Tag Archives: NY Times

The smarter option

Jeff Barak | August 28, 2012
In the past, think “prepaid”, and you would probably think “emerging market”. Not anymore. US consumers are beginning to wake up to the advantages of contract-free phone plans, under which subscribers pay the full amount for their device, but then enjoy a cheaper data package from their carrier. According to a new Ovum  report, quoted by Brian X.Chen in the New York Times, the number of American prepaid subscribers is going to increase to 29 percent of overall wireless subscribers by 2016, from 23 percent today. And they’re not going to be using cheap-end feature phones either.  In fact, credit ... More >>

Is being connected a basic human right?

Naomi Weiser | January 17, 2012
BLOGGER: NAOMI WEISER Think basic human rights and what probably spring to mind are the “usual” civil, economic, social  and political rights, including the right to vote, to free speech, to be safe, to health, privacy and an adequate standard of living. Luckily for me, these all applied to me at the time I was born, but another, perhaps less obvious one has been added by the UN to the list since then – the right to be connected to the Internet. Taking this further are the US Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC),  who view broadband access and adoption as ... More >>

Is Netflix Dreaming?

Naomi Weiser | September 26, 2011
BLOGGER: ERIC DANIS  While some analysts are praising Netflix for aggressively outbidding HBO for the rights to DreamWorks Animation movies, others are already saying that Netflix executives must be dreaming if they think the new deal is going to provide significant damage control after the company alienated its customer base so spectacularly. For one thing, the deal only takes effect in 2013, and customers who are still upset about the recent price hikes probably won’t get too excited about change that is more than a year away. Greg Sandoval from Cnet News offers a cynical (but probably accurate) viewpoint that ... More >>

When being disconnected is a good thing

Naomi Weiser | January 31, 2011
BLOGGER: NAOMI WEISER We’re all getting so comfortable using mobile technologies and devices that it’s easy to forget that there are times (and places) where we just shouldn’t be connected. In an interesting move, some US operators have begun to implement campaigns and services that might, at first glance, appear to be detrimental to their business: they’re actively discouraging people from receiving or making calls and texts. OK, we’re talking about not calling or texting when driving, so perhaps it’s not that counterintuitive – after all, service providers do have an interest in their customers staying alive – but it’s ... More >>