Quick news from around the Web.
Apple Pay: Seamless in Stores, but Quirky Online http://t.co/w8rkM1wbUW
— FierceWireless (@FierceWireless) October 22, 2014
> Asus appears to be preparing to introduce a smart watch called the ZenWatch. Article
> Sony reportedly plans to again reduce its smartphone sales expectations for this year. Article
> Nokia's Here maps for Android are now available to phones beyond those from Samsung. Article
> Congressional representatives are urging the director of the FBI not to attempt to access Americans' phones. Article
> Qualcomm Atheros is doing its part of make better use of Wi-Fi spectrum with multi-user (MU) multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) technology. Article
> Broadcom unveiled new chips that the company said can use the new G.fast standard to deliver up to 1 Gbps broadband over copper phone lines. Article
> A Google executive said a new version of the company's popular Chromecast stick is coming. Article
> América Móvil's U.S. MVNO, TracFone Wireless, said it will sell Apple's new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus through its Straight Talk Wireless brand, which is available at Walmart. Straight Talk will sell the phones for full price (the iPhone 6 starts at $649 and the 6 Plus starts at $749) coupled with its unlimited plans: $45 per month for unlimited talking and texting and 3 GB of high-speed data; and $60 per month for unlimited talking and texting, 3 GB of high-speed data, and unlimited international calling to more than 1,000 destinations in Mexico, Canada, India, and in other countries. Release
> Wireless tower builder MasTec purchased rival WesTower Communications for around $200 million. Article
Online Video News
> Over-the-top providers are apparently taking into their own hands the growth of online video advertising, with Ooyala as the latest to acquire an advertising services platform. The provider announced this week that it had entered an agreement to buy Videoplaza, which offers premium video ad serving platforms and programmatic trading to companies in the Asia-Pacific and Europe regions. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Article
> HBO online is doomed? Don't bet on it. Editor's Corner
Telecom News
> Zayo has hatched what it says is a major network expansion effort in its headquarters market of Boulder, Colo., adding 93 route miles to its network. Article
> NBN Co. has announced the 140 Australian suburbs that will be the first to receive a fiber-to-the-node (FTTN)-based connection over the next 12 months on the National Broadband Network. Article
Cable News
> Time Warner Cable has officially entered the era of digital video recorder excess, announcing the rollout of its six-tuner, 1-terabyte DVR in New York and Los Angeles. Article
> Further upping the ante in the race to measure TV audiences, Nielsen has announced a partnership with Adobe to create a new cross-platform tool for tallying online TV and other digital content, slated for release in 2015. Article
European Wireless News
> América Móvil now owns close to 60 per cent of Telekom Austria after the Mexican company gained an additional 8.68 per cent share through an extended offer to smaller shareholders. Article
> Telefónica Deutschland is ready to take a leading role in Europe as one of the first operators to deploy a commercial voice over LTE (VoLTE) service. Article
> Huawei said it plans to increase its procurement spending in the European Union as part of its overall investment strategy for Europe, and expects to make direct purchases worth an estimated $4.08 billion (€3.8 billion) in 2015. Article
And finally… A "Back to the Future"-style hoverboard may well come to light. Article