The next version of Windows, codenamed Threshold, will get its first official unveiling later today. A mix of leaks and accidental publications have shed a little more light on what we should—and shouldn't—expect to see.

Microsoft is releasing a "Technical Preview" of Windows. As reported by Neowin, the download page was accidentally published over the weekend. The 4GB release is being clearly billed and targeted at enterprise and developers.

To that end, it should have the new hybrid Start menu—created to appease desktop-bound corporate users—a notification center, and windowed Metro apps. It isn't, however, expected to have a full visual refresh, and it won't have all the consumer bells and whistles. This means that Internet Explorer 12, believed to be getting a streamlined new look, and the Cortana personal assistant, believed to be making her desktop debut, won't be there.

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The interior of the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX). ADMX collaboration/University of Washington/LLNL

Scientists are explorers by nature, and when the edges of their maps are terra incognita, researchers sometimes must give names to phenomena for which we have little knowledge. Sometimes those names linger after we know exactly what an unknown quantity is; X-rays are a classic example. The “X” initially referred to mystery, but by the time physicists determined they were simply a high-energy form of light, the name had stuck.

Dark matter, however, is still a placeholder term. Over the decades since astronomers determined that most of the mass in the cosmos is invisible, researchers have done a much better job of figuring out what dark matter isn’t than what it actually is. We know it must be electrically neutral, and it can’t be made up of ordinary matter (electrons, atomic nuclei, etc.). And while “dark matter” itself is a general term, physicists have a sort of cartography of hints: areas on the map in which various dark matter candidates reside.

The most popular of these realms contains the WIMPs: weakly interacting massive particles. Like the term “dark matter," WIMP is generic: the name describes the energy scale at which these hypothetical particles interact with ordinary matter, which in turn reveals something about their mass.

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Yesterday HP announced retail availability of two ARM based servers, the ProLiant m400 and m800. Each are offered in a server cartridge as part of the Moonshot System. A single 4.3U Moonshot chassis can hold 45 server cartridges. Usually higher numbers mean better, but in this case the m400 and m800 are so significantly different I wouldn’t consider them competitors. The m800 is focused on parallel compute and DSP, while the m400 is focused on compute, memory bandwidth, IO bandwidth and features the first 64-bit ARM processor to reach retail server availability.

HP ProLiant ARM Servers   m400 m800 Processors 1 4 Processor AppliedMicro X-Gene
Custom 64-bit ARMv8 TI KeyStone II 66AK2H
Cortex-A15 ARMv7A + DSP Compute cores per processor

8 CPU

4 CPU
8 DSP Clock Speed 2.4 GHz 1.0 GHz Cache Memory Each core: 32KB L1 D$ and I$
Each pair: 256KB L2
All cores: 8MB L3 Each DSP core: 1MB L2 Memory Quad Channel
8 SODIMM Slots
DDR3-1600 Low Voltage
Max: 64GB (8x8GB) Single Channel
4 SODIMM Slots
DDR3-1600 Low Voltage
Max: 32GB (4x8GB) Network Controller Dual 10GbE Dual 1GbE Storage M.2 2280 M.2 2242 PCIe 3.0 2.0

Starting with the m400, HP designed in a single AppliedMicro X-Gene SoC at 2.4 GHz. AppliedMicro has been discussing the X-Gene processor for several years now, and with this announcement becomes the first vendor to achieve retail availability of a 64-bit ARMv8 SoC other than Apple. Considering Apple doesn’t sell their processors stand-alone, this is a significant milestone. AppliedMicro has significantly beaten AMD’s A1100 processor to market, as AMD has not yet entered production. Marquee features of the X-Gene SoC include 8 custom 64-bit ARM cores, which at quad-issue should be higher performance than A57, quad channel DDR3 memory, and integrated PCIe 3.0 and dual 10GbE interfaces. Look out for a deep dive on the X-Gene SoC in a future article.

The m800 is a 32-bit ARM server containing four Texas Instruments KeyStone II 66AK2H SoCs at 1.0 GHz. Each KeyStone II SoC contains four A15 CPU cores alongside eight TI C66x DSP cores and single channel DDR3 memory, for a total of 16 CPU and 32 DSP cores. IO steps back to dual GbE and PCIe 2.0 interfaces. It is clear from the differences in these servers that m400 and m800 target different markets. There isn’t yet a best-of-both-worlds server combining the core count and memory + IO interfaces of the m400 and m800 together.

Each server is available with Ubuntu and IBM Informix database preinstalled, and will be demonstrated at ARM TechCon October 1-3 in Santa Clara, California.

Source: HP

Star-forming region near the center of the Milky Way. Composite image, assembled from infrared images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory in 2009. NASA & ESA

The most complex organic molecule yet to be discovered in interstellar space has been reported. While organic molecules that are organized in a straight line have been seen previously, the new molecule—iso-propyl cyanide—is the first molecule found with a branched structure.

In the 1980s, scientists were beginning to realize that it’s possible for complex organic molecules to form on the surfaces of dust grains. As a result, some of them predicted that the interstellar medium would contain complex, branched molecules. But none were discovered until now.

The molecule in question is an important building block of amino acids, which are themselves one of the important building blocks of life. The discovery reinforces hopes of finding life elsewhere in the Universe.

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With every launch of the iPhone, Apple seems to have everything to lose and not much to gain. Apple’s iPhone line accounts for the majority of profits in the smartphone space, and as the smartphone market marches towards maturity it seems inevitable that companies like Xiaomi will be able to deliver largely similar experiences at much lower prices. The same was once happened with Apple in the days of the PC industry where Apple approached irrelevance. Yet generation after generation, Apple seems to be able to hold on to a majority of the profit share, and they’ve managed to tenaciously hold on to their first-mover advantage. To find out if they can continue that trend with the latest iPhone launch, read on for the full review.

October is here, which means an update to the Games with Gold program for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. Continuing the trend we have seen since the introduction of Games with Gold for the Xbox One, the much larger catalog for the 360 means that there are more gems in there to pick out, and this month looks to be no exception.

Xbox One

The Xbox One has only a single new game this month, which replaces last month’s Super Time Force. That likely means Crimson Dragon is sticking around for a third month. It is disappointing to see only a single game, and often a low cost indie game, when there are several year old launch titles that would fit in here nicely. The new game for the Xbox One this month is Chariot, from the Canadian developer Frima. This game will debut on the Xbox One as a free download for Xbox Live subscribers, which is something we have seen from Sony over the last couple of months. If there is only going to be a single game, at least it is a game that you can guarantee no one has already purchased. Chariot is a co-op platformer which can be played alone or with a friend.

“Chariot, the newest ID@Xbox game from Canadian developers Frima, is a couch co-op platformer that can be played alone or with a friend. Players take the role of the brave Princess or her faithful Fiancé as they maneuver the departed king’s coffin-on-wheels through 25 levels set in five vibrant underground environments, with his majesty’s ghost giving them a piece of his mind every step of the way. Filled to the brim with emergent physics-based gameplay, Chariot offers hours of exciting exploration, fast-paced ride sequences and mountains upon mountains of loot!”

Xbox 360

On the Xbox 360, there is not an indie game to be found this month. The first game, available from October 1st to 15th, is Battlefield: Bad Company 2, from DICE. This 2010 game plays at the multiplayer squad level, and includes a single player campaign as well. This is a well-reviewed game which scores an 88 Metascore and 8.7 User Score on metacritic. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 normally sells for $19.99.

“Battlefield: Bad Company 2, brings the award-winning Battlefield gameplay to the forefront of Xbox 360 console with best-in-class vehicular combat and unexpected "Battlefield moments." Vehicles like the ATV and a transport helicopter allow for all-new multiplayer tactics on the Battlefield. You can compete in four-player teams in two squad-only game modes, fighting together to unlock exclusive awards and achievements. Battles are set across expansive maps, each with a different tactical focus. The game also sees the return of the B Company squad in a more mature single-player campaign.”

October’s second Xbox 360 game is Darksiders II from Vigil Games. This was originally released in August 2012, and players assume control of Death – one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It is an action RPG with a hack and slash combat. Darksiders II received a 83 Metascore and 8.0 User Score on metacritic. Darksiders II normally sells for $49.99 but is available for free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers from October 16th to 31st.

“Finally, Xbox 360 players get a chance to play one of the platform’s most underrated games: Darksiders II, which continues the series’ emphasis on huge environments, exploration, and a deep and rewarding story. Combine that with fantastic voice acting, impressive visuals, and a huge variety of procedurally generated loot (not to mention character-building options), and you’ll quickly find yourself enraptured by Darksiders II’s depth and top-notch game design. Did we mention you get to play as Death himself? Yeah.”

It is good to see a brand new game come to the Xbox One GWG program, but hopefully the program will be able to pick up steam soon with some new content being launched. The Xbox 360 continues to offer quality titles, which is something we don’t want to see changing. If you missed September’s games, you can pick them up until the end of the month.

 

While we’ve also written about the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus needs its own review in order to really understand the various features of the device that would otherwise be buried in the context of the iPhone 6. Without question, this device represents a significant departure from the way Apple has competed in the smartphone space. Until now, Apple has deliberately avoided the phablet space, choosing not to compete with the Galaxy Note line that has been established as the main market competitor for the past 3-4 generations. As a result, Apple occupies a fast-follower position at best. To find out if the iPhone 6 Plus manages to compete with the Galaxy Note line, read on for the full review.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's style, and its very existence, owe a lot to Warner Bros. and its other big licensed gaming series of the past few years: the Batman: Arkham games. Rather than push a license through excessive crunch time to coincide with a new movie, the Arkham model let Warner Bros. put the time into developing a game with an original story that would stand the test of time. The game draws both the evergreen franchise fanatics and those not automatically drawn to the license's source material.

So rather than trying to retell the now well-worn tales of Bilbo or Frodo's journeys, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor switches gears entirely, telling a story that takes place between the end of The Hobbit and the start of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The game isn't designed to fully bridge the gap between those stories, though. As the title says, this is less a Lord of the Rings game and more a "Middle-earth" game, focused on expanding the continent's mythos, starting with Sauron's domain in Mordor.

Revenge of the Ranger

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New technology allows security services to analyse the contents of the sewers to discover where people are making home-made bombs.

Several weeks ago, Hewlet-Packard announced the HP Stream 14” Notebook. The Stream series is HP’s version of the low cost Windows laptop, meant to compete head to head with Chromebooks on price, but still offer the power of a fully fleshed out operating system. The Stream 14 (pictured above) is available to purchase now for only $299, and comes with an AMD A4 APU, 2 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of eMMC storage.

Today, HP revealed the rest of the Stream lineup, with two additional laptops, and two tablets. In a world where the Chromebook has put some serious price pressure on the Average Selling Price of low cost computing, OEMs are trying to win over consumers with nice designs and additional perks in an effort to differentiate from the competition.

HP Stream 11

First up is the laptops. There are two screen sizes with the smaller being 11.6” and the mid-size being 13.3”, to compliment the already released 14” model. Exact specifications have not been disclosed yet, but both units will be powered by an Intel dual-core Celeron processor based on the Bay Trail architecture. This will make it a fanless device, and both come with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of eMMC storage. The 13.3” device has an optional touchscreen to go with the 1366x768 resolution that both laptops share. The 13.3” model also is available with optional 4G connectivity, and as a value add, HP is including 200 MB of free data every month for the life of the device. As another value add, HP is offering one year of Office 365 personal, which includes 1 TB of online storage and 60 Skype minutes per month. Battery life is listed from HP at 8:15 for the 11.6” model, and 7:45 for the 13.3” model. The HP Stream laptops are available in several colors, and will be priced at $199.99 for the 11.6” model and $229.99 as the starting price for the 13.3” model.

HP Stream 13

With the race to the bottom on pricing, one has to wonder where it will end, but all we know is it has not ended yet. Today HP also announced the HP Stream 7 Tablet, which is a 7” Windows 8.1 with Bing device that comes in at only $99.99. If you are in need of a slightly larger device, with optional 4G, then HP also has you covered with the HP Stream 8 which has a starting price of $149.99. Both tablets are powered by Intel Atom quad-core processors, and 1366x768 screens. Like the larger of the two laptops, the 8” tablet, if equipped with the optional 4G, comes with 200 MB of data per month for the life of the device, and both also come with Office 365 personal for one year. Office 365 personal is $70 to purchase on its own, so for only $30 more you can get it with a 7” tablet.

HP Stream 7 (left) HP Stream 8 (right)

It has been a bit painful to see the thin and light Chromebooks popping up over the last couple of years, and it was always especially frustrating that low cost Windows laptops were large, thick, noisy, and had very slow spinning hard disks. It is great to see the Chromebook styling now coming to Windows PCs, and with the Chromebook pricing as well. Microsoft is making a big push to recapture some of this end of the market by offering Windows 8.1 with Bing, and they are now starting to see some examples of great looking Chromebook competitors.

The tablet side is not as rosy, with Windows 8.1 not having the same mobile ecosystem as Android, but at least the pricing is now in line for the bottom end of the market. The add-ons offered by HP are pretty strong, with the Office 365 Personal costing almost as much as the tablet itself, and 4G for life is a nice bonus to those who just need a bit of data when they are not on Wi-Fi. Of course what the Windows Tablets need as the killer app is the touch version of Office, but that is not available as of yet, so anyone who wants to take advantage of Office 365 will have to do it from a 7-8” desktop, but as with most Windows tablets these can be connected to a keyboard, mouse, and monitor if you were so inclined. This is a strong push by HP to get a foothold in the low end of the market, with sharp looking products and useful value adds as well. Hopefully we can get some of these as review units to give you the full break down on just what you get for so little money.

ExeterAnna

On Monday the Associated Press wrote that officials in Ferguson, Missouri, have been charging exorbitant fees to turn over public records like e-mails and texts from city officials. The informational paywalls come in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man, that spurred weeks of protests in the St Louis suburb.

The AP notes that charging high fees for public records is a tactic that some government agencies use to discourage journalists and activists from discovering unflattering or problematic information. Officials in Ferguson have said that forwarding certain e-mail and text messages requires expensive IT analysis, despite the fact that public records laws in Missouri maintain that public access to government records should be provided at little to no cost.

“Ferguson told the AP it wanted nearly $2,000 to pay a consulting firm for up to 16 hours of work to retrieve messages on its own e-mail system, a practice that information technology experts call unnecessary,” the AP wrote on Monday. “The firm, St. Louis-based Acumen Consulting, wouldn't comment specifically on Ferguson's contract, but said the search could be more complicated and require technicians to examine tape backups.”

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It seems like it's been a long time since we've seen a WHQL driver release from AMD… and it has been. The previous WHQL driver dates back to April, the Catalyst 14.4 drivers, so we're close to five months between updates. In the interim, AMD has had beta/release candidate drivers for 14.6 and 14.7, along with the initial driver release for the R9 285 Tonga GPU. The new 14.9 drivers appear to be the official release of the R9 285 drivers, with version numbering of 14.301 (compared to 14.300 for the launch driver).

As usual, there are quite a few updates listed in the release notes, with minor to moderate performance improvements noted for 3DMark Sky Diver and Fire Strike, 3DMark11, Bioshock Infinite, Company of Heroes 2, Crysis 3, GRID Autosport, Murdered: Soul Suspect, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare, Batman: Arkham Origins, Wildstar, Tomb Raider, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed IV, Lichdom, and StarCraft II. There's no mention made of any of the upcoming games, so it looks like we'll mostly be looking for hotfixes to address any issues with yet-to-be-released games. Other changes include Mantle support for AMD mobile products with Enduro technology.

The drivers are available at the usual place, and support is specifically listed for the R9/R7/R5 series of desktop and mobile GPUs, along with the earlier HD 5000/6000/7000/8000 series of desktop and mobile GPUs. APU support is also included for the R7/R6/R5/R3 products and all APUs with HD 6000D/G or newer graphics (which basically means all of AMD's APUs). In other words, if you have a Direct3D 11 enabled GPU from AMD, the drivers should be available (though there are likely mobile products where that may not be the case).

The patched Bash shell on a system running OS X 10.9.5. Andrew Cunningham

Apple has just released the OS X Bash Update 1.0 for OS X Mavericks, Mountain Lion, and Lion, a patch that fixes the "Shellshock" bug in the Bash shell that we first reported on last week. Bash, which is the default shell for many Unix and Linux-based operating systems, has been updated two times to fix the Shellshock remote exploit bug, and many Linux distributions have already issued updates to their users.

When installed on an OS X Mavericks system, the patch upgraded the Bash shell from version 3.2.51 to version 3.2.53, something that users could already do manually if they were so inclined. The update requires the OS X 10.9.5, 10.8.5, or 10.7.5 updates to be installed on your system first. An Apple representative told Ars that the company would not be releasing an individual patch for users running the current OS X Yosemite developer or public beta builds, but the rep went on to say the bug will be fixed in future builds of the software. The company previously stated that Macs "are safe by default and not exposed to remote exploits of bash unless users configure advanced UNIX services." Non-jailbroken iOS devices shouldn't be vulnerable to the exploit at all.

Shellshock, in essence, allows attackers to issue commands to systems via malformed environment variables. In the case of Web servers, it can allow attackers to gain full control of the system. Exploits of the bug have already been spotted in the wild, and end users and server administrators are all encouraged to patch their systems as soon as possible.

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Lenovo announced today that they have satisfied the conditions needed to complete the acquisition of IBM's x86 server business, and the parties expect to finalize the deal and close effective October 1, 2014. This move also basically marks IBM's exit from the x86 market, after having previously sold off their PC laptop and desktop division to Lenovo back in 2005. The details of the acquisition were first announced in January 2014, with the purchase price being approximately $2.1 billion ($1.8 billion in cash and another $280 million in Lenovo stock).

Getting into the details, as part of this acquisition Lenovo will get the System x, BladeCenter, and Flex System blade servers and switches, x86-based Flex integrated systems, NeXtScale and iDataPlex servers and software, and additional blade networking and maintenance operations. IBM for their part will maintain their System z mainframes, Power Systems, Storage Systems, Power-based Flex servers, and PureApplication and PureData appliances. IBM will continue to provide service and maintenance for an extended period of time, to help ensure a seamless transition for customers.

Interestingly, the announcement bears an uncanny resemblance to the news from nearly a decade ago, as this will make Lenovo the third-largest player in the global x86 server market. When Lenovo bought IBM's PC division, they became the third-largest player in the PC laptop and desktop space. Of note is that last year, Lenovo was the largest PC vendor by unit sales, so clearly they're hoping for a repeat of that success, only this time in the more lucrative server space.

Gerry Smith, Lenovo Group VP of and president of Enterprise Business Group and America's Group states, "The acquisition is a clear demonstration of the confidence we have earned based on our consistent track record as a responsible global investor and as a secure and reliable technology provider. Lenovo has big plans for the enterprise market. Over time, we will compete vigorously across every sector, using our manufacturing scale and operational excellence to repeat the success we have had with PCs."

The chief executive officer of a mobile spyware maker was arrested over the weekend, charged with allegedly illegally marketing an app that monitors calls, texts, videos, and other communications on mobile phones "without detection," federal prosecutors said.

The government said the prosecution [PDF] of Hammad Akbar, 31, of Pakistan, was the "first-ever" case surrounding advertising and the sales of mobile spyware targeting adults—in this case an app called StealthGenie.

“Selling spyware is not just reprehensible, it’s a crime,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell said in a statement. “Apps like StealthGenie are expressly designed for use by stalkers and domestic abusers who want to know every detail of a victim’s personal life—all without the victim’s knowledge."

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ISRO

Mars has two new satellites thanks to last week's successful orbital insertions of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) and the Indian Space Research Organization's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). Both probes have already returned their first images from orbit. MOM is responsible for the one shown above, which captures a large dust storm in the northern hemisphere of Mars. It also snapped this oblique view of the planet's surface, which manages to capture the thin atmosphere of Mars:

A view through the thin Martian atmosphere. ISRO

MOM carries a camera that captures visible wavelengths, which is why we're able to enjoy the red planet living up to its name. MAVEN is focused on studying the atmosphere in detail, specifically its interactions with space and the solar wind. Watching what escapes Mars and what stays associated with the planet will tell us a lot about how the Martian atmosphere has evolved over the history of the Solar System.

Unfortunately, that mission won't always result in dramatic photos. The one below shows how MAVEN is able to identify individual gasses and demonstrate how they either associate tightly with Mars (oxygen) or are able to spread out into space (hydrogen). That doesn't mean we won't end up with some great pictures from MAVEN; it's just that the main scientific mission isn't focused on high-resolution images of what Mars looks like.

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Don't hit the food. The Wizard needs food... badly. Elf, how could you shoot the food?!

“The food” tends to be what everyone remembers about Gauntlet, if they remember the game at all. "The food" is more important to the series' legacy than the games themselves, which have changed considerably from the top-down arcade original through third-person 3D console iterations. The food is life. The food is frustration. The food is Gauntlet.

In Arrowhead Studios' new reboot of Gauntlet (no subtitle this time), there is plenty of food. Whole, honey-baked hams and roast turkeys sit around waiting for consumption or destruction by up to four players. Amid the hordes of mummies, goblins, spiders, and their various spawning devices, these fragile, life-giving feasts tie the new game back to the original more than anything else.

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This year's melt is almost identical to last year's, and nothing like the huge loss of ice seen in 2012. NSIDC

Each year in September, the sea ice at the two poles reach opposite extremes. Early in the month, the Arctic ice bottoms out, reaching its annual minimum. Off of Antarctica, the ice typically reaches its greatest extent toward the end of the month. In recent years, the Arctic sea ice has grabbed the most attention, as its dramatic loss has set records. But this year, most of the drama is occurring down south.

Arctic sea ice, which is largely contained in the closed basin surrounding the North Pole, set a record in 2012, falling well below the previous 2007 record. But last year, although the melting has remained well below the average of the satellite measurements, the loss of ice hasn't been extreme. The same could be said of this year; it's the sixth lowest amount of ice we've seen at this point of the year, but that's nowhere near the record loss we saw in 2012. The ice did shrink enough to open a passage north of Russia, but the Northeast Passage above Canada remained ice-filled.

The ice cover did remain within two standard deviations of the 1981-2010 average, but it's not clear that's all that significant, given that this period includes the second-lowest year on record. But having two years in a row of somewhat moderated melting is probably a sign that the tremendous loss of ice in 2012 has not shifted the Arctic into a trend where ice loss accelerates with each Arctic summer. It also may enable a slight regrowth of some of the thicker, multi-year ice that does not melt as readily.

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Last week, a Dallas-based market research firm published a report about American video-streaming habits, and its numbers told a story that we saw coming for years: Video game consoles have become the leading device category for video streaming app use.

On Tuesday, Parks Associates published its report, which surveyed 10,000 American homes in early 2014, and it found 44 percent of broadband-using respondents considered a game console their "primary connected" device for accessing non-gaming Internet content, particularly video apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Video. Out of those console owners, "roughly three quarters" log into consoles to watch video apps at least once a week, and 40 percent of them watch over 10 hours of content a week.

The report goes on to rank broadband homes' preferred devices, with game consoles beating, in order, smart TVs (20 percent), streaming media boxes (12 percent), and Blu-ray players (nine percent). "What we find is that not every device has everything somebody wants," Parks Director of Research Barbara Kraus said in an interview with Ars. Kraus clarified that respondents were asked which device they used most. "You are going to continue using multiple devices until you have a platform that has everything you want on it," she said.

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The New York Public Service Commission has delayed its vote on the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger from October 2 to November 13.

The delay comes as the commission reviews recommendations from the state Division of Consumer Protection's Utility Intervention Unit (UIU). In a filing on August 25 (download link), the UIU described "deficiencies associated with the Companies’ current substandard customer service" and said the merger should not be approved unless certain conditions are imposed. The UIU also said there are "deficiencies" in the companies' petition with the state, "specifically, in the areas of improving the Companies’ service to its New York customers, making universal broadband more affordable, increasing broadband speed, and investing in infrastructure, including ways to remedy those deficiencies."

Conditions proposed to remedy the problems include expanding eligibility for Comcast's low-cost Internet service for poor people, preservation of Time Warner Cable's $14.99-per-month standalone broadband service for all customers regardless of income status, expansion of broadband in rural areas, implementation of a service quality measure, preservation of customer service jobs in New York, and "the creation of two additional voting seats on the Board of Directors of the merged company to represent New York consumer interests."

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