FDA Tells Google-Backed 23andMe to Halt DNA Test Service  —  23andMe Inc., the Google Inc.-backed DNA analysis company co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, was told by U.S. regulators to halt sales of its main product because it's being sold without “marketing clearance or approval.”

Amazon workers face ‘increased risk of mental illness’  —  A BBC investigation into a UK-based Amazon warehouse has found conditions that a stress expert said could cause “mental and physical illness”.  —  Professor Michael Marmot was shown secret filming of night shifts involving up to 11 miles …

Mayer Confirms Hire of News Star Couric as “Global Anchor,” Calling Her the “Face of Yahoo News”  —  As AllThingsD had reported it would today, Yahoo said it has hired well-known TV news star Katie Couric for a high-profile job to do interviews and more on its homepage, with the decidedly lofty title of “global anchor.”

Microsoft is fixing Skype messaging, ‘fun things’ planned for Windows Phone 8.1  —  Ever since Microsoft started forcing Windows Live Messenger users over to Skype earlier this year, instant messaging on Windows has been somewhat painful.  If you're a frequent Skype user then you'll be intimately familiar with the problems.

ZTE Jumps On Smartwatch Bandwagon  —  When Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Gear launch in early September created a hype around the potential market for smartwatches, it was certain that we would soon see cheaper versions from Chinese competitors.  —  Now, ZTE Corp., mainly known …

BlackBerry ousts COO and CMO, replaces CFO  —  The high-level shakeups aren't over at BlackBerry just because the company has a new CEO.  The company has just let go of Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear (pictured at left) and Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben (right), both of whom had assumed their roles roughly one year ago.

Shaken NSA Grapples With an Overhaul  —  Agency's Director Offered to Resign Last Summer in Wake of Snowden Leaks  —  WASHINGTON—Shortly after former government contractor Edward Snowden revealed himself in June as the source of leaked National Security Agency documents, the agency's director …

Paul Carr's news site NSFW Corp joins with Silicon Valley-backed PandoDaily  —  After NSFW's financial failure, the tech journalist joins the tech site PandoDaily - ‘the site of record for Silicon Valley’  —  Tech journalist and entrepreneur Paul Carr's last venture was surprisingly old-school.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt Posts Guide on Converting to Android from iPhone  —  Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has posted a multi-step guide on switching from Apple's iPhone to an Android device on his Google+ page today, refreshing the rivalry between the two companies as of late.

Uber Strikes Deal To Lower The Cost Of Car Ownership For Drivers  —  On-demand transportation service Uber is trying to get new drivers on the road, while also improving the experience for those who are already on its platform.  To do that, it's partnered with a couple of auto manufacturers …

Microsoft's device chief sees a future without three versions of Windows  —  Microsoft currently ships Windows RT, Windows 8, and Windows Phone software on a variety of devices, but it's heading towards a future where just a single version of Windows will exist.

Newegg trial: Crypto legend takes the stand, goes for knockout patent punch  —  Whitfield Diffie and Newegg lawyer Alan Albright, outside the federal courthouse in Marshall, Texas.  —  MARSHALL, TX—Newegg's courtroom face-off with patent-licensing giant TQP Development is nearing its end.

Half an operating system: The triumph and tragedy of OS/2  —  It was a cloudy Seattle day in late 1980, and Bill Gates, the young chairman of a tiny company called Microsoft, had an appointment with IBM that would shape the destiny of the industry for decades to come.

Clinging to Outlook, Only 25 Percent of Yahoo Employees Willing to Eat Mail “Dogfood” (Best Memo Ever!)  —  As most know, I love a good internal memo from inside Yahoo and here's a doozy related to a rather controversial topic of late: How badly the new version of Yahoo Mail has been received by consumers.

Denmark targets iPhone generation to keep edge in hearing aids  —  (Reuters) - Tiny Denmark, with fewer than 6 million people, supplies half the world's hearing aids, and local makers aim to advance that commanding position as baby boomers and the iPhone generation age.