.....I think this might be of some help.

http://www.onspeed.com

I have read a couple of good reviews about this. I'm going to install it for my mum in a couple of weeks (Argyll, no broadband as yet). Hopefully, it may help some of you with your web browsing/email.

HTH.

PS> I have no personal experience of it yet, and am not responsible if you all go running out to get it and it doesn't work!

Huck,

That looks alomost too good to be true. Be sure to let us all know if it works as promised !

Jane

should probably be in lounge?

mods, please move if needed.

well, being adventurous and bored, i decide to give it a go on my broadband connection. a 25 quid gamble if you like.

blinkin' flip!!!!!!!!!!!!! it really works! web browsing now is really super-fast, and i downloaded some files on an online speed test with it 5 times faster!! (remember though that it primarily works with html, pics, text etc - not mpegs, exe files and so on)

downsides -

- the compression makes small pictures quite grainy but there is adjustment for your preferences ie. less speed , more quality. i have found that if i want to see a page uncompressed, i just disable it from the IE toolbar and the page refreshes in its original form.

- can't use it with any other browser at the mo' other than IE5 and above. this includes my favourite multi-tabbed browser(despite having an IE engine) :(

- looking at the US site for a comparable technology, I'm sure the price will go up at some point. not too bothered as i'm viewing it as a bonus for me presently and won't use it if it gets too expensive.

- i wait with interest to see how they get on when their servers get busy..........

there may be some other negative points. from what i've seen though, as an average user, it seems to work for me and i'm sure it will help a 56k connection. i'll keep you informed how i get on with my mum's connection.

*no interests in the above company, just hope it helps some of our brethren in the slow lane of the info. superhighway - works for the speedier ones too*

How long does it take to download the software ?

Jane

It says it also works for broadband. So how does it work?

And is there any catch, such as spyware, involved?

It says it also works for broadband. So how does it work?

Looks like it's just compression. How that works I'm not too sure, as it'd need to be compressed server-side before transmission to make it quicker. So either it's a really clever client-side thing which can download selective parts of a file to compress stuff, or they run a gateway which compresses stuff before transmitting it to the user...

Rob (stabbing in the dark).

I love their faq from the site:

What is it? Cheap

Not too helpful. Anyway, my guess from what Huck says is that it's a modified proxy server which applies higher compression to all pictures and text. To be fair, it's quite a good idea for anyone who just "surfs" - looks at web pages and pictures, as long as

1) The company keeps their server supplied with bandwidth as the service expands

2) You don't mind everything going through a proxy!

I was one of the "triallers" back when BT Broadband was launched, and one thing which hacked us all right off was BT's use of a "transparent" proxy server. It meant that all our port 80 traffic was intercepted and corrupted if contained anything other than http (not as odd as it might sound to an non-tech). So not a service for techs, but otherwise a good idea if they can execute it properly.

compression seems to be the method, on their servers. their site has most of the details - link above.

no spyware detected after just having run spybot search and destroy.

good to hear the more techy POV. if it turns out to be a POS then i'll bin it sharpish!! however, was bored last night so thought i'd give it a shot.

if i'm running through a proxy, will that necessarily show on IE options?

I have just finished reading the sales pitch and it seems not a complete waste of money... as long as their servers are operational and are able to handle all the compression requests. Also, you have to bear in mind that most file formats (JPG, MPG, MP3) are already compressed and shoving another level of compression over that wont improve much, if at all. For text orientated services I'd say that it might work, but it depends heavily on the webserver you are trying to access (weakest link, etc).

Q.

it seems to work for me so far. will let you know how i get on with my mum's slow connection - i guess that's the real test.

Also, you have to bear in mind that most file formats (JPG, MPG, MP3) are already compressed ...

I think they recompress JPEGs so even they will download faster... although you'll see more compression artifacts.

I agree with all the rest you said, as long as they keep their servers properly maintained.

Looks very interesting - any idea if it just works on downloads, or are uploads quicker as well (e.g. digial photos by email)?