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Weekend Open Thread - Talk!
Posted: January 13th, 2012, 3:55pm MST
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Friday Evening Links -
Posted: January 13th, 2012, 3:53pm MST
Cable had fastest downloads in 2011 multichannel.com
Smartphone usage can be addictive, cause axiety and stress telegraph.com
AT&T lashes out at FCC bid for spectrum auction flexibility adweek.com
Verizon gains more than customers with LTE shift informationweek.com
American Cable Association concerned FCC s latest EAS rules could force the S'shutdown of small cable operators americancable.com
Judge dismisses class action lawsuit against Comcast over hidden modem fees courthousenews.com
Survey says 100G service 'looks unstoppable' cable360.com
Court in India threatens Google, other giant Web companies with China-like Internet control reuters.com
UK student faces extradition to US, possible five years in US federal prison after piracy case ruling for linking theregister.co.uk
iPhone 5 may work on all 3G/4G networks foxbusiness.com
EU laws on blocking websites continue to contradict each other techdirt.com
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FreedomPop Still Promising Free Wireless - Despite Clear Issue With Potential LightSquared Implosion
Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:10pm MST
Last month Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstr m announced he'd be launching a new wireless carrier in 2012 that provides free wireless service. Zennstrom and company are being a little murky about the specific financials behind the service, which is supposed to piggyback on the so-far-nonexistent LightSquared network. From a conversation with Fierce Wireless it sounds like FreedomPop is going to pursue a model that's somewhat similar to the new Iliad Free wireless service we discussed this morning . FreedomPop's marketing executive insists they won't be serving ads to help offset costs, but will simply use "free" to upsell to additional services:We will not serve ads, can't get into too much detail here since the revenue model is part of the innovation we are delivering," wrote Tony Miller, FreedomPop's head of marketing and communications, in an email to FierceBroadbandWireless.
FreedomPop's biggest obstacle is of course they're basing their entire project on a company that has yet to actually build a wireless network, and may never get the chance if political opponents, AT&T/Verizon lobbyists, and GPS industry executives get the final say. Still, combined with options like Republic Wireless, it's refreshing to see companies at least trying to be disruptive in the mobile space in terms of pricing.
He noted the revenue model will be "similar to those proved on Web, whereby the heavy users subsidize the less active," and confirmed FreedomPop is actually pursuing a "freemium" model, where basic services are offered for free but premium services cost money.
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RIM Hires Goldman Sachs to Explore Sale - Stocks Jump on Rumor That Won't Go Away
Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:51am MST
Looking to buy a one-time powerhouse wireless device maker who is now plagued by unexplainable service outages, launch delays, belligerently-drunk executives and perpetually underwhelming product offerings!? You may soon have your chance, as Reuters reports that RIM has hired Goldman Sachs to explore a possible sale of the free-falling company. More specifically Goldman has been hired to explore all potential options including sale, but with the company in free fall it's probably hard to nail down a price. RIM executives seem insistent they can still turn the ship around, despite their Blackberry 10 smartphones (their one, uncertain hope of competing with iOS and Android) being delayed until late this year or early next.
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Leahy: Let's Ignore How SOPA Breaks DNS For Now - And Maybe Get Back to it Later When You're Napping, Ok?
Posted: January 13th, 2012, 9:35am MST
Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) co-sponsors and entertainment industry vessels Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) have had a very busy few weeks both responding to and ignoring the immense criticism to the DNS filtering aspects of SOPA. This week Leahy proclaimed that he'd be willing to make a not-really-concession by rushing the bill to a vote and then maybe studying the DNS impact at a later date. Leahy issued a statement urging everybody to essentially ignore the Internet-breaking aspects of the bill, while downplaying criticism coming from all corners of the Internet:
It is amazing to me that the opponents apparently don t want to protect American consumers and businesses. Are they somehow benefiting by directing customers to these foreign websites? Do they profit from selling advertising to these foreign websites? And if they do, they need to be stopped. And I don t mind taking that on
-Lamar Smith (R-Texas)I remain confident that the ISPs including the cable industry, which is the largest association of ISPs would not support the legislation if its enactment created the problems that opponents of this provision suggest. Nonetheless, this is in fact a highly technical issue, and I am prepared to recommend we give it more study before implementing it. As I prepare a managers amendment to be considered during the floor debate, I will therefore propose that the positive and negative effects of this provision be studied before implemented, so that we can focus on the other important provisions in this bill...
In other words, please ignore the devastating, free-speech crushing, Internet breaking aspects of this bill and just pass it. You can trust me and my handlers in the entertainment industry to investigate and fix the problems later. Maybe.
As for ISP support, while myopic media executives at cable ISPs likely love SOPA because they incorrectly think it will stop piracy, the engineers at those ISPs realize the bill's fatal flaws. Unfortunately, that latter segment probably won't get their voices heard, just like when they warn bean counters of security vulnerabilities that are costly to correctly address. Leahy went on to suggest that people really shouldn't be upset about SOPA, because it was built with the input of everybody:The process in drafting the legislation has always been an open one in which we have heard from all third parties, and have worked to address as many outstanding concerns as possible. It is through this process that we have gained the support of the majority of third parties who will be asked to take action under the legislation, as well as a bipartisan group of 40 cosponsors in the Senate.
Except like with most one sided, corporate lobbyist drafted bills, the bill creation process wasn't open in the slightest, with no hearings held on PIPA whatsoever, and consumer and expert input that disagreed with the MPAA/RIAA perspective being utterly ignored. The fact that you've assembled a group of bipartisan cosponsors who have absolutely no idea how technology works and are happily willing to gobble up entertainment industry cash and talking points -- isn't really anything to brag about and does not constitute consensus.
Meanwhile, Leahy's co-sponsor Smith has been taking aim at SOPA opponents like Facebook, Google and OpenDNS -- claiming that they're opposing the bill not because the bill is absolute and utter crap, but because they're secretly making money off of foreign pirate sites. Or something.It is amazing to me that the opponents apparently don t want to protect American consumers and businesses. Are they somehow benefiting by directing customers to these foreign websites? Do they profit from selling advertising to these foreign websites? And if they do, they need to be stopped. And I don t mind taking that on."
While Smith is busy accusing Google and Facebook of being unpatriotic pirate lovers, Smith himself is taking some heat for the fact he's pushing an anti-piracy law while quietly ripping off website backgrounds without getting permission from the artist. The raw, blistering hypocrisy and ignorance SOPA/PIPA sponsors are exhaling this week needs to somehow be harnessed and used to solve the world's looming energy crisis.
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French ISP Free Turns Heads With New Wireless Service - New Fourth French Wireless Carrier Shakes Things Up
Posted: January 13th, 2012, 6:57am MST
France took our discarded concept of local-loop-unbundling and implemented it successfully, with users in Paris now being able to get 100 Mbps fiber, VoIP service and a full television lineup for around $40. French ISP Iliad is also prepared to shake up the wireless space with a new service launch that is turning heads here in the States. Dubbed Free Wireless, the service operates on a new network built by Iliad and is severely shaking up a French wireless industry traditionally dominated by just three players.
Free is offering users a free wireless plan that includes 60 voice minutes and 60 SMS's. Should users want a little more, the next package up offers unlimited calls and texts, access to the ISP's public Wi-Fi hotspots, and 3GB of data for 19.99 (roughly $25). That 3GB data cap involves throttling after you've crossed the 3 GB mark, but it's still a good deal however you'd like to slice it.
If you're a subscriber to Iliad's landline-based services you can get the same package for 14.99 ($19). Following the traditional European approach there is no subsidized handset and you have to buy the phone at cost. However, Free will let you spread the cost of the device out over three years. For example, Free has announced (pdf) that they're offering the iPhone 4S starting at 1, allowing users to pay 19,99 per month over 36 months.
Users who stick on the free plan but don't want to upgrade to the more costly option pay one cent for each additional SMS they send -- compared to around twenty cents both directions here in the States if you don't get an SMS bundle plan. Additional phone minutes on the free plan cost just five cents. French users state that even at that low price point, tethering, VoIP, and P2P are allowed. Users suggest Free is also coming out with an unlimited data plan that should be priced between 10 and 15.
"Up until now you have been cash cows," said Iliad founder Xavier Niel during a press conference introducing France's fourth wireless carrier. "Now you can either call your current operator and ask for the same price or join us."
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Apple's Beijing iPhone 4S Launch Gets Out of Hand - Store Pelted With Eggs, SWAT Teams Called In
Posted: January 13th, 2012, 6:11am MST
Apple has delayed additional iPhone 4S launches in China this week after a launch of the product in Beijing got more than a little out of hand. Apple's carefully-cultivated hype backfired when the company announced a delay in iPhone 4S's at the store, resulting in users (many of whom had slept out overnight in the cold) pelting the store with eggs and brawling with SWAT team members who had to be called in to restore order. "Unfortunately we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun due to the large crowd and to ensure the safety of our customers and employees, the iPhone will not be available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being," Apple said in a statement.
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Verizon: All Future Phones Will Be LTE - VoLTE, Global LTE Roaming on Tap for This Year
Posted: January 13th, 2012, 5:40am MST
Verizon this week stated that all future smartphone releases will have LTE support, something that's not surprising given their desire to ultimately refarm the spectrum currently being used for their EVDO network. Verizon, who now offers LTE in 200 markets, says they should have every current EVDO market upgraded to LTE by the end of 2013. A few improvements to look forward to will be Verizon's upgrade to VoLTE, which should provide much clearer voice and should pop up sometime this year. None of Verizon's current 4G LTE phones support global roaming, something Verizon says should also change this year.
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Verizon's Phone Trade in Service Hits 11 States - Up to $300 in Store Credit for Old Devices
Posted: January 13th, 2012, 5:31am MST
Late last year Verizon started implementing a new phone trade in program that allowed users to trade in their old phones (from any carrier) for store gift cards. While an easy way to quickly get store credit, Verizon's estimates for device value were below what users could get through other online websites. While anybody could use this Verizon website to trade in your device, users couldn't get old phone store credit -- until now. In what appears to be a trial program to gauge profitability, Verizon's now offering credit up to $300 for phones in certain markets. The program is expected to last through the end of the year, and extends to residents of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
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Friday Morning Links -
Posted: January 13th, 2012, 4:05am MST
Global broadband lines top 581 million convergedigest.com
The Pirate Bay will stop seving torrents torrentfreak.com
In order to quell opposition, senator hopes to rush PIPA tbrough now, and promises study DNS blocking later techdirt.com
Internet addicts have showed signs of changes in the brain similar to alcoholics and cocaine addicts telegraph.co.uk
SOPA author vows not to buckle in face of enormous opposition reuters.com
Smart TV's: The next tech war will be in your living room washingtonpost.com
iPhone 5 will be available on T-Mobile's network forbes.com
Carriers tout side benefits to NFC push totaltele.com
Demise of Open Range complete as asset auction ends denverpost.com
3D losing out to connected TV rapidtvnews.com
Windows 8 coming in Ocyober 2012? electronista.com
Tricked out tablet is the future of gaming? gizmodo.com
Xbox accounted for 40% of all video game sales in 2011 allthingsd.com
iPhone 4S crowds so big and unruly in Beijing and Shanghai, Apple stores refuse to open out of fear for safety of employees allthingsd.com
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