Techmeme: ‘Airbnb For Retail’ Startup Storefront Raises $7.3M From Spark Capital, Expands To LA (Ryan Lawler/TechCrunch)

Open Links In New Tab

Mobile Archives Advertise Site News Contact Editors

April 14, 2014, 11:45 PM

Top News

Rene Ritchie / iMore:

Windows Phone 8.1 natively supports Apple Passbook data, an unannounced feature Apple may want to stop — Apple's Passbook passes are being used by Windows Phone 8.1 and Microsoft Wallet — When Apple introduced Passbook in iOS 6 they billed it as a way to store all your tickets, coupons …

More: Ars Technica, AppleInsider, TechnoBuffalo, MacRumors, Gigaom, iPhone in Canada Blog, everythingiCafe, iPhone Hacks, TechCrunch and Electronista. Tweets: @tomwarren

Peter Bright / Ars Technica:

Windows Phone 8.1 review: a magnificent smartphone platform — It's a 0.1 update that feels like a 2.0 update. — For the growing number of Windows Phone users, Windows Phone 8 was a frustrating release. The major difference between Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8 was invisible to end users …

More: Windows Phone Central, The Verge, Neowin, Pocketnow, PC World, Re/code, CNET, ZDNet, MobileBurn.com, FierceWireless, eWeek, GeekWire, ReadWrite, Internet2Go, Liliputing, TIME, SuperSite for Windows, Mashable and SlashGear

Emil Protalinski / The Next Web:

Microsoft starts accepting developer submissions for universal Windows apps and Windows Phone 8.1 apps

More: The Windows Blog, TechCrunch, Windows Phone Central, Neowin, ProgrammableWeb, WMPoweruser, Electronista, Pocketnow, WinBeta, iDownloadBlog.com and Network World

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview now available to download

Jessica Dolcourt / CNET:

Cortana vs. Siri vs. Google Now: An early look at how Cortana stacks up (hands-on)

More: Windows Phone Central, TechHive, Gizmodo, ZDNet and Search Engine Land

Wall Street Journal:

Google buys Titan Aerospace, the maker of high-altitude drones Facebook was considering — Google Buys Drone Maker Courted by Facebook — Internet Giant to Acquire Titan Aerospace — Google Inc. said Monday it agreed to buy Titan Aerospace, a startup maker of high-altitude drones …

More: TechCrunch, PC World, Gigaom, Digital Trends, IntoMobile, Ars Technica, Forbes, Android Community, Neowin, PC Magazine, DSLreports, 9to5Google, SlashGear, Los Angeles Times, dailywireless.org, Business Insider and The Verge

Tweets: @shaliniwsj, @moorehn, @levie, @mikeisaac, @eringriffith and @tomwarren

Mitchell Baker / The Mozilla Blog:

Greylock's Chris Beard joins Mozilla's Board of Directors, becomes interim CEO — Mozilla Moving Forward — Mozilla finds itself in the midst of an unexpected leadership transition. Along with my fellow board members Reid Hoffman and Katharina Borchert, I am pleased to announce …

More: VentureBeat, San Francisco Chronicle, CNET, bizjournals, ReadWrite, Computerworld, TechCrunch, ZDNet, Re/code, eWeek, VatorNews, VentureBeat, The Register, TechSpot, CNNMoney.com, Digital Trends, WebProNews, Mashable, Daily Dot, PC Magazine, New York Times and SiliconBeat. Tweets: @cbeard

Rolfe Winkler / Wall Street Journal:

Google considering giving a boost in its search-engine results to websites that use encryption — Google May Push Sites to Use Encryption — A powerful voice at Google wants websites to be more secure. — In a move that experts say could make it harder to spy on Web users …

More: The Verge, SlashGear, ITworld.com, Mercury News, Geeky Gadgets, BetaNews, Gigaom, VentureBreak, ZDNet, 9to5Google and TheHill. Tweets: @dannysullivan. Thanks:@bryfitz

Kaylene Hong / The Next Web:

Facebook is reportedly prepping an e-money service, and is close to getting approval in Ireland — Facebook wants to be more than a social network — it is planning to facilitate financial services in the form of electronic money and remittances, the Financial Times reports (as spotted first by Benedict Evans).

Kim Masters / Hollywood Reporter:

David Fincher pulls out of talks to direct Sony Pictures' Steve Jobs film — David Fincher Out of Steve Jobs Movie in $10 Million Fee Fight (Exclusive) — The director was negotiating with Sony to reteam with “The Social Network” writer Aaron Sorkin and producer Scott Rudin.

More: Cult of Mac, iPhone Hacks, CNET, 9to5Mac, iDownloadBlog.com, MacRumors, App Advice, Mashable, MacNN, AppleInsider and The Mac Observer. Tweets: @counternotions

Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:

Did Microsoft just kill its anti-Google ‘Scroogled’ campaign? — Summary: A Microsoft Corporate Vice President claims Microsoft is ‘done’ with its ‘Scroogled’ campaign. But is the company really Scroogled out? — Has Microsoft quietly done away with its anti-Google “Scroogled” campaign?

More: Yabbly, BGR, TIME, Ubergizmo, 9to5Google and Neowin. Tweets: @maryjofoley

Jason Del Rey / Re/code:

Amazon Says No to Accepting Bitcoin, Maybe to Building an Amex or Visa Competitor — Like bitcoin? Like Amazon? Want to use bitcoin to buy stuff from Amazon? — I have some bad news for you. Not going to happen anytime soon. — “Obviously it gets a lot of press and we have considered it …

More: GeekWire, CoinDesk, TechSpot, Business Insider and SeekingAlpha.com

Kwame Opam / The Verge:

Heartbleed bug responsible for theft of 900 Canadian tax ID numbers — Canada's taxpayers may be the first victims of the Heartbleed bug that put the web on high alert last week. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, 900 social insurance numbers (SINs) were stolen by hackers exploiting the security vulnerability.

More: cra-arc.gc.ca, CBC News, PC World, The Register, Globe and Mail, CSO Online, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Help Net Security, Reuters, Financial Post, Ars Technica, The Next Web and SC Magazine

Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:

Microsoft makes Office Online available in Chrome Web Store — Summary: Microsoft is making the Web versions of its Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote apps available to users through the Chrome Web Store. — Microsoft's Office Online — the Webified and free versions of Word, Excel …

More: Office Blogs, 9to5Google, BetaNews, Engadget, Wall Street Journal, Windows Phone Central, The Next Web, Neowin, Geeky Gadgets, WinBeta and Gigaom

Pew Research Center:

18% of online Americans have had important personal information stolen, up from 11% last year — More online Americans say they've experienced a personal data breach — As news of large-scale data breaches and vulnerabilities grows, new findings from the Pew Research Center suggest …

More: VentureBeat, Computerworld, CNET, Agence France-Presse, TIME, SocialTimes, Washington Post, internetretailer.com, VatorNews, Re/code, TelecompetitorTelecompetitor and Forbes. Tweets: @hunterwalk

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

‘Airbnb For Retail’ Startup Storefront Raises $7.3M From Spark Capital, Expands To LA — Now more than ever, both big brands and independent merchants are looking for flexibility in the way that they reach consumers. With Storefront, they're able to find space to set up popup shops …

More: Wall Street Journal, silicontap.com, New York Times, VCPOST and PE Hub Blog

Richard Lawler / Engadget:

Google Glass Kit Kat update arrives ahead of tomorrow's big sale, but removes video calling — Still need a push to drop $1,500 on Google's Glass headset when they go on sale to all US residents tomorrow? After skipping a couple of months, the team behind it is pushing a big software update …

More: Google Glass, PC World, The Verge, TechCrunch, The Next Web, 9to5Google, CNET and SlashGear

Chris Welch / The Verge:

Netflix streaming speeds on Comcast jump 65 percent after controversial deal — Netflix customers on Comcast are already seeing the benefits of a controversial pact between the streaming service and cable provider. Comcast jumped five spots in Netflix's ranking of ISP performance for the month of March.

More: Quartz, Netflix US & Canada Blog, BetaNews, BGR, Gigaom, DailyTech, PandoDaily, Engadget and DSLreports. See also Mediagazer

Alyson Shontell / Business Insider:

Inside Clinkle, Lucas Duplan's struggling payments app now three years in the making — A SILICON VALLEY DISASTER: A 21-Year-Old Stanford Kid Got $30 Million, Then Everything Blew Up — The week after Thanksgiving, 40 Clinkle employees gathered in the kitchen of their San Francisco office.

Tweets: @jsoltero, @ajs, @ceonyc and @caseynewton. Thanks:@ajs

Alex Byers / Politico:

Napster co-founder Sean Parker to run Brigade, a startup that aims to boost civic engagement — Napster co-founder Sean Parker to lead civic startup — Big tech industry players want to help get out the vote and are pouring millions into a new start-up to boost American civic engagement.

More: Ars Technica, VentureBeat, The Verge and Mashable

Tweets: @digiphile and @carlmalamud

Thanks:@byersalex

Jason Del Rey / Re/code:

Square Hires Amazon AWS Exec Alyssa Henry as Engineering Lead — Square is one step closer to fully filling out its executive team, hiring long-time Amazon veteran Alyssa Henry as its new engineering lead. — At Square, Henry will “head up engineering operations for Square's infrastructure …

More: Square, TechCrunch and ZDNet. Tweets: @ekp. Thanks:@delrey

Steve Kovach / Business Insider:

Samsung says Galaxy S5 launch weekend sales were better than S4 — How Were Opening Weekend Sales For The New Galaxy S5 Phone? Samsung Won't Say Anything Specific — Samsung bragged about opening weekend demand for its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, but didn't provide specific numbers.

More: GSMArena.com, CNET, TechnoBuffalo, Android Authority, TechSpot, Phandroid, BGR and AndroidSaS

Colleen Taylor / TechCrunch:

Y Combinator Adds Four New Partners, Including Stripe CEO Patrick Collison — Y Combinator is announcing today the addition of four new partners to its roster, as part of its larger push for more growth under new president Sam Altman. — Altman announced in a blog post this afternoon …

More: Y Combinator Posthaven, VentureBeat and bizjournals

Tweets: @garrytan and @katmanalac

Electronic Frontier Foundation:

FBI Plans to Have 52 Million Photos in its NGI Face Recognition Database by Next Year — New documents released by the FBI show that the Bureau is well on its way toward its goal of a fully operational face recognition database by this summer. — EFF received these records in response …

More: The Register, The Verge, VentureBeat and Ars Technica

Sponsor Posts

Subquadratic:

Subquadratic: the LLM built for 12M-token reasoning — SubQ can reason across entire codebases and document sets in one pass with no RAG workarounds. Read how SubQ 1.1 Small holds near-perfect retrieval out to 12M tokens.

Equals:

Stop vibe coding analytics — Equals AI turns questions about your business into auditable spreadsheet models and dashboards. Build once, iterate for years.

Zoho:

Simplifying benefits management in Zoho People — Let's consider a new hire on their first day of orientation. They receive a brief introduction to the benefits plans, and almost immediately, questions start to surface …

IDrive:

Protecting your Cloud Applications Data — Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Sponsor Techmeme

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:

AI Pioneer Jürgen Schmidhuber: AI Already Feels Pain, Loves, and Is Self-Aware

The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.

Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.

Channels with Peter Kafka:

Inside Podcasting's Fight Over Netflix, YouTube, and Creator Control

Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.

Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.

Uncapped with Jack Altman:

Sam Blond from Monaco

Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.

Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.

Training Data:

Anthropic's Katelyn Lesse & Angela Jiang: Building an Ecosystem, not a Walled Garden

Sequoia Capital partners host conversations with leading AI builders and researchers to develop a deeper understanding of the evolving technologies and their implications.

Subscribe to Training Data.

Invest Like the Best:

John Kim - How to Raise a Few Billion Dollars

The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.

Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.

Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:

Connecting the Unconnected: Doreen Bogdan-Martin

Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.

Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.

Add your podcast here

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 11:45 PM ET, April 14, 2014.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.