Techmeme
August 4, 2013, 10:25 AM

Top News

Brent Kendall / Wall Street Journal:
Obama Administration Vetoes Ban on Sale of Some Apple iPhones, iPads  —  Concern Cited Over Patent Holders Gaining ‘Undue Leverage’  —  The Obama administration on Saturday vetoed a U.S. trade body's ban on the sale of some Apple iPhones and iPads, a rare move that upends a legal victory for smartphone rival Samsung Electronics Co.
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Obama administration vetoes Apple iPhone 4, 3G iPad 2 U.S. import ban  —  United States President Barack Obama and his administration have issued a veto on a potential ban for iPhone 4 and 3G-capable iPad 2 models in the United States.  The news comes by way of a notice from the U.S. Government.
Glenn Greenwald / Guardian:
Members of Congress denied access to basic information about NSA  —  Documents provided by two House members demonstrate how they are blocked from exercising any oversight over domestic surveillance  —  • Morgan Griffith's requests for NSA information  —  • Alan Grayson's requests for NSA information
Alex Kaufman / Slate:
How “one weird trick” conquered the Internet: what happens when you click on those omnipresent ads  —  What happens when you actually click on one of those “One Weird Trick” ads?  —  You've seen them.  Peeking out from sidebars, jiggling and wiggling for your attention …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft cuts Surface Pro price by $100 following Surface RT reductions  —  Microsoft is discounting its Surface Pro tablet this weekend, following heavy reductions to its Surface RT costs recently.  The 10 percent price cut to Surface Pro reduces the cost of the 64GB and 128GB models by $100 each in the US.
CNNMoney:
Your TV might be watching you  —  Today's high-end televisions are almost all equipped with “smart” PC-like features, including Internet connectivity, apps, microphones and cameras.  But a recently discovered security hole in some Samsung Smart TVs shows that many of those bells and whistles aren't ready for prime time.
Henry Blodget / Business Insider:
Hey, Silicon Valley, Instead Of Whining About A Tech Talent Shortage, Do Something About It!  —  An odd problem has developed in our economy.  —  Some of our largest technology companies have become so fantastically huge and profitable that they literally don't know what to do with the cash piling up in their bank accounts.
Ars Technica:
TiVo, media center PC makers alarmed by CableCard-cutting bill  —  The CableCard—that small slab that lets a TiVo tune into cable by authenticating its connection—would lose a regulatory safeguard under a bill nearing introduction in Congress.  —  The “'Consumer Video Device Cost Savings Act” …
Somini Sengupta / NYT Bits:
A Cheap Spying Tool With a High Creepy Factor  —  Brendan O'Connor is a security researcher.  How easy would it be, he recently wondered, to monitor the movement of everyone on the street - not by a government intelligence agency, but by a private citizen with a few hundred dollars to spare?
Tom Simonite / MIT Technology Review:
Chinese Hacking Team Caught Taking Over Decoy Water Plant  —  A Chinese hacking group accused this February of being tied to the Chinese army was caught last December infiltrating a decoy water control system for a U.S. municipality, a researcher revealed on Wednesday.
More: Gizmodo and SlashGear
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Why Microsoft isn't going to dump Windows RT  —  Summary: Is there any chance Microsoft is going to do a 180 and dump its Windows RT operating system?  My bet is no, and here's why.  —  In the days following Microsoft's $900 million Surface RT write-down, many have been questioning Microsoft's stated plan …

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More News

Liz Gannes / AllThingsD:

Earlier Picks

Brian Klug / AnandTech:
Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch: