Techmeme
April 23, 2013, 3:10 PM

Top News

Chris Welch / The Verge:
AP Twitter account hacked, makes false claim of explosions at White House  —  Anyone that follows the Associated Press on Twitter just heard “news” of an unprecedented national crisis.  “Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured,” the AP's account tweeted moments ago.
Patti Domm / CNBC:
False Rumor of Explosion at White House Causes Stocks to Briefly Plunge; AP Confirms Its Twitter Feed Was Hacked  —  @AP, the official twitter handle of the respected Associated Press news agency, sent out a message at about 1:07 p.m. ET, saying “Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is Injured.”
Jessica E. Lessin / Wall Street Journal:
Apple Has an Identity Crisis  —  Is It a Hardware Company or A Software Firm?  —  Apple Inc. is facing an identity crisis on Wall Street.  —  As Apple prepares to report what analysts project may be the company's first year-over-year quarterly earnings decline in a decade on Tuesday …
Brian Barrett / Gizmodo:
The Only Thing Apple Really Sells  —  A recent Wall Street Journal article posits an interesting question: Is Apple a hardware company or a software company?  Does it sell iPhones or iClouds?  The answer has deep meaning for the analysts who evaluate the company's worth.
Tweets: @mat and @jsnell
Dan DeSilva / 9to5Mac:
iPhone 4 owners begin receiving their $15 ‘Antennagate’ settlement checks from Apple  —  Payday has come for some of the first responders to the iPhone 4 class action lawsuit.  Last February a settlement was reached that granted iPhone 4 owners who had not previously received a free bumper for their “defective” iPhones a $15 payout.
Alexa Ray Corriea / Polygon:
Pizza Hut launching Xbox 360 app that lets console owners order pizza from Xbox Live  —  Microsoft and Pizza Hut have partnered up to launch a pioneer app for Xbox Live that will allow users to order from the chain's menu directly through their Xbox 360.  —  The Pizza Hut for Xbox app makes …
Wall Street Journal:
Hedge Fund Takes $2 Billion Stake in Microsoft  —  A hedge-fund executive disclosed that his firm owns about $2 billion in Microsoft Corp. stock, stating that the value of the software giant's businesses wasn't appreciated by other investors.  —  Jeffrey W. Ubben, founder of ValueAct Capital Management LP …
Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:
Netflix Surpasses HBO in U.S. Subscribers … Netflix reported 29.17 million domestic subscribers in the first quarter of 2013, surpassing HBO for the first time.  —  Netflix, which ended 2012 with 27.15 million domestic subs, added just over 2 million subs, according to first quarter results issued Monday.
TechCrunch:
Fab Is Raising A Mondo Round At A $1 Billion Valuation  —  We're hearing from multiple sources that design-focused retail site Fab is raising a new round of funding at a $1 billion valuation.  The company has previously raised $171 million in funding and we're hearing it seeks to raise more than $100 million in this round.
Ki Mae Heussner / GigaOM:
Raising your hand is so passé: Pearson buys real-time student feedback and polling startup  —  Pearson - the big kahuna of ed tech — has snapped up another startup.  The company on Monday said it had purchased Learning Catalytics, a company founded at Harvard University by a trio of academics.
More: ZDNet
Alexei Oreskovic / Reuters:
Facebook to build data center near Des Moines, Iowa  —  (Reuters) - Facebook Inc is building a data center near Des Moines, Iowa, to bolster its computing power as it rolls out new services and as the growing use of smartphones increase the pressure on its infrastructure.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Nokia unveiling Lumia 928 for Verizon next month, says Bloomberg  —  Nokia's new flagship Lumia 928 for Verizon is reportedly scheduled for a launch in May.  Bloomberg reports that Verizon will “unveil a plan next month” for the Lumia 928, which reportedly features a “metal body” …
Nick Summers / The Next Web:
Aereo will launch its controversial antenna and Internet-based TV service in Boston on May 15  —  Aereo has announced today that it will be rolling out its controversial Internet-based television service in Boston on May 15.  —  Consumers who choose to pre-order will be able to access …
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
For your robot-building needs, $45 BeagleBone Linux PC goes on sale  —  The brand-new BeagleBone Black.  —  BeagleBoard.org  —  The market for cheap single-board computers is becoming one of the most surprisingly competitive spaces in the tech industry.  On the heels of the million-selling …
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Microsoft targets end of May for expanded Surface Pro availability  —  Summary: Microsoft is broadening availability of its Surface Pro PC/tablet hybrids during May and June, officials are saying.  —  After a couple of months of silence, Microsoft officials are sharing more about expansion plans for the company's Surface devices.
Ben Drawbaugh / Engadget:
ASUS Cube Google TV review  —  The past year has been a busy one for Google TV — in fact, with the big I/O conference right around the corner, we're sitting down to review our fifth such device in the past 12 months.  The ASUS Cube naturally does everything one would expect from a Google TV set-top box …

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