Techmeme
July 2, 2013, 11:30 AM

Top News

Mark Pincus / Zynga Company Blog:
Big Day  —  Our Founder Mark Pincus today sent a note to employees outlining some important leadership changes.  Please find his note, posted in its entirety, below.  —  To our Zynga employees, players and shareholders,  —  Today is a big day.  I'm excited to announce that Don Mattrick …
Microsoft:
Steve Ballmer email to employees on Don Mattrick transition  —  Text of an internal e-mail from Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer to employees regarding changes in leadership within the Interactive Entertainment Business group.  —  From: Steve Ballmer  —  To: Microsoft - All Employees
Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:
In Major Hire, Zynga Confirms Xbox Head Don Mattrick as New CEO, Taking Over From Mark Pincus  —  As AllThingsD reported earlier today, Zynga confirmed that it has hired Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment President Don Mattrick as its new CEO.  —  In a press release …
Spiegel Online:
How the NSA Targets Germany and Europe  —  Top secret documents detail the mass scope of efforts by the United States to spy on Germany and Europe.  Each month, the NSA monitors a half a billion communications and EU buildings are bugged.  The scandal poses a threat to trans-Atlantic relations.
Ashkan Soltani / MIT Technology Review:
Technology, Not Law, Limits Mass Surveillance  —  Improved technology enabled the NSA's mass surveillance programs.  Future improvements will make collecting data on citizens easier and easier.  —  Recent revelations about the extent of surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency come …
Tweets: @mattblaze
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple expands ‘iWatch’ trademark filing world tour to Mexico, Taiwan, Turkey, Colombia  —  In addition to filing a trademark for the name “iWatch” in Russia and Japan, Apple has requested a trademark for “iWatch” with Mexico's Institute of Industrial Property.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
The Bing challenge: with iOS 7 and Windows 8.1, search could be Microsoft's new platform  —  Redmond opens up to developers to take on Google  —  Earlier this year, the head of Microsoft's search team, Qi Lu, unveiled a new approach for Bing: the concept of a broad search platform that could feed …
Catherine Shu / TechCrunch:
Pixate Raises $3.8M Series A From Accel Partners To Bring CSS Styling To Android And Mac App Development  —  Pixate has closed a $3.8 million Series A round from venture capital firm Accel Partners.  The Palo Alto-based plans to expand its engineering and support teams in order to build Android …
Katie Fehrenbacher / GigaOM:
Apple is planning a solar panel farm for its data center in Reno  —  Apple, working with Nevada utility NV Energy, is planning to build another solar panel farm next to a data center, and this time it's for its new data center in Reno, Nevada.  Apple has already been building two solar panel farms next …
Marcus Wohlsen / Wired:
Email Is Crushing Twitter, Facebook for Selling Stuff Online  —  In 2013, no company can expect to be taken seriously if it's not on Facebook or Twitter.  An endless stream (no pun intended) of advice from marketing consultants warns businesses that they need to “get” social or risk becoming …
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple launches 2013 Back to School promo: $100 App Store card with Macs, $50 card with iPhone/iPad  —  As we reported would occur, Apple has just launched its annual Back to School promotion for students.  The program launched in January for students in Australia, and today …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Windows 8 reaches 100,000 apps milestone in just over seven months  —  While Microsoft didn't quite hit 100,000 in time for its Build developers conference last week, the software giant is announcing its latest milestone for Windows 8 today.  The Windows Store has just passed the 100,000 mark …
Edward Joseph Snowden / WikiLeaks:
Statement from Edward Snowden in Moscow  —  One week ago I left Hong Kong after it became clear that my freedom and safety were under threat for revealing the truth.  My continued liberty has been owed to the efforts of friends new and old, family, and others who I have never met and probably never will.
Jeremy Kirk / PC World:
Two malware programs help each other stay on computers  —  Two malicious software programs that help each other stay on computers are proving difficult to remove.  —  The programs work together by alternately downloading slighter different variations of the other in an attempt to evade antivirus software …
Nick Summers / The Next Web:
Opera's redesigned, Chromium-based browser for Windows and Mac exits beta with new Speed Dial tool  —  Opera launched a new version of its Internet browser for Windows PC and Mac users today, with a cleaner design, a new ‘Speed Dial’ tool for finding favorite sites and faster webpage loading.
Erik Hayden / Hollywood Reporter:
Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Joins The Verge to Host Web Series (Exclusive)  —  The entrepreneur teams with Joshua Topolsky's tech site for a ten-part series on startups.  —  Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is teaming up with Joshua Topolsky's The Verge for a 10-part web series that tells …
More: Betabeat and The Verge
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Outerwall (Formerly Coinstar) Buys ecoATM For $350M In Cash To Expand Into Device Recycling Kiosks  —  Some changes underway in the automated retail space: Outerwall, operators of the Coinstar coin-counting kiosks and the Redbox disc and game distribution network, is acquiring ecoATM for $350 million in cash.
Gretchen Morgenson / New York Times:
An Unstoppable Climb in C.E.O. Pay  —  WHEN we made our annual foray into the executive pay gold mine in April, chief executives' earnings for 2012 showed what appeared to be muted growth on the year.  The $14 million in median overall compensation received by the top 100 C.E.O.'s …

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Kevin Roose / New York Magazine:

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