Akamai sees internet speeds climb, Asia still dominates broadband arms race
July 26, 2011 No Comment
Akamai’s annual State of the Internet report is loaded with all sorts of interesting, if not terribly surprising, tidbits about both broad and narrowband connections around the globe. The big news? The world-wide average connection speed has jumped 23-percent from last year, to 2.1Mbps. Speeds in the good ol’ US-of-A were up 15-percent for an average of 5.3Mbps, though we still languish in 14th place on the list of fastest countries. As expected, Asia continues to dominate the speed race, with 61 cities in Japan alone making the top 100 list. If you want the fastest connections the States have to offer you’ll have to head for San Jose or Riverside in CA or the home of the Wu (that’s Staten Island for those of you not in the know), which all tied with an average 7.8Mbps connection. Check out the PR after the break and click the more coverage link to download some charts. Continue reading Akamai sees internet speeds climb, Asia still dominates broadband arms race Akamai sees internet speeds climb, Asia still dominates broadband arms race originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Well, we can’t say we didn’t see this one coming . Fujitsu Toshiba mobile communications — now there’s a mouthful — just unveiled the IS12T: Japan’s first Windows Phone 7 device , and according to Microsoft prez Yasuyuki Higuchi, the world’s first Mango handset . The sexy and waterproof (!) 3.7-inch WVGA slate is powered by Qualcomm’s MSM8655 CPU of undisclosed clock speed (which we’ve seen running at 1GHz in the Incredible 2 and Thunderbolt ), and goes on sale in “September or beyond” on KDDI’s au network. The pink gizmo packs a 13.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and has a plentiful 32GB of flash storage for housing whatever content you’d fancy toting around. The usual Bluetooth (2.1 + EDR) and WiFi (802.11b/g/n) suspects are also onboard. Interest piqued? Peruse the gallery our Engadget Japanese brethren have handily tossed our way. Gallery: Fujitsu Toshiba IS12T Gallery: Fujitsu Toshiba IS12T hands-on Fujitsu Toshiba announces au IS12T, the world’s first Mango phone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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With competition like the Samsung Galaxy S II showing us just how thin a phone can be, the iPhone 4 isn’t quite looking as svelte as it once did. How’s an Apple-loving gadget fiend supposed to stay faithful in a time like this? Why, by holding their handset next to something much, much thicker. Enter the “iPhone 4,” which actually isn’t a phone, rather a powered fan that serves to keep you cool, not connected. As you can see after the break, the Home button won’t kick you out of an app, instead kicking that ducted air-mover into high gear, and while you won’t find it in your local Apple Store, stumble across one of these plastic bricks in Shenzhen and it’ll only cost you $10 or so to take it home. Small price to keep your handset feeling good about itself — until September , anyway. [Thanks, Chris] Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake: the iPhone 4 has a fan in China (video) Keepin’ it real fake: the iPhone 4 has a fan in China (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Microsoft renews alliance with SUSE, throws $100 million in pocket change at Linux
July 26, 2011 No Comment
Microsoft and Linux haven’t always had the friendliest of rapports but, a few years back, the folks at Redmond decided to cozy up to Novell and the enterprise-focused distro SUSE. The German arm of the company even wished Tux a happy 20th birthday last week, in an attempt to further thaw their notoriously chilly relationship. Now the Windows crew have decided to renew their partnership with SUSE and have committed to purchasing $100 million in technical support for Microsoft Enterprise customers who also happen to be running Linux boxes as part of their operations. It’s not about to stop claiming that the open source OS violates several of its patents , but at least they’ve learned to get along with out suing each other into oblivion… unlike some other companies we could name . Cough . Check out the full PR after the break. Continue reading Microsoft renews alliance with SUSE, throws $100 million in pocket change at Linux Microsoft renews alliance with SUSE, throws $100 million in pocket change at Linux originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Fox restricts online streams of new TV shows to ‘authenticated’ pay TV subscribers
July 26, 2011 No Comment
Starting this fall, for the first eight days after they air, watching Fox TV shows online will require a subscription to Hulu Plus or a participating cable or satellite company. So far Dish Network is the first and only provider to sign up its customers for access to the new walled garden on Fox’s site but others looking to fill out their TV Everywhere lineups probably won’t be far behind. While pay-TV networks like ESPN with ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app and EPIX have already gone the “authentication” route, Fox is the first of the broadcast networks to do so. The new rules go into effect August 15th, then we’ll find out if Fox is driving cable cutters towards paying for TV, piracy, or just ignoring the latest episode of Glee altogether. Continue reading Fox restricts online streams of new TV shows to ‘authenticated’ pay TV subscribers Fox restricts online streams of new TV shows to ‘authenticated’ pay TV subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Spending more and more time on Google+ these days and looking for something to draw you back to Twitter? Then you might want to consider giving the new Bird’s Eye app for iPad a whirl. As you can probably surmise, it promises to let you “see Twitter from new heights” or, more specifically, view nearby tweets from high above on a map. Those not interested in the strangers around them can also specify other locations to see what folks are talking about in any given city. Not an entirely original idea, of course, but it is fairly unique as far as iPad apps go, and it’s completely free. Head on past the break for a demo video. Continue reading Bird’s Eye iPad app lets you use Twitter while looking down on it Bird’s Eye iPad app lets you use Twitter while looking down on it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you’re the type to stock your walls with Lord of the Rings-style elvish daggers (or, you know, build full-scale Portal gun replicas ), then you’ll love this official Mass Effect 3 mockup commissioned by the folks at Bioware. Arduously crafted by self-proclaimed graphic design dork Harrison Krix , the N7 assault rifle replica made its facsimile debut at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. With only a fortnight to work with, the DIY, prop-making hobbyist took the made-for-cosplay gun from a glued wood, styrene and PVC-detailed master concept to paint weathered, final collector’s edition mold. It’s an impressive feat you can view in heavily photographed detail at the source, but there’s still one thing we’re waiting on Krix to bring to life — that space-skipping SSV Normandy. Mass Effect 3 N7 replica gets real world debut for your Spacer pleasure originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Chinese government to track users of free WiFi, small businesses react with service cutoffs
July 26, 2011 No Comment
Thought Google had a mountain-sized stack of your up close and personal online habits? Think again, because the omnipresent search king’s all-seeing eyes are nothing compared to the Chinese government , which recently enacted stricter regulations to identify free WiFi users. The government-issued monitoring software will cost the cafes and restaurants it targets $3,100, putting small business owners in a sticky situation — pay up, or shut down the free surfing. An informal survey conducted by the New York Times found not one owner willing to bow to the Republic’s pressure, citing the out-of-pocket cost and low number of actual users. It’s possible the move to clamp down on anonymous browsing was spurred by recent youth-embraced, social networking -backed uprisings, like the one in Cairo earlier this year. Seems a loophole in China’s net management policy allows “laptop- and iPad-owning colleges students and expatriates” — the very same group behind recent revolts — to go online undetected. It remains to be seen if the Communist Party will make this new measure widespread, or just restrict it to central Beijing. For their sake, we echo one owner’s hope that “official fervor [will]… soon die down.” Chinese government to track users of free WiFi, small businesses react with service cutoffs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Graphing calculator web browser lets you visit your favorite sine wave fan sites (video)
July 26, 2011 No Comment
Graphing calculators: essential tools for math education or low-res Game Boys? The debate rages on. Advocates of non-mathematical applications for the devices have scored a major victory with the introduction of Gossamer, a new web browser for various TI graphing calculators, which lets users visit some very basic versions of webpages, using the CALCnet and globalCALCnet protocols. The 1.0 version can request, display, and scroll pages. Logging in will bring you to a portal with links — the application’s developer has promised to add the ability to directly enter URLs in a future version, however. There’s a demo video after the break, though you may want to wait until after math class to check it out. Continue reading Graphing calculator web browser lets you visit your favorite sine wave fan sites (video) Graphing calculator web browser lets you visit your favorite sine wave fan sites (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The new Xbox 360 wireless headset has a form factor that ought prove familiar to anyone who has ever watched a businessman chew out his secretary while ordering at latte at Starbucks. The peripheral connects wirelessly to the console via its standard radio frequencies — its similarities to a non-gaming Bluetooth headset are more than just skin deep, however, with the earpiece doubling as just that, making it compatible with Bluetooth-ready phones and PCs. This one says “Xbox 360″ on it, however, to help you avoid accidentally being mistaken for a stock trader. The headset will go on sale in November for $60. Also newly announced is the Xbox 360 Media Remote, which controls streaming content, CD / DVD playback, and live TV viewed through the console. The remote will be available for $20 around the same time as the headset. [Thanks, Jason] Continue reading New Xbox 360 Bluetooth headset unlocks business casual achievement (video) New Xbox 360 Bluetooth headset unlocks business casual achievement (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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