Google Preps Maps App for Apple Devices  —  The head-to-head battle between Apple Inc. and Google Inc. in mobile maps is drawing nearer.  —  Google has distributed a test version of its new mapping app that will work on Apple's iPhones and iPads to some individuals outside the company …

Google, Dish Held Talks to Launch Wireless Service  —  Google Inc. has held talks with satellite-TV provider Dish Network Corp. in recent weeks to partner on a new wireless service that would rival the networks of wireless carriers such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Sharing Tweets just got easier  —  If you're like me, you probably come across Tweets every day that you'd like to share.  They might be funny or include a striking photo.  They might be breaking news or feature old news.  Of course, you can retweet any of these to your Twitter followers …

Behind Mark Pincus's Bid to Save Zynga  —  Tears nearly welled up in Zynga Inc. chief executive Mark Pincus's eyes at a meeting in September with Apple Inc. director Bill Campbell.  —  Mr. Campbell, a technology veteran who has coached Silicon Valley CEOs such as Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt …

SkyDrive usage has doubled in the last 6 months, now you can select what to sync  —  About 6 months ago, we released the first sync apps for SkyDrive making it easy to view and manage your personal SkyDrive from the File Explorer in Windows and Finder in OS X. We're excited to announce that since then …

Google Launches Ingress, a Worldwide Mobile Alternate Reality Game  —  What's the wackiest thing you can imagine Google launching?  How about a game to fight for control of the minds of everyone on earth?  —  Or maybe that's not so wacky.  —  Meet Ingress, a new free mobile app …

Cities Move to Rein In Smartphone Taxi Services  —  Taxi and limousine regulators from 15 U.S. and Canadian cities plan to release proposed guidelines Friday aimed at reining in some of the smartphone applications and online services that are radically changing how customers hail cabs.

U.S. consumers hesitant to make switch to Windows 8  —  Most Windows users in the U.S. know about Windows 8 but few have immediate plans to upgrade to Microsoft's newest operating system.  —  Customers get a look at products at Microsoft's pop-up store in Manhattan in October.

Pay Another Way: Bitcoin  —  At WordPress.com, our mission is making publishing democratic — accessible and easy for anyone, anywhere.  And while anyone can start a free blog here, not everyone can access upgrades (like going ad-free or enabling custom design) because of limits on traditional payment networks.

E-commerce 2.0  —  We at a16z could not possibly be more bullish on the prospects for e-commerce, and we believe growth is poised to accelerate.  —  Part of the reason for this is due to competitive market dynamics.  As I've blogged before, e-commerce players have substantial cost advantages over their physical competitors.

Verizon Will Reduce Speeds of Repeated BitTorrent Pirates  —  Last year the MPAA and RIAA teamed up with five major Internet providers in the United States to launch the Center for Copyright Information (CCI).  —  The parties agreed on a system through which subscribers are warned …

Sprint Says Will Have LTE-Equipped iPad Minis, 4th Gen iPads in Stores on Friday  —  Sprint said late Thursday that it now has LTE-capable iPad Minis and 4th generation iPads in its stores.  —  “Limited quantities of the new iPads are now available at select Sprint retail locations,” Sprint said in a press release.

Facebook expands Gifts program by rolling out to millions more users, adding new partners  —  Facebook has announced at an event in NYC that it is rolling out the ability for ‘tens of millions’ of its users to gift someone right from their profile page as of tonight.

Google modifies Android SDK to battle platform fragmentation  —  New terms for developers specifically prohibits them from any action that could contribute to further fragmentation of the mobile platform.  —  Recognizing that fragmentation of the Android platform frustrates consumers and developers alike …

iPhone, iPad sales to surge over next two quarters, says analyst  —  Sales of the iPhone and iPads will be higher than expected this quarter and on into the next quarter, according to a Morgan Stanley analyst.  —  The iPhone 5 and new iPads will trigger a surge in sales for Apple this quarter and next …

U.S. Cable Companies Reportedly Assessing Potential Infrastructure Impact of ‘Imminent’ Apple TV Product  —  Barron's reports on a new research note from Jefferies & Co. analyst James Kisner noting that he believes the launch of an unspecified Apple television product (presumably either …

Meet Dropbox Chooser, The Improved Upload Or Attach Button For The Cloud-Based Set  —  Dropbox introduced a new feature today, called Chooser, which is aimed at developers and allows them to build in an “attach from from Dropbox feature” for their web-based products.

Lytro to get Perspective Shift and Living Filters for more focus-shifting fun (video)  —  Lytro has just announced a software update that expands upon the multidimensional elements of the little light-field point-and-shoot.  The Lytro Desktop software will get two new features …

Apple Takes Over Former Nortel Patents  —  Apple is stocking up on patents.  —  The company has quietly snapped up more than a thousand patents in the past six months from Rockstar Consortium, a move that helps bolster it as it battles Google, Samsung, and other Android backers in the mobile-device market.

Twitter Makes Search Results More Visual With Top Photos, Videos & Instant Previews  —  Twitter is rolling out an update to its search results that will put a new “Top Photos” section above matching tweets.  “Top Videos” may also appear.  Twitter will also begin automatically showing tweeted pictures …

Sinofsky speaks, denies he tried to take over Windows Phone division at Microsoft  —  Former chief of Windows, Steven Sinofsky, departed Microsoft earlier this week in a shock announcement following the release of Windows 8 and Surface RT. While sources have claimed his departure was related …

Crooks steal $1.5M in iPads from JFK  —  Like ‘GoodFellas’ job  —  It beats waiting in line at an Apple Store.  —  A pair of brazen crooks punched another hole in the lax JFK security when they stole a trove of new Apple iPad minis — worth $1.5 million — from the same cargo building …