Techmeme: Google Joins Apple, Others Cutting Off Crimea, Blocks AdWords, AdSense, Google Play (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)

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January 23, 2015, 4:15 PM

Top News

Bloomberg:

Box shares surge over 65% on first day of trading after $175M IPO — Box Surges in Cloud-Storage Debut After $175 Million IPO — Box Inc. jumped in its trading debut after raising $175 million in its initial public offering. — The shares rose 73 percent to $24.25 at 1:41 p.m. in New York, after being priced at $14 in the IPO.

More: TechCrunch, New York Times, Fortune, Forbes, CNBC, Wired, PandoDaily, Forbes, CNNMoney.com, Forbes, Zacks Investment Research, Fox Business, Reuters, The Next Web, ZDNet, Gigaom Research, GeekWire, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, VentureBeat and Gigaom

Tweets: @tim_cook, @ahess247, @levie, @mims, @satyanadella, @monkbent, @nyse and @hunterwalk

Rene Ritchie / iMore:

Google's Project Zero discloses three OS X zero-day vulnerabilities requiring access to machine; Apple's fix is still only in Yosemite's beta build — Latest OS X 10.10.2 beta kills Google-disclosed vulnerabilities dead — Google's Project Zero research program has disclosed and released proof …

More: Ars Technica, CNET, Engadget, MacRumors, InvestorPlace, AppleInsider, MacNN, SlashGear, ITworld.com, TechnoBuffalo, O'Grady's PowerPage, MacDailyNews, Lowyat.NET and iPhone in Canada Blog

Andreessen Horowitz:

Andreessen Horowitz explains 16 tech trends of interest including VR and machine learning — 16 Things — We don't invest in themes; we invest in special founders with breakthrough ideas. Which means we don't make investments based on a pre-existing thesis about a category.

More: VentureBeat and Business Insider. Tweets: @cdixon and @valaafshar

Jordan Kahn / 9to5Mac:

Apple HomeKit incompatible with home automation accessories not licensed as MFi products that connect over WiFi, like Nest Thermostat — Apple details HomeKit compatibility with competing home automation platforms, rules out rival Wi-Fi gear — Apple will allow its upcoming Siri-controlled …

More: Re/code, AppleInsider, MacRumors, Macworld, iLounge, SlashGear, Electronista, iPhone in Canada Blog, SlashGear and iLounge. Thanks:@justinkahnmusic

New York Times:

Winklevoss Twins Aim to Take Bitcoin Mainstream With a Regulated Exchange — Bitcoin, the virtual currency that was once the talk of the financial world, has been taking a beating over the last year with the price tumbling downward. — Now two of the biggest boosters of the virtual currency …

More: Gemini, The Verge, SiliconBeat, SiliconANGLE, PandoDaily, BBC, CoinDesk, NEWSBTC, Coin Fire, PYMNTS.com, TechSpot, The Next Web, CoinTelegraph.Com News and Reuters. Tweets: @tylerwinklevoss

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Google Joins Apple, Others Cutting Off Crimea, Blocks AdWords, AdSense, Google Play — Yet more developments around how U.S. sanctions on Crimea, in retaliation against Russia's annexation by Russia, are being adopted by tech companies: Google is the latest to start complying with the orders …

More: TASS, ABC News, Android Police, GSMArena Blog, Gigaom, 9to5Google, 9to5Mac, Xinhua News Agency, VentureBeat, Electronista and iMore

Marco della Cava / USA Today:

Ford opens new Silicon Valley research lab to attract tech talent, work on autonomous cars — Ford's new Silicon Valley outpost seeks tech talent — PALO ALTO, Calif. — The earth-toned office building looks like any other here in Silicon Valley, an airy low-rise designed …

More: New York Times, 9to5Mac, Forbes, Gigaom, CNBC, Gigaom, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Los Angeles Times, CNNMoney.com, Bloomberg, Jalopnik and The Detroit News

Dennis Schaal / Skift:

Expedia Acquires Travelocity for $280 Million — The Roaming Gnome, Travelocity's mascot, takes part in the company's 16th birthday festivities at its Southlake, Texas headquarters. Max Faulkner / Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT) — Skift Take: Expedia is expected to retain the Travelocity brand.

More: Wall Street Journal, GeekWire, StreetInsider.com, bizjournals and Tnooz

Tweets: @rafat, @denschaal and @skift

Zac Hall / 9to5Google:

Sprint targeting T-Mobile customers w/ $200 min. trade-in offer for switchers — Just one day after T-Mobile unveiled its Smartphone Equality program letting loyal customers avoid credit checks, Sprint has announced a new promotion specifically targeting T-Mobile customers with an offer to make switching carriers easier.

More: Android Authority, Android Police, GeekWire, VentureBeat, CNET, Gigaom, Gotta Be Mobile, Re/code, Wireless Week, Wireless Week, AndroidHeadlines.com, FierceWireless, Android and Me and PhoneDog

Jack Chang / Associated Press:

China blocks VPN services that skirt online censorship — 1 photo — BEIJING (AP) — China is blocking VPN services that let users skirt online censorship of popular websites such as Google and Facebook amid a wider crackdown on online information, tech companies and specialists said Friday.

More: TechCrunch, The Next Web, Reuters, en.people.cn, StrongVPN.com Blog, Bloomberg, VPN Creative, International Business Times, South China Morning Post and ITProPortal

Fortune:

Cover story on the rise of unicorns: 80+ private companies achieve valuations of at least $1B — The Age of Unicorns — Stewart Butterfield had one objective when he set out to raise money for his startup last fall: a billion dollars or nothing. If he couldn't reach a $1 billion valuation for Slack …

More: SiliconBeat, Fortune, Gawker, Business Insider, bizjournals and Sramana Mitra

Tweets: @sifter, @danprimack, @trengriffin, @davewiner and @shaig

Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:

Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview with Cortana, revamped Start menu, and Xbox app — Although Microsoft originally said it would release its new Windows 10 preview next week, the company has launched it today. The January build, as the company is calling this version …

More: Blogging Windows, Xbox Wire, ZDNet, Computerworld, Gigaom, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Next Web and Neowin

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

Apple targets Watch battery life of 2.5 hours heavy use and 3.5 hours standard use; pure standby battery life likely to be 2-3 days; CPU said to be A5-caliber — Apple targets for Apple Watch battery life revealed, A5-caliber CPU inside — Although Apple has said that the Apple Watch …

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