Starbucks WiFi goes Google

Lucky Starbucks--how about the rest of us?

Official Blog: Starbucks’ WiFi goes Google: " . . .we’re teaming up with Starbucks to bring faster, free WiFi connections to all 7,000 company-operated Starbucks stores in the United States over the next 18 months. When your local Starbucks WiFi network goes Google, you’ll be able to surf the web at speeds up to 10x faster than before. If you’re in a Google Fiber city, we’re hoping to get you a connection that’s up to 100x faster. . . ."

Here are the 7 companies Microsoft doesn’t want its ex-Windows chief to join — Tech News and Analysis: " . . . now we know, thanks to Microsoft’s 10-K filing, just which companies has are off limits to Sinofsky until December 31, 2013, a  year from his termination date. By virtue of Sinofsky’s retirement agreement, he “cannot accept direct or indirect employment” with Amazon, Apple, EMC, Google, Facebook, Oracle and VMware. . . . "--(not that any of those 7 companies would want to have anything to do with Sinofsky who is infamous for his project known as "Windows 8")

Microsoft forced to rename SkyDrive following trademark case with broadcaster | The Verge: " . . . In a settlement issued on Wednesday, BSkyB notes that Microsoft will not appeal the court ruling and that the company will allow Microsoft to continue using the brand "for a reasonable period of time to allow for an orderly transition to a new brand." . . ."

XKeyscore: NSA tool collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet' | World news | theguardian.com: " XKeyscore gives 'widest-reaching' collection of online data • NSA analysts require no prior authorization for searches • Sweeps up emails, social media activity and browsing history • NSA's XKeyscore program – read one of the presentations . . ."

Robocalls and third-party violations: FCC rules on vicarious liability under the TCPA | DLA Piper - JDSupra: "The Federal Communications Commission recently clarified whether parties on whose behalf telemarketing “robocalls” are made may be liable for third-party violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).   Retailers who did not actually place calls may only be “vicariously” liable and subject to damages for third-party TCPA violations if federal common law principles of agency apply. "

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 2013: Specs revealed (exclusive) | BGR: "Amazon to combine powerhouse specs and affordable prices in bid to scorch the competition"

Microsoft Office comes to Android, but not tablets

Boston.com
Microsoft Corp. is trying to make its Office 365 subscription more compelling, ... competing offerings such as QuickOffice from Google and iWork from Apple. . . .

Apple Faces App Review Backlog After Developer Center Breach

ReadWrite
As Apple plows towards the release of the next iPhone, it is working with developers to get their apps ready for the next version of its mobile operating system, ...

Amazon: 8 essential tips to save money online

Christian Science Monitor
Well, “ultimate” might be a bit of hyperbole, but I thought it would be useful to collect together all of the things I've learned about saving money on Amazon.com in ...

Facebook Said to Plan to Sell TV-Style Ads for $2.5M Each
Bloomberg
Facebook Inc. (FB), seeking to break the long-held dominance of television over advertising budgets, plans to sell TV-style commercials on its site for as much as $2.5 million a day, two people familiar with the matter said. The world's largest social-networking ...

Egad! Could Samsung be CHEATING in Galaxy benchmark tests?
Register
Samsung has reportedly been cheating in benchmark tests, artificially boosting the scores of its latest and greatest system-on-chip, the Exynos 5 Octa, on those performance-ranking number generators so beloved by reviewers and product evaluators. "Oh hell ...

Facebook fights for real-time relevance with embedded posts
CNET
The social network launches a new feature to remind the media that its 1.15 billion members can serve as sources for stories....

Microsoft Office Mobile Comes to Android Phones
PC Magazine
Despite the problems Microsoft has had in recent years breaking into mobile and refreshing its interface guidelines, the company's Office suite is still the gold standard for productivity software. After years of speculation and rumors, Microsoft has finally ...

This is the total from both tablet launches until June 30
DailyTech
Microsoft has been pretty stingy about revealing sales numbers for its Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets, but the Windows maker finally threw a number out there -- just one. From the launch of the Surface RT tablet (October 26, 2012) and the launch of the ...

NASA astronaut explains cause of helmet leak that aborted spacewalk
Christian Science Monitor
Two weeks after NASA aborted a spacewalk outside the International Space Station when up to 1.5 liters of “funny-tasting” water leaked into Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet, Maj. Parmitano's spacewalk partner has released a video explaining what ...

Google Gets TV Right With Chromecast: Rich Jaroslovsky
Bloomberg
Google (GOOG) has a long history of spaghetti-style product development: throw a lot of stuff against the wall and see what sticks. When it comes to television, the result has often been a mushy mess. Now the company is trying again, with a new $35 gadget ...

Microsoft confirms it will change SkyDrive name after trademark suit
VentureBeat
Microsoft has done a lot of work to make SkyDrive one of the most competitive cloud storage services on the market. But soon the name SkyDrive will fly away into the clouds, never to be heard again. After a U.K. court ruled that the SkyDrive name infringed on ...

Starbucks Drops AT&T, Teams With Google for In-Store Wi-Fi
PC Magazine
Soon, Starbucks customers will be able to log onto the Web quicker than they can order a triple grande non-fat decaf iced latte. The eatery is ditching its current AT&T Wi-Fi setup for a partnership with Google. An 18-month rollout will begin in August, with all ...

Google Play apps pass Apple's App Store
USA TODAY
It was bound to happen: Google Play downloads of apps jumped ahead of those at Apple's App Store. Google Play app downloads were 10% higher than at Apple's App Store ...

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