HAWAII

Hawaii ranks 49th for online speed

Hawaii's Internet surf speed ranks 49th in the country, according to a study released earlier this week by pcmag.com.

Hawaii has an average Internet speed of 378 Kbps (kilobits per second), resulting in satisfaction among half of the site's polled users. More than 17,000 users across the country ran a speed-testing application for nearly a quarter million times to determine the average speed. Broadband penetration is at 57 percent.

“;Hawaii is connected to the Internet via the same fast trunks as mainland America, but something is definitely holding its residents back,”; the survey stated. “;Nevertheless, residents reported exceptional satisfaction with their service: Hawaiians were the fourth-happiest group among SurfSpeed users.”;

Nevada ranked first, with an average speed of 781 Kbps, while New Mexico ranked 50th, at 322 Kbps.

Sugar production down from 2007

Production of sugarcane for sugar and seed in 2008 is forecast at 29.9 million tons, unchanged from the October forecast but down slightly from 2007, the state Department of Agriculture said in a recent report.

Sugarcane growers intend to harvest 868,500 acres for sugar and seed during the 2008 crop year, unchanged from October but down 11,100 acres from last year.

Yield is forecast at 34.4 tons per acre, the same as the October forecast but up 0.3 ton from 2007.

Walgreens holds Kaneohe opening

Walgreens Kaneohe held a grand opening celebration yesterday for its second store on Oahu.

A traditional Hawaiian blessing was held for the 14,800-square-foot store that occupies the former Star Market at Kaneohe Bay Shopping Center.

The Walgreens Kaneohe offers the isle's first drive-through pharmacy, a W cafe, photo center, and will be open 24 hours.

Walgreens customers yesterday were offered vision screenings, product samples, live music, giveaways, and autographs from Mountain Apple artists.

Mobi expands isle network

Mobi PCS said yesterday it deployed new cell sites in Wailuku and Lihue during the last week of November.

The Wailuku site enhances coverage along Honoapiilani Highway to Maalaea, along Kahekili Highway to Waiehu and in-building coverage in Happy Valley.

The Lihue site strengthens in-building coverage throughout the residential and commercial areas of central Lihue, as well as in the industrial area near the airport.

Mobi has deployed 27 new cell sites on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and the Big Island since January.