Technology news in brief

Google asks cities to join Web service

Google is inviting 34 cities across the country to begin talks on joining the gigabit-speed home Internet service known as Google Fiber, in a move that promises lightning-fast downloads to millions of consumers while transforming a former sideline into a substantial business for the giant tech company.

Google wants to discuss building and operating optical-fiber networks, starting as early as next year, in Phoenix; Atlanta; Nashville, Tenn.; Salt Lake City; San Antonio;

Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Portland, Ore.; and San Jose, Calif., along with neighboring towns in those areas.

While some cities ultimately may not qualify or could decide not to participate, Google Fiber General Manager Kevin Lo said in an interview that the company “absolutely” wants to add all 34 if possible.

The effort could also create a new profit center for Google, according to some analysts, although others question the wisdom of competing with giant phone and cable companies in a sector that’s far different from its core business. Google makes most of its money by selling online advertising.

Google’s expansion comes at a time when cable companies provide Internet service to the largest chunk of U.S. consumers - and as the two largest operators, Comcast and Time Warner, are preparing to merge.

While Google has declined to release subscriber numbers or financial results from its initial fiber operation in the Kansas City area, the company has said it expects to make a profit. When asked if the service is profitable, Lo would only say, “Clearly, fiber can be a good business.”

Google began delivering fiber service to homes in Kansas City, Mo., in 2012 - charging $70 a month for a 1-gigabit connection - as well as in Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, where Google Fiber began connecting homes last year.

Google selected the 34 new cities from more than 1,000 that submitted applications four years ago.

T-Mobile eases upgrades - with a catch

NEW YORK - T-Mobile is allowing people who participate in its $10-a-month Jump program to upgrade their phones anytime, eliminating the previous limit of two upgrades a year.

As introduced last summer, Jump participants get insurance to cover loss and damage, plus the right to upgrade before fully paying off the phone in installments over two years. The customer must turn in the old phone.

There was a six-month waiting period before the first upgrade and a limit of two upgrades per year.

Starting Sunday, the waiting period and the upgrade limit were both eliminated.

The catch is that customers must have paid at least half of the phone’s costs before turning it in. Typically, that means customers who have had the phones for less than a year would have additional payments to make right away.

On Thursday, marketing vice president Mike Katz said most customers will likely keep the phone for a year anyway.

“Most customers are upgrading phones when a new model of their device comes up,” he said. “For the iPhone or [Samsung] Galaxy series, those customers [are upgrading] every single year.”

All four national carriers have made pricing and plan adjustments in the past few months in response to each other’s offers and to a proliferation of new phones from Apple, Samsung and other phone-makers. For years, the national carriers all pretty much had the same offering.

T-Mobile broke from the pack last March by introducing no-contract plans in which people paid for phones separately, in installments. That led T-Mobile to introduce the Jump program for frequent upgrades. Changes from other carriers followed.

HTC offers to replace cracked screens

NEW YORK - HTC is offering to replace cracked phone screens for six months, saying it wants to address a leading consumer frustration.

The offer applies only to HTC One phones bought in the U.S. starting Tuesday. HTC Corp. will replace the screen only once.

Free shipping is available, but users will be without a phone for up to two weeks. For $29, HTC will ship a replacement phone overnight. The customer must return the damaged one.

There’s no evidence that HTC screens are more prone to cracking than others. Rather, the offer may be a way for HTC to compete with larger rivals Apple and Samsung. While the HTC One has received favorable reviews, HTC’s share of the global smartphone market is less than 5 percent, according to research firm Gartner.

  • The Associated Press

Business, Pages 20 on 02/24/2014

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