After eight months of beta testing, the Opera Max web compression app is finally getting a launch partner, and it happens to be in Vietnam. Opera’s joining forces with local carrier Mobiistar to have the app preloaded on select Android devices (Lai504m, Bean414 and Prime508). By way of multimedia content plus text compression, the service claims to save up to 50 percent of data bandwidth — it’s all visualized in the app for your viewing pleasure. For those outside of Vietnam, you can still install the beta app and try it out in the US, Europe, Brazil and Russia; or try the customized version of Opera Max if you’re in China. Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile Comments

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Opera’s web compression app can now save you some Vietnamese dong

Square’s grand plan to democratize credit card payments has inspired a clutch of imitators , the latest of which is Amazon . The company has just announced Amazon Local Register, a credit card reader and app combination that’ll enable small businesses to take payments they wouldn’t otherwise get, as long as they have a smartphone or tablet lying around. The retailer is savagely undercutting both Square and PayPal Here, offering a flat charge of 1.75 percent per payment until the start of 2016, a full percent lower than the 2.75 and 2.7 percent asked by the other two. On January 2nd, however, the fee rises to 2.5 percent, a smaller yet still significant cut compared to Amazon’s rivals in the space. The gear’s available for Android, iOS and the company’s own Fire devices, priced at $10, and there’s even a business bundle for $380 that’ll include a Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 — which we figure is a whole lot cheaper than trying to install a cash register in your taco truck. Filed under: Cellphones , Tablets , Internet , Amazon Comments Source: Amazon Local Register , (2) , (3)

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Amazon undercuts Square and PayPal with its own mobile card reader

If you plan to stay in Cupertino’s high-tech Aloft Hotel in the near future, don’t be surprised if you open your door to a 3-foot-tall robot carrying extra towels or breakfast. See, it’s the Starwood property’s new butler (officially called A.L.O. Botlr, which is short for “robot butler, ” of course) programmed to assist the hotel’s concierge in catering to your requests. The 100-pound machine comes loaded with a 7-inch tablet screen to interact with guests and staff, as well as 4G and WiFi connections so it can call elevators when it needs a ride. Let’s say you pinged front desk to ask for new toiletries — the staff then just loads the items (as long as they don’t exceed two pounds) in an empty compartment on top of the robot and inputs your floor and room number on the tablet interface. You’ll know Botlr’s lurking outside the door when it calls up the room’s phone, and instead of a crisp $20 bill, all it asks in return is a tweet with the #meetbotlr hashtag. The A.L.O. Botlr is actually a repainted, bow-tie-wearing version of a robot called SaviOne developed by California startup Savioke. It’s a new company, but it’s backed by Google Ventures and led by Steve Cousins, the former CEO of Willow Garage , which you might recognize as the developer of the PR2 experimental robot . In fact, the PR2 looks similar to Botlr, but the latter (like Softbank’s Pepper ) was designed to look a lot more approachable so as not to scare hotel guests. Also, the newer machine lacks the PR2’s limbs, which means: 1.) it’s incapable of doing tasks that requires the use of hands, and 2.) its a lot cheaper to make, seeing as those limbs are the PR2’s most expensive components. Botlr will make its Aloft Hotel debut on August 20th for a pilot program: if successful, all 100+ Aloft Hotels could have one to two at their disposal. Aloft brand’s senior vice president Brian McGuinness swears, however, that these robots won’t be replacing human employees and will even free them up for other, more important tasks. Sadly, you won’t be seeing Botlr rolling along other hotel chains’ hallways anytime soon. Starwood has an exclusive deal with Savioke until the end of 2014, though the startup plans to open the pilot to other hotels next year. Filed under: Robots Comments Via: CNBC , Mashable , Savioke Source: Aloft Hotel

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California hotel hires robot butlers to provide room service (video)

It didn’t happen overnight, but ViaSat’s finally on its way to transforming the satellite internet space, be it through speedy in-flight WiFi on JetBlue and United or the Exede residential service . That latter product, while the fastest internet option for customers without access to cable or fiber, isn’t without its critics, due in no small part to some rather prohibitive monthly data caps. Well, no more. The company’s new Freedom plan, available beginning August 18th for $70 per month (or $60 when bundled with phone service), delivers “virtually unlimited” access for streaming, web browsing and anything else you might plan to do. Officially, there’s a monthly cap of 150 GB, but ViaSat likely won’t enforce that limit. Of course, Exede still won’t be a fit for downloading terabytes of video or linking up your remote server farm, but if you plan to do some work during the day and stream an HD movie each night, you should be good to go. Filed under: Wireless Comments Source: ViaSat (MarketWatch)

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ViaSat adds ‘virtually unlimited’ Freedom satellite internet plan for $70 per month