Techmeme
April 15, 2015, 5:00 AM

Top News

Mark Bergen / Re/code:
Memo: Google responds to EU's imminent antitrust charges, says it expects EU to open investigation into Android on Wednesday  —  Here Is Google's Internal Response to the Imminent EU Charges (Memo)  —  On Wednesday, the European Union is expected to drop the hammer on Google …
Financial Times:
Sources: EU's competition commissioner to announce that formal charges will be filed against Google, alleging traffic was diverted from rivals  —  Europe to accuse Google of illegally abusing its dominance  —  Alex Barker and Christian Oliver in Brussels and Anne-Sylvaine Chassany in Paris
Ina Fried / Re/code:
Nokia Agrees to Buy Alcatel-Lucent for $16.6 Billion  —  Nokia said late Tuesday that it plans to buy rival network gear maker Alcatel-Lucent for 15.6 billion euros ($16.6 billion) in stock.  —  The deal has been approved by both companies' boards but still requires regulatory and other approvals.
Wall Street Journal:
Apple buys Israeli camera technology company LinX for about $20M  —  Apple Buys Israeli Camera-Technology Company LinX  —  Companies had been discussing acquisition price of about $20 million  —  Apple Inc. has acquired Israeli camera-technology company LinX Computational Imaging Ltd.
Catherine Shu / TechCrunch:
Beijing-based Ninebot Acquires Segway, Raises $80M From Xiaomi And Sequoia  —  Intriguing news from the personal transportation mobility device sector: Beijing-based company Ninebot has announced that not only will it acquire rival Segway, but it has also scored $80 million in funding …
Paul Thurrott / Thurrott.com:
Microsoft's long list of apps for iOS highlight company's commitment to the platform  —  Microsoft + iPhone  —  Just a few years ago, there was a sharp divide between fans of Microsoft and fans of the iPhone.  But in this “mobile first, cloud first” world, it's now possible …
Peter Bright / Ars Technica:
Surface 3 review: great build quality, good battery life, poor CPU and storage performance; useful accessories are paid extras  —  Surface 3 review: Smaller, slower, cheaper... better?  —  Switching to an x86 processor has made the Surface so much better.  —  To understand the Surface 3, you must first understand the Surface Pro 3.
Arik Hesseldahl / Re/code:
IHS report: Verizon 64GB Galaxy S6 Edge costs about $290 to build, more than Apple's iPhones, and $34 more than Galaxy S5  —  Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge Is More Expensive to Build Than Apple's iPhones  —  Samsung's latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6 Edge, is the most costly yet to build and assemble …
Jenna Wortham / New York Times:
How the founder of The Shade Room created a lucrative ad-supported celebrity news publication on Instagram  —  Instagram's TMZ  —  The first time I heard about The Shade Room, I thought it was a reality show, or maybe a nightclub.  It turned out to be neither, although I was close in spirit …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google Play's New Program “Designed For Families” Will Highlight Pre-Approved, Kid-Safe Apps  —  Google today announced a new developer program called “Designed For Families” which will allow app publishers to opt into an additional review in order have their apps labeled as being “family-friendly.”
Casey Newton / The Verge:
Chinese streaming video service Letv announces its Le Superphone smartphone is headed for the US, in a profoundly unconvincing pitch  —  After comparing Apple to Hitler, Chinese company reveals Le Superphone  —  Two weeks ago, to build buzz for the Android smartphone it announced today, Chinese tech company Letv turned to Hitler.
Edgar Su / Reuters:
Samsung Electronics says demand for Galaxy S6 models much higher than planned for  —  (Reuters) - South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) on Wednesday said demand for both the flat-screen and curved-screen models of its new flagship Galaxy S6 smartphones is “much higher” than initially planned for.
Carolyn Said / San Francisco Chronicle:
Over 20K now drive for Uber in the San Francisco Bay Area, more than double from a year ago, company says  —  Uber among region's biggest employers, but company begs to differ  —  More Bay Area residents drive for Uber than bag groceries at Safeway.  In fact, the biggest Bay Area employers are Kaiser …
More: Uber Blog
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Hello Alfred, which uses existing on-demand services to automate weekly chores, raises $10.5M Series A led by NEA and Spark Capital  —  Hello Alfred Raises $10.5M To Automate Your Chores  —  Hello Alfred, a startup that taps into existing on-demand services to automate your weekly chores, has raised $10.5 million in Series A funding.
Ryan Smith / AnandTech:
2015 MacBook review: weight, battery life, display, and keyboard make up for weak performance  —  The 2015 MacBook Review  —  I'm still not entirely sure when it actually happened, but at some point over the last couple of years the crossover between tablets and laptops stopped being an idea and became a real thing.
Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:
On-demand pot delivery service Eaze raises $10M Series A round led by DCM Ventures, with Snoop Dogg's venture fund as an investor  —  ‘Uber For Weed’ Startup Eaze Raises $10 Million In Funding Led By DCM Ventures  —  There's an Uber for everything nowadays, so why not an Uber for weed?
Robin Sidel / Wall Street Journal:
American Express and Jawbone plan to let cardholders use future fitness bands for purchases at select merchants  —  AmEx, Jawbone Team Up to Allow Payments Via Fitness Bands  —  Partnership latest to add payment function to devices  —  Fitness enthusiasts may soon be able to shop while they work out.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Skype For Business Begins Rolling Out Publicly Today  —  Microsoft's “Skype for Business,” which is designed to replace the company's older enterprise communication tool Lync, is rolling out publicly today as part of the Office 2013 April update, the company announced this morning.

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Rexly Peñaflorida / Tom's Hardware Guide:
Roger Fingas / AppleInsider: