The word ?convergence? (?mobile phones?) won?t mean quite the same thing to the next generation as it does to us. (?mobile phones?) That?s because kids today will come of age in a time when phones were used to play video games, (?mobile phones?) computers could double as a private movie house, (?mobile phones?) and televisions were flipped on to browse the Web. Unlike us, they?ll be living in a world where ?ubiquity? is the word ? surrounded by devices. (?mobile phones?)
Paring Down (?mobile phones?)
The most interesting development of the ubiquity (?mobile phones?) age isn?t that we?re surrounded by screens and able to connect to the Internet in myriad ways, (?mobile phones?) from smartphones to televisions to tablets. Most fascinating is that no one device serves as the ultimate Swiss Army Knife, (?mobile phones?) acting as a substitute for all the rest.
Rather, we collect these devices the way golfers keep clubs. On the go, we check movie times on mobile phones. On the couch, we research that movie on a laptop PC or tablet, or we play a game of ?Words With Friends? while our significant other watches the big game. Rather than seek a one-size-fits-all (?mobile phones?) solution for computing, consumer behavior indicates that there?s a time and a place for every kind of screen. (?mobile phones?)
All these screens mean that portability and power are both becoming major considerations. (?mobile phones?) Laptop shipments exceeded that of desktops in 2008, (?mobile phones?) and high-end ?desktop replacements?? (?mobile phones?)? notebooks with large screens and enough horsepower to handle any computing task ? (?mobile phones?)- became the primary computers for many consumers. (?mobile phones?) And a new designation, the netbook, sought to lower the barrier of entry to mobile computing by offering compact laptop PCs at a fraction of the price.
New Device: Ultrabooks (?mobile phones?)
Now, (?mobile phones?) there?s a new category of portable PC (?mobile phones?) to compete with the upstart tablet PC (?mobile phones?) and other flavors of laptop (?mobile phones?). The ultrabook format is light, thin, fast and portable ? an antidote to the traditional laptop PC. Ultrabook PCs are less than .08 inch thick, (?mobile phones?) weigh around 3.1 (?mobile phones?) pounds and have a battery life of five to eight hours.
? (?mobile phones?)The ultrabook is much more than just a product segment,? (?mobile phones?) says Jim Wong, president of Acer Inc. ?It?s a new trend that will become the mainstream for mobile PCs.? (?mobile phones?)
The model for this new kind of laptop (?mobile phones?) is Apple?s MacBook Air, which was introduced in 2008. (?mobile phones?) Apple sold 1.1 million units of their super-thin laptop, and they managed this feat at premium pricing. The next phase of the ultrabook (?mobile phones?) device is to build major appeal by offering similar benefits to Apple?s machine at a consumer-friendly price. (?mobile phones?)
Toshiba?s Portege Z835, (?mobile phones?) which debuted in November of last year, dipped in price to $699 (after a $200 rebate) at Best Buy. Competing ultrabooks include the Hewlett-Packard Folio 13 and the Acer Aspire S3, which both run for about $900. The entry-level MacBook Air is $999. (?mobile phones?)
Early Buzz (?mobile phones?)
Initial reception to the new ultrabooks is positive (?mobile phones?). Rob Beschizza of Boing Boing called the new ASUS ZENBOOK? (?mobile phones?)?very good,? but he cautions against laptops that try to adopt the ultrabook (?mobile phones?) moniker but stray from the design specs that make the new class of computers so attractive in the first place. (?mobile phones?)
Dilip Bhatia (?mobile phones?), vice president of Lenovo?s (?mobile phones?) ThinkPad business unit, is excited about his company?s contribution to the field. ?The ThinkPad X1 Hybrid and T430u ultrabooks represent the next generation in thin and light computing, (?mobile phones?)? he says. ? (?mobile phones?)From small businesses that literally live on the road to corporate professionals working in a managed environment, (?mobile phones?) these new crossover laptops fundamentally change the way people think about mobile computing technology.? (?mobile phones?)
Matt McRae, (?mobile phones?) Vizio?s (?mobile phones?) chief technology (?mobile phones?) officer, recently told Business Week that his company?s entry in the ultrabook game was meant to shake things up: ?It?s very similar to TV ? (?mobile phones?)- we want to get in there and disrupt it,? says McRae. ?We think most PCs have been designed for the small-business users, (?mobile phones?) that others have not done a very good job of making them entertainment devices. (?mobile phones?)
With all the new ultrabook (?mobile phones?) models that appeared at CES recently, it?s now just a matter of discovering just how the ultrabook (?mobile phones?) will find its place in our lives next to the televisions, tablets, smartphones and desktops many consumers already have. (?mobile phones?) Nobody could have predicted this 10 years ago, (?mobile phones?) but it seems pretty clear: There?s still plenty of room for this light, new computing upstart. (?mobile phones?)
If you work remotely or travel a lot for your job, (?mobile phones?) you probably take advantage of free public Wi-Fi (?mobile phones?) often.
Unfortunately, that probably means you?re regularly opening up your devices and your data to serious security threats. And if you?re a heavy user of cloud services, which often store your data on a remote server rather than your computer, Wi-Fi (?mobile phones?) security is even more crucial.
Most people these days have password-protected networks at home,? (?mobile phones?)so it?s unlikely that anybody is able to snoop on your data as it passes between your device and your router. But when you?re surfing the Web via a free public Wi-Fi (?mobile phones?) at a cafe, library or airport, you should be suspicious of everyone, says technology consultant Leo Notenboom (?mobile phones?) of Ask-Leo.com (?mobile phones?). ?It?s trivially easy for any of them to be watching your unencrypted information flying by.?mobile phones
Here?s what you need to know to stay safe next time you?re surfing on a free public Wi-Fi (?mobile phones?) connection.
Free Public Wi-Fi (?mobile phones?) Tip No. 1: Turn on your firewall. (?mobile phones?)
The cafe might use firewall software to protect your computer from outside attacks, but that doesn?t protect you from other people surfing around the same Wi-Fi (?mobile phones?) network inside the cafe. Be sure your computer?s firewall is turned on. (?mobile phones?)
Free Public Wi-Fi (?mobile phones?) Tip No. 2: Protect your smartphone or tablet. (?mobile phones?)
If your smartphone or tablet connects to Wi-Fi (?mobile phones?) networks, require it to ask your permission before joining any network. A lot of people never change the default network name, so if you logged on to your friend?s ?linksys? (?mobile phones?) network, your device will remember that and could automatically join any network of the same name in the future ? (?mobile phones?)- unless you tell it to ask your permission first.
Free Public Wi-Fi (?mobile phones?) Tip No. 3: Use strong encryption. (?mobile phones?)
Encryption works by disguising data that your computer wirelessly sends to a router. (?mobile phones?) Without it, that person sitting near you at the cafe could use special software to intercept and see all the data that travels back and forth between your device and the router. (?mobile phones?) And that means everything: emails, passwords and things you search for. That?s why it?s imperative, says Notenboom, to use encrypted sites when possible. (?mobile phones?)
How do you know when a site offers encryption?? (?mobile phones?)Instead of ?http? (?mobile phones?) at the beginning of the address, you?ll see ?https. (?mobile phones?)? You?ll also see a little padlock icon in your browser window, usually on the bottom right. (?mobile phones?)
What else should you consider encrypting? (?mobile phones?)
Your email. (?mobile phones?)
If you use a locally installed email program such as Outlook or Entourage (?mobile phones?), you can protect your mail and passwords by using something called SSL (secure sockets layer (?mobile phones?)) on each of your accounts. This encrypts all your data when you send and receive email. Not all email providers allow the use of SSL (?mobile phones?), though, so check your provider?s help page.
Your Facebook (?mobile phones?) and Twitter pages (?mobile phones?)
Facebook (?mobile phones?) and Twitter recently began offering encrypted sessions; just go into your account settings and find the option that says ?Always use https.?mobile phones
Your Google search (?mobile phones?)
If you think the keywords you?re searching could be embarrassing or you prefer to keep your privacy, try the secure version of Google search. Instead of going to Google.com (?mobile phones?), do all of your searching at Encrypted.Google.com. (?mobile phones?)
Everything (?mobile phones?)
Consider a VPN (?mobile phones?) service. VPN (?mobile phones?) stands for virtual private network and encrypts everything you send and receive. You can download free mobile VPN (?mobile phones?) software from such a site as Hotspot Shield and everything ? (?mobile phones?)- instant messages, passwords, emails and websites ? (?mobile phones?)- will be virtually impenetrable to prying eyes whenever you?re using a free public Wi-Fi connection. Or if your employer offers its own VPN (?mobile phones?), always connect to it through your computer or mobile device.
?That guy in the corner of Starbucks with his laptop ? (?mobile phones?)- do you trust him with your private data?? asks Notenboom. Follow these Wi-Fi safety tips, and you won?t ever have to ever wonder.
Thanks to the Web (?mobile phones?), more and more people are working remotely ? (?mobile phones?)- from home or anywhere.? (?mobile phones?)But not commuting anymore doesn?t mean you don?t have the same security issues that your corporate-office counterparts do. (?mobile phones?)
Here?s how to protect your data, devices and computer without an IT department: (?mobile phones?)
1.? (?mobile phones?)Back up your data in the cloud. (?mobile phones?)
It?s easy to lose all your work: (?mobile phones?) One computer virus or hard-disk-drive meltdown (?mobile phones?), and your important files may vanish forever. That?s why, when working from home, backup is crucial. Instead of depending on bulky hardware, try the many cloud services on the Web. They back up new content every night while you sleep, (?mobile phones?) keeping your files safe and allowing you access from any computer at any time. (?mobile phones?)
?Backup used to be cost-prohibitive, (?mobile phones?)? says Phil Montero, founder and CEO (?mobile phones?) of an online resource called You Can Work From Anywhere. But these days, many online services charge as little as $50 per year, (?mobile phones?) depending on your needs. Mozy even offers certain amounts of backup for free. (?mobile phones?) If you?re only backing up documents, Google Docs is another good bet. (?mobile phones?)
2.? (?mobile phones?)Protect your computer and critical files (?mobile phones?)
If your employer issues you a PC (?mobile phones?) or laptop (?mobile phones?) to use at home, they?ll often install security software or a Web-based security service to block viruses or bar hackers. But if you are self-employed (?mobile phones?), the burden of protecting your computer and data from the increasing array of online security threats falls squarely on your shoulders. (?mobile phones?)
When choosing a cloud-based (?mobile phones?) security service, be sure it protects your computer with antivirus, spyware and firewall programs. It should also constantly updates to protect you against evolving threats.
You should also limit your family members? access to your work computer.? (?mobile phones?)?You have to be sure that the really critical stuff isn?t made accessible to someone who shouldn?t have access to it,? says Jack M. Nilles (?mobile phones?), founder of JALA (?mobile phones?) International, a global telecommuting consulting company. (?mobile phones?) ?That includes the kids getting on your computer and downloading something [harmful].?
Finally, keep passwords and ID (?mobile phones?) numbers private so they don?t fall into the wrong hands. (?mobile phones?)
3.? (?mobile phones?)Seamlessly collaborate with others (?mobile phones?)
Whether you work on your home computer (?mobile phones?) once a week or full time, (?mobile phones?) if you need to share files with colleagues, (?mobile phones?) synchronization tools can help ensure you (or your team) are working on the correct or latest version of a document (?mobile phones?). The ?old? way to do this was to copy the files from your home computer onto an external hard drive,? (?mobile phones?)CD or thumb drive and install them on your work computer (?mobile phones?). But this process sets you up for accidentally writing over the most recent files ? (?mobile phones?)- and what if this external backup device you were depending on is destroyed or lost? (?mobile phones?)
Cloud services enable you to sync automatically to ensure speedy backups. (?mobile phones?) Or try Microsoft?s FolderShare (?mobile phones?), which allows you to synchronize files with colleagues over the Web. (?mobile phones?)
There?s no doubt to the benefits of Web to the home office worker (?mobile phones?). That said, you want to be smart about security issues. (?mobile phones?) To really cover your bases, in addition to backing up and securing your data,? (?mobile phones?)Niles also says it?s important to get a clear protocol from your company or clients: (?mobile phones?)
? (?mobile phones?)We recommend that telecommuters working for a company have a formal agreement specifically stating who is responsible for what. (?mobile phones?)? This way, you can always fall back on the agreed-upon security plan for your best-quality (?mobile phones?) work away from your IT (?mobile phones?) department. (?mobile phones?)
from your own site.
Source: http://idealdesignz.com/?p=510
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