Expat Life Spain » Technology http://expatlifespain.com A Female View On The Expat Life Thu, 03 May 2012 14:07:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Twitter To Be Used To Sell Spain http://expatlifespain.com/twitter-to-be-used-to-sell-spain http://expatlifespain.com/twitter-to-be-used-to-sell-spain#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:55:40 +0000 Expat Life http://expatlifespain.com/?p=3504

Not before time many will be saying, but it does seem that Spain is finally waking up to the idea of using the internet, and in particular social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to promote the country.

Turespaña recently presented a new online strategy at Fitur to ustiise the popular social networking sites to allow Spaniards to contact foreigners and promote Spain.

The idea is that Spaniards “sell” the hidden corners of Spain as well as the best kept secrets of gastronomy or culture to people around the world effectively becoming the guidebook that guides travellers to the real Spain.

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]]> http://expatlifespain.com/twitter-to-be-used-to-sell-spain/feed 4 How to cut the cost of using a mobile abroad http://expatlifespain.com/how-to-cut-the-cost-of-using-a-mobile-abroad http://expatlifespain.com/how-to-cut-the-cost-of-using-a-mobile-abroad#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:51:45 +0000 Expat Life http://expatlifespain.com/how-to-cut-the-cost-of-using-a-mobile-abroad

New ways to save money with your phone appear almost weekly. If you’re not confident on the web, invest in a Multi IMSI travel SIM card. This new generation of SIM slots into any unlocked mobile and can come with two numbers (one UK, one US). Callers can dial either number to reach you, wherever you are in the world.

With Truphone’s (020 7100 6860; www.truphone.com) “Local Anywhere” Multi IMSI SIM, it’s 10p a minute to phone from the US and 25p from much of Europe – compared with £1-plus and around 35p, respectively, using main- stream UK networks. Local calls within the US are 10p a minute.

The basic SIM with a UK number and £10 credit pre-loaded costs £14.99. It costs another £12.99 a year for another local number and a flexible £7.99 a month to access local rates overseas: currently only the US is available, but much of Europe plus Australia and South Africa will be added in 2010.

WorldSIM (020 8819 2557; www.worldsim.com) is an alternative Multi IMSI. It’s free to receive calls in 80 countries and phoning home from the US or Europe costs 25p a minute. The SIM costs £39.99 (with £10 pre-loaded) from WorldSIM’s website, but you should soon be able to pick up one cheaper via resellers on Amazon or eBay.

For the more tech-savvy, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is often a cheaper way to stay in touch. Part of your phone call is routed over the internet, which saves you money.

The best solution for Nokia smartphone, iPhone, iPod Touch, or Android users is the free Truphone app, available at the iTunes App Store, Nokia Ovi Store or Android Market.

Set up a Truphone account online and add credit, just like any pay-as-you-go service, find a free or cheap Wi-Fi hot spot and call any UK landline for 3p a minute. Or call any Truphone or Skype user free.

Skype for Mobile is another option, and supports Windows Mobile handsets as well. Register at www.skype.co.uk and Skype sends a text with easy-to-follow installation instructions.

Jajah’s VoIP service is better if you don’t have reliable access to Wi-Fi and works on any phone. Opening a free account at www.jajah.com allows you to set up a local Jajah Direct number for contacts, in 20 countries worldwide: you phone that local number and the call routes itself to their real phone number. A landline call from Italy, for example, costs 2.1p a minute plus the local call. The Jajah@call (or “Tweet to Talk”) service promises free two-minute calls to any Twitter contacts. It currently works in the US, but a UK release is due.

Original Source – Telegraph

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]]> http://expatlifespain.com/how-to-cut-the-cost-of-using-a-mobile-abroad/feed 4 German government warns against using Microsoft Internet Explorer http://expatlifespain.com/german-government-warns-against-using-microsoft-internet-explorer http://expatlifespain.com/german-government-warns-against-using-microsoft-internet-explorer#comments Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:34:16 +0000 Expat Life http://expatlifespain.com/?p=3232

The Federal Office for Information Security, or BSI, urged web users to find an alternative browser to protect security.

The warning comes after Microsoft admitted Internet Explorer was the weak link in recent attacks on Google’s systems.

The company said, however, that the hole could be closed by setting the browser’s Internet security zone to “high”, although this limits functionality and blocks many websites.

However, German authorities say that even this would not make IE fully safe.

Graham Cluley of anti-virus firm Sophos told the BBC that the warning applied to versions 6, 7 and 8 of the browser.

“This is a vulnerability that was announced in the last couple of days. Microsoft have no patch yet and the implication is that this is the same one that exploited on the attacks on Google earlier this week,” he said.

“The way to exploit this flaw has now appeared on the internet, so it is quite possible that everyone is now going to have a go.”

Microsoft said that while all versions of Internet Explorer were affected, the risk was lower with more recent releases of its browser.

Thomas Baumgaertner, a Microsoft spokesman in Germany, said that the attacks on Google were by highly motivated people with a very specific agenda.

“These were not attacks against general users or consumers,” Baumgaertner said. “There is no threat to the general user.”

Original Source – Telegraph

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]]> http://expatlifespain.com/german-government-warns-against-using-microsoft-internet-explorer/feed 1 Spain presents new Internet anti-piracy law http://expatlifespain.com/spain-presents-new-internet-anti-piracy-law http://expatlifespain.com/spain-presents-new-internet-anti-piracy-law#comments Sat, 09 Jan 2010 12:38:19 +0000 Expat Life http://expatlifespain.com/?p=3153

As you would expect a large number of web sites are covering the fact that Spain has presented a new Internet anti-piracy law. On balance the coverage is positive, as the focus is to provide stronger powers for the authorities to close down websites serving illegal downloads of music and films.

Here is a selection of the coverage which interesting points out that Spain has the largest amount of illegal downloads, and that in theory the new law would allow even Google to be closed down.

The Spanish government presented on Friday a proposed new Internet anti-piracy law which will allow judges to shut down websites offering illegal downloads of music, movies and other entertainment.

“A judge’s order will always be needed to take this decision through a quick procedure which is taken within four days at the latest after the judge has heard all sides,” Justice Minister Francisco Caamano told a news conference.

The initial version of the law unveiled in November allowed for sites to be blocked or closed by a new regulatory body without a judge’s order.

It sparked an outcry from bloggers and other Internet users who argued that it could be used by the government to censor websites.

A manifesto against the draft law was signed by tens of thousands of people in Spain, which has one of the highest rates of illegal downloads.

Last month Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said his socialist government would introduce a new version of the draft law which addressed these concerns.

“If the draft law needs to be clarified, it will be. But the government feels that a country which wants to have intellectual property must protect it,” he said.

The new draft law still must be approved by parliament before it it comes into effect.

The entertainment industry has been pushing the government to take action against illegal Internet downloads of copyright-protected material, arguing it cost them millions of euros (dollars) each year.

Original Source – Expatica

Spain has proposed a new anti-piracy law that would let intellectual property police play a speedier game of wack-a-mole with websites serving illegal downloads of music and films.

The measure allows a judge to act on a complaint filed by the a newly formed intellectual property commission at Spain’s ministry of culture by closing websites accused of facilitating piracy under a fast-track judicial process.

The website’s owner will be summoned at the time of the initial complaint and have four days to appeal the blockage.

Spain’s original version of the plan, unveiled to widespread criticism November, would have allowed the IP commission to shutter websites without any judicial authorization. Friday’s new draft requires the authorization of judge.

“A judge’s order will always need to take this decision though a quick procedure which is taken within four days at the latest after the judge has heard all sides,” Justice Minister Francisco Caamano told a new conference, the AFP reports.

The legislation is part of a larger Sustainable Economy Law currently being drawn up by Spain’s Cabinet. It still must get approval from parliament before going into effect.

Spain’s proposal takes a different tact the so-called “three-strikes” laws passed in France, where the end-user is targeted for punishment by cutting off internet access to those repeatedly accused of illegal downloading.

Spanish record label lobby Promusicae claims the industry had lost $1.6bn in revenue in 2007 and 2008 because of online music piracy. US copyright lobbies and politicians have accused the country of being unwilling to fight against internet piracy and allowing the practice to be “widely perceived as an acceptable cultural phenomenon.”

Critics of the proposed plan say that it could be used as method of censorship and that even websites like Google could be subject to be shut down under the law.

Original Source – The Register

The Council of Ministers has approved measures aimed at ending internet piracy and provides for the blocking or closing of sites by court order.

The new measures, which will be reviewed by several consultative bodies before being submitted to parliament in February, are being described as ‘balanced’.

In the case of a complaint concerning copyright infringement, this will first be heard and investigated by a new Intellectual Property Committee. The case will then be passed to a judge of the National Court for Contentious Administrative Issues and the court will have four days in which to decide whether to block or close an offending site.

The Government is keen to stress that any decision to block specific content or close a particular site will only be taken by a member of the judiciary and that law-abiding citizens sharing legal content should have no reason for concern.

Original Source – Nerja News

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]]> http://expatlifespain.com/spain-presents-new-internet-anti-piracy-law/feed 3 EU to award Galileo satellite-navigation contracts http://expatlifespain.com/eu-to-award-galileo-satellite-navigation-contracts http://expatlifespain.com/eu-to-award-galileo-satellite-navigation-contracts#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:58:25 +0000 Expat Life http://expatlifespain.com/?p=3116

Galileo, Europe’s much delayed and costly satellite-navigation project, takes a major step forward on Thursday.

The first contracts are being awarded to the companies that will start to build the operational network.

The European Commission will purchase spacecraft, rockets and system management in deals totalling more than half a billion euros.

Galileo is intended as an EU version of the US Global Positioning System (GPS), but with significant improvements.

Its more advanced technology should give users quicker, more reliable fixes, and enable them to locate their positions with an error of one metre compared with the current GPS error of several metres.

European Commission vice-president with responsibility for transport, Antonio Tajani, is expected to announce the winners of the contracts in a media conference in Brussels at about midday.

One recipient is already known because it was the only bidder for the tendered work.

Arianespace of France will be asked to launch the satellites that will be at the heart of the system.

It will send up spacecraft in batches of two initially, on Russian-built Soyuz rockets that will fly out of Sinnamary in French Guiana.

Who will be asked to build the spacecraft themselves has been a topic of intense speculation. The BBC understands a batch of at least 8 satellites will be ordered from a consortium led by OHB System of Germany.

Its major partner is Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL).

This UK company will integrate the complex payloads on the spacecraft, including the atomic clocks that underpin Galileo’s precise timing and location signals.

It appears no satellites are being ordered at this stage from Europe’s biggest space company, EADS Astrium, which has helped develop much of the technology and know-how for the sat-nav system.

The companies that bid to provide system support, to essentially oversee the whole project and make it happen, were Thales Alenia Space (Italy) and Logica (The Netherlands).
Galileo should have been operational by now but the project has run into myriad technical, commercial and political obstacles, including early objections from the Americans who thought a rival system to GPS might be used to attack its armed forces.

The venture came very close to being abandoned in 2007 when the public-private development-and-business model set up to build and run the system collapsed.

To keep Galileo alive, EU member-states had to agree to fund the entire project from the public purse. What should have cost European taxpayers no more than 1.8bn euros will now probably cost them in excess of 5bn euros.

The EU’s continued commitment to the project despite severe budgetary and management failings is based on the belief that huge returns to the European economy will accrue from the investment.

Already, GPS is said to have spawned global markets that are worth several tens of billions of euros annually.

The new European constellation is expected to deepen and extend those markets as sat-nav functionality becomes ubiquitous in consumer devices such as mobile phones.

If the contracted companies deliver on their commitments, Galileo – at least an interim version of it – should be operating by the end of 2013.

Original Source – BBC

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]]> http://expatlifespain.com/eu-to-award-galileo-satellite-navigation-contracts/feed 1 Hackers put Mr Bean in Spanish PM’s place on EU Presidency website http://expatlifespain.com/hackers-put-mr-bean-in-spanish-pms-place-on-eu-presidency-website http://expatlifespain.com/hackers-put-mr-bean-in-spanish-pms-place-on-eu-presidency-website#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:18:00 +0000 Expat Life http://expatlifespain.com/?p=3052

Zapatero has often been compared to the character played by Rowan Atkinson. The website was corrected but has since crashed again

The Web site of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union was reportedly attacked by hackers on Monday and the welcome message from Spain’s Prime Minister replaced for a time with another from a man José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has often been said to resemble: a friendly ‘Hi there’, from the British actor Rowan Atkinson in the part of Mr Bean.

Webmaster sources, while giving no details on what exactly had taken place, did confirm to RTVE Spanish national television that there had been some problems and said they were working on amending the site’s security systems. The Web page had returned to normal by 1pm. (Via Original Source)

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]]> http://expatlifespain.com/hackers-put-mr-bean-in-spanish-pms-place-on-eu-presidency-website/feed 3 Broadband consumers to foot £500m bill to tackle online piracy http://expatlifespain.com/broadband-consumers-to-foot-500m-bill-to-tackle-online-piracy http://expatlifespain.com/broadband-consumers-to-foot-500m-bill-to-tackle-online-piracy#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:15:38 +0000 Expat Life http://expatlifespain.com/?p=2934

Proposals to suspend the internet connections of those who repeatedly share music and films online will leave consumers with a bill for £500 million, ministers have admitted.

The Digital Economy Bill would force internet service providers (ISPs) to send warning letters to anyone caught swapping copyright material illegally, and to suspend or slow the connections of those who refused to stop. ISPs say that such interference with their customers’ connections would add £25 a year to a broadband subscription.

Ministers have not estimated the cost of the measures but say that the cost of the initial letter-writing campaign, estimated at an extra £1.40 per subscription, will lead to 40,000 households giving up their internet connections. Impact assessments published alongside the Bill predict that the measures will generate £1.7 billion in extra sales for the film and music industries over the next ten years, as well as £350 million for the Government in extra VAT.

ISPs have called on the content industries to lessen the burden on broadband consumers by contributing to the costs. Charles Dunstone, chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, whose subsidiary TalkTalk is the biggest consumer provider of broadband, said: “Broadband consumers shouldn’t have to bail out the music industry. If they really think it’s worth spending vast sums of money on these measures then they should be footing the bill; not the consumer.”

BT also stepped up its attack on the plans, which it said represented “collective punishment that goes against natural justice”. John Petter, managing director of BT Retail’s consumer division, said: “Put yourself in the shoes of a small businessman who has a rogue member of staff. Your internet access could get cut off because of the actions of one individual. It really feels like the UK is out on a limb with these proposals compared to the rest of the world.”

Mr Petter said that the Bill, which is being rushed through Parliament before the general election next year, had been poorly thought out. He said: “The whole tenor of the way this is being introduced makes us really worried that this is all a false game. It’s like the dangerous dogs legislation, which was introduced quickly and was not effective.”

The Conservatives, who are broadly supportive of the plans, also called on the Government to spare consumers the bulk of the costs. Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “It is grossly unfair that Labour expects millions of innocent customers to pay extra each month because of the actions of a minority. By their own admission this will make broadband unaffordable for tens of thousands of people, which flies in the face of government policy to increase take-up in disadvantaged communities.”

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: “Many of the figures in the impact assessment for the Digital Economy Bill are expressed in ranges and some of the costs will be borne by the rightholders and some by the ISPs. The overall benefits to the country far outweigh the costs.”

A spokesman for the BPI, which represents the record industry, said: “It is in everyone’s interest that ISPs’ statutory obligations can be discharged as cost efficiently as possible — particularly those law-abiding broadband customers who currently carry the burden of infringers.

“We are confident that those costs will be a mere fraction of the stratospheric sums suggested by some ISPs, and negligibly small when set against their vast annual revenues.” The latest Star Trek movie was dowloaded illegally almost 11 million times this year, according to Torrentfreak, a download-monitoring weblog.

This year the FBI started an investigation after an unfinished version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was posted online and watched by thousands of people a month before its release. (Via Original Source)

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]]> http://expatlifespain.com/broadband-consumers-to-foot-500m-bill-to-tackle-online-piracy/feed 1 Phone spam banned under new law approved by Spanish Congress http://expatlifespain.com/phone-spam-banned-under-new-law-approved-by-spanish-congress http://expatlifespain.com/phone-spam-banned-under-new-law-approved-by-spanish-congress#comments Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:59:50 +0000 Expat Life http://expatlifespain.com/phone-spam-banned-under-new-law-approved-by-spanish-congress

The legislation covers all types of misleading and aggressive practices in business

Following Cabinet approval this May, a meeting of the lower chamber of the Spanish parliament this Tuesday has unanimously approved new regulations which prohibit telephone spam and other aggressive sales tactics by bringing increased protection to consumers and more strict control over unfair competition and unlawful or misleading advertising.

The law approved by Congress covers two European directives on the matter, in addition to introducing modifications to four existing Spanish laws: 20 minutos lists them as the law on consumer protection, on unfair competition, on advertising, and legislation covering retail trade.

Aggressive sales practices are considered as those which use bullying tactics, duress, force or undue influence to seriously limit the consumer’s freedom of choice. Unfair competition includes leading a consumer into making an on the spot decision with the pretext that an item or service is available for a limited time only when that is not, in fact, the case. Also falling within that category is presenting information in a manner which is unclear or ambiguous, and misrepresenting the goods or service offered as comparable with a competitor’s. Hiding information which would be key to the consumer’s choice is another.

20 minutos notes that what these new regulations do, in effect, is to establish one legal umbrella to cover all types of aggressive and misleading practices in business. (Via Original Source)

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]]> http://expatlifespain.com/phone-spam-banned-under-new-law-approved-by-spanish-congress/feed 2 BT promises super-fast broadband by 2012 http://expatlifespain.com/bt-promises-super-fast-broadband-by-2012 http://expatlifespain.com/bt-promises-super-fast-broadband-by-2012#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:33:59 +0000 Expat Life http://expatlifespain.com/?p=2899

Some customers will be able to receive download speeds up to 100Mbps via the company’s fibre-optics network.

Ian Livingston, chief executive of BT, said: “Given the progress we’re making, four million homes will have access to fibre by the end of next year. 2012 will be an important year for the UK given the Olympics and so I’m keen we provide 10 million homes with access to fibre by the time the games begin.”

BT, which has a customer base of approximately five million, had originally said its super fast broadband would not be ready until 2013. The upgrade will be accessible to around 40 per cent of the population and those who receive 100Mbps will be able to watch High Definition video online.

Virgin Media already operates on a fibre-optics network and in restricted areas offers customers 50 Mbps.

The government’s recent Digital Britain report has promised to roll out next generation broadband to every home in the UK – with a minimum 2Mbps speed.

Stephen Timms, Minister for Digital Britain, has committed the Labour government to introducing a new 50p a month tax on fixed phone lines to fund the roll-out – which is most urgent in the rural parts of the UK. He estimates that the tax will generate £1 billion by 2017, thus ensuring 90 per cent of the UK had next generation broadband. The tax is set to be included in next year’s Finance Bill. (Via Original Source)

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]]> http://expatlifespain.com/bt-promises-super-fast-broadband-by-2012/feed 1 Spain’s Prisa, Telecinco to merge TV stations http://expatlifespain.com/spains-prisa-telecinco-to-merge-tv-stations http://expatlifespain.com/spains-prisa-telecinco-to-merge-tv-stations#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:06:45 +0000 Expat Life http://expatlifespain.com/?p=2879

Spanish media giant Prisa and Telecinco, whose main shareholder is Italy’s Mediaset, said Friday they agreed to merge their television operations in Spain in a deal worth over EUR 1 billion.

Under the deal Telecinco, Spain’s top television station by audience, will take control of Prisa’s television channel Cuatro as well as a 22 percent stake in its pay-TV unit Digital+, said the two companies in a statement.

Debt-laden Prisa, the publisher of Spain’s leading newspaper El Pais, will receive around 18.3 percent of Telecinco estimated to be worth of EUR 550 million as well as EUR 500 million in cash.

Telecinco will issue new shares worth EUR 500 million to finance the deal. Mediaset is owned by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The two channels have a combined audience share of around 25 percent and a merger will give them stronger bargaining power to negotiate with advertisers at a time when Spain’s media is being hammered by the country’s worst recession for more than five decades.

The economic contraction has led to a significant drop in advertising revenues and next year’s switch to digital terrestrial television will multiply the number of competitors.

The government in February passed a law which eliminated a 5.0 percent limit on cross shareholdings at television broadcasters in a move intended to ease sector mergers.

It also approved a law banning advertising on public television channels from January 2010 in what was seen as another step aimed at helping private broadcasters cope with the tough market conditions.

Advertising on state channels was estimated to be worth about EUR 500 million a year. (Via Expatica)

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