This is Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch: A blocky health tracker with a camera  —  Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch is a chunky, 3-inch wrist-mounted accessory that runs Android apps and connects with your phone via Bluetooth.  —  Samsung is set to reveal its Galaxy Gear smartwatch next Wednesday, Sept. 4, in Berlin.

Vodafone, Verizon Agree on $130 Billion Deal  —  Negotiators for Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC have agreed to a deal in which Verizon will pay about $130 billion for the U.K. company's stake in their U.S. joint venture, a person familiar with the matter said.

One Microsoft On, Ballmer Out, ValueAct In — Get Ready for the Next Shoe to Drop at Microsoft.  —  It would seem that all it takes to be in a position to make big changes at Microsoft is $2.2 billion.  —  That's the value of the tiny 0.8 percent stake that ValueAct had compiled …

The STEM Crisis Is a Myth  —  You must have seen the warning a thousand times: Too few young people study scientific or technical subjects, businesses can't find enough workers in those fields, and the country's competitive edge is threatened.  —  It pretty much doesn't matter …

LG announces the G Pad, an 8.3-inch, Android Jelly Bean-powered iPad rival; going worldwide Q4 2013  —  LG Electronics announced today the impending arrival of its G Pad 8.3 tablet, which will officially launch at IFA 2013 next week.  The company revealed that the tablet will have an 8.3-inch display screen …

Morgan Stanley Said to Hold Off on BlackBerry 10 Upgrade  —  Morgan Stanley (MS) is holding off on upgrading its employees to BlackBerry Ltd. (BB)'s newest smartphones and operating system because of concerns that the Canadian company may not back its platform long-term, according to two people with knowledge of the bank's plans.

A rare defense of venture capital classic  —  One of our most popular stories this week was about the future of venture capital.  It traced the asset class's history from its boutique roots to the age of mega-brands to the rage around international expansion and into the last few years of microVCs, super angels, and accelerators.

Microsoft abruptly pulls ‘masters’ certification; hints a replacement may come  —  Summary: Microsoft's decision to pull its highest-level certification across its product lines caught many off-guard.  —  Microsoft's surprise phase-out of its highest-level certification programs has angered …

New Zealand just abolished software patents.  Here's why we should, too.  —  What's wrong with the patent system?  Most people cite problems with patent trolls or low patent quality.  But a recent study by the Government Accountability Office makes it clear that the real problem is more specific: Patents on software don't work.

U.S. spy agencies mounted 231 offensive cyber-operations in 2011, documents show  —  U.S. intelligence services carried out 231 offensive cyber-operations in 2011, the leading edge of a clandestine campaign that embraces the Internet as a theater of spying, sabotage and war …

HTC's exiting designers interrogated for expense fraud and stealing trade secrets (updated)  —  Earlier today, several top designers at HTC were arrested in Taipei under suspicion of fraudulent expense claims, as well as stealing trade secrets ahead of leaving the company to run …

The Decline And Fall Of Flowtab, A Startup Story  —  It started with an idea: How can we get our drinks more quickly at the bar?  Dreamed up at 2 a.m. in Coloft, a Los Angeles coworking space, future founder Mike Townsend doodled up an iPad application mockup that he called Apptini to answer the question.

Judge Says Search Warrants for E-mails Must Be ‘Limited’  —  Can law enforcement obtain a search warrant to dig through a vast trove of e-mails, instant messages and chat logs because they have reasonable suspicion that the owners of those accounts robbed computer equipment from a private company?