Must read
Open Data Platform proves it
Cloudera CEO declares victory over big data competition
Alibaba comes stateside.
If you thought cloud competition couldn’t get hotter, think again
Guessing games
FCC official says Google, Facebook had little say on net neutrality
But hack may be hard to run
Decade-old FREAK bug leaves Google and Apple device users vulnerable
Project Morpheus a go
Sony to release Playstation 4 virtual reality headset in 2016
It wants to improve ETAs
Uber buys a mapping company, but this isn’t its first acquisition
Will the FCC rise again?
AT&T’s privacy plan may be short-lived and may not even be as bad as we think
Know who you know
Google Contacts gets a long-overdue update
Must read
End drop calls while driving
Apple granted patent to use wireless strength map data for vehicle navigation
Must read
Open Data Platform proves it
Cloudera CEO declares victory over big data competition
Many clouds, one console
HP fine-tunes its multi-cloud pitch
Funny business
NBC wants you to pay for streams of Jimmy Fallon, SNL
Well, this is interesting: NBC Universal is working on a comedy video subscription service, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The service, which could launch later this year, would include full episodes of shows like the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live, as well as other clips and online-exclusive programming, and possibly cost $2.50 to $3.50. Lots of details still seem up in the air, but it looks like NBC is determined to join the unbundling crowd to finally make money from cord cutters.
Both lost share in 2014 though
Apple iPhones outsell Samsung smartphones in last quarter of 2014
Also, Bluetooth
Aether adds multi-room functionality to its Cone speaker
A landmark case for solar
SolarCity sues Arizona utility over solar anti-competitive practices
Two networks, one smartphone
Broadcom’s new Wi-Fi chip turns your phone into an IoT hub
Choose your popcorn
Netflix buys Beasts of No Nation for theaters and your queue
Securing up shop
Box buys small security startup to court more risk-averse clients
Must read
US policy on the world stage
FCC’s Wheeler makes net neutrality case before global carriers
Can it cover its costs?
Luxe is expanding quickly, but how are its margins?
Android (and iOS) Wear
Report: Google preparing iOS app for Android Wear smartwatches
Expensive domain sale?
PCH buys Fab.com in its quest to find a path to the public
Two may be better than one
Double vision: YotaPhone 2 with e-ink rear screen coming to US
Basic syncing still free
BitTorrent officially launches Sync 2.0 with $40 pro tier
BitTorrent officially launched Sync 2.0 Tuesday, taking the next step toward turning the P2P-based file backup and synchronization tool into a real business. Sync 2.0 comes with a pro tier that offers users more fine-grained access control for folders and other advanced features for $39.99 a year. Users can test the pro features for a month for free, or still use basic Sync functionality without the need to pay anything. BitTorrent first announced and previewed the Pro tier of Sync last November.
A legal root canal
Bad dentist must pay $4,677 for threats over Yelp review
Product placement politics
How House of Cards helped one phone app jump up the charts
What the phone knows
A look at Zeroth, Qualcomm’s effort to put AI in your smartphone
Both for old and new phones
Your Android phone is about to get better with this update
Member states watering down
Alarms sound over changes to EU roaming, net neutrality and privacy rules
more data please
Waze gets Google’s greenlight to be pre-installed on Android
10 day battery life with steel
Pebble Time Steel launches alongside new smart watch straps
Minimizing reboots
Amazon hones its cloud update process
Through encrypted networks
Tempered Networks wants to secure critical infrastructure so hacks don’t lead to sewage spills
Messaging joins voice
Signal secure comms app for iPhone gains TextSecure compatibility
Open Whisper Systems has released version 2 of its Signal secure calling app for iPhone. This is an important iteration, as it introduces secure text messaging that’s compatible with the outfit’s TextSecure app for Android — for now, Open Whisper Systems’ secure voice app for Android, RedPhone, remains separate from that, though everything will come together later this year in a Signal app that works across iOS, Android and the desktop. As secure communications operations go, Open Whisper Systems has good credibility, offering end-to-end crypto, auditable open-source code and decent identity verification. The TextSecure protocol has also found its way into WhatsApp, which is why Android-toting users of that Facebook-owned messaging app enjoy extra security these days.
New keyboard-free option
BlackBerry shows off affordable, touchscreen-only Leap handset
It's not all good
The internet of things will rock your business and here’s how
Neutral, schmeutal
Netflix won’t count against iiNet broadband caps in Australia
Learn how the leaks came to be
Updated: Snowden documentary pulled from site (but here’s where you can still pay to watch it)
Citizenfour, the acclaimed Edward Snowden-centric documentary (and recent Academy Award winner), is now available to watch online for free at Thought Maybe. The film traces the origins of how Edward Snowden leaked numerous top-secret NSA documents and his meetings with filmmaker Laura Poitras and journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill, whose work on the leaked files would eventually lead to a Pulitzer prize for public service. The filmmakers and Snowden recently participated in a Reddit AMA in which Snowden said he wished he could have leaked the documents sooner.
UPDATE: Well, that didn’t last long. Looks like the site that posted the documentary did so under dubious circumstances. If you still want to watch it, you’ll have to head to the filmmaker’s website and scan for a screening, head over to HBO Go or watch it on Channel 4 where it will be up for a few more days.
Another big VR hire
Mary Lou Jepsen, formerly of Google X, takes job at Oculus
