According to sources, Dropbox has been meeting with banks to discuss a possible IPO later this year. It is currently valued at around $4 billion, which can be attributed to it targeting consumers. Its rival Box is looking at an IPO in 2014. If you want to hear what Dropbox’s CEO Drew Houston has to say about this rumor, get your tickets to the upcoming PandoMonthly event. [Source: Quartz]
The Raleigh, North Carolina-based social network specializes in photo sharing for wedding pictures. Participants in the funding round include former Redhat CEO Bob Young and Reverbnation co-founder Jed Carlson. [Source: The Next Web]
Weeks after a massively successful auction for a cup of coffee with Tim Cook, Charity Buzz is now aiming right at the heart of Silicon Valley. Up for auction is the chance for people to pitch their favorite VC, with a VC all-stars lineup including like Tim Draper. [Source: VentureBeat]
Venture-backed Amprius revealed today that it has developed a battery for smartphones and tablets that can hold a charge for 25% longer than any other battery out there. The company will be providing the new batteries to unnamed smartphone and tablet OEMs. [Source: GigaOm]
The Internet Archive is working on a project to collect and index all broadcasts since the beginning of television. To help with this, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation have donated $1 million. [Source: paidContent]
Today marks the reveal of Microsoft’s latest gaming console, the XBox One. At the unveiling, Microsoft disclosed that due to a different chip architecture the One won’t have native compatibility with XBox 360 games. [Source: CNET]
PayPal and Jamba Juice are expanding their partnership with a new mobile feature. Now customers can place orders on their phones and pay with PayPal ahead of pickup. [Source: AllThingsD]
France Telecom has disclosed its plans to invest up to 50 million euros in its video-sharing website Dailymotion. While rumors of Yahoo buying a stake in the company persist, France Tel claims “the door is not closed.” [Source: Reuters]
Best Buy has reported its quarterly earnings, showing another revenue loss. Online sales, however, have improved. [Source: AllThingsD]
After news that Intel is spearheading a new devices unit, word has come that the unit will be led by Mike Bell. Bell, who’s been working at Intel’s mobile chip business, has also worked at both Apple and Palm. [Source: AllThingsD]
“The U.S. court system is currently structured in such a way that it’s currently difficult to get the protections a technology company needs, because the cycle is very long.”
— Apple CEO Tim Cook, on the United States' intellectual property protection environment
Sprint has raised its bid for Clearwire 14% at the very last minute, in the hopes of getting the shareholders’ approval. After news of the upped bid, Clearwater decided to postpone the stockholder meeting until May 30. [Source: GigaOm]
Online petitioning platform Change.org has scored $15 million in new funding. This latest round was led by Omidyar Network. [Source: VentureBeat]
Despite its stocks taking a huge hit over the last few months, Apple’s brand value continues to dominate. According to an analysis by MarketingWeek, Apple is still the world’s number one brand, and its brand value has increased year-over-year. [Source: BGR]
Sprint Nextel has more at least one more BlackBerry planned to join its lineup sometime this year. The provider plans to launch the BlackBerry Q10 later this summer, but its director of product portfolio was already quoted as saying there will be more to come. [Source: CNET]
After Yahoo’s acquisition of Tumblr for $1.1 billion, people took to Twitter writing that Tumblr founder David Karp is now a billionaire. ReadWriteWeb corrects these claims estimating his new worth as $275 million. [Source: ReadWriteWeb]
“The FCC wireless agenda remains focused. The national broadband plan put the issue of spectrum on the map. And the agency is doing a lot to make more spectrum available.”
— Acting Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Mignon Clyburn
According to a report released today by two Democratic lawmakers, US power utilities face frequent attacks on critical systems. According to the report, utility providers receive “daily, constant or frequent attempted cyber attacks.” [Source: Reuters]
Microsoft revealed that it’s including SmartGlass technology in its latest gaming console, the XBox One. SmartGlass is a second-screen addition that includes companion information about the content. [Source: The Verge]
At its event today, Microsoft unveiled its new gaming console: the XBox One. Calling it a “new generation” Microsoft displayed the black box, as well as showed off its new features like voice activation. [Source: AllThingsD]
Once a smartphone heavyweight, BlackBerry is now shifting its focus from hardware to service. At the company’s annual conference, it became apparent the emphasis BlackBerry was putting on services like its BlackBerry Enterprise Service, as opposed to its new handset. [Source: Reuters]
CRM provider Nimble today launched the 3.0 version of its platform. New features include search improvements, a signals screen, and more social integration. [Source: Nimble]
For Chris Dixon the next big thing might be bitcoin
The center of tech is shifting from Silicon Valley to “application towns” like New York and LA
Chris Dixon: The consumer Web has gotten too good, enterprise companies are cutthroat
Portland startup launches transit mobile ticketing service. Is this the future?
We are real people trying to do real things
With 2 million users, “secrets app” Whisper launches on Android
As venture capital becomes a commodity, it’s all about community
What CEOs could learn from comedians
How Microsoft, Google, and Square use hardware to market their software and services
A federal shield law for journalists would be virtually useless
San Francisco: Get your ticket to see John Doerr at PandoMonthly now!
Scroll down: The future of online media is in the cards
Marqeta now powers Facebook Card loyalty and payments tech, announces $14M Series B round
Berg Cloud Sandbox: A tool to unite connected devices and the companies that make them
Two years of stealth and $11M in VC later, EdgeSpring launches a data analytics platform for the average man
Bitcoin is legal, but mainstream adoption will mandate playing by the rules
For the Internet of things, will it be verticals or horizontals?
A bitcoin bubble could be good for everyone
New Zealand-based Vend raises $8M without turning to the Valley
Hotseat: Gravity’s Amit Kapur defends the integrity of the MySpace mafia
PandoHouse Rock: A history of 3D printing, from prototypes to pistols
With the bleeding stopped, ShoeDazzle is in the market for a strategic acquisition or investment
Bitcoin’s consumerization continues with Perk, a rewards platform and Web browser for normal people
How to become a VC without leaving home
Gliph joins Boost.vc, launches bitcoin messaging and payments app
Zinio’s new subscription product only solves half a problem
Facebook ponders its place in the Internet of Things
The Apathy Epidemic: Why your startup will suck you dry
You are your data: The scary future of the quantified self movement
The new Flickr: Biggr, Spectaculr, Wherevr
Yahoo didn’t buy Tumblr. They bought Tumblr’s market position
Google closes Checkout, pushing thousands of merchants into Braintree’s arms
Pass the pipe: Gawker’s “Crackstarter” is skeezy but potentially significant
Sorry, NYC, Tumblr selling to Yahoo was not the “win” we needed
On the outskirts of the Maker Faire
Why Yahoo’s track record with acquisitions isn’t relevant to Tumblr
Writers should be paid
Don’t confuse Google’s ubiquity for openness
NextGuide Web launches. Can it possibly be a discovery powerhouse?
Minbox: The way file-sharing should work
Former MySpace and NASA security exec raises $700k, launches Prevoty to defend websites against malicious user code
Yahoo buys Tumblr and Mayer “promises not to screw it up” like past deals
Forget armchair activism, new app Buycott helps people shop with a conscience
