Techmeme: BlackBerry Declines After Move to Open Up BBM Messaging (Hugo Miller/Bloomberg)

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May 15, 2013, 10:50 AM

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Kellex / Droid Life:

New Google Maps Sign-up Page Goes Live Briefly, Reveals All Sorts of New Details — A new version of Google Maps for the desktop was leaked last week showing a new look that provided a more full-screen experience while matching up to the Google Now-esque card style of other Google services.

Greg Sandoval / The Verge:

Exclusive: Google readies its Spotify competitor with Universal and Sony now on board — By signing the three largest record labels, it's likely we'll see Google roll out its new subscription music services at I /O — Odds are increasing that Google will give us a peek tomorrow during …

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

Google Plans Separate Play, YouTube Music Subscription Plans — Yes, Google plans to launch a subscription music service this week, via its Google Play store. — And yes, Google still plans to launch a separate subscription music service, later this year, via its YouTube site. — Make sense?

More: Inquirer, TheStreet.com, blog.chron.com and Financial Post. Tweets: @jyarow

New York Times:

U.S. Now Paints Apple as ‘Ringmaster’ in Its Lawsuit on E-Book Price-Fixing — WASHINGTON — The e-mail, from Steve Jobs of Apple to James Murdoch of News Corporation, reads as if one old sport were trying to cajole another into joining a caper: “Throw in with Apple and see if we can all …

More: Computerworld, Business Insider, iLounge, iDownloadBlog.com, TUAW, AppleInsider and Kindle Review. Tweets: @sandonet. See also Mediagazer

Diane Bartz / Reuters:

Apple tells U.S. of tough talks, not collusion, with publishers — (Reuters) - Apple Inc responded to Justice Department accusations it conspired with publishers to push up electronic book prices, saying it negotiated with a number of publishing companies separately and crafted different agreements with each.

More: 9to5Mac, TechHive, TechEye, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Computerworld, App Advice, CNET, Cult of Mac, MacRumors and Washington Post

Rene Ritchie / iMore:

As of today, every major mobile competitor... also makes apps for iOS — A few minutes ago BlackBerry announced BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for iOS. With that announcement, every single one of Apple's major mobile competitors now makes apps for iOS. Google, who also has Android …

More: Inquirer

Hugo Miller / Bloomberg:

BlackBerry Declines After Move to Open Up BBM Messaging — BlackBerry (BBRY) fell the most in a week after announcing plans to open up its BBM instant-messaging system to other smartphones, a move that loosens the company's grip on one of its most valuable services.

More: Examiner, NFC World, eWeek, TechNewsWorld, memeburn and Forbes

Jake Pearson / Wired:

Meet the Con Man Who Pulled Off a Federal Sting That Cost Google $500 Million — ON FEBRUARY 25, 2009, a then 34-year-old career con man named David Anthony Whitaker left the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island, and slid into the backseat of an unmarked government car.

More: Search Engine Land. Tweets: @jeffjohnroberts

Tim-o-tato / Droid Life:

Google Play Updated to Version 4.1.6, Brings Sporty Looking Home Buttons — A day ahead of the Google I/O keynote, an update is rolling out to Google Play, version number 4.1.6. Inside the update is a new look for the home buttons (Apps, Games, Movies, etc.), giving them a more colorful appearance.

More: Android Police, Ubergizmo, CNET, Droid Life, PhoneArena, Electronista, Mashable, Engadget and VR-Zone

Mark Spoonauer / LAPTOP Magazine:

HP SlateBook x2 Targets iPad with $479 Detachable Android Tablet — HP is going right after the iPad with the SlateBook x2, the first Android detachable tablet with Nvidia's powerful Tegra 4 processor inside. Available in August, this hybrid slate has a full HD 10.2 inch display and a keyboard dock with its own battery.

More: Engadget, CNET, LAPTOP Magazine, ZDNet, BetaNews, The Verge, Inquirer, Technology Personalized, Neowin, Computerworld, PC World, Electronista, Gizmodo, SlashGear, Pocketnow and Softpedia News

Bill Wasik / Wired:

In the Programmable World, All Our Objects Will Act as One — WELCOME TO — THE PROGRAMMABLE — In our houses, cars, and factories, we're surrounded by tiny, intelligent devices that capture data about how we live and what we do. Now they are beginning to talk to one another.

Thanks:@ccdip

Jeff John Roberts / GigaOM:

Apple sued over faulty power button on iPhone 4 — A Florida woman is seeking more than $5 million from Apple on behalf of thousands of iPhone owners who allegedly bought phones with defective power buttons that would not lock or turn off. — In a class action suit filed in San Jose …

More: Fortune, HotHardware.com News, iPhone Hacks, iDownloadBlog.com, CNET, App Advice, Electronista, Cult of Mac, AppleInsider, 9to5Mac and The Mac Observer

Richard Lawler / Engadget:

Netflix removes streaming expiration dates from API after ‘Streampocalypse’ hysteria — The end of April suddenly became very stressful for Netflix subscribers, as it was widely reported that nearly 1,800 titles would be disappearing from its Watch Instantly service in the US.

More: CNET, paidContent, Macgasm, ProgrammableWeb and DSLreports

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

Video Distribution Platform Brightcove Announces A Streaming Module For Live Events — I scream, you scream, we all scream for live streaming online and mobile video. Live is becoming not just an oughta-have, but a must-have, as video distributors seek to reach an audience that isn't content to watch reruns on-demand.

More: VideoNuze Analysis, Brightcove Blog, Multichannel.com, cso.com.au and Beet.TV

Chloe Albanesius / PC Magazine:

Angry Birds Maker Releasing Third-Party Games Via ‘Rovio Stars’ — The Angry Birds franchise has been a major hit for Rovio, but now the Finnish game maker is branching out and will boost its game lineup with selections from third-party developers. — The effort, dubbed Rovio Stars …

More: rovio.com, Touch Arcade, Digital Trends, iDownloadBlog.com, Gamasutra, TechSpot, VG247, www.pocketgamer.biz, Mobile Entertainment and Engadget

Larry Dignan / ZDNet:

Verizon, VMware roll out Android work, life sandboxes — Summary: Verizon Enterprise will use VMware's Horizon Mobile software to segment work and life personas. The move is part of a broader effort to make Android more enterprise friendly. — Verizon's enterprise unit and VMware …

More: Engadget, The Next Web and Computerworld

Daniel Eran Dilger / AppleInsider:

Mobile malware exploding, but only for Android — Malware targeting mobile devices is rapidly growing in both the number of variants found in the wild and in their complexity and sophistication, but the only platform being actively targeted is Google's Android, which researchers now say is resembling Windows on the desktop PC.

More: Market Wire, PC Magazine and MacDailyNews

Jessica Roy / Betabeat:

Department of Homeland Security Shuts Down Dwolla Payments to and From Mt. Gox — The Department of Homeland Security appears to have shut down the ability to use Dwolla, a mobile payment service, to withdraw and deposit money into Mt. Gox, a Bitcoin trading platform. A Dwolla representative confirmed the move to Betabeat.

More: GigaOM, CoinDesk, ITworld.com, Ars Technica, CNET, PandoDaily, ZDNet, Business Insider and Mashable. Tweets: @malgorithms

Ethan Bilby / Reuters:

Exclusive: EU threatens trade duties against China's Huawei, ZTE - sources — (Reuters) - The European Commission plans to send a formal warning to China that it is ready to levy trade duties against telecoms equipment makers Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp over what it says are illegal subsidies …

Brad Stone / Businessweek:

Larry Page Explains What Happened to His Voice — For the first time in nearly a year, Google (GOOG) Chief Executive Officer Larry Page is publicly addressing a question about his personal health: why he lost his voice and continues to speak more hoarsely than is normal.

More: Larry Page, VentureBeat, The Verge, Geek.com, BGR India, SiliconANGLE, The Register, Los Angeles Times, The Technology Chronicles, TechnoBuffalo, NYT Bits, PC Magazine, WebProNews, Forbes, AndroidHeadlines.com, 9to5Google and Business Insider

Wall Street Journal:

Google CEO Larry Page Diagnosed With ‘Vocal Cord Paralysis’

More: Wall Street Journal, Digits and Reuters

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

Netflix Still Eats a Third of the Web Every Night; Amazon, HBO and Hulu Trail Behind — For the last three years, Netflix has accounted for a third of the Internet traffic zipping into North American homes every night. — But Web video competitors like Amazon, HBO and Hulu all say they're seeing significant growth.

More: CNET, Sandvine Press Releases, IntoMobile, dailywireless.org, Engadget and AppleInsider

Farhad Manjoo / Slate:

I thought Square would kill off the credit card. Will Jack Dorsey's company save it instead? — The Square Stand in action Courtesy of Square Inc. — This morning Square announced a new product that took me by surprise: the Square Stand, an iPad holder and credit card reader that's meant …

More: Marketing Pilgrim, ReadWrite, PadGadget and Cult of Mac

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