Techmeme
February 26, 2014, 7:55 PM

Top News

Matt Warman / Telegraph:
Google never offered to acquire WhatsApp, says SVP Sundar Pichai  —  Google did not bid for WhatsApp  —  Claims that Facebook outbid Google in its $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp are untrue, a top executive has said.  —  Google did not bid for WhatsApp, the company revealed yesterday.
Emily Flitter / Reuters:
U.S. attorney subpoenaed Mt Gox, other bitcoin businesses: source  —  (Reuters) - Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's office is seeking information from businesses dealing in bitcoin on how some of them handled cyber-attacks that hamstrung several exchanges in recent weeks, a source familiar with the probe said on Wednesday.
Jason Green / Mercury News:
Mountain View: City Council inks deal with Google for new Wi-Fi network  —  Google is set to replace its frustrating to use Wi-Fi network in Mountain View with one that is smaller but more capable.  —  On Tuesday night, the Mountain View City Council enthusiastically approved a new five-year agreement …
Wall Street Journal:
White House Weighs Four Options for Revamping NSA Phone Surveillance  —  Proposals Range From Running Program Through Phone Companies to Ditching It Altogether  —  WASHINGTON—Administration lawyers have presented the White House with four options for restructuring the National Security …
Liam Spradlin / Android Police:
This Is An Early Prototype Of The Google Watch Made By Motorola Last Year [Update: One More Image]  —  A few days ago, we published a story about Google's possibly upcoming smartwatch.  Current rumors suggest that the watch may be ready in time for Google I/O, and that it might be made by LG.
Tatiana Siegel / Hollywood Reporter:
David Fincher in Early Talks to Direct Steve Jobs Film for Sony (Exclusive)  —  Based on Walter Isaacson's best-selling biography, the film would reteam Fincher with “Social Network” writer Aaron Sorkin and producer Scott Rudin.  —  David Fincher already has tackled one Silicon Valley billionaire in Mark Zuckerberg.
Jason Del Rey / Re/code:
eBay Leads Giant $133.7 Million Investment in Indian Shopping Site Snapdeal  —  EBay is leading a $133.7 million investment in online shopping website Snapdeal that could result in a buyout of what is viewed as the eBay of India.  —  EBay contributed a large majority of the total investment …
Ron Amadeo / Ars Technica:
“Google Now Launcher” hits Play Store, brings Google homescreen to GPE & Nexus devices  —  When KitKat launched, Google made the odd decision to make one of the headline features, a brand-new launcher, exclusive to the Nexus 5.  The new launcher was actually a merging of the standard home screen with the Google Search app.
Ron Amadeo / Ars Technica:
Hands-on with Samsung's Tizen OS: An impressively capable Android clone  —  The Tizen home screen.  —  BARCELONA, SPAIN—Samsung has such a large presence at Mobile World Congress that it doesn't just have one giant booth; there are also several smaller ones scattered around the show halls.
Marc Andreessen / Andreessen Horowitz:
The Future of the News Business: A Monumental Twitter Stream All in One Place  —  I am more bullish about the future of the news industry over the next 20 years than almost anyone I know.  You are going to see it grow 10X to 100X from where it is today.  That is my starting point for any discussion about the future of journalism.
Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:
Google must remove all “Innocence of Muslims” videos from YouTube, appeals court rules  —  A California appeals court on Wednesday ordered Google to take down all copies of a controversial anti-Islamic movie, granting an injunction to an actress in the film who had filed a copyright claim after being subjected to global death threats.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google Becomes A “Second Screen,” Teams Up With FOX To Offer Online Voting Tools For “American Idol”  —  Blippar Introduces Image Recognition And AR Advertising On Google Glass  —  So much for Twitter as the “second screen” and all its TV partnerships - Google announced this morning …
Laura Hazard Owen / Gigaom:
As Barnes & Noble Nook revenues slide 50%, the company says it's launching another tablet  —  Barnes & Noble is cutting jobs and revenues fell again in the third-quarter earnings report released Wednesday, with the Nook segment once again taking a particularly large hit …
Bloomberg:
Rolls-Royce Drone Ships Challenge $375 Billion Industry: Freight  —  In an age of aerial drones and driver-less cars, Rolls-Royce (RR/) Holdings Plc is designing unmanned cargo ships.  —  Rolls-Royce's Blue Ocean development team has set up a virtual-reality prototype at its office in Alesund …

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Jeff Atwood / Coding Horror:
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