David Besbris no longer running Google+, replaced by longtime VP of Product Bradley Horowitz  —  Bradley Horowitz Is Now Running Google+  —  More changes afoot at Google+.  TechCrunch has learned, and now confirmed with Google, that David Besbris has left his role as the head of the company's social and identity product.

Sources: social news reader Prismatic on the block, with Microsoft the front runner in buying it; Apple and Yahoo have also expressed serious interest  —  Microsoft Wants To Buy Social News Reader Prismatic  —  Microsoft has been busy snatching up startups to fill out its mobile apps portfolio …

Hands-on with Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge: design prioritized over waterproofing, removable batteries, and superfluous software features  —  Samsung's new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge put design first  —  Following countless leaks and endless teasers, Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones.

Microsoft's Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL are budget phones with free Office 365  —  Microsoft is looking to Office to tempt consumers to buy a Windows phone.  At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, the software maker is unveiling two new low-cost Lumia smartphones complete with a free version …

Google's Sundar Pichai: Google's U.S. Mobile Network To Come In The ‘Coming Months’  —  While Google continues to build out “cell towers in the sky” in the form of balloons and solar-powered airplanes, it's also gearing up to launch an experimental mobile network in the U.S., too.

The state of Linux gaming in the SteamOS era  —  After 14 months in beta, where does Valve's new platform push stand?  —  For decades after Linux's early '90s debut, even the hardest of hardcore boosters for the open source operating system had to admit that it couldn't really compete in one important area of software: gaming.

Qualcomm's new fingerprint sensor should be better than Touch ID  —  Ever since the iPhone 5S came out in 2013, Apple has had one feature no one could match: Touch ID.  Samsung has just caught up with its new Galaxy S6, but in a few months a new technology from Qualcomm will likely best both of them.

Livestream's Broadcaster mini is a $295 HDMI dongle capable of streaming 1080p video  —  Livestream Revamps Its Hardware Lineup With Smaller, Cheaper Broadcaster Mini  —  Livestream is planning to make it even easier and more affordable to (you guessed it) livestream video with the launch of a new product called the Broadcaster Mini.

India's Ola Buys Smaller Rival TaxiForSure For $200M To Put Pressure On Uber  —  Ola, the SoftBank-backed competitor to Uber, has dished out $200 million to buy smaller rival TaxiForSure in what looks like being the first of a number of consolidation moves in India's taxi-hailing space.

Sony announces Xperia Z4 tablet with a 10-inch 2K display launching globally in June  —  Sony's VAIO replacement is the ultrathin Xperia Z4 Tablet  —  Announced at Mobile World Congress a year ago, the 10-inch Xperia Z2 Tablet remains one of the thinnest and lightest tablets around …

Netherlands' NXP Semiconductors to acquire Austin-based chip maker Freescale in an $11.8B deal  —  Chip Makers Will Merge in Deal Worth $11.8 Billion  —  NXP Semiconductors said on Sunday that it would buy a smaller peer, Freescale Semiconductor, in an $11.8 billion deal that would create …

Apple Watch will have low energy Power Reserve mode that will display only time  —  Apple's New Job: Selling a Smartwatch to an Uninterested Public  —  SAN FRANCISCO — For Apple, the hard part — making a smartwatch — is nearly over.  —  Soon it will be time for the harder part …

HTC One M9 hands-on: excels in design, improved specs, may look too much like its predecessor  —  HTC One M9: The devil is in the details (hands-on)  —  The HTC One M9 has probably been the most leaked handset in recent history, but it isn't until you have this device in your hand …

Alcatel's flagship Idol 3 smartphones feature mid-range specs at low cost, will be available unlocked in the US this spring starting at just $200  —  Alcatel's new flagship smartphones have high-end features, low-end prices  —  If you're familiar with the name Alcatel Onetouch at all …

NSA Director fails to understand the dangerous long-term consequences of crypto backdoors in real world software  —  What NSA Director Mike Rogers Doesn't Get About Encryption  —  At a New America Foundation conference on cybersecurity Monday, NSA Director Mike Rogers gave an interview that …