How to Choose the Fastest, Cheapest, and Most Reliable Mobile Hotspot to Stay Connected Everywhere You Go

How to Choose the Fastest, Cheapest, and Most Reliable Mobile Hotspot to Stay Connected Everywhere You GoMobile hotspots are awesome. They pack fast internet access into tiny, pocketable devices so you can stay connected wherever you go, but they vary in cost, speed, and reliability. With so many options in devices and carriers, you might end up paying for more than you need or getting too little and ending up with overages. What's the best way for you to get a affordable and reliable mobile hotspot? We decided to find out.

With the proliferation of 4G mobile technologies and the reduced cost of 3G data, mobile hotspots are no longer luxuries for business people and the wealthy. Anyone can pick up a portable device for under $100 and get service at a low cost, or even for free. You can even turn your smartphone into a Wi-Fi hotspot, negating the need for a separate device. It's a really great time to take advantage of mobile data, but there are so many options to make sense of and chances are you're not even aware of a few of them. In this post we're going to take a look at the best options for getting a mobile hotspot based on your needs.

For Casual Use or Backup Internet Access

Mobile hotspots have low data caps, so even if their speeds can match your hardwired connection, you won't be able to download hundreds of gigabytes without incurring serious overages. For people who live to download, a mobile hotspot won't be more than a supplemental device or something for casual use with, say, a tablet or laptop when away from home. Chances are you don't want to pay much (or anything) for a device you're only going to use a few times a month or in the event of an emergency. In the past you'd be out of luck, but now you have mobile broadband options that'll hardly cost you anything at all.

Freedompop

How to Choose the Fastest, Cheapest, and Most Reliable Mobile Hotspot to Stay Connected Everywhere You GoFreedompop offers 512MB of mobile broadband per month for absolutely nothing. You'll have to put down a refundable deposit of about $100 for a device, but if you send it back before the year is up in the condition you received it you'll get that money back (though you'll have to pay shipping). Freedompop also allows you to earn additional data by completing offers like signing up for car insurance information or answering a survey. You can also earn 500MB of data through referrals. If you'd rather pay, plans start at $10 per month for 1GB and work their way up to $60 per month for 10GB. Casual users will likely prefer the $18 per month plan, which will get you 2GB of data (plus any extra you earn).

Freedompop offers a delightfully tiny little hotspot as its flagship device, but you can also get little USB modems for your laptop and a data sleeve for your iPod touch (to effectively turn your iPod touch into an iPhone). Data is provided over Sprint's aging WiMax network, which offers speeds around 5-7mbps with coverage quality that highly depends on your area. (You can check coverage here.) Because the device only uses WiMax and can't fall back on 3G data, it may be completely useless to those in poor reception areas. If you get good coverage, however, it's a wonderfully free/cheap way to get online in a pinch.

Karma

How to Choose the Fastest, Cheapest, and Most Reliable Mobile Hotspot to Stay Connected Everywhere You GoKarma offers a very similar product to Freedompop. The hotspot hardware is essentially identical, but white in color, and data is provided via Sprint's WiMax network as well. The cost difference? Karma charges $79 for their hotspot and $14 for a 1GB of data. This may seem like a considerably worse deal, but it's not because of one interesting aspect: your data never expires. You don't pay $14 per month, but rather $14 for every gigabyte of data you use whenever you happen to use it. If you're not planning to use the service frequently, this is a great deal. Additionally, you can earn 100MB of free data by simply sharing your connection with others.

Karma suffers from the same network issues as Freedompop, as Sprint's WiMax coverage is inconsistent across the United States. Before you buy, make sure you're covered so you don't end up with a $79 pocketable brick.

Your Smartphone

How to Choose the Fastest, Cheapest, and Most Reliable Mobile Hotspot to Stay Connected Everywhere You GoIf you already have a smartphone, you already have a (potentially free) mobile hotspot at your disposal. Modern Android and iPhones come with a built-in option to turn your cellular data connection into Wi-Fi for up to five other devices. On many plans this can cost up to $25 extra per month. While this nets you a fair amount of extra data, it's a hefty price to pay for using the limited data you've already purchased. Fortunately, you have a few workarounds.

PdaNet for Android and iPhone allows you to tether for the one-time cost of the app ($0-29), rather than a monthly fee. iPhone users will need to jailbreak, but Android owners just need to install the app. Some carriers pay attention to unauthorized tethering and may warn you to stop, but we've only seen this happen to people who still have unlimited data grandfathered into their plans. PdaNet can attempt to hide your tethering activity by serving up mobile sites instead of desktop ones, but that isn't necessarily ideal if you're tethering your phone to your laptop.

If you don't want to risk incurring the wrath of your carrier, some carriers actually offer free hotspot access if you have a shared data plan. To sign up for a shared data plan, you need more than one device (or it won't be cost-effective). If you don't share a plan with your family or significant other, find some friends and sign up with them. The more devices on your account, the cheaper each month will be for everyone. You'll have to do a little extra work to collect payments each month, but webapps like WePay help solve that problem.

Of course, with a shared data plan you'll need to actually share data. Most plans cap out at 20GB total, so you'll need to make sure that's going to be enough for all involved. If it is, check out what your carrier has to offer. AT&T provides a wonderful mobile share data plan calculator. Verizon has a similar offering. Multi-person plans at Sprint and T-Mobile offer unlimited data already, so sharing it is kind of irrelevant. Either way, you have options if you use a major carrier. Third-party carriers like Virgin Mobile, who resell Sprint's network, generally charge extra for a hotspot ($15/month in the case of Virgin), but not always. Ting, for example, offers free hotspot access on all supported phones regardless of your plan.

What it comes down to is this: if you're a casual user or just need mobile data for emergencies, you'll want to utilize a carrier that offers hotspots for free or via mobile share. If you're not, consider a tethering app instead.

For Moderate or Frequent Internet Access

When casual data usage won't cut it and you need as many gigabytes as you can get (or, at least, a lot of them), smaller carriers often won't do the trick. This makes picking the right one pretty difficult because you have many options and even more variables. When you're planning to use a lot of cellular data you want to know where you can get the most comprehensive coverage, the fastest speeds, and the most data for the cheapest price. (Fortunately, you don't have to figure out the best hardware because each carrier will stick you with their flagship mobile hotspot and call it a day). To figure out your best option, we're going to answer those questions.

Who Provides the Best Coverage?

How to Choose the Fastest, Cheapest, and Most Reliable Mobile Hotspot to Stay Connected Everywhere You GoFiguring out who has the best data coverage in the United States is a tricky question because you could be talking about various generations or just one. For our answer, we're going to look at LTE since it's fast and where the market is heading with pretty much all US carriers. That said, we'll also consider who offers solid 3G coverage for fallback purposes. First, let's take a look at the rankings (from best to worst):

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  • Verizon offers the widest LTE coverage of any provider and their 3G coverage is very comprehensive.
  • AT&T offers the second best LTE coverage in the country with very comprehensive 3G coverage (on par with Verizon). If you live in a big city and mostly travel to larger cities, AT&T's LTE coverage should be sufficient.
  • Sprint offers paltry LTE coverage, as the company initially bet its money on WiMax (a competing "4G" cellular data technology). That said, Sprint's WiMax coverage helps bridge the gap and its 3G coverage is decent.
  • Clear also utilizes WiMax, but is in the process of building out an LTE network. Their WiMax coverage is decent, much like Sprint's.
  • T-Mobile currently offers no LTE coverage, but it's coming. Their "4G" data technology is really just higher-bandwidth 3G data technology, but the coverage is quite good.
  • When it comes to coverage, Verizon will get you the best for LTE and 3G but AT&T is also a solid option if you're in a larger city.

    Who Has the Fastest Network?

    How to Choose the Fastest, Cheapest, and Most Reliable Mobile Hotspot to Stay Connected Everywhere You GoNetwork speeds are a little easier to measure, but they vary depending on the device you own and where you live. Back in 2010, Verizon had the fastest 4G service because they were the only network with LTE. Though that has changed, Verizon still often wins out. Gizmodo tested a few LTE devices on various networks and Verizon generally came out on top. PC Magazine tested 4G networks in Houston and found AT&T's to be the fastest. According to Android and Me, AT&T wins on download speeds and Verizon on uploads. Basically, you could research this topic to no end, finding different tests revealing different results with different devices in different locations. Too many variables make this a difficult question to answer.

    So what do you do? If you can visit a nearby store for each mobile provider you're considering and run a couple of speed tests, you'll get the best idea of what performance will be like for you. If you can't use the coverage maps listed above to see if AT&T or Verizon offer more towers near you. Both networks are very fast, to the point that people can't seem to figure out which one is speedier than the other, so go with the one that services your area (and frequent areas you visit) best.

    What's the Cheapest Plan for the Largest Amount of Data?

    How to Choose the Fastest, Cheapest, and Most Reliable Mobile Hotspot to Stay Connected Everywhere You GoOf all three questions, the cheapest plan is the easiest to answer because all you have to do is compare price for 4G service. First, let's take a look at who offers the cheapest rate for 10GB of data per month (with both 3G and 4G data, unless noted):

    1. Clear: $50 (Unlimited data, but WiMax only)
    2. Freedompop: $60 (WiMax only, no 3G)
    3. Sprint: $80 (but you get 12GB, as Sprint's only plan lower than that is 6GB for $50)
    4. Verizon: $80 (if using a dedicated mobile hotspot)
    5. T-Mobile: $80 (but no true 4G)
    6. AT&T: $50 for 5GB of data (which is the maximum for a single data-only account) or $140 for 10GB of data (by utilizing a mobile share plan)
    7. Karma: $140 (although Karma's intent isn't to offer monthly service)

    Ultimately, Clear is the way to go if you don't mind a contract and are okay with WiMax-only coverage. Freedompop offers the next best value for WiMax only. If you want actual LTE coverage, you ought to go with Verizon. You might save money on a plan if you're using your smartphone as a hotspot, but if you're looking for dedicated hardware you'll save the most on LTE using Verizon.

    When it comes to devices, they're all pretty cheap. You can get hotspots on contract for about $50. Karma offers the cheapest off-contract hotspot for $79. Freedompop is technically cheaper because you pay a $100 deposit, but you might not get that back if you keep the device for over a year or lose some of the packaging. Wherever you go, plan to budget at least $50.

    What's the Best Deal Overall?

    Overall, your best option will depend on your priorities. Here's how it all breaks down:

    Verizon wins out as the best on average. You get the best LTE coverage, what will likely be the fastest network in your area, and you won't pay a ton more per month to get it. If speed and coverage are a priority, Verizon is the best choice.

    Clear offers the best value, if their coverage supports you. Unlimited data for $50 a month is a great deal if you don't mind the slower speeds of WiMax and their coverage area supports you. Clear also plans to build out an LTE network, so things may get even better in the future. If you're looking for the most cost-effective way to get plenty of 4G data, go with Clear.

    Ultimately, what you choose depends quite a bit on your personal needs but the good news is you now have lots of options when it comes to fast mobile hotspots. If you weigh these choices well, you should have no problem finding the best carrier and plan for you.

    Photos by Valentina R. (Shutterstock), Thomas Le Bas (The Noun Project), and Aleksander1 (Shutterstock).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/csXL-nMzaqU/how-to-choose-the-fastest-cheapest-and-most-reliable-mobile-hotspot-to-stay-connected-everywhere-you-go

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Medicinal 'toothbrush tree' yields antibiotic to treat TB in new way

Jan. 14, 2013 ? A compound from the South African toothbrush tree inactivates a drug target for tuberculosis in a previously unseen way. Tuberculosis causes more deaths worldwide than any other bacterial disease. At the same time as rates are increasing, resistance strains are emerging due, in part, to non-compliance with the treatment required. Many current drugs are nearly 50 years old and alternatives are needed to the long, demanding treatment schedules.

The compound under research, diospyrin, binds to a novel site on a well-known enzyme, called DNA gyrase, and inactivates the enzyme. DNA gyrase is essential for bacteria and plants but is not present in animals or humans. It is established as an effective and safe drug target for antibiotics.

"The way that diospyrin works helps to explain why it is effective against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis," said Professor Tony Maxwell from the John Innes Centre.

In traditional medicine the antibacterial properties of the tree are used for oral health and to treat medical complaints such bronchitis, pleurisy and venereal disease. Twigs from the tree are traditionally used as toothbrushes.

Most antibiotics originate from naturals sources, such as the soil bacteria Streptomyces. Antibiotics derived from plants are less common, but they are potentially rich sources of new medicines.

"Extracts from plants used in traditional medicine provide a source for novel compounds that may have antibacterial properties, which may then be developed as antibiotics," said Professor Maxwell.

"This highlights the value of ethnobotany and the value of maintaining biodiversity to help us address global problems."

The work on diospyrin and related naphthoquinone compounds is being continued by Professor Maxwell as part of the efforts of a consortium of European researchers, More Medicines For Tuberculosis (MM4TB). The collaboration between 25 labs across Europe is dedicated to the development of new drugs for TB.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Norwich BioScience Institutes, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. S. Karkare, T. T. H. Chung, F. Collin, L. A. Mitchenall, A. R. McKay, S. J. Greive, J. J. M. Meyer, N. Lall, A. Maxwell. The Naphthoquinone Diospyrin is an Inhibitor of DNA Gyrase with a Novel Mechanism of Action. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2012; DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M112.419069

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/_vDLe8OPC2E/130114092755.htm

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Obama: Government shutdown over debt ceiling would harm economy

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - "The Muppets 2" will open in theaters March of 2014, "Maleficent," a reimagined "Sleeping Beauty" tale starring Angelina Jolie moves to July of the same year and Brad Bird's "1952" will open before Christmas of 2014, Disney announced on Monday. The news was part of an omnibus announcement, as Disney also announced "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" will open July 10, 2015. The next "Pirates" will star Johnny Depp with a script by Jeff Nathanson, but no director has been attached. Disney's planned 3D re-release of "Little Mermaid," set for September 13, has been called off. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-government-shutdown-over-debt-ceiling-harm-economy-173218664--business.html

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Pedestrians pass The Bank of England in the City of London

General Sources Monday 14th January, 2013

Monetary Policy Committee could have lower interest rates than otherwise "to cushion the impact on growth" if tighter credit rules lowered the outlook for inflation, the report said. Last year the FPC said it wanted two key powers, among others, to require banks to raise and lower capital ratios over the course of an economic cycle, and also to impose capital surcharges on risky areas of lending like some property loans. Property booms and bu...

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Source: http://www.breakingpropertynews.com/index.php/sid/211927635/scat/d701f9c0b5bae910

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Thousands march in Moscow to protest Russian adoption ban

Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP - Getty Images

At least 20,000 people rallied Sunday on the Boulevard Ring in Moscow to oppose Vladimir Putin's law banning American adoptions of Russian children.

By Lynn Berry, The Associated Press

Thousands of people marched through Moscow on Sunday to protest Russia's new law banning Americans from adopting Russian children, a far bigger number than expected in a sign that outrage over the ban has breathed some life into the dispirited anti-Kremlin opposition movement.

Shouting "shame on the scum," protesters carried posters of President Vladimir Putin and members of Russia's parliament who overwhelmingly voted for the law last month. Up to 20,000 took part in the demonstration on a frigid, gray afternoon.?

The adoption ban has stoked the anger of the same middle-class, urban professionals who swelled the protest ranks last winter, when more than 100,000 people turned out for rallies to demand free elections and an end to Putin's 12 years in power. Since Putin began a third presidential term in May, the protests have flagged as the opposition leaders have struggled to provide direction and capitalize on the broad discontent.?


Opponents of the adoption ban argue it victimizes children to make a political point. Eager to take advantage of this anger, the anti-Kremlin opposition has played the ban as further evidence that Putin and his parliament have lost the moral right to rule Russia.?

The Kremlin, however, has used the adoption controversy to further its efforts to discredit the opposition as unpatriotic and in the pay of the Americans.?

UNICEF estimates there are about 740,000 children not in parental custody in Russia, while about 18,000 Russians are on the waiting list to adopt a child. Since the law banning American adoptions was passed, Russian political and religious leaders have been encouraging Russians to adopt more children.

Sunday's march may prove only a blip on what promises to be a long road for the protest movement, especially in the face of Kremlin efforts to stifle dissent. But it was a reunion of what has become known as Moscow's creative class, whose sarcastic wit was once again on display on Sunday.?

"Parliament deputies to orphanages, Putin to an old people's home," read one poster. Another showed Putin with the words "For a Russia without Herod."?

Putin's critics have likened him to King Herod, who ruled at the time of Jesus Christ's birth and who the Bible says ordered the massacre of Jewish children to avoid being supplanted by the newborn king of the Jews.?

Russia's adoption ban was retaliation for a new U.S. law targeting Russians accused of human rights abuses. It also addresses long-brewing resentment in Russia over the 60,000 Russian children who have been adopted by Americans in the past two decades, 19 of whom have died.?

Cases of Russian children dying or suffering abuse at the hands of their American adoptive parents have been widely publicized in Russia, and the law banning adoptions was called the Dima Yakovlev bill after a toddler who died in 2008 when he was left in a car for hours in broiling heat.?

"Yes, there are cases when they are abused and killed, but they are rare," said Sergei Udaltsov, who heads a leftist opposition group. "Concrete measures should be taken (to punish those responsible), but our government decided to act differently and sacrifice children's fates for its political ambitions."?

Those opposed to the adoption ban accuse Putin's government of stoking anti-American sentiments in Russian society in an effort to solidify support among its base, the working-class Russians who live in small cities and towns and who get their news mainly from Kremlin-controlled television.?

Putin has turned his back on the new Internet generation in Moscow and other large cities, exacerbating a divide in Russian society that seems likely only to deepen in coming years.?

Protests against the adoption ban were held Sunday in a number of other Russian cities, but in most places only a few dozen people took part. In St. Petersburg, about 1,000 people turned out to show their opposition to the law and to Putin. Some held up a poster that read "Don't play politics using children."?

At the end of the protest, marchers dumped the posters of Putin and parliament members in an industrial-sized trash container that had "for disposal" scribbled on it.?

Sunday's protest had been authorized by the city government, which contributed to the high turnout.?

Just ahead of the weekend demonstration, Putin's spokesman sought to ease anger over the adoption ban by announcing that some of the dozens of adoptions already under way could go forward, allowing children who have already bonded with American adoptive parents to leave the country.??

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? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/13/16494118-thousands-march-in-moscow-to-protest-russian-adoption-ban?lite

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Lakers beat Cavs 113-93, snap 6-game skid

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Dwight Howard had 22 points and 14 rebounds in his return from a three-game injury absence, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped their six-game losing streak with a 113-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points for the Lakers, who finally earned their first victory of 2013 while ending their longest skid since February 2007. Howard went 9 for 11 despite his injured shoulder while leading Los Angeles to a comfortable victory over the lowly Cavaliers, who beat the Lakers last month.

Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters scored 15 points apiece for Cleveland, which has lost seven of nine. Alonzo Gee added 14 points for the Cavaliers, who fell behind by 19 points in the first quarter of their second stop on a five-game West Coast road trip.

Cleveland (9-30) is barely ahead of Washington (6-28) for the NBA's worst record.

Steve Nash had 10 points and nine assists for the Lakers, whose skid has been severe enough to cause fans to worry about this star-packed roster's playoff chances even in mid-January. After Oklahoma City ran the Lakers out of Staples Center on Friday night in a 116-101 victory, a downbeat coach Mike D'Antoni told his players that "our season starts Sunday."

Opening day went well for the Lakers, but much bigger challenges loom ? including the Miami Heat's visit on Thursday.

Pau Gasol missed his fourth straight game for Los Angeles with a concussion, while top backup Jordan Hill is likely out for the season with an injured hip. Earl Clark had another solid game in the starting lineup with 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots, while Antawn Jamison added 16 points and hit four of the Lakers' 13 3-pointers.

Howard injured the labrum in his shoulder earlier this month during a game against the Clippers, and he aggravated the injury last Sunday while grabbing a career high-tying 26 rebounds against Denver. He sat out for the past week to rest the injury, but didn't appear limited while patrolling the paint against the Cavs despite committing seven turnovers.

Although struggling Cleveland seemed to be an ideal slump-buster, the Cavs beat the Lakers 100-94 last month in Cleveland, Los Angeles' third straight road loss in the series.

Before the game, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott declined to follow the lead of fellow '80s Lakers greats Magic Johnson and James Worthy in hammering the current Lakers for their defense and Mike D'Antoni's coaching. Scott understandably has bigger concerns than his ex-teammates-turned-pundits who have mercilessly ripped D'Antoni, Howard and even Bryant in recent weeks.

Los Angeles looked sharp early, taking 37-18 lead in the final minute of the first quarter on a 3-pointer by Bryant. But the Lakers committed turnovers on six straight possessions late in the second half, allowing Cleveland to trim their lead to nine points.

The Lakers still scored 57 points in the first half with 17 assists on their 20 field goals.

NOTES: Nash hit three free throws, improving to 18 for 18 this season and increasing his minuscule lead on Mark Price for the best free throw percentage in NBA history. ... Cleveland continues its road trip in Sacramento on Monday night against the Kings, who have lost four straight. ... The Lakers won despite 22 turnovers, including 18 by their starting lineup.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lakers-beat-cavs-113-93-snap-6-game-050019093--spt.html

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IRL: Rosetta Stone, PocketWizard and the TomTom Via 1530

Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.

Fun fact: this edition of IRL was compiled and timed up about a month ago -- well before we set foot in Vegas to spend a week at CES. We figured, we'd be too busy covering the show, and that we'd be too exhausted afterward to immediately get back to our regularly scheduled workloads. (Ed note: I hope I came out alive -- Dana.) At this point, of course, CES has come and gone, and despite the 18-hour work days, we'd say we had a good time. Nonetheless, we need the literary equivalent of a Tums after a seven-day avalanche of posts, and we suspect you do too. What better, then, but a column about older tech we've lived with a while? We even threw a CD-ROM mention in there for variety's sake.

Continue reading IRL: Rosetta Stone, PocketWizard and the TomTom Via 1530

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/13/irl-rosetta-stone-pocketwizard-tomtom-via-1530/

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Google's ultrafast Internet draws startups to KC

Matthew Marcus works at his desk in the basement of Kansas City Startup Village in Kansas City, Kan., Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. Marcus started the Village which houses several startup companies and takes advantage of the high speed internet. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Matthew Marcus works at his desk in the basement of Kansas City Startup Village in Kansas City, Kan., Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. Marcus started the Village which houses several startup companies and takes advantage of the high speed internet. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Matthew Marcus works at his desk in the basement of Kansas City Startup Village in Kansas City, Kan., Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. Marcus started the Village which houses several startup companies and takes advantage of the high speed internet. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Synthia Payne stands in her workspace at The Home for Hackers in Kansas City, Kan., Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. ?Home for Hackers? was among the first wave of houses to be wired and is in a midtown area _ within a block of the Google Fiber offices _ that's become ground zero for Kansas City startups. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) ? Inside a small bungalow on the street separating Kansas City, Kan., from its sister city in Missouri, a small group of entrepreneurs are working on their ideas for the next high-tech startup, tapping Google Inc.'s new superfast Internet connection that has turned the neighborhood into an unlikely settlement dubbed the "Silicon Prairie."

The home on State Line Road is one of several startup-friendly locations that have sprouted up in Kansas City in recent months. The catalyst is Google Fiber, the search-engine giant's fiber-optic network being tested in the Kansas City area that advertises speeds of up to a gigabyte per second ? a rate that massively exceeds the average Internet speeds at homes hooked up with cable modems.

The advantage here for startups is simple: A fast Internet pipe makes it easier to handle large files and eliminates buffering problems that plague online video, live conferencing or other network-intensive tasks. Though the Kansas City location presents challenges for startups, including the ability to raise money outside the traditional Silicon Valley venture capital scene, entrepreneurs like Synthia Payne believe it's the place to be right now for up-and-coming tech companies.

Payne is one of those entrepreneurs hoping to launch her startup dream ? an Internet subscription service for musicians who want to collaborate online ? on the cheap. She shares the State Line Road house, known as the "Home for Hackers," with other startups under a deal that allows them to live rent-free while they develop their business plans.

Google's network was attractive, Payne said, because her business plan "is dependent upon really good, really fast Internet."

"Without this on-ramp here I probably would have found it very difficult to come here," said Payne, who in December moved from Denver to develop CyberJammer.

Residents here were thrilled when Google announced last year that Kansas City, Kan., and neighboring Kansas City, Mo., would be its test bed for Google Fiber. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company spent months and unknown sums installing optical fiber around the area. Google provides the full gigabit service for $70 a month and its own cable-TV like service for another $50. A slower Internet connection is free on a monthly basis after a $300 installation fee.

The first homes were installed with fiber optics in the fall, with more "fiberhoods" planned in stages over the next several months. Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan., remain Google's only fiber market, though the company has said it plans additional roll-outs. Many in the tech industry believe Google's move could ultimately force broadband providers to accelerate their networks to compete. Making Internet access faster would give the company more opportunities to attract traffic and sell more advertising ? the main way Google makes money.

The "Home for Hackers" and its unique business pitch is the brainchild of local web developer Ben Barreth, whose property was among the first wave of houses to be fiber-wired and is a block away from the Google Fiber offices. "Hackers" who pass Barreth's application process and show a real intention to work on a viable project can live there rent-free for three months. Since starting the home in October after cashing in his Roth IRA and putting a down payment on the $48,000 home, Barreth has gotten applications from nearly 60 people seeking a spot in the home.

"The whole startup thing in Kansas City is like this huge growing beast," he said. "It's got this crazy momentum."

The house has been full since mid-December with Payne and two others. One of the rooms also is reserved for fiber tourists who want a place for a day or two where they can download anything faster than they could elsewhere.

"The hope is that these startups will move their operations to Kansas City and this will really bless Kansas City, bring jobs and taxes and we'll build a really cool tech scene," Barreth said.

A few homes away from the "Home for Hackers" is the headquarters of the Kansas City Startup Village, which was started by local entrepreneur Matthew Marcus and where Mike Farmer, founder of mobile search app Leap2.com, has his offices. Farmer said Google Fiber brought attention to Kansas City's startup culture, "because it sort of ignites the imagination about what you can do with that sort of bandwidth capability."

"Most every week I meet one or two or three people that are looking to come in from out of town," he said.

Despite the growth, it remains a challenge for startups to raise money from Kansas City, Farmer said. Silicon Valley venture capital groups in particular want startup entrepreneurs to be nearby in California, he said.

"I've had some really incredible conversations with some big name VCs, and their first statement is that when you're in this early stage you have to be here, right next to us," he said. "That is a hurdle."

Andy Kallenbach recently launched FormZapper.com, an online forms management site, and also has offices near the "Home for Hackers." He said Kansas City has no aspirations to be the next Silicon Valley and may never have a "Facebook or a giant consumer-level company that takes over the world."

He said it may also be "better for us" that it's more difficult to raise money in Kansas City.

"The hardest thing about a startup is execution, OK? A lot of people can go out and raise money and get money for an idea or for some product or they can come up with some awesome presentation. But it doesn't matter if you can't build something that people will use," Kallenbach said. "I think here in Kansas City you have to at some point put your money where your mouth is. You have to 'do.'"

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-13-Google-Silicon%20Prairie/id-59f4eaf4616e49b49c7b844e605a880a

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Ex-President George H.W. Bush may leave hospital soon: spokesman

H.W. BushFormer U.S. President George H.W. Bush. REUTERS/Donna Carson/Files

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AUSTIN, Texas - Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who has been hospitalized in Houston since November, may be released from the facility in the coming days, a family spokesman said on Sunday.

?We are hopeful that the president can be discharged this coming week, but we?re still taking everything one day at a time,? spokesman Jim McGrath said in an email.

Bush?s son, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, said on Saturday that his father was expected to be released from the hospital on Monday, according to TCPalm.com.

The former president, 88, who led a coalition that pushed Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1991, was admitted to Methodist Hospital on Nov. 23 for bronchitis and then transferred to intensive care in December after coming down with a persistent fever and other complications. He was moved to a regular patient room after his condition improved last month.

Bush has lower-body parkinsonism, which causes a loss of balance, and he has used a wheelchair for more than a year.

The 41st president, who is also the father of former President George W. Bush, served as a congressman, ambassador to the United Nations, envoy to China, CIA director and as vice president for two terms under President Ronald Reagan.

Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2013/01/13/ex-president-george-hw-bush-may-leave-hospital-soon-spokesman

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