February 2nd, 2012
A group of MPs has suggested that the Government should focus on spreading awareness of cybersecurity, rather than “scaring people” about the dangers of using the internet.
This notion was put forward by the Commons Science and Technology Committee which stated that malicious software, or malware as it is known, was gaining momentum as more and more businesses use the internet as a revenue stream.
In a recent report into cybercrime and associated security released by the Committee, it said safeguards in order to combat cyber attacks were routine and as long as members of the public take “sensible precautions” then the internet remains a “reasonably safe place”.
The Committee also said that a TV campaign around the subject of cybercrime would help to raise awareness and, it would help, if it contained less jargon than current information.
In a speech, the Committee’s Chairman, Labour MP Andrew Miller stated: “Knowledge is the best defence against fear”.
He added that the Government’s current Get Safe Online website requires better promotion and suggested that all internet-enabled communication devices should be sold with advice on personal safety.
Only time will tell if the suggestion is put in to practice.
Similar blog posts - Google to launch net safety campaign., February 8th 2011: Safer Internet Day, Mobile device introduced to aid child safety online.
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
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February 1st, 2012
A smartphone app, designed to help people with disabilities travel around London more easily, has been created by a survivor of the 7/7 terrorism attacks.
After realising that his wheelchair made many venues inaccessible, Daniel Biddle, who lost both his legs, his left eye and his spleen during the bombings in July 2005, decided that there was a niche in the application market.
The Ldn Access app lists thousands of venues throughout the capital with step-free access, ramps and usable toilet facilities.
Using location-based technology, the app is able to determine where the user is at a given time and then shows icons for nearby accessible venues, listing their features and contact details.
Simple and intuitive to use, the app also has a feature dedicated to the 2012 Olympics, giving users detailed information regarding venue access.
Interestingly, the app can also work offline, meaning users on the Tube are able to access station accessibility information before they alight.
Whilst Ldn Access is currently only available on Apple devices, there are plans in the pipeline to extend its reach to BlackBerry, Android and Windows Phone users.
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
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January 31st, 2012
The National Audit Office (NAO) has criticised an £80 million Home Office scheme to provide police officers across the UK with smartphones.
A recent report undertaken by NAO revealed that just one in five police forces has used the devices effectively.
Initially, the Labour Government started to provide police forces with technology such as BlackBerry handsets in order to minimise time spent doing administration.
That was five years ago. Now, auditors have cited their concerns that the scheme has not yet delivered a good return on investment.
It is estimated that 41,000 BlackBerrys and other devices had been distributed to officers across England, Scotland and Wales.
Interestingly, since the scheme launched there have been some benefits:
- On average, police officers are out of the station for an extra 18 minutes per shift
- Since the scheme was launched, police officers spend less time processing information
However, despite this, three police forces ended up with more devices than officers whilst 19 forces were only given enough smartphones for half of their work force.
The NAO reported that this was a direct result of handsets being distributed before any assessment, regarding how many would be needed and how they would be used, was carried out.
In the future, the NAO has advised that investment of this type should be based on ‘robust analysis’ to ensure the technology can be used in an efficient way.
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
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January 30th, 2012
Social networking giant Facebook has announced its aim to become a publicly listed company this week.
Founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, Facebook is now reported to be worth between $75bn (£48bn) and $100bn.
According to the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal, Facebook will file papers with the US financial watchdog on Wednesday.
The floatation, which would happen later this year, would raise an estimated $10bn.
Incredibly, this move would be representative of one of the largest share sales seen on Wall Street to date.
In comparison, Google went public in 2004, raising the sum of $1.9bn.
In 2010, automobile manufacturer General Motors raised a staggering $20bn, marking the largest sale to date.
It is understood that Facebook currently makes the majority of its revenue through advertising.
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
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January 27th, 2012
Social networking site Twitter has announced that it now harnesses the technology to selectively delete and block tweets simply based on country.
On Twitter’s official blog, a post revealed the site could now “reactively withhold content from users in a specific country”.
However, the site also stated that certain content would then still be available across the rest of the globe.
This move is deemed especially important for countries such as China where Twitter is currently blocked.
Twitter, as a company, is currently looking to expand its business globally.
The social networking site has always been hailed for its celebration of ‘free speech’.
However, critics have argued that this move goes against its original values.
With more than 100 million active users as of September 2011, it remains to be seen how this censorship will affect Twitter’s popularity.
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
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January 26th, 2012
Android, the popular operating system from search giant Google, has received a boost to its share of the global tablet computer market.
Rising sharply, research has shown that Android now accounts for 39% of the market, in contrast to last year’s 29%.
Meanwhile, Apple’s share of the market saw a decline, falling to 58% from 68%.
In the last quarter of 2011, tablet computer shipments reached 26.8 million, a significant rise from 10.7 million in 2010.
Total tablet shipments reached 66.9 million across the whole of 2011.
Android’s success is partly thought to stem from the fact that popular products manufactured by Amazon and Samsung use the intuitive operating system.
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
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January 25th, 2012
Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has revealed that nearly 2 billion phones now run the firm’s successful S40 operating system.
The first phone to run using S40 was sold in 1999.
Since then, the easy to use operating system has been used across many of Nokia’s devices.
Many feature phones operate using S40 with the benefits including:
- Good battery power
- Significant phone memory
- Ability to run applications
Whilst the S40 feature phones are unable to compete with the high-end smartphone market, the phones remain ever popular:
- There are an estimated 675 million active owners of S40 phones
- Nokia currently sells 12 S40 phones each second
- Each day 3.7 million app downloads are registered for S40 phones
Most recently, Nokia unveiled the Lumia 800 complete with Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 software alongside a new range of S40 phones under the ‘Asha’ brand.
Nokia believes that the S40 operating system will remain popular for the moment, with new devices due to be launched in February.
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
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January 23rd, 2012
A recent report by Juniper Research has revealed that the number of mobile banking users globally will reach 530 million by 2013.
This is a significant rise from the 300 million recorded users in 2011.
The report also suggests that mobile services are now a considered aspect of banks’ business strategies, in response to the current economic climate.
More and more banks are moving away from the ‘bricks and mortar’ branch based revenue streams and are instead turning towards mobile banking or ‘mBanking’ as it is known.
Described as a ‘cost-effective communication channel’, mBanking offers the opportunity to improve upon operational efficiencies alongside customer retention and acquisition.
Many high street banks are now meeting consumer demands by creating smartphone and tablet applications, particularly as the consumer smartphone becomes more prevalent.
However, Juniper’s report also warns that banks and financial institutions would be wise to introduce SMS and browser-based channels alongside apps to keep ahead of their competitors.
Similar blog post – Mobile banking is set to generate almost 90 billion text messages per year by 2015.
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
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January 20th, 2012
Technology giant Apple has announed a range of new products, created with the aim of re-inventing the traditional textbook.
Apple’s vice president of productivity applications, Roger Rosner, revealed the strategic move whilst speaking at a recent event in New York.
It is understood that leading names from the world of education publishing are involved, including UK-based Pearson Publishing.
Apple also unveiled a free program aimed at teachers, lecturers and authors.
Known as iBooks Author, it allows users to create their own interactive books for the iPad.
Another of Apple’s services, iTunes U, aimed at University students, has also received an upgrade and know includes a larger selection of university level journals and papers.
Following this move, Apple will now be in the market to compete with educational offerings from Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook.
However, critics have suggested that it may be a while before Apple’s new services are seen in the classroom as many schools are still without wireless and simply do not have the budget to buy expensive devices and licences.
Similar blog post – Pupils too cool for school ICT classes
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
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January 19th, 2012
Social networking giant Facebook is set to add a series of new applications to the service, allowing users to share photographs, fashion or travel information.
It is understood 60 new apps will be added and users will be able to post them on their Facebook profile ‘timeline’.
Following recent additions to the site, users of the social network are able to tell friends about the music they are listening to alongside news articles they have recently read.
It has been reported that this new selection of apps will include well-known names such as Ticketmaster and Rotten Tomatoes.
However, Facebook has highlighted the fact that users will be able to choose their activity privacy via security settings.
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog
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