| Verizon says Share Everything, and now you finally can Jun 29th 2012, 12:49  When Verizon finally came good on its Share Everything promise, mobile matrimony on the big red finally seemed a solid reality. If your team couldn't wait to get its sharesies on, then rest easy, as Verizon's come good on that 28th delivery date. Don't forget, you'll still have to cough up a monthly fee per device ($40 for a smartphone, $20 for a mobile hotspot etc) but you can still divvy up that $50-$100 monthly access fee, and be prepared to argue over that $15 overage charge if you choose the wrong one. Verizon says Share Everything, and now you finally can originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  The Verge |  Verizon | Email this | Comments | | Instagram adds Photo Page to web: new colors, user comments, not much else Jun 29th 2012, 12:24  Instagram's been moving along briskly with its Android and iOS apps, but the hipster-tinter-photo-sharing-Facebook acquisition's web presence has been lagging behind in comparison. But there's good news now if you're desk-bound thanks to the new "Photo Page," which lets you log in, change your profile and add comments or likes to images. The other tweak is a fresh look for the site, matching the app with a blue, dare we say, Facebook-esque theme and larger images, no doubt to show off those mega-megapixel smartphone cameras. It's likely a first step in unifying its web offering and apps, and with a name like Photo Page, no one can accuse it of wasting that Facebook booty on marketing whizzes. Instagram adds Photo Page to web: new colors, user comments, not much else originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Next Web | Instagram | Email this | Comments | | Minitel to be shut down tomorrow: France bids adieu to the internet's precursor Jun 29th 2012, 12:01  Back in the mid-80s, the idea of transferring funds, checking your email, buying stocks and booking a trip online was all a faraway dream. But if you happened to be in France at the time, you might've already been wired up and doing these things for years -- thanks to the state-subsidized Minitels that were in each and every household. The country was far more interconnected than any other and proud of the text-only terminals, even though government-owned France Telecom monopolized access and you had to be newspaper company to supply any content. It took off anyway, and soon faux-newspaper companies sprung up everywhere for the not-so-secret purpose of delivering paid Minitel services. They supplied information, financial access, ticketing, online shopping, and even some naughty text-based services (sacré bleu!). At its apogee in 1998, the system generated over a billion dollars a year in revenue, and accounted for nearly 15% of the annual income for online retailers 3 Suisses and La Redoute, to name a couple. But France can be an insular nation, and Minitel never really spread anywhere else. The internet gave the coup de grace to the system and displaced it, and though it's still accessed by millions each year, France Telecom will pull the plug once and for all this Saturday. Some regret that the nation didn't build on its technological lead, but most French folks will probably remember the boxes nostalgically, knowing that they beat the internet by almost 20 years. [Image credit: Musée De l'Informatique] Minitel to be shut down tomorrow: France bids adieu to the internet's precursor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | BBC News | Email this | Comments | |
