Editorial

Olympic Park Legacy to fuel IT jobs growth in London

The London Olympics seems like a dim and distant memory for most of us, but for those in charge of the redevelopment of the Olympic Park in Stratford, London, the enormous job is only just beginning.

Seb Coe and the London Organising Committee (LOCOG) built their bid for the London Olympics on a promise of building a lasting legacy for London and in particular the Stratford area. One of the first key challenges for the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is therefore now to attract businesses to the area to take over the occupancy of the buildings within the park.

One of the most successful elements of London 2012 was the public transport system operated during the games; for the first time, many Londoners realised how well connected Stratford is to the rest of the capital. As well as an enormous new bus station, Stratford is served by: two of the main tube lines; the DLR; the Overground; and also National Rail services. This is something that the Legacy Committee is sure to drive home to prospective business tenants.

The impressive transport links are not the only benefit in businesses considering a move Eastwards; the Mayor of London’s ‘Super Connected City Plan’ is another key attraction. The plan focuses on East London and the introduction of ‘affordable ultrafast fibre broadband connectivity to 100% of SMEs, businesses and residents from Shoreditch expanding east towards the Olympic Park and then South to Canning Town’ (GLA, London Super Connected City Plan).

Transport, the advanced broadband facilities and the close proximity to Shoreditch’s ‘Tech City’ all indicate that many of the new companies setting up home in the area are expected to be IT, digital and technology companies creating more employment and IT jobs in London.

Gavin Poole is chief executive of iCITY, the company selected by the LLDC for the legacy use of the Press and Broadcast Centres on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. He firmly believes that the site has the potential to generate jobs and promote innovation in the Stratford area:

“The press and broadcast centre is one of the most digitally connected buildings in the world, providing an almost unlimited bandwidth connectivity. With the flourishing digital and creative industries sector just up the road, iCITY will extend the thriving technology cluster in east London onto the Olympic Park, creating over 6,500 jobs in the local communities and adding £460million to the national economy,” he said.

The Olympic sponsors are involved in ensuring that a legacy of prosperity is brought to the area. The IT sponsor, Cisco, is involved in ensuring an IT workforce is created in the Olympic Park. As part of a five-year “Building a brilliant future” plan that started with London 2012, Cisco has increased the number of its networking academies with a view to improving technology education.

Neil Crockett, Managing Director of Public Sector, Cisco UK & Ireland, said: “We’re providing skills and an environment in which hi-tech entrepreneurship can thrive and will help the economy.”

The idea behind this idea is that local students will be exposed to technology at a young age, giving them the experience and necessary skills to work and thrive in the IT sector.

It looks like the golden glow that surrounded Stratford during July and August is set to continue for a long time into the future and, in turn, potentially encourage the UK to produce some of the brightest future technology entrepreneurs.

Posted by: Matt

Free AntiVirus Software That’s Better than Norton

Antivirus software is used to protect computers from Internet hackers, viruses and malware. Titles such as Norton AntiVirus are popular but require an annual subscription fee. However, there are several free antivirus titles available, which could be better alternatives than paying for Norton.

Pros And Cons Of Free Antivirus Software

Pros

When you use free anti-virus software, you can choose from a variety of titles to find the one that works best for you. Each software title has its own advantages and disadvantages. When you are able to compare software at no cost, then you can make the right choice for your situation.

Another advantage to using free anti-virus software is you are not obligated to stick with one title while other titles are offering upgrades. If you see that a free piece of software has released an upgrade that exceeds the functionality of your software, then you are able to make the switch without cost.

TfL Shelves Mobile Tracking System Project: Why is it a Setback?

As discussed on the UK blog on mobile phone tracking trackingmobile.co.uk, the announcement that the TfL is actively considering using a mobile phone tracking system brought in a lot of cheers and excitement amongst those who have been actively propagating the implementation of this system and have been quite excited about its future potentials. However, a spokeswoman later announced after the start of the Olympic Games that the TlF has decided to shelve the proposal only saying that they did not go ahead with it. The London Olympics were a major event that attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and provided a great opportunity for the administrators of the city to showcase that London is still amongst the finest cities of the world, celebrating its legacy as the  former capital of the largest empire the world has ever seen, despite a lot of setbacks over the past many years.

What speculators had expected was the introduction of a GSM based system which has been used widely by government authorities from around the world in the past. Mobile phone tracking software have been developed for basic level use in the past, however, it has also been used by intelligence agencies from around the world. A very basic level technology has also been used by animal welfare organizations and zoologists during experimentation and detecting the migratory patterns of various animals. While the idea of uses might sound very divergent, but it goes on to say that this technology has a lot of potential for growth considering its very wide scope.

At the end of the day, the implementation of this system could have had highlighted the fact that London remains one of the most advanced cities of the world and allowed experts to review the reach of the system itself. This would have helped them overcome any shortfalls and London itself could have been the first cities to establish such a system which is expected to be used widely in the future by major cities for managing their traffic problems. In fact, Beijing is already considering using such a system for better management of the traffic there, and would soon introduce a mobile surveillance system to ease congestion.

Posted by: Matt

Have mobile phones made the landline redundant?

In the last decade, mobile phone use has outstripped the use of landlines in a similar manner to email’s conquest of physical mail. However, the advantages of mobile phones over landlines are not as clear cut as one might imagine.

Mobile Benefits
The most obvious reason that mobile phones have surged ahead is their convenience. The ability to make or receive calls wherever you are, using a dedicated handset and payment plan, removes the need to wait by the phone, use expensive payphones or share a line between a whole household or business.

Other benefits of mobiles tend to come in the form of non-vocal functions. Although some landline-based phones can process text-based communications, mobiles are streets ahead in this field. Texting is one of the most widely-used forms of communication in Britain, particularly among the under-25s, and the ability to send and receive emails and social networking communications instantly is also a huge bonus, as well as being particularly vital for those who are deaf or have other issues with standard telephones.

Landline Positives
There are still several reasons why it is useful to have a dedicated landline in your home or office. Being able to plan to calls with the appropriate materials to hand to make notes, reference previous communications, or access a calendar or clock during a call when making arrangements for meetings or deadlines are all useful arguments for having a dedicated phone line. You can also arrange to have your landline in a quiet space, something that is often sadly missing when making or taking mobile calls on the move.

In addition, fixed phone line costs are now generally very low, especially if deals that include evening and/or weekend calls are taken into account, so a landline can be a money saver for people who make lots of voice calls. Landlines are also more likely to allow free or low-cost use of numbers with special prefixes such as 0800 or 0870, allowing companies to subsidise clients’ contact with them. Companies who utilize a business phone service have reported lower business costs than those who didn’t.

Because landlines are not usually accessible 24/7 in the same way as mobiles, they can free you from some of the tension that many people have of being “on call” all day, every day. Answering machines for landlines are usually relatively inexpensive and can be customized in terms of allowing various types of messages or callbacks. They are also very reliable, because they are not dependent on your service provider forwarding messages.

In short, landlines are by no means redundant; rather, they have become useful for specialist tasks for which mobile phones are not so effective and for those occasions when economy is more important than ubiquity.

Posted by: Matt

The Evolution of the Television

With the advancements in television over the years, we have gone from big and bulky to sleek and sophisticated in an amazingly short space of time. When televisions were first made available to the public, they were huge ungainly items with tiny screens. People eagerly sat around, watching history unfold before their eyes. It must have been amazing to experience such events for the first time, even on a tiny black and white screen.

And it seems that time has flown between the enormous units of bygone eras and the large glossy flat screens of the modern world. The miniature monochrome windows onto the world have become gloriously colourful and smooth widescreen panels, where almost impossibly superb images dance before our eyes. It’s hard to imagine what the pioneers of television would think if they could see the TVs of today.

There are even 3D and LED versions available, such as the range of Sharp TVs at K&Co. Three-dimensional televisions have opened up a new world of visual pleasure. In the past, the only place to see 3D films was at the cinema. And even then, the wearing of seemingly ludicrous cardboard glasses with coloured lenses was essential to viewing the images. 3D technology has come so far in today’s world that you can watch 3D TV and films at home, and the cinema’s screens have developed to such an extent that they have you literally jumping in your seat as you are drawn into the images. There are even 70 inch televisions to give you a truly cinematic feel in your own home – just add popcorn!

Some TVs have full high definition capability. And with USB and internet connectivity, the television has experienced a revolution, with innovations that bring crisp and clear images to our eyes with ease.

The TV can even act as your personal jukebox, with a huge variety of visual and music channels available over cable and satellite channels. After years of having to choose between a handful of channels, it can sometimes feel like there is an overwhelming amount of entertainment vying for our attention. But that’s certainly no bad thing – there’s always something to suit everyone.

It’s interesting to see what’s going to come next. What more can the wonders of the television bring us?

Back in My Day Mobile Phones Cost £2,500

The Phenomenon of Shrinking Cell Phones

Mobile phones are everywhere. And yet, most of us act like they have always been there. Mobiles have become an indispensable communication tool because they can do so much and are so portable. Cell phone “shrinking” is an interesting by-product of the mobile phone industry.

“Shrinking” has two related definitions that operate on two fronts in the mobile industry: First, as mobile phones get increasingly smaller, manufacturers are increasing speed, adding new applications and improving connectivity. Consumers love it. The second part of the shrinking phenomenon is motivated by phone service cost. The mobile industry is introducing new and more costly prepaid contracts that replace plans based simply on minutes used. Providers have found that consumers are spending as much – if not more – time using mobiles to connect the Internet rather than talking. As new plans are introduced, consumers are taking a long hard look at their service plans to “shrink” costs and get the best pricing for the services they use.

Experts offer some suggestions to consider when looking at the new prepaid plans:

Samsung Galaxy SIII Outsells Competition

It’s official that the Samsung Galaxy SIII is the most pre-ordered mobile phone in history. The last pre-order figures before release had topped a stunning 9 million handsets.

The pre-order numbers have probably benefitted from the new JUMP contracts (which stand for Just Update My Phone) and allow customers to switch between mobile phone deals, service providers and the latest models with minimum fuss. The Galaxy SIII is being called the ‘iPhone killer’, and in the UAE it’s even being subsidised.

The phone has received positive feedback overall. It’s been praised for being comfortable to hold in the hand, despite its large screen size. The 1.4Ghz quad core processor is also touted to be incredibly fast and indeed this is one of the Galaxy’s leading new features. Indeed perhaps the only thing that seems to be worth criticising is the battery cover, which remains as thin and plasticky as it did in other models. This has become something of a running joke with the Galaxy models and it’s a design flaw that Samsung just can’t seem to find a way around.

In the US, AT&T will be carrying a special edition red version of the phone but it will not be offering customers the 32GB version, leading to some speculation of a compromise. The phone is yet to launch in the US, and other regions will only be carrying the standard Marble White or Pebble Blue editions.

Meanwhile, Samsung continues to hit home runs with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate. The Exhilarate phone will features 80% consumer recycled material and has an incredibly efficient charging system that alerts the users when the phone has sufficiently charged. It has also been certified by UL Environment. Samsung is currently on a winning streak of establishing itself as an innovator in the mobile market.

Are 24 month contracts good value for money?

The answer quite simply is no. No 24 month contract, whatever you get with it, is worth being stuck into for two years. I myself have an iPhone 4S 16gb on Three’s One plan and I damn near had a heart attack when I discovered the cost of my contract (including the £99 cost of the phone) is £940 over the two year period. To get the same phone via PAYG with a sim 600 ‘All-you-can-eat data’ plan I’d be £260 better off in my pocket.

For my £35 a month I get All-you-can-eat data, 2,000 minutes, 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes and 5,000 texts. It all sounds okay but if like me you don’t really text or call people and use the internet side of things more you are paying for things you don’t actually want. Also throw in the fact no phone is bullet proof and will start showing signs of failure before the 24 month period is over.

A lot of providers now do sim only options which can either be a one month rolling plan or a twelve month contract. These can offer better value for money and save you being tied to the same phone for such a long period of time.

Below is a comparison of a 24 month and a 12 month contract including a PAYG Blackberry 9320 on the Three network:

High speed broadband for all

Cable internet is a type of broadband internet access which uses optical fibre rather than copper telephone lines or wireless. It uses the same infrastructure as is used to provide cable television and it is generally bundled for the user in the form of cable TV and internet packages.

The principal advantage of cable internet over internet provided over telephone lines, for instance using ADSL, is the connection speed. Whilst ADSL is pushed to provide broadband speeds much in excess of 10 Mbps (Megabits per second), cable can provide broadband speeds over and order of magnitude faster. 100 Mbps is currently available to many users and 200 Mbps and even 300 Mbps is expected to be available in the not too distant future. Even those speeds are not the limit either; eventually cable internet users can anticipate speeds of 1 Gbps or even higher.

The problem with cable internet is that it is not available to everyone, particularly for people who live in more rural locations. Around 80% of homes in the UK are able to receive cable and although the number is growing on a daily basis, it will be some time before cable is capable of generally replacing copper.

If you are unfortunate to live in an area that does not have cable broadband or does not seem to be getting it in the foreseeable future, then your only options are ADSL or wireless. Fortunately ADSL technologies are much better than just a few years ago. ADSL2+ is the latest innovation in broadband access over copper lines, and it is capable of delivering broadband speeds of up to 25 Mbps, but again not for all users. The broadband speed falls off with the distance between the provider and user, and if you are very remote from the provider then your speed will be very limited.

There are plans afoot to improve broadband access to rural areas using wireless technology. When the switch over from analogue to digital TV has been completed, the radio frequency bands currently used for analogue TV will be licences to mobile network suppliers for 4G mobile communications. Some of the lower end frequencies will be used for reaching rural users and the higher end for urban users. Theoretically this should mean that high speed broadband will become available to all, and speeds as high as 1 Gbps are being talked about; however from experience with current 3G connectivity, the reality of broadband speeds always seem to fall far short of the theoretical.

If it seems unfair that urban dwellers are not able to access the same sort of broadband speeds that are available in larger conurbations, then that it because it is unfair. As all of our lives and businesses become increasingly dependent on high speed broadband we are in danger of creating a two speed economy, which can’t be good for the economic and social future of the UK.

New iPad on sale today

Unless you have been living in a cave you cant fail to have noticed that the New iPad does indeed go on sale today. Those that pre-ordered for delivery should start receiving theirs anytime now while those queuing outside Apple stores world-wide will have a few more hours to wait.

So any of you guys out there waiting for yours? Thoughts?

Tracy and I are expecting a nice UPS delivery (subject to them being bothered to show up) later today and I shall, of course, have a unboxing video for you all to enjoy as soon as I get it.

Posted by: Matt