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VLC for iOS back on the App Store, OS X app updated alongside massive cross-platform release | 9to5Mac : "VideoLAN has today launched several updates to VLC across its apps on iOS, Android, OS X, and every other platform where the app is available, marking the first time that the company has pushed such a massive coordinated release and the re-release of the iOS app." Use this app extensively on my lonely Win8 machine.

Apple announces live stream coverage for March 9th Apple Watch event | 9to5Mac In addition to sending out invitations to its upcoming March 9th event, Apple has announced on its website that it will provide a live stream for what is anticipated to be an event focused largely on the Apple Watch. Beware the ides of March!

Google has now paid Android developers $7B in past 12 months; testing sponsored app searches | 9to5Google : "Google paid developers a total of $7B in the past 12 months from a mix of app sales and in-app purchases, the company says, closing in on the record $10B payout recently announced by Apple." Some really interesting developments in this space.

: "Apple took 14.8 percent of the market — a slight year-over-year drop — compared to 81.5 percent for Google, according to market research firm IDC. Formerly dominant players Microsoft and BlackBerry accounted for just 2.7 percent and 0.4 percent of shipments last year, respectively." This is really a victory for people. What Android has is freedom. Maybe the malware will be the achilles heel.

Pebble teases new model, sources say thinner watch with color screen in the works | 9to5Mac : "Pebble updated its website this morning to tease a new model of its popular smartwatch. The announcement is scheduled for 10 AM on Tuesday next week, but Pebble has not specified what exactly is launching." What to do when the 800 pound gorillas are going to sit on your head. And stay there.

Small screens, big decisions: How mobile is forcing businesses to rethink software | VentureBeat | Mobile | by Peter Yared, Sapho : "One of the biggest problems in software is feature bloat." The latest Android and iOS are the worst feature bloat offenders.

Tech journalist Chris Breen leaves Macworld for job at Apple : "Five months after Macworld shipped its last print magazine in September, senior editor and Mac guru Chris Breen on Tuesday announced he will soon leave the publication to take on an unannounced role at Apple." Apple is so big now they are going to turn into a talent vacuum and suck up everything vaguely Apple-oriented within 3 par-secs of our planet.

Apple hires head of Mercedes-Benz R&D, other auto experts for new secret research lab | 9to5Mac : "Apple has hired former president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research & Development Johann Jungwirth to join the company as Director of Mac Systems Engineering. The hire was confirmed by Jungwirth’s LinkedIn page, and first noted by a report in the Financial Times detailing Apple’s recent hires in the automotive industry and secretive new automotive research lab." It's not really secret then, is it?

WSJ: Tim Cook approved Apple electric car project a year ago, hundreds of employees working on it | 9to5Mac : "Following a report today that Apple was hiring experts from the automotive industry for a new research lab, The Wall Street Journal adds to the story claiming Apple has several hundred employees working on an Apple-branded electric car." The beginning of the end. Are they going to sell them in Apple Stores? Ridiculous.

Apple dropping four smelters from supply chain after they refused conflict-free audit | 9to5Mac : "Apple has revealed in its annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report that it has informed four smelters–who provide metals used in the production of the company’s devices–that they will be dropped from the supply chain after refusing to submit to ‘conflict mineral’ audits" Not an easy thing to monitor at all. Toward a better world!

: "" Reuters reports that the number of reported iPhone thefts has fallen year-on-year by 25% in New York, 40% in San Francisco and 50% in London. Good news for everyone except the thieves.

Apple’s iOS 9 to have ‘huge’ stability and optimization focus after years of feature additions | 9to5Mac : "It’s unclear whether this might be accomplished by limiting iOS 9 support to relatively recent devices. If the iPhone 5c, original iPad mini, and fifth-generation iPod touch are discontinued by the end of 2015, all of Apple’s ‘currently available’ iOS devices would be using 64-bit A7, A8, and A9 processors. This could simplify iOS development for both Apple and third-party app developers." Our gift to you, for purchasing one of our devices, is to leave it with you in a useless state. Buy a new one!

How NewsWhip helps newsrooms track the web's top-trending stories | VentureBeat | Media | by Paul Sawers : "Founded out of Dublin in 2011, NewsWhip has emerged as a key tool in newsrooms around the world, counting the likes of the BBC, BuzzFeed, The Guardian, CBS, and ESPN among its users. Company cofounder Paul Quigley said that 80 percent of the ‘top 25 most-shared English-language publishers’ use NewsWhip to identify the most viral stories online." Lads from Dublin has a different meaning here...

iOS 8.2 update currently scheduled for March | 9to5Mac : "We’re hearing that iOS 8.2 is currently planned for release sometime in March, as BGR reported today. The new iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch software is currently scheduled to be released during the second week of the month, but this timeline is not set in stone. " One more release and my devices will be usable again. I'm afraid to install on 4s.