If 90 percent of Latin America is covered by mobile broadband, why is more than half the population not online? Here are the four major barriers new research has found keeping the Latin American economy from bursting on the mobile Internet scene.
When you think of online piracy, the first image that comes to mind is probably of American teenagers in their dorm rooms, bittorrenting Hollywood movies. "Widespread" piracy, meanwhile, perhaps connotes a visual of bootleg DVDs being hawked on the streets of Shanghai. But perhaps it'd be more accurate to think of an average Chilean family sitting down to watch TV.
Compared to the rest of the world, especially developing regions, the Internet in Latin America has quickly grown, and looks to be on a healthy path towards more connectivity in the next few years, despite the economic and political challenges facing some major countries in the region.
If you could time travel to a half-century go to tell about the world of information and communication available instantly, wirelessly, at your fingertips wherever you go, they probably wouldn't believe it. Especially if you tried demonstrating that to them on your iPhone -- without a cell network to connect to.
Jorge Granier found a way to give his family's legacy -- archival television programs from his family's media company, and former Venezuelan TV channel RCTV -- a new life online. Now he's set his sights on creating a global Spanish-language streaming empire.
As the protests in Venezuela over rising inflation, violence, and government censorship of the internet continue, the Venezuelan government has responded by blocking social media like Twitter, and censoring other parts of its state-owned internet network to lessen the damage to its own regime.
Oppo Electronics, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer that is showing it can innovate as well as the top Android smartphone makers, recently announced it was entering the mobile market in Mexico with a few of its top smartphones.
South by Southwest Interactive has always been seen as the hip place to go to learn about the next big Silicon Valley startup, but the tone and focus has changed a little this year. The festival is toning down the "trendy" and enlarging its international focus, along with taking on some serious issues in technology.
With battles on the Venezuelan streets between protestors and security forces ongoing, new reports indicate the Venezuelan government is expanding its actions in the online clash on social media and the internet. While Venezuela's censorship of images on Twitter was widely reported last week, a new report from the Associated Press states that authorities have been cutting off mobile internet service to certain parts of the country this week as well.
