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The 404 1,295: Where we telegraph it in (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Ants aren't the only ones destroying electronics: Bored pets are, too.

- Snapcat: A photo app for cat selfies.

- Stop the presses: Today is the last day to send a telegram in India.

- RIP Google Reader: Today it is kaput.

- What happens when a guy logs in under his wife's gamer tag? Understanding sexism in gaming.

- Computer and printer prices to rise in EU because you can print copywritten stuff.… Read more

Pet threat: Animals cause $3 billion in annual electronics damage

Dogshaming.com is full of electronics incidents. Coco the hound knocked a glass of soda onto a MacBook Pro. Levon ate his mom's new cell phone. Slim pooped on his person's laptop. These crimes against technology are pretty hilarious after the fact, but a new study by electronics warranty provider SquareTrade totals up some pretty serious damage statistics.

According to the survey results, pets damage 8 billion electronic items each year, with a repair and replacement bill totaling $3 billion annually. Good thing our pets are so cute. The most common offense is chewing, with two-thirds of accidents resulting from a pet placing a delectable phone, laptop, or other device in its mouth.… Read more

Facebook loses key ad exec to Square

After three years guiding the social network's ad strategy, Facebook Product Director of Ads Gokul Rajaram is jumping ship.

Buzzy mobile payment company Square said Thursday that it has hired the social-networking executive to lead its product engineering efforts and oversee software development for Square Register, its point-of-sale system for businesses.

Rajaram joined Facebook when his startup Chai Labs was acquired by the company in August 2010. Since then, he has served as an instrumental moneymaker for Facebook, guiding the social network through a number of significant advertising initiatives, such as Facebook Exchange and mobile ad releases, that have … Read more

Windows 8.1 has arrived

In this episode of Update:

- All of the goodies announced today for Windows 8.1.

- Early access to Kinect for Windows opens up for developers.

- Square goes after online sales with Square Market.

- 1 million Android users have unknowingly downloaded apps with adware.

- Google is ready to ship the Google Play versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afternoon for a breakdown of the big stories, hot devices, new apps, and what's ahead. Subscribe to the … Read more

Square challenges Amazon, eBay with online marketplace

Square, the mobile payments startup best known for its credit card readers, is branching into e-commerce to take on the likes of eBay and Amazon.

The company on Tuesday launched Square Market, an online marketplace that allows merchants to sell their wares online without the expense of building and maintaining their own sites.

"Creating an online marketplace is our next step in making commerce easy for everyone," Ajit Varma, Square's director of discovery, said in a statement. "Square Market makes local businesses accessible to customers down the block and across the country."

The marketplace allows … Read more

Gigabit Seattle sets price for its high-speed Internet service

While setting up gigabit infrastructure can be prohibitively expensive for many local communities, it appears that the cost users will have to pay for Gigabit Squared's high-speed Internet in Seattle won't be off the charts.

Gigabit Squared announced the pricing for its local fiber network in the Seattle area on Monday -- and, the monthly cost is actually cheaper than what people pay for Comcast broadband.

The fastest level of service from Gigabit Squared will cost $80 per month, which includes 1000 Mbps download and 1000 Mbps upload. The next level is $45 per month with 100 Mbps … Read more

Square Wallet gets a major aesthetic redesign

Square Wallet, the mobile app that lets users pay for goods at thousands of retailers, got a major facelift Thursday.

Version 3.0 of Square Wallet is essentially an aesthetic reboot of the earlier iteration of the app, which allows Square users to pay wirelessly when a retailer has implemented Square Register on an iPad.

Square said that it has used an all new "visual language" with the latest version, and indeed, the update features much clearer imagery and a slicker user interface.

Square has also made it easier, it said, for users to find businesses that accept … Read more

At Square, an obsession with the 'magic' of hardware design

SAN FRANCISCO -- After eight years as director of engineering for iPhone, iPod, and iPad accessories at Apple, Jesse Dorogusker could have gone just about anywhere he wanted for his next gig.

He chose Square, the mobile payments company that, among other things, gives away its signature credit card reader for free.

By Dorogusker's own admission, that's a "terrible hardware business" model. So what inspired someone with a solid gold resume to leave a company that makes billions on hardware for a place that gives away his work for nothing?

For Dorogusker, it was the opportunity … Read more

Review: Square FX provides a number of extra features for Instagram users

Square FX solves a problem many people have when uploading pictures to Instagram--the fact that their pictures are generally cropped to fit the square frame. While this doesn't affect all photos, it can have a negative impact on quite a few, and Square FX allows you to resize, refit, and avoid cropping images before they go to Instagram, albeit with limited additional features.

While Square FX does everything it promises quite well, it lacks enough features to make the trial truly useful as a supplement to Instagram. When you first open the app, you can choose an image and … Read more

The 404 1,280: Where we dig up the truth (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Film crew to dig up Atari landfill site, maybe score 3.5 million copies of E.T.

- The opposite of standing desks: the computer workstation for the person with everything.

- Unlocking The Truth is the most brutal sixth grade metal band ever.

- Hatebeak: a death metal band fronted by a parrot.

- Ex-military snipers called into shoot feral goats from helicopters to protect Galapagos Tortoise population.… Read more