Daily Archives: January 19, 2016

Huawei MediaPad M2 10.0 clears the FCC hurdle

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Unveiled at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Huawei MediaPad M2 10.0 has passed through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States, suggesting an imminent launch of the tablet in the country.

Specs-wise, the device is powered by a Kirin 930 SoC and sports a 10.1-inch (1200 x 1920 pixel resolution) IPS display. It comes in 2GB/3GB RAM options and 16GB/64GB internal memory options, and packs in a 6,660 mAh battery.

In terms of camera, the tablet features a 13MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. Measuring 239.8 x 172.8 x 7.4mm and weighing in at 500g, it runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box. The 2GB/16GB model comes in silver color, while the 3GB/64GB variant comes in gold – both are available in WiFi + LTE and WiFi-only versions.

Prices begin at $349 and go all the way up to $469.

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Report says Apple Watch Hermès edition will be available for purchase online starting January 22

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The Apple Watch Hermès edition will go on sale online starting January 22, according a report from fashion news site Fashionista. On sale since October last year, the collection has only been available at select Apple retail stores and Hermes’ luxury boutiques until now.

For those who aren’t in the know, the Hermès Apple Watch edition is a result of Apple’s partnership with French fashion house Hermès.

It features specially designed leather straps – there are three variants: the Single Tour, Double Tour, and Cuff, costing $1,100, $1,250, and $1,500, respectively. In addition, the wearable also sports an exclusive Hermès watch face.

The report says the complete Hermès collection will be available for purchase on Apple.com and Hermes.com beginning this Friday.

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Verizon begins testing FreeBee Data sponsored data program

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Verizon today announced FreeBee Data, its new sponsored data service. FreeBee Data is launching today in beta form, so companies can sign up to have their apps and content be a part of the program.

Verizon’s program consists of two sponsored data offerings. FreeBee Data 360 is available today and enables the provider to make chunks or all of their content available without data charges. FreeBee Data will launch on January 25 and will let the providers offer pay-per-click content, which users will be able to identify by spotting the bee logo that you see below. The first providers to offer FreeBee Data will be AOL, GAMEDAY, and Hearst Magazines, who will offer sponsor content for 1,000 test Verizon users.

verizonfreebeelogo

The goal of FreeBee Data is to give providers a way to get their content in front of users without making them use their data allotment. Providers can sponsor things like video, audio, and app downloads, giving them several different ways to market their content to Verizon customers.

Verizon isn’t the first carrier to try sponsored data. AT&T has been testing sponsored data for two years now, but it’s still in a testing phase. Both AT&T and Verizon will likely test out their sponsored data programs to see how popular they are with users and what the general reception to them is before full-on launching them to the public. There’s also the fact that there are critics of these programs that say they violate net neutrality, which is another thing for AT&T and Verizon to consider.

What do you think of these sponsored data programs?

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Verizon FreeBee Data, a new twist on Net Neutrality

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Verizon is introducing a new way to make money at the potential inconvenience to consumers. It is going to offer sponsored data at the expense of marketers and companies who want to advertise.

An ad or link would have a little bee next to it signifying that it is sponsored and has already been paid for, the user can then click the content, view, or consume it in any way.

Basically, Company X can post an ad with content like videos or articles which will not be deducted from the subscriber’s data bucket upon viewing the content. It will be billed at Company X’s own expense. While this isn’t really a benefit for the customer, nor an inconvenience, it’s just a way for Verizon to make more money off its large subscriber base.

Net Neutrality supporters have been bugging T-Mobile about services like Music Freedom and Binge On. The difference with the two is that T-Mobile’s services actually provide benefit to the customer while Verizon’s FreeBee data only makes Verizon more money.

When you think about it, this is much like what T-Mobile is already doing, except it is explicitly charging the companies for flagging content as free data. The way that Verizon wrote the press release sounds like it is taking advantage of its customers to a certain extent. I may be sounding harsh and this might not even be Verizon’s intention at all, but this could end up badly for Verizon or its consumers.

The only way FreeBee could be successful for Verizon is if these ads are unobtrusive and don’t put preference of other content over what the subscriber is actually looking for. It really boils down to what marketers want and what Verizon can offer to them.

If Verizon can respect what is obtrusive and annoying to the subscriber, I guess it’s not THAT bad. Once Verizon crosses a line, it becomes a slippery slope and customers could become irritated.

This program is actually in beta-testing, so the only content providers right now are Hearst Magazines, AOL, and GAMEDAY. These are initial test runs to see how well the program performs before proceeding.

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