Techmeme
March 11, 2014, 4:30 PM

Top News

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
iOS 8: Apple polishes Maps data, adds public transit directions service  —  Apple is readying an upgraded version of its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Maps application for the next major release of iOS in an effort to battle Google for mobile maps supremacy, according to sources briefed on the plans.
David Kushner / Rolling Stone:
The Flight of the Birdman: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out  —  How did a chain-smoking geek from Hanoi design the viral hit Flappy Bird - and why did he walk away?  —  By  —  Last April, Dong Nguyen, a quiet 28-year-old who lived with his parents in Hanoi, Vietnam …
Arik Hesseldahl / Re/code:
Collaboration Software Maker Jive Explores Sale  —  Jive, the enterprise-focused software company that makes social communication and collaboration tools, has explored a sale during the last several months, sources familiar with the matter tell Re/code.  —  These sources say the company …
Liz Gannes / Re/code:
Secret-Sharing App Whisper Raising Another $30 Million at $200 Million Valuation  —  Whisper, the popular anonymous sharing app, is reeling in more money from venture capitalists, only six months after its last funding round.  —  The round is worth just shy of $30 million …
Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:
Feinstein: CIA searched Intelligence Committee computers  —  The head of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday sharply accused the CIA of violating federal law and undermining the constitutional principle of congressional oversight as she detailed publicly for the first time how the …
GSMArena.com:
Leaked ad says two rear cameras on the new HTC One will allow post-shot focusing, 3D effects  —  EXCLUSIVE: here's why the HTC One 2014 has two cameras  —  HTC experiments with cameras to set its One phones apart and The All New One will have two cameras but we didn't know why until now.
John McDermott / Digiday:
Twitter testing click-to-call button which allows mobile users to call advertisers directly  —  Twitter tries to prove its ads drive sales  —  As part of its continued effort to evolve and broaden its advertising capabilities, Twitter is now touting itself as a platform for effective direct response advertising.
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google Launches Add-On Store For Google Docs  —  Google today announced the launch of its add-on store for Google Docs' spreadsheet and word processor apps.  The store, which resembles the Chrome Web Store in its design, currently features about 50 add-ons, with more coming in the near future.
Ellis Hamburger / The Verge:
Instagram shoots for global expansion with big Android update  —  Instagram has always set a high bar for speed.  While other photo apps add feature after feature, Instagram's updates generally come in the form of “Bug fixes and performance improvements.”  Instagram's latest update for Android …
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
Sprint owner vows “massive price war” if it can buy T-Mobile  —  “Three heavyweight fight” would put real pressure on Verizon and AT&T, CEO says.  —  The CEO of Sprint owner SoftBank said he'll start a “massive price war” if his company can purchase T-Mobile US.Sprint is attempting to buy T-Mobile but hasn't reached an agreement yet.
Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:
Mother sues Google over kids' apps after 5-year-old son buys $65 worth of virtual currency  —  A New York woman whose child spent $65.95 on digital “Crystals” has filed a lawsuit on behalf of other parents across the U.S., claiming the Google Play store is full of games and apps that lure children into spending money.
Deborah Gage / Wall Street Journal:
Metamorphic Ventures raises ~$70M second fund, aims to bridge New York and Silicon Valley  —  Aiming to Bridge Silicon Valley and New York, Metamorphic Ventures Closes Second Fund  —  Silicon Valley may be the world's center of technology, but New York City drives a lot of other industries that need tech.
John Ruwitch / Reuters:
Lenovo says China strike an IBM matter, but it won't cut wages  —  (Reuters) - Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd said it was up to IBM to resolve a wildcat strike at a China-based factory, as a deal to buy the U.S. company's server business had yet to be finalized.
Stacey Higginbotham / Gigaom:
Physicist proposes a new type of computing at SXSW.  Check out orbital computing  —  The demand for computing power is constantly rising, but we're heading to the edge of the cliff in terms of increasing performance — both in terms of the physics of cramming more transistors on a chip and in terms of power consumption.
Eric Johnson / Re/code:
Oculus Picks Up New Chief Architect, Valve's Atman Binstock  —  One of the lead engineers on Valve's experiments with virtual reality, Atman Binstock, has left to join Oculus VR as its chief architect.  —  Binstock will lead a new research and development team based in the Seattle area.
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google Updates Chrome Web Store With Support For Paid Extensions And Themes, Free Trials For Packaged Apps  —  Google made a couple of updates to its Chrome Web Store today and with these, developers can now use the store to offer free trials for packaged apps (which are able to run offline).

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More News

Timothy J. Seppala / Engadget:

Earlier Picks

James Surowiecki / New Yorker:
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Andrew Cunningham / Ars Technica:
Chris Welch / The Verge: