Andreessen Horowitz invests $15 million in website Rap Genius

---

• Andreessen Horowitz invests $15 million in website Rap Genius
• Google denied summary judgment in patent dispute with Vringo
• HP's outlook disappoints, shares hit nine-year low
• Rumor mill says Apple plants have started producing the iPad mini
• Pop-up ad queen caught by the U.S. government, fined $163 million
• Talking Guinea Pig Sounds a lot Like Ricky Gervais
• Facebook will charge to 'promote' user posts
• FTC to fine Warner unit $1M over kids privacy
• Pearson chief executive to step down
• FTC charges firms with deception on computers
• Google Wallet vs PassWallet: Who’s earned your trust?
• Logitech announces new Harmony Touch universal remote with 2.4-inch touchscreen [video]
• HP's outlook disappoints, shares hit nine-year low
• ASUS releases Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for Transformer Prime and Infinity Pad
• T-Mobile, MetroPCS unite to battle larger rivals
• PlayStation Mobile launches for PS Vita and select Android smartphones and tablets
• Information Nation: Digital Social Experiment to Put a Human Face on Big Data
• Apple’s Passbook adoption increases: McDonald’s, Airbnb and Eventbrite join the party
• FTC to fine Warner unit $1M over kids privacy
• Merged T-Mobile USA, MetroPCS to face tech challenges
• LG Optimus G arriving on AT&T and Sprint later this year
• You Didn't GIF That: A Presidential Debate Recap
• Talking Guinea Pig Sounds a lot Like Ricky Gervais
• The Swizzle Cleans Your Inbox By Combining Promo E-mails Into a Daily Digest
• Zuckerberg says majority of mobile Facebook users aren’t bothering with Facebook’s mobile app
• British Film Institute Plans to Digitize 10,000 Films by 2017
• Kitchen Aid Tweets Joke About Obama's Dead Grandma
• Xbox Music reportedly launching on October 26th for free
• Romney vs. Big Bird: Internet Defends Scorned Muppet
• Applied Materials to cut workforce up to 9 percent
• Adorable Halloween Costume Will Tug at Your Heartstrings
• Facebook will charge to 'promote' user posts
• FTC settles with company that made Bieber, other fan websites
• Lockitron Lets You Unlock the Door With Your iPhone [VIDEO]
• HP's outlook disappoints, driving shares to 9-year low
• The MetroPCS Deal Won't Save T-Mobile
• Google bringing Street View to the iPhone and iPad… on the Web, at least
• Chip gear maker Applied Materials to cut jobs
• Apple Maps App Was Actually an Art Project [VIDEO]

Andreessen Horowitz invests $15 million in website Rap Genius Posted: 03 Oct 2012 01:54 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Venture capitalist Ben Horowitz is famous for starting his blog posts with rap lyrics. Now, he will be putting his money into the mix. His firm, Andreessen Horowitz, announced Wednesday a $15 million investment in Rap Genius, a website using crowdsourcing to dig into and explain arcane details of rap lyrics. Think of Rap Genius as the Talmud, Horowitz said in a phone interview on Wednesday, referring to the Jewish text that interprets the Old Testament. As an example, Horowitz cited a Lil Wayne lyric, "real G's move in silence like lasagna. ...

Google denied summary judgment in patent dispute with Vringo Posted: 03 Oct 2012 01:32 PM PDT (Reuters) - Mobile phone software maker Vringo Inc's shares jumped 39 percent on Wednesday after a judge denied Google Inc a motion for summary judgment in a patent dispute. Google was sued by Innovate/Protect Inc, which was acquired by Vringo. Vringo is seeking an award of at least $696 million from Google, financial website iStockAnalyst reported. "Having carefully reviewed the parties' pleadings, the court finds that summary judgment is inappropriate at this time as there are genuine issues of material fact in dispute," U.S. District Judge Raymond Jackson said in his order. ...

HP's outlook disappoints, shares hit nine-year low Posted: 03 Oct 2012 08:53 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co's shares plunged to a nine-year low on Wednesday after Chief Executive Meg Whitman warned of an unexpectedly steep earnings slide in 2013, with revenue set to fall in every business division except software. Wall Street had hoped for quicker signs of progress on Whitman's turnaround plan, which centers on transforming the former industry powerhouse into an enterprise computing corporation that can take on IBM and Dell Inc. ...

Rumor mill says Apple plants have started producing the iPad mini Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:48 PM PDT Our Apple rumor sense is tingling! The Wall Street Journal cites unnamed sources who claim that Apple's suppliers in Asia have started production on components for the mysterious iPad mini. For an as yet unconfirmed gadget, there has been a … Continue reading →

Pop-up ad queen caught by the U.S. government, fined $163 million Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:42 PM PDT You've probably never heard the name Kristy Ross before, but we're willing to bet you're very familiar with her work. You may have even given her money. For the last five years (at least), Ross has been flooding the internet … Continue reading →

Talking Guinea Pig Sounds a lot Like Ricky Gervais Posted: 03 Oct 2012 04:24 PM PDT Ricky Gervais has a new endorser for his voice on social media app Just Sayin'. It's not a Hollywood celebrity or a sports star. It's a talking guinea pig named Rory.

Facebook will charge to 'promote' user posts Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:10 PM PDT Facebook has long declared that it's "free and always will be." And it still is — unless you want more friends to see what you have to say.

FTC to fine Warner unit $1M over kids privacy Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:37 PM PDT The Federal Trade Commission is proposing to fine a unit of Warner Music Group Corp. $1 million for violating a child privacy law in the operation of fan websites for artists including Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Rihanna.

Pearson chief executive to step down Posted: 03 Oct 2012 07:03 AM PDT Pearson PLC, the U.K. publisher and education company, said Wednesday that chief executive Marjorie Scardino has decided to step down.

FTC charges firms with deception on computers Posted: 03 Oct 2012 01:31 PM PDT Federal regulators have charged 14 firms and 17 people with impersonating major companies to trick consumers into thinking their computers were plagued by viruses so they could charge hundreds of dollars to fix the problems.

Google Wallet vs PassWallet: Who’s earned your trust? Posted: 03 Oct 2012 01:24 PM PDT It's claimed that smartphones will replace our wallets one day, centralizing our bank and credit card information so we'll always have them on hand. Making our financial information readily available through the cloud could even subsidize the negative impacts when we misplace our smartphones instead of our wallets, though security remains an issue in this new area. The result is a bubbling anxiety over mobile wallet standards, especially as the dominant platforms iOS and Android fight for patrons with two very different methods.

Logitech announces new Harmony Touch universal remote with 2.4-inch touchscreen [video] Posted: 03 Oct 2012 08:55 PM PDT Universal remotes are finally getting touchscreens. Logitech (LOGI) said on Wednesday its new Harmony Touch remote will come complete with a built-in 2.4-inch touchscreen. The Harmony Touch is the successor to the Harmony One and is designed to bring intuitive touch screen gestures to the living room experience. Just like on many smartphone or tablet remote apps, users can swipe left and right on the touchscreen to trigger rewind/fast forward controls and can tap the screen for play/pause. The gestures are also programmable to fit a user's needs. Up to 50 channels can be added to the touchscreen remote via an a easy-to-navigate icon-based interface. After an initial online setup, the Harmony Touch will automatically program TV channels based on a

HP's outlook disappoints, shares hit nine-year low Posted: 03 Oct 2012 08:53 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co's shares plunged to a nine-year low on Wednesday after Chief Executive Meg Whitman warned of an unexpectedly steep earnings slide in 2013, with revenue set to fall in every business division except software. Wall Street had hoped for quicker signs of progress on Whitman's turnaround plan, which centers on transforming the former industry powerhouse into an enterprise computing corporation that can take on IBM and Dell Inc. ...

ASUS releases Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for Transformer Prime and Infinity Pad Posted: 03 Oct 2012 07:50 PM PDT ASUS (2357) has finally made good on its promise to update its Transformer Prime tablet to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The only downside, however, is that Jelly Bean needs to be side-loaded into the Transformer Prime. To update the Transformer Prime to Jelly Bean, users can visit ASUS's download website and search for "TF201″ and select "Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201." On the "Download" tab, change the OS in the drop-down menu to "Android." Select "Firmware"and download "Version  V10.1.2.15″ to get Jelly Bean rolling. Jelly Bean is also rolling out to ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity tablets as well. To update, search for "TF700T" instead of "TF201." Both ASUS tablets should run significantly faster thanks to Jelly Bean's "Project Butter" speed enhancements. [Via Phandroid]

T-Mobile, MetroPCS unite to battle larger rivals Posted: 03 Oct 2012 07:03 PM PDT T-Mobile and MetroPCS have agreed to combine their struggling cellphone businesses in a deal aimed at letting them compete better with their three larger rivals.

PlayStation Mobile launches for PS Vita and select Android smartphones and tablets Posted: 03 Oct 2012 06:50 PM PDT Sony (SNE) announced on Wednesday that PlayStation Mobile, its cross-platform mobile gaming service, is now live in major regions across North America, Europe and Japan. PlayStation Mobile brings mobile games not only to the PS Vita, but an array of Android-based Sony smartphones and devices including the Xperia Play, Arc and Ion, Tablet P/S and the new Xperia Tablet S. In addition to Sony-made mobile devices, PlayStation Mobile is also supported by HTC's One S, V and X. The $499 Wikipad will also run PlayStation Mobile games when it launches at the end of the month. The appeal of PlayStation Mobile is that users can buy a PlayStation Mobile game once and play it on any compatible device.  For a full list

Information Nation: Digital Social Experiment to Put a Human Face on Big Data Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:56 PM PDT Information Nation: Digital Social Experiment to Put a Human Face on Big Data

Apple’s Passbook adoption increases: McDonald’s, Airbnb and Eventbrite join the party Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:45 PM PDT Despite claims of patent infringement, Apple's (AAPL) Passbook app is slowly gaining momentum. After receiving support from a number of high-profile brands such as Major League Baseball, Ticketmaster and Walgreens (WAG), the iOS 6 application received another boost with the additions of McDonald's (MCD), Airbnb and Eventbrite, The Next Web reported. The Passbook-enabled McDonald's app can be used to order and purchase food right from a customer's iPhone, although it is only available in France at the moment. The additions of Airbnb and Eventbrite are seen as significant development for the platform as well because both companies have dealt extensively with mobile transactions. Eventbrite, for one, has issued more than 50 million tickets and totaled mores than 1 billion in

FTC to fine Warner unit $1M over kids privacy Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:37 PM PDT The Federal Trade Commission is proposing to fine a unit of Warner Music Group Corp. $1 million for violating a child privacy law in the operation of fan websites for artists including Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Rihanna.

Merged T-Mobile USA, MetroPCS to face tech challenges Posted: 03 Oct 2012 04:55 PM PDT FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) - T-Mobile USA, which plans to merge with MetroPCS, will have to overcome technology hurdles to be able to take on bigger rivals Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc and Sprint Nextel Corp. MetroPCS and T-Mobile USA, a Deutsche Telekom unit, said on Wednesday they hope to set themselves up as the leading provider of wireless services to cost-conscious U.S. customers by combining their assets. But as their networks are incompatible, they will have to convince MetroPCS customers to move to T-Mobile's network with the aim of shutting down the MetroPCS network by the end of ...

LG Optimus G arriving on AT&T and Sprint later this year Posted: 03 Oct 2012 04:50 PM PDT LG (066570) on Wednesday announced that its Optimus G smartphone would be available on AT&T (T) and Sprint (S) later this year. The Android handset comes with a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 4G LTE connectivity, 2GB of RAM, NFC, a 2,100mAh battery and a 13-megapixel rear camera.  "LG Optimus G is the culmination of cutting-edge technologies provided by LG's class-leading global entities," said James Fishler, senior vice president of marketing at LG. "Drawing upon expertise from the LG Mobile Communications Company, LG Display, LG Chem and LG Innotek , we have carefully designed a new superphone that encourages users to step beyond everyday boundaries and explore a limitless world of power and creativity." No

You Didn't GIF That: A Presidential Debate Recap Posted: 03 Oct 2012 04:50 PM PDT In case you missed the first round of presidential debates Wednesday night, here is a basic recap of what happened in GIF form -- minus the audio, of course.

Talking Guinea Pig Sounds a lot Like Ricky Gervais Posted: 03 Oct 2012 04:24 PM PDT Ricky Gervais has a new endorser for his voice on social media app Just Sayin'. It's not a Hollywood celebrity or a sports star. It's a talking guinea pig named Rory.

The Swizzle Cleans Your Inbox By Combining Promo E-mails Into a Daily Digest Posted: 03 Oct 2012 04:14 PM PDT Name: The Swizzle

Zuckerberg says majority of mobile Facebook users aren’t bothering with Facebook’s mobile app Posted: 03 Oct 2012 04:05 PM PDT Although Facebook (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg denies his company is building a smartphone, working to optimize the world's largest social network for mobile is high on his to-do list. Speaking with Matt Lauer from the TODAY Show, Zuckerberg said that more smartphone users are actually accessing Facebook through their mobile browser than through apps specifically built for iOS or Android. "There are more people doing that than the iPhone and all of Android phones combined, right? So it's actually a pretty diverse ecosystem," said Zuckerberg. Facebook recently released an overhauled version of its iOS app, dumping HTML5 for native code. Read

British Film Institute Plans to Digitize 10,000 Films by 2017 Posted: 03 Oct 2012 04:01 PM PDT The British Film Institute, as part of its five-year "Film Forever" blitz to revitalize the UK movie industry, will digitize 10,000 titles from its massive vault of 450,000 film cans by 2017. The goal? To offer them on-demand.

Kitchen Aid Tweets Joke About Obama's Dead Grandma Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:30 PM PDT Someone's getting fired. RT @kitchenaidusa Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 b bad! 'She died 3 days b4 he became president'. #nbcpolitics

Xbox Music reportedly launching on October 26th for free Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:20 PM PDT Microsoft (MSFT) will reportedly launch its Xbox Music service on October 26th and will make it available free of charge, The Verge reports. The streaming service will be offered as either a free ad-supported model or a subscription-based plan similar to the company's Zune Music Pass, which is available for $10 a month or $100 a year. Xbox Music won't just be limited to Microsoft's gaming console, however, as the service will also be available on Windows Phone and Windows 8.  Another key part of the service will be its integration with Microsoft's SkyDrive that will allow users to store music and playlists in the cloud.Earlier price leaks revealed that Xbox Music will cost £8.99 for a monthly pass or £89.90 for

Romney vs. Big Bird: Internet Defends Scorned Muppet Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:20 PM PDT Don't mess with Big Bird, Mitt Romney. That's the message the Internet sent Wednesday night when the GOP presidential candidate confirmed that he "likes Big Bird," but would cut subsidies for PBS.

Applied Materials to cut workforce up to 9 percent Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:16 PM PDT Applied Materials Inc., facing a sputtering economy and weak demand for its chip-making equipment, said Wednesday that it is cutting its workforce by up to 9 percent.

Adorable Halloween Costume Will Tug at Your Heartstrings Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:11 PM PDT 'Tis the season for candy corn, jack-o-lanterns, witches, skeletons and adorable children made even cuter by precious costumes.

Facebook will charge to 'promote' user posts Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:10 PM PDT Facebook has long declared that it's "free and always will be." And it still is — unless you want more friends to see what you have to say.

FTC settles with company that made Bieber, other fan websites Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:09 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The company that makes fan websites for such tween favorites as Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Rihanna has agreed to pay $1 million to settle charges that it illegally collected data about more than 100,000 children. The Federal Trade Commission, in a complaint filed in a New York district court on Tuesday, had accused Artist Arena LLC of failing to get parental consent before collecting data like names and email addresses of children. FTC spokeswoman Claudia Bourne Farrell said the company agreed to settle for $1 million. ...

Lockitron Lets You Unlock the Door With Your iPhone [VIDEO] Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:05 PM PDT Apigy just made its Lockitron keyless entry technology smarter, letting you unlock your door from anywhere in the world -- or having it automatically unlock when you walk up to it.

HP's outlook disappoints, driving shares to 9-year low Posted: 03 Oct 2012 02:59 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co's shares plunged to a nine-year low on Wednesday after Chief Executive Meg Whitman warned of an unexpectedly steep earnings slide in 2013, with revenue set to fall in every business division except software. Wall Street had hoped for quicker signs of progress on Whitman's turnaround plan, which centers on transforming the former industry powerhouse into an enterprise computing corporation that can take on IBM and Dell Inc. ...

The MetroPCS Deal Won't Save T-Mobile Posted: 03 Oct 2012 02:50 PM PDT When AT&T was forced to scuttle its bid to acquire T-Mobile last year because of regulatory roadblocks that stemmed from consumer concerns, an executive from T-Mobile's parent company Deutsche Telekom publicly said, "There is no Plan B." Today, Deutsche Telekom announced it was going ahead with its plan to acquire a majority stake in MetroPCS and merging its operations with T-Mobile's.

Google bringing Street View to the iPhone and iPad… on the Web, at least Posted: 03 Oct 2012 02:45 PM PDT Google (GOOG) on Thursday plans to announce the addition of its Street View feature to the Web version of its Maps service for the iPhone and iPad, AllThingsD's Walter Mossberg reports. Street View displays 360-degree photographic views of select streets and business in various locations throughout the world. Despite the fact that Apple (AAPL) chose to remove the Google Maps application from the iPhone in iOS 6, it is still possible to access the popular service through the smartphone's Web browser and users can of course create a shortcut of Google Maps on their homescreens. Mossberg also said that he believes Google is working on bringing a native iOS Maps app to the App Store, despite recent rumors. Read

Chip gear maker Applied Materials to cut jobs Posted: 03 Oct 2012 02:42 PM PDT (Reuters) - Applied Materials Inc said it would cut its workforce by between 6 percent and 9 percent to reduce costs as it struggles with a slowdown in its chip manufacturing equipment business and troubles at its solar and display groups. The Santa Clara, California, company is implementing a voluntary retirement program and other measures to eliminate between 900 and 1,300 positions, it said in a statement on Wednesday. ...

Apple Maps App Was Actually an Art Project [VIDEO] Posted: 03 Oct 2012 02:33 PM PDT If those melting highways and crumbling buildings in the Apple Maps app seemed like something out of Salvador Dali's oeuvre, there's a reason for that -- according to this short mockumentary on YouTube.

You are subscribed to email updates from Tech News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610