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(Credit:
Meraki)
Meraki, a known mesh network provider, released Tuesday its first Wireless Census for North America and the results, though dramatic, seem nothing of a surprise. Basically, there has been a huge increase in the number of wireless-capable devices, among which Apple's handheld devices had the biggest jump.
The Meraki Wireless Census surveyed 10,000 randomly selected Meraki access points deployed in North America for two 24-hour periods: June 2, 2008, and June 1, 2009. The study measured the number of distinct client devices that sent probe requests in each 24-hour period. The purpose of the survey was to identify macro-level traffic and end-user device trends.
In details, the number of mobile devices including laptops and handheld devices grew from some 149,000 in 2008 to more than 211,000 in 2009, a 41 percent increase.
Apple's devices played a huge role in this increase. The company's Internet-enabled devices now account for 32 percent of all devices, represented in the survey, in 2009, compared with only 14 percent in 2008. The survey also showed that the popularity of Apple laptops, iPhones and iPods increase an impressive 221 percent just in one year.
Other than Apple's products, there have been an increasing amount of Wi-Fi-enabled handheld devices from other well-known vendors. According to the Meraki's census, the number of Research In Motion (RIM) devices, best known for the BlackBerry smartphones, observed in North America grew by 419 percent from 2008 to 2009, while Nokia devices grew by 114 percent.
In 2008, RIM devices represented just two percent of all devices observed, but grew dramatically to 8 percent for 2009. In 2008 and 2009, Nokia represented one percent and two percent of all devices, respectively.
These shifts in types and numbers of wireless devices are to be expected. In the past few years, more and more highly Internet-capable smartphones have been introduced and more and more Web services are tailored for mobile users.
Personally, while I wish the survey was done in larger than 24-hour periods, the trends seem right and definitely represent the way I access the Internet. Apart from sitting at work writing on my desktop, when on the go, my almost exclusive way to access the Internet is via my iPhone.
How about you? How often do you access the Internet via your phone? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
(Credit:
Dong Ngo/CNET)
It'll probably still be a long time before people start saying things like "I'd spend some time binging that guy before I go on a date with him," but in the U.S. things are looking up for Microsoft's new search engine, Bing, which was unveiled in May.
Web analytics firm StatCounter released analysis Monday stating that Bing slightly increased Microsoft's share of the U.S. search market in July. It now claims 9.41 percent, up from 8.23 percent in June.
The combined market share of both Microsoft and Yahoo in July was 20.36 percent, up slightly from 19.27 percent in June. The commanding lead Google currently has on the market shrank slightly to 77.54 percent in July from 78.48 percent in June.
Microsoft and Yahoo reached a deal last week, with Microsoft powering Yahoo search while Yahoo becomes the exclusive worldwide relationship sales force for both companies' premium search advertisers.
And according to StatCounter analysis, worldwide is the place where the two companies face an even bigger challenge in the search market. In July, Microsoft and Yahoo combined had just 8.77 percent of the global search market, down from 8.45 percent in June. On the other hand, Google still dominates the search market globally with 89.23 percent in July (slightly down from 89.8 percent in June).
StatCounter's data was based on an analysis of 1 billion search engine referring clicks (of which 258 million were from the U.S.) that were collected in June and July from the company's network of more than 3 million Web sites.
A few days ago, the Pew Research Center released a report that Americans are looking online to fight the recession. On Tuesday it added that most of us are doing that via wireless Internet.
The results of the center's Internet & American Life Project survey show that 56 percent of adult Americans have accessed the Internet via wireless means, such as a Wi-Fi laptop, a mobile device, a game console, or an MP3 player. The most popular way people get online wirelessly is with a laptop computer, numbering 39 percent of some 2,200 survey participants.
The report also revealed the rising levels of Americans using the Internet on a mobile handset. Almost one-third (32 percent) have used a cell phone or a smartphone to access the Internet for e-mailing, instant messaging, or reading news.
For comparison, only 24 percent of Americans had done this by December 2007. Now, in a typical day, nearly one-fifth (19 percent) of Americans use the Internet on a mobile device, up substantially from the 11 percent level recorded in December 2007.
The cell phone's main purpose as a voice device has changed substantially. According to the report, in 2009, 69 percent say that they have used the cell phone for at least one of the non-voice activities.
These activities include text messaging, taking a picture, playing a game, accessing the Internet, recording video, instant messaging, playing music, getting maps or directions, and watching video. Back in 2007, only 58 percent did this.
The usage of of non-voice activities on a typical day has also increased from only 32 percent in 2007 to 44 percent in 2009. Half of Americans now think that the ability to access the Internet via their mobile devices is vital to how they stay in touch with people.
These changes in the way we access the Internet are hardly surprising, especially with the proliferation in recent years of smartphones that come with advanced Internet capabilities, such as the iPhone or the Palm Pre.
Personally, I read most of my e-mails via my iPhone 3G and I use it mostly for non-voice purposes. How about you?
If you find yourself in front of your computer screen looking to understand the recession and find ways to deal with it, you're not alone.
According to a report released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, some 69 percent of American adults, or 88 percent of U.S. Internet users, have gone online in the past year for reasons related to the recession. The study says they either are trying to get help with personal economic issues or gather information about the origins of national economic problems and solutions to those difficulties.
Americans look to the Internet to cope with the recession.
(Credit: livescience)The report, called "The Internet and the Recession," is a result of the Pew Research Center's Pew Internet & American Life Project, which explores the Internet's impact on families, communities, education, health care, and civic and political life.
The Pew Internet report comes from a national phone survey of 2,253 adults 18 and older, including 561 cell phone interviews.
The report also revealed that those hard hit by the recession are among the most avid, wide-ranging Internet users. In the past year, according to the report, about 52 percent of American adults have experienced financial hardships varying from a pay cut to losing their jobs to witnessing their investments or house value fall by more than half their value.
Other than looking for information, Internet users have also been contributing content. Thirty-four percent of survey participants said that they have created content and commentary about the recession in places like blogs, and social-network sites such as Twitter. This content includes ideas, rants, and expert commentary.
According to Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project and co-author of the new report, Internet users are on a dual quest in this recession: they use the Internet to understand it better and also to rant and share experiences in fighting it.
Apart from the numbers reported above, other recession-related online activities in the past year include price comparisons (67 percent), job hunting (41 percent), and seeking online coupons for savings (40 percent). Other than that, "help on spending less" and "how to earn more money and second jobs" got the same 27 percent.
The report has only one silver lining, if at all, and that is that only 3 percent of survey participants have gone online in the past year to find information about filing for bankruptcy.
Jasper, my tour guide du jour, and a tracking device from his company, Skeye.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)Editor's note: CNET editor and Crave contributor Dong Ngo is spending several weeks in his homeland of Vietnam and will file occasional dispatches chronicling his adventures. To read stories from Dong's last visit, in December, click here.
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam--Last December, I visited Ho Chi Minh City and discovered that while Wi-Fi was ubiquitous and the Internet was fast, it was incredibly hard to get across town.
Seven months later, the traffic here is still terrible. This time, however, I found that if you are in the right place, dealing with traffic isn't necessary at all.
The right place is District 1. Other than being the center of tourism with lots of hotels, famous landmarks, restaurants, and bars, D1 is also the site where you can get pretty much anything you need, especially when it comes to technology and digital entertainment. And it's all within a short walking distance.
I actually heard about this area during my last trip here. Jasper Waale, owner of Skeye, a GPS- and GSM-based tracking company operating in Vietnam and Laos--and an avid listener of the Inside CNET Labs podcast--insisted I check it out. I took a rain check till now.
Hung checks out my D80. (Just another example of how good I am with the iPhone camera.)
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)We met at Cafe Centro, a trendy yet casual coffeehouse located in the middle of D1's most bustling section. According to Jasper, this is a popular place for ex-pats to hang out for both fun and business. It offers reasonably priced refreshments and, of course, free Wi-Fi.
(By the way, there are lots of cafes in Ho Chi Minh City, and pretty much all of them offer free Wi-Fi. My other favorite is Cafe Da on Alexandre De Rhodes Street. Also in D1: the best ice milk coffee and smoothies I've ever had. If you go there, make sure you try the "Dong Tim" fruit shake. It's so good, it has my name on it!)
"You'll find me at Centro at least a couple of times a week," Jasper said. Then, in a slightly show-offy manner, he pulled out his brand-new-looking Nikon D300 camera.
"I just got a good deal on this one. I traded in my D80 and got about 80 percent of new value to put toward this new one. You'll have to come see this place," he said.
I was intrigued, partially because next to his D300, my 4-year-old D80 looked somewhat pathetic. I've considered upgrading my camera for a while, but anticipating the whole hassle of selling my D80 on eBay or Craigslist has stopped me.
He then took me to Thuong Xa Tax, a mini shopping mall that's just a five-minute walk from the cafe. "Mini" here, by the way, is according to American standards; this is actually one of the bigger trading centers here in Vietnam, and it is indeed very large.
As in most shopping malls here, you can find pretty much everything, but we walked straight to the Vinh Hung Camera shop. The owner, Hung, a friendly 40-something man, greeted Jasper like an old friend. He then took a quick look at my D80 and said, "I'll give you $600 for this one, body and lens." ... Read more
Ngaycuame.com's Web site offers suggestions for digitally celebrating Mother's Day, such as getting and sending e-cards.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)Editor's note: CNET editor and Crave contributor Dong Ngo is spending several weeks in his homeland of Vietnam and will file occasional dispatches chronicling his adventures. To read stories from Dong's last visit, in December, click here.
HANOI, Vietnam--I'm not a big fan of holidays. I don't mean the time off, of course, but the mass consumption that generally accompanies them.
For this reason, I've been sort of secretly happy that my parents live in Vietnam. This means that for years I haven't had to pay attention to Mother's Day or Father's Day. The Vietnamese, one would think, have no reason to even be aware of these American days. And for a long time, they weren't.
Thus, it was a revelation to me the other day, during a casual conversation at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, when a trendy-looking and friendly Vietnamese girl asked me if I had done anything for Father's Day.
Learning where I stand on the issue, the girl, Lan, expressed surprise. "I bought my dad a Gillette shaving set," she shared, "and he was very happy. You should have done something! I bought my mom a nice bouquet for Mother's Day a month ago, too."
Original American movies and TV programming with subtitles are popular in Vietnam.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)I was speechless. I live in America and my American friends have hardly ever asked me the same question. As it turned out, over the years I was away in America, American pop culture, via TV and the Internet, has sneaked into my home country in a big way.
Apparently, a month ago, for the first time, Mother's Day was a big event in Vietnam. Newspapers talked about it, TV talked about it, teenagers blogged and made YouTube videos about it, and people went out to buy flowers and presents for moms.
The day was hyped so much some people even felt guilty because they hadn't known about it in previous years. Yet at the same time, most didn't know the origin of it. "I had never heard of it and all of a sudden everywhere people started talking about it," Lan told me honestly. "But I think it's meaningful to honor your parents. Don't you think?"
Though it might have seemed "all of a sudden," the introduction of Mother's Day marked a very deliberate attempt by businesses here to sell products. ... Read more
Awhile ago I said all HDMI cables are basically created equal, regardless of price. That's about to change.
HDMI Licensing, the body responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface specification (widely known as HDMI) announced Wednesday the features that will be incorporated in the upcoming HDMI 1.4 specification.
A regular HDMI cable.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)Among other advancements, the latest HDMI specification will offer networking capabilities with Ethernet connectivity and will add an Audio Return Channel to enable upstream audio connections via the HDMI cable.
According to HDMI Licensing, the detailed HDMI specification 1.4 will be available for download on its Web site no later than June 30. For now, you can read more about the new version here.
Personally, I'm most interested in the networking capability, which is said to cap at 100Mbps; not as fast as Gigabit Ethernet but still plenty fast for virtually any IP application.
It's safe to say that in the very near future, you'll be able to conveniently surf the Internet, as well as check e-mail and instant messaging with your TV. It also means your entertainment corner will be less cluttered, as this spares you from the need for a separate Ethernet cable, currently a must if you have a setup that allows for Internet access from your TV.
There's a downside, however: the new standard will require a new HDMI cable. Existing HDMI cables, including the Monster Cables that you paid hundreds of dollars for, will not be compatible with the new standard as they are designed to deliver sound and graphics only.
Even if the existing cable could handle the new standard, in many cases you will still need to get a new cable as HDMI 1.4 also comes with a new connector called Micro HDMI, which is about 50 percent smaller than the current connector. This new connector will be used in portable devices and support resolution up to 1080p.
New devices that support HDMI 1.4 are expected to be available by the end of the year.
One of the Netbooks offered by AT&T.
(Credit: Nexus404)If you've been waiting for AT&T's Netbook data plans to come to your area, the wait is almost over.
The company first offered these plans exclusively in Philadelphia earlier this year. Saying that trial was a success, AT&T announced Tuesday its intent to expand these data plans to the rest of U.S. this summer.
This means you'll soon be able to buy mini ultraportable laptops made by Dell, Lenovo, and Acer at a discounted price when you get a 3G data plan at one of AT&T's retails store or on its Web site.
According to an IDC report published in April, by the end of 2009, worldwide shipments of mini laptops could reach 22 million. Obviously, AT&T wants its share of the growing Netbook pie.
Currently, details on pricing and availability of the new devices and the data plans are not finalized and AT&T said it would announce that at a later time. However, the company has made it clear that Netbooks embedded with AT&T 3G services will also be available through other national retailers.
Atlanta and Philadelphia residents can get discounted Netbooks with the purchase of AT&T's new "Internet at Home and On the Go" broadband services with a two-year contract.
The company announced the program earlier this week, and it will be immediately available in select stores.
With this program, customers can choose from a variety of Netbooks, including the Acer Aspire One, Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and Mini 12, and LG Xenia, with discounted prices ranging from $50 to $250.
The service plan starts at $59.95 per month and features access to AT&T's 3G network and Wi-Fi network, which includes nearly 20,000 hotspots nationwide.
Apart from this, AT&T is also offering similar Netbooks at promotional prices with the purchase of its DataConnect plans in eight AT&T retail locations in the Philadelphia area. The plans includes 200MB of data usage for $40 per month and 5GB for $60 per month.
It's unclear what AT&T will do to make sure customers don't break the contract and keep the computer, as some of these Netbooks can cost up to $650 on the street.
It's also interesting that the company is offering this program in select areas only. I'd assume these are where its 3G network works well. If you've been to California or New York, you've probably been surprised at how bad AT&T's 3G signal is, both for voice and data. Personally, I have to turn my iPhone's 3G feature off to have a steady voice connection.
Our friend at Cox is about to get selectively friendly toward Internet content.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive)Net neutrality fans, grab your chairs; I have some rocking news.
Cox Communications, the third-largest cable Internet provider in the U.S., announced Tuesday that starting February, it will begin testing a new method of managing traffic on its high-speed Internet network in Kansas and Arkansas.
This means during the times the network is congested the company will--to put it bluntly--discriminate between Internet content and regulate the bandwidth accordingly.
The company divides Internet traffic into two categories: time-sensitive and nontime-sensitive, with the former taking the priority during the congested hours.
Here's the company's break-down of these two categories:
The time sensitive category includes:
- Web (Web surfing, including web-based e-mail and chat embedded in Web pages)
- VoIP (Voice over IP, telephone calls made over the Internet)
- IM (Instant messages, including related voice and Webcam traffic)
- Streaming (Web-based audio and video programs)
- Games (Online interactive games)
- Tunneling & Remote Connectivity (VPN-type services for telecommuting)
- Other (Any service not categorized into another area)
The nontime-sensitive category includes:
- File Access (Bulk transfers of data such as FTP)
- Network Storage (Bulk transfers of data for storage)
- P2P (Peer to peer protocols)
- Software Updates (Managed updates, such as operating system updates)
- Usenet (Newsgroup related)
Cox says the new congestion management plan only kicks in when congestion levels reach a certain high. It also insists the company will ensure that its customers continue to have a good online experience.
Personally, I don't really mind this, because I live in California and games are categorized as time-sensitive. For those who are more concerned, you can learn more about Cox's congestion management plan here.
Eric Franklin's colleagues once had the following to say to him: "Eric, you've been doing this performance testing thing for over 10 years now. How about you try something different?" To which Eric responded, "How about you shut the #%$@! up?" This candid attitude
allows him to go toe-to-toe with the most extreme of personalities, including that of Dong Ngo. This bio was written by Eric Franklin.
Dong Ngo is a knowledgeable, opinionated individual who wants to convince the world that he's just a normal person; but he hasn't had much success. According to him, this is because the world itself is abnormal. Dong loves traveling and is well-versed in several languages. He, unfortunately, is not so well-versed in English. Still, it's best to ask him questions. From networking and how to optimize your system, to turning a strange place into home or what the meaning of life is…most of the time, he has the answers. The question is: Will he make himself understood? Subscribe and find out!
