Techmeme: Google+ divided into Photos and Streams, with new boss (Stephen Shankland/CNET)

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March 2, 2015, 3:15 PM

Top News

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 …

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

Sundar Pichai confirms Android Pay, says it will exist as an “API layer” for developers — Android Pay Is Real, And Will Give Developers The Reins As An API — Google's Sundar Pichai essentially used today's Mobile World Congress keynote to let the cat out of the bag …

More: The Verge, AppleInsider, The Next Web, Android Police, MacRumors, SlashGear, InvestorPlace, AppleInsider, Android Authority, Vserv, iPhone in Canada Blog and Ubergizmo

Jason Del Rey / Re/code:

PayPal to Pay $280 Million for Paydiant to Help Retailers Compete With Apple Pay — PayPal isn't giving up on payments in brick-and-mortar stores. — The eBay payment unit plans to acquire Paydiant, a payments startup that licenses a technology platform used by big retail chains to create their own branded mobile wallet apps.

More: PayPal Forward, ReadWrite, Gigaom, Fortune, The Next Web, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, Business Insider, Xconomy, Tech Times, BetaBoston, SlashGear, Paydiant, Inc. and Seeking Alpha. Tweets: @delrey

Ruth Reader / VentureBeat:

Netflix will launch in New Zealand and Australia on March 24 — Gaming execs: Join 180 select leaders from King, Glu, Rovio, Unity, Facebook, and more to plan your path to global domination in 2015. GamesBeat Summit is invite-only — apply here. Ticket prices increase on March 6 Pacific!

More: ZDNet and Netflix

Ruth Reader / VentureBeat:

PayPal announces NFC-enabled card reader coming to Australia and the U.K. this summer, U.S. later this year

Andrew Cunningham / Ars Technica:

Google quietly backs away from encrypting new Lollipop devices by default — Encrypted storage will only be required in “future versions of Android.” — Last year, Google made headlines when it revealed that its next version of Android would require full-disk encryption on all new phones.

More: VentureBeat, PC World, Android Police, OSNews and PhoneDog.com. Tweets: @thegrugq

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: Quartz, Business Insider and WebProNews

Tweets: @dmac1, @pogue, @nichcarlson and @samfbiddle

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

Tim Cook says Apple Watch will be available outside U.S. in April — Speaking at the Berlin flagship Apple Store last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees that the Apple Watch will not be exclusive to the United States in April, according to employees in attendance.

More: App Advice, The Next Web, Business Insider, MacRumors, TechnoBuffalo, iMore, iPhone in Canada Blog, SlashGear, iDownloadBlog.com and Tech Times. Tweets: @markgurman. See also Mediagazer

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

More: Quartz, Business Insider, The Verge, VentureBeat, Android Police, VatorNews, Gizmodo, PC World, ReadWrite, Ars Technica, Business Insider, Wired and BetaNews

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

Apple releases first OS X 10.10.3 Public Beta with new Photos app — Apple today released the first Public Beta of the upcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10.3. The new release includes the iCloud-based Photos application for the Mac, new Emojis across the system, and simpler login to Google accounts …

More: The Next Web, MacRumors, GeekWire, iMore, AppleInsider, TechCrunch, Macworld, Engadget, SlashGear, iClarified and Cult of Mac

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: InfoWorld, Mercury News, CNBC, CNET, Re/code, ABC News, The Register, Bloomberg Business, New York Times, USA Today, Gigaom and Wall Street Journal

Kevin Fitchard / Gigaom:

T-Mobile says it will deploy LTE in the unlicensed 5GHz spectrum used by Wi-Fi in 2016 — T-Mobile will launch LTE in the Wi-Fi airwaves in 2016 — T-Mobile came up short compared to Verizon and AT&T in the last 4G spectrum auction, but it looks like it's found another source of airwaves, and these won't cost it anything.

More: GeekWire, PC World, PC Magazine, PR Newswire, FierceWireless, AVC, Engadget, CNET and SlashGear. Tweets: @kfitchard

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, Gigaom, The Next Web, PC World, Phones Review, Engadget, Android Authority, Tech Times, BetaNews and Hypebeast

Dan Seifert / The Verge:

6" Alcatel Hero 2+ comes with Cyanogen OS, octacore Mediatek CPU, available for $299 unlocked in US this spring — Alcatel's Hero 2+ will come to the US with Cyanogen OS — Today at Mobile World Congress, Cyanogen and Alcatel announced the Hero 2+, a 6-inch smartphone that will come with Cyanogen OS preinstalled.

More: CNET, ZDNet and Global Nerdy

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

More: Gigaom, Android Authority, Gizmodo and Tech Trader Daily

Ian Cutress / AnandTech:

Intel at MWC 2015: SoFIA, Rockchip, Low Cost Integrated LTE, Atom Renaming and 14nm Cherry Trail — After day zero at Mobile World Congress already boasting some impressive releases, Intel tackles their platform on day one on several different fronts. As part of a pre-briefing …

More: Engadget, ZDNet, Wired, PC World, TelecomLead, NDTV Gadgets, V3.co.uk, Reuters, Inquirer, Bloomberg Business, ExtremeTech, Android Police, CNET, VentureBeat and Ars Technica

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 …

Christian Nutt / Gamasutra:

Epic makes Unreal Engine 4 free to download, retains 5% royalty fee on gross revenue — Unreal Engine 4 is now free-to-download for everyone — One year ago, Epic Games announced that it was transitioning Unreal Engine 4 to a subscription model. After a successful year of experimenting …

More: UnrealEngine, VentureBeat, PC World, Ars Technica, Develop Feed, Tech Times, GameSpot, Develop Feed, High-Def Digest, Load the Game, PC Gamer, ActionTrip Gaming News and The Tech Report

Natt Garun / The Next Web:

Google launches Player Analytics and custom native ads tools for game developers — Appropriately announced at today's Game Developer Conference 2015, Google unveiled updates for developers on its Google Play Games platform, with a focus on more effective audience targeting.

More: Android Developers Blog, ReadWrite, 9to5Google and TechCrunch

Niall Kennedy / The Twitter Blog:

Embed Twitter-hosted video on your website — With the new embedded video widget, you can highlight Twitter-hosted video on your website, enhanced by the same JavaScript used to render Tweet buttons and embedded Tweets. — Video embeds are available for videos captured …

More: The Next Web, The Verge and VentureBeat

Kevin C. Tofel / Gigaom:

Amid new watches, Android Wear crosses 1M downloads — The number of Android Wear downloads has crossed the into the one to five million range on Google Play, suggesting that around one million people are wearing smartwatches powered by Google software. — Last month, estimates …

More: PC World, NEWS.com.au, Android Police and Android Authority. Thanks:@kevinctofel

Stephen Shankland / CNET:

Silent Circle reveals secure Blackphone 2 phone, Blackphone+ tablet — The privacy protection company will upgrade its snoop-resistant handset later this year and introduce a tablet, too. Also new: a push for business customers spooked by Sony hacks.

More: TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo, The Next Web, Engadget, Guardian, Android Police, Computerworld, Electronista, Android Authority, New York Times, Inquirer, ZDNet, The Verge and Gigaom. Tweets: @digiphile

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

JC Torres / SlashGear:

Jolla's Sailfish OS reaches 2.0, embraces Intel, licensing — There comes a time when every child grows up and starts to leave home for his or her own adventures. For Jolla's own Sailfish OS, that time has come. In preparation for the upcoming launch of the successfully crowdfunded Jolla …

More: TechCrunch, Engadget, GSMArena.com, Gigaom, Ubergizmo, The Next Web and CNET

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: GeekWire, 9to5Mac and SiliconANGLE. Tweets: @gaberivera

Scott Stein / CNET:

Samsung Gear VR store finally offers paid apps with latest update — Newer games and apps are arriving for Samsung Gear VR, and they're no longer all free. Which is a good thing, in theory. We talked with Oculus' Head of Mobile Max Cohen in Barcelona.

More: Engadget, Ubergizmo and Droid Life

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

Matthew Miller / ZDNet:

MWC 2015: Cyanogen announces Qualcomm partnership and company rebranding — Summary:Cyanogen made a couple of announcements at MWC today. One is a partnership to reach more people with Cyanogen OS and the other focuses on the company's look.

More: Cyanogen, The Verge, Gigaom, GeekWire, Android Police, Engadget, Re/code, Android Authority, GSMArena Blog, Phandroid, PhoneDog.com, HotHardware.com News, TechCrunch and AndroidHeadlines.com

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