Kangaroo causing havoc
September 30, 2008 at 9:49 am
The Competition Commission is investigating whether a joint venture between broadcasting giants ITV, Channel 4, and the BBC is in violation of established fair trading rules. The project, codenamed Kangaroo, has made enemies of both BSkyB and Virgin Media amid fears that its state funded position grants it a monopoly over British media.
Project Kangaroo is an attempt at consolidating popular on-demand media services into a single website, a move which the Office of Fair Trading believes could irreparably damage conventional broadcasting companies. The project would provide programmes on a free-to-view basis utilising funds from sponsors and advertisers to cover any immediate expenses. Content older than seven days will be available for rent from the website.
Free-media colossus, Google, has expressed a desire to foster a working relationship with Project Kangaroo but was hesitant to reveal any details. It is interesting to note that Google has started to sell TV advertisements to online media companies which may explain their fervent defence of the project.
The search engine maintains that Project Kangaroo is benevolent and can only enhance existing relationships between broadcasting companies and the consumer. However, Virgin Media is not convinced, believing that the combined power of the three broadcasters is enough to eliminate competition from other companies permanently. British Telecom, Tiscali, and BSkyB have also voiced concerns about the project.
The Competition Commission is expected to rule on whether Project Kangaroo adheres to fair trading rules by the end of the year. However, with so much criticism being levelled at the proposal, it seems likely that the watchdog will take steps to limit the damage that the media platform can cause to other business.
What is an iplate and how can it make our broadband much quicker?
September 24, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Everything seems to be i something these days – iPod, iPhone, iPlayer and now iPlate. Unlike in many of the other ‘i somethings’, this time the ‘i’ does actually stand for something, in this instance "interstitial plate". It’s not an mp3 player you can eat your dinner off though. The iPlate looks like a telephone adapter which you would normally attach to your socket to get broadband but is slightly different. After a little bit of unscrewing and plugging in, the iPlate can improve the speed of your internet as much as threefold. What’s even more great is that it’s only a tenner!
Before you all start regretting going for the more expensive broadband option though, don’t worry too much, as it doesn’t really affect your download speed a great deal. It’s the browsing speed that goes up and there is obviously a limit. But for the money, it’s certainly worth putting on your Christmas list.
The iPlate works in quite a bizarre way. On most of our telephone sockets there is a little wire that isn’t used. It’s called the Bell Wire and that’s what once made old phones ring like a bell. Nowadays, this is a pretty redundant little wire, but that doesn’t stop it from trying to find itself a job. In fact, this little wire picks up a current from anything of electrical use nearby and can interfere with the connection of the broadband and the speed too. All the iPlate does, is give it something to keep it busy. A retirement job if you like.
There is no guarantee it will work but it might be worth a try if you’ve tried everything else. They’re easy to install and can be found here.
More on mobile broadband
September 17, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Mobile broadband is a new form of technology that enables you to surf the internet on your laptop using a small USB dongle or PC card. This means flexible and convenient internet access making it the perfect solution for business people, travellers or anyone who wants to be able to use the internet in a number of locations. Mobile broadband is available anywhere you can use your mobile phone and costs start at just £1 per day.
The service is now available from Orange, O2, 3, T-mobile and Vodafone, and Virgin Mobile have announced (August 2008) that they will be introducing the service later this year. All networks are offering 12, 18 and 24 month contracts and pay as you go plans are available from 3, T-mobile and Vodafone. The contracts are often limited to a few gigabytes of data transfer each month while pay as you go tariffs are based on a pay-per-gigabyte model.
Of course, as with all new technology, there are still drawbacks. Coverage varies greatly and 3′s customers have reported exceptionally low coverage outside the so-called ‘turbo’ areas. Internet can slow down to speeds reminiscent of ten years ago. The low bandwidth also means that unless you aren’t transferring much data, you could find yourself paying over the odds for extra MB.
Nevertheless, the three-inch dongles are definitely a cheaper alternative than using hotel internet access and it is probably only a matter of time before the mobile phone networks are battling it out to provide faster and cheaper coverage.
Ofcom to boost rural coverage
September 10, 2008 at 12:47 pm
The Office of Communications (Ofcom) has urged broadband companies to consider installing fibre optic broadband in rural areas neglected by the previous generation, before making the service universally available to the rest of the UK. The decision has been met with some concern by advisory groups, who believe that the move is not cost-effective and exacerbates a situation that is already expected to cost a total of £29 billion.
Ofcom has gone to great lengths to ensure that broadband is accessible to all UK residents but some counties still suffer from less than adequate coverage. Perhaps the biggest thorn in Ofcom’s side is the reluctance of some consumers to make the shift from dial-up to broadband with around 9% of the UK still relying on a basic service.
Fibre optic broadband is expected to make internet media such as television, video games, and video calling less cumbersome to use than at present. Features such as video buffering, long download times, and data lag may well be banished to the history books forever should the uptake of super fast broadband be as swift as expected. In addition, Ofcom is hoping to improve the distribution of telemedicine – guidance for ill or infirm people who live far away from valuable provisions or facilities.
Unfortunately, with some broadband companies still unable to provide advertised speeds to their entire customer base, Ofcom may struggle to convince people to upgrade their broadband packages. Extending coverage to the furthest reaches of the UK may yet prove foolish if the demand for superfast broadband is less than expected.
How to monitor your children’s usage
September 3, 2008 at 1:59 pm
The school holidays, combined with the rotten weather this summer, mean that children will be on the internet more than usual. Surprisingly, according to research carried out by BroadbandChoices.co.uk, parents are pretty lax in monitoring their offspring’s online activity. Most seem to rely on their children’s word and, with most parents being outclassed by their kids in the technical wizardry department, it is easy for them to be duped.
It is not only children’s safety which should be of concern, with almost half of 11 to 16-year olds using chat rooms to make new friends, but also the family budget. 48% of 11 to 16 year olds download music from the internet and, with the recent announcement that parents are responsible for any illegal downloads by their children, alarm bells should be ringing. Parents run the risk of having their internet access removed if illegal activity is discovered and even if this is not the case, they can be left facing a hefty bill if their broadband limit is exceeded.
BroadbandChoices.co.uk suggest that keeping the family computer in the living room is a good way of being able to keep an eye on what your children are up to. They are far less likely to download illegal files or set up meetings with strangers if they know they are being watched. A Download Monitor is also a useful weapon against exceeding fair usage limits. It will alert you when the limit is about to be exceeded.
If parents want to ensure that their children are kept safe online it is well worth clueing up about parental control software, which may be offered by your ISP or as part of your security and anti-virus packages. Finally it is always a good idea to make sure that your children understand why you are concerned and why they should never give out personal information over the internet.
