Web Access With Fewer Hassles

Surfing the web on a mobile device is a pain. No matter how "always-on" the GPRS or CDMA network is supposed to be, the connection always seems to be in constant flux (something we've discussed before). Now, however, a researcher at IBM thinks he's come up with a potential solution. The system tries to predict which links you'll click on next and starts downloading the material in the background. This way, when you click, even if the network connection has dropped, you can still access the data. Even if the connection remains on, it should make the surfing experience seem much faster. Of course, my first thought on hearing this was that anyone on a "per-byte" pricing model plan should scream bloody murder if this plan is ever implemented. While it may make surfing faster, it will also use up a lot more bandwidth - much of which the user will never actually need.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.