The iPhone 4S will be available for pre-order tomorrow, so stay up late or set your alarm to go off at 12:01 AM PST. But when you log online to order, to which carrier’s Web site will you be navigating?
Along with the new hardware and nifty, Siri-powered voice dictation features, the iPhone 4S marks the first time an iPhone will be available from Sprint. Don’t forget, Verizon didn’t carry the iPhone 4 (or any iPhone, for that matter) until February, and now there are three carriers from which to choose.
If you’re looking for the cheapest possible monthly deal, Sprint wins, with a total monthly cost of $99.99 for 900 minutes, unlimited texting, and unlimited data.
And don't forget: Not all data plans are created equal. For $99.99 per month, you are getting unlimited data from Sprint as opposed to the 2GB you'd be getting for AT&T or Verizon for more. That means you can download music and watch streaming video to your heart’s content without worrying about facing an additional charge. Try doing that with your 2GB on AT&T or Verizon, however, and you’ll be looking at some hefty data overage fees. On the other hand, most users don’t exceed their 2GB monthly limit, so it really depends on your needs.
Each carrier offers a mobile hotspot plan as well, which allows you to use your iPhone 4S to provide a Wi-Fi connection to up to five different devices. Sprint wins out again, since $29.99 per month will get you unlimited hotspot data. All AT&T data plans at 4GB and above include hotspot usage, while Verizon only offers it with special 4GB, 7GB, and 12GB plans.
So which one’s right for you? We broke down pricing for the iPhone 4S for each carrier in the chart above. Aside from price, another important factor to take into consideration is coverage and speed. Take a look at PCMag’s Fastest Mobile Networks 2011 feature to find out which wireless carrier has the fastest data network where you live. Also check out PCMag's Hands On With the Apple iPhone 4S.
All three carriers, meanwhile, will also offer the existing iPhone 4 for $99; Sprint is taking pre-orders now.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and Comcast Executive Vice President David L. Cohen this morning announced the official nationwide launch of "Internet Essentials," the program that will provide low-cost Internet services, affordable computers, and digital literacy training to families with children who are eligible for the National School Lunch Program.
"Broadband is our central platform in this 21st century for economic growth, innovation, and information. Broadband can be the great equalizer – giving every American with an Internet connection access to a world of new opportunities that might previously have been beyond their reach," FCC Chairman Genachowski said on Tuesday. "But roughly 100 million Americans are being bypassed by the broadband revolution. That's 68% of Americans who aren't connected at home. Compare that to South Korea and Singapore where adoption rates top 90%. Low-income Americans and minorities disproportionately find themselves on the wrong-side of this digital divide."
Closing this digital divide is an important mission for government bodies like the FCC and NTIA, because opportunities in health care, education and employment are increasingly tied to an individual's access to the Internet.
More than 1,000 school districts are participating in the program, and nearly 4.5 million students could already be eligible for the Internet Essentials program. The program requires participants to live in Comcast's service area but not be a current Comcast Internet subscriber, and to have at least one child who is eligible to receive free school lunch under the National School Lunch Program.
Participants in the program receive residential Internet service for $9.95 a month plus tax, a $149 voucher to purchase a low-cost computer, the full Norton Security Suite, and access to free digital literacy training in print, online and in person. Comcast will sign up eligible families in the program for at least three years.
"Workers aren’t just talking on the phone any more. They are processing transactions; accessing records and information; emailing, live text chatting, and managing accounts. These activities don't require advanced degrees, but they do require broadband and digital literacy," Chairman Genachowski said today. "I should note that many of those service center jobs will be at-home positions – jobs for people with disabilities who can’t make it into an office, jobs for stay-at-home parents who need flexible schedules, jobs for veterans returning from war and transitioning back into the economy. Adopting broadband can make your home a virtual office. The Internet Essentials program will help ensure that more Americans enjoy the education, health and economic benefits of broadband."
Last May 14th, reports indicated that hackers had launched a phising attack on Facebook’s 200 million users, successfully stealing passwords from some. The hackers set up websites designed to look like the Facebook home page. Victims were directed to log back in to the site, but were routed to the fake site instead, unwittingly giving away their passwords. Facebook has deleted all references to the fake domains, which included www.151.im, www.121.im and www.123.im. This is the latest in a string of campaigns launched by hackers to steal personal information from users and to spread spam. Facebook’s large user base makes them an attractive target for many cybercriminials. Users are urged to seek help from authorities or trusted IT consultants if they believe their accounts were compromised, or to avoid similar scams.Related articles:
Facebook users targeted by hackers in successful phishing attack
Research conducted by SIS International Research and sponsored by Siemens found that small and midsized businesses (SMBs) with 100 employees could be leaking a staggering $524,569 annually as a result of communications barriers and latency. The study identifies these top five pain points, in order of estimated cost:
inefficient coordination
waiting for information
unwanted communications;
customer complaints
barriers to communication
In addition, researchers determined that the time spent per week dealing with communications issues was more than 50 percent higher in companies with more than 20 workers. In hard costs, your company could be losing up to half a million dollars each year by not addressing employees’ most painful communications issues!
The good news: we can help you implement applications and services to greatly improve your inter-company communications, including collaboration tools such as email and shared calendards and address books, social media technologies such as blogs and wikis, and IP-based communication tools such as instant messaging (IM) and Voice-over-IP (VoIP). Call us today and let us help you stop this expensive leak.Related articles:
•Report: SMBs Expected to Spend More Online (searchenginewatch.com)
•How Collaboration Tools Bring Cost Savings, Business Alignment (searchcio-midmarket.com)
•Inefficient Communications Costs SMBs $5000 per Employee (SMBnow.com)
Microsoft recently announced the release of the newest service pack to Microsoft Office 2007, and has finished work on the second service pack update to Windows Vista. The MS Office update includes a collection of stability and performance updates as well as support for more file formats including Open Document Format (ODF) and Portable Document Format (PDF) files. The Windows Vista update includes support for Bluetooth 2.1, an updated Windows search technology, and the ability to natively record data to Blu-ray discs. Download the Microsoft Office 2007 service pack to install and watch out for the Windows Vista update soon. Ask us how your workflow can benefit from these helpful new releases.
Looking for a website or on-line resource for Security Tips and Best Practices? Check out the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) OnGuardOnline program, which the FTC began in partnership with cybersecurity experts, online marketers, consumer advocates, and federal officials in 2005. While there, check out the articles and free resources such as videos, games, and downloadable files to help you guard against Internet fraud, hacking, and other security threats.The site also offers the following seven vital security practices:
1.Protect your personal information. It’s valuable.
2.Know who you’re dealing with.
3.Use security software that updates automatically.
4.Keep your operating system and Web browser up-to-date and learn about their security features.
5.Keep your passwords safe, secure, and strong.
6.Back up important files.
7.Learn what to do in an “e–mergency.”
If you suspect Internet fraud, you can register a complaint using this form. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database used by law enforcement officials in the U.S. and overseas. Check out the site or contact your IT Consultant to help you implement the recommendations from the site.
Related articles:
•7 Smart Security Practices For Small Businesses
•9 Simple Ways to Protect Yourself against Internet fraud
Social Media such as Blogs, Micro-blogs, Wikis, and Social Networks are not only helping many people communicate and connect, but are also powerful tools for business as well. They can be used to promote your products and services, engage customers in meaningful conversations, network and develop new relationships, or simply to distribute information about your business online. Recently, the media has been awash with reports about Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, but many of you may be unclear about the concept, or unsure of its relevance to your business activities. Learn more about this new media online. Get to know how these tools can benefit your business or contact your IT Consultant for advice.
April fool’s day came and went, but so far the much feared attack from Conflicker never materialized, leaving security researchers to ponder what’s next for the notorious Internet worm. Although it didn’t release any detectable malicious payload, the arrival of April 1 did trigger a change in its behavior, with experts finding a finding a changed domain generation algorithm that opens up unfettered communication to 500 of the 50,000 potential newly generated domains. The latest variant, Conficker C, now has the ability to contact its command and control centers for further instructions while circumventing interference from the security community, which up until now had been able to block communication with its parent domains. At this point users are still advised to patch their operating systems or to seek the assistance of their IT service providers to make sure all variants of the worm has been removed. Read more at Channel Web.
Never before have startup entrepreneurs and small business owners had access to so much marketing advice and tools as we have today on the Web. There are hundreds of free or near free tools out there that you can use: from sites that help you create your own logos, print your own business cards, set up your own website, even make your own marketing swag. There are literally hundreds of even more sites that in turn give advice on how to use these tools to market your business more effectively such as Inc Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Fast Company. Its easy to use your PC and Internet to help you grow your business—so get started today!
PC World posts a nice overview of the highly infectious Conflicker Worm. The Worm is dangerous as it uses several methods of attack. Once one computer in a network is infected, it often has ready access to other vulnerable computers in that network and can spread rapidly. The worm can download and install additional malware from attacker-controlled Web sites as well. Since that could mean anything from a password stealer to remote control software, a Conflicker-infected PC is essentially under the complete control of the attackers. Conficker and other worms are typically of most concern to small businesses that don’t regularly update the desktops and servers in their networks. If you’re not sure your network security is up to day get some help to find out.
