Techmeme
July 29, 2014, 10:00 AM

Top News

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook Forces Users Worldwide To Download Messenger For Mobile Chat  —  Over the next few days, Facebook will stop allowing messaging in its main iPhone and Android apps, and force all their users around the world to download its standalone Messenger app.  Facebook first started forcing users …
Richard Padilla / MacRumors:
Apple Launches Retina MacBook Pros with Faster Haswell Processors, More RAM Standard  —  As indicated over the weekend and yesterday, Apple today launched refreshed 13-inch and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros.The new notebooks feature faster versions of Intel's Haswell processors …
Jon Russell / The Next Web:
Flipkart raises $1 billion to strengthen its bid to own India's e-commerce space  —  It's turning into quite a year for Flipkart.  Today the e-commerce company from India has confirmed the much-reported rumor that it has raised $1 billion in fresh investment, as it eyes new verticals …
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
Windows comes to Raspberry Pi-style board in Microsoft/Intel project  —  Sharks Cove.  —  Microsoft  —  Even Microsoft wants a piece of the development board market made famous by Arduino and Raspberry Pi.  —  Microsoft has teamed up with Intel and hardware maker CircuitCo to design the $300 …
Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:
Hackers Plundered Israeli Defense Firms that Built ‘Iron Dome’ Missile Defense System  —  Three Israeli defense contractors responsible for building the “Iron Dome” missile shield currently protecting Israel from a barrage of rocket attacks were compromised by hackers and robbed of huge quantities …
Issie Lapowsky / Wired:
This Is What Tech's Ugly Gender Problem Really Looks Like  —  Shortly after Kathryn Tucker started Red Rover, an app that showcases local events for kids, she pitched the idea to an angel investor at a New York tech event.  But it didn't go over well.  When she finished her pitch, the investor said he didn't invest in women.
John Cook / GeekWire:
Rhapsody tops 2 million paid subscribers, expands music service overseas with mobile deals  —  Rhapsody — one of the pioneers in the online music arena — said today that it has topped two million paying subscribers for its Rhapsody and Napster music services.
Jonathan Shieber / TechCrunch:
Enterprise Investments Surge To Over $5.4 Billion  —  After years of backing headline-grabbing consumer internet deals, it seems that venture capitalists are paying more attention (and more money) to the seemingly staid and stodgy enterprise technology companies (the businesses that sell technology to make businesses work better).
Tweets: @qthrul
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Twitter Won't Unveil New Growth Metrics for Q2 Earnings  —  Twitter reports its Q2 earnings tomorrow afternoon, which means investors will be judging whether Dick Costolo has fixed his growth problem.  —  One thing they won't see or hear about, though, will be a new set of metrics from Twitter describing the company's reach scale.
Paul Sawers / The Next Web:
Yelp for iPhone now lets you add 12-second videos to your reviews, Android to follow soon  —  While the move isn't exactly surprising, Yelp has announced that it is now opening its mobile apps to user-generated videos to help create more engaging, visual reviews.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft pits Siri against Cortana in new Windows Phone 8.1 ad  —  Microsoft is focusing on Apple's Siri digital assistant in one of the first Windows Phone 8.1 commercials.  It's another return to the Mac vs. PC war, as Microsoft choses to mock Siri in an effort to showcase Cortana for the first time.
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
AT&T, Verizon offer HBO with basic cable and internet for $40-50; still no cable-free option  —  Why HBO and Pay TV Still Aren't Getting Divorced  —  Reminder: You still can't get HBO without paying for other TV channels, too.  —  But you can still get a cheapish package that includes HBO …
Craig Karmin / Wall Street Journal:
Most Hilton locations worldwide will let customers unlock rooms with their smartphones by 2017  —  Hilton Books Upgraded Technology  —  Hotel Guests Will Be Able to Use Smartphones as Keys or to Choose Rooms at Properties World-Wide  —  Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. is placing …

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More News

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Earlier Picks

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South China Morning Post: