Techmeme: NSA fears prompt Germany to end Verizon contract (Associated Press)

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June 26, 2014, 6:30 PM

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Farhad Manjoo / New York Times:

Google's ambitious agenda to reach every corner of our lives may also be its greatest challenge — A Reach Too Far by Google? — SAN FRANCISCO — One way to think of Google is as an extremely helpful, all-knowing, hyper-intelligent executive assistant. Already, it can remind you about your flight …

More: Gizmodo, Guardian, Bloomberg, Re/code, The Verge, Business Insider, ROUGH TYPE, Fortune, CNET, Agence France-Presse, SiliconBeat, The Economic Times and http://patriciahandschiegel …

Tweets: @cdixon, @fmanjoo, @kashhill and @nytimesbusiness

Farhad Manjoo / New York Times:

Google's Grand Plans: A Conversation With Google's Larry Page and Sundar Pichai — Shortly after Google's keynote presentation at the company's developer conference on Wednesday, I was ushered into a green room backstage at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

More: Search Engine Land, Business Insider and The Verge

Tweets: @dannysullivan, @vincos, @ricmac, @ricmac and @ellenhuet

Matthew Panzarino / TechCrunch:

The Elephants In The Google I/O Room: Glass And Plus — Google's two-and-a-half-hour keynote address at its I/O conference today was filled with developer news. A new design language for Android, cross-platform concessions, watch apps, a health platform and much more was shown off.

More: BGR, ZDNet, Glass Almanac, Daring Fireball, ReadWrite, BGR, ITProPortal, GamePolitics blogs, Mashable, VentureBeat, POPSUGAR, BBC, Geek Beat and The Verge

Mat Honan / Wired:

Everything You Need to Know About Google's I/O Keynote

More: Technologizer, StrictlyVC, The Verge, Re/code, Washington Post, Beyond Search, Patently Apple, Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal, CNET, Android Police, Marketing Land and The Official Google Blog

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

Apple said to be working on ‘mainstream’ Smart Home hardware — With iPhones in pockets, Macs on desks, iPads in bags, and iWatches soon coming to the wrist, Apple is said to be eyeing another category for continued growth: Smart Home hardware. The Cupertino-company is said to have assembled …

More: Gigaom, iPhone, PadGadget, MacDailyNews, Business Insider, MacRumors, Redmond Pie, App Advice, iPhone in Canada Blog, TechnoBuffalo, Ubergizmo, Electronista, iLounge and The Information. Tweets: @markgurman. Thanks:@apollozac

Brad Molen / Engadget:

Here's a look at Android's L Developer Preview (hands-on) — By releasing a Developer Preview of the next version of Android (only known as “L” for now), Google is walking new ground — and it's blazing a glorious path that will greatly benefit the platform going forward.

More: The Verge, Android Developers Blog, Gotta Be Mobile, Tim Anderson's ITWriting, 9to5Google, ReadWrite, Google Plus Daily, BGR and Engadget

Tweets: @stroughtonsmith and @stroughtonsmith

Chance Miller / 9to5Google:

Android ‘L’ developer preview now available for Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 — Just as the Google announced it would be during its I/O keynote yesterday, the developer preview of the “L” version of Android is now live. Google claims that this update is the “biggest release in Android history” …

More: ReadWrite, VentureBeat, The Next Web, BGR, Electronista, TechCrunch, Ausdroid, Droid Life, Softpedia News, Gotta Be Mobile, Android Beat, Phandroid and Android Central

Ina Fried / Re/code:

Google Courts Businesses With Android for Work Initiative

More: CITEworld, BGR, ZDNet, PC World, SlashGear, Gigaom Research, IntoMobile, Softpedia News, Wall Street Journal, GeekWire and The Verge

Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:

Chromecast will use ultrasonic sounds to pair your TV with your friend's phones — Now this is cool: Google's Chromecast team has found an interesting way to pair Chromecast streaming sticks with mobile devices that are not on the same Wi-Fi network. Pairing is done through inaudible …

More: TechCrunch, The Verge and 9to5Google

Lora Kolodny / Wall Street Journal:

500 Startups is Using Public Fundraising for New $100M Fund — Active early-stage investor 500 Startups is embracing new federal rules for public fundraising, the highest-profile firm yet to make use of the new rules. … 500 Startups, founded in 2010, is using new Securities …

More: TechCrunch, The Next Web, PE Hub Blog, Reuters, bizjournals, Crowdfund Insider and bizjournals. Thanks:@davemcclure

Associated Press:

NSA fears prompt Germany to end Verizon contract — BERLIN (AP) — The German government is ending a contract with Verizon over fears the company could be letting U.S. intelligence agencies eavesdrop on sensitive communications, officials said Thursday. — The New York-based company …

More: The Verge, VentureBeat, Washington Post, TechCrunch, BBC, SlashGear, Gigaom, Reuters and Wall Street Journal

Chris Davies / SlashGear:

LG is making a Google Project Tango device for 2015 — Google's Project Tango team is working with LG to release a commercial device based on the platform, expected to hit store shelves in 2015. The partnership, revealed at Google IO 2014 during a presentation from Google's ATAP team of skunkworks …

More: 9to5Google, The Verge, TechCrunch, Engadget, VentureBeat, Electronista and Android Community. Thanks:@c_davies

Matthew Panzarino / TechCrunch:

WatchESPN's Record 1.7M Concurrent World Cup Viewers Beats The Super Bowl — The WatchESPN app (or site, or however you access it) was the way that many Americans were watching the US vs. Germany World Cup match today. So many, in fact, that the site had issues serving all of its users in the first half.

More: Re/code, Fortune, Engadget, The Clarion-Ledger, CNET, BGR, GeekWire, Gigaom and Turnstyle. Tweets: @panzer. See also Mediagazer

E. Werner Reschke / Three Guys and a Podcast:

Costco starts selling iPhones and iPads online at discounts of up to $120 — Breaking News: Costco Now Offering iPhones and iPads Online with Steep Discounts — Costco's Mobile Online Store is offering iPhones and iPads with steep discounts. Below are a few screen captures of pricing deals found today.

More: AppleInsider, AppleInsider, App Advice, Engadget, iPhone in Canada Blog, iMore, 9to5Mac and iDownloadBlog.com

Joseph Keller / iMore:

Opera Mini updated for the first time since 2012 with new look, data savings — Opera Mini has been updated for the first time since October 2012, applying a fresh coat of paint to the app and adding a few new features in version 8. These features include Data Savings, themes, and a new way to discover content on the web.

More: 9to5Mac, iLounge, CNET, iDownloadBlog.com, Electronista, The Next Web and Wall Street Journal

Sam Schechner / Wall Street Journal:

Google Starts Removing Search Results Under Europe's ‘Right to be Forgotten’ — Search Engine Updated Technical Infrastructure Overnight to Start the Implementation — Google Inc. said Thursday that it has started removing results from its search engine under Europe's new “right to be forgotten …

Catherine Shu / TechCrunch:

BlockScore Lands $2M In Funding For Making I.D. Verification Easier — In 2012, about 7 percent of all people aged 16 or older in the U.S. experienced identity theft, with their financial losses totaling $24.7 billion. Christopher Morton is familiar with the crime because in 2007, he had his identity stolen.

More: VatorNews and Y Combinator Posthaven

Josh Lowensohn / The Verge:

Other companies are already selling Google Cardboard clones — Google I/O attendees strolled out of yesterday's keynote with a simple cardboard kit that turns an Android phone into a virtual reality headset. It's part of an experimental Google service called Cardboard designed …

More: Engadget, Gizmodo, 9to5Google, Gizmodo, AndroidHeadlines.com, TIME, AndroidGuys and TechCrunch

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Skype for Windows Phone update enables Cortana integration — Microsoft is updating Skype for Windows Phone 8.1 today to enable full Cortana support. Users of the latest version of Windows Phone will be able to initiate voice or video calls without opening the Skype app, using Cortana's voice control.

More: Skype BlogsSkype Blogs, PC World, The Next Web, Softpedia News, Windows Phone Central, SuperSite for Windows, WinBeta, Neowin, Ubergizmo and Softpedia News

Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:

Foodie video startup Tastemade raises $25M, releases Android app — Los Angeles-based online video startup Tastemade wants to become the digital Food Network, and it just got another major cash injection to make that happen: Tastemade raised a $25 million Series C from Scripps Networks Interactive …

More: TechCrunch, Tubefilter, Re/code, PE Hub Blog, VatorNews and socalTECH.com. See also Mediagazer

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