Connectivity & Cloud - Page 17

Intel has inked a deal with Devicescape which could see the inclusion of Devicescape's virtual network into Intel-powered Ultrabooks and tablets. While Intel doesn't actually build these devices, they provide the silicon and software to manufacturers who design and assemble them and then sell them to the general public.

Devicescape has crowdsourced an entire network of open access points around the globe. However, not every access point gets added to Devicescape's network. First, the access point has to pass Devicescpe's standards for speed, reliability and availability. Only then will it be added. Of the 100 million or so access points seen, only 8 million have made the cut.

"Smart Connect will work on lid open and lid closed scenarios," Devicescape CEO David Fraser said via email. "So, you'll be automatically connected no-matter the state of your PC." The connection is completely automatic and works even with the lid closed. Imagine walking into a store and sitting down to find all of your email and RSS feeds synced. The future looks great.

Is your current home wireless fast enough? No? Well, maybe you should pick up a new router based off of the technology that some researchers in Japan are working on. They have smashed the current record for transfer speed by double. Last November, chipmaker ROHM transferred data at 1.5Gb/s using a frequency of 300GHz.

The researchers have smashed that, however, by managing an incredible 3Gb/s. Unfortunately, due to the super high frequency, the farthest the data can travel before being affected by interference is about 10m, or 30ft for us Americans. The researchers managed this feat by using 542GHz radio waves which oscillate faster, hence can carry more data.

The technology required to operate in the terahertz region (300GHz-3THz) has always been too bulky and expensive to be of any value. It would have been near impossible to tuck inside a smartphone due to its size and power draw. This new work uses a 1mm^2 resonant tunnelling diode, or RTD, which significantly reduces the size and power requirements.

The cloud, isn't it wonderful? NVIDIA have unveiled some of Kepler's cloud-based benefits during the GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California today. NVIDIA has said that Fermi-based game servers, such as those run by Gaikai, only have one GPU per server, or 28 GPUs per rack. One GPU is dedicated to a game stream and consumes 150W of power.

NVIDIA's cloud solution, GeForce Grid, powered by Kepler GPUs allows four GPUs per server, or 84 per rack at 75W each. This results in huge power savings for server operators, and this should also be passed down to consumers, and gamers. NVIDIA has mentioned that it's possible for a streaming service to offer bundles of games for around $10 per month. To compare, OnLive offers roughly 200-plus titles, but not new releases, for $9.99 per month.

GeForce Grid isn't just more economical, it also reduces server-side latency by up to 30ms. With lag being a huge concern with existing server-based gaming services, GeForce Grid could really step up and be something quite amazing. NVIDIA puts this improvement of latency to its fast and concurrent game capture APIs, strategic geographic server placement, and better input lag on Smart TV Ethernet ports.

With the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi spec coming of age, it's about time that some products get released to take advantage of the improvements it has brought. Back at CES 2012, Buffalo Technology was the first company to publicly demonstrate the 802.11ac technology. A few months later, Netgear seemed to steal the spotlight when they released the R6300 802.11ac model on April 26th.

Lucky for Buffalo as that turned out simply to be a paper launch which means that there was no availability to go along with it. Now that it is Buffalo's turn, they are launching their new products along with making them available today. First up is the new AirStation WZR-D1800H wireless router.

This router features 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports which are important for a network's speed. It also comes with a USB port that uses a physical eject button. The physical design of the case has also been redesigned some over previous models. While the predecessors to this had sharp edges, in this model they have been replaced with more pleasing curves.

We've been anticipating the launch of Google Drive for a couple of weeks now, with the occasional rumor drifting about regarding when it was going to launch, pricing, etc. Well, today it has finally launched and the details are now fully known and available for me to report to you, just in case you hadn't seen it.

Google drive is now available at drive.google.com and you can visit there now to "get started with 5GB free." This brings me to the features presented by Google Drive. You get 5GB free which is comparable to Apple's iCloud and better than Dropbox's 2GB. Microsoft offers 7GB, or 25GB if you signed up before Monday.

Of course, Google offers additional storage for a cost and surprisingly, at least to me, it seems more expensive than the competitors. For 20GB annually, Google charges you $29.88. iCloud costs $40 and SkyDrive costs only $10. Dropbox doesn't offer 20GB annually. For 100GB, Google charges $59.88 annually. SkyDrive costs $50 and Dropbox, $199. iCloud doesn't offer 100GB annually.

Google are poised to launch their Street View service in Israel on April 22, where they've collected insane amounts of images from a number of major citiies, including the country's famous Dead Sea. The launch event is said to take place this Sunday, with a number of government officials set to join in on the unveiling, according to a report from Globes.

Authorities gave the green light to proceed with capturing images of the country on camera eight months ago, with the launch finally happening, this is a quick turn around of events. Street View Israel will include images of the streets of Jerusalem, Tal Aviv, Haifa, and other locations in the country including the Dead Sea, Kinneret (Israel's largest fresh water lake), and historic cities Nazareth and Mitzpe Ramon.

Negotiations with Israeli authorities took three months to conclude, with Israeli newspaper Haaretz reporting that authorities wanted guarantees that Google had an efficient and reliable way for residents to blur out personal information, including number plates and homes before the images for Street View were published online. On top of this, Google are required to manage any litigation resulting from the Street View servie in Israel, rather than in the US.

Google on their quest for world domination are releasing Google Drive next week, according to The Next Web. The service is expected to launch next week, include 5GB of storage, and should be available at https://drive.google.com.

Google will roll out Drive for free, and everyone starts with 5GB of storage. You can purchase more if you want, that is up to you. Google Drive is said to work "in desktop folders" on both Windows- and Mac-based machines, but there's still a few question unanswered with how it all works.

Then we have some information from TechCrunch, where they've got a teaser pic of the Google Drive app for OS X. The version they were given is 1.0.2891 and they've said it works without any problems. John from TC was able to log in to his Gmail account, but other than that there's not much he could do, he was prompted with "Google Drive is not yet enabled for your account".

It seems like just yesterday that I was updating my router from b to g spec to increase speeds. Then n came along and made me upgrade again. It hasn't even been around that long, yet Qualcomm and Broadcom would like to replace it with a new spec dubbed 802.11ac. The new spec will only operate on the 5GHz band to avoid interference.

The new standard is expected to debut late this year or early 2013. Because of the lack of 2.4GHz, the range is shortened, so the spec is including something called beam-forming technology. This allows the device to figure out where the other devices are located and broadcast that direction only.

Additionally, the 5GHz band has more channels available for use. The channels are now 80MHz wide rather than the 40MHz. Furthermore, each spatial stream has a theoretical bandwidth of 433 mbps per spatial stream versus only 150 mbps on -n. The number of spatial streams is being increased from 3 to 8 which will further increase bandwidth.

There's a new website that is offering 10GB of free cloud storage. Trouble is, the website is only in Russian, at least right now. The service launched today as a beta and is the latest in a growing number of cloud storage services providers. It is a system similar to DropBox where files can be stored locally and remotely.

The file then updates among the versions when you save it on your desktop, for instance. The files are accessible from the web, a native Windows or Mac client, or through the Yandex.Mail app on iOS and Android devices. "Yandex.Disk is a cloud service, a virtual folder that can be safely used for file storage," Anton Zabannykh, Yandex's head of Personalized Services, said in a statement. "If your personal computer or laptop catches a virus or breaks down, your files will be safely stored on Yandex.Disk. Currently, Yandex.Disk is integrated with Yandex.Mail, and we have plans to link it with other services offered by Yandex."

The service is currently available by invitation only, so users have to e-mail the site to grab an account. They say that the English version is coming soon, but there is no set date. We will have to wait and see if there is anything that distinguishes these guys from the other service providers that are already established. If you speak Russian, you can head on over to their site and sign up. It is available here.

The incredibly popular file synchronization and cloud storage service Dropbox has increased the amount of free space you get for referrals from 250MB to 500MB with the total amount of free space available to free users topping out at 16GB. 16GB of free space is pretty much enough for anyone's uses, unless they are uploading their entire hard drive.

The person who accepts the referral will also see the increase and will receive 500MB as well. Pro users see a similar bump in data space acquired by referrals. They will now get 1GB of free space with the max amount of free space topping out at 32GB. Dropbox has decided to do this after seeing that the majority of their growth was through word of mouth.

They have also retroactively applied this change, so people will get fully credited for previous referrals:

Some more details regarding the rumored soon to be launching Google Drive platform. As with all rumors, until it is officially announced, take all of this with a grain of sand. I do, however, feel that this is a pretty solid rumor. A screenshot, pictured below, has been leaked and it details a few interesting things.

First, the screenshot indicates that the service should be launching with 5GB of free storage. This rivals the 2GB provided by other services such as Dropbox because they often give more storage for referrals and other social activities. Google's tagline is: "All your files - everywhere." Google says "Put files in Google Drive and you can access them on your desktop, mobile phone or tablet, and drive.google.com."

It is said that the Android App will allow you to edit your documents right in the App. Google warns that this may increase your data usage:

A series of tests were conducted by storage vendor Nasuni. What they found is quite shocking. The results of the tests indicate that both rival cloud services, MS Azure and Rackspace, are slow to accept data. Whether this is a limitation of the network or a limitation of the hardware, we can not be sure.

Nasuni conducted five series of tests. The results are, again, quite shocking. Since all of these systems are cloud storage, you would expect similar performance, but you would be wrong. For example, moving 12TB from Amazon to Azure takes 40 hours, whereas moving the same data back took only four. 12TB from Rackspace to Amazon took five hours, yet Amazon to Rackspace took almost an entire week! Amazon "bucket" to Amazon "bucket" took only four hours.

Once again, it's not clear if this is just a limitation of the network, or if there is a massive difference in technology that is leading to these poor write speeds. Nasuni said the cloud providers were not "forthcoming about why their performance would vary so greatly." However, "Nasuni did not experience the same behavior with Amazon S3, and this measurement probably further indicates limitations in Azure's architecture or bandwidth, as other customers using the system appear to be affecting our results to a large degree."

It seems like everything is connected to the internet these days, but have you ever stopped and asked yourself what the implications of this is on your daily life? Sure, it provides convenience, but at what cost? All of these internet connected devices are able to collect information on where you are and what you're doing at the moment and use that information to generate a pretty solid schedule of your daily life.

But none of this should be of worry to you, right? But what if you become a person of interest of any of the many spy agencies? Imagine if your a person of interest and you decide to adjust your internet connected lights at home. As soon as you fire up your app, it could be sending data that contains your location and a timestamp which could easily allow a spy to follow you.

CIA Chief Petraeus said:

Cloud-based storage company, Box, has just updated their Android app and have baked in a bunch of new features. In order to celebrate this new start, Box are giving away 50GB of free storage to any Android-based user who logs into their service in the next 30 days.

Box's new Android update introduces an overhauled user interface, new features, and includes compatibility for Google's latest OS, Ice Cream Sandwich. Box worked with Google to help redesign the UI with ICS in mind, and even users of previous Android-based OS's will benefit from. New features include the ability to comment on files, add teammates to individual folders, and batch uploads for uploading multiple files at once.

Box are also adding new support for languages, with French, Italian, German, and Spanish being added to the Android app. On top of the free 50GB of storage, Box are also giving away 20 Samsung Android-based tablets to a single company who can compellingly explain how it plans to use Box to improve its daily routines. Two runners-up in the contests will win a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

CES 2012: AMD, you funny. Thunderbolt has been here for nearly twelve months now, and at CES, AMD unveiled a concept they call Lightning Bolt. For one, I love how they've kept the name virtually identical to Thunderbolt, and secondly, how long until Intel or Apple release something called Spaedon or Maedon or something to that affect, you know what I mean.

What is AMD's Lightning Bolt capable of? It can deliver USB 3.0, DisplayPort and Power over a single cable with miniDisplayPort connectors. It's designed to be simple, and affordable. For notebooks, there is a mux, which can combine power, DisplayPort and USB 3.0 into a single DisplayPort-like cable. The other end of the cable would connect to a Lightning Bolt breakout box that would provide the three connectors: USB 3.0, DisplayPort and Power ports.

The cable is a standard mini-DP cable, with changes to two of the pins. AMD's goal is to aim for affordable, single-cable docking stations for notebooks. AMD says that the cost of the mux and associated components on the notebook side would be just, one dollar. Eventually, the mux will be built into the notebook, and you'd just see a mini-DP interface with a little symbol that would indicate Lightning Bolt.

Telstra have just unveiled the details of a new "white label" 3G mobile service that they plan to sell to telco customers in a bid to boost its dropping wholesale revenues. While they'll offer access to their 3G network, Telstra keep the keys to their full Next G package, where it won't let rivals access it.

Telstra's 3G wholesale product will cover 97-perent of the population and sport typical download speeds of between 550Kbps to 3Mbps. The new wholesale plan will rollout in two phases, the first will roll out to offer post-paid-only services, while the second one which is planned for late-2012 will provide resellers with a fully fledged white label mobile service. This will le them offer pre-paid, post-paid, and wireless broadband services.

By not offering full speeds on the white label service, they stop cannibalisation of their superior Next G products, this protects their premium product lineup. Telstra have said:

This is kind of out of the norm, but Officeworks are now offering free in-store Wi-Fi Internet access to all of its customers. The new offer has been rolled out to all Officeworks stores across Australia.

The service does have restrictions, where it blocks illegal content, and has a time limit for all logins to enable multiple customers to get connected without overclogging their network. In order to access the free Wi-Fi, you'll also need to agree to a terms and service in your device's browser every time you connect.

I doubt this will attract customers to their store, but it could be a move like Amazon have used recently. Where they will offer deals in the store if you use their apps for price comparison, etc. Officeworks are definitely thinking outside the square with free Wi-Fi. What next, coffee?

With the on-going SOPA crap that the old fogies in the Government somehow think is a good idea, a team of hackers plan to launch their own communication satellite into space. The plans were detailed at the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin.

The Hackerspace Global Grid (HGG) want to send at least one satellite into low orbit to communicate with various ground stations, creating an independent network. Activist Nick Farr has said:

Intel have reportedly notified their partners that they will "fully release" Thunderbolt technology in April of next year. Intel are said to be preparing to launch Thunderbolt-supported motherboards, notebooks and desktop PCs at that time.

Intel and Apple originally partnered on Thunderbolt which became a standard across Apple's MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini and iMac lines. The cost of Thunderbolt technology is said to drop in the second half of 2012, which will allow for much more market penetration.

Apple may offer Thunderbolt-equipped goods, but the first Thunderbolt products have been limited to the relatively high-end market. Widespread adoption of Thunderbolt should help accessory makers for not just the PC, but the Mac market. Intel have always said that they see USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt as complementary technologies and have plans to support both in their motherboards in 2012.

Skype have just released some new products, FREETALK® Connect•Me Home Phone Adapter for Skype and a New Skype-enabled Cordless Phone from GE. Currently Skype powers calls through a large range of devices, on computers (Windows, Mac or Linux), iPhones, iPads, Android smartphones and even Skype-enabled HDTV or Blu-ray players. Today, Skype are talking about their FREETALK Connect•Me Home Phone Adapter for Skype.

The FREETALK Connect•Me Home Phone Adapter for Skype allows hassle-free, plug-and-play simplicity that uses your existing handset to make free Skype-to-Skype calls, including low-cost calls to landlines and mobile phones worldwide at Skype's great low rates. All that is requires is to connect this to your home phone, broadband and landline and after, enjoy making Skype calls anywhere.

Next up we have the GE Digital Cordless Expandable Telephone with Skype. This is a Skype-integrated cordless handset that allows connection to Skype contacts for free, it allow lets you make low-cost calls to mobiles and landlines and manage your Skype contacts, all without the need of a PC. Both products are available today in the US and Canada.