Techmeme
August 27, 2013, 2:25 PM

Top News

Facebook:
Global Government Requests Report  —  Transparency and trust are core values at Facebook.  We strive to embody them in all aspects of our services, including our approach to responding to government data requests.  We want to make sure that the people who use our service understand the nature …
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple TV updated with Vevo, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Weather Channel, Smithsonian apps  —  Today, Apple has issued an over-the-air update to the Apple TV that brings several new content apps.  Notably, in line with expectations, an app for the Vevo Music Video service has arrived.
Dan Frommer / SplatF:
The Apple TV App Store Can't Be Too Far Away  —  Apple TV owners just got a bunch more channels: Vevo, the Weather Channel, more from Disney, and Smithsonian.  This follows a recent update that added HBO Go and ESPN apps, and represents a continued acceleration of new content being added to Apple TV.
More: CNET
Fortune:
AllThingsD nears split with Dow Jones  —  The future of influential tech website All Things Digital is close to being decided.  Reuters reported in February that AllThingsD co-executive editors Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg had begun discussions with owner Dow Jones, a subsidiary of News Corp. …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Windows 8.1 is officially finished, but everyone has to wait until October 18th  —  Microsoft is confirming today, after recent reports, that the company has completed Windows 8.1 and is releasing it to manufacturing (RTM).  The finalization of the Windows 8 update means that hardware partners …
Bloomberg:
Twitter Hires Commerce Chief to Add Shopping Via Tweets  —  Twitter Inc. hired Nathan Hubbard, the former president of Ticketmaster, as its first head of commerce, part of a push to enable shopping via short postings on its social website.  —  Hubbard, 38, started at San Francisco-based Twitter this week …
Will Connors / Wall Street Journal:
BlackBerry Weighs Messenger Spinoff  —  Move Signals Firm Is Trying to Position BBM as a Valuable Asset Ahead of Potential Sale  —  BlackBerry Ltd. is considering spinning off its messaging service into a subsidiary that would operate with more independence, according to people familiar with the matter.
John Tozzi / Businessweek:
Jack Dorsey's Plan to Save America's Struggling Cities  —  Square co-founder (and Twitter chairman) Jack Dorsey started hosting events to bring together local business owners in California earlier this year.  This fall he's taking the idea to places normally off the tech world's radar …
Tweets: @pkafka
Stefan Constantinescu / Android Beat:
Samsung Exec confirms Note III and Galaxy Gear launch for September 4th (next week!)  —  Lee Young-hee, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile business, told The Korea Times that Samsung will be unveiling the Galaxy Note III and Galaxy Gear smartwatch on September 4th.
Nick Summers / The Next Web:
Google releases a Chromecast app for iOS to help users set up and manage their $35 TV dongle  —  Google released an official Chromecast app for iOS devices today, making it easier for users to set up the new $35 TV dongle, switch between multiple Chromecasts and change common network settings.
Catherine Ho / Washington Post:
Patent seller Intellectual Ventures sets up its own lobbying effort in D.C.  —  As the White House and federal regulators work to crack down on so-called patent trolls, one company that's found success relying on a business model of licensing patents is building a new in-house lobbying team in Washington.
Mike Isaac / AllThingsD:
Amazon Aims to Court Developers With In-App Merch Deals  —  It's hard out there for an app store.  If you aren't Apple or Google, you're trying to court users to your platform.  You're trying to promote your storefront.  And, above all else, you want to keep your developers happy.
Joseph B. White / Wall Street Journal:
Nissan Pledges ‘Affordable’ Self-Driving Cars by 2020  —  Japanese Auto Maker Pledges to Offer Vehicles That Can Operate Autonomously  —  IRVINE, Calif.—Nissan Motor Co. plans to offer cars with self-driving technology by 2020, a senior company executive said on Tuesday.
More: CNBC, Nissan and Benzinga
Justine Sharrock / BuzzFeed:
The Rise And Fall Of A Startup Mansion  —  Startups, pizza, ego, beer, filth.  The collapse of a hacker house and the battle for Silicon Valley's soul.  —  a1.muscache.com  —  When William Hsu first moved to San Francisco to work in startups, he got a one-bedroom apartment.
Tweets: @richard_florida and @jwherrmanThanks:@mattlynley
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple launches more intuitive AppleCare support website, 24/7 chat  —  Earlier this month, we reported that Apple would soon introduce significant changes to its online AppleCare support portals.  In line with our report, Apple has begun rolling out a redesigned AppleCare website to provide support …
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Vine gets better with age: How screens, speed and networks are changing the future of online video  —  Earlier this morning when sitting in the San Diego Airport while waiting for my flight, I did what most people do these days in those situations — I peered into my phone and cycled through my various social media applications.
Tweets: @om
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
BitTorrent's File Synchronizing Service Sync Launches As An iOS App  —  BitTorrent, which years ago first made its name as an efficient distribution network for music and video (sometimes not in the most legit of ways), has been of late positioning itself as a distribution service for everything …
Issie Lapowsky / Inc.com:
Paul Graham on Building Companies for Fast Growth  —  Graham's tech accelerator, Y Combinator, has minted many big hits, including Dropbox, Reddit, and Airbnb.  Here's a conversation with the start-up guru.  —  Paul Graham's appetite for small talk is waning.  “Are we starting yet?

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