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YouTube's Elections Hub is a one-stop channel for the latest US political happenings
In case you haven't noticed, it's election year in the US of A. And while we already have a slight idea of which political party your beloved neighbors prefer, why not have an all-inclusive video hub to keep you updated with the latest action taking place on the road toward America's historical White House. Here's where YouTube comes in. The Google-owned service announced earlier today the creation of its Elections Hub, which it's dubbing as the "one-stop channel for key political moments" happening now and all the way until the final US election day on the 6th of November. Naturally, the social vid giant's teamed up with some of the biggest outfits around to bring live and on-demand content to the Elections 2012 channel, including ABC News, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and, for the spanish-speaking crowd, Univision. Regardless of who's landing your worthy, priceless vote, this should be a great corner of the internet to keep you in the loop during this year's Stateside political battle.
Nokia confirms intent to bring unlocked 808 PureView handset to North America (update)
Nokia's major focal points within the US market may currently be its Lumia 900 and Windows Phone, but that doesn't mean it's planning to leave its other notable offerings outside of Uncle Sam's borders. Speaking with PC Mag, Nokia executive Chris Weber explained that the company aims to offer its current Belle-rocking, imaging-champ, the 41-megapixel 808 PureView, north of Mexico in the "next couple of months." That's rather unsurprising, considering it recently passed through the underground testing-chambers of the FCC. Unlike the Lumia, however, this mega-phone will only be sold unlocked, naturally sporting AT&T bands (possibly others, too. See the update below) for connectivity. While we're still eager to find out more detailed availability information, you can now rest assured that you'll soon be able to capture highly detailed photos of your freedom fries to post on Tumblr. Update: PC Mag's Sascha Segan wrote in the comments below to clarify this device's likely connectivity options: Weber said he was sure the phone would support AT&T. He didn't refer specifically to any frequency bands or say the phone wouldn't support any other carrier. I presume it's going to be the international model, so it'll be any carrier the international model supports.
US government sticking with BlackBerry, appreciates RIM's focus on security
Just when you thought RIM couldn't catch a break, The Washington Post is reporting the US government doesn't plan to jump smartphone ships anytime soon. According to the publication, Casey Coleman (chief information officer at the General Services Administration) says that while the agency may have handed out iPhone and Android phones to the staff, a big chunk of the 12,000 agency-issued handsets are BlackBerry devices. The main reason behind the choice of Berries is RIM's focus on security, which Coleman notes "is paramount for government use." Still, the GSA officer isn't ruling out switching to a different OS in the distant future, as platforms like iOS and Android start to become "equally secure." For RIM's sake, we hope the refocusing on enterprise pays off.
USA #1 in broadband, time to start making bumperstickers!
Great news, Americans! Despite all the naysayers with their "evidence" otherwise -- pointing out that South Korea has more broadband connections than we do, or that in some countries speeds are better than they are here -- the United States has come out at the head of the class. And that's before the government rolls out the "broadband stimulus" bonanza. According to Leonard Waverman (the dean of the prestigious Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary), Americans are not only the most productive users of connectivity, but our government's use of IT is as good as it is anywhere. Additionally, writes Saul Hansell in the New York Times, 57 percent of people in the country now have access to broadband, 9 percent have dial-up Internet access, 9 percent log on at work or at a library but not at home, and some 25 percent don't use the Internet at all -- one of whom said, "what do you want the Internet for? It's a fad -- just like CB radio in the '70s."
Xbox Live US presidential election poll results
Following up on some presidential election polling results from September, Microsoft has revealed the results of its Xbox Live polling from the Halloween weekend. Obama jumped 10%, garnering 53% of the vote, while McCain gained two points for 33%, with 14% still undecided. Curiously, the Xbox Live poll had a similar Obama result to one done by CNN that same weekend.On the "issues poll" conducted at the same time, "jobs and the economy" took the top spot with 35%. Meanwhile, education, environment, health care and foreign policy all received percentages in the mid- to high-teens. Microsoft notes that as part of the "Rock the Vote" campaign, a million pieces of election-specific materials were downloaded from Live, along with 80,000 voter registration forms. And, once again, don't forget to vote today!
Avatars outnumber people in the USA
Did you know that there are now more avatars than people in the United States of America? We think that's a pretty cool statistic, even if it takes into account our many alts over the last few years. The number is only going to grow as virtual worlds and massively multiplayer online games continue to evolve over the coming years. The article this little fact-slice comes from also discusses the walled garden issue, by where avatars are stuck in their respective world and cannot explore other worlds.That kind of misses the point though, as many of us enjoy the difference each avatar brings from different worlds. Then again, it could be argued that having one avatar to build upon would be much more ideal. Either way, the possibility that avatars may some day outnumber the entire world is still an intriguing thought.
