I talked about AT&T U-verse before, but never introduced it as from an overall perspective, kind of intro. So here it is:

There seems to be many choices out there for bringing television, broadband Internet service, and telephone service into a home. AT&T brings all three with Uverse.

U-verse has been around since 2007, providing these services using computer networking and fiber-optic technology. Plus, AT&T is constantly working on its system to provide the latest innovations to its more than 2 million customers. So far, U-verse is available to 20 million households across 22 states.

The most innovative part of AT&T U-verse is its use of Internet Protocol Television, or IPTV. AT&T is the only service provider to offer 100 percent IPTV, which allows complete integration of computer, telephone, television, and wireless devices, opening up a broad range of customizable and personalized functions.

Also, AT&T U-verse features a much more flexible DVR experience with its Total Home DVR service. This service even comes free with several plans. With the Total Home DVR, subscribers can play back and record any program from any television in the home with a U-verse receiver with only one DVR. Up to four programs can be recorded at the same time on one single DVR. This system also has the ability to pause a recorded show in one room and pick it up in another.

U-verse also features a strong line-up of packages that fits nearly every budget. The least expensive package is the U-Basic, which is only $19 per month and features 20 channels. It can be upgraded with sports and movie bundles as well. The U450 package comes with every feature and bundle that Uverse features. There are five packages in between these two, such as the U200, which comes with a Total Home DVR and free installation.

The High Speed Internet Service that AT&T’s U-verse provides also has many features not found by other providers. This service provides practically unlimited e-mail storage, a wireless router and home networking, and unlimited access to AT&T’s expansive Wi-Fi network. There are also five different plans offering five different speeds, allowing customers to pay only for what they need.

AT&T is practically synonymous with home telephone service, and through U-verse, it now comes to its subscribers over Voice over Internet Protocol technology. Standard landline telephones will still work with the service, and customers can keep their original phone number or receive a new one.

Although it’s still relatively new, AT&T U-verse is a great alternative to cable and satellite, giving consumers yet another option for their entertainment provider.

If you wish to ensure your computer is running at its peak performance, you need to protect it. If you want to make certain it has an optimum chance of avoiding any form of malware, you need to take proper internet security measures. These can range from using inbuilt computer systems to purchasing malware specific software. When considering what to do to make sure you provide your computer with the highest degree of protection consider the following measures as necessary:

Use Antivirus Software

This is one of the most basic and essential forms of protection against malware. It comes in all types – some are more specific than others are. Some are strictly protection, detection and removal of viruses. Others may also handle such things as adware and spyware. Note what the application of the software is before you purchase it.

Antivirus software also ranges in cost. There are free versions available on the net. Some actually come with your computer. One of the more prominent “names” is Norton. Other well-known ones are McAfee and BitDefender. There are also Avast, AVG, Zone Alarm, Panda, Trend Micro and Kaspersky. Read the stats and see what each promises. If it is free, make certain it is not actually malware masquerading as a virus fix.
One other important aspect of antivirus software is updating. Do keep it current. Go to the parent website and download the latest version. Some computers and companies automatically inform you when the latest version is available. If not, make sure you check every some time.

Use A Firewall

This was always imperative if you were on dial-up. It is still an important part of keeping your system secure. Make sure it is not only on your computer but is running. Be sure to activate it. Also, be sure you don;t run multiple firewalls that may come into interference and cause problems with your Internet connection. Many antivirus and Internet Security programs recommend to turn Windows built in firewall OFF if using their firewall feature. Plus, most of us today use some kind of firewall that is built into our Internet routers. From here, it turns you may have three different points where you need to either turn the firewall ON or OFF, or to configure it properly.

Warning – Sender Unknown

Receiving e-mails can be a joy. It can brighten your day. It is great to keep current with absent friends and relatives. It is also a way of receiving homework and job assignments. But e-mail can also cause serious problems in your computer that you can spread quickly and unwittingly to other computer systems.
If a virus is attached to an e-mail message, this is exactly what can and will happen. Avoid it in a simple manner. Do NOT open any mail – and particularly any attachments, you receive form an unknown sender.
This would include clicking onto unknown links (web addresses) that came in such emails. Many times today, those crooks will not send a virus via email, but will send you that link which will take you to a website from which you will download an application that will open a back door so they can access your computer and use it for various purposes. You will not even notice that you downloaded some application which is usually small and takes a part of a second to install. Fortunately, a default settings of common browsers like Internet Explorer or FireFox will prompt you about downloading something, but not always. This depends on both browser settings and malware on that website.

Conclusion

There are other ways to ensure your computer is relatively safe from viral and other types of malware predators. A thorough check-up by specialists annually is another option. Yet, the best measures are always preventative. Put in place a firewall, use antivirus like Norton AntiVirus or Norton Internet Security or other anti-malware software and do not open any suspicious packages or visit suspicious web sites on the Internet.

For most of the last 13 years of my adult life, I lived with cable television. For the most part, it wasn’t of my choosing. When you live in apartments, you generally don’t have a choice of your television service provider, or any other in-home entertainment for that matter. But when I bought my first home two years ago, I finally had a choice. I could get whatever I wanted. It was my decision.

So what did I do? I got cable. I don’t know why, I just did. Maybe it was the comfort. Maybe it was the safe choice. It was the only provider I ever knew. I even had an easy out: There was a satellite dish already planted on the southwest corner of the house. But no, I just went with the old stand-by. Even when I decided I wanted a change last year, I took another easy way out and just went with the satellite company that already had their equipment on my property.

But in the last few months, I found an alternative that’s making me practically bang my head against my keyboard. I was doing some research and I learned more about AT&T U-verse TV (see my previous article about AT&T U-Verse Special Online Offers). Now I completely regret my decision to get cable in the first place. True, realistically I had no much choice back then.

I can’t believe some of the awesome features that U-verse has to offer. In my opinion, the best part of U-verse may not even be the numerous features, such as Total Home DVR (that’s the one they show on TV where you can pause a movie and pick it up in another room, right where you left off!), and High Speed Internet. The best part is the choices you have in the pricing packages.

Cable is so complicated when it comes to its programming. You wouldn’t know you have inexpensive options if you didn’t know to ask for them. That goes for both cable’s television programming and broadband Internet access. It’s like they don’t want you to know that there’s something they have that could help you out. But one glance at the U-verse site plainly shows the seven different tiers of television programming. And, you can mix and match and add bundles, like sports and movies. Some of the higher tiers even come with those bundles. Plus, the High Speed Internet gives you five choices of prices and speeds, perfect for a wide range of styles of user.

I know where I’m heading when my contract with the satellite provider runs out. I’m heading to AT&T U-verse, because it’s definitely “cooler than cable.”

When I wanted to switch and thought about Vonage vs. Comcast XFINITY VoIP, I wanted to be sure I was making the right decision. So I did some research and found some very big differences between the two services.

Comcast XFINITY VoIP has a lot of things in common with Vonage, too, but when you look at Vonage vs. Comcast XFINITY VoIP, it’s easy to see which the better choice is. I saw that Vonage was the right choice right away after finishing my research.

First I looked at all of the features that Comcast offers. Some of them are the same as the features that are offered by Vonage, such as voicemail. But Comcast does something different with their voicemail. They put it on the internet so you can listen to it over any internet connection. This is good in some ways, but in others is could be problematic. I thought that having my voicemail over the internet would mean that anyone could get to it! I don’t want to have to worry about my voicemail getting hacked. Comcast also has and iPhone and iPod Touch app for their services, but again, I don’t want to have the added worry of someone having access to all of my phone services if my cell phone is stolen. On the other side, Vonage has Vonage Visual Voicemail which is readable voicemail transcriptions sent via text and email. Hm.

The quality of the two services, Vonage vs. Comcast XFINITY VoIP, is about the same. This says a lot for Vonage since you have to pick out specialized equipment for Vonage. Any of Vonage’s routers, adapters or phones can easily match the quality of Comcast’s voice service.

There is another Comcast service that doesn’t seem right to me, and that is the universal caller ID. This means your caller ID will come up on your TV. That could be a problem if you don’t want everyone in the room to know who is calling. As for other features, Comcast and Vonage are almost equal, but Vonage does have a lot of other standard features like voicemail and caller ID that come with the basic package. You have to pay more for these through Comcast. Some of these features are maybe configurable which is worth of checking further.

Overall, I believe that Vonage vs. Comcast XFINITY VoIP comes down to quality and price. I already talked about quality. Both services are equally matched when it comes to phone service quality, Vonage more so because of the quality of their equipment. But as for price, there can only be one winner, and that is Vonage. Vonage service starts at $9.99 per month, while Comcast starts at $19.99 for the first six months only.

If it’s about plans that offer more, again Vonage seems to be a winner with their Vonage World plan.