Apple Said to Be Exploring Switch From Intel Chips for the Mac  —  Apple Inc. (AAPL) is exploring ways to replace Intel Corp. (INTC) processors in its Mac personal computers with a version of the chip technology it uses in the iPhone and iPad, according to people familiar with the company's research.

Announcing Instagram Profiles on the Web!  —  You've asked for Instagram on the web and we've listened.  Over the next few days, we'll be rolling out Instagram profiles on the web!  Your web profile features a selection of your recently shared photographs just above your profile photo and bio …

Mary Meeker Gives Mid-Year Internet Trends Report: Android Adoption Ramping Up 6X Faster Than iPhone  —  KPCB partner Mary Meeker usually publishes her famed Internet Trends report once a year, but gave a small San Francisco crowd a mid-year update tonight.  The biggest new facts?

Foursquare Explore now has ratings powered by where people actually like to go, not just star ratings  —  With today's iOS update, we've made finding the best place on-the-go even easier.  Now when you search for somewhere to go in Explore, you'll see a score from 1 to 10 next to the name of a place.

Facebook For iOS Gets Photo Filters And Multi-Shot Sharing, Beating Twitter To The Punch  —  Don't trust the release notes.  Facebook has just added photo filters to its iOS app, though the feature wasn't announced in the version 5.1 “What's New” that highlights multi-photo uploads, slide-out chat buddy list, and Gift giving.

Microsoft Surface RT More Profitable than iPad, Teardown Analysis Reveals  —  The Surface RT model with the minimum 32 gigabytes of NAND flash memory and an optional black Touch Cover carries a bill of materials (BOM) of $271.00, according to a preliminary estimate from the IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis Service.

New Jersey's emergency email voting is a risky experiment, warn experts  —  Will displaced voters be disenfranchised?  —  Tomorrow's election is coming, and there's nothing New Jersey can do to postpone it.  So to cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which left millions …

Rumor: radical brand makeover inbound for Samsung  —  According to a report from Australia's Channel News, Samsung is prepping its multi-billion dollar self for a makeover.  The folks down under have caught wind stating that Samsung is looking for a completely new look that will hopefully …

Microsoft Surface tested as balloting device in Virginia  —  Here's an interesting milestone for Microsoft Surface: One of the tablets is being tested in Virginia this week as a balloting device for state and national elections there.  —  The test is being conducted by Democracy Live …

Google pledge to downgrade piracy sites under review  —  Government raises prospect of fresh legislation as entertainment groups accuse internet giant of dragging its feet  —  The government is to review Google's pledge to downgrade illegal filesharing websites in its search results …

Staples to have Amazon lockers in U.S. stores: spokeswoman  —  (Reuters) - Staples Inc, the largest U.S. office supply retailer, has agreed to install “Amazon Lockers” in its U.S. stores, a Staples spokeswoman said on Monday.  —  The Amazon lockers at Staples will allow online shoppers …

AOL beats expectations in Q3: Revenue flat at $531.7m, net income of $20.8m  —  Internet media and services company AOL this morning reported its financial results for the third quarter of this year, reporting earnings of 22 cents per share compared to a loss per share of 2 cents in Q3 2011.

Google Voice Search Vs. Siri: Who's the Best iPhone Assistant?  —  With Google's release of its brand new search app for iOS, we decided to put Siri in the ring with Voice Search—now available on your iPhone—to see if she could defend her own turf.  —  Overall performance on both sides was generally sound.

Microsoft to retire Windows Live Messenger in favor of Skype  —  Microsoft is working towards retiring its Windows Live Messenger client in favor of Skype.  The Verge has learned through several sources that Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger service will be retired in the coming months and integrated into Skype.

Proposal to Bolster Online Privacy Rules for Children Draws Opposition  —  Washington is pushing Silicon Valley on children's privacy, and Silicon Valley is pushing back.  —  Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter have all objected to portions of a federal effort to strengthen online privacy protections for children.

Xbox team's ‘consumer detector’ would dis-Kinect freeloading TV viewers  —  A newly surfaced patent filing from Microsoft's Xbox Incubation team details one of the new innovations they've been thinking about.  This one could be very popular among major movie and television studios.

France to Probe Mobile Upstart  —  Antitrust Agency to Study if Roaming Pact Gives Illiad Unit ‘Lasting Advantage’  —  PARIS—The French government asked the country's antitrust authority to study whether France's new cut-rate mobile-phone operator is benefiting from a sweetheart roaming agreement …

iPad mini Display Technology Shoot-Out  —  The iPad mini has finally arrived - Apple's much anticipated response to the incredibly successful 7 inch Tablets pioneered by Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and more recently by Google with its Nexus 7.  So far they are the only Tablets that have made a dent in Apple's near monopoly on Tablets.

Craigslist losing revenue from housing ads as competition heats up  —  The classifieds site is still a cash cow, but its revenue from real estate ads is down more than 23 percent  —  Rumors of Craigslist's death have been greatly exaggerated, but the dot-com era site may be losing its dominance in the American real estate market.