Techmeme
February 25, 2014, 10:00 PM

Top News

Nilay Patel / The Verge:
The internet is f**ked (but we can fix it)  —  Here's a simple truth: the internet has radically changed the world.  Over the course of the past 20 years, the idea of networking all the world's computers has gone from a research science pipe dream to a necessary condition of economic and social development …
Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:
Doug Thompson / BEEKn:
Apple Releases iBeacon Specification  —  Apple has quietly rolled out its iBeacon specification as it starts to certify devices that carry the Bluetooth LE standard.  —  Under their MFI program, manufacturers can now request that Apple permit them to attach the iBeacon name to their devices so long as they meet certain criteria.
Rohin Dhar / Priceonomics Blog:
Square is Testing a New App for Ordering Food: Square Pickup  —  Square, the mobile payments startup, is testing a new app called “Square Pickup.”  It's a simple app that lets you order food from a Square merchant ahead of time.  The app is currently in testing with several San Francisco restaurants.
Dan Levine / Reuters:
For Google Glass, Google lobbying against distracted driving regulation in 3 US states  —  Exclusive: Google sets roadblocks to stop distracted driver legislation  —  (Reuters) - Google is lobbying officials in at least three U.S. states to stop proposed restrictions on driving with headsets …
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Cell phone freedom bill passes House  —  Legislation aimed at letting people use their cell phones with any mobile carrier they wish was narrowly approved by the House today, after several Democrats opposed the bill due to a last minute change in the text.  —  House Republicans called …
Erin Griffith / Fortune:
Exclusive: Sean Parker's Airtime has quietly relaunched as OkHello (and it's actually working)  —  Airtime has hidden its ties to OkHello.  —  FORTUNE — We all remember Airtime, the biggest, flashiest startup launch of 2012.  Napster co-founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning had reunited …
More: Inc.com
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Motorola plans to launch a smartwatch later this year  —  Motorola is planning to jump back into the wearables market later this year, according to senior vice president Rick Osterloh.  The company will launch a smartwatch that Osterloh claims will address “consumer issues like style and battery life.”
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Connect Debuts A “Living” Address Book That Maps Your Nearby Friends  —  Connect, a new location-based address book and friend-finder utility launching today for both web and iPhone, will tell you who's nearby, allowing for more “serendipitous” encounters.  If that idea sounds vaguely familiar …
Josh Ong / The Next Web:
Happy ending: @N has been restored to its rightful owner  —  Many of you have been following with interest Naoki Hiroshima's tale of how he was extorted into giving up his valuable @N username on Twitter.  The good news is that Hiroshima is back in control of the account:
More: Business Insider.  Tweets: @n and @marcedwards
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple releases OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 with SSL fix, FaceTime Audio, contact blocking, Mail fixes  —  Following an extensive developer beta process, Apple has just released OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 to end users.  The update brings a few new features and enhancements, including:
Joe Vazquez / CBS San Francisco:
Woman Wearing Google Glass Says She Was Attacked In San Francisco Bar  —  SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) - A Bay Area woman said she was attacked for wearing the Google Glass wearable computer at a bar in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury.  —  Tech writer Sarah Slocum wrote on her Facebook page …
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Inside one of Microsoft's biggest and most mysterious teams, the Applications and Services Group  —  Summary: Since Microsoft reorganized last July, there has been little information about what its new Applications & Services team is doing or how it's organized.  Now we know a bit more.
More: GeekWire
Kyle Orland / Ars Technica:
King files to abandon controversial “Candy” trademark in US  —  Company holding on to acquired “Candy Crusher” trademark for protection.  —  It seems Candy Crush Saga maker King may have realized it reached too far in trying to claim a trademark on the common dictionary word “candy.”
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
BlackBerry Introduces The Z3, It's First Foxconn Phone, And The Q20 QWERTY Handset  —  BlackBerry has a couple of new smartphones in the offing, including the first sourced from new strategic partner Foxconn.  The first Foxconn BlackBerry is the Z3, a Nokia-like touchscreen smartphone with rounded sides …
Ina Fried / Re/code:

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Earlier Picks

Derrik J. Lang / Associated Press:
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica: