10 things in tech you need to know today

Good morning! Here's the tech news you need to know this Thursday.

1. Facebook's stock leapt after a Q4 earnings beat. It had revenues of $5.84 billion (£4.1 billion) versus analyst expectations of $5.37 billion (£3.77 billion), and 1.59 billion monthly active users.

2. Medical startup Theranos is putting people's health at risk, the US government says. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that the company had violated five regulations, including one instance where "the deficient practices of the laboratory pose immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety."

3. Apple is prepping the iPad Air 3 for a March launch. That's according to a report from the usually-reliable Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac.

4. Facebook has admitted it's going after Twitter. The social network is planning to invest more in real-time sharing, an area where Twitter excels.

5. Google and Apple are hitting back against scrutiny over their European tax deals. The FT reports that both companies are defending their EU tax practices.

6. eBay's stock tanked after its fourth quarter earning report. Its Q1 guidance for earnings per share is below analyst expectations.

7. Facebook is about to roll out a massive change to its "Like" button. It's including emoji reactions include "Wow," "Love," and "Sad."

8. Amazon is reporting earnings today. The Echo, its virtual assistant and speaker, might become its third billion-dollar business.

9. A Google computer program destroyed a human champion in a game that's far harder than chess. Experts had thought it would be another decade until a computer AI was able to beat a human at Go.

10. Google has shipped more than 5 million of its DIY virtual reality headsets Cardboard. Users have installed more than 25 million VR apps.