Cold water for Google Fiber fans: Covering the whole country could cost $140 billion

Bad news for those of us who would love to see Google (GOOG) expand its fiber network out to the entire country: Doing so may be prohibitively expensive. Business Insider points us to a new research note from Goldman Sachs estimating that it would cost Google an estimated $140 billion or more to make Google Fiber available to the rest of the United States. Since Google has “only” $45 billion on hand...

Read More..

Sprint reportedly looking to team up with Dish on its proposed national wireless network

The intrigue surrounding the Dish Network’s (DISH) plans to build out its own nationwide mobile data network just got even more interesting. Unnamed sources have told Bloomberg that Sprint (S) has been trying to hash out a deal with Dish that would let the satellite television provider “offer mobile-phone service over the carrier’s network” in exchange for giving Sprint “access to Dish’s mobile airwaves,...

Read More..

NASA: Apocalypse, No!

With the Mayan apocalypse fast approaching (two weeks!), a NASA senior scientist has reassured the world that the space agency isn't hiding any intel on the order of the universe and its impending implosion December 21. "There’s no cosmic catastrophe coming," David Morrison said definitively to Current TV's Cenk Uygur. (Watch the full video below.) RELATED: There's No Excuse for Missing Tomorrow's...

Read More..

‘Six strikes’ ISP policy could be a disaster in the making

ISPs have delayed implementing their “six strikes” anti-piracy program so many times now that we’re beginning to wonder if the whole thing isn’t just a giant bluff. All the same, TIME’s Matt Peckham has written an interesting piece about how the long-threatened policy could be a nightmare for apartment building owners and small businesses that rely upon shared connections. Basically, Peckham says...

Read More..

How Apple may have turned Samsung into its very own ‘Frankenstein’s monster’

Were Nietzsche alive today and covering the tech industry, he might say something along the lines of, “And what you outsource to the abyss, the abyss outsources also onto you.” Over at Asymco’s blog, James Allworth has written a very interesting piece arguing that Apple (AAPL) really has itself to blame for the rise of smartphone rival Samsung (005930). In fact, Allworth contends that Apple’s reliance...

Read More..

T-Mobile to Offer Cheapest iPhone 5 in 2013

T-Mobile, the smallest of the "big four" wireless carries in the United States, already offers the country's cheapest iPhone service -- if you have an unlocked iPhone. And according to Engadget's Brad Molen, more than a million unlocked iPhones are on T-Mobile's network already. Now, T-Mobile has announced that it will "add Apple products to its portfolio in the coming year," according to parent...

Read More..

Nokia Siemens to close German services unit: sources

FRANKFURT/HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia Siemens Networks' (NSN) German services unit faces closure and 1,000 jobs are at risk as Nokia and Siemens shake up the joint venture, two sources said. One of the people familiar with the situation said the closure would be effective by the end of 2013 and will be announced on Wednesday during a meeting at which workers will be told a crucial...

Read More..

U.S. fails to win early limit on Net controls at global gathering

UBAI/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. and Canadian proposal  to protect the Internet from new international regulation has failed to win prompt backing from other countries, setting up potentially tough negotiations to rewrite a telecom treaty. The idea, also supported by Europe, would limit the International Telecommunication Union's rules to only telecom operators and not Internet-based companies...

Read More..

Samsung promotes son and heir closer to top job

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co pushed the anointed heir of the company Chairman closer to the top job on Wednesday as the it cemented a global lead in smartphones with a stock price that is close to record highs. The promotion of the snappily-dressed and bespectacled Jay Y. Lee, aged 44, to the job of vice chairman comes after Samsung marked the 25th anniversary of his father Lee Kun-hee's...

Read More..

How to Email Tweets Directly From Twitter's Website

A More button now appears beside the Reply, Retweet, and Favorite options at the bottom of each tweet.Click here to view this gallery.[More from Mashable: Writer Sued for his Twitter Followers Settles Case]Twitter has started rolling out the ability to email tweets from its website.Announced mid-November, the feature allows you to send a tweet directly to someone else, complete with your own personal...

Read More..

NASA Will Launch New Mars Rover in 2020

On the heels of Curiosity rover's success, NASA announced today that it's planning a multi-year program that will solidify the United States as a leader in Mars exploration.The program includes a new robotic science rover that is set to launch in 2020. It will be another significant step toward sending humans to the Red Planet in the 2030s, according to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.[More from...

Read More..