Internet speeds drop around the world according to Akamai, adoption rate up

Here's an odd one: average connection speeds around the globe dropped 14 percent to just 2.3 Mbps during the last quarter of 2011. The drop off remains something of a mystery since the data used to calculate that result doesn't include mobile broadband (so its increased adoption can't be dragging down the whole) and Akamai offers no explanation. Still, it's not time to start panicking, just yet. Even though speeds in the US dropped 5.3 percent from the previous quarter, average connection rates are still up significantly over the previous year. Otherwise, things largely stayed the same. Global broadband adoption was steady at 66 percent and the US continued to trail its friends across the Pacific (by a lot) in the race for the fastest Internet connections.

Interestingly, while the number of broadband connections stayed consistent the number of narrowband lines (under 256 Kbps) declined dramatically. Yet, the percentage of the world's population connected to the web managed to increase 2.1 percent quarter over quarter -- and 13 percent for the year. So, while it may seem that the internet had a temporary set back in Q4 of 2011, the long term trends look good. The number of people online is increasing, the average speeds being pulled down by those people is climbing and the number of folks stuck in the dial up era is dropping. To get a copy of the full report hit up the source.

Internet speeds drop around the world according to Akamai, adoption rate up originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft invests $300 million in new Barnes & Noble 'strategic partnership'

Well, that's an interesting end to all those legal tussles. Microsoft and bookseller Barnes and Noble have decided to buddy-up in the face of competitors like Amazon and Apple. The strategic partnership -- Microsoft loves 'em -- would come in the form of a new Barnes and Noble subsidiary that deals with all things Nook, in addition to its education business. The bookseller would hold onto the lion's share at 82.4 percent, with the remaining 17.6 percent in Microsoft's control. The first benefit posited would be a Nook app for the incoming Windows 8. Barnes and Noble's Nook Study software would also benefit from a friendly boost on all that Windows hardware. Maybe all those other legal matches will resolve in similar warm-and-fuzzy business hook-ups -- but we doubt it.

Continue reading Microsoft invests $300 million in new Barnes & Noble 'strategic partnership'

Microsoft invests $300 million in new Barnes & Noble 'strategic partnership' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Britney Spears Posts Cute, Trippy Video of Kids

Britney Spears' sons Sean and Jayden sure know how to have fun.

The singer Tweeted a trippy semi-animated video of the boys, ages 6 and 5 respectively, dancing to "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup.

Carrying a toy light saber, Sean does most of the dancing. "We shot a fun video for y'all," Spears writes. "Hint: it involves my boys. More to come, I promise!"

One can only hope. It's nice to see her kids playing and doing weirdly cute stuff like any other children that age. Check out the video posted by Britney below:

Britney Spears' Boys Sean Preston and Jayden James

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Ask Engadget: best 'money is no object' laptop?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Chris, who simply has too much money to blow on a super-laptop. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I sold my business and I want to replace my laptop [HP Pavilion G6] with a completely unreasonably expensive top of the line machine. I want it to do everything I do (gaming, coding, web design) all at the same time. Apart from the fact I need two hard drive bays, I'm completely open-minded, so what should I be buying? Thank you!"

Quell your gnashing teeth, members of the 99 percent, he's done well for himself and now he needs our help. We were able to trick out an Alienware M18x to full capacity for $6,700 -- with an over-clocked 4GHz Intel Core i7 CPU, 32GB of RAM, two 2GB NVIDIA GTX 675M GPUs in SLI mode and 1.2TB of SSD RAID storage. That's the benchmark, folks: who out there can find something more powerful?

Ask Engadget: best 'money is no object' laptop? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 23:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patterned by Nature: it's big, blocky and earth-approved (video)

Quick quiz: which consumes more power, an "energy-efficient" 55-inch LED TV, or the 90-foot "Patterned by Nature" video installation at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences? It's actually a trick question, because the sculpture does eat less power -- just 75 watts -- but then it only has a fraction of the TV's pixels. Each of its 3600 "dots" is in fact a 6-inch glass pane which can vary its transparency, a decidedly more lo-fi approach than similar tech we've seen before, but no less arresting as a result. As the video shows, it combines an eight channel soundtrack with twenty Mario-like animations on its serpentine skin -- ranging from bacteria to flocking geese -- to bring mother nature to the viewer without sapping her energy.

Patterned by Nature: it's big, blocky and earth-approved (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaked T-Mobile docs give ICS update schedule for Sensation 4G, Galaxy S II, and Amaze 4G

TmoNews got their hands on a leaked enterprise calendar from T-Mobile corporate, and tucked in the rest of the news was the proposed dates for the Ice Cream Sandwich rollout for the Samsung Galaxy S II, the HTC Sensation 4G, and the HTC Amaze 4G. I won't tease:

• The Galaxy S II is slated to be updated May 14
• The Sensation 4G and Amaze 4G are expected to be updated June 16

Of course things like this are subject to change, but the time frame sounds about right. Be on the lookout for ROMs to leak, we sure will be. 

Source: TmoNews

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Experience The Wonder Of Streaming Piracy With iOSLiveTV.com

This is so illegal that we can probably expect to see it fold in a matter of hours, but if you're really hankering for some Russian or German TV right now - or some hott sexxxy Penthouse action - iOSLiveTV has you covered. The site is formatted for iOS and Android and features a number of live TV channels including some adult selections.

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Pizza, After-Parties, And Start-Ups: The TC Mini Meet-Up In NYC Will Rock Your Socks!

May is going to be a busy month here in the city. Along with Disrupt and the continuation of our highly successful Office Hours sessions, we're also hosting an ironically massive "Mini" Meet-Up in NYC on May 8. Startups, investors, and general dreamers will have the opportunity to speak with each other, as well as parts of the TechCrunch editorial staff to network, pitch, and be merry. There will be a lot of beer. Along with over 600 of you fine geek-flavored humans, John Biggs, myself, Chris Velazco, Matt Burns, Eric Eldon, Peter Ha, Josh Zelman and possibly Alexia Tsotsis will all be in attendance.

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You Can Watch Live TV on Your iPhone or iPad with This Website (Update: Android Too!) [TV]

There are some apps like the NBA's GameTime that let you watch certain channels or events live, but this site will let you watch a large selection of channels from the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy—for free. Crazy, awesome, and absolutely soon-to-be-sued-into-the-ground. More »

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