Still remember the days when you firing up your 200Mhz turbo PowerPC, dialling up using your 56k modem, waiting an age for your hotmail page to show up, waiting some more to check your e-mails only to have your connection die just as you hit the send button! Now the time has change!

Looking back at those time it’s funny, once you’ve used broadband you quickly forget how painful the dial up connection was. Yes, I have been through those time. However these days there’s no way I could do without my broadband connection.

Broadband is everywhere and broadband is well and truly here to stay. It is of course a logical progression – streaming audio and video demand much higher bandwidth and broadband connections are the only way to achieve anything which is at all usable.

Latest survey showed that 53% of Americans who use the Internet now use a broadband connection. What they failed to point out is that obviously this means remaining percentage still use a dial up connection. This actually equates to around 60 million people. These kind of statistics are mirrored in other developed countries. When you consider a large chunk of the developing world still uses dial up then you realize that’s an awful lot of people still using a slow Internet connection.

So have you ever thought to speed up your dial up connection. Is it possible?

Well actually yes it is. There are quite a few services online these days allowing you to “accelerate” your dial up connection. This Internet accelerator claims to be able to increase the speed of your dial-up connection as much as six or seven times.

First of all, before you scream with delight at this prospect I should point out right now that these accelerator services are not high speed broadband Internet services. They use a different kind of technology. It is based on the same idea as things like zip files and mp3 files. These files use a compression algorithm to dramatically reduce the file size.

Internet accelerators work in the same way and most providers have also implemented a caching technology whereby they store local copies of popular web sites. These local copies are pre compressed and can be sent to the user very quickly. The user has a piece of software sitting on their PC which decompresses the data as it comes in. This is how the dramatic speed increases are achieved.

Many people have reported great success with this system. Some people even compare it with the broadband services itself.

So while this is a really good thing for basic web pages, the technology falls down as soon as you start working with large video or audio files etc. Since an mp3 file is already compressed there’s not much more compression that can be done and so the Internet accelerator has little effect. Plus many services have a file size limit meaning they will not even attempt to compress anything as big as a regular pop music mp3 file.

But if you’re just loading up normal web pages without too much flash animation and all the other bells and whistles, then I highly recommend you get yourself an accelerated service. If your ISP doesn’t offer it there are plenty that do so vote with your feet and check out some of these excellent services.

Just search Google or Yahoo for more information about the accelerator. Just type in “dial up accelerator” or something like “speed up my dial up connection“. You’ll find lots of providers ready to supply you with service.

Some popular services in the USA are NetZero and Earthlink. In the UK you want to be taking a look at someone like Mistral or Onspeed.com

Overview

The TomTom app on your iPhone 3GS or iPhone 3G puts award-winning technology at your fingertips, like IQ Routes which gives you the smartest, most efficient route any time of day. That’s just the beginning. Combine it with the TomTom Car Kit to experience enhanced GPS performance for the ultimate in-car navigation.

TomTom Car Kit features

Secure docking
TomTom’s specially designed, award-winning EasyPort mount attaches your iPhone securely to your windscreen or dashboard – perfectly within reach. It lets you rotate the screen for widescreen route display. And it folds flat for easy moves from car to car.

Enhanced GPS performance
The TomTom car kit’s built-in receiver increases the GPS performance of your iPhone to give you a truly reliable signal – even in high-rise urban areas.

Clear voice instructions
With the built-in volume controls and superior speaker, you’ll hear every voice instruction loud and clear – so you’ll never miss a thing.

Easy charging
Dock your iPhone 3GS in the mount to charge it as you drive, so it’s always fully charged and ready to go.

Hands-free calling
Receive calls without taking your eyes off the road, using the built-in extra-sensitive microphone and speaker. And the app automatically starts navigating again as soon as the call ends.

Your music on the move
With the audio out connector you can play all your favorite songs through your car’s audio system with the optional audio cable*. It even fades music out when receiving calls and giving directions.
* Requires compatible car audio system

Tap and go
Using the multi-touch display on your iPhone 3GS or 3G, you can tap your way from A to B – so you get all the best routes. Scroll through the menu, or pinch to zoom in and out on a map.

Go your own way
See your route, your way. Simply rotate from portrait to landscape to get an easier view of the road ahead.

Meet friends and find a place to eat
Find an entry in your iPhone contacts list, and the TomTom app directs you there. Or choose a restaurant, call to reserve your table, then follow the directions.

The smartest routes
The shortest route isn’t always the fastest. TomTom IQ Routes always gives you the most efficient route. It’s the only app that uses the driving experiences of millions of drivers to base routes on actual road speed data.

The world at your fingertips
Always be prepared. The TomTom app comes with an up-to-date, detailed map – and you can add worldwide locations to suit you.

Technical Specifications

Audio out: 3.5 mm
Volume control: Yes
Portrait/Landscape support: Yes
Windscreen and dashboard mounting: Yes
iPhone charging via CLA: Yes
Dimensions: 5.17 x 2.7 x 1.96 in./131.43 x 68.68 x 49.86 mm
Weight: 4.13 oz./117 g

by Mark Walsh

Google’s proposed $750 million acquisition of AdMob looks at first glance like a move sure to extend its online ad dominance to the mobile realm. But Google isn’t the first major Internet player to gobble up a mobile ad network to gain an early advantage in the space. In 2007, AOL bought Third Screen Media and Microsoft acquired European-based mobile ad company Screen Tonic.

As with Google’s bid for AdMob, analysts hailed the Third Screen purchase as a validation of mobile marketing efforts. But neither the Third Screen or Screen Tonic deals have made AOL or Microsoft the giants of mobile advertising. In the case of Third Screen, the departures of key executives including founder and CEO Tom Burgess following the acquisition probably didn’t help the company sustain momentum.

“You have to find a way of keeping key personnel at these companies or finding people who are roughly as capable,” noted Roger Entner, senior vice president and head of research and insights for the telecom practice at the Nielsen Company. “AOL bought Third Screen Media and everyone left.”

Both Google and AdMob have assured that won’ t happen following the closing of their deal. “Attracting the world’s top engineering talent and people with entrepreneurial vision to Google has always been crucial to our success,” said Vic Gundotra, Vice President of Engineering at Google.

And for his part, AdMob founder and CEO Omar Hamoui in a blog post yesterday wrote: “The best part of all this is what’s next. We are not going away.” Time will bear out whether he keeps that promise.

Entner said he expects the Google-AdMob deal more of the big traditional Web companies to pursue mobile acquisitions to keep pace. But he stressed that simply snapping up a promising mobile startup doesn’t guarantee success. “You have to execute very well,” he said. “[Mobile] is a vibrant, ongoing engagement, so you have to keep working at it.”

Sony Ericsson Aino combines a  conventional keypad with an intuitive touchscreen interface when in media mode. It has 8.1 megapixel camera and software called Media Go that converts multimedia content to be compatible with Aino. The scrolling media browsers give users clear over-view and direct access to their files. The Aino also bundles with a dock that enables users to transfer content stored in the PC to the phone using WiFi. Another cool feature of Aino is that it can seamlessly access and control content like movies and music stored in a PS3 using feature called Remote Play.

Product Features

• 8.1 megapixel camera; Image and video stabilizer
• Networks: GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSPA 850/900/2100
• Memory card support: SanDisk microSD
• Talk time GSM: Up to 13 hrs
• GPS, Bluetooth, Wifi, Google Maps, Modem, Facebook, Youtube

Other Technical Details

• Picture messaging (MMS)
• Sound recorder
• Text messaging (SMS)
• Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
• Access NetFront Web browser
• Google search (from standby)
• Web feeds
• Touchscreen media player
• Clear Bass & Stereo
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• Photo feeds
• Touch focus
• Video calling (main camera)
• Predictive text input

You have seen the ads about VoIP and you want in on it if it is what it promises to be. But, before you do so, you realize you need to know a little bit more about it. VoIP is fast becoming the talk of the world, literally! People are seeing the benefits of it in their bank accounts as well as in their service experiences. VoIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, is a way of communicating via the internet instead of using standard land phone lines.

What You Have To Know?

• Not sure how it works? Just as your internet connection can stay on, so can a phone system that is hooked up to it. The phone runs through the web, allowing for you to talk to anyone, anywhere without the need of expensive phone service. A great way to learn more about VOIP is to take a free demo of how it works. You’ll find these throughout the web.
• How does it save money? Another common question people have is how VOIP can save you money. If you are one that spends a lot of money each month on long distance phone calls, call waiting and forwarding services… and all other gadgets available for your standard phone, VOIP can save you money. It can do this because when you call through the internet, distance simply does not matter. Does it cost you anything to email your friend in China? No! And, neither does it cost to use VOIP long distance.
• What do you have to do to get it? First, you’ll need to insure that you have the service available in your area. Next, you’ll need to do some research to find out what the businesses can offer you in terms of service and cost. Then, you’ll need to install software and simple equipment and that’s that. You’ll likely pay a monthly payment as you do now, but it is likely to be much lower.

VoIP is fast growing because it is easy to use, affordable and quite possibly is the way of making phone calls in the years to come.

Since Apple released its latest gadjet, the Apple Iphone, over 5 million units have been sold. Aplle Expects to sell atleast another 12 million units in 2008 worldwide. Apple keeps improving their gadjet, and rumors are that they will soon release a 3G version iPhone for the European market. Wich will probably increase its popularity even more.

Apple Estimates that around 20% of the iPhones that are being sold are being unlocked. Wich means breaking it free from network restrictions, so you can use any SIM card and any provider in your iPhone. Benefits of unlocking are clear: You can make cheaper calls, use local SIMcards when you travel and your not bound to any contract to be able to use the iPhone.

Peter Smit told us that there are many unlocking solutions available online and offline. One solution is even better then the other when you beleive the marketing stories.
Fact is that 90% of the people who try to unlock their iPhone by themselves, have no idea what they are doing.

“When you unlock your iPhone you are flashing the core of your Phone, this brings many risks. In some of the cases you will permanently damage your $400,- Dollars iPhone, or load it with virusses or other malware that is constructed into the unlocking software” Unfortunately there are a lot of people who are still willing to take this risk. Many of them end up with a $400, broken – unusable ‘brick’.

“In many cases we are able to repair the broken phones via a new software flash, but it some cases there is no option left then to dump the phone in the garbage, as Apple does not give any warranty to unlocked phones.”

The lesson to learn is to be careful if you want to unlock your iPhone. Benefits are clear, consider the downsides of unlocking as well. And IF you decide to unlock your precios gadjet, make sure you do it with a service that understands what they are doing.