Soon no one will snicker when Kansas City residents proudly refer to their city as the “Silicon Prairie.” As the Associated Press reports, the presence of Google’s (GOOG) high-speed fiber network has turned Kansas City into a major attraction for tech startups that want to take advantage of the fastest Internet connectivity in the United States. According to the AP, “several startup-friendly locations… have sprouted up in Kansas City in recent months” in residential buildings that give entrepreneurs room for “working on their ideas for the next high-tech startup.”
The AP profiles one such startup residence, dubbed the “Home for Hackers,” that offers entrepreneurs “a deal that allows them to live rent-free” for up to three months “while they develop their business plans.” The house has three spots reserved specifically for entrepreneurs and an additional bedroom set up for “fiber tourists who want a place for a day or two where they can download anything faster than they could elsewhere.”
But despite all the startup activity in Kansas City, the Silicon Prairie’s small businesses say they’re still having trouble overcoming the perception that they live in a second-tier city. In particular, they tell the AP that they still have a lot of trouble raising capital from venture capitalists who prefer to have startups nearby on the West Coast instead of in the Heartland.
“I’ve had some really incredible conversations with some big name VCs, and their first statement is that when you’re in this early stage you have to be here, right next to us,” Mike Farmer, the founder of the Kansas City-based mobile search app Leap2.com, told the AP. “That is a hurdle.”
Google Fiber專案將擴充至美國其他34個城市
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Google存取服務副總裁Milo Medin於周三（2/19）宣布，Google正準備擴大Google Fiber專案，將1Gbps的光纖網路服務從現有的3個城市擴充至其他在美國9大都會區的34個城市。
Google Fiber為Google在2010年發表的1Gbps光纖到府服務。Google 認為高速的網路服務將是創新的基礎，同時也能助長經濟發展與改善教育品質。迄今已在堪薩斯州的堪薩斯市（Kansas City, Kansas）、德州的奧斯汀市（Austin）與猶他州的普羅沃市（Provo）展開部署，而本周則宣布已邀請美國9大都會區的其他34個城市參與Google Fiber專案。
Medin表示，Google將與這些城市的領導人展開雙方的共同規畫程序，以便評估Google Fiber的部署，Google將會先擬訂一份需要各城市協助的清單，例如地圖以及各種既有的管線，也會要求城市提供存取當地基礎建設或執行程序的許可；之後進行在這些城市部署Google Fiber的相關研究，諸如當地的地形、住家的密度，或是當地條件等，以評估建置成本與時間表。
一直要等到上述的程序結束後，Google才會宣布部署Google Fiber的新一輪名單。這代表這些城市只是潛在對象，不一定全數都能參與Google Fiber專案，但雀屏中選的城市可望在今年底前就可存取Google Fiber服務。
這9大都會區包含亞特蘭大、山貓、納什維爾、鳳凰城、波特蘭、羅列-達勒姆、盬湖城、聖安東尼奧與舊金山等。Google亦說明，遴選這些都會區與城市的原因是相關區域的主事者皆努力想提昇當地所使用的最新技術及網路速度，與Google的想法不謀而合。
What is Google Fiber and why is it so awesome? ( Google 光纖為什麼這麼有吸引力 )
Today, Google announced its latest plans to install Google Fiber internet service in Provo, Utah, Internet rollout plan. The company is in the middle of upgrading the city’s existing fiber network to make it ready for the insane speeds that Google is bringing to town. Google’s currently in talks with property managers to get Google Fiber lines installed in apartment buildings and other large complexes.
However, with the relatively new state of gigabit Internet and its limited rollout thus far, you may not know exactly what Google Fiber is and what it means for consumers. That’s okay, though, as you still have plenty of time before Google Fiber most likely reaches your area. In the meantime, here’s a quick primer to Google Fiber and why you should be jealous of the cities that are getting it soon.
What plans are available?
Google offers three different Google Fiber plans:
- 5Mbps Internet for $0/month (one-time construction/installation fee)
- 1Gbps Internet for $70/month (fee waived)
- 1Gbps Internet with TV for $120/month (fee waived)
The free 5Mbps Internet service that Google is offering with Fiber is particularly interesting. It’s the basic of the basic, of course, but this is the type of DSL service that many ISPs charge as much as $40 a month for, and sometimes even more, depending on your location. Furthermore, Google guarantees that the price of the 5Mbps plan (or lack thereof) won’t be raised for at least seven years.
As for the faster plan, the 1Gbps service comes with a bevy of perks, including 1TB of Google Drive storage with the television service equipped with a 2TB DVR recorder in addition to the Google Drive storage. The DVR can also record up to eight live television shows at once. Along with all that, customers who get the Internet and television package will also receive a free Nexus 7 that is used as the remote control of sorts for the system, and you’ll be able to stream live content to the tablet as well.
Google 的 Chromecast 電視棒終於走出美國，預計 3 月在英國開賣
今天 The Next Web 從一家英國電子零售商處獲悉，之前只在美國有售的 Chromecast 電視棒將從 3 月 1 日起正式在英國開賣。目前 Google 已經證實了這款產品將登陸英國的消息，不過零售商所說的日期僅爲暫定，未來還有變化的可能。
值得一提的是，之前 Chromecast 只支援 Netflix、Hulu 等美國本土應用，漂洋過海後要如何解決水土不服的問題，現在還沒有個確定的答案。不過 Google 已經向所有開發者開放了 SDK，Rdio、Beats 等服務商均表示很快就會改進自己的應用來支援這款裝置。至於價格目前仍是個謎，在英國以後會不會還有其它地區跟進，大家也敬請拭目以待吧。
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