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Techmeme
February 18, 2015, 10:00 PM
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Top News

Ritsuko Ando / Reuters:
Sony three-year plan to focus on PlayStation and camera sensors; company may exit smartphone and TV markets  —  Sony sees 25-fold profit jump by 2018; could exit TVs, phones  —  (Reuters) - Sony Corp (6758.T) aims to boost operating profit 25-fold within three years by growing its camera sensors …
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Uber expands Series E round by $1B, bringing the total capacity for round up to $2.8B  —  Facing Demand, Uber Expands Funding Round by $1 Billion  —  Uber, the ride-hailing service, likes to trumpet its popularity with consumers.  Their fervor is surpassed, perhaps, only by investors'.
Steve Kovach / Business Insider:
Samsung will buy Apple Pay competitor LoopPay  —  Samsung will buy LoopPay, a mobile payments company.  —  LoopPay's technology allows mobile payments through traditional magnetic credit card readers.  That means it can theoretically work in a lot more places than Apple Pay, which requires special payment pads to work.
Joe Mullin / Ars Technica:
Patent troll claims to own Bluetooth, scores $15.7M verdict against Samsung  —  Big patent trolls see court wins, twice in two weeks.  Will it matter for reform?  —  Gordon Bremer didn't invent Bluetooth 2.0.  In fact, as he admitted on the stand last week in an East Texas federal court …
Dustin Volz / National Journal:
Google Calls FBI's Plan to Expand Hacking Power a ‘Monumental’ Constitutional Threat  —  Any change in accessing computer data should go through Congress, the search giant said.  —  Google is warning that the government's quiet plan to expand the FBI's authority to remotely access computer files amounts …
Sarah Buhr / TechCrunch:
Breath analysis startup Breathometer announces partnership with Uber, now prompts drunk users to order Uber or a cab  —  Breathometer Now Calls Ubers To Drive The Drunks Home  —  Breathometer and Uber are teaming up to get the drunks home safely.  —  We wrote before that Breathometer …
Mark Sullivan / VentureBeat:
Pinterest is trying to raise another $500M, valuing the company at $11B  —  Obsessed with mobile growth?  Join us February 23-24 when we reveal the best technologies and strategies to help your company grow on mobile.  It all takes place at our 5th annual Mobile Summit at the scenic Cavallo Point Resort in Sausalito, CA.
Lucian Constantin / PC World:
Samsung smart TVs don't encrypt the voice data they collect  —  Samsung does not encrypt voice recordings that are collected and transmitted by its smart TVs to a third party service, even though the company has claimed that it uses encryption to secure consumers' personal information.
John Cook / GeekWire:
Software maker K2 raises more than $100M to help businesses build custom applications … K2 may not be the best known software company in the Seattle area.  In fact, most people hearing the name probably first think of the Seattle-based ski manufacturer.  —  But in the shadow of companies …
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
US carriers still stink at unlocking phones, analysis finds  —  Sprint is especially bad, while Verizon is the most customer-friendly.  —  A consumer rights activist who led the charge against restrictions on phone unlocking has graded the four major US carriers and found three …
Dawn Chmielewski / Re/code:
Vessel Strikes Deal With Universal Music for Exclusive Access to Some Music Videos  —  Video startup Vessel has reached an agreement with Universal Music Group for exclusive early access to some of the music label's videos.  —  It's not clear which artist videos will be offered through Vessel's paid tier …
Sam Byford / The Verge:
Microsoft is killing Windows Phone's Rooms group chat  —  When Windows Phone 8 launched back in 2012, one of the biggest new features was Rooms, an extension to the People hub that let users hold conversations and share photos, notes, and calendars in private groups.

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The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

From Mediagazer

New York Times:
Sources: Trump continues to push to replace the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room with a swimming pool, as the administration builds a buffer against the press

The Hollywood Reporter:
Sources: ex-Warner Bros. film heads Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca are talking with Netflix for a film chief role but seek more theatrical release commitments

Bloomberg:
Sources: Legendary Entertainment has made a takeover offer for Lionsgate Studios, reviving on-and-off talks after weighing a bid in 2025; LION closed up 14.41%

More News

Andrew Cunningham / Ars Technica:
Qualcomm's new Snapdragon chips bring high-end features to midrange SoCs

Earlier Picks

Robin Wauters / Tech.eu:
Yandex asks Russian antitrust authorities to probe Google over bundling of Android with Google services (including search)
Casey Newton / The Verge:
Facebook is working on virtual reality versions of its apps
Li Xiaoxiao / MarketWatch:
Apple Pay expansion in China hindered by revenue share issues with Union Pay, Alipay and banks, government regulations
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