It has been suggested by some that the mobile industry doesn’t care about phone theft because it actually leads to the sale of more phones. Now, however, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and other mobile leaders have announced a commitment to include anti-theft technology on phones by next year. Re/Code suggests the move was driven by the threat of states and municipalities enacting mandatory “kill-switch” laws for mobile devices. 

Late last week, Web watchers nearly joked on a report that put Tinder’s valuation at about $5 billion. As Bloomberg reported, IAC recently bought 10% of the hookup app for $500 million from Social+Capital Partnership founder Chamath Palihapitiya.  Yet, as Palihapitiya later tweeted, and Sam Yagan, CEO or IAC’s Match Group, told Forbes, the $5 billion valuation is “nowhere near the truth,” and “wishful thinking.” 

Music app maker Smule just raised $16.5 million led by Roth Capital Partners. “There are lots of one-hit wonders in the app world,” Re/Code writes. “But there aren’t many companies that have figured out how to nurture a stable of successful apps.” Having done well with apps like Magic Piano and Songify, Smule is apparently the acception. Existing investors participating in this latest round include Bessemer Venture Partners, Shasta Ventures and Granite Ventures. 

Don’t expect an Apple-branded TV in 2014, but consumer will get their first crack at a highly anticipated iWatch. That’s according to a new report from KGI securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo, who, as MacRumors reports, “often provides reliable information on Apple’s product lineup.” If Kuo is correct, “The iWatch will ship during the end of the third quarter, offering biometric functionality, integration with the iPhone, iPad and Mac, and a ‘fashionable appearance.’” 

Crittercism, which measures mobile app performance, scored $30 million in new funding to up its application performance measurement capabilities. New investors include lead Scale Venture Partners, VMware, Accenture and Interwest Partners. The company also plans to build out its sales and marketing and channel efforts outside the U.S., Levy said.

More babies are using mobile devices -- 38% of babies under 2 are reported to use tablets or smartphones, up from 10% in 2011, according to Common Sense Media -- and child development experts are still unsure if that's a good idea. “The bottom line is that it’s so new we don’t know if it’s good, bad or otherwise, but there is a lot of other research that shows the main learning and sustenance for young children — particularly under 2 — comes from their relationships, particularly with their parents and whomever takes care of them,” says one such expert.

 Microsoft is taking a cue from Netflix. It's debuting a new sci-fi drama series, set to premiere simultaneously on Xbox and the UK's Channel 4. Created in partnership between Microsoft's Xbox Entertainment Studios and Channel 4, "Humans" is an adaption of the Swedish series "Real Humans."  It focuses on a family who buys a "Synth" — a humanoid robot servant that helps around the house with menial tasks. But this one is bought secondhand and harbors a deep, dark secret.

Samsung may have overstepped its boundaries by promoting a selfie taken by Red Sox star David Ortiz, with whom the tech giant has an endorsement deal. The problem is that the picture featured Ortiz and President Barack Obama, and, “as a rule, the White House objects to attempts to use the president’s likeness for commercial purposes,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday. “And we certainly object to this use.” 

NBCUniversal is still shuttering DailyCandy and Television Without Pity. But, in response to audience pleas, the Comcast unit has decided to let the online archives of both properties be. “Fans of the sites had complained loudly on Twitter and elsewhere,” Re/Code reports. “Now, all the past material on the sites -- such as popular recaps of TV shows -- will continue to live at TelevisionWithoutPity.com and DailyCandy.com.” Television Without Pity’s user forums are still expected to go dark at the end of May. 

Either the world isn’t ready for wearable technology, or the current gadget offerings are just failing to meet consumer expectations. Either way, a full third of U.S. consumers who have owned a wearable product stopped using it within six months, The Guardian reports, citing new research from Endeavour Partners. “What's more, while one in 10 American adults own some form of activity tracker, half of them no longer use it.”