TechLounge » General Information

Data storage, why is it so important?

techlounge — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:17:08 +0000

It’s unlikely that you have your own power station at home and you probably keep your money in a bank, not stuffed inside your mattress. But you almost certainly keep your important digital files, such as documents, photos, music and videos, on a hard drive in your house. Many people are well organised and decide to backup all that data, but you probably keep your backups on another hard drive somewhere in your house. In the event of a catastrophe of one sort or another burglary, or a flood for example, you could lose both copies of your data.

There are many external sources that will allow you to back up your data, for example BT Digital Vault online file and photo storage lets you safely store important or large files like photos or videos without the need for expensive hard drives or disks, and can be accessed from any computer. Windows Live SkyDrive offers 25GB of free online storage. Your stuff is stored in the cloud which means you can access it from any web-enabled PC. There are many others and it is well worth considering getting external data storage.

New data protection proposed

techlounge — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:05:51 +0000

A new law promising internet users the “right to be forgotten” will be proposed by the European Commission on Wednesday. It says people will be able to ask for data about them to be deleted and firms will have to comply unless there are “legitimate” grounds to retain it. The move is part of a wide-ranging overhaul of the commission’s 1995 Data Protection Directive.

A spokesman for the commissioner clarified that the action was designed to help teenagers and young adults manage their online reputations. It would seem that the new rules are particularly aimed at young people as they are not always as aware as they could be about the consequence of putting photos and other information on social network websites, or about the various privacy settings available. However, not everyone is happy at the new proposals and some tech firms have expressed concern about the reach of the new bill.

What to Expect From a WordPress Hosting Company

techlounge — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:23:39 +0000

There are so many WordPress hosting companies in the world today that is often very bewildering for the user to know how to select the best company for their purposes.

The Manchester based WordPress hosting company, 34SP.com, in common with most independent industry analysts, suggests that the novice looks at online user forums and, importantly, makes sure that the technical support offered by the web hosting company is 24/7 and 365 days a year. It is no use to have a blog or website running and if there is no-one to turn to when something goes wrong. Another avenue to explore, either for recommendation or general comment, is the host company’s Twitter site.

A company that is confident in its ability to deliver what is promised should offer a trial period so that the new customer can see for themselves that the service provided is what was promised. The Search Engine, Google, offers a huge array of comment on web and WordPress hosting and some short term research may help the novice come to the right decision about what will suit them best.

Most WordPress host companies will be able to look after both blogs and websites and it is vital to ask your chosen host supplier any niggling questions at the outset. Most responsible companies do offer technical telephone support.

WordPress has made online communication so easy that anyone who wishes to can take part in this publishing phenomenon.

Samsung risks following Sony and IBM’s slide

techlounge — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:12:58 +0000

It’s an old saying, but nonetheless often true, that a company cannot stand still, it will go one way or the other; could this be happening to Korean Giant Samsung? The South Korean firm could soon enter a sunset scenario that would see it follow other downturns. Just as the Roman and British empires rose and fell, technology companies too face inevitable phases of evolution and devolution. The rule applies to the likes of Sony, IBM and yes, even Samsung.

Sony, much like Samsung, initially entered the US market with relatively low-priced products such as its TR-72 transistor radio in the 1960s. The Japanese firm followed up its success with a series of blockbuster game-changing products: the Sony Walkman in 1979; the CD music format in 1982, in conjunction with Philips; and the DVD in 1995, to name just a few. Like Samsung televisions today, Sony TVs and electronics in the 1980s were heralded as the industry’s best and most cutting edge. But like IBM, Sony’s peak period was soon followed by a rapid sunset that began the following decade. Could this be happening to Samsung as well?

Top of the Christmas list

techlounge — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:36:41 +0000

The iPhone 4S, which was released in October, made up a quarter of all handset sales in the four weeks before December 9, according to market research firm GfK, closely followed by Samsung’s Galaxy SII which was the second-best selling phone in the week up to December 9th.

However, a big disappointment for Nokia’s new Lumia handset which got off to a poor start, failing to make the top 10 handsets in the four weeks of the survey period. The Lumia, which runs Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 operating system, was released in Britain on November 16. The iPhone 4S is a more powerful version of its predecessor, with an improved camera and a new voice control system called Siri. Last week, there was speculation that Google was working on its own voice control software to be released as part of its Android mobile operating system.

Not such good news for RIM, the Canadian company that makes BlackBerry handsets, it has had a bad year but there was at least some comfort in the GfK data. Sales of BlackBerry handsets increased during the period of the survey, with three variants of the BlackBerry Curve in the top 10.

Sky for Xbox Kinect App

techlounge — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 10:52:14 +0000

Is this the way that entertainment will be going in the future as the Xbox’s latest update seeks to make the video games console a single hub for all sorts of home entertainment, whether this is films, TV or gaming, the Xbox with Kinect should be all you need. Controlled by gesture, voice or the traditional controller, this is a gadget that feels increasingly futuristic, even though the hardware itself is not new. Wave your hand to scroll through a list of tracks, games, movies or options, or even just talk to your television.

There is maybe a snag though, because Sky customers in particular need a real justification to watch their existing service via the new Xbox app, although it offers two significant improvements. Firstly, the interface for Sky on Xbox is the required, marked improvement, making it far easier to find on demand films, and offering the same, familiar channel guide for live Sky TV. Because it’s delivered online, it means that, say, a family could log on wherever they find an Xbox, or a student could carry their family Sky package with them to university. In an age where the web is of growing importance, apps such as this mark a sea-change, and expand Sky’s reach beyond the satellite dish.

Spotify signs up 2.5m paying subscribers ahead of major announcement

techlounge — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:24:46 +0000

Spotify the music streaming channel released the data today, 24 hours after sending out invites to journalists for an event next week, at which Daniel Ek, Spotify’s co-founder and chief, is expected to outline some major changes and say what is next for the business.

A story of success, Spotify has added 500,000 paying subscribers in the last two months. This rapid growth is believed to be attributed to its launch in the US and the recent deep partnership with Facebook, whereby all new Spotify users must have an account with the social network first. It has also launched in several new countries, including Denmark and Australia. The company has added five million new users since the tie-up with Facebook was announced. We await the coming announcement with interest to see just what the major changes involve.

Schoolchildren should be taught to create software

techlounge — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:37:02 +0000

There is now a strong move from government that it recognises that learning the skills to use ICT [Information and Communications Technology] effectively and acquiring the knowledge of the underpinning computer science are two different subjects. This move follows on from criticism of the education system by technology giants including Google and Microsoft. Earlier this year, Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chairman, gave a major speech in which he condemned the technology curriculum in British schools. They state that “your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it’s made.”

An ongoing review of the National Curriculum is considering whether ICT should be a discrete subject in schools. “As part of that process the review will consider the teaching of computer science within ICT,” the Government said. “The Government recognises that, in the event of ICT not remaining part of the National Curriculum, attention would still need to be given to ensure children could acquire computer science skills.”

Facebook want changes to ask consent for privacy changes

techlounge — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:44:47 +0000

Privacy campaigners have welcomed a report that Facebook is to ask users to opt into any changes in the way it uses their personal information. The popular social networking site was intending to go ahead with alterations to its members’ settings without asking for fresh consent. However, the website is changing its policy after an investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission.

According to the London based advocacy group Privacy International, “Facebook has historically been extremely resistant to transparency in its own operations, so we welcome measures that would force the company to obtain express consent of its users.”However, it seems likely that the FTC’s demands will only present a temporary obstacle in the path of Facebook’s ambitions to collect its users’ information. Faced with reams of small print, most users are likely to automatically agree to policy changes, with each change bringing us one step closer to the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of a privacy-free future.

Kindle hits Amazon profits

techlounge — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:20:48 +0000

The kindle has been a huge success, but the tablet which stores hundreds of books which can be read electronically has hit the profits of the giant online retailer. The company, the world’s largest online internet retailer, said third quarter net income was £40m down. It was during this period Amazon launched the Kindle “Fire” model, which runs apps and streams films and other non-text content.

The Amazon Kindle is an e-book reader developed by Amazon.com subsidiary Lab126 which allows users to shop for, download, browse, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and other digital media. The Kindle hardware devices use an E Ink electronic paper display that shows up to 16 shades of gray, minimizes power use and simulates reading on paper.