Techmeme: Napster co-founder Sean Parker to run Brigade, a startup that aims to boost civic engagement (Alex Byers/Politico)

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April 14, 2014, 7:55 PM

Top News

Peter Bright / Ars Technica:

Windows Phone 8.1 review: a magnificent smartphone platform — It's a 0.1 update that feels like a 2.0 update. — For the growing number of Windows Phone users, Windows Phone 8 was a frustrating release. The major difference between Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8 was invisible to end users …

More: Windows Phone Central, The Verge, Engadget, Re/code, Neowin, Pocketnow, PC World, CNET, ZDNet, eWeek, MobileBurn.com, Gizmodo, WMPoweruser, GeekWire, Liliputing, Internet2Go, ReadWrite, FierceWireless, TIME, SuperSite for Windows, Mashable, SlashGear, TechCrunch and Gigaom. Tweets: @arstechnica

Rene Ritchie / iMore:

Windows Phone 8.1 reading Apple Passbook data, an unannounced feature Apple may want to stop — Apple's Passbook passes are being used by Windows Phone 8.1 and Microsoft Wallet — When Apple introduced Passbook in iOS 6 they billed it as a way to store all your tickets, coupons …

More: Ars Technica, AppleInsider, Gigaom, TechnoBuffalo, everythingiCafe, MacRumors, iDownloadBlog.com, iPhone in Canada Blog, TechCrunch, iPhone Hacks and Electronista. Tweets: @tomwarren

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview now available to download — Windows Phone 8.1 now available to download — After 18 months since the last major Windows Phone update, Microsoft is finally releasing Windows Phone 8.1 to developers today. The software maker detailed the update …

Jessica Dolcourt / CNET:

Cortana vs. Siri vs. Google Now: An early look at how Cortana stacks up (hands-on)

More: Windows Phone Central, TechHive, Gizmodo, ZDNet and Search Engine Land

Wall Street Journal:

Google buys Titan Aerospace, the maker of high-altitude drones Facebook was considering — Google Buys Drone Maker Courted by Facebook — Internet Giant to Acquire Titan Aerospace — Google Inc. said Monday it agreed to buy Titan Aerospace, a startup maker of high-altitude drones …

More: TechCrunch, VentureBeat, PC Magazine, eWeek, Slate, Forbes, DSLreports, Computerworld, Re/code, AllFacebook, ABC News, Ars Technica, Los Angeles Times, 9to5Google, SlashGear, The Verge, dailywireless.org, Business Insider and silicontap.com

Tweets: @eringriffith, @moorehn, @tomwarren, @levie and @mikeisaac

Mitchell Baker / The Mozilla Blog:

Greylock's Chris Beard joins Mozilla's Board of Directors, becomes interim CEO — Mozilla Moving Forward — Mozilla finds itself in the midst of an unexpected leadership transition. Along with my fellow board members Reid Hoffman and Katharina Borchert, I am pleased to announce …

More: VentureBeat, eWeek, Digital Trends, The Register, ReadWrite, Computerworld, VatorNews, CNET, CNNMoney.com, PC Magazine, ZDNet, VentureBeat, TheHill, Re/code, TechCrunch, bizjournals, TechSpot, Daily Dot, Mashable, New York Times, SiliconBeat and WebProNews. Tweets: @cbeard

Rolfe Winkler / Wall Street Journal:

Google considering giving a boost in its search-engine results to websites that use encryption — Google May Push Sites to Use Encryption — A powerful voice at Google wants websites to be more secure. — In a move that experts say could make it harder to spy on Web users …

More: Search Engine Land, Computerworld, TheHill, Mercury News, The Verge, 9to5Google, SlashGear, BetaNews, Gigaom, Geeky Gadgets, VentureBreak, ZDNet and WebProNews. Tweets: @dannysullivan. Thanks:@bryfitz

Kim Masters / Hollywood Reporter:

David Fincher pulls out of talks to direct Sony Pictures' Steve Jobs film — David Fincher Out of Steve Jobs Movie in $10 Million Fee Fight (Exclusive) — The director was negotiating with Sony to reteam with “The Social Network” writer Aaron Sorkin and producer Scott Rudin.

More: Cult of Mac, 9to5Mac, MacRumors, AppleInsider, iDownloadBlog.com, The Mac Observer, Mashable, The Verge and Inside Movies. Tweets: @counternotions

Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:

Did Microsoft just kill its anti-Google ‘Scroogled’ campaign? — Summary: A Microsoft Corporate Vice President claims Microsoft is ‘done’ with its ‘Scroogled’ campaign. But is the company really Scroogled out? — Has Microsoft quietly done away with its anti-Google “Scroogled” campaign?

More: Yabbly, 9to5Google, Neowin and Android Central

Kwame Opam / The Verge:

Heartbleed bug responsible for theft of 900 Canadian tax ID numbers — Canada's taxpayers may be the first victims of the Heartbleed bug that put the web on high alert last week. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, 900 social insurance numbers (SINs) were stolen by hackers exploiting the security vulnerability.

More: cra-arc.gc.ca, CBC News, PC World, PandoDaily, The Register, Globe and Mail, Wall Street Journal, CSO Online, Associated Press, BetaKit, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Financial Post, Bloomberg, Help Net Security, Ars Technica, The Next Web, SC Magazine and Speeds and Feeds

Chris Welch / The Verge:

Netflix streaming speeds on Comcast jump 65 percent after controversial deal — Netflix customers on Comcast are already seeing the benefits of a controversial pact between the streaming service and cable provider. Comcast jumped five spots in Netflix's ranking of ISP performance for the month of March.

More: Quartz, BGR, BetaNews, Netflix US & Canada Blog, Gigaom, Engadget, PandoDaily and DSLreports. See also Mediagazer

Ben Popper / The Verge:

How Cool Planet founder Mike Cheiky convinced Silicon Valley to invest in his shoddy science — The inventor of everything — How an egotistical genius convinced Silicon Valley to invest hundreds of millions in his shoddy science — It's a sunny morning in Camarillo, California …

More: Gigaom

Alex Byers / Politico:

Napster co-founder Sean Parker to run Brigade, a startup that aims to boost civic engagement — Napster co-founder Sean Parker to lead civic startup — Big tech industry players want to help get out the vote and are pouring millions into a new start-up to boost American civic engagement.

More: VentureBeat, The Verge, Ars Technica and Mashable

Tweets: @carlmalamud and @digiphile

Thanks:@byersalex

Ina Fried / Re/code:

Early internal document reveals Android was initially designed without touchscreen support — Here's What Android Looked Like Before the iPhone — One of the more interesting documents that came to light during the Apple-Samsung document last week was an early internal Google document …

More: AppleInsider, Computerworld, Daring Fireball, blog.chron.com, Phandroid, MacDailyNews, Business Insider, BGR, The Register, Engadget, Gizmodo and Guardian

Tweets: @stroughtonsmith and @stroughtonsmith

Colleen Taylor / TechCrunch:

Y Combinator Adds Four New Partners, Including Stripe CEO Patrick Collison — Y Combinator is announcing today the addition of four new partners to its roster, as part of its larger push for more growth under new president Sam Altman. — Altman announced in a blog post this afternoon …

More: Y Combinator Posthaven and bizjournals. Tweets: @katmanalac and @garrytan

Jason Del Rey / Re/code:

Square Hires Amazon AWS Exec Alyssa Henry as Engineering Lead — Square is one step closer to fully filling out its executive team, hiring long-time Amazon veteran Alyssa Henry as its new engineering lead. — At Square, Henry will “head up engineering operations for Square's infrastructure …

More: Square, TechCrunch and ZDNet. Thanks:@delrey

Steve Kovach / Business Insider:

Samsung says Galaxy S5 launch weekend sales were better than S4 — How Were Opening Weekend Sales For The New Galaxy S5 Phone? Samsung Won't Say Anything Specific — Samsung bragged about opening weekend demand for its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, but didn't provide specific numbers.

More: GSMArena.com, CNET, TechnoBuffalo, Android Authority, Phandroid, TechSpot, BGR, AndroidSaS and IntoMobile

Kaylene Hong / The Next Web:

Facebook is reportedly prepping an e-money service, and is close to getting approval in Ireland — Facebook wants to be more than a social network — it is planning to facilitate financial services in the form of electronic money and remittances, the Financial Times reports (as spotted first by Benedict Evans).

Erin Griffith / Fortune:

How Zuck met Oculus: The story behind Facebook's big bet on virtual reality — CEO Brendan Iribe recounts the steps leading up to the $2 billion deal. — FORTUNE - Mark Zuckerberg's acquisitions have a formula: They never, ever leak because they come together quickly.

More: Business Insider. Tweets: @cdixon and @eringriffith

Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:

Microsoft makes Office Online available in Chrome Web Store — Summary: Microsoft is making the Web versions of its Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote apps available to users through the Chrome Web Store. — Microsoft's Office Online — the Webified and free versions of Word, Excel …

More: Office Blogs, Gigaom, Computerworld, Wall Street Journal, Geeky Gadgets, Windows Phone Central, The Next Web, Neowin and WinBeta

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Thanks but No Thanks, Maker Studios Tells Relativity — Last night film studio Relativity Studios announced that it, too, wanted to buy Maker Studios, the YouTube network that Disney is about to acquire. — Here's Maker's answer: No, thank you — we've already sold.

More: Wall Street Journal, Variety, VentureBeat and SeekingAlpha.com. See also Mediagazer

Jason Del Rey / Re/code:

Amazon Says No to Accepting Bitcoin, Maybe to Building an Amex or Visa Competitor — Like bitcoin? Like Amazon? Want to use bitcoin to buy stuff from Amazon? — I have some bad news for you. Not going to happen anytime soon. — “Obviously it gets a lot of press and we have considered it …

More: GeekWire, TechSpot, CoinDesk, Business Insider and SeekingAlpha.com

New York Times:

How and why startups like Lyft and Quora are increasingly taking big late-stage investments — Rich Start-Ups Go Back for Another Helping — Quora, a question-and-answer website, didn't need to raise money. It had barely touched $60 million in venture capital that it accepted just two years ago.

Tweets: @dgelles, @bijans and @mikeyang

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