Broadband Comparison, News & Reviews

The 40% of the population is still uses Internet Explorer Versions 6 or 7 may want to consider upgrading their browsers this week after news that there was a dangerous exploit code unleashed over the weekend that caused damage.
Symantec tested the code that appeared and determined that it is not 100% reliable although they believe in the future the code will be will become functional after it is fixed. Translated, it means that the code could be used to infect websites in the future and those who use either browsers with JavaScript enabled at the same time may have already compromised their systems.
The code is found to have run on computers that use Windows XP SP3 on both of the older editions of the Internet Explorer browser although there have not yet been any official reports that point to the code as effectively infecting computers.
Security experts estimate that over the weekend those who have found the code are likely to be working hard to get out attacks before security companies are able to fix the signatures and code vulnerabilities. Microsoft is also expected to come out with a security patch if computers begin to get infected on widespread terms.
Until the patch appears Symantec has advised consumers who browse using Internet Explorer to only visit websites they trust and to disable JavaScript on their computers. Other options include using the Firefox browser or upgrading to Internet Explorer 8

Filed under: Broadband Scam Alerts by Alan

Tesco unveiled a new plan yesterday to bundle home phone packages and broadband deals in order to compete with the major providers of broadband such as Carphone Warehouse, BT, and Virgin Media.

The retailer announced that it will be able to offer the new package services for the next five years after signing a deal with Cable & Wireless.

Tesco announced the new plans after a two day seminar was conducted with analysts in order to fulfil Tesco?s goal of becoming one of the top telecoms service providers in the UK.

It estimates that it will need to continue to make around ?200m in profits and ?2b in sales annually past its normal medium term. If it achieved this goal the company would gain just under a tenth of the telecoms market in the UK which is valued in total at ?22b per year.

Chief executive of Tesco Telecoms, Lance Batchelor, stated that the combined home phone and broadband bundle deals is the core of the plans for expansion. Batchelor continued to say that this would propel Tesco into the same arena of the major providers in the UK such as Talk Talk and BT.

Consumer experts believe that the new move by Tesco is significant because bundle packages by the leading providers currently makes up a large percent of the market and will cause such providers to lower their prices in order to compete.

Batchelor also said that Tesco?s expenditures as a result of the move will be minimized due to the new partnership with Cable & Wireless.

Filed under: Broadband News and Reviews by Alan

Two people have been arrested after it was found that they may be the culprits behind the ZueS (Zbot) Trojan that is able to get past security checkpoints to access online bank details, credit card numbers, and passwords.

The two people are charged with allegedly using the virus to infect approximately 10,000 computers and steal over a million pounds from personal details from unsuspecting computer users.

The virus is also able to copy social networking site passwords while attacking computer so that it can forward the data onto servers that were controlled by the hackers.

Zbot has emerged in several different formats including a Facebook page that told users they needed a software download that allowed the virus to attack computers. The information gathered is worth millions since it can be used by the hackers or sold to organized criminals at a high price.

According to police, the virus was a global internet threat.
At the beginning of the month a man and woman both ages 20 were arrested in Manchester although the information about the investigation has just now become public. Both are Britons and lived at the same address.

Head of the Unit Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie said that the man and woman are the first two people to be arrested in Europe in connection with the Zbot virus.

He continued to say that the scam is known internationally as a malicious virus and piece of malware that has been used to attack 10,000 worldwide computers and possibly more.

Filed under: Broadband Scam Alerts by Alan

BT.com has altered the way that it chooses to communicate with online customers by informing them how BT products can benefit them in their day to day lives.

The new BT.com aims to help customers see how BT can make their lives better by sending personalized messages based on individuals? interests to them along with the appropriate matching products.

It also consistently changes the content on the site so that it is viewed as a vibrant lifestyle choice to choose BT.com through the use of focused graphical, visual, and tonal language.

Outside of broadband and mobile services, the new BT.com also helps customers see how products such as the BT computer security suite NetProtect Plus and BT Yahoo! Mail can help them.

In order to create the website, BT worked with LBi which is the top digital marketing and technology agency. The two companies carried out an extensive amount of targeted customer research to learn the best approach for a user friendly online experience.

The research showed that customers would appreciate and benefit the most if they were offered a way to better understand how BT products could benefit their lives.

It also shows that customers wanted individualized attention on the website leading to the creation of a separate BroadbandLife site which consumers are directed to after installing the BT Total Broadband connection.

Here they can find out about the specific BT products they have purchased and recommended products that may benefit them should they try them out.

Filed under: Broadband News and Reviews by Alan

Popular social networking websites Facebook and Myspace have faced criticism for failure to introduce any aid for children that are bullied online on the sites.

Ceop (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) in particular have pointed out that other networking sites such as Bebo had adopted a button that children can click on for help if they are bullied.

Ceop member Jim Gamble stated that there is no reason why the social networking websites have not taken the time to incorporate the same feature although a spokesman for Facebook stated that its users? safety is a ?top priority.?

According to Ceop, there are already a few thousand children a month that use some type of help button for bullying on other websites. Clicking on such a button allows Ceop officers to talk to users who need advice as well as links to other help sources and local police.

Gamble stated that since social networking websites make a profit by encouraging youths to join the services the websites have a responsibility to provide help and care for vulnerable youth.

He continued to say that the organization is willing to help for free so price is not an object.

Critics of the social networking sites believe that the companies have failed to incorporate the buttons because they do not want to lose advertising space and revenues, but Gamble said that the sites claim there are technical problems that block the use of a help button for youngsters.

He added however that the button is small and thus there is no real reason why it cannot be added.

Filed under: Broadband News and Reviews by Alan

PayPal, the popular online payment service warned consumers that this holiday season they should be careful when they pull out their credit cards to make a purchase, even though the deals may look much more tempting than those available on high street.

While the Office for National Statistics research estimates that around 27 million people will hit the Internet this year for their Christmas shopping, PayPal released their own statistic that only one in every seven shoppers will actually check to make sure the site they are making a purchase on is ?safe?.

PayPal is warning shoppers that they need to pay close attention when purchasing presents this year, so that they are not paying for poor quality or non-existent gifts.

Head of risk and security at PayPal, Garreth Griffith, stated that shoppers may be able to find great deals online, but they should not sacrifice their security in the hunt to do so.

Griffith continued to say that there are easy steps one can take to protect themselves online and that these steps should especially be taken if a deal looks too good to be true.

One of these steps is looking around a website for a padlock icon and making sure that a company is really what the website claims it is.

In another PayPal report the company stated that a large amount of online shoppers this year will come from those who live in the countryside and want to find online bargains like those who live in cities.

Filed under: Broadband Scam Alerts by Alan

Now that O2 is owned by the Spanish operator Telefonica it has about 21m mobile phone subscribers as compared to BT which only has approximately 19.4m customers.

The news of the new rankings came as BT was forced to report a fall of 45pc in its pre-tax profits leaving their total at ?547m compared to the profits of Telefonica which are a much larger ?1.7 billion.

BT was forced to sell O2 in November of 2001 which was then known as BT Cellnet when profits started to collapse. In 2006 Telefonica purchased O2 for the record setting ?17.7 billion, which was the largest telecoms takeover in mobile history.

The chief executive of BT, Ian Livingston, seemed to regret selling O2 in comments that he made yesterday when he said that BT is pondering the best way to enter the mobile market once again when the Government finally auctions off mobile phone spectrum in the coming year.

According to Livingston, the proposals by the Government to give current operators the rights to the 2G licenses are a waste since a new auction is a best way give Government coffers a boost.

Analyst Lawrence Sugarman of ING stated that the comments show that BT?s revenues need to be increased and that the company is clearly looking at all possibilities for moving forward after they chose to leave the mobile market too early.

In just this year alone O2 has increased its mobile subscribers by about one million even though the other four major operators in the UK were only able to add 400,000 subscribers collectively.

Filed under: Broadband News and Reviews by Alan

Many people are concerned that with the release of the new online game Call of Duty- Modern Warfare 2 game, as the UK broadband networks may not be able to accommodate the expected millions of gamers who will rush to play it.

The game was released last night and is set to be one of the best selling games of all time with pre-orders for the game coming at 150 per minute up until to its release.

After the death of Michael Jackson the fact that Internet traffic can actually become too high for broadband networks to accommodate became clear, after people around the world started logging in at the same time to get updates on the famous pop stars death.

Now people fear that the massive amounts of Internet traffic from the release of the online game will affect gamers and others surfing on the Internet in the same way.

In the midst of these claims the broadband suppliers in the UK are still saying that there is nothing to be concerned about.

A spokesman for Talk Talk stated that the broadband network is sure that it can accommodate the high levels of traffic that online games such as Call of Duty can bring.

Filed under: Broadband News and Reviews by Alan

Vodafone has added a new laptop deal to customers who purchase a mobile broadband plan offering consumers the Compaq Presario CQ60-404SA.

The mobile provider is calling the new laptop a netbook but since it weighs about 2.9kg and has a 15.6? display it does not have the same portability that most netbooks are able to boost.

However, although it may not be the easiest thing to carry around, it does come fully equipped with a high definition display, Vista Home Premium, a DVD drive, a keyboard equipped with an integrated number pad, a 250GB hard drive, and 2G of RAM.

The only drawback is that the laptop does not come equipped with mobile broadband installed in the computer, but it does come with the dongle from Vodafone so that you can use it to connect.

Those who are already Vodafone customers can sign into a contract for the new laptop offer at just ?35 per month for 24 months. The contract comes with 3GB of data per month. Those who are new to Vodafone will have to pay ?40 per month for the laptop offer.

Those who want to save a bit of money might actually want to try out a netbook deal for the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 which is much smaller and is only ?30 per month with the same data allotment.

Filed under: Broadband Deals by Alan

While Google may be new to the mobile operating industry, they are not quite so new to online advertising, which is why their purchase of AdMob, a mobile advertising company may raise a few eyebrows in astonishment; especially given the fact that Google paid US$750m for the company.

Although mobile advertising is not considered to be a very profitable market, Google apparently felt secure in wagering a large amount of money towards its success. AdMob has already built a solid base for itself selling ads for both Android and iPhone platforms.

The purchase of the company by Google if it proceeds as planned will help keep Google ahead of its competitors and give it a chance to change the mobile advertising market in the same way that it redefined the online search advertising market.

Android was originally designed by Google to be an open source project, free of license charges, but now that it is becoming more popular Google is ready to cash in on some of the profits, which it now can do since it owns AdMob.

This is not the only major acquisition by Google this year, as the large internet giant has also bought reCAPTCHA and On2. The company has also been rumoured to have purchased Gizmo5 as well.

Although the complete plans for the AdMob purchase are not entirely clear, you can bet that Google has something crafty up their sleeve as the company seems to always keep one foot ahead of the competition and nearly never makes a bad move.

Filed under: Broadband News and Reviews by Alan