There has been a flurry of advertisements on TV and print lately touting new higher speed access to the Internet. Cincinnati Bell offers a new fiber based system which is very good and robust and provides both very high speed Internet access and high definition TV service. They promise Internet speeds up to 100 mbps. Unfortunately, they do not yet provide this enhanced service throughout the region. Time Warner Cable has been pushing what they call Wideband. According to the ads, the new service can provide up to 50 mbps. To put this all in perspective, the regular turbo RoadRunner runs at about 3 mbps.
Time was when most of us only used the Internet to send and receive emails which, for the most part, were made up of text and, on occasion, a few pictures. This required very little bandwidth and many of us used our regular telephone lines to make the Internet connection. You may remember the term “dial up.” Today we use the Internet for tasks that were unheard of just a few years ago. Watching high definition video, making video calls to persons around the world and connecting our smart phones to the cloud all require a great amount of bandwidth. The big question is what speed is right for your situation.
Watching the new TV commercials for Time Warner’s Wideband can give the impression that we all need super high speed services. This may be a bit of a stretch and can also be very expensive. For sure, if you are going to use the Internet to download full length high definition TV programming, the higher speed is a good idea. A ten page text email uses less bandwidth to download than one second of HD video. The fact is that, so far, few use the Internet as the primary way of watching TV programs.
Some people are confused about the advertisements because they blur the lines between watching TV via the Internet and watching TV via digital cable. You need the Wideband speed only if you watch programming via the Internet from services like Hulu.com or Netflix.com. If you are a digital cable subscriber you don’t need Wideband to watch TV.
I find it interesting and somewhat disingenuous on the part of Time Warner with their commercials promoting Wideband. The ads show a family happily playing games and watching movies. All of these activities require Wideband band service. Then the commercial cuts to a graphic with large text, “Starting at only $29.99 a Month.” Of course, when you investigate further, you will find that Wideband is much more expensive and will cost as much as $99.99 per month. The $29.99 per month has fine print indicating this rate is for a 2 to 10 mbps service. The remaining 40 mbps will cost you a bit more. Caveat Emptor!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Don't Leave Home Without It!
For years the holy grail of radio transmission has been to design a system that could transmit information across vast distances. Recently Visa and several mobile phone manufacturers have been perfecting a technology that is designed to transmit data over distances measured in inches not miles. Dubbed Near–Field Communication or NFC, this technology is being built into many high end smartphones and will allow the user to use the phone as an electronic wallet making purchases with a simple wave of their phone.
According to a press release from Visa, NFC technology passes encrypted information between devices at close range without contact. Instead of swiping a card, shoppers can wave their smartphone near a terminal, effectively turning an NFC enabled phone into a virtual debit or credit card.
Those traveling in Europe, especially the Scandinavian countries, may have already seen this technology in action as these countries have had wireless payment systems for several years. The technology has been slower to be adopted in the US due in part to a much larger population and a more fragmented mobile phone infrastructure.
Of course, the NFC equipped smart phone is only one part of the equation. For the system to be operational and commercially viable there must be a major retrofit of millions of point-of-purchase devices. Vending machines, parking meters, gas pumps and ATMs will need to be NFC equipped. Since many of these devices already are connected to the Internet, part of the task is complete.
As other major credit card companies embrace this new wireless transaction technology, more and more smartphone makers will incorporate NFC chips into the phones and more and more retailers will accept these ePayments. The major credit card providers will continue to support a range of cardholder verification methods, including signature and PIN methods. Chip payments are generally considered to be more secure resulting in a reduction in the payment processor's fraud costs.
So, in the not too distant future, the “Don’t leave home without it” slogan may refer to your phone not your Visacard. Oh wait…they are the same thing!
According to a press release from Visa, NFC technology passes encrypted information between devices at close range without contact. Instead of swiping a card, shoppers can wave their smartphone near a terminal, effectively turning an NFC enabled phone into a virtual debit or credit card.
Those traveling in Europe, especially the Scandinavian countries, may have already seen this technology in action as these countries have had wireless payment systems for several years. The technology has been slower to be adopted in the US due in part to a much larger population and a more fragmented mobile phone infrastructure.
Of course, the NFC equipped smart phone is only one part of the equation. For the system to be operational and commercially viable there must be a major retrofit of millions of point-of-purchase devices. Vending machines, parking meters, gas pumps and ATMs will need to be NFC equipped. Since many of these devices already are connected to the Internet, part of the task is complete.
As other major credit card companies embrace this new wireless transaction technology, more and more smartphone makers will incorporate NFC chips into the phones and more and more retailers will accept these ePayments. The major credit card providers will continue to support a range of cardholder verification methods, including signature and PIN methods. Chip payments are generally considered to be more secure resulting in a reduction in the payment processor's fraud costs.
So, in the not too distant future, the “Don’t leave home without it” slogan may refer to your phone not your Visacard. Oh wait…they are the same thing!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Kindle or iPad?
Several people have asked if they should purchase a Kindle or an iPad. The question really can’t be answered until I ascertain what they plan to do with the device. If you are a regular reader of this column you know that I think that the Kindle is one of the best electronic devices to come around in many years. You also know that I have praised the iPad as one of the most innovative and user friendly digital devices ever.
Unlike the iPad which is essentially an electronic Swiss army knife, the Kindle does one thing and only one thing extremely well. It is in my opinion the best eReader on the market. Priced about $150, the Kindle from Amazon.com is a serious reader’s dream device. It is light weight and it has awesome battery life measured in weeks not hours. The crisp black and white display uses “eInk” technology that is easily viewed in bright sunlight. It can hold thousands of full length books and most any book in the world can be downloaded in seconds into the device. The Kindle comes with software that allows you to mark and save your favorite passages and even has a dictionary to assist with words that may not be familiar. For reading text the Kindle is a near perfect device. If you want to surf the web, read magazines, play games or write the next great novel, the Kindle should not be your choice.
The iPad does most everything a desktop or lap top computer can do but it does it more elegantly and always with the user in mind. You can surf the web with ease. Watching your favorite TV show or movie can be done with a few screen touches. The number of apps, or programs for the iPad, grows almost exponentially each month. The iPad, perhaps even more than its older siblings, the iPhone and iPod, has revolutionized how we use a computer.
The iPad does indeed have several eReader apps but does not in my opinion come close to the Kindle. First of all the iPad is larger and heavier and the battery life is measured in hours. The screen, while bright and sharp, can not be viewed in bright sunlight and because it is back lighted, reading for long stretches of time can cause eye fatigue. The iPad does do a better job of displaying magazine content that uses lots of illustrations, graphs, photographs and intricate design elements. Also, if the reading material contains links to web sites and other content on the Internet, the iPad is a better choice.
The bottom line is that the devices are really very different. If you want a great eReader you can’t beat the Kindle for price and utility. If you want a mobile high end computer, the iPad should be your choice. For me having both is the best choice. You can use a Swiss army knife for occasionally tightening a loose screw. If you plan to build a deck, you may wish to have a power screw driver.
Unlike the iPad which is essentially an electronic Swiss army knife, the Kindle does one thing and only one thing extremely well. It is in my opinion the best eReader on the market. Priced about $150, the Kindle from Amazon.com is a serious reader’s dream device. It is light weight and it has awesome battery life measured in weeks not hours. The crisp black and white display uses “eInk” technology that is easily viewed in bright sunlight. It can hold thousands of full length books and most any book in the world can be downloaded in seconds into the device. The Kindle comes with software that allows you to mark and save your favorite passages and even has a dictionary to assist with words that may not be familiar. For reading text the Kindle is a near perfect device. If you want to surf the web, read magazines, play games or write the next great novel, the Kindle should not be your choice.
The iPad does most everything a desktop or lap top computer can do but it does it more elegantly and always with the user in mind. You can surf the web with ease. Watching your favorite TV show or movie can be done with a few screen touches. The number of apps, or programs for the iPad, grows almost exponentially each month. The iPad, perhaps even more than its older siblings, the iPhone and iPod, has revolutionized how we use a computer.
The iPad does indeed have several eReader apps but does not in my opinion come close to the Kindle. First of all the iPad is larger and heavier and the battery life is measured in hours. The screen, while bright and sharp, can not be viewed in bright sunlight and because it is back lighted, reading for long stretches of time can cause eye fatigue. The iPad does do a better job of displaying magazine content that uses lots of illustrations, graphs, photographs and intricate design elements. Also, if the reading material contains links to web sites and other content on the Internet, the iPad is a better choice.
The bottom line is that the devices are really very different. If you want a great eReader you can’t beat the Kindle for price and utility. If you want a mobile high end computer, the iPad should be your choice. For me having both is the best choice. You can use a Swiss army knife for occasionally tightening a loose screw. If you plan to build a deck, you may wish to have a power screw driver.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Survivor’s Guide
I was asked recently what technology skills and knowledge I felt were important for non-technical boomers to have in order to function in this increasingly complex and ever changing digital environment. Presuming that most of us will not be retreating to some desert island or isolated mountain top to live out our days, like it or not we will be faced with more and more technology incorporated into even the most mundane devices and activities. I am not sure that I can really give a list of skills that you may wish to develop but I can suggest some ways you can more safely navigates this new territory.
As much as we may fight it, our banks and merchants will continue to move almost exclusively toward an electronic payment system. For now it may continue to be based on plastic credit and debit cards but soon will include mobile phones and other digital wallets. It will be important to understand that these conveniences carry with them the need to be vigilant. While most of us would never leave a wallet or purse containing our money and credit cards on our desk or car seat, we may be much less concerned about our cell phone or lap top. Very often these devices contain our passwords and account numbers. Some miscreant can easily find them.
Speaking of passwords, a recent study found that more than 30% of mobile phone users never changed the default password for their mobile phone voice mail account if one was provided by the phone or service vender. These default passwords are well publicized and not changing yours is as bad as writing it on the back of the phone. While we are on the topic of passwords, using your kid’s name or your birth date for a password is also so prevalent that hackers try those first when trying to compromise your accounts.
Wifi hot spots are springing up all over. Gas stations, coffee shops, restaurants, libraries and the doctor’s office provide wireless Internet access. Using your smart phone or lap top to find directions, check the weather or the sports scores via public wifi hotspots is fine. Checking your bank balance or paying bills is not. These wifi networks can be hacked easily and everything you type can be intercepted by that sweet old lady sitting next to you.
Using these new digital tools will continue to get easier. Using them wisely and safely will continue to be more difficult.
As much as we may fight it, our banks and merchants will continue to move almost exclusively toward an electronic payment system. For now it may continue to be based on plastic credit and debit cards but soon will include mobile phones and other digital wallets. It will be important to understand that these conveniences carry with them the need to be vigilant. While most of us would never leave a wallet or purse containing our money and credit cards on our desk or car seat, we may be much less concerned about our cell phone or lap top. Very often these devices contain our passwords and account numbers. Some miscreant can easily find them.
Speaking of passwords, a recent study found that more than 30% of mobile phone users never changed the default password for their mobile phone voice mail account if one was provided by the phone or service vender. These default passwords are well publicized and not changing yours is as bad as writing it on the back of the phone. While we are on the topic of passwords, using your kid’s name or your birth date for a password is also so prevalent that hackers try those first when trying to compromise your accounts.
Wifi hot spots are springing up all over. Gas stations, coffee shops, restaurants, libraries and the doctor’s office provide wireless Internet access. Using your smart phone or lap top to find directions, check the weather or the sports scores via public wifi hotspots is fine. Checking your bank balance or paying bills is not. These wifi networks can be hacked easily and everything you type can be intercepted by that sweet old lady sitting next to you.
Using these new digital tools will continue to get easier. Using them wisely and safely will continue to be more difficult.
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