Techmeme
January 19, 2015, 9:00 PM

Top News

Jessica E. Lessin / The Information:
Google in talks to invest in SpaceX at $10B+ valuation to support Internet satellites project  —  Google Nears Major Investment in SpaceX to Bolster Satellites  —  Google is close to investing in rocket maker SpaceX, according to several people familiar with the talks …
Tim Culpan / Bloomberg:
Source: HTC to unveil smartwatch with Under Armour fitness service integration and flagship M9 phone with Snapdragon 810, 20MP rear camera in March  —  HTC Said to Plan Better Camera Phone, First Smartwatch in March  —  HTC Corp. (2498) plans to unveil a marquee phone in March with improved camera …
New York Times:
N.S.A. Tapped Into North Korean Networks Before Sony Attack, Officials Say  —  WASHINGTON — The trail that led American officials to blame North Korea for the destructive cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment in November winds back to 2010, when the National Security Agency scrambled …
Stuart Dredge / Guardian:
Lizard Squad's LizardStresser hacked and customer details made public  —  Researcher says hacker group took $11k worth of bitcoin payments for its DDoS service, but stored usernames and passwords in plain text  —  Hacking group Lizard Squad made a name for itself with high-profile attacks …
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Windows 8.1 with Bing is free for OEMs making Intel-based tablets that are 9 inches or smaller, $15 for larger tablets  —  How much does Microsoft make from PC makers with Windows 8.1?  —  Summary:Microsoft is making Windows 8.1 available to its PC partners for anywhere from ‘zero dollars’ to $15 per copy …
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Amazon announces plans to make movies for theaters, Prime streaming  —  Amazon Studios is going to start making movies, and you'll be seeing them in theaters before they become available for streaming on Prime.  Fresh off Golden Globe wins for its original series Transparent …
Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:
As It Seeks New Regulations In NY, Airbnb Estimates It Would Collect $65 Million In Taxes There  —  Airbnb has been trying to win over regulators and lawmakers in New York by pledging to crack down on illegal hotel operations and collect taxes from rentals that happen on its platform.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
China mounted a man-in-the-middle attack on Outlook email service users over the weekend, says GreatFire  —  Microsoft Outlook Hacked In China, New Report Finds  —  Only a few weeks after Google's Gmail service was blocked in China, a new report from online censorship monitoring organization …
Jonathan Cheng / Wall Street Journal:
Samsung hires Lee Don-tae, co-president of UK design agency Tangerine which once employed Jony Ive, as head of global design team  —  Samsung Hires New Global Design Head  —  Can Samsung Electronics design its way out of its recent profit slide?  —  As the South Korean smartphone giant struggles …
Dan Ackerman / CNET:
Dell XPS 13 review: thin bezel, decent 7 hour battery life, good value at $799, but high-res touchscreen costs an additional $500  —  Dell XPS 13 (2015) review: Stunning screen, compact design make XPS 13 the first great laptop of 2015  —  The Good Dell's revamped XPS 13 has a nearly borderless display …

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Featured Podcasts

Hard Fork:
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Earlier Picks

Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Marco Arment / Marco.org:
Amy Thomson / Bloomberg: