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April 17, 2014, 8:20 PM

Top News

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: Engadget, Gigaom, TechCrunch and VentureBeat

Tweets: @jessicamckellar, @dmac1 and @bluechoochoo

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

Tweets: @spencerchen and @roidrage

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: @betajames and @sacca

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, The Verge, TechCrunch, Gigaom Research, Electronista, Gizmodo, CNET, SlashGear, TechSpot, App Advice and Engadget

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

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: The Technology Chronicles and The Next Web. Tweets: @dsilverman, @owenthomas, @caseynewton, @hunterwalk and @mulligan

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

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

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: Threatpost, The Register, lists.torproject.org …, ITworld.com, BetaNews, Engadget, Inquirer and Help Net Security. Tweets: @briankrebs

Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:

Confirmed: Nasty Heartbleed bug exposes OpenVPN private keys, too

More: PC World, ReadWrite, Computerworld, Softpedia News and Washington Post

Tweets: @virusbtn and @markloman

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, TechCrunch and Pocketnow

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, VatorNews and The Technology Chronicles

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

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

Aereo Launches ProtectMyAntenna.org To Explain Its Position Vs. Broadcasters — Aereo is about to present its case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but first it wants to present its case to you. Today, the startup launched ProtectMyAntenna.org, a website designed to inform its users about Aereo's tech …

More: Engadget, TechHive, Wall Street Journal, DSLreports, Digital Trends, VentureBreak, Business Insider, PandoDaily, Stop the Cap!, The Verge, blog.chron.com, Re/code, Lost Remote, CNET and Softpedia News. See also Mediagazer

Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:

RunKeeper's new Breeze app tracks every step you take — RunKeeper is one of the most popular run-tracking apps for the iPhone, and today it's launching a new app called Breeze to take count of how much you're walking around too. The app works only on the iPhone 5S and is based around …

More: Engadget, AppleInsider, Beyond the Miles, TechnoBuffalo, 9to5Mac, Gizmodo, VentureBeat, MacNN, iPhone in Canada Blog, Xconomy, Laughing Squid, iMore, The Next Web, TUAW, SlashGear, iDownloadBlog.com, TechCrunch and Phones Review

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, TechHive, GeekWire, Engadget, TechSpot, The Next Web and Gotta Be Mobile

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

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: ZDNet, Business Wire, The Verge and Electronista

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

Brett Molina / USA Today:

Zynga designs its flagship for mobile, launches FarmVille 2: Country Escape on iOS and Android — Zynga bets the Farm(Ville) on mobile — After spending years building its wealth through the desktop computer, Zynga is ready to bet the farm on mobile. — On Thursday, the video game maker launches …

More: VentureBeat, Zynga Company Blog, CNET, Washington Post, Gamasutra, PC Magazine, Kotaku and TIME

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