TechCrunch is reporting that they’ve obtained internal documents containing an offer from Microsoft to buy Barnes & Noble’s Nook business.
Microsoft Mulling Nook Media LLC Purchase For $1 Billion [TechCrunch]
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3D-Printed Gun Successfully Fired
Forbes‘ Andy Greenberg details the test-firing of a 16-piece plastic gun created with an $8,000 3D printer. All the pieces except for one were printed: “The only non-printed piece is a common hardware store nail used as its firing pin,” writes Greenberg.
Meet The ‘Liberator’: Test-Firing The World’s First Fully 3D-Printed Gun [Forbes]
What It’s Like to Quit the Internet for a Year
The Verge’s Paul Miller went offline for an entire year. The short version of his story: First it was good, then not so good. And now that he’s back, it’s good in a different way.
I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet [The Verge]
Amazon Rumored to Be Prepping a TV Box for Streaming Video
Bloomberg reports “people with knowledge of the matter” as saying that Amazon is working on a TV box for streaming on-demand video. The rumored box will apparently be available later this year and looks to compete with the likes of Apple TV, Roku and similar streaming boxes.
Amazon Said to Plan TV Set-Top Box for Streaming Video [Bloomberg]
How to Tell Google What to Do When You’re Dead
Google announces Inactive Account Manager, which lets you set all your Google stuff (mail, YouTube videos and more) to either self-destruct or get sent to a loved one after a certain period of non-use.
Plan your digital afterlife with Inactive Account Manager [Google]
40 Years of Music Industry History in Less than a Minute
“The world has changed…” Galadriel might have been talking about Middle-earth, or just the U.S. music industry.
‘Possibly the Most Important Documents in Apple History’
Daniel Terdiman at CNET gets a look at early Apple documents detailing a $13,000 deal brokered in 1978 for the Apple II’s disk operating system.
The untold story behind Apple’s $13,000 operating system [CNET]
Bitcoin Basics
Everything you ever wanted to know about Bitcoin, but were afraid (or weren’t sure what) to ask. Over in The New Yorker‘s new tech vertical, Maria Bustillos presents a thorough look at how the virtual currency works, how it got started, and the potential challenges it faces.
The Future of Bitcoin [The New Yorker]
“I'm calling you from a cell phone, a real handheld portable cell phone.”
— Motorola's Martin Cooper to Bell Labs rival Joel Engel on April 3, 1973.
WSJ: ‘Possible Summer Launch’ for New iPhone, Less Expensive Model Later This Year
The Wall Street Journal reports “people familiar with the device’s production” as saying the next iPhone is on its way for “a possible summer launch.”
Aereo Case: TV Networks’ Appeal Rejected
The Verge is reporting that TV-streaming startup Aereo has cleared a legal hurdle in a lawsuit brought against it by broadcasters.
Facebook Phone: Maybe, Possibly for Real This Time (Sort Of)
Facebook is holding an April 4 event at its Menlo Park campus, promising to show off the company’s “New Home on Android.”
