AT&T’s CEO has finally, finally, finally come to his senses and admitted that the “era of big subsidies for devices is coming to an end.” Continuing the smartphone upgrade cycle has always worn on the carriers margins and is something I know I have personally wished would go away a long time ago.
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Samsung is back on YouTube with Santa, the Galaxy Gear, Mrs Claus and a whole lot of screaming elves. So what’s the “next big thing?” Why the Galaxy gear of course.
Google’s proposed data center (red icon) location in the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate in Kowloon, next to a golf course.
News that Google was building new data centers in Hong Kong have circulated since the beginning of the year. Google has, however, now decided to cancel the project in Hong Kong. The company blames real estate acquisition issues as the reason for the decision. It isn’t immediately apparent if Google’s contentious relationship with the Chinese Government is to blame or if Honk Kong’s operation costs were at issue. It was reported in September 2011 that Google had already acquired 2.7 hectares of land n the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate in Kowloon which was expected to employ 25 full-time Googlers by this year…
Kindle’s Fire tablet lineup is already among the best tablet options geared toward kids and Amazon is boosting that message with some new offerings. The newest update adds more educational and goal-oriented options to make sure kids are getting their work complete before moving to play time.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google has joined Microsoft, Twitter, Apple, Yahoo!, Facebook, and other giants in the tech industry in calling for a reform of the NSA’s surveillance tactics. Earlier this year it was revealed that the National Security Agency was using information from these companies and more to monitor citizens across the nation without warrants.
The companies allegedly involved in the “PRISM” program denied turning over any user data to the government, but a leaked NSA slidedeck (seen above) seemed to imply the opposite.
The new collaborative campaign, called Reform Government Surveillance, cites five driving principles in its drive to curb excessive government spying:
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Samsung’s new YouTube video courtesy of their Taiwan channel is teasing something elegant, fast, simple and something just for us. There’s plenty of rumors we could fan with this one as the boys from Android Central point out upon their discovery of the video.
All Things D reports that T-Mobile is finally taking advantage of this year’s MetroPCS merger. The fourth-largest mobile carrier in the U.S. plans to use the new spectrum to offer even faster speeds on its LTE network nationwide. Some markets are already seeing an increase in speed, and more will see faster service next year. The company says it hopes to cover up to 90% of its current subscriber base with improved service.
In direct contrast to this data network improvement, T-Mobile is also planning to launch new pre-paid plans with no data allowance included, according to TMo News. The carrier confirmed that the new plans will come with unlimited talk and text, but will not include any data. These new pre-paid plans will be available on December 8th, the same day AT&T is launching its new selection of plans.
After years of accusations of being proxy spies for Chinese military and intelligence agencies, Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei says his company is exiting the US market. In an interview provided to French journalists, the CEO of the worlds largest telecommunications equipment provider says his company will no longer fight to stay in the US market.
Oh the weather outside is…not yet frightful but the deals have already started and the holiday season is moving into full swing. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday now behind us, it begs the question what goodies you purchased over this holiday weekend? Did you grab a new tablet, smartphone, Chromebook, HTC One, LG G2, Galaxy S 4 or something else entirely?
Black Friday is well in the rear-view mirror and that means our shopping focus is now firmly zeroed in on Cyber Monday. The one-day sales event now matches Black Friday in deals, specials, savings and more. It’s still early in the day as we wait for the nations largest retailers to announce more Cyber Monday savings. For now, sneak a peek at our continuously updated list of specials on apps, smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks, and any other Google-related goods!
Zee Aero, a low-profile company based in Mountain View very close to Google X, the company’s research lab, has registered a patent for what appears to be a flying car, reports SFGate (via Gizmodo). And from two photos uncovered by the paper, it looks like the company has already got as far as either a prototype or large mockup.
The patent illustrations look all but identical to an aircraft spotted from a helicopter at an abandoned Naval base on Alameda just under a year ago. If the photo looks a little odd it’s because Greg Espiritu used a camcorder to zoom in and then took this photo of the LCD display.
Here’s one of the patent illustrations:
Following the recent approval of tablets and computers for use during takeoff and landing, the FCC will soon move to lift the ban on voice and data use on all cellphones inflight according the The Wall Street Journal.
The change would still restrict phone calls and data use during takeoff and landing, but that restriction would only apply below 10,000 feet during the flight.
According to the report, the Federal Aviation Administration plans to discuss in depth the social ramifications of passengers in already limited space placing phone calls, something which may come as a relief to frequent flyers.
Heres to redefining Airplane Mode!
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Vint Cerf, one of the two men known as “fathers of the internet” and Chief Evangelist at Google talks the future at a Federal Trade Commission conference. It’s an interesting look at the past, present and future of the “internet” of things from a man who has an incredibly deep resume.
As Samsung beats back rumors of poor Galaxy Gear sales, it made me wonder what buyers really want to see in their ideal smartwatch? The world may be waiting to see what Apple unveils in the wearables category, but that hasn’t stopped companies like Sony, Qualcomm, and Pebble from trying to capture just a small sliver of this up and coming market.
Image: theverge.com
A patent application spotted by The Verge gives some clues to what Samsung has in mind for the user interface for the wraparound screen Bloomberg reported last week.
There are a few boring ones, like slide-to-unlock and a battery meter at the side, but also some rather interesting ones, like ebook chapter bookmarks.
More below the fold …
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With the likes of Congress, President Obama and the newly minted FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler all coming out in favor of unlocked phones, the pressure is now on for the carriers to relent on their rigid policies. The good news for us consumers is that Wheeler is keeping the pressure on with a letter sent to the CTIA President Steve Largent. Largent, the head of the official wireless association governing body received the Chairman’s letter emphasizing his work to amend the consumer code which would “address consumers’ rights to unlock their mobile wireless devices one their contracts are fulfilled.”
Following the FAA ruling permitting the use of portable electronic devices during all phases of flight, the European Aviation Safety Authority has announced that it too will be issuing the same guidance by the end of the month.
This will allow passengers on European airlines to use tablets, smartphones and ebook readers from gate to gate, provided that they are placed in Airplane mode at the gate.
American airlines wasted no time in implementing the FAA guidance, so here’s hoping for similar speed for those of us on the other side of the pond.
Update: The EC has now also approved both 3G and 4G network use on board aircraft. This would allow airlines to install mini base stations in their aircraft, with signals relayed via their own on-board radio equipment. I’m desperately hoping airlines won’t allow voice calls …
Via The Verge
Smartwatch maker Pebble has announced a software event scheduled for 10 AM Pacific on November 6th. Pebble already has an SDK for developers, but they’ll be announcing some upcoming additions to the watch’s software capabilities. The event will stream live on the Pebble website for anyone to watch.
Two members of Pebble’s developer support team will also hold an AMA on Reddit directly after the event to discuss the upcoming changes with developers and answer any questions they may have.
Pebble also says that over 400 users who backed the original Kickstarter project are still waiting on their watches, which seems like a high number considering the fact that the watch has been available in Best Buy for some time now.
Hello Pebblers!
Apologies for the radio silence the last couple months. We know it has been a long time since we shared an update, but we’ve had our heads down focusing on some exciting developments and big news is brewing.
This Wednesday, November 6th, we’ll be sharing the details. You’re invited to join our (hopefully less blue) livestream at 10am PST to hear the news first hand. Just visit www.getpebble.com Wednesday after 9am PST for a link to the event. If you’re currently developing for Pebble, or interested in creating apps for Pebble, then you should definitely tune in!
We’ll also post the news for those who can’t join and a recording of the livestream will be available immediately following the event. Eric and Pebble’s developer support team will also be available to take questions on a Reddit AMA on Wednesday at Noon PST.
Most of you have Pebbles on wrists by now, but our records show that 460 of our 68,929 backers are still waiting. If you are one of those 460, we want to hear from you! We need a correct email and shipping address so we can send your Pebble(s). Please enter your info at http://bit.ly/kswaiting and we’ll confirm Pebble shipments as fast as we can.
Thanks once again for your support, much more to follow soon!
Team Pebble
International digital-rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation has delivered its annual report card of which tech companies best protect its consumer data.
Some may be surprised that both Google and Twitter top the list of companies offering the most consumer protection from governments accessing your data and transparency toward data management.
While Dropbox and LinkedIn also fair well this year, the same cannot be said for Apple, AT&T, or Yahoo.
These companies miss the mark on data protection almost across the board with exception to protecting your rights in courts or Congress.
Read the full “Who Has Your Back” report at EFF.org.
