connected

Verizon is reportedly preventing jailbreakers from unauthorized tethering, at least according to one account at ReadWriteWeb.

The tech blogging site recently revealed that one of its own employees tried to use a jailbroken Motorola phone without a data plan to tether on Verizon's network. But instead of gaining access, the person was "blocked" by Verizon and redirected to a page describing the carrier's terms and conditions for using a mobile hot spot.

If accurate, this is a new development on the part of Verizon since the employee said she was able to use her jailbroken device … Read more

To go along with the consolidation of the Sirius and XM satellite radio services, the new SiriusXM rolled out a unified hardware platform: the SXV100 SiriusXM Connect vehicle tuner. We've already seen the first receiver to offer compatibility with the SiriusXM Connect from Alpine. Now, Sony strikes back with the second, third, fourth, and fifth as most of its new CDX line of CD receivers is now compatible with SiriusXM's module.

Four of the six new CDX receivers feature compatibility with the SXV100 SiriusXM Connect module ($60) and connect to the module's proprietary connection. The SXV100 draws … Read more

BMW added text-to-speech capability in its latest update of the BMW Connected iPhone app. The new release adds a play button to the iDrive system that will read Twitter and Facebook status updates to you while you're in the car.

When an iPhone equipped with the BMW Connected app is connected to the vehicle's mobile-phone docking station, drivers can use the iDrive controller to play new Twitter and Facebook messages.

I haven't had the chance to test this new feature, and don't know how the text-to-speech capability will treat abbreviations or what it will do with hashtags in Twitter. But if you must stay up to date with your tweets, it's probably better, or at least safer, than reading them on your mobile phone at stoplights.

BMW also added iPhone Calendar integration that will let you view appointments for the day, week, or month and read them out loud. … Read more

Optimize your wireless Internet connection with the WiFi Analyzer app for Android. For those of you who may not be networking wizards, this app provides a relatively easy way to analyze the strength of different wireless channels, so you can figure out which to choose for your router.

Before using WiFi Analyzer, you must first understand what a Wi-Fi channel is. A Wi-Fi channel is a range of radio frequencies that a Wi-Fi network uses to communicate with wireless devices. There are a finite number of accessible channels, so when several Wi-Fi networks occupy a small area, channels will often … Read more

What are all those Netflix and Hulu viewers watching, and how are they accessing that content? A new study out yesterday from Nielsen offers some answers.

Among Netflix subscribers, 53 percent watch movies, 11 percent tune into TV shows, and 36 percent catch a mixture of both. But among Hulu viewers, only 9 percent are streaming movies, 73 percent are watching TV episodes, and 18 percent grab both equally.

Those results aren't surprising since Hulu isn't exactly known for its vast movie library, focusing instead on providing current and past seasons of popular TV series. In contrast, Netflix … Read more

Televisions that can connect to the Web and offer built-in applications are set to see strong sales growth in the coming years, a new study from research firm In-Stat has found.

According to the company, shipments of smart TVs will be up by an average of 36 percent over the next five years.

Built-in applications are becoming an increasingly common feature in HDTVs. A host of HDTV makers, including Samsung, Vizio, and Panasonic, among others, currently offer users the ability to access apps from their televisions. Several companies offer apps on televisions, including Netflix, Vudu, and YouTube.

In-Stat's study … Read more

Airbnb, an online marketplace where travelers can find and book places to stay around the world, has picked up $112 million in financing, a move designed to help it grow in the U.S. and abroad.

The company will use the $112 million in Series B financing from investors Andreessen Horowitz, DST Global, and General Catalyst to enhance its U.S. online community and expand and hire more people internationally. This latest round of capital adds to the $7.2 million raised on behalf of Sequoia Capital and Greylock in November, bringing the total investment to $119.8 million.

Airbnb … Read more

The mobile world moves at a breakneck pace, and it's difficult to keep up--even without the technical jargon most industry insiders throw around. And they do love to toss those terms about.

Earlier this month, I explained the nuances between the different 4G technologies and why you don't want companies cramming you. With the carriers posting their quarterly earnings results recently, I figured it would be a good chance to provide you with a refresher course on telecom jargon that industry executive and Wall Street types like to use.

So for some light reading, here are few terms … Read more

To reduce air pollution, carbon emissions, and gas consumption, New York City is adding electric cars to its vehicle fleet.

 Mayor Michael Bloomberg, along with several other officials, announced that the city purchased 10 electric Ford Transit Connect cargo vans, 10 Navistar eStar electric utility trucks, and 50 Chevrolet Volts that will be shared by several agencies, including the police and fire departments.

"This is the latest and largest-ever addition of electric vehicles to the City's fleet, which is already the largest municipal clean-air vehicle fleet in the nation," said Mayor Bloomberg.

The city believes that … Read more