London Cab Fleet To Get Free Wi-Fi
A fleet of London cabs are set to be rigged with Internet access. According to the Inquirer, Greentomatocars will equip 300 cars with SIM cards that will stream Wi-Fi for passengers--just need to hop in and log in with the password “ilovewifi.” 40 London tube stations are already fitted out with Wi-Fi access, with 80 expected to be ready by the time the Olympics begin, thanks to partner Virgin Media. The London overground is also getting wired for Wi-Fi, courtesy of ISP provider The Cloud.
Rumor: Suppliers Prep For Mass Production Of iPad Mini
The iPad mini is a recurring character in Apple rumorology. New information picked up by the Wall Street Journal suggests that work is in fact underway on a smaller version of Apple’s regulation-sized version of the device. According to the Journal’s sources, the screen size will be under 8 inches--this we’ve heard before. But suppliers of parts have also revealed, anonymously, that Apple has asked them to rally for mass production--that's one step ahead of the tests rumored to be underway earlier this year. Considering Apple has trounced the competition when it comes to regular-sized tablets anywhere, a mini version of the device is likely to be no small success.
Rakuten Adds "Pin It" Buttons To Websites
Japanese online megastore and Pinterest backer Rakuten has begun adding "Pin It" buttons to its web stores. To Rakuten’s benefit, the addition could cut out a few crucial steps between "pinners" and "buyers," while helping Pinterest grow on international shores. As TheNextWebpoints out, this is the first time the two companies have combined their services since Rakuten topped off Pinterest’s last funding round with a tidy $100 million.
Online stores have been watching Pinterest’s virally growing, free-spending user base, and its success at surpassing scrapbook status to drive sales has begun to spawn lookalikes (like the newly launched Wisemarkit) optimized to tap its wallet-loosening quality. Meanwhile, Pinterest itself has been pushing to grow its users internationally--after putting out a call for translators, its first three foreign language sites (Iberian Spanish, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese) are up and running.
WikiLeaks To Release 2.4 Million Private Emails From Syria
WikiLeaks has begun publishing a trove of private emails from Syrian officials. The 2.4 million emails span six years and will be released over the next two months, the group said in a press release. WikiLeaks is calling the series the "Syria Files." It may be a while before revealing information bubbles up from the collection because it was released in bulk and un-parsed, so it will take groups of interested volunteers world-over to sift through the content for telling nuggets of information. As a primer, this is WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange's early take: "The material is embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria’s opponents." Separately Iceland's government has warned MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a politician and earlier Wikileaks volunteer involved in releasing information about activities in Iraq, not to enter the U.S. for fear of reprisals by the DoJ.
HTC Wins Four-Patent Case With Apple In The UK
After a U.S. judge struck down Apple's request for an emergency ban on HTC smartphones in the U.S., a U.K. judge has greenlit HTC's plans to import its phones into that country. In a ruling on Wednesday, a U.K. judge decided that HTC did not violate four patents that Apple claimed were being breached. The judge also found three of Apple's patents--slide-to-unlock, multi-touch, and multilingual keyboards--invalid and not necessarily patent-like in the first place.
Google's Nexus 7 Tablet Will Lack Some Content In U.K.
One of the advantages that Google's Nexus 7 tablet may have over its Amazon rival the Kindle Fire is that Google wants to push it out internationally sooner, whereas Amazon is overly U.S.-centric now. But it's emerged that when the Nexus hits British shores, it will lack access to Google-distributed TV shows, music, and magazines--limiting the multimedia value of the £160 device. The issue is almost certainly due to international licensing matters, which require Google to seal deals with the relevant distributing bodies in each nation, which it has evidently not concentrated on securing for British buyers. Apple faced this matter with its iTunes store, but has been continually expanding international availability--recently expanding to 12 Asian nations.
A fleet of London cabs are set to be rigged with Internet access. According to the Inquirer, Greentomatocars will equip 300 cars with SIM cards that will stream Wi-Fi for passengers--just need to hop in and log in with the password “ilovewifi.” 40 London tube stations are already fitted out with Wi-Fi access, with 80 expected to be ready by the time the Olympics begin, thanks to partner Virgin Media. The London overground is also getting wired for Wi-Fi, courtesy of ISP provider The Cloud.
Rumor: Suppliers Prep For Mass Production Of iPad Mini
The iPad mini is a recurring character in Apple rumorology. New information picked up by the Wall Street Journal suggests that work is in fact underway on a smaller version of Apple’s regulation-sized version of the device. According to the Journal’s sources, the screen size will be under 8 inches--this we’ve heard before. But suppliers of parts have also revealed, anonymously, that Apple has asked them to rally for mass production--that's one step ahead of the tests rumored to be underway earlier this year. Considering Apple has trounced the competition when it comes to regular-sized tablets anywhere, a mini version of the device is likely to be no small success.
Rakuten Adds "Pin It" Buttons To Websites
Japanese online megastore and Pinterest backer Rakuten has begun adding "Pin It" buttons to its web stores. To Rakuten’s benefit, the addition could cut out a few crucial steps between "pinners" and "buyers," while helping Pinterest grow on international shores. As TheNextWebpoints out, this is the first time the two companies have combined their services since Rakuten topped off Pinterest’s last funding round with a tidy $100 million.
Online stores have been watching Pinterest’s virally growing, free-spending user base, and its success at surpassing scrapbook status to drive sales has begun to spawn lookalikes (like the newly launched Wisemarkit) optimized to tap its wallet-loosening quality. Meanwhile, Pinterest itself has been pushing to grow its users internationally--after putting out a call for translators, its first three foreign language sites (Iberian Spanish, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese) are up and running.
WikiLeaks To Release 2.4 Million Private Emails From Syria
WikiLeaks has begun publishing a trove of private emails from Syrian officials. The 2.4 million emails span six years and will be released over the next two months, the group said in a press release. WikiLeaks is calling the series the "Syria Files." It may be a while before revealing information bubbles up from the collection because it was released in bulk and un-parsed, so it will take groups of interested volunteers world-over to sift through the content for telling nuggets of information. As a primer, this is WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange's early take: "The material is embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria’s opponents." Separately Iceland's government has warned MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a politician and earlier Wikileaks volunteer involved in releasing information about activities in Iraq, not to enter the U.S. for fear of reprisals by the DoJ.
HTC Wins Four-Patent Case With Apple In The UK
After a U.S. judge struck down Apple's request for an emergency ban on HTC smartphones in the U.S., a U.K. judge has greenlit HTC's plans to import its phones into that country. In a ruling on Wednesday, a U.K. judge decided that HTC did not violate four patents that Apple claimed were being breached. The judge also found three of Apple's patents--slide-to-unlock, multi-touch, and multilingual keyboards--invalid and not necessarily patent-like in the first place.
Google's Nexus 7 Tablet Will Lack Some Content In U.K.
One of the advantages that Google's Nexus 7 tablet may have over its Amazon rival the Kindle Fire is that Google wants to push it out internationally sooner, whereas Amazon is overly U.S.-centric now. But it's emerged that when the Nexus hits British shores, it will lack access to Google-distributed TV shows, music, and magazines--limiting the multimedia value of the £160 device. The issue is almost certainly due to international licensing matters, which require Google to seal deals with the relevant distributing bodies in each nation, which it has evidently not concentrated on securing for British buyers. Apple faced this matter with its iTunes store, but has been continually expanding international availability--recently expanding to 12 Asian nations.
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