Chelsea Gets Wi-Fi; Low-Cost iPhone for China?; Congressman Pushes FTC Google Probe

Topping tech headlines Tuesday, Google unwrapped its gift to thousands of Manhattanites: free outdoor Wi-Fi in southwest Chelsea.

The search giant, accompanied by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), announced the development at a press conference Tuesday, spreading news that the new wireless network will be available from Gansevoort Street to 19th Street, between Eighth Avenue and the West Side Highway. The network, according to Google, is the largest contiguous wireless grid in New York City.

Meanwhile, rumors of a low-cost version of Apple's iPhone for global emerging markets are swirling, with little backup. Digitimes, which is spotty at best with Apple rumors, reported that the company is planning to roll out a more affordable iPhone in China and other markets in the second half of 2013. Unnamed sources claim a sample iPhone touts a larger display and a completely new exterior design.

In other news, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is following up with the Federal Trade Commission's nearly two-year antitrust investigation into Google. Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is urging the FTC to investigate whether officials within the agency disclosed nonpublic information about the case to the media.

Also making headlines Tuesday:

• CES 2013: Intel Pushes Home and Mobile Platforms Further: $599 ultrabooks? 18mm thin detachable ultrabooks that last 13 hours? These are the highlights of Intel's CES press conference.
• French Gov't Wants Google, Other Web Companies to Pay for Bandwidth: France is investigating ways to squeeze more money from large Web companies to offset the costs of local Internet providers' bandwidth usage.
• CES 2013 Hands On: World's Slimmest Smartphone: Alcatel showed off some intriguing new phones at CES, including the 0.25-inch-thick One Touch Idol Ultra.
• NPD: Tablets to Overtake Laptops in 2013: Less than three years after Apple jump-started a barely existent consumer tablet market, research firm NPD is betting that tablets will out-ship laptops this year for the first time.
• Firefox Gets Faster with Version 18: Mozilla's latest browser version, Firefox 18, turns up the heat when it comes to JavaScript speed and adds support for Retina displays.
• CES 2013: Razer Steps Up Its Game With the World's First Gaming Tablet: "Project Fiona" goes from concept to reality as Razer unveiled its new Edge gaming tablet.
• Apple iPad Equivalent to 11th Largest U.S. Tech Company: Apple's iPad lineup could stand alone as the 11th largest U.S. tech company, according to a Bernstein Research analyst.
• Netflix Shows Off Personalized Profiles at CES 2013: Netflix is testing personalized profiles for users of its streaming service, which will let each member of a household receive customized recommendations based on their viewing habits.
• Report: Man Hires Video Game 'Hitmen' to Frag Layabout Son: A Chinese father reportedly cooked up a novel scheme for dissuading his unemployed son from wasting away his life playing online video games.
• Apple's Tim Cook Visits China, Meets Gov't Officials: Apple chief Tim Cook this week made his second official visit to China in less than 10 months to meet with Industry and Information Technology Minister Miao Wei.
• Valve: No Steam Box at CES, But We're Working on Something: Valve's long-awaited Steam Box system is in early testing and a no-show at CES 2013.
• Walmart to Offer iPhone 5 Via Straight Talk Pre-Paid Plan: Walmart announced Tuesday that it will offer the unlocked iPhone 5 and iPhone 4 via its Straight Talk wireless service.

For more from Stephanie, follow her on Twitter @smlotPCMag.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414072,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05039TX1K0000760

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