In a document detailing an internal Google presentation, the company proposes that they give early access to software and hardware partners, specifically Motorola and Verizon, in order to enforce the ‘alignment to [Google’s] standard’, reportsFlorian Mueller of FOSS Patents. The document is part of a presentation that searches for ways for Google to ensure that it benefits from Android while giving it away for free. The points from the document that are relevant to the issue are as follows:...

Internet access in Nigeria is set to triple in the next two years,Reutersreports. According to Funke Opeke, C.E.O. of the Main One Cable Company, a leading West African submarine cable company which has laid a 7,000 km fibre optic cable linking West Africa to Europe “at least one in three people in Nigeria could have direct Internet access by 2013. We would say a number in the 35-40 percent for Internet access penetration over the next 18-24 months would be a worthwhile objective....

In a move that’s becoming commonplace in the Middle East, the government in Syria has disconnected the Internet as protests heat up across the country. Al Jazeera’s liveblogreportsconfirmationfrom a Syrian government-sponsored news site that 3G, DSL, Dial-up Internet connections across the country have been cut off. The news network has received witness reports of a lack of connection from cities including Damascus, Latakia, Homs and Hassake. Google’s Transparency Report tool tallies with the report,showingthat traffic has flatlined over the past few hours, although government disruptionappearsto have caused connections to be unstable for several days....

In a milestone event for India’s electoral history, people of Gujarat recently participated in India’s first Internet election. One of the major advantages of this implementation is the ability to cast a vote from any Internet connected device from your home or elsewhere, thus avoiding the long queues you would usually face in the polling booths. This could also drive voter participation upwards among working professionals, who are usually bound by a long working schedule and hence cannot waste several hours waiting for their turn at the poll booth....

Now that Internet Explorer 9 has anofficial launch date, eyes are beginning to turn to the next version of IE, Internet Explorer 10. Speculation fromtwo sourcesis alreadyramping upthat at this year’s MIX conference the world might be shown the first preview of IE10. Why? Because IE9 went from developer preview to full launch in a year, a development cycle that would imply that IE10 is already under construction. Even more, Microsoft has told the press that it still has “a few surprises left....