Connected Data Secures $6M in Financing and Sets Out to Revolutionize Private File Sharing with Launch of Transporter

Online and Off-Cloud Storage Device Eliminates Privacy Concerns and Recurring Fees Normally Associated with Cloud Storage.

Santa Clara, CA – January 31, 2013 – Connected Data launched from stealth today to reinvent the way consumers, professionals and small businesses securely share, access and protect their data. In addition to general availability of Transporter from a national network of online and retail partners, the company also announced it raised $6 million in funding during a recent Series A Round, led by Floodgate Fund and Northgate Capital.

Unveiled via a successful Kickstarter project in December 2012, Transporter is a private data sharing and storage solution that gives users ownership and complete control of their data and files. What sets Transporter apart from all other solutions is the ability to communicate and share files with other Transporter devices located anywhere in the world. This ability eliminates all complexity associated with syncing files and delivers fast, local copies of data without having to move it into or out of the cloud.

“Connected Data’s technology is poised to disrupt the cloud storage market and evolve the way individuals and businesses share and interact with their data, both personally and professionally,” said Mike Maples, Jr., managing partner of Floodgate. "The increasing number of high-profile security issues with cloud storage have created an opportunity for off-cloud solutions like Transporter, so we're excited to join Connected Data in its mission to become the leader in private social storage solutions.”

Connected Data is led by serial entrepreneur and storage industry veteran Geoff Barrall and an experienced team of professionals previously responsible for the high-performance BlueArc Silicon Server and the popular Drobo storage array.

“Connected Data allows users to maintain privacy and control of their data, while enabling them to share and protect that data with other locations,” said Geoff Barrall, Founder and CEO. “We're thrilled to be leading the way in social storage with the Transporter device. The fantastic response and uptake from our customers and beta testers is allowing Connected Data to set the standard for what peer-to-peer storage can and should be.”

Transporter is addressing the main concerns of shared storage, namely:

Complete Privacy. Users own and control the device. Shared files are transferred directly between authorized Transporter devices, computers, and mobile devices and are never stored in the cloud.

Unlimited Sharing and Access Anywhere.  Users can securely share thousands of files of any size or type with anyone. All files stored on Transporter are available from any computer or mobile device that has access to the Internet, and files can also be cached for offline access.

Always Protected and Always in Sync. A full copy of shared files is kept on each Transporter regardless of location and changes are automatically reflected on all shared devices.

No Monthly Fees. Users own their Transporter, so the one-time cost of purchase eliminates recurring fees.

In addition to a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Transporter was recently named a 2013 Storage Visions Visionary Award Winner in the Art of Storage category that recognizes innovations in design for customer ease of use and industrial design in digital storage applications and devices.

Transporter is available for immediate purchase starting at a suggested retail price of $199 (U.S.) from a national network of partners including Adorama, Amazon, B&H Photo, Datavision, J&R, New Egg, and PC Mall.

BT Infinity goes Totally Unlimited, ditches throttling

Ease up off the throttle, BT. BT Infinity is getting rid of limits on how much Internet browsing you can do with new Totally Unlimited broadband deals.

Internet service provider BT is scrapping traffic management -- the practice of restricting your broadband speed at busy times, also known as traffic shaping, or throttling -- on many of its broadband packages. And it's also doing away with 'fair use' restrictions, which are limits on how much you can download in a given period.

Only the cheaper entry-level broadband deals will now suffer from caps on usage, but anyone on the beefier Totally Unlimited broadband packages can download as much as they want no matter what time it is, making the most of their high speeds.

BT has also dropped its prices. BT Infinity now starts at £23 for download speeds of up to 38Mbps, while unlimited BT Infinity 2 is £26 for speeds of up to 76Mbps. Doubling your speed for only three quid more -- it's like buying extra-massive popcorn at the cinema.

It's a bold move from BT, flying in the face of complaints from other ISPs that we're all eating too much data with our cloud this, streaming that, and downloading t'other. TalkTalk and Virgin Media are among those that routinely manage traffic, while Sky blamed its recent sluggish broadband performance on the number of new customers coming along and hogging all the precious bandwidth. Incidentally, it was recently revealed that Britain's average broadband speed is slower than some Eastern European countries. 

What's the catch? 

Is there a catch? There's always a catch, old friend, and in this case it's that you have to sign a new 18-month contract. Even if you're a short-timer with just days left on your contract you have to re-up for a year and a half. Meanwhile, new customers get the first six months free.

Although the Totally Unlimited packages live up to their name, you'll still be capped on the entry-level £13 deal and Infinity 1, which costs £18 per month.

BT has also revealed BT Cloud, offering free online storage for broadband subscribers.

[Source: CNET]

Gamers, D-Link has a router for you!

LAS VEGAS -- There might be a real solution to your online gaming at home after all, thanks to D-Link.

The networking vendor announced today at CES 2013 the first 802.11ac-based router designed specifically for gamers, which it aptly calls Gaming Router (model DGL-5500). In a way this is the first major upgrade to the first router of this type, the DGL-4500 GamerLouge, that D-Link released more than four years ago

And this seems an upgrade that's worth the wait.

[Source: CNET - Click here to read the full story]

FCC streamlines rules for aircraft broadband, promotes widespread in-flight WiFi

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Report and Order today that updated regulatory requirements needed to provide broadband services on aircraft. In short, the commission has designated Earth Stations Aboard Aircraft -- the broadband modules placed on the exterior of aircraft -- as a licensed application and established a set regulatory process for future providers. What this means is that airlines will be able to select FCC-approved systems, verify that systems don't interfere with aircraft instruments, and obtain FAA approval in about half the time it takes now. The new FCC guidelines should make it easier for smaller airlines to install WiFi on their jets, allowing them to catch up to legacy carriers with nearly fleetwide internet access. This news might also be a mixed blessing for frequent flyers, some of whom see flying as the last bastion of peace in an otherwise connected world.

[Source: Engadget]

Syrian internet access mostly restored, for now

History has a way of repeating itself, and the turmoil in Syria is proving no exception -- though potentially for the better. Following a communications blackout that began Thursday, reports have surfaced from Renesys, the AP, theBBC and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that internet and phone access has resumed across major swaths of the country as of Saturday. President al-Assad's office and rebels accuse each other of severing the links, although the US State Department doesn't see there being much debate: it believes the near-simultaneous cut was an attempt by Assad to disrupt opposition that has been using the internet as one of its coordinating tools. It's difficult to know if links will remain intact when battles inside the country are as fierce as ever. While there's some comfort to be had in knowing that technologies like satellite internet access are available if the lines go dark once again, we just hope that peace comes to the country instead.

[Source: Engadget]

Syrian internet goes down, gets cut off from the world

The civil war-torn nation of Syria has seemingly disappeared from the internet. In a sign that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is trying to limit the flow of information and possibly increase its violent crackdown on opposition forces, all 84 blocks of IP addresses used by the nation have gone offline. The blackout was first reported by Renesys this morning at around 5:26am ET and the #SyriaBlackout hashtag has started picking up steam on Twitter as others have noticed. While it's unclear exactly what has happened and investigations are on going, and a nationwide outage is highly suspicious. The Associated Press is reporting that rebels are laying blame for the blackout at the feet of the government and that cellphone service has also been severed. We'll update as more information rolls in, but we wouldn't expect good news.

Update: Akamai has provided more confirmation of the outage. As you can see in the image above, at some point this morning the amount of data coming out of Syria simply dropped to zero.

[Source: Engadget]

Google takes us inside their data centers, shows you where the internet lives

Ever fancied a look inside one of Google's cavernous server farms? Given the security issues, the company isn't likely to just let anyone mooch around -- but understands if you're curious. That's why it's adding a special collection to its Street View data that lets you wander inside without a big trek to Iowa, Belgium or Finland. If you'd like to sample some of the delights, you can check out our gallery or head down past the break to get a video tour of the facility in Lenoir, NC.

[Source: Engadget - Click here to read more]

Internet Explorer 10 preview coming to Windows 7 semi-Luddites in mid-November

For all of Microsoft's talk of Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, we've heard precious little about the Windows 7 version beyond the certainty that it was coming. Eventually. Someday. The company is partly putting that anxiety to bed with word that IE 10 should be available for the Metrophobic in mid-November, but only in a preview version -- a possible sign that Microsoft's Windows 8 RTM deadline prevented the concurrent platform releases we've grown accustomed to in recent years. The team in Redmond is hinging its launch of a finished Windows 7 build on the feedback it gets, so we'd suggest that those willing to experiment with a new browser (but not a new OS) still give IE 10 a shot next month.

[Source: Engadget]

Virgin Media begins pushing its UK broadband to 120Mbps, much to Usain's delight

If you're one of Virgin Media's top-tier internet customers, you may soon see your service getting a little speedier. The Branson-backed company is boosting its top speed from 100Mbps to 120Mbps, thanks to a £110 million ($169 million) infrastructure investment. The majority of the network -- around 60 percent -- has yet to be supercharged, but you can use the coverage checker linked below to see if you're in-line for an early Christmas present from Sir Richard.

[Source: Engadget]

Insert Coin: SmartThings wants to connect your dog, mailbox and kitchen cabinets to the internet

Sometimes you just can't remember if you turned off the toaster oven before leaving the house. Sitting at work, you might wonder, "is my house burning down?" or "should I go home and check?" You could run home, of course, or you could just link that croissant cooker up to the internet and switch it off from your phone. SmartThings promises to let you do just that, offering a system that connects everyday physical objects to a cloud-based control center. The project aims to provide users with a bevy of end-devices -- automatic door locks, thermostats, humidity sensors, presence sensors, power outlet switches and more -- that connect to a router-like SmartThings hub. From here the user can easily see and control these devices on the SmartThings mobile app.

That alone would be pretty handy -- but the SmartThings team decided to take it a step further by building SmartApps, that is, applications for further customizing how SmartThings devices (and the user) interact with the every day objects they're attached to. The platform is going to remain open, too, allowing owners and developers to build custom applications to fit their needs. Better still, the project is on a tight time line, and aims to put its product in backer hands by December -- of course, it'll have to reach its $250,000 Kickstarter goal first. Check out the team's pitch after the break, or hit up the source link below for more details.

[Source: Engadget]

Plusnet pushes its UK-fibre-optic broadband to 76Mb/s

Stereotype-embracing ISP Plusnet has added a new tier of fibre-optic broadband, offering speeds up to 76Mb/s. The revamped Extra Fibre package now offers upload speeds of up to 19.5 Mb/s, with a 250GB monthly usage allowance, matching those offered by parent company BT. Of course, those of us who can't even get ADSL2 will just have to watch on, with jealousy in our eyes.

[Source: Engadget]

Putting An End To The Biggest Lie On The Internet

It’s long been said that “I agree to the terms of service” is the biggest lie on the internet. And even if you do read them, many TOS are so ridden with legalese that you practically need to be a lawyer to understand them. Also, as I wrote in a gloomy post last weekend, users have no choice but either agree to the terms offered by a web app or simply not use the service at all.

But a new project called TOS;DR wants to change that. The site aims to give more power to users by summarizing terms of service, flagging potential issues and rating apps on a scale from A (the best) to E (the worst).

So far the only company with an E, the worst possible rating, is TwitPic, which reserves the rights to sell users’ photos to news agency without giving the photographer a cut.

Project lead Hugo Roy tells me that he considers Wikipedia to be an exemplary service, though it hasn’t been rated by TOS;DR. He says both Wikipedia’s short, clear summary of its TOS and its practice of soliciting feedback from users before a change in terms should be widely adopted as best practices for the web.

[Source: TechCrunch - Read the full story]