Hasta La Gadget!

Our lucky brethren in Kansas City have had access to Google Fiber, the much-envied service from Google. Now the Internet giant has announced that Fiber will be extending to a second location in Kansas, this time to Olathe, who’s city council just approved the company’s plans. The process isn’t slated to take place for awhile yet, but was announced by Google shortly after the approval went through.

Dubbing it the Silicon Prairie, Kansas subscribers get access to super fast Internet service via Google Fiber, which sadly won’t be making its way to most of us. Still, those in Olathe will get access to the Google service after the company finishes up “a lot of planning and engineering work” that will begin now that the City Council has given the thumbs-up.

Says Google, by expanding into Olathe, it anticipates being able to help the city grow in both employment and businesses. In addition, there are plans to eventually expand Fiber to other cities throughout Kansas as well. Less anyone worry, Google said in the announcement that this expansion will not delay the construction schedule it published for homes in Kansas City.

While it is normal to feel jealous, those of us who live outside Kansas have hope. In January, the FCC’s Chairman Julius Genachowski called for gigabit Internet service to be available in every state by 2015. Of course, there’s no guarantee that will happen or that you will live in the city/cities that it arrives in, but one can hope. Thus far, there are 14 states with a tad over 40 communities that boast access to fiber-based Internet.

[via Google Fiber]

Google Fiber approved by Olathe, Kansas City Council is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

What do Twitter co-founders Jack Dorsey and Christopher “Biz” Stone have in common with Thomas Edison? That’s easy, they’re all patent holders. Issued today, the USPTO’s database details a messaging system where users can follow each other and display messages without a unique recipient. Last time we checked, this is how Twitter works. Officially assigned to the social network, the application was filed in July 2008, listing Dorsey and Stone as the intellectual property’s inventors. Now for those of you thinking that Twitter is gearing up to slap other companies silly with mountains of infringement lawsuits, think again. Around this time last year the company announced its Innovators Patent Agreement, which detailed a contract between the social network and its employees saying that any of their work related patents will be used for defensive purposes only. While this not so angry bird doesn’t seem too eager to attack, it might be a good idea for other companies (especially social networks) using similar technologies to assess their current setup just to be on the safe side.

Filed under: Internet, Software

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Via: The Verge

Source: USPTO

A new analysis performed by The NPD Group shows that the United States has hit an impressive milestone. There are currently over 500 million internet-connected devices all across the nation. These devices include smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs, video-game consoles, HDTVs, Blu-Ray players, and more. The NPD Group says that the main driver for this number is the increase in smartphone and tablet ownership.

The analysis shows that since 3 months ago, over 9 million more people made the change from regular cell phones to smartphones. It also showed that 18 million more consumers have purchased a tablet device. The number of connected devices per U.S. Internet household has grown from 5.3 internet devices per home to 5.7 internet devices. The study also shows that unsurprisingly, most of those devices are Apple or Samsung branded devices.

Smartphone adoption rose up 5% since 3 months ago, and tablet adoption rose up about 18%. The PC still remains the most commonly used internet-connected device in households, with over 93% of households owning at least one PC, a number that hasn’t changed in the past 3 months. John Buffone, director of devices at NPD Connected Intelligence, stated, “It’s hard to believe that tablets and smartphones are still somewhat in their infancy. But as we have seen in just the past few months, there is significant potential for this market to develop further.”

Consumers are adapting to mobile devices at a rapid pace, especially with the help of Android and its low-budget tablets. Android tablet sales are forecasted to dominate the tablet market this year thanks to the cheap options offered, such as Amazon’s line-up of Kindle Fires, Google’s high-end, yet affordable Nexus 7, and HP’s upcoming Slate 7. The IDC predicts that over 190 million tablets will be shipped worldwide this year.

[via NPD]

Over 500m devices connected to internet in U.S. is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The United States Justice Department seems to be listening to cries from Google (among others) that the 1986 ECPA (Electronic Communications Privacy Act) should be revised to reflect the vastly different universe that we now live in. DoJ attorney Elana Tyrangiel testified before the US House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations today, and in a nutshell, she now seems willing to think about the use of search warrants to access all types of email. Previously, the entity wanted the use a far less strict method for gaining access — giving less privacy to opened emails or emails that were over half a year old.

In part, she stated: “We agree, for example, that there is no principled basis to treat email less than 180 days old differently than email more than 180 days old. Similarly, it makes sense that the statute not accord lesser protection to opened emails than it gives to emails that are unopened.” Certainly, this is a step in the right direction, but we’re a long way from having a genuine solution. We’ll be covering the saga as it unfolds, but for now, have a look at the full brief in the source below.

Filed under: Internet

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Via: The Verge

Source: US Department of Justice

Google’s legal director of law enforcement and information security, Richard Salgado, is set to testify before the US House of Representatives this morning about the need for new email privacy legislation. In his written testimony, Salgado notes that the 1986 ECPA (Electronic Communications Privacy Act) doesn’t reflect the internet circa 2013, noting how cloud computing has increased the amount of user information shared and stored online.

Salgado’s prepared statement calls for updates to ECPA that allow for greater privacy measures, while also ensuring that government agencies can obtain access to documents when necessary. He points to the ECPA’s policy on government requests to view users’ email — only a subpoena is required for email 180 days or older, but viewing newer communication requires a search warrant — as an example of the law’s “inconsistent, confusing and uncertain standards.” Google wants to alter the ECPA to require search warrants to access any user data stored online, regardless of their age. Salgado’s testimony also touches on Mountain View’s own efforts to improve transparency when it comes to user privacy, including publishing reports about government requests. Read the statement in full via the source link below.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Google Public Policy blog