Apple's New Front in Battle for TV  —  Apple Inc. is in talks with some of the biggest U.S. cable operators about letting consumers use an Apple device as a set-top box for live television and other content, according to people familiar with the matter.  —  The talks represent Apple's …

Google Maps now has schedules for more than one million public transit stops worldwide  —  Since 2005, we've collaborated with hundreds of transit authorities around the world to make a comprehensive resource for millions of riders to find out which bus, train, subway or tram can take them to their next destination.

Nokia and Microsoft holding Windows Phone 8 press event on September 5th  —  We've been waiting to find out when Nokia would unveil its first lineup of Windows Phone 8 devices, and it looks like we'll be getting all the details on September 5th at 9:30AM in New York City.

Apple bashes Amazon and proposed ebook settlement  —  In a memo filed with the Southern District of New York this afternoon (PDF; embedded below), Apple argues that the Department of Justice's proposed settlement with three book publishers forces Apple to tear up existing contracts.

Dish Network Said To Plan Nationwide Satellite Broadband  —  Dish Network Corp. is preparing to introduce a nationwide broadband-Internet service using a satellite from sister company EchoStar Corp. (SATS), according to three people familiar with the situation.

E-commerce startups  —  Very few successful e-commerce companies were started in the 2000s.  Since then, e-commerce startups have enjoyed a revival.  Dozens of companies have gotten traction and venture dollars have followed.  Phrases like flash sales, social commerce, and subscription commerce have entered the startup lexicon.

Universal Music Uses Bogus DMCA Claim To Take Down Negative Review Of Drake's Album  —  We keep talking about how the DMCA takedown process, all too frequently, is used to stifle speech, and defenders of the system claim that it's ridiculous to bring up the First Amendment in a discussion on copyright.

13 ways of looking at Medium, the new blogging/sharing/discovery platform from @ev and Obvious  —  [With apologies to Wallace Stevens, the finest poet to ever serve as vice president of the Hartford Livestock Insurance Company.]  —  I.  —  Medium is a new online publishing platform from Obvious Corp. It launched yesterday.

Mobile app startups are failing like it's 1999  —  Stop the madness  —  The long cycle times for developing mobile apps have led to startup failures that look more like 1999 - it's like we've forgotten all the agile and rapid iteration stuff that we learned over the last 10 years.  Stop the madness!

Surprise!  What you can expect from Windows 8 RTM  —  Summary: Microsoft has officially made the final release of Windows 8 available to subscribers of its MSDN and TechNet services.  You'll find a handful of small surprises, one very large change from Windows 7, and a momentous name change.

Netflix Provides ‘Knock-offs’ After Contract With Disney Ends  —  We recently talked about the steady progression of cable cord-cutting occuring in this country.  As that trend progresses, we're also seeing constant friction from the major movie studios about how they think they're offering enough …

HP Says Its Windows 8 Tablet Will Include ‘Unique’ Technology  —  Despite last year's epic failure of the TouchPad, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) still believes it can knock Apple (NSDQ:AAPL)'s iPad off its lofty perch in the enterprise tablet market.  HP has been teasing its forthcoming Windows 8 tablet …

MPEG drafts twice-as-efficient H.265 video standard, sees use in phones as soon as 2013  —  All of that squabbling over H.264 may be rendered moot in the near future.  The Motion Picture Experts Group (better known as MPEG) has just let us know that it was quietly drafting a new video standard …

Dell Support Caught Using Shady Sweepstakes to Hawk Warranties  —  Thinking of calling Dell tech support?  You may already be a “winner.”  In three separate calls during our undercover testing for LAPTOP's annual Tech Support Showdown, Dell persistently pushed premium warranties.

Welcome To The New Internet: Simple Design, Short Names, No Ads  —  In recent months, at least four of the most interesting new startups — all either from or backed by people with deep roots in the current internet, including Twitter cofounders and many of the most prominent VCs in Silicon Valley …

Google+ for Android, iOS adds ability to join Hangouts on Air, teens can now use Hangouts too  —  An update to the Google+ app for Android and iOS today brings a couple of nice upgrades to the Hangout experience for mobile devices.  Users of the app can now join live Hangouts on Air from mobile devices, not just desktops.

Facebook Is Trying To Go Around The SEC To Get Its Instagram Deal Done Sooner  —  Facebook is trying to speed along its acquisition of Instagram.  —  It's using a California law that lets it issue shares without requiring SEC approval, the Financial Times reports.  —  This isn't sneaky; it's smart.