Hello IT friends!

With 2012, one question is on everyone’s mind … Which Internet service provider do I choose? Okay, I admit, I’m exaggerating a bit … but barely! In less than a week, two friends and three potential clients have already asked me that exact question.

Let’s clarify before any of you make your choice (you may regret it), clearly identify what you do with your internet: occasional use or business, online games, downloads …

In a nutshell, the criteria is numerous. It turns out that the contenders are too. There are over twenty in Quebec. The biggest: Videotron, Bell, Rogers and the independent providers … B2B2C, Radioactive, Teksavvy …etc.
Basically, there’s something for everyone … and for every budget.

But let us be clear, we are talking domestic accounts here!

Once you enter the business world, the choice is clear and unequivocal: Videotron!

Can you imagine? Do the test for yourself … and don’t say we didn’t warn you! With our years of experience and our rapidly growing client base, our statistics are unanimous! Either you go for Videotron or you lose productivity … you’ll see.

Not very objective, it’s true, but in this respect, we cannot leave room for uncertainty. It may be too expensive in the end!

If however, you are still having doubts, contact us and we’ll help guide you into making a sound decision. Your doubts will soon be a thing of the past …

Choose wisely!

There you have it!  Microsoft jumped in and made its highly anticipated presentation of Windows 8 at its recent Build Conference.

Being the official operating system for many PCs and touch pads, Windows 8 will be the symbiosis of the powerful Windows 7 and the unpopular Windows Phone. In addition, the designers have clearly focused on being “applications oriented” vs. “software-oriented.”

So, which route did they take? Only time will tell. However, early results seem encouraging!

Compatible with any screen (small, large, tactile, traditional performance …) not to worry, Windows 8 will be compatible with all the applications currently running on Windows 7 as well.

Some “brief” tests were conducted to assess the overall performance of Windows 8. Again the recorded results remain inconclusive (note that only 21 processes can run in the background on Windows 8 vs 31 for Windows 7 …).

Windows 8 also differs from its predecessor in its visual Metro interface. This is as promising as it is intuitive and easy, yet will not be used for touch screens and tablets. A version of more traditional appearance, very similar to Windows 7, will be retained for conventional stations.

Once again: findings from these tests cannot be definitive as there will be many changes before the official launch of Windows 8 within the next year.

In the meantime, you can always download a 32 or 64-bit “Developer preview” of your account via Windows Live 8. Do not deprive yourself!

Have a great week all!

Hello again IT and technology friends!

Keeping the tradition of the past 3 years, we are once again putting together our ever popular EGOMEDIA holiday contest!

Following the success of last year’s iPad giveaway, it’s time to give away the iPad2 to one lucky winner at the end of December!

If you want to be this year’s lucky contest winner…we couldn’t have made it any easier: Answer the skill testing question, fill in the online contact form…and you’re in to win!

Want to increase your chances of winning the iPad2?  Here’s how…“Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Google+ or you can always invite your friends to participate…the more the merrier!

Last year was a record year for our contest…over 80 000 entries! WOW!  This year, if we beat that and reach our new goal of 100 000 entries, there will be more prizes to give away!! We’re feeling generous! Also new this year; our early subscribers will be rewarded for their support.

Don’t delay! Consult our website regularly to be among the first winners!

Once again, EGOMEDIA is celebrating x-mas early this year with iPad2…all this to say « thank you »!

If you have any questions regarding contest rules and regulations or if you want to make any suggestions, please feel free to contact us on the next page.

Have a great week everyone!

With the breakthrough of cloud computing, I realized that many people are confused between the concepts of cloud computing and server virtualization.  I’d like to take this opportunity to enable you to differentiate between both services and the benefits attached to them!

Of course, a cloud needs server virtualization, that is to say: a virtual interface layer separates the physical from the virtual. Once upon a time, a single server could only run one operating system at once as the devices were tied with the drivers in the operating system. Virtualization breaks that strong link by using an additional layer which acts as the unique interface between the physical and the virtual worlds.

But why bother with virtualization?  In two words, reliability and efficiency!

The independence of the physical side from the virtual side allows us to use drivers that are 100% compatible and approved by VMware or Microsoft for use on the virtual machine’s operating system.  Furthermore, we can offer a multitude of services on several independent virtual machines that will execute on the same physical server (a task that previously required several servers). Now that we understand the basics of virtualization, let’s move along to the magical world of cloud computing. Imagine an environment where dozens or even hundreds of servers in virtual mode where thousands of virtual machines reside…

Let’s add the possibility that one virtual machine can migrate from one server to the next in order to balance the load of all servers, or move to a high performance server to conduct exhaustive computations …

Add on the option of replicating a virtual machine and putting it on hold just in case a problem should arise with the first one.

In a nutshell…a world with no physical limits where data can migrate according to the requirements and predetermined rules!  A world that  provides a maximum amount of resources to services by ensuring availability all while being transparent to the user, that’s cloud computing!

Considerable cost reductions will be noticed not only by the efficient use of servers centralized in strategic points, but equally by the implementation of your IT infrastructure allowing a new server to adhere to your cloud in just a few clicks.

You will also notice substantial energy savings with the automated power management of servers according to their work load. Your services will always be available on the cloud with a 100% reliability.

What should we retain from all this?  Cloud computing generates huge savings all while increasing the quality of access to e-mail services, files and more!

The cloud is within reach to all companies

Dearest friends, geeks, partners and potential clients,

There comes a time when we must take a rapid glance in the rearview mirror. This allows us to evaluate our chosen path and how we got there.

And yes…it’s my perseverance that was staring right back at me!

My associates and friends that I have been fortunate enough to rub elbows with for over 16 years now have helped me build my success.  One by one, they placed the bricks on the building…I’m the one who dug the foundation, put up the walls and added one floor at a time, each more luxurious than the last.

Life did not offer me any “freebies”, I had to work very hard to achieve success, and as a result, I developed a strong character from a very young age that some may call egocentric or pretentious.

Being pretentious is one thing, but being Jean-François MAURICE is another.

Some may hate me. Why you ask? Because I found success in their failed ventures?  Because I stand out in an overly saturated field, show constant growth and have many satisfied customers?  Because I have some of the most sought after Quebec companies as clients? Because I have the qualifications to offer the most up to date, media acclaimed, technological services such as computer networking, web marketing and cloud computing?

Simply put, I see it as jealousy.  Nevertheless, I take full responsibility for my swelled character and I embrace it! A few years ago, I was featured in a few prominent publications where the slogan “for those who can afford quality” was printed. I still insist on the same values in 2011!

My friends and clients don`t try to impose their rules on me, and in return, I do the same, but I make sure we work together and obtain conclusive results …in the end, everyone is satisfied!  If these qualities are not respected, I simply refuse to take on the project. This pretentious and swelled character that I assume translates into exceptional work for my loyal partners.

This is why I am proud to say that in my 16 years of operating a successful business, I lost one client…to bankruptcy.

As much as my egocentrism is frowned upon by my critics and competitors…my clients love it!  They know that they can sleep at night because their projects are in capable hands!

A word to the wise…

Welcome Web Friends!

I have said it many times over the years, the 2.0 version of the web is only an intangible concept where non viable business models and hazardous investments of all kinds multiply.

Would’t you know it, recently, Le Journal du Net has listed the principal flops of the infamous web 2.0.

In the past few years, over a hundred million dollars, possibly a few billion were squandered.  Let’s review the most memorable failures;

• Bebo: Purchased for 850 million $ by AOL in 2008.  Sold two years later for only…10 million! That’s an 840 million $ loss for AOL.  That’s painful, very painful…
• Digg: After raising a few million dollars, the founders of Digg seemed to be getting a little greedy (150 million claimed) and failed to sell at the right moment.  Today, they are on the verge of bankruptcy.
• Delicious: Purchased for nearly 30 million $ by Yahoo at the end of 2005, the portal has officially been put on the market a few months ago…it was never even profitable!
• Second Life: If the study conducted by Le Journal du Net doesn’t give us a clear picture of the colossal losses brought on by Second Life, no one will doubt that they are indeed substantial in 2008, everyone was buzzing about Linden Labs’ virtual world.  Today, we barely remember it ever existed.
• MySpace: In spite of its 122 million users, MySpace was never able to compete with the success of Facebook. It’s slowly heading for the 2.0 graveyard…Valued at 5 billion $ in 2007, today, the company is worth less than one billion. That’s one sacred loss for the investors.

Now you understand, everything is not rosy in the world of 2.0…and just think, there is talk of a 3.0 version of the web!  Take out your calculators and place your bets!  Who will be the biggest loser??

Have a great week everyone!

As you may have seen on an EGOMEDIA tweet, Google is to compete with Apple’s iTunes. Rumours have been confirmed: Google Music is said to have opened negotiations with record labels. Google Music should be available on Google’s android phones via the Simplify Media application.

As you may know, the number 1 search engine doesn’t want to content itself with music industry. It foresees the launch of Google Music simultaneously with Google TV, for next fall. Now it will be possible to listen and record TV shows and web shows through Google TV, using Google’s android OS 2.1 and its Chrome browser. You will be able to plug your TV via Wifi or an Ethernet connexion. Electric current goes through the Ethernet cable thanks to Ethernet technology. Imagine a future in which we would no longer need to call an electrician for adding receptacles in some rooms. We could plug in our TV wherever we want unless we have an Ethernet cable. This is the same for VOIP phones. To implement Google TV, the firm Mountain View has called for Sony, Logitech and Intel.

Here is a video in English introducing Google TV:

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For the moment, iPhone 4.0 is available in The States, The United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan. Fans were brave enough to queue up for hours in front of iPhone 4.0 distributors to get Apple’s latest release. The company has already sold 1.7 million units in just 3 days. “It is the most successful launch in Apple’s history”, said Job Steves, Apple’s boss.

iPhone 4 features:

• Facetime announces the beginning of videophony on iPhone 4. Now it is possible to chat provided you have a Wifi connexion. iOS 4 is equipped with two cameras, one on the front and one on the back in order to show the person you are talking to what is facing you.
• iPhone 4 has a Retina screen with a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels, which is excellent for such a small device. The quality of the screen is really amazing!
• iOS 4 has a multitasking feature allowing you to switch from an application to another instantaneously, without weakening the battery nor performances.
• iPhone 4 is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera and a LED flash.
• iPhone 4.0 battery lasts longer as well as its life span. The device gets a gyroscope for a better control of movement.

What iPhone 4 first users say…

Hardly has it been released, iOS gets itself talked about and shows its first signs of weakness. First, users have complained about the fact that when you grip the Iphone 4, it loses signal. Steve Jobs’s answer “Avoid holding it this way” caused a huge number of funny videos posted on Youtube on the best way to hold your iPhone 4.

Moreover, there are problems of screen discoloration: yellow stains appear on the Iphone 4 Retina screen. Apple said that the product used to put together the different layers of the screen was still drying and that users had to wait for it to evaporate. Not too reassuring!

A bright future for iPhone 4

Apple stated it would replace all faulty devices without giving any specific date to users as iOS 4 is out of stock. iPhone 4 is likely to have a bright future if fans follow the crowd: 600 000 pre-orders on the opening day!

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iOS 4 comes with 1500 new API and 100 new functionalities. This will undoubtedly satisfy iPhone fans of previous versions.

Apple’s new operating system that equips iPhone OS 4 is not compatible with all products from Apple. If iOS works well with the iPhone 3GS, we can’t say the same for iPhone 3G and iPod Touch. Indeed, old devices are not compatible.

What does iOS 4 offer?

During the launch conference for iPhone OS 4, Steve Jobs, Apple’s boss, introduced 7 new features:

1. Multitasking: several applications can be used at the same time without affecting iPhone OS 4’s performances or battery.
2. Folders: they organize applications so that you can find them more easily. Each folder can contain 12 applications, thus making possible the installation of 2000 applications on iPhone 4 versus 180 for former versions.
3. Email: all your email accounts are grouped together. It is now easier to switch from an account to another.
4. iBooks: you can buy books on iPhone OS 4 through iBooks. Moreover, you can keep your reading simultaneously both on your iPhone 4.0 and iPad.
5. Business feature: professionals now have an access to data protection (encrypted emails), VPN support, management of mobile equipment,… You no longer need to plug your iPhone 4 in a computer to install a business application; you can do it via Wifi.
6. Game Center: Steve Jobs thinks of competing with Sony and Nintendo by making 50 000 games available from App Store. The company wants to build a social network for gamers. But today this is just a project under construction for Apple.
7. iAd: Apple wants to broadcast an ad every  3 minutes on some free applications. Think that Apple is likely to reach soon 100 million devices sold (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad), this means 1 billion ads shown per day. Another special feature is that ads are more interactive on iOS 4.

To date, Apple has sold 50 million iPhone and 35 millions iPad, totalizing 85 million mobile devices. Apple’s popularity rating is still growing as iPhone sales show: 1.7 million devices sold over the first 3 days. But when will Applemania stop?

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