Baran passed away at home on March 26 due to complications caused by lung cancer, not only was he one of the inventors of the Internet but he also invented technologies used by DSL modems and wireless mesh networking systems. One thing which some people may not know is that he invented the first-ever metal detector to be used in airports.

Baran is most famous for inventing the world’s first packet switching network, initially Baran’s research was put to work during the Cold War, later it formed the basis for Arpanet (an academic network), eventually this led to the creation of the Internet, you can see just how influential Paul Baran was in this article.

It seems as if even Baran did not know how popular and important his inventions would become, in a paper written in 1966 Baran said that it would be an “absolute lunatic fringe idea” if people used online networks for shopping and news in the year 2000, we can now see just how wrong this statement was.

Without Paul Baran we doubt that there would be a Product-Reviews.net, therefore on behalf of the entire Product-Reviews team R.I.P Paul Baran.

More About: internet

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

According to a recent article posted on Fox News the man was in his thirties and played the video games at an Internet cafe, he had not slept, had eaten next to nothing and had barely moved in roughly 72 hours, he collapsed, slipped into a coma and was pronounced dead at a nearby clinic shortly after.

Reports suggest that the unnamed man spent the equivalent of more than $1,500 on Internet gaming over the past month, the police have seized some of the computers from the Internet cafe to help them determine the cause of death.

A couple of months ago The Escapist published an article telling us that a teenager died after playing a game for 12 hours, obviously a single 12 hour gaming session shouldn’t kill you, however it is thought that a build-up of events led to the tragedy.

I think that this should be a huge wake up call to anyone who is heavily addicted to a video game, in neither story a video game was confirmed to be the definite cause of death, however it undoubtedly played its part.

Do you worry about a friend or family member gaming too much? If so, how long do they play for?

More About: internet, PC

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Bloggers in the country were hardest hit; as they were the intended targets of this shutdown – many thought that it could never happen. Yesterday the very last ISP in Egypt was shut down, with Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry from Business Insider noting that the only way that such a thing could happen is if the government had control over these ISPs.

CIO now reports that the old U.S. Internet Kill Switch bill has now raised its ugly head once more, with senators’ Susan Collins and Joseph Lieberman behind the bill. However, as we have discussed before, Obama will not have the ability to turn the entire Internet off in America if they faced the troubles that Egypt is, but if there was a cyber emergency then he could.

This has always been a sensitive subject, as many people see the Internet as a living thing and is now part of our lives, to take it away would be something that none of us would want to imagine. ABC News has sat down with an expert on Internet control, so if you are looking for a more detailed insight into this kill switch, then should most defiantly visit their website.

More About: internet, security

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

According to Kate Solomon of TechRadar you won’t even have to be a customer of O2 to enjoy the service. The Wi-Fi hotspots will be available in public spaces and retailers across the country, and like BT Openzone users just have to sign up to the service.

Gavin Franks of O2 Wi-Fi said “We’re going to transform the stagnant Wi-Fi market with O2 Wi-Fi, “Demands on public Wi-Fi have changed drastically over the last three years; it’s no longer about getting your laptop out in a coffee shop for half an hour. Now people want to use it for five minutes in a shop to update their Facebook status instead.”

He added “Our main aim was to make it better than what’s already available; with consistent data speeds and a focus on usability. I genuinely believe it will transform the market and force The Cloud and BT Openzone to reassess their services.” The service is set to start in O2 retail stores in March, with other retailers and fast food chains in Q2.

In the mean time there are ways to find area’s that have a free Wi-Fi connection, ehow.co.uk has links for sites which will give you the nearest Wi-Fi spots to a location you type in. McDonalds has free Wi-Fi in all its restaurants across the UK, and some libraries have the service as well.

More About: internet, O2, wi-fi

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Amy Teibel of the Canadian Press is reporting that the campaign to enforce the religious prohibition on spending money during Jewish holy days, is being led by Ultra-Orthodox Cabinet ministers. This enforcement does cause problems for foreign workers, tourists, and non religious residents.

At the moment these groups of people can extend their visas or renew their passports, and pay hospitals bills online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But all this could be stopped with the planned holy day spending blackout.

The offices of the government have historically been closed on the holy days, and a spokesman for the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party – Roi Lachmanovich – said “Now that the computer is the public face of the state”, “public service won’t be available on the Internet.”

The measures will further heighten tensions in the region, as there is a lot of resentment of the ultra-Orthodox, who make up less than 10% of the population. There has been no mention by officials when the blackout will start, but the Liberal Reform movement vowed to fight them.

Use the link for more on this.

More About: internet, Online Payments

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

This 1 Gigabit connection is the first for both residential and business customers, best of all it is no as expensive as some of you might think, in fact it costs just $350 per month.

Obviously this might sound really expensive for some home users, however you are paying for a connection speed 200 times faster than the current national download speed average, this bandwidth will be great for large companies and schools etc, and will no doubt give us a glimpse as to what we can expect to see in other areas in the future.

At the moment the fibre network covers a 600 square-mile area, this covers nine-counties, which makes it the most expansive network of its type in the United States.

If you want to find out fully detailed information regarding the 1Gbps connection check out the source link below.

Do you think that $350 per month is a fair price for a 1Gbps internet connection?

Source: Engadget

More About: internet

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

They are asking the Colorado in U.S. District Court to overturn House Bill 10-1193 that had passed. We learned that the lawsuit opposed to the bill was filed on June 30 – Marianne Goodland from the Colorado Statesman explains that a decision on the lawsuit should come on July 23.

There are a number businesses who offer products to customers by phone or on the Internet who oppose this bill, they have decided to go through DMA so they cannot be identified by the Department of Revenue – in fear of any repercussions

There are certainly two sides to this argument, those who have brick and mortar stores hate the idea of trying to compete with Internet stores who have much less overheads – so can then offer that saving to the customer. However, consumers do not care about that and just want a good deal – one that Internet stores can offer.

More About: internet

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

We have been surprised that these online discounts have gone on for so long – the idea of buying products tax-free on the Internet is something that has cost the government billions of dollars in taxes. This means that the likes of Amazon and other online stores would no longer be able to offer the cheap prices that has made them what they are today – they fear the change could have an adverse affect on their business.

Bill Snyder from Infoworld writes on PC World saying “with state and local governments deeply in debt” they have no choice but to pass on a bill like this – no matter how unpopular it will be. Although we do fear that this could stop people spending like they have done on the Internet, which would then lead to lack of consumer confidence.

Paying taxes is something that we all have to do, but why should we be forced to pay more online if the bill goes through – just because the government has made some bad choices why should you and I be the ones who have to bail them out yet again.

For more details on this visit the link above.

More About: internet

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

It was no secret that Internet users not only in the U.S. but the rest of the world were worried that this sort of power should not be given to one person and that their freedom has been taken away. However, Sam Gustin from DailyFiance explains that this bill would actually remove some limits on Obama’s power.

As the law currently stands, the U.S. president can shut down the entire telecommunications infrastructure for any amount of time that he desires. However, this new bill will only allow him to do so for 30 days – although he could apply for a 30-day extension.

American’s it seems are worrying about nothing, but it is hard not to do so with what the media – including us – have dubbed the bill (Internet Kill Switch). It is no secret that the Internet now plays an important part of our lives, and if something were to attack it – then things could become very bad for the U.S. and the rest of us. Being able to keep a track and stop such an attack has to be the only logical solution.

Let us remember, we only have ourselves to blame because we rely so much on the technology.

More About: internet

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

In the proposed legislation, broadband providers, search engines, and also software firms will have to comply with these emergency powers. If the need arises, then the Department of Homeland Security will take over with Obama taking control of the Internet. Those who fail to comply will be fined.

The authority that has control will only allow the federal government to keep certain networks up to help keep the country running. However, according to Declan McCullagh from Cnet News, the 197-page bill looks set to have huge opposition.

One of the biggest fears of this proposal has to be the amount of power that the U.S. Government would have – giving them absolute power of the Internet. Do you think that Barack Obama should have an Internet kill switch?

More About: internet

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad