Is cloud computing really green?

Bangalore: Apart from its key advantages of increased efficiencies, scalability, redundancy and decreased costs, another significant concept that hails cloud computing today is its potential to operate business applications more efficiently, resulting in a potentially lower environmental impact. This is what makes cloud computing one of today's IT buzzwords, and there are studies to back this up.A recent study, titled, "Cloud Computing and Sustainability" from Microsoft (with Accenture and WSP) compared the environmental footprint of running business software internally or with an outsourced provider. The study showed that, compared to running their own applications, by outsourcing companies can reduce the energy use and carbon footprint of computing by up to 90 percent. We could rattle off another dozen reasons why cloud computing should be greener. But is it really?

Network-based cloud computing is rapidly expanding as an alternative to conventional office-based computing. Not only this. Our day-to-day computing activities are also migrating from hard drives to Internet servers. Recently, Facebook came up with a statistic that shows how much new data enters cyberspace on a regular basis. According to the networking site's count, more than 100 million photos get uploaded to Facebook each day. As cloud computing becomes more widespread, the energy consumption of the network and computing resources that underpin the cloud will grow. Environmental groups are worried that the trend will result in a bigger carbon footprint.

At a time when there is increasing attention being paid to the need to manage energy consumption across the entire information and communications technology (ICT) sector, there has been less attention paid to the energy consumption of the transmission and switching networks that are key to connecting users to the cloud.

Going back to the Facebook example, data that is created and uploaded to websites like Facebook is stored at data centers. In order to keep these data warehouses running and comfortably air-conditioned to prevent overheating, uninterrupted power supply is a must. This can result in some heavy energy consumption. As of now, data centers are responsible for two percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, and according to experts, the number will increase in near future.

However, there are companies telling that the growing trend towards cloud computing is making online computing more energy-efficient. An analysis of Pike Research has backed up some of these reported benefits, suggesting that a reduction in the cost of the energy of global data center can take place by up to 38 percent by 2020 because of the extremely efficient cloud computing. But, environmental groups and other skeptics still have doubts with regard to how green cloud computing can truly be.

According to a Gartner report that examined the carbon footprint of the ICT industry, environmentalists are concerned about the industry's apparent confusion with the difference between efficiency and sustainability. It says that companies need to recognize that energy efficient is not green on its own, and is no longer enough.

Another point to be noted here is none of the cloud providers such as Amazon, Microsoft or IBM are publishing metrics at all. Is it because companies using cloud computing are simply outsourcing their emissions? Until cloud providers start becoming more transparent around their utilization and consumption numbers, how green is cloud computing it is still a subject to debate.

Facebook unveils option to let friend know of online bullying

Facebook users can now tell a “trusted friend” if they feel they are being bullied or harassed online, thanks to a new option introduced by the popular social networking site.

Facebook has said that its reporting option allows members to alert someone in their support system, like parents or teachers, to the problem so that online behaviour is linked to “real world consequences”.

“Often the best way of sorting offensive content is for friends to flag those things to each other. In the real world you have a sense of when you need to escalate something to the right organisation.

“If someone is calling you names, it might not be appropriate to go directly to the police,” the Daily Mail quoted Facebook’s Director of European Policy Richard Allan as saying.

However, the social networking site said users would be put in contact with police or suitable organisations in the event of more serious concerns.

Screenshots of the new safety options reveal that users could, for example, select a tick box that says a new photo is “harassing or bullying me”.

The user can choose to block the person who posted the offending material but can also “Get help from a trusted friend”, with the option to send a message to a friend or person of responsibility.

The website also confirmed it was simplifying the language of its safety centre and adding more multimedia material to make the site safer and easier to use.

Soon, mobile phones may run for months on single charging

Imagine a mobile phone that runs for months after a single charging. Well, it could soon be a reality as scientists are developing a new battery which they say could be 100 times more powerful than the existing ones.

A team of engineers at the Illinois University are developing the new battery which will have “nanotubes” instead of metal wiring.

The scientists believe using nanotubes — carbon tubes 10,000 times smaller than a human hair — the battery’s life could be extended by up to 100 times, the Daily Mail reported.

“I think anyone who is dealing with a lot of chargers and plugging things in every night can relate to wanting a cell phone or laptop whose batteries can last for weeks or months,” said Eric Pop, of Illinois University’s Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, who led the research.

Pop claimed that their research could one day mean a mobile device like an iPhone could see hugely extended battery life, possibly to the point that it could run by harvesting thermal or solar energy rather than relying on a battery.

It could also prove groundbreaking for devices much larger than mobile phones or portable computers, Pop said.

“We’re not just talking about lightening our pockets or purses,” he explained. “This is also important for anything that has to operate on a battery, such as satellites, telecommunications equipment in remote locations, or any number of scientific and military applications.”

The scientists, who detailed their work in the journal Science, said the research is just the beginning for improving battery life and hope to make devices’ power consumption 1,000 times more efficient. 

iPad 2 hits stores

Apple’s iPad 2 hits stores on Friday in the U.S., as the company bids to extend its dominance of the tablet computer market, which it created virtually single-handedly when it launched the original iPad last April. Early reviews of the device note that it’s better than its pioneering predecessor, but not astoundingly so. Apple’s engineers and designers have outdone themselves by creating a machine that is lighter and thinner than the original iPad, yet packs in double the processing power, nine times the graphic performance and front and rear facing cameras. In an amazing demonstration of the economic laws that govern technology development, Apple is also able to sell the iPad 2 for the same price as its now clunky forerunner, starting at 499 dollars for the base model. But it speaks volumes for the limits of the new gadget that the innovation that seems to have garnered the most attention is an ingeniously simple screen cover that doubles as a device stand. The Smart Cover, which starts at 36 dollars, connects to the iPad 2 via magnets. The device automatically shuts off when the cover is closed and turns itself on when it opens. The big question is whether these incremental improvements will be enough to ward off Apple’s growing legion of competitors at the same time as they entice many of the 15 million current iPad owners to trade in their less than one-year-old models for a shiny new device clad with a curved satin aluminium back. Walt Mossberg, doyen of the US tech press, doesn’t believe it will. Though he considers the iPad 2 the best tablet currently available, it does not have enough plusses to warrant an upgrade, unless you’re desperate to video conference, he wrote. “I don’t think you would need to rush out and get this new one,” he advised current iPad owners. “However, remember most people don’t have any tablet so there’s an enormous addressable market of people.” There’s little doubt that the device’s tightly integrated hardware and software justify Mossberg’s evaluation. But given the rapid development of rivals from companies like Motorola, Samsung and Toshiba, plus Google’s relentless improvements to its Android operating system, it is virtually certain that the iPad 2 will be overtaken at some point in its life-cycle and probably well before Apple is ready to announce its successor next year. Toshiba is already boasting that its upcoming tablet is more than a match for the new debutant, featuring better cameras, the ability to play flash video, a higher resolution screen, stereo speakers and a haptic feedback touch-screen keyboard. Like the iPad 2, the Toshiba tablet will also feature a dual core processor and will retail for roughly the same price, the company says. That’s more than can be said for the current challengers to the iPad. Motorola’s Xoom also offers some features unavailable on the iPad, but is more expensive and is generally regarded as clunkier. Dell’s iPad rivals have also failed to set the market alight. That’s the fate that many would be iPad challengers can expect, according to JP Morgan Research analyst Mark Moskowitz. While manufacturers plan to build more than 80 million tablets in 2011 he figures 17 million will remain unsold -- and they won’t be sporting the famous Apple logo.

Americans slow to pay for local mobile apps

WASHINGTON: Nearly half of Americans are using their cellphones and tablet computers to get local news and information but just one percent are paying for applications to do so, according to a new report.

Forty-seven percent of Americans use cellphones or tablet computers like Apple's iPad to get information on local weather, restaurant listings, local news and sports scores and traffic conditions, the report said.

But only 13 per cent of mobile device owners are using applications, or apps, to tap into local information, the report found, and just 10 per cent of that group pays for an app -- amounting to just one percent of the total US adult population.

The findings are from a survey of 2,251 adults conducted in January for the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the Knight Foundation and released on Monday.

They suggest that newspapers hoping to make up for falling print advertising revenue and eroding circulation with local mobile offerings may have some time to wait.

"Many news organizations are looking to mobile platforms, in particular mobile apps, to provide new ways to generate subscriber and advertising revenues in local markets," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project.

"The survey suggests there is a long way to go before that happens."

Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, said "tablet penetration is growing so rapidly -- as quickly as any device we have seen to date.

"It will be fascinating to see whether that changes whether people will pay for content online, but for now it hasn't happened," Rosenstiel said.

Overall, 36 percent of adults pay for some form of local news, the report said, with the vast majority being local print newspaper subscriptions.

Apple reported selling 15 million iPads last year and dozens of other companies are developing their own devices in a bid to grab a share of the fast-growing tablet market.

Eighty-four percent of American adults currently own a cellphone while seven percent own a tablet computer, according to the report.

Apple offers more than 350,000 paid or free applications for the iPhone through its App Store and more than 65,000 for the iPad.

According to the report, 42 per cent of cellphone or tablet computer owners use the device to check local weather reports online and 37 per cent use their mobile devices to find local restaurants or other businesses.

Thirty percent get information or news about their local community, 24 per cent check local sports scores and 22 per cent use the devices to get information about local traffic conditions or public transportation.

Nineteen percent turn to their mobile devices to get or use coupons or discounts from local stores and 15 percent get news alerts about their community sent via text or email.

Twenty-three percent of those surveyed said they would pay $5 a month to get full access to local newspaper content online and 18 percent said they would pay $10 per month.

Around 75 per cent said they would not pay anything.

E-mail tricks for greater productivity

For most of us, attending to e-mail is not just an optional part of our daily routine. It’s a requirement — and sometimes not a pleasant one. That’s why it makes sense to work smarter and more efficiently with e-mail. Adopt some of the tricks below, and you’ll be well on your way.

Leave mail on server

Almost no one today retrieves their e-mail in just one way.

Smartphones, web-based mail, and traditional e-mail programs all can look for mail from the same source.

So how do you make sure you have the mail you need on your main mail program if you’ve already downloaded and read it on another device? Set up your primary mail program to download your mail, and set up the other mail retrieval devices to download the mail but leave a copy on the server. That way you can read your e-mail on your smartphone, for example, but still retrieve the same messages on your main computer later on. Look in your mail settings for an option to “leave a copy of messages on server.”

Synchronise mail

There will be times when you just have to synchronise you mail on two different computers. How you do that will depend in part on the type of e-mail you use. For web based e-mail like Gmail, synchronisation is generally not a problem.

For mail that you download into programs like Outlook or Thunderbird, however, synchronisation is a bit more difficult. For Outlook, programs like Outback Plus (http://ajsystems.com) and OsaSync (http://www.vaita.com) make the chore easier. For Thunderbird, the procedure is a bit more involved, but you can read about the options at Mozilla’s Synchronising Mail page (http://bit.ly/PaJ1C).

Use signatures creatively

Most people think of an e-mail signature as a bit of boilerplate text containing the sender’s name and contact information. But signatures can be much more. In fact, they can be used to compose an entire e-mail message.

Almost all e-mail programs allow you to define multiple “signatures” and to select the appropriate one as you’re composing a message. Think of defining signatures that contain most of the text needed for stock responses that you often provide to certain types of messages. Then just select the appropriate signature and fire off your responses.

Send e-mail later

Remember that you don’t have to send an e-mail message immediately after it’s been composed. Instead, with most e-mail programs, you can schedule the mail to be sent at a specific time. There are plenty of reasons for wanting to do so. You might want to queue up a message to be sent on someone’s birthday. You might have time to write a message now but not later, when it should be sent. Or you may wish to have a note delivered when you know someone will be in the office.

Typically, if your e-mail program will allow you to schedule messages, you will do so from the message composition window. In Outlook, for instance, you start an e-mail message, open the View menu, click Options, and then select the “Do not deliver before” check box, specifying a date and time. Just be sure your mail program remains running so that it can send your message when you want it to.

Use BCC

The “CC” (carbon copy) line gets a lot of use in e-mail messages.

But people tend to forget about the “BCC” (blind carbon copy) line.

That could be because it’s hidden by default in some e-mail programs.

In Outlook, for instance, you have to activate it from a message composition window by pulling down the View menu and selecting “Bcc field.” BCC allows you to designate e-mail recipients that no one else on your recipient list can see. For instance, if you don’t want anyone on your recipient list to be able to see the e-mail addresses of other recipients, put your own e-mail address in the To field and all of the other recipients in the BCC field. Ever get an e-mail addressed to “newsletter” and wonder how you ended up receiving it? It’s probably because your e-mail address was entered into the BCC box.

Send huge attachments

The common advice for sending large attachments by e-mail is this: don’t. That’s because some recipients will simply be unable to download the attachments because of size limitations imposed by the e-mail provider.

If you have to get a large file to someone by e-mail, however, there are options. First, try splitting the file into smaller parts.

You can do that by using a standard Zip program such as the open-source 7-Zip (http://www.7—zip.org). Your recipient can then assemble the parts using the same program. Or you could upload the large file to a free transfer service such as YouSendIt (https://www.yousendit.com), which will send your recipient a link that, when clicked, will download the file.

Nokia launches E7

Nokia on Monday launched all-in-one business smartphone — Nokia E7 — priced at Rs.29,999. Called ‘the new age Communicator', the handset comes with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support alongside a 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen display and slide-out four-row QWERTY keyboard.

“The smartphone market in India is witnessing a phenomenal growth. Trends such as 3G, social networking and video will further drive this growth in the coming years. Consumers today seek a device that allows them to do a lot more — both in their personal and professional lives. Nokia E7 offers a superior ‘mobile office' experience coupled with compelling entertainment options,” Nokia India Vice-President and Managing Director D. Shivakumar told journalists here.

Nokia E7 comes pre-loaded with many applications including ‘Mail for Exchange', Quick office Dynamic Premium, Adobe PDF reader and F-Secure anti-theft software and is complemented by the full suite of multimedia and Ovi experiences.

“Keeping Indian consumers in mind, we have introduced over 10,000 pieces of locally relevant content on the Ovi Store, optimised for the Nokia E7,” said Mr. Shivakumar. Consumers can also purchase the Nokia E7 under an easy payment scheme and pay for it in three equal monthly instalments at zero per cent interest. Nokia has tied up with Citibank, HDFC Bank, Standard Chartered and ICICI Bank for the easy EMI scheme and the offer will be available to consumers with credit cards only from any of these banks.