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FCC loses its bid to protect city-run broadband
If you were hoping that the FCC's efforts to protect municipal broadband would survive telecoms' attempts to destroy it, we have bad news. A federal appeals court has shot down an FCC order that preempted laws banning city-run internet access in North Carolina and Tennessee, prompting both states to file lawsuits. According to the decision, the Commission was overriding state rights without legal authority. While the FCC interpreted a clause in the Telecommunications Act (that it must "encourage" a timely rollout of broadband) as giving it permission to step in, the court sees it as insisting that cities must expand their internet options. There has to be a clearer mandate, the judges say.
Wilson's smart football hits stores next month for $200
Back in February, only a few months after Wilson introduced its smart basketball, the company followed that with a similar product for football players. Up until now, however, Wilson hadn't shared any pricing or availability details about the X Connected Football. But today it announced that the smart football will arrive on September 8th for $200, the same price as the basketball version. With the Wilson X Connected Football, you can use an iOS app to get a breakdown of your throw, such as the distance, speed, spin rate and spiral efficiency.
Wilson's smart football brings the big game to the backyard
Wilson, which released a smart basketball last year, is expanding its connected sporting goods repertoire to the realm of football. The Wilson X Connected Football, as it's called, is embedded with sensors that can measure stats like distance, speed, spiral efficiency and spin rate. It's smart enough to know if it's caught or dropped and can transmit said information to a companion app via Bluetooth. In conjunction with the Super Bowl this Sunday, Wilson representatives dropped by the Engadget office in San Francisco to show off what it can do. The purpose of such a ball? According to Wilson, it's to bring video games to the backyard.
Wilson's X connected basketball is fun, but not ready for prime time
I am not a good basketball player. I am average at best, which is ironic for someone who loves Jordan sneakers. Still, that doesn't keep me from playing the sport recreationally, even if I end up making a fool of myself most of the time. But because I love watching NBA and NCAA games on TV, I enjoy hooping every now and then to pretend I'm the closest thing to Tim Duncan since Anthony Davis. The sad truth, though, is shooting just isn't my forte. That's part of the reason I wanted to take the Wilson X connected basketball for a spin. Launched in September, it promises to improve your scoring skills by keeping track of valuable performance data, including how many shots you're making or missing and your most efficient spots across the court. It is supposed to be the basketball of the future.
Wilson's connected basketball helps hone your skills on the court
Connected sporting goods are nothing new, and Wilson's a smart basketball that tracks every shot you take on the court is adding to the fray. The Wilson X, which was first announced last year, uses an embedded sensor to tally makes and misses in real time alongside a companion app for iOS devices While it'll only play nice with Apple gadget right now, it'll be available for Android this fall. The mobile software also offers four modes for shooting drills. There's a Buzzer Beater mode that offers the challenge of making the game-winning shot as the clock winds down, for example. Wilson says that this high-tech ball and app combo is made for shooters as it isn't designed to track shots within seven feet of the basket.
State laws restricting city-run broadband overruled
Today is one of the more momentous days in the FCC's recent history. Its net neutrality vote will get most of the press attention, but its moves to protect municipal broadband from state legislators are also quite important. The proposal adopted today is narrowly focused, but it could have huge implications. What the regulator has decided to do is preempt state laws that seek to restrict the spread of city-built broadband networks in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Wilson, North Carolina. But the agency also reserved the right to intercede on behalf of municipalities on a case-by-case basis if it thought that local or state governments were getting in the way of improving competition and spreading access to broadband internet.
Wilson introduces what could be the basketball of the future
Ahead of the NCAA men's Final Four, which takes place today and you can watch via March Madness Live 2014 or on TV, sporting goods maker Wilson has revealed its new, smart basketball. Due to launch this winter (around the holiday season, we're told), Wilson's attempting to revolutionize the game of hoops by placing performance-tracking sensors inside of a basketball. The technology, developed by Wilson in partnership with Finnish artificial intelligence firm SportIQ, will allow players to pair the ball with an app and use it to easily track performance data. This means you can see how well you're shooting; which spots on the court you're most efficient from; the amount of time it takes you to let a shot go; and when shots have been made or missed. As it stands, Wilson says its newly minted intelligent ball is a consumer-focused initiative, but that it is "certainly extendable" to future basketball competitions. Wilson's VP of Digital, Tom Gruger, told Engadget that development for the ball started more than two years ago, and the goal from the beginning was to "provide actionable data to players so their training could be more focused on 'actual' rather than 'perceived' performance." Gruger also said the company is working to bring a similar type of tech to products from other sports: "Wilson is pursuing solutions in all of its primary sport categories. We're excited by the roadmap ahead and feel that we can change the way that sport is approached."
Don't Starve demonstrates why Forbidden Knowledge is forbidden
Don't Starve's main man, Wilson the gentleman scientist, is a curious fellow. He's odd, yes, but he's also an inquisitive, clever person with a mind for mad machines, at least after his possessed radio reveals the secrets of the universe to him.Klei Entertainment's animated short, "Forbidden Knowledge," shows how Wilson became involved in the strange world within the game, while showcasing its quirky, creepy art style. Think Courage the Cowardly Dog meets South Park in sepia tones. Or just watch the above video.Don't Starve is a wilderness survival game for PC that blends science, magic and fancy vests. It's in open beta, available on Steam now for 20 percent off before its launch in late March.
CES 2013: Wilson Electronics introduces the Sleek 4G booster to get your iPhone more signal
Wilson Electronics has been making cell phone signal boosters for a while now, both for home use and for larger scale settings like offices and commercial use. But the company is turning to something more personal with its new Sleek 4G cell phone booster, which is a phone stand that will make your iPhone's signal (or a signal from any phone, really) up to 10 times more powerful. The booster, which is shipping next week, basically consists of a phone stand that you can either place on your desk or stick on your car's dashboard, and then a cord leading off of it that connects to an antenna with a magnetic base. That's it -- you don't need to actually connect your phone up at all, because the stand will just grab the signal automatically. The stand itself has a few different prongs on the sides that you can adjust depending on what phone you're using, but other than that, it just boosts a signal, and well. A normal phone signal, according to Wilson, runs at about 200 mW, but with the Sleek 4G adding a boost, the signal can reach up to 2,000 mW. Wilson's reps told us that most people think of using cell phone boosters out in more rural areas, but given all of the holes and issues in more populated areas, it can be helpful in bigger cities, too. And the booster has one other big benefit: It'll increase the battery life on the phone. By making sure the signal is always strong, Wilson says that many users have seen phones last longer than before. At $199, this isn't a small investment for sure. But if you constantly have problems with your iPhone's signal and could use a way to keep it going whether you're in a home or office or out and about in your car, Wilson's Sleek 4G booster could help.
Wilson Electronics announces Sleek 4G signal booster with multi-carrier support (update: hands-on!)
If you've ever found yourself on a lone road in the middle of nowhere with zero bars of reception on your phone, it's quite likely that you've entertained the idea of grabbing a signal booster. Wilson Electronics, one of the best known manufacturers of such devices, is introducing its latest Sleek 4G booster at CES. What makes this version different from the models launched just a few months ago? Instead of needing separate boosters for AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, it's now capable of supporting phones, tablets and hotspots on all three, as well as legacy signals for all other US carriers. Head to the press release for more details. Update: We actually had a chance to catch up with Wilson Electronics here at CES Unveiled 2013 and spend some brief time with the Sleek 4G signal booster. For a piece of kit that can take virtually any US wireless frequency (with Nextel and WiMAX as the only exceptions) and amplify it, the Sleek 4G signal booster is a quite unassuming black, plastic accessory. The add-on, which is set to retail for $199, works by plugging into any smartphone via USB -- yes, your phone will have to be on to power it -- and features a switch alongside that port to toggle between AT&T and Verizon's LTE. Considering the ever-growing sizes of smartphones these days, Wilson's seen fit to include three sets of extenders in the box to accommodate whatever handset you happen to sporting. It begins shipping next week, so if you typically have issues with cell reception, this could very well be one (pricey) solution. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub. Joseph Volpe and Sarah Silbert contributed to this report.
Wilson Electronics releases three 4G multi-band signal boosters, no soup for Sprint
Even if you live in an area with 4G coverage, you might not get the best service inside certain buildings, and that's where companies like Wilson Electronics come in -- just take a peek at its Sleek 4G-V, for example. At MobileCon 2012, the antenna maker added three more to its lineup. They are the Tri-band 4G-V, the Tri-band 4G-A, and the Tri-band 4G-C, and are meant for Verizon's 4G LTE, AT&T's 4G LTE, and T-Mobile's "faux-G" network -- the latter of which is also recommended for use throughout Canada. The antennas are designed to boost the signal of older legacy networks too, so no worries if you don't live in an area blessed with 4G. No pricing and availability just yet, and we don't see any sign of a Sprint antenna either. To get more details, catch the full PR after the break.
Wilson Electronics' Sleek 4G-V Verizon flavored signal booster reports for service
If you're often finding that your super-duper 4G service is more LT-Eh?, than LTE, then you might have been curious about Wilson Electronics' Sleek 4G-V cellphone signal booster. If you were, it's time to stop waving your hand in the air looking for bars, and stick it in your pocket in search of some sheets, as it's now available in stores. Of course, it's Verizon customers who'll benefit the most, with the Sleek 4G-V being designed with the big red's 700MHz service in mind. That said good old 2- and 3G services are still given a leg up. The MSRP remains $129 for the standard "in-vehicle" model, with an optional accessory kit for indoor use (no price at this time). If this message kept dropping out, head over to the window past the break for the PR.
Meizu MX 4-core and Flyme OS 1.0 formally announced, available on June 30th
Forget that "MX Quad-core" moniker, because Meizu's just formally introduced its first quad-core Android phone as the "MX 4-core" in Hong Kong. For those who care, this is the first time ever for Meizu to collaborate with a carrier -- that being Hong Kong's PCCW, who's offering the HK$3,099 (US$400) 32GB model for free on various tariffs, while details are light on the HK$4,099 (US$530) 64GB version. Once the stage cleared we had a chance to take a closer look at the international variant of the MX 4-core. Aside from the disappearance of the Chinese logo above the screen plus the duller logo on the back (but accompanied by an extra capacity label), the 4-inch HSPA+ phone looks identical to its dual-core sibling. Additionally, Hong Kong and mainland China customers who pre-order between now and the launch on June 30th will get to pick a colored back crystal shell for free, including ivory white, milky lime, lilac purple and misty pink to replace the original white. Software-wise Flyme -- Meizu's heavily customized Ice Cream Sandwich -- is also very similar to its Gingerbread predecessor, except for its slicker responsiveness (especially the camera app) and the odd interface tweaks here and there. There are also a few new features that are worth a mention: on top of the new native stopwatch, countdown timer and multi-segmented timed task lists, there's Flyme Voicemail which is essentially a native recorder for incoming calls that you reject (think of it as a neat alternative to conventional visual voicemail), and there's Flyme Message which is Meizu's take on SIP services like Whatsapp and Line. We shall dig deeper in our full review, but for now, you can check out a quick hands-on video after the break. And for those who still possess Meizu's older Android phones, we were told to expect Flyme to be delivered over the air in early July (as opposed to the original June date), so keep an eye out for that little update icon. Update: We mentioned in our video that the China version of the MX 4-core doesn't come with the Play Store, but it turns out that we were mistaken. Hooray! Update 2: By the way, it's pronounced "fly-me." %Gallery-159018%
NC governor will let cable-backed bill restricting municipal broadband become law
We've repeatedly hammered Time Warner Cable (and its big-cable cronies) for crying to the North Carolina legislature about municipal broadband. TWC claims it can't compete with taxpayer-backed ISPs such as Wilson, NC's Greenlight -- and that it shouldn't have to. In fact, Greenlight and four other municipal providers came about specifically because corporate players refused to provide inexpensive, fast broadband. And now that local governments have proven they can provide it, the cable companies have cried foul, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into select political pockets all the while. That's the drama so far, and now a bill restricting municipal broadband -- mandating that providers pay taxes similar to private companies, for example -- has landed on the desk of Governor Bev Perdue. She won't veto the bill, meaning it will soon become a law; for whatever it's worth (read: not much), she also refuses to sign it. The reason? Here it is from the horse's mouth: I will neither sign nor veto this bill. Instead, I call on the General Assembly to revisit this issue and adopt rules that not only promote fairness but also allow for the greatest number of high quality and affordable broadband options for consumers. The legislation strikes a blow against public ISPs in a country that ranks ninth in the world for broadband adoption and download speeds. And that, apparently, is what "fair competition" looks like in the US. [Image courtesy of IndyWeek]
Wilson Electronics Sleek signal booster reviewed: surprise, it works!
Signal booster. There, we said it. Quick -- what immediately comes to mind? We're guessing you're suddenly disgusted by the fact that you paid $19.99 (plus a nominal shipping and processing fee) for one of those worthless stickers back when your Snake-laden Nokia candybar had the worst reception of all time, but Wilson Electronics' Sleek is a horse of a different color. Our good pals over at Gadling were able to test out the Sleek after catching it at CES, and amazingly enough, they found that it worked exactly as advertised. It's engineered to be mounted in a car so that your phone can rest in the cradle while you use some sort of headset to communicate, but an AC adapter is available for those who need a boost indoors. The only real downside (besides the steep $129 asking price) is that you can't very well have your mobile in the cradle and the cradle upside your head. Unless, of course, you're still looking to relive the days when Sidetalkin' was all the rage. Man, where's the N-Gage when we need it?
Time Warner and Embarq can't compete with city-owned ISP, trying to outlaw it
Man, Time Warner Cable -- you are some shady players. Hot on the heels of the ISP's decision to withdraw DOCSIS 3.0 trials from areas that have rejected its tiered billing plan, we're hearing that TWC's teamed up with Embarq to persuade the North Carolina state government into banning community-owned broadband services. Why? Well, turns out the 47,000 residents of Wilson, NC got tired of paying for slow broadband, so the city government launched its own fiber ISP called Greenlight that offers some pretty solid packages ranging from $99 for 81 cable channels, unlimited phone service, and 10Mbps (down and up) internet to $170 for every single channel including premiums and 20Mbps up/down internet. (There's even a "secret" 100Mbps up/down internet plan.) Of course, these prices blow TWC and Embarq out of the water -- the comparable basic Time Warner plan has fewer channels and less bandwidth for an "introductory rate" of $137 -- and rather than compete, the two giants decided to lobby the North Carolina legislature into proposing bills that outlaw community services like Greenlight. The argument is that the big companies can't turn a profit and compete against a community-owned enterprise that essentially sells service for cost, but we're not buying it -- if anything, TWC and Embarq can invest the extra profits they've been earning in other areas into building services that would blow Greenlight out of the water. Yep, it's definitely some dirty pool -- does anyone have any positive feelings left for these behemoths?[Thanks, William; image courtesy of IndyWeek]Read - DailyTech articleRead - IndyWeek articleRead - Greenlight home pageRead - Save NC Broadband blog
Atari hires new CEO, the restructuring band plays on
The new Atari keeps building steam (literally, in some cases) with the appointment of Jim Wilson as CEO. GameDaily reports Wilson has 15 years experience as an entertainment executive and a few of those were spent managing known franchises. As president of Universal Interactive he handled Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon and helped launch The Chronicles of Riddick, one of the very few good licensed movie games.Atari continues putting on a good show and adding (apparently) competent executives even as it's threatened to be delisted by Nasdaq. Now we just wait to see when Directeur Général Délégué Phil Harrison and his Infogrames army end up owning Atari outright to move their master plan forward ... whatever that might be.
Gamecock struts into Europe; Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball considered for PSN
Indie publisher Gamecock spent some time with GI.biz talking about its move into the European market and future game releases. Trying to leave the whole "John Romero incident" behind, Gamecock CEO Mike Wilson says the company depends on the developers its currently working with to scout new talent and projects. Of particular interest is the announcement that Dementium: The Ward will be coming to Europe in April, followed by worst-name-for-a-game award winner Legendary: The Box in June. Wilson also notes the upcoming XBLA title Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball could eventually make its way to PSN, saying, "Sony really wants this Pirates vs Ninjas game we're doing for Xbox Live and we're platform agnostic so if we're investing in a title let's give it a chance wherever there is one." We'd laugh (and want a cut) if one of the first expansion packs ends up being PS3 Fanboys vs. Xbox 360 Fanboys.
