Techmeme: Amazon to expand Fire TV's voice search with support for Hulu Plus, Crackle, and Showtime (Dan Seifert/The Verge)

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April 18, 2014, 12:30 AM

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Liz Gannes / Re/code:

Dropbox acquires two more startups: collaborative document tool Hackpad and photo sync app Loom — As It Becomes an App Platform, Dropbox Gobbles Up More Than One App Startup Per Month — Once a simple way to move stuff around between devices and people, Dropbox now wants to be a platform …

More: TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Gigaom and Engadget

Tweets: @bluechoochoo, @dmac1 and @jessicamckellar

Jan Senderek / Loom:

Dropbox acquires Loom, will shut it down and migrate users to Carousel by May 16 — Loom is joining Dropbox — We have some exciting news that we wanted to share with you. Loom is now officially part of Dropbox, and we couldn't be happier to join forces!

More: The Next Web, The Verge, VatorNews, ReadWrite, Cult of Mac, SlashGear, ZDNet, Wall Street Journal, iPhone Hacks, MacStories, Computerworld, iDownloadBlog.com, ParisLemon, Electronista, App Advice and VentureBeat

Tweets: @spencerchen and @roidrage

Taylor Soper / GeekWire:

UberX adds $1 ‘Safe Rides Fee’ for passengers, reinstates 20% commission fee for drivers — UberX customers, take note: Your rides are about to cost a little more. In an email sent to UberX Seattle drivers, the company notes a new “Safe Rides Fee,” that takes effect today.

More: PandoDaily, Engadget, Uber Blog, The Technology Chronicles and The Next Web

Tweets: @mulligan, @caseynewton, @hunterwalk, @owenthomas and @dsilverman

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:

Facebook Launches “Nearby Friends” With Opt-In Real-Time Location Sharing To Help You Meet Up — Today Facebook begins rolling out a new opt-in feature called Nearby Friends. It lets friends see approximately how far away you are from them, and you can share your exact, on-going location with them for a limited time.

Kim Zetter / Wired:

Grams, a Tor-accessible search engine for contraband, aims to be the Google of Dark Web — New ‘Google’ for the Dark Web Makes Buying Dope and Guns Easy — The dark web just got a little less dark with the launch of a new search engine that lets you easily find illicit drugs and other contraband online.

More: TechSpot, The Verge, Gizmodo and SC Magazine. Tweets: @wired

The Sonos Blog:

Sonos software update lets it connect completely wirelessly, $50 Bridge unit no longer needed — Our Vision for Rock-Solid Wireless, Evolved — From the archives: drawing of the original Sonos architecture, 2003. — We created the Sonos Wireless HiFi System to provide music lovers …

More: Digital Trends, TechCrunch, App Advice, The Verge, Electronista, CNET, Gigaom Research, Gizmodo, TechSpot, SlashGear and Engadget

Kelton Lynn / The Twitter Blog:

Twitter launches mobile app install ads, integrates MoPub ad-buying — A new way to promote mobile apps to 1 billion devices, both on and off-Twitter — We are excited to announce new ways for marketers and developers to drive app installs and app engagements using our new mobile app promotion suite …

Vindu Goel / New York Times:

Twitter Goes After a Facebook Cash Cow

More: The Next Web. Tweets: @sacca and @betajames

Jonathan Kizer / 9to5Google:

Try before you buy: Google launches home try-on program for Glass — Google is allowing potential Explorers to try Glass before they shell out the $1,500 to actually buy the device, according to a Reddit user by the name of clide. He posted various images of a home try-on kit …

More: VentureBeat, Google Glass Fans, Glass Almanac, Gigaom, TechCrunch, Ubergizmo, Electronista, SlashGear, Phandroid and TechnoBuffalo

Chris Velazco / Engadget:

GoogolPlex intercepts Siri commands, lets it control third-party apps like Spotify and Google Maps — College kids gave Siri new powers and now you can too — We already know Apple is working on improving Siri, but gosh dangit, the folks in Cupertino just aren't moving as fast as some would like.

More: Gizmodo, Wired, LAPTOP Magazine, NEWS.com.au, BGR, iPhone in Canada Blog, SlashGear, iPhone Hacks, TechSpot, TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, Lifehacker and CITEworld

Bertel King, Jr / Android Police:

Unfinished ‘Easy Unlock’ Feature Creeps Into Chrome OS Dev — A new feature has snuck into the Chrome OS dev channel that, while not yet fully baked (okay, it's still mostly a block of ice), could one day allow users to unlock their Chromebooks automatically just by having their phone in close proximity.

More: 9to5Google, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, SlashGear and Pocketnow

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:

Ubuntu 14.04 will power “first commercially available Ubuntu tablets” — From May 2013, a tablet running an early version of Ubuntu Touch. — Andrew Cunningham — Canonical today is releasing Ubuntu 14.04, a Long Term Support (LTS) edition for desktops and servers and an update to the versions of Ubuntu for phones and tablets.

More: Engadget, eWeek, eWeek, BetaNews, Computerworld, ZDNet, Inquirer, insights.ubuntu.com, Softpedia News, V3.co.uk and Liliputing

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

Instacart Could Raise A Big New Round Of Funding Valuing It At $400 Million — On-demand grocery startup Instacart is fielding term sheets for a big new round of funding, according to sources. We've heard the new financing could be led by a non-VC investor, and according to one source it would value the company at up to $400 million.

Thanks:@loyalelectron

Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:

3 Million Customer Credit, Debit Cards Stolen in Michaels, Aaron Brothers Breaches — Nationwide arts and crafts chain Michaels Stores Inc. said today that two separate eight-month-long security breaches at its stores last year may have exposed as many as 3 million customer credit and debit cards.

More: Business Wire, ZDNet, Los Angeles Times, Electronista and The Verge

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:

One Medical Group Raises $40M To Help Reinvent The Doctor's Office — Disruptive primary care medical practice One Medical Group, is announcing $40 million in growth capital led by Redmile Group, with participation from current institutional investors. The company previously raised $77 million …

More: VentureBeat, PE Hub Blog, Re/code, silicontap.com, VatorNews and Forbes

Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:

AMD beats earnings targets as game console-chip shipments remain strong — but earnings are down big — Advanced Micro Devices reported financial results that beat Wall Street earnings targets thanks to strong sales of game console chips. — The chip maker reported a non-GAAP net profit …

More: Tech Trader Daily, ZDNet, Reuters, InfoWorld, Electronista and Re/code

Josh Ong / The Next Web:

Microsoft's Xbox One passes 5M units sold to retailers, but Titanfall boost not enough to beat Sony — Microsoft today announced that it has sold over 5 million Xbox One consoles to retailers around the globe, but sales of the system have still lagged behind rival Sony's PlayStation 4.

More: PlayStation.Blog, Xbox Wire, The Verge, VentureBeat, Forbes, WinBeta, The Official Microsoft Blog, Polygon and CNET

Tweets: @heyheyesj and @xboxp3

Martyn Williams / PC World:

Exclusive: Google's Project Loon tests move to LTE band in Nevada — Google has expanded its Project Loon tests to the Nevada desert and, for the first time, into licensed radio spectrum. — Google declined to comment on the secret trials, but a local official confirmed they are related to Project Loon …

Dan Seifert / The Verge:

Amazon to expand Fire TV's voice search with support for Hulu Plus, Crackle, and Showtime — Amazon announced today that the voice search functionality in its Fire TV media streaming box would soon be expanded to include information from Hulu Plus, Crackle, and Showtime Anytime.

More: Amazon.com, Digital Trends, AppleInsider, VentureBeat, BetaNews, The Next Web, TechSpot, Gotta Be Mobile, GeekWire, TechnoBuffalo and Engadget. See also Mediagazer

Jason Del Rey / Re/code:

Lending Club Raises $115 Million, Acquires Springstone Financial for $140 Million — Lending Club, the online market that connects borrowers looking for loans with individuals with the money to fund them, has acquired Springstone Financial for about $140 million in cash and stock, the company said this morning.

More: TechCrunch, The Technology Chronicles and VatorNews

Alex Hern / Guardian:

Tor may be forced to cut back capacity after Heartbleed bug — The secure service may have to remove vulnerable servers affected by the bug, the network's co-founder warns — Tor, the secure networking service, may have to close down an eighth of its capacity as a result of the Heartbleed flaw.

More: Ars Technica, Threatpost, The Register, BetaNews, ITworld.com, Engadget, Inquirer and Help Net Security. Tweets: @briankrebs

Seth Fiegerman / Mashable:

Weibo Stock Rises 19% on First Day Despite Investor Concerns — Weibo stock closed at $20.24 a share, an increase of just under 20% on the day, despite investor concerns leading up to the initial public offering. — Weibo priced its IPO at $17 a share, at the low end of its proposed price range …

More: Re/code, Bloomberg View, Reuters, CNNMoney.com, Wall Street Journal, Forbes and TechCrunch. Tweets: @nycjim

Dogan News Agency:

After reaching a “consensus” with Twitter, Turkey's telecommunications agency will blur “malicious content” on the service — Twitter posts to be blurred to eliminate ‘malicious content,’ minister says … Turkey's telecommunication authority will pixelate Twitter posts …

More: Mashable. Tweets: @evacide and @nycjim. See also Mediagazer

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