Techmeme
March 14, 2013, 1:50 PM

Top News

Urs Holzle / The Official Google Blog:
A second spring of cleaning  —  We're living in a new kind of computing environment.  Everyone has a device, sometimes multiple devices.  It's been a long time since we have had this rate of change—it probably hasn't happened since the birth of personal computing 40 years ago.
Alan Green / Official Google Reader Blog:
Powering Down Google Reader  —  We have just announced on the Official Google Blog that we will soon retire Google Reader (the actual date is July 1, 2013).  We know Reader has a devoted following who will be very sad to see it go.  We're sad too.  —  There are two simple reasons for this …
Jon Russell / The Next Web:
Amir Efrati / Wall Street Journal:
Google Breaks Up Mapping and Commerce Unit  —  Google Inc. executive Jeff Huber stepped aside as head of the Internet giant's mapping and commerce unit on Wednesday, in a two-part management shift at that also saw the chief of the Android unit, Andy Rubin, leave his position, according to people familiar with the matter.
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Google separates its mapping and commerce unit, VP Jeff Huber headed to the X team  —  Google has separated its mapping and commerce units, both of which were headed up by senior vice president Jeff Huber, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.  As a result, Huber …
Richard Lawler / Engadget:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft blames overheating datacenter for 16-hour Outlook outage  —  Microsoft's outlook.com webmail service suffered 16-hour long issues yesterday after a firmware upgrade at the company's datacenter went wrong.  In a blog post detailing the outage, Microsoft reveals some customers …
John Paczkowski / AllThingsD:
ITC Postpones iPhone Ban Decision  —  The U.S. International Trade Commission was scheduled to issue a final decision in Samsung's patent infringement case against Apple this week.  Instead, it issued a postponement.  —  The ITC said Wednesday that it is delaying its ruling …
Wall Street Journal:
In Rare Move, Apple Goes on the Defensive Against Samsung  —  Apple Inc. is on the defensive.  —  In a rare interview a day before Samsung Electronics Co. announces a new flagship smartphone in New York, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller on Wednesday played down the expected competition …
Paul Graham / Y Combinator:
The Handshake Deal Protocol  —  Silicon Valley runs on handshake deals.  A handshake deal is a verbal commitment to a transaction.  The actual transaction comes later, when documents are signed and money changes hands.  —  Why do we need handshake deals?  Why not just wait till the actual transaction?
Mike Kruzeniski / Twitter Blog:
Welcome Twitter for Windows 8  —  Today, we are releasing Twitter for Windows 8, a new app that makes it easier than ever to share and discover content on Windows 8 devices.  In addition to familiar Twitter features, including the Home, Connect, Discover, and Me tabs, this app introduces …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
CBS Brings Ad-Sponsored Streaming TV To iPhone And iPad; Social Integration, Android & Windows 8 Support Still To Come  —  CBS is today introducing a new iOS application for iPad and iPhone, which brings its television programming to mobile devices, offering full episodes for streaming a week after they originally air.
Jack Clark / The Register:
US national vulnerability database hacked  —  Malware infection forces government vuln catalog offline  —  The US government's online catalog of cyber-vulnerabilities has been taken offline - ironically, due to a software vulnerability.  —  The National Institute of Standards …
Reuters:
Exclusive: U.S. plans to let spy agencies scour Americans' finances  —  (Reuters) - The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country …
More: SlashGear and ZDNet
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Um, That's What My Kid Watches, Not Me - With User Profiles Still In Testing, Netflix's Social Sharing Feature Makes No Sense  —  Great news.  You'll now know the viewing preferences of your friends' kids on Netflix, thanks to the service's foray into social sharing via opt-in Facebook integration, announced earlier this morning.

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:
Connecting, collaborating, and growing: Zoho Mail 2025 wrap-up  —  Your inbox has been home to a lot this year—quick updates, long threads, approvals, reminders, and the occasional late-night draft you weren't sure about.
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

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.
Lenny's Podcast:
The coming AI security crisis (and what to do about it) | Sander Schulhoff
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's Potential, Google's Speedy Model, Copilot Hits Turbulence
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.
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 1:50 PM ET, March 14, 2013.

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

Earlier Picks

Chris Velazco / TechCrunch: