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Thursday, November 13, 2014

Business Day Technology

Books and other items at an Amazon warehouse in Phoenix.
Ralph D. Freso/Reuters

Books and other items at an Amazon warehouse in Phoenix.

The accord allows the publisher to set prices on its e-books, a major issue in a battle that led Amazon to discourage sales of Hachette books.

Justice Antonin Scalia argued in 2005 that broadband Internet service was effectively a telecommunications service.
Mike Theiler/European Pressphoto Agency

Justice Antonin Scalia argued in 2005 that broadband Internet service was effectively a telecommunications service.

If the net neutrality dispute makes it to the Supreme Court, broadband might make for strange bedfellows.

Liz Grauman/The New York Times

As YouTube pushes into paid content, other online music outlets are being forced to defend or change their business models to better compensate artists.

Bits Blog

Facebook Tries to Explain Its Privacy Settings but Advertising Still Rules

The social network will give users simpler explanations on major privacy features, but it is still giving users very little control over how their information is used to sell advertising.

Bits Blog

Twitter Speaks Up With Growth Strategy Intended to Soothe Wall Street

The social network, which had been battered by executive turmoil and slow growth, broke a long silence about its strategy and product plans, and its stock price rose by 7.5 percent on Wednesday.

Bits Blog

Gift From Ballmer Will Expand Computer Science Faculty at Harvard

Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s former chief executive, is making a financial contribution that will enable the school to expand its computer science faculty by about 50 percent.

Bits Blog

A Heart Simulator, Meant to Help the Real Thing

Dassault Systèmes, a French company, has a five-year research agreement with the F.D.A. focused on using 3-D technology for simulating the reliability of pacemaker wires.

Churchill Downs to Buy Big Fish Games for Up to $885 Million

Churchill Downs, which owns casinos and racetracks, has become the latest company to make a bold move into mobile game.

Bits Blog

U.S. Cracks Down on Debt Brokers Who Exposed Consumers’ Financial Details

More than 70,000 people may be at risk for identity fraud after debt brokers posted personal information about them online.

Cisco Systems Income Falls, but Quarterly Revenue Sets Record as Pressures Mount

The once-dominant networking equipment manufacturer is battling more well-funded competitors and technology changes that threaten profits.

The Upshot

Americans Say They Want Privacy, but Act as if They Don’t

People are doubtful about the safety of their personal information online or on cellphones. Yet it does not necessarily change their behavior, according to a new poll.

Bits Blog

With Amazon’s Echo, You Are Never Alone

Amazon has introduced another device to make shopping easier — and Amazon inescapable.

Bits Blog

Yahoo Buys BrightRoll, a Video Ad Platform, for $640 Million

The purchase, which had been rumored for weeks, was the Internet company’s largest acquisition since it bolstered its coffers with $6.3 billion from the Alibaba initial public offering.

Alibaba and Others Push to Improve Delivery, on Singles’ Day in China

The country’s largest Internet merchants are working to improve logistics in China, a country plagued by delivery inefficiency.

A blog filled with news, insight and analysis on Silicon Valley and beyond.

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Personal Technology
Machine Learning
The Map Apps That Move You in the Right Direction

Improvements to navigation systems keep on coming, and a new rival may mean the competition will heat up.

Gadgetwise

A Quake Warning, Before It Strikes

The University of California, Berkeley, is working on a smartphone app that would warn users before a quake hits.

App Smart

Audio Equalizer and Enhancement Apps Beyond the Smartphone Sound

If you’re not satisfied with the quality of music produced by your smartphone’s player, there are plenty of options a sharper listening experience.

Q&A

Assessing Space on a Computer’s Hard Drive

Plus, comparing HDTV with ultrahigh-definition.

Bits Blog

Apple Releases Web Tool for iPhone Switchers

A new web tool allows former iPhone users to deregister their phone numbers from Apple’s proprietary messaging service, iMessage.

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From Style
On the Runway Blog

Mark Zuckerberg Adopts Obama’s Approach to Dressing

Mr. Zuckerberg said he tries to “make as few decisions as possible” about anything other than Facebook, echoing President Obama’s rationale for limiting his suit choices.

Disruptions

Alex From Target: The Other Side of Fame

A social media phenomenon tells the full story of instant web celebrity.

From the Magazine

Welcome to the Failure Age!

In this economy, losers will be the biggest winners.

Insight & Analysis

Mystique of Tiny Gadgets for the Elite Business Traveler

Devices like flash drive cuff links or tiny projectors are micronovelties that help business executives work more efficiently while they’re on the road.

The Upshot

How an iPhone Can Lead to Broken Bones for Young Children

A new paper argues that the wide adoption of smartphones, along with the distractions caused by them, has led to more playground injuries.

Don't Miss ...

Fearing Bombs That Can Pick Whom to Kill

Weapons that rely on artificial intelligence to decide what to target could become increasingly difficult to control, critics warn.

For Guccifer, Hacking Was Easy. Prison Is Hard.

Marcel-Lehel Lazar, whose pseudonym celebrated “the style of Gucci and the light of Lucifer,” rampaged through the email of rich Americans, showing the ease of going rogue online.

Communities Fight State Laws That Can Divide Broadband Access

Small cities are asking the F.C.C. to use its power to override laws in 19 states that forbid municipalities to build or expand broadband networks.

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