Sprint's Stephen Bye joins CCA's board; Apple's iOS 7.1 improves iBeacons

Quick news from around the Web.

> Microsoft and Samsung jointed the board of the Wireless Power Consortium. Release

> 64-bit smartphone processors will dominate the mobile market with 55 percent share in 2018, according to new predictions from ABI Research. Release

> Analysts are downbeat on the prospects for Nokia's X Android phone in India. Article

> Sprint's Stephen Bye was appointed to CCA's Board of Directors. Release

> Apple's new iOS 7.1 introduced significant improvements to the company's iBeacon technology, including the ability for an app to connect to an iBeacon even when it is not open or running in the background. Article

> Apple appealed a judge's ruling against a ban on Samsung phone sales. Article

> Instagram overhauled its Android app. Article

> Google is facing a lawsuit over in-app purchases made by children. Article

Online Video News

> According to CBS' CEO, the station may go off the air if Aereo prevails in its efforts to establish itself as a lawful service. Article

> Maker Studios, a top-rated YouTube multichannel network, is reportedly in talks with Walt Disney Co. to be acquired in a deal potentially valued between $500 million and $900 million. Article

> With only a fraction of advertising dollars being spent on digital ads, online video is a huge opportunity, Tim Armstrong, chairman and CEO of AOL, told analysts at the Deutsche Bank Media, Internet and Telecom Conference. Article

Telecom News

> TDS completed part of its Maine broadband stimulus project, extending service to 450 customers. Article

> Sovernet Communications, a Vermont-based middle mile provider, has won two separate contracts totaling $2.5 million by the state of Vermont to provide data services to 92 sites. Article

Cable News

> Comcast continues to expand the number of TV shows and movies that can be purchased from its Xfinity On Demand store, announcing on Monday that it struck an electronic sell-through deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Article

> Broadband subscribers may be able to find Wi-Fi hotspots with an "augmented reality" application that combines images captured from mobile devices with data detailing the strength of Wi-Fi access points, 4G networks and other wireless signals, according to a recent CableLabs patent application. Article

European Wireless News

> European harmony is a key lesson from the "made in France" experiment. Editor's Corner

> UK regulator Ofcom achieved its objective of maintaining a competitive market with a number of competing providers in the first major sale of radio spectrum in over 10 years, according to a report by the National Audit Office on the country's LTE spectrum auction in February 2013. Article

> European businesses must get more involved in education to ensure the region achieves its potential as a global digital technology leader, a senior Telefónica executive has told the European Commission (EC). Article

And finally… Avi Greengart: "I'm calling it CTIA. 'Super Mobility Week!' sounds like a Sesame Street episode where Super Grover gets a smartphone."