Q&A with Baidu CEO Robin Li on moving away from desktop search to focus on online-to-offline commerce on mobile, investment in Uber, and more  —  China's Baidu, With Uber in Tow, Takes Search to the Offline World (Q&A)  —  In many ways, Baidu went through the same existential crisis three years ago that Google faces now.

Twitter is deleting stolen jokes on copyright grounds  —  Let's face it: coming up with a grade-A tweet isn't easy.  That's why some people just copy good tweets from other people and act like they came up with the 140-character witticism on their own.  This has been going on since the beginning of Twitter.

Google+ found when visitors of mobile website were presented with an app install interstitial, 69% abandoned the page; user retention spiked after removing it  —  Google+: A case study on App Download Interstitials  —  Many mobile sites use promotional app interstitials to encourage users to download their native mobile apps.

Homejoy couldn't retain customers enticed by promotional prices for its home cleaning service  —  What Really Killed Homejoy?  It Couldn't Hold Onto Its Customers  —  A cleaning company charges north of $85 for a 2.5-hour house cleaning, but to rope in as many new customers as possible …

Uber, Airbnb And The Conflict Between Policy's Ratchet Effect And Tech's Accelerating Speed  —  One day before New York's city council was about to vote on capping Uber's growth, the company and Mayor Bill de Blasio reached a last-minute agreement for a four-month study on the company's impact on city congestion.

Karma Go review: a $149 pay-as-you-go mobile hotspot that uses Sprint's LTE and 3G networks  —  Karma Go review: a mobile hotspot minus the monthly fee  —  Karma was always intriguing, at least in theory.  You get a relatively cheap MiFi and data, but it's open to anybody.

Android Auto review: A beautiful, but beta alternative to awful OEM solutions  —  The occasional frustration still beats the very low bar set by car manufacturers.  —  Car infotainment systems suck.  Using the touchscreen in a modern vehicle usually feels more like interacting with an ATM …

Exclusive: Amazon planning drive-up grocery stores with the first likely coming to Sunnyvale — sources  —  For decades, drive-thrus have served up everything from coffee to prescriptions to dry cleaning — not to mention burgers and fries.  Now Amazon.com Inc. wants to add another item to the list: Your groceries.

South Korea's Netmarble invests $130M in US game studio SGN to extend its reach outside Asia  —  Netmarble Takes Stake in SGN, Extending Asia's Reach Into U.S. Mobile Games  —  Nowhere are mobile video games more popular — or lucrative — than in Asia.  And now Asian companies …

UK luxury travel deals site Secret Escapes raises $60M Series C for Asia expansion led by Google Ventures, Octopus Investments, with Index, Atlas participating  —  Secret Escapes gets $60m Google Ventures backing for global expansion  —  Secret Escapes plans to become a multi-billion pound business (Source: Secret Escapes/YouTube)

France approves surveillance law that allows government to monitor suspect's communications without warrant, requires ISPs to collect traffic metadata  —  French Constitutional Court Approves New Powers for Intelligence Services  —  Decision clears final hurdle for a law which was accelerated after January terror spree in Paris

China to End Ban on Videogame Consoles  —  Gamers in China have turned to mobile and computer entertainment  —  BEIJING—China will lift a ban on making and selling videogame consoles in the country, paving the way for foreign companies like Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. to expand in one of the world's largest videogame markets.

Dell launching Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet with Windows in the US this month starting at $1,600  —  Dell built the Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet to survive extreme environments  —  IP65-rated and tested with MIL-STD-810G specifications  —  Made for outdoor use in harsh environments …

Technicolor to Buy Cisco's Set-Top Box Unit for About $600 Million  —  The deal signals the priorities of Cisco's incoming CEO, who assumes the role on Monday  —  SAN FRANCISCO— Technicolor SA has agreed to buy Cisco Systems Inc.'s TV set-top business for about $600 million …