Setting the record straight: competition in search  —  Search is about helping people find the right answers to their questions when and where they need them.  We work hard every day to figure out the most useful results for our users, and we're working to create new and better ways to answer your questions.

App Center: A New Place to Find Social Apps  —  Today we're launching the App Center to make it easier to find apps you can enjoy with friends.  —  The App Center features mobile and web apps, such as Draw Something, Pinterest, and Nike+ GPS, and new apps including Jetpack Joyride, Ghosts of Mistwood, and Ghost Recon Commander.

U.N. could tax U.S.-based Web sites, leaked docs show  —  The United Nations is considering a new Internet tax targeting the largest Web content providers, including Google, Facebook, Apple, and Netflix, that could cripple their ability to reach users in developing nations.

Retina-ready apps begin to appear in Apple's Mac App Store ahead of WWDC  —  Apps on Apple's Mac App Store are beginning to be updated with Retina-ready graphics, ready for the rumoured launch of new high-resolution Mac Retina Displays.  —  Approved this morning, Mac App Store tool Folderwatch …

Crypto breakthrough shows Flame was designed by world-class scientists  —  The spy malware achieved an attack unlike any cryptographers have seen before.  —  An overview of a chosen-prefix collision  —  Marc Stevens  —  The Flame espionage malware that infected computers …

Facebook to reveal identities of cyberbullies  —  Mother wins high court backing after she received abusive messages about post on The X Factor's Frankie Cocozza  —  A mother has won court backing to force Facebook to reveal the identities of cyberbullies who targeted her with a string of abusive messages on the website.

Twitter: Yes, we've added photos, hashtags, usernames and more to our Facebook integration  —  Earlier today (or last for those in the western hemisphere) we discovered that Facebook status updates have started to include links for hashtags and usernames.  The exact reason behind the change was …

Apple to Release New Tracking Tool for Apps  —  Apple Inc. is planning to release a new way for mobile app developers to track who uses their software, according to people briefed on Apple's plans, the company's latest attempt to balance developers' appetite for targeting data with consumers' unease over how it is used.

Insight: Intel's plans for virtual TV come into focus  —  (Reuters) - Intel is counting on facial-recognition technology for targeted ads and a team of veteran entertainment dealmakers to win over reluctant media partners for its new virtual television service.

TaskRabbit Founder Leah Busque Takes Back The Reins, Stepping Back Into CEO Role  —  Leah Busque, the founder of TaskRabbit, the web and mobile marketplace for outsourcing small jobs and errands, has reassumed the role of CEO at the San Francisco-based startup.

Microsoft, Windows 8, and the Innovator's Dilemma (or, why you hate Windows 8)  —  One thing is obvious from the immediate reaction to Windows 8 Release Preview.  Most of those who try it do not like it.  It is a contrast to the pre-release days of Windows 7, when there was near-consensus that …

Samsung sues Aussie patent office in Apple suit  —  Updated: Commissioner faces Federal Court.  —  Samsung has sued the Australian patent commissioner, and by extension the Federal Government, in an attempt to force a review of patents key to its ongoing, high-profile battle with smartphone rival Apple.

The Pirate Bay evades ISP blockade with IPv6, can do it 18 septillion more times  —  If you thought the RIAA and MPAA were a force to be reckoned with in the US, the last few months have shown that anti-piracy lobbying is alive and kicking in Europe, too.  Over the last 9 months, the British …

Apple's Television  —  People have been talking about an Apple television for the last couple of years, but nobody knows for sure if the company will actually make one or not.  I wouldn't count Apple out of that market.  —  I've long held that Apple will enter markets that it feels it can make a significant impact.

Trust Us, Facebook Ads Do Work: Comscore Study Out Next Week  —  Facebook is understandably unexcited about the “Facebook ads don't work” meme.  They'll try turning that around next week, armed with a new study from Comscore.  —  The online measurement company put up a brief preview of the report on Thursday, via a blog post.

Dropbox app for Android updated with streaming video support  —  Dropbox released its 2.1.4 update for Android 4.0 yesterday, bringing with it video streaming and Korean language support.  Streaming a video is simple in execution — you just select one within Dropbox and it will begin playing rather than presenting a download prompt.

Decorating Moscone ... and Crazy Predictions  —  Last year the banners at the Moscone West conference center went up on the Sunday before WWDC.  This year Apple is getting a head start and already started decorating on Tuesday the week before the big event.

Thomson Reuters Acquires Mobile Startup Apsmart To Re-invigorate Its Mobile Products  —  Nice win for DN Capital today.  Apsmart, a London-based mobile platform and product development firm that was majority owned by the VC has been acquired by Thomson Reuters.  Terms were not disclosed.

What Steve Jobs Left Untouched  —  There were a lot of things Steve Jobs was right about.  —  Probably the most important thing he got right was realizing that you have to build a great stadium before you can invent great sports.  An example of this was the decision in 1986 to build every Mac with networking.

UBS May Have Facebook Trading Loss of $350 Million  —  UBS is sitting on losses that could be as high as $350 million stemming from its investment in the Facebook initial public offering, and is preparing legal action against Nasdaq as a result, people familiar with the matter told CNBC.

Dennis Crowley On Reinventing Foursquare: De-Emphasizing Check-ins, Digging Into Data, Moving Toward Revenue  —  It has been a big day for Foursquare: The New York-based company finally unveiled the newest version of its popular location-based mobile app, Foursquare 5.0 …

‘DIY streetview’ camera lets you be Google  —  The world is your oyster.  —  (Credit: Streetview Technology)  —  As Google takes Street View off-road with its new Trekker backpacks, German company Streetview Technology is taking the mapping technology in yet another new direction — DIY terrain.