Internet access

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Gadgets Have Consumers Crying for Help

Buyers frustrated by problems with cell phones, internet access and computers

(Newser) - Digital technology plays a key role in the lives of most Americans, but it's often too complex, frustrating, and prone to failure, a study by the Pew Research Center finds. Nearly half of consumers said they regularly need help setting up a device, learning how to use it, or solving...

Wi-Fi Goes for a Ride&mdash;in the Slow Lane
Wi-Fi Goes for a Ride—in the Slow Lane
Tech review
Nov 13, 2008 10:06 AM CST

Wi-Fi Goes for a Ride—in the Slow Lane

In-car system is reliable but may distract drivers: Mossberg

(Newser) - Wi-Fi has moved to the car, with Chrysler and Autonet Mobile teaming up to offer connectivity on wheels. It's a neat idea that works reasonably well, writes Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal, though speed isn't great, and the initial cost is steep. Moreover, "the company says the...

Comcast to Put Brakes on Bandwidth Hogs

ISP decides to slow down users rather than P2P programs after FCC scolding

(Newser) - Comcast plans to reduce Internet connection speeds for heavy users, Bloomberg reports. The company's "FairShare" system will slow users down for 10 to 20 minutes during peak periods. Comcast was recently scolded by the FCC for improperly blocking file-sharing programs like BitTorrent in an effort to manage Web traffic.

Dial-Up Hold-Outs: Some Just Don't Want Broadband

They're turned off by high prices or just not interested, study shows

(Newser) - Dial-up Internet users might not want broadband—or at least not want it enough to pay for it. That’s the word from a new study that finds high prices and a lack of interest are bigger factors than lack of access for most dial-up holdouts. The story is different,...

In-Flight WiFi Takes Off
 In-Flight WiFi Takes Off 
Product review
Jun 19, 2008 2:32 PM CDT

In-Flight WiFi Takes Off

The last refuge from the office is gone

(Newser) - Now you can manically check your inbox from 40,000 feet, reports Walter Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal. Certain American Airlines routes between New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami will offer in-flight WiFi starting in July, and Virgin America will have it later in the year....

Free Broadband Could Be Part of Feds' Auction Plan

FCC head considers plan that could have 95% of US covered in 10 years

(Newser) - The Federal Communication Commission wants you to have free Internet, the Wall Street Journal reports, and it's considering a plan to auction airwaves with the requirement that the winner offer Wi-fi free to most of the US. The free access would come with its own strings for users, though, in...

For Some US Towns, Internet Access is DIY

As providers focus on big markets, locals take net into own hands

(Newser) - Around the world, firms and governments are ramping up the speed and availability of internet access. But in the US, telecoms are focusing mainly on big-city markets. To avoid professional brain drain, some smaller cities and towns are investing in more powerful infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal reports. But the...

My Search Term, Myself
 My Search Term, Myself 
OPINION
Apr 21, 2008 2:04 PM CDT

My Search Term, Myself

Blogger ponders path Web surfers take to his threshold

(Newser) - Freud would have a field day studying Google searches, posits a blogger who tracked the terms visitors to his web page used and found a window into man's pathologies. John Kelly, a columnist on leave from the Washington Post, writes in the Guardian about "how the fetishes, pathologies and...

'Black Holes' Sap Net's Traffic

A more mysterious answer to why that one site won't load...

(Newser) - Ever wonder why that one website just won’t load? New research suggests that the obvious explanations, such as errors with either your computer or the site's Internet connection, are not always sufficient to explain blockages in net traffic, DailyTech reports. In fact, “Internet black holes”—service disruptions...

Beijing Eases Limits on Wikipedia
Beijing Eases Limits on Wikipedia
Apr 5, 2008 11:12 AM CDT

Beijing Eases Limits on Wikipedia

But topics such as Tibet, Tiananmen remain off limits

(Newser) - Prodded by the International Olympic Committee, China has seemingly eased restrictions on the English-language version of Wikipedia, Reuters reports. But authorities continue to block access to articles related to sensitive topics such as Tibet and Tiananmen Square. Users in Shanghai and Beijing, the site of the summer Olympics, reported being...

Silicon Valley Unplugs for Meetings

Companies go 'topless' to boost employees' attention

(Newser) - Tired of competing for attention with iPhones, BlackBerrys and laptops, some Silicon Valley companies are banning them from meetings. One exec calls it going "topless," short for laptopless, and the Los Angeles Times reports that it's boosting some companies' efficiency. "Aside from just being rude," an...

Hopes for Wifi Cities Fizzling Fast
Hopes for
Wifi Cities Fizzling Fast
Mar 22, 2008 12:48 PM CDT

Hopes for Wifi Cities Fizzling Fast

Earthlink, other providers pull out amid rising costs

(Newser) - Hopes for wireless cities are flickering out one by one as Internet providers run up against mounting logistics and small profits, the New York Times reports. Ambitious plans to provide free or cheap high-speed service to poor residents of cities such as Philadelphia, Houston, and San Francisco have ground to...

Information Age an Uneasy Time in Baghdad

City residents free to surf the Web but scared to leave their homes

(Newser) - The electronics business is booming in Baghdad five years after the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, the LA Times reports. Repressive controls on foreign TV and Internet access are gone and shoppers are free to buy DVDs of the latest Hollywood movies—but too often, they are investing in...

FCC Ready to Defend Net Neutrality
FCC Ready
to Defend
Net Neutrality
Feb 26, 2008 12:30 PM CST

FCC Ready to Defend Net Neutrality

Agency says it will step in to stop ISPs from blocking access

(Newser) - FCC boss Kevin Martin told a hearing yesterday that the government was "ready, willing, and able to step in" to stop Internet service providers from restricting traffic sent by rivals, the Wall Street Journal reports. Comcast is accused of acting improperly by slowing or blocking access to file-sharing sites....

UK File Pirates Could Lose Net Privileges

Proposed laws would disconnect illegal downloaders

(Newser) - Legislation proposed in the UK would disconnect from the Internet people who illegally download or share files. Under a plan to be recommended in a paper from the government's Department of Media, Culture and Sport, file pirates will face a "three strikes" policy—the first offense gets an email,...

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