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>> There may be an answer to the 3G iPhone's spotty service, FIOS expands on its multicultural and HD channels, and Digg wants to start a dialog. It's Tuesday, August 26. I'm Mark Licea, and it's time to get Loaded.
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According to a survey conducted by Wired, iPhone 3G download speeds may not be so much a fault of the actual hardware, but more with the cellular networks. Germany and the Netherlands clocked in as having the fastest speeds at about 2 megabits per second on average, whereas in the metro areas, like San Francisco, 10 out of 3 said the service was very slow at half that data rate. The report suggests that this could be a result of AT&T's rise in 3G user traffic, with the number of users overwhelming what the available 3G network towers can handle.
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The Blitz was recently added to Verizon's phone line up without too much hype. The Blitz is marketed for a younger group, and features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, an expandable micro SD slot, and MP3 playback with the V CAST Music and Rhapsody service. It's kind of cute, but the target demographic is geared towards teens and texters. It'll set you back 70 bucks with a two year contract.
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Mexico's getting a little bit more advanced. Cell phones in Mexico will soon be able to make small purchases in restaurants and cabs. Telephone operator Telefonica SA, along with other carriers, are working with banks like Citigroup to launch the service within the next few months. Cell phone users will have their savings account linked to their phone, and will be able to pay at participating stores and taxis via text message. Japan has enjoyed this kind of technology for years, so it's about time other countries start to implement it.
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FIOS is expanding on its TV channel line up by adding 14 new multi-cultural channels, and 55 HD channels. The multicultural channels will be available in eight different languages and will come from World TV, a content management company that signed a deal with Verizon to distribute their international content. The channels have launched in New York, Northern New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Verizon says the service will be rolled out in other regions in the next few months. As of now, just subscribers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island will be offered the 55 HD channels.
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Digg is launching a new program called Digg Dialog. The new feature will announce a special interview guest where Digg users can submit their own questions through text or video. The Digg community will vote on what questions they like best, and the top questions will be asked in a live interview. Digg Dialog launched at the Democratic National Convention, partnering with CNN's iReport. Nancy Pelosi will be the first guest interviewed this Wednesday. You can catch the link live by going to Twitter.com/Digg. As you can expect from the tech community, questions regarding net neutrality seem to be a hot topic on the list.
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The Xbox 360's dashboard is supposedly getting a hefty update in the next few weeks. According to Engadget, the update is rumored to have a completely different menu system, offers support with Netflix, and allow gamers to create their own avatars like the Wii. It's possible the update could hit 360 owners as soon as November.
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Nokia announced three new phones, the candy bar Nokia N79 will take place of the N78 and has a 5-megapixel camera, dual LED flash, micro SD support, and GPS tagging for geotagging photos. It's priced at 350 Euros. The N85 will fill the shoes of the N81 as a slider phone and features the same 5-megapixel camera, a battery that will support 28 hours of music playback, and an included 8-gigabyte micro SD for around 450 euros. Both are due out in October. And finally, the N96 will have 16-gigabytes of memory and will support a wide range of video formats. It's due out by the fourth quarter of this year for around 900 bucks.
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Lexar upped the storage capacity of its two flash drives recently. The Firefly USB drive storage capacity was increased to 16 gigs this weekend. And now the company announces that it's doing the same with its Secure II Plus model. The Firefly is more compact, whereas the Secure II model is, well, more secure. Both are priced at 99 bucks.
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Those are all your headlines for today, but I will be back tomorrow with more. Thank you for watching. I'm Mark Licea with CNET TV, and you've just been Loaded.
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