Who needs Google Fiber? Comcast exec says U.S. consumers not ready for gigabit bandwidth

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As far as Comcast is concerned, gigabit broadband is more bandwidth than consumers want, though they might not know it. In an editorial published today in the Philadelphia Inquirer, David L. Cohen, Comcast’s Executive Vice President, took aim at criticism leveled at the U.S. telecommunications industry regarding high speed broadband. “For some, the discussion about… Read More…

Comcast doubling Internet speeds, promises up to 105 Mbps for Extreme 50 customers

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Comcast is doubling the Internet speeds for customers in Washington state who subscribe to its Blast! and Extreme 50 offerings. The changes are being made at no additional cost, part of an ongoing plan by the state’s largest cable company to boost speeds. The company also said that it is increasing speeds for its Performance… Read More…

Xfinity ‘Watchathon’ opens up a killer catalog, for a week

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Attention, couch potatoes: Get ready for some good old-fashioned binge viewing. Comcast today announced plans for a “Watchathon” week — opening up its library of premium on-demand content to (almost) all Xfinity TV subscribers, even if they don’t subscribe to premium channels. That means you have a week to catch up on shows including Game… Read More…

Study shows Sprint severely undervaluing Clearwire spectrum

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A study that one Clearwire shareholder commissioned shows that the company’s spectrum is worth two to three times more than what Sprint is currently offering in its bid to acquire Bellevue-based Clearwire. The study, done by Information Age Economics, shows that Sprint’s current offer of $2.97 per share undervalues its longtime partner Clearwire. It was commissioned by Crest… Read More…

Report: NBCU wants to buy rest of msnbc.com from Microsoft

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NBCUniversal and its parent company, Comcast, have been talking seriously with Microsoft about buying out the Redmond company’s stake in their msnbc.com joint venture, according to a report this afternoon by AdWeek. The story quotes “several sources” with first-hand knowledge of the situation saying that Comcast is conducting its due diligence as a prelude to… Read More…

Netflix to Comcast: “Internet caps should apply equally”

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In a broadside aimed directly at Comcast, Netflix devoted a section of its quarterly shareholder letter on financial performance to call the cable provider out for exempting the Xfinity On Demand Xbox video streaming app from its own broadband usage caps. On page four of the letter under the bold headline “Internet Caps Should Apply… Read More…

Seattle ranks in top 5 for broadband download speed

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Feeling a bit sluggish, Seattle? Perhaps a move to Austin, San Francisco or Boston will perk you up. Pando Networks, which delivers content and downloads for MMO games, has released its annual American Broadband Study. And in it, Seattle ranks fourth for average download speeds among the largest cities in the U.S., with an average… Read More…

No Comcast bandwidth cap for on-demand Xbox video

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Comcast is releasing a few more details on its promised Xfinity TV for Xbox 360 service with what might be an unexpected plus: video streaming to an Xbox through the service won’t count against Comcast’s monthly 250GB broadband cap. In an updated FAQ on the Comcast site, Comcast notes the cap won’t apply because, “the… Read More…

Comcast expands Xfinity Home service, announces plans for learning thermostat

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Comcast is rolling out its Xfinity Home residential security, energy and automation service in Washington state today, and simultaneously taking steps to turn the system into more of a technology platform — announcing a deal with energy management firm EcoFactor to offer a cloud-based learning thermostat service to Xfinity Home users. The Xfinity Home service includes… Read More…

Sneak Peek: Comcast Xfinity on Microsoft’s Xbox Live

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Comcast’s Xfinity app for Xbox Live is still ”coming soon,” but Microsoft gave a sneak preview on Monday as part of the TechForum event on the company’s Redmond campus. It’s part of an ongoing effort by Microsoft to make the Xbox 360 more of a multipurpose entertainment device, expanding beyond its roots as a game console…. Read More…

The difference between Apple and Microsoft, Google’s grub, and other quotes of the week

Google Chef Jason Wilson, right, holds some chocolate chip cookies at the company's Kirkland campus.

The best comments, quotes, tweets and random zingers we heard this week …  “This sums up the difference between Apple and Microsoft rather nicely, in my opinion.” — Sam Symons, on Twitter, referring to the juxtaposition of their title tags above. “In a cab on the way to Google headquarters. Driver is lost & asking… Read More…

Comcast unveils $4.99 per month Streampix service, taking aim at Netflix

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Comcast this week is rolling out a new video streaming service called Streampix, an offering that will be available only to subscribers of the giant cable company. The offering, which includes access to past seasons of TV shows such as 30 Rock, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost and The Office as well as movies like Brokeback Mountain,… Read More…

Comcast and Verizon Wireless join forces, test combo deal

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A wireless plan and home cable service — the peanut butter and chocolate of digital communications and entertainment? Verizon Wireless and Comcast are betting on it. The companies will start selling each other’s services for the first time Tuesday under a new partnership, rolling out initially in the Pacific Northwest. Comcast representatives will sell Xfinity packages… Read More…

Comcast and Time Warner to end wholesale deals with Clearwire

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Comcast and Time Warner will end their wholesale agreements with Clearwire, part of a deal that the cable companies struck today to sell wireless spectrum to Verizon. Cnet reports that the decision ends “a lukewarm relationship” between the cable companies and Clearwire, with reporter Roger Cheng noting that Comcast signed up just 30,000 customers through the… Read More…

Q&A: How Comcast is adjusting to our changing TV habits

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How are people actually using the web and mobile apps to interact with traditional television content? What’s next for the set-top box? And why isn’t Comcast supporting the Kindle Fire out of the gate? Those are some of the topics we discussed this week with Tom Blaxland, senior director of product management for Comcast Interactive… Read More…

Amazon.com, Costco among the most trusted brands

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Amazon.com has been taking some hits lately, with at least two congressmen arguing that the company’s new Silk browser for Kindle could violate the privacy of consumers. But that possible setback isn’t having an impact on American shoppers –at least not yet. Amazon.com ranked that the second most trusted company in a new study released… Read More…

Microsoft’s new Xbox TV service: Yes, you still have to pay for cable

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A new Xbox TV service, announced by Microsoft this morning, aims to give the company’s Xbox 360 game console a larger role in the living room by making it a hub for live and on-demand content from providers such as Comcast, Verizon FiOS, HBO, Bravo and others. Basic access to the service won’t cost extra… Read More…

Tech Moves: RealNetworks vet takes control at Control 4; changes at Cray; thePlatform; and more

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Control 4, a Salt Lake City, Utah maker of home automation technologies, has named former RealNetworks and Bungee Labs executive Martin Plaehn to the position of CEO. Plaehn previously served two separate tenures at RealNetworks — most recently as senior vice president of product & service development. He also worked at the company from 1999… Read More…

Comcast rolls out $9.95 per month Internet service for low income families

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Comcast is launching a new program to provide Internet service to low income families in the US. at a discount. Dubbed Internet Essentials, the offering includes $9.95 per month Internet service and a voucher to buy a computer for $149. “Access to the Internet has the potential to be a great equalizer and a life-changing… Read More…