Techmeme
December 19, 2012, 1:15 AM

Top News

Kevin Systrom / Instagram:
Thank you, and we're listening  —  Yesterday we introduced a new version of our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service that will take effect in thirty days.  These two documents help communicate as clearly as possible our relationship with the users of Instagram so you understand how your data will be used …
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
No, Instagram can't sell your photos: what the new terms of service really mean  —  Turns out no one really trusts Facebook after all  —  You agree that a business may pay Instagram to display your photos in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions without any compensation to you.
Stilgherrian / Crikey:
Users snap over Instagram, but should have seen it coming  —  The online world was abuzz with Instagram's hardline terms of use changes.  But users should know what they're getting themselves in for when using social media platforms.  —  A frantic fart of fear frothed forth over changes …
Wayne Lam / iSuppli:
Samsung Displaces Nokia as Top Cellphone Brand in 2012 and Takes Decisive Smartphone Lead Over Apple  —  For the first time in 14 years, wireless communications giant Nokia will not sit atop the global cellphone business on an annual basis at the end of 2012—with Samsung set to seize the mobile handset market's top rank.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
iOS 6 Adoption Grows 29% Over The Weekend As People Finally Update After Google Maps Arrives  —  Apple Maps was so bad that people refused to upgrade to iOS 6 until they could get Google Maps, says data from massive mobile ad exchange MoPub.  The 12,000 apps it supports saw a 29 percent increase …
Jason Del Rey / AdAge:
Facebook Prepares to Bring Video Ads to News Feed, Aims for TV Dollars  —  But Will TV Ads Disrupt Social Experience?  —  Facebook is set to unveil a new video-ad product in the first half of next year in its largest attempt to date to attract big swaths of ad dollars from TV advertisers …
Sara Forden / Bloomberg:
Google Antitrust Decision by FTC Delayed Until Next Year  —  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will delay a final decision on how to resolve its 20-month antitrust investigation of Google Inc. (GOOG) until next year, said two people familiar with the situation who asked not to be named because the talks aren't public.
Nate Anderson / Ars Technica:
Report: data caps just a “cash cow” for Internet providers  —  Why do so many Americans now live with Internet data caps—and what are these caps doing to the future of broadband?  Those are the questions posed by a new paper from the New America Foundation, which wants to shake up the lethargy …
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
How spyware on rental PCs captured users' most intimate moments  —  Enlarge / As Brian Byrd played poker using a PC purchased from an Aaron's rent-to-own store, PC Rental Agent surreptitiously captured this screen shot.  It is one of hundreds of thousands of images siphoned by the software.
John Herrman / BuzzFeed:
No, Let's Talk About Video Game Violence  —  Gaming's soul is sick.  And gamers hate talking about it.  —  Adam Lanza was a gamer.  —  This fact has been reported, re-reported, and rehashed to the extent that it's now part of the killer's capsule bio: Young.  White.  Male.  Asperger's.
Janko Roettgers / GigaOM:
To stream everywhere, Netflix encodes each movie 120 times  —  Xboxes, iPads, connected TVs: Netflix streams to a lot of different devices.  More than 900, to be precise.  And many of them have different screen sizes, bitrate requirements and codec support.
David Meyer / GigaOM:
Wunderlist 2 finally appears, with features pointing to a more collaborative future  —  Fans of Wunderlist will want to click on ‘update’ - two years after it first delivered for the web and iPhone, Berlin-based 6Wunderkinder has finally rolled out version 2 of the service for iPhone, Mac, Android, Windows and the web.
More: Engadget and TechCrunch
Brittany Darwell / Inside Facebook:
Facebook to remove attribution when pages post via third-party apps  —  Facebook today let developers know that it will be removing attribution from page posts that are made through third-party applications like HootSuite.  —  Previously, these page posts would appear in the feed and on pages' Timelines with a “via [app name]” link.
Josh Ong / The Next Web:
Yahoo follows Google in shutting down music service in China  —  Yahoo China has announced that it will shut down its Chinese music service due to an adjustment of its product strategy on January 20, 2013.  —  A statement posted on the company's music search portal reads:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Apple API Strengthens Facebook Ads By Letting You Install App Store Apps Without Leaving FB For iOS 6  —  Facebook and Apple grew closer today as mobile app install ads in Facebook for iOS 6 now allow users to download apps from the App Store via pop-up instead of interrupting users and forcing them to leave Facebook.
Michael Peck / Defense News:
Microsoft Wants to Kinect with Pentagon  —  Microsoft hopes its popular Kinect gaming accessory will score with veterans who need physical therapy.  —  The software behemoth has paired the Kinect with off-the-shelf software in a package that can be used by injured soldiers and veterans …
Ron / WinBeta:
Microsoft doubles the language support with Windows Phone 8, doubles speech recognition too  —  In a new blog post, Microsoft is touting Windows Phone 8 as the most fluent mobile operating system ever with 50 different display languages supported.  This is up from 22 languages supported in the last Windows Phone release.
Rip Empson / TechCrunch:
Grockit Lands $20M From Discovery, Benchmark & Others To Bring Its New “Pinterest For Education” To The Masses  —  Social learning company Grockit announced today that it has raised a new round of strategic investment from Discovery Communications, the media giant best known for its television properties …

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