Techmeme
June 17, 2013, 11:35 PM

Top News

Apple:
Apple's Commitment to Customer Privacy  —  Two weeks ago, when technology companies were accused of indiscriminately sharing customer data with government agencies, Apple issued a clear response: We first heard of the government's “Prism” program when news organizations asked us about it on June 6.
Aaron Souppouris / The Verge:
Apple claims it can't decrypt FaceTime and iMessage data, details extent of government requests  —  In the wake of the PRISM scandal, Apple has issued a public statement detailing the extent of US government data requests.  In the statement, it repeats that it does not provide any agency …
BuzzFeed:
President Obama Defends NSA Spying  —  It's “transparent,” the president tells Charlie Rose in an interview.  Here's a portion of that transcript, from PBS.  —  Image by Matt Dunham / AP  —  Barack Obama: Well, in the end, and what I've said, and I continue to believe …
T.C. Sottek / The Verge:
Digg Blog:
Digg Reader Update!  —  Over the last 90 days, the Digg engineering team — all 5 of them — has been heads-down building an updated take on the RSS reader.  For our first public release, in time to (just) beat the shutdown of Google Reader, our aim has been to nail the basics …
David Shapiro / The Official Google Blog:
Chromebooks: coming to more stores near you  —  In Northern California where I live, summer is here, which means family vacations, kids' camps, BBQs and hopefully some relaxation.  But it also means back-to-school shopping is just around the corner.  So in case you're on the hunt for a laptop …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Source: Instagram Will Get Video On June 20  —  We've been working on getting more details on a press event that Facebook is having this week.  Earlier, we wrote it could launch a news-reading app, but we have since heard more details that point to something else entirely.
Miyoung Kim / Reuters:
Samsung to launch faster Galaxy S4 smartphone  —  (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co plans to sell a variation of its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone that will transmit data at nearly twice the normal speed, the head of its mobile business said on Monday.  —  J.K. Shin, also co-chief executive …
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Jony Ive's title flattened to ‘Senior VP, Design’ alongside iOS 7 revamp  —  To go along with his complete redesign of iOS, Jony Ive's official executive title at Apple has been flattened to drop the word “Industrial.”  The change is notable as this new title plants Ive's position …
Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:
Yahoo Offer to Buy Contact Startup Xobni Is at a Price of $30M to $40M  —  According to numerous sources close to the company, Yahoo is offering to pay $30 million to $40 million for the maker of address book apps and plugins.  —  That's below the more than $40 million raised …
More: TechCrunch
Hannah Karp / Speakeasy:
Samsung to Give Away 1 Million Copies of Jay-Z's New Album … As the Miami Heat faced off against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA finals Sunday night, a curious TV ad aired near the end of the second quarter featuring rap star Jay-Z in a studio, riffing with a cast …
Michael Liedtke / Associated Press:
Google Settles Suit, Clears Way For Stock Split  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google has resolved a shareholder lawsuit blocking a long-delayed stock split, clearing the way for the Internet search leader to issue a new class of non-voting shares later this year.
Alexis Santos / Engadget:
Microsoft offering Surface RT tablets for $199 to educational institutions  —  If you thought Microsoft's effort to push Surface RT tablets into classrooms would stop with a 10,000-unit giveaway, you'd be mistaken.  Ryan Lowdermilk, a technology evangelist for the company …
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Online Coupon Giant RetailMeNot (Formerly WhaleShark Media) Files For $230M IPO  —  Online coupon giant RetailMeNot has just filed for $230 million IPO, according to an S-1 released today.  —  RetailMeNot, which was acquired in 2010 by the $300 million-funded WhaleShark Media …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Disconnect, An Ex-Googler's Social Enterprise/Privacy Startup, Raises $3.5M, Extends To More Browsers  —  As we continue to see more details brought to light in how the government requests and uses information about what we do on the web and on our mobile devices, an ex-Googler …
Mat Smith / Engadget:
Skype video messaging officially launches on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android — but not Windows Phone  —  Out of beta and free, Skype today launches its video messaging service across all its major platforms.  You can now send an unlimited number of messages (video missives were previously limited during beta …

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