There has been much hype and much said recently over the term ‘cloud computing’. It describes the way things tend to be moving in the IT world - that we connect to computer resources stored elsewhere than our own physical hardware. More and more of us are starting to dabble in this, whether it be through web servers hosting our websites, email hosting storing our email or word processing allowing us to update and share our documents. Google, Microsoft and Amazon are some of the main advocates of cloud computing and there has been an increasing push to make software available via the web. Cloud computing of course has its benefits (ease of access being one of them) but we are left to wonder whether it is everything it’s made out to be….is cloud computing the one that will be going up in smoke?

According to the Guardian, Richard Stallman, creator of the computer operating system GNU, said that “cloud computing was simply a trap aimed at forcing more people to buy into locked, proprietary systems that would cost them more and more over time.” He may have a point - more and more people are storing pictures on sites such as Flickr and Facebook, managing emails via Gmail and Yahoo and storing documents on on such sites as Google Docs and Zoho. Of course, the benefit is that it is arguably much safer (no longer will the stolen laptop be prone to misuse) but we are left in the mercy of companies such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon to manage our computing habits.

Unfortunately not always are such companies up to the challenge shown by the recent outage of Gmail in February 2009 - somehwhere between 2.5 and 4 hours depending on who you listen to and the fact that this was the sixth significant drop time in the space of eight months. Not only would have this had had individual implications but for companies making use of cloud computing (and Google in particular is encouraging companies to make use of Google facilities, in particular through Google Apps), financial implications.

Equally, what happens when you can’t access your email account either through having your account hacked or other mistakes which have their own implications. There have been many high profile stories of this - Governor Sarah Palin’s Yahoo account hacked and Jack Straw’s Hotmail account also compromised. However, I’m sure that the high profile ones aren’t the only areas where this happens (speaking from personal experience of losing access to an old Hotmail account).

Of course the Gmail outage in February 2009 and hacked email accounts online are only a drop in the ocean but it does perhaps offer a small insight into what could one day be. What it does it to emphasise the need to backup information offline and have someone at the end of the phone when systems fail… suggesting perhaps that it might not be as simple to fully move to cloud computing as Google, Microsoft and Amazon would have us think.

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Well no sooner have Apple launched their preview of version 3.0 software than Ebay (owners of Skype) have come out with a Skype app for the iPhone (and Blackberry in forthcoming weeks). In theory an excellent move. A free VOIP service moving from the laptop to the mobile improving portability.

This is a very quick run through having downloaded it just gone midnight (actually didn’t arrive until 12.25am) and had a very quick play. As with any app, it’s easy to download via iTunes (for free) and install onto the iPhone. It feels a little slow to load up but that may be caused by the fact that it’s the first time of use. Skype for the iPhone features five tabs at the bottom of the screen, displaying contacts, chats, a calling panel, call history, and your profile (with Facebook-style status and an option for you to add your own photo if not already loaded). It uses contacts directly from your phone book and can display their photo (if there is one setup on Skype) and also gives you the opportunity to purchase credit, an online number and voicemail if required.

The benefit of using contacts from your phone book is evident by the contact book on the call page (although landlines / mobiles will incur a charge)

*Please note that I had hoped to put some screen shots up but am having problems with the server so will upload shortly - for the moment, screen shots are courtesy of PCWorld

To be honest, whilst there has been much ‘noise’ in the press about the release of Skype for the iPhone for some time (although why it arrived on the home page of the BBC I’m not sure!), it does little to resolve the outstanding issues - namely the lack of video conferencing, multiple calls (only available if someone invites you), costs to numbers other than Skype and the fact that this is only available on Wi-Fi and not the 3G network (which interestingly is available on the N Series Nokias and 3 Network). According to ITProPortal, O2’s terms and conditions still prohibit the use of applications that “allow the continuous streaming of any audio/video content, enable Voice over Internet (Voip), P2P or file sharing” - certainly including Skype.

These downfalls are a shame and it offers very little more from Nimbuzz, TruPhone or Fring (which also by the way links to you IM network e.g. MSN, Yahoo Messenger). In addition, until Apple resolve the lack of support for background apps, it sort of renders this application useless…..although perhaps a step in the right direction. In reality, how often will I log into the application in the hope that I might just receive a call!?!?

Interestingly, it is not Ebay (owner of Skype) therefore who should take the criticism for this but rather Apple for not moving quickly enough on functionality to support better apps. Don’t get me wrong, the benefits to be had from the forthcoming version 3.0 software (including copy and paste) will be helpful (although many are arguing that these and more are already available on a Jailbroken iPhone) but there is still much to be done to make this the killer phone that it really deserves to be. Whether the new iPhone hardware (expected but not yet announced) solves some of these issues is yet to be seen….

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On 23rd March 2009, BT accounced its super fast broadband sites, with an ability for areas to connect at up to 60Mbps. This followed Ofcom approval of the BT fibre project to bring super fast broadband to the UK in early March.

I’m pleased to say that Chelmsford exchange has been included in one of the trial site areas that will take part in the ‘Fibre to the Cabinet’ (FTTC) trial alongside other locations (29) as listed here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/mar/23/btgroup-broadband.

There will be trials in Muswell Hill and Whitchurch (Wales) in summer 2009 before early roll out of the other trial areas in early 2010 (Chelmsford expected Q1 2010). This will initially serve 500,000 households. This is then expected to expand to 40% of the UK by 2012.

This is hopefully good news for us in Chelmsford, having recently moved across to the ADSL2+ upgrade on existing copper lines (apparently will push maximum speeds to 24Mbps although due to my location from the exchange - more like 6Mbps).

According to the Guardian website: “The “fibre to the cabinet” (FTTC) technology takes hair-thin optical fibre from the exchanges to the same street as the connected homes, though the connection to the home itself still uses standard copper lines… Because the distance from the “cabinet”, where the new fibre-optic system terminates, to the home is so much shorter – measurable in metres rather than kilometres – than the usual connection from the home to the exchange, a higher-frequency signal can be used to carry more data.”

In a nutshell that means a fibre optic cable from the exchange to the cabinet and then copper wire for the shorter distance from the cabinet to the home.

However, it is strange that BT are introducing this in areas which are already have super fast broadband offered by Virgin Media - surely business sense would suggest that you’d go to areas not already supplied (as there is no competition)….not that I’m complaining of course!

It is as yet unclear how much BT Openreach will charge ISPs to use their FTTC although I’m sure it won’t be cheap (BT will have to cover their own costs). Thinkbroadband suggests it’s more likely to be £30-50 rather than the £5-20 we’re currently experiencing with the first generation broadband. We’ll learn more from the London and Wales trial sites in the summer so watch this space….IPTV, VOIP over a better connection could soon be coming our way.

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