In order to stand out in the crowded field of on-demand streaming services, media companies know the more places they can get eyeballs on their content, the more successful they’ll be. And because viewers are often on the go, Netflix says it’s considering making separate cuts of its original programming optimized for watching on mobile devices. [More]
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Comcast Says It Will Launch Wireless Service In “Middle Of The Year”
By 1.26.17
Comcast had a lot to brag about this morning when it unveiled its latest quarterly earnings: revenue is up; cord-cutting has stalled (for now); and the company’s share price is high enough for a split, doubling the number of shares to more than 4.7 billion. But the question on a number of investors’ lips today was “When is Comcast launching its wireless service?” [More]
Make Sure You Destroy That Check After A Mobile Deposit
By 12.14.16
With the convenience of mobile banking services, it’s pretty easy to deposit check by just taking a couple of photos with your phone. But it’s important to remember that you still have to be careful about what happens to that paper check; just ask the Arizona woman who is out $1,500 after using the Bank of America mobile app to deposit a check [More]
AOL Still Exists, Laying Off 500 People
By 11.17.16
Six months after Verizon Communications paid $4.4 billion to buy AOL and its collection of media and technology companies, the top honcho at the ‘90s Internet brand says they’ll be laying off about 5% of the staff today, with around 500 employees expected to get their walking papers. [More]
Target Testing New “Cartwheel Perks” Rewards Program
By 9.12.16
Since its launch in 2013, Target’s Cartwheel app has provided customers with several avenues of savings: from clipping manufacturer’s coupons to sending notices of what’s on sale near them. Now, the company is testing another feature that rewards customers for using the app. [More]
Netflix Introduces Data Usage Controls For Mobile Users
By 5.5.16
A month after admitting that it was deliberately broadcasting lower-resolution video to AT&T and Verizon wireless users, Netflix has introduced a new tool that will let users around the world choose how much of their data plan they want to blow through binge-watching House of Cards.
[More]
Spotify Introducing Streaming Videos On Its Mobile Apps
By 1.25.16
You may be familiar with Spotify, a streaming music service that offers commercial-free listening for a monthly subscription price, as well as a free version that comes with ads. The streaming platform is now branching out with the debut of music content on its mobile apps this week. [More]
Uber Expands On-Demand Food Delivery Service To 10 More Cities
By 1.21.16
People who are looking for a bite to eat, but don’t feel like interacting with the world at large can now simply order their meals from their Uber app. The ride-hailing company expanded its UberEATS meal-delivery service to 10 more cities, including Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, and Dallas. The service delivers customers their choice of meals from a specially curated and rotating menu that features “local flavors that you crave the most” from the “most popular, iconic restaurants.” [The Wall Street Journal] [More]
Walmart Shoppers Will Soon Be Able To Pay For Their Stuff In Stores Using Retailer’s Smartphone App
By 12.10.15
In a sign that Walmart might be giving up on CurrentC — a mobile payment system that a consortium led by the retailer dreamed up a few years ago that has yet to become a reality — the chain has announced that shoppers in its stores will soon be able to pay for their stuff with the Walmart smartphone app. [More]
Comcast Could Be The Next Company To Offer Cell Service
By 10.22.15
Everyone’s favorite (or not) cable, internet and telephone provider, Comcast, could soon be handling your cell service, too. [More]
PayPal Buys Online Money Transfer Company Xoom For $890M
By 7.2.15
PayPal appears to be preparing for its upcoming separation from parent company eBay later this month by buying an online money-transfer company to increase its international and online presence. [More]
Google Confirms Plans For Wireless Service
By 3.2.15
A new major player could be coming to the world of wireless service providers. Google confirmed plans to launch its own wireless service in the next several months, albeit in a limited capacity. [More]
Cablevision Launching Unlimited, Wifi-Only Mobile Plan In New York
By 1.26.15
Regional cable operator Cablevision is jumping into the mobile fray in a big way this week, and they’re doing it an untraditional way. The new service is 100% based on a network of wifi hotspots: Cell phones without the cell. [More]
Curious Which Mobile Phone Bills Are Highest? Survey Says: Verizon!
By 1.16.14
Ever wonder how your phone bill stacks up against the average? Sometimes it’s hard to know if you’re actually getting a decent deal, or if you’re being suckered into something ridiculous. Thanks to some newly published survey data, now you can see how your own bill compares to everyone else’s. [More]
T-Mobile’s “Maverick” Pricing May Drop Call On Potential Sprint Merger
By 1.15.14
Sprint has reportedly been eyeing a merger with T-Mobile since December. Together, the two companies might have the size and clout to stand up to the nation’s two largest mobile carriers, Verizon and AT&T. But could T-Mobile’s small size and untraditional strategies actually be the roadblock preventing the purchase from happening? [More]
Verizon’s iPhone 5 Math: Using The Same Amount Of Data Faster Counts As More Data
By 10.17.12
We keep hearing about a wi-fi bug that leads to iPhone 5 owners racking up huge data bills when they thought they weren’t on the mobile data network. When Matt contacted Verizon about it, the ever-helpful customer service representative told him that it was just because the iPhone 5 is a 4G LTE device. This is probably the cause of many data complaints that new smartphone users have, but isn’t the case for Matt. He says that he hasn’t changed his browsing habits: using the same amount of data in a shorter amount of time doesn’t mean that he uses more data. At least, not according to the math that everyone except Verizon uses. [More]
2.5 Internet Connections For Every Person On Earth By 2016
By 5.30.12
According to an annual survey by Cisco, the number of Internet connections will reach 18.9 billion by 2016, driven by a proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other handheld devices. That’s 2.5 for for each person on Earth. [More]
Virgin Killing Off Unlimited Mobile Broadband Plan
By 1.27.11
Say “sayonara” to another unlimited mobile plan, Virgin is adding a 5GB cap and throttle to its $40 “Unlimited Broadband2Go” MiFi plan. After you surpass the threshold in a month, your transfer speeds will get reduced to 256 kbps or lower for the rest of the month. The changes go into effect Feb 15. Happy Valentines Day. [More]
