Networking & Internet

20% of US Peak Bandwidth used by Netflix Instant

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North America Network Downstream Traffic Profile Fixed Access According to a study by Sandvine, 20% of non-mobile internet traffic during prime time can be attributed to Netflix instant accounts during prime time usage periods in the US while streaming media accounts for 43% of peak period traffic. While Netflix accounts for almost half of the streaming bandwidth between 8p and 10p utilized by only 1.8% of Netflix subscribers.

While only 1.8% of Netflix subscribers are using the streaming capabilities, CEO Reed Hastings envisions Netflix as a streaming service. “In fact, by every measure, we are now primarily a streaming company that also offers DVD-by-mail.”

I happen to agree with Hastings as my video content viewing has dramatically changed from TV to Netflix Instant since I dropped premium channels such as HBO and Starz. In addition to the 1 disc in mail I tend to watch a movie or TV episode on the iPad at night and I’m watching less and less TV except for the few shows which I follow.

Content in the cloud (both audio and video) is the future.

Source: Wired

Bluetooth coming to Smart Grid?

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The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is focusing on lobbying to include Bluetooth technology in smart grid with two recent papers. The first strategy paper describes the market for in-home wireless in Smart Energy, domestic HVAC, and home appliances. The second is a technical justification of Bluetooth technology as the choice for these markets.

The executive director of the SIG, Michael Foley believes Bluetooth will work well with smart grid technology because it is sufficiently secure and can handle interference from other wireless products.

“The comprehensive scope of our specifications enables Bluetooth technology to provide an integrated solution that can cope with interference and which is optimized to have the lowest power consumption for these applications,” said Tom Siep, chairman of the Bluetooth smart energy group, in a statement. “The Bluetooth SIG is confident in our projections for success as the world addresses the need to make better use of energy.”

Source: Wireless Week

Netflix no longer requires disc for PS3 and Wii

1 Comment / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Books, Music and Movies, Gaming & Toys, Networking & Internet / By /

Wii and PS3 offer disc-less Netflix streamingComing on the heels of Netflix announcing that PS3 consumers no longer need a disc to stream Netflix content, Netflix customers with a Wii console can begin streaming movies from the service without the Netflix disc starting this week.

Last week, Sony launched the disc-less service for PS3 console customers. PS3 customers, unlike Wii customers, will be able to view Netflix content in high-definition viewing with surround sound.

Web Browsers Benchmarked

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October 2010 Browser Benchmark

Ars Technica performed a battery of tests with modern browsers. All tests were run on the latest stable and the recent nightly build of each browser.

The tests included SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark to measure JavaScript performance, V8 Benchmark Suite which is developed by Google, Nontroppo General Browser Load-Time Test and the Peacekeeper: The Browser Benchmark.

What’s the verdict? Chrome one again performs best with Opera in second. Safari barely beat Firefox for the number three spot and Internet Explorer continues to bring up the rear. In Ars Technica conclusion:

Chrome: it’s fast!

Chrome is the obvious winner in these tests. It has a such a significant lead that we doubt it’s going to be bumped out of the top spot anytime soon, especially if we take into consideration that the team wants to release a major version every six weeks. Still, competition in the browser market is only getting fiercer, so Chrome’s king-of-the-hill status may not last forever.

Sony’s GoogleTV-based Internet TVs go on sale

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Sony Internet Google TVYou can now buy a Sony Internet TV set with GoogleTV. The sets come in 24″, 32″, 40″ and 46″ sizes and also with a remote control that requires 2 hands because of its built-in keyboard for navigation and Web-surfing.

I was a bit surprised by the size of the remote, which borrows some of its design mojo from the PS3 controllers, but thought about it for a second and loved it. Some people may be scared away by the myriad of buttons, but I see stuff like that and think: customization, features galore, basically lots of power.

You can buy these right now on Sony’s website, in Sony’s stores this weekend and at Best Buy next weekend.

If you want more info on Google TV, take a look at our post and/or check out Sony’s crazy sophisticated Flash page.

Buy now!
Price: $600 – $1400
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Google New helps you keep track of new Google products and services

Gizmo of the Day, Networking & Internet, News / By /

As you well know by now, Google does a lot more than just search. They own YouTube, created Gmail, Google Docs, Chrome & Picasa and have dozens more various products and services.

Keeping up with what’s new can be a tough game, but luckily a 20-percenter project was created to do just that – keep folks informed of what’s new. Naturally, it’s called Google New!

Is Facebook Building Their Own Smartphone?

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FacebookThis sounds  a bit crazy, but there’s a well-founded rumor that Facebook is building its own smartphone.  Why you may ask. Simple – control. They get to control the whole interface, the entire experience for their users.

They also get to cash in on money paid for apps in their ecosystem.  They are also feeling the pressure of Google who is obviously making a play for some of the ever expanding ‘social’ traffic and who already have a mobile platform in the form of Android.

So will this work? Depends on your definition of ‘work’. Even if just a small fraction of their demographics takes it up seriously, then Facebook will stand to gain, and that can’t be all that bad.

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