Techmeme
February 26, 2014, 4:55 PM

Top News

Matt Warman / Telegraph:
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.  Suggestions that Facebook's $19bn purchase of the instant messaging service outbid …
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.
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 …
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.
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.
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 …
Ben Popper / The Verge:
Uber kept new drivers off the road to encourage surge pricing and increase fares  —  Limiting supply at riders' expense  —  Andrew Lane is a regular Uber customer with some fond memories of the service.  Last year on President's Day he was the lucky rider selected for an “Ubercade” upgrade.
More: PandoDaily, Gigaom and Valleywag.  Tweets: @zpower
Jeff Atwood / Coding Horror:
App ecosystems reinvent everything hateful about the software industry before the web blew it up  —  App-pocalypse Now  —  I'm getting pretty sick of being nagged to install your damn apps.  —  XKCD helpfully translates:  —  Yeah, there are smart app banners, which are marginally less annoying …
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.
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.
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 …
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
OpenID Connect Identity Protocol Launches With Support From Google, Microsoft & Others  —  Signing users in to a mobile or web app isn't necessarily hard, but keeping their credentials safe is something that's often best left to specialists.  The OpenID Foundation today announced the launch …
Associated Press:
Apple files appeal in e-book antitrust case  —  Apple asks federal appeals court to overturn finding in antitrust case, or award new trial  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Apple filed papers on Tuesday telling a federal appeals court in New York that a judge's finding it violated antitrust laws …
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 …
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Fortune:
Apple to Arizona: Anti-gay bill puts Mesa sapphire plant at risk  —  It's not clear if Apple could do business in a state that sanctions discrimination against gays.  —  FORTUNE — Apple (AAPL) confirmed Monday that it has urged Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to veto a bill that would allow business owners …

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Juan Carlos Torres / Android Community: