GPS Tracking Could Improve Children's Health
2255494312_08066d86ab_b 1.jpgIndiana University School of Medicine wants to track teenage kids, and insists that it is for their own good. In a study with a ridiculously small sample size of 15 teenage girls, researchers used GPS equipped cellphones to track the girls' every move.
The reason? Not, as we would expect, in order to pass the information on to the parents, but to identify health risks. The idea is that the cellphone would know when its owner is, say, behind the bike shed and deliver a cajoling "don't smoke" text message.
A noble aim, to be sure, but once the kids get used to this tracking, we're sure that other, less wholesome uses will be found. Targeted advertising is the most obvious, but how long until this wealth of GPS information is hacked? Leaked records of a teenager's whereabouts would be anything but good for their health.
By Charlie Sorrel EmailApril 04, 2008
Read More ..
Jumat, 13 Februari 2009
Researchers: Adults 31 and Older Hate, Fear Cell Phones
Researchers: Adults 31 and Older Hate, Fear Cell Phones
After surveying 75 people in one area, a research firm has concluded that adults over 30 years old are luddites who hate their cell phones with a fiery passion.
Bowen Research conducted the interviews mostly in San Francisco and classified 40 participants older than 30 as "quite vehement about [their phone,] have problems they can't solve, and feel the phone does things randomly by accident." Some complained that text messaging requires them to "think too much" because they have to spell words correctly.
The other 35 participants were ages 30 and younger, and they "generally have no problem with their phone interface."
The study also found that the under-30 participants used at least 50 percent of their phones' features, while the 31-and-up group used about 40 percent of their handset features. Quite an astounding disparity.
Bowen Research is selling its study for $5,000 to anyone who wishes to peer into groundbreaking research suggesting that young'ins are generally better with technology than older folks.
I'm sure my 32-year-old friend Trisha would be interested in buying this study. Let me just call her and hope her teeth don't fall out and she doesn't curl up in a fetal position and cry, "The horror! The horror!" when her phone rings. Oh, wait -- she lives in Sacramento. Maybe this study won't apply to her. Read More ..
After surveying 75 people in one area, a research firm has concluded that adults over 30 years old are luddites who hate their cell phones with a fiery passion.
Bowen Research conducted the interviews mostly in San Francisco and classified 40 participants older than 30 as "quite vehement about [their phone,] have problems they can't solve, and feel the phone does things randomly by accident." Some complained that text messaging requires them to "think too much" because they have to spell words correctly.
The other 35 participants were ages 30 and younger, and they "generally have no problem with their phone interface."
The study also found that the under-30 participants used at least 50 percent of their phones' features, while the 31-and-up group used about 40 percent of their handset features. Quite an astounding disparity.
Bowen Research is selling its study for $5,000 to anyone who wishes to peer into groundbreaking research suggesting that young'ins are generally better with technology than older folks.
I'm sure my 32-year-old friend Trisha would be interested in buying this study. Let me just call her and hope her teeth don't fall out and she doesn't curl up in a fetal position and cry, "The horror! The horror!" when her phone rings. Oh, wait -- she lives in Sacramento. Maybe this study won't apply to her. Read More ..
Google Introduces Non GPS for Cellphones
Google Introduces Non GPS for Cellphones
Google has obviously hired somebody away from Microsoft's Naming Department for its new My Location service. It's a non GPS location technology which uses cell tower info and databases to work out the user's position, presumably similar to Navizon's tech.
To use it, bring up Google Maps on your phone and hit zero. That's it. Your position is shown on screen, and for directions, Google Maps will autofill your start location. The accuracy varies: According to Google, the software will pinpoint your position to within one quarter to three miles, but an advantage over GPS is that it works indoors.
And of course, with this will come ads. But, being Google ads, you're brain will likely filter them out and you won't even see them, just like the ones on the web. My Location will work initially on the Blackberry, Symbian S60, Windows Mobile, and some Motorola and Sony Ericsson handsets. It will not work on the iPhone. Read More ..
Google has obviously hired somebody away from Microsoft's Naming Department for its new My Location service. It's a non GPS location technology which uses cell tower info and databases to work out the user's position, presumably similar to Navizon's tech.
To use it, bring up Google Maps on your phone and hit zero. That's it. Your position is shown on screen, and for directions, Google Maps will autofill your start location. The accuracy varies: According to Google, the software will pinpoint your position to within one quarter to three miles, but an advantage over GPS is that it works indoors.
And of course, with this will come ads. But, being Google ads, you're brain will likely filter them out and you won't even see them, just like the ones on the web. My Location will work initially on the Blackberry, Symbian S60, Windows Mobile, and some Motorola and Sony Ericsson handsets. It will not work on the iPhone. Read More ..
Mobile Browsing Still Popular on Not-so-smart Phones
Mobile Browsing Still Popular on Not-so-smart Phones
We've seen reports indicating iPhone owners use their handsets to surf the Web far more than they talk. And we've seen surveys in which iPhone owners said they've been mobile surfing more than they ever were before. Also, the iPhone has also been selling like crazy. What does this all add up to?
Somehow, it doesn't add up to the iPhone (or other smart phones, for that matter) being the most prevalently used device for mobile browsing. An NY Times post on Thursday cited a report from AdMob, a major mobile advertising service, that said just as much ad traffic was coming from typical mobile phones as smartphones. Eh?
That's just a barometer of actual mobile browsing since it's based on ad traffic -- but AdMob hosts ads on 5,000 mobile sites, so it's a pretty strong indicator. Are non-smartphone owners trying to prove to their peers they don't need to pay upward of $80 a month to enjoy mobile internet? I couldn't stand surfing the web on my old Motorola RAZR, but I guess I have pretty high standards.
The Mobile Web: It’s Not Just for Smartphones [NY Times] Read More ..
We've seen reports indicating iPhone owners use their handsets to surf the Web far more than they talk. And we've seen surveys in which iPhone owners said they've been mobile surfing more than they ever were before. Also, the iPhone has also been selling like crazy. What does this all add up to?
Somehow, it doesn't add up to the iPhone (or other smart phones, for that matter) being the most prevalently used device for mobile browsing. An NY Times post on Thursday cited a report from AdMob, a major mobile advertising service, that said just as much ad traffic was coming from typical mobile phones as smartphones. Eh?
That's just a barometer of actual mobile browsing since it's based on ad traffic -- but AdMob hosts ads on 5,000 mobile sites, so it's a pretty strong indicator. Are non-smartphone owners trying to prove to their peers they don't need to pay upward of $80 a month to enjoy mobile internet? I couldn't stand surfing the web on my old Motorola RAZR, but I guess I have pretty high standards.
The Mobile Web: It’s Not Just for Smartphones [NY Times] Read More ..
The Future of Femtocells: One Remote Controls All Devices
The Future of Femtocells: One Remote Controls All Devices
As you walk into your house, you press a button on your phone to turn on the living room lights. You aim your handset at your stereo system and play some Broken Social Scene. While sitting on your couch, you remember you need to bake a pot roast. No problem -- you aim your phone at the oven and set it to 400 degrees.
In the coming years we'll be able to do this with femtocells, predicts David Nowicki, vice president of femtocell developer Airvana. The technology is currently being used to amplify cell-phone reception and Wi-Fi signals, but Nowicki said the next logical step for femtocells is to get your household devices to interact with one another.
"Your phone will be the coordinator of all your home devices," Nowicki said. "We call this concept Home 2.0."
A femtocell hub, such as the recently released Sprint Airave, acts as a miniature cell phone tower in your home. To put it simply, the femtocell hub provides an internet gateway to enter a cell-phone network, Remote_3 thereby reducing the amount of power and distance your handset would need to communicate with a remote tower.
In doing so, femtocell hubs such as the Sprint Airave expand and improve your cell-phone reception. Airvana's HubBub CDMA, set for release in late 2008 or early 2009, is already taking femtocells another step further by boosting your Wi-Fi data signal as well. Other competitors are working on similar products set for release around the same time frame. And with competition we can expect to see further innovation of this seemingly malleable technology.
Since a femtocell hub is primarily used in a home -- and utilizing an internet bridge -- it makes sense to eventually use it with other home appliances as well. Of course, Nowicki is thinking far ahead into the future, at which point virtually all devices will have an IP address.
The potential of femtocells will doubtlessly raise some concerns among users -- the number-one worry being security. It would be a hacker's dream come true to be able to transcend cyber-space sabotage by controlling a victim's physical appliances. Unhappy with your best friend for sleeping with your girlfriend? Hack into his phone and turn on the gas stove. The imagined possibilities of femtocells are as frightening as they are exciting. But new technology always introduces new fears, and if this foretelling becomes a reality, we'll likely have adequate security measures in place by then.
Controlling all your electronics with one device sounds convenient, but doesn't it remind you of the grim future of immobile, obese humans depicted in WALL-E ? Let's be careful what we wish for. Read More ..
As you walk into your house, you press a button on your phone to turn on the living room lights. You aim your handset at your stereo system and play some Broken Social Scene. While sitting on your couch, you remember you need to bake a pot roast. No problem -- you aim your phone at the oven and set it to 400 degrees.
In the coming years we'll be able to do this with femtocells, predicts David Nowicki, vice president of femtocell developer Airvana. The technology is currently being used to amplify cell-phone reception and Wi-Fi signals, but Nowicki said the next logical step for femtocells is to get your household devices to interact with one another.
"Your phone will be the coordinator of all your home devices," Nowicki said. "We call this concept Home 2.0."
A femtocell hub, such as the recently released Sprint Airave, acts as a miniature cell phone tower in your home. To put it simply, the femtocell hub provides an internet gateway to enter a cell-phone network, Remote_3 thereby reducing the amount of power and distance your handset would need to communicate with a remote tower.
In doing so, femtocell hubs such as the Sprint Airave expand and improve your cell-phone reception. Airvana's HubBub CDMA, set for release in late 2008 or early 2009, is already taking femtocells another step further by boosting your Wi-Fi data signal as well. Other competitors are working on similar products set for release around the same time frame. And with competition we can expect to see further innovation of this seemingly malleable technology.
Since a femtocell hub is primarily used in a home -- and utilizing an internet bridge -- it makes sense to eventually use it with other home appliances as well. Of course, Nowicki is thinking far ahead into the future, at which point virtually all devices will have an IP address.
The potential of femtocells will doubtlessly raise some concerns among users -- the number-one worry being security. It would be a hacker's dream come true to be able to transcend cyber-space sabotage by controlling a victim's physical appliances. Unhappy with your best friend for sleeping with your girlfriend? Hack into his phone and turn on the gas stove. The imagined possibilities of femtocells are as frightening as they are exciting. But new technology always introduces new fears, and if this foretelling becomes a reality, we'll likely have adequate security measures in place by then.
Controlling all your electronics with one device sounds convenient, but doesn't it remind you of the grim future of immobile, obese humans depicted in WALL-E ? Let's be careful what we wish for. Read More ..
Mozilla: Firefox Mobile to Arrive in a Few Weeks
Mozilla: Firefox Mobile to Arrive in a Few Weeks
Mobilefox_2There's one key feature missing from the iPhone and every other browser-equipped handset: Firefox. Fortunately, Mozilla has confirmed that the first alpha version of Firefox mobile will be available in the coming weeks.
Mozilla CEO John Lilly told the San Jose Mercury that his company has been working toward an open-platform mobile browser similar to the current desktop version of Firefox.
"We want to make sure that the Web on mobile is more like the Web than what the mobile industry offers today, which is closed, separate networks and not a very good information-getting experience for the user," Lilly said. "The first thing is to bring Firefox to mobile devices. We’re working on that, and we’ll see some alphas in a few weeks."
This sounds quite exciting. Think about how much Firefox add-ons would enhance your mobile browsing experience. What'd be really cool is a touchscreen version of All-in-One Gestures, which allows you to program custom mouse gestures to execute commands such as spell check, switching windows, opening a new tab and so on.
What do you got for us, Firefox? We'll have to wait and see in the coming weeks. Read More ..
Dell's New Notebooks Take Design Seriously
Dell's New Notebooks Take Design Seriously
LAS VEGAS -- Dell doesn't have a booth here at CES, but the company staked out a floor at the trendy Palms casino to make several product announcements -- and to try to win a few style points.
The stodgy PC maker from Round Rock, Texas has been known for years for its workhorse PCs and notebooks -- functional, economical, generally reliable, and butt-ugly. But in the last year, the company has been working hard to change that perception. For instance, its compact Studio Hybrid PC has a sleek look and can be modded with replaceable outer sleeves, so you can color it (red, black, bamboo) to suit your decor. And its line of Studio laptops, which can be customized with any one of more than 100 different artistic designs, has been selling well.
This week, the company rolled out two new laptops, the Studio XPS 16 (shown above with Dell's head design guy, Ed Boyd) and the Studio XPS 13, that continue the trend of wrapping computers in cutting-edge cases made out of interesting materials. And the company announced a mysterious "luxury brand" called Adamo, which so far seems to be little more than a slim black notebook (or the chassis of a notebook) in the hands of a supermodel.
The XPS 16 and XPS 13 are notebooks with, respectively, 16-inch and 13-inch screens. Both have distinctive multi-toned exteriors in differing shades of black, gray, and charcoal gray, and both include leather trim along the back (hinge) edge of the top lid. While tastes may differ -- and some may find the inclusion of animal skin a bit abhorrent -- these notebooks have a classy, refined look that's a world away from Dell's earlier work.
Both laptops are available now, starting at $1,200.
As for Adamo, very little is known. Dell hired a model to show off the notebook, but no one was allowed to touch it and Dell representatives didn't turn it on. They also did not release any specifications. So for now, Adamo is little more than a pipe dream. Read More ..
Public internet access via private wireless hotspots
Public internet access via private wireless hotspots
Broadband access is increasingly necessary to get the best out of your communications. But what about when you are away from the home or office? The team in the IST project OBAN suggest using the spare capacity in residential wireless hotspots.
While the broadband revolution might be in full swing, the long-promised era of fast and seamless internet connectivity ‘anytime anywhere’ remains tantalisingly out of reach for many European citizens. One approach to this problem is to exploit the growing number of residential wireless hotspots to develop an innovative high-speed open network for broadband communication.
Starting in January 2004, the IST-funded OBAN (Open Broadband Access Network) research team has taken major strides towards building a public broadband mobile network based on residential wireless local area networks (WLANs).
The basic idea is to use the wireless LANs of existing broadband subscribers – who typically use only a small fraction of the line’s capacity – and make them available for passing or visiting users in urban and suburban areas.
Public wireless internet access
In this scenario, the stationary users or hosts continue to use their wireless LAN as before, and passing users can access and maintain communication via these internet access points. Both visitors and hosts share the capacity of such wireless LANs, and access lines according to a general service agreement between all users and the network operator.
To encourage uptake among broadband subscribers, it is envisaged that they will receive some form of compensation or incentive for providing access to casual users of their unused WLAN capacity. In this way, it will be possible to offer new and better services to mobile users without having to build a new and costly wireless infrastructure.
The viability of the OBAN project rests on the assumption that within a few years, the majority of users will have access to a broadband network at some point – whether ADSL, VDSL, fibre, cable, radio, etc. A second assumption is that wireless technology will be the predominant form of technology for in-house communication, both for residential and business users.
In urban areas, this large number of 'micro base stations' will provide a continuous radio coverage that will allow users to roam freely while maintaining their communication sessions. Compared to conventional cellular mobile networks, which consist of a limited number of optimally located outdoor base stations and antenna masts, the OBAN network will consist of a much higher number of micro base stations that are located at random.
Micro-base station will show the way to internet connection when on the go
Breaking new ground
While the idea of open broadband networks is not new, OBAN’s approach is genuinely different to what has been tried before, according to project coordinator Einar Edvardsen of Telenor in Norway.
“OBAN will be the first to integrate wireless LAN with fixed networks in a legal, regulatory and commercially correct way. Some current networks which offer public access over private wireless LANs are possibly illegal and commercially non-viable, while other solutions are connected to one operator’s network or only provide roaming features to operators,” he says.
Another breakthrough by OBAN will be to deliver faster handover in areas where multiple internet service providers (ISPs) are operating, and where broadband access may be via ADSL connections with an average delay of 10-40 milliseconds.
“This means that a user can move from a WLAN cell operated by one ISP to another WLAN cell operated by a different ISP, at the same time as all security and quality-of-service requirements are met,” explains Edvardsen. “The maximum disruption is specified not to exceed 120 milliseconds."
Achieving such a fast handover is a unique achievement, he emphasises. "All today’s announcements about mobility and fast handover relate to WLANs that are connected to a common infrastructure, making the handover task relatively easy. In the OBAN approach, we are talking about different networks.”
In order to achieve such fast handover, OBAN has developed a unique security solution using a combined SIM and Kerberos authentication method. “This is important in order to guarantee all relevant security requirements quickly enough to comply with the 120 millisecond time limit,” notes Edvardsen.
Another innovative feature of the OBAN approach is its unique quality-of-service (QoS) mechanism. “This guarantees that quality requirements for all users in the network are met – not only on the wireless part as 802.11e,” he says.
Field trials under way
While Edvardsen has no doubts about the long-term viability of OBAN’s concept, he acknowledges that putting the idea into practice will not be a straightforward process.
“We have had a field trial running for two years now, but with very limited functionality. None of the specific OBAN solutions have been implemented yet and we have not yet utilised the trial for any purpose other than to get the equipment running. We have learnt that it often is a long way from laboratory to the field even when commercial equipment is being used – due to the modifications, adaptations and reconfiguration needed for a new operational environment,” he says.
Although the project is slightly behind schedule at the moment, Edvardsen is confident that the team will meet its official completion date at the end of 2006. “The implementation and integration work now have top priority. Full-scale testing in the laboratory and the field will take place in November and December 2006.” Read More ..
Broadband access is increasingly necessary to get the best out of your communications. But what about when you are away from the home or office? The team in the IST project OBAN suggest using the spare capacity in residential wireless hotspots.
While the broadband revolution might be in full swing, the long-promised era of fast and seamless internet connectivity ‘anytime anywhere’ remains tantalisingly out of reach for many European citizens. One approach to this problem is to exploit the growing number of residential wireless hotspots to develop an innovative high-speed open network for broadband communication.
Starting in January 2004, the IST-funded OBAN (Open Broadband Access Network) research team has taken major strides towards building a public broadband mobile network based on residential wireless local area networks (WLANs).
The basic idea is to use the wireless LANs of existing broadband subscribers – who typically use only a small fraction of the line’s capacity – and make them available for passing or visiting users in urban and suburban areas.
Public wireless internet access
In this scenario, the stationary users or hosts continue to use their wireless LAN as before, and passing users can access and maintain communication via these internet access points. Both visitors and hosts share the capacity of such wireless LANs, and access lines according to a general service agreement between all users and the network operator.
To encourage uptake among broadband subscribers, it is envisaged that they will receive some form of compensation or incentive for providing access to casual users of their unused WLAN capacity. In this way, it will be possible to offer new and better services to mobile users without having to build a new and costly wireless infrastructure.
The viability of the OBAN project rests on the assumption that within a few years, the majority of users will have access to a broadband network at some point – whether ADSL, VDSL, fibre, cable, radio, etc. A second assumption is that wireless technology will be the predominant form of technology for in-house communication, both for residential and business users.
In urban areas, this large number of 'micro base stations' will provide a continuous radio coverage that will allow users to roam freely while maintaining their communication sessions. Compared to conventional cellular mobile networks, which consist of a limited number of optimally located outdoor base stations and antenna masts, the OBAN network will consist of a much higher number of micro base stations that are located at random.
Micro-base station will show the way to internet connection when on the go
Breaking new ground
While the idea of open broadband networks is not new, OBAN’s approach is genuinely different to what has been tried before, according to project coordinator Einar Edvardsen of Telenor in Norway.
“OBAN will be the first to integrate wireless LAN with fixed networks in a legal, regulatory and commercially correct way. Some current networks which offer public access over private wireless LANs are possibly illegal and commercially non-viable, while other solutions are connected to one operator’s network or only provide roaming features to operators,” he says.
Another breakthrough by OBAN will be to deliver faster handover in areas where multiple internet service providers (ISPs) are operating, and where broadband access may be via ADSL connections with an average delay of 10-40 milliseconds.
“This means that a user can move from a WLAN cell operated by one ISP to another WLAN cell operated by a different ISP, at the same time as all security and quality-of-service requirements are met,” explains Edvardsen. “The maximum disruption is specified not to exceed 120 milliseconds."
Achieving such a fast handover is a unique achievement, he emphasises. "All today’s announcements about mobility and fast handover relate to WLANs that are connected to a common infrastructure, making the handover task relatively easy. In the OBAN approach, we are talking about different networks.”
In order to achieve such fast handover, OBAN has developed a unique security solution using a combined SIM and Kerberos authentication method. “This is important in order to guarantee all relevant security requirements quickly enough to comply with the 120 millisecond time limit,” notes Edvardsen.
Another innovative feature of the OBAN approach is its unique quality-of-service (QoS) mechanism. “This guarantees that quality requirements for all users in the network are met – not only on the wireless part as 802.11e,” he says.
Field trials under way
While Edvardsen has no doubts about the long-term viability of OBAN’s concept, he acknowledges that putting the idea into practice will not be a straightforward process.
“We have had a field trial running for two years now, but with very limited functionality. None of the specific OBAN solutions have been implemented yet and we have not yet utilised the trial for any purpose other than to get the equipment running. We have learnt that it often is a long way from laboratory to the field even when commercial equipment is being used – due to the modifications, adaptations and reconfiguration needed for a new operational environment,” he says.
Although the project is slightly behind schedule at the moment, Edvardsen is confident that the team will meet its official completion date at the end of 2006. “The implementation and integration work now have top priority. Full-scale testing in the laboratory and the field will take place in November and December 2006.” Read More ..
Broadband Internet access
Broadband is often called "high-speed" Internet, because it usually has a high rate of data transmission. In general, any connection to the customer of 2145614654651324 kbit/s (0.256 Mbit/s) or greater is more concisely considered broadband Internet. The International Telecommunication Union Standardization Sector (ITU-T) recommendation I.113 has defined broadband as a transmission capacity that is faster than primary rate ISDN, at 1.5 to 2 Mbit/s. The FCC definition of broadband is 768 kbit/s (0.8 Mbit/s). The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has defined broadband as 256 kbit/s in at least one direction and this bit rate is the most common baseline that is marketed as "broadband" around the world. There is no specific bitrate defined by the industry, however, and "broadband" can mean lower-bitrate transmission methods. Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use this to their advantage in marketing lower-bitrate connections as broadband.
In practice, the advertised bandwidth is not always reliably available to the customer; ISPs often allow a greater number of subscribers than their backbone connection can handle, under the assumption that most users will not be using their full connection capacity very frequently. This aggregation strategy works more often than not, so users can typically burst to their full bandwidth most of the time; however, peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing systems, often requiring extended durations of high bandwidth, stress these assumptions, and can cause major problems for ISPs who have excessively overbooked their capacity. For more on this topic, see traffic shaping. As takeup for these introductory products increases, telcos are starting to offer higher bit rate services. For existing connections, this most of the time simply involves reconfiguring the existing equipment at each end of the connection.
As the bandwidth delivered to end users increases, the market expects that video on demand services streamed over the Internet will become more popular, though at the present time such services generally require specialized networks. The data rates on most broadband services still do not suffice to provide good quality video, as MPEG-2 video requires about 6 Mbit/s for good results. Adequate video for some purposes becomes possible at lower data rates, with rates of 768 kbit/s and 384 kbit/s used for some video conferencing applications, and rates as low as 100 kbit/s used for videophones using H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. The MPEG-4 format delivers high-quality video at 2 Mbit/s, at the low end of cable modem and ADSL performance.
Increased bandwidth has already made an impact on newsgroups: postings to groups such as alt.binaries.* have grown from JPEG files to entire CD and DVD images. According to NTL, the level of traffic on their network increased from a daily inbound news feed of 150 gigabytes of data per day and 1 terabyte of data out each day in 2001 to 500 gigabytes of data inbound and over 4 terabytes out each day in 2002. Read More ..
In practice, the advertised bandwidth is not always reliably available to the customer; ISPs often allow a greater number of subscribers than their backbone connection can handle, under the assumption that most users will not be using their full connection capacity very frequently. This aggregation strategy works more often than not, so users can typically burst to their full bandwidth most of the time; however, peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing systems, often requiring extended durations of high bandwidth, stress these assumptions, and can cause major problems for ISPs who have excessively overbooked their capacity. For more on this topic, see traffic shaping. As takeup for these introductory products increases, telcos are starting to offer higher bit rate services. For existing connections, this most of the time simply involves reconfiguring the existing equipment at each end of the connection.
As the bandwidth delivered to end users increases, the market expects that video on demand services streamed over the Internet will become more popular, though at the present time such services generally require specialized networks. The data rates on most broadband services still do not suffice to provide good quality video, as MPEG-2 video requires about 6 Mbit/s for good results. Adequate video for some purposes becomes possible at lower data rates, with rates of 768 kbit/s and 384 kbit/s used for some video conferencing applications, and rates as low as 100 kbit/s used for videophones using H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. The MPEG-4 format delivers high-quality video at 2 Mbit/s, at the low end of cable modem and ADSL performance.
Increased bandwidth has already made an impact on newsgroups: postings to groups such as alt.binaries.* have grown from JPEG files to entire CD and DVD images. According to NTL, the level of traffic on their network increased from a daily inbound news feed of 150 gigabytes of data per day and 1 terabyte of data out each day in 2001 to 500 gigabytes of data inbound and over 4 terabytes out each day in 2002. Read More ..
Akses Internet Cepat, Mau..?
Akses Internet Cepat, Mau..?
Saat anda menjelajah dan membuka-buka website di internet, entah dari warung internet ataupun dari rumah, barangkali anda pernah mengeluh akan lambatnya akses untuk menampilkan setiap halamannya. Padahal akses internet di Indonesia sekarang ini masih terhitung mahal.
Sebenarnya ada cara-cara yang mudah untuk meningkatkan kecepatan akses internat tanpa harus membayar biaya lebih mahal. Cara tersebut diantaranya adalah dengan mengatur web browser, menggunakan openDNS, dan menggunakan Google Web Accelerator.
Penerapan ketiga cara di atas sangatlah mudah. Untuk cara pertama, mengatur web browser, dapat dilakukan oleh pengguna Internet Explorer dan Mozilla Firefox. Bagi pengguna Internet Explorer, Anda dapat memilih menu Tools, kemudian klik Internet Option.
Selanjutnya pilih tab General dan pada kolom “Temporary Internet files” klik Settings dan geser posisi slider-nya pada kolom Temporary Internet files folder. Hal ini akan memperbesar cache atau lokasi penyimpanan situs-situs yang anda pernah buka. Sebaliknya isilah dengan nilai minimal 5 person dari kapasitas harddisk Anda.
Bagi pengguna Mozilla Firefox anda dapat mengetikkan “about:config” pada address bar, setelah itu ubah “network.http.pipelining” dan “network.http.proxy pipelining” menjadi “true”, serta isi “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” antara 30 –100 ( semakin besar semakin cepat ). Yang terakhir klik kanan dimana saja dan pilih New->Integer , tuliskan “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” lalu isi dengan 0.Sedangkan untuk cara kedua, anda terlebih dahulu harus mendaftar di www.openDNS.com. Setelah itu masuklah ke Control Panel dari Start Menu dan pilih Network Connections. Kemudian pilih koneksi yang digunakan dan klik tombol Properties. Pada bagian Internet protokol, pilihlah TCP/IP dan klik properties.
Masukkan angka 208.67.222.222 dan 208.67.220.220 pada opsi DNS dan restart komputer anda.Setelah melakukan dua cara di atas, seharusnya anda sudah mendapatkan kecepatan akses yang lebih dari sebelumnya. Namun bagi yang masih belum puas dengan kecepatan aksesnya sekarang dapat menggunakan cara yang ketiga yaitu menggunakan Google Web Accelerator. Google Web Accelerator didisain khusus untuk mempercepat akses internet anda, khususnya bagi anda yang menggunakan koneksi broadband (pita lebar) seperti TV Kabel dan ADSL. Untuk anda yang menggunakan koneksi lain seperti Dial-up (Telkomnet Instant) maupun Satelit, Google Web Accelerator juga dapat sedikit membantu mempercepat aksesnya.
Untuk memakai Google Web Accelerator, kriteria yang harus dipenuhi antara lain Sistem Operasi harus menggunakan Windows XP atau Windows 2000. Web browser yang digunakan harus Internet Explorer versi 5.5 ke atas atau Mozilla Firefox versi 1.0 ke atas. Untuk browser lainnya sebenarnya juga bisa, tetapi anda harus meng-konfigurasi Proxy Settings di dalam web browser tersebut dengan menambah 127.0.0.1:9100 pada HTTP.
Setelah anda melakukan instalasi, Google Web Accelerator akan menampilkan icon kecil di atas browser anda dan icon tray di pojok bawah layar komputer. Untuk mengunduh Google Web Accelerator, Anda dapat mengakses alamat http://webaccelerator.google.com.
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Saat anda menjelajah dan membuka-buka website di internet, entah dari warung internet ataupun dari rumah, barangkali anda pernah mengeluh akan lambatnya akses untuk menampilkan setiap halamannya. Padahal akses internet di Indonesia sekarang ini masih terhitung mahal.
Sebenarnya ada cara-cara yang mudah untuk meningkatkan kecepatan akses internat tanpa harus membayar biaya lebih mahal. Cara tersebut diantaranya adalah dengan mengatur web browser, menggunakan openDNS, dan menggunakan Google Web Accelerator.
Penerapan ketiga cara di atas sangatlah mudah. Untuk cara pertama, mengatur web browser, dapat dilakukan oleh pengguna Internet Explorer dan Mozilla Firefox. Bagi pengguna Internet Explorer, Anda dapat memilih menu Tools, kemudian klik Internet Option.
Selanjutnya pilih tab General dan pada kolom “Temporary Internet files” klik Settings dan geser posisi slider-nya pada kolom Temporary Internet files folder. Hal ini akan memperbesar cache atau lokasi penyimpanan situs-situs yang anda pernah buka. Sebaliknya isilah dengan nilai minimal 5 person dari kapasitas harddisk Anda.
Bagi pengguna Mozilla Firefox anda dapat mengetikkan “about:config” pada address bar, setelah itu ubah “network.http.pipelining” dan “network.http.proxy pipelining” menjadi “true”, serta isi “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” antara 30 –100 ( semakin besar semakin cepat ). Yang terakhir klik kanan dimana saja dan pilih New->Integer , tuliskan “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” lalu isi dengan 0.Sedangkan untuk cara kedua, anda terlebih dahulu harus mendaftar di www.openDNS.com. Setelah itu masuklah ke Control Panel dari Start Menu dan pilih Network Connections. Kemudian pilih koneksi yang digunakan dan klik tombol Properties. Pada bagian Internet protokol, pilihlah TCP/IP dan klik properties.
Masukkan angka 208.67.222.222 dan 208.67.220.220 pada opsi DNS dan restart komputer anda.Setelah melakukan dua cara di atas, seharusnya anda sudah mendapatkan kecepatan akses yang lebih dari sebelumnya. Namun bagi yang masih belum puas dengan kecepatan aksesnya sekarang dapat menggunakan cara yang ketiga yaitu menggunakan Google Web Accelerator. Google Web Accelerator didisain khusus untuk mempercepat akses internet anda, khususnya bagi anda yang menggunakan koneksi broadband (pita lebar) seperti TV Kabel dan ADSL. Untuk anda yang menggunakan koneksi lain seperti Dial-up (Telkomnet Instant) maupun Satelit, Google Web Accelerator juga dapat sedikit membantu mempercepat aksesnya.
Untuk memakai Google Web Accelerator, kriteria yang harus dipenuhi antara lain Sistem Operasi harus menggunakan Windows XP atau Windows 2000. Web browser yang digunakan harus Internet Explorer versi 5.5 ke atas atau Mozilla Firefox versi 1.0 ke atas. Untuk browser lainnya sebenarnya juga bisa, tetapi anda harus meng-konfigurasi Proxy Settings di dalam web browser tersebut dengan menambah 127.0.0.1:9100 pada HTTP.
Setelah anda melakukan instalasi, Google Web Accelerator akan menampilkan icon kecil di atas browser anda dan icon tray di pojok bawah layar komputer. Untuk mengunduh Google Web Accelerator, Anda dapat mengakses alamat http://webaccelerator.google.com.
Tommy Hendrawan Read More ..
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