Techmeme
February 4, 2017, 1:00 PM

Top News

Colin Lecher / The Verge:
FCC closes the inquiries into sponsored-data offerings by T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast, new agency Chairman Ajit Pai confirms  —  Under recently departed chief Tom Wheeler, the FCC opened inquiries into how companies might be using free data programs, which allow customers to use …
Brian Fung / Washington Post:
FCC revokes permission for nine companies to use $9.25/mo Lifeline credit to subsidize broadband service  —  Regulators are telling nine companies they won't be allowed to participate in a federal program meant to help them provide affordable Internet access to low-income consumers …
Chris Welch / The Verge:
PlayStation 4's 4.5 software update adds support for external hard drives, “Boost Mode” to PS4 Pro to help older games run faster and smoother  —  Coming as part of the 4.50 update  —  Sony is rolling out the beta preview of the PlayStation 4's latest firmware update, version 4.50 …
Kyle Orland / Ars Technica:
Oculus CTO John Carmack defends his code against ZeniMax's copyright infringement accusations  —  During expert testimony, the Oculus CTO “just wanted to shout ‘You lie!’”  —  Oculus CTO John Carmack was largely vindicated last week when a jury cleared him of any personal liability in a case …
Business Insider:
Planet Labs will acquire the satellite imaging unit Terra Bella from Google; source says deal is worth $300M+, Google will be a major shareholder of Planet Labs  —  Terra Bella, the satellite imaging company that Google bought about two years ago for $500 million, will be sold to mapping startup Planet Labs …
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
With Chrome 57, Progressive Web Apps will appear in Android's app drawer, settings, more  —  The ambitious goal behind Progressive Web Apps is to allow websites to have the same capabilities and features as a native app, but without the initial download.  Google has been a heavy backer …
Ryan Whitwam / Android Police:
E-mail to OEMs: Google will discontinue Google Now Launcher in the coming weeks  —  Google currently has two launcher apps in the Play Store; Google Now Launcher and Pixel Launcher.  In a few months, there will only be one.  According to an email forwarded to us by a tipster …
Zac Hall / 9to5Mac:
Apple releases $199 pro apps educational bundle with Final Cut, Logic, Motion, Compressor, and Main Stage; apps would cost $630 if bought separately  —  Apple is introducing a new education bundle for its professional creative apps that significantly discounts the entire collection.
Ina Fried / Recode:
LG says it will add enhanced shielding to its 5K monitors to prevent interference with nearby wireless routers; existing displays can be retrofitted  —  The initial models of the fancy display got all glitchy when put near networking gear.  —  LG has found a fix for a problem that left …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Ev Williams: our goal is to launch Medium consumer subscription product this quarter  —  Medium CEO Ev Williams announced today at Upfront Summit that his company will launch a consumer subscription product, with the first version coming this quarter.  This could help develop an additional revenue stream apart from advertisements.
Alex Heath / Business Insider:
IPO filing discloses Snapchat paid $158M to oust co-founder Reggie Brown after 2014 settlement  —  Snap cofounders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy will become billionaires overnight when their company goes public at a potential $25 billion valuation.  —  One person who will not share …
Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

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Todd Bishop / GeekWire: