Techmeme
October 20, 2014, 1:00 PM

Top News

Liam Spradlin / Android Police:
Check Out Gmail 5.0 For Android And Google's Plan To Handle All Your Email Accounts In One App  —  Google's been updating apps left and right recently to fall in line with its new material design philosophy, and the results have been impressive.  There are a few apps it appears Google's saving …
Kevin Roose / New York Magazine:
Marc Andreessen on the evolution of Silicon Valley and technology's impact on the economy  —  Marc Andreessen on Why Optimism Is Always the Safest Bet  —  The Netscape creator turned Silicon Valley sage on why optimism is always the safest bet.  —  It's not hard to coax an opinion out of Marc Andreessen.
Bloomberg:
IBM paying Globalfoundries $1.5B to take unprofitable chip-manufacturing unit off its hands  —  IBM Paying Globalfoundries $1.5 Billion to Take Unit in Retreat From Chips  —  International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) agreed to pay Globalfoundries Inc. $1.5 billion to take an unprofitable chip-manufacturing unit off its hands.
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Apple pushing to cut the price of Beats Music subscriptions to $5 per month  —  Spotify Lowers Its Music Prices, Using a Family Plan.  Apple Wants to Go Lower.  —  Apple thinks streaming music should cost less.  Spotify agrees.  —  Spotify is effectively offering a price cut …
Owen Williams / The Next Web:
Spotify announces family plans: $14.99 for two users, $19.99 for three, $24.99 for four and $29.99 for five  —  Spotify announces family plans for up to 5 users  —  Spotify has announced new plans designed for families of up to five members, which was one of its most requested features.
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Fortune:
Spreadsheet of the day: Final estimates for Apple's fiscal Q4  —  Today should be a busy day on the Apple beat.  — Apple Pay goes live with the release of iOS 8.1, along with the launch of iCloud Photo Library and a functioning Handoff (which, for many of us on Yosemite, still isn't working).
Percy / GreatFire.org:
Report: Chinese authorities conduct “man in the middle” attack on iCloud.com users to harvest their data  —  China collecting Apple iCloud data; attack coincides with launch of new iPhone  —  After previous attacks on Github, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, the Chinese authorities …
Parmy Olson / Forbes:
Microsoft plans to launch a fitness-focused wearable in the next few weeks with more than two-day battery life, multi-platform support  —  Microsoft Plans To Launch A Wearable Device Within Weeks  —  Microsoft is gearing up to launch a wearable device within the next few weeks, Forbes has learned.
Chris Velazco / Engadget:
Amazon Kindle Voyage review: The best e-reader is also the priciest  —  When Amazon introduced an updated version of its flagship Kindle Paperwhite last year, it took the easy way out — after all, tweaked internals, improved software and slightly better lighting do not a thrilling e-reader make.
Richard Padilla / MacRumors:
Dropbox for iOS Updated with Touch ID Integration, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Support  —  File-sharing service Dropbox has updated its official iOS app with a number of new features, including full optimization for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus as well as integration with Touch ID for more convenient unlocking.

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Featured Podcasts

Channels with Peter Kafka:
The $12.5 Billion Lakers, the NFL's TV Fight, and Sports Media's Big Split
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
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Ben Thompson on Big Tech, China, and the AI Boom Running Out of Money
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
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Lenny's Podcast:
OpenAI's Head of Design: This is the best time in history to be a designer | Ian Silber
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
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Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Connecting the Unconnected: Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
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Chris Welch / The Verge: