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 …

Apple Sells Three Million iPads in Three Days  —  Wi-Fi Only Models of New iPad mini & Fourth Generation iPad Double Previous First Weekend Sales  —  Apple® today announced it has sold three million iPads in just three days since the launch of its new iPad® mini and fourth generation iPad …

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.

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.

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.

Microsoft's new tune: Only 16GB open on a 32GB Surface, not “more than 20GB,” as promised  —  When the Surface's pricing and storage options were announced, it received praise coming with, at minimum, 32 gigabytes of internal storage.  That's twice what the low-cost, full-size, and current-model iPad sports, it was noted.

Verizon to Shutter Its App Store in January  —  Verizon Wireless said on Monday that it plans to shut down its own branded app store as of January.  —  Verizon set up the marketplace as Vcast Apps in March 2010, aiming to serve as an alternative spot for customers to get BlackBerry and Android apps.

Apple drops to 50.4% tablet market share in Q3, as Samsung grabs 18.4% and Amazon takes 9.0%  —  Apple's iPad managed to grab 50.4 percent market share in the third quarter of 2012, which saw a total of 27.8 million total units shipped worldwide.  Rounding out the top three tablet manufacturers …

Yes, Apple will approve Google Maps for iOS  —  What a much-discussed story in the Guardian misunderstands about developers — and about Apple.  —  The tech blogosphere went into a mild panic today over a report in the Guardian saying that a native Google Maps app for iOS would “struggle for Apple approval.”

Judge cancels trial, tosses Apple's FRAND lawsuit against Google's Motorola Mobility  —  Following a hearing in the morning, a federal judge in the Western District of Wisconsin has canceled an Apple v. Motorola Mobility trial that was scheduled to start today at 1 PM Central Time and has dismissed …

Coke Hacked And Doesn't Tell  —  FBI officials quietly approached executives at Coca-Cola Co. (KO) on March 15, 2009, with some startling news.  —  Hackers had broken into the company's computer systems and were pilfering sensitive files about its attempted $2.4 billion acquisition …

Why Can't Silicon Valley Take a Joke?  —  Laugh, people!  It's a joke!  —  This is a momentous week for the denizens of Silicon Valley.  Yes, there's an election.  But the real action will be on cable TV, with tonight's premiere episode of Start-Ups: Silicon Valley, a reality series about tech start-up culture.

As Netflix Pops Its Poison Pill, Wall Street Struggles to Find Icahn a Buyer  —  Last week Carl Icahn took a big stake in Netflix, and announced that he wanted someone to buy the company.  Here's the next step: Netflix has adopted a “poison pill” provision, designed to keep Icahn from acquiring any more of the company.

Windows Phone sales to “ramp quickly”: Microsoft CEO  —  (Reuters) - Microsoft expects its newly launched Windows Phone to become a strong challenger in the smartphone market, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Monday.  —  Google's Android and Apple's iPhone devices dominate the smartphone market.

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.

CBS Finally Does A Deal With Hulu, But Only For Older Shows That Are Off The Air  —  After years of speculation, Hulu has finally done a deal with CBS, bringing shows from the one broadcast holdout into its content library.  Beginning in January, CBS content will become available through Hulu Plus.

Jive Software acquires Meetings.io and Producteev for its social business platform  —  Producteev's Ilan Abehassera has announced via blog post that the company has been acquired by social business software firm Jive.  Producteev's apps will live on and, of course, get more Jive integration.

Facebook updates its iOS app with Gifts, new Messages interface, and multi-photo uploads  —  Facebook has released an update to its mobile app for iOS devices.  Version 5.1 of its app now features new messaging and photo features that allows you to better connect with your friends and loved ones.

Belkin Announces First Official Third-Party Lightning Accessories  —  While a number of vendors have been launching unofficial Lightning accessories while Apple works to bring official partners up to speed on the new standard, Belkin today became the first official vendor to introduce accessories using the Lightning connector.