The Verge tests Intel’s smart glasses, which the chip maker believes can succeed where other tech giants have failed. In a word, Intel is aiming for simplicity with the new hardware. With the glasses, “There is no camera to creep people out, no button to push, no gesture area to swipe, no glowing LCD screen, no weird arm floating in front of the lens, no speaker, and no microphone (for now),” The Verge writes.

Plenty of Facebook’s publishing partners aren’t making much use of Instant Articles, according to some single-day analysis by the Columbia Journalism Review. “Of 72 publishers that Facebook identified as original partners in May and October 2015, our analysis of 2,308 links posted to their Facebook pages on January 17, 2018, finds that 38 publications did not post a single Instant Article,” CJR reports.  

Spotify is testing a free app named Stations, which lets users stream curated music. “With the app, Spotify apparently wants to solve the infinite choice problem that a lot of the premium music services have,” Variety suggests. “Stations will offer some personalization as users listen to their favorite programs, according to the app description.”  

Sony CEO Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai plans to step down in March, and hand the company’s reins to CFO Kenichiro Yoshida. “Yoshida is credited with helping turn around Sony’s finances throughout much of Hirai’s tenure, which began with a much-vaunted ‘One Sony’ streamlining initiative,” The Verge reports.

Per a new partnership with Spotify, gaming-focused chat platform Discord will soon let users show off their musical tastes. Additionally, “Spotify Premium subscribers will be able to ‘Listen Along’ to songs and full playlists together with fellow Premium members directly within their Discord server,” MacRumors reports.  

Alphabet is in discussions with Aramco -- Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company -- about building a “technology hub” in the kingdom, The Wall Street Journal reports. “As part of the potential joint venture, Alphabet would help Saudi Arabian Oil Co., known as Aramco, build data centers around Saudi Arabia,” The Journal writes.

YouTube Go is being offered to more consumers around the world. The “lightweight” mobile version of YouTube designed for emerging markets will soon be available in more than 130 countries, TechCrunch reports. “This wider rollout will make YouTube Go available to a large number of people who want the ability to watch YouTube videos,” it writes.

Apple’s App Store has apparently taken down two Telegram messaging apps for reasons that remain unclear. “Responding to a Twitter user’s question, about why both its iOS apps are AWOL, Telegram founder Pavel Durov tweeted that it relates to ‘inappropriate content,’” TechCrunch reports. “We were alerted by Apple that inappropriate content was made available to our users and both apps were taken off the App Store,” Durov wrote.