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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Heads up, ebook buyers: Here's how much you're likely to get in the Apple ebook settlement  —  All five publishers who were accused of conspiring with Apple to set ebook prices at the launch of the iBookstore have settled with the federal government and with the states, and until …

Compliance vs. Complicity … There's an old saying that it's far better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.  I've seen the many, many statements by Google, Microsoft and everyone else about how they really want to tell everyone just how bad these government demands for information are …

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 …

Vodafone, Verizon boards to meet & decide on $130 billion sale of Vodafone stake in Verizon Wireless  —  The long-rumored deal that would give Verizon the complete control of Verizon Wireless looks like it is finally happening.  The board of directors of Vodafone, which currently owns 45 percent …