At the tail end of last month, the FTC dropped their inquiry into the Google Wi-Fi Street View kerfuffle, satisfied by Google’s argument that their collection of user Wi-Fi data was a screw up, the data wasn’t particularly useful, and that Google had made changes to prevent this from happening again. That supports studies from earlier this year showing that Google vehicles were moving too quickly, and changing channels too frequently, to really collect much useful information from the unsecured hotspots passed.

The FCC this week confirmed they too have been investigating Google, adding their inquiry to several already underway by numerous state attorneys general. Meanwhile, Joe Barton, most famous recently for apologizing to BP for their “unfair” treatment during the gulf oil spill, is accusing Google of lying:

Key Republicans and Democrats in Congress have indicated that the privacy issues raised by Google’s Street View data collection could be a factor when lawmakers consider new Internet privacy legislation next year. Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, a senior Republican lawmaker, suggested last week on C-SPAN that Google’s data collection wasn’t accidental and that it was “something to look at.”

So why is Barton, a guy who apologized to AT&T for FCC efforts to protect consumers, concerned about Google? Barton’s traditionally a pretty loyal political player for AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, who may be trying to make a little extra policy hay out of Google’s screw up. A new battle looms over privacy laws, and numerous companies (including Microsoft and AT&T) are trying to get privacy laws passed that make disrupting Google’s market power a priority, and consumer protection an afterthought.

The more fear that can be raised concerning Google, the easier it will be for companies who supposedly loathe regulation to get Google heavily regulated. While Google screwed up here, raising very serious questions about how clueless Google is about what they’re doing on a daily basis, there’s no evidence their Wi-Fi collection problem was intentional or malicious. And unlike like some companies that trample privacy laws, Google has at least been very honest about the fact they screwed up.

Link to the original article…

Netflix’s streaming video application for the iPhone allows users to access their streaming instant queue from anywhere and works surprisingly well whether the user is connected via Wi-Fi or AT&T’s 3G network. The same application was recently announced for Windows 7 Phones, and according to a post on the Netflix blog, it will also launch on Android devices early next year.

The hold up according to Netflix? DRM. The delay was due to “the lack of a generic and complete platform security and content protection mechanism available for Android.” “The same security issues that have led to piracy concerns on the Android platform have made it difficult for us to secure a common Digital Rights Management (DRM) system on these devices,” says the company.

Link to the original article…

While the 7-inch tablet from Samsung does not share the impressive Super AMOLED screen that the cellphone Galaxy S series possess, the Samsung Galaxy Tab does come with: Google Android 2.2 (Froyo), the same 1Ghz Hummingbird Processor, the same TouchWiz UI changes.

Why did Samsung make a 7” Tablet—because we’re into mobility and know that people are looking for compact communication and entertainment devices they can slip in their pocket and bring on the go. The GALAXY Tab is always connected, lightweight and smart. Its exceptional screen is designed for reading books and magazines, watching movies and playing games. The GALAXY Tab tablet builds on the rich content experience provided by the Galaxy S line of Android smart phones.

With an absolutely huge 4000mAh battery – the average Galaxy S cellphone has a 1500mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy Tab will definitely last quite a bit; I’m just not sure if it’ll have enough usage time to beat the (reported) up to 10 hours usage of the Apple iPad.

Comes with Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi and GPS navigational services; there’s a rumored version for each US carrier just like their Galaxy S series of cellphones. I’m personally waiting on the Wi-Fi only version as opposed to the 3G versions.

[ Links: Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Tab ]

After years of waiting and collapsed business models (like Boeing’s Connexion), we finally started to see in-flight broadband services materialize last year. Unfortunately for carriers, fewer than 10% of air travelers seem willing to pay for the service, at least at the current price point. Companies keep tinkering with pricing in the hopes of finding their sweet spot but free Wi-Fi promotions from the likes of Google and others appear to have ruined flyers’ appetites for Wi-Fi bills. A new report by In Stat says in-flight broadband should see $95 million in 2010 revenues (up from $7 million in 2009), while “fee per connect is expected to deteriorate” due to lower negotiated roaming and other costs.

Link to the original article…

It was noted how AT&T’s Microcell femtocell service was already a dubious value proposition given the device, intended to improve in-home cell coverage by routing voice and data calls over broadband, involves users paying AT&T to help ease congestion on local towers. Not only does routing calls over your broadband service result in you eating your minutes, but it also now appears that using 3G at home eats away at your caps.

That’s absurd, given that both voice and 3G over the device uses the user’s bandwidth – and not precious backhaul resources.

AT&T’s been making the rounds trying to give an explanation for why they made the decision to make their Microcell service an even worse value, but the explanations so far aren’t making sense.

“3G MicroCell is primarily intended to enhance the voice call quality experience in your home,” AT&T’s Seth Bloom tells us. “While it can carry mobile data traffic, that’s not the primary solution it provides,” he says. “Wi-Fi is the optimal solution for home mobile data use. We encourage people to take advantage of Wi-Fi capabilities – that’s why all of our smartphones include Wi-Fi radios, and usage on Wi-Fi doesn’t count against your mobile data usage bucket.”

Customers will probably decide to use their Wi-Fi connection when in the home. That still doesn’t explain why AT&T lets the service eat 3G bandwidth caps should they use 3G. In that case, the traffic’s being routed over the exact same broadband connection as Wi-Fi. Whether users should use 3G over the Microcell in the home when Wi-Fi’s available isn’t the point. The service still shouldn’t be eating your wireless caps just like femtocells shouldn’t eat your voice minutes.

Bloom goes on to insist that the Microcell “uses our core wireless network just like a call placed while driving down the highway uses the core wireless network.” “The only difference is how that data or call gets there via a MicroCell connected to a wired broadband connection instead of a cell tower.”

Again though, you’re not using AT&T’s tower or their backhaul, you’re using your own already-paid-for bandwidth. AT&T’s entire justification for their new low caps and overages is backhaul and tower congestion (though even that’s dubious – simple profit is the more likely motivation) – and congestion’s not an issue here. Sure, there’s costs involved, but they’re minor compared to the costs of traditional wireless connectivity.

Consider these are users shelling out for a home broadband connection, a wireless 3G and data connection, possibly an added landline connection, the upfront cost of hardware and an additional $20 if they want unlimited voice that doesn’t eat away at their minutes. Just how much are we expecting the average consumer to pay per month for simple, regular-use voice and data connectivity?

Either AT&T’s gunning to make an additional few million annually in revenue off of those incapable of differentiating between 3G and Wi-Fi, or they’re incapable of getting the Wi-Fi/3G femtocell billing straightened out and don’t want to admit it.

Some might think this is all rather nerdy semantics, but these are important questions when exploring how carriers seem to be sucking all the value out of the femtocell with absurd pricing decisions and other penalties – especially when the femtocell helps the carrier more than it does you.

Link to the original article…

Given that AT&T’s other hotspot partners McDonalds and Barnes and Noble now offer free Wi-Fi and AT&T offers free Wi-Fi to most of their DSL, U-Verse and wireless customers – it seemed like only a matter of time before Starbucks left paid Wi-Fi behind. According to a company statement, Wi-Fi in Starbucks stores will be completely free starting July 1 and they will simplify the login process so that it’s “one click.”

The company also announced that this fall they’ll launch the Starbucks Digital Network, which will only be accessible in stores, and will offer users access to a number of paywalled outlets like the Wall Street Journal.

Link to the original article…

Whenever Apple launches a new product everyone in the world has to take note, whether they like it or not. The iPad has caused more controversy than some of Apple’s previous offerings and naysayers have been vocal in their criticisms. However, in many ways the iPad is just as revolutionary as the iPhone or the iPod before it. It just requires a little understanding and a healthy bank balance for anyone to get onboard with Apple’s take on the tablet computer.

The iPad is a slim, large device that is designed to be held with one or two hands and its 9.7 inch screen has been praised for its bright, crisp display capabilities. Inside is a 1GHz processor and you can choose different amounts of internal storage from 16GB up to 64GB, depending on your preference and the heft of your wallet.

The iPad uses version 3.2 of the iPhone operating system and many have commented on how similar the two look. The similarity in software is most obvious in the interface, as the iPad uses a slightly spruced up edition of the iPhone’s basic menu system. This is not just a skin deep similarity, as the iPad is compatible with all of the applications which are available on the iPhone. However, the iPad has a big advantage in that it has its own exclusive range of iPad-only apps to download and try out. These benefit from higher resolutions and more complex graphics which can be handled better by the iPad`s significantly beefier hardware components.

The iPad is said to offer one of the best internet browsing experiences of any format. It uses multi-touch technology to let you manipulate web pages with your fingers and it can be held either in portrait or landscape mode, with a key on the side allowing you to lock the automatic rotation of the screen orientation. The screen and lack of physical buttons also make the iPad a real contender for the crown of most desirable eBook reader. You can use the iBooks app to browse, buy and download thousands of books to read on its large screen and there is even an Amazon Kindle app which exists to bring Kindle owners all of their back catalog and open up an even more extensive library of titles from the past and present.

As well as having several internal storage capacities, the iPad can be pigeonholed into two distinct versions. The cheapest is the one which only has Wi-Fi connectivity, which means you can only take the iPad online when a wireless network is available. Many people have Wi-Fi in their own homes and you can also find Wi-Fi hotspots in many different public places, although it is a short range connectivity solution. The more expensive edition has Wi-Fi and 3G. This means you can sign up to a mobile broadband service and connect to the internet for browsing wherever you are. The arrival of the iPad will definitely have people scrambling for cheap broadband deals from the main mobile broadband providers and with early versions criticized for their poor Wi-Fi performance, the 3G is arguably the more logical choice.

[ Links: Apple, Apple iPad, 5 Reasons Not to Buy an iPad ]

Last week Verizon informed customers that if they wanted to buy certain types of phones customers had to buy a data plan. Previously, both AT&T and Verizon had only made data mandatory for smartphones. Apparently, neither carrier wants you buying an Internet-enabled phone, then only using free Wi-Fi instead of their pricey 3G networks. From the sound of things, now carriers don’t want you using free IM services instead of SMS, either.

The Boy Genius Report indicates that messaging plans are mandatory for feature phones:

Phones that require a messaging plan at time of purchase include: Pantech Reveal, Pantech Impact, Motorola Karma, Samsung Flight, Samsung Impression, Samsung Magnet, Samsung Solstice, Samsung Mythic, Samsung Propel, LG Xenon, LG Neon, and the LG Vu. It looks like the minimum monthly cost when buying a “Quick Messaging” phone is around $20. That’s a $5 200 SMS/MMS plan and a $15/month unlimited data plan. It doesn’t look like you can walk out of the door without paying less than $20/mo in features in addition to your voice plan.

To add insult to injury, the leaked AT&T leaflet assumes you’re an idiot, informing customers that the decision is being made to bring users the “best possible experience” with their phone. There appears to be two lessons to be learned here. One, don’t try to save money if you’re a Verizon or AT&T customer, because they’ll just outsmart you. Two, don’t try to save money if you’re a Verizon or AT&T customer, because they’ll just outsmart you.

In the wireless industry, it sometimes feels like for every step forward toward openness, there’s a corresponding two steps back in terms of pricing.

Update: AT&T offered this comment to their plan changes:

The requirement is only for our Quick Messaging Devices, not feature phones. Nearly all of these devices now have full Web browsing capabilities, and as such, customers are more likely than ever to surf the Web on them. In light of this increased usage, a data and/or text plan will enable customers to enjoy a plan that does not involve paying as you go charges. We still offer a large number of feature phones – those do not have a data plan requirement.

Broadbandreports.com has asked AT&T for a definition of what exactly distinguishes a “quick messaging device” from a “feature phone.” and inquiring (again) why it’s necessary to force any users into an SMS or 3G plan if they simply want to use Wi-Fi and free IM services. If it’s to simply make additional revenue, it shouldn’t be dressed up as an “experience enhancement.”

Link to the original article…

After a 2009 dominated by press reports of AT&T network issues, belated AT&T product launches (MMS), blocked applications on AT&T’s network and roundhouse kicks by fake CEOs, most analysts expected Apple to start distancing itself from the AT&T brand. Instead, most were surprised yesterday by Apple’s continued dedication to AT&T. Apple announced that AT&T would be the exclusive partner for the new iPad, and contrary to expectations – no Verizon (EVDO) compatible iPhone was announced.

According to analysts quoted in Business Week, they were shocked by the continued AT&T and Apple romance:

“AT&T is going to need to make some sort of statement or some sort of acknowledgment that they’re up to the test of supporting this,” said Weiner, who is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. He said he was “shocked” that Verizon wasn’t chosen as the network provider.

Analysts shouldn’t be too shocked however. Kevin Fitchard over at Connected Planet explains Apple’s reasoning:

Why not make 2 iPads, one for CDMA networks and one HSPA? Well, aside from the additional hassle of designing and sourcing two separate devices, you try explaining to your customers why one version of what appear to be two identical tablets is more expensive based merely on which 3G provider you chose. Or if Apple keeps the price of the two versions the same, try explaining to its shareholders why they re making less money on one version of those same devices.

By more expensive, he’s referring to the fact that EVDO guts would cost more to produce. Of course as both Verizon and AT&T migrate to LTE technology, this becomes less of an issue. Regardless of yesterday’s Verizon iTab snub, it remains likely that an end to AT&T’s exclusive iPhone contract is announced later this year.

Link to the original article…

Inbrics is not a name known in the US at all. But head to their native Korea and you’ll see that they’ve been in the market for quite a few years and are known for making innovative products in the VoIP market. Announced at the CES 2010, I had talked to their Marketing Director Bobby Cha last week about their products but one of their offerings immediately stood out to me, their Inbrics MID M1.

Inbrics M1 delivers entertainment everywhere. It (Inbrics MID M1) includes Wi-Fi wireless networking, along with an Google Android based OS and web access wherever there is a wireless network.

While this could be seen as another MID (Mobile Internet Device) after a lot of failed or quickly forgotten attempts in the last few years – remember the OQO 02, Microsoft Origami, Nokia N810? – but after talking to the Inbrics US Marketing Director, I feel like his one statement about the timing being better now than the prior offerings being akin to how the Apple Newton didn’t exactly set the PDA world on fire, but the Palm offerings came later and found a market ready and willing for a PDA.

Taking a look at the Inbrics MID M1, it is everything that most of the prior MIDs were not. Thin, powered by an OS that’s meant to be portable and lightweight. And above all… it’s downright sexy. There’s been a few videos that were released last year, but above is the final product. Currently running Google Android 1.5, Inbrics is quickly making its way towards 2.0, if not 2.1 very soon in time for their upcoming release. I would love it if they included WiMAX too.

UPDATE: Just heard from Inbrics that the MID M1 will indeed have WiMAX built-in.

As far as the form factor goes, if it’s released and has a great price, I might have a replacement for my Nokia N810 that Nokia has seen fit to stop updating and supporting. Price and delivery TBA.

Clearwire is going to need to quadruple their footprint in 2010 in order to meet their goal of serving 120 POPs (points of presence) by the end of the year, notes Unstrung. With Hawaii and Seattle launches last December, Clearwire moved past sixty markets launched in 2009 – though a significant number of those markets were smaller sub-markets. Clearwire’s yet to launch in the mega markets of New York or San Francisco, but according to the company they “started working on New York a while ago.”

Clearwire hopes to reach (not necessarily serve) 120 million customers by the end of this year. They’ll also have to work on cleaning some of the connection quality issues some users have complained about in launch markets.

Link to the original article…

It seems like 2010 will be the year of the set top box that gathers all of your media that you’ve collected over the years – be it music, video or web based media – and places it in high-definition on your television for all to see. LaCie has introduced their LaCinema Mini HD Media Center, about the size of a standard DVD – it fits in your palm, easily:

LaCie today unveiled LaCinema Mini HD, the all-in-one Wi-Fi High Definition media center. Its amazingly small and stylish design packs a big punch, bringing your HD movies, photos and music collections to your widescreen TV in full 1080p resolution.

LaCinema Mini HD bridges the gap between the computer and entertainment worlds in full HD quality. Featuring built-in high-speed 802.11n Wi-Fi, LaCinema Mini HD brings a DLNA® media player and server to your home without wires.

Transferring content to the LaCinema Mini HD is easy through the bus-powered USB connection for maximum transfer speeds, or by connecting the drive to a home network. Users can conveniently load files wirelessly from their computer or via the Ethernet connection.

Currently available in Europe for $299 with worldwide availability coming soon.

[ Links: LaCie LaCinema Mini HD Media Center ]