Showing posts with label Should. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Should. Show all posts

Monday, February 28, 2011

Cable Internet and Modem Sticks - Which One Should I Go For?

Cable high-speed Internet plans are excellent for a home connection and even if you own a business and you need Internet in your office. However, there are some times in life when you either travel or move or you just need Internet during your vacation in some other city. For all these reasons, the most advanced cable Internet plans include portable modem sticks too. Judging by the reviews coming from customers, they may or may not be useful. But let's see whether they are worth or not.

Portable modem sticks usually come with premium cable high-speed Internet deals. If you want a strong and reliable connection at home, then you probably use the Internet for more than just chatting with your friends and checking your e-mail. A good provider will include a modem stick too in this package. But this is not a fact. At some cable Internet companies, for a modem stick you will have to support a monthly payment or just purchase it and use it with a prepay card. These days, such modems are provided by mobile phone companies too.

What are they useful for? Well, obviously, for flexibility first of all. Assuming you got a laptop and you just can't get away from it, you might like having it with you in the kitchen during your morning coffee or on your balcony during a hot, summer evening. Although some people only rely on the cable Internet, what do you do when you need to travel? Sometimes your job may imply traveling, while other times you might want to enjoy a nice spa weekend in some dream location. Obviously, you bring your laptop with you to keep in touch with friends, family and business partners. The cable Internet is out of discussion in this situation and if the location you stay at cannot provide wireless access to Internet, a portable modem stick is ideal. When traveling outside of your country for a while, getting a modem quality stick from a local company is also faster and cheaper than even thinking to consider cable Internet deals. Therefore, portability and flexibility can be extremely important sometimes. Modem sticks are above cable Internet plans also if you live in the rural side, where most providers don't have an infrastructure. You are left with the satellite Internet or the modem sticks. The satellite Internet is expensive, so what can you do then?

However, the cable Internet can also be above the portable modem sticks from some points of view. If you can reach high speeds through most cable Internet plans, things are different when it comes to modem sticks. The speed is very low if you compare them. Besides that, if you choose this option because you live in the rural side, then you may also lose the signal quite often. Sometimes you may even need to stay in one particular room to be able to get online.

Modem sticks are therefore useful from some points of view, but not really ahead of cable Internet. Cable Internet plans remain the priority for most people interested to get online.


Sunday, February 27, 2011

Wireless Internet Terms That Informed Consumers Should Know About

Knowing the appropriate vocabulary is half the battle of understanding anything new. For example, you can't really become a doctor unless you know the common terms related to the medical field. The same applies to internet connections as well. If you want to get a good grasp on wireless internet connectivity, you're going to have to familiarize yourself with some of the terms related to it.

The first term you should know about is Wifi. It's a home networking solution that allows you to forgo the use of wires within a few hundred feet of a wireless router. If it had a lot more range than that it might be considered a good solution, but as it stands now a city will have to use dozens of routers in order to blanket the area with coverage. You probably wouldn't be able to travel around without being disconnected at some point, which makes this a less than desirable solution.

Most people would rather have a cellular connection instead because it's just as fast but it works over a much larger area. Two terms that you should know about are 3G and 4G. 3G is the third generation of cellular connectivity that goes beyond just being useful for cell phone voice calls. It allows for cell phone technology to be used for internet connectivity too. Unfortunately, it's not all that fast. The next generation is plenty fast though and was designed from the ground up to be a broadband internet connection that you can use all throughout your city. In fact, 4G attains transfer speeds of around 6 megabits per second, making it faster than many standard installations of cable and DSL.

When it comes to the latest in cellular internet connectivity, you have to be aware of several terms that make up the competing industry standards. The first is HSPA+. Unlike the other options, this one is built on the older 3G network, though that doesn't seem to have a big impact on its performance. It can achieve fairly impressive transfer rates now, but who knows how long that will last considering that it's build on older technology. Another player is known as Wimax. Unlike HSPA+ it is actually based on next generation technology. In addition, it currently enjoys widespread coverage and the other standards are probably envious of that. Finally, there is Long Term Evolution or LTE. This standard is also based on next generation technology but it's a bit wet behind the ears, so to speak. It too achieves impressive transfer rates, but because it's relatively new you should probably choose a different option. After all, it's not usually a good idea to be the guinea pig for a product.

Now that you know a few terms, you can draw a few conclusions. First of all, your best choice is not going to be Wifi. On the contrary, you should choose a cellular internet solution. Of the three that are available to you, Wimax makes the most sense because it's fast and has been around longer. As an informed consumer, that option would definitely be your best bet.


Thursday, February 10, 2011

Healthy Eating Suggestions - What You Should Know

Staying fit is largely a matter of healthy eating. But with the many diet regimens offered, it can be confusing to determine what exactly is meant by a balanced diet. Some weight loss programs offer prepackaged meals that's supposed to meet all your required nutrient intakes. While these reduce the need for calorie-counting on your part, the downside of these programs is that it does not institute in yourself the necessary discipline, motivation and knowledge to prepare the meals yourself. When the time comes for you to wean yourself from the program (you can't possibly have prepackaged meals delivered to you for life), it becomes easy to go back to unhealthy patterns of eating. Thus, from the outset, it's always better to go hands-on on these matters, especially since the foods you prepare will ultimately affect your health and that of your family's.

What is healthy eating? It's actually composed of two aspects: 1) Eating nutritious and healthy foods and 2) Eating them well.

The first part of a healthy diet is making sure that you get all the nutrients you need in your diet. You need carbohydrates since they are your body's main source of energy. However, you need to choose complex carbohydrates like whole grain, oats, and brown rice since these are slowly digested in the body. Simple carbohydrates like sugar and sweets get digested fast and cause insulin spikes that promote weight gain and is generally bad for your heart. Get your protein from lean meat, eggs and nuts. You don't have to shy away from fat, either, but choose healthy fats from olive oil, fish oil and other seed oils. Get your five servings of fruits and vegetables everyday, more if you can, since higher servings do more to prevent yourself from the ravages of sickness and disease like hypertension, diabetes and certain cancers. Together with eating nutritious foods, you have to give up on those that aren't. Crush out chips, sugar-laden and high-sodium packaged snacks. Red meats like bacon and hotdogs should also be replaced with healthier alternatives.

The second part involves cultivating healthy eating habits. What are these? You can begin by chewing your food well. This takes about 20 minutes to complete and has the benefit of making you feel full without the need for seconds or thirds. If you eat fast, your brain won't register satiety until after you've eaten more than you have to. There are heat-retentive plates that help you eat slowly by keeping your food warm, so it's a good idea to invest in these. Meal times should also be fun and interesting. If you eat with friends or family, you'll be most likely to engage in conversation that will prolong your eating time. Aside from this, good food habits also mean not skipping breakfast. If you want to stay fit and avoid the all-too real possibility of snacking on sweets and calorie-empty foods in the middle of the day, you've got to fuel up in the morning. And lest we forget, drink 8 to 12 glasses of water a day.

This is a very simple guide to healthy eating but if you follow these, you're sure to stay fit for life.