????* Google scooped up ad optimization platform AdMeld for some $400 million according to TechCrunch. The four-year-old company had just recently raised $30 million in venture capital from the Foundry Group, Spark Capital, and Norwest Venture Partners. (TechCrunch)
????* Has texting peaked? That's what a recent story in The Wall Street Journal suggests, with a relatively small increase of 8.7% over the last six months, the lowest gain since texting took off last decade. Traditional mobile texting could also face some steep competition over the next few months from upcoming messaging tools and apps from Apple and Google that bypass mobile carriers. (Wall Street Journal)
????* Meanwhile, Nilay Patel over at This is my next ponders the death of the phone number. (This is my next)
????* How Apple handed Twitter the keys to the iOS kingdom. (TechCrunch)
????* Will IBM have a new CEO for its 100th birthday? A look at who Sam Palmisano's successor could be. (Bloomberg Businessweek)
????* AllThingsD brings the scoop that a group of investors including Activision Chairman and CEO Bobby Kotick may end up acquiring MySpace, though at this time, the deal isn't set in stone. (AllThingsD)
????* Chromebooks from Samsung and Acer are now up for preorder from Best Buy and Amazon, starting at $379.00 for Acer's Cromia Chromebook and ramping up to Samsung's Series 5 3G Chromebook for $499.99. Expect these puppies to ship on or around June 15. (Chrome OS site)
