Techmeme
August 7, 2014, 11:15 PM

Top News

Louis Gray / Google Developers Blog:
Google Fit Preview SDK now available  —  At Google I/O we announced Google Fit: an open platform for developers to more easily build fitness apps.  Today we're making a preview SDK available to developers so that you can start to build.  —  Google Fit provides a single set of APIs for apps …
Joel Stein / Businessweek:
Silicon Valley Tech Entrepreneurs: Behind the Stereotype  —  Sam Altman sits behind his desk with his knees pulled up to his chest, eating dried apricots.  He's 29, but even the most laissez-faire bartender would card him.  His hand is forever grabbing his hair while he thinks, making it stick up in Einsteinian tufts.
Reed Hastings / Facebook:
Netflix passed HBO in subscriber revenue last quarter, still behind on profits  —  Minor milestone: last quarter we passed HBO is subscriber revenue ($1.146B vs $1.141B).  They still kick our ass in profits and Emmy's, but we are making progress.  HBO rocks, and we are honored to be in the same league.
Mikey Campbell / AppleInsider:
Apple details ‘Siri for Mac’ desktop virtual assistant in new patent application  —  While Apple's Siri has been an iOS staple since 2011, the tech has yet to make the jump to OS X. An exhaustive new patent filing, however, details a system very similar to the iOS virtual assistant that can perform dictation …
Larry Dignan / ZDNet:
Amazon has an advantage over Google Express/B&N because it owns the customer relationship  —  Why Google Express, B&N vs. Amazon is apples and oranges  —  Summary: Google Express may prove to give Amazon a run, but ultimately the customer relationship will win out.  Advantage Amazon.
Alexandra Alter / New York Times:
Jordan Kahn / 9to5Mac:
Apple gives newly acquired Beats by Dre dedicated accessories section on online store  —  Following officially getting regulatory approval to complete its purchase of Beats, Apple today added a new section to its online store highlighting Beats by Dr. Dre products.
Mat Honan / Wired:
Stewart Butterfield set out to build a game and failed; instead, he created Flickr and Slack  —  The Most Fascinating Profile You'll Ever Read About a Guy and His Boring Startup  —  Stewart is hungry.  He's munching on potatoes smothered in chicken fat drippings, sitting by a long metal table …
Emil Protalinski / The Next Web:
Facebook bans incentivizing users to Like Pages, gives developers until November 5 to update apps  —  In addition to releasing Graph API version 2.1 today, Facebook also announced two important changes to its Platform Policies under games and proper use.  Developers have 90 days (until November 5, 2014) to comply with the new rules.
More: Facebook Developers.  Thanks:@epro
Paul Carsten / Reuters:
China to force real-name registrations on public accounts of instant messaging apps; blocks KakaoTalk and Line  —  China imposes new restrictions on instant messaging tools: Xinhua  —  (Reuters) - China will force real-name registrations on users of instant messaging tools …
Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:
Tycoon can sue Google over auto-complete, as Hong Kong joins global censorship push  —  Google's automated search suggestion feature is under attack by a Hong Kong business, who won the right to claim defamation when his name appeared next to the word “triad.”
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
VSCO releases Cam 3.0 for Android, bringing it on par with iPhone app with access to VSCO Grid  —  Android's best photography app now lets you follow your friends  —  VSCO Cam 3.0 for Android gains proper support for the VSCO Grid, performance improvements
Shara Tibken / CNET:
Samsung, Barnes & Noble to hold Nook event Aug. 20  —  The presentation will detail the companies' efforts in tablets, including their first device — the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook — which they discussed in June.  —  Samsung and Barnes & Noble's Nook business sent an invite for an event later this month.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Facebook Buys Secure Server Technology Provider PrivateCore  —  Facebook announced this morning it has acquired PrivateCore, a Palo Alto-based secure server technology company.  The deal does not appear to be solely an acqui-hire, as Facebook says that it plans to deploy PrivateCore's technology …

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More News

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Earlier Picks

Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post: