NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds  —  The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents.

Samsung Said to Introduce Wristwatch-Like Smartphone Next Month  —  Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) 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.

Apple Appears to Be 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.

The limits of Google's openness  —  Corporate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft  —  You may be wondering what happened to the YouTube app for Windows Phone.  Last May, after we launched a much improved app on our platform, Google objected on a number of grounds.

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 …

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.

Microsoft killing Games for Windows Live store on August 22nd  —  Microsoft is shutting down its Games for Windows Live marketplace on August 22nd.  In a support note on the company's Xbox site, Microsoft reveals that its Points system and PC Marketplace will be closed …

What Ad Network Problem?  Vungle Raises $6.5 Million for Mobile Video Ads.  —  Public investors aren't very excited about ad networks and ad technology.  But private money is still placing bets.  —  The newest: A $6.5 million A round for Vungle, a mobile ad network focused on “in-app” ads.

Mercedes Is Testing Google Glass Integration, and It Actually Works  —  I put the car in park, unplug the phone, and put Google Glass on my face.  Within seconds, I've got step-by-step directions to a coffee shop down the street beamed directly to my eyeballs.

With Gmail Overhaul, Not All Mail Is Equal  —  Google Funnels Offers Into ‘Promotions’ Folder, Tops Them With Its Own Ads; Kate Spade, Groupon and Gap Want Out  —  For some retailers that rely on emailed promotions, Google Inc. is adding insult to injury.  —  When the search giant overhauled …

Plague of game dev harassment erodes industry, spurs support groups  —  The greatest threat to the video game industry may be some of its most impassioned fans.  Increasingly, game developers are finding themselves under attack by some of the very people they devote their lives to entertaining.

China to probe IBM, Oracle, EMC for security concerns: paper  —  (Reuters) - China's Ministry of Public Security and a cabinet-level research center are preparing to probe IBM Corp, Oracle Corp and EMC Corp over security issues, the official Shanghai Securities News said on Friday.

Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Wants to Get a Million Programmers to “Code for India”  —  Karl Mehta has spent years doing financial startups and more recently worked as a venture capitalist, helping other technology companies get their start.  —  Now the Menlo Ventures partner is embarking …

Viacom-Sony TV Is a Big Deal.  It's Also the Same Deal We Already Have.  —  Viacom's deal to deliver its cable TV shows to a new Web video service from Sony isn't final.  —  But it is a big deal: As the Wall Street Journal first reported today, this is the first time a major programmer has agreed …