Exclusive: Apple Nabs Amazon A9 Exec Stasior to Run Siri — But Does Hire Signal a Bigger Move Into Search?  —  Apple has hired major Amazon exec and prominent search technologist William Stasior to run its Siri unit, according to sources.  —  At the online retail giant, Stasior has been in charge of A9 …

13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display confirmed for Apple event  —  Alongside the smaller iPad, Apple will debut a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, according to a consistently reliable source at a high-profile U.S. retailer.  —  This new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina Display …

Microsoft's Xbox Music service to launch on Android and iOS soon  —  Microsoft announced the launch of Xbox Music Sunday night, which could become the company's first serious attempt to take on both Spotify and iTunes.  It will debut on Microsoft's own platforms first, but come to Android and iOS soon after.

The $56 Million Man: Yahoo Confirms Hiring of Google's De Castro as COO  —  Yahoo said today in a regulatory filing that it had hired one of Google's top sales execs, Henrique De Castro, as its COO.  —  Earlier today, I had reported that CEO Marissa Mayer had been close to nabbing the exec …

Muslims protest ‘age of mockery’ as thousands descend on Google HQ  —  Thousands of Muslims have pledged a series of protests against Google HQ for a “hateful and offensive” anti-Islam video, saying they now live in an “age of mockery”.  —  A protest by 10,000 Muslims outside the offices …

Google ‘to be told to unravel privacy policy’  —  French data protection commissioner's ruling that web giant must separate user data could have global impact, say sources  —  Google will be told on Tuesday to unravel the controversial changes introduced in March to its European privacy policy, legal sources have told the Guardian.

Samsung official cites serious chip rift with Apple — report  —  Samsung has probably been the largest single component supplier to Apple and has collaborated with Apple on chip development.  That relationship may be coming to an end, according to a report.

Amazon in talks to buy Texas Instruments' smartphone & tablet OMAP chip activity: Report  —  Texas Instruments (TI), which recently announced that it will wind down its operations in smartphone and tablet oriented OMAP chips and instead focus on embedded platforms, is engaged in 'advanced negotiations …

Circa's New iOS App Will Change The Way You Consume News  —  The way that we consume information on the Internet has changed dramatically over the years.  The main reason is because there is simply more content available to us than we could ever consume during our time on Earth.

Apple's new iPod touch takes a step back: No light sensor  —  After raving about my new iPod touch last week, I've continued to happily use the device; until this weekend, that is.  I actually thought my iPod touch was broken, in fact.  Turns out that the device is just fine and functioning as it should.

Americans Paying More for LTE Service  —  BERLIN — Does LTE, the superfast wireless service based on Long Term Evolution technology, cost too much in the United States?  A recent study by the research arm of the GSM Association, a group based in London that represents mobile operators, suggests that may be the case.

Zynga Files Suit Against Former Staffer, Claiming Theft of Trade Secrets  —  Following the departure of several high-level employees, Zynga is striking back by filing a lawsuit against one of its former general managers, alleging “the wholesale theft of some of its most sensitive and commercially valuable data.”

Foursquare Takes On Yelp With New Homepage Search Box  —  Perhaps it was always inevitable that Foursquare would shift its emphasis from location-based social networking to local search.  Indeed, the site has been moving in this direction for quite some time, and very self-consciously for the better part of the past year.

Congressman warns FTC: Leave Google alone  —  Says antitrust action against Google “defies all logic.”  —  A Democratic congressman who played a leading role in the fight against the Stop Online Piracy Act earlier this year has taken up a new cause: shielding Google from antitrust scrutiny.

Google is now showing personal search results and Google+ promotions to Gmail users  —  Following January's Search Plus Your World launch, which brought social results into Google Search, G+ Update reports that Google is now bringing that update to logged in Gmail users as well.

Esri Acquires Location Platform Geoloqi, Plans To Launch Alternative iOS Mapping Library Soon  —  Geoloqi, the Portland, Ore.-based location-based platform that helps developers add location-based features to their apps, today announced that it has been acquired by Esri …

Amazon Quietly Discontinues the Kindle DX  —  About a week ago I posted about how Amazon had cut the price of the Kindle DX from $379 to $299.  As expected it was indeed a final sale to eliminate stock, because the Kindle DX is no longer available for purchase from Amazon; it's only being sold used through third party merchants.

Google rolls out improved developer console, adds user ratings analytics, automatic translations  —  Google has rolled out a revamped version of the Google Play developer console.  —  Originally teased at the I/O developer conference earlier this year, the new version of the Google Play …

Softbank Confirms It Is Buying 70% Of Sprint For $20.1B  —  Softbank has confirmed the news that it is buying Sprint, the third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S., for $20.1 billion (¥1.571 trillion).  The announcement comes just ahead of Sprint holding a conference call to also announce the news.

Yahoo Loses Government Relations Head to Airbnb (Internal Memo Time!)  —  Yahoo's David Hantman, who has been its deputy general counsel and VP of global public policy, is taking a similar job at the online rentals start-up Airbnb, according to an internal memo he sent today.

IP analyst takes to Indiegogo to expose the patent troll Intellectual Ventures  —  Patent analytics firm IP Checkups has unveiled plans to expose the hidden patent portfolio owned by Intellectual Ventures, one of the largest patent holders in the United States, through an online database.