Windows 8 first impressions

 First impressions of Windows 8, from that Windows Phone-inspired "Metro" user interface to integration of Xbox Live. In one word: "disjointed." (Engadget)

* Netflix's (NFLX) contract with Starz expired yesterday, so films like Toy Story 3 andScarface are no longer viewable online. (CNNMoney)

* AMD (AMD) is paying almost $334 million for the low-power server maker SeaMicro. (GigaOm)

* Video game publisher Blizzard Entertainment is laying off 600 employees -- 90% of whom are not directly involved in game development -- as part of restructuring efforts. (The Verge)

* Facebook unveiled new features for marketers and brands, including business pages with the recently-introduced Timeline format. (The Next Web and Facebook)

* Four ways to prepare for Google's (GOOG) new privacy policy, which starts today. (The Los Angeles Times)

* How the quiet content discovery startup StumbleUpon saved itself. (Fortune)

* Popular social magazine Flipboard rolled out a major update to the iPad app, which includes "Cover Stories," a hub that serves up several items based on a user's social connections. (Flipboard)

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