Techmeme: Sources: social news reader Prismatic on the block, with Microsoft the front runner in buying it; Apple and Yahoo have also expressed serious interest (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)

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March 2, 2015, 10:50 AM

Top News

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

David Besbris no longer running Google+, replaced by longtime VP of Product Bradley Horowitz — Bradley Horowitz Is Now Running Google+ — More changes afoot at Google+. TechCrunch has learned, and now confirmed with Google, that David Besbris has left his role as the head of the company's social and identity product.

Stephen Shankland / CNET:

Google+ divided into Photos and Streams, with new boss — Google's social network gets a new leader in Brad Horowitz, and likely will see the Hangouts communication service stand alone, too. — BARCELONA — Google is taking another pass at energizing its Google+ social networking service …

More: Business Insider, The Verge, Gizmodo, BetaNews, VentureBeat, Business Insider, Gigaom, Ars Technica, TechnoBuffalo and Slashdot

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Sundar Pichai: Google Will Give Details Of Its U.S. Mobile Network ‘In The Coming Months’ — While Google continues to build out “cell towers in the sky” in the form of balloons and solar-powered airplanes, it's also gearing up to launch an experimental mobile network in the U.S. Today …

More: The Verge, 9to5Google, Engadget, CNET, Re/code, The Verge, Gizmodo, AppleInsider, Android Police, Gigaom, Android Authority, Business Insider, Associated Press, [H]ardOCP News/Article Feed, PhoneDog.com and SlashGear

Tweets: @amir and @amir

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Sources: social news reader Prismatic on the block, with Microsoft the front runner in buying it; Apple and Yahoo have also expressed serious interest — Microsoft Wants To Buy Social News Reader Prismatic — Microsoft has been busy snatching up startups to fill out its mobile apps portfolio …

More: SiliconANGLE, Windows Central, Neowin and PhoneArena. Tweets: @gaberivera

Larry Dignan / ZDNet:

HP to acquire Aruba Networks in a deal valued at $3B to bolster wireless networking capability — HP confirms Aruba Networks purchase, eyes bulked up networking unit — Summary:The deal, valued at $3 billion and $2.7 billion net of debt and cash, gives HP more heft to tackle campus networks and wireless technology.

More: Yahoo! Finance, CNET, Re/code, The Register, USA Today, Gigaom, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, New York Times, Bloomberg Business and CNBC

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Microsoft's Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL are budget phones with free Office 365 — Microsoft is looking to Office to tempt consumers to buy a Windows phone. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, the software maker is unveiling two new low-cost Lumia smartphones complete with a free version …

Steven Levy / Backchannel:

On its 20th anniversary, Marissa Mayer talks about turning around Yahoo — On Yahoo's 20th Anniversary, its CEO presents a progress report on how she's turning around—and maybe transforming—an Internet icon — It is sunset in Sunnyvale, but Marissa Mayer's day is far from over.

More: WebProNews

Dante D'Orazio / The Verge:

Qualcomm announces Spandragon Sense ID fingerprint sensor, uses ultrasound to scan 3D images — Qualcomm's new fingerprint sensor should be better than Touch ID — Ever since the iPhone 5S came out in 2013, Apple has had one feature no one could match: Touch ID.

More: Engadget, PR Newswire, AnandTech, Gigaom, Electronista, Tech Times, Gizmodo, ZDNet, Ars Technica, SlashGear, GSMArena Blog, VentureBeat and CNET

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:

Livestream's Broadcaster mini is a $295 HDMI dongle capable of streaming 1080p video — Livestream Revamps Its Hardware Lineup With Smaller, Cheaper Broadcaster Mini — Livestream is planning to make it even easier and more affordable to (you guessed it) livestream video with the launch of a new product called the Broadcaster Mini.

More: The Next Web and Engadget

Jon Russell / TechCrunch:

India's Ola Buys Smaller Rival TaxiForSure For $200M To Put Pressure On Uber — Ola, the SoftBank-backed competitor to Uber, has dished out $200 million to buy smaller rival TaxiForSure in what looks like being the first of a number of consolidation moves in India's taxi-hailing space.

More: PC World, MediaNama, The Hindu Business Line, The Economic Times, NextBigWhat, The Economic Times and YourStory.com

Vlad Savov / The Verge:

Sony announces Xperia Z4 tablet with a 10-inch 2K display launching globally in June — Sony's VAIO replacement is the ultrathin Xperia Z4 Tablet — Announced at Mobile World Congress a year ago, the 10-inch Xperia Z2 Tablet remains one of the thinnest and lightest tablets around …

More: Android Authority, 9to5Google, New York Times, The Verge, BGR, ZDNet, BetaNews, GSMArena.com, Laptop Mag, Electronista, TechCrunch, Inquirer, SlashGear, Mashable, AnandTech, Engadget, The Next Web, Gizmodo, Pocket-lint, CNET and PC World. Tweets: @vladsavov

Kyle Orland / Ars Technica:

The state of Linux gaming in the SteamOS era — After 14 months in beta, where does Valve's new platform push stand? — For decades after Linux's early '90s debut, even the hardest of hardcore boosters for the open source operating system had to admit that it couldn't really compete in one important area of software: gaming.

More: TechSpot

Seth Colaner / Tom's Hardware Guide:

MediaTek Unveils CrossMount Platform Designed To Make Smartphones, Home Devices Operate As One — MediaTek announced a new technology today at Mobile World Congress (MWC) called CrossMount that seeks to become a new standard for simplifying hardware and software sharing between devices.

Dan Seifert / The Verge:

Hands-on with Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge: design prioritized over waterproofing, removable batteries, and superfluous software features — Samsung's new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge put design first — Following countless leaks and endless teasers, Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones.

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

Samsung Pay coming this summer to Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, works with NFC and legacy magnetic strip terminals, uses fingerprint scanner for authentication

More: AppleInsider, Guardian, Gigaom, NFC World+, CNET and Engadget

Aaron Souppouris / Engadget:

Samsung announces updated Gear VR headset for Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge

More: PC World, Samsungmobilepress.com, Telegraph, TweakTown News, GSMArena Blog, The Register, TechnoBuffalo, VentureBeat, Mashable and TechCrunch

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Samsung bundles Microsoft apps on its new Galaxy S6

More: Engadget. Tweets: @shiraovide

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge to arrive April 10 with 5.1" 2560x1440 displays, Exynos CPUs, embedded wireless charging, improved fingerprint sensor

More: 9to5Google, Business Wire, Android Police, Android Beat, The Verge, ABC News, Android Authority, BGR, Gotta Be Mobile, NEWS.com.au and blog.chron.com

Jon Russell / TechCrunch:

Xiaomi Introduces A GoPro-Style Action Camera That Costs Just $64 — Xiaomi is back with another reminder that it doesn't just make phones. (Despite dethroning Samsung as China's top smartphone company in 2014.) Xiaomi's latest device is a GoPro-like camera which, as we've come to expect …

More: The Verge, Wall Street Journal, The Next Web, Android Authority, Engadget, Hypebeast, BetaNews, BGR India, Tech Times and GeekTime

Michael J. de la Merced / New York Times:

Netherlands' NXP Semiconductors to acquire Austin-based chip maker Freescale in an $11.8B deal — Chip Makers Will Merge in Deal Worth $11.8 Billion — NXP Semiconductors said on Sunday that it would buy a smaller peer, Freescale Semiconductor, in an $11.8 billion deal that would create …

More: CNET, Tech Trader Daily, Fortune, Reuters, NXP Semiconductors, AppleInsider, PC World, Bloomberg Business, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, TechCrunch and TheStreet.com

Dan Seifert / The Verge:

Alcatel's flagship Idol 3 smartphones feature mid-range specs at low cost, will be available unlocked in the US this spring starting at just $200 — Alcatel's new flagship smartphones have high-end features, low-end prices — If you're familiar with the name Alcatel Onetouch at all …

More: Tech Trader Daily, Tech Trader Daily, Android Authority and Android Police

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