Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Juicy predictions for '09

OK, it's that time of year again. A new year coming up and predictions being made. Of course, the economy is uncertain and there will likely be more failures. However, the tech industry will continue to see more innovations, and many of the existing trends - like cloud computing and Saas - will continue to develop. Computerworld put together a team to make their annual predictions and here are the interesting results. Juicy predictions for '09

Monday, December 29, 2008

Facebook, MySpace Could Boost Location-Based Services -- Social Networks -- InformationWeek

Location based services, like finding friends, local area searching and commerce and geographic services are positioned to boom through the use of social networks on mobile phones, a booming phenomenon in itself. It has the potential for the rise of new business models, where companies cater to the travelling public for increased business while they are in the area. Facebook, MySpace Could Boost Location-Based Services -- Social Networks -- InformationWeek

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Technology Review: RFID's Security Problem

As the use of RFID grows, people are becoming more aware of the considerable security risks that they carry with them. The new enhanced driver's licences and passport cards issued by the US Government are good examples of these shortcomings. Technology Review: RFID's Security Problem

Thursday, December 18, 2008

E-Commerce News: Internet Fraud: Are Banks Short-Changing You on Security?

Convenience and low transaction costs have led to high volumes of internet based stock trading. There is a downside, though, (aside from the downer market these days) and that is security risk. Large sums of money are often involved, and so people buying and selling stock online need to be aware of security concerns, both at the host they are using, usually a bank, and on their own systems. Yes, clearing caches, using secure networks (definitely not those unsecured wireless ones at hotels and airports) and maintaining good security configuration on your laptop are all important. E-Commerce News: Internet Fraud: Are Banks Short-Changing You on Security?: "Buying and selling via the Internet is the most common form of trading stock -- and the most vulnerable. With so much money changing hands through the Internet, bank security risk is critically high."

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Study: Mobile phones to be primary Internet device by 2020

Study: Mobile phones to be primary Internet device by 2020: "By 2020, mobile phones will be the primary Internet devices for most people in the world, according to a panel of experts, who also predict that Web technologies will probably not lead to increased social tolerance.
'The mobile phone -- now with significant computing power -- [will be] the primary Internet connection and the only one for a majority of the people across the world,' the Pew Internet & American Life Project writes in a new 'Future of the Internet' report. 'Telephony [will be] offered under a set of universal standards and protocols accepted by most operators internationally, making for reasonably effortless movement from one part of the world to another.'"

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Business Technology : What's Edge Caching?

Edge Caching is an emerging method of getting content to consumers faster. It involves running multiple servers designed to distribute to particular consumer groupings. It gives large companies like Google an advantage because of their size and resources.
Business Technology : What's Edge Caching?: "At the heart of today’s much-discussed story on Google and net neutrality is “edge caching,” the practice of putting content (especially videos and other bandwidth-hogging data) closer to consumers.
The idea is that edge caching lets you pull up, say, the President George W. Bush shoe-attack clip faster, since others in your network have presumably already watched it. Internet-service providers like it because it minimizes bottlenecks on their pipelines."

Monday, December 15, 2008

E-Commerce News: SaaS: Where Will the Cloud Take Your Enterprise?

Cloud computing has been taking the world of business by storm, setting a direction for applications development and infrastructure that promises to last. Basically using the internet for an infrastructure, and offering applications through "Software as a Service" (SAAS), cloud computing offers advantages in infrastructure cost, flexibility and scalability. It also removes many of the dificulties associated with running applications in house, such as installation and maintenance activities. No wonder it is popular, and will be especially so in a world of tightening budgets. E-Commerce News: SaaS: Where Will the Cloud Take Your Enterprise?

Thursday, December 04, 2008

globeandmail.com: Reality returns to the Internet

Every new technology needs to go through its hype stage, just like every new fad or najor new change in society. A very big fad in recent years has been the delusion that anyone can now publish to the world, that blogs and similar publishing vehicles will take over from professional journalism and the news media. True, some blogs have from time to time scooped the traditional media, but this is not a regular occurance. And even if they do, can they really be relied on for objective journalism?

The fact is, expertise matters. Professionalism matters. Good writing matters. And so things like amateur blogs and websites have their place, but they can't compete head to head with the professionals. Gradually, the hype diminishes. Reality sets in. And the new vehicles of communications find their true place in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully this is happening with the internet. It's time the hype cycle settled down.
globeandmail.com: Reality returns to the Internet

Monday, December 01, 2008

E-Commerce News: Internet Fraud: Old Threats Are New Again: Security Tips for the Holiday Season

The holiday season brings on a wave of cybercrime, as people take to more online shopping. although online shopping seems to be down this year so far, it still is large and will generate the same bump in online crime. Many of the techniques to be used are simply restyled old ones, but there are some newer approaches as well. This article explains: E-Commerce News: Internet Fraud: Old Threats Are New Again: Security Tips for the Holiday Season