Mt. Gox files for bankruptcy protection with $63.6M in outstanding debt; loses 750K customers' bitcoins, 100K of its own, worth in total $473M  —  Mt. Gox Files for Bankruptcy Protection  —  A lawyer for Mt. Gox announced at a news conference at the Tokyo District Court that the embattled bitcoin exchange …

IPCom's $2.2 billion lawsuit against Apple thrown out by German court: no infringement found  —  Two different chambers (panels of judges) of the Mannheim Regional Court just announced a total of three rulings on standard-essential patent (SEP) infringement cases brought by IPCom …

Microsoft experimenting with free version of Windows 8.1  —  Microsoft is currently experimenting with a free version of Windows 8.1 that could boost the number of people using the operating system.  Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have revealed to The Verge that the company is building …

How a Hacker Intercepted FBI and Secret Service Calls With Google Maps  —  Earlier this week, Bryan Seely, a network engineer and one-time Marine, played me recordings of two phone calls (embedded below.)  The calls were placed by unwitting citizens to the FBI office in San Francisco …

Amazon Talks to Music Labels About a Streaming Service  —  Amazon gives away movies and TV shows to people who join its Amazon Prime subscription service.  When will it start giving away music, too?  —  Maybe this year.  People have been predicting that Amazon would offer a Spotify …

Yahoo's project “Touchdown” will turn part of its homepage into an app promotion platform  —  Yahoo Sporty Project Codenames Continue With “Touchdown”  —  Being one of the more sports-impaired people I know, I now have concluded that there is a plot on the part of Yahoo execs …

Comcast deal is beneficial for Netflix but not for true net neutrality  —  Netflix and Net Neutrality  —  This article is by definition very US-centric, but the general principles apply broadly  —  For anyone remotely connected to technology, the idea that net neutrality is an unabashed …

Tor is building an anonymous instant messenger  —  Forget the $16 billion romance between Facebook and WhatsApp.  There's a new messaging tool worth watching.  —  Tor, the team behind the world's leading online anonymity service, is developing a new anonymous instant messenger client …

Apple Stores discounting Apple TV w/ $25 iTunes card ahead of new hardware rumored for spring  —  Update: Apple has confirmed the promo, and according to the T&C online orders are also eligible.  —  According to our sources, Apple retail employees were informed this morning that beginning today …

Google Redesigns Hangouts For iOS, Adds Video Messages And Animated Stickers  —  California Court Rules In Favor Of Using Cellphone Maps While Driving  —  Google today launched a new version of its Google+ Hangouts for iOS app.  This new version is the first to be fully optimized for iOS 7 …

GrubHub Publicly Files For $100M IPO, Saw $1.3B In Food Sales In 2013 From 3.4M Active Users  —  Savor Introduces A Personalized Deal Finder & “Flipboard-Like” Coupon Catalog For iPad  —  GrubHub, which has changed its name from the awkward ‘GrubHub Seamless’ it used since …

Microsoft to add a standalone Windows Enterprise version to its business line-up  —  Summary: Microsoft is introducing a Windows Enterprise Edition SKU available for the first time to those without Software Assurance.  —  Microsoft is tweaking its line-up of Windows versions for business users …

UK power companies denied cyberattack insurance because their defences are too weak  —  Energy firm cyber-defence is ‘too weak’, insurers say  —  Energy bosses are getting increasingly worried about the risks posed by cyber attack  —  Power companies are being refused insurance cover …

Now Serving 4M Downloads Daily, The Windows Store Has Grown 135% Since October  —  Gaming Veterans Start Midverse To Bolster App Marketing, Engagement on Android  —  Buried in its MWC slides, Microsoft announced that it now serves 4 million application downloads daily from the Windows Store …

Hands-free Google Voice Search in Chrome  —  If you've ever tried to cook and search at the same time—say, when your hands are covered in flour and you need to know how many ounces are in a cup—you know it can be tricky.  With the latest Chrome Beta, you can search by voice on Google—no typing, clicking or hand-washing required.

California Court: Drivers Can Read Cellphone Maps … FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Drivers in California can legally read a map on their hand-held cellphones while behind the wheel, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.  —  The 5th District Court of Appeal reversed the case of a Fresno man …