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Foxtel’s broadband and home phone bundled plans

Back in December 2013, subscription TV provider Foxtel first announced its plans to offer a so-called “triple-play” service, combining pay TV with home broadband and phone. The announcement followed a wholesale agreement being brokered with Telstra that would allow Foxtel to retail Internet and telephony services on both ADSL broadband and the NBN. September 2014 …

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Big future in Broadcom’s little set

Broadcom has built a set-top box smaller than a deck of cards. Shara Tibken/CNET When the Super Bowl kicks off Sunday evening, most people will fire up their cable boxes to catch the big game. But what if your cable box were smaller than a deck of cards and hid behind your TV like a Google Chromecast, freeing up precious …

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iPhone sales take a big bite out of Android shipments

Lollipop is just one version of Google’s Android mobile operating system. Google The holidays weren’t so jolly for Android smartphones, after all. Shipments of Android-running smartphones fell in the last three months of 2014 as consumers bought Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in record-shattering numbers. This marks the first decline in Android smartphones during the all-important holiday quarter …

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Super Bowl blitz: T

T-Mobile’s Kim Kardashian ad is already generating attention for the company. T-Mobile It may be the big game, but it’s the smaller wireless carriers that are hoping to make a splash with Super Bowl commercials. For a second year in a row, Sprint and T-Mobile have commercials airing Sunday during the game. T-Mobile has already released its two spots, one …

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Surprise! Dish Network emerges as major wireless player after FCC auction

Dish, once again, demonstrated that it is serious about the wireless business. But just what that business is remains to be seen. Dish Network The nation’s second-largest satellite TV provider was a surprise winner of the Federal Communications Commission’s so-called AWS-3 wireless spectrum auction, which concluded Thursday and generated a record-breaking $45 billion. Dish, which bid with several partners including …

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Qualcomm’s mobile dominance shaken from loss of flagship phone

Qualcomm has been facing difficulty lately, but analysts say the company still has a chance to turn things around. Ben Fox Rubin/CNET Qualcomm had a lousy week. Actually, it’s been a lousy couple of months. Just as the world’s largest maker of mobile chips has been facing rumors that its new top-of-the-line chip has overheating problems, Qualcomm on Wednesday disclosed …

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This sweet little stereo system sounds better than it has any right to

The Lepai LP-2020A amplifier sitting atop the Dayton Audio B452 bookshelf speakers. Steve Guttenberg/CNET As regular Audiophiliac readers know, I love writing about cost-no-object, high-end audio, but I also have a soft spot for dirt cheap, but decent sounding gear. When I recently reviewed the new small bookshelf speaker from Dayton Audio, the B452 , I couldn’t help but be …

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How social media wins the #SuperBowl

When the power went out during the 2013 Super Bowl, Oreo (@Oreo) made sure everyone remembered that you can still “dunk in the dark.” Twitter/@Oreo It all started with a tweet about an Oreo. When the Super Bowl stadium experienced a blackout in the middle of last year’s game, Oreo sent a tweet to capitalize on the unfortunate turn of …

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