US

Order Free Windows 7 SP1 DVD [US And Canada Only]

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Windows 7 DVD

Last week, Microsoft has released the Windows 7 Service Pack 1 final RTM for the Windows 7 users. It can either be downloaded manually from the Microsoft official website or users can also opt also for automatic installation via Windows Update. However, if you can’t afford to use your network bandwidth to download the SP1 update files, you might want a way around to get the Service Pack 1 using traditional methods. For the same purpose, Microsoft is now providing a free Windows 7 SP1 DVDs for the users in Canada and the United States. If you stay in US or Canada, you can follow the following steps to order Windows 7 SP1 physical media DVDs.

1. Open this link and choose you country and click the “Continue” button.

Windows 7 SP1 Physical Media Order

2. Choose the language of the Windows 7 SP1 installation and click Add To Cart.

Windows 7 SP1 Physical Media Shipment

As you can see, the DVD is free of charge ($0.00).

Click the Checkout button in the next step and enter your shipment address to where you want the DVD to be delivered. And please note that there’s no option to use PayPal for checking out.

Note:

# A customer can order only 1 copy of the physical media DVD.

# Even though the DVD is offered for free, there are shipment and handling charges around $6.

The US National Broadband Map

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National broadband map

You are moving to a new place in the United States and are in need of getting a new internet connection but not sure about who provides the best internet (better term may be ‘faster internet’) ?
No more worries, we now have a solution in the form of the ‘National Broadband Map’ here. It came from none other than the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) of the Obama administration.

The National Broadband map for the United States (developed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration) is a national broadband map containing data for thousands of broadband providers with more than 25 million searchable records and the results will be delivered in a map. You just have to key in your ZIP code or even street name along with ZIP code for even better localized result. The National Broadband map will then show you all the different Internet Service Providers along with the actual speeds that they are offering in your area.

National broadband map USA

As you can in the screenshot above, I have around five different broadband providers to choose from for my query (ZIP Code 94043 in California) and you can see that Comcast is the fastest broadband provider in this area when compared to Etheric Networks (which is also offering decent speeds), AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. You can quickly get to know about availability of a particular ISP in your area (anywhere in the United States), or compare the available providers without needing to enter their websites or view the overall broadband connectivity map of the U.S.

Visit National Broadband Map

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Google To Experiment Fiber Network For Providing High Speed Internet In US

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Google Turns ISP

Google has revealed its plans to setup and test ultra high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the United States.

Google’s fiber-to-the-home connection could offer ultra high speed data transfer up to 1Gbps, 100 times faster than the average access speeds that the Americans currently have.

Initially the service would be offered on a test basis at a competitive price to 50,000 to 500,000 people across the US.

Google will keep collecting responses from various communities over this project till March 26, 2010 and will announce the implementation details of this fiber networking project.

google logo smallgoogle fiber house

Google has listed the following three things as their goals that they are aiming through this project:

  • Next generation apps: Enabling developers to develop bandwidth-intensive killer apps
  • New deployment techniques: Testing new ways to build fiber networks
  • Openness and choice : Operating an “open access” network and let the users have the choice of multiple service providers

I’m jealous of the lucky US people who manage to get Google fiber-to-the-home connection.When India is still struggling with the implementation of 3G services to offer Mbps speeds, Google is thinking of Gbps :(.

[To keep up with 3G rollout in India here’s the latest info: Well, TRAI is considering 4G as well, good news]

What are you planning to doo with a 1Gbps internet connection at home? leave comments..