Tech companies still hate the FCC’s net neutrality plan

%name Tech companies still hate the FCC’s net neutrality plan by Authcom, Nova Scotia\s Internet and Computing Solutions Provider in Kentville, Annapolis Valley

Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler kept insisting that people would be more open to his plan once they actually read it. However, now that it’s been unveiled and made available to everyone, no one likes it any better. The Wall Street Journal notes that Amazon and Netflix have both released official statements reiterating their opposition to letting ISPs create “fast lanes” that would let them charge content providers more to ensure their data gets delivered more quickly.

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Cable companies just had their best quarter since 2011

%name Cable companies just had their best quarter since 2011 by Authcom, Nova Scotia\s Internet and Computing Solutions Provider in Kentville, Annapolis Valley

Cable companies are losing cable subscribers who have decided to cut the cord, but it now appears they are losing these customers at a much slower rate. According to IHS, cable companies lost 132,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2014, which marks the least number of customers cable has shed since the first quarter of 2011. That figure was also down from the 265,000 subscribers pay TV companies lost in the first quarter last year.

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More key LG G3 features revealed in new leaks

%name More key LG G3 features revealed in new leaks by Authcom, Nova Scotia\s Internet and Computing Solutions Provider in Kentville, Annapolis Valley

LG is getting ready to launch its next flagship handset, the LG G3, this month, much earlier than initially expected. The company is apparently trying to both better compete against the recently released Galaxy S5 and HTC One (M8), and also to avoid direct competition with the iPhone 6 that will launch next quarter, which is when the G3 was expected to hit stores. Thus, it’s not surprising to see more key details revealed about the handset, with just over a week to go until the G3 media event kicks off.

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New campaign aims to make surfing the web miserably slow for FCC employees

%name New campaign aims to make surfing the web miserably slow for FCC employees by Authcom, Nova Scotia\s Internet and Computing Solutions Provider in Kentville, Annapolis Valley

If there’s one good thing that’s come from the Federal Communications Commission’s hugely controversial to allow for Internet “fast lanes,” it’s that it’s inspired several brilliant high-profile pranks aimed at giving the FCC a taste of its own medicine. Wired now reports that Portland-based software developer Kyle Drake has created code that people can put on their websites that will detect whenever someone with an FCC-associated IP address is trying to access their page and then slow down their loading times to dial-up speeds. When the FCC employees try logging onto one of the websites that has added the code, they will be given a message telling them that they will only be able to load it faster if they fork over $1,000 to get their own fast lane. Whether this will convince anyone at the FCC to change their positions on creating Internet fast lanes is up for debate, but we do have to give Drake a tip of the cap for creativity.

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Check out this slick iPhone case that doubles as a secondary battery

%name Check out this slick iPhone case that doubles as a secondary battery by Authcom, Nova Scotia\s Internet and Computing Solutions Provider in Kentville, Annapolis Valley

Augment is the name of a new case and charger combo for the iPhone that is seeking funding on Kickstarter. Unlike existing case solutions that help users prolong the battery life on their iPhones in addition to offering damage protection, Augment proposes an interesting new take: a modular design that allows users to both enjoy a slick, protective iPhone case, and an ultra-portable external secondary iPhone battery. The two devices – the Augment Case and Augment Charge – can be connected when extra battery life is needed, and offer users a 60% extra battery charge.

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Major FCC study finds cable bills have been rising at over triple the rate of inflation

%name Major FCC study finds cable bills have been rising at over triple the rate of inflation by Authcom, Nova Scotia\s Internet and Computing Solutions Provider in Kentville, Annapolis Valley

Looking for a reason why people hate their cable companies? Well, there are likely several reasons but one of them is undoubtedly the constant stream of price increases and fees that are taking out more and more of consumers’ wallets every year. A major new study from the Federal Communications Commission has found that basic cable prices increased by 6.5% throughout 2012 while expanded basic cable prices rose by 5.1% over the same period. In contrast, the general rate of inflation as measure by the Consumer Price Index throughout 2012 was just 1.6%, meaning that basic cable prices rose at more than four times the rate of inflation in 2012 while expanded basic cable prices rose by more than three times the rate of inflation.

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Why Microsoft dumped the Xbox One’s Kinect requirement, in the company’s own words

%name Why Microsoft dumped the Xbox One’s Kinect requirement, in the company’s own words by Authcom, Nova Scotia\s Internet and Computing Solutions Provider in Kentville, Annapolis Valley

Sony is still winning the PlayStation 4 vs Xbox One sales battle according to market research firm NPD Group, which says that the PS4 has outsold Microsoft’s new console in April for the fourth month in a row. Microsoft sold 110,000 Xbox One units and 76,000 Xbox 360 units last month, a performance that wasn’t strong enough to beat PS4 sales.

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Google+, a.k.a. the Clippy of social networks, looks like it’s on its way out

%name Google+, a.k.a. the Clippy of social networks, looks like its on its way out by Authcom, Nova Scotia\s Internet and Computing Solutions Provider in Kentville, Annapolis Valley

It might be time to start playing a mournful bugle melody for Google+. Google’s social network, which for a while became the Clippy of social networks because of its annoying efforts to insert itself into every other Google service, will not be featured at any panels at Google’s I/O developers conference next month, Droid Life notices. In contrast, Google held several panels on Google+ at its 2012 and 2013 I/O conferences, which really does make it seem as though Google is starting to ease off promoting its polarizing social network.

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Incredible Word Lens app now free following Google acquisition

%name Incredible Word Lens app now free following Google acquisition by Authcom, Nova Scotia\s Internet and Computing Solutions Provider in Kentville, Annapolis Valley

We first covered Word Lens here on BGR all the way back in 2010, and the app is no less incredible today than it was nearly four years ago. The app allows users to view a sign or other printed text through the camera on their iPhone, Android phone or Google Glass, and Word Lens will replace the text with a translated version in fonts and colors that match the original. In other words, Word Lens truly augments reality in a fantastically useful way.

Quest Visual, the company behind Word Lens, announced on its website that it has been acquired by Google.

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