Kiran Upadhyay

Contrary to what AT&T and Verizon would have you believe, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler today said 4Mbps is too slow to be considered broadband and that Internet service providers who accept government subsidies should offer at least 10Mbps. Last week, we reported on AT&T and Verizon urging the FCC to abandon a proposal that would redefine broadband download speeds from 4Mbps to 10Mbps. If the standard is raised, ISPs that accept government subsidies to build networks in hard-to-reach rural areas would have to provide the higher speed. AT&T and Verizon argued that 4Mbps is good enough, but Wheeler said otherwise today at a hearing in front of the US House Committee on Small Business. US Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) pointed to communities with little or no access to high-speed broadband, saying if the minimum speed isn’t high enough, “rural constituents in my district will be left on the wrong side of the digital divide.” Wheeler responded: “We have proposed incre

Since 2007, Airbnb has opened up new opportunities for its hosts to meet new people and make money by renting out parts of their homes they weren’t using. In that same vein, a startup called EatWith wants to offer up a similar opportunity for its users to use their cooking skills as a way to make cash and engage in conversation with new people. Founded in 2012 by Guy Michlin and Shemer Schwarz, EatWith provides a marketplace that connects diners and hosts, creating a unique social experience where guests get to know one another while also eating an authentic, home-cooked meal. For hosts, there’s the appeal of opening up their homes to meeting new people, and hey, making a little extra money along the way by doing something that they love. And guests get to break bread with other open-minded visitors sharing stories and experiences. The company pre-vets all hosts to ensure that they’re not only good cooks, but that they also are friendly and have the skills necessary to get alo

Millennials, one of the largest generational groups in the U.S., on par with the Baby Boomers, are also the largest group of smartphone owners, says Nielsen in a report out today. And their adoption of the devices is still growing: by the second quarter of this year, 85% of those aged 18 to 24 owned a smartphone, and 86% of those aged 25 to 34 did. That’s up from 77% and 80%, respectively, over the same time last year. It’s worth also pointing out, on the eve of Apple’s big iPhone 6 reveal next week, that the smartphone in question is more likely to be an Android phone. Nielsen notes that over half (52%) of U.S. smartphones run Android, with Apple iOS accounting for a 42.7% share, and “other” OS’s (Windows Phone, Blackberry, etc.) making up the rest. But while it didn’t break out the number of Millennials specifically who chose Android over iPhone, earlier research from comScore this year did. And it, too, found that Android dominated, with half of Millennials using Android, a

After months of reports and rumors, Twitter is announcing its first commerce product. The company first signaled its interest in this area last year, when it hired former Ticketmaster CEO Nathan Hubbard to lead its commerce team. Then it started recruiting other commerce specialists, and Recode got its hands on mock-ups of a Buy Now button. Over the summer, people started spotting those buttons in the wild. So Twitter is officially announcing that Buy button today — in a blog post, the company says it will be visible to “a small percentage of U.S. users (that will grow over time).” As a result, users will actually be able to make purchases directly within tweets. If you see something you want, you hit “buy”, bring up a little information, enter your payment and shipping information while still Twitter (it’s encrypted and stored for future purchases), and complete the transaction “in just a few taps.” And even though the test is starting out on mobile, a company spokesperson sa

The developing world wants Facebook, and its accessibility initiative Internet.org could pay huge dividends. Those are the takeaways from Facebook’s announcement that it now has 100 million active users in Africa, and 80% of those come on mobile. That 100 million makes up 50% of all Africans connected to the Internet. The news suggests that if drones, satellites, and deals for free access from local carriers can spread the Internet to more people around the world in places like India and South America, a big percentage of them will become consistent Facebook users. It’s not just smartphone-wielding Westerners that want the social network. Even if it means quantifying one’s life by likes, being social without face-to-face interaction, and giving up data for ad targeting, people all over the world are eager to connect with friends and family through Facebook. Facebook’s announcement of the 100 million user milestone gives more detail to its typical earnings report user growth br

I can’t imagine that there’s anyone reading who hasn’t been in this situation: you’re at a conference, or a concert, or some other big event where you’re surrounded by way, way too many people. Your cell phone’s signal meter promises that everything is okay… and yet, nothing actually works. The Beartooth smartphone case, launched at Disrupt SF 2014 this morning, keeps you connected to your friends even when the network tanks. So how does it do it? A smartphone case can’t pull signal out of nothing, after all. Instead, the Beartooth creates a network — a peer-to-peer network made up of you and other nearby Beartooth users. The Beartooth case is actually two handy tools in one — it’s one part 2,000mAh backup battery and one part VHF/UHF radio. Wrap the Beartooth around your handset, launch one of their apps, and you’re now connected by voice and text to anyone else with a Beartooth case within a few miles (like a walkie talkie, range will vary a bit depending on geography). I