Quick news from around the Web.
Why Nadella's Second Year as Microsoft CEO Will Be a Lot Harder http://t.co/e8yyQHaOAI via @business
— FierceWireless (@FierceWireless) February 4, 2015
> Cell phones have joined drugs and weapons as items of choice inside America's prisons. Article
> According to a 9to5Mac report, Apple is building Beats Music into a paid service that will challenge Spotify and Rdio. Article
> Microsoft is no longer building its Nokia Lumia 2520 Windows RT tablet, which appears to bring to an end the company's Windows RT efforts. Article
> AT&T said it is working more closely with GE on various products for the industrial Internet of Things. Release. AT&T also released a new Cellular Communications Module (CCM) Reference Design with what the carrier said is an integrated Prepay Energy management application. Release
> Cellular One of Northeast Arizona said it will use ClearSky Technologies' NetView 360 product to help deploy small cells. Release
> Amazon has battled against a report that says sales of its Fire tablets were sluggish during the holidays. Article
> Ford's CEO is concerned that automobiles may get commoditized like mobile phones. Article
> Apple's share of smartphone sales grew across Europe, the U.S. and China during the last three months of 2014 due to a strong portfolio of devices based on the iOS operating system, according to smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech for the fourth quarter. Article
> According to research firm Canalys, Micromax has surpassed Samsung as India's largest smartphone maker. Article
> Nest is pointing to new research that shows its thermostat can pay for itself in two years. Article
> Apple appears to be testing a camera-equipped van in the Bay Area. Article
> Microsoft's new app put its Bing search engine front and center on Android devices. Article
> Samsung will also add mobile enterprise services from Good Technology to its Knox service. Article
> Several popular Android apps appear to contain hidden code that makes malicious ads pop up, according to a new report. Article
Online Video News
> NBC Sports said it recorded the highest number of online viewers ever for a Super Bowl, 1.3 million. And use of connected devices--smart TVs and Wi-Fi-enabled tablets--jumped 150 percent higher than normal during the live-streamed championship game. Article
> Smoothing down fears that 7 million consumers might cancel their pay-TV subscriptions this year once HBO launches its over-the-top subscription service, Parks Associates added a bit of context to its initial report. The gist? Don't panic…yet. Article
> Web and online video portal AOL laid off 150 employees, mostly from its advertising sales unit. Article
Telecom News
> Calix reported that fourth-quarter 2014 revenues were $112 million, up 19 percent year-over-year, reaching the top end of its previously released guidance, but international revenues continued to trail behind the domestic market. Article
Cable News
> MaxLinear Inc., a provider of set-top box circuitry to the pay-TV market, has acquired Entropic Communications, a maker of semiconductor solutions for the connected home. Article
European Wireless News
> KPN said it expects core earnings to stabilize by the end of 2015 after the Netherlands-based operator recorded a decline in EBITDA that was below analyst expectations in the fourth quarter of 2014. Article
> TalkTalk was quick to praise the success of its new quad-play strategy after reporting year-on-year revenue growth of 4.2 per cent in its financial third quarter (calendar Q4), but the UK-based operator also indicated that the cost of acquiring new subscribers for combinations of its mobile, broadband and TV products would hit earnings in the full year. Article
And finally… HTC takes aim at rivals with a new rap video. Article