ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT
Internet usage in Micronesia
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Population |
Internet Usage |
User growth (2000 – 2009) |
| Guam |
178,430 |
85,000 |
1,600.0% |
| Northern Mariana Islands |
51,484 |
10,000 |
19.4% |
| Palau |
20,796 |
5,400 |
26.0% |
| FSM |
107,434 |
6,000 |
700.0% |
| Marshall Islands |
64,522 |
2,200 |
340.0% |
Source: Internet World Stats
Note: Population is 2009 estimated, statistics as at Sept. 30, 2009
Universal phone charger to ring changes for users
On Feb. 17, 2009, the GSM Association announced its members had agreed on a standard charger for phones. The group agreed that by Jan. 1, 2012, the majority of all new mobile phone models available will support a universal charging connector.
The standard connector to be adopted by 17 manufacturers means manufacturers will no longer have to issue a charger with each cell phone purchased.
The initial group of companies who have joined the initiative include 3 Group, AT&T, KTF, LG, mobilkom austria, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone – some of the world’s largest mobile operators and manufacturers.
On Oct. 22, 2009, the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations agency for information and communication telecom issues – comprised of government and private sector members, announced that it had embraced the Universal Charger solution.
Bidding on foreclosures from your computer
www.miamidade.realforeclose.com, was scheduled to come online on Jan, 11 and will make Miami-Dade the first and largest of 12 Florida counties in the process of replacing courthouse auctions with online sales, according to Reuters News Agency.
Florida had the highest rate of U.S. homes either in foreclosure or delinquent on mortgage payments throughout most of the last year, putting it at the center of a crisis that has devastated families and communities across the United States.
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