FCC report checks if your internet speed lives up to the ads, and why that's not fast enough

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/19/fcc-broadband-america-report/

Since 2011 the FCC has collected data on the wired (there's a separate report for wireless) broadband speeds US residents are actually receiving to release in its Measuring Broadband America report, and now the most recent one is here. First, the good news -- based on its data (collected from "Whitebox" devices sent to around 10,000 participants that performed automated tests during September 2013), most ISPs were meeting or exceeding their advertised speeds even during peak hours. Four that couldn't deliver 90 percent or more of their advertised rate during peak hours included Verizon, Frontier, Qwest and Windstream -- all of which can expect a letter from the FCC asking why not, for whatever good that will do. So if ISPs are delivering 101 percent of advertised speeds, why are users still seeing buffering notifications and experiencing slowdowns?

[Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]

There are a few reasons (not including the shameful state of U.S. broadband former commissioner Mike Copps called out in recent comments), and one that it looked closely at is consistency. The way the FCC's report measures that, is by showing how many of the service's customers get a certain percentage of the advertised speed, a certain percentage of the time. With the bar placed at 80 percent of the customers, 80 percent of the time, the only services pushing higher-than-advertised download speeds were Verizon FiOS and Cablevision. Another issue is that DSL lagged behind cable, fiber and even satellite in being able to meet its advertised speeds -- averaging 91 percent of the promised download speeds during peak periods, as compared to 102 percent for cable.

Of course, as everyone has recently become familiar with, another issue is apparent slowdowns at "certain interconnection points" during the test period. The FCC didn't include that info in this report, but says it will have new tests ready to measure the impact of network congestion by the testing period planned for later this year. It's working with services like Netflix, YouTube and Hulu to analyze the data, and previously announced it was looking into the interconnection deals between Netflix and Comcast/Verizon. In a separate blog post, the FCC specifically called out drops in broadband performance during times when internet middleman Cogent was having its disputes, and says it will release the raw data it collected.

Also, data on interconnection congestion will be made public, & @FCC will work w. Netflix, Hulu & others 2 further analyze.

- Gigi Sohn (@GigiBSohnFCC) June 18, 2014

The million dollar question(s) however, are how this report will play into the commission's actions on net neutrality, peering agreements and proposed mergers by communications giants. If DSL doesn't measure up as a competitor to cable, does this mean the Time Warner Cable / Comcast deal shouldn't go through, but maybe AT&T / DirecTV should? And who exactly is telling the truth between Netflix and the ISPs? The FCC is receiving more scrutiny than ever about its handling of all of the above -- if you need some supporting info for your comments, just hit this link.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Verizon, AT&T

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Source: Measuring Broadband America 2014, Internet Traffic Exchange, FCC (1), (2) (PDF)

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Intel launches messaging app that lets you speak through video avatars

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/19/intel-pocket-avatars/

It's easy to think of Intel as a hardware company, the sort of chip-making giant that helps build wearables, cable-free laptops, smart baby onesies. Today, though, the company is showing off software, for a change. The chip maker just unveiled Pocket Avatars, a mobile messaging app that lets you send video messages to friends. Actually, "video messages" doesn't really describe it. These aren't so much videos as 3D avatars that happen to speak in your voice. In particular, the app makes use of facial recognition -- a pet project of Intel's -- to mimic gestures like nodding, blinking, sticking out your tongue, and raising your eyebrows. All told, it's a lot of real-time processing, which means the messages are going to be fairly short: You've got 15 seconds to say what you want to say.

The app, available today for iOS and Android, includes an avatar store of sorts, where you can download 45 avatars, either for free or 99 cents. Of the bunch, you'll find some familiar characters, including those from the Lego series, Gumby, Care Bear and The Jim Henson Company (gotta give Intel credit for being thorough in its avatar-making deals, we suppose). In addition to sending to folks in your contact list, you can also post your clips to the usual services -- Facebook, Twitter, et cetera. That doesn't mean you should (we might unfollow you), but hey, at least it sounds less annoying than Slingshot.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Intel

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Facebook's Slingshot App Sure Looks A Lot Like TapTalk

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-slingshot-looks-like-taptalk-2014-6

Facebook's Slingshot messaging app is oft-compared to Snapchat in regards to the app's function, but many have pointed out the app's aesthetic similarities to another popular app, TapTalk.

TapTalk is a video and photo app that was released earlier this year, well before Facebook's Slingshot app. People are arguing that Facebook used the look of TapTalk, combined it with the functionality of Snapchat, and added the send-one-to-see-one feature as a twist.

Let's take a look.

To start, the icons do bear a strong resemblance to each other.

TapTalk also features a split-screen mode for sending and responding to messages. Slingshot usually operates in full-screen portrait mode, but a specific "React" feature does have a split-screen design for recording one's reaction to a message.

To send a message on TapTalk, there's a square grid that holds small square pictures of all your contacts. Tapping a contact's square both records a picture and selects who the picture message will be sent to. The square grid carries a similar look to the pixelated aesthetic of the app's icons.

Slingshot's design also carries a distinct focus on the blocky pixelation aesthetic; each time you send a message, there's a nifty little animation that pixelates your photo and launches it away. Since you have to send a picture first in order to unlock any messages you haven't seen yet, locked messages are deliberately pixelated, too.

The similarities between Slingshot and TapTalk are certainly there, and using both apps, it's easy to get a weird sense of déjà vu &mdas! h; even though there are some significant differences in the focus of each app.

TapTalk is all about speed and streamlining the number of taps to send a message. Slingshot, on the other hand, deliberately slows down the conversation by requiring users to first send a reply before viewing a new message. It's a twist that brings a lot of delay and friction to conversations, but it also ensures people using Slingshot won't simply lurk; it forces engagement.

You could also make the argument that using pixelation as a design aesthetic isn't solely TapTalk's turf, and there are plenty of photo apps that utilize a split screen feature. But in an already crowded messaging app market, differentiation is key, and invoking the core feeling of another app is never a good thing.

It's murky and subjective territory, so we'll let you be the judge.

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Ambient glasses put smartphone notifications right in front of your eyes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/19/ambient-glasses-notification-lights/

Still not sold on smartwatches, but want to know what's going on with your phone without taking it out of your pocket? Maybe Matilde's Fun-iki glasses, spotted at CNET Japan's Live 2014 event, will do the trick. Connecting to smartphones through WiFi, a trio of LEDs above each lens will glow (or pulse) when there's a notification, or simply to add a little, er, color to your complexion. The lights cycle through various shades of red, green and blue, and you're able to assign specific colors to specific notifications: these frames aren't limited to just phone calls and email pings and adding further third-party apps' notifications is apparently easy.

There's speakers within the arms, while it charges through the micro-USB port on the left side -- we're told it'll typically blink and glow for around two days. It's a pretty simple pair of glasses: notifications are pretty much it -- there's no interactive component or camera within the hardware itself, but you can setup the notifications, color cycles and pulse rates through a companion app. There's also three different light-up modes: 'disco' and 'party' make the LEDs go a little crazy (just think of the Tinder applications), while 'relax' mode takes gentler hues and fades them in and out. Oh and there's a morse code mode, where you can flash out a specified message. Because anachronisms.

The company says that it expects them to go on sale later this year, for a pricey 15,000 yen (around $147). Interestingly, the initial product could open up different styles: there's not much stopping Matilde adding prescription lenses, or even adding some water protection. (It's working with Paris Miki, an established Japanese glasses-maker, on the project). The company said that work is already underway on sports activity apps for the hardware. Given the squash goggle styling of the hardware, we reckon there's some potential there.

Filed under: Wearables

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Source: Fun-iki glasses

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The Smartphone Even The NSA May Have Trouble Hacking Is Coming Soon

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/silent-circle-blackphone-2014-6

If you're worried about the NSA listening in on your smartphone, Silent Circle's "Blackphone" may be the last best hope.

First announced in January, the Android-based phone goes on sale before the start of July for $629, according to NBC News.

While the price is a bit hefty, it comes with impressive features, including fully encrypted voice, text, and video calls, and a virtual private network that anonymizes web surfing — all built on a custom version of Android.

Demand for such a device certainly ramped up after Edward Snowden began leaking top-secret documents detailing NSA surveillance programs, but Silent Circle had been working on the device long before.

"We did this because there was a problem that was not being solved: secure communications," CEO Mike Janke, a former Navy SEAL, told AFP in January.

With Janke leading the company, Silent Circle's team includes a number of cryptographic experts. including Phil Zimmermann, the creator of the widely-used PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) standard.

The company has taken great pains to ensure it could not give up user data, even if compelled to by a government. While many U.S. companies receive controversial national security letters forcing them to share customer info, Silent Circle is incorporated in Switzerland and has Swiss data centers.

But the main thing that sets the security of the phone apart is that the encryption itself resides only on the handset. While encrypted data passes through the company's servers, the individual keys necessary to unlock and read the data are only on the phones.

Basically, if Silent Circle was forced to hand over data, all they could give up is a bunch of encrypted gibberish.

"There is no such thing as a completely secure phone," Janke told AFP. "! Nothing is going to protect you from your own behavior. But out of the box, this phone does a lot of things to protect your privacy."

Silent Circle isn't the only company to come up with such a device. Boeing unveiled their own version of a "black" phone in February that had a "self-destruct" feature.

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