Techmeme
October 31, 2013, 8:40 PM

Top News

The Official Google Blog:
Android for all and the new Nexus 5  —  Just in time for Halloween, we have two new treats for Android fans.  First, we're excited to unwrap our latest platform release, KitKat, which delivers a smarter, more immersive Android experience to even more people.  And second, we're introducing Nexus 5—a new Nexus phone developed with LG.
Brad Molen / Engadget:
HTC: Android 4.4 KitKat coming to the One within 90 days, Google Play edition in 15 days  —  Now that we know which of Google's Nexus devices will be eligible for an update to Android 4.4 KitKat, other manufacturers are starting to speak up about their rollout plans as well.
TechCrunch:
Android 4.4 KitKat Targets Google's Next Billion Users, Adds Pervasive Search & Improves Google Now  —  Today Google announced details of its long-awaited Android 4.4 KitKat operating system for the first time, going beyond just the candy bar branding.  KitKat is designed around three major tentpoles …
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Alex Wayne / Bloomberg:
Google, Red Hat, Oracle contributing dozens of engineers, designers to fix HealthCare.gov  —  Google, Oracle Workers Enlisted for Obamacare ‘Tech Surge’  —  Google, Red Hat, Oracle and other companies are contributing dozens of computer engineers and programmers to help the Obama administration fix …
Michael Winter / USA Today:
Coast Guard visits mysterious ‘Google barge’  —  Agency mum on trip and San Francisco vessel's purpose, citing “commercial confidentiality.”  —The Coast Guard on Wednesday visited the mysterious “Google barge” floating in San Francisco Bay, but the agency would not reveal anything about the tech giant's hush-hush vessel.
More: AllThingsD and PE Hub Blog.  Tweets: @cheeky_geeky
Bloomberg:
AT&T Is Said to Explore Vodafone Takeover as Soon as Next Year  —  AT&T Inc. executives are laying the groundwork internally for a potential takeover of Vodafone Group Plc next year, mapping out a strategy for a complex deal with Europe's largest mobile carrier, people familiar with the situation said.
Bloomberg:
Twitter Said to Attract More Than Enough Orders for IPO  —  Twitter Inc. (TWTR) has attracted more than enough demand to sell all of the shares in its initial public offering, people with knowledge of the matter said.  —  The IPO was attracting enough interest to be oversubscribed …
More: TechCrunch.  Tweets: @sarahfrier.  Thanks:@mattlynley
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
New FAA Guidelines Permit More Device Use, All The Way From Take-Off To Landing  —  For years now, most of us have been quietly not turning off our phones and devices at landing and take off, and merely putting the screens to sleep and stuffing them in seat pockets instead.
Jordan Golson / MacRumors:
Samsung Tops Apple in Latest J.D. Power Tablet Customer Satisfaction Survey  —  Apple has been ranked second, edged out slightly by Samsung in J.D. Power's latest U.S. tablet satisfaction study.  Samsung scored 835 on a 1,000 point scale, while Apple was just behind at 833.
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
How Apple will handle replacements for iPhone 5s units with battery problems  —  Earlier this week, Apple confirmed that some iPhone 5s units are affected by battery-life issues due to a manufacturing glitch.  Apple said that customers with affected units would be contacted to receive a replacement device.

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