Netflix Inc said it will offer its first unlimited streaming-only subscription plan in the United States for $7.99 a month, and raise prices of its popular unlimited streaming and unlimited DVD plans by a dollar -- eventually shifting away from its mail business. Netflix shares rose 7 percent to $184.71 in morning trading following the announcement. The move is part of Netflix's push to phase out its DVD-by- mail business, said Gabelli & Company analyst Brett Harriss. "For a … [Read more...]

Apple (AAPL) and Verizon Wireless (VZ) finally are getting it on. But are there bigger plans in the works? The companies have announced a cobbled iPad, sans built-in 3G but bundled with Verizon's MiFi Mobile Hotspot. This will be launched on Oct. 28 in 2,000 stores nationwide.The news on the Verizon iPad could foreshadow a Verizon iPhone, finally breaking the AT&T stranglehold on the iPhone. Kent German and Erica Ogg said in CNET that a Verizon iPhone could hit the market in early … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission is opening up unused airwaves between television channels for wireless broadband networks that will be more powerful and can reach farther than today's Wi-Fi hotspots. The five-member FCC voted unanimously Thursday to allow the use of so-called "white spaces" in the broadcast TV spectrum to deliver broadband connections that can function like Wi-Fi networks on steroids. The agency is calling the new technology "super Wi-Fi" and hopes … [Read more...]