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1&1 App Improves Efficiency for Working On-The-Go

14th April 2011

The mobile Internet is booming and millions of Britons are now regularly accessing the Web through mobile devices and Smartphones. 1&1 Internet Ltd., www.1and1.co.uk, a global leader amongst Web hosts, has developed an application that is especially beneficial for businesses using such mobile technology.  The new 1&1 Online Storage app provides access to important documents without using a computer and can be achieved via a mobile Internet connection.

Business owners on-the-go can use this app to edit and manage documents efficiently while traveling or between appointments.  All that is required is a 1&1 Online Office account which is included for free in most 1&1 hosting packages.  The app itself is available for free download to iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch devices and mobile phones with the Android operating system.

“With the increased demand for mobile Web connections, 1&1 has been working hard to provide our customers with the tools necessary to manage their business from any type of Internet connection,” said Oliver Mauss, CEO of 1&1 Internet Ltd.  “Mobile applications have become a dominant force in communication and information management and we welcome the challenge to continue providing customers with tools that support their efforts to effectively conduct business on the go.”

The 1&1 Online Storage app is simple to download.  Once the app is downloaded from either the “AppStore” or “Android Market”, users can enter the e-mail address and password that is associated with the desired 1&1 account.  This login will provide them with access to their Online Storage from virtually any location.  Various document formats (DOC, XLS, PDF, PPT, JPG, etc.) can be viewed, edited, filed, and saved directly from a mobile device.  Also, each account is automatically given 2GB of free space.  If additional space is needed, users can increase their storage capacity for an additional cost.

All data is stored on 1&1’s servers located in the company’s state-of-the-art, high-performance data centre in Karlsruhe, Germany.  Storing working documents in Online Storage ensures that only the most recent file versions are available and eliminates the chance for outdated information to be referenced.

The 1&1 Online Storage app can be downloaded for free at:

- Apple iOS:

http://itunes.apple.com/uk/app/1-1-online-speicher/id429396710?mt=8

- AndroidOS:

https://market.android.com/details?id=de.einsundeins.smartdrive
For more information visit the website at www.1and1.co.uk

 

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BrightCom CEO Sees YouTube Driving Telepresence Adoption

7th April 2011

Chocolate Rain, Auto-Tune the News, and most recently Rebecca Black are all now common household names due to the instant fame given to anyone who can use a webcam, record a video and upload it to YouTube. In a recent interview regarding the history of video, Bob McCandless, CEO of BrightCom believes that YouTube stars have created a new world in which younger generations expect both live and recorded video technology to be a part of their daily lives, a concept he also believes that businesses should adopt through recorded video conferencing content.

“The biggest impact from YouTube is really a cultural impact,” states Mr. McCandless. “One of the things we spoke about last time was the phobia of being on video especially during an instant or desktop video conferencing meeting. I think that this is the case for older generations, mine included. I think younger people are growing up in an environment where they can record themselves every day and upload that content to YouTube for the whole world to see and they become quite famous for doing so.”

Mr. McCandless explains that the young man with the YouTube username NigaHiga is getting between 1 million and 9 million views on each one of his videos, demonstrates the phenomenon.

Because of cultural impact, Mr. McCandless feels that YouTube allows younger generations to be much more comfortable on camera. He believes that his generation or those older did not want to share private or personal information. Ultimately new generations of YouTubers prime younger people to accept and expect video conferencing communications.

“The change that YouTube has introduced is a familiarity and friendliness with the camera. This translates into the younger generation expecting to be on video or having it as a major medium of communication. As you grow into a world where you expect to be on video, your concept of self-image, privacy, broadcasting, sharing on Facebook becomes very different and transparent. Younger generations will expect videophones, desktop conferencing and home conferencing,” stated Mr. McCandless.

But is the major difference between recorded video on YouTube and live video conferencing a limitation for younger generations to adopt this mode of communication? Mr. McCandless believes whether it is live or recorded, younger people will continue to use video on the Internet and will expect video conferencing and telepresence to become much more of a recorded medium of communication in the future.

“I think video conferencing will become much more recorded than it is today, said Mr. McCandless. “My expectation is that you will be able to store everything you do on video, and categorize it. Much of the way you search on Google and find YouTube videos, you should be able to do in a business context and search for a business subject and find information through video conferences and other stored media.”

Most vendors, like BrightCom, currently provide recorded streaming media applications that add on to their telepresence and video conferencing solutions. These applications allow people to pause the live meeting and start it again where they left off as well as record the entire length of the meeting or presentation for archiving purposes.

Mr. McCandless is featured in a continuing video series entitled, Telepresence and Video Conferencing: Past, Present and Future. Stay tuned for the last discussion on the history of telepresence as Mr. McCandless discusses the first business and consumer video technology products in the 1990s.

For more information about telepresence and video conferencing, please contact BrightCom at 877-483-9737 or visit BrightCom online at www.brightcom.com.

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South Korea tops the EIU’s inaugural government broadband index and Japan comes a close second

9th February 2011

With ambitious targets for both the speed and coverage of next-generation broadband networks, the developed countries of South-east Asia score highest in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s government broadband index (gBBi), the first-ever index to assess countries on the basis of government planning, as opposed to current broadband capability.

Greece is the worst-performing country measured by the index, owing to its relatively low coverage target and drawn-out deployment schedule. Greece also suffers due to the considerable size of its public-funding commitment as a percentage of overall government budget revenues, and because its plan does little to foment competition in the high-speed broadband market.

Australia, the country with the highest-profile and most controversial public-sector scheme, also falls in the bottom half of the index, mainly because it is spending a colossal 7.6% of annual government budget revenues on its National Broadband Network. In South Korea, by comparison, the government is spending less than 1% of annual budget revenues to realise its broadband goals, achieving targets by encouraging the private sector to invest in the country’s broadband future.

Besides the actual gBBi, Full speed ahead: The government broadband index Q1 2011 features up-to-date reviews of more than 40 national government plans for broadband development, with comparable metrics for more than 30 countries. Specifically, the report addresses the following questions:

• What targets are set for next-generation network (NGN) speed and coverage?
• By when do governments want to see basic broadband services universally available, and what does ‘basic’ mean in terms of speed?
• How do countries compare in terms of universal and NGN broadband targets?
• How much public funding has been pledged for the attainment of these targets and how do countries compare?
• How are governments acting to facilitate the plans through regulation and by intervening directly in market and network development?
• What role does the private sector play in government plans?
• What is the current status of the plans and of industry involvement in them?

The report contains more than 65 tables and charts, while the supporting Excel file includes more than 750 current data points, allowing easy cross-country comparisons on a wide range of metrics, including target speeds (for universal and superfast broadband services), target coverage levels and timeframes and public-funding commitments (total, per covered household and as a percentage of total fixed-line retail revenues and government budget revenues).

Full speed ahead: The government broadband index Q1 2011
is available at the EIU’s online store.

An abridged executive summary is available free of charge.

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Over a third of middle-aged people swap at least two hours of TV a day to surf the Internet

14th December 2010

A survey by www.activagers.com, the leading international social network for the 40 plus generation, has shown that middle-aged people between 40 and 65 have become active Internet users. They are also keen to buy the latest gadgets like the iPad.

61% of the activagers members who responded to our survey admitted to swapping at least an hour of TV viewing per day to surf the Internet. For British members this was 56%.

36% admitted to swapping over 2 hours of TV viewing per day in favour of the Internet. The British response was also 36%.

The survey was sent via email to over 25,000 activagers members in the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria in June 2010 with a seven percent response rate.

The 40 plus generation were adults when the world wide web was launched in 1993 and while we know a lot about the usage and adoption of technology and Internet by the digital natives (people who grew up with the Internet) there is very little information about this section of the population.

The survey consisted of 10 questions regarding Internet, technology and a new device – the iPad – which is predicted to drastically change the relationship of consumers with the traditional media such as books, TV, radio and devices.

activagers users were asked how much time they spend on Internet per day and what they are doing when surfing the Internet. More than 50% spent more than two hours per day on the Internet, mainly for work reasons. But the Internet is also used in spare time and to keep informed.

Another question asked if and how much time they had shifted from TV to the Internet. All the respondents confirmed they have shifted time from TV to Internet whereas 36% shifted more than two hours from TV to Internet per day.

The survey also demonstrated that about 60% of the 40 plus generation use a computer that is less than three years old and that most of them were members of more than one social network. This is comparable to digital natives. However, only 66% had been using the Internet for more than six years so there are a large number of late Internet adopters. Interestingly the UK were the earliest starters in the survey with 88% being on the Internet six or more years ago compared to 77% for Italy, 74% for Germany, 68% for France and 56% for Spain.

The Brits were also more gadget conscious as 100% of the respondents had heard of the iPad and 40% intend to buy one at some point. On average across Europe only 51% had heard of the iPad.

The general conclusion of the survey is that there is still a gap between the Internet and technology usage of digital natives and the 40 plus generation, but this gap is decreasing due to the importance of Internet and technology in daily and working life. Also discussions in the UK activagers forums show that they are using the smart phones to read e-books such as Moby Dick while commuting. http://ow.ly/3hACB

The combination of Internet and new devices is also going to change the traditional approach regarding media, especially television viewing and book reading in a very important target group for the economy. This means that the media has to develop new approaches to reach consumers of all ages.

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Threat Test – an online tool to assess your vulnerability to internet scams

19th November 2010

Knowthenet.org.uk, a new online advice site, today launches its Threat Test, an online quiz designed to assess an Internet user’s vulnerability to a variety of common online scams.

Developed with the help of security experts, the Threat Test assesses a person’s ability to identify different types of Internet scams and gives them an online safety score. The tool was created following recent research, commissioned by knowthenet, which identified the most likely demographic, in Britain, to fall victim to Internet-based scams as professional women aged 25-34.

The Threat Test consists of 13 questions, split into four sections relating to common ways fraudsters initiate their tricks; social networking, phishing, malware and counterfeit goods. It presents individuals with examples of real-life scams, within a safe environment, and asks what their response would be to each. Throughout the test, relevant advice and guidance is given on how to stay safe online and once completed, the individual is provided with an overall threat level based on their score. It is also supported by a series of educational films on knowthenet’s YouTube channel.

“As online scams become more widespread and the tactics of criminals become more sophisticated, it’s important we all understand the steps we should take to protect ourselves,” says Phil Kingsland, Site Director at knowthenet. “We hope that through using the Threat Test people will become more aware of the tactics commonly used by criminals and therefore reduce their risk of getting caught out.”

The test can be accessed from the knowthenet site or by following this link: www.knowthenet.org.uk/threattest

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