Hasta La Gadget!

There was an odd level of uncertainty surrounding Google’s reported buyout of Wavii: where Google usually mentions acquisitions in short order, mum’s been the word for much of the past week. Thankfully, we won’t be left hanging over the weekend — Wavii has stepped forward to confirm the deal is happening. Neither side has discussed the terms involved, but Wavii chief Adrian Aoun made it clear the acquisition is for the technology first and foremost. Wavii’s info summarization service will be shutting down, while the company’s expertise in natural language processing should find its way into future Google projects. It’s sad to see another independent service absorbed by a much larger company, but we’re at least likely to see the fruits of Wavii’s labor through some very public channels.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Wavii

6Wunderkinder let us know last week that it was entering the big leagues of task management with Wunderlist Pro, and today it’s possible for us to follow along. The company’s first premium service is now available for those running the iOS, Mac and web apps, albeit with a slightly higher than anticipated $50 yearly subscription price alongside the $5 monthly option. As a reminder, Pro users get the ability to assign tasks to others, add an unlimited number of subtasks and choose from eight more backgrounds. Both file attachments and sharing are coming soon, 6Wunderkinder adds, while Android and Windows iterations of the Pro version are also on the company’s very own to-do list.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet

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Source: 6Wunderkinder

Browsing your email or chatting on the phone will soon be possible at more subway stations in New York City, with the MTA announcing today that the city will be expanding cell phone and WiFi service to 36 new locations. Such a change will affect the more than 8.5 million commuters who use the subways daily, and will make longer commutes a little more bearable.

The information comes from CBS, which says the MTA tested WiFi support in 7 different subway stations late last year, and having experienced positive results will begin rolling out the project on a larger scale. By the end of 2016, it is expected that almost all of New York City’s 277 subway stations will have wireless Internet and cell phone coverage.

The wireless service will be provided via several carriers, including Boingo, Transit Wireless, and all four big wireless carriers, with reports that more will be added. While the project is ambitious, it is also slow going, with technical difficulties being presented. The subway system was constructed over 100 years ago, and certainly wasn’t made with eventual wireless service in mind.

Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, among other carriers, have all joined the project to offer cell phone coverage in the 36 planned subways. As might be expected, some concerns about terrorism and the expanded wireless abilities facilitating it have been posed, but word has it the MTA is working alongside New York City’s counter-terrorism task force with the project. Beyond that it is being tight-lipped, and has nothing else to say.

[via Android Community]

New York City to equip 36 more subways with WiFi and cell service is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re an avid reader of The New York Times, you’re probably already familiar with its complex subscription model that ranges in price between $15 and $35 per month. Yes, it’s sometimes costly to stay in the loop, but on the upside of the paywall, company CEO Mark Thompson says that readers will soon find a wider array of content packages, including less expensive options. The move may be necessary, and according to Bloomberg, the CEO painted it as “the single most important thing we’re doing in the company.” Today, The New York Times released its earnings for the quarter, which came in slightly below expectations and revealed a decrease in advertising revenue. Recognizing the shift, Thompson will work to make the organization less reliant on ad revenue and more focused on digital subscriptions.

As for its growth strategy, it’s said that we can expect lower pricing tiers that offer access to specific content such as politics, technology and the arts, along with premium tiers that provide feature content and access to events. Curiously, videos and even games will be in the mix, but it’s currently unclear where that’ll fit into the tiered strategy. The New York Times currently serves 708,000 subscribers, which represents a 45 percent increase from the first quarter of 2012. It’s said that we can expect the refined subscription model to arrive sometime in late 2013 or early 2014, and it’ll be very interesting to see just how complex the outlet can go with its pricing.

[Image credit: Adam Kinney / Flickr]

Filed under: Internet

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Source: Bloomberg, paidContent, Q1 Earnings Release

Google released its seventh transparency report today, which highlights the number of takedown requests that Google receives on a bi-yearly basis. This time around, Google received 2,285 government requests to remove 24,179 pieces of content off of Google’s search engine between July 2012 and December 2012, which is a record high.

That number is up from the 1,811 takedown requests made regarding 18,070 pieces of content during the previous half of 2012, and it’s the highest number of takedown requests that Google has seen during a six-month period since the search giant began to offer transparency reports three years ago.

Google’s legal director, Susan Infantino, says that “it’s become increasingly clear that the scope of government attempts to censor content on Google services has grown,” and she notes that “in more places than ever, we’ve been asked by governments to remove political content that people post on” various Google services.

The most notable spike came from Brazil, which saw a sharp increase from the last transparency report. Google received 697 requests in Brazil, most of which were court orders. This is up from 191 during the first half of 2012. Google says that the reason for the steep increase was due to the municipal elections, which took place during the fall.

Google sees record increase in government takedown requests is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.