Under the trial scheme Nokia has set up 26 wi-fi hotspots mostly concentrated around shopping areas in the West End of London and mainline rail stations. Users of the service will not need to register or sign in to the hotspots be located on public phone boxes owned and operated by Spectrum Interactive. To avoid abuse download speeds will be limited to a maximum of 1 megabit per user but more than enough for users to stay in touch via email etc.

Free wi-fi services are already widely available in London but usually within privately-owned buildings and frequently requiring payment for a service or product from the business hosting the WiFi signal. Often they also require sign-up to an account by a third-party operator, sometimes ‘free’ actually meaning purchase of a limited amount of data usage.

Other plans for free WiFi in the capital, including via the London Underground, in time for the London 2012 Olympics have been mooted but Nokia’s move is the first to go live.

Do you ever use public WiFi? If not, what puts you off?

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The Directive has now been approved by both the EU Council of Ministers and the European Parliament and will come into force once it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, with member states including the UK then having two years before they need to formally implement the measures in to national law.

The big change in the Directive is consumers being given a longer right to return distance-sold goods. Currently they are given 7 days, this will be extended to 14 under the new law (continuing the exemption for personalised goods etc).

Traders will also have to issue online consumers with a ‘model withdrawal form’. This would be used to return the goods and will need to include a whole host of information about the contract, including details of all fees and charges.

The new law will also prohibit the increasing trend of surcharges for certain payment methods, such as credit or debit cards. Traders will be allowed to pass on what it costs them to deliver the means of payment but no more.

The UK Government already recently announced plans to implement the requirements of the Consumer Rights Directive requirements into a catch-all new statute to incorporate the current piece-meal affair that covers consumer protection.

The new ruling could have an impact on the growing number of businesses starting-up and selling online, creating greater burdens on companies and additional costs when dealing with returns based simply on the customers change of mind.

If you run an online shop, what are your thoughts on the forthcoming changed? Do you already offer a 14 money-back guarantee?

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In his blog post Lars Bak, Software Engineer, Dart Team, reveals just an early preview of Dart which he says aims to:

• Create a structured yet flexible language for web programming.
• Make Dart feel familiar and natural to programmers and thus easy to learn.
• Ensure that Dart delivers high performance on all modern web browsers and environments ranging from small handheld devices to server-side execution.

It’s a class-based programming language and Google has made the language and preliminary tools available as open source on dartlang.org where you can also find several code samples too.

While Google is saying this is an early preview it is also saying it wants to rapidly progress the language to be at the heart of development, so it appears with the dwindling Google Labs projects it is throwing it out to the wider developer community to help move it further forward.

We haven’t yet had time to play with it and at first glance are not sure what ground-breaking differences it will bring to the developer’s table. What you can bet though is that if the initial interest is strong, Google will invest heavily in it as controlling the very code developers use could further enhance the way Google control the way the web develops.

Have you seen Dart? What are your thoughts? Is there a need when Javascript is already so widely used and understood?

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Coca-Cola’s valuation of US$71.9 billion puts it well clear from all except IBM, with even third placed Microsoft ‘only’ valued at just over US$59 billion. Apple in comparison is now valued at nearly US$33.4 billion in 8th from 17th position. These brands are so successful hey  could probably solve many of the world’s national debt problems just by using their name as security.

But what makes a brand? Here’s four considerations to start:

Phrase and Name

In the modern day at its basic, a brand means a phrase / name that is memorable. That means all assets using the same name too. So when you secure your domain name, secure the social media addresses to match too: Facebook, 123-reg, YouTube etc.

Unique Selling Points

USPs dictate a marketeers life, but differentiation is key to making your brand more successful than rivals. Obviously the points you differentiate on need to appeal to the customer too, but if you fail to show why you are better than a rival, you can bet your rival will be publicise how they differentiate from you and will probably pick up more custom.

Values and promise

A successful brand immediately promotes an ethos and way of doing things; values. As soon as a customer hears that brand name or sees a brand logo those values are understood. A brand ethos however must not only offer promise but also live up to that promise.

Reputation and responsiveness

What others think of you is important to any business. It is vital to a brand. Good quality products and customer service go hand and hand with a successful brand. Equally, successful brands need to be one step ahead of competition and new trends to ensure expectations are always met.

Yet that is just a start. What else do you think is essential to creating a brand?

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I quite often hear people saying “Yeh, but Facebook is for family and friends not business, right?” and then normally spend the next 10 or 20 minutes to convince them it isn’t so. It doesn’t always work. To many, the informality of Facebook, the way you can banter with ex-school-mates and existing office colleagues alike, doesn’t lend itself well to ‘promoting a brand”. Yet last week’s announcement from Facebook about the changes coming to their portal is about to make Facebook even more important and a vital business tool.

We often recite the mantra of ‘Content is King’ and until now Facebook (despite already hosting 4% of all photographs ever taken in the world) hasn’t really towed the line with that one, until now. Facebook is moving to a more newsy type-look and will be placing content on a more newsworthy basis. Content now is very important on Facebook.

What changes?

From the 30th September (i.e. today) Facebook will no longer be driven by a long line of posts from those a user has linked to but instead a Timeline and a set of organised post. In fact it is an intelligent timeline that will create more a chronological story or scrapbook than just a series of posts. If you’ve ever seen the impressive Flipboard app on the iPad you will get the idea. Facebook is looking to organise us. That includes the basic like function. This is being opened out to developers given them more scope to create their own versions connected to online activities. That is likely to make users more savvy as to who, what and when they like.

So Facebook will decide what is relevant content to us and place this in our timeline. As a user though you won’t miss out on the other content completely, that will be available as part of a rolling ‘ticker’ on of each user’s home page.

Dspite this apparent information gatekeeping, Facebook claims the new changes will allow you more control over what appears as a top news item as, users will be given more options over these sorts of preferences via new setting controls.

The idea is that with one quick glance users will easily catch-up on the actions of their important friends over the past 24 hours without having to scroll through countless updates “you should see the things you’re most interested in” claim Facebook, yes but not necessarily the most recent. To the writer this move is perhaps more about understanding where Facebook sits alongside other social networks. During the recent UK riots, during live sporting events and reality tv shows, the ‘as live’ action and interaction has taken place on Twitter not Facebook. Twitter has almost become the default for immediacy, Facebook something more of a reflection. In tradtional analogy, Twitter is to TV and radio what Facebook is now becoming to newspapers and magazines. Again that makes content on Facebook even more important.

If you are a business, the stronger or more unique your message the better the chance it will attract interest from an audience. From a user perspective the chances are their top news will become stale for those who log on more than once per day, so any new engaging content will be lapped up

The true impact – and whether it makes Facebook users leave in droves or new sign-ups happen – won’t be seen for months yet, but we suggest you concentrate on ensuring what you have on Facebook is as up to date and relevant to your daily business as possible.

Let us know what you think of the new look Facebook.

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We’ve written before about how the way people view and use TV is changing, but the focus of interest for visitors at the latest IFA electronics fair in Berlin perhaps offered the biggest insight into the future.

It was not the further advanced 3DTV stands, where the 3D experience can be obtained without the need for sci-fi looking eye-ware, nor the latest tablet technology harvesting the same power as a standard desktop wielded this time last year. Instead it was the integration of television with the internet.

Samsung appears to be leading the way in connected TVs as they did in the early large-screen LCD markets. Already Samsung offers SmartTVs with internet technology built in, using a range of Samsung apps ready loaded on the equipment, but their newest models show true integration that suggests your TV in the corner of your sitting room could take over from your desktop or laptop for all your computer needs.

“But people watch differently nowadays” is the cry from many. True. This writer for one, will admit to ‘watching tv’ while working or surfing on a laptop or tablet and I don’t suppose I am the only one. Yet TV manufacturers know that too. With sociologists suggesting the art of social interaction is dying out because we are constantly engaged with one technology or another, the manufacturers are trying to combat that too. LG for instance, are set to bring out a new TV featuring a gaming mode that utilises 3D technology to allow viewers to see different pictures on the same screen – picture in picture being taken a step further.

With those sorts of changes happening in the living rooms of the masses, so web designers need to be thinking how that impacts on them. With possible future internet viewing taking place several metres away form the screen, small fonts and intricate designs could become a thing of the past. Furthermore, “the fold” could become even more important with no touchscreen control and possibly a move towards wand technology for control of the screen. Start making those considerations now and planning how best to meet the challenge and you could steal the march on your competitors.

How do you think truly interactive TV sets will impact on the work of a web designer?

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Last week investmentproperty.com.au was sold at auction for an Australian domain name record of Aus$125,000, a fantastic windfall for the domain name owner who sold, but a sickener for the person who used to own it. That’s because it appears the former owner appears to have let renewal lapse on the domain, leaving it available to the open market and a new owner. Indeed according to this report it appears the former owner wasn’t even aware he no longer owned it, let alone the fact that he had just seen a potential fortune slip from his grasp.

The moral, make sure your domain names are set to auto-renew and make sure suitable payment methods are also registered on your account. With 123-reg you can register several different payment methods as well as use auto-renewal to make sure you won’t miss a vital renewal. Even if you don’t intend to use the domain immediately, it is well worth renewing a domain. If you felt it had a value when you registered it, the chances are others will feel the same now and in the future and with the supply of snappy, easy to read domain names ever limited, that domain may one day form  your pension. In relation to the investmentproperty.com.au domain name, even the domain name speculators and experts on web forum DNTrade.com.au only thought that domain would sell for $10,000, so the final price of $125,000 shows just how value of a domain can reach far above expectations.

Do you auto-renew domains? Have you ever let a domain expire and later regretted it?

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The official 123-reg YouTube channel has arrived offering some funky and informative videos aimed at helping people understand domain names.

Built as a series of 5 short animated presentations, our opening batch of videos have been  designed as the perfect introduction to domain names, how they work and how to get one for beginners and experts alike.

The first five videos are:

1. Understanding domain names
2. What is a domain name?
3. What are domain name extensions?
4. How to choose a domain name?
5. How to register a domain name?

We suggest you watch them in that order too as they have been created to build upon the information and knowledge provided by the other videos in the series.

Have a look and please let us know what you think.

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Joomla claims some 2.7 percent of the web runs Joomla and it is not just being used by small businesses or start-ups looking for a cheap alternative. The modular appeal and proven stability means it has been used for the backend management of websites for brands including McDonald’s, eBay and Ikea.

The Joomla community has thrived over the years, with apparent competitors offering support, help and technical know-how to one another in traditional internet style. Over 225,000 developers are now registered at the joomlacode.org site where developers are encouraged to contribute directly to the development of the core Joomla codebase. Meanwhile, Joomla developer communities exist in almost every nook and cranny of the web on forums and blogging networks.

Joomla’s announcement included a rider – it may be even more than 25 million downloads. Although first released in 2005, Joomla admits it only started tracking the number of downloads for its CMS system in 2007.

You can of course build your own Joomla-based site with 123-reg web-hosting with Joomla available as one of the free to install 123-apps, 25 million others can’t be wrong.

Have you built your site with Joomla? We’d love to hear from you. Is Joomla capable of running a full corporate site?

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61% of the respondents said they believed social media was changing the way they did business and 45% admitted they feared being unable to keep pace with technology as it applies to their industry.

Wanting to stay ever connected to what is going on in their business smartphone usage is up with iPhone leading the way (21%) followed closely by Blackberry (20%) but Android catching up fast at (14%). 15% of those surveyed also now own an iPad, the majority combining it for business and pleasure – 49% claiming their children use it at home.

On the social media front however it is Twitter stealing the headlines. Whilst Facebook remains the most used (down to 77% from 81% last year), Linked-in continues to grow (56%) and Twitter (38% from 30%) is finally being recognised as a high-flying business tool. 18% of the executives surveyed admitted to having accounts for all three of the social networks.

With more and more of business decision makers taking to social networks for themselves, it is hoped that the ‘buy in’ frustrations experienced by many looking for social media investment could begin to decrease.

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