Techmeme
September 24, 2013, 9:45 AM

Top News

George Chen / South China Morning Post:
EXCLUSIVE: China to lift ban on Facebook - but only within Shanghai free-trade zone  —  Beijing has made the landmark decision to lift a ban on internet access within the Shanghai Free-trade Zone to foreign websites considered politically sensitive by the Chinese government, including Facebook …
DealBook:
BlackBerry Buyout Offer Raises Array of Questions  —  An offer to take BlackBerry private does not end the uncertainty surrounding the ailing smartphone maker.  —  BlackBerry said on Monday that it had signed a letter of intent from a group led by Fairfax Financial Holdings …
BlackBerry:
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Following criticism & lawsuit, Apple refunding Breaking Bad iTunes Season Passes  —  In August, we noted that iTunes was offering Season Passes of the popular show Breaking Bad in a split-up format.  For Season 5 of the show, the first eight episodes was under one iTunes purchase …
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
After botched debut, new Apple TV update is back with fixes  —  After releasing a buggy version of new Apple TV software last week (and subsequently removing it from download) Apple has issued a new version of the update to Apple TV users.  The new version is labeled Apple TV Software 6.0, and it comes in at build number 11A502.
Ryan Whitwam / Android Police:
Full Remote Device Lockdown Is Now Live In The Android Device Manager, Instantly Overrides Previous Lock Settings With Specified Password  —  In our recent APK/website teardown, we unearthed Android's upcoming remote device lock functionality through Google Play Services, and now it has quietly gone live in the Android Device Manager.
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple launches faster iMacs with 802.11ac WiFi, Pro graphics, improved Flash  —  Apple has launched an updated line of iMacs with faster processors, improved graphics, faster 802.11ac WiFi connectivity, and improved Flash storage.  The new iMacs are now available from Apple's online store.
Diane Bartz / Reuters:
U.S. trade panel judge says HTC violates Nokia patents  —  (Reuters) - HTC Corporation infringed on two Nokia Corp patents in making its mobile telephones and tablets, a judge said in a preliminary ruling for the U.S. International Trade Commission.  —  HTC was found to have infringed …
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Adobe Unveils Photoshop and Premiere Elements 12 for Mac  —  Adobe today released new versions of Photoshop and Premiere Elements, its lower-cost photo and video editing software aimed at consumers.  Photoshop Elements 12 and Premiere Elements 12 have been revamped with several new features, focusing heavily on mobile integration.
Andrew Bocking / Inside BlackBerry:
BBM for Android and iPhone will not launch this week following leak of unreleased version  —  BBM for Android and iPhone Update - Note from the head of BBM  —  This is Andrew Bocking, head of BBM at BlackBerry.  As a follow up to our first blog post on Saturday, I want to take a moment …
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Microsoft Introduces 200GB SkyDrive Storage Upgrade For $100 Per Year  —  With the launch of Windows 8.1 just around the corner, Microsoft today announced a new storage option for SkyDrive.  The cloud storage service, which is now a built-in Windows 8.1 feature, now offers a 200GB storage plan for $100 per year.
Microsoft:
Emil Protalinski / The Next Web:
Google looks to drop Netscape Plugin API support in Chrome, starting with blocking most plugins in January 2014  —  Google today announced it is dropping Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) in Chrome.  The company will be phasing out support over the coming year …
Brian Klug / AnandTech:
Moto X Update Dramatically Improves Camera Quality  —  In my Moto X review, I characterized camera performance and quality as very bimodal.  In some scenes it could take great photos, in others it seemed to struggle and either produce images that looked somewhat washed out with weird white balance or aggressive noise reduction.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook Partners With PayPal, Stripe, Braintree To Autofill Billing Info In Mobile Commerce Apps  —  Facebook wants to put an end to typing billing details on the small screen, help developers and payment processors earn more money, and prove that its app install ads make money for e-commerce companies.
Colin Campbell / Polygon:
Microsoft forms Chinese console venture  —  Microsoft has formed a joint venture with Shanghai media giant BesTV to launch a new games device offering streaming entertainment services into China.  —  The companies posted a note on the Shanghai Stock Exchange today outlining the new operation …

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Earlier Picks

Sean Hollister / The Verge: