Techmeme: Microsoft removing Google Talk integration and discontinuing support for Facebook chat in Outlook (Tom Warren/The Verge)

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February 24, 2015, 9:55 PM

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Nathan Olivarez-Giles / Wall Street Journal:

Pebble Time smartwatch: color display, 20% thinner body, microphone, new “Timeline” interface, to retail for $199 with pre-sale on Kickstarter now — Pebble Unveils Color-Screen Time Smartwatch as Apple Threat Looms … Smartwatch pioneer Pebble is facing the toughest threat of its short life: the Apple Watch.

More: NEWS.com.au, SiliconANGLE, AnandTech, TechCrunch, Daring Fireball, The Verge, USA Today, TechCrunch, Guardian, Gizmodo, ReadWrite and Gotta Be Mobile

Tweets: @nateog and @joannastern

Lisa Eadicicco / Business Insider:

Pebble Time sells out at lowest $159 tier on Kickstarter, passes $3M in pre-sales in under two hours

More: Kickstarter, Engadget, Engadget, TechCrunch, MobileSyrup.com, Inc.com, Slate, Forbes, The Technology Chronicles, PSFK, GeekWire, The Verge, Mashable and VentureBeat

Tweets: @pkedrosky and @boredelonmusk

Steven Levy / Backchannel:

How Pebble built Pebble Time amidst looming competition from Android Wear and Apple Watch

More: Wired, The Verge, The Register, ABC News, The Kickstarter Blog, PhoneDog.com, PandoDaily, iPhone in Canada Blog, The Next Web, The Verge, Inquirer, New York Times, 9to5Mac and SiliconBeat. Tweets: @stevenlevy

Mike Isaac / New York Times:

Reddit now prohibits posting nude photos or videos of sex acts without prior consent from the people depicted in them — In Privacy Update, Reddit Tightens Restrictions on Nude Photos — For nearly a decade, Reddit, the huge online message board, has been known for its freewheeling stance on letting its users govern themselves.

More: BuzzFeed, The Register, Computerworld, ABC News, The Verge, Gizmodo, New York Times, WebProNews, The Daily Dot, The Daily Caller, TIME and Engadget

Tweets: @broderick and @mikeisaac

See also Mediagazer

Liz Gannes / Re/code:

Former Kleiner Perkins partner Trae Vassallo to testify she was harassed by same partner as Ellen Pao — Venture Capitalist Trae Vassallo to Testify She Was Harassed by Same Partner as Ellen Pao — One of the first witnesses in the gender discrimination case brought by former partner Ellen Pao …

More: CNET, bizjournals, USA Today, Fortune, TechCrunch, Bloomberg Business and Timmins Press

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Microsoft removing Google Talk integration and discontinuing support for Facebook chat in Outlook — Microsoft kills off Google and Facebook chat for Outlook.com — Microsoft is revealing today that it plans to kill off Google and Facebook chat from its Outlook.com email service “within the next couple of weeks.”

More: ZDNet, GeekWire, BetaNews, The Next Web, SuperSite for Windows and Neowin

BBC:

Internet of things starter kit unveiled by ARM and IBM — A “starter kit” designed to spur on the invention of internet-connected gadgets has been announced as part of a tie-up between two leading tech firms. — Chip designer ARM and cloud services giant IBM say it can take just five minutes …

More: ZDNet, Inquirer, Gigaom, CloudWedge, PC World and The Register

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

Google Tests Live Chat With Businesses From Search Results — Google is testing out a service that incorporates live chat with businesses right into search results, via a new link that shows whether a business is currently available, and immediately launches a chat via Google Hangouts (on either desktop or mobile) if they are.

More: Search Engine Land, 9to5Google and Understanding Google …

Brandon Walkin / Facebook Code:

Facebook releases Origami Live, a new app for testing app prototypes designed with Origami on iPhone or iPad — Introducing Origami Live — Just over a year ago, we released Origami — a free tool for designing interactive user interfaces. We've used it here at Facebook to design …

More: The Next Web, VentureBeat, Ubergizmo, iMore and VentureBreak

Kurt Wagner / Re/code:

Twitter's global head of developer and platform relations, Jeff Sandquist, is departing after less than 18 months — Twitter's Global Developer Lead Jeff Sandquist Departing — Twitter's global head of developer and platform relations, Jeff Sandquist, is leaving the company at the end of the week …

More: GeekWire and Mashable

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:

Google Acquires Facebook Marketing Startup Toro — Toro, a startup that helps developers promote their apps on Facebook, just announced that it's been acquired by Google. — The company was originally known as Red Hot Labs, and it's led by Amitt Mahajan and Joel Poloney.

More: Toro Blog, VatorNews, Bloomberg Business, The Tech Portal, Socialnomics, Xconomy and

Caroline Humer / Reuters:

Anthem says breach may have also affected up to 18.8M Blue Cross Blue Shield customers — Anthem says at least 8.8 million non-customers could be victims in data hack — (Reuters) - Health insurer Anthem Inc, which earlier this month reported that it was hit by a massive cyberbreach …

More: Los Angeles Times, bizjournals, Bloomberg Business, The Register, NBC News, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Wall Street Journal and VTDigger

Mic Wright / The Next Web:

Visa announces credit card tech that could speed up Apple Pay's arrival in Europe — Visa Europe has announced that it's introducing a secure way to pay with your smartphone while keeping your credit card details concealed. Bringing the method to Europe could speed up the arrival of Apple Pay …

More: 9to5Mac, Cult of Mac, InvestorPlace, O'Grady's PowerPage, Fortune, iPhone in Canada Blog, BGR, App Advice, MacRumors, iLounge and iMore

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

Apple to overhaul Genius Bar, changing appointments and using phones as pagers — Apple will soon make a significant change to retail store Genius Bar appointments to improve the customer experience, according to several sources briefed on the upcoming shift.

More: CNET, PC Magazine, SlashGear, App Advice, TechnoBuffalo, GeekWire, MobileSyrup.com, Ubergizmo, CNNMoney, MacDailyNews, iPhone in Canada Blog, MacNN, Fortune, iLounge, The Verge, Business Insider, Engadget and iMore

Matthew Goldstein / New York Times:

Wall St. and Law Firms Plan Cooperative Body to Bolster Online Security — The threat of ever-larger online attacks is bringing together Wall Street banks and the big law firms that do work for them in an alliance that could result in some sharing of basic information about digital security issues.

More: The Hill and PC Advisor

IDC:

Android and iOS take 96% of smartphone OS market in Q4 and calendar year 2014 — Android and iOS Squeeze the Competition, Swelling to 96.3% of the Smartphone Operating System Market for Both 4Q14 and CY14, According to IDC — Android and iOS inched closer to total domination …

More: BGR, PC World, iPad, Ubergizmo, ZDNet, AppleInsider, Marketing Land, GeekWire, TechCrunch, Gotta Be Mobile, VentureBeat, iPhone in Canada Blog, SlashGear, WMPoweruser, 9to5Google, Tech Trader Daily, Fortune and eMarketer and Newsroom Posts

Tweets: @saschasegan and @shiraovide

Joey-Elijah Sneddon / OMG!:

Google says Chromebook Pixel 2 is coming soon, pulls video of announcement made at an event — Google Say Chromebook Pixel 2 Will Go On Sale Soon — Google has confirmed that a second generation Chromebook Pixel will go on sale ‘soon’. — Speaking at the Team Work 2015 event this week …

Joab Jackson / PC World:

IBM brings location awareness to MobileFirst apps — Enterprise apps built with IBM's MobileFirst management and development platform can now be made more aware of their surroundings. — The new capabilities, included in an upcoming MobileFirst update, could give app users more information …

More: PR Newswire and Patently Apple

Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:

Firefox 36 arrives with full HTTP/2 support and a new design for Android tablets — Mozilla today launched Firefox 36 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. Major additions to the browser include full HTTP/2 support and a new tablet user interface on Android.

More: Firefox, BetaNews, eWeek, Engadget, The Next Web, Mozilla Developer Network, gHacks Technology News and Slashdot

Rachel King / ZDNet:

HP posts mixed Q1 results as revenue slipped 5% year-over-year to $26.8B; strong US dollar cited as culprit — HP posts mixed Q1 results as revenue slips with weak Q2 outlook — Summary:Wall Street was looking for earnings of 91 cents per share with $27.34 billion in revenue.

More: HP, The Register, Re/code, Fortune, PC World, New York Times, Business Insider, Tech Trader Daily, bizjournals and VentureBeat

Carmel DeAmicis / Gigaom:

Snapchat's “Our Stories” are generating tens of millions of views — Screenshots of Twitter users whose snaps saw tens of millions of views in a Snapchat “Our Story” — Screenshots of Twitter users whose snaps saw tens of millions of views in a Snapchat “Our Story”

More: Business Insider and Alex's Tech Thoughts. Thanks:@carmeldea

Owen Williams / The Next Web:

Sense sleep tracker now available for purchase, shipping to backers today — After a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014 that raised $2.4 million, Hello is today announcing that the Sense sleep tracker is shipping for Kickstarter backers and pre-orders of the devices.

More: Wired, New York Times, The Verge, Crowdfund Insider and Gigaom

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:

Net neutrality order could get last-minute change on peering classifications as FCC Democrat Mignon Clyburn reportedly questions Wheeler's plan — Net neutrality order could get last-minute change on peering disputes — FCC Democrat reportedly questions Chairman Tom Wheeler's plan.

More: The Hill, New York Times, CNET, The Hill, TechCrunch, MacDailyNews, The Daily Caller, The Verge, Washington Post and Newsmax

Tweets: @tonyromm, @dliebelson and @samgustin

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