Techmeme: Firefox 31 beta arrives with search on new tab page, revamped developer tools, and Android runtime improvements (Emil Protalinski/The Next Web)

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June 13, 2014, 9:00 AM

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Dan Seifert / The Verge:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S: 8.4-inch for $399, 10.5-inch for $499, available in July, still following Apple's lead — Samsung's razor-thin Galaxy Tab S takes another run at the iPad — The 8.4-inch and 10.5-inch Galaxy Tab S tablets arrive next month — For a long time, Samsung's been trying to take down the iPad.

Samuel Gibbs / Guardian:

Samsung bets big on fingerprint scanning in its war with Apples iPad

More: 9to5Google, ITProPortal, The Next Web and Softpedia News. Tweets: @lessien

Mark Spoonauer / LAPTOP Magazine:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S hands-on video: AMOLED screens outshine iPad, accessories versatile but awkward

More: IntoMobile, VentureBeat, Computerworld and Guardian. Thanks:@mspoonauer

Joanna Stern / Wall Street Journal:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S First Look: It's Like a Huge Galaxy S5

More: Telegraph and Daring Fireball. Tweets: @edbott

Parmy Olson / Forbes:

Exclusive: Google Wants To Collect Your Health Data With ‘Google Fit’ — Google is planning to launch a new health service called Google Fit to collect and aggregate data from popular fitness trackers and health-related apps, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the company's plans.

More: Telegraph, BGR, Digital Trends, I4U News, Engadget, Electronista, Ubergizmo, The Register, VentureBeat, SlashGear, CNET News, Connectedly, Droid Life, Business Insider, The Verge, Gizmodo and 9to5Google

Tweets: @ghideas and @halletecco

Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:

Apple says some European iPhone USB adapters ‘may pose a safety risk’, announces free replacement program — Apple has today announced a replacement program for some European iPhone USB adapters. The company says that it has identified that some USB adapters bundled with iPhones …

More: Apple, iMore, AppleInsider, CNET News, CNNMoney.com, PC World, Gigaom, Engadget, Gizmodo, The Verge, The Next Web, MacRumors, MacDailyNews, iPhone, Cult of Mac, SlashGear, iPhone Hacks, Ubergizmo and Forbes

Jay Yarow / Business Insider:

Sources: Ali Rowghani lacked product instincts, had little success with messaging and curation — What Happened Inside Twitter That Led To The COO Leaving The Company — Twitter COO Ali Rowghani is out of the company in something of a surprise. — Although Kara Swisher …

More: Re/code, Reuters, Businessweek, TechCrunch, Electronista, Los Angeles Times and CNNMoney.com

Tweets: @jonrussell and @firstadopter

Mike Isaac / Medium:

Twitter's once-independent Media team will report to the Marketing and Communications division

More: Business Insider, San Francisco Chronicle, TechnoBuffalo, bizjournals, Forbes, SocialTimes, Valleywag, BuzzFeed, Quartz, Guardian and CNET News. Thanks:@mattlynley. See also Mediagazer

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Twitter Media Head Chloe Sladden Is Leaving

More: SocialTimes, Hollywood Reporter, Pulse 2.0, Variety, Mashable, TechCrunch, AllTwitter, VatorNews and VentureBeat

Tweets: @chloes, @chloes, @rsarver, @anildash and @chloes

See also Mediagazer

Drew FitzGerald / Wall Street Journal:

Priceline to Buy OpenTable for $2.6 Billion — Priceline Group Inc. agreed to buy restaurant booking service OpenTable Inc. for $2.6 billion in cash, broadening the online travel giant's offering into a new field at a time when some of its more established brands mature.

More: Business Insider, Priceline Group, CNET News, ZDNet, The Next Web, Fortune, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, Business Insider, Re/code, Tnooz and Skift

Liam Spradlin / Android Police:

Google's Quantum Paper framework to unify Android and web app UIs, will be available to third-party developers — Exclusive: Quantum Paper And Google's Upcoming Effort To Make Consistent UI Simple — There have been a lot of leaks and rumors leading up to Google I/O this year.

More: Droid Life, Phandroid, Neowin, Pocketnow, Android and Me, 9to5Google, BGR, Ubergizmo and Android Authority

Joe Mullin / Ars Technica:

New study suggests patent trolls really are killing startups — New study estimates $22 billion in VC funding was lost due to troll lawsuits. — Patent reform advocates have long argued that “patent trolls”—companies that do nothing but sue over patents—are harmful to innovation, not just a plague on big companies.

More: SiliconANGLE, VentureBeat, ITProPortal and Electronic Frontier Foundation

Tweets: @richardgordon5 and @kevinmarks

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

iOS 8 builds in the technologies Apple needs for an iWatch — iOS 8 adds several important enhancements to the iPhone and iPad, such as improved notifications, health-tracking, and a more advanced camera application, but the new operating system's most significant feature may be the groundwork technologies …

More: Realmac Blog, MacDailyNews and BGR. Thanks:@markgurman

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:

Facebook Messenger Adds Tap-And-Hold Video Sharing, Another Snapchat Feature — Why tell with text when you can show with video? Facebook Messenger is diving deeper into visual communication with a new option to instantly record and send short videos, similar to Snapchat.

More: CNET News, 9to5Mac, iMore, Engadget, memeburn, AppleInsider, Cult of Mac, MacRumors, The Next Web and App Advice

Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:

US will auction bitcoins seized from Silk Road, bidders must deposit $200,000 — The United States government announced Thursday that it will sell the nearly 30,000 bitcoins it seized last year from Silk Road, a notorious online marketplace for drugs and hitmen, in a 12-hour auction on June 27.

Emil Protalinski / The Next Web:

Firefox 31 beta arrives with search on new tab page, revamped developer tools, and Android runtime improvements — Following the release of Firefox 30 just two days ago, Mozilla today updated its Firefox Beta channel to version 31 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.

More: InfoWorld, Mozilla Hacks, Future Releases, Softpedia News, CNET News, Good E-Reader and Good E-Reader

Daniel Cawrey / CoinDesk:

How Bitcoin Empowers Global Peer-to-Peer Lender BTCJam — San Francisco-based startup BTCJam is taking peer-to-peer lending to a global audience, and is using bitcoin to achieve its vision. — Bypassing the restrictions of fiat currencies, the company says, allows any individual in the world to receive a loan via its platform.

Tweets: @coindesk

Mike Lennon / SecurityWeek:

P.F. Chang's Confirms Payment Card Breach: Reverts to Imprinting Devices — After saying earlier this week that it was investigating reports of a data breach related to payment cards used at its locations, P.F. Chang's China Bistro confirmed on Thursday that credit and debit card data has been stolen from some of its restaurants.

More: P.F. Chang's Restaurant …, Krebs on Security, Computerworld, CoinDesk, Inquirer, CNET News and The Register. Thanks:@securityweek

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