Techmeme
December 6, 2013, 6:30 PM

Top News

Barbara Ortutay / Associated Press:
Apple to begin using iBeacons at 254 US stores enabling in-store notifications in updated app  —  Apple guides shoppers inside stores with iBeacon  —  NEW YORK (AP) — GPS will tell you how to get to the nearest Apple store.  With iBeacon, Apple hopes to guide you around once you're inside …
Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:
Yahoo acquires live concert streaming platform Evntlive  —  Redwood City-Calif. based live concert streaming platform Evntlive has been acquired by Yahoo.  Evntlive announced the acquisition on its website Friday, stating that the service will be discontinued, and that the Evntlive team will join Yahoo Video.
Akshat Rathi / Ars Technica:
The metals in your smartphone may be irreplaceable  —  Shades of 60 elements that make up a computer chip.  —  intelfreepress  —  A few centuries ago, there were just a few widely used materials: wood, brick, iron, copper, gold, and silver.  Today's material diversity is astounding.
Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:
Supreme Court to review patents on software  —  The Supreme Court announced Friday it will review if business methods implemented through computer software should be eligible for monopolies under patent law.  —  The decision to review software eligibility comes as U.S. courts continue …
Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
Facebook says ranking change is not targeting BuzzFeed and Upworthy in interview with News Feed boss  —  Like This if You Like Pandas!  Facebook Says Publishers Shouldn't Fret About News Feed Changes.  —  In 2011, Google changed the way it ranked websites, in an effort to punish spammers and …
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Fortune:
WSJ: Apple e-book judge is ‘a disgrace to the judiciary’  —  News Corp's Wall Street Journal calls for Judge Denise Cote to be taken off the case.  —  FORTUNE — Most of arguments the Wall Street Journal made Friday in a strident editorial calling for the ouster of the judge …
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
Apple demands $15 million in legal fees from Samsung, spent over $60M on California case  —  In the U.S. patent reform context, “loser pays"-type fee-shifting is a hot topic (see this Bloomberg article on “Three Issues to Watch as the Senate Targets Patent Trolls”, which contains a quote …
Brad Molen / Engadget:
LG G Flex review: a promising phone, but not one you should buy right now  —  It's not too often we get to review a product with a completely new form factor, but we relish the opportunity when we do.  This time, we're taking a closer look at the LG G Flex, one of two curved smartphones …
Kashmir Hill / Forbes:
U.S. Spy Rocket Has Octopus-Themed ‘Nothing Is Beyond Our Reach’ Logo.  Seriously.  —  The Office of National Intelligence was very excited about sending a rocket into space Thursday with a bunch of new satellites and live tweeted its launch.  This would usually be a cute display of social media …
Dan Primack / Fortune:
Benchmark raises $425 million for new fund  —  Sand Hill Road stalwart closes eighth fund.  —  FORTUNE — Silicon Valley venture capital firm Benchmark has raised $425 million for its eighth fund, according to an SEC filing.  —  This is the same size as Benchmark's prior fund, raised in 2011 …
More: TechCrunch and Gigaom
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Less Than 10% Of Twitter's Revenues Came From Promoted Trends In Q2 2013, SEC Filings Reveal  —  Twitter has been putting a lot of effort into its advertising business, which today is the newly public company's primary strategy for generating revenue.  But it turns out that one of its earliest …
More: Computerworld and BloombergTweets: @shiraovide
Computerworld:
Microsoft ends Windows 7 retail sales  —  Microsoft has quietly ended retail sales of Windows 7, according to a notice on its website.  —  Microsoft has quietly ended retail sales of Windows 7, according to a notice on its website.  —  The company's policies for shutting off sales …
Stephen Lawson / Computerworld:
Moore's Law isn't making chips cheaper anymore  —  Regular cost declines with each new generation of silicon are coming to an end  —  At a wine bar in San Francisco on Wednesday, Broadcom Chairman and CTO Henry Samueli delivered some sobering news: Moore's Law isn't making chips cheaper anymore.
Liz Gannes / AllThingsD:
To Comply With FDA, 23andMe Won't Give New Customers Genetic Analysis  —  The personal genetics startup 23andMe announced this evening that it will stop giving new customers access to health reports tied to their genes, after being warned by the FDA over compliance issues.
Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:
YC's new replacement for convertible notes avoids hassles around interest and maturity dates  —  Y Combinator Introduces Safe, Its Alternative To Convertible Notes  —  Years ago, Y Combinator helped popularize the convertible note as a way for startups that go through its accelerator to easily raise seed money.
Kevin Gosztola / Firedoglake:
AT&T Refuses to Disclose to Shareholders What Data It Shares with the NSA  —  AT&T, one of the largest United States telecommunications companies in the world, has informed shareholders it will not disclose any details on its dealings with the National Security Agency.

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Earlier Picks

Jeremy Kirk / PC World:
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
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