network
Latest
Microsoft letting users choose Yammer as default social network in Office 365
Since enterprise-level social networking isn't really our bag, we haven't been paying that much attention to Yammer after Microsoft's paid $1.2 billion to buy it. Still, as part of Redmond's project to merge Twitter-for-business with Office 365, organizations can now make Yammer the primary sharing tool for their users. Unfortunately, we suspect some heavy-handed sysadmin will prevent you from sending those amusing LOLCat pictures your nephew emailed you to the folks in sector G.
PQI Power Drive merges power bank, card reader and wireless access point into one
After showing off its USB OTG accessories and NFC flash drive, PQI decided to tease us with its unannounced Power Drive that was sat quietly in a corner at Computex. Much like the Air Pen launched last November, this upcoming device acts as a portable wireless access point with storage expansion, meaning you can share an RJ45 network connection and your files over WiFi. But what's new is that not only is the RJ45 port collapsible to reduce device thickness, there's now also a standard SD card slot in addition to the old microSD slot. Better yet, as the name suggests, the Power Drive can also be used as a USB power bank to charge up other devices, making this PQI's most versatile WiFi product yet. Alas, details are light on the specs, so stay tuned for its announcement at some point in Q4 this year. %Gallery-190769%
BSkyB paying Virgin Media $74 million for a network makeover
Customers with Sky Broadband might find their provider's capacity crawling northward toward the end of the year. The broadcaster is paying Virgin Media's business arm £49 million ($74 million) for some of Richard Branson Liberty Global's deliciously fast fiber infrastructure. While there's no mention of BT, we wouldn't be surprised if this technological makeover was prompted by its corporate rival's recent assault on Sky's sporty golden goose.
ABC to add live streaming to iPad app this week, for a few and with a catch
Update: The new WATCH ABC app is live in the US store. As expected, streaming is available for NYC and Philadelphia residents only. After July 1, you'll have to verify that you subscribe to a TV provider to get live video, and "programming substitution may apply." Ahead of ABC's spring upfront this coming Tuesday, May 14 ("upfronts" are the glitzy network presentations to get advertisers revved up about the coming season's programming), the New York Times' Brian Stelter found a scoop that has more to do with how we watch TV than which programs we watch. Disney's ABC network plans to revise its iPad/iPhone app lineup by Tuesday to include free live streaming of ABC channels for viewers in two Northeast cities. The live streaming feature, which will appear as a "live" button in a new Watch ABC app (akin to ABC-owned ESPN's Watch ESPN app) set to replace the the existing ABC Player app, will be available to customers in New York and Philadelphia who can verify that they have access to ABC via a cable or satellite subscription. GigaOm says that the service's requirement for pay TV subscription will kick in after a six-week introductory period, where it will be open to all comers. According to that post, the ABC live encoding will be powered by the same upLynk hybrid local/cloud streaming technology that's currently at work behind the company's Watch Disney app. Stelter notes that ABC's programming currently appearing on ABC.com and Hulu Plus may be curtailed in the future, with longer delays before free-to-stream episodes appear; the most current content would be reserved for pay TV subscribers. This would undoubtedly drive cord-cutters somewhat batty. The streaming feature will be iOS-only for now, and limited to those two markets (where the affiliate stations are owned by the parent company) while the network negotiates with affiliates in other cities. The first affiliate deal, with Hearst Television, will soon add live streaming to 13 additional cities like Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Kansas City and Honolulu. Having NYC be one of the first launch markets means that ABC must be rooting for the New York Knicks (currently down 2-1 in a playoff series with Indiana) to go deep into the NBA playoffs, which the network is carrying this year. This isn't the first device-centric live television play, by any means. Most US cable, satellite and fiber providers offer some flavor of live channel streaming, with varying marquee features and limitations. Some, like Time Warner Cable and Xfinity, restrict all-you-can-stream access to the subscriber's home WiFi network and offer a more limited channel lineup on the move. Verizon's FiOS app streams plenty of popular pay-TV channels on your home WiFi network, but no broadcast content. In the case of ABC's live channel stream, the branding for the network can move completely out from under the program provider's umbrella; that way, there are fewer distractions to lure eyeballs away from ABC's live and library content. Customers with Dish Anywhere and the sleek Dish Explorer programming discovery app from the satellite TV provider may have the most flexibility: the company's Sling technology actually restreams anything the Dish receiver can show, including live TV on any channel or recorded DVR programming. (Most DVR recordings can even be transferred from the Dish Hopper receiver onto the iPad for later viewing, which would require an EyeTV or other approach with most providers.) But this approach does require plenty of home bandwidth, and can tie up your receiver; ABC's stream doesn't have those drawbacks. If over the air TV is your thing, there are several iPad options out there. EyeTV's EyeTV Mobile adapter, for $99, adds an antenna to your tablet and delivers programming via the Dyle digital broadcast system. The MCV consortium behind Dyle includes NBC, Fox and Telemundo (but not ABC), so those networks are generally represented and available on the system. The legally challenged but still eagerly expanding startup Aereo doesn't share those channel limits; anything an antenna can see in the NYC metro area, Aereo will gladly deliver to your iPad or desktop browser for a monthly $8 fee. Aereo's one-antenna-per-user model is being contested by the networks, but so far they've not been able to put together a compelling legal case to stop the company from providing its service; in fact, it's expanding to Boston this month. In many ways, ABC's move (which the network says was shifted up from a planned 2014 rollout; "We watch how people are behaving with their devices, and we really felt that we needed to move faster," said Disney/ABC Television Group co-chair Anne Sweeney) is of a piece with these other new-world-order programming options. Consumers are getting their television content via all sorts of pathways, and fewer and fewer of them are tied to a traditional primetime lineup at the network's convenience. Even this circumscribed step away from the default delivery of TV, with its leash of a pay subscription, says a lot about ABC's willingness to ride the wave forward rather than fighting to keep a hold on the status quo. [Although the Steven P. Jobs Trust, led by the Apple co-founder's widow Laurene Powell Jobs, owns some 7.7 percent of Disney/ABC's outstanding shares, regulatory filings noted by Bloomberg suggest that the trust has no intention to influence Disney/ABC operations. –Ed.]
Battlefield 3 servers see DDOS attack, EA says no user data breached
The Battlefield 3 servers have been under a DDOS attack for the past several days, aimed at interfering with network communication and preventing access to multiplayer, EA says. The barrage has not breached any user data and EA is working to stop the attack, the publisher adds. "The current Battlefield 3 outages are a result of activity that appears to be aimed at overwhelming our back-end infrastructure. We are working on a variety of solutions to address this problem and are focused on resolution as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience and support," EA writes. "We are incredibly disappointed by these activities and the impact they are having on all of our ability to enjoy BF3, thank you for your patience as we work to resolve these issues." EA held rolling restarts of the Battlefield 3 servers to apply updates, and any new information will be posted on BattleLog. [Thanks, Josh!]
DARPA wants your ideas for a mobile ad hoc network, no internet please
Creating a mobile ad hoc network is tricky when rounding people up for a game or two, let alone when linking thousands of soldiers whose lives are at stake. DARPA has had enough trouble getting such large-scale networks off the ground that it just put out an official request for solutions. The agency wants ad hoc technology that grows both elegantly and automatically, and it's prepared to ditch legacies like internet-based networking to get there -- in fact, it would rather not rely on IP technology when 20 years of research in that area hasn't panned out. Anyone sitting on a brilliant solution has until May 24th to submit an abstract for consideration ahead of an August 7th symposium. We hope at least a few people answer the call, if just for the possibilities that breakthroughs spill over to civilian life -- DARPA helped build the networking we're using right now, after all.
Qualcomm aims to solve the coming mobile data crunch with small cell base stations
Qualcomm's been doing very well lately, and most of those chips it builds are for mobile devices that demand a lot of data to serve their owners' needs -- and as more and more folks jump on the smartphone bandwagon, the demand for data will continue to grow exponentially. Today at Qualcomm's What's Next in Mobile event in Santa Clara, California, the company told us more about its plan to help build a network that'll be able to serve up the data all its SoC's need. The goal is to give us 1000 times the capacity of what we currently have. One of the key parts, as Qualcomm sees it, is small cell base stations in homes, offices and retail spaces working in tandem with the large cell towers that currently adorn so many roofs and mountain tops -- the same thing ex-FCC head honcho Julian Genachowski talked about last year. You see, macrocells (read: towers) can blanket wide areas in signal, but they struggle to penetrate the innards of buildings, which is where small cells come in handy. For those who aren't familiar, small cell base stations like femtocells and picocells have been around for years, helping to boost cell signal in small areas by hooking into a local wired network. Until now, these small cells have served as a small-scale supplement to macro networks, but Qualcomm CTO Matt Grob sees them comprising a much bigger chunk of the network of the future. According to him, there are a few issues with using them in an expanded role, however.
Provo council approves fiber network sale to Google, but city must front $1.7 million
Provo, Utah's plan to sell its cost-plagued fiber network to Google has been approved by the municipal council, meaning it'll soon become the third Google Fiber city. However, while still not receiving any money upfront as earlier reported, it'll now have to advance $1.7 million in equipment and engineering costs not part of the deal before, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. In exchange, each Provo resident will get a free 5-megabit internet connection for seven years and Google will have to upgrade the network to connect all the city's homes. It's not quite free, however, as the city's 120,000 residents must still pay a $39 million bond for building the network -- meaning they'll shell out $3.3 million for each of the next 12 years.
Broadband internet arrives in California's Gold Country through white spaces deployment
While select outfits race to make satellite broadband an acceptable solution for those who need ping times south of three digits, there's another game in town looking to quietly revolutionize rural access. As LTE slowly rolls out to major metropolitan areas in the United States, vacated spectrum is allowing companies like Carlson Wireless to offer up another option. TV white spaces -- unused TV channels freed up after the analog-to-digital transition of 2009 -- have long since been eyed as the answer for distributing high-speed internet to areas that aren't economical to reach via wireline, or are otherwise shunned by conventional wireless operators. Armed with an FCC-granted Special Temporary Authority to validate the efficacy of the product in real-world scenarios, Carlson has partnered with Cal.net in order to bring internet to sections of California's Gold Country; the project comprises multiple transmission sites delivering broadband to several hundred heretofore un-serviceable subscribers in El Dorado County. There's no word on pricing, but we're sure hoping it's a runaway hit -- we can think of plenty of gorgeous locales in this country that could stand a pinch of internet. (Yellowstone National Park, we're looking at you.)
AT&T launching LTE in Paris and Manhattan this summer (Texas and Kansas, that is) (updated)
AT&T has announced that it'll fire up LTE coverage in 16 77 new cities this this summer and that it has expanded or turned on the signal in four 12 other centers. Residents of Kalamazoo, MI and Wilson, NC and four others will now see the much sought-after 4G symbol, while previously neglected Bay Area centers like San Rafael and Brentwood, along with parts of Greensboro, NC will also get coverage, among others. Meanwhile, the famously-named centers mentioned earlier will get 4G later this summer, along with other notables like Rio Grande Valley, TX, Columbus, IN and yes, Athens TX. It makes us wonder if Ma Bell's getting a little playful with its rollout decisions -- check the PR after the break for more info. Update: AT&T contacted us to say that they've now launched LTE in six new markets, expanded in another six regions and pre-announced 77 areas that'll receive 4G by the end of this summer. The PR has been updated with a comprehensive list.
3Gbps LED light bulb WLAN achieved by Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute
We first noted it back in 2008: the possibility of using LED light bulbs for secure and directional wireless internet access. Well, the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute is claiming that speedy data rates of up 3Gbps have are indeed feasible. The boost comes from its latest enhancements, allowing the 180Mhz frequency to be used over the usual 30MHz, which apparently leaves extra room for moving data. If you'll recall, that's a significant leap over the 800Mbps top speed it achieved back in 2011 mixing various light colors. While this IR-like take on wireless internet access gains steam, remember that it's more likely to be used in areas where WiFi radios cause interruptions (hospitals, trade shows like CES, etc.) -- rather than a strip of mini spot lights from IKEA for the casa. (We can dream, can't we?) FHHI plans to show off the new gear at FOE '13, but for now you'll find the full press release after the break.
PSA: Emergency Nintendo Network maintenance Jan. 28 and 29
Various Nintendo services, as well as a small handful of specific games, may experience issues of varying frequency and severity from 3 p.m. Eastern on Monday, January 28 through 8 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, January 29, as Nintendo will be conducting emergency network maintenance.The full maintenance schedule, which can be found here, includes work on Wii, Wii U, DS and 3DS eShops, as well as matchmaking for Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper and network services for Pokemon Black & White and Pokemon Black & White 2. We're not tremendously sure what kind of emergency can be caused by Pokemon networking issues, but we assume someone left a Voltorb in the server room and things went south.
TP-Link shows a fleet of beautiful network connectivity devices, we go hands-on
No matter how big or small your network related needs may be, TP-Link appears to be up to the task. The network equipment manufacturer has unleashed a horde of new gear at CES. First up to bat is the AC1750 dual band gigabit router, which features dual USB sharing ports and is capable of wireless speeds of up to 1,750Mbps. Set to release sometime in Q2, the AC1750 is also equipped with a built-in media server that allows users to stream and share media through a PC, PS3, or Xbox 360. Next on the company's list of new products is its Mini Pocket Router. While moonlighting as a USB charger, this pint-sized device allows users to exchange and share files connected to the same local network. Reaching speeds of up to 300Mbps, this little router that could is slated to go on sale in Q3.
Qualcomm Atheros announces StreamBoost technology to improve home networks, router performance
Tired of gadgets fighting for bandwidth around your humble abode? Well, the outfit behind the Killer Wireless-N technology that we took a gander at back at E3 is looking to oblige. Qualcomm Atheros has unveiled its StreamBoost router technology with the goal of making in-home streaming experiences all the more enjoyable. By allocating optimum bandwidth to each device and app on a network, StreamBoost shapes and prioritizes the traffic stream to insure that your Netflix viewing of Sons of Anarchy gets ample attention. This also insures that intense gaming sessions won't be interrupted by Hulu Plus or other apps jostling for a download thanks to a constantly updating bandwidth allocation. A user interface offers a hub for monitoring traffic and all of the devices / apps on a given network while a cloud-based service will increase router intelligence on the regular -- automatically sorting new devices as they're added. StreamBoost will be in action next week at CES, where Alienware and D-Link will be showing off the goods with routers built around Qualcomm's VIVE 802.11ac WiFi technology. Until then, the full announcement resides just past the break. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
UK offers long-awaited copyright reform that sanctions format shifting, remote education
Believe it or not, it's still illegal in the UK to rip a favorite CD, or even to show copyrighted work in distance education -- both fair use permissions that many North Americans take for granted. Some sense is at last coming around now that the Intellectual Property Office is putting forward copyright reforms that accept a digital reality. The measures explicitly approve private copying for personal use, making it legal to shift formats as long as it's to play purchased content. Many of the reforms also clear up the murkiness surrounding institutional use: analysts, researchers and teachers should have access to copyrighted material over networks, as long as it's for non-commercial purposes. The fair use terms aren't as broadly outlined as they are in the US -- these are exceptions, not general rules -- but they go a long way towards legitimizing what many wanted all along. Or, let's be honest, were already doing. [Image credit: Department for Business Innovation and Skills, Flickr]
T-Mobile improves '4G' coverage and signal strength in Chicago, SoCal and more
While many T-Mobile customers may be champing at the bit to get their hands on LTE, some might be content just to see faster HSPA+ speeds at all. Which is why we applaud the carrier's latest effort at spreading its "4G" joy to five new metros, notably to large swaths of Chicago and Southern California -- Sacramento, Fresno and Reno make up the rest. The speed boost is just one upgrade; other enhancements include improved signal strength and better coverage inside buildings. Along with earlier expansion efforts, this ratchets up the number of "enhanced networks" to 23 and around 100 million people, according to a blog post from Neville Ray, T-Mobile's CTO. He also promotes the push of unlocked AT&T devices to the land of magenta, which could be a not-so-subtle hint at the future. Check the source to see if your neighborhood made the list of updated areas.
AT&T iPhones in 717 area code switch to mysterious 'Dan' network
iPhone owners in central Pennsylvania are scratching their heads today, as the AT&T network ID in the corner of their screens has been overtaken by the name "Dan." As PennLive reports, several customers have jumped on Apple's support forums to find out just what is behind the strange new label, but the problem is actually on AT&T's end. In a statement, AT&T noted that it was working on restoring the AT&T designation to those affected, and assured users that the momentary change has no impact on the wireless service itself. The company did not reveal the cause for the strange error, but said that "Dan" was an older designation used for testing the network. The issue only appears to be affecting AT&T customers with the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4, and only in the 717 area code. Some forum posters have noted that the problem can be fixed by simply resetting the network settings within the phone itself, though AT&T appears confident that it will be able to correct the issue without requiring any steps be taken by customers.
Gree closing down OpenFeint on December 14
I believe we've now reached the end of iOS' first generation as a platform -- it's almost every week now that we're hearing about a major startup losing a founder or a big franchise shutting down. This time it's OpenFeint, the social gaming platform started up way back by Jason Citron and Danielle Cassley, that at one point claimed 25 million users, and then was sold to a Japanese social network named Gree for $104 million. Gree has announced that it's finally shutting down the network on December 14, leaving developers who still depend on it in the lurch, and closing a book that makes up the first big chapter of the iOS marketplace. OpenFeint was originally started from a game itself, but it grew into an easily implemented social network that connected the App Store's offerings together, both in terms of user accounts and leaderboards, and in helping developers promote and share their apps with a large group of consumers. Gree is planning to migrate current OpenFeint users to its own social network, but it says that the current OpenFeint API calls will no longer work after December 14, which means any developers who still depend on those calls will be out of luck. Of course, Apple's Game Center service is the official version of OpenFeint, and though Citron and his crew (and later, Gree) fought to try and keep OpenFeint relevant even when Apple introduced its own service, it appears the battle's finally been lost. Citron left the company late last year as well. We'll see if Gree tries to do something to appease devs angry about the short notice on the changeover, but it's much more likely that those devs will just make their own switch to Game Center and be done with third-party services in general. As I said, it's the end of an era for the App Store. Going forward, Game Center reigns supreme.
Voyager Mobile promises free global roaming with 'patent-pending' technology
Voyager Mobile has launched a new "worldwide" wireless service called Project Global Voyager, saying users on the plan "won't pay a penny of roaming charges." The brash new MVNO has only vaguely described how it works, saying that the technology is "completely network cloud based, with no special software residing on the individual handsets and devices." Though it hasn't revealed pricing yet, Voyager says the service will be available to businesses and consumers starting in 2013. Color us intrigued as to how they'll pull it off -- feel free to read the PR tea leaves after the break.
Verizon and Sprint detail LTE expansion plans
The great 4G race is upon us and two of America's major contestants are working on expanding their respective reach. In an effort to extend its existing lead, LTE frontrunner Verizon announced that it will light up Butte, Montana; Mount Vernon, Illinois; Grand Junction, Colorado; Rock Springs, Wyoming and several parts of Southern Arizona on November 15th. Not to be outdone by Big Red, Sprint also announced plans to serve up fresh baked LTE to nine new territories, including Minneapolis, Minnesota; Oakland, California; Fort Smith, Arkansas and Bloomington, Indiana. Swing by the source links below for a complete list of future red and yellow LTE recipients.
