Quick news from around the Web.
Mobile Karma Shuts Down As iCloud and Blacklists Challenge Used Phone Buyers. http://t.co/7X01jZJVdc
— FierceWireless (@FierceWireless) July 23, 2014
> Google Voice is now offering users the ability to place web-based calls through Google Hangouts, a further indication of the possible merger of Google Voice and Google Hangouts. Article
> In its second quarter earnings announcement, Facebook said it counts 1.32 billion users, of which 30 percent only use the service on their phone. Article
> According to TmoNews, T-Mobile US' VoLTE service is now up and running in new locations in California, Florida, Alabama and elsewhere. Article
> Swatch Group denied it's working with Apple on a smart watch. Article
> Nokia named Ramzi Haidamus, from Dolby Laboratories, as the head of its patent licensing efforts. Article
> Samsung invested $13 million in GamePop, which makes a microgaming console. Article
> Razer said it will add WeChat services into its forthcoming wearable device, the Nabu. Article
> Foursquare is removing the ability to check in on its flagship app. Article
> Verizon Wireless detailed its NFL offerings ahead of the start of the football season. Post
Wireless Tech News
> People accessing the Wi-Fi service supplied by Google in certain Starbucks stores have been raving for months on social media about improved connectivity, and now SpeedSpot has confirmed that its users experienced up to 18 times faster download speeds at Starbucks locations that have swapped out their AT&T Mobility Wi-Fi service for Google's. Article
> AT&T's User-Defined Network Cloud initiative continues to expand, with Alcatel-Lucent and Fujitsu Network Communications becoming the latest vendors to join the program, which is launching a number of so-called beachhead programs starting this year as part of the operator's shift to an IP- and cloud-based network. Article
> AOptix announced that its Intellimax wireless transport product, which combines free-space optics and millimeter-wave links, is being deployed for evaluation by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Article
Telecom News
> Verizon's symmetric FiOS speeds are taking the upper hand over cable's upstream DOCSIS limitations. Editor's Corner
> AT&T's U-verse continues to be the darling of the telco's wireline portfolio, helping to offset lower revenue from legacy voice and data products and increase residential customer revenues 3 percent to $5.7 billion. Article
Cable News
> Fast Wi-Fi and nifty interfaces are nice Comcast, but customers clearly want better manners. Editor's Corner
> Set-top giant Arris has announced that two small cable operators, Pennsylvania's Service Electric Cable TV and South Carolina's Comporium Communications, have signed onto offer its Sling Media-enabled video gateway to their subscribers. Article
And finally… Dennis K. Berman: "In a matter of days, Facebook will be worth more than IBM."