Through the Google lens: search trends October 23-30

Grab some candy corn and a caramel apple and settle in for a look back at another week in search trends:

Time for trick or treating
With today’s Halloween holiday, people are turning to the web to look for
last-minute costumes and pumpkin-carving tips. Top costume searches include Elsa from Frozen, Anna from Frozen, Olaf from Frozen (people can’t just let it go, can they?) and Maleficent. Whether you’re trick-or-treating or not, get the most out of the twilight hours tonight—Daylight Saving Time comes to an end on Sunday, which means it will be getting darker earlier. At least you get some extra sleep out of the deal.

Sports endings and beginnings
The World Series came to a thrilling conclusion on Wednesday night with Game 7 in Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium, as the San Francisco Giants took home their third victory in just five (even) years. The star of the night—and the series—was undoubtedly Madison Bumgarner, the Giants’ 25-year-old ace starting pitcher who came into the game in relief in the fifth inning and more than earned both the save and his MVP trophy, capping off a postseason performance for the history books. He was the top topic in search Wednesday, with more than 1 million searches. Fellow teammates Buster Posey and “Panda” Pablo Sandoval were also on the list.

As baseball fans put their caps and gloves in storage and look longingly at the calendar for March (pitchers and catchers report in 114 days!), fans of the NBA are just getting going. Basketball season started this week and the web was full of searches for the Cleveland Cavaliers (who are welcoming hometown hero Lebron James back to the fold), Miami Heat (the team LeBron left behind) and Chicago Bulls.

Trouble in the skies
There was a spike in searches around NASA when an unmanned rocket erupted into flames seconds after liftoff on Tuesday. The spacecraft and its cargo were lost, and the launch pad suffered heavy damage. Also this week, there was a breakthrough in the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s final flight. A piece of debris located on a tiny island has been identified as a piece of her lost plane.

Movie marvels
Marvel this week revealed a lineup of nine new movies to be released over the coming years, along with some casting details. Alongside familiar faces like Captain America and Iron Man, we’ll soon see a film about the Black Panther, who will be played by Chadwick Boseman. Marvel also revealed that Sherlock star (and Internet fave) Benedict Cumberbatch will play Doctor Strange in the 2016 movie.

Tip of the week
Don’t get caught off-guard by the changing of the clocks. With the Google app, you can set a reminder to reset the clocks on your microwave, in your car and on your wall as soon as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end on Sunday. Just open the app and say “Ok Google, remind me to change the clocks on Sunday.” Now relax and enjoy that extra hour of sleep!

Monday's Guest Post: Dynamic Service Chaining Standardization


A new guest post will be published on Monday - "Standardizing Service Chaining Models for Next-generation Service Provider Architectures" by my 35th guest, Nicolas Bouthors"With intense competition in the communications industry, service providers are looking for ways to offer new services faster and more cost-effectively. Dynamic service chaining allows you to do just that. Three industry

F5 Business Update: 40 DSC Deployments


Some quotes from the recent F5 Q4 F2014 earning call, by Andy Reinland, CFO and John McAdam [pictured], CEO (retiring in a year):


we continue to win large deals in service providers with both our traditional traffic-steering solutions and telco-specific offerings such as Policy Enforcement Manager, CGNAT, and Traffix Diameter products 

We have also made significant progress with our Traffix

DPI Deployments [327]: SpeedConnect [US] Uses Sandvine's Virtual DPI



Sandvine announced that "SpeedConnect, a Michigan-based operator of fixed and mobile wireless Internet access services has purchased solutions from Sandvine’s Virtual Series .. SpeedConnect purchased multiple instances of Sandvine’s Policy Traffic Switch (PTS) Virtual Series, which will be used to manage traffic for an improved subscriber quality of experience"

Related posts:

Sandvine CEO;

DSC Deployments [326]: NTT DOCOMO Uses Oracle Virtualized DSR for LTE Roaming


Oracle announced that NTT DOCOMO has ".. implemented Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router to support roaming for its mobile customers. Oracle Communications Diameter Signaling Router enables NTT DOCOMO to accelerate the launch of new, advanced mobile services that leverage an LTE infrastructure. The CSP can now support roaming on LTE bands to ensure subscribers have access to the same

Suspended use of guardrail end terminals in Washington

By Barbara LaBoe

You may have heard in news reports, on Oct. 20, a U.S. District Court in Texas found Trinity Industries, the company that manufactures the ET-Plus guardrail end terminal, failed to inform the Federal Highway Administration of design changes after initial approval of the system. As a proactive measure, we’ve halted the use of Trinity Industries’ ET-Plus guardrail end terminals in the state until concerns about their safety are resolved.

Safety remains our number one priority. To date, we are unaware of any problems with the Trinity end terminal in Washington, but we’re conducting a statewide review to see if they’ve performed any differently than others we use. We expect to have the review completed in three to four months.

In addition, we are working with FHWA and others to gather more information. Several other states have instituted similar moratoriums or bans pending further review and testing.

Federal highway officials asked Trinity to conduct more safety tests. A testing plan is due by the end of October and tests will be conducted as soon as possible. Trinity also has stopped shipment of its end terminals until the new safety tests are completed.

We do not have a specific database listing each end terminal in the state by manufacturer, but we are creating one as part of the statewide safety review. The end terminals we use are made by many different companies and often are installed by private firms as part of construction contracts. The manufacturer data exists, but it will take us some time to filter and organize into one database.
We’re continuing to monitor the situation and may take additional action as more information becomes available.

BroadForward Enables MVNO to Upgrade to LTE with Old Generation HLR


BroadForward announced that Voiceworks [MVNO, Netherlands] has "extended the use of the BFX Interface Gateway to support integration with KPN’s 4G network. Like for Voiceworks and hundreds of other operators and MVNO’s worldwide, it used to be impossible to connect to 4G/LTE networks with existing, older generation HLR’s (pre 3GPP release 8). This limitation is now removed with the latest

How Do 3, KPN, Swisscom, T-Mobile, A1, EE, TeliaSonera and Orange Pack LTE?


A new presentation by Openet reviews the how leading MNOs are "leverage the speed that LTE brings to create value for customers and generate more revenue".






Verizon Injects HTTP Header for Advertising


A post by Jonathan Mayer [pictured], a computer scientist and lawyer at Stanford analyzes the recent HTTP header insertion by Verizon (apparently used for behavioral advertising):

"After poring over Verizon’s related patents and marketing materials, here’s my rough understanding of how the header works [see chart below] .. In short, Verizon is packaging and selling subscriber information,

StarHub Trialed Nokia's Liquid Applications at WTA Finals



Nokia announced that StarHub [Singapore] has trialed ".. implementation of Nokia’s Liquid Applications solution at its 4G mobile base stations within the Indoor Stadium at Singapore Sports Hub, bringing ‘live’ sports action closer to spectators. For the trial conducted on 21 October 2014, four ‘live’ video feeds of the Rising Stars Finals played at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented

Through the Google lens: search trends October 17-23

So what’s the word on the (internet) street these days? Search trends has you covered with the latest news that had everyone talking this past week.

The hard goodbye
This week, searchers paid their respects to legendary clothing designer Oscar de La Renta, who he passed away on Monday at the age of 82. Once called “The Sultan of Suave,” De la Renta was known for evening gowns that regularly graced the red carpets of Hollywood–and the closets of the White House. From Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama, de la Renta dressed every First Lady since the 1960s.

Speaking of Washington bigwigs, we also said goodbye to Ben Bradlee, storied editor of The Washington Post. Bradlee is remembered for his courageous journalism; during his tenure as editor of the Post, the outlet published the “Pentagon Papers” and reported on the Watergate Scandal. Always chasing a good story, Bradlee coined the term “mego” (“my eyes glaze over”) for any reporting that bored him—unknowingly foreshadowing Internet-speak.


Is that you Betty Sue?
Back from a long career hiatus, Renee Zellweger stepped back into the spotlight in L.A. and came out with a bang—or shall we say, a new look. People were shocked to see Zellweger… looking a bit different from what they remember. The star’s reemergence caused a spike in searches for her hit movie Bridget Jones’s Diary (that was her, right? ) But Zellweger is taking the stares and comments in stride, stating she’s happy that she looks different because she’s living a happier and more fulfilling life—no shame in your game, Renee–whatever makes you feel complete.

Gone in sixty seconds
If you blinked, you already missed this trend. Toys “R” Us decided to pull a line of Breaking Bad action figures after an online petition asking the store to stop selling the toys received more than 9,000 signatures. So what was all the hoopla about? Susan Schrivjer, the Florida mom who started the petition, felt the dolls–which came with a plastic sack of cash and mock drugs—deviated from the company’s family values. Toys “R” Us agreed and put the figures on an “indefinite sabbatical”–Walter White-style.

Crime and Punishment
It was a week of crime on the trends charts as people were searching for more information about a gunman who shot and killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a soldier of the Canadian army, at Ottawa's National War Memorial. This was the latest assault on a member of the Canadian armed forces in recent times and has stirred debate about extremism in the West.

...As the Black Eyed Peas would say
With the World Series underway, people were ready to scream and shout for their favorite team. Searches for the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals hit a high as the two teams began their battle for The Commissioner's Trophy. And that’s not the only party going on these days. Diwali, a Hindu holiday also known as the “Festival of Lights,” started this past Tuesday. The celebrations will continue until this Saturday—so you still have time to check out photos of the stunning light displays around the world.

Tip of the week
First there was Angry Birds, then there was Candy Crush, which was swiftly followed by Flappy Bird–it’s kind of hard to stay on top of the latest video game trends. Now when you search for video games on Google, a panel will appear with all the info you need to stay in the know.


Snow brings an end to Artist Point road’s longest season

 by Tom Pearce

When the gate closes only hikers, skiers and
snowshoers can get to Artist Point.
After the longest season on record, we shut down State Route 542 just east of the Mount Baker Ski Area on Thursday, Oct. 23; the road to Artist Point is now closed for the winter. This section of highway will remain closed to vehicles until next summer.

It was a great year for Artist Point fans, who began calling in early June to find out if it was open. The earliest we’ve ever opened the road is June 30. We had callers from New York, California and Canada, among other locations. A couple of callers had guests coming in from Germany and the Middle East and wanted to take them up to see the breath-taking views.


Thousands of people travel to Artist Point each summer for views like this.
Artist Point was open for 115 days this year, eclipsing the old mark of 111 days set in 2004. The July 1 opening matched the second earliest, and the road has had just three later closing dates, the latest being Oct. 26, 2011. We’ve only been keeping records since 2002, but the area’s history reaches back much further.

Once snow starts to accumulate on the road, which reaches its high point at 5,080 feet, it’s time to close the gate. The road has lots of steep hills and curves without guardrails. The reason for no guardrails is that the 30 to 50 feet or more of packed snow that piles up most winters could wreck them. The tons of snow would destroy our signs as well, but we take them down each fall and put them back up in the spring.

The snow still can be 20 feet deep at the parking lot
when the road to Artist Point opens.
While we close the road with the first snow of the fall, Artist Point itself remains open all year. You can hike, snowshoe or ski in, but you can’t use any motorized vehicles like ATVs or snowmobiles. Just remember to be prepared for anything, because you travel at your own risk in back-country conditions.

For most of us, though, the closure of the road means the end of the season. We still have our memories, and can look forward to next summer when our workers start to clear the highway. That will take six weeks or more, depending on how much snow we get this winter. And next June, the phone will begin to ring again as folks anxiously await the opening of the road to Artist Point.

Ericsson SSR 8000 Contracts Follow-up, Q3 2014


In its Q3 report, Ericsson provides their standard update on the number of SSR 8000 deployments: "The momentum for the multi-application IP router, SSR 8000, continued with 134 contracts signed since the launch in December 2011. During the quarter, 14 new contracts were signed of which 6 were for fixed networks".





See "Third quarter report 2014" - here.

[Juniper Research]: How will MNOs Revenues Recover?


A new report by Dr. Holden Windsor [pictured], Head of Consultancy & Forecasting, Juniper Research, finds that "..voice and messaging traffic lost to OTT (Over The Top) players such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Skype will cost network operators $14 billion in revenues globally this year, up by 26% on 2013 ..in a number of markets, including Italy, Spain and the UK, operator mobile voice revenues

PCC Deployments [325]: Oi [Brazil] Trialed Renkee Virtualized Solution During 2014 FIFA World Cup


Redknee Solutions announced that Oi has "..successfully trialed Redknee’s suite of virtualized billing, charging and policy management solutions to drive roaming subscriptions and to ensure high quality wireless connectivity for those attending one of the largest sporting events in the world, the 2014 FIFA World Cup. With Redknee’s highly flexible and scalable solution, Oi was able to better

An inbox that works for you

Today, we’re introducing something new. It’s called Inbox. Years in the making, Inbox is by the same people who brought you Gmail, but it’s not Gmail: it’s a completely different type of inbox, designed to focus on what really matters.

Email started simply as a way to send digital notes around the office. But fast-forward 30 years and with just the phone in your pocket, you can use email to contact virtually anyone in the world…from your best friend to the owner of that bagel shop you discovered last week.

With this evolution comes new challenges: we get more email now than ever, important information is buried inside messages, and our most important tasks can slip through the cracks—especially when we’re working on our phones. For many of us, dealing with email has become a daily chore that distracts from what we really need to do—rather than helping us get those things done.

If this all sounds familiar, then Inbox is for you. Or more accurately, Inbox works for you. Here are some of the ways Inbox is at your service:



Bundles: stay organized automatically
Inbox expands upon the categories we introduced in Gmail last year, making it easy to deal with similar types of mail all at once. For example, all your purchase receipts or bank statements are neatly grouped together so that you can quickly review and then swipe them out of the way. You can even teach Inbox to adapt to the way you work by choosing which emails you’d like to see grouped together.

Highlights: the important info at a glance
Inbox highlights the key information from important messages, such as flight itineraries, event information, and photos and documents emailed to you by friends and family. Inbox will even display useful information from the web that wasn’t in the original email, such as the real-time status of your flights and package deliveries. Highlights and Bundles work together to give you just the information you need at a glance.

Reminders, Assists, and Snooze: your to-do’s on your own terms
Inbox makes it easy to focus on your priorities by letting you add your own Reminders, from picking up the dry cleaning to giving your parents a call. No matter what you need to remember, your inbox becomes a centralized place to keep track of the things you need to get back to.
A sampling of Assists
And speaking of to-do’s, Inbox helps you cross those off your list by providing Assists—handy pieces of information you may need to get the job done. For example, if you write a Reminder to call the hardware store, Inbox will supply the store’s phone number and tell you if it's open. Assists work for your email, too. If you make a restaurant reservation online, Inbox adds a map to your confirmation email. Book a flight online, and Inbox gives a link to check-in.

Of course, not everything needs to be done right now. Whether you’re in an inconvenient place or simply need to focus on something else first, Inbox lets you Snooze away emails and Reminders. You can set them to come back at another time or when you get to a specific location, like your home or your office.

Get started with Inbox
Starting today, we’re sending out the first round of invitations to give Inbox a try, and each new user will be able to invite their friends. If Inbox can’t arrive soon enough for you, you can email us at inbox@google.com to get an invitation as soon as more become available.

When you start using Inbox, you’ll quickly see that it doesn’t feel the same as Gmail—and that’s the point. Gmail’s still there for you, but Inbox is something new. It’s a better way to get back to what matters, and we can’t wait to share it with you.



Cross-posted from the Official Gmail Blog

Nokia's Software Cuts Signaling by 80%



 
Nokia Networks announced that it has "..conducted the first live network trial of a software feature that improves smartphone performance on 3G networks. Nokia High Speed Cell FACH* cuts smartphone-generated network signaling by up to 80%, boosts response time by up to 65% and achieves up to 20% faster browsing. Up to 40% power savings, contributing to longer smartphone battery life for

Akamai and Juniper Demo NFV/SDN Based CDN



Akamai Technologies and Juniper Networks demonstrated an "..Elastic Content Delivery Network (CDN) system designed to enable network operators to address network scalability challenges driven by the rapid increase in video traffic. 
The proof-of-concept demonstration will leverage Akamai's virtualized Aura Licensed CDN (LCDN) software and Juniper Networks® Contrail Controller for

DISTRICT VOICES: Inside Panem with our finest citizens

Meet District Voices, the latest campaign in our Art, Copy & Code project—where we explore new ways for brands to connect with consumers through experiences that people love, remember and share. District Voices was created in partnership with Lionsgate to promote the upcoming release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. -Ed.

Greetings, Citizens of Panem!

The Capitol has joined forces with Google and YouTube to celebrate the proud achievements of our strong, lively districts. Premiering today on YouTube, a new miniseries called DISTRICT VOICES will take you behind the scenes to meet some of Panem’s most creative—and loyal—citizens.

At 4 p.m. EDT/ 1 p.m. PDT every day this week, one of your favorite Citizen creators from YouTube will give you a never-before-seen tour of their districts. First, the Threadbanger textile experts of District 8 will show how utility meets beauty in this season’s fashion—plus, you’ll get a look at a new way to wear your Capitol pride. Tomorrow, District 2's Shane Fazen will provide a riveting demonstration of how we keep our noble peacekeepers in tip-top shape. On Wednesday, Derek Muller from District 5—Panem’s center of power generation—will give you a peek at a revolutionary new way to generate electricity. Thursday The Grain District’s own Feast of Fiction will show you how to bake one of beloved victor Peeta Mellark’s most special treats. And finally, iJustine, District 6’s liaison to the Capitol, will give you an exclusive glimpse at the majestic and powerful peacekeeper vehicles in action.

Tune in at CAPITOL TV. And remember—Love your labor. Take pride in your task. Our future is in your hands.

[Guest Post]: Net Neutrality and the Role of NFV

By Matt Halligan*, CTO and VP of Engineering. Openwave Mobility




The state of Net Neutrality and the open Internet have been debated at length. While the pro and anti neutrality camps fight it out - “Free Internet” vs. “Fast-Lanes” - many have overlooked what impact Net Neutrality will ultimately have on online services and the end-user experience. With a commercial, multi-speed internet,

SON Deployments [324]: Telefonica [UK] Deployed Cellwize


Cellwize announced that its "elastic-SON™, the Centralized Self Organizing Network solution (C-SON) has been commercially deployed by TelefĂ³nica UK to enhance mobile network performance and Quality of Service for UK subscribers. elastic-SON from Cellwize was selected following a rigorous evaluation process carried out by the TelefĂ³nica Global CTO Team and TelefĂ³nica UK.

TelefĂ³nica UK is the

[Israel]: ISP to Compensate Customers for P2P Traffic Shaping


Two years after a class action lawsuit was filed, judge Ester Shtemer, from the Lod District court, ruled against 012 Smile (subsidiary of Partner Israel), one of Israel largest ISPs for its traffic shaping policy (see the full decision below, Hebrew).

The plaintiff claimed that the 012 did not provide an appropriate speed to its subscribers, when P2P file sharing programs were used, and asked

Through the Google lens: search trends October 10-16

Diet secrets from Zach Galifianakis, and cord cutting from a cable company?! Here's a look at another topsy-turvy week in search.

A cast of characters
Search will always have its fair share of characters and this week was no different. First up, moviegoers learned who’s next in line for Hollywood’s superhero treatment when Ezra Miller, star of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, landed the title role in the 2018 film The Flash. And whispers are swirling in Tinseltown that Gal Gadot's already impressive resume—she’s set to play the world’s most famous Amazonian, Wonder Woman—will soon get another stellar addition, the lead female role in a remake of Ben-Hur.

But they weren’t the only celebrities to get the Internet buzzing. Comedian and fan favorite Zach Galifianakis caused a stir on the trends charts after he revealed a much thinner version of himself on the red carpet of the New York Film Festival. When a reporter asked Galifianakis if he had made any lifestyle changes to lose the weight, he responded with a straight face, “No, I'm just... I'm dying.” Clearly Galifianakis isn’t sharing his weight loss secrets.

Out with the old, in with the new
HBO has seen the light! This week the premium television network announced that they will launch a new stand-alone service for fans of its TV shows. Soon, homes without a cable subscription can sign up for HBO Go and get their fill of Game of Thrones and other HBO shows with just an Internet connection—leading people to wonder if this is the beginning of the end for cable providers.

Consumers also had a lot of new mobile devices to choose from this week, starting with our own line of Nexus gadgets like the Nexus 6 running the latest version of Android, 5.0 Lollipop. Meanwhile, Apple announced an updated version of the iPad.

The show’s just getting started
Is it awards show season already? It’s not—but that’s not stopping searchers from looking ahead. The Internet rejoiced when How I Met Your Mother and Gone Girl star Neil Patrick Harris said “Hosting the 2015 Academy Awards? Challenge accepted!” But with the Oscars red carpet still months away, searchers had their sights set on another celebrity bash: Paul Rudd's keg party… at his mom’s house… in the suburbs of Kansas City. What else are you supposed to do when mom’s out of town and the KC Royals just punched a ticket to the World Series after a nearly 30-year hiatus?

Tip of the week
‘Tis the season for pumpkin spice beers? Next time you’re in a new town and looking to grab a cold one just say “Ok Google, show me pubs near my hotel” and find your new favorite haunt.


Monday's Guest Post: Net Neutrality and NFV


A new guest post will be published on Monday - "Net Neutrality and the Role of NFV" by my 34th guest, Matt Halligan.
The role of NFV in Net Neutrality? How the two are concocted? "The state of Net Neutrality and the open Internet have been debated at length. While the pro and anti neutrality camps fight it out - “Free Internet” vs. “Fast-Lanes” - many have overlooked what impact Net Neutrality

Cache Deployments [323]: ViewQwest [Singapore] Use Qwilt to Improve QoE on Fiber




Qwilt announced that "ViewQwest, Singapore’s premium fiber broadband operator, has deployed the Qwilt Video Fabric Solution to deliver improved quality of experience (QoE) to ViewQwest’s customers ..  

When fiber broadband was introduced to consumers and businesses in Singapore, ViewQwest took full advantage by launching Fibernet, a superior service for popular online game streaming

Ceragon Partners with Qosmos and Telefonica to Improve QoE


Ceragon Networks announced that " in collaboration with Telefonica .. is demonstrating applications that provide operators with the ability to enhance user experience and enable more capacity and coverage at a lower total cost of ownership. 

One application allows service providers to enhance Quality of Experience (QoE) by rerouting traffic based on intelligence of current network conditions

Allot & MRV Partner to Offer Orange NFV/SDN Application-Aware Traffic Management CPE



More NFV news, this time with the twin brother, SDN. Allot Communications and MRV Communications announced  ".. collaboration to demonstrate an SDN-enabled virtual Customer Premises Equipment (vCPE) solution for bringing application awareness to service providers access networks. Initiated and validated in Orange Labs.

..Allot and MRV have partnered to respond to Orange needs by introducing an

Got goats? We do and we’re using them to remove invasive weeds and save money!

 By Tamara Hellman

In a creative approach to getting more done with less, Heidi Holmstrom, one of our maintenance technicians from our Vancouver office, came up with the idea of using her pet herd of goats to remove invasive weeds like the Japanese knotweed. Seeds from the knotweed plant are transferred by water and sediment; quickly becoming a big problem in Clark County.

Front row: Choco, Buttons, Fergie and Taffy.
Second row: Daisy and Irma.
Third row: Mocha, Latte, Cappuccino and Breve.

Heidi’s herd of 15 goats resided in an acre and a half of land this summer off State Route 503 near Brush Prairie. The area was fenced to make sure the goats did not take off or block the roadway. During the summer the group of goats chomped away at the invasive Japanese knotweed; but also other weeds like sweet pea, blackberry vines and scotch broom. Not only do the goats get a decent meal out of the deal, their two-stage digestion process ensures the invasive plants do not re-root and continue to spread.

Maintenance Tech Heidi Holmstrom with a baby goat.
The short-term saving for maintenance equipment and staff is about $15,000, with the only costs being some animal crackers to treat the goats and Heidi’s time to check on her babies.

Another benefit of going goat is we avoid costly herbicide on the knotweed. The most effective application, aside from using goats, is injecting herbicide directly into the root of each plant. That process takes time, equipment and staff hours away from other roadway maintenance work. Cutting down the Japanese knotweed isn’t a good option as it becomes a bigger problem, because segments will re-root themselves, becoming brand new plants that just keep multiplying.

Irma is ready for her close-up.
Aside from being a fun approach to a serious problem, goats are an eco-friendly, low carbon-footprint alternative to weed control. Previously maintenance crews would have to go into this area with gas powered tools and use herbicides. The other day, I was driving and couldn’t see around a corner. It made me realize how important the work of these goats was.

The goats are on winter break, but will be back to work in the spring and hungry for more.

Android: Be together. Not the same.

Good things happen when everybody’s invited. A few years ago, we had the thought that phones (and stuff that hadn’t even been invented yet like tablets and smart watches) would be way more interesting if everyone could build new things together. So we created Android as an open platform, and put it out there for everyone to imagine, invent, make, or buy whatever they wanted.

Since then, all kinds of people—from companies big and small to folks on Kickstarter, kids in schools, and crazy smart developers—have been innovating faster, together, more than we ever could alone. And the best part is that every time someone new joins in, things get more interesting, unexpected, and wonderful for all of us.


Getting everyone in on the party is the same spirit behind Android One—an effort recently launched in India (coming to other countries soon) to make great smartphones available to the billions of people around the world who aren’t yet online. It’s also why we’re excited about Lollipop, our newest software release, which is designed to meet the diverse needs of the billion-plus people who already use Android today.

Joining the party: Android 5.0 Lollipop
As previewed at Google I/O, Lollipop is our largest, most ambitious release on Android with over 5,000 new APIs for developers. Lollipop is designed to be flexible, to work on all your devices and to be customized for you the way you see fit. And just like Android has always been, it’s designed to be shared.

Lollipop is made for a world where moving throughout the day means interacting with a bunch of different screens—from phones and tablets to TVs. With more devices connecting together, your expectation is that things just work. With Lollipop, it’s easier than ever to pick up where you left off, so the songs, photos, apps, and even recent searches from one of your Android devices can be immediately enjoyed across all the other ones.

As you switch from one screen to another, the experience should feel the same. So Lollipop has a consistent design across devices—an approach we call Material Design. Now content responds to your touch, or even your voice, in more intuitive ways, and transitions between tasks are more fluid.

Lollipop also gives you more control over your device. You can now adjust your settings so that only certain people and notifications can get through, for example, when you’re out to dinner or in the middle of an important meeting. And when an important notification does come through, you can see it directly from the lockscreen.

And because we’re using our devices a lot more, there’s a new battery saver feature that extends the life of your device by up to 90 minutes—helpful if you’re far from a power outlet. We’ve enabled multiple user accounts and guest user mode for keeping your personal stuff private. And you can now secure your device with a PIN, password, pattern, or even by pairing your phone to a trusted device like your watch or car with Smart Lock. But this is just a small taste of Lollipop. Learn more on android.com.

Meet the Nexus family, now running Lollipop
Advances in computing are driven at the intersection of hardware and software. That's why we’ve always introduced Nexus devices alongside our platform releases. Rather than creating software in the abstract, we work with hardware partners to build Nexus devices to help push the boundaries of what's possible. Nexus devices also serve as a reference for the ecosystem as they develop on our newest release. And for Lollipop, we have a few new Nexus treats to share with you.
First, with Motorola, we developed the Nexus 6. This new phone has a contoured aluminum frame, a 6-inch Quad HD display and a 13 megapixel camera. The large screen is complemented by dual front-facing stereo speakers that deliver high-fidelity sound, making it as great for movies and gaming as it is for doing work. It also comes with a Turbo Charger, so you can get up to six hours of use with only 15 minutes of charge.

Next, a new tablet built in partnership with HTC. Nexus 9, with brushed metal sides and 8.9-inch screen, is small enough to easily carry around in one hand, yet big enough to work on. And since more and more people want to have the same simple experience they have on their tablets when they have to do real work, we designed a keyboard folio that magnetically attaches to the Nexus 9, folds into two different angles and rests securely on your lap like a laptop.

Finally, we’re releasing the first device running Android TV: Nexus Player, a collaboration with Asus, is a streaming media player for movies, music and videos. It's also a first-of-its-kind Android gaming device. With Nexus Player you can play Android games on your HDTV with a gamepad, then keep playing on your phone while you're on the road. Nexus Player is Google Cast Ready so you can cast your favorite entertainment from almost any Chromebook or Android or iOS phone or tablet to your TV.

Nexus 9 and Nexus Player will be available for pre-order on October 17. Nexus 9 will be in stores starting November 3. Nexus 6 will be available for pre-order in late October and in stores in November—with options for an unlocked version through Play store, or a monthly contract or installment plan through carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon. Specific carrier rollout timing will vary. Check out google.com/nexus for more details on availability.

Android 5.0 Lollipop, which comes on Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player, will also be available on Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks.

The party’s just getting started
With this latest release of Android Lollipop, we're excited to continue working with our developer community, hardware partners, and all of you. More ideas and more creators is what gets us all to better ideas faster. And since everyone's invited to the party, we hope you'll join in the fun by creating and sharing an Android character that captures a little bit of who you are—one of a kind. Enjoy!

Procera Validates 40 Gbps Performance for its NFV Product


   
The DPI vendors continue to promote their NFV products (see "Allot and Procera Push NFV-based DPI" - here), with Prcera Networks already validating its perfroamce level on standard hardware.

the company announced today that "PacketLogic/V, [see "Procera Goes Virtual" - here] Procera’s Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) software solution, has been benchmarked by the European Advanced

OMG! Mobile voice survey reveals teens love to talk

“Ok Google, do I need an umbrella today?” “How tall do you need to be to ride the Cyclone?” “How long does a goat live?” People of all ages are starting to talk to their devices more regularly—in fact, our data also show mobile voice searches more than doubled in the past year. But how, why and where do people use voice search? To find out, we commissioned a study, conducted by Northstar Research, surveying 1,400 Americans across all age groups. Here are the results:

We weren’t surprised to find that teens—always ahead of the curve when it comes to new technology—talk to their phones more than the average adult. More than half of teens (13-18) use voice search daily—to them it’s as natural as checking social media or taking selfies. Adults are also getting the hang of it, with 41 percent talking to their phones every day and 56 percent admitting it makes them “feel tech savvy.”

Both teens and adults are asking their phones for directions and using it to help skip the hassle of typing in phone numbers. And it’s pretty clear a lot of people are relying on voice search for multitasking: they talk to their phones while watching TV (38 percent) and 23 percent of adults use voice search while cooking. Apparently, it’s becoming common kitchen etiquette to ask your mobile device: “Ok Google, how many ounces are in a gallon?”—all while making sure your screen stays crumb-free.
While people of all ages ask practical questions, it’s teens who are exploring all angles, with nearly one-third talking to their phones to get help with homework. I see my kids asking my phone questions like: “Ok Google, who was the sixth president of the U.S.?” or “what’s the tallest mountain in Europe?” On the bright side, teens are ditching voice search in the classroom: 74 percent of them think using voice search at school is unacceptable. In fact, most admit to using voice search “just for fun”—I know my daughter finds it pretty amusing to tell her phone: “Ok Google, play Olivia Holt’s ‘Fearless’” to start a dance party.
And teens don’t seem to associate any stigma with using voice search while hanging out with friends, whereas only one-quarter of adults speak to their phones when in the company of others. Teens don’t mind talking to devices in private as well, with more than one in five admitting to using voice search while in the bathroom! Maybe they’re merely setting reminders like “Ok Google, remind mom to buy toilet paper next time we’re at Safeway.”
Though it’s already helping a lot of people save time and simplify their days, there’s also potential for voice search to do a lot more in the future. So we asked people what they wished voice search could one day deliver. And I have to say, I agree with the results! it would be great to rely on my voice to easily find my car keys or TV remote, both of which somehow always end up under the couch cushions.

And I’m not alone in wishing a simple voice command could save me from having to cook dinner. Forty-five percent of teens—and 36 percent of adults!—wish they could place a pizza delivery order using voice search on their mobile device. We’re not quite there yet, but next time you don’t feel like cooking, just pull out your phone, tap the Google app, and say: “Ok Google, call Round Table Pizza.” You’ll still have to place your order over the phone, but we’re getting closer!

The small print: The study was commissioned by Google and executed by Northstar Research, a global consulting firm. It examined the smartphone voice search habits of 1,400 Americans, 13 years of age and older (400 ages 13-17 and 1,000 adults ages 18+). Voice search is part of the Google app (available on iOS and Android) and is the best way to access Google for helpful assistance throughout your day. Learn more about the Google app.

Openwave Supports HEVC for 4K Ultra-HD Video Optimization






Openwave Mobility announced it is the ".. first company to provide comprehensive optimization for 4K Ultra-HD video on mobile networks. It offers carriers up to five times more data savings compared to previous technologies. Openwave Mobility’s DynaMO, is now capable of optimizing High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) [see "ITU New Approved Video Codec will Save 50% Bitrate" - here] to achieve

Google Express: more cities, more stores and a new name

One year ago, the first Google Shopping Express order was delivered—a box of granola. Our idea was to make shopping your favorite local stores as easy and fast as shopping online, and to help you get what you need delivered the same day. Since then, you’ve told us how we helped you restock diapers in the nick of time, made sure you had Bananagrams for family game night, and even made you feel connected to the outside world when you were home sick. Along the way, we've expanded to new locations, brought on more merchants, and offered more products. And now, we’re adding to the program you love.

More cities, more stores and more products
Starting today, we’re expanding to three new cities: Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Across all our cities, more than 7 million people can now access our same-day delivery service, and in Northern California almost 12 million can use our next-day service.

We’re also adding more merchants: 16 in total over the last couple of months. We’ve added national brands including 1-800-Flowers, Barnes & Noble, Nine West, PetSmart, Vitamin Shoppe and Sports Authority, and regional merchants such as Paragon Sports in New York and Vicente Foods in Los Angeles. In our new markets, we’ve added regional brands including Stop & Shop in Boston; Giant Food in D.C.; and Lux Roses, TigerDirect, Treasure Island Foods and Wrigleyville Sports in Chicago.

Additionally, customers in the Bay Area who are 21 and over can now order alcohol. Cheers (and please drink responsibly)!

Express membership
Starting today, shoppers who decide to become Google Express members will enjoy:

  • Free same-day or overnight delivery on eligible orders over $15.*
  • First dibs on delivery windows
  • Shared membership with a household member

Membership costs $95/year or $10/month. Or you can choose to pay as you go, at $4.99 per eligible order. Learn more on our Help Center. Either way, we don’t add any hidden markups, so you pay the same price for your stuff on Google Express as you would in-store.

New shoppers can try the first three months of membership for free. You can cancel it at any time, so it’s easy to test it out and decide if you like it.

A shorter name
We've also noticed people referring to us as "Google Express"—and we love it. So as of today, we've simplified our name. Plus, we've added a punch of color to our parachute:
With more cities, more merchants, and more of your favorite items, Google Express is on its way toward making your life easier by helping you get even more errands out of the way. We hope to give you more free time—and we can’t wait to hear about all the things you do with it.



*Free delivery means no shipping & service fees. Same day or overnight depends on availability of delivery windows. Eligible orders are $15+ before taxes/fees in select delivery areas and exclude restricted items. Service fees apply to ineligible orders. Pricing may change. Requires active membership subject to terms & conditions.

[Analysys Mason]: Telco S/W Market to Reach $34.2B in 2018


A new report by Analysys Mason finds that (see also "[Anaylsys Mason]: Ericsson and Amdocs Led the Telecom Software Market in 2013" - here]:



The worldwide telecoms software market is forecast to grow from USD25.1 billion in 2013 to USD34.2 billion in 2018, at a CAGR of 6.4%. 

LTE network upgrades worldwide are driving spending in OSS/BSS. Investments in North America (NA) and Western Europe

Allot Transfers its US Video Optimization R&D Center to HQ (Israel)


Bruce V. Bigelow reported to the xconomy that "Israel’s Allot Communications is shutting down its San Diego-based operations, which came with the 2012 acquisition of Ortiva Wireless, a spokeswoman confirmed today. About 20 employees are affected by the shutdown, according to an e-mail from Maya Lustig, director of communications for Allot, which is based near Tel Aviv, in Hod Hasharon. Ortiva,

Will Allot's $5M Order Rebound the DPI Market?


The recent announcements from Procera Networks (See "Procera: Q3 Revenues Decline by 25% Y/Y" - here), and other TEMs (Juniper), resulted in a free-fall for the pure-players DPI shares.



Allot, Procera and Sandvine Stock Performance, 5 Days

The announcement made by Allot Communications on Friday (during the holiday season and weekend in Israel) tries to regain some confidence in the market,

Sandvine: IBM is a 10% Reseller with an "active pipeline of opportunities"


Sandvine published its Q3 results (see "Sandvine Reports Q3 2014 Results" - here). Revenues were $27.9M, within the range estimated by the company at the beginning of Q4 (see "Sandvine Receives $5M Expansion Order (CALA)" - here).







During the earning call, Sandvine's CEO, Dave Caputo, explained that "When we provided our Q3 revenue estimate, we had explained that a couple of significant

Through the Google lens: search trends October 3-9

The Royals are in the playoffs, Carlton’s doing the Carlton and a Cosby Show star is in the news… what decade is this anyway? Here’s a look at a week of search trends so weird, it’s almost a Twin Peaks experience:

Play ball
The National League and American League division series thrilled fans of October baseball this week. KC fans gave their brooms a workout as the Royals swept the Angels. They’re in the playoffs for the first time in almost 30 years and at an all-time high in search as a result. And after the Cardinals beat the Dodgers to make it to their fourth straight NLCS, the only Midwest team that’s not happy is the Tigers, who lost to the Orioles (also a sweep). Meanwhile, the Giants beat the Nationals in a four-game series that was really almost like five games, since Game 2 went an epic 18 innings. The next round starts today.

Flashbacks
Fans of 90s TV shows were breaking out some celebratory dance moves this week, starting, of course, with The Carlton. This week Alfonso Ribeiro—former Fresh Prince of Bel Air actor and current Dancing with the Stars contestant—did what we’ve all been hoping for and broke out his famous Carlton dance moves on the show. Not only was Ribeiro wearing a Carltonesque sweater and bowtie, the show’s set was decorated to look like the sitcom.

News also broke that cult classic Twin Peaks is coming back to the screen. Creators David Lynch and Mark Frost will write nine episodes of the murder mystery for a limited run on Showtime. If you’re one of those people who’s like, “Laura Palmer, who?” don’t fret—the new episodes won’t be on the air until 2016, so you have plenty of time to catch up with Agent Dale Cooper between now and then.

Finally, former Cosby Show and Disney channel star Raven Symone was top of mind this week after an interview with Oprah in which she discussed personal identity and labels. Oprah told the actress not to “set up the Twitter on fire,” but it didn’t do much good as people took to the web to read more about the actress’ declaration that she is “not African-American.”

Wings, shmings
For nearly two decades, “Red Bull gives you wings” has been the energy drink company’s slogan. This week, Red Bull agreed to pay more than $13 million after settling a U.S. lawsuit accusing the drink maker of false advertising claims. The plaintiffs argued that Red Bull’s ad campaigns claim the drink gives people special energy benefits. Scientific reports, however, show it offers about the same benefits as a cup of coffee and does not, in fact, give you any wings at all. Searchers looked to find out more about the settlement, which may entitle them to $10, or alternatively, $15 worth of free Red Bull.

Tip of the week
Next time you’re on vacation and looking for a nice place for dinner, let Google be your concierge. Open the Google app and say “Ok Google, show me restaurants near my hotel” to see a variety of options. When you find the one you like, you can say “Ok Google, make a reservation there for 7 p.m.” If the restaurant is on OpenTable, you’ll see a reservations screen pop up with the details already filled out—no need to waste time on the phone when you could be enjoying your time off!

Allot and Procera Push NFV-based DPI





Allot Communications and Procera Networks take the NFV concept one step forward and demoed some capabilities, during SDN & NFV USA 2014 in Dallas, TX., that took place earlier this week, and in SDN & OpenFlow World Congress, Germany next month. 



Allot, participating in both events, announced the ".. demonstration of a virtual Traffic Detection Function (vTDF) as part of a virtualized

Procera: Q3 Revenues Decline by 25% Y/Y


Sandvine is not the only DPI vendor seeing a slowdown in the standalone DPI market (see "Sandvine Receives $5M Expansion Order (CALA) "- here). Sandvine blames the long process of closing large deals and acceptance by some customers for delaying orders and revenue recognition.

Procera Networks also announced its preliminary results for Q3. The company says that "Revenue for the third quarter of

Flashing lights signal start of I-405 express toll lane equipment install

By Emily Pace Glad

Many drivers have seen a blue flash above the HOV lane on Interstate 405 north of State Route 522. A few have asked us what it is. It’s part of the toll equipment that will anchor 17 miles of new express toll lanes on I-405 between Bellevue and Lynnwood in late 2015.

If you drive I-405, you may have noticed toll equipment above
the lanes in certain areas. This equipment is similar to
what’s on SR 520.

Throughout the year, crews have been installing towering green structures over the roadway, known as gantries. Now they are outfitting those gantries with the gadgets that will allow tolling to work, including toll readers, cameras and special beacons that help Washington State Patrol with enforcing proper use of the lanes.

The blue flash you’ve seen is from testing the toll cameras that will help us take photos of a vehicle’s license plate.  You may have seen a similar flash if you’ve used the SR 520 bridge. After we install the cameras on I-405, we need to make sure they are ready to take photos day and night as we work to get the system up and running and ultimately start tolling in 2015.

Crews will wrap up installing toll equipment north of SR 522 later this year. After the new year, they’ll install equipment between Northeast Sixth Street in Bellevue and SR 522. Once everything is set up there’s still a lot of fine tuning and testing to be done before we can open the express toll lanes to drivers. In the meantime, no tolls will be charged, and the HOV lane will continue to operate the same way it does today.

The work we’re doing is part of a project to convert the I-405 HOV lane between Bellevue and Lynnwood to an express toll lane. In addition, between Northeast Sixth Street in Bellevue and SR 522 in Bothell, we’re building a second express toll lane to form a dual express toll lane system in both directions of I-405.

Why build express toll lanes?
If you use I-405, we don’t need to remind you that the highway experiences some of the worst traffic in the state, and the HOV lanes are often as congested as the regular lanes. New express toll lanes will let drivers choose to travel faster by paying a toll. The regular lanes will remain free for all drivers.

Toll rates will adjust depending on traffic to guarantee a faster, more reliable trip for express toll lane users including transit, carpoolers, or folks driving alone. As more drivers use the express toll lanes, traffic moves faster in the regular lanes.

We’re still working with the Washington State Transportation Commission to finalize a number of key decisions about the lanes, including carpool exemptions and rates, so stay tuned for more information early next year. 

Still have questions about how the lanes will work? Check out our new FAQs.

Telenet [Belgium] Replaces DPI; Upgrades PCRF


  
FTS announced that ".. Telenet, a long-standing FTS customer, has carried out a major upgrade to its Leap™ Policy Control software solution. Telenet, a member of the Liberty Global Group, uses Leap Policy Control for bandwidth quota and policy management. FTS’ solution serves as an integrated policy control and charging (PCC) solution within Telenet’s network and BSS environment. It provides

Nokia will Include Flash Network Gateway in its Offering


    
Nokia Networks announced it ".. has signed a partnership agreement with Flash Networks to include Flash Networks’ Harmony™ Gateway [see chart below] as part of its mobile broadband core network offering. The market leading solution [see "Flash Networks (40%) and Citrix (30%) Lead the Mobile Optimization Market" - here] enables operators to optimize video and web traffic for an improved user

Verizon Wont Optimize LTE Congestion by Temporary Throttling


Back in July Verizon announced that it will ".. expand its existing Network Optimization to include unlimited data customers who use 4G LTE devices .. when an unlimited data customer meets specific criteria and hops onto a cell site that is experiencing high demand. This is only a temporary reduction, not a billing cycle throttle. Once that customer leaves the cell site under stress, their

Campus, coming to a tech community near you

When entrepreneurs are empowered to dream big and take action, they’re capable of tackling significant problems—and they can be an important pillar of a thriving economy. As a former startup ourselves, entrepreneurship is still part of Google's DNA. That’s why two and a half years ago we opened our first Campus in London, a space designed to help entrepreneurs learn, connect, and build companies.

Campus is a hub for the startup community, where entrepreneurs can fuel up on caffeine at the Campus Cafe, gather in our free event space, rent coworking space, and connect with mentors, accelerators and Google teams. So far, we’ve seen great results at our first locations, Campus London and Campus Tel Aviv. In 2013, startups at Campus London raised more than $54 million in funding and created more than 570 jobs. They’ve also created great products and services that are reaching consumers and customers. For example, Borrow My Doggy, which began at a Startup Weekend in London and also received funding from Seedcamp, one of our partners, lets dog owners with limited time for walking share their pooches with city dwellers who can't have their own. Eyetease, which created a HD digital taxitop and high-speed WiFi system for taxis, has been a resident at Campus since their launch and have grown their revenue 100X during that time. In Tel Aviv, local community groups have hosted more than 1,000 events at Campus (and consumed 6,000+ slices of free pizza!).

Building on the success of these spaces, this year we've announced new Campuses in Warsaw, Poland, SĂ£o Paulo, Brazil, and Seoul, South Korea. And today, we’re welcoming another new member to the Campus family: Campus Madrid. We’re excited to open doors in all these new locations in 2015. Each of these cities has a growing startup community, as well as a Google office so our teams can get directly involved with supporting Campus. We hosted more than 1,000 Google mentoring sessions through our Campus Office Hours Program in London, and are planning similar efforts at our other locations.

We’re also trying out new programs at all our locations to help even more aspiring entrepreneurs succeed. For example, Campus for Moms is a baby-friendly startup school for new moms on maternity leave. CampusEDU offers courses for founders both in person and streamed for free online, like this Friday’s session, Hiring Rockstars and Keeping Them.

As with all our Google for Entrepreneurs programs, we hope Campus will provide a home for entrepreneurs and startup founders, and put resources at their fingertips to help them build transformative products and companies around the world.

[UK]: Cable Service is Faster than Fiber!






According to a new research by the UK regulator, Ofcom, the "average broadband speed delivered by cable services is now faster than that of fibre - In the six months to May 2014, the average speed delivered by cable broadband reached 43.3Mbit/s, overtaking the average speed for fibre connections for the first time (42.0Mbit/s)"





Average broadband speeds for fixed broadband connections,

The FCC Fines Marriott for Disabling Guests' Private Wi-Fi Networks





Marriott Gaylord Opryland Resort
& Convention Center


Marriott hotels tend to get in trouble with its traffic management practices. Back in 2012, they used their Wi-Fi service to insert ads into guests sessions (see "Marriott Uses DPI to Insert Ads to its Guests" - here and "Marriott (on DPI Ad Insertion): ".. we didn't know .. everybody does it.. it is disabled now"" - here).

Now,

[Dell’Oro Group]: Why will Telecom Carrier Capex Decline in 2015?

 
A new research by Stefan Pongratz [pictured], Carrier Economics analyst, Dell’Oro Group, finds that "telecom operators around the world invested heavily in their fiber and LTE networks in 1H14 as the transformation from voice-centric to data-centric drivers continued. Dell’Oro Group estimates worldwide Capex advanced at a mid-single digit rate in 1H14. Double-digit growth in mobile network

du [UAE] Upgraded its CDN for IOS8 Updates


du (UAE] announced that "Following proactive steps taken by du to ensure a seamless upgrade experience to iOS 8 for Apple customers, du has noted that Apple traffic has, for the first time on its network, reached a new high – topped only by customers’ consumption of online video. Compared to a regular day, iOS 8 upgrades caused an increase of 15 times in App traffic upgrades since its release at

Through the Google lens: search trends September 26 - October 2

Diseases, protests and DUIs? Search wasn’t a pretty place this week.

Somebody call a doctor
This week, searchers went into a frenzy following news that someone had been diagnosed with Ebola on U.S soil—causing a surge in interest for the deadly disease. While this hopefully will remain an isolated case in the U.S., the virus is taking its toll on the people in West Africa. The region is experiencing its worst outbreak in history, with more than 3,000 people dying from the illness.

An indefinite break
It was a bad day at the office for several prominent figures this week as they were asked to step down from their positions. After a couple of bizarre security breaches like allowing the President to share an elevator with an armed man or when a person literally jumped the White House fence and walked inside the building (knife in tow), Secret Service director Julia Pierson handed in her resignation.

American Olympian and swimming icon Michael Phelps was arrested on charges of a DUI after he was pulled over for going 84 mph in a 45 mph zone. Amidst a firestorm of bad behavior from athletes, some are calling for USA Swimming to suspend Phelps, who had a previous DUI in 2004, for at least a year. Across the Pacific, students in Hong Kong staged massive demonstrations against the country’s Chief Executive, C.Y. Leung, seeking to oust him from office. The government has proposed talks with the students in order to calm the chaos, but so far Leung has refused to quit.


Crossovers
Searchers were saying “what the?” this week as we were hit with a couple of crossovers on TV and in music. First up, two classic American cartoons came together for one night to give viewers double the laughter. The famed Simpsons appeared in an episode of Family Guy. Unfortunately, the laugh track was off this time around and the show received negative reviews, perhaps thanks to an awkward seven-minute fight scene between Peter and Homer (d’oh!). And we heard a new take on a popular tune as “The Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin made a breathtaking cover of pop-soul star Adele’s song "Rolling in the Deep." Listen to it and prepare to have your mind blown.

Who’s got game?
The MLB playoffs are in full, um, swing. The Kansas City Royals and their fans had something to cheer about as team made the playoffs for the first time in 29 years, ending the longest postseason drought in North American sports history—and then eliminating Oakland in an extra-inning thriller. And, after an 8-0 stomping of the Pittsburgh Pirates behind ace Madison Bumgarner, the San Francisco Giants are hoping to keep their every-other-year World Series streak alive.

Tip of the week
It’s beginning to look a lot like winter. Before you head out, make sure to check the weather by saying, “Ok Google, what’s the weather like outside?” and you’ll be ready to go—mittens or umbrella in hand.

Posted by Jenise Araujo, Communications Associate, who searched for [hypochondriac] and [one day you're in, the next day you're out].

[Blog News]: DPI Products Page Updated!


With the recent addition of the SCE-10000 to Cisco's standalone DPI product line (see "Cisco Expands SCE Line with a 60Gbps and Virtual Models" - here), I updated the DPI Products page (here).

Please do not hesitate to inform me if any of the details are not correct!



Cisco SCE-10000

Alcatel-Lucent Partners with Accenture to Improve and Monetize Broadband





Pierre Nanterme CEO, Accenture & 

Michel Combes CEO, Alcatel_Lucent


Accenture and Alcatel-Lucent announced that they have "formed a strategic alliance to help communications service providers (CSPs) and large enterprises implement integrated ultra-broadband solutions to address the challenges of rising costs and increased data consumption caused by high demand from digital customers and

Sandvine: 2 NA MSO Orders, $7M, 1 Competitor Displaced


Sandvine announced that it has "..received approximately $7 million in orders from two tier-1 cable operators in North America – one existing customer and one new customer, through a competitive displacement.

One of the orders, which was originally expected to close in Sandvine’s third quarter, relates to an operator who has been a Sandvine customer since 2007. The order represents an initial

Sandvine Enables CSPs to Interact Directly w/Subscribers; How does it Work?



Sandvine announced the "latest version of Sandvine OutReach, a subscriber communications and interaction product. Communications service providers (CSPs) have long sought ways to communicate directly with subscribers without negatively impacting their online experience. 

Sandvine OutReach provides operators with a powerful set of subscriber-friendly, device-agnostic tools to interact with

DigitalRoute Enhances MediationZone


DigitalRoute announced the release of its "..MediationZone 7.0 software, which delivers an easy-to-integrate, high-performing, and functionally advanced platform that gives CSPs unrivalled control over their usage and performance data in a flexible, cost-effective and robust manner 


Key aspects of the updated solution include:


Significant improvements to data availability achieved via