Christmas is over and perhaps you did not get the game you had hoped for. Gaj-it.com has compiled a list of the most bought games on all platforms for week 1 (1st - 7th December 09)
Call Of Duty - World At War
Fifa 09
Need For Speed - Undercover
Mario Kart Wii
Wii Play
Tomb Raider - Underworld
Guitar Hero - [...]
We’ve seen TV programmes like the Gadget Show urge us to test our broadband speeds to make sure that we’re getting the fast connection speed we pay for. In response, internet providers have hit back and criticised the way these tests are carried out, saying that they cannot be relied upon to provide accurate results.
Virgin Media in particular has said that these tests rely on “dirty data”. Online speed tests generally work by sending a file to a computer and then timing how long it takes to determine the broadband speed used. According to Virgin, this payload is often too small to give an accurate result.
Virgin is further concerned that tests for new services which will provide a lightning fast 50Mbps (megabits per second) will be even more inaccurate as the error margin on these tests is amplified with faster speeds.
The broadband provider has also criticised the way web-based speed tests measure only how fast data is able to travel from one part of the internet to another, which can be prone to bottlenecks and delays.
Other factors that can skew results include the number of people using the test at a particular time as well as the processing power of individual computers.
Despite voicing concerns, Virgin Media appears to be performing well in broadband speed tests. Latest figures from independent broadband comparison site Point Topic showed Virgin Media at the top of the league table for delivering on its speed promises.
Source: BBC News
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Oct 16, 2008 at 15:37:03
Very interesting, I would tend to agree that the speeds are usually not very accurate and that this will only get worse when superfast broadband is available. People just assume that these tests are accurate and its only right that they are told the truth that sometimes the speeds given are not correct!
Oct 17, 2008 at 10:07:26
It is a bit of a dilemma as these tests are there to try to keep big broadband players as honest as possible in an industry where consumers otherwise just rely on blind trust to receive the broadband speed they pay for.
These tests really do need to become more sophisticated as I think they’re always going to be available for consumers to use and should therefore be as accurate as possible to please both the providers and the customers.
Oct 17, 2008 at 17:10:35
It surprises me the amount of people who check theses speed tests out, complain in forums and then go and surf the web.