Techmeme
May 15, 2014, 10:25 PM

Top News

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC votes for Internet “fast lanes,” but could change its mind later  —  The Federal Communications Commission today voted in favor of a preliminary proposal to allow Internet “fast lanes,” while asking the public for comment on whether the commission should change the proposal before enacting final rules later this year.
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
The FCC doesn't have to authorize Internet fast lanes—they're already legal  —  What the FCC chair really means when he says he isn't legalizing paid fast lanes.  FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler repeatedly said today that his network neutrality proposal doesn't authorize Internet fast lanes.
More: TechCrunch
Lauren Orsini / ReadWrite:
Pinterest Raises A $200 Million Warchest To Do Battle With Google  —  Pinterest has raised $200 million from investors in a deal that values the company at $5 billion, a source close to the company told ReadWrite.  (Update: The company is now confirming its financing.)
Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Most tech giants now score well in EFF's first post-Snowden “Who Has Your Back?” report  —  Who Has Your Back?  —  Protecting Your Data from Government Requests — We entrust our most sensitive, private, and important information to technology companies like Google, Facebook, and Verizon.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Developers Now Able to Provide Promo Codes for In-App Purchases  —  Apple appears to be allowing developers to create promo codes for in-app purchases, a useful feature that makes it far easier to test and promote freemium games and apps with content that can only be purchased within an app once it has been downloaded.
Ibrahim Elbouchikhi / Android Developers Blog:
Google Play now accepting PayPal, opens carrier billing and gift cards sales to more countries  —  Helping You Go Global with More Seamless Google Play Payments  —  By Ibrahim Elbouchikhi, Google Play Product Manager  —  Sales of apps and games on Google Play are up by more than 300 percent over the past year.
Serena Saitto / Bloomberg:
Uber Said to Be in Funding Talks for More Than $10B Value  —  Uber Technologies Inc. is seeking to join the $10 billion-plus club.  —  The San Francisco-based startup, which makes a mobile application for car-service booking, is in talks to raise new financing in a round that may value …
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Apple Releases OS X 10.9.3 With Enhanced Support for 4K Displays, Syncing Improvements  —  Apple today released OS X 10.9.3, after two months of developer testing.  The last 10.9.3 developer beta, build 13D61, was released just over a week ago.  —  The update, which is recommended for all Mavericks users …
Patrick Hoge / San Francisco Business Times:
Zendesk stock soars 49 percent on first trading day  —  Zendesk stock leaped 49 percent ong Thursday as the San Francisco-based cloud-based customer service software provider debuted on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ZEN), to close at $13.43 per share, up $4.43, after pricing at $9 the previous night.
Myles Tanzer / BuzzFeed:
Internal NYT report on digital publishing: weak support systems, neglect of social promotion, editors “unfamiliar with the web”, more  —  Exclusive: New York Times Internal Report Painted Dire Digital Picture  —  “Our journalism advantage is shrinking,” a committee led by the publisher's son warned.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Google Glass' Lead Electrical Engineer Adrian Wong Defects To Oculus  —  Adrian Wong still lists himself as a “professional daydreamer” on LinkedIn, but he's just left Google[x] where he was a lead electrical engineer on Glass to start “Building the Metaverse” at Oculus VR.
More: 9to5Google and UbergizmoTweets: @spencerchen
Kevin C. Tofel / Gigaom:
Windows Phone web usage tops BlackBerry in North America but looks stagnant  —  When is good news the same as bad news?  When a company treads water watching its competitors sink below the surface.  That's exactly the scenario I see from the latest smartphone web usage in North America.
Alex Wilhelm / TechCrunch:
FCC approves rules for 2015 spectrum auction, limiting portion available to AT&T and Verizon  —  FCC Passes 2015 Spectrum Auction Framework On Party-Line 3-2 Vote  —  Following its historic vote to proceed with new, and contentious net neutrality regulatory proposals …
Jessica Dolcourt / CNET:
Text-to-911 service goes live with limited availability, routing issues  —  Text-to-911 is here, but it isn't everything you might think  —  In a world where people text more often than call, typing your emergency to 911 is the logical next step.  But there are kinks to work out before you'll be able to use it nationwide.
Ben Woods / The Next Web:
Skylock: a bike lock that unlocks with an app, includes accelerometer for safety and security  —  Velo Labs wants $50,000 to build a keyless lock that tells you if someone tries to steal your bike  —  Cyclists get a rough time of it on the roads, and if being side-swiped by cars …

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