Comcast expands Wi-Fi network

Comcast expands Wi-Fi network with new 'neighborhood' initiative | Mobile - CNET News: " . . .  Comcast's Wi-Fi strategy Wi-Fi has increasingly become an important part of Comcast's overall strategy. And Nagel said that the home-based neighborhood hot-spot initiative complements the company's existing Wi-Fi network and its efforts within the CableWiFi Alliance, which allows Comcast broadband customers to also get access to indoor and outdoor hot spots set up by other cable operators in other parts of the country. . . ." (read more at link above)

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Android domination

The 5 Most Important Tech Breakthroughs of the Past 5 Years (AAPL, FB, GOOG, MSFT, TSLA): "The most recent numbers highlight just how fast it's taken over: Android controls 75% of the global smartphone market and nearly 60% of the tablet market. Last month, Google reported that its cumulative Android activations passed 900 million, which means we're likely to see the first billion-user mobile OS by the end of the year."

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802.11ac fine--but what about the internet connection bottleneck?

Cheat sheet: What you need to know about 802.11ac | TechRepublic: " . . . I have been checking out the forums and early reactions seem mixed. That might be indicative of the sensitivity of each user’s situation and physical surroundings when considering how well 802.11ac devices perform. Other than my coverage-area concern, my only other thought: there will always be a bottleneck. And unless you are one of the fortunate connected to Google Fiber, the Internet connection will be it."

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Cellphone Billing (video)

60 Seconds With Pogue: Cellphone Billing: "David Pogue says T-Mobile’s billing makes a lot more sense than that of its competitors."

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Google's Plan To Lower Your Cable Bill

Google's Not-So-Evil Plan To Lower Your Cable Bill - Forbes: " . . . . All it has to do is introduce it to a few selected markets and then watch how the cable operators in those markets respond. If they drop their prices to compete with the ultrafast, ultracheap Fiber, they’ll have to do the same in other markets or else face uncomfortable questions from regulators about why they charge more in cities where they face less competition. . . . "

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Yahoo buys conference call startup Rondee

Yahoo buys conference call startup Rondee | ZDNet: "Yahoo's spending spree continues with its second acquisition in a day, snapping up free conference-call startup Rondee. It's not clear what Yahoo intends to do with Rondee, but the startup — which launched in 2006 — will join Yahoo's Small Business Team, a part of Yahoo that helps SMBs with marketing, web-hosting and e-commerce.  Rondee is winding down the service on July 12 and the company has arranged for accounts to work on an alternative service called Instant Conference. . . ."

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Time Warner Cable claims it does not throttle traffic

Explained: Why Internet Traffic Slows At Times « Time Warner Cable Untangled: " . . . . Delivery of video and other data over the Internet is a complex matter with many, many variables contributing to each particular end-user experience. But we can assure you that, at Time Warner Cable, we don’t throttle traffic. We do our absolute best to provide high-quality Internet service, with a variety of speed tiers to address customers’ particular needs and pocketbook, regardless of the source or type of traffic." (read more at link above)

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Entire Android Line-Up Can Now Download Google Keyboard

Entire Android Line-Up Can Now Download Google Keyboard | PCWorld: "The highly regarded Google keyboard, gesture typing and all, is finally coming to the entire Android line-up by way of the Google Play store.  Previously only available on the Nexus line, Google’s keyboard was sorely missed by consumers that opted to purchase other Android devices, like Samsung or HTC phones.  Now, any device running on Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) or later will be able to install the keyboard as an app. . . ."

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Samsung unveiling new Android and Windows devices June 20th

Samsung unveiling new Android and Windows devices on June 20th | The Verge: "Samsung is holding an event in June to unveil new mobile devices. The London show will focus on the company's Galaxy brand, which covers its Android phones and tablets, and the newer Ativ brand, which is the unified name for its Windows Phones, as well as its Windows 8 and Windows RT laptops, tablets, and hybrids. The event will be called "Samsung Premiere 2013," and will kick off at 2PM ET (7PM BST) on June 20th. As usual, Samsung will be livestreaming the entire thing on its YouTube channel. The event will come just one week after Apple's yearly developer conference, WWDC, which usually contains important announcements about the company's upcoming software and hardware. It's also just days before Microsoft's annual developer conference, BUILD. June is going to be a big month for tech news."

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Why Kenya leads the world in mobile money

The Economist explains: Why does Kenya lead the world in mobile money? | The Economist: "Paying for a taxi ride using your mobile phone is easier in Nairobi than it is in New York, thanks to Kenya’s world-leading mobile-money system, M-PESA. Launched in 2007 by Safaricom, the country’s largest mobile-network operator, it is now used by over 17m Kenyans, equivalent to more than two-thirds of the adult population; around 25% of the country’s gross national product flows through it. M-PESA lets people transfer cash using their phones, and is by far the most successful scheme of its type on earth. Why does Kenya lead the world in mobile money? . . . ." (read more at economist.com)

 more info: 

M-Pesa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-Pesa‎ M-Pesa (M for mobile, pesa is Swahili for money) is a mobile-phone based money transfer and microfinancing service for Safaricom and Vodacom, the largest ...

M-Pesa - Safaricom www.safaricom.co.ke/?id=257‎ Safaricom is a leading company providing services ...

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Motorola to make high-quality, low-cost smartphones

HEARD ON THE STREET: Google to Motor Over Android Profits - WSJ.com: " "One of the areas that we think is really open for Motorola is building high-quality, low-cost devices....The [wholesale] price of a smartphone is $650? That's not gonna persist." Talk like that should have executives at Samsung, whose devices primarily run Google's Android mobile-operating system, shaking in their boots. Folks at Apple should also be sweating. Later this year, Motorola is releasing a new high-end smartphone called Moto X that will compete with the iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S4. If Motorola, which also makes Android phones, sets a low price to grab market share, it could help drain rivals' profit pools."

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Microsoft Unites Skype and Lync but Cisco Protests

Microsoft Unites Skype and Lync, Cisco Protests - Software -: In an email, a Microsoft representative said the company had "no specific date to share" for future Skype-Lync updates, such as support for video chats. Microsoft had previously suggested that video would be added by mid-2014, though a Wednesday post on the Skype blog says the feature will be the "next priority." During Cisco's court appearance, meanwhile, attorneys for the networking giant argued that Lync -- which is used by more than 90 of the Fortune Global 100, according to Microsoft -- should never have been allowed under the same roof as Skype. Cisco's lawyers maintain the merger gives Lync an unfair advantagebecause the EU approved the deal without subjecting Microsoft to any concessions -- such as some amount of guaranteed interoperability with Cisco's Telepresence products.(read more at link above)

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Google Fiber could turn cable, phone giants into boiled frogs, analyst says

Google Fiber could turn cable, phone giants into boiled frogs, analyst says - The Tell - MarketWatch: “This could mean the beginning of the end for traditional telephone and cable companies and the beginning of Google becoming more powerful than old RCA and old AT&T combined” (read more at link above)

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Texas Plant to Make First US Assembled Smartphones

Texas Plant to Make First U.S.-Assembled Smartphones | TIME.com: "Cellphone pioneer Motorola announced Wednesday that it’s opening a Texas manufacturing facility that will create 2,000 jobs and produce its new flagship device, Moto X, the first smartphone ever assembled in the U.S. The company has already begun hiring for the Fort Worth plant. The site was most recently unoccupied but was once used by fellow phone manufacturer Nokia, meaning it was designed to produce mobile devices, said Will Moss, a spokesman for Motorola Mobility, which is owned by Google."

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Intel acquires ST-Ericsson's GPS business

Intel confirms acquisition of ST-Ericsson's GPS business | ZDNet: "U.S. chipmaker agrees to acquire certain assets of ST-Ericsson's Global Navigation Satellite Systems business, and 130 employees from ST-Ericsson will join Intel as part of the deal."

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