OpenReach shorten the provision time on certain products (slightly)

Nice to see the ISPs getting some money back when SLAs aren't met.
Its a shame this didn't cover FTTC as well!

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2013/10/bt-openreach-set-deliver-slightly-faster-engineer-appointments.html

UK MVNO's start talking about their 4G plans.

Both Giff Gaff and Tesco run on the O2 network so it's not surprising that they are releasing plans around the same time. Lets hope things get competitive!

http://www.neowin.net/news/giffgaff-announces-uk-4g-plans-new-handset-store-coming-soon

http://www.tescomobile.com/about-us/4G

I was wrong, you can upgrade the SSD on a Macbook Pro Retina mid 2012

I just wish it wasn't so costly. Comes with a 3 year warranty.



http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SSDAP12K480/

Ars goes to town with a 24 page review of Apples Mavericks OS.

See link: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/10/os-x-10-9/

UK carriers will be forced to let customers ditch mobile contracts if they raise prices

Could news. ISPs will be inclined for a lot more pushback on Wholesalers such as BT Wholesale when price rises happen as it'll have a knock on for them. I think this will be a bigger issue for fixed line services over mobiles.

In the case of long mobile contracts that might increase the risk and thus they might even start higher on prices which is a shame... the flip side being short contracts if they don't want to be vulnerable to market changes.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/23/new-ofcom-ruling-lets-you-ditch-your-mobile-contract-if-the-pric/

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2013/10/ofcom-protects-consumers-mid-contract-price-hikes-uk-isps.html

Samsung acquires 7.4 percent of Gorilla Glass maker Corning, signs long-term supply deal

Samsung certainly know how to not keep all their eggs in one basket.... Apple certainly knows this as they try to move away from fuelling Samsungs revenue lines... There are always sapphire displays as a alternative.. 

http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/23/samsung-acquires-7-4-percent-of-gorilla-glass-maker-corning/

Mavericks is free!

Yep, Apple have released it for free and its in a App store waiting for download.

Live in the UK and want a Mac Pro, take a free holiday...

I could fly over there, pick one up and still have change to spare! 

I could see a fair few video editors / graphics designers etc taking a trip over to buy one, take it out the packaging and stuff it in their luggage (5kg) to bring home.... 

It really is a rip off considering America  is the home of UPS and FedEx even when you take taxes into consideration.

CDN / security reading list.

CDN URLs:

http://www.level3.com/en/products-and-services/data-and-internet/cdn-content-delivery-network/

http://www.akamai.com/html/solutions/aura_multiscreen_del.html

http://www.akamai.com/html/solutions/aura-solutions.html

http://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/

https://www.cloudflare.com/features-cdn

http://www.highwinds.com/ Also talks about GDN's Game delivery networks: http://www.highwinds.com/gdn/

http://www.skytide.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/adaptive-bitrate-technology


Related / content:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Live_Streaming

http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac49/ac0/ac1/ac259/nds.html

http://www.f5.com/products/big-ip/


Security based:

https://www.cloudflare.com/

http://www.level3.com/en/products-and-services/cyber-security/ddos-attack-protection-mitigation/

http://googleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/new-free-expression-tools-from-google.html

http://www.arbornetworks.com/solutions/service-providers

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/vpndevc/ps5879/ps6264/ps5888/prod_white_paper0900aecd8011e927.html

New Nokia handsets coming with RAW image support.

Nokia have a few new phones coming. The big thing though is that they weill have microSD slots and RAW image support!

http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/22/nokia-bringing-raw-imaging-lumia-1520-and-1020/

Google - Project Shield

Project Shield is an initiative to use Google's infrastructure to protect free expression online. The service currently combines Google's DDoS mitigation technologies and Page Speed Service (PSS), which allow websites to serve their content through Google to be better protected from DDoS attacks.
http://projectshield.withgoogle.com/

Europe Claims 100% Basic Broadband Target Won via Satellite

ISPreview:

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2013/10/europe-claims-100-standard-broadband-target-won-via-satellite.html

Bought some gear for Cisco certs...

2x Cisco Unified IP Phone 7906G



2x Cisco Catalyst 2950

Cisco Catalyst 3550 PWR

Not bad for under £160 inc delivery.

8 Monitors on Windows 8.1 with USB 3.0

I've only used their (Pluggable's) USB to serial adapter for connecting to Cisco console ports but that worked flawlessly.

This also looks promising:



Now I just need 8 thin bezel monitors all lines up vertically... mwhahaha

Third Windows Phone update supports 1080p screens, quad-core CPU

All they need to add is a 64bit OS, add a rotation lock and allow for customisable keyboards. I'd consider switching back then possibly... actually I'm not even that fussed about the 64 bit support...  I hope those dual booting options have some weight with Sammy and HTC...

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/third-windows-phone-update-supports-1080p-screens-quad-core-cpus/

Researchers achieve 100 Gbps over sub-terahertz wireless

Engadget: Researchers achieve 100 Gbps over sub-terahertz wireless, set world record. http://google.com/producer/s/CBIwwNmFzAQ

A look at the PS4 and Xbox One hardware

A gadget p0rn video really.. but all the same it does make me take another look at the PS4 controller.

I'd still fairly set on the Xbox One but I think some really interesting stuff could come out of the PS4 controller with advance PC support (they have only announced basic PC support).

TalkTalk Launch Cheap GBP3.50 Mobile Tariff and Boosts Data Allowances

Seems competitive but its a tough market. Tesco mobile have won a few awards in this area for their great customer service (I don't use them at the moment but I did like the service).

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2013/10/talktalk-launch-super-cheap-3-50-mobile-tariff-boosts-data-allowances.html

Xbox One: IPv6, Teredo, and IPsec

Samsung to unveil the S5 in January?

So Samsung, although selling well with the S4 has supposed not met internal sales targets. This could mean an early revision for the next release. To loosely tie that in with other rumours, could we see it dual booting with Windows Phone 8! 

I was very tempted by the Ativ S... a 5S with windows phone could be a real crowd pleaser... 

http://www.t3.com/news/samsung-to-unveil-the-s5-in-january

Another failing HD audio format rears its head.

Welcome to universals High fidelity pure audio. A new music format for Blu-ray with surround surround and multiple encoding. Also you get a digital copy for the music. 

So why is the title so pessimistic? Because we've seen it all before with DVD-A, SACD and to some extent MinDisc. 

The formats never get as big a push as they should to rival CD sales let alone the uprise of digital downloads. Why is this more like a 'best of' collection and not aimed at chart releases and all new releases! The PS4 helped bring Blu-ray to the masses, the next generation of consoles with both have Blu-ray support so it makes sense to push now to keep physical media going. It also gives the producers more profitability as costs lower over time and gives them their grip on the artists which is something they've lost over time due to the digital age. I'm not saying that's a good thing... Just I'm surprised they've not been as keen because of this. 

The is surprising really. With digital downloads only being yours and not something someone can inherit from you I would have thought people would be more keep to jump on a high fidelity format and try to outright replace the ageing CD. I don't think you can do away with vinyl as some people love the analogue sound but for CD's... they're digital!



http://www.whathifi.com/news/high-fidelity-pure-audio-launch-titles-confirmed

BT has no love of the old BT Cellnet network or Vodafone. Jumps in bed with EE.

BT has today moved one step closer to expanding their mobile solutions after it signed an “exclusive” multi-year agreement with EE (Everything Everywhere), which will provide the predominantly fixed line telecoms firm with Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) services.

The deal, which is still subject to final contract, effectively means that BT has chosen to replace its existing 9-year MVNO agreement with Vodafone in favour ofEE. BT said that the operator would work to “ensure a seamless transition for customers“.

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2013/10/ee-sign-deal-provide-uk-mobile-virtual-network-operator-services-bt.html

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Critical WhatsApp crypto flaw threatens user privacy, researchers warn

Not good for one of the worlds most popular instant messengers if its as true as the researchers say. WhatApp didn't seem too concerned in their response to Ars.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/10/critical-whatsapp-crypto-flaw-threatens-user-privacy-researchers-warn/

Vodafone UK Expands 4G Rollout and Connects 100,000th Customer

Vodafone were late to the party but they look to be pushing their rollout at a decent pace.

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2013/10/vodafone-uk-expands-4g-rollout-connects-100000th-customer.html

BBC plans to help get the nation coding

There seems to be a lot of undertones in UK education regarding computer skills and the growing gap. This generally focuses on the content but what about the teachers?

Anyway the BBC are jumping onboard for a programming push:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24446046

I personally think the Raspberry pi is a more fun and interesting venture.

Google's Chrome OS is being built into Windows 8

Much more appealing than a standalone Google OS in my opinion.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/5/4806562/google-building-chrome-os-into-windows-8

Passed my ITIL foundation IT Service Management course

I've passed my ITIL foundation! September has been a good month with that and the CCNA. 

Adobe the latest victim of cyber crime.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/03/adobe-says-attackers-compromised-2-9-million-customer-accounts/

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Looks like the Samsung Galaxy note 3 has had a bumpy ride with rumours of benchmark cheating and a underperforming USB3 connector.

Its interesting to see them go with that awful looking USB3 connector. It was a long time coming but I still think there are a lot of unhappy manufactures having to work with less PCB space because of it.

I had the Note 3 but it was just a little too big for me in the end. I went to a Lumia 920 and then onto a Samsung S4.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7376/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review