Month: April 2017

Grand Theft Auto V is teaching the self-driving cars

Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto gaming series is one of the most controversial major console and PC game in the modern times. It has suffered from a lot of backlash for its graphic violence, bad influence on the young players and subtle presence of the adult content. This has resulted in getting this gamed banned in a number of countries but that has not stopped its popularity at all.

Millions of users make use of their unlimited broadband connection to engage in fun-filled no strings attached rise with the Grand Theft Auto game. The best thing about this game is that there is no need to abide the story narrative to enjoy the full extent of this game though doing such thing will not help in unlocking certain parts of the cities in the long run.

Driverless cars Australia — GTA 5 teaching the self-driving the essentials of navigating in the real world.

One of the self-driving module developers namely Waymo is using the Grand Theft Auto to train the software in navigating through the roads and tracks. Waymo is making use of the fictional city of Los Santos present in the Grand Theft Auto V to train driverless car software in navigating the real world environment with precision.

Reasons behind using the Grand Theft Auto V

The reason behind using the Grand Theft Auto V is quite simple. This game has a huge canvas with its computer gaming environment sprawling over a landscape which happens to a fifth of the size of Los Angeles. Furthermore Rockstar has brought a variety of 14 different weather conditions and more than 262 vehicles. Apart from these this game has cast comprising of over 1000 AI controlled pedestrians and animals that gives it more humane and electrifying touch.

Secondly this game is filled with countless bridges, tunnels, intersections, traffic signals and much more which will be beneficial in training the artificial intelligence to act sensibly in the real world.

Researchers from the Darmstadt University of Technology in collaboration with Intel Labs have stripped the game to its core driving mechanics. Now developers were able to incorporate their self-driving software right into the game to train it. One of the researchers has clarified that Grand Theft Auto offers the richest virtual environment which can help them in extracting the much data with ease and help in enhancing the shortcoming of the self-driving modules instantly.

V4 Telecom offers blazing fast internet connection with its wide array of unlimited broadband and mobile data plans. For more such useful information, kindly follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. We will be happy to help. For accessing high-speed, internet broadband, hosted telephony, switch to V4 Telecom Australia today and choose from our deals on NBN and ADSL.

Facebook launches its first social VR app

You must have wasted hundreds of hours of your unlimited broadband connection with various online gaming apps on your smartphone. Pokemon Go & Clash of Clans grew so popular that people didn’t mind wasting hundreds of MB of their mobile data in a bid to catch the rare pokemons in and around their locality & to conquer the kingdoms respectively. Facebook has taken it upon itself to launch the world’s first social VR app which effectively makes virtual reality more social than ever before. This app is called Facebook Spaces and it has been shown at the F8 developer conference. This will also act as a new app for the Oculus Rift wherein users can easily hang out with their friends in the virtual reality.

Facebook Spaces in Australia — Facebook brings the world’s first social virtual reality app for millions of users worldwide.

Let’s create an avatar

In order tom make use of the Facebook Spaces users will have to create an avatar right at the beginning. The avatar created on this application is very similar to the ones offered in the Oculus Avatars. Users can even choose their Facebook photo and Space can work on it to generate avatar similar it. Changing the look and feel of the avatar is every simple as you are simply required to tap on the part and choose from a list of options which includes the hair colours to new eye shapes.

Hang out with friends who don’t even have VR

Facebook Spaces unfortunately is limited to the people who have Occulus Rift. This app allows friends to join the VR hangouts by placing a Messenger call remotely. Sending or receiving a call on Messenger pretty much the same but joining a video call in the virtual reality certainly feels like a different thing. Users will be able to see their friends in the virtual space but they won’t be able to control their vantage point like done with the 360 videos. Watching 360 degree videos with friends on Facebook Space is a cool feature but it will drain your broadband internet plan or data plan swiftly.

Facebook Spaces does offer a better way of online networking and will help users putting their internet connection to some good use. But this app has its own share of shortcoming as only four participants can be featured at a single time and they can’t move around much in the space. This app is still in beta version therefore the call quality on Messenger is not up to the mark but as more people start using it Facebook will be able to bring the desirable updates.

Three Australian job sectors offering better pay and growth rate in 2017

If you are an IT professional and you are actively wasting your internet connection on searching for established safe jobs then here are few sectors you can move to. Niche IT sector are suffering from the lack of quality individuals across various verticals and they are willing to pay huge for the right individual.

Jobs in Australia — Better Pay, Growth Rate and tons of opportunities are in these job sectors in Australia.

Cyber and data security

The threat of cyber security has nearly doubled within past one year and a large of companies has stated the IT and technology specifically targeting cyber security will create most number of jobs. Companies are eagerly boosting the cyber security of their establishment, processes and data centres to keep the hackers at bay. As a result the demand for the ethical white hackers who have the ability to perfect the systems, networks and application by literarily breaking ‘into’ it. The sectors which will generate most amounts of jobs include financial institutions, telecommunication firms and those who deal with large online databases. This sector offers anything between $120,000 to $150,000 a year to the cyber security consultants, IT risk managers, risk and compliance managers and ethical hackers.

Applications development

Our world is filled with apps and we almost have app for everything we can think of. Most of the number of people makes use of at least 5 to 10 apps on daily apps without even noticing it. Businesses finally understand the potential of an app in improving the overall business experience. Developing for the business isn’t a piece of cake as it requires highly specific expertise along with extensive knowledge of IT technology tools. This sector is offering $75,000 to $200,000 to software developers, software engineers, and development managers. This sector only requires a sound knowledge or awareness of the business and the ability to make non-tech person understand the business.

Data Management & Business Intelligence developers

Getting the right IT talent to manage the databases and bring right insight to maximize the business potential is a tough thing to ask. Therefore business will be lining for the individuals who have this exclusive set of talent and expertise or are willing to enhance their knowledge. The best thing about this sector is that it doesn’t need something out of the world rather it procures developers and managers with a similar set of knowledge of computing, computer science mixed with economics and business studies.

The only key thing here is to understand the business results and use the computing knowledge and expertise at hand to create meaningful analytics dashboard and insight for others. This sector is expected to offer anything between $60,000 to $130,000 to the right candidates.

V4 Telecom offers blazing fast internet connection with its wide array of unlimited broadband and mobile data plans. For more such useful information, kindly follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. We will be happy to help. For accessing high-speed, internet broadband, hosted telephony, switch to V4 Telecom Australia today and choose from our deals on NBN and ADSL.

Top 3 Apps for Online Cricket Score & Live Streaming

If you are smitten by the cricket bug then these apps can help in getting close to the action in real time. Currently, live streaming of cricket games is mostly sought ought by the users but finding the right app or website is a tough task. Certainly, you will need a high-speed internet connection to make most of the live streaming or online cricket score on your mobile. Here are few exciting apps to keep a tab on the live score and live streaming of cricket matches on the go.

Cricket apps in Australia — Get to know latest happening in the world of cricket with these three awesome cricket apps.

Cricket Australia Live

Cricket Australia is simply the best mobile app for keeping in touch with the Australian cricket team performance. This app is available on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store for free download. It offers live streaming of video as well as audio along with live updates and cricket score. If you wish to enjoy the best of Australian cricket with lives streaming then a day pass will cost $5.99 while the annual plan will cost about $29.99.

ESPN Cric info Cricket

It’s one of the most popular cricket apps which offers a wide set of features which includes the latest scores, breaking-stories, schedules, team statistics, players statistics and much more. In short, it is a one-stop destination for everything you wish to catch about the cricket regardless of team or continent. It offers a huge database & interrelated news of hundreds of leagues and teams playing cricket on the international as well as national level.

Cricbuzz app

Cricbuzz is simply the best destination to get live scores along with everything related to cricket. This app allows users to track the previous matches along with getting a live commentary loaded with ball-to-ball interactive updates. This app will help in satisfying all your cricket needs from tracking match stats, schedules, players stats to record made in every match, by every team or in every tournament. Users can even set match alerts via push notification service to avoid missing any important event in the cricket arena. This app also has player profiles which list down how many runs, wickets, victories, awards and other has been achieved by the player.

Mobile broadband providers can help you in getting the best internet connection with reliable and high-speed connectivity. V4 Telecom offers internet and phone deals which will help in getting live streaming and live scores on your mobile devices at affordable rates.

For more such useful information, kindly follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. We will be happy to help. For accessing high-speed, internet broadband, hosted telephony, switch to V4 Telecom Australia today and choose from our deals on NBN and ADSL.

Advantages of having a hosted phone system at home or office

Internet & cloud has simply changed the way we make use of the technology and gadgets all around us. It has helped in bringing a rich amount of features to the communication products within a limited overhead cost

. Hosted telephony or hosted phone system is one such product which is usually undermined by both home and enterprise users as they are oblivious to its advantages. V4 Telecom Australia offers the best home phone deals along with business phone deals which can help in reining the rising communication costs. Have a look at the top 5 advantages which can be derived with hosted phone system at work or home.

Access your phone from anywhere

The best thing about hosted phone system is that it allows the user to place or received calls from anywhere in the world. The modern business requires people to work from multiple locations along with a lot of travel related to the job. Hosted telephony works in sync with the IP integration which means that simply connecting with any Wi-Fi network at home, business or hotel will help in getting with your office directly.

Hosted telephony costs Australia — Save money, stay in touch with clients & customers and access from anywhere are key features of hosted telephony.

It’s reliable

Even a few minutes of downtime on a network can result in losing a key business client or customer account. Hosted phone system is highly reliable in this case as they operate on the provider’s infrastructure. You will not miss any important call if you are out of office or away from work.

Scalable & Flexible

It is pretty easy to expand or contract a number of lines in the hosted phone system. The usual set of features offered by any hosted phone system includes the unlimited local calling and mobile application but this can be expanded by adding new lines without increasing the overall costs.

Advanced calling features

Simply calling is way traditional and hosted telephony offers a wide range of features which can help in revolutionizing your home or business communication. It brings a suite of useful features which includes conference calls, ring multiple phones at once, call forwarding and sending caller right to the voicemail.

It is a managed business phone system

If you are a business owner then there is no need spend a fortune on a full time IT staff or opt for expensive service packages to deal with your phone system. Rather a hosted phone system can help in getting incredible service which will be effectively managed by service provider. This takes away the need of hiring any individual and getting into expensive contracts.

Google is ahead of Apple in the app game but revenues are still bleak

Google’s Android platform has the most number of users in the world and therefore its app store has a dominant position in the app market. Google is beating Apple when it comes to app downloads in a commendable fashion but Apple has an upper hand in the extremely important quotient of revenue.

The recent decline in the price of the mobile data and broadband plans on global scale along with enhanced penetration of internet has helped in giving a boost to the Android smartphones.

Play Store Android Australia — Why Google can’t generate revenue like Apple with its massive Play Store?

If you think that having most of the number of apps coupled with a mammoth number of downloads will result in huge revenue, then you are simply mistaken. Apple’s App Store has outplayed the Google’s Play Store by a huge margin with just a fraction of downloads.

How much Google earned from Play Store?

Google made $10 billion in 2016 against 63 billion downloads from its app store. While Apple made a remarkable $34 billion from just 29 billion app downloads during the same time period. In short, Apple has effectively generated three times more money from the apps when compared to Google and that also at less than half of the downloads made by Google.

iOS users are more likely to pay

Over the years the data generated form the app market has shown that iOS users are more likely to pay for the apps than Android users on a global scale. This is the reason behind the massive gap in the number of downloads and revenue generated on these two widely different mobile platforms.

Another major restraint for Google is that its Play Store isn’t available in China which has one of the largest numbers of smartphone users in the world. Chinese market is dominated by the local third-party app stores which include Baidu and Xiaomi. Apple has a wide presence in Mainland China and its business is growing rapidly over the years which aren’t case with Google.

Future projection for the Google’s Play Store

Forecast for next year performance in the app market isn’t bleak for Google but it will be certainly lower than the Apple. Apple is expected to generate revenue of $40 billion in 2017 while Google will have to settle with just $21 billion. Collectively third-party Android app stores will make a revenue of $20 million from its 51 billion downloads in 2017.

Google will still emerge as a bigger player in the Android app market where its revenue is expected to double to nearly $42 billion by the year 2021 while Apple will make an astounding $60 billion by 2021. So the competition in the Android app market will remain at its high though the revenue generation will be always on lower when compared to Apple’s platform.

For more such useful information, kindly follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. We will be happy to help. For accessing high-speed, internet broadband, switch to V4 Telecom Australia today and choose from our deals on NBN and ADSL.

YouTube brings the best Live Streaming TV experience of 2017

If you love binge watching your favourite TV shows and movies through live streaming then YouTube TV is just made for you. Live streaming is becoming a trend as consumers are getting best broadband plans and connection with ease and simplicity than ever before. In case you are struggling with huge broadband bills due to your live streaming addiction then get in touch with the V4 Telecom and choose the best broadband plans at highly affordable rates.

YouTube TV Australia — YouTube TV brings the best live streaming TV experience on multiple devices at just $35 per month.

YouTube doesn’t need an introduction anymore as it is widely known and the first choice for surfing videos online. It has a come a long way from offering funny cat videos, latest music videos to a robust platform which is backed with live streaming capabilities.

How much you will pay?

YouTube TV bundles are available for just $35 a month wherein users gets over 40 broadcast channels and cable channels. YouTube is hoping to use its wide user base, brand popularity and worldwide presence to give a stiff competition to Netflix. Therefore it has invested in building original content which has been tentatively titled as YouTube Red Originals. The best thing about this service is that it offers the Cloud DVR with unlimited storage to every customer.

YouTube TV is new & exciting

YouTube offers an exciting way of watching content from anywhere and anytime as long as the user has a stable network. When compared to its existing rivals and competitors YouTube does have an upper hand as it has rolled out a dedicated app for both Apple and iOS platform. This means one can enjoy the YouTube TV from the traditional smart TV, desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets as well. Such a thing isn’t possible on other major live streaming service providers.

Secondly users can even stream content directly to their TV using the Google Chromecast or the Chromecast built-in TV.

YouTube TV will make its debut in the five major US cities which includes Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York and San Francisco. Interested users will get a free 30 day trial after which $35 has to be paid monthly.

YouTube has made no announcement for further launches. But it is being speculated that by the end of this year YouTube TV will find its way to European region, Asian, Australian region quickly.

Are you losing your broadband connection frequently? Then follow these steps.

If you are one of those who had to deal with erratic broadband connection then here are some useful tips to get rid of this problem.

Losing broadband connection Australia — Try these simple and smart ways to stop losing your broadband connection frequently.

Are you the ‘only’ one?

First, confirm whether you are the only one facing an erratic broadband connection in your area or locality. Sometimes a major fault in the broadband connection can result in slow or erratic connection for days if it goes unchecked. Get in touch with the locals using the same broadband provider or simply call your broadband provider and register a complaint.

Turn your router on and off

Let’s get to the basics. Fixing the broadband connection isn’t a rocket science. Turn your router off for few minutes then turn it on again and it will help in fixing the connection problem. In case this doesn’t help then something else might be hindering with your connection.

Check the wires

Your broadband is working fine, the router is working fine then the problem must be in the wires. Why not check them. Ensure that the power cable is plugged in firmly to the Hub or the Ethernet cables are well connected to the device. You can also check the physical condition of the wires by looking out for any unwanted cut, burn or anything which might have dropped its usability.

Check the extensions

If wires are in good conditions then the culprit might be the extension sockets placed in your household or office. First, make sure that your router is connected right into the master socket and not from any extension cables. Or perform a check on the master socket to known whether it is performing well or not.

If you have wireless connection then

Wireless broadband connection works just like the mobile signals which happen to be stable in most cases but are prone to underperform due to interference. If you are consistently losing the connection then the hindrance might be coming due to unwanted interference in the connection. This can be resolved by finding the things which are causing the hindrance. Once you have found that then find an innovative way to overcome it.

V4 Telecom offers high-speed broadband connection to the customers complimented with a robust support system which helps in resolving connection issues quickly.

Is choosing ADSL broadband a smart decision?

High-end technology is enhancing connectivity and speed of life in this modern age. The internet, mobile devices and technology have increased the desire of remaining connected with the rest of the world. To achieve that, you will need a high-speed broadband internet connection or ADSL broadband.

ADSL Broadband Australia — Are unsure about ADSL broadband? Then you should read this.

What is ADSL broadband and how it works?

ADSL is the abbreviation of Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. It usually works with the help of a landline telephone where the analog signals of the phone are converted into digital signals. This results in the high-speed internet for the user and does not affect the functionality of the phone in any way.

Our experience in the industry

We at V4 Telecom have been offering ADSL broadband for more a long period and are considered to be a reliable and reputed service provider in Australia. In our years in the industry, we have come across quite a few clients who were indecisive about their decisions of choosing ADSL over the other available options.

The points of benefit

To help with that, our team of experts has come up with this list of benefits of ADSL broadband connection which will help in making a decision.

ADSL is the connection that offers high-speed connection despite depending on a landline telephone.
Unlike the traditional dial-up connection, you can use both the phone and the internet at the same time. The voice and data work in separate bands and channels which makes both internet surfing and talking on the phone possible and eliminates the problem of dropped calls.
The ADSL broadband connection will come with a fixed monthly cost which will help with budget and all over monthly expenses.
There is no need for extra or new wiring as the ADSL connection will use the existing telephone line. This means savings of both time and money unless the operator you are choosing needs to build the infrastructure to provide the service.
In ADSL broadband connection, you don’t have to start the connection by dialing to the network. Instead, a switched network architecture will establish the connection.
Uploading and downloading large files, viewing and sending real time audio and video files, video conferencing and such will become simpler and faster which will be highly beneficial for a business.

Conclusion

In short, if you were worried that choosing the ADSL broadband connection won’t be a smart enough decision, then the above-mentioned points will put that doubt to rest and choose better.

Apple’s Touch Bar keyboards to reach more devices

Apple has always been known to bring groundbreaking technologies to its devices. One such feature is the Touch Bar keyboard in the MacBook Pro devices. After its debut back in 2016 with MacBook Pro a few of the function keys were replaced with a super-responsive OLED touch panel which turned out to be more functional.

Touchbar Keyboards Australia — Apple is gearing up to bring the Touch Bar Keyboards to other devices for added functionality.

The anticipation and some logic

The newly unveiled trio of patents shows that Apple is working towards it. Since its debut the Touch Bar is being used in different ways and has been proven to be a very effective and interesting addition to the keyboard. Hence, bringing the same feature to other devices seems to be the only logical step.

The information available

The patents showing this new development has described the Touch Bar to be a mean for creating a keyboard which will have Adaptive Input Row. The filings of said input row are quite identical to the Touch Bar. The text available with the patent provides direction on the workings of the touch-controlled tech and does not provide any information on the application of the same on different systems. The images available in the filings show it outside the laptop housing of the MacBook Pro.

The best possible combination

The Magic Keyboard accessory of Apple could the best choice for the Touch Bar treatment and could become the premier accessory for the computers manufactured by the company. There is also the possible of Apple releasing the technology for all its keyboard lines. Despite the anticipation and hope, it cannot be denied that from Apple’s track record such a possibility may not turn to reality entirely.

From the latest trends and developments, it can be safely assumed that 2018 will see a complete overhaul of Mac Pro and an update of iMac. This makes it clear that the company is all set to stir its computing department.

So, to enjoy the Touch Bar facilities and the updates, Australia has to wait for quite some time. In the meantime though, you can prepare for using the latest offerings and updates properly by choosing a suitable mobile broadband plan. At V4 Telecom, we offer some of the best-unlimited broadband plans choose from.