Techmeme: Snapchat Wanted MessageMe Before Yahoo Bought It For Up To $30-$40M (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)

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October 4, 2014, 9:40 PM

Top News

Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:

Redbox Instant streaming video service operated by Redbox and Verizon is shutting down on October 7 — Redbox Instant is shutting down October 7 — A year and a half after its official launch, Redbox Instant is calling it quits. The shut-down shows how hard it is to compete with Netflix for streaming video subscriptions.

More: Redbox Instant, Home Media Magazine, PC Magazine, Re/code, The Verge, VentureBeat, Gizmodo, Android Central, TechnoBuffalo, TechCrunch, Engadget, Seeking Alpha, The Next Web and Electronista. Tweets: @pkafka. See also Mediagazer

Ina Fried / Re/code:

Unsealed documents in patent suit show Samsung paid Microsoft $1B in royalties last year, as Microsoft now seeks $6.9M in unpaid interest — Microsoft Says Samsung Owes It $6.9 Million in Contract Dispute — Microsoft's lawsuit against Samsung was unsealed on Friday …

More: ZDNet, The Verge, Microsoft on the Issues, Forbes, 9to5Google, The Register, Electronista, Neowin, GeekWire, Business Insider, Ars Technica, SlashGear, Reuters, Ubergizmo, Engadget, Windows Phone Central and Daring Fireball

Tweets: @inafried and @counternotions

Nellie Bowles / Re/code:

Three Downtown Project entrepreneurs committed suicide. Was happiness as a goal a factor? — The Downtown Project Suicides: Can the Pursuit of Happiness Kill You? — “It wasn't just about building a business. It was about building a lifestyle that was about delivering happiness to everyone, including ourselves.”

More: Feld Thoughts, KNPR, PandoDaily, Gigaom and Adventures in Capitalism

Tweets: @johnpaczkowski and @hamishmckenzie

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Snapchat Wanted MessageMe Before Yahoo Bought It For Up To $30-$40M — Earlier today we reported that messaging app MessageMe was getting acquired by Yahoo — which MessageMe has now confirmed on its site, along with the inevitable news that the app is shutting down, effective November 7.

More: Re/code, MessageMe, App Advice, PC Magazine, Tech Trader Daily, WebProNews, TechSpot, BGR, Phandroid, TechCrunch, Pocketnow and Gizmodo. Tweets: @jbruin. Thanks:@ingridlunden

Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:

Microsoft's Windows 10: More on the ‘under the covers’ security, Store features — Summary: Microsoft's Windows 10 will include more than just user interface tweaks. Here are some of the expected security, manageability and Store changes coming to the next version of Windows client.

More: GeekWire, Neowin, WinBeta and MSDN Blogs. Tweets: @chrisbhoffman

Richard Lai / Engadget:

Vertu launches Aster, a 4.7 inch 1080p “mid-tier” luxury Android phone that starts at $6,900 — Vertu Aster is a luxury smartphone with ‘mid-tier’ price, top-tier specs — Since the launch of the Signature Touch, Vertu CEO Max Pogliani promised that “technology …

More: SlashGear, Telegraph, Wired.co.uk, GSMArena.com, TechRadar.com, Pocket-lint, Digital Trends, Geek.com and CNBC

Christopher White / Neowin:

Gates talks Apple Pay, Bitcoin, Nadella and how Office needs to be dramatically better — There's no denying the fact that Bill Gates is a very smart man, and that he has a passion not only for technology but also for helping the poor through his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

More: Bloomberg, CoinDesk, Entrepreneur, TUAW, CNET, iMore, iPhone in Canada Blog, BGR, The Verge, Business Insider, Windows Phone Central, Ubergizmo, PadGadget, MacDailyNews, WinBeta, Business Insider and Bloomberg. Tweets: @cdixon

Liam Tung / ZDNet:

After legal threat, Google says it removed ‘tens of thousands’ of iCloud hack pics — Summary: Google says it has taken down many of the pictures of stolen from celebrity iCloud accounts and posted on its online properties. — Liam Tung — Google has hit out at accusations it was slow …

More: SlashGear, Beyond Search and Wired

BBC:

Solarbox to turn unused phone booths in London into charging stations for cell phones — Telephone box becomes mobile charger — Disused phone boxes in London are being put to a novel use - as solar-powered charging stations for mobile phones. — The first of six boxes was unveiled on Tottenham Court Road this week.

More: SlashGear, Gizmag Emerging …, Cable UK News, Wired.co.uk, The Independent, ValueWalk, CIO.com, PC Magazine, Pocket-lint and BetaNews

Joe Mullin / Ars Technica:

Apple will go to trial against iPod buyers claiming DRM was used to “lock in” customers — Apple will face $350M trial over iPod DRM — Apple's DRM schemes have been long disliked by activists. But are they illegal? — Apple will soon have to face a trial over accusations …

More: iPhone in Canada Blog, Engadget, App Advice, AppleInsider, The Mary Sue, 9to5Mac and iMore

Ina Fried / Re/code:

Microsoft veteran Jensen Harris leaves after 16 years to launch text analysis startup Textio — Longtime Microsoft Veteran Jensen Harris Leaves for Text Analysis Startup — Jensen Harris, the director of Microsoft Mobile Labs and a 16-year company veteran, is leaving the software giant to pursue a new startup.

More: GeekWire, WinBeta, Windows Phone Central and Guardian

Tweets: @stevesi, @maryjofoley, @waltmossberg and @jensenharris

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

Tim Cook emails employees to reflect on third anniversary of Steve Jobs' death — This morning, Apple CEO Tim Cook emailed all employees in reflection of the upcoming third anniversary of the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. “I hope you'll take a moment to appreciate the many ways Steve …

More: iClarified, iPhone in Canada Blog, Patently Apple, Re/code, TIME, Redmond Pie, AppleInsider, BGR, VentureBeat, MacRumors, iMore and App Advice. Tweets: @tim_cook. Thanks:@steqheu

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