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October 27, 2014, 4:35 PM

Top News

Amir Efrati / The Information:

Apple discussed NFC use for building security access, public transit, more, with possible partners like HID Global and Cubic — Apple Eyes New Uses for NFC Beyond iPhone Payments — Consumers are just starting to use Apple Pay to make purchases at cash registers and online stores.

Lauren Goode / Re/code:

Fitbit joins smartwatch race with Surge “Fitness Super Watch”, replaces recalled Fitbit Force — Fitbit Joins the Smartwatch Race, and Replaces the Rash-y Force With a New Wristband — After complaints emerged last February that the Fitbit Force was causing skin rashes for some wearers …

More: CNET, iPhone in Canada Blog, Yahoo Tech, PC World, Electronista, Mashable, The Verge, Pocket-lint, Wired and 9to5Mac

Scott Stein / CNET:

Fitbit announces new wearables: $130 Charge coming in November, $150 Charge HR and $250 Surge fitness smartwatch arrive early 2015 — Fitbit Charge, Charge HR and Surge unveiled: Hands-on with Fitbit's new wearables — Fitbit dives into all-day heart-rate tracking with its new Charge HR and Surge …

More: Fitbit Blog, Brookstone, Wall Street Journal, Android Police, IntoMobile, Gigaom, VentureBeat, Gizmodo, Wearable Tech Insider, Wearables Arena, Engadget and TechCrunch

David Carr / New York Times:

As Facebook considers hosting content on mobile, publishers worry about losing control — Facebook Offers Life Raft, but Publishers Are Wary — For publishers, Facebook is a bit like that big dog galloping toward you in the park. More often than not, it's hard to tell whether he wants to play with you or eat you.

Twitter:

Twitter Reports Third Quarter 2014 Results — SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - October 27, 2014 - Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) today announced financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2014. Q3 revenue of $361 million, up 114% year-over-year Q3 net loss of $175 million and non-GAAP net income …

More: Tech Trader Daily, TechCrunch, Re/code, VentureBeat, SiliconBeat, Variety, Bloomberg and AllTwitter

Tweets: @yoreekoh, @sacca, @sarahfrier, @joshconstine, @mathewi, @twitterir, @vindugoel, @vindugoel, @scottmaustin, @twitterir, @jbruin, @scottmaustin and @vindugoel

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Microsoft targets Dropbox and Google with unlimited OneDrive storage for Office 365 subscribers — Microsoft is removing its OneDrive storage limits for Office 365 subscribers. If you're an Office 365 Home, Personal, or University subscriber then OneDrive storage will be unlimited …

More: OneDrive Blog, Office Blogs, TechCrunch, iMore, ZDNet, 9to5Google, Android Police, GeekWire, Computerworld, Liliputing, BGR, Business Insider, BetaNews, Gizmodo, VentureBeat, iPhone in Canada Blog and Neowin

Robert McMillan / Wired:

Verizon altering web traffic, inserting a unique identifier allowing websites to track you, with no opt-out available — Verizon's ‘Perma-Cookie’ Is a Privacy-Killing Machine — Verizon Wireless has been subtly altering the web traffic of its wireless customers for the past two years …

More: DSLreports, Washington Post and The Register. Tweets: @j4cob

Min-Jeong Lee / Wall Street Journal:

Early iPhone 6/6 Plus orders in Korea reportedly top Galaxy Note 4 launch numbers by over 3X — Koreans Snap Up iPhones in Presales — Is Apple Inc.'s smartphone market share set to increase in Samsungland? Presales figures for the U.S. company's latest, large-screen models in South Korea suggest so.

More: AppleInsider, iMore, BGR, TUAW, Neowin, MacDailyNews, 9to5Mac, The Verge, MacRumors, Patently Apple, DailyTech, App Advice, CNET, iPhone, iDownloadBlog.com, iPhone in Canada Blog, MacNN, Tech in Asia and TechCrunch. Tweets: @jonrussell

Dan Rayburn / StreamingMediaBlog.com:

Amazon announces Chromecast-like $39 Fire TV Stick with dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and direct access to streaming services — Amazon Announces New Streaming Device, Fire TV Stick, Special Limited Pricing Of $19 — This morning Amazon announced a new HDMI streaming device called …

More: Amazon, Engadget, The Next Web, TechCrunch, Android Police, Gizmodo, The Verge, CNET, VentureBeat, 9to5Toys and GeekWire. Thanks:@danrayburn. See also Mediagazer

Dante D'Orazio / The Verge:

Lenovo's first wearable tracks sleep, exercise, unlocks your PC; pricing and release date TBA — Lenovo's first fitness tracker looks a lot like the Fitbit Flex — Everyone wants a piece of the fitness tracker pie. Lenovo has quietly revealed its entry into the market …

More: MacRumors, AppleInsider, Inquirer, PC Magazine, Tech2, International Business Times, Wearable Tech Insider, Wearables Arena, Ubergizmo and Canadianreviewer.com

Rolfe Winkler / Wall Street Journal:

Page reorg memo: new Google structure is “scalable, focused and enables fast decision making” — In New Structure, Google CEO Page Aims for ‘Faster, Better Decisions’ — Google CEO Larry Page says the 16-year-old company is showing signs of age, and Page wants to make sure it stays innovative.

More: Business Insider and WebProNews

Paul Sawers / The Next Web:

Amazon's crowdsourced publishing program, Kindle Scout, is now open for voting — With Kindle Scout, Amazon's taking a 21st century approach to publishing, letting readers nominate which books progress to funding. It's like your favorite reality TV show, except for books.

More: VentureBeat, ABC News, CNET, Engadget, Business Wire, SiliconANGLE, The Verge, Consumerist, Publishers Weekly, Good E-Reader and WebProNews

Casey Johnston / Ars Technica:

The ugly afterlife of crowdfunding projects that never ship and never end — An all-terrain camera slider, successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2012 and effectively abandoned by the creator in 2013. — Kickstarter — The public life-cycle of a Kickstarter rarely ends in tragedy.

More: TUAW. Tweets: @emilepetrone, @caseyjohnston and @jbrodkin

Bloomberg:

Microsoft Said to Work on Software for ARM-Based Servers — Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is working on a version of its software for server computers that run on chips based on ARM Holdings Plc (ARM)'s technology, people familiar with its plans said, a move that could help loosen Intel Corp. (INTC)'s grip on the market.

More: ZDNet, Data Center Knowledge, ZDNet, Gigaom, EnterpriseTech, GeekWire, Windows Phone Central and Seeking Alpha

Matt Burns / TechCrunch:

Microsoft drops Xbox One price $50 to $350 for the holidays, cheaper than PS4 for first time — Microsoft Prices Xbox One Below PS4 For The First Time — Starting November 2nd, the Xbox One's starting price will be $350. That's $50 off the current level. Thanks, PlayStation!

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