Daily Roundup: The next Microsoft, Uber offices raided and more!
Tim Cook shared his thoughts on why Apple isn't becoming the next Microsoft. Meanwhile, Uber's offices in France and South Korea were raided and an Illinois lawmaker resigned after his Instagram feed betrayed his suspicious spending habits. Read about these stories and more in today's Daily Roundup.
Tim Cook: Apple isn't becoming the new Microsoft
Are you getting the sense that Apple is becoming the new Microsoft, the giant corporation that's simultaneously doing too much and refusing to take risks? Not surprisingly, Tim Cook would like to have a word with you.
Uber offices raided by police in France and South Korea
Uber is under siege on two separate fronts today, as police in South Korea have arrested a pair of its executives, according to ZDNet. At the same time, Le Monde is reporting that French Police have raided Uber's offices in Paris. In Korea, the situation is a bit more serious: Seoul police charged the company's brand manager, other employees and drivers for allegedly breaking the nation's transport laws.
Lawmaker resigns after Instagramming his suspicious spending
One of GOP's rising stars has resigned from Congress, in part because his own Instagram posts have given rise to constant questions about his expenditures. Illinois representative Aaron Schock lived a lavish lifestyle while he was a government official, and he used to make sure the world knew that by posting snapshots of his escapades on his Instagram account.
HTC's 'Uh Oh' program will replace your busted One M9 once for free
HTC's two-toned M9 hasn't landed in the US yet, but the company's already champing at the bit to give you more reasons to buy one. Just as earlier reports suggested, HTC is fleshing out its Advantage program with a little something called "Uh Oh Protection," and it's a little more impressive than that tongue-in-cheek name implies.
The Pirate Bay's new network is making ISP blocks useless
Despite global efforts to put the kibosh on infamous torrent site The Pirate Bay (TPB), the lair of internet swashbucklers is proving almost impossible to sack. Swedish police succeeded in taking the site down late last year, only for it to reappear the following month. And stronger than ever it seems, thanks to a new distribution partner that inadvertently circumvents most ISP-level blocks.
3M showed me how dirty my phone was at SXSW
Being at an event like SXSW where about 33,000 of our fellow digital comrades are coexisting in very public spaces, I'm always worried about keeping myself and my gadgets clean, especially my phone and laptop. And with good reason: scientists found that cell phones carry ten times more disease-causing bacteria than most toilet seats. So, when I heard 3M was on the ground at SXSW testing out how dirty people's phones were at its "LifeLab," I had to check it out.
Lenovo's long-promised Windows Phone might actually arrive
Like a dozing teenager promising to take out the trash, Lenovo's been pledging to build a Windows Phone handset since November 2011. Microsoft, like a patient parent trying to motivate its offspring, has now tried to inspire its partner by giving Lenovo a very public deadline. In a post on the Microsoft Blog, Terry Myerson has revealed that Lenovo will launch its first Windows Phone handset by the mid-year of 2015.
