Netbooks - The Next Generation of Mobile Computing

Laptops are on their way out. In their place, we have netbooks. These smaller computers are set to take the world by storm with their compact, easy to carry design. These travel easy notebooks are changing the way we travel with computers for the better.

Miniature laptops, these smaller computers are even easier to bring along anywhere. That's one reason why many computer customers have one of these in addition to their laptop or desktop. The small size makes travel easier. They usually leave the bigger laptop at home, and grab this one for on the go use.

Very tiny, these siblings of the notebook computer are made with the bare minimals so it will run more precisely. This makes them very desirable. The battery lasts longer too. With these small devices, you only need to worry about general usage. More costly models have an extended battery. If you are planning to use this as your primary computer is suggested you look into that model.

There are a few accessories you might want to buy for your new computer. These can be found almost anywhere laptop accessories are found. Some accessories you might consider are a travel case, flash drive for transferring files. It's a great idea to have a portable CD-ROM drive too. This will make it easy to add programs that are not already there.

Compaq, Dell, HP and most other brands that build computers also produce these small computers. They are trusted by millions. These computer brands are found all of the world. You need only to look around you. Check it out. There is a good possibility they are jumping on the miniature notebook bandwagon. Talk to those who own these types of computers. They will know what brands are good.

Shop comparatively. This will increase your chances of getting a great deal. Each store will have their own deals, so take all of this into consideration when shopping. Make sure you know what you want and then ask around to find the best way to get it without spending a lot of money. Those who have recently purchased one of these types of computers will be able to steer you in the right direction.

Netbooks are becoming as widespread as laptops once were. These little machines are becoming a favorite computing product among young college students for their easy to transport styles. With products coming from world's leading computer companies you will definitely find the one that's right for you.

What is Cloud Computing and How Does it Effect Me?

Computing in the "cloud" or "cloud computing" is the world coming full circle. When IBM, DEC, Tandem and Cray started out, they built room sized computers that were so big and ate so much energy, they required their own cooling systems. The programmers all worked directly for the manufacturer making software custom for each customer. The costs were staggering in today's dollars, and somehow the productivity gains made it all worth it. The First Main Frame that ran Bank Of America's ATM system throughout California had less memory and horsepower than today's $299 netbooks.

When the PC arrived on the scene, big companies started moving to mini computers and the client-server systems were born. Most of us are familiar with the client-server model and don't even know it. If you have an email program that connects to a server to get your email you are using client server computing. The difference here is even if you are not connected, you can create the e-mail and wait to send it until the next time you connect. Your computer in this case is the client and you trade or update data with a server. The process of trading or updating data is called synchronizing or "syncing" for short.

Cloud computing using netbooks goes back to the old mainframe model. the difference here is the software companies like Oracle, PeopleSoft and Google are in charge, not the hardware people like IBM, DEC (gone), Tandem (gone) or Cray. With cloud computing, if you don't have an internet connection to access iGoogle or MSN, you can not even write the e-mail. All of the computing power and software is really on their "servers", not your little netbook. The "servers" at these companies are really clusters of PC's with software designed to make them work together nicely and share the horsepower or processing power. Mini clouds within a company for applications makes sense, one computer gets the upgrade, everyone has new software.

The challenge for cloud computing is still access to the "cloud". Internet access isn't everywhere, and where it is, the access isn't always free or fast. If you don't have service, you really can't work or communicate. If your provider doesn't have service in a specific area, it is another challenge in itself.

For instance, if you fly two different airlines with a stop for lunch at an airport not served by your current provider and cell service is slow or your tether software quits, you could easily spend $70 in connection fees in one day. I know because I have done it. I have tethered services from AT&T, and they quit working one day. Airline 1, $15.99, Airport day pass $9.99, Airline 2, $15.99, Airport 2 day pass $4.99, Hotel day pass $14.99, day pass at area near meeting, $12.99. Yes it happens. Services are getting better but they are not that good yet.

The happy medium can't be far off though. The next step in the client server and distributed computing model could be combined with cloud theory to create a distributed sync model. In distributed sync, your data would still exist on centralized servers and on your computer or other storage device. Some parts of the software would exist on your computer, others on theirs. When you are within range of a network your computer would become part of the grid, offering computing power and network hops to everyone in range when you don't need it.

The first part of the distributed sync model holding it back is standards. If I change a document on my iPhone and my laptop before my next sync, which one wins? Two significant changes need to occur for this to work, computers need more power and networks need to have more speed to allow very fast sync for changed items only. If I change one item in my blackberry, I need to go through the entire sync process. The same was true of my windows mobile phone as well. This is a limit of sync computing that is solved by the pure "cloud" solutions.

The second hold back is network access. Some carriers charge you twice for your phone and laptop, others let you tether. They don't have interoperability agreements so when I am out of range of my carriers signal like today, I am dead.

The final question is of course the data. When "they" can sift through all of your e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, what are they learning? Facebook recently agreed they didn't "own" the data, but they also didn't say they wouldn't "use" it while it was on their servers either. Scott McNealy, a guy I consider a pioneer in the silicon valley and on the internet said some time ago that privacy was dead, give it up. Should we?

Cloud computing is a great idea for a world under constant change. The hardest part is keeping up. This morning we found our Google Client Center and our Skype Business Center interfaces were completely different. We lost a lot of productivity learning on the fly with customers on the phone. Cloud computing in some form is here to stay, the mainframe and terminal just look different.

What is a Computer Chair Mat?

According to certain reports, an average office worker sitting in a computer chair working at least 8 hours a day will move his chair at least 250 times. With this much movement, any flooring can sustain considerable damage in a year's time. Because repairing floors can be costly, the need for a cheaper alternative is needed. Thus the need for a chair mat. It is basically a mat that you place underneath you computer chair to help protect your flooring. Unlike traditional mats, they have anti-static properties than can also help protect your computer hardware.

Similar to any other mat, these mats provide a number of benefits. First of all it adds protection to your flooring. With the wear and tear your floors endure everyday, a mat will help reduce these damages. Comparing the cost of repairing your floors to buying a chair mat, your costs will definitely decrease.

The mats also provide you more movement. If you have tried moving your chair from one desk to another in a carpeted surface, you know how back breaking it can be. With it, you can easily glide from one place to another without hurting your back. Because of this increased mobility, a mat not only protects your carpet, it can also prevent injury to a person's joints and back. Also, this will ensure less fatigue while working in an office.

As mentioned earlier, an additional feature computer mats have is their ant-static properties. Whenever we move around in our computer chair, it creates static electricity that can transfer from the floor through our body and then to the computer. Static electricity can greatly damage computer hardware. Take for instance the RAM or memory module. Static electricity can "fry" it or make it unusable if it's not protected.

Aside from these benefits, it can come in any shape or design. This means that it will suite any office setting, or even home setting, one may have. Be it a small conference room or a long row of office cubicles, most manufacturers can adapt to any need. Although the price range of these computer chair mats can be a bit steep, the added protection to your flooring and computer equipment plus the other benefits like reduced risk of injury and fatigue, can make up for the cost of purchasing one.

Online Fax - What Is A Computer Fax Service?

In today's business world, we are using computers more and more in all aspects of running a business. This includes one of the stables of the modern workplace - the fax. It only stands to reason that faxing would be united or combined with the other stable of the modern workplace - the computer. That's where an online fax service enters the picture.

Using online fax simply means using your computer and your email system to send and receive all your faxes. Since you're using your computer, many users refer to this as a computer fax service. Your messages are digitized and sent as email attachments, usually in a Tiff or Pdf format, but there are countless other file formats you can use for your messages.

In order to start faxing from your computer, you have to sign up to an online fax service where you're given a local or toll-free fax number. You also get an online account which is private and accessible only by you. Then no matter where you are in the world, as long as you have a computer and a web connection, you can do all your faxing.

This complete mobility is one of the best advantages of using computer fax, you are no longer tied down to the conventional machine in the office. You can send your messages anytime, anywhere. This gives all your company's dealings great freedom and versatility.

Getting an online fax service is relatively painless since it can be done in a few minutes and most providers offer 30 Day Trials so you can check out their services before you buy. This can be very cost-effective, especially for those businesses which are just starting up. Going with a "computer-based" system will mean you don't have to put in a dedicated fax phone line, nor do you have to buy a traditional fax machine or pay for machine maintenance.

Services are usually priced around $8 to $10 per month and for that price you get on average around 300 (incoming/outgoing) faxes, although if you shop around you can get much cheaper programs with more faxes per month. So it does pay to do a little homework, especially when you consider this will be an ongoing business expense.

Keep in mind, many fax providers have a desktop application which you can download to your computer and then you can send your faxes directly from your computer desktop. You can also use an email program like Outlook Express to send your faxes.

Regardless of which method you use or which online service provider you pick, sending faxes from your computer is so much more convenient than regular faxing. It is also much cheaper since you don't have to buy any papers, toners and inks. Overtime, this fact alone will save you a lot of money if you go with computer faxing to send and receive your messages. It's your call?

What Kind of Computer Should I Buy

This article will walk you through the choices you need to make and provide guidance for what to choose.

In order to answer this question properly, you need to decide what type of user you are and what special needs you may have. Additionally, you need to determine how much you want to spend and whether you would consider buying a used or refurbished computer.

General Guidelines

As a general rule, my opinion is that one should get the most computer that they can afford without getting the actual top of the line.

Computer technology changes rapidly and today's super fast and capable computer rapidly becomes outdated. Unless you are interested in swapping your computer frequently, getting a very capable current computer should hold you for at least a few years.

The very top of the line computer demands a premium in price that is generally not worth it and one level below has at least 95% of the capability of the top.

If your budget doesn't allow for this solution, you need to be aware of the tradeoffs in various choices that you will have to make.

Computer type selection

You should first decide if you want a laptop or desktop computer. I've discussed the issues at length in my article entitled Desktop or Laptop? The main question is if you have the need to be mobile even though your computer will cost more and possibly have less capability.

Depending on one's finances, you may opt for used computer or for a blowout special. Great savings can be achieved by taking this route.

However, used computers present support challenges and the risk of early breakdown. Low priced bargain computers may be limited in ultimate capability and need to be carefully evaluated. I hope to discuss these options in greater detail in a future article.

Heavy duty 3D gaming is a whole new world and generally pushes current computer technology to the limits with top of the line powerful and expensive units and is out of the scope of this article.

Component choices

1. Processor

If money is not a pressing issue, single core computers should not be purchased. Dual core processors are more powerful and, for most users, any dual core processor based computer should suffice for standard activities such as word processing, email, browsing the web, watching DVD's, doing one's finances and the vast majority of other tasks.

If you need to do heavy database querying, complicated mathematical computations and number crunching or heavy encryption, you should get one of the higher end processors.

2. Operating system

Assuming a Windows PC, the choices are between XP and Vista. Vista Service Pack 1 (a set of fixes to the known problems of the operating system) has not yet been officially released and the first service pack usually makes a big difference. My opinion is that if there is a choice, Vista should be avoided until SP1 is officially released.

If you are very familiar with XP and don't want to struggle with learning a new operating system or you have a program that is not supported on Vista yet, XP can do everything you need and you can request it worry free if your vendor allows for this option.

If you select Vista, at a minimum you should not get Vista Home Basic but rather select Vista Home Premium. For maximum OS power, Vista Ultimate should be chosen. The detailed options for Vista are outlined in my article Which Vista should I Use?

3. Monitor

A 17 inch monitor is probably the smallest that you should settle for. You can select larger ones if you so desire. Some monitors come with built in speakers if that suits your needs. If you want your computer to double as an entertainment center, you should consider purchasing a high definition or plasma monitor. Dell has an excellent summary of their choices here

Dell Monitor Link

4. Memory

The most crucial factor in terms of computer performance is the amount of memory. When you buy computer memory, a minimum of a gigabyte of high speed memory should be selected to support today's demanding operating systems and programs. 2 gigabytes would be even better.

If one is engaged in heavy duty graphics such as CAD (Computer Aided Design) or 3D gaming, or if one is doing heavy database access or number crunching, even more memory should be added.

5. Hard Drive Size

Major manufacturers are offering drives with 250 Gigabytes of storage on their lowest end computers. This should be more than enough for most users.

6. CD and DVD burner

Drives that read and write to CDs and DVDs are cheap and you should specify read and write for both. Don't accept CD read/write and DVD read only.

Blue Ray and HD DVD disks can hold up to 50 gigabytes but the drives needed to use them are much more expensive than standard DVD drives. Standard DVD drives will run around $50 while Blue Ray will cost around $600.

7. Video card

The type of card that you get depends on the type of activities that you are planning;

1. Basic user - word processing, internet browsing, email and DVD movies

The basic level card will suffice for this. It should have at least 128MB. 2 representative cards are the Nvidia 7300GT and ATI 1300XT.

2. Vista Aero User or light gaming, rich media, and general entertainment

This capability requires mid level graphics power and a card with at least 256 MB of its own internal memory should be purchased. A sample card would be ATI HD2600XT

3. Edit and view photographs in brilliant color

A mid level card should be used for this. One example is the NVidia 8600GT, All cards from this level and up should have at least 256 MB.

4. Playback HD quality content

The card should have HDMI outputs to attach to external displays. 2 possibilities are Nvidia 8600gt or ATI HD2600XT.

5. 3D accelerated games in high definition player, CAD (Computer Aided Design), video editing or high level graphic design

3D gaming makes the greatest demands on the computer's video systems and the sky is the limit here. In general, the highest level card that your system will accept will provide the most satisfying experience.

The detailed options for each of these levels of activity are described in my article Video Cards Demystified.

8. Sound and Speakers

The standard sound card offered by most manufacturers is fine. If you have special requirements, the major dealers describe the advantages of the various upgrade offerings.

Speakers project the sound of your computer. Better speakers provide subwoofers and different levels of surround sound.

9. Keyboard and mouse

Connected or wireless versions are offered. Be sure to get an optical mouse. They are much more reliable than a trackball mouse.

10. Media reader

These are usually listed as 15 in 1 or 13 in 1 card or media reader. This device allows you to directly get data off of a number of devices such as digital cameras, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and others.

11. Modem

If you want to send or receive faxes or connect to the internet via a phone line where high speed internet may not be available, you will need a modem.

12. Wireless network

If you plan to connect to a wireless network, you will need a wireless network card in your computer. Standard network cards are built in.

Best of luck with your purchase.

CoreBook Computer - The Future of Mobile Computing

Embedded systems have proved themselves to be a crucial contributor to the changing face of today's industrial scenario. Fuelling in unbridled power into industrial computers to tackle the most complex applications, they have made quite an impression with a lot of the leading industrial sectors. Backed with the most durable components and peripherals sticking to the highest quality standards, the next generation embedded computers have what it takes to endure highly trying and harsh work environments. Multifunctional ability is the highlight of these systems even as they comprise a uniquely designed combination of software and hardware to perform highly challenging tasks that are a far cry for the common personal computers. This combination happens to be a programmed platform that is assigned with specific applications for the task and goes through various tests to make sure the systems offer long-life performance.

Embedded computers serve their purpose in a variety of areas, including military, the gaming industry, security and surveillance, and infotainment. Talking of their abilities and efficiency, a look into the highly popular CorBrick855E embedded computer will offer a good insight into what is possible at their behest. This highly rugged modular embedded system comes across as a high-powered per-watt platform for various thermal density and size constrained applications. Fitted with a long-life industrial motherboard, the CorBrick855E has an Intel 855GME chipset and an onboard integrated graphics utilizing Intel Extreme Graphics 2 Technology LVDS controller. Available with wall mount brackets, it is fully RoHS compliant and carries a five to eight year production life cycle guarantee to put your apprehensions to rest.

Another hugely prominent contender in this category is the LegaSys440 system, which is structured over the Raptor ATX long-life industrial motherboard, supports three full-length ISA slots with full DMA, pre-Pentium 4 software and is fully RoHS compliant. This system supports Windows 98Se, Windows 2K, Windows XP, and DOS operating systems, and is fuelled by the Intel Pentium III (Socket 370) 850MHz processor. With a five to eight year production life cycle guarantee, the LegaSys440 system can help you cut down considerably on your redesign recertification costs and greatly give a boost to your rate of investment.

From the recent trends in a growing league of industries, it is quite clear that embedded systems are headed towards a bigger picture of consistently aggressive development. With rising prospects in a broad range of areas that demand high-tech technological assistance, embedded computers are looking at a newer horizon of growth and credibility.

What is Cloud Computing? An Introduction Article

Cloud computing is a new term trending in the world of internet technology. There are conflicting reports as to who first coined the phrase. Some indicate it was back in 2001 by New York Times contributor, John Markoff, when he used the phrase "cloud of computers" in an article about Microsoft's Hailstorm. Most seem to give the credit to Eric Schmidt of Google, who used the complete term, "Cloud Computing", in reference to SaaS in August 2006. There have been a few who have tried to trademark the phrase, including Dell. However, Dell's bid to own "Cloud Computing" was quickly rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Cloud computing is otherwise known as a paradigm shift, defined as a set of forms all of which contain a particular element, especially the set of all inflected forms based on a single stem or theme. The shift here being that of the Mainframe to the Client Server and then on to Cloud Computing. The cloud metaphor stems from a drawing meant to illustrate the relationship between the Internet and a network of computers. The cloud works by accessing the business applications using a web browser and storing the actual data on servers.

There are many benefits to the Cloud environment. Initially, it eliminates the need for traditional software, and the costs associated with the purchasing and implementation of these programs. Ultimately, the capital expenditures budget transfers to operating costs primarily because the initial outlay of funds is replaced with a subscription based expense. Consumers are finding more pricing options available, especially since they are only paying for services required, rather than entire systems that may only be partially utilized.

Reportedly, the transition from antiquated server systems to the Cloud is fairly quick and simple, requiring fewer in-house IT skills. In some cases, a cloud may be multi-tenant where costs and resources are shared by several entities. Cloud is scalable and eliminates bottlenecks resulting from peak load issues.

The Cloud environment also affords a greater independence in accessibility, not only on a PC but also in the ever growing mobile browsing community. Reliability is a key factor in cloud's success, offering enhanced continuity and disaster recovery. Maintenance and support are improved because the global environment affords instant updates, and support solutions that do not need to be placed or adjusted on multiple workstations.

Cloud security has raised a few eyebrows in recent months, especially where sensitive data is concerned. Medical practices subject to HIPAA regulations, for example, question the security risks involved in this web-only platform. Contrarily, some argue that security here is equal to or surpasses the security of server-based systems for two reasons. First, data spread out over a greater area is better secured and more difficult to fraudulently access. Second, the costs saved have been spent in creating solutions to the common security problems of the past.

PT Barnum said, "Every cloud has a silver lining." MK Ash said, "Every silver lining has a cloud." Love it or loathe it, cloud computing is another step in the unstoppable progress of technology. In my opinion, it is cheaper and cleaner, quicker and easier, safer and stronger. It is for the reader, however, to make up his or her own mind on the subject.

Computer Forensics Career - What Does a Computer Forensic Investigator Actually Do?

Computer forensics is a division of overall forensic science specifically involved with exploring evidences that are hidden in various digital computing devices. This particular field of study basically retrieves unearthing hidden data from digital storage devices such as hard disks, CD-ROMS, flash memories and cell phones.

Throughout the years, this particular field of study has branched and spread its branch to other fields such as retrieving email files, processing systems and data packets traveling on a network. Generally, any information explaining a sequence of events that can be retrieved from a digital computing device can be used as court evidence.

Currently, technology has been widely exploited in order to commit serious crimes including ID thefts, phishing and other online fraudulent crimes. In order to keep a step ahead of these criminals, various detective and investigative agencies from different countries; have strengthened their forces and prepared them with the expertise to fight such crimes. Firewall forensics, database forensics and network & mobile device forensics are some of the many fields that have emerged out of computer forensics in the last decade.

Normally, an investigation of this area is divided into five broad sections:

• Preparation of an investigation
• Collection of data from digital computing devices
• Examination of the data
• Analysis of the data
• Reporting

Much like any other forensic investigation, evidences based on this particular investigation can be used to charge the culprits in court. Computer forensic investigators normally work in the lab for hours - sometimes they have to stay overnight in the lab looking for important leads in some criminal cases.

What Makes Mobile Applications Development Special

The world currently has a population of around 7 billion people, and among those 7 billion people a good 65 percent of them use mobile phones. In today's technology driven world, one can't seem to survive without owning a cell phone. There are simply so many uses for this wonder of science and modern technology, and it has even become a top priority for people to own at least one mobile phone. Apart from being a useful tool for communicating, cell phones can also serve as mini PC's in the palm of your hand. How, you ask? Well, depending on the current model of your mobile phone it can either have a GPS (Global Positioning System), web browsing capabilities, and wireless technology among other things. Mobile app development has truly changed the way we look at mobile phones and has really added more to this gadget's usefulness.

What Makes It Worthwhile
Mobile app development has truly evolved much over the years and has made one of technology's most practical innovations even more useful. If mobile phones were once restricted to simple calls and text messaging purposes only, they are now used for a variety of purposes. For example, you are not at home or anywhere near a place which has access to a computer. What you would do in this situation is to use your phone's Wi-fi features so that you can access the internet with the push of a button. From here you can send emails, check up on the latest news reports, and even browse your Facebook page.

Speaking of Facebook, many Facebook app developers have designed numerous software applications that allow your phone to instantly connect information to your Facebook account. So let's take for example that you are reading about the latest gossip on your phone and you want to share it with your friends. You could send it to them via e-mail, but that would take a considerable amount of time. So what you can do is to automatically share the news by linking it to your Facebook account. Within a matter of seconds all of your friends will be able to see what you have been reading about through your wall.

Career Opportunities
Great job opportunities await those who have good skills in designing mobile applications. Many companies all over the world are looking for people who are skilled in the field of software application development. There are many employers who are willing to lose a leg just to get the services of people with such talent, and if you are one of those people, then you my friend have a bright future ahead of you. It doesn't matter whether you're a neophyte web developer or a mobile app aficionado because as long as you work on those skills many opportunities will be available for you and your career.

Netbooks, Mini-Laptops Leading the Mobile Computing Proliferation

Netbooks or what are also known as mini-notebooks are the latest ventures in the personal computers arena. Netbooks are attracting attention all over the world because of their miniature attractive size and small price tag. Because of their cheap price tag, people who can't afford typical laptops can now look forward to purchasing netbooks instead. But there are several things which you will have to take into consideration before buying a netbooks. If you love speed, don't go for it, as netbooks are slower.

These mini-notebooks require sufficient performance of the processor in an effort to carry out basic computing tasks like email, spreadsheet, word processing, web browsing and photo editing. Most of the netbooks, however, use Intel Atom processors while the other use processers from VIA.

Owing to their cheap price tag you can't expect mini-notebooks to offer the same plethora of features as compared to laptops. For example, there is no support for optical disk drives like DVDs or CDs and they depend on software which is being supplied over a network or from USB devices. The main purpose of introducing mini-notebooks was to be used along with wireless networks for quick surfing web and sending and receiving emails etc.

Netbooks do not contain any important hard drives and use flash and solid state drives. This results in images, documents and other material having to be stored online which could be retrieved later through the internet. More modern netbooks now have micro drives integrated ranging up to 300GB.

In an effort to make netbooks affordable, manufactures are using smaller screens. The first netbook introduced had a 7 inch screen. But these days' netbooks support up to 11 and 12 inch screens. Companies are still looking to increase their size further during the coming months. Owing to their smaller size the netbooks are lighter in weight, but contain a very small size keyboard which can be uncomfortable if using the keyboard for long periods of time. Most netbooks use Windows XP or Vista 32bit as the hardware performance has yet to give the min-laptops the ability to run 64bit systems. It is hoped that Windows 7 would contain a lighter version made exclusively for min-laptops. However, users can opt for Linux OS also for their min-laptops.

Pricing for Netbooks, Mini Notebooks [http://www.comnauts.com/collections/netbooks-mini-notebooks] range depending on the internal hardware and manufacturers brand, one key thing to mention is the netbook is designed for casual and mobile use and acts much like a highly advanced cell phone. Most netbooks come ready with advanced microphones and camera interfaces built in.

Some of the netbook brands available today are: ACER Aspire One AOD150-1920 10.1" Netbook, Samsung NC10 14-GB 10.2 Inch Blue netbook, HP Mini 1101, MSI Wind U100 etc. min-laptops manufacturers include Lenova, Benq, acer, Samsung, HP, MSI, Sylvania, Asus etc.

Just What Is Mobile Broadband?

Here I am to get rid of people's confusion, as I explain mobile broadband to you!

The road to mobile broadband - how the online world evolved

As we look back on the history of the internet, we can see a constant evolution. Things never stay the same, they move and evolve, fighting to set new standards, to become more than they once were. It really is like evolution, with advancements being made, and the best surviving. And in doing that, the internet has evolved from the lumbering beastie it used to be, into a swift, nimble-footed creature, running like the wind, and following us wherever we go (yep, I know how to stretch a metaphor well past the point where it ceases to be useful!)

It all started, for me, at least, with dialup, using a modem you had to actually take your computer to bits to install. Which was both annoying and painful, if you caught your fingers in the case (as I did EVERY time). Then along came broadband, and the internet got fast. And my god, wasn't it better! So, as broadband evolved, and got faster, we went from modems to wireless routers, and that opened the world's eyes to something cool: using the internet, on a laptop, whilst wireless and moving about was cool. But it was only this year, in 2008, that the idea reached its true potential. Not WiFi... fully mobile broadband.

Mobile Broadband - what we've all been waiting for

2008 is a big year for the internet, because this is the year that mobile broadband goes big time. I'm talking full-on, no-holds-barred world domination. Imagine the wonder of it. No more wires, and going online wherever you want. Oh, it's going to be glorious!

So, why is mobile broadband so good? What makes it achieve a level of brilliance that no other broadband system can match? Well, in truth, there are a couple of factors. First off is obviously the fact that it's completely mobile. With absolutely no need to go hunting down a WiFi hot spot, and no need to have a home landline, it frees up the internet, setting it free from boundaries, so you can carry it round with you wherever you go (probably not in your pocket, though, unles you've got pockets big enough to fit a laptop in...). The second big factor is simply how easy it is to set up. You get the USB Modem, you plug it in, it installs itself, you go online. It's so easy it beggars belief. Compare mobile broadband to any other internet package, and I guarantee it will come off well!

What Makes Mobile Learning Ubiquitous?

ubiq·ui·tous - Pronunciation: \yu-'bi-kwE-tEs\

Function: adjective, Date: 1830, existing or being everywhere at the same time: constantly encountered: widespread "a ubiquitous fashion"

Source: Merriam Webster

The term ubiquitous often appears in conjunction with scholarly articles on mobile and communication devices and more specifically, mobile learning. This article will help us understand more about this term and why it has become so relevant in the field of mobile learning.

Wikipedia states that ubiquitous learning (or u-learning) is equivalent to a form of simple mobile learning, e.g. learning environments that can be accessed in various contexts and situations.

With mobile learning expanding globally, more and more people have begun to experience ubiquitous learning (learning that can happen whenever you need it, however you want it) using their mobile devices.

Features of Ubiquitous Learning

The main characteristics of ubiquitous learning are (Chen et al., 2002; Curtis et al., 2002):

Permanency: Learners can never lose their work unless it is purposefully deleted. In addition, all the learning processes are recorded continuously in everyday.

Accessibility: Learners have access to their documents, data, or videos from anywhere. That information is provided based on their requests. Therefore, the learning involved is self-directed.

Immediacy: Wherever learners are, they can get any information immediately. Therefore learners can solve problems quickly. Otherwise, the learner may record the questions and look for the answer later.

Interactivity: Learners can interact with experts, teachers, or peers in the form of synchronies or asynchronous communication. Hence, the experts are more reachable and the knowledge is more available.

Situating of instructional activities: The learning could be embedded in our daily life. The problems encountered as well as the knowledge required are all presented in the nature and authentic forms. It helps learners notice the features of problem situations that make particular actions relevant.

Adaptability: Learners can get the right information at the right place with the right way.

By looking at the features of ubiquitous learning, it's easier to understand why many consider mobile education to be a form ubiquitous learning.

With the development of mobile learning, the concept of ubiquitous education has become more tangible. While u-learning itself extends beyond known technologies like portable computers and mobile devices, this decade has ushered in the advent of mobile education, considered by many as a vital step towards a truly ubiquitous learning system.

Reference: Chen et al., Curtis et al., 2002, In Young Scientific Research(2) no. 15700516 from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

What Are Mobile Leads?

These are leads generated through mobile web landing pages and mobile applications. Some lead generation companies will create a mobile pay per click campaign that allows the consumer to connect to an agent through their mobile device by simply clicking a button. Another way they generate these leads is through a mobile app they created or rented advertising space on.

Although mobile advertising is not the most known medium for promotion right now it is quickly rising. The returns from these investments are getting better and better as lead generation companies learn the tricks to marketing on a mobile device. Smart phones are becoming more accessible along with mobile internet and consumers are buying them at an all time high. When users become more tech savvy on their mobile devices, they will also be more optimistic towards shopping on the mobile web.

Leads generated through mobile advertising are lower costing leads that have mid level closing ratios. They are a rare find and are targeted to consumers on the go. Products that are cheaper in cost or require less research to buy are your best option. Avoid lead generation companies who make offers that sound too good to be true, because they usually are.

The basic characteristics of a mobile lead are a low cost lead with medium closing ratios. Prospects are usually on the go and don't have access to a computer, they are interested enough to call from their mobile device but not interested enough to give you payment information over the phone quickly. If you cannot sell your product or services without help from the internet or even a pad of paper, these leads may not be recommended for you.

What is Mobile Marketing and How Are Businesses Using This New Media Tool?

In this article I define mobile marketing as mobile messaging to consumers through their cell phones from a brand or business. The communication can come as a voice message, text message, mobile website, Application or email. Text messaging is what I am going to focus on in this article.

Text Messages now outnumber mobile voice calls three to one, according to the Nielsen Company. Consumers are using their mobile devices more as a computer than a traditional cell phone. SMS (Short Message Solutions) or texting is the largest use on a cell phone today. This is also where brands and businesses have the best opportunity to engage their customers or potential customers. Nielsen reports "Monthly messages sent or received jumped to 584 a person in the quarter ending in September 2009, a 60 percent increase from a year earlier."

A shortcode is a commercial phone number that text messages are sent from, they are typically 5 or 6 digits. People have to opt into campaigns in order to receive messages. Spam is strictly prohibited and companies that engage in such activity risk big fines from the Mobile Marketing Association.

If you opt into a text message offer you always have the ability to opt out by sending a text message to the shortcode with STOP. The provider of the mobile marketing campaign will opt your phone number out of their system so that you will no longer receive messages.

The opportunity to send mobile marketing messages to consumers for discounts, coupons, communications and new product offerings is now. Consumers are asking for these sort of offers and brands need to engage them through their Mobile Phones. In the January 4 2010 issue of Advertising Age it states that "32% of holiday shoppers said they were looking to use mobile coupons."

The Residence hotel in Aspen Colorado working with RadioFreeAspen.com and Qittle just did a Mobile Marketing campaign that involved radio ads with a mobile offer that listeners could redeem via a text message opt in. The offer was to win a free weekend getaway to Aspen Colorado by texting in the word ROOM to a shortcode. Everyone that entered was given a voucher for $200 off a weekend stay. Over 50% of the people that opt in called the number in the text message to redeem the offer. The hotel had so many calls that a follow up message was sent with another phone number to direct callers to a second line.

97 percent of all SMS marketing messages are opened (83 percent within one hour), according to the latest cell-carrier research. Mobile marketing is a powerful tool that businesses can use in their marketing efforts, however like email marketing the key is to build a list of people that have opt in and want to hear from you on a regular basis.

Click here to learn more about Qittle Mobile Marketing.

What About Mobile? Mobile Strategies Quickly Becoming Relevant for Businesses

A few years ago, the idea of getting 5% of your orders from mobile devices was unthinkable. But today, some companies are getting that much, if not more, as reported by many presenters at the recent Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition (IRCE) held in mid-June 2011 in San Diego. Mobile devices are quickly becoming a significant factor for companies, and the ones who get it already have business development and marketing teams in place focused strictly on mobile.

Let's look at some numbers. According to Gigaom.com, PayPal is expected to do "$3 billion in mobile payments in 2011." In March 2011, just three months ago, that prediction was "$2 billion." PayPal processes "$10 million a day in mobile transactions, compared to $6 million a day in March 2011." Mobile is growing, and it is growing fast.

But, the majority of companies still are not in the mobile space. At a survey presented to an audience of online retailer executives at IRCE 2011, 77% indicated their company did not have an iPhone app, and a whopping 97% did not have a Windows Phone 7 app. 84% of the audience did not have an Android app either, but 13% planned to release one within the next year.

So, mobile is clearly relevant, as indicated by the PayPal mobile transaction data, but the bulk of companies still are not in the game. If you move quickly, you can beat your competition to this new revenue stream that is quickly gaining momentum.

Businesses can use a number of mobile strategies to drive revenue from mobile devices. The two main strategies most companies focus on are mobile sites and mobile apps. Which is more important? According to experts at IRCE 2011, the short answer is, "both," and the slightly longer answer is, "it depends on your industry."

Let's start with apps. Most companies should have an app at this point, or should be thinking seriously about developing and releasing an app this year. The top two platforms are iPhone and Android. People can argue all day about which is more important, but neither are going away anytime soon, so make apps for both. Apps do a number of things for your business. If you provide the technology, they allow users to place orders and drive business to your company, no matter where the user is at the time. Apps also keep your brand top-of-mind for consumers and establish trusting relationships with customers. Your brand is always in their pocket when they have your app installed.

Mobile sites are typically less playful than apps, but they still allow consumers to connect to your company from anywhere to take action, whether it is placing an order, sending an inquiry, or just browsing products and information for a future transaction.

Also, PayPal isn't the only option in this space in terms of mobile transactions. You can integrate a PayPal checkout option if you want, or use other providers like Google Checkout. Or, you can let people browse products or services via mobile apps or sites, and add items to a cart or mark them for later viewing. Then, people can come back to your site on a computer and complete the order. You can also let people place orders on mobile devices and let them pay for the order when they pick it up, which drives both orders and foot traffic.

Apps and mobile sites need to make things easy and convenient for users. Think about how you can make your customers' lives easier, and design your mobile sites and apps with those ideas in mind. If you can give users a little more convenience in their daily lives, and give them a fun experience in the process, you will be rewarded with higher order volume via mobile devices. 

Gigaom reference: http://www.gigaom.com/2011/06/24/3b-in-mobile-payments-for-paypal-this-year-but-bigger-prize-at-stake/

What Is 'Cloud Computing'?

The name cloud computing comes from the cloud symbol that is often used in flowcharts for representing Internet. Cloud computing defines delivering of the hosted services over the Internet. These services are divided into three categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). This technology is completely focused on providing efficient and centralized computing services. An internet connection along with a central remote server is required in cloud computing in order to maintain data.

Let's have a detailed look on this topic. A cloud can be of two types: Private or Public. A public cloud sells services to anyone on the Internet. For example, Amazon Web Services is the largest public cloud provider. A private cloud, on the other hand, supplies hosted services to a limited number of people. Thus, the goal of cloud computing is to provide easy, scalable access to computing resources and IT services.

As the world is moving ahead towards the growing trend direction, it is very clear that cloud computing will soon be emerging as a big bang for software development companies and soon we will be able to see various providers of the service. This technology mainly covers various IT related services such as computing, storage, networking, system security, application and platform. These services are charged based on the usage.

Some of the future benefits of CC can be listed as:

• Latest technologies will be provided in schools, colleges & universities at an affordable price.
• Start-up business firms don't need to invest on IT infrastructure, instead they can run their business on the Cloud with an office at home.
• Cloud computing even helps a small retailer to send SMS greetings to their customers.
• Multimedia digital content can be distributed to various consumers through cloud at a lower price.

With the help of cloud computing many new areas will be discovered and your computing storage will be outsourced to a Cloud provider. Every Mobile application development company is also using these services to develop customized applications/products.

A simple example of cloud computing is Yahoo or Gmail web-based e-mail services. In order to use these services, we do not require any server or software. Just a simple requirement of internet connection is needed and we get access to our mailbox. We can read as well as send our messages and do many other activities depending upon the functionalities provided by the e-mail service provider. This clearly indicates that how reliable, robust, scalable the usage of cloud computing is. A company can lead to increase in its business sales with reduced costs by using this consumption based model of cloud computing. Without having the need of getting a software license or server installation, merely an internet connection can help get a performance based secured way to fulfill your requirement.

What Is Mobile Advertising?

In the marketing world, mobile advertising is the way of the future. Advertising through this medium is similar to advertising online although the potential target is much greater. In 2009, the number of mobile phones in the world totaled over 4.6 billion. Computers totaled less than a quarter of that. Currently the amount spent on mobile advertising is only around 1% of total advertising budgets. Media for mobile phones is quickly evolving. Approximately 90% of the United States population owns a cell phone according to CTIA, the International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry.

Mobile advertising has really taken off in countries like Spain, France and Japan. In Japan, 44% of mobile phone users click on ads they receive via their phones. The largest mobile advertising company in Japan, D2, announced in November of 2009 that the industry was worth 900 million dollars in their country alone. There are several forms of mobile ads from web banners to SMS advertising to advertising within applications and games. Other forms include audio or video recordings that play while interacting with different services. You can get free instant access to the best mobile marketing newsletter.

According to Mashable, an online guide to social media and one of the top ten blogs worldwide, trends to watch in mobile advertising include:

- Innovations through SMS
- Advancements with rich forms of media like sound, gaming and video
- Mobile applications or mobile websites
- Geo-location as an advertising tool
- The role of mobile video
- Innovations through SMS

Of the available mobile phone models, 98% are capable of short message service, or text messaging. This form of communication is one of the most popular methods in the world. Text messaging is easy to use with a low-cost. There are no applications needed to text another person. Service providers offer a range of options from unlimited plans to plans that give up to 250 messages per month. Even if a person opts out of a text message plan, he or she still is capable to receive a message. Statistics show that in late 2008, the average American user sent 357 text messages per month. Experian reported that text messages are usually read within 15 minutes of being received and responded to within an hour while email messages might go unread for several days.

Advancements with Rich Media

With the number of smartphones saturating the market, rich media will begin to have a stronger foothold in the mobile advertising industry. Consumers prefer engaging, interactive ads, designed through rich media like gaming, sound and video. A drawback to this form of mobile advertising is that skills and time are necessary to create ads. Big companies have the advantage with this media as they are more likely to have the budget and staff capable of tackling this type of advertisement.

Mobile Applications or Mobile Websites In Advertising

Advertisers have to decide if they are going to create a mobile application or a mobile website. Some will opt to do both. Certain factors like operating systems, types of devices, and screen size all play a role in how they will present mobile marketing. Internet giant Google is taking the mobile web road while Apple is going the application route. At this time it is difficult to find out which type of platform consumers will prefer in the future. This causes many issues during the development stage.

In an April 2010 survey conducted by eROI, trends in mobile marketing, less than a third of marketers in the United States consider the mobile marketing experience important to their customers. Only 23% of the respondents reported having an optimized website for a mobile device. An internet trends report by Morgan Stanley estimated that by the year 2014, mobile devices will conduct half of the web browsing done by Americans.

Advertising with Geo-Location

Geo-Location is one of the newer trends in mobile advertising. Applications like Foursquare are place-based programs for smartphones that help consumers find new ways to explore their city. Although there is an interest in this type of marketing, a recent study by Foursquare indicated that only 4% of users have taken advantage of place-based services. Only 1% actually log in to a location once per week.

Some concerns with geo-location based mobile advertising centers around privacy issues. This is also the case for other forms that deal specifically with targeted marketing. When companies customize ads, they use personal behavioral data, user profiles, and other data mind information. Privacy advocates have warned the industry that this may result in privacy infringement. Generally users have to give consent when opening an account for an application. This consent will override many privacy issues. The Mobile Marketing Association has published guidelines to aid marketers but as this is a rapidly growing area, the Association has found it difficult to keep their guidelines current.

The Role of Mobile Video

Internet video consumption has experienced a huge growth with today's internet users. Because of this trend with internet video, marketers assume that mobile video will also experience a huge growth. Cisco, a worldwide leader in networking, believes that the use of video will occupy about 66% of mobile traffic by 2013.

Mobile advertising has definitely caught marketers attention and the amount spent on advertising is growing. Marketers can measure the effectiveness of mobile ad campaigns by the number of views and clicks as well as other interactive tools. Swedish analyst, Berg Insight predicts that by 2014, mobile marketing will represent 11.7% of the total digital advertising market.

Android Operating System is the Future of Mobile Computing and Smartphones

Android Phones

The new Android phones are phones that operate on the Linux Kernal mobile operating System. It was developed by Android Inc, and later purchased by Google. This system enables developers to write managed codes in the java language and control the device with Google developed Java libraries.

The Android Phones are the phones of the future because they combine the ultimate advances in mobile phones, video, cameras, PC's and Navigation systems with multiple applications. The Phase development of the Android Phones started with the first model that had bugs and poor documentation, this was first introduced with the Sake Game-Android Development Phone. Next came the Android SDK it had a debugger, libraries, documentation, and tutorials. The final droid was the Android OS-Donut which added supports like voice search, priced applications and Gmail freeze fixes.

The Android OS system is important in this new system because it allows third party developers to create their own screen widgets. This allows for more applications and more opportunities for the manufacturer. The new Android Phones are being made by Google, Motorola, and HTC, LG, Dell and others breaking into the Smartphone market. The technology that it promises is ground breaking. The Android system acts like a robot, the user tells it what to do and it does it with supposed lightening speed.

The new Android Phones are basically bringing the desktop to the mobile phones. It allows for emailing, instant messaging, and web browsing all at the same time. It can run applications in the background while the user goes to a social network site. It also allows the user to listen to music and write an email at the same time, while talking on the phone. The possibilities are endless; the Android system allows several applications to run at the same time, just as a computer with windows does.

There are thousand of applications available for the Android phones and more are becoming available everyday. With the apps and the ability to multitask without having to shut down one act to do another is the new age of the mobile phones thanks to Goggles Android system. The new Android 2.0 is the latest in the line of Android systems to hit the market. The capabilities and promises are coming true very quickly as 2.0.1 stands ready for release.

Many people enjoy using the Android Phones already and sales have been phenomenal. Everyone wants a system that acts like a PC but is really a phone with all of the capabilities. The technology has just begun and there is more to come.

What is Grid Computing

Grid computing is all about using the untapped resources of computers connected to a network. IBM perhaps defines it most succinctly: Grid computing is applying resources from many computers in a network-at the same time-to a single problem. The development of the World Wide Web revolutionized the way we think about and access information. We really don't think twice anymore about logging on to the web and pulling up information on almost any topic imaginable. What the Web did for information, Grid computing aims to do for computation. Grid computing is really the next logical evolution of the Internet.

The Internet began with TCP/IP and networking; then came communication with e-mail, followed by information sharing with the World Wide Web. Next will be the advent of grid computing, the sharing of actual computer resources, such as memory, storage, and processing power. It is almost mind boggling to imagine the types of applications that could be developed if access to distributed supercomputers, mass storage and vast memory were as straightforward as access to the web. So there are several ways of looking at Grid Computing: as a way to connect the computational power of all the big computers together and give access to companies and academia alike; as a way to connect ALL the computers both big and small and derive computational efficiencies (think peer-to-peer networks); as the next logical step in providing a computational platform for Web Services; as a business on demand or computing as a utility model which IBM and others are touting. All of the above are in effect true.

Through a variety of different means and technologies, computers will learn to share each other's processors, storage and memory, much as they share communications and information today, and applications will take advantage of these resources. While we are far from realizing the full effects that Grid computing will bring, it is upon us and there are both short-term and long-term ramifications for the enterprise.

The actual brains of the computers will be connected, not just the arteries. This means that users will begin to experience the Internet as a seamless computational universe. Software applications, database sessions, and video and audio streams will be reborn as services that live in cyberspace. Once plugged into the grid, a desktop machine will draw computational power from all the other machines in the grid. The Internet itself will become a computing platform. Grid computing is the next logical step for the Internet to take.

What is Mobile Content?

The uses of mobile phones have grown in leaps and bounds since the early 90s and consequently its importance in daily life has developed too. The mobile phone is now used for various activities like making calendar appointments, sending and receiving messages, listening to music, watching or taking videos, cashing coupon codes for online purchases, connecting to the internet, the list is endless. The mobile content is any medium that is made use of in a mobile phone like their ring tones, graphics, games, etc.

At the same time mobile content can also mean the matter or the multimedia that is put up on the various websites. They can be regular pages on the internet or alternatively they can be mobile pages. Mobile content using text messaging is even now the most widely used means of sending messages to consumers and it is even today considered the most efficient method of attracting the targeted audience. But it is vital to utilize the correct providers to ensure proper functioning.

The new age phones have the Blue-tooth built into it enabling videos to be sent from mobile to mobile and the benefit is that there are no data charges for it. The leading marketers for mobile content are Japan and South Korea followed closely by Europe, but it is still catch up in Canada and the US. Some of the most popular mobile contents are Musical Ring tones, Poly Tones, Mobile Videos, Mobile Phone Games, Animations, and Wallpaper.

Mobile games are those that permit you to play a game on your hand held set and the major games in their order of preference include puzzles, arcade games, action or adventure games, cards, Word games and sports or racing. Many researches show that it is mostly women who buy and play mobile games.

Mobile images are typically used as wallpaper or screen savers and in many cell phones, you can set the phone such that images display the callers. Mobile music is an audio file that can be played on your mobile and is usually in MP3 format. Another form of mobile music is the full track download of a complete song that can be played on your mobile phone. You can buy these over the mobile network, but are exorbitantly priced. You could also download the song by first downloading it on to your computer and get it transferred on to your cell phone by means of Bluetooth technology.

Mobile videos are available in various formats like MPEG4, 3GPP, RTSP, and Flashlite. Another mobile phone content is the Mobishow which is a series that has been specifically got ready for mobile viewing. Some Mobishows are 'The Ashes' and 'The Paparazzi Show'. You can also see live video shows that can be streamed and sent to other mobile phones by making use of certain applications like Qik and the Wi-Fi.

Mobile content delivery systems are beginning to get patented with promises to improve the capability and speed of the use of application content. With the number of mobile phone users on the increase more and more people are utilizing their mobile phones to access online data and other correlated material, making the use of mobile phone content more indispensable.

Mobile Marketing - What Is Mobile Marketing?

Mobile marketing is essentially taking advantage of the popularity of cell phones (especially smartphones) to make money. It is a subset of internet marketing, which uses web-based advertising. Mobile marketing advertisements are also viewed over the internet, but on a phone browser rather than a computer.

There are many advantages to this. Primarily, there are many more people using cell phones to access the internet than there are using computers. This means any form of cell phone marketing will reach a higher number of people. In addition, getting your ads on smartphone apps, mobile sites, and cell phone browsers is far cheaper than doing the same on computers.

In addition to lower costs and a larger audience, marketing on smartphones also has virtually no competition for most of the highest paying terms. This means that you make more money in a shorter amount of time when compared to other methods.

If you have been looking to make money online, mobile marketing is one way to do it that will introduce you to all of the basic principles of internet marketing without the cost, complications, and competition. If you're someone who is already making money online, mobile marketing is a way to simplify and diversify what you are currently doing.

In short, mobile marketing provides a money making opportunity to the experienced and inexperienced alike. It involves utilizes the popularity of smartphones and other types of cell phones to make a profit. Because of the low cost and lack of competition, it is a good option for anyone looking for a new method to make money online.

What Convenience Mobile Broadband Offers

In today's fast paced world, communication is of utmost importance and has become a necessity. Mobile Broadband offers you high speed Internet access on the go, which means it lets you go online no matter what your location is and regardless of the time of the day. Now you can e-mail official files to associates while you are on the move. All the major cellular networks offer the services of mobile-broadband.

Mobile Broadband is very convenient for users and has countless benefits. If you have a mobile-broadband, then you don't need a room for surfing the Internet or a computer for that matter. There are no hotspots needed and the mobile-broadband can be accessed through the mobile phone network, which are mostly 3G. So as opposed to Wi-Fi, you get instant connectivity, mobility and convenience. This means that you can now connect to the Internet no matter where you are, and work at any time while being on the go.

Another great convenience that mobile-broadband offers is that now you don't have to take around a lot of gadgets with you. Even if you have your laptop and mobile, you can do all your work - online or offline. This is because with your mobile phone and its broadband, you can connect the mobile to a computer and use mobile's broadband on your computer as well, by making your mobile phone as a modem.

All these new technologies and connectivity has brought about a revolution in wireless Internet technology. Mobile broadband isn't very expensive either, costing equally as that of a DSL cable connection for your computer. Though we can question the speed of mobile-broadband which can be slower than regular DSL cable connection. If you want to use your computer to work on the Internet, you can always connect the mobile to the computer via USB data cable or Bluetooth or a modem router.

The coverage of mobile-broadband is great. Mobile-Broadband is also known as Wireless Wide Area Network. As long as there is a signal on your mobile, you can be sure that you are going to get good coverage of mobile-broadband. This also means that you can work on your computer on the Internet using mobile-broadband even if standard broadband Internet is not available in that area.

Mobile-broadband means that you don't even have to get a landline if you don't want it. You can use your mobile phone for all kinds of communication whether it is data or voice.

Upon starting a contract, you don't have to pay any excessive fees for connections and can enjoy your mobile broadband by paying only when you use Internet. In addition, there are a lot of options and facilities that mobile broadband offers and the standard broadband doesn't.

The installation of mobile broadband is hassle free and as soon as you plug your mobile into your computer, the software for connecting to the Internet is automatically installed. This saves you from carrying around additional software and hardware.

What is Cloud Computing? Life and Business Online

The way that we use technology not only in our work lives, but also in our everyday lives have changed dramatically over the past several years. We can now run our lives from our laptops and cell phones, and the concept behind this shift is popularly referred to as Cloud Computing. Even if you have never heard this term before it is likely that it has changed the way you manage your free time and work life. So what is Cloud Computing and what affect will it have on both the future of technology and on our lives?

What is the Cloud?

Cloud Computing is more of a concept than an actual technology. It is the idea that has lead to an increase in software and applications that are used via the internet or a mobile network rather than directly on your computer through traditional software. This includes email, contact lists, and personal calendars. It also includes office software and media files such as music and video. The most common form that these types of applications are available is through packages of online services that are designed to make accessing your information and data anywhere any time easy and live.

Some Popular Cloud Computing Applications

There are several major technology companies that offer online suites for syncing all your devices. Here are the most popular options.

APPLE'S MOBILEMe

MobileMe is Apple's answer to Cloud Computing and it allows you to sync up your computer, iPhone, iPod and even the new iPad so that all your files and media are available to you all the time. It includes the ability to update your email, contacts and calendar on all these devices in real time, and stores your data on an online drive called your iDisk. It even offers a feature to help you find you portable devices through GPS should you lose them.

THE GOOGLE CLOUD

Google is a leader not only on the World Wide Web, but also in Cloud Computing. Their integration solution is referred to as Google Cloud and includes their popular email application Gmail as well as Google docs. What is great about Google's Cloud Computing applications is that not only are they available on your personal devices, they can be accessed on any computer in the world. To use these applications all you need is a free Google account.

WINDOWS LIVE

If you primarily use Microsoft products and software then the Windows Live option may be the best for seamlessly integrating all your documents and devices. It includes your email, instant messenger, and your calendar, just to name a few. A unique feature of the Windows Cloud Computing option is SkyDrive which allows you to save all your passwords securely and access them remotely; a useful tool given the number of passwords we need in the Web 2.0 world.

If you haven't already jumped on the Cloud Computing bandwagon you will likely be compelled to in the near future--if not for the abundance of space and resources available online, then for the sheer convenience of having all your data at the touch of your fingertips. And by using one of these popular and easy to setup options you can be linked up in no time!