Archive for December, 2009
Tech that changed the way we live, work and play
Dec 29th
Boring was among the list of words in my mind when I accepted my first freelance writing assignment on technology. Human-interest stuff, crime and strife where what held my interest – tech for me was just to far remove from daily life. My bad.
Today I’m more inclined to favour the words of one of our Networking editors Howard Solomon, who at one time jokingly said that the secret of his youth was writing about technology. Ina way Howard’s right. Technology touches every facet of our lives and because it is ever changing, it can’t help but alter our existence.
So here, in no particular order, are some of the decade’s popular tech that changed the way we live, work and play.
Read the rest of this entry »
Holiday fear mongering! Will Anyone Survive 2010?
Dec 24th
Since my previous blog post I read a ridiculous number of security projections for 2010. These range from catastrophic scenarios to something much, much worse. To these I say, bah humbug!
It seems that Christmas is the time of year when many security professionals find it acceptable to drop their responsible approach to informing the world about emerging trends in favour of much more alarmist ways to spread the word about their worst nightmares.
Wind Mobile plans and prices – good enough but not enough
Dec 23rd
First let me state categorically I think it’s fabulous that Wind Mobile stores have opened across Canada.
When giving the parent firm – Globalive Communications Corp. – the green light to launch (overruling an earlier CRTC decision) Industry Minister Tony Clement described Globalive as “a Canadian company that meets Canadian control and ownership requirements set out in the Telecommunications Act.”
He based this statement on the following facts:
- The firm’s voting shares are controlled by Canadian investors
- At least 80 per cent of Globalive’s directors are Canadian
On the other hand, the Communications Energy and Paperworkers’ union calls Clement’s decision “illegal” and plans to challenge it in court.
It says the decision essentially involves lifting restrictions on foreign ownership. Read the rest of this entry »
Canada’s top 100 employers for 2010
Dec 22nd
Last time I counted it was just three sleeps to Christmas Day and about seven more to the New Year.
Is getting a new job one of your New Year’s resolutions?
If so, perhaps a list of the country’s best employers for 2010 may come in handy.
Maclean’s Magazine, The Globe and Mail and Eluta.ca recently released the results of their Canada’s Top 100 Employers contest. The companies were evaluated by editors based on eight criteria: 1) Physcal Workplace; 2) Work Atmosphere and Social; 3) Healt, Financial and Family Benefits; 4) Vacation and Time Off; 5) Employee Communications; 6) Perfomance Management; 7) Training and Sills Development; and 8 ) Community Involvement.
Wind Mobile edges out competition with unlimited options, no contracts
Dec 21st
I may have kicked off my blogging efforts for ITB with a lot of mobile stuff, but that’s not going to stop me from continuing to do so. Let’s face it, with the launch Bell and Telus’ new HSPA network and the entrance of Globalive into the fray, this has been a hot story. And what’s better than a hot story to heat up your Winter Solstice? Hot chocolate, OK, that’s true. But how about a rate plan comparison between Wind Mobile and those other carriers that it likes to portray as being on Santa’s naughty list?
For my unscientific analysis, I selected the only phone available on all four carriers: the BlackBerry Bold 9700. With the big three (Rogers, Bell, Telus) this phone is attainable at a price of $200 if you agree to a three-year contract, and don’t forget to add the $35 activation fee. Otherwise, it’s between $600 and $650. Wind Mobile offers one price with no contract at $450.
Now let’s assume you’re a pretty heavy user of your mobile phone. You use it as your main phone – maybe you don’t even have a land line – and you’re a big data user. You’ll need to spend $80 per month at Wind to get unlimited nation-wide calling and unlimited data, so long as you’re in the home zone.
Equivalent pricing at the other carriers doesn’t quite get you those unlimited perks. Telus’ Clear Choice $80 will get you 400 local minutes with unlimited nights and weekends at 6 pm and 2 GB of data. But it’s $15 per month extra for unlimited text messaging and caller ID. Bell offers a $100 per month plan for 650 local minutes, unlimited text, unlimited nights and weekends starting at 5 p.m. and 2 GB of data. Rogers has a $45 voice plan with 400 local minutes, with an option for unlimited texting, and unlimited calling to all Rogers/Fido customers. Add $30 for between 500 megs and 5 GB flex data plan (I don’t really understand this.)
Rogers is the only carrier to still charge a system access fee, although it calls it a “government regulatory recovery fee”. All the big three plans don’t include long distance in their plans the way Wind does, and always seem to leave out something that a consumer will pay for later – whether it’s texting, voice mail or caller ID. Wind includes all of that in its plans.
The downside to Wind is that you’ll pay a flat rate for phone calls (10 cents per minute) and data usage (10 cents per 25 KB) when you’re outside of home zone areas.
Man lands job with single tweet
Dec 21st
As tweeters go Hal Thomas is definitely no twit.
At a time when more than 15 million people are unemployed across America and job hunters are often advised to “send out hundreds” of resumes just to boost their chances of getting an interview, the content manager from Savannah, GA who bills himself a “social media Jedi”, bagged a job by posting a single tweet.
Read the rest of this entry »
Android is bigger than the Google Phone
Dec 17th
Covering mobile phones for some time now, I’m no longer surprised by the level of hype and hyperbole that surrounds some phones months before they are even released to market, or even before any concrete details are known about them. The usual focus of such fanboy ferver is Apple and the next iteration of its iPhone. But right now Google seems to be making speculators salivate with its Nexus One phone.
The phone – supposedly to be manufactured by HTC – is interesting in may ways. Google’s plan is to sell the phone without carrier partnerships, directly to consumers. There is talk about using advertising to subsidize the cost of this. That’s worth talking about, but it’s not half as interesting as the platform that powers the device – Android 2.0.
Android is an OS that has come into its own over the last few months and the latest iteration is starting to surface on some impressive devices. The Motorola Milestone will be the first in Canada to use it in the New Year (a very similar model is sold south of the border as “The Droid”). You can expect other manufacturers to use this open source platform to power impressive smart phone devices that can support large, hi-res touch screens and are customizable in more ways that you probably even realize.
It’s the Android’s use across multiple manufacturers and its direct extension into the Web that makes it far more interesting that the iPhone OS. Google’s open approach ensures that it will eventually win over more developers – and more consumers. Whether the Nexus One lives up to the hype or not, Android will survive on in a myriad of forms independent of the “Google phone.”
SaaS and Web 2.0 tools help SMBs compete with heavyweights
Dec 17th
Today more than ever it is possible for small to medium sized companies to compete on a level playing field with bigger organizations. One of the reasons for this trend is the availability of technology that helps smaller companies have the same operational capacity and global reach as their multinational counterparts.
Advanced telecommunications, and technology infrastructure have given larger companies an edge when it comes to delivery of services, meeting SLAs and having access to new and emerging markets. Recently, because of the emergence of some new technologies and the novel application of some old ones SMBs are now able to expand their global reach and provide a wide variety of service offerings. Read the rest of this entry »
Death of cell phone haggling?
Dec 16th
As I anticipate covering tomorrow’s Wind Mobile launch, I wonder if the days of haggling over cell phone plans have finally come to an end. After escaping regulatory purgatory, Globalive will reveal its first set of product offerings (BlackBerrys and HTC devices) and the pricing plans that will go along with them. We know so far that the pricing plans will not require a contract, and if the rumoured pricing plans I’ve seen circulating the Web are true, then consumers will be given very clear description of what a cell phone will cost them.
Perhaps motivated by more competition coming to the market, the big three carriers have all moved to similarly simplify cell phone pricing plans. Telus has started marketing its “Clear Choice” plans, for example. All the carriers also offer value brands that don’t charge system access fees and come with less contractual baggage. Read the rest of this entry »
An Introduction to Privacy by Design
Dec 16th
I have always argued that privacy is the foundation upon which democracy is built. Our right to control the collection, use and disclosure of information about ourselves is the right upon which our other freedoms rest. Thus, to preserve our privacy is to preserve that which we cherish, but often take for granted – the freedom and liberty that define the open society in which we live.
It is this understanding that has fuelled my longstanding interest in the privacy rights of individuals, and that has so powerfully cemented my dedication to this cause. In my two decades as a privacy professional, I have seen how the growth of technology has brought new challenges to the protection of privacy. Consumers are now constantly subjected to new forms of data collection from all kinds of businesses. Emerging privacy-invasive technologies such as biometrics, Radio Frequency Identifiers (RFIDs) and video surveillance have intensified the need to address privacy and the methods that may be used to protect it. Read the rest of this entry »
