Google Agrees to Change Its Business Practices to Resolve FTC Competition Concerns In the Markets for Devices Like Smart Phones, Games and Tablets, and in Online Search  —  Landmark Agreements Will Give Competitors Access to Standard-Essential Patents; Advertisers Will Get More Flexibility to Use Rival Search Engines

That Apple/Waze Deal Hits A Roadblock — That Roadblock Being Reality (Not Happening)  —  Yesterday, we ran a big story: Is Apple Plotting A Route To A Waze Acquisition?  Rumours On The Road Point To Yes.  That's huge news for a few reasons: Apple rarely makes startup acquisitions …

Ex-Windows boss Steven Sinofsky launches new blog focused on ‘technology product development’  —  Steven Sinofsky may no longer hold the Windows reins at Microsoft, but that certainly doesn't mean that he intends on stepping back from the public sphere.  Made famous for his work on Windows 7 …

Facebook launches voice in iOS and Android Messenger apps, tests VoIP calling in Canada  —  Facebook is continuing to fine-tune and adapt its Messenger mobile apps (iOS/Android), today pushing live updates which include a potentially disruptive feature: voice messages.

Toyota, Audi Prep Self-Driving Cars  —  Toyota Motor Corp. and Audi AG are throwing their hats into the ring of potential suppliers of self-driving vehicles.  —  Both auto makers confirmed on Thursday that they will be demonstrating autonomous-driving features at the Consumer Electronics Show …

Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to be three times more scratch resistant than previous generation  —  Gorilla Glass has found its way onto spec sheets of many devices over the years thanks to its promises of keeping your screens scratch- and crack-free, and now the third generation is upon us.

Write Gambling Software, Go to Prison  —  In a criminal case sure to make programmers nervous, a software maker who licenses a program used by online casinos and bookmakers overseas is being charged with promoting gambling in New York because authorities say his software was used by others for illegal betting in that state.

Nokia planning aluminum body for thinner, lighter Lumia 920 successor  —  Nokia is planning a new line of Lumia Windows Phone devices for 2013.  Sources familiar with Nokia's plans have revealed to The Verge that the company is planning to switch to an aluminum construction for at least …

Zipcar: Startup Genius, Public Failure  —  Zipcar Inc. changed the world.  But that didn't make it a good public company.  It was a pretty awful one, in fact.  —  By most measures, Wednesday's about $500 million sale to Avis Budget Group Inc. appears to represent an entrepreneurial high point.

Samsung to Sell Tizen-Based Handsets After Google-Motorola Deal  —  Samsung Electronics Co. (005930), the world's largest seller of mobile phones, said it will start selling smartphones this year featuring the Tizen operating system backed by Intel Corp.  —  “We plan to release new …

Sony in talks for virtual MSO service  —  Conglom could roll out over-the-top channels later this year  —  Sony Corp. will show off a wide range of new products at next week's Consumer Electronics Show, but one that will stay under wraps could be its riskiest: a multichannel TV service to rival cable.

Android Jelly Bean passes 10% adoption, ICS nears 30%, and Gingerbread finally falls under 50%  —  Google on Thursday updated its Platform Versions Web page for Android, and it looks like there's finally some good news to report.  Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) …

Ashton Kutcher's Steve Jobs Film Due in April … The new film, “jOBS,” starring Ashton Kutcher as the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, will be released in April, Open Road Films and Five Star Feature films announced Thursday.  —  The release will come after “jOBS” premieres …

The E-Reader Revolution: Over Just as It Has Begun?  —  The e-reader era just arrived, but now it may be ending.  —  Dedicated devices for reading e-books have been a hot category for the past half-dozen years, but the shrinking sizes and falling prices of full-featured tablet computers …

Why you should be skeptical of Chitika's market-share reports  —  Summary: Chitika, an online advertising company, has been remarkably successful lately at getting top-tier tech sites to quote its “research reports.”  But a closer look at this company suggests that maybe journalists should be a lot less trusting of its data.