Charter Communications has agreed to purchase Time Warner Cable for $55.3 billion in cash and stock. Including the debt Charter will assume, the total deal is valued around $79 billion. The move follows in the wake of Comcast’s attempted bid to acquire TWC. Charter will also move ahead with its purchase of Bright House Networks for $10.4 billion, and the three combined companies would make Charter the second largest TV and Internet provider in the U.S. with 24 million customers. Comcast currently holds the top spot with 27.2 million. Continue reading Charter to Purchase Time Warner Cable in $55.3 Billion Deal

The Secure Content Storage Association (SCSA), the consortium of entertainment and storage companies, announced the final specifications for its new premium content playback technology and gave it a name: Vidity. The solution supports the secure delivery, storage and consumption of movies, including those mastered in 4K and HDR, across multiple devices. Vidity partners include Fox, Warner Bros., Universal, Samsung and Walmart, but neither Disney nor Apple are involved. Compatible products and services are expected to reach market late 2015. Continue reading Vidity to Enable Download of 4K HDR Movies Across Devices

After the Senate declined to reauthorize the bulk collection of phone records, the National Security Agency began shuttering its controversial counter-terrorism program over the weekend. The Senate failed to reach an agreement to extend the program beyond May 31, when the law used to authorize it will expire. Some intelligence and law enforcement officials have argued that the program is crucial to tracking terrorists. While the Senate rejected two bills that would have continued the program, some believe an agreement could still be reached before the deadline. Continue reading NSA Preps Shutdown of Controversial Phone Tracking Program

Amazon announced that its Prime Now service officially launched in select neighborhoods of Manhattan last week, offering one-hour delivery of groceries, prepared meals and baked goods from local businesses. Amazon customers can use the Prime Now app to order goods from companies such as D’Agostino, Gourmet Garage and Billy’s Bakery. The app is available for iOS and Android devices. According to the press release, the service will expand across Manhattan in the coming weeks. Prime Now offers free delivery in two hours, and one-hour delivery for $7.99. The service plans to soon add one-hour delivery from local stores where Prime Now is offered (Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Brooklyn, Dallas and Miami).

Jony Ive has been promoted to the newly created position of chief design officer at Apple. Ive will relinquish his day-to-day managerial duties in order to focus on “current design projects, new ideas and future initiatives,” according to the company. Ive’s managerial duties will be handed off to his two deputies, reports Bloomberg. Richard Howarth will be named VP of industrial design and Alan Dye will become VP of interface design. “In many ways, Jony’s new role is the closest thing yet to the unofficial role that Steve Jobs held at Apple,” suggests analyst Neil Cybart. “With day-to-day managerial duties being handed off to capable team members, Jony now has more time to focus on the big picture.”

YouTube is looking to take on game-streaming services such as Amazon’s Twitch by allowing live video streams that run at 60 frames per second (double its previous limit). Higher frame rates are vital for fast-moving games including racers and first-person shooters, and attracting gamers will be important if YouTube hopes to remain competitive in the growing eSports market. To address growing interest in gamers sharing their sessions, YouTube has been upgrading playback quality, adding support for HD, 4K, and most recently, browsers that use HTML5. Continue reading YouTube Supports Live Streams at 60fps and HTML5 Playback

Samsung has officially launched the beta version of its Samsung Flow app, available via the Google Play Store. The app works similarly to Apple’s Continuity feature, which allows users to jump form one Apple device to another and continue their work. “Samsung Flow will allow users to swap activities between their mobile devices, such as transfer the viewing of a website on their phone to that of a tablet,” notes Ubergizmo. “Users will also be able to defer activities on their mobile devices until an appropriate device is available.” Supported devices include the Samsung Galaxy S5, S6 and S6 Edge; Galaxy Alpha; Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge; and the Galaxy Tab S.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau this week accused eBay’s electronic payments division PayPal of illegally signing its customers up for PayPal Credit, an online credit product, without their permission. By not offering users the option of their preferred payment method, PayPal engaged in deceptive advertising, claims the U.S. financial watchdog. According to Reuters, “Under a proposed order filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, which needs a judge’s approval to become final, PayPal would refund $15 million to consumers and pay a $10 million penalty to the government, the CFPB said.”

Roku announced this week that the subscription-based, ad-free Sesame Street Go service is now available via the company’s streaming players and integrated Roku TVs. The service launched last year on iOS and Android devices, Web browsers, and connected TVs via Google’s Chromecast. “Sesame Street Go, which features full-length ‘Sesame Street’ episodes, new and old, and shorter-form fare, runs $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year, and is offered in the Roku Channel Store in the Kids & Family category,” reports Multichannel News. According to the press release, users can filter “Sesame Street” content through learning areas including math, science, literacy and the arts.

Microsoft is reportedly working on a new mobile app called Flow, designed to work with Outlook, which offers rapid email exchange that closely resembles instant messaging. “Correspondence with Flow will likely look similar to exchanges on popular messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Apple’s iMessage, though it’s email that’s behind the system,” reports Digital Trends. According to the leaked product description, Flow will offer “fast, fluid, natural conversations: No subject lines, salutations, or signatures.” If message recipients do not have Flow, incoming messages will simply appear in their inbox as regular email messages.

Netflix plans to introduce a new online user interface beginning next month that is immersive and provides more information. “The interface, which was previously demonstrated at CES and Mobile World Congress, brings the design of Netflix’s website more in line with what users today see on mobile phones, tablets, on gaming consoles and on other streaming media players, like Roku,” reports TechCrunch. The new design reportedly replaces the slow scrolling carousels with “an updated look with larger thumbnails in each section which can be clicked on in order to expand a detail screen showing additional information about the title in question.”

Microsoft launched its over-the-air digital TV tuner and antenna option for the Xbox One game console this week. Customers in North America can now purchase the Hauppauge Digital TV Tuner to screen free, local, broadcast TV programming on their HDTVs via Xbox One devices. “Microsoft is selling the tuner bundled with a Mohu DTV antenna for $100,” according to Variety. “For those who already have an antenna, the Hauppauge tuner for Xbox One is available for $59.99 from Microsoft and Amazon.com.” The move marks another step by Microsoft toward transforming its game console into an entertainment hub for the home. The Xbox One already offers access to HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Sling TV and more.

Tech companies including Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft joined Internet security experts and civil liberties organizations this week to draft a letter to President Obama warning that a “backdoor” for U.S. law enforcement could also serve as a backdoor for hackers and other governments. The Obama administration has been considering whether companies should only be allowed to use encryption that provides law enforcement with unscrambled access (or a “backdoor”). Critics are concerned about weakening encryption tech that protects Internet communications. Continue reading Tech Industry Urges President to Not Weaken Encryption Tech

As part of the growing backlash to Facebook’s Internet.org project, 65 advocacy organizations from 31 countries released a letter of protest this week to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook has partnered with wireless carriers and other organizations on the initiative that hopes to bring free Internet service to the developing world. However, the letter argues that the project “violates the principles of net neutrality, threatening freedom of expression, equality of opportunity, security, privacy, and innovation.” Continue reading Letter Released in Protest of Facebook’s Free Internet Project

Twentieth Century Fox plans to make all of its new movies available in Ultra HD with high dynamic range (HDR) for home entertainment purposes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “High dynamic range — meaning a wider range between the whitest whites and blackest blacks in an image — is viewed by many Hollywood tech leaders as the key feature that will create a more noticeable picture advancement for viewers,” notes THR. The UHD Alliance is currently working on an interoperable HDR spec for home entertainment. SMPTE is also doing HDR standards work and the Blu-ray Disc Association recently announced its UHD Blu-ray spec with support for HDR.