the city's “fiberhoods” and a number of areas were still very far away from reaching …
Marco Arment / Marco.org:
Predicting the “iPad Mini” internals  —  I saw two curious entries in Instapaper's device stats today: one iPad2,5 and one iPad2,6.  —  These device models, as reported by the OS, could be faked by a jailbreaker with enough free time.  But I've never had a device show up there that didn't end …

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify's new AI commerce stack  —  Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Zoho:
Enhancements to Zoho Writer's automation flow designer: New PDF operations, password protection, and more  —  Once we rolled out the automation flow designer in Zoho Writer's merge templates …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
2025 In Review, 2026 Predictions — With Reed Albergotti
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.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Podcast Pioneer PJ Vogt's Second Act: Less Budget, More Control
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
BG2 Pod:
AI Enterprise - Databricks & Glean
Open-source podcast on all things tech, markets, investing, and capitalism, hosted by Brad Gerstner.
Subscribe to BG2 Pod.
Great Chat:
The stories we told ourselves in 2025
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.
Grit:
How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
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 11:50 PM ET, August 31, 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

Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:

Earlier Picks

Daniel Cooper / Engadget: