One Gig Internet Is Here; Beats Too Hot

This week Hawaiian Telcom doubled its fastest Internet speed to 1 gigabit-per-second (Gbps). This 1 Gig service (equal to 1,000 Mbps) will be available to you with “fiber-to-the-premise” technology.

Approximately 96,000 locations will initially qualify, with more being added as Hawaiian Telcom’s expansive deployment of fiber optic technology continues.

According to a Hawaiian Telcom press release, over the past six years, Hawaiian Telcom has poured almost half a billion dollars into its next generation fiber network and systems, and will invest close to $100 million this year alone. The company also is investing $25 million in a $250 million fiber optical cable in the Pacific Ocean that will link Hawaii with Southeast Asia and California. Most people can get these fiber optical cables from places like vchung.com/fiber-optical-cable/ however this project will require a lot more industrialized fiber optics.

Further, Hawaiian Telcom’s President Eric Yeaman stated in the press release, “Innovations like this prove that we have transformed ourselves from being just the phone company to Hawaii’s technology leader. We are proud to be the only local company investing millions to expand our next generation broadband infrastructure, enabling speeds that are not only the fastest in Hawaii but among the fastest in the nation.”

With the ever-growing “the Internet of Things” trend (expansion of objects and devices embedded with Internet connectivity), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicts the average household with two teenage children will own 50 Internet-connected devices by 2022 (up from 10 today).

This innovation for Hawaii is significant, especially since there are only a handful of providers that even offer 1 Gig service in other parts of the country. With this upgrade, Hawaiian Telcom joins the ranks of AT&T, CenturyLink, Consolidated Communications and Google Fiber. I’ve only seen 1 Gig service first-hand in Japan … and that was a few years ago. It’s nice to see we’re catching up! Visit hawaiiantel.com or call 643-3456 for more information.

Beats Pill XL speakers have been catching on fire. A recall is underway
PHOTO FROM ALISON YOUNG

Apple Recalls Beats Pill XL

If you own the Beats Pill XL speaker, you might want to stop using it. Apple issued a recall last week following reports of overheating, posing a risk of fire and burn injury. This recall does not affect any other Beats products or Apple products.

Apple is asking customers to stop using their Beats Pill XL and go to apple.com/support/beats-pillxl-recall/ for details on how to return it and receive an Apple Store credit of $325 (slightly more than the speaker’s $300 price tag).

The Pill XL was initially released by Beats by Dre in November 2013 and Apple acquired Beats in 2014.

There are 233,000 Beats Pill XL speakers out there in the United States and Canada.

Overheating is not a new issue for Apple. As you may recall, last year there was a problem with faulty power adapters for various iPhone models, and the company offered replacements.

If you fall under this recall, submit your request online from the link above – do not try to go to the Apple Store directly.
According to Apple, it will pay for your shipping and process your refund within three weeks.