Techmeme: Two million stolen Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, ADP passwords found on Pony Botnet server (Violet Blue/ZDNet)

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December 4, 2013, 1:00 PM

Top News

John Markoff / New York Times:

Andy Rubin leads Google's new manufacturing-focused robotics effort that acquired seven companies in the last six months — Google Puts Money on Robots, Using the Man Behind Android — PALO ALTO, Calif. — In an out-of-the-way Google office, two life-size humanoid robots hang suspended in a corner.

Sam Byford / The Verge:

Next USB plug will finally be reversible — Work has begun on a new generation of USB that will break compatibility with existing connectors in order to improve ease of use and allow for thinner devices. The new connector, called Type-C, is an addition to the existing USB 3.1 specification …

More: TechCrunch, Computerworld, ZDNet, Quartz, Ars Technica, VentureBeat, Engadget, Gizmodo, Gigaom, LAPTOP Magazine, 9to5Mac, SlashGear, Pureinfotech Newsletter, Geek.com, Android Beat, Gotta Be Mobile, GadgeTell, TechSpot, Geeky Gadgets and Softpedia News. Tweets: @stevesi

Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:

Instagram Business Lead Emily White to Be Named COO of Snapchat — Emily White, the Facebook executive in charge of bringing advertising to its Instagram photo-sharing unit, is leaving to become COO of Snapchat. — The move is a major talent grab by the ephemeral photo and video mobile service …

More: Business Insider, Venture Capital Dispatch, AllFacebook, Computerworld, Technology Advice, Guardian, Softpedia News, WebProNews, Mashable, Digits, The Next Web, Business Insider, CNET, The Verge and PhoneArena

Tweets: @katies, @mikeisaac, @alexia, @howardlindzon, @brandee, @ischafer and @jguynn

Violet Blue / ZDNet:

Two million stolen Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, ADP passwords found on Pony Botnet server — Summary: Trustwave's SpiderLabs found a Pony Botnet Controller server holding over two million passwords and account credentials for ADP payroll, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo and more belonging to victims around the world.

More: SpiderLabs Anterior, Ars Technica, Engadget, Gizmodo, Help Net Security, CNET, InfoWorld, PandoDaily, BBC, Daily Dot, ZDNet, Graham Cluley and Softpedia News. Tweets: @virusbtn

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

iBeacons Used To Deliver Location-Based Access To iOS Newsstand Publications — iBeacon, Apple's hyperlocal trigger tech in iOS 7, is an innovation that holds a lot of promise, and that will probably continue to make waves in the retail industry for a long time to come.

More: Exact Editions, AppleInsider, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, iPhone in Canada Blog, iDownloadBlog.com and App Advice

Daniel P. Howley / LAPTOP Magazine:

LG G Flex Hands-On: First Self-Healing, Flexible Smartphone — The future will not be flat. That's what LG's Dr. Ramchan Woo declared as he unveiled the new LG G Flex during an exclusive press event in California. The 6-inch handset is one of the first to offer a curved body that contours …

More: LG Newsroom, AnandTech, IntoMobile, pocketnow.com, Phones Review, AllThingsD, Unwired View, Android Beat, Ars Technica, Engadget, Tech in Asia, Android Community and Business Insider

Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:

More drone envy: Former Wired editor's 3D Robotics adds $6M for commercial drones — The rise of the drones continues this week, as 3D Robotics is announcing today that it has raised $6 million in funding from venture capital firm Mayfield. The money will help commercialize drones …

More: StrictlyVC, TechCrunch, TechSpot, PandoDaily, AllThingsD and Pocket-lint

Sharif Sakr / Engadget:

Hands-on with the YotaPhone: the e-ink Android phone that nobody expected — There was a moment, back in 2012, when we had some quiet doubts about the YotaPhone. The first prototype was desirable, useful, and far beyond any kind of gimmick — but it also seemed like it'd be hard to manufacture …

Liz Gannes / AllThingsD:

Misfit Wearables Raises $15.2M on Back of Shine, Even as Founder Dismisses Activity Trackers — Misfit Wearables, maker of the Shine wearable activity tracker, has raised $15.2 million in Series B funding. — The round was led by Li Ka-Shing's Horizon Ventures and included previous backers Founders Fund …

More: VentureBeat, PandoDaily and TechCrunch

John Battelle / John Battelle's Search Blog:

Apple+Topsy: It's Not About Twitter (And Twitter Is Probably Cool With That) — I'm going out on a limb, but a fairly stout one: Like Azeem, I think Apple bought Topsy for its search chops. But Azeem, who I admire greatly, says Topsy could become the search engine “for iOS …

More: Digits, Gigaom Research, Real Story Group Recent … and LinkedIn Today. Tweets: @monkbent

Mike Isaac / AllThingsD:

Twitter Considered Buying Topsy, Too — Here's Why It Didn't Happen

More: Business Insider. Tweets: @mikeisaac

Emil Protalinski / The Next Web:

Google is building Chrome apps support for Android and iOS, beta release coming as soon as January 2014 — Google is working on bringing Chrome packaged apps from the desktop to the mobile world. The company is currently building a toolkit to help developers create Chrome apps for Android and iOS …

More: Inquirer, ReadWrite, CNET, TechSpot, Gizmodo, Gotta Be Mobile, iDownloadBlog.com, App Advice, Softpedia News, iPhone Hacks, Android Beat, The Verge, Ubergizmo, I4U News, Android Authority and SlashGear

Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:

Chrome Beta Gets New Tools For Mobile Development With Better Viewport Emulation, Screencast-Enabled Remote Debugging

More: Chromium Blog

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

YouTube's Music Subscription Service Won't Show Up This Year — Waiting for YouTube's subscription music service? You're going to have to be patient. — The video service, which is already the biggest free music service in the world, had planned on launching a paid service this year.

More: VentureBeat, Ubergizmo, The Verge, 9to5Google, Android Community, CNET, Engadget, PhoneArena, Softpedia News, Mashable and Electronista. See also Mediagazer

Vlad Savov / The Verge:

Inside Vertu, makers of the world's most expensive phones — The company that grew out of Nokia's answer to ‘what if you could build a phone without worrying about the money?’ — Vertu started life in the late 1990s as an indulgence for Nokia's designers.

More: blog.chron.com and Boing Boing. Tweets: @joshuatopolsky, @schneidertobias, @rustambaratov and @xesisoj

Matthew Panzarino / TechCrunch:

Beats Music Streaming Service Launches January 2014, Fires Up Username Reservations — The new Beats Music streaming music service will launch January 2014, according to CEO Ian Rogers. The service also launched a ‘name claiming’ site today that lets you snag a primo username early.

More: FISTFULAYEN, New York Times, AllThingsD and Music Week. See also Mediagazer

Daniel Cooper / Engadget:

Three UK offers free data, text and calls while roaming in the USA — Hey hey, it's a party in the USA, or at least, it will be for UK-to-US travelers who are signed up to Three. The network has just announced that those intrepid pond-hoppers will be entitled to roam with their UK allowances of data, text and calls absolutely free.

More: Three Media Centre, Geeky Gadgets, iMore, pocketnow.com, Cult of Mac, Mobile Industry Review, Gigaom, The Next Web, Softpedia News, The Verge, Phones Review, Android Central, SlashGear and Inquirer. Tweets: @ruskin147

Kyle Orland / Ars Technica:

Valve joins the Linux Foundation ahead of SteamOS launch — Gabe Newell speaking at LinuxCon in September. — Linux Foundation — Following the official unveiling of its Linux-based SteamOS back in September, Valve has announced that it is joining The Linux Foundation …

More: AllThingsD, The Linux Foundation, Gigaom, Engadget, VentureBeat, Guardian, PC World, PandoDaily, Forbes, VG247, GameSpot and Softpedia News

Richard Nieva / CNET:

You are the query: Yahoo's bold quest to reinvent search — When Yahoo launched its home page redesign in February — its first such overhaul in the Marissa Mayer era — the company's chief executive sent out a jovial tweet: — A new experience launching on Yahoo today with a newsfeed …

More: Beyond Search. Tweets: @livbarton

Matthew Panzarino / TechCrunch:

Apple, PrimeSense And Perceptive Computing Or: Why Your Phone Will See In 3D — Last month Apple confirmed the acquisition of Israeli motion-sensing company PrimeSense. Initial thoughts turned towards applications in the Apple TV set-top box, but other reports that Apple was interested in its ‘mapping’ capabilities as well.

More: MoneyBeat, Gotta Be Mobile and everythingiCafe

Reuters:

U.S. concern over Huawei telecoms deal with South Korea — (Reuters) - The heads of two U.S. Senate committees overseeing national security have expressed concern to the Obama administration over a recent network supply deal between China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Washington ally South Korea.

More: Bloomberg

Michael Carney / PandoDaily:

Hoxton Ventures aims to bring Silicon Valley DNA to Europe with a new $40M early stage fund — Like most startup ecosystems outside of Silicon Valley, Europe could use more venture capital. But it goes beyond simply a lack of cash. Europe is short of investors willing to forgo near-term revenue …

More: TechCrunch, Tech Europe, Gigaom, Tech.eu, The Next Web, PE Hub Blog, VentureVillage, Rude Baguette and Wired.co.uk. Tweets: @rafat

Jon Fingas / Engadget:

NORAD and Microsoft team on a touch-friendly Santa Claus web tracker — NORAD's Santa Claus tracking has officially entered the tablet era. The defense agency has teamed up with Microsoft on an updated web-based tracker that's designed for touch-friendly browsers, including Internet Explorer 11.

More: TechCrunch, Examiner, WebProNews, Pureinfotech Newsletter, TechNet Blogs, Geeky Gadgets, Google LatLong, Digits, Phones Review and ABC News. Tweets: @dannysullivan

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