Techmeme: TechCrunch Managing Editor Leena Rao joins Google Ventures as an Operating Partner (Leena Rao/TechCrunch)

Open Links In New Tab

Mobile Archives Advertise Site News

June 4, 2014, 6:55 PM

Top News

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Netflix Nags Another New Partner, Blaming Verizon for Slow Streams — Earlier this year, Netflix signed a Web traffic deal with Comcast, then complained about it. — Here's a new version of the story: In April, Netflix signed a Web traffic deal with Verizon.

More: Quartz, VatorNews, The Verge, Gizmodo, Business Insider, DSLreports, Digital Trends, The Verge, CNET News, SiliconBeat, Businessweek, BGR, TIME, Electronista, Consumerist, Geek.com, Mashable, Business Insider, The Awl, SlashGear and Ars Technica

Tweets: @yurivictor, @jsf33 and @amy_schatz

See also Mediagazer

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Just Like Comcast Did, Verizon Says Netflix Is Slowing Its Own Streams — Verizon, responding to complaints from Netflix about its broadband service, says Netflix is slowing down its own video streams to the telco's providers. — If that sounds confusing, that's because it is.

More: Washington Post, Verizon and DSLreports. Tweets: @edmundlee

Xbox Wire:

45+ new apps for Xbox coming this year, including live TV-integrated Twitter app, Vine, HBO GO, ShowTime, Comedy Central, and MLG — Twitter, Vine, HBO GO, ShowTime Anytime, Comedy Central, and MLG among More Than 45 New Experiences Coming to Xbox — Today, just five days from the Xbox …

Rich McCormick / The Verge:

Xbox One update unlocks entertainment apps, adds real names

Jordan Kahn / 9to5Mac:

Apple introduces MFi specs for Lightning cable headphones, support arriving in future iOS update — We've learned Apple has quietly introduced a new specification for manufacturers in its Made-For-iPhone/iPad/iPod (MFi) program that allows them to create headphones that connect to iOS devices using …

More: Digital Trends, Engadget, The Verge, Pocketnow, iPhone in Canada Blog, Ars Technica, iMore, Ubergizmo, TechnoBuffalo, iLounge, InvestorPlace, iPhone, SlashGear, AppleTell, Electronista, MacRumors and App Advice. Thanks:@mikebeas

Sam Biddle / Valleywag:

Sources: Fab slowly shutting down; remaining NY employees to be gradually let go over 6 months — Fab.com Is Probably Dead This Year — There hasn't been a single piece of good news from Fab.com in a very long time. Layoffs, mismanagement, plummeting morale, and executive reshuffles …

More: PandoDaily, Business Insider, Consumerist, WebProNews and Mashable

Tweets: @betashop, @mattlynley, @samfbiddle, @betashop and @mattlynley

Mike Beasley / 9to5Mac:

iOS 8 allows all apps to use Safari's JavaScript engine, improving performance of in-app browsers — iOS 8 WebKit changes finally allow all apps to have the same performance as Safari — When iOS 7 launched, developers discovered that their apps with built-in web browsers were unable …

More: Re/code, CNET News, BGR, App Advice, SlashGear, everythingiCafe, iPhone in Canada Blog, VentureBeat, iPhone Hacks and TIME

Tweets: @asadotzler and @mg

Juli Clover / MacRumors:

iOS 8 Offers Quick Access to Apps Based on Location

More: Gizmodo, 9to5Mac, MacStories, Gigaom, App Advice, Macworld, eWeek, Business Insider, ParisLemon, BGR and The Verge

Tweets: @ow and @fraserspeirs

Emil Protalinski / The Next Web:

In addition to Soundcloud, Twitter also reportedly considered acquiring Pandora and Spotify — Last month, a Recode rumor suggested Twitter was looking to buy Soundcloud, only to have a WSJ rumor say that “the numbers didn't add up” for a deal to go through.

More: Financial Times and SeekingAlpha.com. Tweets: @mattlynley

Bloomberg:

GoPro Names Ex-Microsoft Executive Tony Bates as President — GoPro Inc., the maker of cameras used by surfers, skiers and sky divers to record their adventures, recruited former Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) executive Tony Bates as president and added him to the board.

More: Re/code, The Verge, Wall Street Journal, PR Newswire, TechCrunch, TechHive and WinBeta

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:

TechCrunch Managing Editor Leena Rao joins Google Ventures as an Operating Partner — So Long TC, And Hello GV — I thought hard about this post, but time didn't make it any easier to write. After five-and-a-half years at TechCrunch, I'll be joining Google Ventures as an operating partner.

Tweets: @mikeisaac, @parislemon, @alexia, @fromedome, @parislemon, @jakek, @hunterwalk, @startupljackson, @bensign and @samfbiddle. Thanks:@mkakav

Steve Kovach / Business Insider:

Amazon's 3D Smartphone Is Coming June 18 — Amazon is holding a product annoucnement on June 18. — It's probably for the long-rumored Amazon smartphone. — Developing...refresh for updates. — The company posted this video to YouTube that teases the product: — Join the conversation about this story »

More: The Verge, The Next Web, BGR, ZDNet, TechCrunch, Engadget, Gigaom, Gizmodo, 9to5Google and Pocket-lint

Tweets: @amazon and @dannysullivan

Ryan Knutson / Wall Street Journal:

Sprint, T-Mobile Move Closer to a $50 Billion Merger — Sprint Would Buy T-Mobile for Around $40 a Share in Deal That Likely Would Face Regulator Scrutiny — Sprint Corp. and T-Mobile US Inc. have agreed on the broad terms of a merger worth around $50 billion and are working toward a final agreement …

More: Bloomberg, New York Times, ZDNet, GeekWire, Business Insider, VentureBeat, The Next Web, The Verge, Reuters, CNBC, Phandroid, iDownloadBlog.com, SeekingAlpha.com and Engadget. Tweets: @wsjdeals

Molly Wood / New York Times:

Report: Online TV viewing up 246% over last year, outpacing online video, up 43% — TV Apps Are Soaring in Popularity, Report Says — When it comes to online video, people may not want to cut the cord. Instead, they want to take the cord with them. People are streaming broadcast television …

More: CMO.com, TechCrunch, The Next Web, SlashGear, SocialTimes, PandoDaily, The Verge and VideoNuze Analysis. See also Mediagazer

Katie Zezima / Washington Post:

The Secret Service wants software that detects social media sarcasm. Yeah, sure it will work. — The Secret Service is looking to buy software that can detect sarcasm on social media. Whatever. We're sure it will work. — In a work order posted online Monday, the agency …

More: Charlie's Diary, CNET News, The Register, SocialTimes, Consumerist, The Verge, Inquirer, Daily Dot, Engadget, The Hill, Mediaite, Ubergizmo, NBC Bay Area and SlashGear

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:

AT&T promises big fiber expansion—but only if feds let it buy DirecTV — AT&T recently named 100 municipalities in 21 metropolitan areas where it might bring its fiber-to-the-home network, without actually saying how many customers would get the GigaPower service, which offers up to 1Gbps download speeds.

More: Associated Press, VentureBeat, Variety, DSLreports, GamePolitics blogs, FierceTelecom News, Electronista, USA Today and Business Wire. See also Mediagazer

Matt Burns / TechCrunch:

Sony's SmartBand Activity Tracker Is Now Available In The US For $99 — Announced eons ago at CES 2014, the waterproof Sony SmartBand is finally available in the U.S. It's $99 from Sony's online store and offers a feature set slightly more loaded than that of the Jawbone UP24 and FitBit Flex but only those on Android should apply.

More: 9to5Google, Engadget, PC World, Android Central, The Next Web, mobihealthnews, Phandroid, Mobile Magazine and AndroidHeadlines.com

Kim Zetter / Wired:

U.S. Marshals Seize Cops' Spying Records to Keep Them From the ACLU — A routine request in Florida for public records regarding the use of a surveillance tool known as stingray took an extraordinary turn Tuesday when federal authorities seized the documents before police could release them.

More: ACLU, Techdirt, Daily Dot, Inside Mobile Apps and Washington Post

Alex St. John / The Saint:

DirectX creator Alex St John says Metal announcement heralds the end of OpenGL as a gaming API — Apple Ditching OpenGL? — Wow, finally something interesting to say about Apple for a change! Apparently at Apple's recent WWDC event they announced a “competitor” to DirectX called “Metal” …

Tweets: @benjaminjackson

Ryan Smith / AnandTech:

Apple's single GPU architecture across devices and control over the OS give Metal an advantage over competing low-level graphics APIs

More: The Saint, TIME and Cult of Mac. Tweets: @id_aa_carmack

Sponsor Posts

Soxton:

Fast, affordable law for startups — Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better. We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts. Join the waitlist for early access!

F5:

Accelerate AI Adoption at F5's AI Virtual Summit — Learn how to architect, secure, and scale AI for production with real-world insights from industry leaders on June 23. Register now to save your spot.

Zoho:

Zoho RPA named a Leader in the 2026 RPA Technology Value Matrix by Nucleus Research — Zoho RPA has been named a Leader in the 2026 RPA Technology Value Matrix, published by Nucleus Research …

IDrive:

Protecting your Cloud Applications Data — Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Sponsor Techmeme

Featured Podcasts

Lenny's Podcast:

The hidden pattern behind successful products | Mark Pincus (founder of Zynga)

Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.

Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.

Big Technology Podcast:

SpaceX's IPO Triumph, Anthropic's Fable Fumble, OpenAI's Price War

The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.

Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.

Access:

A top iPhone app developer reacts to Apple's new Siri

A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.

Subscribe to Access.

Hard Fork:

'Hard Fork' Live, Part 1: Satya Nadella and Cindy Cohn

The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.

Subscribe to Hard Fork.

The Upstarts Podcast:

TBC's Alex Ksendzovsky: The Neurosurgeon Using Brain Cells To Build Better AI

Veteran tech reporter Alex Konrad sits down with breakout entrepreneurs taking on the status quo to shake up their fields in AI, design, nuclear energy, space, and more.

Subscribe to The Upstarts Podcast.

Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:

AI's Mythos Moment: Rishi Sunak on preparing governments for AI

Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.

Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.

Add your podcast here

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 6:55 PM ET, June 4, 2014.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.