Sprint Merges With Clearwire

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2008-09-28-wimax-launch_N.htm

This merger should be really interesting because I don't know how many people will want to get Sprint's broadband as opposed to other companies out there right now. T-mobile's broadband is only $10 a month whereas Sprint's broadband is $50 a month for unlimited data. And in the next year a free nationwide broadband is supposed to be launched, so if this happens it will be a huge business loss for Sprint and other mobile companies that offer monthly broadband. I personally think Sprint won't last that long before it is bought out, so this seems like a desperate measure on their part to keep their business going. It seems also like they are testing this in major cities to see if people will even buy it. I think people will stick with cable companies like time warner (road runner) as opposed to having their cell phone company's broadband. I don't know how much longer Sprint is going to last but it sure seems like this is one desperate measure on their part. What is interesting, however is that google is one of the companies backing Clearwire when google is so tight with AT&T. But google is so huge I guess they can afford to take a chance on Sprint's broadband.

Google Maps + AP News Mashup

http://www.81nassau.com/apnews/

This site is really cool because you can see current stories from the Associated Press and then Goggle Maps will pinpoint the location of where the story takes place so you can see where exactly in the country it is.  This is really interesting because if a national story takes place somewhere where you have been or live near, you could zoom in on that location to see how this could affect you.  For example, if there is a story about a boy who was brutally murdered in Cincinnati and you live in a suburb, such as West Chester, you could use google maps to see where exactly the murder took place so you could avoid going to that area.  

This is really interesting because it takes journalism and then makes the stories more realistic and brings them to life as you can zoom in and see a real life photo of the area in the story.  If you missed the news or you just want to see where this story takes place, it's right there in front of you.  This can save time when trying to research an area where an AP story takes place because you can literally see the area whereas, in real life you might not have the time or money to travel to this area. 

Mashups are really beneficial just like in this instance, because you are able to use two convenient services at the same time.  

Best Buy is Buying Napster

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-09-15-best-buy-napster_N.htm

Best Buy is buying Napster for $121 million in cash!  Apparently Napster has approx. 700,000 subscribers but I just want to know what kind of people are still paying for their music and if so, why wouldn't they use iTunes?  Napster charges on a subscription basis initially and although it is applicable for mobile use, it doesn't sync as well to your ipod because you have to drag it to iTunes anyway.  Most downloading services won't let you burn your music to CD's and sometimes the format doesn't work in iTunes.  So, I am wondering what people are using Napster still and what countries these people are from.  I think even subscribing to Real Rhapsody and Pandora (which is free) is a better way to build playlists and stream music.  In fact, if you get the update for the ipod touch and the iphone, you can download programs like Pandora which will stream customized radio stations to your device.  You can also use the new Genius playlist to create your own playlists based around your favorite songs and it will even suggest songs you might like to buy on iTunes.  I can even download songs from iTunes via the wifi on my ipod directly.  

This being said, I wonder how much longer other companies like Napster and similar paid legal downlading services and sites will continue to thrive in a world of iTunes and of course the illegally downloading programs like Azureus, Limewire and such.  We'll see if this helps Best Buy's business and if they can market this service better than it has been marketed in the past. 

Scientists Make the World's Largest "Atom Smasher"

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2008-09-10-bigbang-particlecollider_N.htm

Scientists made a big advancement this week when the world's largest proton collider smashed atoms giving researchers a huge insight into the "big bang" theory and how dark matter and antimatter are created.  

Some groups are protesting this giant machine saying it could create black holes in the earth that would eventually fall to the center and create a giant black hole that would destroy our planet and the solar system.  Researchers for the project have called these accusations ludicrous.  

I think that this is a great advancement for science because there are so little known about black holes and the dark matter that they consist of.  Creating our own dark matter could let us know a lot about other dimensions because within dark matter time does not exist.  Antimatter and dark matter could teach scientists a lot about matter within the solar system that we have no been able to create or measure in this way before.  It makes me wonder where science will go next and what could come out of a huge machine like this.  Scientists swear that the worst that could happen would be an explosion that would damage their facilities.  Nuclear fission and splitting atoms has always been a concern among some in the past because radiation and the explosions that can result from splitting atoms are dangerous.  However in this case, this machine is smashing atoms together at lightning speed producing new matter from collisions.  Although we do not yet know what could happen if matter like this is created in large quantities, I think that this research is very exciting and fundamental to science.

News Discussion 1: Free Broadband From M2Z?

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2008-09-02-m2z-free-broadband_N.htm

Check this out, a company called M2Z wants to buy wireless airwaves to then provide free broadband access to 95% of the USA. You would have to purchase laptops or hardware with the wireless enabler inside of it but the connection is fast and the service would be completely free. This sounds like it could be a serious problem for wireless companies that sell broadband like Time Warner and even cell phone services like T-Mobile and Verizon that sell broadband routers. The price of broadband is either going to drop significantly or it is going to hurt cable and broadband companies overall.
I think this move will be good because devices that run on Wi-fi like the itouch, will become more accessible and more popular. This will make it more convenient to use the internet but also a big push for cellular companies and other devices that use wi-fi to purchase and offer M2Z's technology. It will be interesting to see if apple is one of these companies who will have primary access to this technology not only for its computers and devices but also for the iphone. Cell phones that can run on free air time when in wi-fi will make it more difficult for cell phone companies to maintain their rates because if people are able to have broadband access on certain smartphones, then they will not need as many minutes because essentially their airtime will be free at all times assuming their cellphone is compatible with the technology needed to pick up the free broadband. I think it will be interesting to see if this high speed access actually becomes readily available because it could revolutionize the country and technology in general. Everything will change from cell phone companies prices to the price of cable. Hopefully with so many users on free broadband, the connection will be clear and the internet will be available virtually everywhere from any device!