Microsoft Vine To Connect Family, Friends When Crisis Hits

"Microsoft is launching a new product into private beta on Tuesday morning with the aim of keeping friends and family in touch during emergencies. The idea for product, called Microsoft Vine, came to Microsoft GM Public Safety Initiatives Tammy Savage four and half years ago during Hurricane Katrina. Development started a year and a half ago.Vine is designed to keep family and friends in touch when other communication methods are either broken or not particularly efficient. Times of crisis usually involve a breakdown in mobile phone or other key communication infrastructures, and Vine is designed to be as hardy as possible to keep people connected. Vine can be accessed via a desktop client (Windows only for now), text message or email.So what is it? Vine is a tool keep people connected during a crisis, but it’s also used to for more mundane, everyday tasks."

read more | digg story

Comcast's Usage Cap: What Does It Mean?

Comcast has posted a change to its broadband user policy today. It’s now limiting subscribers to 250 Gigabytes of monthly usage, which can include e-mailing friends or uploading photos.

Near term, the limit may not do much to curtain the average consumer’s Web usage. After all, 250 Gigabytes is a lot: You could download 100 HD movies over the Web, and still have some of that capacity left. Chances are, 99% of consumers will not even notice the change — for now.

But the decision carries weighty implications for the future. As Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett pointed out in his Aug. 29 note, “While the usage level specified is high, it is now finite…. A line has been crossed.” This is the end of unlimited broadband use as we know it. The end of an era.

Yahoo Knows Where You Are

Given all the drama surrounding Yahoo’s corporate activities, it’s easy to forget that there is a business still to be run and new products to launch. On Tuesday at Yahoo’s San Francisco-based skunk works - known as the Brickhouse - the embattled Internet company unveiled a new location services platform dubbed Fire Eagle. (Yes, it’s a silly name but say it 10 times fast and think of Firefox and it begins to sound OK.)

Location is one of those things that has huge potential for adding a layer of context to all kinds of services on the Web. Geo-tagging - the practice of adding geographic information to Web sites, photos and videos - is gathering steam across all sorts of Internet-based properties, from restaurant review sites to social networks and house hunting services. What has been missing, however, is an easy way to insert yourself into that growing stream of geographic information. In essence, that is what Fire Eagle does.

You either tell Fire Eagle where you are, or give permission for some device to do it on your behalf - say your mobile phone - and Fire Eagle broadcasts your location information to the services that you have approved.

read more | digg story

Manage Your Money Online - For Free

Having read a post about ClearCheckbook on www.makeuseof.com, I decided to check it out. After spending about 5 minutes on the site (after a simple and free sign up maybe 2 minutes), I realized this was exactly the application I have been looking for the past several months. The best part about the application is you control everything manually. You have complete control over the accounts (Cash, Checking, Savings, and Credit) you set up along with the expense categories to assign. Additionally, ClearCheckbook provides up to date reports to view trends or charts of how and when your money is used. You can set up automatic recurring reminders to pay your monthly bills. Not that I will need this feature, but you can work in non US currencies.

I had previously been using my own version of this application in an Excel spreadsheet. One of the best features of this website is that you can access the data from any internet connection.

Staying on top of your finances, especially your expenses can be a great advantage to your overall financial status. Knowing where your money is coming from and where it is going is very important. For anyone that does manage your checkbook or would like to start, I would recommend at least taking a look at ClearCheckbook.

Here are just a few ways ClearCheckbook can help you stay on top of your finances:

• Balancing - Ability to balance your checkbook from anywhere you have internet access.
• Reports - View based on your spending and what you're spending your money on.
• Mobile - Specially designed interface for your iPhone and iPod Touch. Manage your finances from anywhere you have a cellphone or wifi connection!
• Automation - Automatic recurring transactions and notices so you never forget to pay your bills.
• CheckBot 2.0 - Update your account from your cellphone SMS or AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo!, and Google Talk Messenger services.
• 100% Free! - That's right, ClearCheckbook doesn't cost a penny! It's completely free to use.

Groups Urge FCC to Keep the Internet Open

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission needs to take steps to keep the Internet free of interference from broadband providers, such as the slowing of peer-to-peer traffic and the tracking of subscribers' Web habits, several witnesses told the FCC at a hearing Monday.

The FCC should take fast action against broadband providers that block access to legal online applications, especially those who don't notify their subscribers, said Marge Krueger, administrator of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) for the district covering Pennsylvania and Delaware.

read more | digg story

New internet domain names in 2009: ICANN

"People surf the Internet in Beijing in 2007. Internet users should soon be able to use new domain names such as .love, .paris or .bank if one of the world wide web's biggest shakeups is approved this week as expected by the web regulator ICANN."

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) oversees the assingment of domain names and internet protocol addresses that help computers communicate. This week the ICANN is scheduled to vote on allowing new domain names. This move would allow people to acquire websites ending in something other than the typical "dot" com, org, net, etc. According to the article, "Apart from the .com, .net or .org, the 1.3 billion web users will be able from early 2009 to acquire generic addresses by lodging common words such as .love, .hate or .city or proper names." Corporation names such as .CNN or .Microsoft would be restricted. Competition to acquire popular domain names has become increasingly difficult with the amount of websites available today. As a result, newer websites are forced to abondon the typical .com and create catchy names by using country codes, such as www.del.icio.us.

With this new proposal domain name restrictions will be relaxed, allowing any common word to be used. Although 2009 may seem far away for some, be prepared to start seeing a flood of new websites ith these new domain names once this plan has been approved.

ISP Bandwidth Caps vs. Net Neutrality

The Internet has become a commonplace for communication and accessing data. Recently, Time Warner has decided to test a different approach on how users will pay for that access. Time Warner is leading the charge to begin data caps and usage based charges to consumers on Internet consumption. AS a result many users against this concept will abandon Time Warner and begin service with alternate service providers, such as Verizon or Comcast.

“Time Warner Cable will launch a trial program on Thursday which will impose monthly Internet consumption caps on new subscribers in Beaumont, Texas. Following a two-month grace period, cable users will pay $1 for each additional gigabyte consumed beyond the cap…

…The caps differ depending on the tier of service paid for by the consumer. The lowest level of service is a 768Kbps connection with a 5GB cap for $29.95 per month. The high-end package will offer 15MBps with a 40GB cap for $54.90 per month. Consumers will pay by the gigabyte for consumption in excess of the established caps. Customers will be able to see how much bandwidth they have left by visiting the Time Warner Cable web site.” For the full article, please click here.

Reaching and exceeding these data caps could be quite easy for an average user, which is set at 5GB for the low plan package. Watching YouTube videos, downloading music and video from iTunes, streaming television shows or sports games all add up quickly to the monthly data cap limits. With more and more websites and video downloads and streaming done in HD quality, reaching these caps will occur even faster.

This is the first post I have made on Net Neutrality. A Wikipedia entry explains the concept of net neutrality as “a principle that is applied to residential broadband networks, and potentially to all networks. A neutral broadband network is one that is free of restrictions on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, on the modes of communication allowed, which does not restrict content, sites or platforms, and where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams.”

To me Time Warner’s test program is the first step in what could be a complete overhaul of the Internet as we know it, an overhaul that will be unpleasant for the average user. Additionally, certain ISPs have been accused of throttling certain websites performance. ISPs controlling content, pushing “their” preferred websites and limiting access speeds to competitors’ sites will severely reduce the Internet as we know it today. In comparison to cable, you pay a monthly fee for basic cable channels. Your fee is increased for the digital cable package, and you must pay even more for premium channels such as HBO. Just apply that same concept to the Internet. You may get access to Google, Yahoo, and bundle of basic websites for the base price. If you want to access YouTube and the next tier of website, not so fast pay a higher monthly fee. For all those with social network profiles, if you wanted to sign into so called premium websites such as MySpace or Facebook that could cost you even more money per month. This concept will completely change the way people use the Internet and what website will be available. Also, with new restrictions on Internet usage companies like Google, Yahoo and many other developers may stop developing new and innovative features.

For an interesting article on bandwidth usage and how ISP throttling and data caps will affect small businesses, please click here. I hope this post helped spread the word about net neutrality to help keep access to the Internet open and equal to everyone and save the Internet as we know it.

Securing Hotspot Connections

Sticking with the theme of internet security in the last few posts, here are some suggestions on protecting yourself while using public hotspots. These wireless hotspots can be found at places such as airports, hotels, Starbucks, etc. Generally these hotspots are open to everyone with no encryption or password settings. This can mean that anyone could possibly see your internet traffic. Although it is very convenient to easily access the internet at locations like these, it is worth while to take a few precautions.

• Make sure it's a legitimate hotspot: Nefarious types have been known to set up pirate routers with familiar SSID names like "wayport" or "t-mobile," and then use them to capture unsuspecting users' log-on information and other private data.
• For those connections you use only occasionally, drill down and change the setting from automatic connection to on demand. That means when you take your home laptop into work, you should be prompted to connect rather than connect automatically. This is also true with a service like T-Mobile; you should be prompted to connect at a participating coffee shop or airpport. This is another layer of safeguarding against bogus routers. Go ahead and leave the automatic connection feature on for your secured home network and other networks you connect to all the time (work), but turn it off for *all* others. Thereafter, logging onto a network creates a few seconds of hassle, but the added security is worth it.
• Verify that your PC's software firewall is turned on, and that Windows' file-sharing feature is off; it's off by default in Windows XP with Service Pack 2. To check this setting, open Control Panel and choose Windows Firewall (you may have to click Security Center first in XP or Security in Vista). In XP, select the Exceptions tab, and look in the Programs and Services to make sure "File and Printer Sharing" is unchecked. In Vista, click Change settings, then select the Exceptions tab and follow the instructions for XP.
• Never send bank passwords, credit card numbers, confidential e-mail, or other sensitive data unless you're sure you're on a secure site: Look for the lock icon in the bottom-right corner of your browser, as well as a URL in the address bar that begins with https. Such sites build in their own encryption.
• Always turn your Wi-Fi radio off when you're not at a hotspot: Hackers can use it to create peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections with your computer and access it directly.

Thanks to PC World and CNet Reviews for the above suggestions. Click on their names to read a few more of their suggestions.

Keep Your Wireless Networks Secure

Now that wireless networks are so ubiquitous and easy to set up, there are many ways that other people can “jump on” your connection. This may not be harmful for people just trying to find the strongest available signal to browse web pages, but for those that know what they’re doing can possibly steal personal information and see what you’re doing on your network. Since setting up a new WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) is generally as simple as “plug and play,” it may be worth while to take a few minutes to configure some security features.

Here are some of the things you can do to protect your wireless network:

• Secure your wireless router or access point administration interface. Most router settings are setup by default as an unprotected network. This lets anyone with a wireless card access to your network. When you do setup the secured network, make sure to change the password from its default password. Many times the default password would be something simple like “password.” Create a password that is unique so that only you would know it. However, don’t make it so obscure that you forget it, as you will only use the new password occasionally.
• Don't broadcast your SSID (Service Set IDentifier). Most WLAN access points and routers automatically broadcast the network's name. This makes setting up wireless clients extremely convenient since you can locate a WLAN without having to know what it's called, but it will also make your WLAN visible to anyone with a wireless card. Turning off SSID broadcast for your network makes it invisible to your neighbors and passers-by. This isn’t much of a security feature because once you have connected to the network, anyone can save the connection settings to automatically connect.
• Enable WPA encryption instead of WEP. Encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. WPA provides much better protection and is also easier to use, since your password characters aren't limited to 0-9 and A-F as they are with WEP. WPA support is built into Windows XP (with the latest Service Pack) and virtually all modern wireless hardware and operating systems. A more recent version, WPA2, is found in newer hardware and provides even stronger encryption. At least use WEP encryption if that’s all you have available, it is better than nothing. Using WPA encryption along with a secured password to access the network is typically enough security to prevent unwanted users.
• Control the range and strength of your signal. Not all routers have this capability, but with some you can lower the power and strength of your signal. It is very unlikely that you can broadcast the signal do the exact distance you want it, but it is worth a try. Additionally, you never know how far or strong a signal you yourself may need. Sometimes a stronger signal is worth more than the chance of other people at least seeing your connection exists.
• Disable remote administration. Most WLAN routers have the ability to be remotely administered via the Internet. Ideally, you should use this feature only if it lets you define a specific IP address or limited range of addresses that will be able to access the router. Otherwise, almost anyone anywhere could potentially find and access your router. As a rule, unless you absolutely need this capability, it's best to keep remote administration turned off. (It's usually turned off by default, but it's always a good idea to check.)

It is important to know that none of these suggestions are a complete protection; they just make it a little harder for people to access your wireless network. To be honest, most of us with laptops and wireless capable devices have jumped onto others wireless networks. The majority of the time people are just looking to access their email or general websites. Without encryption and other protective measures, anyone can use readily available tools to see all your Wi-Fi traffic. Being prepared and securing your connection can save you some hassle and interruptions from the other not so honest users.

I found a great tutorial on how to setup and secure a wireless network. It walks you through step by step. Better yet it even gives pictures to guide you through the process. Click here for the tutorial.

The Best Available FREE Antivirus Software

Antivirus software is a computer program that detects, prevents, and takes action to disarm or remove malicious software programs, such as viruses and worms. You can help protect your computer against viruses by using antivirus software. Computer viruses are software programs that are deliberately designed to interfere with computer operation, record, corrupt, or delete data, or spread themselves to other computers and throughout the Internet.

Modern antivirus software are designed to combat a wide range of threats, including worms, phishing attacks, rootkits, trojan horses and other malware. The way antivirus software works is done generally by two tactics, scanning and heuristic (educated guess) analysis. Antivirus software mainly uses a virus dictionary that it uses while scanning for matching virus or suspicious activity. These dictionaries need to be regularly updated.

Even if you only use your computer for the most basic functions, as long as you have access to the Internet, it is highly recommended to have antivirus software. Today, there are wide number of antivirus programs available. Each one tends to offer different levels of security. If you are looking for standard protection, there are antivirus programs available for free for personal use. In a poll on www.makeuseof.com, users voted on their favorite (free) antivirus software even amongst some pay-for programs. As of the time of this post, here were the results:

What’s your Favorite Antivirus Software?

• AVG Antivirus Free Edition (FREE) (38%, 267 Votes)
• Avast Home Edition (FREE) (15%, 103 Votes)
• Eset Nod32 (not free) (13%, 92 Votes)
• Avira Antivir (FREE) (11%, 74 Votes)
• Kaspersky Anti-Virus (not free) (7%, 47 Votes)
• Norton Antivirus (not free) (6%, 39 Votes)
• Other (please specify in comments) (4%, 30 Votes)
• McAfee VirusScan Plus (not free) (3%, 22 Votes)
• TrendMicro / PC Cillin (2%, 11 Votes)
• Bit Defender (not free) (1%, 9 Votes)
• PC Tools Antivirus Free Edition (FREE) (0%, 3 Votes)
• F-PROT Antivirus (not free) (0%, 2 Votes)
• Panda Software (not free) (0%, 2 Votes)

Click here to see the full poll results.

The Future of the Wireless Industry

With so many new devices and applications being constantly designed and developed, there is so much potential for future services. Products using wireless service get faster and more efficient every day. Many people rely on wireless services and devices for their everyday needs, such as directions, weather updates, downloading music, and local news, etc. The demand for faster and stronger signals continuously increases. Forecasting new products and services relying wireless technology consists of endless possibilities. Industry experts have proclaimed that the wireless industry will revolutionize our lives, if it hasn’t already done so.

“There's grand talk throughout the tech world about a wave of new networks and wireless innovation that will provide better Internet access, deliver streaming video and foster an array of consumer-friendly features. Although it's too early to be sure which companies or networks will be most successful, the optimists dominate the skeptics…

'As far as identifying what the next wave of applications is going to be, no one really knows,’ said Frank Dickson, chief research officer for MultiMedia Intelligence, a business consulting firm in Scottsdale, Ariz.”

To continue to read more of this article, please click here.