Techmeme
September 24, 2014, 2:15 PM

Top News

Reuters:
Amazon to invest $55M in hardware unit Lab126 to test smart home gadgets and wearables  —  Exclusive: Amazon tests smart home gadgets, expands hardware lab  —  (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc will boost staffing at its secretive Silicon Valley-based hardware unit by at least 27 percent …
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
BlackBerry Passport review: good display and battery life, but inefficient keyboard with clumsy software  —  BlackBerry Passport review  —  Getting stuff done or getting in the way?  —  “BlackBerry is still around?”  —  I've heard that question quite often the past few weeks, as I've been using the BlackBerry Passport.
Bonnie Cha / Re/code:
Blackberry Passport: 4.5 inch square display, touch physical keyboard, available today for $599 unlocked  —  Blackberry Passport: 4.5in square display, touch-enabled physical keyboard, $599 unlocked on AT&T  —  To say that BlackBerry has had a rough go of it over the past few years would be an understatement.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Apple releases iOS 8.0.1 with fixes for HealthKit, keyboards, Photos; some early installers report losing cellular service, problems with TouchID  —  Apple Releases iOS 8.0.1 With Fixes for HealthKit, Keyboards, and More [WARNING: iOS 8.0.1 Causing Issues With Cell Service, Touch ID]
Lisa Bettany / snap snap snap:
Comparing photos taken with Camera+ using all iPhone versions, from the original to iPhone 6  —  How does the iPhone 6 camera compare to previous iPhone cameras?  —  In the past seven years, each new advancement in iPhone camera technology has made dramatic improvements to image quality.
Amy Schatz / Re/code:
Comcast accuses Time Warner merger opponents Netflix, Discovery, and others of “extortion”  —  Comcast Accuses Time Warner Cable Deal Opponents of “Extortion”  —  Netflix, Discovery Communications and other companies opposing Comcast's $45 billion deal to acquire Time Warner Cable …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Karma Rolls Out An LTE Version Of Its Pay-As-You-Go Mobile Hotspot, Pre-Order For $99  —  Karma, makers of the small, portable Wi-Fi hotspot that lets you pay-as-you-go, contract free, for the data you use ($14/1 GB), is now accepting pre-orders for its latest device, the Karma Go portable LTE Wi-Fi hotspot.
John Callaham / Android Central:
Samsung Gear S coming to AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile for fall launch  —  Following up on its reveal in late August, Samsung has now announced that its upcoming Tizen-based smartwatch, the Gear S, will go on sale later this fall at the top four US wireless carriers.
Margaret Rhodes / Wired:
Stack's Alba smart bulb adapts to sunlight and your household habits to conserve energy  —  Ex-Tesla and NASA Engineers Make a Light Bulb That's Smarter Than You  —  Sometime in early 2013, one of the supply chain engineers at Tesla leaned back in his chair and took a look around the Silicon Valley office.
More: Engadget
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
Bionym Raises $14M Series A For Its Heartbeat Authentication Wristband  —  Toronto-based startup Bionym has raised a $14 million Series A round of funding, including investment from Ignition Partners, Relay Ventures, MasterCard and Salesforce Ventures.  The round includes a lot of strategic investment …
Paul Carsten / Reuters:
Adobe to shutter China R&D by December due to hostile government, layoffs of 300 expected  —  Adobe to shut China R&D as sour business climate bites  —  (Reuters) - Computer software maker Adobe Systems Inc will shut its Chinese research and development arm, as U.S. technology firms face …
Jonathan Shieber / TechCrunch:
Its Audacity Undiminished, Udacity Raises $35 Million To Train A New Generation of Developers  —  As its push to transform education through technology begins to show results, massively open online course provider Udacity is announcing a fresh $35 million financing from a global group of investors to take its vision worldwide.
Issie Lapowsky / Wired:
Facebook's internet connectivity drones to begin testing next year, to deploy within 2-5 years  —  Facebook Lays Out Its Roadmap for Creating Internet-Connected Drones  —  A still from an promotional video showing how Facebook and Internet.org will deliver internet access via  —  aerial drone.
Reuters:
Taiwan government investigates Xiaomi on potential cyber security concerns  —  (Reuters) - The Taiwanese government is investigating whether Xiaomi Inc, China's leading smartphone company by domestic shipments, is a cyber security threat and will make a decision within three months.

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Earlier Picks

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