Hasta La Gadget!

Early yesterday, word surfaced that Shawnee, Kansas had set up a special city council meeting for later in the day to discuss whether Google would be allowed to roll out Fiber service in the city, which is located near Kansas City. We’re not surprised to report that the council is over and the city voted “Yes,” with Google making the announcement moments ago on its blog.

Google already had an agreement in place, but it was dependent on approval from the city council, according to the Kansas City Star. That put Shawnee nearly on the same list as other nearby locations, including Mission Woods, Olathe, and Westwood/Westwood Hills, that have agreements with Google to get its Fiber service in the future. It didn’t take long for approval to be given.

Google flatters Shawnee in its announcement with proclamations and praise for the city’s “vision to keep their citizens informed and involved” via the Internet, pointing to its recent city website update as one example. Such a reality, says Google, strengthens communities and makes it a prime location for Google Fiber service.

Shawnee’s Mayor Jeff Meyers said during the city council: “The ultra-high speed Google fiber network will enhance the quality of life for people in Shawnee by providing faster access to essential digital resources. This will grow and strengthen Shawnee’s competitive advantage in the years to come.” For now, there’s no word on when the service will roll out, with Google saying that it’ll offer that update later on.

[via Engadget]

Google Fiber coming to Shawnee, Kansas is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Sky customers with On Demand or Sky Go access can snag an early look at the very first episode of Hannibal, along with Trollied, Mad Dogs and The Borgias. That first hit is due for a May 7th premiere on Sky Living at 10PM in the UK, but in what’s being billed as a television experiment of sorts, the show’s available now through On Demand with select Sky+ set-top boxes, or the Sky Go streaming service, if you’re able to access that. We can imagine plenty of other ways to get your fix without waiting for next Tuesday to roll around, but we’ll let you use your own imagination to tackle that one.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Via: Pocket-lint

Source: Sky

Android-based Dropbox users got a crack at an even more photo-centric interface back in January; it’s now the iOS crowd’s turn to play. Dropbox 2.2 for their platform makes it easier for them to see their photos, organize them into albums and share them with others. The corporate set will also want the update now that it permits the single sign-ons that make Dropbox for Business tick. Version 2.2 isn’t the most dramatic update we’ve seen, but it should go some distance toward pleasing both shutterbugs and the suits.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

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Source: App Store

When Microsoft took Outlook.com public, it also took on the rather daunting task of moving 300 million-plus Hotmail accounts over to the more modern infrastructure without drawing our wrath. However you feel about the new interface, that transition is at last complete: Outlook.com is now the sole front end for the over 400 million people who use Microsoft’s free email services. Both Hotmail.com addresses and Hotmail Plus accounts will keep working despite the switch, the company says.

To mark the occasion, Microsoft is launching two significant upgrades. It’s adding tighter SkyDrive integration that lets users attach files directly from their SkyDrive accounts, including optimized photo attachments. Those who rely on email aliases will also like that Microsoft has finally let us choose an SMTP server to send messages from non-Outlook addresses without revealing the true source — we won’t have to put up with “on behalf of” tags any longer. Both features are rolling out today.

Filed under: Internet, Microsoft

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Source: Outlook Blog

Windows 7 users have been able to sneak a peek at Skype’s new Video Messaging feature since earlier in the week, but now the referenced Windows 8 version is available as well. The new tool, the service’s version of video voicemail, is still “in its early release,” so you may run into a bug or two. To that end, the team invites testers to reach out with feedback through a handful of channels. It’s all outlined at the source link below.

Filed under: Internet, Software

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Source: Skype