Techmeme
January 15, 2014, 6:30 PM

Top News

John Paczkowski / Re/code:
Apple Agrees to FTC Consent Decree Over In-App Purchases (Memo)  —  Looks like Apple's settlement last year of a lawsuit over the unauthorized use of in-app purchasing in games and apps sold through the App Store wasn't enough for the Federal Trade Commission.
Federal Trade Commission:
Apple to refund consumers at least $32.5M for in-app purchases made without parental consent  —  Apple Inc. Will Provide Full Consumer Refunds of At Least $32.5 Million to Settle FTC Complaint It Charged for Kids' In-App Purchases Without Parental Consent  —  Company Also Will Modify its Billing Practices Under FTC Settlement
Fred Wilson / A VC:
How losing net neutrality will discourage investing in bandwidth-intensive startups  —  VC Pitches In A Year Or Two  —  Entrepreneur: I plan to launch a better streaming music service.  It leverages the data on what you and your friends currently listen to, combines that with the schedule …
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
What's Net Neutrality?  What Happened to Net Neutrality Yesterday?  What Happens Next?  A Q&A for the Rest of Us  —  Net neutrality is dead, and the Internet is in peril.  —  Or, maybe: Net neutrality is dead, and the Internet will be fine.  —  Or, perhaps: Net neutrality is threatened, but can be saved.
Brent Rose / Gizmodo:
Google Play Movies and TV Finally Comes to iOS  —  First Google Play Books made its way to iOS.  Then Google Play Music undertook the pilgrimage.  So, it should be little surprise that today Google Play Movies and TV has finally made the jump.  This is significant not just because it brings …
Arik Hesseldahl / Re/code:
HP to Re-Enter Smartphone Market With “Phablets” in India  —  Hewlett-Packard will today announce plans to re-enter the market for smartphones and tablets that it exited in 2011, with a pair of voice-enabled tablets that will debut in India later this year.  —  HP's plans call for releasing …
CNBC:
Apple-China Mobile deal a ‘watershed’ moment: Tim Cook  —  By: Reporting by Eunice Yoon, Written by Dhara Ranasinghe  —  Apple CEO Tim Cook says the deal to sell iPhones on China Mobile's vast network is a “watershed” moment.  —  A deal to sell iPhones on China Mobile's vast network is a …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google Adds Optional Data Compression Feature To Chrome For Mobile, Reducing Your Data Usage By Up To 50%  —  Google today is officially announcing the release of a data compression feature for its Chrome mobile web browser which allows you to reduce your data usage on smartphones and tablets …
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Viddy, the “Instagram for Video” That Wasn't, Acquired by Web Video Startup Fullscreen  —  Remember Viddy?  —  Back in 2012, the video-sharing app was growing like a weed, and lots of smart money bet that it would become an “Instagram for video.”  Then Facebook, which had been fueling Viddy's rise …
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Silent Circle & Geeksphone Join Forces To Build Blackphone: A Pro-Privacy Android-Based Smartphone  —  As the reality of the extent and invasiveness of the security services' dragnet surveillance programs hits home, the pro-privacy movement has been cranking up its own ideas to counter spy-tech with pro-privacy tech.
Kevin C. Tofel / Gigaom:
HP Chromebook 11 with LTE spotted with $379 price (possible $50 rebate too)  —  Earlier this morning, I noted that Altair announced its chip would power the HP Chromebook 11 LTE model on Verizon's network.  I figured the updated model would be available soon, but I didn't think it would be this soon.
Jennifer Slegg / Search Engine Watch:
Bing Begins Rollout of Secure Search, Say Goodbye to More Keyword Data  —  ClickZ Intel is a resource hub for online marketers.  Gain access to white papers, webinars, case studies and more!  —  In November, we reported that Microsoft was looking into switching their search traffic into encrypted SSL search.
Reuters:
EU says needs more concessions from Google within weeks in anti-trust probe  —  A Google logo is seen at the entrance to the company's offices in Toronto September 5, 2013.  —  (Reuters) - The European Union wants Google to come up with more concessions within weeks if it is to avoid formal charges …
Wall Street Journal:
Cloud-Software Startup Zendesk Hires Bankers for IPO  —  Maker of Online Help-Desk Software Part of Wave of Cloud Companies  —  Zendesk Inc., a maker of online help-desk software for businesses, has hired banks in preparation for an initial public offering this year.
Nicole Bogart / Global News:
Fitbit offers apology, refund to users experiencing skin irritation from Fitbit Force  —  TORONTO - Wearable technology company Fitbit is apologizing to customers after some users took to the web to complain about painful skin irritations they allegedly developed after wearing the Fitbit Force.

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