Techmeme
February 18, 2015, 9:50 AM

Top News

Bloomberg Business:
Source: Snapchat is in advanced discussions on a new funding round valuing the company between $16B and $19B  —  Snapchat Said to Seek Up to $19 Billion Value in Funding Round  —  Don't Miss Out —  by Elizabeth WollmanLeslie PickerSarah Frier  —  (Bloomberg) — Snapchat Inc. is seeking …
Joanna Stern / Wall Street Journal:
Raspberry Pi 2 Review: A $35 Computer Can Do a Heck of a Lot  —  An open-source computer that encourages you to look inside  —  The small, bare-bones Raspberry Pi 2, meant to encourage children and adults to build and engage more with computers, does more than you think.  WSJ's Joanna Stern puts it to the test.
John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
Apple Watch revenues could be dominated by relatively low-volume, high-priced Edition model  —  Thinking About the Split in Apple Watch Sales by Model  —  Lorraine Luk and Daisuke Wakabayashi, reporting today for the WSJ, “Apple Orders More Than 5 Million Watches for Initial Run”:
Mark Wilson / Co.Design:
Samsung, with its bloated product line and hierarchical structure, struggles to lead in design  —  Why Samsung Design Stinks  —  Kevin Lee calls it “Steve Jobs Syndrome.”  As the former head of product strategy and user experience design at Samsung Design America, Lee watched …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft to allow developers to turn retail Xbox Ones into dev kits by summer and open the platform to more universal apps in November; SDK preview in May  —  Microsoft is ready to unleash Xbox One apps  —  Microsoft is planning to open up its Xbox One apps platform in a big way this summer.
Bryan Bishop / The Verge:
Upcoming Modern Family episode was shot entirely on iPhones, iPads and MacBook Pros  —  Modern Family's new episode never leaves the screen of a MacBook Pro  —  ‘Connection Lost’ feels like a half-hour Apple commercial — but it actually works  —  MacBooks and iPhones pop up in movies …
Rik Henderson / Pocket-lint:
VLC 3.0 will come with Chromecast support across multiple devices  —  A changelog posted by VLC has confirmed that support for the Google Chromecast is soon to be added to the popular media player.  That means users will be able to stream just about any media file through VLC on the connected TV dongle.
Li Xiaoxiao / MarketWatch:
Apple Pay expansion in China hindered by revenue share issues with Union Pay, Alipay and banks, government regulations  —  Apple Pay's invasion of China stalls  —  BEIJING (Caixin Online) — China's central bank, UnionPay bank-card service and e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. BABA …
Neil Hughes / AppleInsider:
Apple wins a patent for iPhone headset similar to Samsung Gear VR  —  Apple wins patent for a head-mounted iPhone virtual reality display  —  In a concept similar to Samsung's Gear VR, Apple has been awarded a patent for a device that would allow an iPhone to serve as the display for a portable virtual reality headset.
Casey Newton / The Verge:
Facebook is working on virtual reality versions of its apps  —  Facebook is building versions of its apps in virtual reality, according to Chris Cox, the company's head of product.  Speaking at Recode's Code Media conference in Dan Point, CA, Cox told interviewer Peter Kafka that Facebook VR is on its way.
Dylan Tweney / VentureBeat:
IBM to invest $1B over 5 years in storage software, introduces centralized storage management tool  —  IBM makes a big bet on software-defined storage and hybrid clouds  —  IBM believes in the hybrid cloud, and now it's backing that with software and a promise.

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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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Big Technology Podcast:
Nick Bostrom: Worries About AI Existential Risk Just Became More Concrete
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Training Data:
Rich Sutton and Khurram Javed: Why AI Models Stop Learning, and How to Start It Again
Sequoia Capital partners host conversations with leading AI builders and researchers to develop a deeper understanding of the evolving technologies and their implications.
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Invest Like the Best:
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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More News

Kevin C. Tofel / Gigaom:

Earlier Picks

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
Catherine Shu / TechCrunch:
Derek Thompson / The Atlantic Online:
Amy Zima / The Twitter Blog:
Derrick Harris / Gigaom: