Archive for March, 2009

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Connection Speed for Online Gaming

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

The ever improving download speeds and the easy availabilty of broadband internet have spawned a global online gaming community which is growing at an astounding pace. According to EA Games CEO Gerhard Florin, online gaming will probably eclipse the console gaming market in the coming years. Therefore, it is imperative for all budding gamers to have a fast broadband connection speed if they want to join the online gaming bandwagon.

The online gaming market in 2011 is expected to be worth $13 billion, and if you are an online gamer, it goes without saying that you need to have a fast connection speed. Without a good connection speed, you are bound to have a frustrating gaming experience. The new genre of online games is radically different from the old online games that were popular in the 90s. They are not spruced up internet backgammon or checkers, but they give an online gaming experience that is more intricate and immersive.

For multiplayer games such as World of Warcraft, a dial-up internet connection will not be good enough. Although the game producers recommend that you use a fast DSL connection to play the new set of online games, a relatively slower broadband connection speed will still allow you to have a decent online experience. However, that may cause some typical gaming issues to crop up, one of which is the delay of action when you press a trigger on your joypad.

The recommended minimum is 4 Mbps. However, for hardcore gaming, even this broadband connection speed isn’t good enough. Several ISPs have started offering special broadband package for gamers. So, if you are an avid gamer or planning to be one, it is time that you check your true broadband connection speed.

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College Courses on YouTube & iTunes U

Monday, March 16th, 2009

It was only a matter of time until Professors realized that they could make use of new technologies to reach the minds of their students.

Universities such as Duke, Stanford, MIT, and the University of California, among others, already post videos online both to YouTube and in iTunes U, a section of iTunes featuring audio and video podcasts.

As reported on Read Write Web, Dani McKinney, a psychologist at the State University of New York, did a test lecture by podcast to see how well her students could learn from it. Those who used the podcast only, which included slides, did slightly better than those who attended class and received a printed handout. Those who took notes from the podcast did even better. Of course, they received no credit for the lecture, just the promise of an iTunes gift certificate if they scored the highest grade. McKinney now plans to further study podcasts in the classroom over the course of an entire semester, instead of just one class. “I do think it’s a tool,” she says. “I think that these kids are programmed differently than kids 20 years ago.” 

In Australia, one professor is actually offering credit for courses taken via YouTube. Richard Buckland, a computer science professor at the University of NSW in Sydney, Australia, was frustrated that high school students with a passion for computing and capable of studying at the college level were not able to make the commute to the university fit into their school day.

You should check your internet speed and the school’s requirements before starting, but you might find that your favorite time-passers can also be great study tools.  And as far as having the internet speed to download the lecture, iTunes has speed tips for both high-speed internet and dial-up users on their site, as does YouTube.

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Internet Speed Envy, Globally

Friday, March 13th, 2009

A recent article from The New York Times tech blog compared high-speed Internet use around the world to see if it’s true that many other countries get faster, cheaper and more widely available broadband service than the U.S..

They found that in Japan, broadband service of 150 megabits per second (Mbps) costs $60 a month. The fastest service available now in the United States is 50 Mbps at a price of $90 to $150 a month. So they get three times the speed at about a third of the price.

In London, $9 a month buys 8 Mbps service. In New York, broadband starts at $20 per month, for 1 Mbps. That’s quite a difference.

But if you take into consideration that Japan, Korea and Sweden have made significant investment in their fiber optic networks, the United States may not be too far behind. Japan’s average speed is about 16.7 Mbps. Sweden was 8.8 Mbps. And Korea averaged 7.2 Mbps.

In countries that haven’t made the investment in infrastructure we see average download speeds ranging from 3.2 Mbps in Italy to 6.4 Mbps in Germany, according to a study by the Saïd Business School at Oxford. The United States has an average download speed of 5.2 Mbps.

But Internet speeds in the United States are getting faster. Verizon’s fiber optic service, FiOS, offers 50 Mbps service with the capacity to offer much faster speeds. AT&T is building up their U-Verse service, offering data speeds of up to 25 Mbps with Internet video as well. Cable systems are starting to deploy the next generation of Internet technology called Docsis 3.0, offering speeds of 50 Mbps (compared to a maximum of about 16 Mbps available with today’s cable systems) and eventually much more.

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Primetime for Broadband

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

The popular slogans that are doing the rounds in cyberspace these days are TV on PC, Online TV, and Broadband TV. There’s no doubt that the primetime television viewing trend is changing in the US. The current survey data shows that about 55% of Americans are connected to broadband, which offers them high cable internet speed that is ideal for online primetime television viewing. In addition, more than 10 billion online videos are being downloaded each month, confirming the rise in demand for television and video content over the net.

The latest report released by IMMI (Integrated Media Measurement Inc.) further corroborates that people are migrating from TV to broadband. In fact, about 20% of prime TV episodic content is now being watched via the internet. It seems that broadband TV is the future of primetime episodes.

Gone are the days when online TV conjured up images of poor quality TV streaming. With broadband technologies improving by leaps and bounds, it is time the TV networks sit up and take notice, since most ISPs are offering their clients a cable internet speed that perfectly suits online TV viewing. What’s more, with high speed cable, watching television has become more convenient and enjoyable.

Now, the ISPs often provide a net connection with cable internet speed that is significantly lower than what they advertise. This becomes a major problem especially if you’re planning to watch primetime content via the web. One of the surest ways to verify your actual broadband speed is to take a cable internet speed test. After all, it is essential, since a slow internet speed can mess up your primetime content, big time.

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Hotels and High Speed Internet

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

As you can imagine, in this day and age, one of the top amenities travelers desire in their hotel rooms is high speed internet access.  As early as 2002, a survey conducted by the web site travel company, Expedia, found that 42 percent of their respondents said that internet connections topped the list of things they would most like to see in their rooms. In addition, sixteen percent thought mobile phone and laptop chargers would be useful, making the items the second most popular. Other business related items mentioned were work stations and ergonomic chairs with 14 percent, while 12 percent thought their room could be improved by the presence of printers, photocopiers and fax machines.

Now hotels are listing their internet speed capabilities among their top amenities to attract customers. “Hotels, like all businesses, have unique bandwidth needs as they must not only provide reliable Internet to employees but also to the rooms of their guests,” said Mel Yarbrough, Chief Revenue Officer for Towerstream, a company that has said it is going to provide high-speed wireless broadband to the American hotels in its market. The Palms Hotel and Spa and Circa 39 Hotel, located in the heart of Miami Beach, are some that are opting for their solutions.

Most hotels now offer high speed internet connections in their rooms, as well as Wi-Fi in their common areas.  A search on “Hotels and High Speed Internet” brought up chains hotels with phrases like “complimentary high-speed Internet access in all of our hotel lobbies and designated public areas…” “Each suite is equipped with a full kitchen and free high-speed internet,” and “Free High Speed Internet and Guaranteed Best Rate”. And several companies offering to help hotels offer these services to their clients, like Towerstream mentioned above, come up as well. 

Download Speedplexer to your laptop, and you’ll be able to see how fast your connection is next time you’re at a hotel.

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The Broadband Election

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

With millions of broadband users around the globe, the suggestion of voting with your mouse or your game-pad is not that bizarre after all. It is a difficult proposition to make the young generation take interest in politics. Such is the situation these days, that youths would prefer voting in reality television shows or online polls than casting a vote for electoral candidates. However, the young love the internet, and more and more politicians are finding it the ideal medium to woo their voters.

It is also evident that Senator Obama’s broadband campaign has been far more effective than that of Senator McCain. The performances of both the candidates in some of the internet’s most popular sites are mentioned below:

• Twitter Followers - For Obama: 117,496, For McCain: 4,961
• Google Search References – For Obama: 206 million, For McCain: 145 million
• YouTube Subscribers - For Obama: 121,186, For McCain: 29,308
• Facebook Supporters - For Obama: 2,498,415, For McCain: 625,711

According to one of Business Week’s articles, which is titled “It Takes Tech to Elect a President”, Obama used the online social networks, and he was assisted by his online supporters to a great extent, who prepared local events to foster his presidential campaign. His own social network facilitated the mobilization of local communities as well. Furthermore, certain politicians, such as UK Conservative leader David Cameron, have made use of broadband video sharing websites to create video blogs to reach out to internet savvy voters.

Progressively, voters are turning away from TV, and they are logging on to the internet for the latest news, views, and reviews from the world of politics. “Your voters can be reached online” seems to be the new political mantra.

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YouTube and Internet Speed

Monday, March 9th, 2009

YouTube has changed the way the world uses the internet. And if you haven’t been able to participate, it’s probably because your internet speed is too slow.  Their system requirements include a minimum broadband connection of over 500 Kbps.  Here’s a quote from their site:

“Still rockin’ the 56k? No problem. As you may already know, a slower connection simply means slower delivery of services. You only need a little more time and patience than with a faster connection. For best results, you may want to start the video player and then click on the PAUSE button immediately. Then, wait until the red progress bar has reached the end of the video before playing it. Allowing the entire video buffer lets you watch it without interruption. Remember, the shorter the video, the shorter the amount of time it takes to buffer.”

But what if you want to share a video with the world? 

“Depending on your connection speed and the size of the video, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours to upload a video. Generally, if you have a high-speed Internet connection you can expect the upload to take somewhere between 1-5 minutes for every 1MB. However, the experience is different for every user because of the variation in connection speeds.”

There are other issues with accessing YouTube, such as the one that President Obama is having.  According to Read Write Web:

“Relatively archaic government policies, rules, and customs that impede progress are being covered by the Washington Post and reach the highest levels of government. To this day, Department of Defense workers, even some of whom are in charge of new media output, cannot access YouTube.”

So don’t feel too bad, internet speed is not the only thing that might be keeping you from enjoying YouTube.

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Why Rural Broadband?

Friday, March 6th, 2009

Right now, broadband and high-speed internet are only available where the infrastructure is there to support them.  But for those living outside of urban areas, they may be left with only the super-slow-motion of dial-up, or options that only the wealthier can afford. These are people who are being left behind, unable to benefit from the telecommunications and information revolution. This creates a digital divide.

According to SpeedMatters.org, “The digital divide leaves a large slice of our citizens without high speed Internet access, and some without Internet access at all. Those who ‘go without’ are left out of the potential advantages of high speed Internet access in areas as diverse as education and health, to civic participation and staying up on the news.”

Recently though, the New York Times reported that one company said they were working with rural electric cooperatives to offer high-speed Internet service, delivered over power lines. The technology has been around for several years, but hasn’t typically been able to offer enough capacity at a low enough price to beat service from cable and phone.

They began deploying Internet service last year with one rural cooperative in Alabama, and this week announced an expansion to include five more cooperatives in Alabama, Indiana, Virginia and Michigan, where 5,000 customers signed up in the first two weeks.

Wireless service is another option for rural areas, but delivery over power lines can overcome hilly terrain or other obstacles that block wireless signals.

The company charges $29.95 a month for service at 256 kilobits per second and $49.95 for 1 megabit per second. Those are far slower speeds than cable and phone companies offer at those prices generally 1 to 3 Mbps, but if those options aren’t available, it’s still much better than dial-up speeds at a maximum of 56 kilobits per second. Clock your internet speed now to see what kind of access you’re enjoying.

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Jack Up Your Download Speed

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Since a webpage needs to be downloaded before it appears on your screen, a fast download speed will actually make your internet surfing experience more pleasant. For those of you who love downloading the latest movies or enjoy experimenting with upgraded software, a faster download speed will save you from the frustration of having to wait a long time for the download to complete.

Some of you may have a website that gets high rankings in the search engines and attracts a good number of visitors. But you may find out to your dismay that most visitors are leaving after visiting your website’s homepage. The problem may be the loading time of your web pages. Ideally, a homepage should be around 40 - 50 Kilobytes in size, and anything larger will result in a slow downloading page. Often, the images are the culprits, so cropping them or reducing their colors will make a webpage lighter and download faster. If you have a better download speed, visitors are more likely to stay longer at your website. Studies have shown that majority of web surfers wait about 5 seconds for a page to load, before going elsewhere.

For those of you who are using dial-up connection, try switching to a newer modem because old modems tend to slow down internet connection speed. Clearing the cookies and temporary internet files will also improve the download speed. The capacity of your hardware is a factor as well. However, the best method to jack up your internet connection speed is to call up your ISP and upgrade your subscription plan. With the availability of Broadband and DSL nowadays, downloading is a breeze.

Furthermore, you can take the assistance of an internet connection speed test to get an idea of how fast your current download speed is.

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Internet Speed and the Stimulus Package

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

President Obama included the information superhighway in his economic stimulus package, saying, “As we renew our schools and highways, we’ll also renew our information superhighway. It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption. Here, in the country that invented the internet, every child should have the chance to get online…. In addition to connecting our libraries and schools to the Internet, we must also ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other through the Internet.”

The $7.2 billion in funding to promote high-speed internet in the stimulus package is just the first step in the Obama administration’s effort to fuel expansion of telecommunications services. “Despite new federal money, the amount is but a fraction of what is needed” to establish the United States in terms of broadband versus other developed countries, said Blair Levin, an adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama on telecom matters during the transition and now an informal adviser.

One public interest group had called for $44 billion to build networks to connect rural and other underserved parts of the U.S. to the Internet to help bridge the digital divide.

But according to the Communication Worker’s of America, a $5 billion increase in broadband investment would directly create 100,000 new jobs in telecom and IT in the year in which the spending occurs.
The current definition of broadband speed in the U.S. is 768 kilobits per second downstream, which is significantly below worldwide standards.  SpeedMatters.org says that “Some countries have already established goals of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) both in terms of download and upload speeds. In the US, speeds most often range from 1 to 3 Mbps download and 50-384 Kbps upload. Yet, even these speeds are too slow; for example, 6 Mbps are needed for such important interactive features as videoconferencing.”

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