When you're reading angry tweets about dropping to 3G in an LTE dead zone, it's easy to forget that for some people, getting online isn't even an option. In Cuba, internet access is extremely limited and out of financial reach for most, but news early this year of an undersea cable to Venezuela suggested the country might, with time, become better connected. As it turns out, that link has already made something of an impact, as the Associated Press is reporting that 118 government-run centers where one can swap cash for web time have just opened.
That doesn't mean all Cubans will be able to while away hours on YouTube from now on, though, as the cost of full access at one of these centers is $4.50 per hour, or in other words, roughly a quarter of the average monthly wage (AP pegs a typical salary at around $20 per month). We guess really expensive internet is better than none, and if Cuba's vice minister of communications Wilfredo Gonzalez is to be believed, mobile internet is said to be arriving in "a relatively near future."
[Image credit: Franklin Reyes, Associated Press]
Filed under: Internet
Via: CNET
Source: Associated Press
Cuba may only be positioned 100 or so miles from Key West, but the US embargo meant an undersea fiber link to North America hasn't been a possibility. Earlier this week, though, we began to see discussion regarding traffic passing through a connection to Venezuela, and ETECSA, a government-owned telecom provider, has now confirmed that a 994-mile cable has been operational since August, though in a limited capacity. On January 10th, ETECSA stepped up its utilization, testing the connection using "real traffic."
The $70-million Alba-1 cable, which has a reported lifespan of 25 years, was completed in February 2011, though it's not clear when, or if, citizens will see any benefit -- a statement explained that it "will not automatically mean an increase in access." That's not great news for Cubans, but at least Hugo Chavez now has the possibility of a direct link to his home country -- with a Netflix subscription and a VPN tunnel to the good ole US of A, his recovery could be a little more speedy.
Filed under: Internet
Source: AFP
The advent of movie support in iTunes for the Cloud was a boon to Apple TV owners as well as any iTunes user with a tendency to hop between devices -- within the US, that is. Apple today swung the doors open and let Australia, Canada, the UK as well as 32 other countries and regions around the world get access to their movies whenever they're signed in through iTunes or an iOS device. Not every studio is on the same page, as many American viewers will know all too well: it's more likely that you'll get re-download rights for a major studio title such as Lockout than an indie production, for example. Even with that limit in mind, there's no doubt more than a few movie mavens glad to avoid shuffling and re-syncing that copy of Scott Pilgrim to watch it through to the end.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
iTunes in the Cloud movies find their way to Australia, Canada, the UK and 32 more countries originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you've been holed up in Thailand, waiting to browse the latest and greatest apps for your Windows Phone in your browser instead of on the device directly, then things are looking up. Microsoft has just announced that 22 new countries are being graces with their own web Marketplace. The full list covers Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Israel, Thailand, and Vietnam. The same blog post advises that work is also underway to improve the search results delivered by the site. So you might not have to play Hungry Birds for much longer.
Web Marketplace for Windows Phone gets 22 more stamps in its passport originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 07:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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'New' iPad landing in South Korea, Israel and 19 other countries, officially ceases to be new in US originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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