Techmeme
December 17, 2014, 6:40 PM

Top News

New York Times:
U.S. Links North Korea to Sony Hacking  —  WASHINGTON — American intelligence officials have concluded that the North Korean government was “centrally involved” in the recent attacks on Sony Pictures's computers, a determination reached just as Sony on Wednesday canceled its release of the comedy …
Business Insider:
Sony Just Cancelled The December 25 Release Of ‘The Interview’  —  Sony Pictures has decided to cancel the December 25 release of ‘The Interview’ after major theaters said they wouldn't screen the movie.  “We Have Decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release of 'The Interview …
Hugh Langley / TechRadar:
Netflix: offline viewing is ‘never going to happen’  —  Well damn … For some time now, services like BBC iPlayer and 4oD have offered the ability to download shows for offline viewing, yet Netflix hasn't  —  And despite the pleas of the masses (or maybe it's just us) …
Shane Dingman / Globe and Mail:
BlackBerry Classic review: old-fashioned phone that won't please traditionalists or new users  —  Review: BlackBerry Classic is a trip back in time  —  The BlackBerry Classic is a curmudgeonly phone.  —  That's not entirely pejorative: a curmudgeon can be a beloved figure with a kind of …
Purch:
Purch, owner of Tom's Hardware and Laptop Magazine, acquires AnandTech months after founder Anand Shimpi leaves for Apple  —  Purch Acquires AnandTech, Dominates Tech Expert and Enthusiast Market  —  Leading content and commerce company adds respected mobile, computing, and IT reviews site to its brand portfolio
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Leaked Sony emails show Snapchat acquired QR scanning company Scan for $50M and AddLive for $30M, negotiated with Vevo for music partnership  —  Snapchat Plans Music Feature, Acquired QR Scan.me For $50M And Vergence Eyeglass Cam For $15M,  —  Leaked emails from the Sony Pictures hack …
Sam Biddle / Valleywag:
Mike Shields / Wall Street Journal:
21st Century Fox to Acquire Ad Tech Firm TrueX for $200 Million  —  21st Century Fox Inc. has agreed to acquire the online advertising technology company TrueX Media, people familiar with the matter said.  —  21st Century Fox is paying a sum approaching $200 million for TrueX, said a person familiar with the deal.
Josh Lowensohn / The Verge:
Tile's tiny Bluetooth stuff-tracker now works with Android  —  Tile's promise to track your stuff with small Bluetooth squares last year made it one of the biggest crowd-funded successes ever, raising nearly $2.7 million worth of orders in just a month.  What's taken the company a lot longer …
Owen Williams / The Next Web:
Facebook is testing an official way to sell goods in Groups  —  A new feature that's appeared for some Facebook users allows them to sell goods using a new “Sell Something” option when posting to a group.  —  The new selling option appears alongside the normal “Write Post” …
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar opens Creator Preview for YouTube rival Vessel to lure stars; $2.99/month service includes ads, offers up to $50 CPM for creators  —  Former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar Pulls Back the Curtain on Vessel, His YouTube Rival  —  Six years ago Jason Kilar made a big splash in Web video when he launched Hulu.
Reuters:
Uber faces tough rivals, regulatory glare in China  —  (Reuters) - Deep-pocketed Chinese rivals and tough regulators stand in the way of U.S. car-hailing service Uber's plans to conquer one of the world's biggest transportation markets, even after it signed a tieup with domestic internet giant Baidu Inc.

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More News

Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:
David Meyer / Gigaom:

Earlier Picks

Vikas SN / MediaNama:
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat: