Support Our Site
Get Better Gear!
- Kensington Windshield/Vent Car Mount with Sound Amplified Cradle for iPhone from Kensington, $39.99
- SigFx Energy iPhone Case Contains Smart Battery from SigFx Energy, US$69.95
- NAVIGON AG - True GPS Software for the iPhone from NAVIGON Inc., 89.99
- Tweetie 2 from atebits, $2.99
- Snood: Flawed Casual Play from Electronic Arts, US$3.99
Premier Sponsors
Top 5 Free Apps
iTunes New Music Releases
Top 5 Paid Apps
Discover New Music
- Jeff Wayne
- With the new movie adaptation of H.G Wells' classic Sci Fi invasion tale, War of the Worlds, currently on theater screens everywhere, there's new interest in Jeff Wayne's rock opera version, and it is
- Barenaked Ladies
- These guys know how to put on a live show, and whomever recorded this knows how to capture one. Rock Spectacle is one of the warmest-sounding recordings I've ever heard, and totally fills a room at a
- Powderfinger
- Guitar-driven rock out of Australia, Powderfinger has not seen much exposure in the States, but should get a nod for their toe-tapping songs. Building off their previous release, "Internationalist" (
- Amon Tobin
- The genius is in the beats. Amon Tobin creates fantastic, groovy beats behind beats. "Supermodified" rolls through your expectations of breakbeat music, and turns them up a bit. It's a mellow album, p
- Congo Norvell
Very few albums manage to capture snapshots of a quality of life in the manner that Congo Norvell's sophomore record, "Abnormals Anonymous," does.
Comparisons to the Velvet Underground are
Reader Specials
Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!
News
U.S. Falling Behind in Broadband Access
Tuesday, April 24th, 2007 at 3:00 PM - by John Martellaro
The U.S. is falling behind the rest of the world in broadband Internet access and paying more, according to BusinessWeek. Rule changes for ISPs and warring factions in the U.S. have contributed to the problem.
An economic study group published their results this week and found that the U.S. now ranks 15th out of 30 countries in per-capita broadband subscriptions. It's a topic that has the interest of the U.S. Senate in terms of American competitiveness.
The study group, The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, shares economic statistics amongst 30 industrialized countries. Their report said that as of December 2006, only 19.6% of Americans subscribed to broadband, meaning 256 kbps or greater.
The leaders are Denmark and the Netherlands with nearly 32 percent. Worse, the U.S. is slipping. In 2001, the U.S. was 4th. Six months ago it was 12th. Now, Australia may be emerging to push the U.S. down another notch.
One culprit may be a 2005 rule change regarding how ISPs lease phone company lines. The policy has kept broadband prices high in the U.S. compared to, say, France, where one can get a service with unlimited phone calls, 93 cable TV channels, and 20 Mbps Internet service for the equivalent of about US$33/month.
The 2005 rule change in the U.S. is spurring companies to look at different technologies, such as pervasive Wi-Fi in cities and WiMax. "Making broadband more widely available at lower prices could create demand for new types of digital products, but first the warring corporate interests and the Federal Communications Commission, the nation's top telecommunications regulator, will need to agree on changes to ensure it happens," BW concluded.
Changes that make the U.S. more competitive in this area will certainly be welcomed by Apple as it seeks to make the Internet our primary source of movie entertainment, music and TV.
Recent Headlines
- Apple TV 3.0.1 Update Fixes Missing Content Bug
- Taiwan Leak Shows Verizon UTMS/CDMA iPhone for Q3 2010
- iPhone Moves Into RadioShack
- Dictionary, Dictionary, Dictionary, And More
- The Latest App Store Games: Gravity Sling, RocketBird, Ground Effect, Checkers!
- iPhone Game Developer Sued for Collecting User’s Cell Numbers
- Apple May Be Bringing RFID to the iPhone
Post Your Comments