Hasta La Gadget!

Try doing this with a desktop computer. Photo Veronica Belmont/Flickr

As if any Gadget Lab readers needed to be told, the mobile Internet is taking off. What might be surprising is that almost all tablet Internet traffic comes from the iPad. “In August 2011, iPads delivered 97.2 percent of all tablet traffic in the U.S.” says a new Comscore report. What’s more, the iPad is even beating its older brother the iPhone, managing 46.8 percent of iOS Internet use vs. the iPhone’s 42.6 percent.

According to the report, U.S mobile Internet use is still small compared to computer-based Internet use at just 6.8 percent, but it’s growing fast. More interesting is what the tablets (read: iPads) are being used for. Half of all tablet owners have made a purchase from their device (likely via the App Store), and more than half read the news regularly on their tablets.

Further, while iOS accounts for 43.1 percent of market share (by installed base, vs Android’s 34.1 percent), it accounts for a disproportionate 58.5% of traffic (Android 31.9 percent). This figure counts page views, so if you were to add in all the other non-browser Internet use, the number would surely jump a lot higher. Anyone used to a 3G connection for an iPad who suddenly has it cut will realize just how many apps rely on a data connection.

It may take a while, but computer Internet is going the way of the landline phone. We may still have internet-connected Wi-Fi networks in our homes to feed set-top boxes and stream things from here to there, but soon enough going to a special room and firing up a big machine to check Wikipedia is going to seem as clumsy and old-fashioned as punching a number into a landline phone.

Smartphones and Tablets Drive Nearly 7 Percent of Total U.S. Digital Traffic [ComScore via Twitter]

See Also:

• AT&T Adds iPhone Tethering, Kills Unlimited Data for iPad …
• Eight Great Tips for Traveling with the iPad

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Doug, who seems pretty fed up with those troubling WiFi dead zones in his abode. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I have a Wireless-N router, but it had to go in the basement. As a result, there are a few areas that get little or no signal in my home. What can I do to fill those deadspots?”

So, networking gurus of the world — what’s your repeater setup like? We’re aiming for something simplistic, something that a consumer could toss together without having to hire the equivalent of a Geek Squad. Any swell repeater / router recommendations for a brother in need?

Ask Engadget: best WiFi repeater setup for killing wireless dead zones? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Oct 2011 22:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A memorial for Steve Jobs was created by Alf Watt, a communication software engineer at Apple, outside the San Francisco Apple Store on Wednesday night following the news of Jobs’ passing. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

People of all types came out to celebrate, mourn and honor Steve Jobs after learning of his death yesterday. Some converged on local Apple Stores or flocked to Apple’s Cupertino campus, while others paid their respects online.

Several dozen Apple and Jobs fans stopped at the San Francisco Apple Store over the course of an hour Wednesday.

“We just wanted to honor Steve,” said Richard Rucci, a writer who works for a tablet magazine that will be launching on the iPad soon. Rucci’s had a long relationship with Apple products. “My first computer was an Apple IIe in 1989. We’ve always had Macs in our house.”

He and his son Michael brought several dozen tea lights and were lighting them to help create a makeshift memorial in front of the store. “It kinda shows a message for all I have to live up to,” says Michael, a 9th grader. ”He’s a really admirable person. He’s the reason behind all of the tech advances right now.”

The Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York. Photo: John Abell

Others were kneeling on the sidewalk to write their thoughts, best wishes and favorite quotes on multi-colored sticky notes, which they placed on the glass windows at the front of the Apple Store.

Sharon Geraldine, a 19-year-old visiting from Indonesia, wrote on a Post-It: “Apple is the most awesome phone ever. Thanks Steve Jobs!” “I didn’t plan this, but I’m really glad I came,” she says. “I want to show him how thankful I am, I think he did a good job to the world.”

Others stopped by the store after finishing up their work day.

“I was thinking about going down to Cupertino,” says Tristan Harris, CEO of a San Francisco start-up. ”I worked at Apple a long time ago, but I saw on Twitter that people were coming here. I wanted to share the memory, this is really important. It feels like a member of my family just left. All the biggest things I’ve done in my career relate to the ‘change the world ethos’ of Apple. It’s a really sad day.”

Fans set up a similar memorial in front of New York’s Fifth Avenue Apple Store. Bouquets, notes, photos and apples surrounded a “Keep Thinking Different” sign.

At Apple’s campus, a number of people came to honor Steve’s passing. A shrine was created with flowers, balloons, candles, cards and posters — even a white iPad illuminated with Steve Jobs’ image on the Apple home page.

Tech blog Gizmodo started a “Where were you?” hashtag on Twitter Thursday morning for readers and writers alike to share how they found out about the news. Editor Joe Brown said, “I was walking down the street to dinner. Never made it; got the call, commandeered a stranger’s stoop.”

Former Gizmodo editor Brian Lam took the opportunity to write a detailed post revealing what really went on between himself and Steve Jobs back in 2010 when Gizmodo got a hold of a prototype iPhone 4 prior to its release. “Sometimes,” he wrote, “I wish we never found that phone at all.” The Wall Street Journal’s personal technology columnist Walt Mossberg also took the time to share his account of personal interactions between himself and Jobs, a series of phone calls from the late ’90s when Steve had recently returned to Apple.

A lone bouquet of flowers sits outside the Emeryville Apple Store after closing time Wednesday night. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Many learned of Jobs’ passing on one of the very devices that Jobs created, an iPhone, iPad or MacBook. “I was reading about the iPhone 4S on my iPad 2 when I got a push notification about Steve. I could feel the loss of the legend,” Twitter user Cameron Love said.

A tribute made from the parts of a MacBook Pro. Image: Mint Foundry

Several Wired readers, like Oojal Jhutti and Mint Foundry, felt inspired to make memorial websites or videos. Others across the internet decided to watch or re-watch Steve Jobs’ inspirational 2005 Stanford commencement address, which the university made available on YouTube.

Jezebel blogger Whitney Jefferson remembered Steve with music. She created a Steve Jobs playlist using the songs she already had in iTunes that were used in Apple commercials.

Some publications, like The Atlantic, provided open forums where commenters could share their thoughts and memories, and Reddit was flooded with quotes and well wishes.

Ex-Apple designer Mike Matas uploaded a series of photos that provided a glimpse into the fun side of Steve Jobs: images of Steve playing with Photobooth in 2005.

And everyone from Bill Gates to President Obama issued public statements or took to Twitter to share their thoughts of the late, great icon. Gates said, “The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend.” President Barack Obama said, “The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”

Steve Jobs has made a tremendous impact on both individual people and society at large. I’ll leave you with this xkcd comic. It’s called “Eternal Flame.”

Apple fans pay tribute to Steve Jobs in New York. Photo: John Abell/Wired.com

We told you it was only a matter of time and, honestly, it took a bit longer than expected. Verizon has officially filed an appeal to the FCC’s net neutrality rules, which are set to take effect on Novemeber 20th. It wasn’t until the regulations were published in the Federal Register on September 23rd that they became fair game for legal challenges — a technicality that resulted in Verizon’s previous attempt to block the rules being tossed out by the US Court of Appeals in April. While Verizon senior vice president and deputy general counsel, Michael E. Glover, assures netizens that the company is “fully committed to an open Internet,” it none-the-less takes issue with the FCC’s attempt to institute new “broad” and “sweeping” regulations on the telecommunications industry. We’re sure this is only the first of several cases that will be brought before the courts challenging the commission’s authority. Stayed tuned to see if and when MetroPCS re-enters the fray, and to find out the ultimate fate of net neutrality here in the US. Check out the brief statement from Verizon after the break.

Continue reading Verizon appeals net neutrality rules, let the legal wrangling begin

Verizon appeals net neutrality rules, let the legal wrangling begin originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might have noticed that Facebook changed last night. Inline photos are a little bigger, the top bar a little blockier, and a news ticker now rests in the upper-righthand corner for real-time updates. Overwhelmed? We’re here to help. More »