Techmeme
July 18, 2014, 7:25 AM

Top News

Dawn Chmielewski / Re/code:
Microsoft to Shutter Xbox Entertainment Studios  —  Microsoft will shut down the Xbox Entertainment Studios, ending an ambitious foray into original video programming.  —  The Santa Monica studio will be shuttered as Microsoft focuses on strengthening its core videogame business.
Om Malik:
Elop is the latest in a string of high-profile executives moving up the ranks despite being a dud  —  It is time to stop rewarding failure  —  Silicon Valley (the notion) has become very much like rest of corporate America — it has embraced the philosophy of failing upwards.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Google:
Google Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2014 Results and Management Change  —  Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) today announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2014.  —  “Google had a great quarter with revenue up 22% year on year, at $16.0 billion”, said Patrick Pichette, CFO of Google.
Adam Lashinsky / Fortune:
Bill Campbell reflects on his relationship with Steve Jobs, coaching tech's leaders, and Apple under Tim Cook  —  After 17 years, Bill Campbell steps down from Apple's board  —  Bill Campbell recalls Steve Jobs' invitation to join Apple's board of directors as the kind of request that takes your breath away.
Apple:
Longtime Apple board member Bill Campbell retires after 17 years; BlackRock director Sue Wagner to replace him  —  Sue Wagner Joins Apple's Board of Directors  —  Apple® today announced that Susan L. Wagner, founding partner and director of BlackRock, has been elected to Apple's board of directors.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook starts testing Buy button on News Feed ads and Page posts, will not charge participating US businesses for now  —  Facebook Tests Buy Button To Let You Purchase Stuff Without Leaving Facebook  —  Facebook is trying out letting you pay for ecommerce purchases from other businesses without leaving its site or app.
Jemima Kiss / Guardian:
Snowden: Dropbox is hostile to privacy, unlike ‘zero knowledge’ Spideroak  —  Whistleblower urges consumers to adopt more secure file storage systems which are less susceptible to government surveillance  —  Edward Snowden has warned against the cloud storage service Dropbox which he says is …
Michael Arrington / Uncrunched:
They Might Be Tearing Down The Creamery To Build Condos  —  If you're involved in the startup world in San Francisco you've likely been to the Creamery on Townsend and 4th street.  It's iconic, even if only recently so.  —  In 2012 I wrote about the Creamery in a post talking about the shift …
Kevin Fitchard / Gigaom:
No signal?  GoTenna has a messaging gadget that will work in the middle of nowhere  —  For all of our dependency on mobile phones, there are still quite a few places in this world you can't get a wireless signal, from mountaintops to national parks to rural highways and even the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Facebook launches Mentions iPhone app, intended for use by public figures with verified Pages  —  You Can't Use Facebook's New iPhone App — Unless You're Famous  —  Stars aren't just like us.  They need a special app to post on Facebook.  —  That's the thinking behind Mentions …
Ian Sherr / CNET:
Oculus preparing motion controllers to complement its forthcoming goggles  —  Oculus to get hands on with new virtual reality gear  —  Facebook's virtual reality company is readying motion control prototypes for its headsets to offer a more immersive experience for consumers.  —  Sarah Tew
Kevin Collier / Daily Dot:
The FCC has officially received 1 million net neutrality comments  —  net neutrality is too boring a topic to rile up Americans.  —  As of Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had received 1 million official comments about whether to allow Internet providers to divide …

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