Techmeme
June 30, 2014, 3:25 PM

Top News

Paulo Golgher / Orkut Blog:
Google to shut down Orkut on September 30, will create archive of all public communities  —  Tchau Orkut  —  Ten years ago, Orkut was Google's first foray into social networking.  Built as a “20 percent” project, Orkut communities started conversations, and forged connections, that had never existed before.
Sean Gallagher / Ars Technica:
Exclusive: A review of the Blackphone, the Android for the paranoid  —  Built for privacy, the Blackphone runs a beefed-up Android called PrivatOS.  —  Based on some recent experience, I'm of the opinion that smartphones are about as private as a gas station bathroom.
Sharif Sakr / Engadget:
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
More details on Microsoft's desktop-focused Windows ‘Threshold’ release; public preview expected in fall 2014, release in spring 2015  —  Windows ‘Threshold’: More on Microsoft's plan to win over Windows 7 users  —  Summary: One of Microsoft's main goals with 'Threshold …
Howard Blume / Los Angeles Times:
Some LA schools choosing between six different laptops for students after botched iPad rollout  —  LAUSD shifts gears on technology for students  —  Los Angeles school district officials have allowed a group of high schools to choose from among six different laptop computers for their students …
Adam Sherwin / The Independent:
Google Glass to be banned from all UK cinemas  —  If you've just acquired a Google Glass headset for £1,000, don't show it off at the movies.  UK cinemas are to ban the headsets over fears that the gadgets can be used to make pirate copies of Hollywood blockbusters.
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
New N.S.A. Chief Calls Damage From Snowden Leaks Manageable  —  FORT MEADE, Md. — The newly installed director of the National Security Agency says that while he has seen some terrorist groups alter their communications to avoid surveillance techniques revealed by Edward J. Snowden …
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Apple Releases iOS 7.1.2 With Mail Fixes, iBeacon Improvements  —  Apple today released iOS 7.1.2 to the public, more than two months after releasing iOS 7.1.1. iOS 7.1.2 is a minor update that focuses primarily on bug fixes and security improvements, repairing an email attachment encryption issue …
Tyler Hayes / Liisten:
Fire TV's advanced streaming and prediction feature can consume 80GB a day  —  The Secret Little Problem With Amazon's Fire TV  —  I got a little nervous that something was wrong when I go a notice from my Internet service provider, Cox Cable, saying that I had hit my monthly download cap.
More: BGR and Geek.comTweets: @chrisj_lewis
Nick Summers / The Next Web:
Samsung's new low-end smartphones offer Android 4.4 and its redesigned TouchWiz skin  —  It's almost impossible to keep up with Samsung's ever-expanding smartphone portfolio.  Unfortunately, the problem only deepened today after the company unveiled four new low-end smartphones with equally forgettable names and spec-sheets.
Jordan Kahn / 9to5Mac:
Apple announces iTunes U update with iPad Course Creation, Student Discussions & more  —  Screenshot showing new iTunes U “Student Discussions” feature  —  Apple today announced an update to its iTunes U educational app that includes a number of new features for iPad including course creation tools …
Kashmir Hill / Forbes:
Facebook Doesn't Understand The Fuss About Its Emotion Manipulation Study  —  * Updated with an additional statement from Adam Kramer, the Facebook data scientist who conducted the study.  —  This weekend, the Internet discovered a study published earlier this month in an academic journal …

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