Techmeme
May 15, 2012, 9:35 PM

Top News

Wall Street Journal:
GM to Stop Advertising on Facebook  —  General Motors Co. GM -1.04% plans to stop advertising on Facebook after the company's marketing executives determined their paid ads had little impact on consumers, people familiar with the matter said, a move that comes as more companies question …
Amir Efrati / Wall Street Journal:
Google Changes Tack on Android  —  Google Inc. is shifting its strategy for its Android mobile operating system, in a bid to create a united front with smartphone and tablet makers to take on rivals like Apple Inc. and prevent wireless carriers from controlling the devices.
Matt Galligan:
Socialcam's Shady Secret  —  I had a hunch that Socialcam was doing some really shady tactics to get more of a bump in engagement at the detriment of user experience.  Looks like my hunch was right.  The app has been on quite the tear lately with how much it's growing and getting insane engagement.
Mat Honan / Gizmodo:
How Yahoo Killed Flickr and Lost the Internet  —  Web startups are made out of two things: people and code.  The people make the code, and the code makes the people rich.  Code is like a poem; it has to follow certain structural requirements, and yet out of that structure can come art.
CNBC:
As Investors Fawn Over Facebook, Poll Finds User Distrust, Apathy  —  Facebook's initial public offering will be the largest and perhaps the most highly anticipated Internet deal in history.  —  Faced with great expectations, however, Facebook is staring down some unnerving obstacles …
Jay Yarow / Business Insider:
Google's Chrome Browser Is Coming For iOS, Says Macquarie  —  Macquarie analyst Ben Schacter has a surprising report out this morning.  —  He writes, “Google Chrome browser for iOS is coming.”  —  He adds, “Apple may already be reviewing Google's submitted code for a Chrome browser for iOS.”
Chris Ziegler / The Verge:
T-Mobile USA's Philipp Humm announces restructuring, ‘difficult decisions’ to staff  —  T-Mobile USA CEO Philipp Humm had previously announced a round of layoffs with a net loss of some 1,000 jobs back in March, and the company's restructuring continues today with another memo sent to employees.
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple also working on MacBook Airs and iMacs with Retina Displays  —  Mockup showing Retina Display 11 and 13 inch MacBook Airs  —  On Monday we broke the news that Apple is readying a brand-new 15-inch MacBook Pro with cornerstone features like an ultra-thin design and USB 3 ports for incredibly fast data transfers.
Nitasha Tiku / Betabeat:
Kevin Ryan Asks Jetsetter CEO Drew Patterson to Step Down After ‘Mutiny’ From Staffers  —  Gilt Groupe founder Kevin Ryan and Gilt Groupe chairman Susan Lyne spent Monday in meetings at the offices of Jetsetter, an independent deals site for luxury travel bookings under the Gilt umbrella.
More: AllThingsD
Emil Protalinski / ZDNet:
Avira Antivirus update cripples millions of Windows PCs  —  Summary: Avira has sent out a defective antivirus update that is causing paid versions of its product to block critical Windows processes and third-party software, effectively rendering millions of PCs unusable.
Jack Purcher / Patently Apple:
Apple introduces the Steering Wheel Remote Control  —  The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of twenty-one newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today.  The most surprising one of them all is one that snuck through the patent system until today.
Matt McGee / Search Engine Land:
Bing's New Social-Friendly Search Interface Now Live  —  The new Bing interface, with a healthy dose of social connections and discovery, is now live for all users.  —  Bing's announcement today says that anyone can access the new interface at www.bing.com/new, but you should also see a new message atop …
Joanna Stern / ABCNEWS:
How Does Gmail Work?  Google's Story of Send Site Explains  —  Before you hit the “send” button on an e-mail, you might proofread your message.  Or maybe you make sure you've included the right attachment.  Or maybe, just maybe, you contemplate what is actually going to happen to that message once you hit …
Peter Sciretta / /Film:
Aaron Sorkin To Adapt ‘Steve Jobs’ for Sony  —  Last year we heard that Sony wanted Academy Award-winning The Social Network/The West Wing writer Aaron Sorkin to write the screenplay for a Steve Jobs biopic based on Walter Isaacson's best-selling biography.  Sony had purchased the rights …
More: The Verge and Variety.  Tweets: @mccarthyryanj and @fromedome
Sharif Sakr / Engadget:
Those suave Google glasses are now patent-protected  —  Google has successfully patented the “ornamental design” of its augmented reality eyewear.  To you, me and Aunty Dee they might look almost like regular Ray-Bans, but there's a lot of secret technology concealed within those sleek lines …

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