Clearwire Appeals for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch Users

Clearwire now offers an "iSpot" access device that allows users of Apple iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone users to use the iSpot Wi-Fi connection instead of the AT&T network. The $29 iSpot uses the Clearwire mobile network to create a mobile hotspot.

The iSpot "On-the-Go" service provides unlimited data usage for $25 a month.

Compromise on Net Neutrality Rules?

Meetings between Federal Communicastions Commission officials and industry stakeholders may be nearing an agreement on net-neutrality regulations. as one would have suspected would be the case.

The meetings are part of talks aimed at finding a compromise on Internet regulation that would satisfy both the FCC's desire for preventing abuses (blocking or unfairly discriminating against legal content), and the industry's desire to retain ability to create new products that might well include enhanced quality of service features.

Many policy advocates have suggested must include a ban on network management techniques that give priority to any bits, at any time. Service providers have argued that would prevent them from creating new features and managing networks at times of peak demand.

Policy advocates have maintained that any prioritization is undesirable, keeping the Internet access business on a "best effort" basis. Service providers have argued that such prioritization, when not conducted for the purpose of discriminating against business competitors, is a typical traffic management process, and furthermore would preclude development of services end users might want, such as "video-optimized, gaming-optimized, voice-optimized or conferencing-optimized services."

In the past, such sharp disagreements typically have been resolved in ways that are not as far-reaching as policy advocates want, nor as benign as service providers might want, but which nevertheless are workable. There is little reason to doubt that such a compromise will fail to be reached this time as well.

Industry, FCC coming close to agreement on net-neutrality

Facebook Reaches Critical Mass With Advertisers

Facebook seems to have reached advertising critical mass, where its sheer mass makes it increasingly attractive as a channel.

Facebook Inc.’s biggest advertisers have boosted spending by at least 10-fold in the past year as the social network crossed the half- billion user mark, becoming more alluring to marketers that want to reach a broad online audience.

Some advertisers have increased spending by as much as 20-fold or more, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said in an interview. The site’s ad prices have held steady even as user growth fueled a surge in inventory, or pages that can carry ads, she said.

“Two years ago the big brands were experimenting with us,” said Sandberg.

Facebook Advertisers Boost Spending 10-Fold

Real Estate Arguably is the Location-Based App With the Greatest Commercial Value

Mobile real estate apps, such as those available from Zillow, Redfin, ZipRealty, Century 21 and Realtor.com, have an obvious value. Home hunting is, by definition, an "out and about" experience.

So it is quite valuable to look up sale and pricing information about the house you are standing in front of, as well as sales history for other homes in the area.

In Zillow’s case, the app finds homes for sale nearby your current location, or you can look up the value of the house you are standing by.

Mobile Marketing an Appetizer, Though Some Say it is a Main Course

We are a bit early in the adoption cycle for mobile marketing to be considered a mainstay of the advertising business. It still remains a bit of an appetizer. But enthusiasm is growing.

Android the New Windows, iOS the New Apple?

Android's growth has happened so quickly that many wonder if Android will become as ubiquitous on smartphones as Windows has on PCs.

The obvious analogy then is that iOS might be likened to the Apple OS of the past.

Loyalty is fairly high for Android, with 71 percent of current Android users saying their next phone will be another Android device, according to recent Nielsen findings.

As Smartphone Growth Skyrockets, Which Brand Will Dominate?

Here's how much data 3G FaceTime Consumes

A five-minute FaceTime call with lots of movement uses 14.7 MBytes of data. That's about 3 MBytes per minute.

Here's how much data 3G FaceTime uses