bermuda livinga special advertising section of the bermuda sun n december 18, 2012 n page 31

How the digital age is increasing the need for speed

Cleaning right by your side.

by Terry robersonBermuda CableVision

If your current Internet service meets your house-hold’s needs for browsing, downloading music or

streaming standard-definition video content, you might find your-self asking, ‘Why the need for speed?’

Most people in Bermuda are on a service with a speed of somewhere between two and 10 mega-bits per second (mbps) at the moment, which is certainly sufficient for this kind of usage.

You have probably noticed, however, that the international telecom-munications industry has been working hard in recent years to continually increase the speeds avail-able to consumers.

Pace of changeIndeed, in October,

Bermuda CableVision launched two new Broad-band Link Internet servic-es, with speeds of up to 15 mbps and 25 mbps respec-tively — the fastest offered in Bermuda to date.

The reason? The pace of change continues unabated on the ‘information super-highway’, and along with that comes demand on bandwidth, while we want to ensure we can continue to satisfy our customers’ growing needs well into the future.

Most homes already operate several electronic devices, such as desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, TV stream-ing devices, games consoles and e-book readers, using a single Internet connection.

The number of appli-ances that require a web connection in the coming years is expected to explode even further.

It’s hard to get excited

about upgrading mundane household items like fridg-es, washing machines and cookers, but if you haven’t been in the market for one of these recently you may have missed out on the fact that even these appliances are taking gigantic techno-logical leaps.

According to Siemens, in as little as a couple of years’ time, your fridge will be able to tell an app on your smartphone what it’s got inside, and from that list of ingredients, offer you a choice of recipes for dinner.

If you are missing vital components it will also compile you a handy shop-ping list so you can stock up on your way home.

Then the same app will tell your oven what temper-ature it needs to be set at and for how long in order

to cook your meal. This is what is known as converg-ing technologies, where they all — essentially — start talking to each other.

Connected devices are also taking over from more traditional appliances. For instance, the growing popularity of Voice-Over-Internet Protocol phones will surely mean the even-tual death of the landline telephone.

This connected applianc-es invasion could happen in your home sooner than you might think. The Consum-er Electronics Association (CEA) in the US forecasts that sales of tablets, such as Apple’s iPad, will more than double this Christ-mas, with 32 million sales expected in the US alone over the festive period (a 112 per cent increase from

last year). The CEA also revealed

that tablets topped the wish list of 16 per cent of people, followed by smartphones (eight per cent), laptops (seven per cent) and e-read-ers (four per cent).

There has also been an influx of new tablet prod-ucts designed especially for children, in time to meet Santa’s orders deadline, such as the market-leading VTech InnoTab 2.

So what does this mean for your Internet service? Well, all of these devices operating at the same time eat into your bandwidth, which will therefore decrease the connection quality for each device.

With the ‘Connected Home’ phenomenon likely to move the average household into the power

user bracket, the need for connection speeds of at least 10 mbps will become more common.

In order to avoid the frustration and annoyance of what Bermuda Cablevi-sion terms ‘Bufferitis’, with symptoms including sluggish video content and broken audio playback, why not reassess your Internet requirements today and upgrade your service accordingly.

Don’t let the converging technologies revolution leave you behind. n

Terry roberson is gen-eral manager of Bermuda CableVision. For more information see www.cablevision.bm, or ‘Like’ us on Facebook to keep up to date on all the latest news, special offers and tips.

n AFP Photo

information superhighway: The growth of tablets and smartphones is fuelling our need for greater speeds.

‘Most homes already operate several electronic devices, such as desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, TV streaming devices, games consoles and e-book readers, using a single Internet connection. The number of appliances that require a web connection in the coming year is expected to explode even further.’

terry robersonBermuda CableVision

general manager

roberson

32 n deCemBer 18, 2012 bermuda living: a special advertising section THe BermUdA SUN

Home gadget trends and multi-room music technologyAs you get older, it’s the

little chores that will get you.

Peeling potatoes and opening jars are likely to leave you with those funny little muscle cramps or chafed skin.

But home gadget designs

to make things easier are flying off the shelves.

Designers are constantly trying to come up with effective, stylish and easy-to-use gadgets for the kitchen, garden, home maintenance or health-related items.

Ergonomic, you might say, and they’re becoming the trend for the kitchen and throughout the home.

This is great news for those of us who are getting a little older and who are finding that what was once a simple task has become a real challenge.

Typically I buy a gadget because it will help to make work easier but sometimes, making the gadget work properly becomes work in itself.

As we get older it can get harder to do simple but necessary tasks like open-ing cans and jars, peeling vegetables and even open-ing a door.

Companies like OXO and Zyliss have become innova-tors in making gadgets for the kitchen that are easy to use and get the job done.

The handles are easier to grip because they are bigger, made from non-slip materials and are very comfortable to hold.

There are wonderful vegetable peelers available with angled, ergonomic handles that reduce the strain on hands and wrists, and the grips are made of non-slip plastic.

An automatic jar opener is a useful kitchen gadget to have for arthritis suffer-ers or anyone else who has trouble opening any type of jar, from apple sauce to dill pickles. No strength is required. The gadget opens jars by use of a single button.

Magnet fastenersTurning small objects

around the house can be a problem for many people. A key turner will provide the leverage that you need to easily turn a key in a lock.

Your key fits into the key turner and the key folds into the handle when not in use.

Lamp switches are anoth-er thing that it can be diffi-cult to grip. The small and tiny ridges on them hardly provide any grip at all.

Lamp switch enlarg-ers will make it easy for anyone to turn lights off and on.

They fit over the existing small switch to enlarge it and give it a shape and size that is much easier to grip and to turn.

There are similar devices that fit over door knobs as well to make them easier to turn too.

Fastening jewellery can

be frustrating for anyone. Adding magnet fasteners for your necklaces is the way to go if you have trou-ble fastening those little tiny clasps.

Simply fasten the magnetic clasp onto the existing clasp and the prob-lem is solved. Easy on and easy off.

Expandable cordless phone sets are great for your home. They come with a main phone base and up to five remote phones.

They can be placed stra-tegically throughout your home, and make it easier to hear and reach a ringing

michele smithSun columnist

T +1 441 278 3561 • OBMI.COM • MSMITH@OBMI.COM

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telephone. Rushing to answer the

phone can result in trips and falls for even the most able-bodied.

For seniors it means that a phone will always be close by if they need to call for help.

Large Button Universal Remote controls are great. There is one available that features an easy-to-grasp ‘T’ shape, lighted keypad, with large buttons and bold, easy-to-read charac-ters.

And best of all, it retains its code information when you change the batteries.

Have you ever had a scald because the tap water was hotter than you thought? Anti-Scalding Devices, also known as a Temperature Activated Flow Reducers (TAFR) are great gadgets for anyone who has lost the ability to tell when the water is too hot.

They’ll be no more accidental burns when installed in the bathroom and kitchen sinks and in the shower.

This device automatical-

ly turns off the water flow when the water tempera-ture gets too hot. They are great for child safety as well.

An electric tea kettle with automatic shut-off will boil water quickly and safely. Boiling water on a stove or using a microwave to heat water for a cup of tea, oatmeal, or soup can be dangerous for seniors, especially if their hands shake or if they forget they turned the stove on.

An electric tea kettle sits on the counter, plugs into an outlet, stays cool to the touch, and shuts off automatically when the water reaches the proper temperature.

Music in the homeWhole house music

systems, also known as multi-zone stereo systems, are becoming very popular in new homes and renova-tions.

There are several ways to distribute music through-out your home — wired and wireless, powered and non-powered.

You can use your stereo

receiver or a home theatre receiver as the centre of your system, or install a dedicated multi-room music system.

Wireless multi-room music systems are quickly catching up to wired systems in terms of sound quality, control and flex-ibility.

Installation is consid-erably easier because no additional wiring is required between rooms. However, if you’re start-ing installation with new construction, a wired system may be the best solution because audio, video and network wiring can be installed easily before the walls are in place.

To plan a whole house audio or multi-room music system, first consider the number of rooms or zones.

A simple two-room system can be installed using the Speaker B switch on your receiver and an additional pair of speakers.

Some AV receivers have multi-room features to control as many as four zones.

Larger systems require additional hardware, speakers, planning and labour. The most chal-lenging part of installing a multi-room system is running wires from one zone to another and often requires a professional installer.

How many sources will you need? This is a key question.

Do you want to listen to the same source in each zone (example: CD) or would you prefer different sources in each zone (exam-ple: CD in the den and FM radio in a bedroom).

A multisource system is usually preferred because it allows each person to listen to the music of his or her choice in each zone.

Make a list of the sources you want to include, such as CD, AM/FM tuner, satel-lite radio, computer audio or music server, tape, etc. Additional sources add to

n Photo suPPlied

surround sound: Whole house music systems, or multi-zone stereo systems, are becoming more popular in the home and garden.

See music, page 33

THe BermUdA SUN bermuda living: a special advertising section deCemBer 18, 2012 n 33

How to beat the burglars in your neighbourhoodby John doherTyArgus Group

The most recent crime statistics show an encour-aging five-year downward

trend for residential burglaries.

While we never really know for sure which factor is most respon-

sible for driving down the number of break-ins, I would argue that increased homeowner vigilance has played a key role.

Unfortunately, would-be burglars are still likely to break into a home where they see an opportunity, so we need to remain vigilant and remove those invita-tions to criminals.

ChecksAs one of the island’s

leading home insurers, Argus encourages all home owners to carry out regular security surveys of their property.

This means going around the property and checking that all windows and doors and any smaller entry points such as air vents etc. are secure.

Also, inspect the perim-eter of your property and make it as difficult as possi-ble to enter your grounds unseen.

Once you’ve considered the security details, take

a step back and consider whether your house looks well-maintained. A new lick of paint, a kempt lawn and good outdoor lighting will let potential thieves know that you care about your home and have likely made it difficult for them to break in.

Having done all you can to guard against burglary, it is time to seek strength in numbers through your neighbours.

The extra pairs of eyes on your street are a strong line of defence against intruders.

Why not take a tough stance on crime by joining or launching a Neighbour-hood Watch group?

The Neighbourhood Watch programme origi-nated in the US and arrived in Bermuda in 1983. Today there are more than 50 groups spread across the island.

The Bermuda Police Service’s Crime Preven-tion Unit, which supports such groups, has seen crime decrease and, in some instances, it has been substantially reduced in areas with a Neighbour-hood Watch group.

Typically consisting of 15-20 households in Bermu-da, these groups, with the support of the police and CrimeStoppers Bermuda, work within the law to prevent crime on their street.

This is not limited to house break-ins; the groups have also proved success-

ful in tackling anti-social behaviour, crimes against persons and violence.

Members commit to meeting regularly and to keeping an eye out for unusual behaviour in their road or around their neighbours’ properties so it can be reported imme-diately to the local police station or confidentially to CrimeStoppers Bermuda on 800-TIPS (8477) or at www.crimestoppers.bm.

If there is not currently

a Neighbourhood Watch group operating where you live, but your neighbours express interest in forming one, it’s easy to get started.

Simply identify an enthu-siastic person to coordinate the new group, set up the first meeting and invite a police Crime Prevention Officer to brief the group, by calling 299-4246.

Sadly, no prevention plan is foolproof, so my final piece of advice is to invest in home contents insur-

ance. This will help you to replace your belongings if you do suffer a break-in.

From experience, people are often surprised at how much their contents are worth when combined.

The sum total of elec-tronic equipment, designer clothes and accessories alone amounts to a value that most people would have to save for a consider-able time in order to have enough money to replace them. n

For more inForma-Tion on securing your home and its contents, contact Argus at 298-0888, visit www.argus.bm or go to 14 Wesley Street, Hamilton. John Doherty is executive vice president of Property and Casualty at the Argus Group. He is a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter and holds Associates in Risk Management, Reinsurance, and diplomas in general insurance.

the complexity and cost of the system.

You have two choices of speaker installations. You can choose to have them built right into the walls or in the ceiling, or you can have bookshelf speakers or wall hung.

In-wall and in-ceiling speakers are often preferred because they virtually disappear in the wall, especially when the grilles are painted to match the room décor or mudded into the ceiling.

They do require more installation than a book-

shelf speaker and careful consideration should be given to placement and running speaker wires behind the walls.

The advantage of book-shelf speakers is flexibility of placement and speakers can be replaced or upgrad-ed easily.

Programming a system for easy operation and installing keypad controls in each room are jobs best left to an installation professional with the right tools and knowledge. n

michele D smiTh is man-aging director of OBM International/Bermuda. Contact 278-3550.

MusiCContinued from page 32

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menace: Join a Neighbourhood Watch group to keep an eye on your home and your neighbours’ properties.

doherty

Bermuda Gas ‘How To’: Find last-minute gifts

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christmas gifts: Today’s gas and electric appliances are sleek and elegant.

If you have been strug-gling to find great gifts for the loved ones on your list, Bermuda Gas can help.

From small kitchen wares to complete kitchens — our show-room on Serpentine Road has the perfect

presents to complete your shopping list.

Great things in small packages

In festive colours with unbeatable design and

performance, KitchenAid countertop portables are ‘must haves’ for any kitchen.

Not only do their range of blenders, mixers, food processors and countertop ovens add a pop of colour and a dash of style, they can help any cook — from amateur to chef — to create delicious dishes.

Grand gesturesA major appliance is

another great way to say: “I love you and I appreciate you” in any language.

Today’s gas and electric appliances are elegant, sleek and, dare we say… sexy.

These are the gifts that

keep on giving for years to come with design elements that can raise your esteem with love ones, not to mention the value of your kitchen.

Choose from styles in stunning stainless steel, to traditional white and everything in between, from top brands such as Viking, Sub-Zero, Kitch-enAid, Whirlpool and Frigi-daire.

And up to December 22 you will receive a free turkey with any major appliance purchase. You may even win your purchase. So, why not stop by at our 25 Serpentine Road, Pembroke, show-room today?

Happy Holidays from your friends at Bermuda Gas! n

For more inFormaTion call 295-3111/298-6113. Website www.bermudagas.bm

Members of the Bermuda Gas team are here to help you tackle a variety of issues in the monthly Bermuda Gas ‘How To’ column of the Bermuda Living supplement.

This month, sales manager David Desilva explains how the knowledgeable staff at Bermuda Gas can help you to find those great last-minute gifts.

34 n deCemBer 18, 2012 bermuda living: a special advertising section THe BermUdA SUN

desilva