Techmeme: Apache OpenOffice hits major 100 million downloads milestone in under 2 years (Brad Chacos/PC World)

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April 18, 2014, 1:50 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: Engadget, TechCrunch, VentureBeat and Gigaom

Tweets: @bluechoochoo, @dmac1 and @jessicamckellar

Jan Senderek / Loom:

Dropbox acquires Loom, will shut it down and migrate users to Carousel by May 16

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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, Pocketnow and SlashGear

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: eWeek, Engadget, BetaNews, eWeek, 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, The Verge and Reuters

Brad Chacos / PC World:

Apache OpenOffice hits major 100 million downloads milestone in under 2 years — Microsoft's Office may be the go-to productivity suite in the business world, but there's apparently plenty of room out there for challengers to thrive: On Thursday, the Apache Software Foundation announced …

More: The Apache Software … and Softpedia News. Thanks:@bradchacos

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

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 …

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: eWeek, Tech Trader Daily, ZDNet, Reuters, 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, Ubergizmo, MCV: Home Stream, WinBeta, DualShockers, SlashGear, Ubergizmo, Siliconera, Joystiq, The Official Microsoft Blog, Polygon, CNET, Forbes and GeekWire

Tweets: @heyheyesj and @xboxp3

Greg Sterling / Marketing Land:

Could “Liking” A Brand On Facebook Waive Your Legal Rights? — There is a very disturbing trend in the world of corporate terms and conditions. Consumers (and small merchants) are increasingly being forced by fine-print clauses into binding arbitration to resolve disputes with companies.

More: New York Times, Gizmodo, eWeek, Gawker, Naked Security, Mashable, Business Insider and Rex Hammock's RexBlog.com. Tweets: @binarybits

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

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