Hasta La Gadget!

After a week of rumors hinting at Google and Verizon brokering some sort of net neutrality “deal,” the two companies made some waves this afternoon with a hastily-arranged press call during which CEOs Eric Schmidt and Ivan Seidenberg emphatically denied any sort of formal business arrangement and instead put forth what they called a “joint policy proposal” — seven principles they say will preserve the open internet while allowing network operators the flexibility and freedom to manage their networks.

What’s interesting is that the announcement comes just few days after the FCC declared its closed-door net-neutrality meetings with ISPs and other interested parties to be dead — it’s odd for Google and Verizon to claim their new proposal is just an extension of their joint statement in general support of net neutrality from last October when it’s very clearly an articulation of a specific plan that was undoubtedly proposed and rejected during those failed meetings.

Now, we don’t know for sure what happened, but we’ve got a theory: the proposal reads to us like Verizon’s basically agreeing to trade neutrality on its wired networks for the right to control its wireless network any way it wants — apart from requiring wireless carriers and ISPs to be “transparent” about network management, none of the neutrality principles that govern wired networks will apply to wireless networks. That’s a big deal — it’s pretty obvious that wireless broadband will be the defining access technology for the next generation of devices and services. But you know us, and we don’t do hysterics when we can do reasoned analysis instead — so grab a copy of the official Verizon / Google Legislative Framework Proposal right here and let’s break it down step by step, shall we?

Continue reading Google and Verizon’s net neutrality proposal explained

Google and Verizon’s net neutrality proposal explained originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in October of last year, Google and Verizon came together in order to provide an intense amount of corporate support for the FCC’s then-fledgling net neutrality push. Today, said push has turned into quite the monster, with a recent court ruling asserting that the FCC doesn’t actually have the authority to impose net neutrality. Since then, a cadre of telecommunications firms have banded together in one form or another to attempt a compromise (and slyly get what each of them really want), and today the Big G and Big Red have taken the stage together in order to publicize a well-thought out policy proposal for “an open internet.” Both firms seem to agree that web users “should choose what content, applications, or devices they use,” and they both want “enforceable prohibition against discriminatory practices” — and yeah, that definitely includes prioritization and blocking of internet traffic, including paid prioritization. In an odd twist, what seems to be happening here is that both Google and Verizon are actually in favor of more government oversight on the internet, but they want that oversight to be beneficial to consumers. In other words, more regulations from the feds to enforce fewer regulations imposed on you from your ISP. Get all that?

Where things really get interesting is when they touch on the wireless angle; essentially, they’re admitting that the very proposals they are putting forth for wireline shouldn’t apply to wireless just yet (aside from the whole “transparency” thing). It seems that the prevailing logic is that there’s simply not enough spectrum for this idyllic “play fair” scenario to truly work, so fewer restrictions would be necessary for the wireless internet space to blossom as the wireless side already has. Moreover, we get the impression that these guys feel the wireless space as a whole is simply too competitive right now to withstand any red tape.

The proposal also mentions that, if passed into law, the FCC would have the ability to fine “bad actors” (read: misbehaving ISPs) up to $2 million for breaking any of these “open internet” stipulations, and naturally, both outfits are highly in favor of the National Broadband Plan taking hold, moving forward and getting broadband to places that are currently using a strange mixture of used canisters and rope to check their inbox.

Google and Verizon publish joint policy proposal for ‘an open internet’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s one of the most barebones filings we’ve seen in recent memory, but there’s no mistaking that at least one Windows Phone 7 device from HTC is going to make a stateside debut. If we had to guess, we’d say that this is the first official look at whatever phone we spotted late last month, but the only identifying mark anywhere is a PD26100 model number. Based on the test reports, we know for sure that it’ll boast Bluetooth, 802.11n WiFi and support for GSM 850 / UMTS I and II, but it’s obviously still up in the air as to what carrier this will be headed for. Given AT&T’s own proclamation that it’s aiming to be the “premiere carrier” for WP7 in the States, we’d reckon that this bugger has a better-than-average chance at sitting quietly beside Apple’s iPhone 4 and Samsung’s Cetus in due time. Those “holidays” are drawing ever closer, you know?

Mysterious HTC Windows Phone 7 device breaks cover at FCC, swears it was invited originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reach deep into the grey matter and try to recall a little post we did back on December 30th of 2009. That’s the day we learned about HP’s filing for the “Zeen” trademark on a “portable handheld device.” Now here we are today, eight months and one major aquisition later, with an FCC filing for a very tablety device with 802.11b/g/n WiFi. The name? HP eStation Zeen. Unfortunately, that’s all we know due to the short-term confidentiality request put in place until December 31st. Still, product CQ720A looks very much like the mythical HP Slate don’t you think? It’s definitely a tablet of some kind. Now if only we knew the chosen OS, price, ship date, consumer or business focus, and about a dozen or so other details. Baby steps, people, baby steps.

Update: This is crazy, but we’ve now gotten multiple tips claiming that the Zeen is actually an Android-based tablet with e-reader functionality that can also dock with an HP printer and become its interface. E-reading, Zeen, magazine — get it? Based on HP’s repeated previous statements about webOS hitting printers and tablets, we’d assume the Zeen has since been shifted over to Palm’s OS, but we can’t be sure, as that would undoubtedly add development time and we’re told this thing has been kicking around for months.

Whatever this is, it appears HP still has some work to do: one of our sources described the Android-based prototype as feeling like a “brick” and being “extremely unpolished” with poor battery life. It’s also been pointed out in comments that the CQ in the product number typically indicates a Compaq device, so that could eventually be the branding. We’ll see what’s real soon enough, we suppose.

Continue reading eStation Zeen is HP Slate? Update: Or a Compaq Android tablet for printing?

eStation Zeen is HP Slate? Update: Or a Compaq Android tablet for printing? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The pool of choices for WiMAX hotspots continues to expand, and thanks to the FCC, we now know of another up-and-comer. The Rover Puck — trademarked by Clearwire and previously unheard of — joins the ranks Sprint’s Overdrive and its various rebrandings by providing pocketable 4G WiFi service. Unlike its predecessors, however, we finally have a new, more aerodynamic form factor. There isn’t much to the glean from the user manual at this point, and the oft-referenced Rover website still isn’t live — a WHOIS lookup reveals it was last updated via GoDaddy on July 2008 with no other details disclosed. So, until we get some word from the official news pipelines, a plethora of external / internal photos and user manual screenshots are only a mouseclick away.

Rover Puck WiMAX hotspot gets FCC’d, traction on ice subject of fierce debate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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