Techmeme: Andy Rubin leads Google's new manufacturing-focused robotics effort that acquired seven companies in the last six months (John Markoff/New York Times)

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December 4, 2013, 3:55 PM

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

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, iMore, AppleInsider, dailywireless.org, Macworld, iPhone Hacks, iDownloadBlog.com, 9to5Mac, MacRumors, iPhone in Canada Blog, App Advice, iClarified and iLounge

Nitasha Tiku / Valleywag:

Leaked: Uber's Internal Revenue and Ride Request Numbers — Valleywag has obtained detailed internal financial information indicating that Uber, the e-hailing app that has spawned a hundreds of half-baked pitches, is making a lot more money than its investors had anticipated.

More: VentureBeat and Business Insider. Tweets: @nickconfessore, @stammy, @conorsen, @benpopper and @danprimack

Omer Horvitz / Techmeme News:

Techmeme finally posts stories to its Facebook page — You may not know this, but Techmeme's had a Facebook page since 2007. And it has garnered many “likes”, including Mark Zuckerberg's. (You may have heard of him!) Unfortunately, and perversely, Techmeme never actually posted anything to this page during all those years.

Tweets: @eldon

Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:

Intuit Buys Docstoc for a Price of Up to $50 Million to Round Out Small Business Services — Intuit has acquired Docstoc, the electronic document service aimed at the sale and storage of a wide variety of documents for businesses. — While the well-known Silicon Valley-based business software company …

More: Gigaom, PandoDaily, TechCrunch, Forbes, Inc.com and Docstoc

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: CNNMoney.com, Ars Technica, PC Magazine, Search Engine Watch, Business Insider, PandoDaily, BBC, Engadget, Gizmodo, Help Net Security, PandoDaily, ZDNet, Graham Cluley, Softpedia News and InfoWorld. Tweets: @virusbtn

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 …

Washington Post:

NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show — The National Security Agency is gathering nearly 5 billion records a day on the whereabouts of cellphones around the world, according to top-secret documents and interviews with U.S. intelligence officials …

Tweets: @koxinga21 and @csoghoian

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, Gigaom, The Verge, Engadget, New York Times, AllThingsD, WebProNews, Droid Life, Android Community, iPhone Hacks and Gizmodo

Tweets: @rob_sheridan, @trent_reznor, @chartier and @caseynewton

Rana Foroohar / TIME:

TIME Exclusive: Icahn Files Apple Shareholder Proposal — The richest man on Wall Street is opening a new front in his quest to persuade Apple to part with more of its massive cash stockpile. — Veteran investor Carl Icahn is opening a new front in his quest to persuade Apple to part with more of its massive cash stockpile.

More: TechCrunch, The Verge, 9to5Mac, AllThingsD, Business Insider, Tech Trader Daily and MacDailyNews

Tweets: @carl_c_icahn, @davidfaber and @danprimack

Kevin Poulsen / Wired:

This Is the MIT Surveillance Video That Undid Aaron Swartz — The door to the network closet pops open and a slender figure enters, a bicycle helmet hanging from one arm. He sheds his backpack and pulls out a cardboard box containing a small hard drive, then kneels out of frame.

More: Errata Security, The Switch, Softpedia News, Salon and Business Insider

Jessica E. Lessin / The Information:

Former Wall Street Journal reporter launches The Information, a tech news site with a $399 annual subscription — Letter From the Editor — Technology news needs a reboot. There are more stories and outlets than ever, but a troubling cycle is playing out:

More: Business Insider, Silicon Valley Watcher and The Michael Report

Tweets: @nichcarlson, @theinformation, @tim_stevens, @hunterwalk, @samfbiddle, @hunterwalk, @amir, @fmanjoo and @jessicalessin

See also Mediagazer

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: TechCrunch, StrictlyVC, AllThingsD, TechSpot and PandoDaily

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: PandoDaily, TechCrunch and VentureBeat

Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:

European Commission clears Microsoft's Nokia purchase — The European Commission has given Microsoft's planned acquisition of Nokia's mobile device business the green light. EUapprovesmsnokia In a press release dated December 4, the Commission said it had investigated potential compeition concerns and found none.

More: GeekWire, EU Press Room, TechCrunch, WMPoweruser, pocketnow.com and FOSS Patents

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, pocketnow.com, AllThingsD, Android Beat, IntoMobile, Phones Review, Unwired View, Engadget, Ars Technica and Tech in Asia

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: Los Angeles Times, CNNMoney.com, Business Insider, 5by5 Master Audio Feed, Inc.com, Venture Capital Dispatch, Technology Advice, Computerworld, AllFacebook, Guardian and Softpedia News

Tweets: @alexia, @mikeisaac and @katies

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: @xesisoj, @rustambaratov, @joshuatopolsky and @schneidertobias

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: The Linux Foundation, AllThingsD, Engadget, VentureBeat, WebProNews, Guardian, Computerworld, PandoDaily, VG247, Forbes, GameSpot and Softpedia News

Mariella Moon / Engadget:

Any.DO's Cal app vies for your attention on Google Play (video) — While a ton of calendar apps already populate Google Play, we bet Any.DO fans will still be happy to hear that Cal has finally made its way to Android-land. The software retains most of its iOS counterpart's features, including built-in access to Google Maps and Uber.

More: Inside Search, Any.do, The Next Web, Android and Me, Gigaom, Inside Mobile Apps, The Next Web, The Verge and Business Insider

AllThingsD:

Rhode Island School of Design President John Maeda Departs for Roles at Kleiner Perkins and eBay — John Maeda, the former MIT professor who is a director on the boards of Sonos and Quirky, is leaving his role as president of at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design to take a role …

Tweets: @johnmaeda

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: BGR, Stowe Boyd, Digits, Gigaom Research and Real Story Group Recent …

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

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