So what is cloud computing, anyway? We’re hearing more about this. It’s pretty simple. Cloud computing is using a file or an application that is not stored on your local computer, but in a server elsewhere. A well known example would be Google Docs. You do not actually store these documents on your computer, they are hosted elsewhere. You log into your Google account to access and edit them, and you choose with whom they can be shared. Yahoo mail and Hotmail are other well known applications of cloud computing. More and more people are using cloud based services. Even Microsoft is releasing its latest version of Office as a cloud based application, and is beta testing it now. What this means for the internet is that speed will become even more important to users of these applications. Storage is no longer a problem, but speed is necessary to access and download information, as well as keeping your browser up to date.
Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Like to surf the internet? Be glad you are not in China! Recently, Google experienced an outage, which was thought to be due to their own technical updates, but later was determined to be caused by China’s “Great Firewall”. China has many restrictions on search engines and the web, and tech companies have experienced a great deal of frustration trying to comply. The most recent event was caused by China’s internet filtering. In a country that bans Facebook, Twitter, and Google’s own YouTube, how can any information flow freely via broadband? The internet is meant to be a highway of information, a free exchange. Creating a cyber traffic jam in a nation of a billion people will only lead to less than state of the art technological development.
AT&T is currently setting aside the ISP issues just like Verizon Internet Service access and controversy prices due to their massive bandwidth upgrade based on HSDPA technology. It will make the 1.7 Mbps download speed to 7x faster. No definite date yet, when it will take effect. Wireless internet is slowing making it’s name, and mobile users demand for more speed. They are also give hints when their so-called “Long-Term Evolution” (LTE) technology in wireless technology will be released. It promises a 100Mbps download speed that will be launched between 2012 or 2013 the least. AT&T claimed that they want to provide more than internet service but bringing its subscribers the content and application that they need without worries.
The rising issue and controversy on metered internet access and other policies adopted by ISPs has been the top of the IT news. AT&T Internet Promotions are continuing strong with the introduction of Uverse. According to many providers, it’s not about controlling, throttling heavy internet users or about attempting more income. But, it’s on how to give measures between the peak and off-peak hours and to reshape internet usage without hurting the majority of the subscribers. AT&T is considering usage-based pricing that will affect only a certain number of subscribers. The company may start testing the usage-based pricing this fall.
High speed internet, like those provided by Verizon Internet Service broadband access is on the move to transform small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to a whole new way of looking on internet service. Now ISPs provide not just internet but also hosted services and software applications. Why buy expensive software if you can rent it in a per-user basis and access via high speed internet? There are a lot of hosted business applications like MS Exchange and MS SharePoint are just a few. It gives advantages to businesses to cut-cost. You even be using one at your office without realizing it. You can do a couple of research to know more about ‘pay as you go’ business software.
Today’s SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) and medium businesses have a need for huge amounts of data transfers safely and securely between locations with some of the fastest speeds available in the country like the internet plans provided by AT&T’s Internet Promotions. Businesses use high speed internet not just for easier communication alone but also for the opportunity to connect multiple locations. We are not just talking about a couple of Megabit per second here but Gigabit per second. Some say that it’s still a long way to go before it happens. But, ISP’s are now on the move to provide a REAL high-bandwidth communications solution and it’s anytime sooner.
Why on earth would anyone want to restrict free content on the internet. Believe it or not there are some activists out there pushing for censorship on the internet. This is not only a problem here in America, but it has become an issue in other countries around the world. And by “problem” i mean the people creating the fuss. The internet is the ultimate expression of free speech and your voice can be heard all over the world. Why suppress that. Ultimately, the responsibility and right to filter information belongs to the user. It is fairly easy to block certain type of content if you don’t want it. So keep freedom of expression alive so we can continue to progress as one society.
In recent news, Videotron launched two new ultra high speed Internet plans. While coverage is extremely limited in comparison to industry giants like Quest DSL, it is a great start. Ultimate Speed Internet 30 and 50 clocks in at speeds up to 30 mbps and 50 mbps. Now, users can enjoy super high speed internet in their homes. This type of internet access is ideal for people that use more than one computers at home. With speeds like that, multiple users can download streaming video simultaneously without noticing much of a slowdown. So if you are a high speed internet junky, be sure to check them out.