Business News Holding

Author: admin

  • Best Cloud Services for Syncing and File Sharing Services

    Cloud storage is swiftly transforming the way we share data, but it can also be incredibly confusing. There are so many options out there, both large and small, so how do you choose the best company for your needs? If your goal is to share files with associates and have the ability to sync that storage across your myriad of devices, here are some of the best in the business.

    Box is one great option, and users can sign up and start working completely for free. If you’re looking for added security and collaboration features, you’ll have to pony up for a Business account. But since those advanced accounts start at only $15 a month, even the smallest of businesses can get involved.

    If you’re not interested in those added features, you can stick with a free account that will give you 5GB of storage. Step up to 25GB for a $10 monthly charge, or pay $20 for 50GB. You’ll be able to share files and sync across all of your devices.

    For a service that’s simple and elegant, check out Dropbox. Once you’re signed up you’ll install a virtual folder right on your desktop, and you’ll move files in and out just as you would with a traditional folder. It will automatically sync everything, making it incredibly easy to use.

    A free account will only offer you 2GB of storage space, but a $10 monthly charge will get you a full 100GB. Dropbox even offers 500MB bonuses for each friend that signs up through your recommendation. It keeps past versions of every file, so you won’t ever lose anything, and the only drawback is that you won’t be able to upload to Dropbox from your email servicee.

    MediaFire has been around for quite some time, and they offer a great deal through their free service. Sign up, and you will receive unlimited downloads and storage space. However, the free account will only hold on to your data for thirty days. If you want to extend that, they have very reasonable Pro and Business accounts, which are both less than $50 a month. 

    Finally, check out a unique option, called SugarSync. It works much like Dropbox, but adds a ton of versatility. You can sync any folder on your computer, not just their dedicated virtual folder, and it has a great file manager. Their free service will give you 5GB, which you can raise as high as $250GB for only $25 a month. If you’re looking for a good mix of value and features, SugarSync is probably the winner.

  • Facebook and HTC to Launch New Smartphone

    Facebook is working with HTC to build a smartphone, which will be released mid next year. According to sources quoted by Bloomberg, initially, the two companies wanted to have the smartphone released until the end of 2012, but HTC asked for more time because it had to work on other products too.

    Also, Facebook wants to create an improved operating system for its first smartphone, and Mark Zuckerberg has gathered many former Apple programmers to improve the Facebook application for iPhone.

    More than a half of the 900 million users of the social network are using the service from a mobile device, but Facebook did not obtain any money from the 3.15 billion dollars from the advertising on the phone.

    "Internet users are now going mobile and Facebook failed to cover this new market, but a smartphone with many applications and a lot of advetisement could be a great solution," said Victor Anthony, analyst at the Topeka Capitals Markets.

    Facebook shares fell by 23% since the listing in May 17th, partly due to the investors' fears that the company does not obtain sufficient revenues from mobile advertising. Facebook securities ended on Wednesday up by 3.1%, at $ 29.34 per unit.

    Facebook has also worked with HTC in two phones that have a button dedicated to the social network, HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa, but the new model seems to be more focused on the Facebook services.
    Initial speculations were aiming at a launch in Q3 2012, but the Facebook smartphone will be launched only in the summer of 2013.

    Some rumors also aims at the interest shown by Microsoft towards the Facebook phone, so the option that the new smartphone to run WP 8 is not ruled out.

  • Skype Questioned on Privacy Policy Changes

    Recent media reports have accused Skype’s management of changing their privacy policy following their sale to Microsoft, in an effort to help law enforcement agencies keep tabs on video and voice calls. Mark Gillett, Skype’s chief development and operations officer, recently took to the internet to refute those claims, in a statement released through the company’s blog.

    Various media reports have surfaced in recent weeks, claiming that Skype has altered their service architecture in such a way that it is easier for law enforcement officers to monitor incoming and outgoing calls. But Gillett declared in his blog post that the privacy policy changes had nothing to do with that, and would be completely contrary to the company philosophy.

    Gillett did not mention the specific media outlets questioned, but frankly denied the reports, and also refuted the claim that the changes came down from Microsoft staffers. The referenced changes involved the addition of what Skype calls “supernodes”, a directory distribution that helps Skype users find each other through the service. Gillett also mentioned that these changes went into effect well before Microsoft declared they were buying the VoIP giant in 2011.

    VoIP-List.com: extensive catalog of voip providers, available software and hardware resources.

    Since Microsoft acquired Skype, they’ve been working to consolidate the supernodes, which had been spread across outsourced cloud servers and dedicated Skype data centers. The goal was to bring them all together with Microsoft, not to work with law enforcement in any structured way.

    The issue came to light after an article appeared in The New York Times reporting that law enforcement across the United States submitted more than 1.3 million information requests from the nine major cell phone carriers in United States. The majority of those records were turned over after a subpoena was issued, but some were relinquished due to “emergencies”, without requiring any legal documentation.

  • TV Shipments Set to Decrease in 2012

    According to experts in HDTV and TV trends, worldwide shipments will drop by 1.4% during the course of 2012. NPD DisplaySearch announced the drop in their Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, which was released earlier this month.

    According to the details of that report, 245 million televisions will ship in 2012. Shipments of LCD TVs, one of the largest growth areas in the industry, will still increase by 5%. But that growth is down 2% from 2011.

    DisplaySearch believes the decline is due to the market for traditional televisions shrinking, and the fact that there just aren’t as many discounts this year as there were last year. They’ve also noticed more cautious spending practices by Asian and European consumers. For reference, average prices have declined 4% in 2012, down from a 10% decline back in 2010.

    According to the company’s Director of North American TV Research, the economic concerns still felt around the world are impacting both consumers and manufacturers. HDTV companies are feeling the need to hang on tighter to their profit margins, which consumers hang on to their money.

    The only area that seems to be significantly growing is in large screen televisions and backlit devices. Outside of North America, emerging markets of China, Latin America and Eastern Europe, are making up for some of that consumer reluctancy, and even Africa and the Middle East are showing growth.

    All in all, LCD technology is maintaining significant growth. It’s surpassed CRT and plasma devices, and now actually make up for almost 90% of worldwide television shipments.

  • Rebtel Competes With Skype in the Windows Phone Market

    Rebtel is the largest VoIP service in the world after Skype, and has been working hard to close that gap in recent months. This week they took another large step towards further industry dominance, with the launch of a Rebtel app specifically for the Windows Phone. It will be free for all users when downloaded through the Windows Marketplace.

    Rebtel has a massive network of local phone numbers, available in upwards of fifty countries. Their app allows customers to make VoIP calls internationally at an incredibly affordable rate. Rebtel already had apps available for all iOS devices, as well as tablets and smartphones running Android technology, and the release of a dedicated Windows app now means nearly all American customers can take advantage of their cutting edge service.

    VoIP-List.com: extensive catalog of voip providers, available software and hardware resources.

    Andreas Cernstrom, Rebtel’s CEO, announced the new product offering in a press release. He feels they have the most comprehensive group of mobile computing VoIP apps in the world. According to their studies, international calls can be made for 98% off standard phone service, while working through customers wireless phone plans, and not by utilizing data plans. That’s a huge distinction, as customers on many networks have a huge amount of traditional minutes, but limited data plans that made heavy VoIP usage immensely expensive.

    The Rebtel app for Windows phone not only allows inexpensive calls to any phone in the world, regardless if the receiver is running a Rebtel app, but it integrates the phone’s address book as well. International text messaging is available, for roughly 60% off standard rates, and the quality of the calls is elevated by the reliance on cell phone minutes, not data connections. The company expects Windows phone to gather larger and larger shares of the market as Microsoft unveils their latest operating system, built with the mobile app market firmly in mind.

  • LG Launches 4K HDTV in Korea

    LG has long been an industry leader in the high-end HDTV market, leading the way with well-reviewed releases and cutting edge technology. While here in the U.S. we may have to wait a while longer for their next big release, it seems that customers in Korea are finally going to be able to purchase a long anticipated offering from the international company.

    LG had previewed their 84-inch ultra definition HDTV at CES, and will now ship a limited quantity of the devices for sale solely in the Asian country.

    Their ‘Ultra Definition’ HDTV sports a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, with a stunning 1080p image in standard or 3D viewing. It has all of LG’s stock Smart TV features, and will ship with the company’s Cinema 3D passive glasses tech. The timing of the announcement may be a direct response to Samsung’s unveiling of their massive, 75-inch ES9000 HDTV.

    The companies both hail from Korea, and chances are LG simply couldn’t let Samsung beat them to the punch in their native land. The ES9000 has yet to be reviewed, so there’s no telling which device will gain the most traction, but LG is probably betting that the extra nine inches of screen size in their device could sway potential customers choosing between the two.

    According to Samsung, the 4K HDTV will retail in Korea for just under $22,000 US, with a mere 84 units available during the first month. The sound system is truly 3D, with a 2.2 channel set up. American consumers will surely be eager to check out the device here at home, but since hardly any American cable networks are broadcasting in 4K, the lack of content means much of the HDTV’s strengths would go untested.

  • European Officials Press for Better Cloud Computing Contract

    The European Commission met in Brussels this week to discuss the contracts offered to clients by cloud computing firms, concerned over future legal and privacy issues. Cloud storage has emerged as a viable data storage option for large and small businesses as well as individuals, saving time and money across the board. But according to a policy paper the EC recently released, security and privacy remain complex issues.

    The European Commission declared they are working to help the cloud storage industry, not add additional roadblocks. But they feel that the complicated privacy situation and possibility for expensive legal disputes will keep many European citizens from adopting the new technology. Their focus is the contracts these providers offer, which they feel are unnecessarily complex, and packed with confusing and contradictory disclaimers. The EC found that many of these contracts do not hold the provider responsible for confidentiality, the integrity of the data, or any reliable continuity of service.

    Since data stored in the cloud is often divided among several data centers which could be managed by more than one company, a dissatisfied client will find legal action next to impossible. The policymakers want to insure that this same workflow that makes cloud computing so attractive for consumers and providers doesn’t simultaneously give the providers a way to avoid accountability.

    When pressed, the EC regulators have found that cloud storage companies aren’t clear with their clients what they would do if data is lost or stolen, or even if they would do anything at all. The EC will work alongside the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to come up with a fair and balanced legal solution for these issues, but there is no timetable for when those findings will be announced.

  • Vonage Granted New VoIP Patent

    Vonage has long been an industry leader in cloud-connected communications, with more than 2.4 million current subscribers. This week, the company announced it had been granted a new patent, U.S. Pat. No. 8,223,720. This latest patent, called “Systems and Methods for Handoff of Mobile Telephone Call in a VoIP Environment”, gives users who make VoIP calls on a mobile device the ability to continue the call while moving from one wireless data connection hub to another, without ever dropping the call.

    The patent was approved more than half a year after Vonage filed it, and the new technology should make a huge difference for customers who require more dependable VoIP service.

    Vonage has zeroed in on the mobile market, as have many technology giants in computing and software. The company recently released a mobile app for both Android and iOS-powered devices, giving users the ability to text and call other Vonage app users around the world completely for free, and in full high definition. International calls can also be made, even if the receiving party doesn’t have the Vonage app, after the payment of a small fee.

    Vonage is best known for connecting VoIP users around the world with consistent service, all while offering the same number and quality of features customers have come to expect from traditional phone service. They currently offer a World calling plan, giving users unlimited calls to over sixty countries for a small monthly fee. Vonage also offers call forwarding and call waiting, as well as visual voicemail, all included in the package. The mobile app works on all wireless data networks, and the service can be purchased either online or through a wide range of retail stores.

  • Dell to Invest in Storage Start-Ups

    Dell has often put money into their own hardware and infrastructure, but after a recent announcement, it seems they are looking to invest outside the company as well. They’ve create a $60 million fund earmarked for Fluid Data Storage, with the goal of supporting developing start-ups that are focused on data storage. In exchange they’ll take an ownership stock in the products, but not the companies themselves, allowing these fledgling computer companies to continue charting their own course.

    It’s a unique mix of building and buying, with the goal of finding the next gamechanger in this evolving industry. Jim Lussier, Dell’s managing director of VC, is hoping to find new products in cloud or memory-based storage, as well as innovative architectures, and it’s clear they are willing to pay other savvy tech entrepreneurs to do the heavy lifting.

    Dell will give five to ten start-ups between $3 million and $5 million during this first round of funding. In return, they’ll take a percentage of future equity, as well as unlimited access to any new IPs the start-ups develop. It’s a great deal for businesses struggling to get off the ground, as long as they’re willing to work off of Dell hardware. Considering the significant market share Dell still enjoys, that shouldn’t be much of a sticking point.

    The start-ups chosen for funding will be selected by a wide range of Dell experts in software, corporate development, acquisitions and storage. On top of the fluid funding, Dell also promises to invest their own sweat equity, hunting down other venture capital groups to keep the money flowing.

  • Photos and check-ins more popular than ever on trips

    Mobile phones are part of our daily routine, since we are using it wherever we go. Travelling could not be an exception.

    Nowadays, checking in on Foursquare for the new places we visit and uploading photos on Facebook is considered part of the trip for many of us. Technology has changed our lifestyle and it is not surprising that 39% of the total check-ins  are done while travelling. According to Tripl's recent inforgraphic, 79,971 photos were taken in total during trips, with the 28% of the trips having at least one photo uploaded. What's more, there were 20,401 check-ins in hotels, and the most popular destinations were New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

    Tripl is an application that notifies you about your friends' trips, according to their check-ins trough Facebook and Foursquare. It is a way to be updated on their trips and also check whether they are visiting your town to give them a call. Tripl's stats were gathered by their customers, with 137,151 trips in total, and their check-ins through Facebook Places and Foursquare. 

    However, we don't need any stats to realise that checking-in with pictures is a trend, since a look at our Facebook wall is enough. How many friends do you have on Facebook that have uploaded pictures from their vacation? It's mid-summer, so the stats must be rising day by day. Gone are the days when going on vacation meant losing contact with the others. Now going on vacation means letting others know what it's like chilling in the sun and enjoying cocktails. Invasion of technology has also brought to the surface our narcissistic self and this is not expected to change in the following year.

    For the time being, let's compete with others about our recent trips and find out who has taken the best picture.