Nokia CEO Stephen Elop: Google is making its open ecosystem ‘more closed’  —  Speaking at a press conference to discuss Nokia's Q4 earnings, company CEO Stephen Elop said that Google is trying to close its “open ecosystem.”  —  Despite name-checking Android, it seems likely that when saying …

Google Creating Wireless Network, But For What?  —  Google is trying to create an experimental wireless network covering its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters, a move that some analysts say could portend the creation of dense and superfast Google wireless networks in other locations …

First Video Clip of Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs  —  Following yesterday's news that the independent film JOBS starring Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs will open in theaters on April 19, ETonline.com has released the first video clip from the film.  The brief clip shows Kutcher as Jobs speaking with Josh Gad in the role of Steve Wozniak.

Mark Zuckerberg Will Hold Fundraiser For Chris Christie  —  The tech mogul and his wife “admire [Christie's] leadership on education reform and other issues and look forward to continuing their important work together on behalf of Newark's schoolchildren,” a spokesperson tells BuzzFeed.

Twitter introduces Vine for iOS, an app for sharing six second looping videos on the service  —  Twitter has today introduced Vine, an app that allows you to share six second looping videos on the service and in embedded tweets.  The app is simple, allowing you to tap the screen to record video and lift your finger to stop.

Apple Reports Record Results  —  47.8 Million iPhones Sold; 22.9 Million iPads Sold  —  Apple® today announced financial results for its 13-week fiscal 2013 first quarter ended December 29, 2012.  The Company posted record quarterly revenue of $54.5 billion and record quarterly net profit …

Automattic Buys Simperium, Maker of Simplenote  —  Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has bought the small synchronization startup Simperium, which makes a syncing platform for developers and a well-loved synced note-taking app for iOS called Simplenote.

Amazon Gets Into Voice Recognition, Buys Ivona Software To Compete Against Apple's Siri  —  Amazon today announced that it is acquiring Ivona Software, a Polish-based specialist in voice technologies that competes with Nuance and is already used in the Kindle Fire for services covering text-to-speech …

French court says Twitter must identify racist tweeters  —  PARIS — A French court ruled Thursday that Twitter, which has steadfastly refused calls to police its millions of users, must hand over data to help identify the authors of racist or anti-Semitic tweets.

Lenovo Mulls RIM Deal as a Way to Boost Mobile Business  —  Lenovo Group Ltd. (992) is assessing potential acquisition targets and strategic alliances, including a deal with BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM), as the second-largest producer of personal computers tries to bolster its mobile-device business.

Imagining a 5-inch iPhone  —  Never mind rumors of an awkwardly named 4.8-inch “iPhone Math”, the concept of a much larger iPhone has been floating about ever since the realities of early LTE chipsets — and the batteries that came with them — forced Android and Windows-based competitors to break the size barrier.

Samsung Gets Review of Apple Victory in U.S. Trade Fight  —  Samsung Electronics Co. (005930), the world's largest smartphone producer, persuaded a U.S. trade agency to review a preliminary ruling that more than a dozen models of its mobile phones copied Apple Inc. (AAPL)'s patented features.

Letter From Forty-Four Digital Rights Groups Demands Skype Detail Its Surveillance Practices  —  Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer with Skype president Tony Bates at the announcement of Skype's $8.5 billion acquisition.  —  Skype has long been a stubborn whipping boy for the privacy community …

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Reportedly Caught On Camera, Inherits Design Language Of Galaxy Note II  —  Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 is rumored for an official unveiling at Mobile World Congress next week in Barcelona, but this week it's been the subject of a lot of rumors and speculation ahead of release.

Can A Messaging App Beat Standalone Social Networking?  Khosla-Backed Stealth Startup Just.me Gears Up For Launch With iOS Beta  —  Just.me, the new project from Keith Teare, co-founder of TechCrunch and partner at incubator Archimedes Labs, has launched in beta as an app for iOS.