Techmeme
October 8, 2013, 11:05 AM

Top News

Sarah Silbert / Engadget:
Google announces HP Chromebook 11 for $279, we go hands-on  —  Today Google announced some new hardware: the HP Chromebook 11.  Priced at $279, this 11-incher is available today, and we've already spent had a change to get our hands on several units.  —  The laptop is sleek and attractive …
Steven Levy / Wired:
Nest Gives the Lowly Smoke Detector a Brain — And a Voice  —  One day in June, about 20 engineers and managers at the startup company Nest went on a field trip.  They didn't need to pack a lunch.  Their destination: a storage closet near the bathrooms at their new headquarters in Palo Alto.
Bloomberg:
iTunes Radio to reach UK and Canada before Pandora, also expanding to Australia and NZ in early 2014  —  Apple Said to Expand ITunes Radio to U.K. Before Pandora  —  Apple Inc. (AAPL) plans to expand iTunes Radio to English-speaking countries outside the U.S. by early 2014 …
Siobhan Gorman / Wall Street Journal:
Meltdowns Hobble NSA Data Center  —  Investigators Stumped by What's Causing Power Surges That Destroy Equipment  —  Chronic electrical surges at the massive new data-storage facility central to the National Security Agency's spying operation have destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth …
Artem Russakovskii / Android Police:
All But Confirmed - Google Hangouts 1.3 Screenshots Suggest SMS/MMS Integration; Video Sharing Capabilities Coming Too  —  Several days ago, I started a series of rumor posts on my personal Google+ account discussing some Android rumors I felt were interesting enough to share …
Bloomberg:
Samsung Loses Bid for Presidential Veto of Apple-Won Import Ban  —  Samsung Electronics Co. must stop importing certain models of its smartphones and tablet computers after President Barack Obama's administration let stand a ban won by Apple Inc. in a patent-infringement dispute.
Kyle VanHemert / Wired:
Early Apple designer and Frog Design founder Hartmut Esslinger on 4 areas ripe for innovation  —  The Godfather of Apple Design Spots 4 Looming Tech Trends  —  Before there was Jony Ive, there was Hartmut Esslinger.  The founder of the influential design consultancy Frog started working …
More: Co.Design
Wall Street Journal:
Samsung eyes software acquisitions, has evaluated several gaming and mapping startups  —  A Weak Spot for Samsung?  —  South Korean Giant Weighs Software Deals to Better Compete With Apple, Google  —  Samsung Electronics Co. is stepping up its hunt for acquisitions and building …
More: AllThingsD, Hillicon Valley and Digits.  Tweets: @iansherr
Steven A. Ballmer / Microsoft:
Steve Ballmer's final shareholder letter: “We are still in the early days of our transformation”  —  Shareholder Letter  —  TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS, CUSTOMERS, PARTNERS AND EMPLOYEES: This is a unique letter for me — the last shareholder letter I will write as the CEO of the company I love.
Alex Wilhelm / TechCrunch:
Those Giant Fox News Touchscreens Are Microsoft Perceptive Pixel Displays Running Windows 8  —  Huge iPads or tiny journalists?  That's the question that many are asking after Fox News released a video detailing a new set that includes a number of analysts sat before massive touch interfaces.
David Pierce / The Verge:
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2013) Review: a great ebook reader, and the only one worth considering  —  Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review (2013)  —  The best ebook reader becomes both bookstore and library  —  Amazon won the ebook reader war.  Like the iPod, the Swiffer, or Jell-O …
Sean Silcoff / Globe and Mail:
BlackBerry, Kik Interactive settle lawsuit over instant-messaging app  —  BlackBerry Ltd. has settled its lawsuit against Kik Interactive, a company started by one of its former co-op students which developed a rival instant messaging application to its BlackBerry Messenger that eventually surpassed it in popularity.
Ryan Smith / AnandTech:
The Radeon R9 280X Review: Feat.  Asus & XFX - Meet The Radeon 200 Series  —  A little less than 2 years ago AMD launched their latest generation of video card products, the Radeon HD 7000 series.  Based on the brand-new TSMC 28nm process, these have been some of the most successful AMD products in years …
Ki Mae Heussner / GigaOM:
Basis bags $12M for health-tracking watch amid growing competition in wearable tech  —  Seven months after announcing an $11.5 million Series B round of funding, Basis Science is filling its coffers once again.  On Tuesday, the startup behind the Basis health-tracking wristwatch …
Richard Lai / Engadget:
HTC teases One Max in October 16th event invitation (update: global launch October 15th)  —  With all the recent leaks, it's no surprise that the launch for the HTC One Max is just around the corner.  According to an invitation we just received from HTC Taiwan, the company will be hosting …
Don Clark / Wall Street Journal:
Kumu Networks aims to double capacity of cellular and Wi-Fi communications  —  Startup Aims to Reinvent Wireless Communication  —  Kumu Networks Says It Can Double the Use of Radio Spectrum, Easing Congestion  —  A small startup is challenging one of the long-held precepts in communications …

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Earlier Picks

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Nick Summers / The Next Web: