Techmeme
December 11, 2013, 2:30 PM

Top News

Tom Warren / The Verge:
Nokia's “Normandy” phone uses a forked variant of Android, a la Kindle Fire  —  This is Nokia's Android phone  —  Codename Normandy is ‘full steam ahead’  —  Nokia has been building its own Android phone according to multiple sources familiar with the company's plans.
Ina Fried / AllThingsD:
Why Nokia Is Building an Android Phone and Why Microsoft Might Not Kill It  —  So, is Nokia really working on an Android-based phone, and would Microsoft really go ahead with such a device?  —  The answer to the first one is definitely yes.  And, surprisingly, the answer to the second question may be yes, as well.
Marguerite Reardon / CNET:
AT&T chief: We can't keep doing big subsidies on phones  —  AT&T's top executive says the era of big subsidies for devices is coming to an end, as wireless operators can no longer afford to fund a constant smartphone upgrade cycle.  —  Speaking at an investor conference in New York City on Tuesday …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft considers free versions of Windows Phone and Windows RT to battle Android  —  Redmond wants to counter Mountain View  —  Microsoft is considering making Windows Phone and Windows RT available free of charge to device makers.  Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have revealed …
The Switch:
NSA uses Google cookies to pinpoint targets for hacking  —  The National Security Agency is secretly piggybacking on the tools that enable Internet advertisers to track consumers, using “cookies” and location data to pinpoint targets for government hacking and to bolster surveillance.
Jordan Crook / TechCrunch:
Spotify Goes Freemium On Tablets, Launches Free Shuffle Product On Smartphones  —  For the first time since launching, Spotify now offers free access to the streaming music service from tablets only, on iOS and Android.  Meanwhile, users on smartphones can use Spotify Shuffle …
Jordan Kahn / 9to5Mac:
Behind the scenes look at Apple TV app development w/ the new Bloomberg channel  —  Unlike its developer program and vast ecosystem of apps on iOS and Mac, there's not much we know about Apple's strategy for content on the Apple TV.  There's been a lot of talk that a much rumored refreshed …
Mary Jo Foley / Fortune:
Steve Ballmer and Microsoft's top executives reflect on his legacy  —  For Steve Ballmer, a lasting touch on Microsoft  —  As the world prepares for Microsoft to announce a new chief executive, we ask the company's top executives—including the man himself—to take a look at the legacy Steve Ballmer leaves on the technology company.
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google Sheets Gets Offline Editing, Speed Boost And Filter Views  —  Google today is launching a major update to Sheets, its Google Drive spreadsheet app that's part of Google Drive productivity suite.  With this new version, Sheets joins the rest of Google's productivity apps in letting users create …
Jon Fingas / Engadget:
Dell unveils education-focused Chromebook 11, arriving in January for under $300  —  As promised, Dell has taken the wraps off its first Chrome OS device, the Chromebook 11.  The 11.6-inch, 2.9-pound laptop is built with the classroom in mind, and it should ship in tandem with a Wyse PocketCloud app …
Joe Mullin / Ars Technica:
“Revenge porn” operator arrested, charged with ID theft  —  Websites that post nude pictures of adults without their permission, commonly known as “revenge porn” sites, have recently drawn public scorn and a few lawsuits.  —  Now, the owner of one revenge porn website is facing prison.
Stacey Higginbotham / Gigaom:
AT&T's gigabit service is $70 if you let it spy on your searches  —  AT&T said Wednesday that it has started service in four Austin neighborhoods with an offer to bring its GigaPower fiber-to-the-home service for $70 a month — but with a pretty big catch.  —  If you want to pay the lower rate …
Kim-Mai Cutler / TechCrunch:
Palantir's Latest Round Valuing It At $9B Swells To $107.8M In New Funding  —  Palantir, the big data company that started off with clients like the FBI and CIA before building up a large private-sector roster of customers, just added more funding to its coffers.
Richard Lai / Engadget:
ASUS CEO: The PadFone is coming to America  —  ASUS has big ambitions with its PadFones, a unique phone-to-tablet convertible concept that was first introduced back at Computex 2011.  While these devices are barely nibbling on the global mobile market (let alone entering the US) …
Emil Protalinski / The Next Web:
Glassdoor: Twitter dethrones Facebook as the best tech company to work for, ending three-year streak  —  Career website Glassdoor today released its sixth annual Employees' Choice Awards, a list of the 50 best places to work for in the coming year.  Twitter was elected the number one tech company …
Katherine Rosman / Wall Street Journal:
Twitter plants “Mirror” tablets at VIP events for celebrities to tweet selfies  —  Twitter Mirror: Celebrities' New Publicity Machine  —  Cellphones, Paparazzi Won't Do; Twitter Pushes Star Entertainers, Athletes to Take More Photos … It's no simple job to manufacture authentic, spontaneous celebrity photos.
Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
Web Video Startup Ooyala Raises $43 Million  —  We saw a smattering of ad tech IPOs this year, and there are a bunch of companies that are supposedly lined up for next year.  —  Here's one you likely won't see going public in 2014 — at least not in the beginning of the year: Ooyala, the Web video startup.
Christina Farr / VentureBeat:
Coursera debuts its iPhone app to bring you online education on the go  —  Andrew Ng, a co-founder of Coursera, at an IBM research event  —  Coursera appears to be racing ahead of its competition in its quest to bring online education to your smartphone.  —  The Mountain View-based online …
Thomas Gryta / Wall Street Journal:
First major U.S. wireless spectrum auction since 2008 attracts speculators, no major carriers  —  A Gold Rush Hits Wireless Spectrum  —  First U.S. Auction of Airwaves Since 2008 Lures Speculators  —  The U.S. government's first major auction of wireless airwaves since 2008 has speculators panning for gold.
Tweets: @tgryta
Artem Russakovskii / Android Police:
Google Play Books now allows ebook uploads from any Android device  —  Google Play Books Update 3.1.17 Finally Lets You Upload Books Directly From Devices, Open Books Faster And Smoother, And More [APK Download]  —  Google Play Books update 3.1.17 is slowly rolling out …
Bloomberg:
Microsoft's Xbox One Sales Hit 2 Million Amid Race to Catch Sony  —  Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said sales of the new Xbox One video-game console reached more than 2 million in its first 18 days on the market, as the company vies to keep pace with Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 4 during the holiday season.

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John Herrman / BuzzFeed: