With an eye on the Internet of Things, Verizon announced yesterday that it is building a new 4G LTE network core designed especially for devices that will require occasional bits of data. Currently testing the approach in its labs, Verizon expects to make the network available by the end of March. The plan is part of the company’s broader ThingSpace banner, which includes plans for managing IoT environments and data. “But while Verizon and others plan to begin testing as soon as next year, the standards haven’t been set and true commercial deployment is likely at least five years off,” reports Re/code. “Verizon doesn’t want to wait that long to start wiring up all manner of smart devices.”

The long-awaited upgrades to Apple TV will be available tomorrow — $149 for the new 32GB version and $199 for the box with 64GB of storage. “It’s clear that Apple worked its fingers to the bone on this; it works unbelievably well. You have to give a lot of commands before you find a failure,” wrote David Pogue for Yahoo. David Katzmaier of CNET noted, “To get the most out of Apple TV you need to be invested already in the Apple universe, with games, TV shows and movies you’ve purchased from iTunes and the App Store. That’s a shame since it offers the best streaming experience today, and more potential tomorrow once app developers go to town finding ways to exploit the big screen and that slick remote.” Visit Quartz to read a collection of early reviews.

Time Warner Cable is reportedly launching the beta test today of a version of its TWC TV service for the company’s Internet-only customers in New York City. While the service plans to support a number of platforms, the current emphasis is on streaming via Roku’s set-top boxes (participants will receive a free Roku 3). In addition to Internet, a Starter TV package runs an additional $10 per month, while another option adds Showtime and Starz for $20 per month. Engadget notes, “for those who want all the usual channels but without a cable box, a Standard option with Showtime and Starz costs $50 per month.”

Comedians Redd Foxx and Andy Kaufman, who died in 1991 and 1984, respectively, are about to take the stage again. Hologram USA announced that it plans to use likenesses of the two comedians and parts of their recorded routines to produce hologram shows that will tour the U.S. in 2016. Alki David, founder and chief exec of Hologram USA, says the company is also “working with other estates of famous funny guys and funny girls.” According to The New York Times, future plans include “holographic versions of Billie Holiday to perform at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and of Whitney Houston for a worldwide concert tour next year.” Broadcasts will also be made available on David’s FilmOn website.

On stage at WSJDLive, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company’s next-gen Apple TV streaming box will ship next week. Cook describes it as “the foundation of the future of TV.” Apple is also introducing its new tvOS operating system, hoping it will lead to an array of TV apps, including games. To get things rolling, the company is currently accepting app submissions from developers for review. “Apple is providing developers with guidelines for supporting major Apple TV features like the touch-sensitive remote, as well as more esoteric additions such as the layered parallax effect on app icons,” reports The Verge. The new Apple TV will run $149 for the 32GB version and $199 for the 64GB model.

Pandora Internet radio service announced yesterday that it has reached a $90 million settlement with record labels over royalties for older songs. A similar $210 million settlement took place in June between the labels and Sirius XM. Sony, Universal, Warner and Abkco sued Pandora last year for nonpayment of royalties. The argument centered on the fact that “federal copyright protection applies only to recordings made after 1972, with a patchwork of state laws applying to earlier recordings,” reports The New York Times. “We pursued this settlement in order to move the conversation forward and continue to foster a better, collaborative relationship with the labels,” said Pandora CEO Brian P. McAndrews.

Disney plans to launch its DisneyLife subscription streaming service next month in the United Kingdom. The service will offer Disney and Pixar movies, music, books and archived Disney Channel shows for £9.99 a month (about $15.45). “Disney plans to make the streaming service available across Europe next year in France, Spain, Italy and Germany, but it does not have any plans to introduce it in the United States for now because of current agreements with cable and satellite companies,” reports The New York Times. Disney’s service could compete with Netflix, which is pushing forward with its international expansion.

YouTube announced new features for its Twitch competitor, YouTube Gaming, launched in August, which provides gamers with the ability to live stream their gameplay and watch others do the same. With Mobile Capture on Android, gamers can now stream directly from their phones. In addition, YouTube Gaming now offers a $3.99 monthly subscription option for supporting favorite streamers (similar to Twitch’s $4.99 partnership program). According to TechCrunch, YouTube’s service has also updated the process for adding games to collections and locating live streams, added YouTube’s watch later feature, and improved the mobile app to remember searches.

The Federal Trade Commission announced yesterday that, upon court approval, Sprint will pay $2.95 million to settle charges claiming the company did not provide proper notice to its customers with lower credit scores that they were paying an additional $7.99 monthly fee, Re/code reports. “Sprint failed to give many consumers required information about why they were placed in a more costly program, and when they did, the notice often came too late for consumers to choose another mobile carrier,” said FTC consumer protection bureau director Jessica Rich. “We appreciated the dialogue with the FTC and we have already implemented the changes requested,” the company responded.

Sony, JVC and Texas Instruments were among those touting 4K Ultra HD devices and content at the recent CEDIA 2015 Expo. Sony debuted its line of Full HD home theater projectors, including a 4K Ultra HD front projector with a laser light engine. JVC showcased its fourth-gen “near-native” 4K Ultra HD liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS) tech for three projectors, “supporting some of the industry’s best contrast ratios and brightness levels in front projection,” according to HD Guru. Meanwhile, Texas Instruments announced a home-based 4K DLP chip for future front projectors. Manufacturers say affordable 4K home projectors should be available for demo around CES time in January.

Epson unveiled four new Pro Cinema projectors last week at the CEDIA 2015 Expo in Dallas. Ranging in price from $2,499 to $6,999, the projectors are designed for consumers who are interested in large screens for rooms exposed to a great deal of light. The Full HD 1080p Ultra-Bright Pro Cinema projectors can serve screens bigger than 85 inches with output ranging “from 4,000 to 6,000 lumens of both color and white brightness,” notes HD Guru. “Epson points out that the pricing of its projectors is a bargain compared to what flat-panel TVs would command in screen sizes exceeding 85 inches.”

CBS announced yesterday that its $5.99 per month CBS All Access digital subscription VOD and live streaming service is launching on Apple TV. The service will offer Apple TV users a live stream of their local CBS Television station and more than 7,500 episodes from current and past seasons of series in addition to a library of classic CBS shows. Episodes of 24 current shows will be made available one day after they air on CBS. “New subscribers can sign up for a CBS All Access subscription and a free week-long trial directly through Apple TV, while current CBS All Access subscribers can simply log in using their existing username and password,” explains CBS Los Angeles.

Tobii rolled out its Tobii IS4 eye-tracking platform and Tobii EyeChip, which the press release describes as “the world’s most advanced, compact and versatile eye tracking components for seamless integration into consumer devices.” Both are available for OEM pre-order through the Tobii Early Access Program. The company is targeting desktops, laptops, tablets, automobiles, VR headsets and other consumer devices. Tobii’s sixth generation eye-tracking platform provides OEMs “with near infrared sensors, illuminators, Tobii EyeCore algorithms, Tobii’s proprietary middleware engine and software development kit.”

UL (formerly Underwriters Labs) has a pilot program underway as part of an effort to eventually certify Internet of Things devices — including wearables — for safety, security and privacy. UL plans to launch the program early next year. “Because most wearables will be wireless, UL’s concerns include whether the personal data acquired by a smartwatch or other wearable that’s associated with a Social Security number or name is secure over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth,” explains Computerworld. UL, best known for certifying appliances for electrical safety, aims to “raise the bar for how security should be addressed… and establish a minimal baseline for what should be addressed much like we did with electricity 120 years ago,” said engineer Anura Fernando.

According to Piper Jaffray’s latest semiannual survey of American teens, the most important social networks among teenagers are Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, in that order. One-third indicated that they found photo-sharing app Instagram to be their most important social network, while 20 percent cited Twitter and 19 percent listed Snapchat. Only 15 percent said that Facebook was their most important social app. “The findings support the view that younger users are less engaged with Facebook and prefer alternate sites,” reports The Wall Street Journal. However, “this spring, Pew Research Internet Project found Facebook the site used most frequently by U.S. teens between 13 and 17.”