Techmeme: This Firefox OS-powered streaming stick is Mozilla's answer to Chromecast (exclusive video) (Janko Roettgers/Gigaom)

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June 21, 2014, 1:40 AM

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Liz Gannes / Re/code:

Google's Nest Buys Dropcam for $555 Million — Dropcam, the popular home monitoring camera startup, will be acquired by Nest, maker of smart thermostats and smoke detectors. The deal is worth $555 million in cash. — Nest itself was just purchased by Google just four months ago for $3.2 billion.

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

Apple said to team up with pro athletes to test iWatch fitness capabilities — Apple has teamed up with some of the sports world's most notable professional athletes in order to test the upcoming “iWatch's” fitness capabilities in intense training environments, according to a source with knowledge of the testing.

More: App Advice, MacRumors, TechCrunch, TechnoBuffalo, SlashGear, Ubergizmo, Pocketnow, MacDailyNews, BGR, Business Insider, GSMArena Blog, Electronista and Cult of Mac. Tweets: @markgurman. Thanks:@jordankahn

Wall Street Journal:

Apple's smartwatch likely to come in multiple sizes and designs, contain over ten sensors, including ones for health and fitness

Shara Tibken / CNET:

Samsung to launch Android Wear smartwatch at Google I/O — The wearable will be one of several new devices built around Google software, sources tell CNET. LG and Motorola are also expected to show off new gadgets.

More: Ars Technica, 9to5Google, The Verge, Engadget, Phandroid, Pocketnow, Ubergizmo, Android Central, Android Beat and SlashGear. Thanks:@nickstatt

Kara Swisher / Re/code:

Yahoo, burned by The Weather Channel replacing it as iOS 8's weather data provider, worries next about Stocks app — As Weather Channel Blows Yahoo Off Apple's Upcoming iOS 8, App Storms Ahead for Mayer — Of the many announcements made at Apple's recent Worldwide Developers Conference …

More: App Advice, TechnoBuffalo, 9to5Mac, MacRumors, Ubergizmo, AppleInsider, MacDailyNews, Business Insider and MacNN

Tweets: @kenli729 and @davezatz

Arik Hesseldahl / Re/code:

Box May Raise $100 Million or More Before IPO — Box, the enterprise cloud storage and collaboration company, is exploring the possibility of raising $100 million or more from private investors ahead of its planned initial public offering. — Box is in the early stages of talks …

More: GeekWire, Fortune, Business Insider and SeekingAlpha.com

Douglas MacMillan / Wall Street Journal:

Box in talks with TPG to raise more funding ahead of its delayed IPO

More: Bloomberg and VentureBeat. Tweets: @dmac1

Drew FitzGerald / Wall Street Journal:

Google Considering Investment in New Trans-Pacific Cable — Move Comes as Technology Companies are Sending More Traffic Across Private Networks — Google Inc. is weighing an investment in a new, multimillion-dollar cable across the Pacific Ocean, people familiar with the matter said …

More: Reuters

Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:

This Firefox OS-powered streaming stick is Mozilla's answer to Chromecast (exclusive video) — Google's Chromecast streaming stick could soon get competition from an unexpected source: Mozilla has secretly been working with a partner on a Chromecast-like streaming stick that is powered by Firefox OS.

More: 9to5Google, 9to5Mac, The Verge, TechnoBuffalo, SlashGear, Android Police and Android Central. Tweets: @codepo8

Andy Greenberg / Wired:

EFF to release open-source router firmware for securely sharing your Wi-Fi with strangers — This Tool Boosts Your Privacy by Opening Your Wi-Fi to Strangers — In an age of surveillance anxiety, the notion of leaving your Wi-Fi network open and unprotected seems dangerously naive.

More: Gizmodo. Tweets: @thegrugq, @jpbarlow and @dangillmor

Jim Edwards / Business Insider:

The CEO Of Secret Told Us How You Can Hack Yo And Get Anyone's Phone Number In Just 3 Minutes — The super-simple messaging app Yo is on fire right now: It's No.4 in the App Store at the time of writing. We told you earlier that someone already hacked it, and the company has admitted …

More: Quartz, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Tweets: @edc1591

Mike Butcher / TechCrunch:

Yo App Hacked By College Students

Jack Nicas / Wall Street Journal:

National Park Service Moves to Ban Drones — The National Park Service ordered a ban on people using drones in the 401 national park areas in the U.S., marking a new battleground over the proliferation of unmanned aircraft in U.S. skies. National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis signed …

More: National Park Service, Associated Press, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, The Verge, USA Today, Businessweek, Gigaom, Connectedly, The Hill, Fast Company, Daily Mail, Washington Post, Engadget, Forbes and The Inquisitr News

Tweets: @jacknicas and @benleubsdorf

Gregg Keizer / Computerworld:

Update: Skype to retire recent editions for Windows, Mac; upgrades mandatory — Not clear whether that means everyone must upgrade or lose access to the calling and chat service — Skype today said it would retire older versions of its desktop Internet calling application …

More: Skype Blogs, 9to5Mac, MacRumors, BetaNews, The Next Web, WinBeta and iPhone in Canada Blog

Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:

Google unveils independent “fork” of OpenSSL called “BoringSSL” — Google is releasing its own independently developed “fork” of OpenSSL, the widely used cryptography library that came to international attention following the Heartbleed vulnerability that threatened hundreds of thousands of websites with catastrophic attacks.

More: ImperialViolet and The Register. Tweets: @xor

Sam Oliver / AppleInsider:

Archos releases new iOS-controlled smart home suite with tablet, cameras & environmental sensors — Consumers looking for an self-installed, iOS-compatible “connected home” system now have a new option from electronics manufacturer Archos, as the company's new Smart Home system has hit virtual shelves …

More: Engadget, iTech Post, Tom's Hardware Guide, Home Toys, Fudzilla, Telecompaper, SlashGear, Electronista, Geek Beat, Android Community, TWICE and Geeky Gadgets

Loek Essers / PC World:

Nintendo's Wii infringes on Philips' remote control patents, UK court rules — Nintendo's Wii and Wii U game consoles infringe two Philips remote control patents, the England and Wales High Court ruled Friday. — Philips sued Nintendo in 2012, alleging the game consoles infringed three of its remote control patents.

More: Bloomberg, Eurogamer.net, Ubergizmo, Softpedia News, TND - The Next Digit, GamePolitics blogs, destructoid and SlashGear

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

Path Looks To Combine Commerce And Messaging With TalkTo Acquisition, Release Of New ‘Talk’ App — It's been a rough year for private social networking app Path. The company has seen disappointing growth in many major markets, layoffs, and the departure of some key execs over the last 12 months.

More: Path — Blog, Gigaom, TechnoBuffalo, The Verge, Wall Street Journal, iPhone Hacks, Droid Life, iPhone in Canada Blog, App Advice, Android Central, TechHive, VentureBeat, SlashGear, BetaBoston, TUAW, Engadget and Electronista

Tweets: @joshelman, @rjonesy, @hamburger, @caseynewton and @erickschonfeld

Thanks:@jordanrcrook

Drake Bennett / Businessweek:

Clayton Christensen Responds to New Yorker Takedown of “Disruptive Innovation” — When The New Yorker this week published Harvard historian Jill Lepore's sharply written dismissal of “disruptive innovation,” it was an attack on one of the most widely cited and celebrated ideas in modern business.

More: Forbes and Gawker. Tweets: @bgurley, @benedictevans, @benedictevans, @davemcclure, @davemcclure, @erictopol and @sheelahk

Larry Dignan / ZDNet:

Oracle acquires screen-sharing technology company LiveLOOK — Oracle acquires LiveLOOK, bolsters its service cloud — Summary: LiveLOOK co-browsing technology is used to resolve customer issues through the web and mobile channels. — Oracle on Friday said it acquired LiveLOOK …

More: MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, SiliconANGLE, Cruxial CIO, VentureBeat, TND - The Next Digit, ValueWalk, RTTNews and PC World

Ryan Whitwam / Android Police:

Amazon Will Give Developers Up To $15,000 In Amazon Coins To Entice Users If They Update Apps For Fire Phone — Amazon is hoping the Fire Phone will be a hit with consumers despite the higher than expected price and AT&T exclusivity. To make its case, the retailer is looking to ensure …

More: TechCrunch, BGR, VentureBeat, Wall Street Journal and Business Insider

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