Amazon Said to Plan TV Set-Top Box for Streaming Video  —  Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), the world's largest online retailer, plans to release a television set-top box that would stream video over the Internet into customers' homes, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Samsung Galaxy S 4 Review  —  It's no secret that Samsung enjoyed huge success with Galaxy S 3 (henceforth SGS3 and SGS4 for Galaxy S 4).  In many markets, SGS3 was easily the Android handset to beat, even as faster and arguably better hardware became available during the life of its product cycle.

Microsoft to unveil next Xbox at event on May 21st at its Redmond campus  —  We've just received an invite from Microsoft to an event on May 21st where it will show off the next version of its Xbox console and media box.  The next version of the company's media play has been expected for a while …

Amid A Challenging Mobile Transition, Zynga's Revenues Decline 18% To $264M  —  Zynga's revenues for the first quarter of 2013 declined 18% year-over-year to $264 million as the company is in the midst of doing a big pivot onto mobile platforms.  The company swung to a profit from a year ago though, with net income of $4 million.

Analysis: Sleeping ad giant Amazon finally stirs  —  (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc is known in the advertising industry as the “sleeping giant” because the world's largest Internet retailer harbors a trove of consumer-spending data that many marketers have called an unrealized opportunity.

Tim Cook is auctioning off a coffee and chat with him at Apple HQ for charity, estimated value is $50k  —  According to a Charitybuzz release today, Apple CEO Tim Cook is holding a charity auction (the listing says 'donated by Tim Cook') for coffee and a chat with him at the company's headquarters.

How Netflix CEO Reed Hastings Sees the Future: Netflix Wins, Apps Win and So Do HBO, ESPN and the Cable Guys  —  Fresh off a triumphant earnings report, and with investors once again clamoring for his shares, Reed Hastings has something to say.  —  A lot to say: The Netflix CEO has written …

Council approves iProvo sale to Google  —  Technology » But Provo reveals it will have to pay $1.7M to complete the deal.  —  | The Salt Lake Tribune  —  The Provo Municipal Council voted Tuesday to approve the sale of its financially-troubled iProvo fiber-optic Internet to Google, paving the way for it to become Google Fiber.

Apple celebrates a decade of iTunes with in-app microsite  —  Apple is marking the 10th anniversary of iTunes with a special microsite which, in a rather nice touch, opens in iTunes itself.  While the anniversary is on Sunday, the site is already live in the US and UK, though not apparently in all countries ...

A Flawed Bidding Process Leaves Dell at a Loss  —  The private equity firm Blackstone Group has exited the stage for Dell, abruptly bringing down the curtain on a budding takeover contest.  It has the elements of a farce, and Dell's board has no one to blame but itself.

Tumblr iOS app updated with Twitter and Facebook sharing, read-it-later support  —  Hot on the heels of its first Windows Phone app, Tumblr has updated its iOS application with a number of new social and usability features.  Recognizing that users like to expand their posts beyond Tumblr …

Put away your wallet, startup.  Spark decides to cover its own legal fees  —  As startups have become more capital efficient and seed funds have proliferated, the battle for the best early stage deals has intensified.  That's led to an arms race among early stage VCs to prove how entrepreneur-friendly they can be.

Nintendo makes second consecutive annual loss as Wii U misses expectations  —  Nintendo made an operating loss in 2012 for the second consecutive year as its new Wii U console failed to spark excitement among consumers.  The company lost 36.4 billion yen ($366 million) over the 2012 fiscal year …

WWDC 2013 Tickets On Sale April 25 At 10AM PT, Runs June 10-14  —  Apple has just released the official announcement for its 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference.  Every year, it releases tickets for the developer-focused event at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and every year, they sell out faster than the year before.

MetroPCS shareholders approve merger with T-Mobile USA  —  (Reuters) - MetroPCS Communications Inc (PCS.N) shareholders voted Wednesday to approve a merger with No. 4 U.S. wireless service provider T-Mobile USA, after T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom AG (DTEGn.DE) sweetened its terms under pressure from activist shareholders.

U.S. gives big, secret push to Internet surveillance  —  Justice Department agreed to issue “2511 letters” immunizing AT&T and other companies participating in a cybersecurity program from criminal prosecution under the Wiretap Act, according to new documents obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center.