If you spent the weekend doing things other that being glued to the Internet, here’s what you missed on The Next Web and beyond:
The news
Yesterday we reported that Samsung had flown bloggers to Berlin to cover its new device announcements at IFA but expected them to act as brand ambassadors too – when they refused, things turned nasty. Today, Samsung has apologized to one of the bloggers concerned, admitting putting him through “undue hardship.”
Also:
- Bruce Willis reportedly plans to take Apple to court to allow him to pass on his iTunes library to his children when he dies.
- A Taiwanese pop star whipped his fans into a frenzy after posting pictures of his ‘iPhone 5′ online.
- Fans of Twitter alternative App.net should be pleased to hear that the first dedicated iOS client for the service has gone live in the App Store.
- One of The Pirate Bay’s founders, Gottfrid Svartholm, was arrested in Cambodia.
- Windows 7 finally overtook Windows XP in market share, while Mac OS X overtook Windows Vista
- We were excited to hear that master TV satirist, Armando Iannucci – creator of Veep, The Thick of It and many more acclaimed comedies – is turning his attention to Silicon Valley.
- Geocaching.com turned 12 years old, and remains awesome as ever
- StartupLab launched to coach America’s next generation of entrepreneurs
Good reads
Make sure you catch these features, published over the weekend. Perfect to catch up with over your lunch or for that dull bus ride home.
- Bitcoin: Alive and here to stay? Or slowly fading away?
- Enterprise software begins its beautification, where design was once an afterthought
- Are startup founders entrepreneurs or poker players?
- Emerging markets: Will technology deliver the promise?
- Here are the secrets to giving an engaging presentation
- Google’s two-factor authentication is a pain, but it’s the lesser of two evils
- TNW review: The Koubachi WiFi Plant Sensor gives your plants an online voice
And from elsewhere…
Here are some pieces that you definitely shouldn’t miss from around the Web:
- It’s Becoming Clear That No One Actually Read Facebook’s IPO Prospectus Or Mark Zuckerberg’s Letter To Shareholders [Business Insider]
- MTV Embraces Viddy (“Twitter for Video”) for Big Music Show Coverage [Huffington Post Tech]
- Russia Unveils Secure “Almost Android” Tablet To Keep Data Away From Google [Security Week / AFP]
- After Verdict, Assessing the Samsung Strategy in South Korea [New York Times]
- A Watershed Moment for Real-Time Fact-Checking [American Journalism Review]