Techmeme
May 8, 2014, 11:12 PM

Top News

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple in final talks to acquire Beats for $3.2b, deal could be announced next week  —  According to the Financial Times, Apple is in late-stage talks with Beats to acquire the music streaming and headphone maker for a deal worth $3.2 billion.  The deal could be announced as soon as next week, according to the report.
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Why Apple Is Betting Big on Beats: Hardware for Now, Streaming for Later  —  Apple is set to make the biggest purchase in its history: A $3 billion-plus deal for Beats, the company that sells high-end headphones and recently launched a streaming music service.
Harry McCracken / TIME:
My First 7 Questions About This Apple-Beats Deal (Which, By the Way, I'm Not Assuming Is Happening)  —  If it's real, here's hoping it's brilliant in a way which isn't immediately obvious  —  When you hear that Apple may buy a well-known company, it's dangerous to assume that it's going to happen.
Mark Josephson / bitly blog:
Bitly accounts compromised; change API key, reset password, and reconnect social accounts  —  Urgent Security Update Regarding Your Bitly Account  —  We have reason to believe that Bitly account credentials have been compromised.  We have no indication at this time that any accounts have been accessed without permission.
Ben Popper / The Verge:
50 leading tech investors tells the FCC a pay-to-play internet would kill startups  —  Venture capitalist are anxiously awaiting the agency's new plan for an open internet  —  Would it be possible to build the next YouTube or the next Netflix if big ISPs like Comcast and Verizon were allowed …
Sam Biddle / Valleywag:
Goodbye to Katie Cotton, the Queen of Evil Tech PR  —  After 18 years of spin, Katie Cotton, Apple's magnetically ruthless vice president of worldwide corporate communications, has left her job, and tributes from the tech press are pouring in.  What no one will admit is that we were all afraid of her.
Jenna Wortham / New York Times:
Snapchat settles with FTC over misleading marketing, address book collection, security breach; no monetary penalty imposed  —  Snapchat Reaches Settlement With Federal Trade Commission  —  The disappearing act of messages on Snapchat, the mobile messaging service, has not been as foolproof as the company promised.
Adam Lashinsky / Fortune:
Reporter offered pre-IPO shares by Arista Networks, considers it another sign of a tech bubble  —  Yes, we're in a tech bubble.  Here's how I know it  —  When tech startups are willing to offer almost anyone — even a journalist — shares ahead of an I.P.O., a burst isn't terribly far behind.
Brad Molen / Engadget:
OnePlus One review: A $300 phone that looks, feels, and acts like a premium device  —  OnePlus One review: a $300 smartphone has never looked so good  —  Look at your phone.  If you can honestly admit that you love every single thing about it, I have good news: You can stop reading this review …
Tweets: @ac_hu
Andy Greenberg / Wired:
Former NSA Chief Defends Stockpiling Software Flaws for Spying  —  The NSA has never said much about the open secret that it collects and sometimes even pays for information about hackable bugs in commonly used software.  But in a rare statement following his retirement last month …
Tammy Parker / FierceWireless:
Sprint slams on the brakes for top 5% of data users in congested areas  —  Sprint's (NYSE: S) pledge of unlimited data is looking increasingly less sustainable, as the carrier maneuvers to rein in network traffic generated by its heaviest data users and ensure quality of service for the majority of its customers.
Kara Swisher / Re/code:
Yahoo, News Distribution Network deal stalled, next video target could be YouTube network Fullscreen  —  Yahoo Deal to Buy NDN Video Service Stalls — So What's Its Next Video Target?  —  According to sources close to the situation, the $350 million deal for Yahoo to buy online-video service News Distribution Network has stalled.
David Gelles / New York Times:
Omnicom-Publicis $35B mega-merger called off due to internal differences and regulatory issues  —  Ad Agency Giants Said to Call Off $35 Billion Merger  —  Omnicom Group and Publicis have called off their $35 billion merger, bringing a premature end to a deal that would have created …
Ina Fried / Re/code:
ZTE Starts Selling $99 Firefox OS Phone in the U.S., Via eBay  —  While Firefox OS remains targeted at first-time smartphone buyers overseas, China's ZTE said Thursday it will start selling a model in the U.S. via eBay.  —  The ZTE Open C is listed for the “Buy It Now” price of $99.99.
Amir Efrati / The Information:
Comcast Plots Big Push in Web Video Ads  —  As debate over Comcast's control of Internet and TV in American households plays out in front of regulators reviewing its bid for Time Warner Cable, the cable industry leader is quietly planning a major foray into the Web advertising business.
Tweets: @ericnewcomer and @amir
Aaron Levie / The Box Blog:
Box strikes deal with GE to become the default file-sharing service of its 300,000+ employees  —  General Electric and User-Centric IT  —  I'm incredibly excited to share that General Electric has chosen Box as its corporate standard for content sharing and collaboration.

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Earlier Picks

William Alden / New York Times:
Miyoung Kim / Reuters: