A curated selection of the day’s most newsworthy tech stories from all over the Web. Sign up to get the newsletter delivered to you everyday.
- RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie refuted some criticism that the company may have rushed its PlayBook tablet to market. “I don’t think that’s fair,” he told Bloomberg News. “A lot of the people that want this want a secure and free extension of their BlackBerry.” The interview came after a few early critical reviews and reports that RIM shares fell 91 cents to $53.92 yesterday and 7.2% this year overall. (Bloomberg)
- For all you gamers: Game Informer brings the scoop that Nintendo plans to unveil a brand new home console with hardware specifications that, at the very least, rival those of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s Playstation 3. The device could be announced as soon as this summer’s E3 event and would allow games to run in high-definition resolutions, a complaint some have lodged against Nintendo’s popular Wii. (Game Informer)
- While Google’s first-quarter sales were up 27%, its profits missed analyst estimates, which led to shares falling 5.5% in after-hours trading. Many analysts seem to agree that Google’s big spending on new employees — almost 1,900 in all during the time frame — a company-wide 10% bonus contributed to the lower-than-expected profits. (New York Times)
- Zipcar, with its fleet of 8,500 cars in more than 14 metro markets, had a big first day on the public markets: Its stock climbed 70%, putting the market cap at an impressive $1.1 billion. (Coins2Day)
- Over at The New York Times, David Pogue continues to mourn the Flip cam’s demise, chalking it up to what he feels is Cisco’s cluelessness. “It [Flip] also reaped the rewards that come from selling to a megalithic corporation like Cisco,” wrote Pogue. “Yes, there was plenty of money to go around, but also the risk that always comes when you sell to a bigger company: that they’ll chop you up and sell off your parts. Or, in Cisco’s case, much worse: chop you up and leave you for dead.” Ouch! (The New York Times)
- Flipboard, the popular social media reading iPad app and startup of the same name, confirmed it raised $50 million in additional funding at a $200 million valuation, mostly from Insight Venture Partners. (All Things D)
- Facebook hired Vadim Lavrusik to work as the company’s journalist program manager. Lavruski, who previously worked at Mashable as a community manager, will focus on building relationships with reporters and news organizations, as well as organize journalism-oriented events. (CNN)
- In other social network news, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared tomorrow Foursquare Day, joining 13 other cities in officially recognizing the location services start-up. (Mashable and Mike Bloomberg’s blog)
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