Month: August 2023

From Manhattan’s famous Museum Mile to the Bronx Zoo, New York City’s Link5G program is an opportunity to raise the bar on our city’s high-speed internet connectivity as millions of New Yorkers and visitors need digital access more than ever to fully participate in modern life. This digital equity initiative is particularly important in the Bronx, where up to 45% of residents in neighborhoods like Melrose and Mott Haven lack broadband access.

The usage of internet-connected devices has increased from 2020 to 2022, reflecting their growing importance in modern life. In 2022, more than half (52%) of the people in the EU aged between 16 and 74 years used an internet-connected TV, 9 percentage points (pp) higher than in 2020 (43%). The usage of smart wearables also experienced a notable uptick, with more than one quarter (26%) of people aged 16-74 using smartwatches, fitness bands, connected goggles or headsets, safety trackers, connected clothes or shoes and other internet-connected accessories. This represents an increase of 9 pp as well, compared with 2020 (17%). Internet-connected game consoles were also popular in 2022, as 20% of people aged 16-74 used them. Virtual assistants, such as smart speakers or apps, were used by 13% of people in the same age group, while 10% used internet-connected solutions for energy management, such as connected thermostats, utility meters, lights or plug-ins. Source dataset: isoc_iiot_use Among the EU countries, the usage of an internet-connected TV was notably high in Malta where almost 8 out of 10 people used an internet-connected TV (78%), followed by Spain (69%), Sweden and Ireland (both 68%) and Cyprus (66%). On the opposite side, Bulgaria (30%), Croatia (35%), Poland (38%), Greece (39%) and Romania (40%) were the EU countries with the lowest shares of people using an internet-connected TV. Lack of necessity cited as the main reason for not using internet-connected devices Despite the high increase in the use of internet-connected devices between 2020 and 2022, a considerable number of people reported not using these devices in 2022. 41% of people aged 16-74 who had never used any internet-connected devices cited the lack of necessity as the main reason for their non-use. However, this percentage reflected a 2 pp decrease from 2020. The next most common reason for non-use was the associated cost. In total, 10% of people aged 16-74 considered the cost as being too high. The associated share in 2020 was 11%. This was followed by the share of persons with concerns about the privacy and protection of personal data generated by those devices or systems (8%), down from 11% in 2020. Source dataset: isoc_iiot_bx

Industry Overview of Virtual Reality (VR) in Healthcare Market Virtual reality (VR) in healthcare re

The next Pixel could finally get more OS updates than Samsung's flagship phones again

Researchers from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture have received a $500,000 USDA-NIFA grant to develop virtual reality experiences for agriscience education and analyze the benefits of using these types of activities in the classroom.

Also, new authorities take over at Paraguay's ICT ministry, Argentina extends validation of mobile phone users and more.

Investigators working in the Coweta County Internet Crimes Against Children Unit received a cyber tip from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation about possible child sexual abuse materials.

Google is hoping to change how many major Android OS updates the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro gets in a move to surpass Samsung and meet the iPhone...

People living in tiny house villages in King County are getting an upgrade this summer: fast, reliable internet service. The Seattle Public Library and county are donating Wi-Fi hotspots to help villagers get online without having to leave their tiny houses.