2010 December | Business Telecommunications

Archive for December, 2010

High-speed broadband may bypass rural businesses.

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

There are fears that rural communities and businesses in the South West could be overlooked during the fibre-optic broadband revolution.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has warned that securing high-speed broadband is a major issue for small businesses and rural industries that would receive a large injection if the revolution enabled them to secure global audiences and international contracts.

It is understood that remote parts of the westcountry may remain on current broadband speeds if they are deemed too inaccessible.

Local authorities and businesses across the South West are being urged to bid to be among the 40 market towns where BT hopes to bring the next installment of it’s fibre-optic broadband.

The bidding process has also come in for criticism with smaller communities worried that it may become a competition which will naturally force them to face current broadband connectivity.

It remains to be seen whether the fibre-optic roll out will benefit homes and businesses in remote areas.

Posted in Business Broadband, Internet | 1 Comment »

2011, year of digital entertainment? Enter music that can play itself.

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

The playbutton is a digital music album in the form of a badge which provides wearable album artwork as well as being able to play itself.

Users are able to pin the playbutton to their clothes, plug in their headphones and listen to their latest album purchase instantly.

New York based, the playbutton company also boasts two offices in Tokyo, two in Barcelona and one in London.

The official launch of playbutton is scheduled for February 2011, with eight initial releases scheduled to follow shortly after.

The launch will publicise both new and cult bands in order to establish this new format of music.

Posted in Music | 2 Comments »

Google UK’s Wi-Fi Street View data is deleted.

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

Search giant Google admitted collecting information from unsecured wireless networks back in May of this year.

The first batch of Wi-Fi data included snippets of e-mails, URLs and passwords and was collected from Street View cars.

It is understood that this cluster was deleted in November whilst the remaining data was securely stored on disks, in order to preserve data that was collected in other countries where preservation requests were in place.

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has now confirmed that all of the personal data collected from the UK has now been deleted and this has now been independently certified.

The deletion itself was carried out by Stroz Friedberg, a US forensics firm.

Posted in WiFi | No Comments »

Scratch codes aid the battle against Malaria.

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

A pilot scheme in Nigeria and Ghana has begun to place unique scratch codes on more than 500,000 medicine bottles and pill packets.

It is understood that when the individual code – that can only be used once – is texted to a free phone number, the reply message will reveal that the drug supplied is genuine and not a placebo.

Statistics from International Policy Network suggest that 700,000 people suffering from diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis die each year as a result of taking fake medicines.

Across the globe 10-15% of drugs are thought to be superficial. However, in Africa, it is understood that this figure rises dramatically to 50%.

By using the codes, it is hoped that people in Africa will now be able to understand which pharmacies, hospitals and other medical outlets are genuine and trustworthy.

Posted in Business Mobiles, Charity | 1 Comment »

RIM and Amazon launch Amazon MP3 for BlackBerry smartphones.

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Amazon MP3 was lanched in the United States this week, giving BlackBerry smartphone users access to Amazon’s vast music catalogue via an app.

Over 14 million songs are available for easy purchase and download, allowing users to discover new artists and albums with just a few clicks.

Key features of Amazon MP3 include:

Music discoverability
New music deals everyday
Bookmarks
Gift cards
Preview
Parental control

The application offers a number of delivery options to suit the user and their data plans with tracks downloadable over WiFi or via networks.

It is hoped that Amazon MP3 for BlackBerry will make it easy for users to find, download and share music with their own social circle, combining communications with media.

Posted in BlackBerry, WiFi | 1 Comment »

Google delays launch of Chrome OS notebook.

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

Search giant Google has delayed the launch of its Chrome OS notebook until 2011.

This delay in launch date is due to the software being unready in terms of prime time due to a number of bugs and currently unfinished features.

Google strongly believes that cloud computing will define computing as we currently understand it.

In place of the launch, Google has announced that it is trialling a pilot programme which is aimed at those who live their lives on the internet.

The programme will focus on early adopters, developers and users who primarily use beta software.

Each of them will be given an unbranded black notebook, named the Cr-48.

The Chrome operating system is Google’s attempt to re-develop the modern web user experience with Chrome only utilising the web.

It is hoped that the scheme will reveal relevant feedback and allow Google to hone the device ready for its public release.

Posted in Cloud computing, Email, Internet, Tablet computers | 1 Comment »

Cloud computing could give the EU a £645 billion boost.

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has revealed that widespread adoption of cloud computing could boost the top five EU economies with a £645 billion injection over five years.

It is also understood that this move has the potential to create 2.4 million jobs, giving software and computer power over the net.

Cloud computing simply means that a business will rent storage, computer power or software services from other companies. Then, these services are accessed via the internet or what is now known as the cloud.

2011 is thought to be the year of the cloud, with more and more businesses turning to the technology to assist working methods.

This shift is due to a number of factors:

Improvement in the technology used – better connectivity and broadband speeds
Consumerisation of Information Technology – integration of mobile working
The technological shift is now matched by a cultural shift
The state of the economy and operating expenditure that rises/falls with demand

The CEBR estimate that by 2015, the European Union’s top five economies – Germany, France, UK, Italy and Spain – could receive an annual boost of €177 billion and create 466,000 new jobs a year.

It remains to be seen if cloud computing will take off to these extremes.

Posted in Business Broadband, Cloud computing, Email, Internet | 1 Comment »

Super-fast broadband plans unveiled by Government.

Monday, December 6th, 2010

Government plans outlined today have revealed that every community in the UK is expected to gain access to super-fast broadband by 2015.

Ministers have said that their aim is for the UK to be home to Europe’s best broadband network.

£830 million has been set aside for the scheme, with some of this figure coming from funds given to the BBC to aid the digital switchover.

A recent Ofcom study revealed that fewer than 1% of UK houses have a super-fast broadband connection of at least 24Mbps.

Interestingly, the Government has decided not to disclose the minimum broadband speed it hopes to achieve across the country.

It is thought that the scheme will create jobs as well as benefiting economic growth which is heavily reliant on sturdy internet access.

Posted in Business Broadband | 1 Comment »