Snowden downloaded NSA secrets while working for Dell, sources say  —  (Reuters) - Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden began downloading documents describing the U.S. government's electronic spying programs while he was working for Dell Inc in April 2012, almost a year earlier …

Samsung Said to Introduce Wristwatch-Like Smartphone Next Month  —  Samsung will introduce a wristwatch-like device named the Galaxy Gear next month that can make phone calls, surf the Web and handle e-mails, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Build-a-Phone Workshop: my first encounter with Moto Maker and a customized Moto X  —  Turns out 18 is a lot of choices.  —  As one of the first people allowed into Motorola's Moto Maker program, I had a chance to design the phone I always wanted, to order a phone made by Motorola but designed by me.

Nokia to launch Windows RT tablet in September, alleged pictures leak  —  Nokia is planning to launch its first Windows RT tablet in September.  Sources familiar with Nokia's plans have revealed to The Verge that the company will unveil its tablet at a special launch event in New York next month.

EdgeRank Is Dead: Facebook's News Feed Algorithm Now Has Close To 100K Weight Factors  —  The next time you tell a client how Facebook selects and ranks the content that shows up in the News Feed, you'll need to do it without using the word EdgeRank.  —  EdgeRank, Facebook's original News Feed ranking system, is dead.

AOL Starts Patch Cuts, and Up to 500 People May Lose Their Jobs  —  AOL has begun making mass layoffs at its Patch unit.  —  By the time the cuts are over, AOL could end up reducing the local news network's 1,000-worker labor force by half, according to people familiar with the plans.

Apple iPhone Antitrust Complaint Dismissed by U.S. Judge  —  Apple (AAPL) Inc. won dismissal on procedural grounds of a lawsuit claiming the company maintains a monopoly over iPhone applications.  —  U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, ruled today that the plaintiffs …

ICANN officially kills Google's plan for dotless Search top level domain name  —  Board resolution quashes dotless domains again, at least for now.  —  ICANN's New gTLD Program Committee has passed a resolution confirming a prohibition on so-called dotless domain names …

Canonical beats Pebble as the biggest crowdfunding campaign ever, hitting $10.3m for the Ubuntu Edge  —  Canonical is still way off the pace with its Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding campaign - the firm needs to raise more than $20 million in six days to meet its ambitious $32 million target - but it's still smashing records along the way.

BlackBerry CEO to Make $55.6 Million If He Sells Company  —  BlackBerry Ltd. (BB) Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins stands to make $55.6 million if he sells the company and is ousted.  —  That's the amount he's entitled to receive if BlackBerry has a change of control and Heins is pushed …

Apple seems to be beefing up hiring in China  —  Apple Inc. seems to be beefing up hiring in China.  —  Among the more than two hundred openings in China on professional network site LinkedIn, some of the eye-catching China-based positions include an environmental affairs program manager, a security specialist and a store specialist.

Yahoo Names Maynard Webb Permanent Board Chairman  —  “Maynard Webb's leadership and guidance have been an invaluable part of our board since he joined it in 2012,” a Yahoo spokesperson said in a statement.  “We are honored that Maynard will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board.”