Techmeme
August 8, 2014, 12:35 AM

Top News

Louis Gray / Google Developers Blog:
Google Fit Preview SDK now available  —  At Google I/O we announced Google Fit: an open platform for developers to more easily build fitness apps.  Today we're making a preview SDK available to developers so that you can start to build.  —  Google Fit provides a single set of APIs for apps …
Joel Stein / Businessweek:
Silicon Valley Tech Entrepreneurs: Behind the Stereotype  —  Sam Altman sits behind his desk with his knees pulled up to his chest, eating dried apricots.  He's 29, but even the most laissez-faire bartender would card him.  His hand is forever grabbing his hair while he thinks, making it stick up in Einsteinian tufts.
Mat Honan / Wired:
Stewart Butterfield set out to build a game and failed; instead, he created Flickr and Slack  —  The Most Fascinating Profile You'll Ever Read About a Guy and His Boring Startup  —  Stewart is hungry.  He's munching on potatoes smothered in chicken fat drippings, sitting by a long metal table …
Reed Hastings / Facebook:
Netflix passed HBO in subscriber revenue last quarter, still behind on profits  —  Minor milestone: last quarter we passed HBO is subscriber revenue ($1.146B vs $1.141B).  They still kick our ass in profits and Emmy's, but we are making progress.  HBO rocks, and we are honored to be in the same league.
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
U.S. patent office rejects Apple's autocomplete patent claim Samsung was found to infringe  —  Apple has just given up its thermonuclear ambitions and practically agreed with Google's 2011 statement that “bad software patent litigation is a wasteful war that no one can win”, but even in the U.S. …
Emil Protalinski / The Next Web:
Facebook bans incentivizing users to Like Pages, gives developers until November 5 to update apps  —  In addition to releasing Graph API version 2.1 today, Facebook also announced two important changes to its Platform Policies under games and proper use.  Developers have 90 days (until November 5, 2014) to comply with the new rules.
More: Facebook DevelopersThanks:@epro
Jordan Kahn / 9to5Mac:
Apple gives newly acquired Beats by Dre dedicated accessories section on online store  —  Following officially getting regulatory approval to complete its purchase of Beats, Apple today added a new section to its online store highlighting Beats by Dr. Dre products.
Paul Carsten / Reuters:
China to force real-name registrations on public accounts of instant messaging apps; blocks KakaoTalk and Line  —  China imposes new restrictions on instant messaging tools: Xinhua  —  (Reuters) - China will force real-name registrations on users of instant messaging tools …
Mikey Campbell / AppleInsider:
Apple details ‘Siri for Mac’ desktop virtual assistant in new patent application  —  While Apple's Siri has been an iOS staple since 2011, the tech has yet to make the jump to OS X. An exhaustive new patent filing, however, details a system very similar to the iOS virtual assistant that can perform dictation …
Shara Tibken / CNET:
Samsung, Barnes & Noble to hold Nook event Aug. 20  —  The presentation will detail the companies' efforts in tablets, including their first device — the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook — which they discussed in June.  —  Samsung and Barnes & Noble's Nook business sent an invite for an event later this month.
Kashmir Hill / Forbes:
The Snowden Effect: Yahoo To Join Gmail In Offering Users End-To-End Encryption  —  Yahoo users may have benefited most from the “Snowden effect.”  The tech company was a laggard when it came to security practices until the NSA leaker's disclosures made clear the extent to which weak security practices …
Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:
GOP posts a petition supporting Uber, wants your contact info  —  Hey, Uber!  Republicans have your back.  —  Like Uber?  So does the Republican National Committee!  —  So much so that it has posted a a petition in support of the app-based ridesharing service on its Web site.
Eric Johnson / Re/code:
Zynga Misses on Revenue, Lowers Full-Year Guidance  —  Zynga is trying to reinvent itself on mobile — but that reinvention will take some more time, the company said today in its Q2 earnings report.  —  The San Francisco-based gaming company reported bookings of $175 million in the quarter …

Sponsor Posts

Termina:
AI Powered Diligence at Scale  —  VCs and founders deploy Termina AI Scans on >12% of all known series A+ deals to uncover hidden risks and opportunities.  Explore how you too can invest and build better companies with AI.
Intel:
Intel Delivers powerful CPUs for AI and Networking  —  With the onset of AI, businesses demand powerful and efficient CPUs.  Explore new Intel Xeon 6 processors, for the broadest set of workloads with leadership performance and lower TCO.
Zoho:
Gamification: A simple way to enjoy getting more work done  —  Work doesn't have to be boring.  Gamification transforms everyday tasks into exciting challenges, making employees feel more engaged and motivated.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Lenny's Podcast:
A field guide for introverts: How to thrive at work without changing who you are | Susan Cain (author of "Quiet")
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Techmeme Ride Home:
E2EE For All!
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe to Techmeme Ride Home.
Decoder with Nilay Patel:
Why Trump can't be trusted with Congress' new anti-deepfake bill
A show from the Verge about big ideas - and other problems.
Subscribe to Decoder with Nilay Patel.
The Logan Bartlett Show:
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen Breaks Down the Global Impact of Trump's New Tariffs
A podcast hosted by Logan Bartlett, an investor at Redpoint Ventures, covering tech with industry insiders.
Subscribe to The Logan Bartlett Show.
Generative Now:
Dan Shipper: The First MultiModal Media Company
A podcast from Lightspeed dedicated to highlighting the stories, strategies and insights behind today's most exciting AI companies.
Subscribe to Generative Now.
Spotlight On:
Nebius's Arkady Volozh on What it Takes to Build Infrastructure Needed for the AI Era
A podcast from Accel about how companies are built, from the people doing the building.
Subscribe to Spotlight On.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 12:35 AM ET, August 8, 2014.

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.

More News

Alex Knapp / Forbes:

Earlier Picks

Rolfe Winkler / Wall Street Journal:
Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post: