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Net Neutrality .... (paste catchy phrase here).

But seriously, whatever argument they come up with, I am sure it has been discussed in Europe where the same lobbyists were active, but *failed* to kill real net-neutrality. I suggest the politicians and those interested read the reports on that debate.
Good luck US, in the mean-time: here's to European Internet leadership ! :)

Are you just trying to be contrary for no reason? A Roku and a preamplifier use a handful of watts, and an aimable antenna is cheap. Even if you home-build a DVR, unless you go wacko with hard drives, processors, and power supplies, you're still coming in way under 500 watts total.

My suspicion is MS, likewise, must get into the hardware business & become vertical.

Suspicion?

That's been pretty obvious for a while.

There's even a word in the tech community coined from how Microsoft resorts to competing with its hardware partners: http://gigaom.com/2006/07/22/z... "Microsoft Partners, You Been Zunked".

For handheld devices, they've been doing since at least 2003: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2... .

And Surface is obviously a sign that Microsoft sees laptop vendors like HP and Dell as their direct competitors now.

More information regarding my initial point.

https://gigaom.com/2013/04/29/...

That's because TFS is the usual slashdot idiocy, and TFA is simply bad reporting. This report tells quite a different story:

"As Judge Beeler explains, companies can choose not only whether to include the Like button in the first place, but also to specify what information the button should relay to Facebook through cookies. In the case of Hulu, the presence of the button conveyed not only basic browser information, but also details about the user’s “watch page” — a personal page that every Hulu user has."

...and...

"The judge noted that the information transfer was not restricted to occasions when a Hulu user “Liked” a video, but rather every time a user watched a video."

So yeah, I'd say it sounds like a lot more than I'd expect was being shared.

clicking Like shares anything you watched and what you are watching, not just the original video, essentially making your history available without your consent

Indeed, this shows why we still need the now-amended VPPA.

The blog author is wrong on this one. The original GigaOm article the blog author was commenting on was much more factual.

Older article, but talks about how ISPs are making huge margins while actually reducing their capital investments:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-po...

Two more recent articles looking at the margins ISPs make:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/...
http://gigaom.com/2011/05/12/n...

True revenue and profit reports aren't easy to get ahold of for the big ISPs. Yes, I'm sure the profits are higher in higher density areas. No, I never made any comparisons to prices paid in North America vs. Europe and Asia. The fact remains that the big ISPs took huge amounts of money SPECIFICALLY to provide broadband to rural areas. They can't then turn around and say they couldn't do it because the cost was prohibitive due to population density. They knew the populations when they took the money. You make a statement like the big providers are going bankrupt and tell me I have no idea what I'm talking about, without providing any sources?

It's certainly broken.

http://gigaom.com/2014/01/17/m...

Samsung have managed to be successful with Android where other phone manufacturers have made losses on it. But it's having as little success with other Linux phone OSs as everyone else is.

They'd do best by sticking with Android. But maybe Google are making that increasingly difficult for them. It sucks not to be in control of your own OS.

Problem only affects people on comcast

No it doesn't. As noted in the article, this has been going on for over a year, and, if you weren't aware, this has been affecting all Cogent customers. Cogent also provides bandwidth for League of Legends NA servers. League of Legends is the most played video game in the world, so, obviously, people would have a problem if they had bad connections. Last year, Riot Games made agreements with Cogent and their datacenter to route their data around the same bottleneck that is affecting Netflix, because the game was unplayable for people on Comcast and FIOS. Maybe you need to do your homework.

Like chromecast? Or AppEngine?

I'm still okay with recommending Android to non-technical users, given that most of them manage just fine on Macs and PCs that face the same primary vector for attack (i.e. the user downloading and installing a trojan).

That said, yeah, Android is really getting a disproportionate share of the malware. More recent reports peg it at 99% of all mobile malware, and Pichai is trying to brush that away as a simple factor of market share, which is rather short-sighted. iOS currently sits around a 16% market share (and falling, due to Android outpacing iOS' rate of growth), which should be more than enough to attract malware. Especially so when you consider that iOS still attracts a comparable (some would argue better) amount of third-party support from developers making apps, as well as the fact that we still get reports like these (tl;dr: this last Christmas season, iOS users accounted for 5x more online purchases than Android users and spent roughly 2x as much on each purcase), making them potentially much more lucrative targets to developers of adware and malware.

Yet, despite all of that, iOS malware rates aren't even being registered on any of the mobile malware reports I can find from the last quarter. I recall them being at something like 0.07% the quarter before that, with Blackberry even registering more malware than them.

They're buying off-the-shelf batteries from the same suppliers that build batteries for the rest of the portable electronics industry. Since batteries are a resource intensive product (they're made from commodity materials that must be mined and processed), there is always going to be a fixed cost associated with their production. Here's a free hint: more electric cars being sold will only put more demand on battery manufacturers, and I don't have to explain how supply and demand works.

You are dead-on with with the reflection on the maturity of electric vehicles. They've been around a LONG time.

But regarding battery manufacturing, you may have missed the recent news about Tesla's plans for building the world's largest battery factory this year - it seems that Musk has anticipated your concern:
http://gigaom.com/2014/02/19/t...

But content owners may be the real heavyweights here: It was Netflix that withheld high-quality streaming from Time Warner Cable customers last year, not vice versa

Netflix except for a few shows it funded, is mostly a distributor. Also if you read up on what really happened, Netflix found itself with steep interconnect fees due to the actions of Comcast. So it built their own network that the ISP could join. However, any ISP that joined and did what Comcast did would find itself under scrutiny by the FCC. Time Warner wants to spin it as Netflix "withholding access" when really it is Netflix protecting itself.

It seems they're doing just that:
http://gigaom.com/2013/09/24/w...

But if they're not rechargeable, what do you do with the old ones?

.

Backdoors in this case of the edge network for this administrator are well know.

http://gigaom.com/2013/12/29/n...

Governments don't like the internet. They want it changed.

http://www.zdnet.com/surprise-...

So far one man, worth millions, with a great future ahead of him "decided to hang himself" over that same legislation.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/i...

People are seeing the connections through whistle blowers and alternative media.

http://www.infowars.com/hillar...
http://www.theguardian.com/wor...

French Invade Mali after Fed refusal of Gold...

I am sure it is JUST a cooincidence Gold is the only major export of MALI:

http://www.silverdoctors.com/j...

Troll.

So be it.

The main failure of AppleTV is a lack of sufficiently aggressive channel acquisition. That's why I bought a Roku, even though I have many Apple products. Unless Apple TV is the precursor of something big using that technology, Apple could perhaps have saved money and lowered costs by buying Roku, keeping that team, and rebranding.

Funny you shod mention Roku - because Apple TV clearly outsells them. http://gigaom.com/2013/07/16/apple-tv-roku-sales-stats/

Google has decided to censor -- Welcome to Apple's world.

http://gigaom.com/2014/02/03/no-chromecast-porn-apps/

Google knows best, apparently.

You have absolutely no proof of any NSA backdoors.

Eat shit, how fucking naive can you be:
[NSA’s backdoor catalog exposed: Targets include Juniper, Cisco, Samsung, Huawei] http://gigaom.com/2013/12/29/n...

The Moto X was actually an outstanding phone. I dumped my gs3 for one. I think the real end-game here was getting Samsung back in line. Motorola phones were selling enough units to raise alarms at Samsung. It's not like Samsung was in any danger of losing their stranglehold on android phone sales in the short term, but long-term with Google's backing it was only a matter of time until Motorola started taking significant chunks. End result: Samsung has supposedly agreed to dump it's custom UIs and custom applications and fully embrace the Play store and the Google ecosystem. It seems unlikely the timing is just a coincidence.

http://gigaom.com/2014/01/29/report-samsung-to-hold-the-touchwiz-on-future-android-devices/

Here you go:

http://gigaom.com/2014/01/05/google-glass-prescription-lens-option/

It ain't cheap, but it's there.

When it's discovered that the NSA was installing apps on phones that collected calls+texts+social media you might then have a point. Please, take a step back and try finding out who owns the phone when all you have is a pile of "this one called that one" data...

Already been done.

Since before 2009, NSA can even figure out who owns burner phones. Its all done thru metadata.

Phone numbers are listed in things like telephone books. NSA (and other intelligence agencies; let's not forget about the rest of them) have been ingesting telephone directories, business cards, public records, FB pages, ad nauseum into massive databases for many years so that a new name/number/address/email etc can be matched to known correlates.

Even metadata consisting only of Cell numbers are available to the NSA because they have access to all the carriers records as well.

Even a "Burner" phone is traceable in the US.

There is no such thing as "metadata", and there hasn't been for a long time.

When these companies move their data centers abroad, the jobs go with them.

[Citation Needed]
Modern data centers don't actually generate very many jobs.

After the initial flurry of construction jobs, Apple's $1 billion+ data center in Nevada is going to result in...
200 contractor positions and 35 full time jobs.

35 full time jobs

Didn't they recently change patent law so that prior art is basically meaningless now? It's no longer "first to invent," now it's "first to file." So it really doesn't matter if Bitcoin did it first. JP Morgan is first to file (assuming the folks behind Bitcoin never bothered to file for a patent).

Why can't my washing machine/dryer/microwave send my cellphone an alert when it's done and I'm in another room?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samsung.washer&hl=en

Why can't I turn on the lights at home from the grocery store so I don't have to carry my groceries in while it's dark?

http://www.smarthome.com/android_apps.html

Why can't I turn on the jacuzzi during a rough day at work so it's ready when I get home?

http://www.balboawatergroup.com/iphone-Application

Why can't my DVD player turn off my lights and close my blinds when it's time to watch a movie and then turn the lights back on when I pause it to get a drink?

DVD player? What decade are you living in?
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_MEDIAPORTAL_1/15_Customization/Home_Automation

Why can't my refrigerator detect what's in it and suggest recipes and tell me what's expired?

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50364798/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

Why can't I check to see if I forgot to turn the stove off after I left the house?

http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/22/2816405/samsung-smart-oven-android-app-control

Why can't my sprinklers check the weather forcast and put off watering if it's supposed to rain?

http://gigaom.com/2013/10/10/smart-lawn-sprinklers-cut-down-on-water-waste/

Why can't my blinds and windows automatically open and close to regulate the temperature in the house?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_glass

Are there any other inventions of the past 20 years that you missed and want me to google for you? Or do you think you've got it now? Tech tip: Put the world "Smart" in front of whichever thing you're looking for in your search and generally the first link will be the one you want.

http://gigaom.com/2013/12/09/germanys-dhl-delivers-medicine-by-drone/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OmMalik+(GigaOM%3A+Tech)

The system is basically automated WPA2 Enterprise. I read that a few airports in the US (Chicago) are starting to have this through Boingo. Normally Boingo is pay, but it's free for use through this service, so I'm guessing the carriers are paying a fee to them. It makes sense to authenticate the devices to make sure it's "allowed" to be on it.

Cisco said they would release a free H.264 encoder/decoder:
http://gigaom.com/2013/10/30/mozilla-will-add-h-264-to-firefox-as-cisco-makes-eleventh-hour-push-for-webrtcs-future/

At least free in the sense of: free to download, I don't need to pay MPEG-LA or be worried about their patents.

Cisco is paying for that.

Batteries are not likely to ever be cost competitive to pumped hydro for grid-scale energy storage. Although the initial capital costs can be similar (if we can get enough lead for multi-GWh battery banks), the overall operating cost over a >60 yeah life span is so much in favor of pumped hydro, it's not even a contest. I think it might be worthwhile to invest more into pumped hydro technology, for example to find economical ways of reducing land use for a given storage capacity. There's a somewhat interesting proposal to build high energy density per area storage shafts on flat terrain. People are also experimenting with compressed air storage, which has similar economics to pumped hydro, but the tech is not quite as simple and mature.

It puzzles me why the Germans would promote household-level battery storage as the solution. Perhaps their terrain is too flat for hydro or compressed air storage? Even if batteries are really the only choice, grid-scale batteries using specialized technology would still be way cheaper.

Article slashdotted - alternate story including updates below. Despite the obvious evidence, police continue to wave their arms wildly. http://gigaom.com/2013/10/24/uk-police-seize-3d-printer-and-printed-gun-components/

Linux is meant to run on lighter hardware, which means it tends to use less CPU.

Yes, it's meant to run on all sorts of lighter hardware.

Srsly, Linux is meant to run on whatever the hell can run Linux. That's it. Any other claim is bullshit.

Why bother making Chromebooks, the market doesn't much seem to care for them

Chromebooks are actually doing pretty well.

I'm a huge Android fan, but there are some issues with apps on Android that don't translate too well to the laptop experience (yet):

• * While multitasking apps works great, there's no support for multiple on-screen app windows. (though some people have tried to add them.)
• * though there is mouse support, there's still a heavy reliance on the touch-based interface compared with laptop point-and-click.

That said, Android is open source. You're free to do a port yourself. Some have done so already.

You're gonna have to define "nobody much." Five million sold in 2012 seems like quite a few, especially when compared to the number of set top boxes everyone else has announced selling. Would be interesting to see Chromecast number, though. If Google would release them, of course.

even if android was sluggish, which it isnt,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVDMOP1pWCQ

http://gigaom.com/2012/01/19/video-android-touch-lag-and-a-possible-solution/

http://appglimpse.com/blog/touchmarks-i-smart-phone-touch-screen-latencies/

http://gigaom.com/2013/09/27/is-ios-7-making-you-seasick-heres-how-to-turn-off-the-parallax-effect/

>> Besides the 9M people mentioned above?

That's the weird thing to me. Within my social circle of a couple of hundred folks, no one is tweeting, facebooking, or otherwise announcing that they've run out and bought the new phone. In fact, I've seen a few folks writing about this being the first upgrade cycle they might sit out, e.g., "hoping the '6' gives us something to look forward to"

I have to wonder if Apple is "channel stuffing" a bit here. For example:
http://gigaom.com/2013/05/09/what-apple-really-means-when-it-says-it-has-sold-a-product/
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-verizon-iphone-2013-7

That's already happening.

Brazil is pulling away from doing business with US tech firms.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-19/nsa-spying-gives-advantage-to-brazil-s-local-tech-firms.html

Germany is pissed:
http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2013/08/14/german-backlash-to-nsa-spying-gets-stronger/

EU in general is looking elsewhere for technology:
http://gigaom.com/2013/06/07/nsa-spying-scandal-fallout-expect-big-impact-in-europe-and-elsewhere/

Business world wide is starting to look elsewhere:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/09/10/how-the-nsa-revelations-are-hurting-businesses/

Cloud Computing was just sentenced to death by NSA
http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/04/spying-bad-for-business/

The NSA revelations will prove to be one of the biggest detriments to US computer technology business in decades.
 

One country in North America will lag the US in adoption, that would be Canada. Canada, the northern backwater for affordable digital connectivity rights, will lag for all the same reasons suggested for the US, except the US population will eventually galvanize and change things ... something that will not happen in passive ol' Canada.

Nuff said.

FTFY. I'll be in my bunk.

Nuff said.

in march (and probably others undersea cable cuts that happened recently close to that zone). Or it was an "oops, i did it again" from an agent, or was meant to be done that way (i.,e. an "accidental" cut by an anchor) so the company that repaired it added the extra functionality.

http://gigaom.com/2013/07/31/bytelight-illuminates-the-mobile-wallet-using-led-lights/

This is better than the one OP posted: http://gigaom.com/2013/07/31/bytelight-illuminates-the-mobile-wallet-using-led-lights/

http://gigaom.com/2013/07/31/bytelight-illuminates-the-mobile-wallet-using-led-lights/?go_commented=1#comment-1354764 And http://www.bytelight.com/

If a single drunk driver is able to stop your production and that production is critical you are doing something wrong to begin with. While the cloud might (and probably will) offer better HA and DR it will not fix a bad design by itself.

The article also states: " I didn't want to create my own internal IT department". I' guessing Andrew Oliver is a PHB.

Because cloud services have never had extended outages...

Honestly, anyone who sees cloud services as the great fix for reliability problems is an idiot, especially reliability problems caused by a once-in-a-lifetime drunk-driver incident. Most of the cloud services seem to have had their fair share of incompetence-related downtime. I wouldn't mind betting that if he'd put all his IT stuff one one of the commercial cloud platforms for the last 2 years, he would've had more downtime than he had running them in his offices.

In any case, shoving stuff in the cloud doesn't absolve you of needing a competent IT admin to handle backups and such, unless you're insane enough to trust *everything* to a cloud operator who, at the end of the day, doesn't actually give too much of a crap about one tiny customer who might've lost all their data.

Obligatory link to video of Tesla battery replacement faster than gassing up a regular car... http://gigaom.com/2013/06/21/tesla-shows-off-battery-swap-tech-video/

The article itself was somewhat light on specifics, but stated it was a single long-haul optical fibre cable implying nothing really out of the ordinary. The main improvement seems to come from the lasers and handling of the distortions at the ends. So it would indicate the existing cable would likely work with new hardware at the ends.

Another article such as here give a bit more detail, again it implies that the fiber isn't anything like the hollow fiber cables, but it does mention: "However, it’s also worth noting that Alcatel-Lucent’s tests were based on having a signal amplifier every 100km along the line."

No, definitely not. But two things: (1) Zip cars don't charge for gas, and so the vehicles tend to be very fuel efficient. I always seemed to get a Civic or Scion. (2) The average ZipCar member rents for only 4 hours per month, driving 6 miles per hour. That's only 24 miles per month. It would take your average ZipCar driver over 300 years to drive 100,000 miles. Your average car driver puts more than 13,000 miles per year on their car, so they take 7 years or so to get to 100,000 miles. That's a huge improvement.

While that's a cute meme you're spouting, it's the Democrats and environmentalists who have protested the building of various solar power initiatives in the southwest and managed to stop several:

"Environmental Groups File Formal Protests Over Federal Plan to Expedite Desert Solar Power Projects in 6 Western States" - http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/10908

"BrightSource’s cancelled projects highlight hurdles for desert solar thermal plants" - http://gigaom.com/2013/04/04/brightsources-cancelled-projects-highlight-hurdles-for-desert-solar-thermal-plants/

"$2B Mojave Desert solar plant breaks ground" - http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/inland_empire&id=7749227

That last one that actually got built was by, you know, a Republican....

Just say'in.....perhaps reflexively categorizing "Republicans bad" and "Democrats good" isn't the best way to view the world...

Ferret
From the High Mountains of Colorado

the number of BB users plunged dramatically.

The 1st quarter of 2013 is the first time in RIM/BlackBerry history they have ever posted a loss of subscribers (Down to 76 million from 79 million in 4th quarter 2012) Despite the drop they actually posted a profit.

Their market share has shrunk because the market for smartphones has exploded and BlackBerry's growth has remained constant.