Hate your cable company? wireless Internet is coming

Can your broadband connection be faster, cheaper and wholly wireless?

A startup called Starry thinks so and intends to take the place of your cable or phone company.

The New York- and Boston-based startup, created by the folks who tried to shake up the television industry with the now-defunct Aereo, hopes to create fresh competition for major cable and telecommunications players that sell Internet. Starry plans to launch a wireless broadband service called Starry Internet at a lower price than current providers. The company plans to roll it out in Boston this summer and spread to more cities throughout the year. The eventual goal is to go nationwide.

"Wired infrastructure is just difficult," Starry co-founder and CEO Chet Kanojia said Wednesday at a press event in Manhattan. "It should be wireless."

If Starry delivers on its promise to offer up to a 1-gigabit connection, or 10 times the average home broadband speed, it could shake up the broadband industry. For many, this would be far faster than what they get from the cable or phone companies. Starry represents another potential alternative for high-speed online access, which includes Google's $70 Fiber service in a handful of markets.

Such efforts have encouraged existing Internet service providers to speed up their connection speeds in some markets. And it may encourage them to spruce up their customer service, which is routinely panned. Surveys last year by the American Customer Satisfaction Index found that the "vast majority" of the lowest-performing companies for customer satisfaction offered either Internet service or pay TV, with Time Warner Cable at the very bottom of the list.

Still, there have been other major efforts to provide wireless broadband service, such as from WinStar and Clearwire, though they didn't take off.

Verizon declined to comment. Cable providers, including Comcast and Time Warner Cable, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The first major product from Starry will be the Starry Station, a $350 Wi-Fi hub with a touchscreen that includes monitors for your Internet connection and speed, parental controls and the ability to support connected devices. The device, which can be used with any available Internet service, will provide a Wi-Fi connection to your phones and other devices and will support future devices in connected homes.

The device is available for pre-order on Starry.com and will also be available on Amazon Launchpad in early February. The routers will start shipping in March.

Starry Internet will be powered by hubs called Starry Beams that will be placed at the tops of buildings and other locations and will send out signals at the high radio frequency of 39 gigahertz (In comparison, Verizon and AT&T use spectrum that runs at 700 megahertz). That frequency, which Starry has an experimental license to use, offers high speeds but doesn't travel far, so these hubs will have to be built roughly every mile. Only experimental Beam units are out in use now.

Internet trolls explained by science

If you call me out in a comment at the end of this story and I ignore you, one of two things are happening. A: I'm not really ignoring you, but I just haven't gotten around to responding yet. Or B: I think you're a troll.

In their video below, posted Sunday, they break down the science behind Internet trolling, citing a 2014 research paper (PDF) that found 5.6 percent of Internet users -- from a sample size of 1,215 online survey respondents -- either consider themselves to be trolls or at least enjoy trolling activities. (It seems reasonable to me to assume that some trolls might not self-identify, making the actual percentage higher.)

The study, which was published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences by a trio of Canadian researchers, delves into the traits linked to trolling behaviors. It found that trolls often have certain things in common, such as psychopathy, narcissism and sadism. If I were a troll, this might be where I'd post an all-caps "DUH!" and a few other rude and inflammatory comments.

Spacetime is a rainbow

Prepare to have your brain fried by this latest theoretical discovery. If we had a prism capable of splitting spacetime, we'd see many variations that combine to form one big spacetime, in the same way that various wavelengths of light combine to form white light.

At least, that's the case according to a theoretical model by the University of Warsaw's Faculty of Physics. Their paper was published in the December 2015 issue of Physics Letters B.

According to the team's calculations, any model of the universe using the popular quantum theories of gravity must also include this "spacetime rainbow."

When white light is split by a prism, the colours of the resulting rainbow contain photons with different energy levels. The higher the energy level, the greater the angle of deflection. This, the team said, could be seen as the photons "sensing" the same prism as having slightly different properties.

This is where the comparison to spacetime comes in. Just as the wavelengths experience the prism differently, particles of different energies in quantum universe models experience spacetime differently.

"Two years ago we reported ... different types of particles feel the existence of spacetimes with slightly different properties," explained Jerzy Lewandowski, who led the research team.

"Now it turns out that the situation is even more complicated. We have discovered a truly generic mechanism, whereby the fabric of spacetime felt by a given particle must vary depending not only on its type, but even on its energy."

Are extreme-sports junkies still in love with GoPro

GoPro, darling of the action-cam world, just got the wind knocked out of it.

The San Mateo, California, company, which builds sturdy point-of-view cameras used by skydivers, snowboarders and other extreme athletes, has built its reputation on inspiring people to try something crazy. Who wasn't thrilled by Felix Baumgartner's skydive from a balloon floating 24 miles above earth? Or a Red Bull-fueled bicycle backflip over a 72-foot canyon?

It turns out that people like to watch but may not want to jump into the action themselves.

GoPro is cutting 7 percent of its workforce, or about 105 jobs, the company said this week. The decision follows disappointing sales of its latest device, the GoPro Hero4 Session. The company also slashed its sales estimate for the just-ended fourth quarter.

The news reflects the reality that we're not all risk takers and, more specifically, that we're not all hungry to capture on video our attempts at extreme anything. GoPro had been the dominant name in the action-camera niche for several years thanks to its affordable, easy-to-use products. But the company's financial pinch begs the question: Has GoPro peaked?

"We've argued for some time now that the market for cameras is not only shrinking, but segmenting into niche areas," said Andrew Uerkwitz, an analyst with investment management firm Oppenheimer. "The action camera is not a fad per se, but it is a limited market."

Others believe that GoPro's downturn is due purely to the company pinning its hopes for holiday season sales on the tiny Hero4 Session. The camera received mixed reviews and was originally priced at $400 when it was released in July. By December, the price tag was cut in half. Consumers' weak response to the camera was costly for the company and forced the job cuts, GoPro said.

GoPro is looking to expand its business to take on another hot trend. The company plans to release a drone, though it faces the challenge of competing with the affordable, camera-equipped drones people may have already gotten over the holidays, including those from Parrot and DJI.

The company is also attempting to turn video into a part of its business model by licensing footage shot on its cameras to media companies. In line with this, GoPro plans to release new software to make it easier for you to edit and share your videos.

Expanding the number of ways that GoPro makes money should help alleviate what Uerkwitz sees as one of the main problems with the company's business model: the long replacement cycles for the cameras. In other words, those suckers are built to last. Once you have one, you're unlikely to buy another anytime soon.

"GoPro seems to have figured this out as they have announced new products for the drone and 360-[degree] camera market," Uerkwitz said. "But until we see the launch of these products, GoPro is in a challenging position."

Double Robotics

You may not have heard of telepresence robots, but a startup called Double Robotics hopes to change that with the second generation of its device.

Telepresence robots represent you from afar, allowing you to roam corridors with co-workers, glide into offices for private chats and continue conversations in the company cafeteria. The Burlingame, California-based company wasn't the first to the technology, but it did pioneer a less-expensive approach by mounting an Apple iPad tablet atop a stalk with motorized wheels.

A person uses a computer to pilot the robot around a distant location by typing in keyboard controls. They can see what's in front of the robot by way of images transmitted from the tablet's camera back to their computer screen. At the same time, their computer's camera transmits live images of their face to the robot's tablet so people looking at the tablet can see and talk to them.

Double Robotics launched the new version of its product on Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The 35-employee startup hopes that the Double 2's features will prompt current customers to expand beyond the testing phase and attract new companies too.

"We've sold over 5,000 units now. We expect to have quite a spike with this release," Chief Executive David Cann said.

The boundaries between work and home have been blurring for years with telephones, pagers and e-mail enabling bosses to reach subordinates at all hours and allowing employees to work from home and hotels. Smartphones accelerated the trend with a constant network connection. Now telepresence robots could make remote working even more like the real thing by giving you a virtual body and face

Compared with its predecessor, the Double 2 can better navigate bumps like cords and rug edges without tipping sideways. It also drives fast enough to keep up with people walking at full speed and gets a wider-angle camera option so the pilot can see groups of six people, not just two, Cann said.

"We think bringing these new features out will make people feel more confident to roll this out to more novice employees and make it a standard part of telecommuting policy," he said.

The first-generation product cost $2,500, but accessories raised the price to $3,500. The Double 2 is $3,000 including the accessories.

Eventually, telepresence robots could be used for entertainment and recreation, not just for business and education. But a more immersive experience would be better for those potential uses. That's why Double Robotics is eyeing virtual reality technology that would let the operator of a telepresence robot see a 3D world, as well as improving sound.

Man watches on phone as home is robbed

Technically Incorrect: A New York man reportedly gets a phone alert telling him his apartment has a burglar. He observes his stuff getting stolen.

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.

The thing about notifications is that they can bring you bad news.

Do you want bad news? Worse, do you want to watch bad news happening, especially if it's happening right inside your home?

In Danny Wheeler's case, he wanted to know. As the New York Post reports, he used a security system and app called Canary. It tells you when nefarious beings are roaming inside your house.

So it was that at lunchtime on Tuesday he received an alert telling him there were intruders at his apartment on Second Avenue and East 81st Street in Manhattan.

Not only that, the Canary system also transmitted images of the action. Wheeler told the Post he immediately dialed 911. He said: "I was making my way [home] watching the entire video like a madman in the cab."

He posted the video to YouTube. It shows a man in a Yankees hat coming in and then letting another man in through a window.

They didn't stay long, however. A neighbor noticed the intruders on the fire escape and asked them what on earth they thought they were doing. In a New York manner, I imagine.

Wheeler says that the film stars got away with around $500 worth of jewelry. The NYPD wasn't immediately available for comment, but Wheeler believes that the Canary system helped the police. Indeed, he said that an officer recognized one of the men.

He blamed his own apartment for the break-in, though. He told Gothamist: I pay stupid amounts of money to rent this apartment and a shoddy window is the reason [I'm] here right now."

In his review, CNET's Ry Crist thought that the $250 Canary system has excellent camera quality, but its motion sensor is so sensitive that it is "borderline unusable."

Wheeler, though, said he's glad he at least saw what had happened, rather than arrive home to find things missing and a mess.

At the time of writing, the two intruders are still somewhere out there.

Lyft partners with China's largest ride-hailing service

Uber may have some competition in China from its US rival as Lyft links up with Didi Kuaidi to let travelers use their apps interchangeably.

Ride-hailing company Lyft has long been considered small potatoes compared with its rival Uber. Yes, Lyft is in 65 cities in the US, but Uber is in more than 300 cities in 60 countries. Yes, Lyft is valued at $2.5 billion, but Uber is valued at more than $50 billion.

But that could change soon and quickly.

San Francisco-based Lyft announced Wednesday that it's partnered with Didi Kuaidi, the largest ride-hailing service in China. These two companies both provide services that let drivers connect with passengers via a smartphone app. The partnership will link the two companies' apps, allowing passengers to use their usual app while traveling abroad just like they would at home. Didi is also investing $100 million in Lyft.

"Didi Kuaidi is the clear market leader in China and has invaluable local expertise," Lyft co-founder and President John Zimmer said in a statement on Wednesday. "In today's rideshare environment, where every region presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities, partnering with the homegrown leader is the winning approach to Chinese expansion."

While solely in China, Didi owns a massive share of the overall ride-hailing market with a presence in more than 360 cities and a valuation of $16 billion. The service says it has more than 5 million drivers (Uber has around 1 million) and gets 10 million ride requests per day. The allegiance of Didi and Lyft could pose a serious threat to Uber, which has set its sights on China over the past few months with grand plans for expansion there.

China's massive population of 1.35 billion and growing middle class have created a lucrative market for Uber to capitalize on. In June, CEO Travis Kalanick reportedly sent a letter to investors that said Uber will invest more than $1 billion for its China expansion during 2015. And last week, he announced Uber plans to spread its service to 100 additional cities in China within the next 12 months.

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However, Uber has faced roadblocks from Chinese regulators. In May, local authorities visited Uber's offices in Guangzhou and Chengdu to investigate whether it was operating an unlicensed (and thus, illegal) taxi operation. And earlier this year, China's Ministry of Transport called for tighter laws against unlicensed taxis, specifically referring to apps like Uber. Uber didn't respond to request for comment.

Didi, on the other hand, works with government regulators before launching in local cities. Making nice with regulators has become Didi's competitive advantage in China and why it's been able to add so many new cities in such a short amount of time.

In the past, Lyft has said that it had no immediate plans to enter the international market and now it's clear what its expansion plans are. During a press conference on Wednesday, Zimmer wouldn't say if the company intends to partner with local companies in other countries, like India's Olacabs or Singapore's GrabTaxi. But he did say, "Our vision to connect people in communities with better transportation was never just about the US."

As far as what's in it for Didi, company President Jean Liu said at the press conference Wednesday that her goal is to continue innovation in the ride-hailing industry and that Lyft is the best partner for that. She noted that Lyft was the first company to let passengers hail drivers using their own personal cars and it was also the first to introduce a carpooling service.

"We think the Lyft and Didi partnership together will open a new global era for the ride-share industry," Liu said. "When we work together we will be able to push the evolution of this industry to the next level."