PlayStation 4 Teardown  —  A television game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, first announced February 20, 2013 and released November 15, 2013.  Step 1 — PlayStation 4 Teardown We'd like to send out a big thank you to our friends at Chipworks for hosting our remote teardown of the newest Sony Play-device, the Play-Doh.

Samsung Said to Plan Galaxy Phone Using Three-Sided Display  —  Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) plans to release a Galaxy smartphone next year with a three-sided display that wraps around the edges so messages can be read from an angle, two people familiar with the plans said yesterday.

New FCC chairman tells wireless carriers to unlock cell phones  —  Act now or we will regulate, Wheeler tells CTIA.  —  In one of his first days on the job, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has asked the CTIA Wireless Association to move quickly toward unlocking phones for consumers.

Apple Store Point Of Sale Systems Go Down Again Today, Outage Continues  —  Some Apple Stores have had their point-of-sale systems go down repeatedly today, TechCrunch has learned.  There was an extensive outage early Thursday morning and there has been an ongoing outage this evening in some stores.

The Inside Story of How the iPad Got Its Iconic Design  —  While Jony Ive's group was secretly working on the iPad, Steve Jobs was telling the public and press that Apple had no intention of releasing a tablet.  “Tablets appeal to rich guys with plenty of other PCs and de- vices already,” he said publicly.

News Use across Social Media Platforms  —  How do different social networking websites stack up when it comes to news?  How many people engage with news across multiple social sites?  And what are their news consumption habits on traditional platforms?  As part of an ongoing examination …

BBM for Android and iPhone updates now available  —  Originally published on the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog  —  A new update to BBM is rolling out for Android and iPhone users.  In addition to several new features, bug fixes and performance improvements, we are also proud to deliver something you've …

NSA Fallout: Tech Firms Feel a Chill Inside China  —  Big U.S. computer and software companies are reporting a sudden chill in sales to China, and some blame increased government hostility toward the U.S.  —  In the latest sign, computer-networking-gear maker Cisco Systems Inc. said Wednesday …

CIA's Financial Spying Bags Data on Americans  —  Information on International Money Transfers Includes Financial and Personal Data of Americans  —  The Central Intelligence Agency is building a vast database of international money transfers that includes millions of Americans' financial and personal data …

Acer launches a new budget-sensitive C720 Chromebook model with 16GB SSD and 2GB RAM for $199.99  —  Acer America is launching a new model of its C720 Chromebook series that is geared towards the budget-conscious consumer.  Just in time for the holidays, the computer manufacturer is making available …

White spaces anyone?  Google opens its spectrum database to developers  —  All of those unused frequencies that linger between TV channels, called white spaces, are ripe for the taking, and starting today network builders and device makers can start using them, with a little help from Google.

Amazon's Lovefilm finally launches iPhone app in the UK  —  Whereas Netflix has expanded quickly onto numerous mobile platforms in the UK, Amazon can't claim the same for its own streaming service, Lovefilm.  Aside from the obvious Kindle support, Lovefilm's iOS app has been iPad-only for two years …

Homeland Security must disclose cell network ‘kill switch’ protocols, court says  —  Summary: The U.S. government's rules governing its ability to shut down cellular and wireless networks to prevent remote bomb detonation must be disclosed, a court has ruled.  —  Zack Whittaker

Exclusive - Comcast to sell movies for download, streaming: sources  —  (Reuters) - Comcast Corp plans to start selling movies for download and streaming through the cable operator's set-top boxes and its Xfinity TV website, according to people with knowledge of the plan.

Pricey, mighty Retina Mini is best small tablet yet  —  $399.00  —  The good: The iPad Mini with Retina Display adds an excellent high-resolution display that rivals the iPad Air's, a far faster A7 processor, and tops it off with improved Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity, with battery life that's as good or better than in last year's Mini.

Europe allows in-flight 3G and 4G broadband  —  Passengers will get mobile Internet access, but they'll have to pay roaming charges  —  The European Commission gave airlines permission to offer their passengers Internet access via 3G and 4G connections so they can send emails and surf the Web while in flight.

Apple Bumps Coinbase's Bitcoin App From The App Store, Android App Lives On  —  Time to chalk another one up for cryptocurrency bitcoin's reputation as a disruptor in the financial world?  Today, news comes that Coinbase - the YC-incubated startup that offers a bitcoin buying and trading platform …

Yuri Milner is betting big on genetics, pouring millions into GenapSys  —  The latest investment from Russian millionaire and entrepreneur Yuri Milner is in a genetics upstart called GenapSys.  —  Like many other technology investors, Milner is hoping to leverage the plummeting cost of sequencing human genes.

Skype is considering adding automatic removal of typing sounds from calls  —  At a press event in Stockholm, Sweden today, Skype confirmed it is evaluating the addition of a typing suppression feature to its desktop clients that will automatically filter the sound of your fingers hitting the keys.

Microsoft Office still isn't available for iPad, but now HopTo fills the void  —  Eventually, Microsoft will bring a touch-optimized version of Office to the iPad.  Until that day arrives, however, there's Apple's iWork—and now HopTo, which offers a reskinned version of Word as lovely and useful as an iPad app should be.

Kids Do Not Track Bill Introduced  —  Now-Senator Markey teams with Rep. Joe Barton, others, on new effort  —  As expected, Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) have reintroduced House and Senate versions of their Do Not Track Kids Act, which would, among other things …

Pfizer Ditching BlackBerry, Citing Its ‘Volatile’ State  —  Pfizer Inc. (PFE), the world's biggest drugmaker, will wean off of BlackBerry (BBRY) Ltd.'s phones, citing concerns that the mobile technology company might not be around in the future or may have service interrupted.