Fourth-place U.S. carrier T-Mobile might finally have a fighting chance at a comeback now that the FCC has signed off on its proposed merger with MetroPCS, and the timing couldn't be better since the carrier is scheduled to officially offer the iPhone this year. But there was plenty more going on Tuesday, so let's take a quick spin through the day's events, shall we?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Tuesday that the proposed merger of T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS has been approved, with chairman Julius Genachowski giving his thumbs-up on the deal. “With today’s approval, America’s mobile market continues to strengthen, moving toward robust competition and revitalized competitors," the FCC boss said of the deal. "Today’s action will benefit millions of American consumers and help the U.S maintain the global leadership in mobile it has regained in recent years." According to The Verge, the Department of Justice has also closed its investigation into the merger, which they view as "unlikely to harm consumers or substantially lessen competition." The approvals clear the way for T-Mobile USA to more rapidly build out its 4G LTE network, but first MetroPCS stockholders have to vote on the deal.
Fancy yourself as a filmmaker who wants to share your work with the world? Vimeo is about to lend a very big hand in doing just that with its new On Demand service. Available for Pro users who subscribe to the service for $199 per year, Vimeo On Demand offers "direct-to-fan distribution done the Vimeo way" -- filmmakers keep 90 percent of the revenue generated, while your fans get to watch on any compatible device they'd like, including the Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs and more. Best of all, paid Vimeo movies can be embedded in your own website, so such content isn't limited strictly to Vimeo.com
AllThingsD reported Tuesday that the iOS platform rules the roost where mobile video viewing is concerned. According to research from Ooyala, 67 percent of all mobile viewing is being done on the iPhone, with 33 percent going into the Android camp. While these numbers don't take into account all web video across the internet, Ooyala's servers handle more than 200 million unique viewers around the globe, so it's a pretty good indication of what's going on out there.
Planning a trip to the land down under anytime soon? According to AppleInsider, don't be surprised if the flight attendant hands you an iPad to kill the time. Apple's tablet is now considered an in-flight amenity for all classes taking the long trip from Sydney to Honolulu on Qantas Airlines, which integrates with the company's 767 aircraft and on-board Q Streaming for onboard Wi-Fi. The move follows a test back in 2011, and Qantas plans to serve up more than 200 hours of movies, music and television to its customers via the iPad.
Apple is back with two new television commercials that follow the same theme as its recent iPad mini spots, but this time focused on the iPhone 5. In "Discover," viewers are treated to all the great ways the iPhone 5 can help discover things in the world around us, while "Brilliant" shows off a number of intelligent ways to use the handset, which includes controlling lamps and even RC helicopters. Missed the commercials? You can catch them on the company's official YouTube channel by hitting the links above.
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