Skype for Android gets redesigned as app hits 100 million installs

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Skype's starting off July with the release of a brand new version of its Android app. The overhauled 4.0 update borrows a good deal from the Microsoft-owned VoIP company's Windows 8 app, bringing conversations to the top. Log in, and you'll see recent chats -- from there, you can give one a tap to replay. You can also start a fresh one with a swipe and a tap on a contact name. Skype's promising a faster and more reliable app this time out, released as the Android version passes 100 million installs. Check out a celebratory video after the break.

Pocket Spacecraft launches crowdsourced lunar mission on Kickstarter (video)

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As space exploration becomes democratized, the entry price for such endeavors has fallen dramatically. One company taking advantage of this is Pocket Spacecraft, a Bristol-based enterprise that thinks it can send thousands of personalized probes to the heavens for a few hundred dollars apiece. While it may look more like a used coffee filter, the Earth Scout / Lunar Scout is a CD-sized, paper-thin probe that contains a bonded solar cell, system-on-a-chip and antennas. Several thousand of these will be loaded onto a CubeSat and then dropped onto Earth or the Moon, depending on your project and contribution. Users who cough up the cash will then be able to observe how thin, papery probes journey downward, with telemetry being sent to an Android / iOS app. Anyone interested in backing the project on Kickstarter should check out the video after the break and then empty their savings of £99 ($150) to buy an Earth scout or £199 ($302) if they intend to explore the Moon.

Smart TV manufacturers subjected to 'coercive sales tactics' by Google, says ETNews

Smart TV providers who wish to use HTML5 for their streaming ecosystems have been running into a wall with YouTube, according to Korea's ETNews. It said Google has insisted TV makers place the app on their systems' main page and pass a Smart TV "browser conformity test" at its US headquarters, too. As a result, companies like Samsung have had to wait up to three months for YouTube certification. A key part of this allegation is that that TV makers who opted for Mountain View's Android-based Google TV instead of HTML5 wouldn't face such problems, but meanwhile, we've contacted Google for its take on the matter.

Groupon takes on OpenTable with 'Groupon Reserve,' bundles reservations with coupons

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Not satisfied with simply locking down your discount mountain-climbing lessons and hot stone massages, Groupon announced Groupon Reserve this morning, which aims to bundle time-based discounts with restaurant reservations. Groupon's tapping Savored.com's reservation tech to handle the heavy-lifting behind the scenes -- the service is already live in 10 markets, including New York City and Los Angeles, and seemingly goes after OpenTable head-on.
Of course, Groupon Reserve isn't quite the same service as OpenTable. With Reserve, you plug in a time, party size, date and city, and you're offered a variety of restaurant options with discounts, whereas with OpenTable you're simply plugging in the aforementioned info and looking for a spot. Though Groupon Reserve only handles restaurant reservations thus far, the plan is for "spas, salons and hotels" in the coming months; ambiguous options from "top beauty, product, travel and entertainment brands" are also in the cards. Groupon Reserve will reach international shores and even more US cities "by the end of 2013." Now if you'll excuse us, we're arranging a more affordable date at Butter. We're pretty fancy.

Groupon Expands Premium Offerings with Groupon Reserve
Reservations service for restaurants launches high-end Groupon channel
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Groupon (http://www.groupon.com) (NASDAQ: GRPN) announced Groupon Reserve, the premiere destination for the finest things to eat, see, do and buy. Debuting on Reserve is Savored.com's reservations engine that lets customers book tables at some of the best restaurants in their city at discounts of up to 40 percent.
"Reserve provides these businesses with a yield management solution to bring customers through their doors at the times they need them the most."
In the future, Reserve will also feature premium deals and experiences from top beauty, product, travel and entertainment brands, as well as similar reservations capabilities for spas, salons and hotels.
"Groupon Reserve is an important step in our journey to become the leading marketplace for online deals, where consumers can come to Groupon and discover great businesses at unbeatable prices, " said Groupon CEO Eric Lefkofsky. "As Groupon has evolved, we've seen growing demand from our customers for upscale offers and exclusive experiences. Reserve gives the most prestigious brands a new way to reach our large and desirable audience."
The Reserve reservation platform gives customers a discount off their entire check without requiring pre-payment or vouchers and provides local businesses an important tool to drive traffic during slow periods by utilizing flexible pricing.
"Whether it's because of a slow night or a last minute no-show, even the best restaurants have empty tables," Lefkofsky said. "Reserve provides these businesses with a yield management solution to bring customers through their doors at the times they need them the most."
Reserve reservations are live in 10 markets: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., with plans to expand to more cities in the United States and in key international markets by the end of 2013.
Reserve currently offers discounted reservations to more than 600 of the country's top restaurants, including Le Cirque in New York City, Chaya Brasserie in Los Angeles and db Bistro Moderne in Miami.
Savored, acquired by Groupon in September 2012, pioneered the concept of yield management in fine dining establishments. The Reserve reservations team is led by Savored founder Ben McKean and based in Groupon's New York offices.
To view available Groupon Reserve deals and reservations, consumers can visit the Reserve tab at the top the Groupon homepage. Businesses interested in featuring their businesses on Reserve can visit https://www.grouponworks.com/merchant-solutions/groupon-reserve.
About Groupon
Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) is a global leader in local commerce, making it easy for people around the world to search and discover great businesses at unbeatable prices. Groupon is reinventing the traditional small business world by providing merchants with a suite of products and services, including customizable deals, payments processing capabilities and point-of-sale solutions to help them attract more customers and run their operations more effectively. By leveraging the company's global relationships and scale, Groupon offers consumers incredible deals on the best stuff to eat, see, do, and buy in 48 countries. With Groupon, shoppers discover the best a city has to offer with Groupon Local, enjoy vacations with Groupon Getaways, and find a curated selection of electronics, fashion, home furnishings and more with Groupon Goods. To subscribe to Groupon emails, visit www.Groupon.com. To learn more about the company's merchant solutions and how to work with Groupon, visit www.GrouponWorks.com.