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Starting this week, Verizon Wireless will expand its long-term evolution high-speed data network from mobile users to home-based accounts, and customers can purchase the service from the carrier’s stores. HomeFusion Broadband, available in six markets since March, rolls out nationwide on Thursday and will allow customers to replace a designated server line for Internet access with a device that looks a bit like a kitchen appliance. One Gadget Connects 24 Devices The cylinder-shaped antenna, which must be professionally installed, taps into the 4G LTE signal and transmits it to up to 20 wireless devices and up to four wired devices in the home. Verizon’s LTE network is now available in 230 markets covering more than two-thirds of the population in the United States, the carrier boasts. “With HomeFusion Broadband, customers across the United States, in towns large and small, will have the chance to link devices to the Internet and take advantage of the speed, coverage and connectivity offered by our 4G LTE network.” said Tami Erwin, Verizon Wireless vice president and chief marketing officer said in announcing the service. The carrier is promising customers the same average data speeds that mobile users with 4G devices expect: 5 to 12 megabits per second for downloads and 2 to 5 Mbps for uploads. Internet addicts may pay a steep price, though. Like mobile, the service does not include an unlimited option. The cost is $60 a month for 10 gigabytes of data, $90 for 20 GB and $120 for 30 GB, with $10 per GB overage. The HomeFusion device costs $199.99, with free installation, and the data allowance is doubled for the first two billing cycles as a promotion. “HomeFusion is a bit on the pricey side, especially when you compare its data limits to ‘all you can eat’ cable and DSL services,” analyst Charles King of… Continue reading Verizon Begins Home LTE Access, But Without Unlimited Data →

Google may have thought it dodged a bullet recently after the Federal Communications Commission imposed a small fine for impeding investigation into the company’s Street View project, then dropped the matter. But new developments indicate the controversy could be coming back. On Monday, The New York Times published a story identifying the Google engineer who wrote the software that collected private electronic data as the Street View cars were cruising streets around the U.S. and other countries, primarily to take photos for Google Maps. The FCC had noted that it had been unable to continue its investigation in part because the engineer had invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Rogue Engineer? The Times reported that the engineer was Marius Milner, who is said to be highly regarded in Wi-Fi networking. The FCC had said it knew the engineer’s name from Google, which had identified him to state investigators, but the FCC had chosen to describe him as Engineer Doe. More important, his explanations in the recently released full FCC report contradicted Google’s contention that the data-gathering software was the act of a rogue employee. The released FCC report said that Milner told at least one supervisor and as many as seven other engineers about his efforts, and that data harvesting without a great deal of regard for privacy was a regular mode of working at Google. He also said that his intentions were outlined in a proposal to his managers. That revelation has led at least one consumer advocacy group to file a federal Freedom of Information Act request with the FCC, seeking all related documents. Additionally, new reports on Wednesday indicate that privacy regulators in Great Britain, France, and Germany may reopen or expand their investigations, since this latest bit of information contradicts Google’s explanation to them, and suggests there might be wider infringements. Up until… Continue reading New Street View Revelations May Spur Investigations →

Google may have thought it dodged a bullet recently after the Federal Communications Commission imposed a small fine for impeding investigation into the company’s Street View project, then dropped the matter. But new developments indicate the controversy could be coming back. On Monday, The New York Times published a story identifying the Google engineer who wrote the software that collected private electronic data as the Street View cars were cruising streets around the U.S. and other countries, primarily to take photos for Google Maps. The FCC had noted that it had been unable to continue its investigation in part because the engineer had invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Rogue Engineer? The Times reported that the engineer was Marius Milner, who is said to be highly regarded in Wi-Fi networking. The FCC had said it knew the engineer’s name from Google, which had identified him to state investigators, but the FCC had chosen to describe him as Engineer Doe. More important, his explanations in the recently released full FCC report contradicted Google’s contention that the data-gathering software was the act of a rogue employee. The released FCC report said that Milner told at least one supervisor and as many as seven other engineers about his efforts, and that data harvesting without a great deal of regard for privacy was a regular mode of working at Google. He also said that his intentions were outlined in a proposal to his managers. That revelation has led at least one consumer advocacy group to file a federal Freedom of Information Act request with the FCC, seeking all related documents. Additionally, new reports on Wednesday indicate that privacy regulators in Great Britain, France, and Germany may reopen or expand their investigations, since this latest bit of information contradicts Google’s explanation to them, and suggests there might be wider infringements. Up until… Continue reading New Street View Revelations May Spur Investigations →

IBM has agreed to acquire Tealeaf Technology, which markets customer experience analytics software to large corporations and organizations. The deal’s financial terms were not disclosed. Tealeaf’s patented technology can be deployed into any business’s current environment with no additional modifications required, said Tealeaf Technology CEO Rebecca Ward. “So they can begin capturing customer data and delivering optimal experiences immediately.” IBM’s acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is intended to bolster Big Blue’s smarter commerce initiative, which promises to give companies greater visibility into their supplier relationships. The goal is to provide clients with new insights into customer demand that enable companies to respond faster to opportunities as well as potential problems. “With these new capabilities from Tealeaf, we can not only provide chief marketing officers and other marketing leaders the qualitative insights into how customers actually experience their brands, but show them how to react in real time across marketing, sales and service,” said Craig Hayman, general manager of industry solutions at IBM. Getting the Customer Experience Right To truly manage customers’ experiences, large enterprises and organizations must understand their customers’ needs, how they intend to meet those needs, and how they are performing currently, said Forrester Research analysts. They must also “have people, processes, and tools in place to use that insight in order to design and deliver the right experiences and continuously improve them over time,” the firm’s analysts wrote last August in a blog. Tealeaf and other analytics software providers such as Adobe, Medallia and RightNow help clients with various aspects of the management process such as experience insight and delivery. “But they can’t replace the overall discipline and activities required for a company to get customer experience right,” Forrester’s analysts said. By adding Tealeaf to its smart commerce initiative, Big Blue intends to improve the extent to which… Continue reading IBM To Acquire Analytics Provider Tealeaf →

IBM has agreed to acquire Tealeaf Technology, which markets customer experience analytics software to large corporations and organizations. The deal’s financial terms were not disclosed. Tealeaf’s patented technology can be deployed into any business’s current environment with no additional modifications required, said Tealeaf Technology CEO Rebecca Ward. “So they can begin capturing customer data and delivering optimal experiences immediately.” IBM’s acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is intended to bolster Big Blue’s smarter commerce initiative, which promises to give companies greater visibility into their supplier relationships. The goal is to provide clients with new insights into customer demand that enable companies to respond faster to opportunities as well as potential problems. “With these new capabilities from Tealeaf, we can not only provide chief marketing officers and other marketing leaders the qualitative insights into how customers actually experience their brands, but show them how to react in real time across marketing, sales and service,” said Craig Hayman, general manager of industry solutions at IBM. Getting the Customer Experience Right To truly manage customers’ experiences, large enterprises and organizations must understand their customers’ needs, how they intend to meet those needs, and how they are performing currently, said Forrester Research analysts. They must also “have people, processes, and tools in place to use that insight in order to design and deliver the right experiences and continuously improve them over time,” the firm’s analysts wrote last August in a blog. Tealeaf and other analytics software providers such as Adobe, Medallia and RightNow help clients with various aspects of the management process such as experience insight and delivery. “But they can’t replace the overall discipline and activities required for a company to get customer experience right,” Forrester’s analysts said. By adding Tealeaf to its smart commerce initiative, Big Blue intends to improve the extent to which… Continue reading IBM To Acquire Analytics Provider Tealeaf →