Techmeme: Good startup ideas are not counterintuitive, but in fact obvious, if you talk to users and develop a better model of the world (Startup L. Jackson/Startups and S**t)

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November 9, 2014, 8:20 PM

Top News

Dante D'Orazio / The Verge:

Apple releases web tool to deregister phone numbers from iMessage — Apple has quietly released a new tool to make switching between iOS and other smartphones a bit easier. The new web tool lets you instantly deregister your phone number from Apple's iMessage system.

More: MacRumors, CNET, Gizmodo, iMore, 9to5Mac, TechCrunch, Gigaom, AnandTech, PCMag Australia Feed, Cult of Mac, iPhone in Canada Blog, Ubergizmo, SlashGear, Windows Phone Central, CrackBerry.com and Android Central

Tweets: @iankar_, @markgurman and @llsethj

Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed:

Meet the network of parody Twitter account operators who earn thousands from paid ads — Meet The Network Of Guys Making Thousands Of Dollars Tweeting As “Common White Girls” — The Twitter illuminati that made “Alex From Target” an overnight sensation can drive millions of clicks with a simple retweet.

More: BuzzFeed and PC Magazine. Tweets: @niallharbison, @selenalarson, @alexismadrigal, @jessicakroy, @ejbrooks and @mikeisaac

Startup L. Jackson / Startups and S**t:

Good startup ideas are not counterintuitive, but in fact obvious, if you talk to users and develop a better model of the world — The Counterintuitive Thing About Counterintuitive Things — There is a great (as in large) memes swirling around the startup world these days which posits …

Tweets: @monkbent, @monstro, @davemcclure, @cheeky_geeky, @seanbwalter, @cdixon, @davemcclure, @joewallin and @beingspencer

Vlad Savov / The Verge:

Qualcomm quietly dominates mobile: every major smartphone in the US contains its hardware — This is Qualcomm's world and we're all just living in it — Guess who puts the turbo in the Droid Turbo's name — Qualcomm is the mobile industry's equivalent of a god: omnipotent and omnipresent, yet invisible to the naked eye.

Tweets: @howardlindzon

Andrew Cunningham / Ars Technica:

Mac Mini 2014 review: still a good “gateway Mac”, but less versatile than previous models — Not the upgrade we were hoping for: The 2014 Mac Mini reviewed — The 2014 Mac Mini looks the same on the outside, but on the inside it regresses in some unfortunate ways.

Tweets: @andrewwrites

Leo Mirani / Quartz:

How tech firms use language, typography, color to make the web usable for non-English speakers — Why you probably won't understand the web of the future — This item has been corrected. — The giants of the connected world are finally waking up to one of the biggest obstacles …

More: The Loop. Tweets: @benrito and @danielpink

Stephen Lurie / Matter:

Wikimedia's 36 “stewards” use their global editing rights to police and manage all Wiki sites — The 36 People Who Run Wikipedia — What the weirdest, wildest, most successful participatory project in history tells us about working together.

Tweets: @jamestylerespn and @readmatter. Thanks:@srikardr

Financial Times:

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi in talks to raise close to $1.5B at valuation exceeding $40B — Xiaomi lines up $1.5B in fresh capital — Xiaomi, the fast-rising Chinese smartphone maker, is in talks to raise close to $1.5 billion in new capital at a valuation set to exceed $40 billion …

More: Forbes, BGR, CER, Barron's Online, International Business Times and Business Insider

Keith Gessen / Vanity Fair:

How Did Amazon End Up as Literary Enemy No. 1? — Amazon's war with publishing giant Hachette over e-book pricing has earned it a black eye in the media, with the likes of Philip Roth, James Patterson, and Stephen Colbert demanding that the online mega-store stand down.

More: The Digital Reader and The Awl. Tweets: @dannysullivan, @sethmnookin, @pernillet and @mattzeitlin. See also Mediagazer

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Microsoft tests headset that makes cities more accessible to the blind using 3D audio cues — Microsoft had to blindfold me so I could hear the future — A simple headset could help millions through the art of sound — Microsoft blindfolded me and led me around several streets …

More: DailyTech. Thanks:@reckel

Joshua Ho / AnandTech:

iPad Air 2 review: A8X's extra core and clock speed bump make for class-leading performance — The Apple iPad Air 2 Review — Introduction — As we approach the holidays, Apple has launched a new iPad as expected. As one might expect from the name, the iPad Air 2 is more of an evolution …

More: MacDailyNews. Tweets: @codinghorror

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

Withings Activité Pre-Order Puts A New Price On The Undercover Activity Tracker: $450 — French health and fitness device-maker Withings has kicked off pre-orders for its Activité watch/activity tracker, with a special pre-order page it publicized today to customers who registered interest in availability.

More: Digital Trends, Gizmodo, I4U News, SlashGear, TechRadar.com, Connectedly and Gigaom

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