Techmeme
September 3, 2014, 3:05 PM

Top News

David Meyer / Gigaom:
Sony reveals Android Wear-based SmartWatch 3, along with e-ink-equipped SmartBand Talk  —  The company has decided to go with Google smartwatch software efforts rather than its own.  —  Sony revealed two new wearables at IFA on Wednesday: the SmartBand Talk and the SmartWatch 3, the firm's first Android Wear device.
Nick Summers / The Next Web:
Sony's Xperia Z3 Compact is a smaller Android smartphone with top-tier specs  —  Sony today unveiled the Xperia Z3 Compact, a smaller version its latest flagship smartphone.  Unlike most Android OEMs, which position “mini” handsets as mid-range alternatives, Sony's aim is to make the Xperia Z3 Compact a no-compromise device.
Samsung:
Samsung announces 5.7" Galaxy Note 4 and 5.6" Galaxy Note Edge with curved display on one edge  —  Samsung Introduces the Latest in its Iconic Note Series - The Galaxy Note 4, and Showcases Next Generation Display with Galaxy Note Edge  —  Offering a new dimension to Samsung's unique Note culture …
David Pierce / The Verge:
Galaxy Note Edge's sloped right side serves as a secondary, always-on display for use as a quick app launcher, toolbar, and more  —  The Galaxy Note Edge is a flagship phone with an entirely new kind of curved display  —  Twenty months ago, it was a nameless prototype at CES 2013.
Brad Molen / Engadget:
Galaxy Note 4: 2560 x 1440 display, 16MP camera, 2.7GHz quad-core processor, aluminum frame, fingerprint scanner, more sensitive S Pen  —  The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 looks and feels like a premium device (hands-on)  —  When Samsung launched the very first Galaxy Note at IFA 2011, the device …
Apple:
Celebrity photo theft a targeted attack on names, passwords, and security questions, and didn't result from breaches of Find my iPhone or iCloud  —  Update to Celebrity Photo Investigation  —  We wanted to provide an update to our investigation into the theft of photos of certain celebrities.
Ben Gilbert / Engadget:
Samsung partners with Oculus on “Gear VR” virtual reality headset that uses the Note 4, says it will ship to consumers this year for unknown price  —  Samsung and Oculus partner to create Gear VR, a virtual reality headset that uses the Note 4 (hands-on)  —  Facebook's Oculus VR is creating the Rift.
Jordan Crook / TechCrunch:
Hands-On With The Samsung Gear S Smartwatch  —  Samsung announced its new curved-display smartwatch last week, but today we were able to get up-close and personal with the new wearable.  Unlike most smartwatches, the Gear S has two very special features.  The first is a curved 2-inch …
Liam Spradlin / Android Police:
Google HTC 9-inch tablet may get official magnetic, foldable, keyboard case  —  Exclusive: Here's The Official Keyboard Case Google And HTC Are Planning For The Next Nexus Tablet [Updated]  —  Earlier last month, we posted an exclusive story about Google's explorations into a product called …
Richard Lai / Engadget:
ASUS' stylish ZenWatch is all about security, remote control and wellness  —  After its routine pre-show teasers, ASUS' first smartwatch has finally been unveiled at IFA in Berlin.  It's no secret that this Android Wear-powered ZenWatch isn't joining the party of circular watchfaces …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Isis Mobile Wallet Rebrands To Softcard To Distance From Militant Terror Group  —  Isis, the U.S. mobile wallet platform backed by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, is rebranding.  “In a few weeks, Isis Wallet will become Softcard.  It's a different name for the same great way to pay,” the company notes on its homepage.
David Kushner / New Yorker:
How Anonymous incited online vigilantism from Tunisia to Ferguson  —  The Masked Avengers  —  In the mid-nineteen-seventies, when Christopher Doyon was a child in rural Maine, he spent hours chatting with strangers on CB radio.  His handle was Big Red, for his hair.
Ellis Hamburger / The Verge:
Dick Costolo: Twitter shows favorites in timeline when two refreshes don't reveal new tweets  —  Twitter CEO finally explains why random favorites are inserted into your timeline  —  Seeing random tweets in your timeline, like tweets favorited by people you follow?  Twitter CEO Dick Costolo has offered up one reason why:
More: Gigaom, Engadget, TechHive and Softpedia NewsTweets: @dickc
Gautham Nagesh / Wall Street Journal:
Verizon to Pay $7.4 Million Fine for Using Customer Data for Marketing  —  FCC Announces Settlement with Telecom Giant  —  Verizon Communications Inc. has agreed to pay $7.4 million to resolve a Federal Communications Commission investigation into how the telecom giant used customers' personal information for marketing purposes.
Joi Ito's Web:
Shenzhen trip report - visiting the world's manufacturing ecosystem  —  Last year, a group of Media Lab students visited Shenzhen with, bunnie, an old friend and my hardware guru.  He's probably best known for hacking the Xbox, the chumby, an open source networked hardware appliance …
Tweets: @legalnomads

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