I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram  —  I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook.  For years, we've focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family.

Why Microsoft spent $1 billion on AOL's patents  —  Microsoft dropped an eye-popping $1 billion on 800 AOL patents today, an astonishing amount likely spent to keep the intellectual property trove away from rival Google.  —  But according to a source close to the situation, Google didn't even bid on the portfolio.

Google's Chrome OS Will Soon Look More Like Windows Than A Browser  —  It's hard to say how popular Chrome OS, Google's browser-centric operating system, really is.  There can be little doubt, though, that Google is quite serious about this initiative.  Today, Google launched …

Nokia Lumia 900 hit by bug that disables data  —  Nokia Lumia 900 launch marred by data bug  —  Nokia's Lumia 900 launch has been partly soured by a bug encountered by early adopters.  Both an AT&T source for Phone Arena, as well as buyers on Nokia's forums and those at WPCentral …

Iran To Shut Down Internet Permanently; ‘Clean’ National Intranet In Pipeline  —  Millions of Internet users in Iran will be permanently denied access to the World Wide Web and cut off from popular social networking sites and email services, as the government has announced its plans to establish a national Intranet within five months.

Computer Legend and Gaming Pioneer Jack Tramiel Dies at Age 83  —  Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore International and crucial figure in the early history of video games, died passed away surrounded by his family on Sunday, his family confirms.  He was 83 years old.

How Google is using OpenFlow to lower its network costs  —  Google is checking out a new form of networking protocol known as OpenFlow in the communications networks that run between its data centers.  The search giant is testing the use of software-defined networks using OpenFlow in order …

About Pando  —  Some of you may have read Sarah Lacy's post today stating that I'm no longer on the board of Pando Daily.  —  This wasn't a complete surprise to me, the company notified me last week that they weren't happy that I and MG Siegler (my partner at CrunchFund) were going to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt this coming May.

A Faster Emulator with Better Hardware Support  —  The Android emulator is a key tool for Android developers in building and testing their apps.  As the power and diversity of Android devices has grown quickly, it's been hard for the emulator keep pace.  Today we're thrilled …

Windows-on-iPad service goes legit as Microsoft licensing demands are met  —  A hosted Windows and Microsoft Office service for the iPad and Android tablets that violated Microsoft's software licensing rules has apparently gone legitimate, with a new structure that complies with Microsoft guidelines for providing virtual desktops.

Regulators Sue Silicon Valley Entrepreneur  —  Benedict Van was trying to make a name for himself in Silicon Valley.  For two years, the entrepreneur would crisscross California, paying house visits to investors in hopes of raising cash for a pair of online start-ups he founded.