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Phhhoto is a profitable photo app that’s grabbing the attention of pop stars & top tech execs

December 5, 2014 3:00 PM | Tom Cheredar

When it comes to image sharing apps, Instagram reigns supreme for photos, Vine and Instagram lead the pack in short videos, and Twitch is quickly becoming the darling of live streaming video. But thus far, no mobile service has risen to the top for GIFs — those animated, short image files that everyone (save for my boss Dylan Tweney) is in love with.

Zuckerberg is on shaky ground criticizing Apple’s business model

December 5, 2014 2:30 PM | Mark Sullivan

The Facebook CEO called Tim Cook’s September comments about Internet advertising “ridiculous” in a recent TIME interview.

Forget steps and calories — Prana’s wearable tracks breath and posture

December 5, 2014 2:15 PM | Mark Sullivan

The Prana device uses a 3-axis accelerometer and a fancy set of algorithms to measure the body’s breathing patterns. It can also tell if you’re slouching.

Amazon starts bricking hacked Fire TVs in latest firmware update

December 5, 2014 1:58 PM | Tom Cheredar

You may want to think twice before hacking your Fire TV set-top box to get around its limitations.

Want to hitch a ride on a rocket? Join one of these 68 companies

December 5, 2014 1:15 PM | Kia Kokalitcheva

Here’s a good starting point for engineers looking for high-growth opportunities.

FTC finalizes order demanding Google refund $19M in kids’ in-app purchases

December 5, 2014 12:59 PM | Ruth Reader

Today the FCC approved a final ruling requiring Google to reimburse consumers for unauthorized purchases made by their kids in the Google Play store.

Why VMware absolutely had to adopt Docker and its trendy containers

December 5, 2014 11:29 AM | Jordan Novet

The container market is real, and the biggest technology infrastructure companies know it.

Apple files to dismiss iPod antitrust case as plaintiffs are disqualified

December 5, 2014 11:12 AM | Mark Sullivan

Plaintiffs’ attorneys today withdrew the name of one of the two people who claimed harm, leaving just one New Jersey woman as the sole member of the class action.

7 smart ways to use mobile app analytics

December 5, 2014 11:00 AM | Dale Carr, Leadbolt CEO

GuestGoing with your gut feeling may work occasionally, but if you’re making decisions based on cold, hard data, you’re going to be more successful.

First Cortana for Windows 10 desktop screenshots and video leak

December 5, 2014 10:58 AM | Emil Protalinski

Microsoft today brought its Cortana virtual assistant to France, Germany, Spain, and Italy, albeit in alpha form. Yet the really exciting news comes from unreleased Windows 10 builds: Cortana running on the desktop.

Microsoft adds video calling between Lync and Skype for Windows, coming to Android and iOS next

December 5, 2014 9:12 AM | Emil Protalinski

And Microsoft doesn’t mention OS X in its Skype announcement at all.

GamesBeat weekly roundup: PlayStation turns 20, an odd e-sports sponsor, and Street Fighter V

December 5, 2014 9:00 AM | Mike Minotti

Check out our entire week’s worth of coverage on VentureBeat’s channel for video games, GamesBeat.

Comcast cares? Companies clueless about customer dissatisfaction (study)

December 5, 2014 8:37 AM | John Koetsier

Businesses generally think they care well for their customers, according to a new report. Customers, unsurprisingly, disagree.

Could Wire be the messaging app the world has been waiting for?

December 5, 2014 8:25 AM | Paul Sawers

A “modern communications network,” “simple, beautiful conversations,” “it’s time to create the best possible communication tools, as beautiful as they are useful.”

The DeanBeat: Will Hollywood brands bring salvation from the rising cost of acquiring mobile gamers?

December 5, 2014 8:00 AM | Dean Takahashi

It’s not inconceivable that a mobile game will make the most profits for an entertainment property.

Is interactive content a way to rise above content marketing clutter?

December 5, 2014 8:00 AM | Scott Brinker, ion interacative

SponsoredThe biggest challenge content marketers face is breaking through the cacophony of content flooding the web. As marketers are being told to “think like publishers” , interactive content is significantly expanding what’s possible in content marketing.

Sony’s new hi-res audio Walkman appeals to cultured senses, like a fine wine (review)

December 5, 2014 7:35 AM | Simon Cohen

ReviewSony’s latest Walkman puts 350 high-resolution songs in your pocket. Assuming, that is, you can hear the difference.

Funding Daily: Today’s tech funding news, in one place

December 5, 2014 7:22 AM | Harrison Weber

Here’s a list of today’s tech funding stories, updated as the day unfolds. Tip us here if you have a deal to share.

Yo, bitches, Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul just launched his own messaging app

December 5, 2014 7:11 AM | Paul Sawers

Aaron Paul, star and one of the main protagonists from the smash hit TV series Breaking Bad, has just launched his own iPhone app.

Deep-learning startup MetaMind launches with $8M from Benioff & Khosla Ventures

December 5, 2014 7:00 AM | Jordan Novet

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Richard Socher never set out to place himself on the bleeding edge of artificial intelligence. He merely wanted to blend language and math — two subjects he’d always liked.

How a Finnish entrepreneur is helping Russia create its Silicon Valley (interview)

December 5, 2014 7:00 AM | Dean Takahashi

Pekka Viljakainen, the grandson of Nokia’s founder, is helping to build Russia’s Skolkovo.

Nielsen & AOL give marketers tips on how to get viewers’ attention in this multiscreen world

December 5, 2014 6:30 AM | Barry Levine

If you count on TV or video ads to promote your brand, you may want to brace yourself. Because the findings are not pretty.

That $1.2 billion? So yesterday. Uber already looking to raise another $1 billion

December 5, 2014 6:04 AM | Chris O'Brien

Despite rumors for weeks that Uber was cobbling together another massive round of venture capital, the news yesterday that the ride-sharing company had raised another $1.2 billion was still pretty stunning.

Norwegian indie game studio pushes cartoon violence with Fun Run 2

December 5, 2014 6:00 AM | Dean Takahashi

The first Fun Run was downloaded nearly 50 million times. It proved we all have sick minds.

Microsoft brings its Cortana virtual assistant to 4 more European countries, in alpha only for now

December 5, 2014 6:00 AM | Paul Sawers

Microsoft has announced that it’s extending support for Cortana to France, Germany, Spain, and Italy.

Facebook just gained a big ally in its battle with Cisco

December 4, 2014 11:21 PM | Julie Bort, Business Insider

Last summer, an organization led by Facebook fired a huge shot at Cisco. On Thursday, one of Cisco’s oldest rivals, Juniper, jumped in to back Facebook in a big way.

Carrier-neutral Internet data service 21Vianet raises $296M from Kingsoft, Xiaomi, and Temasek

December 4, 2014 9:05 PM | Emma Lee, TechNode

21Vianet Group, a leading carrier-neutral Internet data services provider in China, has announced that it has entered into share purchase agreements with Kingsoft, Xiaomi and Temasek.

What to Think, Ep. 32: Opower’s secret weapon for cutting energy usage

December 4, 2014 4:53 PM | Jordan Novet

Opower has vaulted itself onto public markets by analyzing energy usage for utility companies and providing charts and other bits from data to ratepayers. Opower has an ambitious master plan, and it involves decreasing energy usage at scale.

Amazon cuts the cost of sending data out from its cloud by as much as 43%

December 4, 2014 4:00 PM | Jordan Novet

Market-leading public cloud Amazon Web Services is at it again, reducing the price of its services. Today it’s networking costs that are getting lower.

Body cameras are the first step to reducing police brutality

December 4, 2014 3:00 PM | Dylan Tweney

No gadget will fix bad policing. There is no app to cure racism. But body cameras on police officers is one hell of a start.

New Terminator Genisys trailer is fun, but it’s not the love epic of T2

December 4, 2014 2:32 PM | Gregory Ferenstein

The trailer is both exciting and incredibly disappointing at the same time.

Facebook revamps Slingshot with full-screen photos and looping videos, sharing to other apps

December 4, 2014 2:04 PM | Kia Kokalitcheva

Slingshot didn’t turn out to be the Snapchat competitor hit Facebook hoped for, so the company has redesigned the mobile app.

Log management company Splunk gets competitor Sumo Logic to change its messaging

December 4, 2014 12:32 PM | Jordan Novet

Splunk, the publicly traded company selling software for analyzing logs from servers and other hardware, has succeeded in getting startup Sumo Logic, which sells cloud-based log-management software, to back off on certain marketing messaging that suggested Sumo Logic offered features that were competitive with Splunk’s.

Not to be overshadowed by Uber, Lyft announces new CMO and CFO

December 4, 2014 12:27 PM | Harrison Weber

On the heels of Uber’s $1.2 billion funding round, Lyft (the tech industry’s other transportation giant) has some big news to share. The company hired two new executives today, chief marketing officer Kira Wampler and chief financial officer Brian Roberts.

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