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2Novatel USB727

Unlike the AirCard 881U, Novatel's USB727 for Verizon Wireless is easily the most attractive USB modem of the lot I tested. Featuring a piano black finish and a small, lightweight design, the unit actually adds some style to the side of your computer. That said, be aware that it juts out to the side and not vertically like the AirCard 881U, so it can fall off if you accidentally hit it on obstructions.

After having so much trouble with the AirCard 881U installation, it was refreshing to install the Novatel USB727. I didn't have to visit a Web site to add the required software to my Mac and the entire installation lasted only a few minutes. After a restart, the software was up and running. I easily connected to Verizon's BroadbandAccess by simply hitting the Connect button, and I was surfing my way around the Web.

When I was connected to Verizon's BroadbandAccess service, I experienced speed comparable to AT&T's 3G. According to Speedtest.net, I achieved speeds of about 1.0 Mbps down and approximately 350 kbps up. Complex Web sites like ESPN.com loaded quickly on BroadbandAccess and easily eclipsed Verizon's NationalAccess connection, the carrier's 2G network that's brutally slow.

Novatel's USB727 also includes a feature that you won't find on the AirCard881U: a microSD slot for added storage. Simply add files to a microSD card and insert it into the modem. Although I would have liked to have been able to add files directly through the modem's USB port; Novatel's decision to include a microSD slot made the device even more convenient and valuable.

Much like the other services, Verizon's BroadbandAccess is barely available outside of densely populated areas. Considering that most people use USB modems while traveling, the modem will probably be used more often on NationalAccess connections than BroadbandAccess. Although it switches back and forth depending upon which is available, NationalAccess speeds are so slow, I quickly became frustrated while using it.

At $200 for the modem and $60 for 5 GB of monthly data, Novatel's USB727 doesn't come cheap. But if you're not on a budget and you're looking for a great USB modem regardless of price, the USB727 is a fine choice.

Traveling around town without a broadband connection for your laptop can be a hassle. But with the help of a USB modem — a gadget that connects to your computer's USB port and uses your wireless carrier's broadband cellular service — you can perform nearly any online task, as long as you're in your carrier's coverage zones. And, assuming you stick close to main roads and don't venture off the beaten path, you should have good luck connecting.

To get a feel for some of the top services and products available, I evaluated the Sierra Wireless AirCard 881U on AT&T's 3G network, the Novatel USB727 on Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess and NationalAccess networks, and the Sierra Wireless Compass 597 on Sprint's Mobile Broadband Network.

I compared each device's design, installation process, speed (using Speedtest.net), and general usability to determine which is best for the person on the go. And although each had attributes that made me cringe, I was generally pleased with their performance and believe they're all worthy of your use — as long as they work wherever you're going.

1Sierra Wireless AirCard 881U

At first glimpse, the AirCard 881U from Sierra Wireless is a beast of a gadget. Big, ugly, and surprisingly heavy, the USB modem isn't nearly as stylish as the other modems.

Similarly annoying is the install process. If you're a Windows user, it's easy — simply pop the disc into your machine and follow the screen prompts. But if you're a Mac user, it's much more difficult. To install it on my Mac OS X 10.4MacBook, I had to go to the Sierra Wireless Web page's support section and download the correct software for my operating system. Once that download was complete, I was finally able to install the software, restart my computer, and connect to AT&T's 3G network.

The AirCard 881U's software was delightfully easy to use and far more bearable than the ridiculous install. To connect to the 3G network, you need only to open the program and click the Connect button. In a matter of seconds, the modem is up and running and you're free to surf.

I was pleasantly surprised with the speed I experienced while browsing the Web. Simple pages like Google.com opened in just a few seconds with 3G connectivity and more complex Web sites like ESPN.com opened about twice as fast as my EDGE-connected cell phone, but about 10 seconds slower than my Wi-Fi connection. All in all, I was getting about 1.0 Mbps on the downlink and roughly 375 kbps up.

Although 3G connectivity with the AirCard 881U was a great experience, it suffers from the same limitations that all USB modems do: it's governed by the data coverage that wireless carriers provide. And unless you live in a big city or around a densely populated area, don't expect 3G wherever you go. In fact, I quickly found myself surfing at EDGE speeds when I ventured away from the metro area.

The Sierra Wireless AirCard 881U is a generally lackluster USB modem that's bloated, too heavy, and more of an eyesore than anything else. And although connecting to 3G was delightfully easy and the price tag — free after mail-in rebate — is attractive, AT&T's $60 per month data plan and the AirCard 881U's aforementioned issues should make you think twice before picking it up.

3Sierra Wireless Compass 597

Unlike its older brother, the AirCard 881U, the Sierra Wireless Compass 597 is an attractive addition to any computer. Better yet, the company's smallest USB modem offers a fully equipped device that easily outshines other Sierra Wireless products and competes admirably with the Novatel USB727. And with a beautiful black finish and an attractive light on the end to tell you it's in use, you won't be put off by this modem's looks.

The Compass 597's installation on my MacBook was quick and easy. In a matter of seconds, I popped the modem into my computer, installed the software, restarted my computer, and connected to Sprint's Mobile Broadband Network without a hiccup. Much like the Novatel USB727, the installation process was seamless. But no disc was required to install the software. Instead, the Compass 597 has all drivers and software already installed on it, which speeds and simplifies installation.

While connected to Sprint's Mobile Broadband Network, Google loaded quickly and detailed sites like ESPN popped up at an adequate, but noticeably slower speed than the load times I witnessed on Verizon's BroadbandAccess and AT&T's 3G network. According to Speedtest.net, I achieved speeds of about 875 kbps down and 300 kbps up.

The Compass 597 uses Sprint's SmartView software, which is easily the best package on the market and much better than the tools I used on the other modems. Aside from GPS tracking and the ability to search points of interest in your area, the tool also allows you to test upload and download times, get an updated view of Sprint's Broadband coverage map, manage your Sprint account, and access the company's Digital Lounge service.

Sprint's Digital Lounge allows you to buy anything from screensavers for your phone, to music, TV, and games. Even though most of the content is too expensive to justify a purchase, it's nice to have the option.

The Sierra Wireless Compass 597 is a fine USB modem that won't take up too much room in your pocket, nor look too foolish hanging off the side of your computer. And with a fantastic software package, it's not a bad idea to pick this one up — if you don't mind spending $100 (after rebate) for the modem plus $60 per month for 5 GB of data.

4Novatel MC992D

Slated to be released in the third quarter of this year, Novatel's MC992D is looking to improve upon the USB727 by reducing the modem's footprint while still packing a slew of features to make it a logical choice.

According to the company, the MC992D will be able to connect to a 7.2-Mbps downstream HSDPA connection and link you to the world via GPS. Even better, the modem will feature a USB flash drive with a microSD slot. So far, there is no word on price.

In Summary

USB modems are extremely useful if you spend much of your time away from a Wi-Fi connection and need Internet access wherever you are. But if you require broadband speeds at all times, you're probably not going to get it yet with these devices. Most carriers are installing high-speed connectivity in more areas to respond to customer demand, but the rollout is taking much longer than it should. With that in mind, make sure to study coverage maps closely before you pick up any one of these modems.

See original article on InformationWeek.com

SEOUL (AFP) - After weeks of tumultuous protests inspired largely by South Korea's netizens, the country which claims to be the world's most wired society is considering new ways to monitor the Internet.

Embattled President Lee Myung-Bak highlighted both the benefits and dangers of the web when he addressed a meeting last week on the future of the Internet economy.

Lee, grappling with IT-inspired mass protests over his decision to resume US beef imports, called for the Internet to “be a space of trust”.

“Otherwise, the force of the Internet could turn out to be venomous rather than beneficial,” he said, noting increasing damage from computer viruses, hacking, cyber terrorism and the leak of personal information.

“In particular, spam mail sent under the guise of anonymity and the spread of falsehoods and inaccurate information are threatening even rationality and trust,” said Lee, who did not mention the protests against him.

The new president, caught unaware by the wave of protests citing mad cow disease fears, plans to appoint a secretary to study online public opinion.

But he has firmly denied any intention to censor cyberspace.

The Korea Communications Commission said it would consider strengthening the identity verification system introduced last year to curb cyber bullying.

This requires users to verify their identity — or registered nickname or pen name — when they post comment or opinion.

Portal operators must disclose identities of cyber attackers if victims want to sue for libel or infringement of privacy.

Commission official Kim Young-Joo said cyber bulling and malicious online messages should be restricted but she ruled out excessive regulations.

“The Internet is a place for free and open debate. Excessive regulations are feared to restrict freedom of expression,” she told AFP.

A report released last week showed South Korea ranked first in terms of household access to the net among members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

It said 94 percent of households had Internet access compared to an average 58 percent among the 30 OECD members.

For years, the Internet has been a powerful political tool here.

Cyber protests and major candlelit protests broke out in 2002 following the death of two schoolgirls in a traffic accident involving a US military vehicle.

The campaign was helpful in securing an upset presidential election victory for Lee's liberal predecessor Roh Moo-Hyun.

Roh was suspended in 2004 after the opposition-led parliament impeached him on charges of electoral law violations and alleged corruption.

But a cyber campaign brought tens of thousands of demonstrators into the streets and helped him return to office stronger than ever.

The Internet's power was proven again this year, with Lee and conservative newspapers emerging as the target.

Critics say netizens were often inspired to protest by misleading information about the alleged dangers of mad cow disease and about government policies in general.

Users of the Korean-language version of online encyclopedia Wikipedia were banned from editing the entry on Lee because most comments were too rude.

Three major conservative newspapers have come under a well organised cyber attack for allegedly biased articles.

Organisers posted a list of companies that advertise with the papers along with their telephone numbers. Netizens were urged to boycott those companies as well as the newspapers.

Kim Min-Ki, a Soongsil University media studies professor, described some postings as akin to cyber terrorism.

“Netizens can debate and express opinion freely but they must refrain from posting malicious allegations or forcing others to follow their beliefs. This is tantamount to cyber terrorism,” he told AFP.

“They must know there will be tighter cyber regulations if they go too far.”

Hanyang University professor Koo Ja-Soon said that if the Internet is just a space for debate or discussion, there is no need for a watchdog.

“But if it creates rumours or facts which carry people away, it becomes media, which needs to be refuted or corrected for errors,” she told the Korea Times.

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Videos shared on YouTube and blogs scrutinizing candidates are part of an Internet-age revolution shaking up the US presidential election and sweeping in a new political era.

“Voter-generated content” is credited with helping Senator Barack Obama secure the Democratic presidential nomination.

It is also said to be transforming the essence of US political campaigns and shifting power from party leaders and major media outlets to citizens with camera-enabled mobile phones or simple blogging tools.

“You're watching the battle between politics of the 20th Century and politics of the 21st Century,” said Andrew Rasiej, founder of the Personal Democracy Forum devoted to exploring how technology is changing politics.

“The battle of old-school or top-down political organizing and the one that believes in bottom-up. You are seeing a fundamental power shift; the Internet allows people to organize themselves.”

Obama's announcement that he will rely on individual donors instead of public campaign funding is cited as proof of the Internet's political power.

More than 1.5 million people have donated cash to his effort.

“That shatters all records and has a lot to do with people being mobilized online, and mostly in the blogosphere,” said Mother Jones magazine reporter Josh Harkinson, who tracks “digital democracy” and blogging.

“Weighing in, sharing your political views and donating money are much easier online than ever before.”

Blogs keep people engaged and those who feel connected to campaigns are inclined to give money to influence outcomes, Harkinson said.

The rise of blogging and voter-posted videos also holds danger for candidates, whose every comment and move can be captured and shared online by anyone with a camera phone and basic Internet skills.

Gone are cozy relationships that might result in reporters giving candidates chances to retract or clarify embarrassing or controversial remarks.

“Bloggers have pressure on them to be controversial and different,” said Kevin Wallsten, a California university political science professor writing a book on the role blogging plays in presidential politics.

“The new thing for candidates is you have to be on your game all the time. You can have a Macaca Moment or a Bittergate.”

Bittergate refers to a controversy Obama was mired in after he referred to small town Pennsylvania residents as “bitter” people who “cling to guns and religion” during a private fundraising event in San Francisco.

A Huffington Post blogger posted the quote on the Internet.

Clinton's campaign took a hit when the same blogger posted audio recording of her ex-president husband, Bill Clinton, calling a magazine reporter a “scumbag” for writing an unflattering story about him.

US senator George Allen lost a re-election bid in 2006 after a video of him using the pejorative term “macaca” to refer to a man of Indian descent was posted on the Internet.

Obama had to save his campaign from disaster with a passionate speech on race reconciliation in America after the dissemination of an online video of his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, condemning the nation in a fiery sermon.

“There are going to be more and more of these things, that is inevitable,” Wallsten said. “A lot can end up in blogs.”

Rasiej and others say the power of blogs is being eclipsed by the ease with which anyone can capture candidates on digital audio or video and post results on the Internet.

“The notion of voter-generated content is upending the entire political ecology,” Rasiej told AFP.

The Internet teems with videos of Obama and supporters singing or speaking his praises.

“Obama is to web video as John F. Kennedy was to television,” Harkinson said. “It really is that big of a revolution.”

Presumptive Republican presidential candidateJohn McCain and his party have yet to show they are adapting to Internet-age politics as deftly as Obama.

“Republicans are frustrated that they can't get the party hierarchy to adapt fast enough,” Rasiej said.

“The political establishment and mainstream press are only beginning to catch up with a new generation of political players who are creating powerful new ways for ordinary citizens to get involved.”

FORT SUMNER, N.M. - Students at a rural New Mexico school made a unique pledge last winter: Right hands raised, they promised to take care of their Zunes.

This past semester, nearly every one of the roughly 100 students at Fort Sumner High School was outfitted with the Microsoft media player, similar to Apple’s iPod, enabling them to watch videos and listen to recorded lectures created or recommended by teachers and fellow students. It was one of two schools nationwide taking part in the project.

The students were encouraged to be linked to their devices during class hours, on bus rides home and on school trips. Teachers got a $400 bonus for coming up with lessons to identify 20 downloadable digital lectures that supported their lessons and to develop five of their own.

“My main hope is it’s going to save us lost class time,” said English teacher Pam Richards. “We are small, and the kids are involved in so many things.”

For Microsoft, the project showcased its brand and technology; the aim was for more schools to eventually incorporate them into curriculum. In exchange for the donated $300 Zunes, the schools provide data to the company on whether the devices improve test scores.

The semester ended in late May. This summer, Microsoft plans to post a case study on the pilot project following the National Education Computing Conference in San Antonio, Texas, where the idea partly originated last year.

It’s called podcasting, and is increasingly popular in education, with many colleges and universities offering free online lectures. A podcast is an audio or video file that automatically downloads to subscribers over the Internet, and is often listened to or watched on a mobile media player such as an iPod or Zune.

For Fort Sumner Spanish teacher Sandra Wertheim’s class, the boost from the little device made it much easier to deal with weekly vocabulary words: Her voice rang through the ears of students who got the lesson through the Zune.

“No one could help them at home,” she said. “Now, they don’t need anyone. They have me. They take me home.”

Freshman Ashley Stinnett noted the convenience of not having to take books home and said she benefited from being able to rewind Wertheim’s podcasts and hear the Spanish words over and over.

“Instead of thinking, ‘How did she say all these words?’ I have it right there with me,” she said.

School superintendent Patricia Miller said most teachers were supportive of the project. History teacher John Wootton wasn’t one of them.

While he saw how digital media players might help kids learn a foreign language, he also observed, “We think it’s the answer to everything.”

“I just didn’t see where kids used it as intended,” he said. “So far, I haven’t talked to one who used it for academic purposes, studying.”

In fact, many students admitted the lure of the Zune was being able to listen to their favorite tunes and swap songs and pictures with friends. But they insisted they used it to study, too.

Eric Langhorst led the pilot project at South Valley Junior High in Liberty, Mo. He had been incorporating technology into his lessons for years, posting 20-minute audio test reviews, or studycasts, on the Internet. But many students didn’t have access to the Internet or own a media player to listen to them.

He approached Microsoft at an education conference last year and pitched the project that allows 25 students in one class to have the Zunes. He now can beam notes on the Gold Rush, Power Point presentations and Civil War battlefield maps directly to the students.

Students also created an election year advertisement for Abraham Lincoln and had to watch each other’s productions as a homework assignment.

“We want it to become part of their lives,” he says on a history blog.

At Fort Sumner, new rules came along with the invasion of the Zunes. A campus-wide “grandma rule” kept students from uploading anything that their grandmother wouldn’t find appropriate to listen to or watch. And teachers had the ability to designate certain areas as “No Zune Zones,” do periodic Zune checks and tell students when they must turn off their Zunes.

A group of tech-savvy high schoolers, known as Zunies, help teachers create the podcasts.

Miller, for one, wasn’t ready to say the Zunes would dramatically improve how kids learn.

“Is it the next great thing? I don’t know, maybe, but it is another tool,” she said.

It is not unusual to find the computer you bought only a couple of years ago cannot handle the very latest software, but there could be an answer to the problem so long as you are connected to the internet.

The cloud is the latest buzzword doing the rounds in the tech world.

In essence it is a simple idea. It refers to data and processing power living online rather than in a beige box under a desk.

As we move towards a world where we are all storing more and more media in digital form - documents, photos, music or videos - moving it into the cloud offers unparalleled flexibility.

It is actually not a new idea, just a new name. But many companies are getting very excited about the prospect of offering storage and processing power that can be accessed anywhere, any time.

For example, the image of a cloud has been adopted by Apple as the logo for its recently launched MobileMe service on the 3G iPhone. Users of MobileMe can synchronise all their e-mail, contacts and photos from anywhere the device can pick an internet connection.

Online collaborations

Many applications which used to sit just on a desktop computer are also working their way into the cloud. For example, Google Docs, allows the creation of text documents and spreadsheets online.

The interface is clean and intuitive and, as files are stored in the cloud, they are accessible them from any internet enabled computer.

Colleagues and friends can be invited to collaborate by sending them a link. Any changes they make appear on screen as if by magic.

Adobe’s Acrobat.com is a recently launched rival to Google Docs.

Those that prefer their online word processor to look and feel like the one on their desktop should give it a look.

It attempts to seduce users into thinking they are using a more traditional desktop application rather than a web page. The power of the cloud can even be harnessed for more complex processing like converting text documents to the popular PDF format.

“It won’t feel as if I’ve left my desktop. It won’t feel as if I’ve left the application, ” says Stephen Partridge, Adobe’s business development manager in the UK.

“I think PCs are going to get more powerful and cheaper, and people are going to still buy them. So the both of best worlds will come when those desktop applications work really well with cloud services,” he adds.

The cloud can also provide an interface in which to access other digital assets. Flash-based Jooce.com provides a service which looks and mimics the familiar desktop environment.

Documents saved to the “desktop” are actually uploaded to the cloud, so next time a user logs in anywhere in the world, everything is there on the desktop just as it was left.

Security concerns

But are there and dangers with saving all that digital data in the cloud? Entrusting precious data to storage providers in the sky leaves us at their mercy.

Who is safeguarding your data?

In a recent investigation, technology website Heise Online found worrying security holes in some online backup services.

“During the course of our tests we found that some of these services were vulnerable to an attack on their security systems, which meant that someone could read or even alter all the data you’re using these services to back up,” says Jonathan Bennett, editor of Heise Online.

“What we did is what security experts call a ‘man in the middle’ attack. This involves impersonating the server you’re trying to talk to by presenting it with a fake ID.

“Some of these services having this kind of problem, gives you cause for worry when you’re using these internet and cloud-like services,” he adds.

Powerful processing

But there is more to the cloud than just somewhere to store stuff.

It is a massive repository of processing power, and it comes into its own when uses to do labour intensive processing not possible on a low power device like a mobile phone.

In a new handset, loaded with the new Windows Mobile 6.1, power hungry voice processing goes on in the cloud.

In the past, voice recognition relied on a mobile’s small and relatively slow processor. This often resulted in some frustrating exchanges with a handset.

This new service, still in beta testing, promises to offer a new way of saving information.

Simply take a snapshot of a handwritten note, business card or travel ticket and e-mail the image to Evernote’s servers in the cloud. They scrawl is converted into text, producing a searchable database of thoughts which are accessible on a handset or a desktop computer.

Creating an animated movie requires lots and lots of number crunching.

Every frame needs to be rendered by powerful hardware normally beyond the budget of everyone except the biggest film studios.

But a new short film has been created by a team of animators using a rendering cloud set up by networking giant Sun. Now anybody can rent crunching time in the cloud at the cost of $1 (?0.50) per processor per hour.

Of course all that data storage and processing has to take up some real estate somewhere and Iceland is positioning itself as the cloud’s ideal home.

A proposed data centre there aims to blend into the scenery while taking advantage of the nearby geothermal and hydroelectric power stations for cheap electricity. The country’s remoteness also adds to the security of the data.

So whatever you need to compute on your desktop, laptop or mobile phone, the cloud is hovering overhead to lend a helping hand.

Data loss

But beware, the more reliant on the cloud we become, the less we can get at if the connection to the internet disappears.

“You will have to be very careful about knowing which bits of your personal information are actually needed with you, even if the cloud is there all the time,” says Guy Kewney, a veteran technology journalist.

“It’s good not to trust major services too much. As we’ve all discovered when the power goes down in our homes, it shouldn’t happen, but boy do you have to throw away a lot of food when it does,” he adds.

So when the connection to the cloud collapses, easy access to data goes with it.

There are dozens of applications living in the cloud to assist your digital life. Click here to see a selection of some of the best cloud applications.

Microsoft has reissued a critical patch for the Bluetooth stack in Windows XP, saying the original fix did not correct a vulnerability that a hacker could exploit to take control of a PC.

The original patch worked on Windows Vista, but failed to accomplish its task in Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Christopher Budd, a member of the Microsoft Security Response Center, said in the group's blog.

After releasing the patch in Security Bulletin MS08-30, Microsoft engineers “learned that the security updates for Windows XP SP2 and SP3 might not have been fully protecting against the issues discussed in that bulletin,” Budd said.

“Our investigation found that while the other security updates were providing protections for the issues discussed in the bulletin, the Windows XP SP2 and SP3 updates were not,” he said.

The latest patch would be distributed through the same channels as the original fix, including Microsoft's Automatic Update tool.

A preliminary investigation of the original failing has found that it may be related to “two separate human issues,” Budd said, offering no other details. “When we're done with our investigation, we'll take steps to better prevent it in the future.”

The vulnerability within the Bluetooth stack, which handles communications over the wireless specification, would enable an attacker to install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Microsoft labeled the flaw “critical.”

Microsoft released the original fix June 10 in a package of seven security patches addressing 10 vulnerabilities. Three of the bulletins were rated “critical,” three “important,” and one “moderate.”

See original article on InformationWeek.com

See original article on InformationWeek.com

Psystar, the Florida-based systems integrator that defied Apple's no-cloning rule by selling Mac desktop knockoffs, has introduced rack-mount servers that can run the Leopard Server operating system, an apparent challenge to Apple's Xserve system.

The OpenServ 1100, listed as a 1U server, and the OpenServ 2400, a 2U system, were launched this week. Both are “compatible” with several server operating systems, including Windows Server 2003 and 2008, Ubuntu Server, CentOS, and Mac OS X Leopard Server, the company said.

Psystar launched its Open Computer Mac clone about two months ago for $399, and then introduced soon after a beefed up version called OpenPro that ships with a choice of operating systems, including UbuntuLinux, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Apple's Leopard, which is also known as Mac OS X 10.5. The system is priced at $805, while a similarly configured Apple-branded computer would cost more than $2,000.

So far, Apple has made no public comments on Psystar selling systems in defiance of the company's policy against cloning. Apple's Leopard license agreement forbids third-party installations and sales.

Nevertheless, Psystar has been very vocal in marketing its products, claiming the systems cost a quarter of Apple's. The company also says Apple marks up the cost of its hardware by as much as 80%.

The latest Psystar systems are available with up to two Intel Xeon quad-core processors and have dual gigabit Ethernet and up to 16GB of memory. The 1100 model has up to 4 TB of storage, and the 2400 system up to 6 TB. Pricing starts at $1,599 and $1,999, respectively.

Psystar last month upgraded its line of Mac clones with an improved metal chassis, claiming the new V2 box is “virtually silent.” The company also said it is ramping up its production capabilities and would offer an order-to-build time of just four days. Psystar also offers support for its systems.

See original article on InformationWeek.com

Demand for ever-larger data warehouses and ever-faster access to the data is a worldwide phenomenon. Take the examples of Reliance Communications of India and Sweden's TradeDoubler, a pan-European digital marketing firm. Both companies have replaced legacy data warehouses with alternative technologies that have one thing in common: lower cost and better performance than conventional technologies could offer. Reliance needed a highly scalable solution for call data records, so it's building a massive store on data warehouse appliances. TradeDoubler needed faster load speeds and analytic performance, but it also wanted to spend less time rebuilding and tuning the database, so it chose a column-store database.

The Need for Scale

Data volumes are mushrooming around the globe, and particularly in the telco sector in India. “For the last few months, telecom in India has been the fastest-growing market in the world, adding about 10 million customers per month,” says Raj Joshi, Vice President of Decision Support Systems at Reliance Communications, one of the country's top mobile, land line and long distance providers. “We've been adding as many as 1.5 million customers per month, and we were looking for a solution that would help us optimize storage, efficiency and cost.”

After an extensive review in early 2007, Reliance chose and implemented a 60-terabyte Greenplum data warehouse appliance last summer. That deployment was successful, so it now has a 120-terabyte appliance Greenplum coming online. All 180 terabytes of capacity will be dedicated to storing and retrieving call data records (CDRs), an application that was previously supported by an Oracle data warehouse. With nearly one billion new calls made every day and government requirements to retain call records for 13 months, the 50-terabyte conventional warehouse was quickly running out of headroom.

“We chose an appliance for the CDR application because it was the fastest-growing piece of our warehouse,” Joshi explains. “Access to CDRs in not very frequent, but they need to go in a big database we needed fast loading and fast retrieval for large amounts of data.”

As is common for many first-time appliance deployments, Reliance is essentially offloading a high-volume, data-mart style application from the conventional data warehouse, which continues to support analysis of subscriber demographics and market trends. “Pre-paid [calling cards] account for almost 85 percent of our business, so analysis of recharges, customer user behavior and payment behavior remains in Oracle,” says Joshi. “Greenplum was really new technology for us, so the idea was that once the CDR application is proven, we could expand [use of appliances] into other areas.”

Reliance is thus far pleased with the Greenplum deployment in two key respects, says Joshi: “I can't comment on our final costs, but the savings were substantial As far as performance goes, it's about three to five times faster [than our old warehouse], so the queries that were taking a couple of hours now take 30 minutes.”

The Need for Speed

Scalability was decidedly not the problem facing TradeDoubler. In fact, the Web marketing firm's warehouse was less than one terabyte, but complex analytic queries against as many as 3 billion rows of data demanded extensive aggregation. What's more, since the firm studies constantly changing clickstream data, the database had to be continually rebuilt, reindexed and tuned.

“You have to structure the database to be able to ask the questions, and that takes a lot of work,” says CTO Ola Uden. “We had a one person working with the data full time, but depending on the complexity of the queries, it took anywhere from half a data to two days to get the data out.”

Early this year TradeDoubler implemented the Brighthouse column-store database from InfoBright. Column-oriented databases are faster than conventional (row-oriented) databases in many analytic applications because they can query selected attributes without wading through all the non-relevant data in each row. Leading column-store databases are also designed to take advantage of commodity hardware supporting massively parallel processing. TradeDoubler is running Brighthouse on an inexpensive ($12,500) Dell server with two quad-core processors.

TradeDoubler optimizes Web marketing campaigns across Europe and Asia for more than 1,600 advertisers by analyzing Web clicks, impressions and purchases. Customers include online retailers such as Apple and Dell. Brighthouse and Pentaho BI software are serving as the engine behind TradeDoubler's TD Integral Cross-Media Marketing Platform, which is designed to “understand the complete customer journey” across search engines, affiliate sites in TradeDoubler's network and online advertising.”

“If Apple is running a campaign for the iPhone, they want to look at how people ended up buying one at their site,” explains Mats Johansson, a senior consultant at Lincube Group AB, which helped TradeDoubler with the Brighthouse implementation. “What did they do before they made that purchase? Did they read a review or were they responding to an ad? Which sites were they visiting and how did they arrive at the Apple store?”

TradeDouble has more than 125,000 Web sites in its network, and it tracks some 20 billion impressions, 265 million unique visitors and 12 million leads per month. The Brighthouse implementation went into production in May, and the firm now loads and rebuilds the database every day, retaining three days of network-wide clickstream data and 60 day's worth of online order information.

TradeDoubler continues to rely on Oracle for many of its transactional processing needs, but constant rebuilding and, in particular, high-volume loading necessitated an alternative approach, says Johansson. “Loading 2 billion rows a day while still maintaining performance on analytic queries would have been quite expensive,” he says.

Between faster loading speeds, automated indexing, 30X data compression and faster query times, TradeDoubler is getting faster answers at a lower cost than would have been possible with conventional technology. With appliances, column-store databases and related software-hardware configurations growing in number and diversity (from small-scale to ultra-high-capacity), it looks like the days of building data warehouses from scratch are winding down all over the globe.

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A cell phone may help Delta Airlines passengers avoid long lines at the airport.

The carrier, in partnership with the Transportation Security Administration, is testing a paperless mobile check-in at New York's LaGuardia Airport. Additionally, the program allows customers with Internet-enabled phones to download an electronic boarding pass directly on their handsets.

“Passengers can now quickly check in for their flight while en route to the airport in a taxi or walking from the parking lot to the terminal,” said Steve Gorman, executive VP at Delta, in a statement. “The check-in process now can take place from anywhere, at any time within 24 hours of flight departure.

Customers could proceed to the security checkpoint where TSA agents would scan the electronic pass from the mobile phone. Users would still have to show identification before being allowed through security.

After getting though security, the passenger could present this electronic boarding pass at the departure gate, and then get on the plane. Currently, the test program is only available for domestic flights.

Delta said it has plans to utilize mobile devices for additional services in the future. These are expected to include standby upgrades, round-trip check-in, and using text messaging for checking in.

This method of check-in could eventually help airlines save money by eliminating printing costs, and it could also improve customer satisfaction. Last December, Continental Airlines was the first U.S. carrier to test this type of mobile check-in program.

For both programs, the airlines worked with TSA to develop an encryption plan for boarding passes on the mobile devices.

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